Thursday, December 29, 2011

A Real Motivational Poster

Thank you Runners World

I love this. I also cannot WAIT until I can actually use all of my fitness-centric Christmas gifts- cold weather pullovers, running gloves and a race belt. Santa brought me a pretty hefty fever this year with a stocking full of coughing (not coal!). I'm on the mend, and I may still make the New Years Day 5K I had on my schedule. But for now, wearing those cute pullovers on the couch will just have to do ;)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

For the Boys

Yesterday, I was looking through the gift guides over at A Cup of Jo and found quite possibly, the perfect groomsman gift. I always thought engraved flasks were a cheapo and cheesy gift, but this one is chic and classy. And they would make for a great boys photo op :)

IZOLA


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Stylemint

Ok, so I'm a little late on the Stylemint bandwagon, but I finally bit on a 30% off deal over Cyber Monday and couldn't resist!

I signed up a few months ago, but couldn't fully justify $29.99 for a t shirt- even if it was designed by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. On one hand, it's a great opportunity to get a "designer look", but some of the shirts looked like something I could find at Target. With the Cyber Monday deal, I came across the super popular Lincoln shirt, and it's draped dolman sleeves and versatile gray hue pulled me in.

Source: stylemint.com via Devon on Pinterest

Based on the sizing, I went with a 2, and I should have gone up to a 3 to get some more length. That being said, the 2 fits great through the body and is one of the softest t's I could ask for. To keep the fit, this shirt is going in my "hand wash only" rotation, which may be a turn off for some.

No self photos today, but I'll try to get one up as soon as my closet doesn't look like Operation Christmas is using it as headquarters!


*full disclosure: if you sign up through my Stylemint link, I get a free credit (aka shirt!). You don't have to sign up through me, but it would be really nice of you if you decide to :)

Monday, December 5, 2011

Birreria


This weekend, my parents took the family (and the boys!) up to NYC for our annual "stuff our faces and look at lights fest", show included. The entire weekend was wonderful, but the highlight for me was our family dinner at Birreria, Mario Batali's beer garden on the 15th floor of Eataly. The food was phenomenal, beer delicious, and I couldn't help but sneak a picture of the gorgeous view from our table.


Thursday, December 1, 2011

Something Blue...


I came across this sweet image on my RSS feed and immediately wanted to save it for my bridal inspiration. How lovely would it be to make your wedding dress into even more of a cherished keepsake?

Sadly, the blogger never released the post (weird how Google Reader does that), and she also did not cite a source other than "found on SMP". If this is your image or you know where it came from, please let me know so I can credit you 100%!

Side note- it's December 1st!!!!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

I take it back...

I take back my professed love for red glitter that I threw out there on Friday. Now- I'm all about the copper...

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The perfect way to display Christmas Cards



I recently stumbled across these gorgeous glittery clothespins on Style Me Pretty and pinned them for wedding inspiration- but how perfect would they be strung across the mantle holding up Christmas cards?! I think this is a DIY even I could manage.

Friday, November 25, 2011

the holidays at my fingertips

It's Black Friday weekend! Which in my house means sleeping in until I have to go to work, the beginning of Christmas music, holiday decorating, and the official Dec 25th Countdown (29 days! woohoo!)

One thing I love about the holidays is the excuse to dress up just a little bit more- and that love extends to my fingertips. I rarely do my nails due to my job, but that makes picking out a holiday color that much more fun. This year, I think I'm going to jump on the red glitter bandwagon (last year was gold, specifically OPIs Glitzerland).

Glitters can be tricky, but here are a few I've found around the web:

Source: sephora.com via Devon on Pinterest


Shine on!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Wear it: DC edition

We're planning a super fun trip next weekend to DC! Our close friends are coming up from Alabama, so I'm hoping the weather isn't too off putting. Of course, what's a trip without planning an outfit perfect for hiking around the city and wandering through museums??


Source: gap.com via Devon on Pinterest
Source: jcrew.com via Devon on Pinterest


or if I'm really daring...

Source: jcrew.com via Devon on Pinterest


and we can't forget shoes!

Source: madewell.com via Devon on Pinterest


or more likely...
Source: 6pm.com via Devon on Pinterest


Yup. I'm that girl that mixes Navy, Black and Brown, pretending she can get away with it. But doesn't it all look so cozy??? If only I could pull of violet pants. yum :)

Friday, October 28, 2011

Obsessed


Is there anything more perfect than these flowers? It makes me happy even though it's 30 some degrees in October!

Friday, September 23, 2011

welcome, fall.

Source: etsy.com via Savitri on Pinterest


apple cider, pretty leaves, riding boots and football. bring it on, baby.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Oh, the insanity

Yup, I did it. I started the Insanity workout program. Even though I'm less than 1 month from my tri, and really, I should be working hard at upping my cadence, lengthening my runs, and- oh...I have to swim train too?

So after my 6am AMAZING spin class (love my instructor- perfect balance of crazy and awesome), I refueled and headed into work with high hopes. We did the fit test (I had about 2 hrs of recovery time), and it was HARD. I always forget how different plyometric training is and how it affects your body. Needless to say, this morning, I remembered.

Yup, I was greeted early this am by a cute puppy and not so cute... back pain.

ouch

Yes, I am only in my mid 20s, but back pain has plagued me for years. Mostly because of my career (lots of standing, squatting, lifting) and some residual junk from being a competitive swimmer (yeah breaststroke!!!). Now, I look like an 80 yr old trying to get around school. Actually, that would insult my football coach who could kick my aching butt across the field right now.

So why did I do it? I think it comes down to peer pressure. And that right now, I'm in better shape than I have been for a few years. I think people in my profession never really take their own advice which compounds the situation.

What's next? taking 2 days off from the program, hitting up another glorious 6am class tomorrow am, and trying to log some miles over the weekend both on the bike and in new sneakers (motivation right there!). Alternate all that with some NSAID help (Advil, Aleve, etc for you non med kids), and hopefully I'll be back on track by Monday!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Road Block.



I'm sure we've all heard the advice "Find a workout buddy! They'll keep you motivated!" It's true, well- unless it isn't. Sadly, life got in the way for my workout buddy this am. I'm only a little bit concerned because it's day one of our new plan!

I've been pretty good about getting out there and moving in preparation for my next sprint tri (Octover 9th! One month to go!), but with my partner bailing this morning I can't quite get my butt out of this chair. I think this calls for a good swim after work tonight.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

wet hair




The combination of rain and a broken hair dryer has left me with a tangled mess of wet hair for 3 days now. Oh how I wish I could pull off chic looks like this- instead, I was blessed with lots n lots of unruly locks that need to be serumed, dried, and straightened within an inch of their life. Amazon- please hustle with my new hair dryer. thank you :)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

First day back...

Hi there :) After 2 months of beautiful summer, I'm back. Mostly, because I wasn't on the computer as much.  Partly because I've been planning the wedding that I'll be dreaming about all year!

It's the first day back in so many ways- and this pretty picture stopped me in my tracks this morning. Enjoy*

Thursday, June 30, 2011

CSA Week 8!

Here's what we got:

Tuesday, June 28 - Half Share
1 Bag Spinach - Certified Organic - Organic Willow Acres
1 Bunch Fresh Sweet Red Onions - Certified Organic - Eagle View Organics
1 Bunch Cilantro - Certified Organic - Noble Herbs
1 Bunch Red Cylindra Beets - Certified Organic - Rolling Ridge Farm
1 Head Green Butterhead Lettuce - Certified Organic - Echo Valley Organics
1 Bag Pickling Cucumbers - Certified Organic - Elm Tree Organics
1 Pint Mixed Cherry Tomatoes - Certified Organic - Farmdale Organics

Tuesday, June 28 - Fruit Share
1 Half Pint Blueberries - Certified Organic - Little Buck Organics (Sourced from Hammonton, NJ) 
1 lb. Sour Cherries - IPM - Cherry Hill Orchards  
1 Half Pint Black Raspberries - Certified Organic - Millwood Springs Organics  


Ain't it lovely?


The tomatoes are too stinking delicious. Even Riley tried to get in on the action (a la counter surfing- bad puppy!)

Shortie (lame) post today. I'm farmers market bound!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Oh, Monday.

Good morning lovelies!

Mondays can be rough, and this Monday decided to come at me swinging. I woke to a barking puppy (the usual) to find my downstairs destroyed. The Sunday paper scattered across the house, a chewed redbox movie, and my favorite Guinness coasters laying in a mangled pile of cardboard shreds amongst other things. Luckily, Miss Riley got it all out of her system early today, so she's passed out in a corner now and I was able to clean up the mess pretty quickly.

So what's a girl to do? I decided to decompress by doing some early morning blog reading- and oh there are some LOVELY things out there today. I saw over at J Crew Aficionada that there is a 20% off and free shipping promo going on today on knits and tees. Not that I didn't just buy things there (twice) this weekend, but my new favorite racerback tanks were on sale for $19.50 (review soon!). I lived in the navy version of this all weekend.

Source: jcrew.com via Devon on Pinterest


Next up on the blog roll- Dilly Dallas. I adore Dallas Shaw's style, but can never afford the pretty things she displays on her blog. Today, an early preview of a desk styling post came up and a picture caught my eye- mercury glass! My bridal brain is in love with all things sparkly and "vintage" and I've been lusting over the idea of finding some treasures at a flea market. Well- Dallas made it easy. These votives are from West Elm, and only $5 a piece! Free shipping sweetened the deal- so my little fingers clicked on the shopping cart. A little cluster of 3 will look so pretty on my mantle or corner of my desk (once I clean the darned thing up).

Source: westelm.com via Devon on Pinterest


Now that I've had my coffee and my credit card is safely tucked away, I should probably get onto the important things of the day (like tending to my sunburn. more on that later). Have a happy Monday!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Wedding Wednesday- We go "shopping"!

I have a confession. I have not dreamed of my wedding since I was a little girl. I didn't dress up in my mom's dress and walk down the aisle with our neighbor (Steven "broccoli head"). Instead, we played house- and pretended to blow up the occasional Barbie.

No, the dress, the flowers, the venue were not on my mind. But one thing was...

The Registry.

How freaking awesome is it that you get to pick out all the super cute kitchen stuff you have always wanted and then have people buy you that exact same stuff!? Phenomenal I tell you. So you can imagine my excitement when the boy said to me last night, "want to go to the mall and register for some stuff?"

That my friends- was HALF the excitement I felt last night haha

Sadly, we realized today that registering isn't all scanner guns and daisies. It's hard! Mostly, because you are SO ready to go, and then a really nice lady makes you fill out paper work and gives you a 20 minute schpeal about what the program is all about. It's a bit of a buzz kill. But once we got through that (smiling and holding hands like good engaged couples should do!), we were lost. Where to start? What do we really need? And then the boy found out that a high end down comforter costs $700 and nearly chucked the scanner down the aisle of neatly folded color coordinated Idon'tknowwhatthreadcountmeans luxury towels.

After 20 more minutes, we had under 20 items on our list. We looked at each other and realized- we are SO much better at buying things online. Why? There are reviews! And comparable price lists! And I could Google what made one towel better than another! I should have known- I am a researcher when it comes to buying things. I browse the J Crew site before stepping into the store and know all the dresses carried at the LOFT by style name. Why would it be any different when trying to pick out knives, plates, and other lovely home things?

So here is where I need your help. I have come to the conclusion that I need to pick my "kitchen style" before setting forth. Right now, we have gorgeous cherry stained wood, dark granite counter tops, stainless hardware, and bright white walls. The main accent color is a apple to sage-y green, mostly because all my fabulous Marshall's finds come in that shade (you know how that goes!)


I think the shining star of every little girl's registry is the KitchenAid Mixer (even if she can't bake). And thus, I need your help picking out the color! {all photos courtesy of Macy's and KitchenAid}

Blue Willow (navy?)

Cobalt - has almost a purple hue?

Ice - paler in real life

Pistachio - a bit more green in person

Apple Green- a bit brighter in person
What do you think?? Right now, I'm leaning towards the blues- I just don't know which one! The idea of the Blue Willow is lovely, but will I EVER get it to look clean again?? Experienced ladies (and gents), chime in!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

CSA Week 7

Check me out- picking up my CSA share AND writing about it all in one day! Summer break day 2 has been good to me haha.

This week, the folks over at Lancaster Farm Fresh started to mix it up a bit! Kale- you are lovely, but I am NOT sad to see you go for a week or 2.

In this week's share:

Tuesday, June 21 - Half Share
1 Quart New Red Potatoes - Certified Organic - Green Valley Organics
1 Head Flashy Troutsback Romaine Lettuce - Certified Organic - Life Enhancing Acres
1 Head Broccoli - Certified Organic - Organic Willow Acres
1 Bag Green Beans - Certified Organic - Plum Hill Organics
1 Bunch Fresh Yellow Onions - Certified Organic - Sunrise Ridge Organics
1 Bunch Red Beets - Certified Organic - Farmdale Organics

Tuesday, June 21 - Fruit Share
1 Pint Blueberries - Certified Organic - Little Buck Organics (Sourced from Hammonton, NJ) 
1 Jar Strawberry Jam - Certified Organic - Oak View Acres

I swapped out the lettuce for the pretty cucumber you see below (my favorite!)


I am already planning on making a potato salad tonight and maybe some sauteed green beans. BBQ chicken as a main perhaps??

Whew- it's humid and hot here. Time to grab a big glass of agua and sit in the shade! Have a lovely first day of summer :)

Summer Solstice Salad

Happy first day of summer everyone! It's a rainy one here today, but the boy and I celebrated the end of spring last night with a fantastic dinner out on the little red deck. After a week full of parties and celebratory dinners (yay Daddy day!), we had a fridge full of leftovers and felt pretty blah. I decided we need to eat better (and smarter!) so I pulled together a lovely little meal- without a trip to the grocery store!

Along with some leftover corn on the cob and a bag of frozen shrimp, I adapted this panzanella off of 2 recipes- one by my fave Ina Garten and the other from the lovely Giada De Laurentis.

"Summer Solstice" Panzanella

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 large loaf french bread other country-style white bread, 2 to 3 days old
  • 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus reserve for grilling
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes {you really should use fresh, but it was a pantry night!
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Salt and fresh black pepper
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
  • 1 hot house cucumber unpeeled, seeded and diced
  • 4 scallions, finely diced

Directions

Cut french bread into thick slices and grill, drizzling olive oil on both sides of the bread. Once grilled, let cool and cut or tear bread into 1 inch cubes and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk 2/3 cup of the olive oil, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
Transfer the cubed bread to a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish.
Mix the diced tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions and basil into the bread. Pour the dressing over top, and combine well. Cover the salad and let stand at room temperature for flavors to blend, at least 1 hour.



I wish I had the forethought to take a picture last night (everything looked so yummy!), but you get the idea :)

The best part about Panzanella- you get to use the stale bread you forgot about from Saturday's party. And there are no real rules! Don't have cucumbers? Really like olives? Throw in whatever fresh veggies you want and see what happens.

I hope your first day of summer is a bit sunnier than mine. Have a great week!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

bike crush

Meet Lexa S.


Isn't she pretty?

I saw her today after riding 12 miles on my 6th grade mountain bike, and I have a girl- errr- bike crush now. Of course, with a wedding to plan and some summer adventures around the corner, dropping a grand on a road bike isn't really in my budget.

So in the meantime, I'll just visit her online after spin class. *sigh*

-Tri update is coming! I have to get the pictures from Momma bear!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

CSA Week 6 and Race Preview!

Whew- what a week! I feel like I've just caught up after a whirlwind weekend and the final week of school (YAY summer break!)

First up- the CSA! I'm getting bad at taking pictures, but really, how many times do you all want to see a bunch of kale?

Here's what came in this week's haul:

Tuesday, June 14 - Half Share
1 Bunch Green Kale - Certified Organic - Autumn Blend Organics
1 Bunch Collard Greens - Certified Organic - Sunrise Ridge Organics
1 Bunch Garlic Scapes - Certified Organic - Liberty Branch Farm
1 Head Flashy Troutsback Romaine Lettuce - Certified Organic - Riverview Organics
1 Bunch Scallions - Certified Organic - Sunrise Ridge Organics
2 Yellow Straightneck Squash - Certified Organic - Echo Valley Organics

I traded out the collard greens for extra scapes- they're so delish! Not to mention kinda crazy looking...

Even better- our Fruit Share started this week! Since it is early in the season, a large jar of organic apple sauce paired with a pound of rainier cherries made up our share.

Don't they look delicious?


This weekend, the boy and I did our second Tri together. I want to do a "race recap" like Caitlin does over at Healthy Tipping Point, but I am so glad I signed up this year! I wanted to bail back in March and I'm glad I didn't. Just for giggles- here's how stinking cute I look when I'm running (which is to say, not at all ha)

Have a wonderful rest of the week!


Friday, June 10, 2011

JCrew round 2- Rumi and Shoreline Stripe Dresses

Good morning!

Two more JCrew reviews for you- because you know I can't walk into a dressing room empty handed. Even at a way to high for me price point ($118), I snagged the Rumi dress on my way towards the back. Why? Because of this gorgeous in store only violet color!

I grabbed a size 4. It looks good in the pictures, but I remember wanting to size down at the time. This is a definite sale watch item. It's a tad low cut and high hemmed for the work place, but I could see myself walking around the city in this with a cute pair of brown leather sandals all summer! The tie waist hits just under the rib cage, making your legs look just a little longer (and leaner!) than they really are.


I wish the pictures did the color justice. It's such a vibrant purple. LOVE.

Next up was the Shoreline Stripe Dress. Adorable, but again- not for $78.



I grabbed an xsmall here due to the sizing (xxsmall-xlarge), and could definitely go up to the small since the dress fit very close (the top should blouson- and well. It simply didn't). The adjustable straps are great, but you're stuck going strapless here since it's essentially a long tank top. With no lining, I'm going to wait until this hits the $40 mark.

The heat is supposed to be more bearable today, but it's already steamy! I need to find some summer dresses stat!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

JCrew review! Stowaway Dress

Good morning, Heatwave! It's a steamy 85 degrees this morning on the little red deck, and the forecast reads 97 by mid day. Whew! So what's better on a day like today than throwing on a cute sundress to beat the heat?

Last week, I saw the 10 day forecast and decided it was time to preemptively prepare my closet for the heat to come. Remember this pretty dress from JCrew?

Source: jcrew.com via Devon on Pinterest


It's the ultra light and comfy looking Stowaway dress in tropical turquoise. I grabbed an xsmall based on the sizing (xxsmall-xlarge) and headed into the fitting rooms...

So cute!
I could wear this all summer! Right?

WRONG.

Uggggh the dreaded front view. If ONLY the drawstring didn't exist or was a few inches higher :( Maybe if I could hike the skirt up without my booty hanging out even! Sadly, this went back on the rack. (note- I did try on the small, and it was way too baggy. The arm holes were indecent to say the least)

Do drop waist dresses work for ANYONE?

For now, it's back to the iced coffee! Have a lovely morning :)