Taste of Mint

I wore this Jones NY tweed dress and mint J. Crew blazer to work.  I love the summery vibe that the jacket adds.  I added some sweet mint earrings to keep with the theme.  My shoes are a new acquisition from Kohl's by Ralph Lauren (on sale!).

The Animal Instinct

A day of hanging out with my little one. I have gotten into the bad habit of only wearing stud earrings for a really long time. I have LOADS of long earrings just waiting to be paraded out but for some reason I just stopped wearing them. It has been so long that I now feel like I look a little silly in such big earrings. My friends assured me that's not the case but I can't help it. I'm not used to seeing myself with such big ear decorations anymore! I am trying to break the habit and give my jewellery collection some more love. Is there anything that you've stopped wearing for a while and now feel a little silly when you do?

Top: New Look, Jeans: Topshop, Shoes: Penneys, Earrings: Gift

 

Xx

Dill Shrimp Goodness

This is one of my favorite summer recipes.  I actually grew dill in  my garden this summer.  It was so satisfying to just hop outside to get the dill for my recipe!  I found this recipe originally on the famous Cupcakes and Cashmere blog.  I adapted it and what I did is set out below.

It really is best to make this recipe ahead of time so that it can sit and the flavors can congeal.

Ingredients
Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
Directions


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drainand pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley,cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Fabulous Friday

Once again, it is time to play "Give it a Miss, Give it a Go or Give it to Me" where I'll post pics of celeb outfits and you can tell me whether you wouldn't wear it (give it a miss), like it and might wear it (give it a go) or love it and want it (give it to me).

Here is this week's contender...Kat Graham. All pics taken from GoFugYourself and you should check out that site too...very funny and witty stuff!

So, what do you think?

Dueling Pianos

Joshy and I went to go see a concert at the outdoor venue by my new work.  They put on a very good show.  Unfortunately it was also 100+ degrees, so we didn't close down the show.   I wore a yellow tank with wee strawberries on it and a yellow ribbon on the back with white J. Crew shorts.  I believe that Shea and I both bought these tanks at Urban Outfitters awhile ago!

The concert was at Stinson Park in Omaha next to Fidelity (my new company's) office. 

Here are the dueling pianos

That's Bloomin' Lovely!

As a little update to this post, here are some of my garden flowers in bloom! They are really coming along nicely and I am so surprised I haven't managed to kill them yet. I even got my other orchid to bloom!! It actually has two more blooms since this picture was taken...delighted with myself! I don't really know what the secret is...it gets plenty of sunshine and I water it probably every other day. Seems to be working! xx

And here's a new addition to the garden! A cute little tealight holder :D

Farmer's Market

I wore this casual outfit to the farmer's market not long ago.  I find myself often wearing white tank tops under dresses to help them to be less revealing.  I wore this linen green dress (another Plato's closet find), an Express jean jacket, and Morocco necklace from Premier to check out the produce at our local Farmer's market.  I LOVE sugar snap peas.  I'm so sad that their growing season is over.

Here are a few a close ups of the necklace. 

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Paint Splatter Top

I have posted about this top before...maybe even this outfit actually! It is one of my favourite tops I own. I'm a big fan of comfortable clothes and this is soooo nice to wear. Not tight or clingy but it doesn't look like I'm trying to hide anything either (at least I don't think it does) even though it is loose and flowy. The long sleeved top is also in one of my favourite colour hues. And a rare time when my hair was left down! It didn't last long unfortunately but I made sure to get a pic before I had to put it up again :D 

Top: Next, L/S Top: Urban Outfitters, Jeans: Topshop, Shoes: Penneys

Xx

Deer Springs

Last weekend my husband and I visited Deer Spring winery.  It is literally five miles from my house though it is technically in Lincoln.  This is the lovely barn just outside of the "tasting house".  They have pretty good deals on tastings there.  You can pay $5 and try five wines! 

There were tables outside the house where you could enjoy your wine outside. 

Here's me and the husband. I was rocking my sweet dress I purchased from Plato's closet during the winter.  I added the "Morocco" necklace from Premier jewelry that I have been coveting for several seasons now.  I love how delicate it is. 

Today is also the day that my lovely husband turns 29! Happy Birthday love!

Fabulous Friday

Once again, it is time to play "Give it a Miss, Give it a Go or Give it to Me" where I'll post pics of celeb outfits and you can tell me whether you wouldn't wear it (give it a miss), like it and might wear it (give it a go) or love it and want it (give it to me).

Here is this week's contender...Marion Cotillard. All pics taken from GoFugYourself and you should check out that site too...very funny and witty stuff!

So, what do you think?

Gradation

This was my outfit for casual Friday my first week of work.  I love the gradation of darker colors on this hem Simply Vera dress from Kohl's. I added a soft brown flowy cardigan to stay warm in the office.  I have to admit my new office is not as super cold as my old one, which I really appreciate!  I added this new cross necklace from Premier jewelry. 

This corn field is in the middle of my neighborhood.  All of the lots in the middle of the O shaped neighborhood are still for sale.  So, the owner grows corn there! This is the view from the front of my house. 

Mustard and Polka Dots

I sort of just quickly threw this together when I was rushing to get ready for the day. My dad, aunt, sister and brother-in-law were here (as I previously mentioned) and this was taken the day they arrived. So, I'm cheating a bit, I know...sorry...but I actually forgot I took it! They arrived bang on time (which never happens) so I was taking my time picking out something awesome. I think this turned out pretty good though I didn't have time to do anything with my hair.  We were off to dinner only a small time after I scrambled out the back to take this :D

 Dress: Penneys, Cardigan: Dorothy Perkins, Leggings: Dunnes, Shoes: Penneys

Xx

Happy Birthday to Me!

Okay this isn't a fashion post...I actually didn't end up doing anything today. Hubby made me a yummy dinner (with a big piece of chocolate cake for dessert!) and we watched The Muppets with Rory (who was quiet for most of it). It was a quite night in with my little family and I loved it. And just for fun, here's me in 'cartoon version' drawn by my hubby's cousin Xx

Thanks a Braidy Bunch!

This is how I like to wear these grey jeans! I've brought back the teal top from Penneys and the gold leaf necklace. My hair is braided again but this time I braided from the top instead of the bottom so it is sticking out a bit more on the side. I think I look slightly evil in the last pic...oh well, maybe it's more like sexy evil ha! And a big thank you to Angela for her awesome birthday gift which arrived in the post just in time. I will be modelling some things she sent me soon! :D

 Top: Penneys, Jeans: Charlotte Russe, Boots: Penneys, Necklace: New Look

Xx

Fabulous Friday

Once again, it is time to play "Give it a Miss, Give it a Go or Give it to Me" where I'll post pics of celeb outfits and you can tell me whether you wouldn't wear it (give it a miss), like it and might wear it (give it a go) or love it and want it (give it to me).

Here is this week's contender...Britney Spears. All pics taken from GoFugYourself and you should check out that site too...very funny and witty stuff!

So, what do you think?

Sunday with the Seminarians

I wore this dress I purchased from the Pretty Penny blog store to Church and for breakfast with our Seminarians.   I added silver Nine West flats that have the cutest bling on the front.  I call them my Cinderella slippers!

We go to St. Leo's Catholic Church in Palmyra, Nebraska.  It has been an interesting experience.  All of our other churches have been quite large.  There are approximately 20 to 40 people at each mass at St. Leo's.  The church is very small and was built in the 1880s.   It's very sweet that we have gotten to know people so quickly because our church is so small.

On Sunday we had some Seminarians at mass, they were visiting our parish for the week.  Seminarians are priests in training.  Apparently they really don't have classes to teach priests about the business and practical aspects of running a parish!

Oddly enough, the next day was my first day at my new job.  My assistant, named Andrew, was actually a Seminarian.  He only had three years left and he would have been a priest.  He's a very interesting guy.

May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favour

I seem to be on a 'book' kick lately with my titles. Think it's just because I'm finally catching up on some long overdue reading! I really enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy...anyone else read them? I thought the movie version was quite well done also. Perhaps taking some inspiration from Katniss, I have found that braiding my hair like this is sorta my new favourite thing. It's really simple and I think it looks cool too :D

 Top: Target, Cardigan: Deliahs, Jeans: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Penneys

Xx

Green with Envy

This is the outfit I wore on for my last day at my old job.  This dress is such a fun light fabric.  I love the shiny green hue.  It is from Antonio Melani.  I wore a necklace of glass beads by Premier and Sofft black patent leather pumps.  These pumps are so comfortable.  I really cannot rave enough about Sofft brand shoes.