Sisters!

I adore my lovely sisters and their extremely cute and squeezeable kids!  I have a sister visit coming up this month, and I'm so excited to spend time with two of my three sisters.  We usually stay up way too late talking, doing crafting projects, eating (too much junk food!), and just generally being silly.  I'm sad that our oldest sister won't be able to join us, but we'll be thinking of and missing her, for sure!  I am so blessed to have wonderful siblings that I am close to and view as my best friends.  Please take the time to tell your sisters and brothers how much they're appreciated and loved! 



What I Wore Wednesday - Casual Comfort

Happy Wednesday!  My last few WIWW posts have been more dressy, so I decided to go the comfortable and casual route.  No skirts or dresses for me today!  The heels are the most dressy thing I wore (I promise!), but I love them for the color contrast to the rest of the outfit.  Plus, they really are comfortable!


Top, Banana Republic; Levi's jeans, Ross; Heels, Target

These capris are great, but so far I've had a hard time finding shoes to match their color.  This is the first time I paired them with the tennis shoes.  They're not my first choice, but I think they worked for this outfit.  Any suggestions?


Everything but the shoes are Target.  The shoes are Keds (that my husband found at Kohl's, for $8!).










The necklace I'm wearing is reversible - one side reads Live the Life you Love & the other, Love the Life you Live.  I thought it was super cute!



Top & camisole, NY&Co.; Shorts, Kohls; Flip flops, Charming Charlies; watch, Fossil

 







What I Wore Wednesday - Little Black Dresses



Pretending I can play Chris' uke!





I love wearing both of these little black dresses!  The first one is from Old Navy and it's definitely more casual, which is why I normally wear it with flat sandals (Target).  I'm never really sure how or what to accessorize with when the dress is pretty much the outfit, though, so I paired it with turquoise earrings (World Market) and a turquoise bracelet (purchased in Mexico), for a fun pop of color.

The second one is an AB Studio dress.  It's great for warmer or cooler weather, because I can wear it with or without a cardigan.  The shoes (Etienne Aigner) are more dressy, but the chunkier heel makes them comfortable to wear all day long.

So, depending on if it's a play or a work day, I have two fun options to choose from!

Dishes & Verrines

Yesterday I went to one of my favorite craft supply stores, Archivers, and was feeling very creative.

If your household is anything like mine, we always have dishes in some state of either washed or not, in our dishwasher.  I decided to make it easy and fun for us (okay, really me!), by creating a little magnet with arrows to point to either Clean or Dirty.  Here's what I made:

  



Here it is on the dishwasher

 

Dishes are clean!  I guess I better unload the dishwasher...


Do you know what a Verrine is?  I heard of it for the first time on our PBS station on TV, the other evening. 

"A verrine is an appetizer or dessert that consists of a number of components layered artfully in a small glass. (The word verrine refers to the glass itself; literally it means "protective glass.") Intriguingly composed, they're a study in textures, flavors, colors and temperatures. A beautiful glass might be filled with a layer of mushroom flan, sautéed wild mushrooms, a julienne of prosciutto, parsley gelée, wild mushroom emulsion and topped with a potato and prosciutto galette. Another will have clementine and mint syrup, fresh clementines and a gingerbread "crumble." American chefs are just starting to catch on to the verrine. But in France it's a culinary trend that's captured just about everyone's imagination — including home cooks."  *Taken from Serious Eats

 



Don't these look yummy?!  I am going to try the one that the chef, Hubert Keller, made.  It was a dessert version that he created in one huge glass.  It was beautiful to look at and I'm sure tasted just as wonderful!  His website doesn't have the recipe yet (sorry!), but here's what I remember him using for the layers, starting from the bottom up -

pecans
shortbread round (soaked in coffee)
chocolate mousse
raspherries
whipped cream
small pieces of chopped chocolate
strawberries
and then he continued to layer, ending with whipped cream on the top, more raspberries and a drizzle of chocolate syrup

Can you say stomach ache?!  In the best kind of way, though, of course!

I think it'll be fun to make cute servings in the individual glasses, true to the verrine!

Here are some other ideas:  http://www.easy-french-food.com/verrines.html

Have a happy, sunny day!

Mid-week Montage

Hi everyone - I hope your 4th of July holiday was as enjoyable as mine!  We ended up grilling out and having friends over on Monday.  We made too much food (I think that always happens, though!), but one of my favorite things that my husband makes is with fresh pineapple.  He puts a glaze of agave nectar and cinnamon on them and then warms them on the bbq for a bit - they are so super yummy!  It was crazy hot outside, but a few of us braved the sun, to play washers.  Most of all, I was just happy to be able to spend time with friends and was thankful for the freedoms we enjoy.  Here are some pictures from the last week and what's been going on with me...



On a walk with Chris



Not ready to use it yet, but my new tote for fall



A card I made for a friend



Cute little lakeside bistro set from World Market



Feeding the ducks down by the lake



What I Wore Wednesday - Bright Summer Day

This fun summer dress is so bright and I love it!  I've worn it a couple of times since buying it and received multiple compliments on the color and cut.  Even better was the price - I really couldn't pass up this buy, from Target.

Have you had a "WOW!" moment lately?

There is a great article in Experience Life magazine, entitled Don't Miss Your Life.  I find that I can easily get caught up in the day-to-day routine and hectic, stressful pace of daily life.  This article is a wonderful reminder to "stop and smell the roses". 
The writer, Joe Robinson, suggests creating a "To-Live" list, that gives you a set of fun things that you'd like to do or experience (sooner rather than later!).  I think it's an even better idea than a Bucket list.  He asks a few questions and gives examples to help jumpstart your fun list, like what places would you like to visit or what activities would you like to try? 
I never thought I would even attempt to run a marathon, but Chris and I did it.  That's one thing from my list!  What would be first on yours?