Party Weekend, Part 2

J Crew Strapless Beach Dress
J Crew Jackie Cardigan
Old Navy Flip Flops
Little Mae Designs (via Etsy) Necklace and Bracelet

Tomorrow, graduation!  It's going to be 91 degrees...

Party Weekend, Part 1

J Crew Jackie Cardigan
J Crew Perfect Tee
J Crew Chambray Swing Skirt
Tory Burch Reva Flats
Little Mae Designs (via Etsy) Necklace and Bracelet

Graduation party for one of my debaters today, I've got another one tomorrow, and then graduation on Tuesday!

ETA: Obviously things got really fun...

I like my cake pops like I like my...

...mashed potatoes.  White and lumpy.  (What did you think I was going to say?)

This was a test run to see if I could make them, as I sort of epically failed last time.  They are a little blobby but 1) the ones I did later were better, so my technique is improving, and 2) I am planning on dipping the "for real" batch in multicolored sprinkles so they look like tiny versions of this:

and then sticking them in a white styrofoam wreath form, which means the blobs will be less obvious.  They'll be one of the dessert options at CJ's preschool's art auction.  I think the other options will be mini cherry cheesecakes:

Here's the recipe, via Bakerella.

And maybe, if I am feeling ambitious, I will also make these super-cute little smores cups:

Recipe here.

We are in charge of all of the catering, but desserts are the most fun part!  The rest of  the menu will likely be hors d'eouvres from Sam's Club...and wine, of course.  (What's a party benefiting a preschool--BUT without the preschoolers present--without a little booze?)  It's not until June 9 but I wanted to practice early so that I had time to work out any kinks (or abandon cake-pop ship), but it worked out pretty well!

May Favorites

Are you just dying to see my favorite things from the month of May?  Lie to me and say yes.  Here we go:

Two nail polishes won my affection this month...for the first 3 weeks I wore OPI's Aphrodite's Pink Nightie, which is an "oldie but goodie" and reliable for when you're tired of dark winter colors but can't justify moving to the super-bright summer colors yet.

Next up was Essie's California Coral...speaking of "super-bright", this is it.  

More speaking of super-bright, I've been wearing Maybelline's Coral Crush lipstick a lot.

I hate carrying lipstick around in my bag because I'm terrified that it will totally melt and leave a giant mess.  So instead, when the color starts to wear off, I put on Bare Minerals Buxom in Melonie:

Melonie is on the right, Margarita (the more purple shade) is on the left.  It's also really pretty, I have them both!

So my skin has been acting kinda "weird" this spring, and by weird I mean "YOU ARE THIRTY!  Why are you breaking out like you're 14?"  All of the stuff formulated for teenagers just makes me itchy and miserable and doesn't seem to actually help.  The stuff below at least has it back under control, although I'm yearning for February, when my skin actually looked pretty good.

The Clarisonic Deep Pore Cleansing Brush--I found this brush to be softer and "squishier" than the regular ones, which maybe means it can get into my pores better?  Who knows...but it seems to be working...

Skinceuticals Blemish + Age Defense Serum--the active ingredient in this is 1.5% salicylic acid, which is slightly stronger of a formulation than usual, but I don't find it to be too drying.  Maybe it's because of the anti-aging ingredients that they add?

Lumene Vitamin C brightening serum--also helps with the dryness.

My hair has also been a little bit of a "challenge".  The stylist I saw to get my bangs also cut some really weird layers into my hair.  Well, less "layers" and more "one blunt chin length layer above my right-around-the-shoulders main length".  It looks kinda weird (very "cheap knockoff of the Rachel from the 90s") unless styled just right, and the shorter length also makes it more prone to get wavy in the lovely DC humidity.  In short, I hate it.  I am going to go get it fixed by a real stylist ASAP--finally found where my beloved Max moved to after he left Kibana and will call him in June.  Till then:

Organix Brazilian Keratin Masque--makes my hair less frizzy/wavy/bananas.

Also am making serious use of these Goody updo clips for days when I can't stand to look at my curling iron/straightener.

And finally, my summer lover...

No, that's not it...HERE WE GO:

Amazing.  Try it with some sweetened condensed milk added, or one of those Starbucks Frappuccinos in a bottle, or just milk and some sweetener.  LOVE.

Awards!

Today was the Humanities and Social Sciences Awards Ceremony.  We give out an award for the "MVP" of the Debate Team; here's a pic!

I'm wearing a Kate Spade dress and Aeropostale shoes (heels, not flats, take that!)  Molly is wearing her whites for the last time, I think.  Graduation is on Tuesday but she's commissioning as a Marine Corps officer and they wear different outfits uniforms.  ;)

Weekday Update

Sorry, haven't posted in a while...life got super crazy for a while again.

*Tom went to an out-of-town wedding so CJ and I hung out alone on Saturday.  We went to IHOP for a smiley pancake and then headed to Color Me Mine where we painted an absurd amount of pottery. (A trinket box and a mug for me, a mug for Tom, and a mini piggy bank for CJ.)

*Furnace (and thus air conditioning)--still busted.  I think they are going to fix it this week or next though.  I continue to be comfortable, Tom continues to be miserable.  CJ abides.

*Our wedding anniversary is on Sunday!  Six years.

(Tom wore that same expression every time I gave a 2ac; not sure why he's making the "please-don't-drop-the-counterplan" face while I'm thanking our guests though?)

*These are so cute!  I love calla lilies (see above)...think I will take some scrap paper and lily it up this weekend.  (Pointless trivia moment: did you know that calla lilies are the 6th wedding anniversary flower?  Well, I guess you do now!)

When it rains, it pours.

Well...it's a good thing I picked this month for a shopping ban, because we're going to need that money somewhere else...for a new furnace.  Hoping/wishing/praying that it comes in under $3,000.

I'm a little put out because when we bought the house, we were told that the furnace was old, but we weren't told that it was on it's last legs.  Not that we wouldn't have bought the house, but we might have been a bit more diligent in putting money away to deal with the problem.

So when the repairman left a message on my answering machine telling me that the furnace was over THIRTY years old, I let out this dramatic gasp.  He actually asked if I was all right.  I told him I would be better if my furnace and I weren't the same age...

This of course follows our discovery of miner bees in the front yard and the $300 it took to get rid of them (heh, this makes it sound like we bribed them to move.  Bee-gentrifying the neighborhood!).

Also, obvi, the air-conditioner is still not working (this was the catalyst for the furnace debacle, as apparently the two are intertwined, and the problem was not with our AC unit at all, but with the forced air part of the furnace?).  I am totally fine with this because the temperature in the house is fluctuating between 73 and 77 degrees which is perfect during the day for me (well 77 is a bit on the high side but livable) and we have a great fan in our bedroom, as does CJ, which keeps it cool enough at night. Tom is not quite as pleased with the temperatures.  Neither is my parents' dog, though she's only here for 3 more weeks.

Oh, and Tom's Pontiac is making this weird THUMPING noise, and my Kia may need some brake-work done.  So...when it rains, it pours...money, out of my pockets.

Saturday eats

Y'all...our AC went out this morning.  The HVAC repairman came out and said that the motor on the unit is dead.  We need either a new unit or a new motor.  They are gonna call us back on Monday.

Now, since it' only early May, it's not as hot as it could be--like, not July--but it's pretty warm and I don't want to turn the oven on because it will only make it warmer.  So today we are eating a chopped salad, the recipe for which I got on the Etsy food blog.

Here's the link to their post: http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/chopped-salad/?ref=fp_blog_title

And here's the recipe for those of you who are too lazy to click over, or are Etsy-averse.

Chopped Salad
Yield: 6 servings

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
3 cups chopped radicchio
15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
4 ounces assorted cured meat, sliced (such as mortadella, salami, pastrami, prosciutto)
1/4 cup chopped, fresh dill

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons strained, Greek yogurt
1.5 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Cracked black pepper

Garnish:
Feta cheese, crumbled
Handful of olives, chopped
Marinated piquillo peppers, thinly sliced

First, prepare the dressing. With a fork, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, yogurt, paprika and salt. Add cracked black pepper to taste.

Next, compose the salad. In a large mixing bowl, gently toss the romaine lettuce, radicchio, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, assorted meats and dill with the dressing.

Divide salad evenly among bowls and top with feta, olives and piquillo peppers, or serve family style with the garnishes in separate bowls on the side. Best served immediately.

OMG it is amazingly delicious.  Plus since there are proteins and lots of different flavors in there, it doesn't feel boring or that "ok, had my salad course, now where is the meal?" feeling that I sometimes get when eating a salad for dinner.  

Yum yum yum!!!

(No pics today--the lack of AC has caused me to wilt.)

"I forgot to tell you!"

"I got bangs!  My hair is so now."

(From the movie loosely based on my life.  Just kidding.)

Anthropologie Deletta Volante Tee
Citizens of Humanity Kelly Jeans
Kelly and Katie Buckle Flats

Pics taken post a "Quatro de Mayo" outing...which is why I look a little margarita-ed.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Go where your hearts take you

J Crew Black Jackie Cardigan
J Crew Black Perfect Tee
J Crew Jardin Skirt in heart throb (still available!)
Aerosoles shoes (need to branch out in my shoe choices, it's embarrassing that I have like 30 pairs and keep wearing these, but they're SOOO comfortable...)

Patriot Games

I've been thinking about Memorial Day because I had to put in my request to attend graduation last week--USNA graduation is right after Memorial Day weekend and we had to declare intent this year so the Secret Service can check us out as we'll have a "Very Special Graduation Speaker" (wink wink, nudge nudge).  You would think the Secret Service could just look at the (very comprehensive) background check the DOD did on all of the faculty to figure out that none of us are threats, but I guess not.  Anyway, digression over.

Memorial Day is one of my favorite holidays because it is a chance to be patriotic without all of the loud noises and bright lights of the 4th of July.  Don't get me wrong, love the 4th, but sometimes an understated holiday is just right.  Particularly if that understated holiday is also the unofficial start of summer.

I made an Etsy treasury of some Memorial Day decor--obviously it would also be appropriate for July 4th, Labor Day, and all summer long.  Heck, there's never a WRONG time to deck the halls with Americana, in my opinion.  Patriotism: always in season.

Here is the whole treasury.

And here are some of my very favorite favorites!

Did I buy CJ and I matching sets (necklace and the unpictured bracelet)?  YES.  Purchased prior to Shop-Your-Closet-May so I'm not cheating.

Loving the subway art style of wall hangings.  And of course the message.

Terrible at remembering a reusable mug but usually manage to remember a coffee sleeve--what better way to be a patriot than to save the earth for the next generation?

Great hostess gift for a Memorial Day BBQ--and they cost under $8 with shipping!

It's sort of small which makes it a great subtle decoration--of course, with the glitter, not TOO subtle...

Lots more at the treasury itself, go check it out!

Black and White and Red (but not all over)

...just on my head.  The red that is.

Also, this is what happens when my "daily debrief" with my husband takes place during our photo-sessions.  I was ranting about the mock-interviews I did today, don't get me started...

J Crew Jackie Cardigan
Banana Republic Blouse
J Crew Factory Pencil Skirt
Aerosoles shoes
Vintage giant strawberry pin

Then CJ jumped in which made it extra adorable:

"WAVE TO DADDY, MOM!  WAVE TO HIM!" (I promise she is waving, not nose-picking.  Also, why don't they make ruffle-socks in adult sizes?)

Bonus CJ pic--Child Bride Lifetime Movie edition:

Double bonus pic--Debate Team Post-season Brunch, aka What Doesn't Kill You Obviously Makes You Cuter:

J Crew Jackie Cardigan (THE SHOCK!)
J Crew Perfect Tee
Lilly Pulitzer Capris