See it. Like it. Do it. Breakfast Date

Over the weekend, Aaron and I changed up our date night routine a little. Instead of going out to dinner, our standard date night affair, we instead got up early Saturday morning and went to breakfast.

What I wore: dress: Loft, earrings: Target, necklace: Salt on the Rocks via Girl and Closet giveaway, wedges: Target

Kelly, a local blogger I recently met (find her at 26 East), wrote a post about a cute little breakfast place called The Classic Cookie. It’s located in Waldo, a neighborhood in Kansas City that’s not far from where we live. So we decided to check it out. 

It’s a small, charming restaurant; our breakfast was delicious and so were the freshly baked cookies we took home to enjoy (not too much) later. Aaron ordered his favorite, biscuits and gravy, while I took down a breakfast burrito. We left full, happy, and ready to take on the day (or take a food coma-induced nap). Thanks for the recommendation Kelly!

I loved my breakfast burrito but I can't wait to go back and try the Belgian waffle. What’s your favorite breakfast food? 

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Deja Vu: Red Skirt 2 Ways

Last week I allowed myself to splurge on one item when I went to J Crew, and I chose this bright red skirt. At $80, it was a lot more than what I usually spend on a skirt, but I know I’ll get a lot of wear out of it, even in the fall. I already wore it twice over the weekend, so it’s off to a good start.

I styled it casually on Friday, and paired it with blue and white for an all-American look. (I was getting a little excited about the Olympics starting—did you watch?) I’ve had my eye on these boat shoes from Target for a while, and when they went on sale I snatched them right up.

Tank top: Gap Outlet; skirt: J Crew; necklace: gifted; belt: Loft; shoes: Merona, Target

For church yesterday, I dressed up my new favorite skirt with a white tie-neck blouse. I added pearl earrings and polka dot flats to complete the look. 

Blouse: Loft; skirt: J Crew; earrings: Kohl's; flats: Madewell

Linking to Two Birds for Inspiration Monday (inspiration: this photo of Ashlee Simpson)

Deja Vu Red Skirt by shealennon featuring a chain necklace

Have you splurged on anything recently?

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See it. Like it. Do it. Strawberry Margarita Spritzer

I didn’t plan it that way, but this week coordinated perfectly with National Tequila Day. I made fish tacos, had dinner and margaritas at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, and to top it off I made these Strawberry Margarita Spritzers.

I first saw this drink on Glitter Guide, and I got the recipe on the My Recipes website. This refreshing cocktail is perfect for summer: it’s like a daiquiri and a margarita rolled into one. To me, it was a little light on tequila, so I snuck a little more into each drink when I served them. 

I’m linking up with Long Distance Loving’s Friday’s Fancies for today’s theme: Favorite Summer Treat. Who doesn’t like to treat themselves to a pretty cocktail in the summertime?

Have you mixed up anything fabulous behind the bar lately?

 

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Mint, Coral, and Anchors

I’ve been feeling like a sub-par fashion blogger because I haven’t had anything mint in my wardrobe. I know, I know, it’s the “it” color; how can I not have any mint?! Well friends, you can stop speed-dialing the fashion police, I finally picked up a minty-hued t-shirt at Gap Outlet. 

Cardigan: J Crew Factory Store (anchor print t-shirt); t-shirt: Gap Outlet; skirt: Old Navy; necklace: boutique in Boulder, CO; sandals: Merona, Target (slightly different orange pair)

Naturally, I wanted to pair it with my coral anchor print cardigan. Mint, anchors… what’s missing? Chambray, of course. My outfit was completed by a summery chambray skirt I purchased at Old Navy last year. 

Stay tuned... I'll share what I'm drinking here on Friday.

Now I can really call myself a style blogger. (You know I’m kidding of course. Sometimes it’s good to have a little laugh at myself and the whole world that is personal style blogging. I love it though, you know I do.) 

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Dinner Tonight: Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos

Nothing completes a hot summer day like a light, healthy dinner. (Except maybe a large bowl of ice cream. Or both.) I was craving just such a dinner, but in addition to that I wanted Mexican food. I was able to satisfy both with these Mahi Mahi fish tacos.

I first came across the recipe on Audrey Allure, and saw that she got it from Self magazine online. The mahi mahi is marinated in a combination of lime juice and tequila, grilled and topped with lime crema, cabbage slaw, and avocado slices. I swapped the corn tortillas for flour, but otherwise I kept the recipe the same.

I made some rice to serve with it, adding cilantro, lime juice and butter to plain ol’ white rice cooked in chicken broth. I ended up with a fresh-tasting, healthy dinner that was hearty enough for my meat-and-potatoes-loving husband. 


What's your favorite summer meal?

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White Shorts for Hot Days

What is it about traveling, even if only for a weekend, that is so exhausting? We went out of town again this weekend, this time to visit family in Hutchinson, Kansas (about a three hour trip). While it was a nice, relaxing and fun time, I feel completely worn out.

Top: Old Navy; shorts: Loft Outlet (similar); necklace: c/o Swell Caroline via Blog Biz Buzz KC; sandals: Steve Madden via 6pm.com

This is what I wore for our trip on Friday, so hopefully you’ll excuse my car-induced wrinkles. I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful scenery of Aaron’s dad and stepmom’s house in the country for the photos. I can’t say we spent too much time enjoying that scenery though: it was about 105 (or more) degrees outside all weekend. 

Outfit inspiration: this look from Golden Divine and #StyleMeJuly "long necklace". Linking to Monday Mingle at Bon Bon Rose Girls. 

So, more shorts. I’ve been looking wistfully at my jeans drawer. Missing them. Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to wear them again. I’m just glad I bought a few new pairs of shorts this summer so you’re not seeing the same couple of pairs in every post. 

Clearly, I’ve been living in my shorts this summer. What are you living in?

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Feeling French in Stripes and Dots

Next week, I’ll pick a new theme, I swear, but for now it’s dots and stripes. Thinking about all my recent dot purchases in my last post made me realize that I still haven’t blogged about these shoes. And if they’re not blogged about, it’s like they don’t exist, am I right?

T-shirt: Anthropologie; shorts: Loft; necklace: Dean Harris for Target; belt: Gap; shoes: Madewell

I’ve had them since May, but this sauna-rific summer hasn’t given me many opportunities to wear anything but sandals. And when I have worn them, somehow it’s on a day that I’m not taking pictures. While yesterday was certainly a sandal-appropriate day, I stuck it to the weather and wore them anyway. (Not that the weather cared, my poor hot feet were the ones that suffered.)

I’m linking up to Friday’s Fancies at Long Distance Loving, and today’s theme is Euro Trip. Stripes and black pointy flats always make me feel French, so in my dreams I’m headed to Paris.

These shoes were also my "black and white" for yesterday's #StyleMeJuly. 

Sorry, I couldn't help but sneak a gratuitous baby-holding shot in there. Addie wanted in on the picture taking action! (Or at least I pretended she did.) 

Where would you go on your dream vacation? 

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See it. Like it. Do it. Polka Dot Shorts

I think it’s pretty safe to say I’m smitten with the polka dot trend. I think I like it because, just like stripes, it’s so easy to incorporate into my wardrobe and mix with other patterns.

I’ve seen so many cute pairs of polka dot shorts lately, but with the recent influx of polka dot items in my closet (pants, top, shoes) I’ve held back on buying any. Then I came across this adorable DIY from Say Yes to Hoboken.

With a pencil eraser and some acrylic paint, I could spruce up a pair of shorts I already own! I immediately grabbed this dark denim pair lurking at the back of my shorts drawer and set to dotting them with pale pink paint (leftover from this shower project). Now I have a “new” pair of whimsical polka dot shorts, and I didn’t spend a dime. If only everything were that easy.

Here's how I styled them: 

T-shirt: Gap Outlet (similar); shorts: DIYed by me; belt: Old Navy; sandals: Steve Madden via 6pm.com

What have you crafted lately? Please share, I’d love to know!

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Dinner Tonight: Red Beans and Rice

Aaron and I recently had dinner at a restaurant called Jazz, which serves New Orleans-style food. I tried their delicious jambalaya but regretfully didn’t order any red beans and rice. Since then, I’ve been craving it like crazy.

So I called upon Martha Stewart and found a recipe for New Orleans Style Red Beans. I added some seared sausage (I used a spicy chicken version) and served it up over rice. The beans and sausage had the perfect amount of spice, and they balanced out perfectly with sweet cornbread muffins (from the Jiffy box, the best kind).

What’s on your menu tonight?

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Deja Vu: Cargo Vest

Nothing like a memory-filled weekend spent in my old college town. My husband’s college roommate got married over the weekend and had his wedding in Manhattan, Kansas where Aaron and I both went to school. It was so much fun reconnecting with old friends and revisiting old haunts. (And realizing that I can no longer party like my college self. But I sure did try!)

Anyway, today’s post is all about one of my favorite things in my wardrobe: this cargo vest from Old Navy. It was such a staple in my fall and winter wardrobe, but I nearly forgot about it this summer. 

Vest: Old Navy (similar); t-shirt: J. Crew Factory; shorts: Gap Outlet (similar); necklace: Salt on the Rocks via Girl and Closet giveaway; belt: Loft; sandals: Steve Madden via 6pm.com

After seeing a few blog posts featuring similar vests (like this one from Mae Badiyan) I had the urge to take it out of hiding and style it up for the hot weather. So today I have two summer-friendly looks featuring the cargo vest. I imagine that a denim vest would be a great swap for the cargo version as well.

Vest: Old Navy (similar); tank top: Gap Outlet (similar); shorts: Loft Outlet (similar); earrings: Kohl's; necklace: gifted; sandals: Steve Madden via 6pm.com

Deja Vu: Cargo Vest by shealennon featuring strappy sandals

How would you style a vest for summer?

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A Wedding Uniform

Grab your black cat, walk under a ladder and open that umbrella indoors—it’s Friday the 13^th! Are you superstitious? I’m not about Friday the 13^th (or black cats, for that matter), but I am very careful with mirrors and you might see me throwing salt over my shoulder from time to time. You can’t be too careful.

Dress: Loft (similar); earrings: Loft; necklace as bracelet: boutique in Paris; shoes: Nine West

Today’s Friday’s Fancies theme at Long Distance Loving is “Wedding Guest”. It’s perfect timing, because I am going to a wedding tomorrow. Usually, I post outfits that I’ve already worn here on the blog. Today, I’m posting what I will be wearing tomorrow. (That sure will make getting ready a breeze!)

This dress is an oldie, but definitely a goodie. I got it two years ago when I worked at Loft, and it’s still my favorite dress to wear to weddings. It’s ridiculously comfortable and keeps me cool for my favorite part of a wedding, the dance-until-I-drop part. (Luckily these shoes are more comfy than they look.) Paired with shades of purple, I’m ready to go see a fellow K-Stater get hitched. 

Do you have a favorite dress to wear to weddings? 

 

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