Last week I shared some early access picks here, but I wanted to share another round of Nordstrom steals before it’s a free-for-all on Friday! These pants I feel a seriously strong connection to (as in I’m pretty sure we are meant for each other), and I have a PMD and have really been loving it.
I’ve also been perusing the Cupcakes & Cashmere collection both here and here, and kind of want everything, but it could just be because I have a mega girl crush on Emily Schuman. Have any of you shopped her collection yet and if so, what do you think?
Note: today is also Amazon’s Prime Day – some seriously amazing discounts on all kinds of items! If you are in the market for some new gadgets, now’s your chance. Discounted kindles, Ray Ban’s, watches and cameras.
AND, to you early access Nordstrom shoppers – tell me what you’ve scored so far! Not a cardholder? Don’t sweat it. You can still preview what’s on sale and get your picks ready when the sale goes public on Friday.
I’m a sucker for a maxi dress and one that looks as tropical-ready as this one is a no-brainer. Our first night on Catalina Island required a little fancy and I pulled this number out for oceanside dinner with Christian. When he first saw me he said, “that looks like something you wore at Rosewood Mayakoba!” I wore so many backless maxi dresses I snagged off of eBay on our honeymoon. So for the brides out there – this would be such a fabulous honeymoon dress! I’ve also linked more white maxi dress options below in the details.
– a quick and easy DIY to add a little marble contact paper to the bottom shelf of our bookshelf –
– having the idea to cut bougainvillea from our patio for a floral arrangement and wondering… WHY have I not thought of this earlier!? –
– packing for a quick trip to Las Vegas –
After a whirlwind week, I’m doing what any logical person would do when they’re exhausted… heading to Vegas! It’s a quick 36-hour trip with a direct, one-hour flight, so I will back in town on Sunday to celebrate my birthday with Christian. I am dragging him to have high tea with me at a tea salon near our house (because my birthday would be the only time he would eat tea sandwiches and drink tea with me with a smile on his face), and then hoping he gives me the vacuum and teacups/saucers I’ve requested. SERIOUSLY!? I am sounding older and older by the minute.
This week has been full of blog dinners, happy hours and work events, and the earliest I’ve gotten home is 9:00pm (this is where Christian sings a la Justin Timberlake “cry me river”), so I am actually really looking forward to a low-maintenance birthday. I’m turning 28… which I have to share because I feel like you probably think I’m turning 65 based on the paragraph above. I’m not mad about it. Every year I turn older I’m more and more comfortable making decisions and following my intuition.
I was recently listening to a podcast that talked about ego vs. intuition and learning to trust your intuition in times that required important decision-making. Your ego tells you to do the thing that looks the best to the outside world, while your intuition tells you what you’re made of – your conscious, your integrity. I’m a religious person, and I’ve always felt that the gut feeling I feel is God guiding me to the right choice. The older I get the more confident I am to stay true to myself, which makes me feel like this.
Thank you so much for reading, for sharing your kind (and often hilarious) comments, and for making this blog one of the most fun and rewarding things in my life. Love you, mean it – XO –
If you haven’t seen it all over your Instagram feed yet… early access to one of the best shopping holidays of the year, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, is ON for Nordstrom cardholders! I think this is such a great time to snag a major deal on some of those name brand items you might not be able to budget for full-price.
In years past I’ve scored Frye boots, designer jeans, perfumes and handbags at a serious discount. Today I’m rounding up some of my favorites for those of you with early access! Don’t have a Nordstrom card? Don’t sweat it, you can still see what’s marked down, you simply can’t complete your purchase until the sale is available to all shoppers on July 17th.
I’ve also included some extra items that I think are great deals below in the product thumbnails – this bag? Tassel everything, yes please.
Thanks so much for reading, and Friday’s Five will actually be shared tomorrow. Friday’s Five on Saturday… that doesn’t make sense you say? Well it actually sums up my manic life right now because I feel like I’m all over the place on four hours of sleep with work and blog… so I’m going with it, as it feels fitting! #Jesustakethewheel Happy weekend, babes! XO –
A great pair of distressed denim is what dreams are made of. I practically live in my 501 shorts in the summer – I’ve had them for five years now and the more worn in, the better. These espadrilles might be the cutest ones I’ve seen yet, and this necklace has my name written all over it.
What are you wishing after this week? My birthday is on the 12th… so I’m working on getting my wish list in order. It’s really wild if I tell you what’s on there now… additions to my everyday china, a bundt pan so I can make Christian a chocolate chip poundcake, a pet rumba, a new slipcover for our ottoman, a new kettle, and a ginger jar.
My friends tell me, “you’re like a 60-year old in a 27 year-old’s body… but, like, you’re still a good time.” I think the latter part is just to soften up the first part. Christian told me my birthday list was a little sad, and I was like “well I mean I could ask for a Chanel bag and black Louboutins so if you’d like me to jump ship I surely can.” So I’m trading in the Louboutins for a more affordable bunt pan… because that’s a normal trade-off.
I love a lazy afternoon with a Bloody Mary. I can remember my grandmother making me virgin Bloody Mary’s at family get-togethers when I would ask what she was drinking. She taught me a few important details for the drink — lots of olives, lots of celery and serve it in a McCarty glass. Today I’m making my favorite Bloody Mary in a Mason jar so you can see the ingredients better, but trust that I still love drinking them in McCarty glasses!
I shared this recipe a few years ago, but honestly the pictures were so frightening that I wanted to start fresh, so here’s my favorite recipe, and it makes two drinks.
Ingredients:
4 oz vodka (added last)
3 cups tomato juice (I like to use the Garden Patch juice from Trader Joe’s)
1 TB Worcestershire
juice of one lemon (keep peel to use on the rim of the glass)
2 tsp olive juice
2 tsp horseradish
1 tsp hot sauce
freshly ground pepper
1 tsp Old Bay, plus extra for the rim
Garnish with:
a lemon wedge
2 stalks celery
a few olives
a pickle
Mix the top ingredients together (without the vodka — that comes later), shaking well to make sure the horseradish is blended properly. Run the lemon peel from the juiced lemon along the rim of your drinking glass. Pour some Old Bay seasoning on a flat dish or your cutting board and dab the glass rim in the seasoning. Fill glass with ice, pour the vodka and fill the rest of the glass with Bloody Mary mix. Toss some olives, a pickle and celery in that baby and add a lemon slice if you’re feeling fancy.
And there you have it! If you have a recipe you love I would love to hear it! Thanks so much for reading y’all and thank you to my fabulous 87-year-old Grammy for teaching me how it’s done. XO –
It’s safe to say this white ruffled romper is a summer obsession of mine. I love how polished it is with a little feminine ruffle and party in the back. I also think it would look so cute with a chambray shirt knotted in the front.
Christian was working on the 4th, so we celebrated on the 3rd with a day at the pool, a picnic with Bailey and cooking together at the house while arguing between old Sex & the City episodes vs. The Discovery Channel. So basically it was our usual summer day! Sidenote: I think this is why I’ve always been an Aidan fan. If I relate to Carrie, C is most definitely Aidan. Like this scene? Tis my life – down to the dog. And this scene? Been there, done that.
“No, I’M taking a walk. You can stay here with your boxes of shit and your shoe-eating dog, and you can knock yourself out putting on the rogaine and the speedstick!”
I have so many favorite scenes I could talk about it for hours. Do you have a favorite SATC scene? I need to hear it!
– snagging this ottoman for $25 and creating a makeshift sectional for lazy lounging –
I’m not going to lie, my holiday weekend started after lunch on Wednesday and it’s been real nice. It’s amazing what adding an extra day or two to your weekend can do. Christian has of course been working, but I’ve used the time to dig deep into some house to-do’s (like getting our guest bedroom ready to reveal – have you seen the snapchat snippets, @CBLied?) and do some blog work, and I’m feeling refreshed and mega grateful for the extra time!
This week I’ve been toying with a lot of new beauty products, and First Aid Beauty and Marula Oil are two brands that are rocking my world. You know that smell when you enter a spa that makes you close your eyes and take a big inhale? Marula Oil has bottled it in their face lotion. Can’t stop, won’t stop – I adore the scent and the satin feeling after applying. I’m an addict!
This sleeping cream is another incredible new discovery that is so great for the dry months here in California. I love pairing it with this eye treatment to get some maximum beauty sleep.
Other than that, I plan to drink some champagne and spend some time at the pool before I’m out of town every weekend in July. What are your holiday plans?
And last but of course not least, a big thank you to all of those who have served this country for our freedom, including both mine and Christian’s grandfathers. It’s so important to remember what our flag truly stands for.
Love to y’all, have a fun and safe weekend and thank you for reading! XO –
When Christian and I first moved to California, we made a short bucket list of places we wanted to visit (also mentioned here). Catalina Island was on the list, so it was just a matter of time before we hopped on the ferry to visit this ridiculously adorable town.
With Christian’s job, we don’t have the ability to plan that far in ahead, as his hospital schedule is constantly changing. So we had a few weeks notice to plan our Catalina trip, and it meant most of the hotels in town where we would have like to stay were booked. Thanks to TripAdvisor, Christian found out about these little condo rentals in Hamilton Cove, and it must have been meant to be because now that I’ve visited, I wouldn’t want to stay anywhere else! Scroll on down to see what we did in Catalina and my recommendations for anyone planning the trip.
After reading some reviews and talking to some of my coworkers, I made a short note in my phone for places to visit while we were there. Our condo rental came with a golf cart, but if your accommodations don’t include one, I would recommend renting one. There are no cars on the island and very few cabs – plus let’s be honest – driving around a golf cart everywhere is pretty fun! Here are some of the things we did that I’d recommend:
Dinner at Bluewater Grill – a view of the boats and yachts and delish seafood can’t be beat!
A visit or peek inside El Galleon for karaoke – because it’s hilarious.
Lunch and a Buffalo Milk at Descanso Beach Club – according to reader comments they have the best Buffalo Milk cocktail on the island!
Sushi and wine/beer tastings at CC Gallagher – my favorite meal during our visit (and we would stop by periodically for their delicious coffee!).
Zip Line Eco Tour – I’ve zip-lined in Mexico and Christian has zip-lined in Belizé, so he wasn’t up for it – but I think the next time we visit I will force him.
An ice cream cone from Big Olaf’s – the smell is intoxicating!
Renting a pedal boat.
And that’s about it! The island and town are very small, so the best part of all is relaxing and slowing down to that island pace. Have you visited Catalina? If you have any spots you think I missed I’d love to hear!
So many adorable pieces I’m loving this week! For starters, does this bag not remind you of the much more expensive YSL tote that is all over the place? Love.
This necklace (which you may have noticed me wearing here) was a design collaboration between one of my good friends Jenn of Haute off the Rack and Elizabeth Stone. I can’t stop wearing it – it looks beautiful with everything! Check out the full collection here and tell me it’s not stunning.
I also love this linen blazer and think it could look so chic with white denim and a tank. I tried these wedges on in Nordstrom and was instructed by a sales gal to snag ’em while I could because they’re constantly selling out! I’m now thinking I have to have them. Le sigh.
What’s on your wish list, guys? Don’t keep it from me. Thanks so much for reading! XO –
I’m going to be real with you guys – this was one of those nights that I was going to a group dinner with Christian and asked him to snap a few photos beforehand. He gave me – oh, I don’t know – about six minutes of photo taking and then ushered me back to the car, saying he didn’t want to be late because he wasn’t sure if the restaurant would seat everyone without the whole group being present.
He tucked me in the car without letting me take a peek at the photos.
We were the first ones to the restaurant and it took almost half an hour for the group to be seated.
I mean… am I bitter about it? Of course not (sarcasm)… but reflecting on the situation I’m all, “you could have told me my hair was ridiculously flat.”
We’re letting it go and moving forward.
I like the idea of a polished pair of shorts. Perfect for warm weather, yet sophisticated if paired appropriately. I’m all about a shorts suit (major throwback here), so these I Love Tyler Madison shorts fit right into my wardrobe! Except this is not a suit to wear to work. Except for at my job, where there is no dress code (one of my favorite parts of the gig!).