Obsession: The Maxi Dress

Well, OBVIOUSLY I would be obsessed with maxi dresses. They are flowy, pretty, feminine and... let's be honest, they cover a multitude of sins. Hello, perfection. For some reason I am little bit embarrassed to admit this, but I love me some J-Simp style. She goes a little overboard in the heels department, but I love her big hair, big purses, big style... good sh*t. And she loves herself a good maxi! Proof:

R.I.P Daisy

I would like to buy 4 months worth of these babies so I could wear one a day until Fall. No, seriously. But since I can't, let's just pretend right here. I would buy all of these!

1. Pink maxi from Alloy

2. Floral maxi from Top Shop

3. Leopard DVF maxi from Harvey Nichols

4. Jersey tube maxi from Calypso Barth

5. Tie-dye maxi from Alice + Olivia 

Now since I am on a zero-based budget, I hit Old Navy to find a maxi for Memorial Day Weekend and I was SO in luck. They have a huge selection and I came home with this one:

Kind of excited! I hope everyone has a great summer kick-off weekend- if it's anything like mine is shaping up to be, hope it's full of beer gardens, outside concerts, BBQs, family, day drinking and Farmer's Markets. 

Here's to a good one!

xo

Blog Crush: Rosie Freaking Pope

LOVE THIS LADY. Admittedly, I am obsessed. I think she is the best on the Bravo line-up (shhhhh, don't tell Rachel Zoe, who has been my leading lady for years). But I do. She is quirky and funny and when I get knocked up, I want to look like her. Just in case you have doubts that she truly is worthy of usurping Team Zoe, read on.

She has great style and... those legs!! Turns out being a ballerina for half your life gives you killer legs.

She always looks at her clients as though she is completely perplexed by them. It is so endearing and also hilarious. I wish I could get away with that.

Her maternity line. Would it be weird if I bought the diaper bag just as a purse?

Her adorable family- husband Daron, sons J.R. and Wells, as well as brand new baby girl Vivienne. 

Her cute lisp.

Now, go get pregnant and watch Pregnant in Heels and let's all go shopping at her store. 

xo

Camping, Sponsored by Pimm's

Well, we did it. Last weekend, we had spent one night camping at Viento State Park, just outside of Hood River. It was so, so, so peaceful and relaxing and full of summer kick-off booze.

Pimm's Cup- the best thing out of Britain.

Recipe: On the Rocks

1 part Pimm's

2 part Lemonade

Handful of fresh strawberries

We wanted to make dinner over the fire to make it extra camp-y, so obviously we had to make Spit'n'Chews. Joe made fun of me, thinking this was a classic mix-the-words-up-moment, but I Googled it and bam. Spit'n'Chews! 

Recipe: 

Aluminum foil 

1 onion

5 carrots

3 sweet potatoes or baby reds

4 celery sticks

4 brats (cubed) or 1 lb of stew steak

Salt

Pepper

Hot Sauce

Chop everything up (OR chew it and spit it into the foil if you're hardcore). Then lay out 2 sheets of foil, place as much of each ingredient you want in the center of the foil. Season it to your liking, add a dash of hot sauce, then wrap it all up into an envelope. Then once your fire has beautiful orange coals, plop the foil packages right in the middle of the fire for about 15 minutes. You will start to hear it sizzle, which is the best sound- grab one, check if the veggies are soft and if so, take 'em out! Season more if you'd like and best of all... enjoy!

On Sunday, we went on a little impromptu brewery tour which... let's be honest. Not surprising. First stop was Full Sail Brewing Company. I've never really liked their beer (shhhhh, I feel bad) but there is really something about drinking it straight out of the brewery tap... it tastes damn good. My favorite was the amber beer, but the picture below is Joey's IPA. It is a fun place, good atmosphere, brewery tours and an AMAZING view of the Gorge.

Then we walked down the street to visit my husbands new FAVORITE beer homeland, Double Mountain. It is a growing brand, a growing brewery, which reminds me of the old Boundary Bay that I love and miss. It's in a warehouse-type building, packed with people and a crazy good beer line-up. We both had the IPA and a Vaporizer, which is Portland's version of Seattle's Manny. It is starting to blow up! Super good. 

Aside from an awesome night camping, a mini-brewery tour and a perfect little getaway... we decided we are moving to Hood River. Somehow, some way. I love it there. Here are my 2 favorite shots from the weekend, to help convince you I am right:

Pure bliss. 

xo

Weekend Roundup: CAMPING!

First summer-ish weekend of the year means we're going camping! It is supposed to be in the high 80s and we are dying to kick off our summer (I know, it's a little early) but after the longest winter ever... it is time. In celebration of the weekend adventure that awaits, I thought I would put together a little tribute to the season of sunshine/rivers/campfires/Bud Light/country concerts/s'mores. In the words of  #1 stunna Blake:

We got some laid back country tunes on the radio

We gonna burn all afternoon like it's something to smoke 

We gotta whole lot of nothing to do, and no where to go 

So baby I don't know about you, but I'm ready to roll

Side note: If you haven't heard this song, it's super cute. Have a listen here. 

So, first things first. The food. Since we've embarked on our Food Adventure, we have a no-bread rule, but let me promise you that it does NOT mean summer food has to be any less fun. Here is a pretty damn good dinner idea for either camping (if you have a grill) or backyard BBQ:

Paleo Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries & Summer Salad

Burgers:

1lb lean beef

1 egg

1 tbsp dijon

1 /2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt & Pepper

2 tbsp almond meal

Mix all ingredients together and make 4 medium-sized patties; grill until desired pinkness!

Toppings:

1 egg, over medium

1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms

1 avocado

Sweet Potatoes:

4 sweet potatoes

Drizzle of olive oil

Seasoning of choice (I used this one)

Salt & Pepper

Cut potatoes into skinny wedges, toss in olive oil and seasoning; line cookie tray with foil and evenly spread out the potatoes, making sure not to crowd the tray. Cook at 450 for 25-30 minutes, until they are nice and crispy. You can also place the foil right on the grill and cover it for about 20 minutes, or until they are as crispy as you'd like. 

Summer Salad:

Romaine

Carrots

Cherry tomatoes

Purple onion

This dressing

This spread fills you right up and maintains the Paleo vibe, all while evoking summer nights... and if you need an ice cold beer to make it perfect- well shoot. Who am I to judge? We definitely will be drinking several beers this weekend. 80/20, right?? :)

Ok, now on to the outfit of choice. I would DIE for this little camping ensemble! I'm going to save my pennies and purchase each and every item. 

Denim Bermudas /Anchor Necklace /Striped V-Neck /Sunglasses /Marc Jacobs Tote /Toms

Another staple for any sort of getaway- camping, road trips, bed and breakfasts, exotic vacations, whatever- I MUST have a good book. Depending how long the trip is, maybe 3 or 4. I read 5 on our honeymoon, which was ah-mazing. Thank god for a Kindle. So, I recently discovered a new chic lit author who I have been loving lately, by the name of Elin Hilderbrand. Apparently, I am way late to this party because everyone I try to tell about her, they're like "Oh yea, totally!". Shoot. While she may not be new to you, she is fresh and awesome to me- I am on my third book by her in 2 weeks. Don't kill me, but that happens when part time work ends at noon everyday! 

This book pictured below was the first I read and I was sucked into the story within 5 pages. Now, don't confuse these books with major literary pieces. They are beach reads. But still, some are better than others and I am really loving her. All of her books are based on Nantucket and are usually about women in their 30s or 40s struggling with something (aren't they always?)- but these are told in a simple and honest voice, painted into a New England coastal setting and they are addicting. You've been warned. 

More titles here

Last but not least, every camping trip needs a good soundtrack. My past month has been full of these 2 men: Eric Church and Adam Levine (3, counting Joey). Literally, on repeat. Summertime means country music in this house, so both of us have been soaking Mr. Church up in anticipation of  the season. His gritty voice and lyrics about Jack Daniels and love... what else do you need? 

Listen here- I love "Springsteen"

If your answer is Adam Levine, I totally understand. Let me tell you, Maroon 5's new album is GOOD, so good. It's good in a play-on-repeat-in-the-background sort of way AND it's good to blast in the car with the windows down. Listen here and then buy it. You'll need it. 

Ok, must go rally the camping equipment and write the grocery list. It will go something like this:

Beer, brats, graham crackers, beer, marshmallows, VIA, eggs, beer.... you get it. 

Have a great weekend- make it a good one! I'll be back on Monday, probably hungover with stories to boot.

xo

Good Eats: Salmon, Chop Salad & Berry Crumble

This week has been one hit after another (Joe is my only audience, so he might be a liiiiiitttlle biased) so I HAD to share. As I mentioned here, we have been on a Food Challenge for a month- going Paleo. Not as bad as it sounds! I am definitely learning a whole new way to cook- loads upon loads of vegetables and ways to cook our favorites using healthier and raw ingredients. Here are a few good recipes from this week:

Sweet/Spicy BBQ Salmon

Glaze

2 Tbsp grassfed butter

1 Tbsp natural, organic honey

1 Tbsp hot sauce

1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper

1/2 Tbsp red chili flakes.

Mashed Cauliflower 
1 head of cauliflower, pureed in a blender/food processor to desired texture
Add to blender:
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp grassfed butter
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup organic chicken broth

Top with chopped spring onion for garnish


Roasted broccoli
Head of broccoli, cut into small florets
Toss in EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked at 400 for 20 min, until the florets are crispy

Chop Salad

Serves 2 people
2 cups romaine

2 cups spinach

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

10 slices salami, chopped

Handful of carrots, chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 avocados, sliced

Half of red onion, chopped

Dressing -Honey Dijon

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tbsp EVOO

Salt

Pepper

1 tbsp dijon mustard 

1 tbsp honey

Berry Crumble 
3 cups fresh blackberries and halved strawberries 
1 1/2 cups almond meal (I just finely ground almonds in a processor)
1 egg
2 tbsp butter or coconut oil
Drizzle of raw honey
1 tbsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350. Mix almond meal, egg, butter and cinnamon together in small bowl, until it is crumbly. Place berries into glass baking pan, drizzle honey over top. Use your hands to drop the almond mixture on top of the berries- it is pretty sticky, so be prepared to get messy! Once the berries are covered, place in oven for 35 minutes. 


As you can see in the picture above, I poured cold coconut milk over the hot berry crumble to make it breakfast-y :) 


(Recipe from Everyday Paleo, which I slightly modified.)


Enjoy! 

Really, eggs? Really?

I woke up this morning feeling drugged from a sleepless night, dreading the part where I actually had to sit up and put my feet on the ground. I had a sour "Screw you Tuesday" attitude and I hadn't even really opened my eyes. My sweet, sweet Joe brought coffee in hopes of luring me out of bed and even turned on the Today show. Two things that usually work wonders to get me up and moving. Not today. No sir. But feeling the weight of today's To-Do list, I got out of bed, kissed my handsome husband good bye and started to get my day in order. First things, first: hard boil some eggs for the week. These babies are key to surviving our Food Adventure (more on this later) so I grabbed an 18 pack out of the fridge and BAM. Dropped them. All of them. On the kitchen floor and a little on the dog. ALL OVER. Let me just say that cleaning raw eggs off the floor sucks. Sucks massively.

After the Egg Catastrophe, I wiped myself off, added eggs to the grocery list and started to make a smoothie to replace my sad, sad eggless breakfast. I made the best damn looking blueberry/banana/almond butter/coconut milk smoothie around and BAM. Spilled it on the counter. More than half of it, in its creamy, blue beauty... all over the kitchen counter. Really??  

I should have stayed in bed. 

A creeping, haunting I Hate Today tune started buzzing in my head. BUT, by the grace of the universe, I started to fight it back. Now, this rarely happens- it is a horrible trait, but once I get into a mood or get frustrated, I stay there. But, crazily enough, despite my clumsy morning... I went out on the porch, into the sunshine and closed my eyes. "Be grateful for today. Whatever I do today, I will do it well and be happy about it." I took a few deep breaths and my goodness. 

I feel light, confident and excited to get this day back on track- the good tracks. 

Now maybe you aren't as impressed with this as I am- this is probably what normal people do. But in the past few months as we have been knee-deep in transition and changes in work, scenery, life...it has been really difficult to maintain a good perspective. As I type this, it is embarrassing and I feel spoiled to even say that, for goodness sake. I am married to my perfect man, living in the best little house ever, with the freedom to start over job-wise and health-wise. I am a very lucky girl. But like I said- perspective. It's easy to get sucked into my head and live there a little too long, obsessing over things I can't control and letting all of the little irritants carry more weight than they should. A huge LACK of perspective. But today! This is a breakthrough and I am so, so, so happy about it, grateful for it. 

I know it is due, in part, to our Food Adventure. Joe and I have been doing the Paleo Challenge for a month now and it has been a really good influence in every aspect of my life, of our lives. If you are not familiar with Paleo, this is a good site, as well as this one. Essentially, it is eating like a caveman would- meat, vegetables, nuts, nothing processed, no bread or sugar. It sounds horrible, I know- I am always the first person to roll my eyes at gluten free-this, lactose intolerant-that... blah blah. But Joe and I needed to make a change and our Boston friends were doing Paleo with their Cross Fit gym, so we chose this route. It is SO much easier than I ever could have imagined and it has had such a positive effect on both of us. We have been eating new foods, exercising, sleeping better (except last night, I blame the dog) and feeling better, as this morning shows. My cooking has been exciting and colorful, we're learning to snack on better foods, to make better choices and feel motivated by our progress. We both hit the 10 pound mark last week! I am dying to share some of our favorite recipes, so I will pepper in some good ones here and there. If you have any, please send them my way!

Now I must go and be productive, positive and good at... well, running errands and going to the gym :) Like I said... spoiled!

xo

Thing I Love: Mission St.

I've only been to San Francisco twice. TWICE! How is that possible? I feel like I really, really love it there, but I have barely scratched the surface of that place. I want to go again and I want to explore every inch of that city.

Last time I was there, it was for work and it was about 2 years ago. My boss back then (coolest lady around) took me exploring- we walked all the way down the Embarcadero and did a little bar crawl along the way, which lead to a late night and random knock-off purchases, like "Cucci" sunglasses. I blame the booze. BUT even though we were massively side tracked by bars, bistros, pubs, etc... I completely fell in love with Mission St. I loved the vibe of the area and can't wait to go back. 

Today's ensemble is courtesy of my Mission St. daydream...

 

Michael Kors sunglasses/ FCUK dress/ Gorjana earrings/ Chloe flats/ Miu Miu satchel

I can't decide which item I want most... that perfect gray bag or those coral patent flats. But that dress! Perfect for post-shopping wine on a sunny patio... gah. Love it all. 

Be a good one, even in the rain!

xo

Obsession: Ladies, Ladies, Ladies

In my most perfect of perfect dreams, I have naturally voluminous hair, dark, long eyelashes and rosy cheeks. Sigh. Yes, it is a sweet dream. I'm going to go ahead and blame it on the gorgeous ladies of old Hollywood. Just look at these pictures! I don't think photoshop was a thing back then, right??

all images from my Pinterest board "lovely, isn't it?" 

I have been loving the Mad Men influence, the cat eyes, the bouffant hair, the Chanel throwbacks... but mostly I just love seeing these stunning women in their pure and lovely beauty. They are the real deal, the women I want to emulate- in both style and presence. 

Do you have any style icons?

Good Eats: Curry & Mustard- who knew?

I have been trying for 3 years to entice my husband to go out for Indian food with me. No luck. AT ALL. Since I've never tried cooking real Indian cuisine, I thought I would ease into it for a few reasons- one, so Joe doesn't completely deny our dinner plans and two, so I don't have to go buy unknown ingredients like garam masala and paneer right now. Might just be a little lazy.

As such, I searched for some simple recipes online and found a curry mustard chicken that sounded safe and delicious. Guess what. It was so so so so so good. Maybe it's because I've been starved for anything with curry for the past few years... but whatever. I loved it!

All you need is:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup of dijon mustard

3 cloves of fresh garlic, diced

2 Tbsp curry power

1 Tbsp onion powder

1/2 Tbsp lemon pepper

Sprinkle of sea salt

Dash of ground peppercorn

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400. Placed rinsed and trimmed chicken breasts into a baking dish that is deep enough to allow the chicken to be covered by liquid (I used my very favorite Le Creuset cast iron terrine). Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, then spread dijon on with a marinading brush. Make sure all sides are well coated! Then add the remaining spices, except the garlic. Pour the 

chicken broth into the pan- if 1 1/2 cups is not enough, add more to ensure the breasts are covered by the liquid. Now add the garlic, dispersing it throughout the chicken broth. Bake for 40 minutes, then check for any pink inside. If there is some, cook for about 10-15 more minutes. 

For our side dish: I cooked chopped up bacon ends for about 5 minutes, then added Brussels sprouts and fresh green beans. I tossed in a little bit of olive oil and S&P, stirred everything together, then turned the heat up to high and cooked until the vegetables got a little crispy. I turned down the heat and covered them for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables were cooked to my taste (not too soft). And bam! One of our favorites. 

Try it out- a little bit of curry cures a lot of cravings. Enjoy!  

Recipe adapted from here / image from my Pinterest board Cook, Eat, Repeat

Thing I Love: Front St.

Sitting in my cold living room in my cold city, it is easy to catch a serious case of wanderlust. I am having visions of sunny patios, turquoise water, icy cold cocktails, flip flops, beach hair... I think I actually might be able to taste a margarita right now. I told you this was serious.

Now it is confession time- I look forward to summertime outfits almost more than I look forward to actual summertime- it's true. I like flowing dresses and fresh pedicures and messy buns WAY better than bulky sweaters and puffy coats. I had a brief fling with Polyvore a few years ago- it is like paper dolls for 20 and 30-somethings! Who doesn't love that idea? So as an investment in my sanity, I decided it would be therapeutic to put together warm weather ensembles, based on my wanderlust fantasies. Today's outfit belongs in Front St in Lahaina, Maui. 80 degrees, warm wind, that gorgeous harbor... and this pretty little getup. 

1. Anthro maxi/2.Essie Haute as Hello/3.Fringe Hobo/4.Urban Sandals/5.Urban Aviators/6.FCUK Hat

Stay close as I will dream up new sunny cities and new ensembles to match soon enough... it's supposed to rain for the next 9 days. Ugh. 

Today, I pledge to Be A Good One EVEN IN THE RAIN!!!

xo

Blog Crush.

Nesting is my new thing. No, I am not expecting. Good lord, if you looked at my Pinterest habits and blog lists... you'd think so. But no. I am just super crazy fixated on making this house a home. This is how I found Little Green Notebook. 

This started out as a "Thing I Love" post, based on a few amazing posts from her blog. But I could NOT pick just one picture or one post.... subsequently, I have now read her entire blog. Aaaaaaaand, now it is a full-blown Blog Crush. 

Meet Jenny Komenda, hostess of the spectacular Little Green Notebook. In addition to her design blog, Jenny has an interior design business, a husband and three little girls. She's probably really bored. Yeah right, I am insanely impressed with this girl. It's not just me and her thousands of followers, she has been featured by HGTV, Vogue House and Home, Elle Decor and several others. 

Reasons why she is a Good One:

She is obsessed with color

She is super crafty and sees unique possibilities in literally EVERYTHING

She knows her s@!t in the design space

She is unafraid of mixing patterns 

She is thrifty and provides such new inspiration for on-a-budget folks like me!

She is just so darn adorable (Jenny on the left)

Go take a look- you will be completely inspired and fall in love with her loft, her style and HER!! 

Be a Good One,

xo C

Good Eats: Comfort THIS

Who doesn't love comfort food? I do. Boy, do I ever. Show me someone who really, truly, honestly prefers kale and almonds to meatloaf and mashed potatoes and I will call them... well, someone from Portland. Moot point. Bad example. Whateves.

So lately, I have been on some sort of quest to learn and memorize good old fashioned American cuisine. You know, like TV dinner cuisine. Like Grandma made. The good memories, like My Little Pony or Zack Morris. In my case, it is Beef Stroganoff and Nana's Mac & Cheese. 

My saving grace has been these 2 amazing resources: Skinny Taste and Eating Well. Skinny's author Gina (first name, that's what you do when you're BFFs like us) is an amazing site with thousands of recipes that we all know and love- but lower in fat, calories, sugar and sodium. So good. Here are a few of my favorite comfort dishes from her:

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Swedish Meatballs

Pork Chops

Eating Well has some amazing information on their site. My mom gave me a subscription to the magazine for Christmas and my goodness- I feel healthier READING it. The articles are incredible- like this one on Michelle Obama's garden- what? I love her. As well as recipes for the good stuff, made better. Like these:

Chicken Tenders

Meatloaf

Chicken Fried Steak & Gravy (Husband's favorite)

So, get after it! I am definitely craving something warm and hearty tonight. Especially since it is hailing and 45 degrees right now... ah, Portland. Get over yourself already. WE WANT SPRING! Until then... hot comfort food. Enjoy a Good One.

Obsession: Gallery Walls

Pinterest has themes. Sometimes its some e-cards. Sometimes its Polyvore. Sometimes its quotes with fancy fonts. Lately... its been GALLERY WALLS. Goodness, they're all over the place. 

But now I want one. 

I used to have an awesome mirror gallery in the ole Single Girl apt, but it lost it's charm after moving 3 times- the set-up routine is BRUTAL. I miss it, though. Then in our last house, we had a few perfect collections- a family wall in the hallway and a collection of randoms in our living room. But since we have been in our Portland house... the walls have remained empty and in need of inspiration- which I found. Abundantly. 

Here is the list of a few Good Ones:

Arty Schmarty

Art Variety

Book Shelf Gallery

Aaaaaaand, my favorite.

Now I just need to acquire art and some frames and pull up my creative boots to do it. Ready, set go.

** Note: all photos are on my Pinterest Inspiration board, located here!

Blog crush.

Meet Joanna Goddard, of A Cup of Joe fame. She has been writing this blog for 5 years, has a phenomenally loyal following and a bad ass blogging history with Glamour Magazine and Conde Nast Traveler (jealous). She is who I want to be when I grow up in the blogging world.

Reasons why she is a good one:

I love her taste & style.

I love her links to random stuff.

I love her excitement at being a Mama to her smooshable son.

I love her giveaways, her recipes, her affinity for gorgeous vintage photos.

I love having her in my daily rotation.

Now you need to love her too- seriously, go browse. She knows about things.