Thursday, May 31, 2012

Bees

Its been a while since I posted about bees, but having recently learned the most adorable fact about bees:
When a bee bumps into you its warning you it is about to sting.
AWWWWWW. Its head butting you to give you a chance to get away so it doesn't have to die protecting its nest or itself! Awwwww.

Also, I had some amazing lavender honey last weekend.
Alex Monroe Bee Earrings
Bee T on Etsy
Too bad that girls hair is covering the bee... but seriously, how adorable is this shirt? I see it with capris and a light sweater now, or with shorts over the summer :)
Bee Mobile from Etsy
I wish I had a nursery to decorate, because bees would be predominant!
Reusable Bee Plates
Bee Fabric!
Ohhh I was thinking of making throw pillows for the couch with light blue fabric on them.. maybe I'll use bees!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Tallman Summerwear...

I hate cargo shorts. I think they look childish, and add weight, and are stupid. And that is how I feel about them on men. Why a woman would wear cargo shorts is beyond me.

Unfortunately, Tallman only has one pair of shorts that are not covered in this childish, bulky, unattractive pockets. Bleck.

Well, maybe I should say HAD. Because I ordered 3 pairs of shorts from Jcrew over the weekend to help him look better (aren't I kind?) and to avoid fights (these fights start with me saying "oh my god you cannot wear that!" maybe I'm not so kind). Luckily the shorts were on sale, plus a coupon code for 30% off!
Jcrew Shorts
Jcrew Shorts
Jcrew Shorts
Which allowed for enough savings, so I ordered them with overnight shipping to avoid fights and enhance short glamor faster :p

How do you feel about cargo shorts? Equally repulsed?

Monday, May 28, 2012

Happy Summer!

How weird is it that Summer's official kick off (Memorial Day) is almost a full month before Summer technically begins (June 21st)?
From Pinterest
Hope you have a great day off!
From Pinterest
Enjoy the sunshine!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

I love fresh ricotta...

I love fresh ricotta cheese, I love it on warm bread, I love it on salads, I love it with pizza, I love it with a spoon.
Agrarian Cheese Kit
How great is this cheese kit? Yummy.

Also... did you click the link? What is this Agrarian thing? Williams - Sonoma has this agrarian section and they sell awesome. I love me some Williams - Sonoma normally, but the agrarian section has BEEHIVES! and CHICKEN COOPS!

I am so excited for this whole new world associated with Williams - Sonoma.
Speaking of Williams - Sonoma, I need some spatulas:
Silicone Spatulas
Also, ricotta, I need some ricotta. Spatulas and ricotta are on my list.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Warm Sunny Nights on the Patio

The sun is staying up late and the warmth has finally hit Boston... makes me want to drink on a patio...
Crate and Barrel
I really love the bench idea because then you can cram as many friends as possible around a big old table.
Crate and Barrel
But this looks nice too.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A penny saved is a penny earned

I have a piggy bank, I put all my change in it from my wallet at the end of the day. I put Tallman's change in it when I put his pants in the laundry, or I see his change lying around.. sometimes he complains this is stealing :p

(Last year I emptied the pig and we had a very nice dinner with a bottle of wine and tip on the proceeds!)

But I want wish my pig was as cute as this little owl!
Kikkerland Owl Bank
I might consider getting rid of my multicolored pig for a bank this adorable :) What do you think?

Monday, May 21, 2012

What my sunday looks like

This is what I have made every other weekend since moving into our new apartment:
Chicken, green spring veggie, and potatoes.

Then we eat leftovers for a few days. It works out pretty well.
More importantly, how beautiful is this bird?

How to make this chicken:
1) Buy a chicken, take out the innards.
2) Preheat the oven to 425.
3) Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towels, rub with salt and pepper to taste (for me sometimes that means none)
4) Dot the pan with 1/4 inch cubes of butter (yes sorry not kosher, but you can always use oil!)
5) Take a lemon, cut it in half, put half in the bird, slice the other half and put around bird.
6) Take an onion, cut it in half, put half in the bird, slice the other half and put around bird.
7) Take more a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and put one in the bird, a couple behind its knees and rip one up around the bird.
8) Put bird in pan breast down. Cook 20 minutes at 425.
9) Then reduce heat to 325. Cook 10 more minutes.
10) Flip bird (I use two forks one in each end to do this, and I have NEVER dropped the bird) and cook breast side up until thermometer stuck in thick part of meat reads 160. (This part depends on your size of bird, this sunday it took 40 minutes).

Voila! You have a delicious chicken. And many meals.
(all pictures and recipes in this post are mine)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Earring Possibilities

KBAdler commented on my post about my search for a new way to wear an old dress to a wedding last week, and suggested I try Rent the Runway. Because I get so few comments I have the time to really listen to your advice when you give it :p and so I went to Rent the Runway and was blown away at the selection.

Previously I had been thinking of something like this from Kendra Scott:

Custom Kendra Scott Jewelry
But after visiting Rent the Runway I've decided to go with black. They're probably more multipurpose and I could get more wear out of a pair in the future. And they'll bring up the black of my shoes. (I'm wearing black strappy wedges that aren't actually all that formal, but they're comfortable and I won't sink into the ground.)

Some of the choices Rent the Runway presents are:
Kate Spade Black Chandelier Earrings
Geo Black Onyx Drop Earring
How cute are these? Am I the only one who thinks they look like bumble bees? No? Just me? Ok.
Black Spade Earrings Badgley Mischka
I even briefly considered white, with lovely earrings like these:
Magnolia Flower Earrings

I really like the Kate Spade Black Chandelier Earrings. Because they are accented in yellow gold and I like that. Because they are big and statementy but not overwhelming. Because they'd bring the black of the shoes I'm planning on wearing upwards. Because Tallman thinks they'd work with the dress. Yeah Tallman gets an opinion, he is shockingly opinionated on women's fashions, and I have listened to his opinions since he taught me how to wear shoes without getting blisters (the secret is ped socks).

What do you guys think? Is black the way to go? Purple? Or should I play it safe and get white?

Monday, May 14, 2012

Weekend By the Numbers

10: Number of times I told someone/anyone that the Avengers was awesome

9: Miles I walked over the course of the entire weekend (I love walking)

8: Pounds of meat I bought at Whole Foods Saturday then had Tallman carry home

7: Minutes I napped on Saturday before my cat Parsley decided that walking across my throat would be a fun way to wake me up

6: Hours I slept Saturday night before getting up to catch a train to hang out with my mom on Sunday

5: Fish I saw while walking around Walden Pond with my mom (the water was so clear you could see the fish from the path around the pond, it was beautiful)

4-BILLION: number of people who decided that miniature golf would be a fun thing to do for mothers day, and got there before us, and were the reason we turned around and left without playing mini golf

3: Glasses of wine I had with dinner on Mothers Day (I love wine pairings)

2: Mothers Day Cards I had to buy before being able to tell my mother I appreciate her with out typos. (Computers have spoiled me with the backspace key)

1: Times I've been to Kimball's Farm this year... such HUGE Ice Creams. Yum.

(I stole this blog post idea from Beantown Prepster Part Deux because I always enjoy her rundowns)

Friday, May 11, 2012

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mother's Day!
From Pinterest
Pinterest
From pinterest
Chances are you have a mother, and even if you don't I'm sure you know someone who is. So thank her for helping to maintain the species... :)

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Formal Wear Ennui

Eeep. Confession Time. I have five (5) fancy dresses and they are all from JCrew. What? Were you unaware of my love of the JCrew? They make dresses that mask the enormity of my bum. AND I always know what size I am so I can easily order things online.

Jcrew Factory
Well, I recently had a fit of ennui regarding my lack of choices for an upcoming wedding I am attending and said "I will not wear any of these dresses!" so I went to Lord and Taylor to look at their formal wear.

And was disappointed.

SO I'll be wearing a light purple cotton dress, similar to this one with black wedge sandals (its in a garden, so no stilettos and Tallman is tall so no flats). But I might look into getting some new earrings... I cannot wear my hair down because its outside in June in North Carolina... so earrings would be fun!

cropped to protect the innocent(and me)
I have to do something to make this dress fresh. Because I've been to three weddings in my life, and I've worn this dress to two of them. (All different sets of people (and different from the one in June) so there has been no one to witness my inability to find a dress I like better.)

Please see to the left, it is me, wearing this dress, on my way to a wedding.

Does anyone have any suggestions for earrings to go with this dress that will make it less boring for me? That will make it seem new and fresh and fun again? Any suggestions would be welcome!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

H&M is rocking right now

I went into H&M last weekend, mostly because I needed sunglasses because I left mine at home but then I didn't buy any blah blah blah
Anyway... I noticed the H&M has really stepped up its game. For a while there you couldn't find anything that was work appropriate or appropriate for non hippsters or children.  I didn't take pictures while I was in the store, but check out some of these pieces I found at the online store:
Pink H&M Dress
I wish this dress came in another color because I don't LOVE the light pink, if it came in green/blue/purple/grey I would buy it in a second.
Pink Lace Pencil Skirt H&M
TOTALLY CUTE! And definitely work appropriate. It looks like there is enough material there.
H&M Tunic
I love this tunic, because really $24.99 is exactly how much I want to pay for a beach cover up, not $249.
Blue flowers strapless dress H&M
I want to wear this to bridal showers, nice dinners on warm nights, and to a casual beach wedding.

Way to go H&M I had all but lost faith in your ability to produce cute, allbeit cheaply made, clothing that a grown up might wear. Thank you for restoring my faith.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Revisiting: A wee little h

A few weeks ago I wrote about wanting an H necklace. One of the necklaces I listed was a Tiffany's necklace. So when I was killing time at Copley Plaza this weekend, I went to Tiffany's to visit my potential new friend.

I AM SO GLAD I WENT IN. Because it was HUGE! Like 1.5-2 inches tall. It would have looked ridiculous around my neck (maybe someone else would be able to rock it, but not me). And more importantly it was NOT what I wanted. Well, good to know! I even asked a sales person "Do you have the smaller version in the store" "Oh no ma'am this IS the smaller version" what? oh man.. lesson learned. Before shelling out $700 for anything see it in person first.

Luckily I found a H necklace by Phoenix Roze that I like Very Very much.
Phoenix Roze
It is between this darling necklace and the Maya Brenner necklace I mentioned in my earlier post:
This picture is blurry so follow the link to see what I mean
Which would you choose? Do you hate both?

Monday, May 7, 2012

Revisiting: the Cafe Capri

So I tried to wear this outfit to work on friday:
White Shirt
My Cafe Capri's
Black Patent Wedges
Aaaaand I looked like a waitress. So I changed the shirt to something like this and added a cardigan:
Fun Dress Top
 Whew. No more waitress/hostess look. What could I have done differently to avoid looking like a waitress? Maybe a pattered button down and a suit jacket? Maybe I should have lost the topknot and done my hair down? Unfortunately these aren't the things I have time/capacity to think about while rushing out the door to work!
(Loved the Capri pants though, and got so many compliments, I'm totally buying them in another color!)

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Ode to the Cafe Capri

Jcrew Cafe Capri
I recently purchased these pants from Jcrew,
And let me just tell you anew,
How much I do love
Beyond and above,
I'm getting them in white, pink, and blue!


(Not so much an ode as an off-kilter limerick.)

Jcrew Cafe Capri

Jcrew Cafe Capri
I'm thinking of wearing these pants to work this summer with heels and a crisp white button down shirt. Professional enough for summer casual at a law office? The attorneys have been wearing pressed kakhi's with polo's lately on Fridays... so I think I can rock it.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Room Update

It occurs to me that a few weeks ago I told you about things we did in the den/spare room/office/chamber of secrets and I told you I wouldn't show you the room because it was a disaster.

Well it looks better now, so I thought I'd show it to you...
Ok... so its still a mess. There is a pile of picture frames next to a pair of shoes (mentioned in Monday's post) Clearly Tallman's sport coat does not belong on the back of the office chair... and while slightly better than the reusable grocery bag they were in the books look a bit disorganize.
But look at that desk! and that rug! So pretty.

Other rooms that have seen remarkable improvement in the past two months are the dining room:
Before.
This was taken the night we moved in.  The living room chairs are in the dining room the dining room just has furniture, and its clearly really late at night because the colors are all bizarre.
After.
This was taken over the weekend. While sitting on the living room couch. Clearly we've started our gallery wall. It really makes the room more than just a room with a table in it. The side table covered in board games helps too :)

We're making progress on making this apartment homey and ours. Though I can't make any promises on whether the back room/den/man cave will ever be clean. But that's kinda the point of that room. Right? RIGHT? hehe

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Happy May!

Can you believe its May already? I cannot. The weather in Massachusetts this year has been all over the place. Even more so than usual. With warm days in February and January and now that it is May its been weeks of chill with frosts at my parents house in the burbs. FROSTS! There were barely frosts in March.

Ahh well. May it is and soon it will be summer! Lets celebrate! With flowers and ribbons and dance!
From Pinterest
From Pinterest
From Pinterest
HAPPY MAY!