Day Out/Night Out

Yesterday started off really annoyingly- I woke up at 5:30am and got ready to meet my friend for some morning surf. I was all ready to go and started my car. Uh-oh...there were no sounds and nothing was turning on. The battery had died. So I missed a morning of surf. Good waves with good conditions too. I did get to see my cutie pie 2 year old niece so that made up for a crummy morning- we spent the afternoon drawing on the sidewalk with chalk.

Anyways, I'm super glad today is Friday! I have the day off and I'm spending it with some friends- we're going to do a little shopping, get a bite to eat, then go out at night. I won't be coming home to change so I wanted to wear something during the day that will also work for a night out. This dress is the perfect thing- casual enough with tights for the day, then dressed up a little with a small cape jacket and pretty heels. 

Outfit Details:

Dress- Modcloth

Shoes- Plenty by Tracy Reese

Jacket- Macy's

Tights- Urban Outfitters

What do you think? Can this outfit pass for both day and night? How do you like to dress up an outfit to make it work for both day and night?

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Cacti Fun

Tad won't ever let me buy plants for the house. He claims that I always forget to water them and that he ends up having to throw them out. The only plant that has managed to survive (for 2 years now!) is a lucky bamboo stick that we keep in a vase on our bathroom window. It's only alive, Tad claims, because he is the only one that waters it. So not true.

Well, a month ago we were at OSH and I noticed these super cute little cacti. Tad told me that I shouldn't get them because I would end up killing them. I, like a little child trying to convice her parent that she can be responsible, told him that I would for sure take care of them and that I've learned my lesson. He gave in, probably thinking that no one could possible kill a cactus, and I picked out 3 little ones. They were the perfect size to fit into my cute vintage mugs. Well guess what? They are still alive (thanks to not needing a ton of water) and thriving (do I sound like a Kaiser ad?)

Outfit Details:

Top- made by me! (Sewaholic Patter 1001)

Skirt- made by me! (Kwik Sew pattern 3877)

Tights- Target

Shoes- Urban Outfitters

Purse- Target

Necklace- Forever 21

Do you have any houseplants...that you manage to keep alive? I know I don't have a green thumb but I'm trying!

Snickereeses

One of my favorite cookie is the snickerdoodle. I'm not sure if it's because I've loved the name of this cookie ever since I first heard it in a bakery. Or if it's the soft, chewy texture. Or maybe it's all the cinnamon sugar its rolled in. Maybe all of the above. So I wondered how it would taste together with my favorite candy- reese's peanut butter cups.

I used this snickerdoodle recipe to make the batter and cinnamon sugar mixture, but the boxed ingredients also comes out pretty good. Then instead and baking them on a cookie sheet, I used my mini cupcake pan to turn them into little cups. I then pressed a mini reese's peanut butter cup into each muffin tin and baked for the same amount as directed in the recipe.

This couldn't have been any easier! In fact, the hardest part is peeling the peanut butter cups. Those little suckers.

The hubby quickly nodded his approval, with his mouth full after eating one in just one bite. It always amazes me how 3 of my bites equals one of his. Boys! Do you love snickerdoodles and peanut butter? If so, then you need to try this! Trust me, it's goooooood.

Girlfriend Love

Hello you! How was your weekend? I had a great 3-day weekend and the highlight was a visit to see my favorite girlfriends. There's something about spending a day with the girls that just makes me so happy and I feel so lucky to have a small group of close girlfriends from college. Even though we are all spread out now, we still try to get together for special occasions throughout the year. 

We had one of our get-togethers yesterday to celebrate our friend Nancy's birthday. I drove down to San Diego in the morning and we spent the day at the spa getting a facial and a massage. Then we spent a few hours watching TV and the movie Bridesmaids before heading over for dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant called Alexanders. It's always so great to catch up on each other's lives- share our current events, talk about our goals and the future, and tell funny stories that happened to us over the year. 

(While I didn't wear this outfit to hang out with the girls, I did wear it the day before on a dinner date with Tad. Isn't he becoming a great photographer? He's even starting to point out little places that would be great for outfit photos.)

Outfit Details:

Dress- vintage

Cardigan- H&M

Shoes- Report from Nordstrom

Bag- Anthropolgie

Do you have a special group of girlfriends? Do you all live in the same area or are some of you spread out? Sometimes I wish it was like the old times when we were all together and it was so easy to hang out. I miss them already!

Dear Dear Creatures

I have been stalking this Dear Creatures dress all summer and finally got it as part of my anniversary gift from my husband. It arrived last week and I was so excited to put it on that I didn't even care how wrinkled it was out of the box (however, after taking the photos I did take it off to iron it before putting it back on and heading out the door). Isn't this dress perfection? The cut, the buttons, the collar, the pleats- all of it! 

Outfit Details:

Dress- Dear Creatures from Modcloth

Shoes- Aldo

 Do you have your eye on any Dear Creatures dress? Which one do you love?

Places I Love- The Donuttery!

When I was younger, my 2 surfing buddies and I use to surf for 3-4hrs at a time. I don't know how we did it but I guess we were in a lot better shape than I am now, because I can't surf for more than 1.5hrs without getting tired. After 4hrs of surfing, we would be starving and it was our little tradition to go in search of some yummy treats to satisfy our hunger. Our favorite place to go was to a donut shop. We would seriously eat a dozen donuts. No joke. If it wasn't donuts, it would be the Dairy Queen for a blizzard, or sometimes we would even go into BJ's and order a pizookie (a large cookie topped with vanilla bean ice cream). One each. And we would finish the whole thing.

Now that we are older (and wiser), we are a lot more conscious of what we cram into our bodies but our love for donuts will never disappear. Ever. We were reminded of this fact yesterday when we discovered The Donuttery, a little donut shop in Huntington Beach, after a little morning surf session at Bolsa Chica. OMG, they had the best donuts, with flavors like blueberry, strawberry, pumpkin, and red velvet. There were only 3 of us but we bought ourselves a dozen (don't worry, we didn't eat them all ourselves but brougth some home for loved ones!). My favorite is the blueberry glazed donut- it was so soft and moist inside. Just writing this I wish I had one now.

This is definitely a donut shop that we will be stopping again and again after surfing. I guess some traditions never die. If you're in and around Huntington Beach, I highly recommend stopping at The Donuttery. Do you have a favorite donut store in your area?

Places I Love- The Fair!

I really love the Fair. So much so that I went twice this summer. I love all the colors, the fun games, the rides, and all the vintage signs. But most of all, I go for the food. Here, we visited the LA Fair (previous post here) and the food we ate were: corn on the cob, cheesy baked potato, lemonade, funnel cake, and a fried twinkie. Enough for a heart attack and diabetes. It's okay, I'm planning to workout...sometime soon...

Do you love going to the fair? What do you go for? The food? Rides? Games?

The Season Change

There's something about the start of fall that's so refreshing. The cool breezes, the softer sunshine, and the shorter days makes me yearn for those cozy evenings spent curling in front of a warm fire with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. While I'm definitely a beach girl at heart, and the summer season seems to stretch on and on for me, the fall and winter seasons seem to always pass me by. Once September begins I feel like halloween, thanksgiving, and Christmas happens at lightning speed and before I know it, it's the start of a new year. I'm hoping this time it goes by a little slower so I can enjoy every moment of fall and winter.

This past week has definitely been cooler, requiring a light sweater or cardigan in the evening, so I was finally able to break out some of my fall wardrobe. I bought this Dear Creatures dress on sale in the beginning of summer, when it was way too hot to wear, and it was the first "Fall" item that I put on. I love it.

Outfit Details:

Dress- Dear Creatures

Shoes- Seychelles

Bag- Anthropologie

Glasses- Marc Jacobs

I'm definitely enjoying the cooler weather and looking forward to wearing some layers, tights, and coats. I know, I know, I live in Southern California so how cold can it get, right? Are you enjoying the start of the new fall?