Obsessions

ABSTRACT ART BY SARAH SWANSON
I am so excited I won this beauty by Sarah Swanson over at Eileen's blog this week. If you have not checked out Sarah's Etsy site you must. All her abstract paintings are only $10. Such a steal for beautiful artwork. I love the idea of grouping several of these together on a wall to make a statement. I am going to order a few more now that I own one to hang over my desk. Hard part will be narrowing down which other ones I want!

PHILLIP LIM 3.1 SLEEVELESS TANK DRESS
Man do I love Phillip Lim. This dress is perfection in my book. The perfect color and fit. I need this baby for summer.

YELLOW, AQUA, AND BROWN COLOR COMBO
I would never think to pair these 3 colors together but I am digging it in a major way.

OLD NAVY SWIMWEAR
I was shocked when I saw these bathing suits were from Old Navy. Normally I never have luck at Old Navy but these swim suits are so cute and the prices are even better! A tript to Old Navy may be in my future!




PARTIDA ANEJO TEQUILA
I admit it, I am a true tequila lover. I know most of you are cringing picturing yourself taking a shot of rank cheap tequila and wanting to vomit right now. But trust me, if you buy good tequila you will love it too. This is the best tequila I have ever had, hands down. It is so smooth with no after taste or burn. I tried it first during a trip to NYC a few years ago and have been hooked ever since. Sadly, they don't sell this tasty gem in North or South Carolina. My sister just traveled to PA last week for work and brought down a bottle this weekend that we enjoyed. Reminded me how good the stuff is. Good tequila is made to be served room temperature straight up and sipped slowly. If you ever come across this tequila I highly recommend you buy some, it is amazing.

Tibi Stalking...

You might remember this dress I blogged about awhile back. I have been stalking the Tibi site weekly to see if it has been released yet.

Well it turns out this is actually a camisole and skirt.
I still really like it, but I am not sure how that pleated skirt would look on my hips. I feel like I might look huge in it. For some reason maxi skirts are not the best look for me. I am curvy and have wide hips so this is a hard look for me to pull off. And adding pleats is a look that is never cute on me!
{TIBI ARIZONA CAMI}

During my Tibi stalking session I found this other dress. Same pattern but a different style and I really love it. I think it would be so versatile. Cute with heels for a night out or flats to run errands during the day. It comes in lavender and tan. I am thinking I like the tan better. I feel like I would wear this more than the cami/skirt combo. Other thought is to order just the Camisole which I could wear with jeans or shorts. Thoughts?
{TIBI ARIZONA SLIP DRESS}

And I think these DV Dolce Vita shoes would go perfectly with the slip dress or any outfit. A real steal for $69. I seriously want to buy the black, tan, and hot pink for that price! Get yours HERE

For all my preggo friends. I think this Tibi dress would be the cutest maternity dress ever. I think it would be hard to pull off not preggo but so adorable with a baby bump!
{TIBI ARIZONA LONG DRESS}

Thoughts For Friday

Happy Friday Loves. This has been a long week for me in more ways than one. I am glad its the weekend and I am even more excited my sister is coming in town. We have a wine date planned for Saturday afternoon and I can't wait!
Get ready for some randomness...

I am really drawn to this dining room. It is gorgeous. It is filled with so many unique things but they all seem to go together perfectly. I love the table, pillows, wall color, and light fixture in a major way.

I picked up Alicia Sliverstone's cookbook The Kind Diet a few weeks ago. I found it on clearance for $10 and figured I couldn't go wrong for that price (although maybe it was on sale so cheap because it sucks). The cookbook seems a little on the hippie side but alot of the recipes actually look pretty good. Anyone own it and have recipe recs?

I am thinking this is going to be the first recipe I test out, Cheesy Guacamole Bean Dip.

I did my Tracy Anderson DVDs this week for the first time in weeks. Man am I sore today. I forgot what a good workout those DVDs are. I heard now that Tracy is pregnant she is working on a set of pregnancy DVDS for each month of your pregnancy. Supposedly Gwyneth recommended the idea to her and it will document her pregnancy. I hope these come out by the time I decide to get pregnant again!

I am loving my Hive and Honey Maxi Dress.

My mother in law gave Sterling this book for his birthday. Read this book if you never have it is the sweetest story. Although I will say neither Matt nor I could finish it without shedding a tear.

Liz posted this outfit inspiration on her blog, Sequins and Stripes yesterday and I am officially obsessed. Now I want a bright yellow maxi skirt. Well really I want the whole outfit.

My two old is a wild man. Seriously, every night after bath time it is a struggle to catch him and put his PJ's on. This is what he normally does. Every. Single. Night.

Thank goodness for my nightly glass of wine, helps me deal with the craziness. I picked up this Cab at Earthfare this week and it is awesome. It is on sale for $13.99 and it is excellent! 14 Hand 2009 Cabernet, go buy some you will love it!

This quote has provided me with alot of inspiration lately.

Have a great weekend! xoxo

Juicing It Does a Body Good.

I have to admit it, I am hooked on juicing. When I first got my juicer I wasn't sure how much I would love it or how often I would use it. Now that I have it, I can't start my day without my juice! If you don't have a juicer I can't say enough good things about them. Do yourself a favor and invest in one, its so worth it! The Breviile Juicer came highly recommended to me so that is what I bought. It is easy to use and clean. It works perfectly.

I do not use the juice as a replacement for a meal. I am a girl likes to eat, for real. I dream about my next meal as soon I finish my current meal. No cutting out meals for me or just drinking them. I make a batch of juice first thing in the morning when I wake up and drink it before I eat breakfast. I swear I have had more energy and my skin has been clearer since starting to juice. Also my hair has been growing crazy fast- not sure if that is a juice side effect too. By starting my day with juice I know I will get at least one big serving of fruits and vegetables for the day!

Most days I drink my green juice (see recipe below). It came recommended by Dr. Oz and we all know he is right on in the health department. I do switch it up occasionally with the carrot fruit juice (also below). Matt won't touch the green stuff so I have to make him fruit juice which I try to sneak carrots in so he will get a veggie!

My 2 Go-to Juices Every Morning:

Carrot Fruit Juice


3 Carrots
2 Oranges (peeled)
1 Grapefruit
Chunk of Fresh Pineapple

Green Juice


3-4 Leaves of Kale
Handful of Spinach
1 Granny Smith Apple
1 lemon (peeled)
1 Baby Cucumber
1 inch piece of Ginger skin removed

These are a few juices I found on the Martha Stewart Whole Living website that I plan to try out soon!

Beet, Apple, Mint Juice

1 small beet, chopped
5 carrots, chopped
1 apple, cored and chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint sprigs
Press beet, carrots, apple, and mint sprigs through a juice extractor. Stir and serve immediately

Green Juice

1/2 head broccoli (or 6 leaves kale), chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley sprigs
Press all ingredients through a juice extractor. Stir and serve immediately.

Grapefruit, Carrot and Ginger Juice

2 chopped grapefruits (peel and pith removed)
5 chopped carrots
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
Press grapefruits, carrots, and ginger through a juice extractor. Stir and serve immediately

Vegetable Juice
I am thinking this would make a killer Bloody Mary- so fresh!

3 medium (about 1 1/2 pounds) tomatoes, cut into large chunks
7 celery stalks, each cut into 3-inch pieces
1/2 pound carrots, each cut into 3-inch pieces (do not peel)
1 piece fresh horseradish, (2 1/2 by 1/4 inches), peeled (or 2 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish)
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus lemon wedges, for serving
Working in batches, press the tomatoes, celery, carrots, and horseradish through an electric juicer into a large bowl. Stir in salt and lemon juice. Pour vegetable mixture through a fine sieve into another large bowl or a pitcher. Divide vegetable juice evenly between 2 glasses. Serve each with a lemon wedge.

You can find more Juice Recipes on the Whole Living Site. I am always looking for new juice recipes so if you have any favorites please send them my way! Happy Juicing!

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

There is nothing I love more than a big pot of homemade soup. I have seen several Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipes floating around lately so I decided to give it a try. I went my girl Ina's recipe, because let's be real she never disappoints in the cooking department, her wardrobe choices however are a different story. I swear she must own 50 navy and black button up shirts, that is all she ever wears! But back to the important things, the recipe. This soup was so good and super easy to whip together after a long day. I picked up a Rotisserie Chicken to cut out the cooking the chicken step (and I don't like dealing with raw chicken, it really grosses me out). The fresh cilantro, avocado and chips were the perfect garnish for the soup. The flavors mix together perfectly! We ate this three nights in a row! Enjoy!

MEXICAN CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
Ingredients
4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
**3 Ears Fresh Corn shucked (not in original recipe but I added in)**
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas
For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

Print Recipe HERE

Obsessions

Happy Tuesday Loves. I hope many of you got to enjoy a day off yesterday!
1)RACHEL PALLY SAL TOP
How cute is this top? I am always a fan of navy and white stripes, so classic and chic. My favorite part is the back. Love the bow and the sexy peek of the back.

2)TRADER JOES RAISIN ROSEMARY CRISPS
Can you tell I am obsessed with Trader Joes? These crackers are my newest find and I am hooked. They are the perfect combo of sweet and savory and taste great with any cheese you can imagine. Go buy some you will be obsessed too!

3) GRASS CLOTH WALL COVERING
This is my newest design obsession. Pretty sure this is going to happen in Sterling's big boy room or perhaps when we have another baby.

4) THE VOICE
This show is my newest TV obsession. It is so much better than American Idol. Matt and I just started watching last week and we are hooked. Plus looking at Adam Levine ain't so bad.

5)JENNIFER ZEUNER CROSS NECKLACE AND BRACELET
Jennifer Zeuner is one of my favorite jewelry designers. I love how feminine and delicate her pieces are. I own one of her monogrammed necklaces and wear it almost everyday. I am in love with this cross necklace and bracelet. They are so simple yet stunning at the same time. I could see myself wearing these everyday.