Count Your Blessings

Happy Easter! We just got back from a wonderful (but very crowded and hot) church service that reminded me of the true miracle of Easter.

(John 11:25-26) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." Sometimes it is easy to get wrapped up in our day to day lives and worries and forget about what's really important. Today's church service was a nice reminder to me to be thankful and appreciative of all the blessings I have been given. I am one very lucky girl.

On a lighter note, I made the Asparagus Gruyere Tart and was amazeballs! Best thing I have eaten in a long time. I highly suggest you make this if you love asparagus and Gruyere. Might I add that Puff Pastry may be the best invention ever, it literally melts in your mouth. I seriously ate half the tart in one sitting.

You can print the Recipe HERE

Lastly, I thought I would share one pic of me and my sweet baby on Easter. He is the most wonderful blessing I have been given.

Easter, Say What?

I can't believe it is Easter this weekend! My parents are only in town til Saturday so on Easter Sunday it will just be me, Matt and Sterling. I am still planning on doing it up right for my two boys! They deserve a fabulous Easter!

I am loving this tablescape.

It is so simple and fresh. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers, so I may just have to make this happen! via

I am planning on making these Strawberry Cupcakes that Csssie blogged about Here

and possibly making this Asparagus-Gruyere Tart that Natasha blogged about Here, if I can convince my boys to eat a green veggie!

and of course, enjoying my drink of choice for any holiday, Mimosas!

It is hard to believe that this will be Sterling's second Easter! I already have his Easter basket filled to the brim with all kinds of goodies.
and while I know I am technically too old for the Easter Bunny, I am still hoping he brings me a few goodies. and if he needs a hint here are a few ideas.

Susana Monaco Dress via

Tibi Dress via

Alexis Bittar Flora Gem Ring via

I would also be pretty darn happy with a few of these. I seriously think the eggs taste better than regular Reese's!

I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing Easter with your family and friends! xoxo!

Bump Envy

I think something is in the water in Hollywood. I feel like everyone is pregnant!! Posh, Tori Spelling, Mariah, Pink, Natalie Portman, Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba to name a few. I am starting to wonder who will announce they are preggers next, maybe Reese? It seems to be a trend out there to get knocked up! I have to admit all these pregnant ladies are making me feel a little jealous and have me dreaming about baby number two. They all seem to effortlessly pull off being pregnant (hello, I have yet to see a picture of Posh even showing a slight baby bump) and being a mom.

Selma Blair is one celebrity who usually stays under the radar but since she got pregnant I feel like I have seen pictures of her everywhere. Let me tell you, the girl has fabulous Maternity Style. I honestly don't even know how well she dressed while not pregnant but she is looking flawless while pregnant. She really knows how to dress her baby bump in the right fashions. I am taking style notes for baby numero dos.














Love that she is wearing heels the whole time and has yet to look like Shamu as my husband referred to me at the end! The red dress is my favorite, I would wear that not pregnant!

Prosciutto and Gruyere Pinwheels

This recipe consists of three of my favorite foods- Puff Pastry, Prosciutto, and Gruyere Cheese. The perfect combo for a mouth watering appetizer. I think you could probably substitute any meat or cheese if you don't like Prosciutto or Gruyere, but trust me they really are the perfect combo. I doubled this recipe and there was not one pinwheel left over. Bon Appetit!






PROSCIUTTO AND GRUYERE PINWHEELS

INGREDIENTS

1 SHEET PUFF PASTRY THAWED
4 OUNCES THINLY SLICED PROSCIUTTO
2 TABLESPOONS CHOPPED FRESH BASIL
2.5 OUNCES FINELY GRATED GRUYERE CHEESE
1 EGG LIGHTLY BEATEN

DIRECTIONS

UNFOLD PUFF PASTRY ON LIGHTLY FLOURED SURFACE. CUT IN HALF, FORMING INTO TWO 9.5 X 4.75 INCH RECTANGLES. PLACE HALF THE PROSCIUTTO ON ONE RECTANGLE LEAVING A 1/2 INCH BORDER ON ONE OF THE LONG EDGES. SPRINKLE THE BASIL, THEN HALF THE GRUYERE CHEESE, AGAIN LEAVING THE 1/2 INCH BORDER ON THE LONG EDGE. BRUSH THE PLAIN BORDER WITH EGG. ROLL, STARTING WITH THE OPPOSITE EDGE OF THE BORDER. SEAL BORDER EDGE AND ROLL IN PLASTIC WRAP. REPEAT WITH SECOND HALF OF PASTRY. REFRIGERATE FOR 3 HOURS OR UP TO 2 DAYS. ARRANGE 1/2 INCH SLICES ON PREPARED COOKIE SHEET. BRUSH TOPS WITH A LITTLE EGG AND BAKE AT 400 DEGREES FOR 16 MINUTES OR UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWNED. REMOVE FROM PAN AND SERVE WARM.

Obsessions

I can't believe April is half way over already! This year feels like it is flying by! Here is what I can't stop obsessing about this week!
xoxo

ROBERT PATTINSON

Yes, I admit I am a Twilight fan. Loved the books and especially love Robert's character. He is so darn good-looking! I can't wait to see Water for Elephants. I loved the book and I couldn't think of two better actors to play the lead roles. I am loving that Robert is making all the rounds on the morning shows this week. Why does he have to date bad attitude Kristen? He is way too Hot for her!

THIS ROOM

It is perfection. I love the wall color, furniture, art work and especially the rug. GORGEOUS!

MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER

I can't wait to test out some of the recipes in here, starting with the Tuna Burger. I saw GP make it on Regis and Kelly and it looks delish and super easy. Fresh tuna and ginger is the perfect combo in my book!

BEADED CLUTCHES FROM BANANA REPUBLIC

How awesome are these beaded clutches from Banana Republic? I love the turquoise one, perfect for a summer night out! Via

TIBI MAXI DRESS



I am seriously obsessed with Tibi. I would fill my closet with their entire Spring/Summer line if I could. This dress is way out of my price range, but I love it! via

MY HERB + VEGETABLE GARDEN

I finally finished planting all my herbs this weekend: Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Parsley and Chives. There is nothing better than growing your own fresh herbs. I have already been using the basil like crazy! I also planted some arugula, mixed greens, jalapenos and habanero peppers. If our yard wasn't so sandy I would grow all kinds of vegetables, it is so rewarding to grow your own.

Review Time

I ended up ordering the black version of this dress, that I blogged about last weekend since they sold out of my size in the floral one.


I figured for $30 plus free shipping it was worth a shot. Well, I should have to stuck to my original opinions about Old Navy. The dress was a poor fit. I have a curvy figure and the drawstring waist did nothing but make me look wide. It bunched up in all the wrong places and just looked unflattering on me. This might be cute on someone with no hips that is super skinny. The material also felt cheap to me, but I expected that from Old Navy. I promptly returned this, but I am at least glad I tried it on and gave it shot. I still think the floral one looks super cute on all the celebs.




I also tried on these two one pieces at Old Navy (sorry no pics of that, I am not brave enough to post my bathing suit bod online). They were super cute. I didn't buy either because I already own so many bathing suits, but if you need a one piece for the summer these were flattering and only $29.50. The black was my favorite, it looked like an expensive suit. It was low cut but classy at the same time, plus the ruching at the stomach would cover any bulges!




You all know I love the Tracy Anderson Mat DVD so I decided to step it up and try out her Metamorphosis DVD's series.



Don't judge but the infomercial did inspire me to order these DVDS. The results looked amazing and we all know how fab Gwynnie looks from her TA workouts. What this consists of is a set of 4 DVDS, one cardio and three body sculpts. 6 days a week you are to do the 30 minute Cardio DVD followed by a 30 minute Body Sculpt DVD. The Body Sculpt DVDS change every 10 days so your body never gets used to the same workout. This is a 90 day program so you get 9 different Body Sculpt workouts.

I am on day number 3 of this and it is the hardest workout I have ever done. 5 minutes into the cardio I wanted to call my mom and cry but I powered through. It is alot of jumping and leg lifts, you never stop for 30 whole minutes . After it was done I wanted to crawl into fetal position but I popped in the Body Sculpt DVD thinking this must be easier. I was wrong! The arms and abs part is pretty easy but the leg portion is killer. My butt and thighs burned like never before! I honestly think it would be easier to run 6 miles.

That being said I can tell this is going to produce some results, I am sore in places all over. I am not necessarily looking to lose weight, although 5 lbs would be nice. I am really looking to tone up for summer. I figure I better bust out a bikini this year before I have my next baby and its even harder to lose the weight! I highly recommend this DVD series if you are dedicated, don't mind sweating and feeling like you want to die afterwards. But seriously this is a good workout! I heart Tracey and want my body to look like hers or Gwyneth's so I will be sticking with this workout.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to my girlfriend Jill.



She just returned from Florence and brought me back this gorgeous leather clutch for my birthday! I am smitten with it!



We went to church yesterday and then to brunch that lingered on until 3! Sometimes spending time with a girlfriend is just what the doctor ordered after a long week! We had alot of girl talk and enjoyed some seriously delicious champagne. I highly recommend this Rose Brut Bouvet Champagne.




and if you live in Charleston you can't beat the service and food at Rue de Jean!




Happy Monday! Hope you all are having a great start to your week!

Rose Gold Love

Lately I have been loving Rose Gold. I think it is such a flattering color for all skin types. I also think it is a nice change from the standard Gold and Silver look. These are a few pieces I have my eyes on at my favorite online shop, SHOPBOP! Anyone else love Rose Gold? I don't actually own anything Rose Gold at the moment but that just might have to change!

Halston Heritage Ruffle Chiffon Dress

Halston Heritage Pleated Chiffon Long Dress

Dannijo Cocktail Ring

Dalia Nonna Rose Gold Little Letter Necklace

Micheal Kors Rose Gold Watch

Erica Klein Rose Gold Drip Earrings

I am especially loving the letter necklace. I would love that with an "s" for Sterling. So sweet!

Happy Friday! I hope all you lovelies have a wonderful weekend! xoxo