Stitch Fix #12

I got another Stitch Fix box last week.  Many of the pieces had potential but I ended up sending all 5 pieces back this month.

This green tank top/camisole had potential when I pulled it out of the box. I really liked to color and while I wouldn't have been able to wear it without a jacket or a sweater I had hopes for this top. I put it on and it was immediately obvious that this shirt was too small in the chest.  My chest isn't getting any smaller anytime soon so this top had to go back.

I got a pair of colorful pants that I was not sure about when I pulled them out of the box.  They technically fit ok but they were a bit see through.  I also couldn't really see myself wearing these pants as anything but a swimsuit coverup so I sent them back.

I have a romper that I have been loving so I told the stylist I would like another romper. This romper was made of a super comfy stretchy material but was super loose in the top so again it would have had to be a pool cover up for me to wear it.  I didn't really like the ties on the shoulders so that gave me another reason to send it back.

This dress could have been cute if there had been a way to wear a bra with it and not cover up all the cute details. I really like the pattern but I also really need to wear a bra and that just wasn't going to work with this dress.

These shoes fit well and were cute but they were just to expensive to justify buying.  I just wasn't going to wear these often enough to make the price of these worth it.

I am hopeful that next month I will be in love with everything in my box. If you want your own box feel free to use my link to get one.

Summertime

While summer technically doesn't start for another month Memorial Day Weekend has become the unofficial start of summer. The weatherman (or woman) apparently go the memo and turned up the temperature for the weekend.

Summer brings all kinds of fun adventures and this year will be no different. Friday night my husband and I met my sister-in-law and niece at the food trucks near our house.  Technically this goes on year round but it is much more fun when the weather is warm and you can sit around enjoying the pleasant evenings. I am sure this is the first of many times we will go this summer.

Summer also makes me think of fun drinks and good food.  My husband and I both like sangria so we decided to try to make it ourselves.  It actually turned out pretty well.

When it gets too hot to cook most people barbecue. Our condo complex doesn't allow barbecues so we have to get creative with our food to avoid heating up the house.  I made skewers of strawberry, mozzarella and basil with some balsamic glaze drizzled over it and they were delicious.  I served that alongside some spinach dip and bread and called it a meal.

Another benefit of the weather warming up is that I can take my book and my sangria and lounge out on our patio in the evening. I am super behind on my goal of reading one book a month but I think this weather will help.  It will also help that I am taking a 5 hour flight next month!

Another delicious drink I love during the summer (ok really anytime of the year) is the Absolute Lemonade from Red Robin.  I used to make these with my friends in college with lemonade we took from our school dining hall.

This summer brings a trip to Hawaii for our wedding but I have no doubt there will be some beach time built into this trip. We are staying right near a resort with a gorgeous beach and I plan to take full advantage of it.

There will also be no shortage of time spend splashing around in the hotel pool either!

Last summer I went to a whole series of country concerts with one or both of my sisters.  This year I am not able to go to quite as many (and didn't buy season tickets) but I am still going to three concerts with my youngest sister before she heads to the east coast for law school. I am looking forward to singing along and eating good food on the lawn at our concerts.  All three concerts are on weeknights so I am not looking forward to waking up early to go to work the next day but I will survive.

Another perk of summer (in my opinion) is the excuse to wear fun sparkly sandals on a regular basis.  They go with pretty much every outfit!

Once we get back from our wedding we don't have a lot of other plans for our summer (a wedding was enough plans) so I am looking forward to just staying local, trying to stay cool and enjoying the summer!

Wedding Wednesday Bridal Shower Edition

Last month, while she was home from med school on spring break, my sister threw my a fabulous Beauty and the Beast themed bridal shower.

We actually didn't plan it but my sisters and I all ended up wearing blue patterned dresses.  No family resemblance at all as you can see.  

My sister did a great job of putting all kinds of Beauty and the Beast and princess touches all over the party for decoration.  My sisters also set up a little display of photos and other things from my November wedding.  It was such a nice touch and I really appreciated it.

What is a Beauty and the Beast shower without the enchanted rose as a centerpiece?

Hard to read in this picture but as you walked in the front door there was a banner that said "Congratulations Cathy"

"Try the grey stuff it's delicious" and it was but we quickly came to realize that while the flowers were super cute unlike the grey stuff they were not delicious. Hard sugar roses look good but don't taste good.

The food at the party was delicious.  My mom made a heart shaped strawberry ice cube to put in the champaign punch.  My sister insisted that the cake topper from my bachelorette party make an appearance in the punch.

In addition to the "grey stuff" cupcakes there was chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate dipped shortbread cookies. I may or may not have eaten multiple shortbread cookies over the course of the party.

This was a party for me so it should come as no surprise that there was quite an assortment of cheese. There were crackers and salami to balance it out but really the important part was cheese and more cheese.

For people who didn't want to drink the champaign punch, though I have no idea why you wouldn't want to, there was also iced tea and lemonade to drink. You could even make an Arnold Palmer if that was something you wanted.

After mingling and eating for a while it was time to play games.  Before the party my sister had sent my husband and I a survey to complete. She used our answers to make a little how well do you know the couple game where people had to decided who said it.  They even used Belle for me and Beast for my husband. It was super cute.

The second game was a bridal version of Taboo where you had to describe wedding related words without saying the most common words associated with it.  The team I was on ended up winning this one!

After opening presents and mingling for a little while longer people started to trickle out.  They were sent home with adorable little containers of purple and pink candy that had Belle on the container.  

My sister did a fantastic job throwing this bridal shower and my other sister did a fantastic job with the bachelorette party. I am so glad I have such wonderful sisters!

What's Up Wednesday

I didn't do this the last few months but today I am linking up with What's Up Wednesday again.

What we're eating this week:  I am enjoying my last few weeks of the weather being cool enough to comfortably make soups.  I made a tortellini and mushroom soup this past weekend.  I also made some homemade pizza dough.

What I'm reminiscing about: I am reminiscing back to my California wedding as I finish up preparation for my Hawaii wedding that is coming up super soon.

What I'm loving: I am loving that Live Nation had a super sale on concert tickets last week. My sister and I did not buy Megatickets to the country concert season for this summer because she is heading off to law school at the beginning of August and a couple of the concerts fall when I will be on my honeymoon. We ended up buying tickets to three concerts in July. We are seeing Rascal Flatts, Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban and the tickets were only $20 each.  You can't really beat $60 for three concerts!

What we've been up to: Well, in addition to wedding planning and honeymoon planning (as if that wasn't enough) my husband and I have been looking at houses. Everything is so competitive in our area that we have not had any success yet but we are hopeful it will all work out when the time is right.

What I'm dreading: I am trying to keep a positive attitude at the moment.  There are some things happening around me that I have no control over so I am just trying to focus my energy on the positive and not dwell on what I can't change. I just have so many things pulling me in different directions I am just trying to keep a balance.

What I'm working on: I am working on some of the details for my upcoming wedding in Hawaii.  There are a few little touches I need to order from Etsy and I still need to make a playlist for the reception.  Any music suggestions are welcome!

What I'm excited about: I am super excited about my upcoming wedding. I still feel like I have so much left to do but I know once I get to Hawaii I want to take time just to enjoy the whole experience so the more I can do now the more relaxed I will be.

What I'm watching/reading: I just finished One Hundred Names by Cecilia Ahern and now I have started What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.  One Hundred Names was good but it took me a while to get into it.  What Alice Forgot on the other hand has grabbed my attention immediately and I will probably go back to reading it as soon as I am done with this post.

What I'm listening to: Mostly whatever comes on my Pandora which is usually a mix of country and a random mix of 90s-00s pop music.  Everyone needs some Britney in their life every once in a while. I have been working on a project at work that is a bit repudiative so my headphones have been on a lot this week.

What I'm wearing: I actually haven't bought much recently but I did buy a few things to wear to my college reunion.  This dress is super comfy and looked great with my favorite little wedges.

I have also been living in navy blue and white romper/jumpsuit with my favorite cardigan and tassel necklace. I am pretty sure I have worn this outfit at least once a week since I bought the romper/jumpsuit.  How do retailers decide when to call something a romper and when to call it a jumpsuit? It doesn't seem to follow any rules!

What I'm doing this weekend: Not too exciting on my agenda this weekend.  I think it will be a combination of cleaning, cooking and trying to finish up some wedding and honeymoon planning.  My sister arrives at my parents house from the east coast so I am hoping to convince her to come up and join me for some shopping.

Happy Wednesday!

A Week (or two) of Random

The last few weeks have been a busy bit of randomness with wedding planning, house looking and spending time with family.

I have been loving this jumpsuit that I got before my college reunion.  It is so comfy but still appropriate for work with a cardigan. My only complaint is the same problem with all rompers.  Going to the bathroom is a pain.  I feel like I have to undress in the work bathroom when I wear this but it is worth it. I am also loving this gold tassel necklace. It has been in my rotation ever since I got it. I liked it so much that I ordered it in silver.

Last week my sister and my cousin had tickets to see a play near me so I met them for dinner and drinks before their play started.  I took the lightrail from work so I was right on time but they both got stuck in traffic.  I killed time by staring off with a cocktail. I have no idea what it was called but it was yummy.

Over the weekend I was in the mood to make something so I decided to make pizza dough from scratch. I added some fresh rosemary from our "garden" to the dough and it turned out wonderfully.  There is something so nice about kneading dough and watching it rise.

I made a little white wine cream sauce, added some sautéed spinach and dandelion greens along with some turkey sausage and topped it with fresh mozzarella. I thought it turned out pretty well if I do say so myself.

The head of our department had her one year anniversary in her position so we had a little cake to celebrate.  We had a burnt almond cake with no almonds on it.  It sounds strange but it was actually very good.

I love my silver glitter shoes but I think they may be nearing the end of their life.  I have not walked through the soles (a miracle in itself) but they are starting to look a little rough.  I am sad! Now I have to keep my eyes out for a pair to replace them.

A couple of weeks ago we went to see my brother in law in a play he was in.  He has been in plays at this theatre previously so I had a cup I bought last time.  If you reuse your glass you get a discount on your wine. I was very proud of myself for remembering to bring my cup!

I know I mentioned house looking at the beginning of this post so you are all probably thing oooh did she buy a house. No, we have not bought a house but we have seen a few and are keeping our eyes out for a place to buy.  The market here is crazy (as are the prices) and we only have a limited budget so this leads to seeing places but trying not to get our hopes up. If anything turns into anything real I will let you all know but for now it is just trying to keep up.

A whole lot of random happenings in my life!