Thoughts For Friday

I think I might be the only person who gains weight in the Summer.  You would think it would be the opposite that I would lose weight in the Summer because I would be eating salads and working out to look good in my bikini.  But alas no, I have been eating and drinking way too much and gained 5lbs.  Doesn't seem like alot but it is in my mind.  I like to hover around a certain weight.   I came across this "sassy water" on pinterest and I have been drinking it like crazy. It says it helps boost weight loss.  Who knows if it is true but I am trying!

{1 liter water, 1 cucumber sliced, 1 lemon sliced, 10-12 mint leaves}

Guess what I have been loving lately?  My chevron blouse from Ann Taylor.  I am kind of shocked I have found two things I love from Ann Taylor.  On a whole I am kind of over chevron.   It is just everywhere and so over played but I do kind of love this blouse!  Especially paired with coral. 

{Ann Taylor Chevron Blouse, J Brand Cut-offs}

Can we please talk about the OC Housewives Reunion?  Why does this show entertain me so much?  A few thoughts.  Brooks is still super fake to me.  Why everyone else sees this but Vicki baffles me.  I think she was so sad in her marriage to Don that she is just happy to have any attention now.  I will say his teeth looked better- thank you Vicki for fronting that bill.
 I used to really dislike Gretchen but shocker she grew on me this year (still don't love her)  I kind of feel bad her and the whole Slade situation.  He is a super tool though, I feel like he chooses women to date that can support him and pay his debt and I am proud of her for not marrying him til he clears it up (although we will see if that really happens).  Tamara was rude and super mean to Vicki, made me sad when they used to be such good friends.  I did think it was funny when she called Alexis out for not working at the news station anymore.  Heather remains my favorite and I love that Andy asked her how the champers was at the end of the reunion.  Heather was most definitely best dressed with Vicki a close second.  The other's outfits and hair were just tacky and bad.

We are headed on our beach family vacation in August and I am looking for some good books to bring along.  Nothing I love more than laying in the sun and reading a fab book.  I heard Tigers Wife and Paris Wife were good reads, any other standout books?  I need recommendations!

I am convinced I need these Rag and Bone Newbury boots for the fall.  I know it is hot as crap outside but I am already dreaming of fall, my favorite season.  They are expensive, like more than I would ever pay for a shoe but dang it I love them.  Would you pay this much for a bootie?  Indulge me or is the heat just making me crazy?

{Rag and Bone Newbury Bootie}

I know alot of you really liked my green "all hail necklace" from Tuesdays post.  It is sold out right now,  but I found this almost identical version on Baublebar in Orange.  I think the orange would be great to wear for now and into fall.  Best part it is only $32!

{Permission Mosiac Bib}

I have been obsessed with this salad ever since I saw it on Proud Italian Cook.  How good does this look?  It is not only gorgeous but I bet it tastes amazing.  I think it will be made for our Sunday dinner with all my Farmers Markets goods.  You should check out her blog if you never have, her recipes are pretty ridic.

This is a quote that I truly need to remember,  You see I am a worrier about anything and everything!  This is such a nice reminder that worrying does no good,  something my dad has tried to instill in me for years.  Dad, I am trying to learn to think this way all the time, but it is easier said than done.

Pinterest DIY + Savor the Little Moments

I will admit it I am so not a DIY type of person.  I just get too lazy- I mean I am way too busy watching the OC Housewives Reunions 1 and 2 and that leaves me little time to DIY.  Most of the time it is easier just to buy something the way I want it than take the time and effort to re-do it.   However, when I saw this pin on Pinterest I knew it was a DIY I could tackle. 

PAINTED CANS

I immediately thought this was a great idea to paint cans and store all of Sterling's art supplies in.  Keeping things real, this was the state of his art basket before I started the project. A hot unorganized mess.

While I loved the pastel colors above I figured Sterling needed some more boyish colors.  I debated a long time (way too long) about what colors to use and eventually decided on blue, green, and orange.   For this project all I did was clean the empty cans well, wrap tape where I wanted the paint to end and paint.  I used acrylic paint that I already had.  This was super duper easy.  Don't look too close though I got eager and pulled the tape off too soon,  so some of the paint is uneven!

And while I was in a DIY mood I decided to spray paint his basket metallic silver. Made such a difference!  Here is the finished and organzied basket.  An easy DIY tackled at nap time!

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Speaking of my sweet baby he has gotten a bad habit where he won't go to sleep at night til I rock him. 

 I put him in bed and leave and he seems fine then 10 minutes later I hear him say "Mama rock you." He says this til I come in and rock him.   This happened Monday night right as The Bachelorette was starting.  I sighed and went in to rock him thinking I will make this super quick, I want to get back to my wine and show.  But as I was sitting there rocking him and he was being so sweet,  the words to the Trace Adkins Country song "You're Gonna Miss This" popped in my head.  It is a such a great song about a girl rushing through life wanting each stage to hurry up so she can get to the next one.  It talks about the importance of savoring the little moments.  The chorus is:

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

I thought about that song as a rocked him for a really long time, realizing that soon he will be old and not want me to rock him anymore much less hang out with him in public.  It is such a great reminder to savor life's little moments.  Because I know in the blink of an eye he will be grown.  You can read all the lyrics here.  That was my deep thought for the day:)

Blouse Source

So, I got a crazy amount of emails asking about my blouse from my post yesterday.

It is the Joie Mystic Blouse.  I am in love with this blouse and wear it all the time.  Can't say enough good things about it!  I purchased mine in store at Neiman Marcus awhile ago but,  I did a little researching online and found it HERE.  Plus it is on sale!

Shopbop has the white version,  which I also own and it is on sale right now as well.  It is great because it goes with everything!

and if you are a size Medium I found the green color on Ebay for $49.99 right now. So get to bidding!

Farmers Market Pizza

If you follow me on Instagram you probably already saw the picture of this luscious dish.  I made these little pizzas for dinner Monday night with all my Farmers Market goodies from Saturday.  Fresh Kale + Heirloom Tomatoes + Corn is crazy good on pizza.  Top with Mozzarella and Goat Cheese and you have a perfect pizza.  I am lazy and never make my own pizza dough, I use Naan Bread and just make Matt and I individual pizzas (of course he refused the greens on his pizza).  You could use any veggies you have but this combo is delish, trust me.

Pizza Pre Cheese Loaded with Veggies.

FARMERS MARKET PIZZA

- Kale

- Yellow Cherry Tomatoes

- 1 Ear Corn

- Heirloom or Regular Tomatoes. sliced thinly

- Fresh Mozzarella

- Fresh Goat Cheese (for locals I highly recommend the Burden Creek Cheese)
-Olive Oil for drizzling

Sautee the Kale in Olive oil until slightly wilted about 5 minutes.  Roast the Cherry Tomatoes and Corn (leave on the cob while roasting) in olive oil with salt and pepper on 400 degrees about 20 minutes.  Thinly slice the whole tomato.   Spread Naan with Olive Oil (I use Harissa infused oil to give it extra spicy flavor) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Layer with Kale, Corn and both tomatoes.  Cover with Mozzarella and Goat Cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees about 10-15mins until cheese melts and is bubbly!

Obsessions

MAY BOOKS

Big thanks to my girls Caycee and Lili for introducing me to this awesome line of planners and notepads.   I love that their slogan is "life is too short for ugly notebooks." You can custom create your notebook with any background, monogram, and pages you like.   Here is a sneak peek at what is coming my way.  They have so many fabulous patterns to choose from!

ALL HAIL THE GREEN NECKLACE

This is my new favorite necklace.  Great price and it goes with everything!  I am now putting myself on a self imposed necklace shopping hiatus!  I have way too many! It says this is back ordered but mine came fairly quickly.

MADEWELL PRINTED TEE DRESS

I am in love with this Madewell number.  Every time I go home to Charlotte I stop in the Madewell store.  I really wish we would get one here in Charleston.  This is the perfect easy summer dress at a great price.

EARTHFARE THAI CURRY CASHEWS

These nuts are amazing.  My new favorite snack.  You can find them in the bulk food section at Earthfare.  They are filled with so many spices and flavors.  The problem is I try to be healthy by eating nuts as a snack and then I devour way more than the serving size.  Oh well.

ENTRYWAY

I am smitten with this entryway.  I am looking to do something similar at our house with ottomans or poufs under our entry table.  Perfect styling.

Lastly,  as if you need another reason to shop, Piperlime is having their annual Summer sale with 50% Summer clothes, shoes, and accessories!  There are some amazing deals.  Plus today is Tuesday which means you get an additional 10 % off with the code TUESDAYS! 

Scenes From Our Weekend + Christian Louboutins for Sale

Monday, Monday why do you always sneak up on me so fast??

We had a great weekend.  Best part is my in-laws kept Sterling over night Saturday so Matt and I could enjoy a date night.  I can't remember the last time just the two of us went out to dinner alone, usually we have friends with us.  It was nice to chat and have some alone time.  We really need to make an effort to do date night more often.

Here is what I wore for our date night:

{Gypsy 05 Maxi Dress}

Matt says this is his favorite dress that I own so I thought I would make him happy and rock it.  Truth be told I own 3 of these GYPSY 05 Dresses.  They are a great Summer dress that you can dress up or down.  I wear mine all the time.  I don't know if they still make this particular design because I bought mine several years ago but they come in tons of great solid colors and they are only $100. 

I especially love this Royal Blue Color.

I came up with a pretty genius drink idea.  I freeze ice cubes with fruit in them and then put that in my vodka drink so it flavors the drink as it melts.  My two favorites so far are orange and cucumber. 

This weekend I used the orange ice cubes in a drink with vodka + fresh lemon juice.  It was quite refreshing and tasty.  Make some flavored ice cubes you won't regret it.  They are also great in water, Sterling loves them in his.   I think he feels like he is getting a treat!

I also came up with a pretty amazing chopped salad with all my Farmers Market Goodies from Saturday. 

Julienned Spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, orange bell pepper, cannelini Beans, kalamata olives and fresh feta.  Chop all, toss, and mix with olive oil, red wine vinegar and lemon juice for Vinaigrette.  Serve with pita chips.  I think next time I might even add some corn in.

Enjoyed alot of quality time with this gorgeous face.  To appease Matt I finally dressed him like a little boy.  Matt hates all the jon-jons and smocked clothes I put him in, so this weekend we rocked a JCrew tee and shorts.  I actually thought he looked pretty cute in it!

And how adorable is he in his new Pixie Lily Pj's?  I almost died when I put these on him they were so cute! And yes,  I know what you are thinking because several friends commented that he looks like Mason Disick in these pjs.  But trust me we cut Sterling's hair, he does not have a mullet like Mason!

I have a very good friend who is selling her Christian Louboutin Rolando Pumps.  They have been worn only once and are in mint condition.  They retail for $745 and she wants $375.  They are a European size 38.5, which is a US size 8. 
This is truly a steal ladies.  If they were my size I would buy them in a skinny minute.  Email me at nataliemason24@yahoo.com if you are interested.  First picture is a stock photo next 4 are actual pictures of the shoes.  The shoes come with the original bag and heel replacements.

I would not sell just anything on my blog for a friend but these are such classic shoes and such a great deal I had to share.  And if you need one more reason to buy them look at Posh rocking the wine colored CL Rolandos.  They look freaking amazing.  Every girl wants to have a pair of red soled shoes in her closet!

Denim Shirts: Hot or Not?

I am having a major mental conflict debating if I should jump on the jean shirt bandwagon.  I keep seeing all sorts of stylish girls wearing them and it has me convinced I need one.  They look so chic and adorable in theirs but I can I pull off this look?  

As cute as I think the denim shirt look is in the back of my mind all I can think about is Teen Beat, the early 1990's and these guys rocking jean shirts.  Can they possibly still be cool to wear?

While I am not sure I am ready to shell out any big bucks on this trend,  I did  manage to find this version at Forever 21 that just might satisfy the Fashionista in me that wants to rock this trend.  At $22.80 it is not going to the break bank.   And if I feel stupid in it and all else fails,  I can put it on and watch

some Saved By the Bell Re-runs and feel right at home.

{Forever 21 Faded Denim Shirt}

And while searching for inexpensive denim shirts I came across these adorable scalloped jean shorts.  I think they are a definite yes!  They are high waisted to cover my muffin top and best part they are only $56! A gem of a deal!

{MIH Scalloped Jean Shorts}

So,  tell me what are your thoughts on the denim shirt?  I have been wavering for awhile.  Should I just bite the bullet and jump on board with the denim shirt trend?   Rest assured I will never jump aboard the Denim Tuxedo Train.

Happy Friday!  In the words of my home girl Rihanna "Cheers to the Freaking Weekend!"