Tequila Soaked Watermelon + Sale + Necklace+ Winner

Happy Friday Ladies.  I am so ready for a low key weekend here in town with my boys!  Sadly the high here this weekend is going to be 100 degrees.  That is hot- btw today I muttered to myself "it is hot as balls outside" and now Sterling keeps saying "hot as balls."  Looks like I need to check my mouth in the future.  Since it is going to be super hot everywhere I have a cool treat that is perfect to help you beat the heat, Tequila Soaked Watermelon. 

This is like a margarita infused Watermelon.  It is so light and refreshing but beware you can get tipsy off these babies.  I made them last night for our Taco Night and they were delish.  I adapted Martha Stewart's recipe.  Hers calls for triple sec and sugar but that is not how I like my magaritas anyways.  I basically made a batch of my skinny ritas and poured that over the watermelon and let it soak. 

TEQUILA SOAKED WATERMELON

1 Baby Seedless Watermelon sliced

1/2 cup good tequila ( I use Hornitos for our Ritas, it is not crazy expensive but it is good)

1-2 limes juiced

2 tablespoons agave Nectar

Coarse Salt

Layer the Watermelon in baking dish.  Mix next three ingredients and pour over Watermelon.  Let sit in fridge at least 45 minutes or longer.  Sprinkle with Coarse Salt when ready to serve.

____________________________________________________

I know everyone and their brother has bought the Ebay JCrew Bauble Necklace and I swore I wouldn't just because of that.   Normally I try not to do what everyone else is doing but I could not resist.  I kept seeing several friends in these necklaces and they looked and felt like the real ones.  I compared in store and they seemed identical.  So call me a poser or a copy cat but I ordered one too.  For a mere $14 (its free shipping too) you can have one of these beauties.  I went with yellow and I love it.  Here is to hoping if everyone jumps off a bridge I stay strong and do my own thing.

___________________________________________________

Pixie Lily one of my all time favorite baby lines just started their 50 percent off Summer Sale.  If you need a baby gift or clothes for your sweet baby check out the sale HERE!

I got Sterling this adorable outfit

 

I adore both of these outfits as well.  You can get the sweetest outfits for $25 and under now.  The clothes are great quality and timeless classics for babies!  Go shop some Pixie Lily now!

_____________________________________________________________

Finally the winner of the SwimSpot Giveaway is:

Regina!
Regina said...

I need the St. John - Simply Chic Bandeau One Piece Bathing Suit!!
Crossing my fingers I win!

I will email you with all the details!  Congrats, I hope you love your St. John Suit!

Thoughts For Thursday

Is anyone else completely bored with the Bachelorette this season?  It has been snoozville.  The puppet date with Jef on Monday night was the most akward thing ever.  I am guessing she chooses Ari because I hear his family is loaded.  I am ready for a new season already. 

Speaking of another Reality Show, does everyone agree that Vicki is completely off her rocker on the OC Housewives?   If your daughter and all your friends hate your boyfriend you might should listen.  Also I am pretty sure he did not buy her that fur coat.  This season I actually liked Gretchen a little more and Heather became my favorite.  I did feel bad for Alexis for like a second when everyone ganged up on her but it was all true.  and can we talk about the vest her husband wore to Heather's party, what was that??

 

As Sterling and I were driving back in town from Charlotte Tuesday,  I looked in the rearview mirror and saw this.  Not sure if I should be worried or impressed at his ability.  I mean he tried to draw eyelashes and with no mirror!

This has been my latest lunch obsession lately.  Mediterrean Platter:  CousCous, Sauteed Kale, Hummus, Tomatoes and Mozarella, and Pretzel Thins.  It is so darn good and very filling!

I am loving my bright coral J Brand shorts.  They actually go with way more than I thought they would.  I am so glad I jumped on the colored jean short band wagon!  This my newest favorite color combo: Navy + Coral. 

{J Brand Cut-offs, Ann Taylor Blouse}

I think I have found the perfect red nail polish.  I found this in my mom's drawer while I was home and promptly painted my nails.  It is Essie Lollipop.  It is such a classic color.  And if you need another reason to wear it look how great it looks on Olivia Palermo.

My Tilly Maison Tray came and I love it.  She makes the best trays!  This is my second one and I am thinking of putting it on our entryway table to catch keys and mail.

 I forgot to mention yesterday I was guest posting over at Brooke's blog Decorgreat sharing my favorite and least favorite baby items.  You can check out my post HERE.   

Also stay tuned becasue I will annouce the SwimSpot Winner tomorrow! 

And I finally updated my Recipes tab.  I don't think I had added my recipes since January but now they are all there!  While updating I came across this recipe from last year that I plan to make tonight:

{Asparagus, Corn, and Mozzarella Salad}

Crab Cakes With Spicy Sriracha Aioli + Wine

I have to thank my friend Erin for this recipe idea.  She had been telling me for weeks to try Paula Deens Crab Cakes.  This was my second go at them and rest assured they are delicious y'all.  I made this meal for my dad's birthday this past weekend and it was a huge hit.  The crab cakes can be made ahead and then stored in the fridge til you are ready to fry them up.  The Sriracha Aioli makes the crab cakes pop.  We kind of just made up the aioli recipe and it turned out fantastic.  If you like a hint of heat you will love the sauce.  We served our crab cakes with Succotash, my dad's favorite.

I highly recommend serving the Crab Cakes with this Sauvignon Blanc.  So there you go: Crab Cakes + Succotash + Sauvignon Blanc = the perfect meal.

CRAB CAKES WITH SPICY SRIRACHA AIOLI

1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells

1/3 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz)

3 green onions (green and white parts), finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 egg

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

Dash cayenne pepper

Flour, for dusting

1/2 cup peanut oil

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except for the flour and peanut oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Serve warm with preferred sauce

SPICY SRIRACHA AIOLI

Mayonaise

Sriracha

Wasabi Powder

Soy Sauce

Since we made the sauce up I have no measurements.  I just kind of mixed and tasted as I went.  So mix to your liking.  I would guess about 3/4- 1 cup mayo and then about 1 teaspoon of each following..

Obsessions

TIBI LONG SLEEVE DRESS

I am loving this Tibi Shift Dress.  So flattering and the perfect easy dress for any occasion. Hardest part is deciding what Color I would choose, really love them all!  

JBRAND CUT-OFF SHORTS
I finally bit the bullet and got some colored jean shorts.  I tried on many a pair but these fit perfectly.    Not too short or too long.  Can't say enough good things about them.  I got the bright coral and they look so cute with a white t-shirt and statement necklace.  The coral is also super cute with navy.

THIS WRAP
Found this recipe on Pinterest and this is soon to be my newest daily lunch.  How amazing does it look?  and it is healthy! The recipe comes from a great site called Oh She Glows.  Check it out she has some fabulous looking recipes!  Side note- just clicked on the site and there is no actual recipe for this wrap it was a meal from a restaurant but would be super easy to recreate.
{Spicy Black beans with chipotle avocado sauce, cilantro, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, red onions and sprouts}.

ARTWORK
Really digging this artwork.  Love the colors and how it is framed.  Gorgy.  Might just try to recreate something similar.

TICKLE MONSTER BOOK KIT
This is Sterling's latest obsession.  This book is so adorable and it comes with the gloves to tickle your child as you read the story.   I promise your kids will love it- and if you don't have kids this would be a great gift for a child's birthday.   Sterling requests "the tickle monster book" every night!   Do any of you remember Josie Bissett from Melrose Place?  Well apparently she wrote this book.  Guess that is what she has been up to since MP ended, kind of random!

Thank You + Scenes From Our Weekend

Thank you all so much for the out pouring of support Friday.  I swear your prayers really worked because my grandfather made some improvements.  He passed his swallow test which means he won't have to have a feeding tube.  They thought he would need one permanently so this was nothing short of a miracle and how prayer really works.  He is still in the hospital and it is going to be a long road to recovery but he is getting a little better.  I thank you for praying and thinking of my family during this difficult time.

Since he was doing better on Friday my parents encouraged Matt and I to go to my friend Jenna's wedding in Blowing Rock.  In light of everything we had been dealing with all week it was nice to get away for the weekend.  

Thanks to my girl Katherine who helped me find the Milly Sari Hostess dress I wanted on sale!  I am so happy with it and feel like it is something I will love forever!

Matt bought Sterling his first pair of Cowboy Boots while we were there.  Yes they are pleather- this is what happens when men are allowed to shop.  I have to admit I made fun of Matt for buying them but Sterling loves them.

He has been wearing them everyday!  Kind of cute in a tacky way right?

I was sad to leave Blowing Rock it is so beautiful up there and such a nice change from the beach.

But as sad as I was to leave I was so happy to get home to see my little nugget.  I missed him like crazy!

He is now obsessed with Hammocks since my sister has one and he has played on it all week.  Looks like we need one too now.

Cuddling with my favorite man!

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start and once again Thank you for the prayers and keep them coming!   

Prayers Needed

I strongly believe that Prayer changes things.  I pray every single day and most times more than once.  I need your prayers today.   I have been home all week because on Tuesday my grandfather was admitted to the hospital for surgery.  So far things are not going well as expected when someone older has surgery.   I need your prayers for my grandfather to heal and for my mom and her brothers to have the strength to deal with this difficult situation.  It has been a long week and we are all exhausted.  

My grandfather lives 5 houses up the street from my parents.   We are all super close and see him daily which makes this even harder.  He is such a kind soul and we just pray for a quick recovery and for him to heal as painlessly as possible.  My mom and her brothers are having to make the kind of decisions you never wish to make about a loved one and quality of life.  Please think of us in your prayers.

 I am sorry for my lack of comments in the blog world this week, I have been missing all my favorite blogs but I am just trying to be strong for my family and help as needed here.  

In light of all this I will announce the Swim Spot Winner next week, so you guys can still enter through the weekend.

Thanks for your prayers, it does indeed change things.

Have a lovely weekend.

xoxo

Natalie

Feeling Pink

Lately I have had pink on the brain.  First I started noticing on Pinterest all my recent pins were revolving around pink.

Then I noticed all my outfits last weekend were pink. Every single one and I didn't even plan it, just kind of happened.   Point and case.

Friday Outfit:

{JCrew T-Shirt, Gap Skinny Neon Jeans (similar HERE)}
side note- Matt informed me I looked like a highlighter in these jeans and requested I change.  But I ignored his request I think they are cute.

Saturday Outfit:

{Gap Neon Crewneck Dress}

I know my dress looks crazy wrinkled.  We had been on the boat or I would have ironed it!  After loving my stripped Gap t-shirt dress so much I searched long and hard for the pink one and found it online finally!

Sunday Outfit:
{Ann Taylor Sheath, Necklace}
I wore this to church and our Father's Day brunch.  At first I worried is the pink on pink too much but I actually kind of love the necklace and pink dress together.  

Sunday evening, the pink necklace makes another cameo on our evening boat ride.  I had to end my weekend with a hint of pink.

I can't say enough good things about this necklace. Worth every penny.  I wear it all the time.
{Adia Kibur Necklace}

Maybe this weekend I will branch out and wear a new color but for now I am smitten with pink!