Monday, April 28, 2014

Weekend Happenings

Hey friends! I'm a slacker and getting this post up way later than I expected. My mind and body have been on a huge relaxation kick and that's just what the doctor ordered. I was lucky enough to have a nice long weekend, so it started for me on Thursday.

On Thursday, it was my incredible momma's birthday and we celebrated by taking her out for deep dish pizza and ice cream. 

//Georgio's deep dish, yum//
//Hilarious birthday card, of course the older child is always right//
//Pretty spring bouquet for my momma//
//My pretty momma & I//
//Double scoops of ice cream//

The rest of the weekend weekend was spent in bed battling a cold/flu on top of allergies, not a pretty combo. My cousin texted me a pic of my nephew who was also sick, sometimes I swear we are twins that little guy and I. 


My Sunday entertainment was provided by A. We amused ourselves by having a minute long convo with just smileys. Obviously I'm easily amused haha.


Shameless plug: don't forget to enter my eye shadow palette giveaway!!


How was your guys' weekends?? I'm linking up with Bella & Lisa for weekend recap and Rachael & Lisa for weekly wrap up. 

Showered With Design

The Rachael Way

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Friday, April 25, 2014

If You Really Knew Me...

...you'd know

...I love forehead kisses

...I sleep better when it's raining/thunder-storming

...I love lazy Sundays

...I long for a love they write about in classic literary novels

...I would eat Taco Bell everyday if I could (w/o the weight gaining consequences of course)

...I dream up so many dreams I can't keep up with them all

...I long for a style like Jacqueline Onassis and Audrey Hepburn

...I love handbags and shoes more than I feel I should

...I think a great pair of shoes can change your mood around completely

...I am in a constant wonderlust, I want to travel anywhere and everywhere

...I drink Starbucks at least 2-3 times a week, which doesn't seem like a lot, but I cut down drastically

...I feel naked and lost without my iPhone

...I think music can fix anything



Also, because it's Friday I gotta link up with Whitney for #backthatazzup




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Thursday, April 24, 2014

BA STAR Makeup

BA STAR smoky eye shadow palette

I received a smoky eye shadow palette from BA STAR and I was excited to get my hands on it and try it out.  I love that this is a very easy to use and compact palette, which makes it perfect for travel. I like that there are matte and gel glitter shadows, all of which are very highly pigmented. Another plus I like is that it's super affordable! They come in 4 different color combos (smoky, natural, pretty n pink, and true blue).

Retail price: $8.75
Brandbacker promo price: $4.37
Enter code: BBsmoky




I decided because I love this palette so much I wanted to share it with a fellow blogger. Whether you love/are obsessed with makeup like I am or want to get your feet wet with eye shadow, this is the perfect starter palette. So if you want to win the smoky eye palette, enter below and if you don't win and want to try it out just head on over to their website and enter the promo code above for a 50% savings!!



((I received an eye shadow palette complimentary to review and give my honest opinions))
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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Recipe: Smoothie

Hey y'all! So with the nicer weather I find myself appreciating smoothies more and more. I absolutely love swapping out a meal for a protein rich smoothie. I have a quick and easy (notice the trend with my recipes??) smoothie recipe that works without fail for me every time I make it. 


As far as ingredients go, you can really create it with pretty much any fruit or veggie you want. I used strawberries and bananas as my fruits because that's what I had available. I then use a tablespoon (or more) of peanut butter for my protein and fill up the empty part of my blender (one cup size) with water or you can use ice if you want it chilled. I then toss a handful of chocolate chip morsels on top just for a chocolatey goodness, I mean in smoothie form it's healthy right?! Blend those bad boys together and start sipping!

Like I said you can use anything you want, with more fruit coming in the summer I will definitely be exploring different smoothies and also will be testing out a green smoothie with spinach too, I'll fill you guys in on how that turns out and if I like it or not!

Linking up with Kate & Emily for Tuesdays Recipe Swap.

Martinis & Bikinis




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Monday, April 21, 2014

Weekend Recap

Wowsa, why does it always feel like I haven't blogged in forever. I guess a lot has happened since Thursday so I wanted to fill you guys in on some exciting news in my life that happened this past weekend. If you follow me on Instagram, you may already know, but my best friend got engaged!! 

On Thursday I got a call from my friends fiance saying he was going to pop the question to her Friday night and he wanted to make sure I knew about it and was there. Of course I canceled any plans I already had and said heck ya I'd be there.

My best friend and her now fiance are seriously the cutest couple I know. They are so perfect for each other and I am so incredibly happy for them to begin this awesome journey. I've also noticed a trend in April, my other friend got proposed to the first weekend of April last year, this year on the 2nd weekend it's my best friend, so who knows maybe next year on the 3rd weekend will be my turn?!

Well anywho, I'll let the pictures do all the talking for this.

//The couple went on a horse carriage ride which brought them to the proposal spot//
//Pretty flowers//
//He asks, she says YES!!!//
 //The lovely couple//
//Bestie showing off that ring//
//Bling bling that was custom made for her//
//The friends crew//
//Celebratory shots with the bride to be//
//The girls//
//Bestie for 10+ years//

I was so beyond excited that this weekend worked out perfectly and my bestie is going to be marrying the man of her dreams. Can't wait for the craziness of planning and partying.

How was your weekend?? Linking up with Lisa & Bella for weekend recap and Rachael & Lisa for weekly wrap up.

Dateless in Dallas



The Rachael Way

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Dream Home Essentials

I've been watching this amazing new show on NBC called American Dream Builders. Now I love binge watching HGTV shows like it's my job and I just love interior design and decorating so much. I unfortunately don't have my own space to go crazy with design, but I try to keep little ideas in my mind for my future home. I love getting inspiration from Pinterest (you can see my dream home board here). I know for sure I am a craftsman style kind of girl, I just love that look because it mixed modern with traditional. The clean lines and the overall finish is just what I am looking for in a dream home. Here are some other essentials I want/need in my dream home...

chandelier(s)
West Elm
Overstock.com

large wooden dining room table
West Elm

unique backsplash
Lowes
Pinterest

large floor mirror
Z Gallerie

organization-friendly closet
Pinterest

master bathroom w/ a tub
Pinterest

whimsical and fun rug
West Elm
Pottery Barn

tufted headboard
Pinterest

These are just some of the things in a home that I know would make me so happy. I cannot finally wait to get my own place one day and decorate and design to my hearts content, hopefully implementing a lot or all of these essentials!!
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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Recipe: Margherita Pizza

So this week I put my own spin on an old classic. I love pizza and could probably eat it forever and ever, but I also like switching it up every now and then. Don't get me wrong, I love my cheese and onions, but I love Margherita pizza when it's done right. When I saw an easy pinterest recipe to make it at home, I gathered all my necessary ingredients and went to town. I tweaked it a little bit by using a flatbread instead of a pizza crust, but you can do it however your little heart desires.


Ingredients:
//1 flatbread or thin pizza crust (whatever you prefer)

//pizza sauce

//EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for those of you who never watched Rachel Ray)

//1 tomato, cut thinly

//mozzarella cheese, cut thinly

//basil leaves

//salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
-Spread a thin layer of EVOO on the flatbread or crust followed by the pizza sauce spread evenly.

-Place the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese across the pizza.

-Sprinkle basil leaves and salt and pepper to your satisfaction.

-You can also top the pizza in parmesan cheese if you want, but I didn't have any handy.

-Bake the pizza on 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes, until you see the cheese starting to melt.



This is such a simple and easy dish you can make with minimal ingredients. I definitely love making this as an afternoon lunch idea when I'm home from work because I usually have these ingredients and it doesn't take much time to prepare and cook.

I'm linking up with Kate & Emily for Tuesday's Recipe Swap!

Martinis & Bikinis

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Friday, April 11, 2014

My Jam Lately

You know when you hear a really good song and all you want to do is sit there and listen to the song for hours on end....no is that just me? Well anywhoodles, there is a song that since the first time I heard it, I cannot get enough. I'm sure a time may come where the radio may kill the song and I won't wanna hear it, but for now I cannot stop listening to it. JT can seriously do no wrong in my eyes and I say this dating back to his N'sync days where those songs would play in my head for days. His new album is seriously one of my favorites out right now and each song that's on there is so creatively written and catchy in it's own way, he is a musical genius. 

Anywhoodles, let's get to the song. If you haven't heard it yet, you're welcome. Also the video to this song has been released and it is simply the sweetest thing ever, yes I am a proud hopeless romantic, so enjoy that video if you're a fellow romantic.

There is a pretty good chance I will try to get this song to be my first dance song...I can be pretty convincing :)


Just because I can't just love one song of his at once, here is another for your ears to be pleased with.


Linking up with Whitty Whit for #backthatazzup



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Thursday, April 10, 2014

Hair Routine

Let's talk about hair baby, let's talk about you and me

Now that I've made things nice and weird around these parts, let's get down to the root of the post (get it?! ok I'm done). Lately I've been so blah about my hair because quite frankly in the winter Chicago weather makes my hair nutty. Now that spring has sprung and we are finally getting nice weather, I can finally have my hair doing it's thang. I take pretty good care of all my hair, because let's face it if I didn't I would resemble Hagrid from the beloved Harry Potter books...no joke. 

I am pretty OCD about my haircare routine and try to follow it.


//I use the Moroccan Argan Oil intense moisturizing treatment before washing my hair. It is a quick mask to help treat my hair. All you need is a little bit distributed with a wide tooth comb and you leave it be for about 5 mins. You can also be real ghetto like me and stick a grocery bag to give the treatment some heat, or you can just be normal whatevs.

//I then wash out the treatment using L'Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare triple resist reinforcing shampoo & conditioner. I like this shampoo because it leaves my hair feeling soft and bouncy, plus it smells good so that sold me right away.

//I then let my hair dry off in my turbie twist, guys this little invention is perfect. I used to use a separate towel just to dry my hair (yes I have that much hair) and it got annoying, but this nifty thing is perfect and the microfiber material helps get most of the moisture out.

//After I let my locks free, I hit it with the arsenal of haircare products to help repair damage, make my hair silky, or protect against heat. First I throw a few pumps of Pantene Pro-V ultimate 10 BB creme, this stuff is pretty great. It is basically doing 10 things for your hair and works as a leave in treatment. I usually only use this for when my hair is freshly washed, but you can use it on dry hair as a polisher on styled hair.

//Next comes the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal, this treatment helps speed up blow drying and cuts out that nasty frizz. I also throw this in my hair after I flat iron my hair to keep any fly aways at bay.

//I follow it up with Healthy Sexy Hair Soy tri-wheat leave in conditioner. I spritz a bit of this on my damp hair to help condition my hair in between washes and it also helps detangle my hair before blow drying. This stuff smells like the angels tears, I would definitely recommend this not only because of the product itself, but the smell alone!

//As if all of those products aren't enough, the final step before styling my hair is Aussie heat protecting shine spray. Guys you have no idea how much of a difference a heat protectant makes on your hair. I've noticed a big difference since I've started using a protectant on my hair to protect from any damage to my hair since I use an excessive amount of heat on my hair most days.

Now that all the products have gone into my hair, I am finally ready to style my hair. Depending on how dry my hair already is thanks to air drying, blow drying can take anywhere from 20-30 mins for my hair. I usually break my hair into 3 sections just to make sure I removed all the moisture from my hair. This helps a lot because any flat iron or curling iron that hits wet hair will fry it.

Then I usually flat iron my hair because it's the quickest thing and typically stays throughout the night (I have to wash my hair in the night before work because it's a pretty long process and I don't like waking up early to take care of all that, yes I still shower in the mornings, but this severely cuts out prep time in the am). Here is the before and after look of my hair, the craziness of my hair doesn't seem so severe in the pic, but I assure you, I could never leave my hair with just blow drying it (unless I do a blow out which I suck at doing).


*My apologies for the grainy iPhone quality pix*

I was not compensated or given these products, all the reviews are based on my honest opinions and all products were bought with my own doll hairs :).



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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Confessions...

Happy hump day y'all! I have been seriously slacking on my blogging lately and I hate that I can't find a bunch of motivation to post, but I'm working on it. 

i confess...

...I've been watching too many re-runs of csi:miami for it to not be normal anymore

...I've been pinning a LOT lately for my "future" wedding, guys I am nowhere near this, but I can't help but want to plan all the deets

...I'm so excited to have booked my flight to New Orleans, I don't go until June, but man that can't come quick enough

...I've kind of been annoyed with my bestie who's getting married in July, I love her to death, but I feel her wedding is the only thing we talk about anymore

...I need to be less nice. At work, I'm working a billion more extra hours, because I cannot say no. Also with my personal life, I am agreeing and saying yes to things I just don't want to do, but can't seem to come up with enough excuses to get out of it

...I've been doing pretty well at limiting or stoping any unnecessary spending this month and I'm super proud of the fact that I've been able to stick with it

...A's birthday is this weekend and I have no idea if I should get him something or not, it's still early in our relationship and I don't know what or if I should get him anything....halppppp

Alright, that's enough confessing for one day. Linking up with the always hilarious Kat for humpday confessions.



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Monday, April 7, 2014

Dream Girl

Hey y'all. So I know I said I was being a bad blogger, but I had a reason/excuse this time, my macbook needed to be repaired so I was laptop-less for a few days. Now that I'm back, y'all must think I've officially lost my marbles with this post. No, no I don't suddenly think I'm a VS supermodel, but I have come to realize that I have a lot to offer a guy. Here are some reasons why some guys would think I'm their dream girl:

//I gift some pretty awesome and thoughtful gifts, so be ready to be spoiled (as long as my paycheck can handle it, I'll swing it)

//I will gladly go to any sporting event with you, and I won't be on the phone the whole time (I will ask you to take a selfie with me, sorry I'm not sorry)

//I know the importance of boys nights and trips, so you can gladly have your time with your boys as long as I get my girls time/trips

//Along with that, you get a slight hall pass (no, cheating is an obvious no), but if the boys want to hit up a strip club while you're out in Vegas, go for it. Ya I'm cool with it, as long as you're not a regular.

//I'm low maintenance. I don't need all the bells and whistles, a quiet night in is perfect for me, but I do like getting spoiled every now and then.

//I'm a guys girl, so I'm completely comfortable hanging with a group of rambunctious guys. No I'm not a "homewrecker" or "slut" because of me being a guys girl, just know how to throw back a few beers while watching football with the guys.

//I know a thing or two about sports, so I'm ok with watching the big games or sportscenter as long as we can allow some time for E!, Bravo, and HGTV in the mix.

//I don't claim to know too much about sports, so I will always have questions and you can teach me a thing here and there (I know guys love this)

So there are just a few reasons why I think I'm some guys' dream girl, sure I don't look like a supermodel (or even close), but I know how to keep a relationship working. I think being in a relationship now, some of these things are more prevalent to me because A tends to point out things that he likes about me. I love having this fluttering feeling in my stomach when I think about the future with him. I'm so excited with how things are moving along and I know I haven't talked much about him, but I wanted to wait it out first and see how things were going before getting ahead of myself. 



I'm excited to say, I invited him to be my plus one at my bestie's wedding this July and he is working his hardest to make sure he gets the time off of work to be able to come. We're already talking about some possible vacations we can take, hopefully soon. All I can say, is I'm so glad to have him in my life, he gets me and appreciates the little things. Ok mushy sess over. 

What makes you the perfect potential girlfriend, or if you're dating/married, what qualities do you feel you had pre-dating that made you appeal to the guy you're with?


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Wednesday, April 2, 2014

I confess...

I confess....

I've been a bad blogger. 

I apologize for being so bad about posting, but I just get so exhausted after work and then going straight to the gym, but I promise I will try to be better. Some stuff that's been going on in my life so far...

-working 60+ work weeks
-planning a kick ass bachelorette party
-along with a kick ass bridal shower
-trying to have some semblance of a love life (things with A & I are going very well)
-catching up on 50 million shows on my DVR & Hulu
-trying not to be addicted to Netflix (folks, this is hard!)
-joining Erin in her quest for fitness and health with the #1800minutechallenge (I realize a # has no use on blogger)
-shopping (too much, April means wallet freeze month)


(plus side: everything in the above pictures were on a legit sale, so ya know I had to)

-fro yo dates with the bestie


-loving the fact that my nephew is finally a walker (yet chooses to play in boxes)



So basically that's what's been going on. I apologize for being a bad blogger and not posting a lot, but I will work on that. For now I shall link up with Bella for confessions & Kat (and Ryan's face) for humpday confessions!

Dateless in Dallas








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