Weekend Recap: Sunday Brunching

Happy Cinco de drinko!
Except I'm stuck in the office working so no drinks for me ;-)

I had a pretty chill weekend. K and I met some friends for happy hour after work on Friday.

I was sick all day on Saturday so that sucked. I finally felt better in the night and spent a couple hours Skyping with my best friend from Trinidad catching up & helping her with some wedding planning. 

I felt so much better on Sunday, so we went for brunch with friends. We tried out a new restaurant that had a brunch buffet with unlimited mimosas.

After brunch, we stopped for some margaritas and live music for pre-Cinco de Mayo celebrations and ended up at a tiki bar where the hubs ordered us some drinks called "Tiger Fuckers" (haha) before we called it a night.

How was your weekend?

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

Friday Roundup & Travel News

It's May already? This year is just flying by!

I had an interesting week, to say the least. The most exciting news first...K and I booked a trip to Chicago in September! We've always wanted to explore this city and when my mom offered to give us her American Airlines miles that were about to expire, we jumped on the opportunity to book a quick trip for K's birthday. The flights were basically free (other than some small fees) so why not?

After booking the flights, I started getting major anxiety about affording the trip itself. We were stuck booking 4 nights instead of 2 or 3 nights as originally planned because of all the blackout dates when you use air miles. So that's four days/nights of hotel, food, drinks, shopping and doing touristy things. It adds up quickly and this was really just supposed to be a quick weekend trip! I was also worrying about taking the extra time off work since we already have some other big trips planned for the year. More about my 2014 travel plans here.

Anyways, I finally decided it isn't a huge deal and it will work itself out.

On Wednesday morning, I got a cute letter asking me to be a bridesmaid for a close friend's wedding in Trinidad in March 2015. I'm so honored and definitely want to see my girl get married to her love but was a little shocked to find out the bridesmaid dress she has picked out is $300+.  Not a huge deal but we gotta factor in international flight, hair, makeup etc....It was just a bad week for me to be thinking about money. 

Well shit got REAL interesting Wednesday night, when another longtime best friend from Trinidad (who is also engaged), told me that her wedding date was finally confirmed for February 2015.  I'm the maid of honor in her wedding. I have to be there. But now I'm in two weddings that are 1 month apart that require international flights, dresses, bridal showers & bachelorettes etc! Anxiety is out of the roof!

Don't get me wrong. I'm extremely excited to be in both weddings because I love them both dearly but I just can't wrap my head around how I'm actually going to afford it all. I think I need a cocktail to calm down the rate at which my mind is racing. Thankfully it's Friday ;-)

On to a few things the lower my anxiety...

~ Sunny days: nothing makes me happier than warmth & sunshine.
~ Free breakfast: the j.o.b had a food truck come to the office on Wednesday bearing free breakfast.
~ Shopping: ordered a new maxi dress, work outfit and thong sandals online and everything fits!
~ NYX butter gloss: Made a trip to Ulta to pick up some new colors of my favorite lip gloss.

Joining Lauren for H54F and Darcie for Five on Friday.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Deals & Steals of the Week

Who doesn't love a good deal? 

There are so many great specials going on this week and with Mother's Day around the corner, I thought I'd share the love and pass on some great savings.

Macy's

I look out for the Macy's Friends & Family discount every year because it can save a ton especially with larger purchases. 

The Body Shop

Ulta

Express

Bath & Body Works

Target Cartwheel App

Where do you usually shop to save or find great coupons/discounts?

Sunny Days Fashion Finds

I'm such a beach girl at heart and love nothing more than wearing cute outfits like this. Fashion to me doesn't include layering on clothes but I know sometimes it's inevitable. Luckily, the warmer days are here and I'm excited to wear what I love the most.

Summer Days by martinis-bikinis featuring toe thong sandals

I've actually been on a shopping freeze for the past few weeks because I've been busy attending bachelorette parties and bridal showers and also saving for upcoming trips.

Luckily, I got a small "raise" last week from the j.o.b. with retro-active pay so I think I can now purchase a few new summer pieces. Never been more excited to shop finally!

What do you love most about summer?

Recipe Swap: Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed cauliflower is a great low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes and it honestly tastes just as good. I posted a similar recipe about a year ago but I thought I would share again for my newer readers.

Ingredients:

 1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets

1/3 cup low fat sour cream

1-2 tbsp butter

 Black pepper to taste

 

What To Do:

Steam cauliflower covered for about 8 minutes or until tender. Place into a bowl and mash mixing all ingredients together. Easy and simple!

Enjoy!

  

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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.

4. Be sure to visit other blogs and spread the love! ;-)

Weekend Sunshine & Fun with Friends

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

On Friday, I had a team building day with work people. We had lunch and then went to a sports bar with simulated golf, car racing, pool, darts etc. It was nice getting out of the office early and catching up with work peeps over some drinks. 

On Saturday, K and I planned a beach day to spend some time together after a few hectic weeks. It was a gorgeous day & we ran into some old friends so it was fun catching up.

After soaking in some sun for a few hours, we went to our new favorite tiki bar/restaurant for some apps and beach cocktails before heading home.

On Sunday, we went to a friend's birthday BBQ and the guys played some basketball in the neighborhood. The weather was perfect this weekend so finally got to work on my tan!

How was your weekend?

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

Take Me to the Beach

Same shit, different day. That's how this week has been so I'm waiting for happy hour & the weekend to come to the rescue in a few hours.

#1: I'm also looking forward to relaxing on the beach tomorrow with a cold one and then grabbing some seafood for lunch. So happy the warm days are here in Florida!

#2: My Easter flowers are blooming and looking prettier than ever.

#3: I bought way too much candy for our Easter party last weekend so K and I have been stuck consuming unlimited "dessert" this week.  No bueno...I'm ready to throw the rest away!

#4: Breakfast made with love. The lush in me also loves strawberry season because my favorite strawberry beer from Abita is out on the shelves :-) 

#5: I had my yearly review at work yesterday and got great scores plus a nice little raise. Less than I was hoping for but it's better than nothing. The good news is they'll be pro-rating it back to the beginning of the year so I should get a nice chunk of change soon. 

Joining Lauren for H54F and Darcie for Five on Friday.

Have a fab weekend everyone!

Thursdays Trends: High-Low Dresses

I have a slight obsession for high-low dresses especially now that the weather is warming up. They're sexy and sleek and can be dressed up with heels and accessories or worn to more casual places with sandals. I have several beach weddings, bridal showers and other parties coming up and I've been shopping around for the perfect high-low dress. 

Haute Hippie Day Dresses · Nordstrom Cocktail Dresses · Alice + Olivia Day Dresses


Where do you shop for special occasion dresses?

Giveaway Time: $200 Stella & Dot Gift Card

These lovely ladies and myself have a fun giveaway for you running now until April 28th. Enter below to win a $200 Steel & Dot Gift Card!  If you aren't familiar with Stella & Dot, they sell really beautiful jewelry and accessories perfect for the modern day lady.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone! 

Triple Berry Trifle

I made this Trifle for our Easter dinner party over the weekend and it was a hit! It's easy to make, you can use low calorie/low sugar ingredients and it feeds a whole lot of people.

Ingredients:
2 boxes of instant cheesecake pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 large container of strawberries, cut in halves
1 small container of blueberries
2 cups Cool Whip
1 prepared angel food cake
2/3 cup raspberry jam

What To Do:
1. Whisk pudding with milk according to package instructions.
2. Cut the Angel food cake horizontally into 3 layers. Spread raspberry jam on each layer and cut into 2" cubes. Sandwich two squares together.
3. Place half of the cake pieces into the bottom of the trifle dish. Layer with strawberries and top with pudding mix. Repeat layering and top with cool whip.
4. Decorate the top with strawberries and blueberries.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 3-5 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

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.

Easter Festivities with Friends

Hope everyone had a great Easter yesterday! 

I had Good Friday off of work so it was a nice long weekend and finally got to catch up on some Zzzz after the NOLA Bachelorette trip. Easter is the one holiday we don't celebrate with family because we just can't swing the 3 hour x2 (there and back) drive on a Sunday, so we threw an Easter potluck dinner on Saturday for friends.

I made deviled eggs and we baked a ham, roasted a turkey and everyone brought a dish so we had tons of food & desserts. It was fun catching up with the girls and everyone had a good time playing cornhole & ladder ball in the backyard. Of course cocktails and shots flowed throughout the night because that's just what happens with our group of friends.

 
A few friends brought their kids so I made some Easter goodies for them.

Two friends also both brought Easter lilies for me. They're so pretty but let's just hope I can keep these babies alive. The orchid K bought me a few weeks ago has already started to perish....Need some green thumb advise!

This triple berry trifle was also on the menu for dessert. It was my first attempt at making a trifle and it came out SO good so it'll be featured on the blog tomorrow for our Recipe Swap every Tuesday.

How was your Easter weekend?

Joining Molly & Carly for Funday Monday.

Easter Dinner Entertaining

Can you believe it's Easter already?

We're having some friends over on Saturday for an Easter potluck dinner. I plan on baking a ham and frying a turkey but, of course, I'm running around like a chicken with no head trying to decide on last minute dishes for the party.

Carrot Crescents Stuffed with Chicken Salad

Deviled Eggs

Pineapple Glazed Ham

Paleo Sweet Potato Stuffing

Corn Casserole

I made this for Thanksgiving last year and have been craving it since.
 

Skinny Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

What's your favorite dishes to cook for Easter dinner?