Sunday Thoughts + A Weekend Recap

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Happy Sunday!

Today is on the chillier side so after doing my morning marketing, it was nice to snuggle up on the couch and enjoy the Harry Potter marathon on ABC Family. 

This Weekend:

• Friday night I got dinner and drinks at the Watervliet Barge with a few of my cousins followed by going out to the 10th anniversary of the Black Bear (a local bar that was originally owned by my uncle). It was a late night that had me not-so-happy on Saturday morning.
• Saturday was a beautiful day so I went over to my uncles and lounged in the pool with my cousin Abby.
• Saturday night we got major rainstorms so it was the perfect night to hang out and catch up on some shows. I recently bought a Roku so I can stream shows directly on my TV and I'm already getting so much use out of it.
• Tonight I'm making a roast for dinner in the crock-pot since it's a chilly night!

What did you do this weekend?

xoxo

Spring Look Recap

TGIF!

The passing of Memorial Day officially means summer has arrived! I'm excited to put away the coats, socks and pants in favor of flip flops, swimsuits and sundresses. So in order to bid adieu to spring, I'm looking back on some of my favorite looks. 

Jeans // Top // Flats J Crew Factory, old // 

Bow Necklace, C Wonder, old // Triangle Necklace, old Macy's

Bag Michael Kors Outlet (similar options here, here & here)

skirt // oxford shirt 

Flats, Michael Kors (old), (similar) // Necklace Francesca's (similar)
Bag Michael Kors (similar here) // Bracelets Talbots, old (similar)

Jeans, Gap (similar here and here) // Top Francesca's (similar)
Bag Kate Spade, old // Necklace J Crew Factory, old (similar)
Bracelets J Crew Factory (old) // Shoes J Crew Factory
Sunnies

Dress // Jacket Neiman Marcus, old (similar style here)

Calf Hair Sandals // Bag, Michael Kors (similar style here)

Necklace Talbots, old // Sunnies Michael Kors (similar here)

Top // Pants // Flats (only black available)

Sunglasses // Bag Michael Kors (similar here and here)

Necklace Ann Taylor, old // watch

Bracelet J Crew Factory, old

Top Francesca's (similar style here) // Shorts

Bracelet // Bag Kate Spade (similar style here)

Necklace J Crew Factory (similar)  // Sandals // Sunnies

 Skirt (on clearance!) // Top (on super clearance)

Flats // Necklace New York and Co (similar)

Giraffe Bracelet Target (similar) // Striped Bracelet Kate Spade, old

Bag Michael Kors (similar style here) 

Sunnies Michael Kors (similar styles here)

shirt // pants J Crew, old

belt // Sperry's (similar pair here) // Necklace Macy's (similar here)

Bag Michael Kors (similar options here and here)

xoxo

Gingham Style

I don't want to jinx myself but this week has been flying by. Who do I need to advocate to about getting us permanent 3 day weekends because this 4 day work weeks really suit me. Tonight after work I'm heading to a cousins dinner with 6 of my cousins and my Aunt Marge. We try and plan these every so often so we have a chance to all hang out and catch up. With everyones busy schedules it can be hard to find time to make a get-together work but luckily tonight is the night. My youngest cousin Davin has been hinting at wanting to go go-karting so that might be a post dinner activity as well. 

I picked up this top at the Polo outlets this past weekend, they were having a big sale. I had my eye on this top for a couple months now but it was out of my price range, but patience can be a virtue sometimes because I scored this top for dirt cheap. Although it's getting too warm to wear it now, I have a feeling this will be a top that will carry me into fall.

Top // Jeans

Bag Michael Kors (similar here and here)

Sperry's, old (similar here) // Sunnies

Belt J Crew Factory (similar here)

Necklace New York and Co, old

xoxo

Linen

As much as I like to experiment with fashion, there are a few basic rules that I like to follow including not wearing linen and white until after Memorial Day. I always associated linen with summer weather and my mom always instilled in me that, even though I may want to pull out the linen dresses before the end of May, I should wait. Lucky for me, Memorial Day came a little early this year and the weather has been fantastic so the first day available, I pulled out this sea foam green linen dress from The Gap that I bought a few weeks ago. 

Okay, now I need to discuss the AMAZING Kate Spade sales the outlets were having this past weekend. Everything in the store was 50% off with an additional 20% on all handbags, which means I was able to pick up this umbrella Gia clutch for $30, which is almost unheard of. Also $30 were these Kate Spade sunglasses, I was literally jumping for joy at the deals I was getting. I can't recommend taking a trip to your local outlets during the holiday weekends enough, because the sales are always fantastic and you can pick up some really great items at an unbeatable price.

Didn't realize my necklace was twisted when I took these pictures, whoops!

Dress // Sandals // Necklace J Crew Factory, old

Clutch Kate Spade Outlets //

Sunnies Kate Spade Outlet (similar)

Giraffe Bracelet Target, old

xoxo

New Recipe: Antipasto Pasta Salad

Happy Tasty Tuesday!

Now that Memorial Day is here and past, it's officially BBQ season! I love a hot dog or hamburger as much as the next girl, but its the sides that really make or break a BBQ. This past weekend I whipped up a tasty pasta salad with an antipasto twist for a Memorial Day get-together. This recipe is very easy to make, takes about 20 minutes from start to finish to complete which makes it a great dish to bring along with you on your summer journeys.

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg of Italian Dressing/Seasoning Mix (similar to this)
• 3 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 box of rotini pasta (I bought the multi-colored kind to make it more colorful)
• 1/4 lb salami, sliced and diced
• 1/2 package of pepperoni, sliced and diced
• 1 small package of fresh mozzarella, sliced and diced
• 1 small can of diced olives, drained

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to box directions, drain and let cool
• Mix water, vegetable oil and Italian dressing mix together.
• Add pasta to dressing, stir to combine.
• Slice up fresh mozzarella, salami and pepperoni and add to pasta mixture.
• Add drained diced olives and stir
• Refrigerate for an hour, so salad is cool.
• Enjoy!

xoxo

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you all have been enjoying your three day weekend. 

I wanted to acknowledge all the brave men and women that allow us feel safe and free every day in this country and remember to keep them in our thoughts on this long weekend.

I'm taking a bit of a slower approach to blogging this weekend. Once it starts to warm up, weekends in the summer become a bit hectic for me (in a good way) and I find myself putting blogging on the back burner in favor of vacations, barbecues and pool time. So my apologies if I don't always get a post in on the weekends, it's just too nice to sit inside all day and work on my laptop.

This weekend I was able to make a trip up to the Manchester Outlets in Vermont where they had some serious sales. I was literally prancing around the Kate Spade Outlet like a child because the deals were THAT GOOD. So keep an eye on this week where I will be highlighting some of my favorite purchases I made. In addition to road tripping to Vermont, I was able to fit plenty of family time in, BBQs at my uncles and got my tan on, phew! There is nothing like an extra day off to completely rejuvenate me.

How did you celebrate this weekend?

xoxo

Memorial Day Sale List

Today I'm spending the day at the Manchester Designer Outlets scooping up some amazing Memorial Day sales, but I want to provide you all with a list of what the stores are offering up this weekend in stores and online!

Sales:

• J Crew Factory - 50% off the entire store plus a mystery coupon worth $10, $20, $50 or $100 off your in store purchase of $100 or more!
• J Crew - 30% off your entire purchase
• BaubleBar - 20% off site wide (code: Memorial20), plus 25% (code: Memorial25) off when you buy 3 items or 30% (code: Memorial30) off when you buy 4 items and free shipping.
• Gap- 40% off your entire purchase in stores or online with the code SUMMER
• Banana Republic - 40% off entire purchase in stores or online with the code BRSUMMER
• Aerie - All swim is 50% off
• Kate Spade Outlet - 50% entire store with an additional 20% off on all handbags.
• Talbots Outlet- 50% off entire store.
• Francesca's - 40% off all shoes and an additional 40% off all clearance items.
• Ann Taylor - 40% your entire purchase in stores and online with the code SHOP40
• LOFT & LOFT Outlet - 40% off the entire store
• Lord & Taylor - 30% off almost all dresses, 25% off swimwear and buy 1 pair of sandals, get 20% off, buy two or more sandals, get 25% off.
• Nordstrom - up to 40% off favorite summer styles
• French Connection - 40% your entire purchase
• ASOS - 20% off your entire online purchase with the code LONGWKND

Are you doing any shopping this weekend?

xoxo

Draper James

TGIF!

Not sure if you have heard yet but actress Reese Witherspoon recently started a new line called Draper James. It's focused on clothing and accessories with a few fun home goods like blankets and stationary. Although the items can be a little pricey, they definitely give me plenty of outfit inspiration.

Draper James styles I'm looking to recreate this summer:

• Nautical Stripes- I love the light blue and navy mix, a fun twist on the traditional navy and white stripe.
• Bright Florals- Coral is a color I don't own a lot of but I fell in love with coral and cobalt combination from that bracelet and phone case. 
• Statement Accessories- From bold rings to funky hats and cheeky totes, I like to have one conversation piece on at all time this summer.
• Wicker Handbags- Straw and wicker bags give the ultimate beach look for these warmer months.

Striped Dress // Floral Stripe Tee // Rose Ring

Bangle // Boat Hat // Navy Wicker Bag

Phone Case // Tote Bag

xoxo

Yes Way Chambray

Well we're only two days away from a long weekend and I have been counting down the work hours. Luckily, I've been busy these past few days which makes the days go by a little faster. Today I'm off to a work convention on Albany. I'm attending two different conferences to learn more about my job plus I'll have some time to hit up the vendors (yay free stuff). 

I bought this chambray dress last weekend in Macy's on clearance. For some reason it's still pretty expensive on the Macy's website (see the link below), but if you head to your local store it should be 50% off. I ended up paying $30 for the dress after I used a coupon which is 70% off the original price, pretty good deal! My favorite part of the dress is the scalloped bottom and it will be the perfect throw on dress for casual Friday's at work. 

Dress // Belt Akira (old) // Tote Polo (similar here and here)

Bracelet J Crew Factory (old)  // Sperrys // Sunnies

xoxo

It's Not Easy Being Green

Today I'm jumping back into my Workwear Wednesday mode with this textured emerald green dress from Francesca's. I originally bought this dress for St. Maarten where we would be celebrating St. Patricks Day, but I never ended up wearing it out at night so instead I brought it back home with me to Albany. First of all this dress is so comfortable, it's made of a soft stretch cotton that is super flattering with a great A-line silhouette, perfect for a hump day in the office. Then I obviously had to pair it with leopard accessories because leopard and emerald are one of my favorite combos. Francesca's has easily become one of my go-to stores lately for spring arrivals, they always have great colors and patterns.

Anyways, last night I was finally able to see Pitch Perfect 2 and it was amazing! I feel like I've been waiting forever for this movie to come out and luckily the endless loop of the first movie on ABC Family has been holding me over for the last few weeks. Doesn't that movie just make you want to sing along in the theater?!

Dress Francesca's (similar here and here)

Bag J Crew (factory version here) // Belt

Flats Ralph Lauren (similar) // Necklace Macys (similar)

Sunnies Wantables // Bracelet gift, old

xoxo

New Recipe: Steaks with a Garlic Rub

Happy Tasty Tuesday!

Warmer weather is all about taking a break from the oven and grilling outside. If it's hot outside I'd rather not turn the oven on and heat up the house even more than it already is so I tend to make the change and cook outside instead. This past week I tried something new and seasoned my steak with a tasty mixture of seasonings that added that extra pop of flavor.

Ingredients:

• 4 beef tenderloin steaks
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 tsp fresh basil
• 1 tsp garlic salt

Directions

• Mince garlic and evenly spread it onto the raw steaks, rubbing it into the meat.
• Combine black pepper, rosemary, basil and garlic salt and sprinkle over eat side of the meat.
• Grill steaks on medium high heat until desired cooking level (I cooked mine for about 12 minutes because I prefer my meat to be medium-medium well).
• Enjoy!

xoxo

Minnie Mouse Bows

Oh Monday, you always seem to sneak up on me! 

Stay strong readers, we have to make it through these next five days and then we will be graced with a wonderful three day weekend. Next week at this time we'll be thinking, "Hey, Monday's aren't so bad after all."

Last Saturday I spoke briefly about Lauren Conrad's new Minnie Mouse collection from Kohl's. I was able to check out the line this past weekend and although I was skeptical at first worrying the clothing items would be too childish with a Disney theme, I was very surprised with how cute the items were. In fact, I was able to pick this navy bow print blouse up at 25% off (plus with an additional coupon-- isn't Kohl's so great about having deals?!). This definitely made the Disney lover inside of me sing, plus I instantly became nostalgic and desperately want to book another trip to Orlando to see the real Minnie Mouse.

Lately, I've found myself looking for clothing items that can transition from the workplace to weekend wear and this top is the perfect example of what I'm looking for. I could easily trade this simple skirt for a pair of white shorts for the weekend or a pencil skirt for the workplace. 

You can check out the entire LC Minnie Mouse Collection here. I especially love this white open backed mouse print dress.

Top // Linen Skirt // Sandals

Necklace C Wonder, old  // Bag Kate Spade, old

Bracelet J Crew Factory, old (similar)

xoxo

Sunday Thoughts + A Weekend Recap

Oh what a beautiful weekend we had. Nothing like spending some time in the sun to completely rejuvenate you.

This weekend:

• Gorged on sliders and cocktails with friends at one of my new favorite restaurants Sliding Dirty.
• Did a little bit of shopping, but I spent under $100 which was a big success on my part. Make sure you come back tomorrow to see one of my favorite purchases.
• Spent Sunday in the pool soaking up some rays.
• Looking forward to hosting Game of Thrones night tonight!

What did you do this weekend?

xoxo

Weekend Reads

Happy Saturday!

Today I'm rushing around to get all my errands and shopping done for the week because tomorrow is going to be beautiful in the 518 and I'm hoping to wake up early and spend my entire day in the pool so I can get some color!

Weekend Reads:

• Today I made a quick trip to Kohl's and I was able to check out Lauren Conrad's new Minnie Mouse Line. I picked up this really cute navy bow top and I can't wait to wear it this week. Currently the entire line is 25% off so now is the time to pick up these new arrivals.
• My friends and I have been trying to plan a night to go to Paint and Sip, where you get to paint a painting with the help of a teacher while drinking wine (win/win right?). My friend sent me this link to photos of Paint and Sip Fails that had me laughing out loud.
• Looking to plan a trip for this summer? Here are The Everygirl's Picks for 5 Places to Visit, the Outer Banks is both affordable and beautiful!
• Speaking of travel, I'm dying to take a trip back to Disney World. Recently they began transforming Downtown Disney into the Disney Springs, where they're adding a ton of new shops and restaurants including a Zara Shop and an Indiana Jones Bar! You can read all about the new additions here.
• With Memorial Day right around the corner, be sure to check out these Picnic Ready Recipes for your upcoming outdoor BBQ, the crunch lemonade drumsticks look mouthwatering!
• Did you read my Thursday post where both my skirt and top are on super clearance?
• I'm thinking about signing up for Hulu now that the Mindy Project got picked up by them. Does anyone out there use Hulu? How do you like it?

What are you up to this weekend?

xoxo

My Current Favorite Instagram Accounts

I probably spend way to much time looking at Instagram, but I found that it's a great place to get inspiration. Whether it be travel ideas, fashion trends I want to try or just a picture of a cute puppy, Instagram gives me a lot to think about which is why I picked 5 of my favorite accounts to share with you!

1. Piggy and Polly - Also I prefer a big dog, I have a soft spot in my heart for french bulldogs. This is why I'm obsessed with Piggy and Polly, two french bulldog sisters from Florida who are too cute for words. They're owner brings them on all sorts of adventures, but my favorite pictures come from them snuggling in bed. 
2. Aerie - I've said it a few times already on this little blog of mine, but lately I've been loving Aerie's new bathing suit line. They have so many cute options including some great beach accessories and cover-ups but my favorite part of the Aerie Instagram is they use models with normal body types. Gone are the stick thin bathing suit models and instead Aerie celebrates all bodies, imperfections and all.
3. Damn Delicious - I'm constantly looking for new recipes to try and Chungah An from Damn Delicious is the creator of some of my favorite recipes. Her Instagram account is filled with photos of her amazing creations and whenever I come across her photos my stomach always starts to rumble.
4. What Nicole Wore - Blogger Nicole Green might be my favorite blogger when it comes to fashion. She is never afraid of bright colors, funky jewelry, and amazing prints and her Instagram account is a colorful blast of amazingness. She definitely inspires me to be more bold in my fashion choices.
5. Fashion Boulevard - This account is run by Anna James, style editor for Lauren Conrad, who like Nicole Green isn't afraid of bright colors. Plus, her pictures are always taken with the prettiest backgrounds, makes me wish I lived in California!

What accounts do you love?

Don't forget to follow along with my adventures on Instagram!

xoxo

Mix and Match

Woohoo, we're more than halfway through the week and we are so close to the weekend that I can almost taste it!

I have some exciting news because both the skirt and top that I'm wearing are on super clearance and you can get them for a really great deal. They both are great spring investments that I know I will get a lot of use out of during these warmer months so it's a great time to scoop up some great items at an even better price. I originally wore this outfit one night when we went out in St. Maarten and I loved it so much that I wanted to show it off again when I got back in the states. I have no fear when it comes to mixing and matching different prints and I'll try anything once if it means I get to take a fun fashion risk. 

This top is made of a mesh material, originally I was worried that it would be see through and I would have to wear a shirt under it (something I don't want to do in this hear), but when I tried it on I realized that I wasn't see-through at all which was a big relief. I thought the mesh material was really different and was a fun twist that worked perfectly with this great striped skirt. 

 Skirt (on clearance!) // Top (on super clearance)

Flats // Necklace New York and Co (similar)

Giraffe Bracelet Target (similar) // Striped Bracelet Kate Spade, old

Bag Michael Kors (similar style here) 

Sunnies Michael Kors (similar styles here)

xoxo