Date Night Style: Lace & Zippers

Let me start by saying, I have not loved an outfit this much in years...

Who doesn't love a good romper in the summer time?  Especially when it is one as comfortable and cute as this one.  I found this gem of a piece on one of my weekly trips to Target.  I couldn't believe how lucky I was to find such an adorable, sexy piece for the price.  

With the lace detail front, and the zipper back it's the perfect combination.  Plus, it's navy blue, which is my favorite color to wear.  

I love how high-up the lace neckline goes.  With all the details, very little accessories were needed.  I wore my new favorite jacket (two-in-one) earrings, and my navy blue and gold bracelet to match.  

THESE SHOES!!!  I found these perfect brown booties at Target as well, with zippers on both sides to match the romper.  They are seriously one of the most comfortable pair of shoes I own.  I will be wearing these all the time this fall.  

Affordable (thank you Target),

cute,

sexy, 

comfortable,

and

the perfect summer-to-fall transition outfit.  

Summer Festival Style

Something always on our schedule is beer festivals, especially since we own a brewery.  In the past I have worked our booth at festivals so I was always wearing a brewery shirt of some kind. 

 Ever since my little boy made his appearance I rarely get to festivals, but when I do, I am not working them; which means I get to wear whatever cute outfit I want.  Hooray!  

It's no surprise that Texas Summers are brutal and being outside can sometimes be excruciating.  That is why I am loving rompers right now!  I wore my first romper purchase of the summer back in May for UnTapped Fort Worth.  This romper is so lightweight, you can barely feel that you are wearing anything.  The drawstring around the waist gives you plenty of room to move around in, and it's easy to use the restroom (romper lovers you know what I mean).  

I picked-up this little number at Old Navy (big surprise, my favorite store these days).  I was timid to buy it wondering if I would wear it, but I am so glad I did.  I have worn it just about once a week for the past two months.  I paired it with my brown boho sandals (to match my sunglasses) for the perfect festival look.  

You can never go wrong with a black and white romper; perfect for a summer heat wave.

Drink of the Month: Tropical Red Sangria

I love Sangria!  Not the nasty stuff you find in a plastic bottled labeled, "Sangria," but real hand-made Sangria prepared with a good bottle of wine.  

White Sangria has always been my Sangria of choice.  I like Red Sangria, but I always found it to have a weird flavor that I just wasn't a fan of.  I finally realized what the flavor was, it's Brandy.  It seems like most Red Wine Sangrias call for Brandy, and I do not like the stuff.  So I set-out to make one that didn't involve Brandy.
  
It took a couple years, and a few failed attempts that went down the drain, but I finally concocted the perfect Red Wine Sangria for me.  

Most Sangrias are comprised of four main ingredients: wine, liquor, sugar, and fruit.  
*Wine is the easy one, I prefer a dry-spanish wine in Sangria, but most any red wine will work.  
*For the liquor component I used spiced rum instead of brandy.  
*The sugar was no sugar at all, it was Simply Tropical by Simply.
*The fruit was slices of orange and lime (because it's what I had on hand at the time).

Finally, a Red Sangria that I can drink all Summer long.  

Plain White Tee

I have always been a fan of plain white t-shirts, but only if I can find one that doesn't get tattered and faded in the wash.  A few months ago I picked-up this adorable slouchy one from Old Navy for just $12, and it has been my best friend ever since.  

Not only do I love how it drapes, but the material is a thicker, more course one, so it isn't see-through or too delicate.  

Lately, I have been wearing this tee with shorts and sandals, but my favorite way to wear it is with blue jeans and pointy-toe flats.  

The jeans, a steal from H&M, have quickly become one of my favorite wardrobe items as well. (They stretch and have a higher waist, which is perfect for chasing a baby).  

I added my Aventine Collar Necklace, Heirloom Crystal Bracelet,  and a teal Kate Spade bag, and I was ready for a dinner date with my two favorite people.  

*Dinner was Mexican, and somehow I managed not to get any salsa on the shirt.  Outfit for the win!* 

Drink of the Month: Blackberry-Lime-Tequila

I am not a huge fan of Tequila.  The whole, "One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor," thing is pretty accurate.  However, I do enjoy a nice margarita on the rocks when I am chowing-down on delicious Mexican food here in Texas.

The problem with all the margaritas you find at restaurants is they are loaded with fake ingredients and tons of sugar.  You can order a 'skinny' one, but they seem to give you a tiny drink with no more than five sips involved.

So, make yourself a margarita at home and you will not only be happier with the taste and flavor, but you will be happier with the calorie count as well.

Blackberries are in season right now and are plump and juicy, so when I bought a package at Sprout's I knew they were going to be used in my margarita.

Like all margaritas you have to start out with a nice silver tequila.  We had Patron at the house, so that is what I went with.

Next you need limes, duh.  Fresh-squeezed of course.

Then you need a sweet component.  I like to use local honey or agave nectar in my drinks, and I just so happen to have some Spicy Honey on hand (a gift I received from a friend).  Perfect!

Lastly, the blackberries.  Blackberries have so many seeds so you will want to toss them in a blender and then strain them so you get all the seeds out.

Now you can combine all of your ingredients.  The ratio of each is totally up to you.  Do you like it more tart?  Add more lime.  More sweet?  Add more honey.  Fruiter?  Add more blackberry puree.  Or if you had a rough week at work, just add more tequila.

I personally like mine balanced with an equal amount of sweet and tart.  I did go a little heavy handed on the blackberry puree though.  :)

Cheers!

September Fashion: Black & White

September 11th was my 29th birthday, and with it came a dinner celebration with a few close friends at my favorite sushi restaurant. I always have a hard time getting dressed in September.  I want desperately to bring my jeans out of hiding, but it just isn't quite cool enough for it yet.  However, after months of summer dresses, I never want to wear them anymore. That pretty much leaves shorts.

I really enjoy taking a casual pair of shorts and dressing them-up; because they are so much more comfortable than a dress.  

 

I had a cute new black shirt that I wanted to wear, so pairing it with white shorts seemed like the right choice.  I wanted more color, being how it is still Summer,so  the outfit came together nicely with a bright teal purse as my pop of color.  

 I knew with a simple outfit I needed to amp things up a bit with my accessories, so I immediately grabbed  my silver torsade statement necklace form Chloe & Isabel.  It is such a dramatic piece, I love it.  Most days I wear it I get compliments anywhere I go.  With a a studded black leather wrap bracelet and black wedges, the outfit was complete.  

 

You can never go wrong with black & white.  

Happy Birthday to all my fellow Septemberists out there.  

The Art of Summer Nights

With the husband and myself both having backgrounds in art, we jump at the opportunity to visit the local museums; especially when a special exhibit is in town or an event it taking place. 

The Nasher Sculpture Center (Dallas) runs a monthly 'til Midnight at the Nasher, which we recently discovered.  I have no idea how long this event has been going on for, but I loved it so much (I am sad that it took me so long to find out about it). 

Take a picnic, combine it with live music, a movie on the lawn, and a basket of food from an award-winning chef.....Welcome to 'til Midnight at the Nasher! 

We arrived just as the band was going on stage, Whiskey Fold Ramblers, and snatched the perfect spot in-between the stage and the movie projector.  We laid out our blanket and b-lined it for the yummy stuff. 

We picked-up our pre-ordered picnic basket by famous chef Wolfgang Puck and a bottle of wine.  We wanted to walk around the Nasher and take in all of the newest exhibits, but we were hungry so we sat down, poured the wine, and dove into our basket of goodies.  

The basket was comprised of the perfect picnic food.  Crispy Fried Chicken, Potato Salad, Spring Salad, a Fluffy Roll, and even a Mini Sticky Roll covered my plate; and eventually filled my belly. 

It didn't take me long to remove my shoes and enjoy the company of friends. The four of us had a great time catching up with a drink in hand, and great music playing in the background.  Not to mention the people watching was fun and entertaining. 

As the sun fell the band completed their set, and the movie came on.  We had intentions to stay for the entire movie, but since it was a kids film, Where the Wild Things Are, we decided to head out to a bar to continue our evening.  

til' Midnight at the Nasher was a wonderful, relaxing, perfect date night.  I can't wait for the September one, so I can do it all over again. 

Drink of the Week #8: Plantation

 I love basil and I am using it with everything right now...

salad dressing...pasta...cocktail? 

I have a beautiful basil plant that took off the past few months and is providing lovely large leaves.  I've known for a while that I was going to make one of my favorite cocktails with my favorite herb, and I finally did.

The base of the cocktail, which contributes to the flavor-bomb, are basil leaves muddled into submission with sugar and lime juice.  It basically turns into a sweetened pesto.  Combining a healthy dose of grapefruit juice with the basil accentuates the herbal flavor and mellows it out.  Of course you have to add the booze- gin and a small amount of orange liqueur.  

The Plantation is a fabulous summer sipper for front-porch swings and evenings by the pool.  

Drink of the Week #5: Watermelon Popmosa

Popmosa: a cocktail in which a Popsicle is submerged into a glass of champagne. 

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Have you noticed that homemade Popsicles are everywhere right now?  It makes sense, it's summer, it's hot, and a Popsicle is the perfect cool down sweet treat.  The problem is that Popsicles are crammed full of sugar and calories.  However, when you make the Popsicles, you control what goes into it.

When I decided I was going to make my own Popsicles at home I knew I wanted it to be alcohol infused for my Drink of the Week.  I used a cheap mold, created a cocktail, and froze it.  

Big disappointment!  

For starters, because of the cheapness of the mold, I couldn't get the Popsicles out of the mold no matter what I did--- then they melted.  

Basically I tossed aside my cheap Popsicle maker and got lucky with this fabulous one from World Market for only $9. 

I still really wanted to make a Drink of the Week in Popsicle form, especially being the Fourth of July, so I did.  

I turned my Popsicles into this weeks Drink of the Week, The Watermelon Popmosa.   

HELLO SUMMER

Today is the Summer Solstice, the first day of summer.  While one must fight extreme heat and bugs galore, summer is by far the most popular season.  There is a certain nostalgia that comes with summer that stems from ones childhood; when summers were free from school and spent at the pool, eating ice-cream, and playing with fireworks.  Even as an adult, I can't help but get excited about all the adventure that summer holds.  

I plan on making the most out of my summer...

 

Happy Summer Ya'll, I hope you make the most of it!

Drink of the Week #2: Tropical Jam Smash

When I think of summer cocktails I think of sitting on a beach, bare feet in the sand, with a tropical cocktail (umbrella included) in my hand.  Unfortunately, we have no beaches where I live; but at the very least I can 'pretend' I am at the beach by bringing the flavors of paradise into my home.  

I really do love tropical rum drinks but I steer clear of them because of the calorie and sugar content.  Wanting desperately to bring a little bit of vacation into my life I decided to challenge myself to create a lower calorie rum drink---and I did just that.

The base flavor of the drink was the easy part, I chose a seasonal berry that was on sale, blackberries, and muddled them with fresh mint from my backyard, plus a lime.  Of course adding silver rum came next, but what other liquid could I use to add flavor- a bit of tropical- and not a lot of calories?  I would not think of Pineapple Juice right off the bat, but it sounded so dang delicious.  So, I went on a scavenger hunt for 100% juice, no artificial additives, no added sugar, Pineapple Juice.  I finally succeeded at Sprouts in the organic juice aisle.  Perfect!  

Tropical Jam Smash

• 10(ish) fresh blackberries
• 5(ish) fresh mint leaves
• 1 whole lime, juiced
• Quality, Silver Rum
• Organic 100% Juice Pineapple Juice 
• Beverage Umbrella, Not Included 

1. In a large Boston Shaker muddle the blackberries with the mint and lime juice until all the berries are successfully smashed.  
2. Add 2oz of Rum and 4oz of Pineapple Juice.  Shake.
3. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove all the seeds and pulp from the blackberries (they get stuck in your teeth if you leave them in the drink).
4. Return the mixture to the Boston Shaker with ice and shake, shake, shake.
5. Strain into an ice-filled mason jar (because you made jam....get it?).
6. Top with a spritz of soda water (for a bit of bubbly) and garnish.

Careful, this Tropical Jam Smash is sneaky.  It is so tasty and refreshing that you drink it rather fast, then you realize you want another one, but then the rum starts to kick-in...

Cheers!

Drink of the Week #1: Strawberry Grapefruit Sangria

Welcome to the first post in the Drink of the Week, the weekly blog series where I feature a tasty beverage to wet your whistle.  

As warm weather and sunshine sneaks into summer, I find myself sitting on a patio more and more often.  Whether it's a Friday evening at dinner with friends, the drive-in movie theater, or just our backyard, sitting outdoors calls my name.  Here in Texas we have a limited window when the weather is warm enough to sit outside without being too hot.  

I don't know about you, but when it's hot outside the last thing I want to consume is something that makes me feel yuck.  Beer sounds refreshing, but often makes me feel bloated.  Wine doesn't bloat, but it does make me want to fall asleep in the warm heat of the sun.  Also, a boozy cocktail is boozier than I want to sip on.  Therefore my go to outdoorsy beverage is Sangria. 

My favorite Sangria is any made with Sauvignon Blanc.  For a relaxing poolside ribs BBQ I went with the citrus notes of Grapefruit, Strawberry, and Lemon.  Crisp and refreshing, the perfect patio sipper.  

What is your favorite summer patio beverage?