Keeping it Real

TGIF.  I am so darn glad it is Friday.
Today I am in a bit of a blogging funk. 

I am tired.  I have a mile long list of things to do on my to-do list that never get done.
I washed my hair today for the first time in 4 days, pretty gross right??

Where does the time ago? I swear since having a child I hardly have time to respond to emails let alone come up with something interesting to write about. That is why most of my posts are random because that is how my crazy mind works. Usually I am always dreaming about clothes and food- and maybe Zac Efron and Adam Levine.  Ok and maybe wine too.



 

This week I have eaten like a heifer.  No restraint at all,  plus my only workout has consisted of a 3 mile walk one day and I have done the arms series on my Tracy Anderson DVDs a few times.  Not enough to compensate for all the food (and wine) I have been consuming.  I feel lazy.

My house stays dirty.  How do people with kids ever have a clean house?  My couch is crusted with god knows what and every week I swear I find a new stain on my dining room rug.  My floor constantly feels like I am walking on crumbs.  I keep finding pieces to toys I didn't even know we had.  I need a playroom, plus a cleaning lady but we can't afford either.

Feels better just to vent a bit.  I know I am lucky to be a stay at home mom but sometimes the days are long and this has just been one of those weeks.  I count my blessings everyday for this sweet face but sometimes I just want a few hours alone.   Or really I would be happy just to shower or pee alone!

Now on to a brighter topic.  I don't want to get everybody all depressed I mean it is the weekend!  My Bauble Bar Necklace finally arrived and I love.  So worth the $28.  I am pretty obsessed with Bauble Bar these days.  Great prices on all their jewelry.

I just ordered this dress.  Hope it fits me as well as the model.  Love the colors.

C&C Colorblock Maxi Dress

I am officially obsessed with Jenny's art on MFAMB.  Girl has got some major talent plus she is freaking hilarious.  She is my girl crush.

Sometimes when it is Friday they only song I can think of is Rihanna "Cheers to the freaking weekend, I 'll drink to that."  (that was for you Melissa).

I am pretty sure these Minty Lime Frozen Mojitos will be made this weekend.

Thanks for listening to my Friday Rant! xoxo

Search For The Perfect Tee, Gwyneth, and Lunch Love

I feel like I have finally built the perfect collection of jeans.  I have added white, green, and yellow jeans to the mix for the summer.  Plus I have several pairs of blue and black jeans that I really love.  And truth be told I am really enjoying wearing something different than my regular old blue jeans.  However, my blue jeans were easy to pair tops with, I am having more of an issue with my skinny colored jeans.  I have several blouses that I like to wear with them but darn if I am getting sick of dry cleaning all my blouses.  You see my little man is super messy and dirty so my shirts are usually filthy by the end of the day. 

What I would like is a few t-shirts in basic colors: black, white, navy, grey, maybe even a stripe to wear with my jeans.  I would like the shirts to be longer, not too fitted but not so loose that it looks like a nightshirt.   Also I don't want pockets or anything else on them.  Lately,  I have been loving my JCrew Vintage tees but I want to branch out.  Any suggestions for great tees and tanks?  What are your favorite go-to brands for tee shirts?

A few I am considering buying.

ASOS FOREVER TEE

This looks like a cute fitting tee.  I have never ordered from ASOS before though,  wondering if the shirt will be too thin....

MICHAEL STARS SCOOPNECK TEE

I have a white tank from Michael Stars that I love.  It is not see through and fits perfect.  I dig the style of both these white tees.  I also think they would be perfect for layering in the fall.

MICHAEL STARS SLUB BOYFRIEND TEE

VINCE DRAPE HEM TANK

I always love Vince tees. They are a bit pricey but fit really well.

Thoughts? Which tee do you vote for?

My style icon continues to be Gwennie.  How fab does she look at the airport?  She never disappoints.  Off to copy this outfit.  Pretty sure I own everything to recreate a similar look.

It is hot as heck here but it already has me thinking I need a blazer for this fall.  Just look at Gwennie's collection.  Fierce.

I have a new lunch Obsession.  Hummus Veggie Wraps.  I used to eat this all the time at Earthfare but decided to create my own.  It is so easy and delish.  Just layer hummus and your veggies of choice on a tortilla.  Wrap and Enjoy.  Veggies I use = carrots, spinach, tomatoes, red onions, cucumber, olives and avocado.  I also use the sundried-tomato flavor tortilla wraps.

Happy Thursday.  T-Minus one day til the weekend!

Sesame Seared Tuna With Ginger- Carrot Dipping Sauce

Confession- I love tuna but rarely cook it.  And by rarely I mean I think I have cooked it like twice.  I am not sure why it intimidates me but it does.  Well,  my dad made this tuna for me this weekend while I was home visiting and it was amazing.  It made me realize tuna is so easy to cook and I should cook with it more often.  It only takes a few minutes to cook and it is so tasty.  We didn't have all the ingredients to make the dipping sauce, so we instead used Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Dressing which was excellent with the tuna.   This dressing is seriously delish, I think it would be great on any meat or a salad.  I highly recommend, another great Trader Joes buy.

 

Next time I make the tuna though I will definitely be making the Ginger-Carrot dressing. I think the flavors would pair well with the tuna.  Also I won't cook my tuna quite as long as my dad did.  He cooked it several minutes per side and it was more done than I like my tuna- but you know how rents can be about their meat.  The tuna really just needs to be seared if you buy Sashami grade.   This was a super easy meal for a weeknight meal.  Enjoy!

SESAME SEARED TUNA WITH GINGER CARROT DIPPING SAUCE

Ingredients

• For the Dipping Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 2 teaspoons white miso
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 1/3 cup carrot juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
  • 1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced

• For the Tuna

  • 3 tablespoons unhulled white sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon unhulled black sesame seeds
  • 1 pound sushi-grade yellowfin tuna, cut into 4-ounce rectangular pieces
  • 1 tablespoon safflower oil

Directions

1. Make the dipping sauce: Combine mirin, miso, ginger, carrot juice, orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, and sesame oil in a small bowl, whisking until miso dissolves. Sprinkle with sliced scallion.
2. Make the tuna: Combine sesame seeds in a shallow dish. Press tuna pieces into seeds, turning to coat each side. Heat oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add tuna, and cook each side until white seeds are golden, about 20 seconds per side. Transfer tuna to a paper-towel-lined plate for 1 minute, then cut each piece into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve with dipping sauce.

TOP PHOTO AND RECIPE VIA MARTHA STEWART

Side Note- I did not write this whole post in capital letters or in bold.  My blogger is being so wonky this morning!  and I am too tired and computer illiterate to figure it out!

Obsessions

JCREW DYED MINI JEAN SKIRT

I have been obsessed with this hot pink number ever since seeing Blair wear it on AP.  I found it on sale in Charlotte and promptly scooped it.  It fits perfectly and is a fun way to add some bright color to my outfit!

WALLPAPER

I love this wallpaper.  It is perfect for a bathroom.  Anyone know who makes it?

VELVET BY GRAHAM AND SPENCER GODDESS MAXI DRESS

I have been on the hunt for some solid colored simple maxi dresses.  I have tried on so many and they never fit right but this one does.  I ordered the Inkdrop color which is a dark Navy.  I am thinking about ordering black too.  It fits well, washes well, and is the perfect backdrop for fun jewelry or some bright sandals.  I highly recommend.

KIDS GALLERY WALL

I adore this idea of framing kids artwork in the same frames and making a uniform art wall.  I have to say this kid's artwork is pretty good:)  Really loving this whole room.

REBECCA MINKOFF SURI WEDGES

Confession I still don't own a pair of wedges.  I just can't find the right pair.  I am not afraid to spend a little money on a good pair because I know I will wear them for years.  I don't buy shoes that often- its the one thing I am practical about (haha).  Love these Rebecca Minkoff wedges.  They come in nude and brown but I think I like the nude best.

The Bachelorette

I am so glad my favorite reality show started back up.  Mondays are not the same without the crazies on The Bachelor/Bachelorette.  I am even more excited to watch this season since it was filmed in my hometown, Charlotte.  I think Emily is very pretty but last night I was a little disappointed.  I just don't see her being that exciting.  And we can talk about how many times she said "awesome" last night.  Matt and I started counting and it was alot.  I will still be watching the whole season and enjoying watching grown men cry.

Word To Your Mom

Since it was Mother's Day I decided to head home and spend some time with my mom and Matt's mom.  His parents are moving so we worked at an estate sale helping them- I got a few great pieces, pictures to come later.  Matt's car conveniently broke down so he got a free weekend in Charleston alone.  I however had such a great time with my mom and family, always do.  Wish we lived in the same city.

For mother's day, we had a big brunch and I brought my mom a bouquet of peonies.  My favorite flowers.

Me, mom , and my sister after brunch.

I made this Egg, Sausage, and Sun-dried Tomato Casserole for Brunch.  It is always a hit, you can find the recipe under my recipes tab.  Make it you will love it.

We watched The Descendants over the weekend.  I had been dying to see it but honestly did not love it.  The story line was a little too weird and sad for me.  I did think George Clooney did a great job acting and looking handsome:)

The day before I left town I found this sweet concrete fish on the side of the road. Sterling and I were on a bike ride when I found it so I quickly went back and got my car and picked this heavy fish up. I mean this thing must weigh 50 lbs. I going to repaint it just can't decide what color. Any thoughts?

Lastly I leave you this picture of my sweet baby who made my Mother's Day very special!

Life Lessons For Your Children (and you)

In honor of Mother's Day being Sunday I wanted to share this awesome article I read.  So many things I want to remember to teach Sterling on character and how to be a good, kind, and giving person.  I think even us adults can learn from it (heck I know I did). 

As I celebrate my third Mother's Day this year, I am thankful everyday that God gave me the opportunity to become a mother.  It is by far the best thing I have ever done with my life.  It has fulfilled me in ways I never knew possible and taught me to love unconditionally.  It has brought a love so powerful into my life it sometimes moves me to tears.  It has given my life a new purpose and taught me to be selfless and that the world does not indeed revolve around me.  Sterling is the light of my life and I am so darn proud to be his mother.  It is not easy and all you Mothers know that.  We have the toughest job in the world that most days goes unappreciated.  So to all you Moms and especially to my Mom, Happy Mothers Day you deserve a day dedicated to you.  Now its time to drink wine while the dads watch the kids (haha- if only that were true in my house). 

Now on to the article.  This is the list that a woman made for her sons of life lessons she deemed important.  I have to say I totally agree.   The author has asked me to remove the article from my blog, but you can read her article via.

Matt if you are reading (and I know you check my blog daily, pay attention to number 37).

And I could not resist sharing this picture of Sterling.  This is what I say yesterday when I checked on him napping.  Seems he has decided diapers are no longer necessary. Such a typical man wanting to let it all hang out.  It was pretty darn funny but warmed my heart at the same time.  He just looked so innocent and sweet napping.  Could not love him more!

HAPPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Rompers + Popsicles

Lets chat about rompers.  Ever since seeing Gwyneth in this romper on Goop I have wanted a romper.

Then I saw her in this DVF romper which made me really want it.  Sadly,  this little DVF number is out of my price range and from 2011.  So unless it shows up on Ebay for cheap this one ain't happening.

I was in Forever 21 the other day doing a quick walk thru and I spotted a romper for cheap, $14 to be exact.  I tried it on and actually quite liked it.  I have never owned a romper or thought myself to be cool enough to sport a romper.   I am not going to wear this out clubbing (not that I ever go clubbing anymore) but I thought it was cute for running errands and for the pool/ beach.  Rompers are kind of weird and going to the bathroom may be pain, but I think it is a fun casual look.   For $14 I figured if it was only used a beach cover up, no big deal.  But it keeps haunting me that maybe Rompers are stupid and I am too old to sport this look. Here is the question is 30+ too old to wear a romper?  Be honest.

I have seen Kourtney Kardashian and Jessica Alba sporting cute rompers and they both are moms and over 30, which leads me to believe maybe I can rock this look without looking like I am trying to be 21.

Thoughts?  Is a romper best left for a 20 something?  Or can a mom rock it for casual wear?

I could not find my romper online at F21 but I did find this super cute one:

{F21 Peacock Romper}

Now on to my next random thought, Popsicles.  I never bought the Zoku, the pop maker from Williams-Sonoma, I just wasn't sure I wanted to spend the money ( I can be cheap about some things).  Well my mom found me one at Homegoods for $6.99!  It works perfectly.  I made extra juice from my juicer this week,  froze it and shocker, Sterling ate the whole Popsicle.  Yep, he ate spinach and kale.  I was a happy mom since he normally never touches the green stuff.

I made two different pops:

1) kale, spinach, apple, lime and cucumber

2) orange and carrot 

The next day he requested two pops "orange and green"

Popsicle maker = genius way to get your kids to eat veggies.
And for the grown-ups, I see these Margarita and Strawberry Peach Vodka Pops being made in the near future.  Who said Popsicles are just for kids?