Obsessions

I hope everyone enjoyed the long Memorial Day Weekend! We had a lovely time our friends! This is what I can't stop thinking about this week:)

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE
I love this show and I am so happy to have some quality TV to watch now that all my shows have ended for the summer.

Besides the talented dancers my favorite part is seeing what the gorgeous Cat Deeley is wearing. Her outfits are always incredible!

LA MER EYE CREAM
I got a sample of this at Neiman Marcus and I am smitten. I love it as much as I love the La Mer face cream. I am thinking about splurging and buying it. It really moisturizes and smells heavenly. The make-up guy told me I would see results in 10 days and I really feel like my eyes look better.

OREO TRUFFLE BALLS
I made these this weekend and they were ridiculously good. We ate them all in one day! I am still dreaming about them. I will share the recipe tomorrow!

BEACH TIME WITH MY BOYS
We finally made it to the beach this weekend and it was wonderful. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are to live 10 minutes from the beach. We had an amazing afternoon on Monday!

HANNA ANDERSSON ZIP-UP PJ'S
These pajamas are my favorite for my little man! They retail for $25.99, totally expensive for pajamas, but Costco has them for $11.99. The patterns are adorable and all you moms know how easy and great zip-up pjs are!

Have a fabulous Tuesday! Although it totally feels like Monday to me!
Btw is anyone else having trouble leaving comments on some blogs? It won't let me sign in to leave comments, so frustrating!!
xoxo

Dress Help!

My little brother is getting married June 11th. Hard to believe it is only two weeks away! To kick off his wedding week my parent's friends are having a party. It will be Cocktails and Caribbean cuisine poolside. I have narrowed down my outfit choice for the kick-off party to two dresses. I am leaning towards the white dress (option #1) but I really like both of them. So, I am curious what ya'll think? Be totally honest and tell me which dress you like better! I included pictures with the fit models too so you could get a better full view of the dresses.

Also would you wear flats or heels? I am envisioning them with my cork Donald J Pilner heels.

OPTION ONE

OPTION TWO

Both dresses are Tibi:)

Flawless

Check out how gorgeous Carrie Underwood was on the red carpet before the American Idol season finale. She looks amazing. Her outfit is perfection. I would love to have that dress hanging in my closet! The dress is a Lorena Sarbu shift and her shoes are Sergio Rossi Cachet peep-toe slingbacks. I am in love!

Love and Obsessions + My Favorite Accessories

Today I am guest blogging at two of my favorite blogs!

I am at Bud and Leo sharing some things I am currently loving/obsessing over.

Here is a sneak peak.
Go check out my other obsessions Here!

I am also over at a Dose of Pretty sharing some of my favorite accessories!

You can see my other accessories HERE!

Both blogs are fabulous reads, so definitely check them out!

Happy Friday Lovelies! Have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend! I am so excited I get to spend my whole weekend with this girl. We have been besties since high school but live in different cities now. She and her family are coming to stay with us and I can't wait! xoxo

Trash to Treasure

A few weeks ago while on a walk with Sterling, I found this baby discarded on the side of the road.


It was pretty ugly and the wood was spilt and broken on one side, but I am a sucker for a chair makeover! I promptly got my car and picked her up for a make-over!

The first step was I had to glue the wood that had spilt. That was pretty easy with some wood glue and a clamp (no pictures because my dad may have done this step for me).

Next a few coats of white gloss spray paint and she was looking good as new. My little helper snuck into this picture:)

I then headed to GDC Home, my favorite place to find fabric. I knew I wanted a navy geometric pattern to go with my navy monogrammed duvet in our guest bedroom.

Here is the finished chair! A real beauty I must say!

This makeover cost less than $20. It was super easy. Just don't go calling me a trash collector because I picked her up on the side of the road! The chair is now proudly sitting in our guest bedroom!

Tuna Burgers Finally!

I finally did it and made GP's tuna burgers. They were very easy to make and I loved them. You can really taste the ginger and fresh good quality tuna makes all the difference. The flavors mesh together so well! I absolutely loved the soy-sesame mayo, I thought it really made the burgers. I could quite honestly eat it with a spoon or at least dip fries in it!

I will say my hubby was not a huge fan- he might have even ordered a Philly Cheesesteak after this meal. He really feels that burgers should only be made with red meat. So GP did not impress him, but I thought they were light, healthy, delicious and I would definitely make them again (what does he know anyways?).

Notice my husband's burger is the one with American Cheese, he couldn't be happy with just the plain tuna. Such a typical man.


The Toppings- sesame soy mayo, arugula, and sauteed shallots


I served the burgers with her Sauteed Greens with Onions and Soy Sauce and it was the perect side. I will be making this dish again often.

The final product!

TUNA & GINGER BURGERS (from My Father's Daughter)

1 TEASPOON WASABI POWDER
2 TEASPOONS DIJON MUSTARD
1 TEASPOON WATER
1/2 TEASPOON FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
1/2 TEASPOON COARSE SALT
1 TABLESPOON PEELED AND FINELY MINCED FRESH GINGER
1 TABLESPOON PEELED AND FINELY MINCED GARLIC
1 1/2 TABLESPOONS PEANUT OIL, PLUS MORE FOR COOKING
1 POUND HIGHEST QUALITY TUNA, CUT IN 1-INCH PIECES
2 TABLESPOONS EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
3 SHALLOTS PEELED AND THINLY SLICED
4 SPROUTED WHEAT OR WHOLE WHEAT BUNS
1/2 CUP SOY AND SEASAME MAYO

COMBINE THE WASABI, MUSTARD AND WATER IN A SMALL BOWL. SCRAPE IT INTO A FOOD PROCESSOR ALONG WITH PEPPER, SALT, GINGER, GARLIC, AND PEANUT OIL. PULSE IT ALL TOGETHER TO MAKE A FLAVORFUL PASTE. ADD THE TUNA AND PULSE JUST TO COMBINE- BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER PROCESS. FORM THE MIXTURE INTO 4 BURGERS AND SET IN REFRIGERATE FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR (UP TO OVERNIGHT) TO LET THE FLAVORS REALLY SET IN.

MEANWHILE HEAT OLIVE OIL OVER MEDIUM HEAT IN A SKILLET. ADD THE SHALLOTS AND SAUTE ABOUT 10 MINUTES UNTIL THEY GET SOFT AND SWEET AND A LITTLE BROWN. RESERVE

PREHEAT YOUR GRILL OR GRILL PAN OVER HIGH HEAT.

RUB THE TUNA BURGERS WITH A LITTLE PEANUT OIL AND GRILL FOR 2-3 MINUTES A SIDE. GRILL THE BUNS ALONG WITH THE TUNA. SPREAD THE BUNS WITH MAYO, PILE ON SAUTEED SHALLOTS AND A BIT OF ARUGULA AND TUCK IN BURGERS.


SOY AND SESAME MAYO

1/2 CUP VEGANAISE
2 TABLESPOONS
2 TABLESPOONS TOASTED SESAME OIL

WHISK ALL TOGETHER.

Obsessions

Happy Happy Tuesday! Here are my obsessions this week!

HOUSE BEAUTIFUL
This magazine never disappoints. I am always so excited to see this baby in my mailbox. Just got my new issue and it is fabulous. I love how they have a cooking section with recipes and reviews of cookbooks on top of all the gorgeous interiors.

KATHY LEE AND HODA
I love the third hour of the Today show. Kathy Lee and Hoda trip me out and I love that they are always drinking in the am!

NEUTROGENA MAKE-UP REMOVER WIPES
These are genius. So much easier than using eye make-up remover. They really do get all your make-up off and I don't feel like they dry out my skin too much.

SEE BY CHLOE
This is starting to be one of my new favorite clothing lines. I think Stella McCartney is one talented designer!

SOUR JELLY BEANS
I have been on a real kick lately with sour jelly bellies. I can't stop eating them! I am not a huge candy person at all but I have a weakness for sour candy.

FERRARI CARANO CHARDONNAY
This wine is my new jam. It is so smooth and tasty. I think it is the perfect summer wine. And for all my wine lover friends they do sell this at Costco, it is $16.99 a bottle.

On another note, anyone watch the Bachelorette last night? I am not a huge fan of Ashley but I love all the Bachelor Bachelorette shows. A few things disturbed me:

This guy, anyone else think it was weird he wore a mask the whoie time?

Bently, he seemed like a total tool. All he talked about the whole time was how he wished Emily would have been the Bachelorette. I am sure he is going to bring us drama this season.

and my favorite, the drunk guy who passed out. He tripped me out and I loved that his job was an alcohol distributor, so fitting!

I think this season will be pretty entertaining from what we started with. Any other lovers of this show?

Wedges?

I will admit it, I am not a huge heels person. I am 5'10 so when I wear heels I feel like a giant. That is why I mostly wear flats. My hubby is several inches taller than me so I can def get away with wearing heels but I never do. I am starting to think I really want a pair of wedges for this summer. I think they are so versatile and look cute with shorts, jeans, dresses, you name it! What are your thoughts are wedges? Love them or hate them? Here are a few that I have my eye on:

MICHEAL KORS WHILSHIRE WEDGE

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TIBI T-STRAP LINEN WEDGES

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7 FOR ALL MANKIND JAYDA KNOTTED WEDGES

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JIL SANDER PLATFORM WEDGE

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Which pair do ya'll vote for? Any other suggestions of places to find cute wedges?

Good vs Bad

Lets start with the Bad. Get it over with first.

Dear Khloe you really should ask your sisters for some fashion advice and learn to dress for your body type. This outfit is all kinds of wrong. It is a poor fit and way too many trends together at once- denim shirt, colored jeans, leopard accessories, it is overkill. And not to mention she needs to button up that blouse! This is enough to steer me away from buying those red JBrand jeans I have been eyeing!

These glasses are tragic. Poor Mischa the OC days were her prime and now look at her!

Now for the good. AHH, Gwen Stefani, she can do no wrong in my book. She is perfection and is always pushing the envelope with her fashions. I LOVE both of these looks she sported at the Cannes Film Festival. Totally gorgeous. This is how fashion is done right!

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Review Time Part 2

Several people have asked me about GP's new cookbook and Tracy Anderson's Metamorphosis DVDS so I thought I would give you my opinions!

GP's Cookbook

I have to admit the vinaigrette is the first thing I have actually made from Gwennie's cookbook. I have spent alot of time reading it and looking through it and I think it is a great cookbook. I have several dishes bookmarked to make in the near future: Tuna Burgers, Healthier Blueberry Muffins, Fish Tacos, Gazpacho and Penne Puttanesca to name a few. I think her cookbook offers a wide variety of recipes and I like that. Most do not seem too difficult to make either. I also like that she includes a picture of all the dishes (I am a visual person when it comes to cookbooks, I like to see the finished product before I attempt it). If you love to cook you will love her cookbook.

Tracey Anderson Metamorphosis Workout DVDS

First, I will say these DVDs are hard as s*$t. I typically dread my workout everyday. But I feel like a million bucks afterwards. The dance cardio part definitely gets monotonous and boring since you never switch it up. The body sculpt DVDs don't get too boring because you switch them up every 10 days. Tracey recommends you do both DVDs 6 times a week. I do not do that, I shoot for 4-5 times a week and if I am especially burned out I will do her Mat DVD instead. I don't follow her plan exactly but I still have seen results

10 days in (I am actually on day 15 and measure again in 5 days), I have lost 1 inch off my hips and waist. I have not lost any weight but I will take the inches! I feel like I am way more toned in my arms and legs and my flat pancake butt is starting to get lifted. I do not follow her diet plan, I eat what I want and lets be real I have a glass of wine most nights (Tracey does not approve of alcohol a big no-no in my book). I totally recommend these DVDs. If you have the time and patience to do them, they work. I can only imagine the results if you followed her eating plan and did them 6 days a week!

Also I found some new workout tanks I love at Target.

God Bless Target and their workout clothes section! That is pretty much the only place I buy workout gear. You can't beat the prices. These tanks are ribbed and have built-in bras and they fit really nicely. Normally I find that workout tops are too fitted and they accentuate the fat bulge (aka muffin top) over my pants. Not these, and they are only $12.99. Loves.