Weekend Happenings

Before I get into my weekend recap, I just want to shout out the birthday girl Kate...wishing you a HAPPY birthday today and wonderful week ahead! xo

About the weekend...
On Friday after work K and I went out to the new Duffy's Sport Bar & Grill in our area for some happy hour, casual dinner, and light sports watching to unwind after a long week. The firecracker boneless chicken wings were amazing plus you can't beat 2 for 1 drinks.

On Saturday morning I went to my hairdresser to get some highlights and cut a few inches off. Who doesn't love walking out of the salon with a fresh new cut? I took an obligatory selfie which I'm supposed to be trying to master per Kerri's selfie tips but still not quite there yet.

I was then off to Marshall's to pick up a few things and lunch was had at Pom Pom's Teahouse for an amazing turkey & cranberry chutney sandwich and lavender iced tea. Saturday afternoon was spent at home relaxing, blogging and attempting to take Lola for a walk.

It started raining and storming again on Saturday evening so it made for a quiet night at home. I used the time to start researching and planning our trip to NOLA. Thanks to all the ladies who gave me some awesome suggestions! I now have a game plan of places to see, restaurants to eat at, and we also have a historic ghost tour booked for K's birthday.

We did a ghost pub crawl in Savannah, GA for my 30th birthday a couple years ago which was a blast (Savannah trip recap) so I can't wait to learn more about the history and spookiness of New Orleans.

We also tried out Key West Southernmost Wheat beer on Saturday night which is delish!

Sunday was a great day for sleeping in and then being productive around the house. We had some eggs, bacon, and cantaloupe for breakfast, took Lola out for a walk, and then I finally made use of my Conair Foot Bath and did an at-home pedicure while watching Orange is the New Black.

It was the perfectly relaxing Sunday to recoup for this work week!

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Not So Sunshine State + Friday Favorites

Happy Friday everyone! 

We had another hot yet rainy week here in Central Florida and you know what rain does? Yup, it makes people forget how to drive... which then causes major traffic and just when you're running late, the train decides to go by. The struggle is real but I know it could be worse. Much worse.



Yesterday consisted of sitting in the car outside of Trader Joe's for 20 minutes while it poured and then finally taking a run for it. All for the love of wine and cheese. Both of which I'll be enjoying this weekend.

It looks like the rain is going to continue for the next few days so it should make for a fairly low key and relaxing weekend. OK enough bitching about the rain and getting into some fun favorites for the week.

Cutest Article:

Loving this article about 21 Things Only a Bulldog Parent Would Understand. All very true!

Vacation Planning:
I should actually say vacation lack of planning. Our trip to New Orleans is coming up in a few weeks and I've done nothing. We do have a hotel booked so that's a start. I'm usually a big planner and have a loose itinerary to follow so I really need to get on this. Maybe I can start off with some suggestions from you... restaurants, tours, sites & scenes? I'm all ears here.

The last time (and only time) I went to NOLA was for a bachelorette last year (recap here) and as you can imagine, we really only covered the bars and party areas. I want to cover a lot more ground on this trip and learn the history, go site-seeing, indulge in some good food, and do a couple of tours.

Shopping Finds:

I've actually been on a shopping freeze since we're saving up for said trip but my mom generously gifted me with some new blouses for work. All light and airy tops yet professional looking.

1. High Low Bow top (pictured below)
2. Burgundy V-neck Top
3. Floral Peasant Top

Everyone knows I'm a sucker for anything with bows.

Healthy Recipe:
This Chickpea Avocado & Feta salad looks delish and a perfect salad for the summer.

Some Friday Funnies:

Cheers to the weekend! May 5 o'clock come sooner than later :-)

Linking up with Amanda over at Meet at the Barre.

Pink & Rose Gold

Pink and rose gold, when paired together, is such a fun, feminine, and classy look. I'm no fashionista and rarely get to dress up other than for weddings and the occasional work or charity event. I also wasn't a big fan of pink up until recently but I've slowly been adding more pink clothing and accessories to my wardrobe. Here are some pretty pink and rose gold pieces that can be mix and matched together to create outfits for work and play:

1. Motif Pavé Triangle Pendant Necklace  2. Cap-Sleeve Sheath Dress  3. Benidorm Square Flash Sunglasses

4. Flared Poplin Shirtdress  5. Pave Huggie Earrings  6. Opi Nail Laquer, Kiss Me On My Tulips

7. Samantha Cropped Floral-Print Pants  8. Mac Flat Out Fabulous Lipstick  9. Jet Set Crossbody Bag 

10. Rose Golden Bradshaw Chronograph Watch  11. Boucle Tweed Bustier Dress  12. Padlock Toggle Bracelet, Rose Golden

13. Graphic floral resin iPhone case  14. 'Glam' 57mm Retro Sunglasses  15. Samantha Cropped Shantung Pants

Mount Dora Day Trip

A few weeks ago K and I planned a day trip out to Mount Dora in Lake County, Florida which is about an hour away from our home in Orlando. The small city is quaint, historic, and overlooks Lake Dora and a few other lakes. I thought it would be the perfect day trip and a great way to spend a Sunday.

We started off in the cute downtown area and walked around browsing different antique shops, a tea room, a doggie bakery, and a few other shops.

We then went on to check out some historic buildings and architecture scattered throughout the downtown area.

We also stopped by to check out the atmosphere and menus of some of the restaurants. A few of our favorites were Cecile's French Corner, Pisces Rising and The Goblin Market.

It was a hot summer day in Florida, so we decided to settle at The Lost Parrot for a cold drink before continuing along. The bar area was quiet with only one other patron but it was a nice spot to cool off and listen to some music.

Finally we headed to check out Lake Dora which was fairly quiet with a few people walking around and some others boating and jet skiing on the lake.

It was a nice day to walk around and explore somewhere new. We were also really impressed with some of the restaurant menus so would love to go back for lunch or dinner one weekend.

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Link-up Rules:
1. Follow Kerri, Kate and myself on Bloglovin
2. Link up your favorite travel recaps or travel related posts
3. Grad our Wanderlust Wednesdays button and link back to our blogs
4. Be sure to visit other blogs and build your travel bucket list!

Baked Pesto Salmon & Tossed Balsamic Salad

Baked pesto salmon is one of my favorite dinners to make during the week because salmon cooks very quickly. We usually eat it with a side of veggies such as broccoli or zucchini but this time I tried it on top of balsamic tossed salad and wanted to share the recipe because it's a quick and healthy meal.

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh Wild Sockeye Salmon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp. pesto
1 tbsp. minced garlic

Tossed Salad:
 Romaine lettuce, chopped
Raw pecan halves
Dried cranberries
Crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Light balsamic vinaigrette



What To Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash salmon in cold water and cut in half to make two 1/2 lb fillets.
3. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, pesto and minced garlic. Use basting brush to evenly spread pesto mixture on top of the salmon fillets.
4. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and bake salmon for 18-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon fillets.
5. While the salmon is baking, prep and toss salad with all the ingredients listed above.

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.

Weekending

Another relaxing and quiet weekend for the books. 

Friday night consisted of happy hour drinks after work, takeout dinner from Jason's Deli, and a movie from Redbox. We watched Get Hard with Will Farrell and Kevin Hart which was pretty funny. Nothing spectacular to write about but good enough for some casual unwinding after a long work week. Lola of course enjoyed the quality couch time.

Saturday was an overcast day so I got a bunch of errands done along with grocery shopping, cleaning and blogging before heading out to meet up with some friends at a local watering hole.
 

Sunday was another lazy yet productive day around the house - laundry, crockpot cooking, blogging and relaxing. I'm enjoying the downtime while it lasts before some more traveling and busy weekends in September and October.

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending Linkup.

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!

If you read my post on Tuesday you might have seen there's a new link party on the block called Share The Love hosted by Pamela from A Little Glitter which takes place every other Tuesday. I think it's a great way to feature other bloggers and share their posts that are worth reading. This week I posted about some Selfie Tips from Kerri at Cheshire Kat.



Speaking of Kerri, we met up for happy hour yesterday at Marlow's Tavern. Marlow's was throwing their 2nd anniversary celebration with some great happy hour deals. They gave us some cotton candy (cotton is the tradition for 2nd year anniversaries), we had some drinks and appetizers, won some door prizes, and also managed to walk away with some free cupcakes too. Fun times but blogger fail for not taking a selfie with the pro herself!

Favorite Jewelry & Accessories Shop: 
I just stumbled upon Earrings Nation jewelry this week on Etsy and they have some gorgeous pieces along with beautiful earrings and such for brides and bridesmaid gifts.

 

Favorite Recipe:
This Thai Chicken Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce recipe sounds amazing. I'm a fan of anything with peanut sauce.

Cutest Social Media Post:
I've been following Boo for a while now and I still can't get over how cute he is.

Free Money!
Love getting paid to shop from Ebates. I've made a total of $235 since signing up a couple years ago. This check isn't as big since I haven't done much shopping recently but it pays off nicely around the holidays when I do most of my shopping online. Who doesn't love free money?

Joining Amanda for her weekly Friday linkup and hoping she's having a blast in Charleston with two of my other favorite bloggers.

Enjoy your weekend pretties!

The Little Black Dress

That little black dress. Every girl needs one. It's your go-to dress that's flattering and comfortable yet stylish. It's your plan B dress when all else fails. It's your saving grace.

It doesn't have to be expensive or a designer brand. It just needs to fit your body in a perfect way that makes you feel confident. The best thing about your little black dress is you can dress it up with any color and combination of accessories/shoes/purses transforming it into a new outfit every time you wear it.

All of these are from H&M and are very affordable under $40.

1. Sequined Dress    2. Fitted Dress    3. Off-the-shoulder Lace Dress

4. Flared Dress    5. Strapless Jersey Dress    6. Short-sleeved Jersey Dress

7. Chiffon Dress    8. Lace Dress    9. Jersey Dress with Lace

10. Dress with Lace    11. Sleeveless Chiffon Dress    12. Sleeveless Dress

13. Sleeveless Dress    14. Sleeveless Chiffon Dress    15. Lace Dress

10 Affordable Date Ideas

1. Tour a local winery or brewery.

2. Take a day trip to a nearby city or town to walk around and explore. 

3. Hit the gym together and while you're there relax in the sauna to unwind.

4. Go out for Sunday brunch and then stroll through your local Farmer's Market.

5. Cards Against Humanity always makes for a good laugh.

6. Seek out free concerts in your area. I know we have several throughout the year.

7. Go for a jog around the neighborhood and/or take your dog out for a nice long walk.

8.  Make some sandwiches or a cheese platter, pack a blanket and head to the park for a picnic when the weather is comfortable outside. If you live in big cities like New York or San Francisco this can also be very interesting for people watching ;-)

9. Explore a local street festival. Most cities have several festivals year round centered around different things such as food, drinking, music, or different cultures which can be really fun to check out.

10. Go out for your favorite dessert whether it may be ice cream, gelato or cheesecake. Take the time to disconnect from your phone and social media and connect with your significant other.

Share The Love: Kat's Selfie Tips

I love the idea of Pamela's new Share The Love linkup so I wanted join her today and feature another blogger's post that I enjoyed reading. Kerri from Cheshire Kat is not only a great artist but also writes really fun and creative posts and is an in real life friend of mine who's a blast to hang out with and enjoy some laughs & drinks.

She recently posted some Selfie tips that I thought were super helpful so go check out her post and learn a thing or two. Selfies are one thing I still haven't mastered and rarely post on my blog or social media. I mean, I have posted them before say right after a hair appointment when I was having one of those "I feel beautiful" moments but overall I suck at taking selfies. Or maybe I just don't like photos taken so close up to my face? Anyways, I think Kerri convinced me to give it another shot and maybe just maybe I'll post more selfies in the future.

Here's the link if you want to check out her Art Shop.

Happy Tuesday!