Getting Back into the Swing of Things

After going out of town last weekend and then the holiday on Monday, it's been hard keeping up with the blog, the job and life in general. I'm hoping this weekend helps me get back on schedule and catch up on some things around the house, blogging and my favorite thing ever - sleep!

Reminiscing from last weekend in St Pete Beach, FL & watching pretty sunsets from the hotel room. 

Some other things that made me smile this week...

My orchid started blooming again after I thought I'd officially killed it.  It just started budding like crazy last week and then came this pretty flower. Maybe I do have a green thumb? 

These beauties showed up in the mail yesterday - scored them from the Kate Spade 75% off sale.

Despite being completely unmotivated all week, I managed to make a few dinners at home. These were skinny ground turkey fajitas until I added cheese but everything's better with cheese ;-)

The 2-week countdown is on until we're in Punta Cana for another wedding & to celebrate our anniversary. I follow the resort on instagram and they've been posting the most beautiful photos. I can't wait to be there with friends and unlimited frozen cocktails!

Even though it was a short week, I'm ready for the weekend and some R&R.

Did anyone else feel like the long weekend kicked them in the a**?

Joining Lauren for H54F and April for Five on Friday.

Summer Dresses & Sandals

Maxi dresses, rompers and thong sandals have been the object of my affection for summer. I've actually been able to find some cute summer dresses at Kohl's for very reasonable prices including this dress I wore over the weekend to a beach wedding.

I've always wore solid colors but all the new prints now available on the rack have grown on me and who doesn't love a pretty pair of sandals to go with it?

 What's your favorite clothing or accessories for summer?

Memorial Weekend & Wedding Festivities

Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend! 

I had a pretty hectic weekend but got to spend Memorial day yesterday relaxing at home before the start of another busy work week. I left work early on Friday to head to St Pete for a friend's wedding that evening. We checked into the hotel and got dressed. Our hotel room had a pretty sweet view of the beach.

On Saturday everyone hung out at the beach and at the hotel tiki bar/restaurant. It was a sunny and beautiful weekend on the West Coast and I have to say St Pete Beach is one of my favorite beaches so it was the perfect way to spend the long weekend with friends.

On Sunday we checked out of the hotel and headed home but first we had to drop off a friend downtown so we stopped off at a Ray's bar right outside the stadium for some lunch and drinks. There was a Rays vs Red Sox game that evening so the bar was packed with people tailgating before the game. 

Monday was a lazy day at home getting laundry and stuff done around the house.

How did you spend Memorial weekend?

Joining Bella & Lisa for Weekend Recap.

Happy Memorial Day!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday today and having the day off work.  I just got home from two nights out at the beach for a friend's wedding celebration so we're having a relaxing day with some grilling and possibly cold beverages this evening.

Have fun and be safe!

Oh, and I'd like to leave you with a scary thought for today:

Does this look good on me?

Beach Bound for the Long Weekend

I've been looking forward to this weekend for months now since we plan to spend it with friends out on Florida's west coast. We're going to a wedding tonight at a resort on St Pete Beach and the rest of the weekend will be relaxing on the beach, catching up with friends, BBQ-ing and inevitably drinking way too much. Let's not fool anyone here!

*Announcement* Tuesday Recipe Swap will be taking a break next week 05/27 due to the holiday on Monday.

I met up with Kate for lunch on Wednesday since her new job is literally walking distance from my office so we got to catch up and start planning our trip to Chicago later this year. We'll be meeting up for more lunches & happy hours in the future since we work so close together now.

I was most excited to come home to find this package from Blue Avenue waiting for me. The dress is just as gorgeous in person and fits perfectly. Blue Avenue is Jordon's brand new online clothing store with some pretty fabulous pieces (plus free shipping). Go check it out!

Last minute trip to the nail salon to get my nails prettied up for the weekend. I swear I love walking into the salon and hearing "Hello Emily" by all the ladies and they remember exactly what I like to get done. They also get me in and out quickly on my lunch break so no waiting around.

I was supposed to get my hair done last night just in time for the wedding today but my hairdresser cancelled on me last minute so I stopped for some happy hour drinks after work. I'm pretty bummed my hair is going to look like crap for the long weekend. Ah well!

I NEED to remember this for the weekend!
(and well, for every wedding, birthday celebration, bachelorette, etc...)

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial weekend!

Joining Lauren for H54F and April for Five on Friday.

Kate Spade Surprise Sale

It's always exciting when KS has surprise sales especially a whopping 75% off. It's the perfect chance to get the purse or pair of earrings you've been eying for a fraction of the cost.

A sneak peak of some of my favorite sale items:

Kate Spade Clothes and Shoes · Kate Spade Flats · Kate Spade Watches


Click here to head over to browse the sale. Sales ends tomorrow!

Recipe Swap: Chicken & Veggie Kabobs

Kabobs are a favorite in our home because they're easy to make, healthy and you can use any variety of veggies to your liking. I posted a similar recipe before here with a different variation of veggies.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts

Mojo marinade

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

 1/2 yellow onion

wooden skewers

Serving size: 8 kabobs

What To Do:

Cut chicken breasts in large chunks and marinate for about 30 minutes in the fridge.

Cut all the veggies into squares and assemble with chicken onto the wooden skewers.

Preheat the grill.
Cook 15-20 minutes on medium-high heat rotating them every 3-5 minutes.

These are perfect for summer grilling and BBQ parties.
Some other veggie options you can use are zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant or cherry tomatoes.

 

Enjoy!

  

Rules:

1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin.

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

Weekend Retail Therapy, Relaxing & Fun

Hope the weekend treated you well and Monday didn't come too soon as it tends to do.

I had a pretty relaxing weekend spent around town. We have some busy weekends coming up so it was great to get stuff done around the house and not be on a schedule. 

On Saturday, K and I went to my favorite Caribbean restaurant for lunch and then I got some retail therapy. I had Kohl's cash to use so I got some cute outfits & accessories for summer and our upcoming trips & beach weddings.

 

On Saturday night, I baked some quiches for dinner (and the leftovers are great for breakfast). I posted a recipe here a few months ago. So good and easy to make!

We also enjoyed some of our favorite beers & watched movies at home. 

On Sunday, we stopped by a friend's pool party to hang out and then went to the movies to see the Neighbors. I thought it was pretty funny but not as hilarious as I was expecting based on some reviews. Still recommend it and worth seeing. Zac Efron is a total cutie!

How was your weekend?

Joining Bella & Lisa for Weekend Recap and Molly & Carly for Funday Monday.

May's Group Giveaway

I've joined up with Natasha from SerenityYou and several other ladies to bring you May's Group Giveaway.

200 x 200 Ad space on This Workmans Life
150 x 150 Ad space for 60 days on Organized Chaos
and $15 viaPayPal

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

Cheers to the Weekend!

Hope everyone has some fun stuff lined up for the weekend or maybe some R&R? I plan to do a little of both! This girl loves getting a break from an alarm clock and a schedule.

I finally got to try out the Red Velvet wine by Cupcake Vineyards on Wednesday night. It was really good considering I usually prefer white wines. Pinot Grigio being my fave.

 Scored 2 movie tickets for $10 on LivingSocial.com so we plan to go see Neighbors this weekend. I've heard from several people it's hilarious!

Some pretty new pieces arrived in the mail for an upcoming wedding. I also ordered a high-low dress to match but it doesn't fit so I need to exchange it this weekend.

K has mastered the art of cooking Chicken Cordon Bleu and I'm not complaining. Love yummy dinners at home! I posted his recipe here last year.

Anybody else a Daddy's girl? Today's my Dad's birthday so I want to wish him a fabulous birthday. Sad my parents live so far away and can never celebrate birthdays, father's day etc. but they're coming to visit in just a few months.

How was your week?

Joining Lauren for H54F and April for Five on Friday.

#TotalSocial: There's a First for Everything

I'm excited to join Helene and Sarah today for their new #TotalSocial linkup and since there's a first time for (almost) everything that's what I'll be sharing today.

One thing I wasn't blessed with is a good memory so remembering exact dates/ages is a hit or miss but I'll attempt to give it a go!

First car:
 Hyundai accent, manual transmission.
Couldn't drive it off the lot by the way. Took another couple weeks to figure out how to shift the gears *die*

First sports: 
Swimming & ballet. Those are sports right?

First time shaving:
10 yo without permission from my parents.

First pet:
A pomeranian named Rosie. He was a male pup btw.

First paying job: 
Around 14 yo working in the mall at a home decor store.

First car accident:
Ran into the back of another car while trying to merge only 3 weeks after getting my license. Dad was in the passenger seat so he dealt with the other driver and insurance etc cause lawd knows I wouldn't know what to do.

First concert:
Journey & some other bands. The concert got rained out and I was knee-high in mud by the end. A sight for sore eyes when I finally returned home to my parents.

First regrettable hair style:
That hideous boy cut I got when I was 8 or 9. Remind me to burn all the evidence!

First time purchasing a home:
Three years ago in March 2011

First tweets:

(Awkward...I've never been especially good at Twitter)


First Martinis & Bikinis blog post:
November 8th, 2012


What's some of your memorable firsts?