Vacation!

I'm off to Disney World for the week! I'll be back with magical posts soon!

Friday Favorite: Refinery 29

What?: Refinery 29

Why?: I'm pretty much obsessed with this website. They have all the fashion and shopping news you could ever want, and I love all their slideshows. I have a thing for slideshows. They also bring my attention to things like this. Not to mention their Reserve has tons of amazing deals on extremely covetable goodies.

They have specific pages dedicated to New York, San Francisco, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami (please come to Boston, Refinery 29!) and their Everywhere page that covers, well, everything. Something for everyone here!

A Short Story

These pictures were taken before it suddenly became very spring-like here in New England. Haven't needed tights at all for the past few days! I'm loving it.

I'm not ready to declare it SAFE yet and put away all my sweaters and get out the shorts and sandals, but it is nice to wear flats without my feet freezing and to be able to go outside without a coat.

Just three more days until I am officially in VACATION MODE and I am hoping they go by quickly. I can't wait to spend this weekend vegetating and getting ready to fly off to Disney World on Monday with the boy! We're either being old people or little kids, I swear.

Hope you're all having a wonderful week so far!!

Blazer - The Limited (similar)
Shirt - H&M
Necklace - American Eagle
Shorts - H&M (similar)
Boots - Zara

Dear Diary: March 17th, 2012

I think I might start doing some "Dear Diary" type posts to re-cap each week. I'm thinking I'll post them on Saturdays or Sundays and they'll probably be me just keeping track of my life for future trips down memory lane.

Of course, if you're a huge voyeur like I am you might find the small details of my life fascinating. If not, then just skip on through.

Also, as you may have noticed, I'm desperately trying to stick to some kind of editorial calendar for my posting schedule, but it's proving trickier than I thought since I can't seem to find recurring features I love enough to stick to.

One I AM loving is my Friday Favorite. I'm really enjoying finding things I love and then talking about them. I do this to my friends and family constantly anyway, so I might as well share my loves with the whole internet, too!

So, this week was my birthday week. I turned 26 on Tuesday and went out for a delightful dinner & dessert with my love. Which turns out I never pressed "publish" for that post so it just went up now. Whoops.

But the fun started before Tuesday! Sunday I spent the afternoon wandering Newbury Street with the bestie, and it was a perfect day for it! We've been really lucky with the weather lately. We got BerryLine, which only further cemented my love for frozen yogurt. The only problem is I've started craving it, and there are no frozen yogurt places convenient to home!

Monday I helped my hairdresser out by being a hair model for a class they were having at my salon. It was super exciting to get my hair done, see some Bumble & Bumble stylists in action, and admire the looks the other girls at the salon were doing. Definitely a nice treat for a Monday afternoon.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful...work was stress-free, but boring and I spent my nights eating too many cupcakes and not going to the gym. It was my birthday week, so that makes it okay, somehow. ;) Back at it this week!

Saturday was St. Patrick's Day, and Boyfriend and I actually went out! We went to our favorite old dive bar and had green beer, lunch, and hung out with old friends. I had my first black and tan as well as my first Irish car bomb. It was a crazy afternoon for me. Just because we were out having fun doesn't mean we're suddenly exciting now...we were home and in bed by nine. We're such old people!

Today was spent cleaning out my car (it desperately needed it, it looked like a Dunkin Donuts graveyard in there), running errands, and relaxing. The weather was SUPER nice (75 degrees in March!). It was pretty much a perfect Sunday. I'm feeling pretty sleepy now and slightly worried I might be coming down with something, which would be horrible. We leave for Disney a week from tomorrow!

you say it's your birthday...

So last Tuesday was my birthday! Twenty six. It feels so weird to type that. I am twenty six. 26. Past 25. Which feels old. And yet I feel like I should be OLDER than I am, somehow. Like at 26 my life should be more advanced. I know that's not true, but when you're a little kid you think "Twenty six! I'll have a husband and a house and KIDS by then!" And some people totally do. I do not. And I'm pretty happy that I don't just yet, haha.

ANYWAY, this is what I wore for my birthday, both day and night!

This was what I wore to work yesterday. I wanted to be bright and cheerful, since it was my birthday and all. Bright blue pants? Check. Neon necklace? Check. Sparkle flats? Obviously.

A few quick changes later and I was ready for dinner in Harvard Square with Boyfriend! Swapped out the white for purple added some big earrings and heels and I was done. Boyfriend called me an Easter egg and then I gave him a lesson in brights vs. pastels. Boys.

We had a yummy dinner at Russell House Tavern. I had steak and french fries, which come with garlic mayonnaise for dipping. Sounds gross, but SO GOOD. And SO BAD FOR YOU. Such is life. But hey! It was my birthday.

I had to sneak a picture of Boyfriend while he was paying the bill because he hates having his picture taken. He just looked so damn handsome last night! The boy cleans up.

After dinner we walked around the corner to Pinkberry. I had salted caramel with strawberries and toasted almonds and a waffle cookie. Hello. Sooo good! Then we headed home to watch Sunday's Walking Dead episode. (Walking Dead viewers, without giving spoilers, did you say "FINALLY!" or "Oh noes!" to the end of the episode? Because I am in the "FINALLY!" camp.)

It was a pretty fabulous birthday. The weather was phenomenal yesterday so that was a definite plus. Sadly now my birthday is over and I am running out of excuses for eating so much cake and not working out, so back to real life it is!

Jeans: American Eagle (similar)
Day shirt: Old Navy (similar)
Necklace: Spike the Punch
Flats: Steve Madden
Shades: Ray Ban
Night shirt: J.Crew
Heels: Calvin Klein
Clutch: unknown (Target?)
Earrings: vintage, were great grandmother's I think

Friday Favorite: Help! I Have a Blister

What: Help: I have a blister hydrocolloid bandages.

Why?: These are the best bandages for blisters and uncomfortable shoes. They're made out of a thick, clear, gel-like substance that helps to heel blisters as well as alleviates the rubbing that caused them in the first place.

The package is small, so it can easily be slipped into a purse for days when you're breaking in new shoes or just plan on doing a lot of walking. I know they're definitely coming to Disney with me in a few weeks! They're nice and cushy and are great for back of the heel blisters.

How much?: $4 for one pack of 8 bandages, $20 for 6 packs (with 8 bandages per pack). You can get the single packs at Walgreens or Target. I'm planning on buying the 6 pack option next time around!

*This company also makes a bunch of other little packs like this - Help: I have a headache, Help: I have allergies, etc.

the huntress

I got the idea to layer the plaid shirts from an old J.Crew catalog. It looked a bit more sleek on the toothpick thin model, so I decided to do some tucking and tying to make it look more flattering on me. I thought the result was pretty cute!

I'm gonna keep it short tonight, since I've been running around doing a million things today and now I am exhausted. Tomorrow is MY BIRTHDAY, so I need my strength. ;)

Goodnight, kiddos!

Friday Favorite: Madewell Sweater

 What? Madewell Topnote Cardigan


Why? This is one of the best cardigans I have ever owned. I seriously have a weird obsession with it. I picked it up on a whim while on a trip to Charlotte back in February, and I came home and bought another one in a different color. I now have it in plum orchid (purple) and juniper berry (navy blue). I've been holding myself back from buying it in red and white as well.

It fits perfectly. The sleeves are fitted without being too tight and the hem hits right at my hips - not too long, not too short. The v-neck is flattering and the knit is thick enough to be warm on a cold day but it's also not so wintery looking that you couldn't swap your hoodie out for this sweater during a chilly summer night.


How much? Most colors are on sale for $49.50. The plum orchid color still says $69.50 online, but I got it for the $49.50 price in store. I know this is pricey for a cardigan, but it's worth it. Everything I've ever purchased at Madewell has held up really well - they are honestly made well. It's a classic cardigan that goes with everything and you'll have it for years.

snowboarding!

Last Saturday I went snowboarding for the second time in my life. This was huge for me for a couple reasons:

1. I hate snow.
2. The first time I went snowboarding was the worst day of my life.

But for some wacky tobacky reason, I got it in my head that I wanted to try again. Maybe it's the mild winter we've had in New England this year that made me think snow wasn't the devil's invention and prancing around in it while strapped to a piece of plastic was a good idea. I really don't know.

I had high hopes that since I'm more physically in shape then I was four or five years ago (the last time I went) I'd somehow be better at it. So it became a challenge for myself - I WILL BE BETTER.  Boyfriend - bless him - didn't even hesitate when I asked him to take me again. If I was him I would have ran away screaming.

In my defense, the first time I went I was not instructed well. Boyfriend and I went with one of his other friends. His friend helped me get my rental board and boots and also helped me determine whether or not I should ride "regular" or "goofy".  He shoved me in the back and said "YOU'RE GOOFY".  Then they took me to the top of the mountain, and basically said "now go down". Needless to say, I cried the entire day, my legs were falling off of my body in pain, and we had a three hour car ride home after that. I couldn't walk for a week.

So when we went last weekend, I was both so excited and so scared. Boyfriend was much more attentive this time, as it was just the two of us. We went up the bunny hill on this fun little magic carpet thing (I mastered the magic carpet) and I managed to make it to the bottom without falling horribly! Of course, I kind of just snowplowed my way down, but it counts. Then we went down the easy trails where I zigged and zagged and plowed all the way down.

I still haven't learned to turn, is the issue. I also can't seem to commit to riding goofy or regular. That just feels like such a big, life-changing decision. I think I might actually be goofy, but I just wanna be regular, man. I've been watching these super dorky videos and trying to prep for our next trip. I'm even more determined to get the hang of this now.

Any snowboarders out there? Got any advice for me?

weekend warrior

This past weekend was all kinds of amazing. On Saturday I went snowboarding for the second time ever, and I didn't hate it! I'll do a separate post all about it once I get the pictures of me (snowboarding!) from Boyfriend.

On Sunday I purged almost my entire closet. I pulled out all my clothes and weeded through them, trying everything on and getting rid of things that didn't fit right or that I didn't love. There were so many things that were too big for me! Best feeling ever. Bags and bags of stuff are going to Goodwill and I still have to go through all my pants and sweaters. I'm trying to really simplify things and not use this as an excuse to fill my closet to bursting again!

I know I'll be moving in a few months, and I really don't want to shlep all this clutter with me, so I'm trying to go through all my stuff and be really strict about what stays and what goes. It isn't easy, that's for sure!

And right on cue my mom just came into my room and handed me some brand new hot pink hanging file folders! I'm off to file things!

Jacket: Forever 21
Sweatshirt: Madewell
Jeans: Gap
Boots: Marshall's (similar)
Necklace: Spike the Punch
Sunnies: Ray Ban

Blogger Meet Up & Macaroons

Last Saturday night I met up with Casey of Girl in the Poodle Shoes for a night of chatting and desserts. It was pretty much amazing.

We first met at the Boston Blogger meet up last month and instantly hit it off. Every time she said something I replied with "Me too!" and every time I said something she said "Exactly!" so obviously we are just kindred spirits.

We discovered that neither one of us had ever had a macaroon (those pretty French cookies that seem to be all over every blog) so we decided to meet up in Harvard Square and find us some macaroons! I was running horribly late but finally met up with Casey in the bar at Fire & Ice where we each had a beer and talked blogging and shopping lists and being girls who like beer (and brewery tours!). As I suspected, we had a lot in common. :)

From there we headed over to L.A. Burdick for some macaroons. Neither one of us had even been to or noticed this little chocolate shop, but it is absolutely adorable. They had macaroons in lots of yummy flavors. We each had a pumpkin and Casey picked a chocolate while I went with raspberry. SO GOOD. They're also known for their hot chocolate, so we got some of that too. Casey asked for "the best" kind they had, which happens to be half white chocolate and half dark chocolate. Get some, and prepare for your socks to be knocked off. It's basically warm melted chocolate. Imagine the chocolate river from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and now put it in a cute little cup. SO GOOD.

Needless to say, it was am amazing time and we're planning on getting together again soon (Titanic in 3D?!).

Recipe: Healthy Corn Chowder

This is a recipe post. But first I want to point you all over to Casey of Girl in the Poodle Shoes because I hung out with her last weekend, and it was an absolute blast, and she wrote all about it. So until I get around to writing my own re-cap, go check hers out! :)

Onward...

I freaking love corn chowder. It's creamy, it's buttery, it's sweet, it's salty. Oh mama.

Of course it is decidedly un-healthy due to the aforementioned reasons. Luckily, Weight Watchers stepped in and created a more healthful and lower fat version that is pretty darn good. It may not completely take the place of delicious corn chowder in a bread bowl (hold me!) but it has satisfied my corn chowder cravings on more than one occasion.

Here's the recipe, taken from WeightWatchers.com:

Ingredients:
1 medium Yukon gold (or yellow) potato
1 spray cooking spray
1/2 cup uncooked celery, chopped
1/4 cup uncooked onions, chopped (or one shallot, chopped)
4 pieces corn on the cob, kernels removed (or just some corn...really however much you want)
1 cup red pepper, diced
4 oz Canadian bacon, diced
2 cups fat free skim milk
salt & pepper
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Directions:
1. Pierce potato in several places with a fork; microwave on high power until tender, turning over once, about 8 minutes. Allow to cool; peel and mash. *I've also done this without mashing and instead just cutting the potato into small pieces, leaving the skin on. It was equally tasty.

2. Meanwhile, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray. Add celery, onion, corn and red pepper; sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

3.  Stir bacon and milk into saucepan; stir in mashed potato and mix well. Season with salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce; stir to combine. Cover and simmer 10 minutes (do not allow to boil). Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

For 6 points a serving, that's not too shabby! Enjoy!