25 Ways to Wear a Scarf

Check Out This Blog

I love following other blogs.  There is a great called Egyptomanaic The Shopping Maniac.  She shows great posts on the outfits that she wears and where the products came from. 
She is currently having a giveaway with a great scarf and bracelet ~ Check it out!

Gathered V-Neck Jersey Dress - Garnet Hill

Gathered V-Neck Jersey Dress - Garnet Hill (clipped to polyvore.com)

Mini Vaca - Jupiter Beach Resort

So last weekend we went on a mini vaca up to the Jupiter Beach Resort with some friends.  The husband and I have been in a get healthy mode for the past several months so this was going to be a nice break.  The resort is only about 45 minutes north of us but it is such a different vibe up there.   So much more laid back.  Which I really appreciate.
They were offering a package called Road Trip.  The room rate was decent and the package included a $25 gas gift card and 20% off everything at the resort.  Which we used for beach chairs and breakfast.

The first order of business once we got up there was to eat.  But due to only being 45 minutes away it was really to early to eat.  So we took a little detour and headed over to the Jupiter Lighthouse.  We toured the museum while we waited for our guided tour up to the lighthouse.  The funniest part of this experience was our guide. He was probably 16 or 17 with a fuzz of a mustache.  As he was describing some of the plants that we passed by he described them as erotic with out a blink of the eye  instead of exotic.  Alot of the people in our group caught this.   So for the rest of the tour we made everything erotic.

look at the erotic lighthouse

Next up was lunch.  This was very exciting to us due to the yumminess we were about to experience.  We went to a place call Food Shack.   The food is so amazing.  They have these wonderful ways of preparing  fish.  It really is something to try if you are ever in the area.  I had dolphin that was encrusted with angel hair pasta and parmesan cheese on a bed of lettuce.  SO GOOD!

After lunch we checked into the hotel.  We had a great ocean view room.  We all put on our bathing suits and sunscreen and headed down to the beach/pool.  This is what I was really excited about.  To lay outside with my magazine and just hang out.  It was perfect!  The weather was so nice and the company was great.  After hanging outside we all went up for naps and then got ready for dinner.  We went to another great place called Guanabanas.  The atmosphere is fun.  It is all outside and the landscaping is amazing. 

It was such a nice break from the everyday.  It really was a great mini vaca with great food and friends! 

Here are a few more photos:

view from the beach chair

view from our room balcony

view of the pool from our room



Lilly Pulitzer - Organizers

I am excited to make the change over to this organizer.  It runs from August of 2011 to December of 2012.  It has such a cute set up.  The quotes for each month are sweet.  This is the small size so it fits very nicely in my purse. 

OOTD

This is the sweater that I got from Old Navy a couple of weekends ago.  I was worried that it might still be to hot to wear.  But it was perfect.  For the fall a long sleeve shirt under it is going to be great!

Pippa Bag

 

 

I had such a wonderful surprise.  I had ordered this back in June as a pre-order for November.   I got the notice in the mail yesterday that it was waiting for me at the post office.  My sweet husband went to pick it up for me this AM as I am out the door before the post office opens.

I am a sucker for seeing celebrities with purses.  I don't know why I have such a love for pricey bags?  I can wear ten dollar shoes and twenty dollar jeans.  But my bags - that is whole other level!

The "Pippa" came onto the scene with Pippa Middleton.  She has been spotted with all the colors.  I  really like the burnt orange color but thought the shark color was something that I did not have. And I do have an orange bag.  And if I was going to make the purchase it should be something completely different.

Know this purse was a bit of a gamble.  Especially with overseas shipping.  Another blogger had done a great review of her purchase with a video.  This is what really sold it for me.  Also love her blog!

Pippa Vlog Review by Sparrows&Sparkle

 

 

Mini Vaca

We are going on a mini vaca.  When I say mini, the hotel is about forty minutes away, we are going up Saturday and coming back Sunday.  So quick trip.  But sure to be a fun one.  Will post about it - stay tuned!

Garnet Hill

I really love Garnet Hill.  My issue with ordering from them is they never have free shipping.  I had been eyeing this cardigan for a while.  I love the orange background and all the colors from the flowers.  Well, of course they had to offer free shipping on sweaters.  So I decided this was my only chance.  I am excited to see it in real life.  Or as I have learned in blog world - IRL.

Old Navy Finds

I have been really impressed with Old Navy lately.  They had a 30% off coupon that you could print on line if you Like them on Facebook.  I know this is Fall stuff and living in S. Fla it will be a while before I will be able to wear these cute items.  But they were all on sale plus the 30%.  I think all in I was around $32 plus tax.  I am really excited about the scarf.  The picture does no show all the great colors that are in the design.  It will work great with brown and black.

Now we wait! 

Baller on a Budget: Facial Cleanser

I am a sucker for beauty products. My most recent purchase was the Olay Pro-X Advancing Cleansing System.  I have looked at the comparable product by Clarisonic.    The olay products retails for $30 and the Clairisonic is $149 - $195.  Big difference for this baller on a budget.  I found the Olay product at Target.  I have been using it for about two weeks and have noticed that my skin is softer and not as flaky.

Here is the Clarisonic summary:

The Sonic Skin Cleansing System uses a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to clean, soften and smooth skin. In just 60 seconds, the brush gently, yet thoroughly removes 6X more makeup and 2X more dirt and oil than manual cleansing alone. Removing these impurities has been shown to allow a 61% better absorption of Vitamin C, and better prepares skin for other products.



Here is the Olay Pro-X summary:

Is it time to rethink your daily cleansing routine? Designed by a team of dermatologists along with Olay, the Advanced Cleansing System is as effective as a system sold by skin professionals for nearly $200.* Professionally and clinically designed to cleanse 6 times better**, the Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System also sets your skin up for supersonic anti-aging moisturization.†

Both products have really good reviews.  The one thing I did notice about the Clarisonic is that it charges on a base where the Olay requires batteries.   So you might be changing the batteries a little more with the Olay product.  They both have their own line of cleansers to use with the brush.  I have used what came with the Olay product and then my own cleanser as well.   I am happy with the purchase. 


Publix Cooking School

Thursday night I went to a Publix Apron's Cooking School.   The chef for the evening was Kevin Gillespie from Top Chef season six.  Now in all honesty I don't and haven't watched the show, but the friends I went with do and he was one of their favorites.  Chef Gillespie is based in Atlanta and is co-owner and executive chef of Woodfire Grill.  Attending one of these classes involves watching the chef cook the dish while he explains what he is doing, often times imparting tips of the trade you would not otherwise read about.  After demonstrating how to prepare each dish,  you and your table are then served the dish and are given a reasonable time to enjoy and discuss amongst yourselves.  How great is that!  Also with each course you get a wine pairing... bottoms up.

First Course: Sliced Tomato on Cornbread pancake with bacon basil mayonnaise:
Oh my lord the mayo was AMAZING!  This was such a good flavor combo.  The only thing I would have liked a little more of was tomato.  I felt like another slice would have been good or even chopped up tomatoes mixed in with the mayo and then poured over the pancake.   The little cooking tip on this was to sprinkle your tomatoes with salt and pepper first, let it sit for an hour or more so the water can be pulled out of the tomato and then drained back in to really let the flavor be spread out.

Second Course:  Sweet corn roasted in the Husk with Lime, Japapeno and Cotija Cheese with a Mojo Marinated and Glazed Grilled Pork Steak. 

The Pork Steak had really nice flavor but was a tough piece of meat.  Kevin did talk about how this is an under utilized piece of meat.  It does really need to marinate with a citrus marinade for a while so it can break down the muscle.  It did have really nice flavor.  But only having a regular knife to work with did make this hard.  The corn with the Cotija Cheese was really good!   The tip for the corn was to leave the husk on remove the silk and pull the husk back over.  Let this soak in water for 24 hours.  And then you put the corn on the grill with the husk wrapped around you are steaming the corn without the husk catching fire.

Course Three:  Grilled Pineapple Cobbler
This was soooo good and looked so easy to make.  Once he had all the ingredients together and was pouring them it into the dish he sprinkled raw sugar on top and it gave the cobbler this creme brulle crust.   I am bummed that I forgot to take a picture of this.  By the time I had realized I had already eaten the whole thing.  They did pair it with vanilla ice cream.  A great summer desert.

If you are close to one of these Publix Apron's Cooking Schools  it is really a lot of fun and a great value.   And you get copies of all the recipes that are being cooked for that class.

Couponing: Extreme or Lifestyle

So I am sure you have seen or heard about the show Extreme Couponing on TLC.  The first time I saw it I was in amazement as I am sure most people were.  I wanted to do this.  I wanted all my groceries for $10 and an amazing stock pile of toilet paper and cereal.   My husband was watching the show with me knowing that I would now need to coupon.  I love a good deal and have always felt that I was a pretty good shopper.  I always look for the sale and rarely buy full retail.   This type of savings would be great!  So I started with the Sunday paper. I needed those coupon inserts.  I looked through them and took out what we would use.   I also noticed that on Tuesday in the mail came more coupons.  Once again I took out what I thought we would use.
As you may know from the show this is serious business.  The people on the show have a serious collection of coupons and know their stores very well.  They must have some connection with the amount of coupons they are able to collect because that is ridiculous.    As you may have also noticed with the extreme couponing, it is a full time job:  the cutting of the coupons, knowing what coupons they have,  figuring the sales with each store, the preparation of the lists,  the strategy that comes into play with these big shops.  More power to them.  The time they put into this does pay off with the savings.  Some purchases though are really just silly, I mean one lady bought 80 something jars of mustard.  Really, would one family ever go through that much mustard in their lifetime.   They sure must like to BBQ with mustard.   My point is that I knew pretty quickly that I was not going to be an extreme couponer. 
I wanted to understand this coupon thing a little more.  I found a few sites that help with navigating though this world. One that I really like was Kitty Coupon Diva.  She offers videos to understand how she coupons, breaks down the sales for different stores that week and also links up to printable coupons.   And if you sign up she will send out notices when stores are having their weekly sales.   After reading though her site I knew I would be more of a life style coupner.  
My next step was to find a way to organize my coupons.  I found a coupon file index at Target.  This was the way to go for me.  I did not need a binder, just something small and compact that I could easily go through to understand what I had.



I have been couponing for about two months.  I have found that you must be really prepared when you coupon.  Some days I don't even think about a coupon.  Especially if I am just running in to grab a few things.  Other days I go though my coupons, know what I need and organize myself so that I am using my coupons wisely.  This past Sunday I did my Target run and saved $25.96 in coupons.  I was really proud of myself.  I am happy with my choice to be a life styler in the coupon world.   

Thursday

 

Tuesday OOTD

 

OOTD

 

Rainy Saturday

 

Old Navy

A new Old Navy just opened by my office.  I stopped in after work to check it out.  I have not bought anything from Old Navy in a while.  I was really impressed.  They had some really cute stuff.  The black top was really flattering.   That will get a lot of use this summer.  The dress was a GREAT deal.  Not sure if it was so cheap due to it being a new store or if this was a summer promo but is was only $7.48.  I have a great white cardigan that I can wear with it.  I am excited about the options.  The pheasant top was also really cute on.  I don't have a lot of colors like this so I thought it would be good for mixing up the wardrobe a bit. 
Hope you enjoy your weekend!

OOTD

 

Polyvore Stikes Again

I kept seeing these shoes pop up with different outfit ideas on the Polyvore site.   I really do love Burnt Orange.  And how can you pass up a cute shoe at a really great price.  These are a Target find.  They had some nice color options.  Only $15.  I thought it was well worth it.  Just click on my link to the right to see them in action.

Happy Wednesday!

My Husband - My Second Love

While I've known him longer and he is responsible for finding and procuring my love, Buckley (see below), my husband comes in at a close second!  What can I say?  Have you seen Buckley???

Makeover

Somebody got a makeover.  Hope you like the new design for the blog.  It makes me smile. 
Have a good week!

My Love

Allow me the opportunity to introduce the sweetest four-legged fur baby... His name is Buckley and I simply adore him!

It's bittersweet to come to terms with the fact that he will be seven in August. It seems like only a short while ago that we picked him up from the breeder when he was just a little puppy. It is funny to think how little he once was... so small he could crawl under the couch and various tables. Not so much now, but he still tries.

Buckley is our only baby so we take him to Doggy Day Care (DDC) once a week. He LOVES it. He knows when I say, "Do you want to go play today?" Then it is game on! He runs down the stairs and scratches at the door to the garage to get in the car.   The ride can be simply described as me attempting to drive while he goes bananas until he is inside the place with his friends. The highlight of my day is the pick-up and drop-off.  He trots down the hallway, unleashed, knowing where his "classroom" can be found.  The "teachers" provide a report card and photos of his day. Without fail, Buckley is pictured with one of his favorites, a tennis ball.

The tennis ball is his favorite inanimate thing in whole world next to his chicken. If you are going to say "ball" to this guy - be prepared!  Buckley excels as a ball player in that he will always return it to you and go so far as to nudge the ball as close to you as you want it... even right in your hand. He was trained by the best!

When we get home from DDC he is pooped. That's their motto at DDC - "We'll send them home pooped!" He eats his dinner and then it's lights out.

Buckley's best friend is "Chicken". Chicken is an almost cartoon-shaped yellow rubber chicken I found at the local pet store. I thought it would be good because of its relative thickness and durability compared to other toys.  There would be no way he could destroy it and thankfully Chicken is still in one piece.  Indulge me a moment to share an example of Buckley's affection towards Chicken.  Picture him searching the house to get Chicken and returning to our room, jumping on the bed carrying Chicken in his mouth, placing Chicken beside him and finally lying down beside him. Chicken really is his little buddy. It is very sweet and warms my heart. 

That is my little love. Thanks for letting me share!

Tuesday Work Attire

Loving Orange

  

Baller on a Budget: Bio Oil

I saw this skin care recommendation on Pixiwoo.  One of the sisters was talking about some of the skin care products that she was using.  She mentioned that her skin was really dry.  I have been having the same problem and have been trying all sorts of products.  She mentioned that she was using Bio-Oil.   I have always seen this in the drug stores and remember my grandmother having this in her bathroom.  The common recommendation is for stretch marks.  If I had any I guess I could use it for that as well - Just Kidding!
I love a good recommendation and since the Pixiwoo girls are professional make up artists, they have seen a lot of products. 
Off to Walgreens I went.  Found the Bio-Oil and it was on sale - bonus.  I believe it was normally $16.99 for the large bottle. 
I have been using this for about two weeks and I have noticed a huge change.  I use  it in the morning after I get out of the shower.  You don't need much.  It does not even look like I have opened the bottle.  The slickness takes a little getting used to.  But it does feel like your face is drinking it up.  After about five minutes I continue on with my regular products.   Big Fan!

Summer Dinner

 

OOTD

 

Polyvore

Untitled by prettygirlsprettythings featuring kate spade handbags

I have started playing around with the website Polyvore.   I am slowly building my closet on this site.  Some of the items are not necessarily what I have bought.  Just a similar style of clothing that I have.  I have really enjoyed looking at other people's outfits because it is a great way to get ideas and see how things will work color wise.  I have noticed that it can be a little addicting.  I saw this Jcrew three quarters stripped tee shirt in burnt orange.  Apparently is was on sale and there was free shipping.  So I made the purchase.  The outfits were really cute and I had all the items except for the shirt.  So I really had to.  You understand. 

 I have added a link to my Polyvore site.  Please feel free to like or follow me.

Have a great weekend!

Reward Programs

The idea of rewards programs can be a lot of fun.  Especially when you have racked up a lot of points.  I have a couple of companies that I have signed up with.   For instance, Starbucks.  I have gotten two free drinks.  Apparently I have purchased 15 drinks and the next one is on them.  And I also got a free drink for my birthday.  It made me smile.  
I am also a member of the Sephora beauty reward program. I usually don't go for any of the samples that they are offering.  None of the items really seemed worth it.  I liked the idea of having a lot of point in case something good came up.  Well I was in Sephora this week to pick up some gloss.  While I was checking out they mentioned what was available for the 500 points gift.  It looked very intriguing... it was a Korres set.  The set included Guava Body Butter, Cherry Oil Lip gloss, Quercetin & Oak Age reversing night cream, and Quercetin & Oak Age reversing primer.  I have never tried this brand but had heard about the primer.  I am always on the look for a good primer.  I decided to try this set because it looked like you really got a decent amount of each product to really try.  I will let you know how it goes.    Hope you are having a good day!

Num Num Num: Taco Pie

This is a recipe that my sister had sent me.   It is so easy and so yummy.  For the crust I have seen recipes call for a pie crust or crescent rolls.  I have used both.  The pie crust is a little richer.  I have also enclosed the pie but prefer to leave it open and just have the cheese as the top.  There are a lot of variations for this as far as adding extra ingredients.
Here is the recipe I usually use:

1 can of Crescent Rolls/or pie crust
1 lb. lean ground beef (i have used ground turkey)
1 8 oz. container of sour cream
1 8 oz. package of finely shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1 package taco seasoning (dry)
1/2 package water (use taco seasoning package)

Spray a 9 inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Line the pie plate with the Crescent Rolls,   making sure to overlap, Fill any gaps and bring up to edge. 

Brown and drain beef. Add Taco Seasoning and water. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Top crescent rolls with meat mixture. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese. Bake in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes.
Serve with extra sour cream, salsa or salsa con queso and shredded lettuce, tomatoes or other toppings of your choice.
 
 

I made this one for a friend . 

Baller on a Budget: Hair Therapy

I love seeing comparisons with high priced items and then the bargain that is comparable.  I saw this one on Rachel Zoe's Parallel Universe and decided to try it.  I have enjoyed this product and would totally buy it again.  I use it about three times a week.  It says once a week but I blow dry and straight iron my hair almost everyday.  Plus the humidity in S. Fla can just be brutal on your hair.  Especially if you want to wear it down.

This one is what Rachel recommend - retail $60

This was the comparison - retail $7

WELCOME

Here is my blog.  I have been following a couple of blogs and really enjoy what people are writing.  I espically like the ones that are geared toward everyday fashion.  I am not quite sure what direction I want to take my blog.  Maybe just a little bit of this and that.  Hopefully I can have the dedication that I have seen with other sites.  I guess I will just let it come naturally and see what happens.  Thanks for stopping by.