This weekend...

This weekend I...

... Went out to tapas for date night and not only got our fill of cava, sangria, and pan con tomates, but also some rabbit pasta with brown butter foam, yum!!
... Took a half day on Friday to spend some time with the boy.
... Spent a whole lot of time in my pajamas.  Which, frankly, is my favorite.
... Bought the ingredients for another batch of brookies.  We may have a problem...
... Just may have found a venue for our wedding!!
... Had an in-depth, thirty minute convo about The Challenge on MTV.  Because it's important.
... Whipped up another St. Germain cocktail.
... Caught up on What Not to Wear.  Did you realize it's still on?
... Cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.  I may have just finished cleaning up from a brunch party we had in August.  Whoops.
... Allllmost finished the second season of VEEP.  Have you watched it?  Because you probably should.
... Had a delicious dinner cooked by the boy, featuring some spices we brought back from Morocco.
... Pinned about a thousand things to my wedding board.  Sorry about that ;)

I hope you had a great weekend!!




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Fall Coffee Table

I went to Target last weekend and may have accidentally gone on my biggest binge ever.  I came home with a couple pairs of shoes, a new sweater dress, a few things we actually needed for the house, and a whole lot of fox shaped items.  So, since I've somehow already managed to put at least one animal figurine on each of our bookshelves, I decided to go for the coffee table instead.

Fox candle (similar) / Fox figure / Candle tin / Day Planner

Oh, and the candle is pumpkin scented, so it smells delicious in here.

I hope you have a great weekend!




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Fall Wedding Guest

I mentioned on Monday that I went to my cousin's wedding this weekend.  The ceremony was outside, and the reception was in a partially enclosed barn.  It ended up being about 60 degrees for the ceremony and only got colder from there.  Getting dressed for a wedding in fall is tricky.  A lot of dresses can seem too summery because of the print or color or fabric, and you have to dress for the weather.  I apologize for the terrible iPhone photo I took at my parents' house - their house is turning 100 this year (we were thinking about having a surprise party for the house, but decided it would probably find out about the party somehow and ruin the surprise) so the mirror in their hall is a bit of an antique.

Dress - Banana Republic Factory (similar) / Cardigan - Simply Vera Vera Wang (old, similar) / Necklace - NYandCo (old, similar) / Glitter Clutch - Unknown (similar) / Heels - Shoe Mint

The ceremony was on a golf course, luckily no one decided to play through ;)

The reception was in a barn (yes, my second barn wedding of the year) and was super cute, with hanging lights everywhere, chalkboard signs (including in the bathroom!) and cutesy mismatched dishes.

The weirdest part of the night was that my sister and I actually knew the DJ, he's her friend's dad.  So, of course, we obnoxiously cheered "Mr. Ron" every time he made an announcement.  

The sister and her hubs.  Blue was apparently the color of choice for the evening, both among the bridal party and my family.

I did a five minute hairstyle after realizing I had managed to leave all of my hair products at home.  Luckily my parents still have a few supplies laying around from when my sister and I were living there, so I snagged a few bobby pins and some hair spray and did a quick roll.  I first put my hair into a ponytail, then made a hole through my hair above the hair tie and pulled the pony tail through it.  Then I put the ends through the hole again and added about four hundred bobby pins and a few shots of hairspray.  Quick and easy, my kind of hair style!




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Drunken Noodles with Sausage

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a try.  The boy loves anything that involves sausage and noodles, and I have a definite love affair with bell peppers, so it was on.  It was a more time consuming recipe than most of the meals I make, but it was totally worth it.  Something about the sauce (probably the extra olive oil you toss in at the end) is so satisfying.  It's rich and hearty and perfect for the chilly nights we've been having lately.

You'll Need:
4 TB olive oil, divided
1 lb package of spicy Italian Sausage links, casings removed
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
Pinch of crushed red pepper
3 colored bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow), sliced
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup white wine
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 TB fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
8 oz Pappardelle noodles (the boy said he would have preferred penne since the pappardelle noodles were a little hard to eat)

Directions:
Fill a large pot with water and put on the stove to boil.  Cook the pappardelle noodles as directed.

Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add 2 TB olive oil.  Crumble italian sausage into the pan and cook until no longer pink.  Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage from the pan and set aside, leaving the sausage drippings in the pan.  Add onion to pan and cook until they start to brown.  Add salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and red pepper to the pan. Add bell peppers and cook about two minutes.  Add garlic and cook until you begin to smell the garlic.  Add wine and cook until it reduces by at least half.  Add tomatoes and the cooked italian sausage and stir gently.  Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes then remove from heat and add the remaining olive oil, parsley, and basil.

Add the cooked pappardelle noodles to the sauce and toss.  Serve with grated parmesan.




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Two Ways to Wear JCrew Jewel Collar Tee

When Kaitlin from Tea and Sequins guest posted for me while I was on vacation, I mentioned that we sometimes end up buying the same pieces.  One of the items in both of our closets is JCrew's gorgeous jeweled collar tee shirt.

What I really like about this shirt is that it can be dressed up or dressed down so easily.   Kaitlin paired hers with a cute pencil skirt and booties, but I decided to dress mine down with chambray and flats.

Shirt - JCrew / Chambray and Pants - Old Navy / Flats - Steve Madden (similar here)

I personally love the faux necklace trend, but there is a little downside - I wore this to work, and both my boss and a coworker told me they were distracted by the neckline during a meeting because they couldn't figure out if I was wearing a necklace or not!  

Linking up with Simple Easy Style, FACE IT CATALOG, and Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins

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This weekend...

Hello hello blogland, I'm back!  I weirdly missed blogging last week, but it was nice to have a little time to recuperate.  Now, for what I was up to over the weekend.

This weekend I...

... Watched my beautiful cousin get married, it was a little chilly but a whole lot of fun.
... Saw our first wedding venue!  Aaaaand already ruled it out ;)
... Had a home cooked meal from my mom.
... Managed to forget all of my toiletries besides my makeup for the weekend, d'oh!
... Awkwardly called the boy "my fiance" a couple of times.
... Had the biggest drink of all of the drinks at happy hour on Friday.
... Took a deliciously long nap.
... Said goodbye to one of my co-workers, who's starting a new job next week.
... Spent a lot of time avoiding watching football while simultaneously tracking my fantasy football score.
... Got into several in-depth discussions about the merits and faults of the Wrecking Ball video, and subsequently had it stuck in my head for the rest of the weekend.

I hope you had a great weekend!




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Internets, I've been holding out on you...

Our trip abroad was amazing.  Having never been overseas before, it was fantastic to be able to experience other cultures and meet so many new people.

On the plane getting ready for the flight

After arriving in Barcelona super jet-lagged (the boyfriend didn't sleep a wink on the plane!), we decided getting a little exercise would be a good idea since we were too early to check in to our hotel, so we set off to hike up Montjuic.  Montjuic is a big hill right in the middle of downtown, and is where the '92 Olympics were held.

At the start of our hike, still excited for walking

We first went to see the Olympic pools and the stadium, which the boyfriend was super excited about.

In the Olympic stadium

View of Barcelona

We then headed up to the top of Montjuic where there's a castle and lots of cannons to play with.

The boyfriend kept ducking off into weird corners and into turrets.  I eventually stopped following him into them because I was so tired.  I was just going to snap the picture of him below and move on, but he said I should come down and look at the view out of the window.

When I turned around, he was down on one knee!! I took one look at him with a ring in his hand and my head went a little fuzzy so I missed pretty much everything he said, but I got the gist what he was asking me and said yes.  We're officially engaged!!

This is the ring he proposed with.  My fiance is one smart man, because he proposed with a cubic zirconia ring, so I got all of the surprise, but I still got to pick out the real ring too.

I guess I'm going to have to figure out something new to call him besides Boyfriend now!  In the meantime, my head is still in the clouds and apparently there's this big party I have to plan now, so I think I'm going to take a little break from blogging for the next week or so.  When I come back, I'll have a few more posts from our trip, hopefully a look at the engagement ring we picked out over the weekend, and a whole lot of fall fashion.  Have a fabulous week!!

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I'm baaaaack...

Oh hey guys, I'm home!! The boyfriend and I had an amazing time traipsing around Spain and Morocco, but I am so glad to be home and back in my own bed again.

You know what one of the best parts of traveling (or really, the best thing about traveling when you're addicted to internet shopping)?  Coming home to a bunch of packages!  Looks like I am definitely ready for fall:

Jewel Collar Tee / Lace Front Sweatshirt / Color-Blocked Sweater / Polka Dot Skinny Pant / Bird Print Socks / Shiva Heels / Shimmer Liquid Luminizer 

The only plans I have for the weekend are going to see the Illini football game at Soldier Field and taking lots of naps.  I hope you have a great Friday!




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Guest Post - Dress Up on a Cloudy Day

Hi all! I'm Mega from Dress Up on a Cloudy Day, and I'm here guest posting for Kristina who is more than likely having a fantastic time in sunny Morocco. For all of us who are stuck at home, here's a great way to add some fun to a outfit.

The perfect pencil skirt will do wonders for any figure, and I'm sure all of you probably have a nice neutral color pencil skirt in your wardrobe for professional purposes, but what about something a little more exciting?

Skirt - Forever 21/ Top - Forever 21 (old, similar here)/Shoes - Unknown

I completely adore this pencil skirt. The length is just right so I can wear it during the daytime, and if you wanted it's also work appropriate, but the print and color just makes it so much more fun! It's surprisingly versatile. Here I went all out with some print mixing, but there are so many ways you can style this skirt. For more ideas check out my post - 6 Ways to Style a Printed Skirt.

Never Forget

What I'm Wearing: Morocco

So I don't know if you know this about Morocco, but it is hot.  Luckily it cooled down a little, but when I checked the weather two weeks ago it was 113 degrees.  My desire to wear as little as possible is conflicting with the culture here, which is very reserved and covered up.  It was suggested to me that while in Morocco I should cover my shoulders and chest, and wear loose skirts or pants that go at least to my knees if not longer.  Luckily for me, the maxi skirt/dress is in this year, so I had lots of options to bring with me.

Tee - Old Navy / Dress (as skirt) - F21 / Sandals - Payless (old, similar here) / Necklace - Sira & Mara  / Bracelets - unknown

Linking up with Amy, Amber and Christina

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Guest Post: Bold Subtlety

Hi everyone!! Today is our last morning in Marrakech, today we're hopping on the "Marrakech Express" to head up to Casablanca and hopefully have dinner at a faux Rick's Cafe.  Today I have a guest post for you from the lovely Annick of Bold Subtlety.  Annick is always so put together and chic, and her style truly epitomizes the name of her blog. Take it away, Annick!

Hello Kristina does the Internets readers!

I'm so excited to be guest posting for Kristina today while she is on vacation in Spain and Morocco! While I'm sure she's enjoying the warm weather, the weather has started to get cooler here in Canada and has got me thinking a lot about fall clothes. Fall fashion has always been my weakness - knit sweaters, booties, heavy scarves, wool coats... I want it all! But realistically, I do not have the funds to revamp my fall wardrobe every year, so I thought I'd see what I currently have in my closet and play with a few items. I've been recently smitten with the sweater/shirt combo so I pulled out my old J Crew knit tee and layered it with a polka-dot button up from Joe Fresh and voila! Next up will be to pair that J Crew top with a striped long sleeve tee and tan skinnies!

Wearing: Paige Denim, J Crew Knit, Joe Fresh Button Up, H&M Necklace, Rebecca Minkoff Bag, Ray-Ban Sunnies, Oasis Pumps

Hope you're all having a great day and feel free to come visit me on my fashion blog Bold Subtlety and say hi!

Guest Post - Simple Easy Style

Happy Friday!!  Today I have a guest post for you from Christina of Simple Easy Style.  Christina's style includes lots of maxi dresses, fun colors, and patterns - all things I love!  Take it away, Christina.  

Hello, my name is Christina and I'm the blogger behind Simple Easy Style. I am so excited to be guest posting for Kristina while she is out of town. Kristina Does the Internets is one of my favorite blogs. 

I have always loved clothing, ever since I could remember. Most of my favorite childhood memories were spent playing dress up. Fashion is so much more to me than just something I'm wearing. It's a fun way to express myself, for me it's a creative outlet. I love pulling inspiration from different places and translating it through my outfits. 

I hope to see you all over at my blog!

facebook * pinterest * bloglovin' * instagram * twitter * tumblr 

Thanks so much Christina!  Make sure to check out Simple Easy Style.

Today we're headed to Marrakech, which is the part of the trip I'm most excited about.  I can't wait to navigate the huge markets and experience all of the culture. I hope all of you have a great weekend!!





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