Homeward Bound!!

I’m headed home to central New York tomorrow morning with the boy
to see my family and take my first little, but much needed,
vacation from work.
I can not wait.
I’m beyond excited to escape the city and rest my brain.

I’m looking forward to good, homemade food, sun shine,
lounging with my parents, laughing with my sister,
and sharing this all with the boy.
I can’t wait to hug my puppies and eat some strawberry shortcake
and read my book
(The Help…so very long, but so, so good).

The boy and I are planning on picking up
some good ole fashioned New England seafood tomorrow morning
to treat my family with tomorrow night.
Yes, we’re road trippin’ it with lobsters in the trunk.
I really can’t wait.


photo courtesy of weheartit

Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, Oh My!

Once again, DailyCandy has inspired a blog post.
They marketed Cuisinart’s Classic Ice Cream Maker
as a great addition to any summer party, and while I agree,
I must also state that a party wasn’t my first image.
Instead, I saw myself using this adorably cute contraption
anytime, anyday, all year long.
It not only makes ice cream,
but also (my favorite) frozen yogurt and sorbet!
No more chemicals and creepy ingredients
that you don’t know how to pronounce or what it actually is.
You use all natural everything and voila,
create some homemade goodness…
anytime, anyday, all year long.

Yes, I would use this to create treats just for me,
but of course, would share if I had to…

Only $50. Totally justifiable.

But now, what color??…

Present for Me

It was a hot, humid, sticky weekend, both outside and in my mind.

Thank goodness I’m headed home for a little vacation this week;

everything seems to be stressing me out lately;

I crave a mental vacation.

I need time to breathe, rest, revitalize.

However, I do also believe in the holy power of retail therapy

and this afternoon when I took a little break from my desk at the office

and walked over to J. Crew,

their sales racks welcomed me in and I found success!

Slim fit khakis in tan and grey for under $30!

A hot pink summer scarf: 50% off!

A jean skirt that flounces out, an extreme A-line cut,

perfect with flip flops in July and tights and boots in November for $19.99!

And to top it all off,

J. Crew had the Ray Ban Clubmaster sunglasses

that I have been dreaming of, lusting over for quite some time.

So instead of waiting any longer

(really, why wait anymore; summer is here, the sun is quite shiny),

I decided that I deserved them and I got them.

I feel very happy with this decision; no buyer’s remorse in sight.

And an extra 20% off

for signing up for the J. Crew card doesn’t hurt either : )

And to top off the good mood I was in, the girls and I at work

enjoyed some delicious thai food at House of Siam

and my pineapple chicken dish was tasty

(leftovers awaiting me in the fridge).

A girlfriend at work is leaving this week and

moving on, to bigger and better things for herself.

I’m inspired my her risk-taking and

look forward to learning about her fabulous, future adventures : )

Resort Wear ?!

thank you to Taryn Cox at The Wife for sharing
these fabulous fashion finds
from Stella McCartney’s Resort 2011 line.
I adore them all.

Now, if only I had a legit resort vacation to go on…

Thursday evening the heat still bore down upon the city

but the view in the Boston Commons was still as beautiful as ever.

Images like these make me fall in love with this city

over and over again.

Friday arrived and the girls and I at my office treated ourselves

to some scrumptious cupcakes at Sweet’s new Newbury location.

They did not disappoint and

I can see a new Friday tradition developing quickly.

My lemon-raspberry treat was amazing as always.

Next on my list to try…the Pina Colada cupcake!

And then on Saturday, heat and humidity still going strong,

a group of us traveled to a bar downtown to watch

the anticipated USA World Cup game versus Ghana.

And despite our sad loss,

I throughly enjoyed my watermelon beer at Beerworks after.

I still absolutely love and favor their Blueberry Beer,

but their watermelon is a close second.

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!

What a delicious email to receive in my Inbox today
(sorry it’s blurry-you get the idea though,
lots of yummy summer flavors!)!

Plans have already been made with my girlfriends
at the office to treat ourselves tomorrow!

I’m a huge fan of Sweet;
if you haven’t checked them out,
the idea of lemon-raspberry, pina colado, and pink lemonade cupcakes
will draw you in!!

Mmm fresh, clean food

I’ve been trying to eat as much fresh produce
as possible this week.
I bought a bunch of items on Monday and
have attempted to make them the main part of every meal.
So far, so good.

I had a large salad with cucumbers, peppers, onions, broccoli, tomato,
and some feta on Monday night and for lunch Tuesday.
I’ve been snacking on strawberries and
this morning I cut up a peach as well.
Last night I made one of my classic go-to dinners:
avocado, tomato, mozzarella wrap.
And I currently have some cut up veggies
in my work’s fridge for a snack in a little.

I feel a difference. I feel clean and not bloated.
Even when I treated myself yesterday
with a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich (so so good)
and today with a small slice of cinnamon crumb coffee cake,
I didn’t feel gross after,
since all my other eating has been pretty healthy and pure.

I could get used to this.
And summer makes it so easy
with all the abundant fruits and veggies.

Here are some ideas for myself and you for some fresh summer cuisine inspiration:

White Bean Salad with Spicy Roasted Tomatoes and Broccoli

Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Veggies

Ok, so not 100% healthy, but not too bad! Taco Salad with lots and lots of veggies!

Vegetable Tartlets


all photos courtesy of marthastewart.com

Forever 21 obsession

I love Forever 21. I adore this store.
It rarely ever lets me down.
And since there really isn’t a convenient one
located near me in Boston,
I took advantage of the one we passed in Union Square on Saturday
to quickly scan the racks and grab some winners.

front of dress

back of dress

plus another frilly dress that isn’t online
and a fun white-bead & chain link necklace.
And I will be stopping at the one when I’m home next week as well.
Forever 21 just makes me too happy to resist.

An Australian brunch in NYC

On our way to brunch Saturday morning,
we passed by this eclectic little park,
with recyclables decorated the fence and inside people were doing yoga
and little children ran barefoot as their parents lounged around.
We definitely weren’t in the upper east side anymore.

Our destination: The Sunburnt Cow, on Avenue C, a hidden gem.
Unassuming on the outside, pure chaos on the inside,
as World Cups games were shown on projectors
and Australian waiters and bartenders filled up your drinks continuously.
But we walked through the dark bar and came out into a sort of cave,
with natural lighting and ceiling fans,
making it a fantastically relaxed and comfortable sitting area for brunch.
And of course, endless drinks.

My most delicious meal; the ‘Queen Adelaide,’
an eggs benedict with salmon and avocado
and the most amazing hollandaise I’ve ever had.
Even the french fries were perfection.

Endless mimosas and bloody marys!

The rest of the hot summer day was spenting walking around
and shopping in Union Square
and venturing back up north to the UES
where we lounged about
before a crazy, fun night out in NYC.

It was an amazing weekend;
catching up with my girlfriends and seeing wonderful people
who I haven’t seen in awhile.
A group of us have known each other
since we lived on the same floor freshman year of college
and reuniting was just lovely.

In the process though, my voice disappeared
and I sound creepy/manly/sick.
I feel overall a lot better than I did Sunday night,
but I have assigned this week to take care of myself and feel fabulous for the weekend
and for my trip home next week.
It really is amazing what an extra hour of sleep in the morning
and lots of healthy meals can do so quickly.
Bring on the fresh fruit and salads!

Happy Friday!

I’m off to NYC for the weekend,
to have lots of laughs with some of my favorite college girlfriends.
We have exciting brunch plans and then not much else…
we will be strolling and shopping in what is supposed to be
a very sunny and warm weekend.

Last night I was incredibly productive;
loads of laundry, cleaning, organizing,
new sheets (I love clean, fresh sheets),
pedicures, manicures,
packing and then collapsing.
It’s been a crazy week
(a crazy several weeks really)
so some quality girl time
is just what the doctor ordered.

Have a great weekend : )

Snapple's Social Lunch!

How great is this gigantic lunch table outside the Prudential building!? It’s sponsored by Snapple, which makes it even better! I’d love to sit out there for lunch and people watch on Boylston Street. Something about this huge picnic table, encouraging conversation among strangers while they enjoy their lunch on a nice summer day, just makes me smile.

Fresh Fruit Is Amazing

Last night at the grocery store, peaches were on sale,
so that is the fruit I purchased…
and oh my gosh, what a lucky decision!
Today at lunch, my peach was absolutely delicious.
Perfectly ripe, just the right amount of juicy-ness, firm yet soft; pure delight.
It’s had me looking up peach recipes
and planning some scrumptious treats
for when I go home in a couple weeks.
If I can wait that long…

ps. if you can guess,
I did not follow that cleanse plan today…oops.
But the peach alone was worth it.

photos courtesy of (of course) marthastewart.com

“I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid, more accessible,

to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.

I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which comes to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom,
and that which comes to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.”

- Dawna Markova


thank you to Bonjour J for sharing this beautiful and honest quote

That time of the month...

…for new magazine covers!

I eagerly await to see who is on what cover, what articles are featured,
and more every month. I check the newsstands,
Barnes and Noble, and the magazine’s websites daily for updates.
And I must say, I’m quite impressed and excited to pick up the new July Vogue,
with the glamorous and stunning Marion Cotillard.

Something about her, her style, her grace, her allure,
draws me in and fascinates me.

I just bumped up the movie Nine to spot #1 on my Netflix Queue
after seeing her on this Vogue cover.

To cleanse or not to cleanse

I’ve been interested in doing a cleanse of sorts ever since I first learned about BluePrint Cleanse from NonSociety. So when Daily Candy introduced me to The Red Carpet Cleanse a couple months ago, I was immediately intrigued. Their 1 day cleanse was free. I could make the juices myself, recipes and menus were provided. It was only 1 day.

So I had it planned to do this 1 day rejuvenation (or torture!?) tomorrow. I have the recipes with me, ready to go to the grocery store after work. But I’m nervous; what if it hard to juice all the ingredients and the juices come out weird; what if it’s terrible; what if I feel no different and the money spent and discomfort isn’t even worth it; what is kale anyways?

So I’m teeter-tottering between sucking it up and doing this or just saying, hmm maybe later and eating a good salad and some fresh fruit…I’ll let you know what side wins out later today.

Inspired & motivated!

Last night I left work at 6 and ventured over to the South End,
where I had a solo dinner at Francesca’s Cafe on Tremont Street
(a delicious Asian salad with sliced almonds, mandarin oranges and some grilled chicken) and just decompressed,
as I watched people stroll by my window seat.

And then headed over to a ‘Breaking into Freelance Writing’ class,
organized by MediaBistro and taught by Alyssa Giacobbe
(who has written for Self, Teen Vogue, Boston Magazine and more).

It was worth the price alone
with the level of inspiration and motivation
currently running through me.
I feel prepped and energized to start getting more serious about my writing
and tossing some pitches out there to magazines and websites.
Goals will be set soon.
Alyssa gave some great pointers on how to get organized
and how to attack what could be seen as quite an overwhelming task;
entering into the freelance world.
She recommended finding specific topics, creating specialities
and becoming an expert in areas
that could help one better marketing themselves
and my brainstorming has begun.
I enjoy style and design, cooking and baking and organization,
relationships and shopping…
so it seems that the best overall niche
would be as a lifestyle writer,
but I feel I’m going to need to dig a bit deeper.
Either way, I’m excited to do this digging work.

Oh, and today’s hump day
and even with a slight sore throat
(I’m shoving as much vitamic C in me as I can find),
I feel the freedom of the weekend,
or at least lazy after work hours, approaching.
And I have time to browse through blogs today at work
and enjoy; what could be better.

World Cup Baking

Friday night arrived and I decided to celebrate the World Cup my way…

with a baking project.

I didn’t have to rush,

I could just enjoy stirring and spreading and all the glorious smells

that leaked from the oven.

I made two circular white cakes, and my Mom’s vanilla butter frosting

(which I do believe comes from an old Betty Crocker cookbook)

and smeared raspberry jam in between the two moist cakes.

Topped off with the creamy vanilla frosting, I then added some soccer flair

with the help of classic chocolate chips and viola,

we have an edible soccer ball.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t proud.

And after several slices by myself and many gentlemen the following day,

I rate this baking project a success : )

Saturday, despite grey, rainy weather, the event I worked at went well

and I gathered up my energy for a fun night out in Davis Square that evening

(after joining the boy and his buddies for some soccer games on the television

and too much pulled pork, potatoes and drinks).

And now it’s Monday, as I always say on Mondays,

and tonight a girlfriend and I secured an apartment in the North End for September (!)

and that weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

And until then, I’m tucked into bed,

The Help in hand,

already eager for the weekend…

or at least another slice of cake ; )

Oh my Tony!

My favorite fashion winners from last night’s TONY awards.

Of course I chose Scarlett, as she hardly ever lets me down.

And I just could not, not chose the young lady from Glee

despite me not being a fan at all;

her dress is just too simply stunning.

photos courtesy of usmagazine.com

Happy Friday

Have a wonderful weekend;
relax and sip away work-week worries

photo courtesy of marthastewart.com