The Prettiest Statement Necklace

If this statement necklace doesn't make a statement then I don't know what does...

I was so excited when a representative from the Happiness Boutique reached out to me because they have really stylish and fashion-forward clothing and jewelry. The Happiness Boutique is an international online store that sells women's clothing and accessories that are timeless classic with a charming vintage touch. The best part is that their items are very affordable and they offer free shipping which I'm always a fan of!



I picked the Ocean Treasures Statement Necklace because the detailing is absolutely gorgeous and I can't get enough of statement necklaces. As described on the website, it's a mermaid worth necklace full of ocean inspired colors and pearls. I immediately went through my closet to see what would go best with the color combination of the necklace.

I have a "thing" for statement necklaces and I think they are almost a necessity for high neckline tops and dresses so I have quite a few of them in different colors but I honestly think this one is the prettiest of the bunch. 

I like that the necklace goes well with both high and low necklines but I happen to own several high neckline peplum tops which matched perfectly with the necklace.

 
I've already worn it to work and out with friends and seriously can't get enough of it!

I love that the Happiness Boutique has a pretty awesome Customer Rewards Program that allows you to earn points with your purchases which you can redeem for clothing and jewelry.

They also have a Giveaway going on now if you want to enter to win their Art Deco Style statement necklace pictured below.  The winner will be announced this Friday (09.18.2015).

Turkey Fajita Stuffed Peppers

I recently tried this healthier version of stuffed peppers with lean ground turkey and Italian bread crumbs instead of rice and we love how it turned out.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
6 green, red or yellow peppers
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, diced
2 tbsp Worcestershire

1 tsp. Mexican fajita seasoning

10 grape tomatoes, chopped

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup canned corn, drained
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 tbsp Italian spices
1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

What To Do:
1. Cut the top off the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Flash boil peppers for 5 minutes.

2. Cook turkey in skillet with onions, garlic, tomatoes, Worcestershire and fajita seasoning on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add bread crumbs and corn and cook for an additional 5 minutes until turkey is fully cooked.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a spoon to fill each pepper with turkey mixture.

4. Mix tomato sauce with Italian seasoning and top the peppers with sauce. Spray baking dish with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, sprinkle each pepper with shredded cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

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Weekend Rest Up

The weekend was perfectly relaxing and I got to catch up on some much needed sleep so I don't have a whole lot to share. We were supposed to go to Ft. Lauderdale to visit some friends but decided against it since we traveled to New Orleans last weekend and really needed some downtime.

On Saturday I finally got started on my digital photography course (online) which I can already tell is going to be intense considering my schedule is already packed full with work and blogging. Later in the day we went downtown to celebrate my girl friend's birthday.

K and I got some Thai food for dinner and the rest of Saturday night was spent watching the UCF game at home and snuggling with the wrinkly girl.

Sunday morning was rainy which was perfect for sleeping in. The rest of the day was spent blogging, food prepping, watching football, and cleaning. I did a couple hours of the photography class and also Skyped with my best friend. We just got the photos from her wedding back in February which I love although I absolutely hated how the makeup artist made me look like a drag queen.

So thankful for the relaxing weekend before more busy weeks ahead. How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Friday Smiles

 

I'm not going to lie, this week has been pretty rough getting back into the swing of things after experiencing all that New Orleans has to offer last weekend. I have so much catching up to do it's made me lose my mojo for several things including blogging so I'm taking a little break from the usual posts and leaving you with five smiles for the weekend.

#1: If someone notices you with an open zipper, answer proudly *shaking your head*: professional habit.

#2: A bachelor is a man who believes in life, liberty and the happiness of pursuit.

#3: Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

#4: Old people always poke me at weddings (in my case, baby showers) saying "you're next". So I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

#5: This is my husband.

Happy weekend and hopefully I'll be back in full swing next week!

NOLA Take 2

We arrived in New Orleans on Friday night just in time for some dinner and touring Bourbon Street. Our original plan was to go to Acme Oyster House for dinner but after arriving there and seeing the line was out the door, we went across the street to Bourbon House which also had great seafood. K and I shared some oysters, gumbo, and the most delicious crab cake ever!

Since it was already late we went to check out the bar scene on Bourbon Street which is a never a dull moment.

My favorite bar was probably Huge Ass Beers because they had the cider I like and well the name is just funny. Labor Day in Nola is also Gay Pride weekend (as I mentioned yesterday in Part 1) so there were some protesters on Bourbon Street which caused a scene considering the crowd. We saw crazy characters like drunk Homer Simpson and most of K and I's photos together had a funny photobomb of some sort.

On Saturday after touring Jackson Square and trying some beignets, we met up at Lafittes Blacksmith Shop Bar to go on the Bloody Mary's Ghost Pub Crawl with a small group of people who were also visiting and a tour guide, who shared lots of great history about New Orleans along with all the ghosts stories. It wasn't exceptionally scary and we didn't see any ghosts (thankfully) but it was a fun tour.

On Saturday night we had dinner at Oceana Grill. K and I shared more oysters, crab cakes and ettouffe. We clearly couldn't get enough of trying all the seafood but we enjoyed taste testing everything instead of getting big meals.

We also really liked the view from our hotel every morning and the location was perfectly central in the French Quarter near to the Mississippi River.

Sunday was all about some jazz brunch, touring the Mississippi Riverwalk, and then over to Frenchman Street which is where all the locals hangout as opposed to Bourbon Street.

We ate at The Original Pierre Maspero's. I definitely recommend this restaurant for lunch or dinner. So good!

Finally we ventured over to the Decadance festival to walk around and check out all the action. There was so much going on. So many fun costumes, dancing in the streets and just overall craziness. I think the pictures can speak for themselves.

As you can see from the photos, we had a blast touring NOLA and celebrating K's 35th birthday.

Wanderlust Wednesday: New Orleans

I'm back online today just in time for Kate, Kerri and my Wanderlust Wednesday travel linkup. On the 2nd Wednesday of every month, we host WW so feel free to linkup your travel-related posts. I love reading and living vicariously through your travel adventures.

My trip to New Orleans this past long weekend was a fantastic and very hectic time. K and I stayed in the heart of the French Quarter which made it easy to walk around and explore. The only time we took a taxi was to and from the airport. We arrived on Friday night with a loose itinerary and a list of restaurants to eat at. It wasn't possible to accomplish it all in 3 days but we covered good ground and kept very busy from morning til late night. Needless to say we're pretty exhausted but it was all worth it.



The food there is incredible and of course Bourbon Street provides great entertainment and live music all day everyday. What we didn't know is that it was also Gay Pride weekend or "Southern Decadance" so you can imagine people watching was at it's finest and I'm glad we got to experience the craziness that is Labor Day/Decadance weekend. I love attending the Gay Pride festivals in downtown Orlando so it was great to experience it somewhere else.

On Saturday we went to Coop's Place on Decatur St which has amazing local food if you're looking for casual New Orleans style dining. 

We went over to Jackson Square to walk around and check out the art, architecture, and history scene.

The line for Cafe Du Monde was about 100 people deep so we decided to go to New Orleans Famous Beignets Cafe instead for some beignets and coffee.

On Sunday morning we had brunch at Mr B's Bistro with live jazz music which was amazing!

We then toured the Riverwalk along the Mississippi river. Unfortunately the ferry was closed that day so we couldn't make it over to the other side of the river. 

We stayed at the Sheraton off Canal Street. Great location and price and we also had a nice view of the Mississippi River!

I literally have almost 200 photos on my camera and iPhone so it was hard choosing which ones to share. I've decided to split this trip recap into two posts and share photos from my camera today which are more touring the city photos with some food and restaurants we enjoyed.

Part 2 tomorrow will also be food and touring but more of the bar scene which is when my big camera gets put away and iPhone comes out. So check back tomorrow for some of the crazier sites and scenes we experienced in New Orleans.

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