Another Beautiful Thursday

Another beautiful day, another springy outfit. Actually it seemed close to summer today. It got up to 80 degrees. This outfit was perfect and wasn't too stuffy on the walk to work. Here are the details...

Pink short sleeve - Target
Brown skirt - Talbots
Faux snakeskin pumps - Rack Room
Beaded necklace - prize from a blogger challenge

Tomorrow is going to be hotter, but it's a jeans day. I know Will wants to take the scooter to work so I won't have to worry about walking in the heat too long.


Tonight I had a good workout, but I failed when it came to dinner. We were at Costco buying organic chicken and fish, but then what do we do??? We ate hot dogs for dinner. It's $1.50 for a hot dog and soda at Costco. I didn't have the soda, but the hot dog was pretty tasty. Sorry Monica (trainer)! I know you are reading this and shaking your head.

I opted to eat something quick because I had to get to Michael's for some cake decorating tools. I have to prepare a pattern and plan for my nephew's cake. It takes days for me to actually do a cake. You see, I watched a lot of episodes of Ace of Cakes and figured I wanted to decorate a crazy cake too. I took some classes and practiced, practiced, practiced... Here are some of the cakes I've done. I think I have Crafty ADD? Is there a support group I should join?

I hope everyone had a great Thursday. TGIF!!!

Spring Like Wednesday

It was 68 degrees this morning so I thought I'd dress a little springish. Here was my spring like outfit...

Navy Blue top - The Gap

Green skirt - made by me

Gold necklace - Target

Unisa tan pumps - Off 5th Saks

I realized after looking at this photo that I need some earrings when I have my hair pulled back. I always have such an issue wearing earrings and a necklace. I don't know why I feel like I have too much on, but I do.

Tonight I can relax. Yay! We grabbed a few meals from My Fit Foods so I don't have to cook tonight, but we are still eating healthy. I have a huge weekend ahead of me so I'm glad I have this time to relax and regroup.

This weekend I have:

1. a 5K fun run - I've been trying to run outside to prepare for this - so tough when you're used to an indoor treadmill.
2. a sewing class - I am making this to use as a summer travel bag.
3. to make a Thomas The Train cake for my nephew's 3rd birthday.

Let's hope I survive! I hope everyone had a fabulous day!

Dress and Dash Tuesday

Whew! Life has been hectic these past few days. Thank you to all those who sent me well wishes. I got a lot accomplished and I am so happy with the decisions that were made the past few weeks and days. I will be creating a separate blog for future wedding planning and craziness for those interested in reading.


Now on to my happy little everyday life blog... Today's outfit is a Hillary Dress and Dash outfit. Yes, I was trying to snooze those extra few minutes this morning so I needed something I could just throw on. Viola! Here are the details...
Green dress - Ross
Purple suede belt - Target
Gold necklace - NY & Co
Maripe peeps - Rack Room



I love this color combo. I'm very happy to report that I had to create another notch on the belt to tighten it up. I also had to tighten up my Bodybugg strap on my upper arm (yes, I am still wearing it you just can't see it under my clothes). Now my hair is another thing. I seriously need to decide if I am going to keep it short or not. Any suggestions? I have been though a million and one haircuts and not afraid of change, but keep in mind I have a wedding in May. Maybe I'll dig around for pics and post some up to see what y'all think.


So since my absence here, I didn't really take daily outfit pics. I just took some random pics. Here are a few I thought I'd share...

For Valentine's Day this year, my honey surprised with with a quadruple date with a few close friends. We had a lovely dinner and the guys took us to see the National Acrobats of China. It was a fantastic show. Will was on the edge of his seat because he was so nervous for those acrobats.

On the same night, two of my closest friends got engaged. I'm proud to say that I had a hand in getting these two together. This was definitely a night to remember.


I got some sweet and fun goodies from Will's mom. Aren't those heart shaped measuring spoons fab? My mother-in-law is too sweet and so thoughtful!


Finally after all the festivities, I had time to enjoy the large cafe latte. I feel like Alice In Wonderland with this cup. It was a great place for brunch though. The owners of the cafe also own a nursery (pictured behind me). It's so nice to take a stroll among the fresh flowers and plants after a lovely meal.

I should be back on track with my daily postings. I hope everyone is doing well and looking fab! Thanks for stopping by!

Gone For A Bit

Hey guys! So sorry for the absence. I've been swamped this week with wedding stuff. For those confused, Will and I just got married in October at the JP, but have been planning an actual wedding ceremony in Mexico in May. Well for all these past months, I have been slacking. Mexico is right around the corner and I need to devote a little time to the plans. So I will be back next week when I get some decisions made and plans into action.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

You Guys Are Too Sweet!

Thank you for all the love and support of my little blog!

Wishing you all a very

Sweet

and

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Hillary

***Pete, thank you for this wonderful recipe!***

Thursday's "Look What I Found In My Closet" Look

Today's outfit has a couple of pieces that have been sitting in my closet for some time. I forgot how much I love the skirt, but the cardi is still in question... Here's my found look...

Button-up - Anthropologie
Cardi - Express
Belt - Macy's
Skirt - Anthropologie
Shoes - Target
Pearls - Francesca's



The skirt is one I've had for a while. It hasn't fit me for quite some time, but I am happy to report that I was able to slide it on instead of doing a little shimmy dance when trying to get it over my hips. The detailing is beautiful and I am so thankful it's back in rotation. The cardi is an oldie too. I kind of shrank it so it's a tad snug. What do y'all think? Should I keep it or lose it? Since I just had repairs done to my car, I am so broke! I will be shopping from my closet a lot more often. Hopefully I'll find I can add more things in to the daily wardrobe rotation.

Here was tonight's dinner...

• Pam's Lemon Dill Tilapia
• green beans
• roasted tomatoes with basil
• peas with a little lemon zest
• a spoonful of mashed potatoes

Happy Friday Everyone!

My DNA

Apparently patterns that look like DNA appeal to me. I didn't realize this until I was posting my pictures on this post, but the evidence was right in front of me. Here is DNA #1 (a.k.a. Tuesday's outfit)

Purple top - Target

Necklace - Target

Skirt - made by me!

pumps - Target

This was the 2nd skirt I made. I just loved the pattern. See what I mean by looking like DNA. Actually it really reminds me more of the ocean, but when I look at this pattern and Tuesday's pattern, you can't help but to think like a scientist. Please excuse the wrinkles. It was the very end of a hectic day.

After my workout that night, my brother hooked me up with incredible tickets to see Legally Blonde, The Musical. I spared Will and took Melissa instead. It was such a fun show. If you get a chance to see it, grab a girlfriend and enjoy the laughs.

It was a dress day today which means I was trying my to get out the door quickly this morning. Dresses are perfect for days when I'm in a time crunch. Just throw on, add some accessories, and you're out the door. Here is DNA outfit #2 (a.k.a Wednesday's outfit)...

Dress - Ross

Belt - Dots

Necklace - Target

Shoes - Ross

I really like this dress a lot, but I have a traumatizing story about it which makes me hesitant to wear it. About two years ago, I had a massage appointment right after work. I was sore from my workouts and I was looking forward to relieving some pain and stress. It was a wonderful massage and I was so relaxed by the end of it. Once I was done, I got dressed and headed out to pay for the service. I was standing at the reception desk waiting to pay. My back was facing the front door and the lobby was full of people. All of a sudden, my massage therapist rushed up behind me and told me my skirt was tucked in to my underwear! I was mooning the lobby and anyone else walking by the front door. I was soooo embarrassed! I quickly thanked her and rushed out the door. Halfway home, I realized that I ran out before paying my bill. I was too embarrassed to go back, so I just called them when I got home. Let's just say, all that relief and relaxation went right out from under my dress. I have never been back to that particular day spa and I rarely where this dress.

Tonight was another one of Pam's scrumptious recipes. I tried her Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic. Since there were only 3 of us (my friend Melissa joined us for dinner), I cut the recipe in half and went light on the butter, flour, and milk to cut the calories. This was incredible! The flavors are so savory and my house smelled so good. I paired this with brown rice with chopped onions and green beans. With the chicken, gravy, and garlic, my brown rice never tasted so good!

Friday's Go Red Day

Friday was Go Red Day (thanks for the reminder Kimberly). It was 74 degrees today so instead of wearing jeans, I opted for one of my favorite red skirts. Here my Go Red outfit...(sorry it's a little wrinkled, I took the pic at the end of the work day)

brown top - Anthropologie

tank - Target

brown belt - Dots

red pleated skirt - Ann Taylor Loft

brown suede pumps - Ann Taylor Loft

beaded necklace - prize from Ally for this blogger challenge

This weekend is jammed pack with all kinds of things. We started Friday evening with a quick birthday happy hour for a friend of mine and Will's. Afterwards my parents came over for dinner. They brought us some king crab legs and we had such a fab dinner! King Crab Legs are Will's favorite! After, my mom and I made cookies for a party I'm attending this weekend. My friend, Pete, sent me a recipe for Pistachio and Cherry Mexican Wedding Cakes (cookies actually). They are like sand tarts except made with pistachios. They were so good and light. I think they will be perfect for the International Birthday BBQ on Sunday. Thank you Pete for the recipe! Oh and btw ladies, I am looking for a great, light recipe for carrot cake. Let me know if you have a good recipe. Thanks!

As for the rest of the weekend, here what's going down...

• Workout and measurements this morning (weight was the same as last time, but measurements are close to where I was in September which is why the clothes are fitting better again. Yay!)
• The girls are coming over for some mad sewing in about an hour
• Tonight is my brother's girlfriend's birthday celebration
• Sunday is the International Birthday BBQ for a friend
• Late Sunday afternoon is a ladies get together/tea at one of my closest girlfriends.
• Sunday night is church

Whew! Aren't you exhausted from just reading it?

Hope you are all having a fab weekend! Thanks for taking the time to read my madness :-)

My Blog Spots

I have been tagged! The Ultra Fab Kimberly tagged me to show off my blog spot(s). Before we start, I will say that my place usually tidy because my husband is a neat freak. I am more of the sloppy one, but we work together in peace and harmony :-) Okay, let's begin...

First up, the dining room table. I do the majority of my blogging here. I have a clear view of the TV from my spot. Here's what you see...

• Vintage Roman Holiday movie poster framed by fab friends of mine.
• Dining room table and chairs - bought from the office want ads
• My laptop - after Thanksgiving purchase
• Crate & Barrel serving plate and bowl - wedding gift from my aunt and uncle
• Bodybugg USB wire
• Memory card reader
• pink cell phone
• the paper is a recipe for my mom (she doesn't use the computer)
• my brown belt draped on the chair - I took it off while cooking and forgot to put it up
• my pen fell on the floor
  
  

Next up is my bed. Will goes to bed early and I am a night owl. So here's what you see...

• Vintage Funny Face banner framed by my fab friends
• Full size bed - yes, Will and I fit somehow
• Blue bedding and decorative blue pillow - West Elm
• White decorative furry pillow - gifted from Tammy
• Red travel pillow - gifted from Will's mom. I use it a lot when sitting up in bed.
• Clock radio - Target
• Pink mini massager - gifted from parents
• Nightstands - made by Will's dad

Last but not least... my living room. I blog here when Will and I are watching random TV together or a movie I've seen a million times. Here's what you see..

• Side tables - Ikea
• Couch - Ikea
• Rug - Lowes
• Vintage Tammy & The Bachelor poster framed by my fab friends
• Blue water bottle - Target (I'm a water drinker and I take this bottle everywhere)
• The moving box in the back has an old broken VCR that is headed to a recycling center

So here are the official rules: Show Us Your Blog Spot!

1. Once you are tagged, post a picture of where you blog. This might mean a picture of your cozy bed, or your office at work (you naughty employee, you!) Feel free to be creative, but be honest--if your desk is usually covered in Ritz crackers and love letters to Brad Pitt, then show us!
2. Feel free to tell us a little about your space, or explain certain items in more detail. Or not.
3. Link back to this post. (I want to see how far this goes!)
4. Tag five other bloggers to show their blog spots.
5. If you are tagged and do not participate, you will become allergic to cabbage.

I tag:

• Fruit In A Box
• Ephemera
• Style Klutz
• Fat Mum Slim
• ABACAXI & HORTELÃ

Cookin' on Thursday

Cookin'! Yep, that was me in this picture. We took an extra long walk at lunch today. It was hot and I forgot my walking shoes. During our walk, we stopped for a quick daily outfit pic.

So here I am cookin' in the sun.

long sleeve tee - Banana Republic

belt and shoes - Target

Dana Buchman skirt - thrifted ($6)

houndstooth tights - gifted from Holley

scarf - gifted by Marbelle

My good friend Holley gave me these tights a while back and I'm not sure why it took me so long to wear them. They are so awesome! I love the pattern (houndstooth up close) and they are so comfortable. She found them at Walmart for just $2. Thanks for thinking of me Holley!

After work it was onto the gym for a trainer session and cardio. Lots of heavy weights today. I know I'll be sore tomorrow and/or Saturday. I did 25 minutes of cardio on the treadmill. I didn't jog as long, but did up my speed a tad. You can see my stats on my Bodybugg screen shot at the bottom of this post.

Once I got home from the gym, it was time to get my cookin' on (see the theme here?). I decided to try another recipe of Pam's since last night's was a hit. Tonight I tried Pam's Cilantro and Lime Chicken. Yummers! Great flavor and it's easy on the calories. Thanks again Pam! I sooo love your recipe blog. Pictured below is my dinner plate. I know it looks like I cram a lot of food on the plate, but you should see Will's plate. It's a little more sparse. Will eats on regular sized plates and I eat on small plates. I feel like I have a lot of food without overdoing it. Does anyone else do this?

On this plate:

3 oz serving Pam's Cilantro Lime Chicken

1/2 c chopped okra (boiled)

3/4 c roasted cauliflower (I love this stuff!)

1/4 of a red bell pepper sliced

1 1/2 tbsp of fresh guacamole (for the bell pepper slices)

Total calories for this meal: 288!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Here's to fab outfits, good food, and happy workouts!

It's New to Me

I had my first thrift buy yesterday afternoon. Here is my "it's new to me" outfit...

purple top - Target

black skirt -Target

polka dotted tights - TJ Maxx

Maripe peeps - Rack Room

necklace - gifted from Lynette (Happy Birthday Lynette!)

Karen Kane light blue peacoat - thrifted!

Yesterday I worked a 1/2 day for a dentist appt and to run errands. While Will stopped for a haircut, I perused the aisles of a local thrift shop and found this wonderful Karen Kane coat for the bargain price of $12! I looove the color and style. I also bought a Dana Buchman skirt for $6, but you'll have to see that another day.

Here was tonight's dinner....

Lemon Dill Tilapia

Steamed sugar snap peas*

Roasted rosemary potatoes

When I did this post, my friend Melissa found this blog full of fab recipes for me to try. V also tried a few and raved about the recipes she tried. One of her favs was this Lemon Dill Tilapia. I finally got around to trying it out. Now I have had sprinkled the dill and squeezed the lemon on my fish before, but this recipe definitely had more flavor and cooked beautifully. The only thing I would do differently is to use fresh dill. I didn't have any on hand so I just used the dried dill I had in my cabinet. Here is this wonderful recipe.

*oh and please excuse the sugar snap peas. I steamed them a tad too long. They were still good though.

I want to wish my dear friend Lynette a very happy birthday! I hope you had a great day! I think we should plan for a ladies lunch on Friday.

I also want to give a shout out to my friend, Patricia! It was been wonderful getting back in touch! I plan to make those cookies this weekend!

Another Casual Monday

Our casual "jean" days at the office are on Mondays and Fridays. I used to never wear jeans, but now it's a part of my regular wardrobe. Here is another jean day Monday...


Vest, necklace, jeans, and shoes are Target. Short sleeve turtleneck is from my sister. Belt is from Macy's.

Okay for some reason I thought these jeans were a really dark blue, but maybe they are black after all. It sure looks black in this picture. Oh well, this isn't my favorite outfit. It prob would have been better with a dark red belt. Note to self: buy a dark red belt...



While cooking the other day, I realized I was missing an ingredient. I sent Will to the store and the sweetie came back with the right ingredient and these lovely flowers. I just had to show them off :-)

Friday's Casual Day

It's a very casual day for work. Here's my Friday look:

Soft pink Old Navy sweater

Corduroy jacket - Gap

Jeans - Target

IM grey heels - Target

Polka dotted pink scarf - Old Navy

Pink stripped belt - accessory swap from D'Rae

Not much to say about this outfit except it kept me warm, but wasn't too heavy. We had a super busy Friday. After work we headed to a happy hour with co-workers. I'm one of those people at happy hour with a glass of water. I love to socialize, but drinking has never really been my thing. Nothing really against it, I simply just don't care for the taste. I always have a good time regardless. So after an hour and a half at the happy hour, we hit the gym. I did 45 minutes on the treadmill and burned 548 calories! While at the gym, I saw that there were dancers in the aerobic room. They looked familiar and when I got a better look, I realized they were a SoReal Cru from season 2 of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. They were actually on of my favs last season so it was kind of cool seeing them practice. I checked out there blog and one of their practices at my gym was posted up. Check it out here. So you think my Friday would have probably ended there...oh no, we headed to a friends place for game night. What a great, but looong day.

Will decided that he wanted to strike a pose for you guys too, so here is his supermodel pose and look:

Striped sweater - Target

Jeans - Old Navy

Converse shoes - Target

Leather jacket - gifted from me

leather gloves - Target

hat - gifted from my uncle

I really wished I took pics from Saturday night's festivities. We went to a birthday party for my good friend, Jamie and I had a really cute outfit on. I figured I'd take an outfit pic at the party, then realized I forgot my camera once we got there. Oh well... there are more parties to come. I always call this time of year the Birthday Season. I feel like there is a birthday almost every week. Next week is Arnaud's International Birthday Barbecue.

And speaking of international... I wanted to send some love to my friend AD. First of all, he is the one who gave me the Tandoori spices a while back. The chicken I made with it was sooo yummy! He also brought back this gorgeous bedspread and pillowcases all the way from Pakistan. It was a wedding gift for me and Will. I really love the colors and texture. It's going to be so lovely when I put it on the bed. Thanks so much for being such a dear friend!