Carrie Bradshaw Lied

Watermelon and Basil Salad

This is what I call a girl meal. Christian was out of town recently for his vacation week while I was still working, so it meant it was full-on girl mode. This usually means wine and cheese, but thanks to some help from April Norris of Optimal Vitality Wellness, I have a new stack of healthy, fresh summer recipes that I plan to take major advantage of!

April organizes seasonal wellness programs to revamp your energy, mind, digestion and overall health. Christian and I both enjoy eating healthy (not that I don’t love Cheetos so much I could marry them – I will never deny the truth), and when I mentioned April’s program to him he was definitely up for it.

I’m the kind of girl who can’t stick to a juice cleanse… I usually cheat six hours in. With April’s program, if you slip it’s ok. There are so many recipes to choose from and you can be as intense as you choose. Even better? You have the documents and recipes to hold onto forever, so you can always jump back on the wagon later!

I love this watermelon salad recipe that she’s allowed me to share with you guys. So delicious and summer fresh – even better when accompanied with a glass of Seven Daughters Wine (which is not on the program… so don’t tell!).

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped watermelon
1 cup spinach
6 basil leaves, chopped
2 TB pumpkin seeds
1 lime, juiced

Directions:

Mix everything together other than the lime juice. Add the lime juice last. Optional: add a source of protein (chicken, fish).

Do you have a favorite summer salad? Don’t keep it from me – do share!

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Friday’s Five

– remembering this view of Catalina –

– this self-tanner that I’ve been using to maintain my Hawaii / Miami tan –

– new mules that I’m wearing with everything –

– getting these photos and video of Bailey while she stayed with a host family when we were out of town –

– a mid-week show with Christian… even if he ended up losing his car in the parking garage afterward (did you guys see that Snapchat, @CBLied?) –

Friday, we meet again. And I’m always happy to see you, no matter the circumstances.

This weekend we’re at home with a little trip to Venice Beach on Sunday. Christian is working tomorrow, and I’m attending a Bloomingdale’s event and plan to catch up on life at home. I’ve been struggling lately with waking up on time, getting things done, being present enough to have a decent attention span – and I’m realizing I need to do some shifting in my priorities. I am pretty OCD and can be a perfectionist about certain things (can’t we all?), and when the bed hasn’t been made in a week – it’s a sign that I’m not balanced.

Lately I’ve been praying to have peace about some upcoming projects and life choices, and I recently have felt very secure with the future and what it holds. I read this quote this week, “the greatest enemy to great is good,” and I mean… can we just insert praise hands here!?

On another note, thank you so much for all of y’alls recommendations and kind words for our trip to Catalina Island last weekend! I honestly couldn’t believe how much the area reminded me of a summer trip to Greece years ago, and it was hard to believe this little Mediterranean-looking village is only an hour away from Orange County and LA. Per your requests, I’m putting together a list of recommendations from our trip that should hit the blog next week – stay tuned!

What are you guys doing this weekend? Any tips for becoming more centered when you’re feeling off balance? Thanks so much for reading and sharing. Love you guys! XO –

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Strawberry Pickin’

For weeks I’ve been asking Christian to go with me to pick strawberries at Orange County’s local farm, Tanaka Farms, and we finally made it happen after church a few Sundays ago. You may have seen a snippet of this in Friday’s Five here!

Christian’s family owns a small farm in the country with cattle, fruit and vegetables – so his ears definitely perked up when we received a quick tour around the farm and tasted different summer vegetables (I could eat the fresh green beans all day!). We had so much fun picking strawberries and eating strawberries, and I already can’t wait to go back in the upcoming months to pick watermelon, fall vegetables, pumpkins and a Christmas tree.

Have you ever been strawberry picking!? What did you think?

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Wednesday Wish List

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Bring on the colorful summer! We are finishing June Gloom in Southern California and it’s definitely time to amp up the beach weekends and cheerful wardrobe. How cute is this dress that comes in 3 colors? It’s on sale for under $50 and the aqua has me hooked.

Also – Shopbop is also offering an additional 25% off of sale items through the end of day Thursday with code 25MORE – so now is the time to shop that sale section if you’re looking for some summer steals (like this adorable crossbody or this perfect vacation dress).

What’s on your wish list? Don’t keep it from me! Thank you so much for reading – XO –

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Friday’s Five

– eating strawberries all week that I picked with C –

– a new favorite curling iron that gives perfect summer waves –

– an ottoman that reminds me to return to Paris with the hubs –

White Sperry Sneakers

– bike rides in the neighborhood –

– sprucing up my summer beauty collection with these new favorites from Wander Beauty and Borghese –

Hey hey Friday! This summer Friday is a little extra bright because my guy is back in town and we are heading to Catalina Island this afternoon. We’ve had this little weekend trip on our bucket list since we first moved out here (along with being a guest at the Chelsea Lately show which definitely didn’t happen. #RIP.), and I know Christian is so excited to explore the island. I think the ferry ride over will be fun but what’s not fun is the limited luggage requirements. Oy vey.

On another note, I’ve never really been into Snapchat or Vine, but once I had to learn more about it for my day job, I signed up and have been Snapchattin’ under the name CBLied. I do dig sharing the ridiculous snippets of day to day – Christian lecturing me for buying things I don’t need and Bailey sprinting down the hall at work like a maniac – but I also feel it encourages me to be on my phone nonstop, and that’s the last thing I need to introduce in my life. I already feel glued to my phone enough, you know!? How do you guys feel about Snapchat? I’d love to hear.

Thanks so much for reading – y’all have a beautiful weekend! XO –

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White Nights

This is like the best of my Miami Vice summer inspiration, and I’m into it. I wore this ensemble to dinner in downtown LA and I realized it was the first bodycon style dress I’ve worn in quite some time. I’m all about a shift dress or roomy outfit, as I like to say – it leaves more room for tacos – but sometimes you gotta pull out the zsa zsa zsu (as Carrie Bradshaw would say). And I often forget that less fabric can actually be more flattering.

In this Lulu’s midi and moto jacket duo, I was channeling my inner J.Lo. Of course my favorite J.Lo is Jenny from the Block. As I mentioned in my instagram sneak peek of this outfit, if my husband’s ex-girlfriend was Jennifer Lopez I would just give up.

She doesn’t age. I don’t understand, but Lord, please help me to understand.

photos by my Dad

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Wednesday Wish List

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I mean… is this romper not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? I think my friend Krystal has something similar and with her long legs, she makes this beauty a 10. I also can’t get enough of this sarong that can be worn so many different ways and even comes in three colors – genius!

I can’t get enough whites and blues in the summer – something about the crispness against a summer tan just can’t be beat in my book. Christian and I are heading to Catalina Island this weekend for a quick getaway and I’m going to be sure to pack plenty of beachy pieces for our golf cart rides around island!

What’s on your wish list!? Thanks for reading! XO –

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Summer Bucket List

with my blogger besties Haute off the Rack, My Style Diaries & A Pinch of Lovely

I recently saw this post of one of my longtime favorite bloggers and I loved the concept of making a to-do list for the summer. It’s easy to have a fun summer in Southern California because there is always so much going on, but by making an actual list it puts my hopes and goals in a much more realistic place.

The most challenging on this list? #3, #4, #9 and #10. Oy.

1. Pick watermelon at Tanaka Farms.

2. Spend a full day reading at the beach watching Christian surf.

3. Organize the garage so Christian can squeeze his car in on late nights at the hospital (we’ve had a car towed at 3AM after our neighborhood ran out of spots… good times!).

4. Finish redesigning our guest bedroom and share the grand reveal (!!).

5. Spend a lazy weekend in Palm Springs.

6. Have high tea at Paris in a Cup.

7. Paddleboard on the harbor.

8. Have a picnic and listen to the summer concerts in our neighborhood.

9. Spend one day a week without touching the computer.

10. The inevitable goal… to wake up early with Christian in the mornings.

What are some of your summer goals!?

PS – BaubleBar is offering 25% off all necklaces TODAY ONLY with code SUMMERSTATEMENT. Don’t miss out on some of my faves! Thanks for reading – XO –

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Olive Green Jumpsuit

It’s times like this that California takes my breath away. When I was staying in LA with my parents while they were in town, I would look out the window in Silver Lake and think… am I in Los Angeles or Italy? The beauty in the bougainvillea, succulents and greenery never ceases to amaze me.

My Dad snapped these photos for me before we went to a family dinner in West Hollywood, and forgive me for the wrinkles but hey – it means I really wore this ensemble all day, right!? Realness.

This scarf doubles as a blanket you guys – I mean, WHAT. Talk about investing in multipurpose pieces! I can already imagine taking it to outdoor concerts this summer.

photos by my Dad

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Friday’s Five

– poolside watermelon in Peixoto –

– my week being made with this incredible fashion illustration by Waltz in Water Illustrations –

– my newest addiction to avocado oil jalapeno chips –

– a visit to The Getty Museum for a picnic lunch –

– the prettiest flowers from BloomThat –

PS – CBL10 is good for $10 off first time purchases (with a minimum order of $35)

The past few weeks have breezed by so quickly that it has me longing to slow down. With so much travel and so many visitors (not that I can complain, because those are two of my favorite things!), it’s been go-go-go from my day job work week to weekend play, and I’ve been up until at least 1AM most nights working on blog posts so I can keep this space consistent. So this past Sunday when I got home from LA, I put all my to do’s to the side, because there will always be to do’s. I told C to put on his swimsuit and we took it to the pool for a few hours of straight nothing, laying on the air mattress of the water, also known as my flamingo pool float (obsessed).

With summer trips to Catalina Island, Vegas, Palm Springs and the Dominican Republic in the works… it’s not going to slow down anytime soon so wheels up! I can sleep in my 30’s… right?

It was sad to see my parents go home earlier this week. I had so much fun dragging them all over town and handing them over to my brother for some LA time. I brought them to my workplace and everyone loved their sweet Southern-ness! This weekend I plan to go wedding dress shopping with my bridal bestie and drag Christian to Tanaka Farms to pick strawberries before it becomes watermelon season.

What are you guys up to? And what’s your favorite way to slow down when the world around you is spinning!? Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Nautical Outfit

The pairing that no one can mess up – nautical stripes with crisp, white denim. Always stylish, always classic and effortless in my book. I wore this to dinner with my parents when they were in town and again, my sweet Dad took these photos! And while my Dad was handing his glasses to my mom while he tried to take the perfect photo, my mom was chuckling to herself catching up on The Fat Jewish on her phone, trying to read the funny ones out loud.

So basically it was the usual.

These wedges though. So cute and seriously, so comfortable. I’ve been wearing them with everything after I saw them on my blogger bestie! I’m addicted. I can’t rave about them enough. A++, my shoes of the summer.

photos by my Dad

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Father’s Day Gift Guide, II

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Last week I shared some of my ideas for the Dads in your family (Father’s Day is June 21st), but I wanted to follow up with some more options for the dudes. This towel matches the apron I shared last week that is now sold out, and I think they’re basically the cutest things ever.

My dad has one of these smart watches and is obsessed. Between my parents and I, we were all counting our steps at Disneyland and each reached over 20,000 steps (over 10 miles)! My parents have had a good time comparing they’re daily steps/calories burned/miles, and I think it’s definitely a great health tool to easily strap on your wrist that is also functional as a source of time and alarm clock. #winning

Have any great ideas for Father’s Day? I would love to hear them – I’m always looking for tips! Shopping for guys is hard especially because I’m so not in tune with the latest gadgets and outdoor accessories.

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Explore The Blog

Shop Around

Watermelon and Basil Salad

Friday’s Five

Strawberry Pickin’

Wednesday Wish List

Friday’s Five

White Nights

Wednesday Wish List

Summer Bucket List

Olive Green Jumpsuit

Friday’s Five

Nautical Outfit

Father’s Day Gift Guide, II