Happy V-Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Nick and I went on our Valentine's date this past Saturday - we had brunch at our favorite restaurant and then toured the Jupiter Lighthouse. Tonight we're planning to make chocolate covered bananas and strawberries. I always think Valentine's day is a little cheesy but if it gives you an excuse to plan a date and eat more chocolate, then it's okay in my book!

Whether your single or taken, hope you're doing something today to celebrate - like eating some chocolate!

Stripes and Leopard

Sometimes a little monochromatic motif just fits the bill. Mix in a little leopard and stripes and you've got yourself a winning combination in my book.

I'm excited for the weekend! We've got a pre-Valentine's day brunch, a tour of the local Lighthouse, and a Garlic Fest to attend! Hope everyone has a good one!

Your Go-To App (not for your phone)

As we all grow up and mature in this adult world, we inevitably pick up tricks to make life flow more seamlessly. I like to think of these tricks as "tools of the trade" to being a put-together, flawless woman. Some examples that come to mind are the ability to throw together a dinner party at a moment's notice, always having that LBD available to come to your rescue in a fashion crisis, making sure a bottle of wine is always on hand for entertaining or last minute gift giving, and the list goes on and on. I am by no means an expert when comes to knowing these "tools of the trade" but after stealing a recipe from my Mom a few months back, I can now cross one more item off this list - having a standby party appetizer to make.

This skill was important to me because I always hated the process of deciding what appetizer to bring to a party - hot or cold, dip or spread, meat or no meat. Having this recipe doesn't mean I'll be bringing it to every single dinner party here on out, it's just for those times when you may not have the time or energy to think about another option.

The appetizer is crab dip with a Parmesan and almond topping. What I like about this recipe is that it has very few ingredients to remember, is pretty standard with a small twist (the crab, not many people use it as an ingredient), and it can be served hot or at room temperature. Feel free to steal this recipe to add to your own "flawless woman" list or let us know if you already have one in the comments!

Ingredients

Directions

The details:
1 onion
2 standard size blocks of cream cheese
2 standard size cans of crab meat
Grated Parmesan cheese
Sliced Almonds (1 of the smaller bags should do the trick)
Red Pepper - I never measure this myself, but start with 1/2 teaspoon and go from there. You can't ruin the recipe with the red pepper, you just might make it too hot. Feel free to taste it as you go.

Closet Makeover

Another of my New Years Resolutions was to complete a once-a-month closet evaluation. The purpose of this goal was to better focus my wardrobe needs and cut back on unnecessary purchases. Before I could work on enhancing by future wardrobe, I really needed to gain control of my current wardrobe. For the month of January, I worked on reorganizing and learning from my wardrobe. Here's an idea of what I was working with pre-January 1st:

I'm not too proud of those images and debated a bit about even showing them, but hey, I'm sure many of you have been there too. After working with this mess for a couple hours, here's what I came out on the other side with.

I learned a lot from the cleaning process and here are some reasons why it would help you all too:

Learn from what you throw out.
Whether it's that skimpy dress from college night outings, the lovable but ratty cardigan that you just can't part with, or the jeans you bought on mega sale but could never really fit in, learn from what you throw away.

In the case of the skimpy dress, don't hold on to an item just because you got a lot of use out of it way back in the day. Chances are your style has changed and improved and there's no reason why your closet should hold you back. As you throw out these items, make a mental note of how your style has changed and what kind of items you no longer like.

Now on to the cardigan. Oh, this parting was tougher. There are some items in your wardrobe that you just love too dearly and wear too much to give to Goodwill, but when you start to see snags forming and heels wearing away, you know it's time. I've already got bookmarks made for another light blue oxford and new nude pumps for the day when I say goodbye to these beloved staples. Find patterns in the items that mean the most to you and from that knowledge, hone in on your style and improve your shopping.

Finally, the jeans that never really fit. There are TOO many items in my closet that I thought fit me well in the dressing room only to make the realization that they look awful on me once I get home. Of course you can always take things back to the store, but if you're like me and you lose receipts like it's your job, that gets to be an expensive habit. I now know that I need to keep a mental note of this tendency when shopping.

Here is a small collection of some items I gave to Goodwill:

Organize your closet to suit your needs.
Every woman's life is different and so should the organization of your closet. For me, my life is organized in a work and non-work style. Because of this, I've got all my slacks, pencil skirts, blouses, and oxfords in one corner of the closet, and all my slouchy sweaters, skinny pants, and mini skirts in another. Other ideas for organization are to separate by color, pattern, or clothing item.

Unsure of an item?
This happens to me a lot. You pick up an article of clothing from your closet and while you know you've never worn it more than once or even once, there's just something holding you back from throwing it out. I do two things to help the decision making process; I think of at least two different outfits that I could wear this article of clothing with AND I wear one of them in the next two weeks. If you can't do either of those, then say sayonara! Here's an example:

Take stock. 
Before you can decide on what else you need in your closet, knowing what you already have, have too much of, or have not enough of is necessary. For me, I have A LOT of stripes. What I was shocked at not having more of is oxfords, work pants, and casual t-shirts (of course the needs list is longer than the haves list).

All-in-all, it was quite the learning experience and I encourage you all to do something similar. Not only was the knowledge gained valuable but having a neat and well-organized closet has helped me to utilize more of my wardrobe and get dressed more efficiently. Any tips for organization? Please leave in the comments!


The next step in my New Years Resolution is to make a list of the articles of clothing that I need and ACTUALLY SHOP TO THAT LIST. Let's see how well that goes...

Beer Fest

Shorts from Express; Shirt from H&M; Hat from H&M; Bag from H&M; Shoes from Adrienne Vittadini

When I spotted this hat at H&M on Saturday I knew it would be perfect for my day at the beer fest. I usually don't allow hat purchases since I rarely get any use out of them, but this one was made an exception. Don't you love it? I'm already planning more events to wear this beauty to.

Here are a couple shots from Beer Fest. Please take note of my other fashion accessory from that day - the pretzel necklace. It was my best friend after a couple hours of beer tasting...

Thankful

One of my New Years Resolutions this year was to "take the TIME to be happy," and after some exhausting work days I've had lately, that's becoming increasingly more important. One way I've tried to incorporate this resolution into my life is to spend my morning commute focusing on some of the things that I'm thankful for. During tomorrow morning's car ride, here are some things I'll be thinking about:

• This weekend's beer fest. It's my favorite drinking event of the year - dozens of types of craft beer, beautiful South Florida January weather, and a gathering of all of my local friends who are also down for a good time.
• After recently having the "wedding budget" discussion with my parents, I'm thankful for them and the generous help they're giving towards the wedding! Thanks Mom and Dad!
• During late nights at work, I'm so happy that I can count on Nick to cook a tasty dinner for us. We make a great team babe!
• Kota pup. I'll never get enough of this funny and sweet fur face.

Winter Resort Wear

Sweater from F21; Scarf from Target; Pants from H&M; Shoes from Calvin Klein; Purse from Michael Kors; Watch from Fossil

Presenting my winter resort wear!

I met my mom and a bunch of her friends (except they're more like my Aunts) for lunch on Sunday at a nearby beach resort. It was such a gorgeous day - cold enough to warrant a scarf but warm enough to get cozy in the bright sun. Those gals made for such a good time too - endless laughs and never-ending Bloody Marys. They know how to do it right.

Sipping and Eating

While many parts of the Northern hemisphere are forced into hibernation during the winter months, us Floridians are soaking up near-perfect weather. Highs in the mid 60's with crisp, clear skies, it ALMOST makes the horrendous dog-days of summer worth it.

To enjoy the great weather, Nick and I spent the afternoon on the porch sipping on Red Sangria. Later in the evening, we sat outside grilling up chicken breasts for some tasty Greek Pitas. Recipes after the jump...

Red Sangria
1 bottle red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, or Shiraz work best)
1 lemon wedged and juiced
1 orange wedged and juiced
2 Tablespoon sugar
1 shot of brandy (I've also seen triple sec and gin)
2 cups of ginger ale

If you'd like to serve everything right away, chill the wine and once chilled, then mix everything together. If not, mix everything together except the ginger ale. Chill the mixture then stir in the ginger ale once ready to serve.

Greek Chicken Pitas serves 4
3 chicken breasts
1 bottle Greek dressing or marinade
Pita bread
Sliced cucumber from 1 cucumber
Diced tomatoes from 1 tomato
Sliced red onion from 1 red onion
Kalamata Olives
Tzatziki sauce (recipe below)

Marinate chicken breasts in Greek dressing for about an hour. Grill chicken breasts (or sauteing them would work just as well too). Slice chicken breasts and in a Greek pita layer chicken, sliced cucumber, diced tomatoes, sliced red onion, Kalamata olives and LOTS of Tzatziki sauce (this stuff is the best).

Tzatziki Sauce
1 (8 ounce) container plain yogurt
1 cucumbers - peeled, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1-1/2 cloves garlic, peeled

Puree everything in a food processor.

1920's Evening

A snap shot from our 1920's evening. Themed parties are the best.

Hello Saturday!

Skirt from H&M; Shirt from H&M; Shoes from Madden Girl; Clutch is thrifted

Happy Saturday! My company is treating us to a long 3-day weekend, so tomorrow I'll be able to say that again!

Tonight we're headed off to a 1920's themed birthday party. Nick will be dapper in his tuxedo and I'll be dressed to the nines with gloves, lace, and a boa! I've been googling 1920's makeup like crazy today (loving this tutorial) and I'll be sure to share pictures of the result!

This outfit was worn recently to a dinner out with Nick. I can't ever get enough of black tights and black pumps - always feels so classic. In fact, I think it's on the agenda for tonight...