fashion, food and other assorted frivolity

anthro fitting room review- tops and a jacket

2010-06-30T07:41:00.004-04:00

I popped into anthro on saturday morning before meeting friends at a bar to watch the U.S. get booted out of the world cup (at least we managed to snag seats outside to watch so we could enjoy the beautiful weather despite the sad loss.) and I snapped a few pictures for reviewing purposes. It was the first time in recent memory that I didn't really have the desire to buy anything I tried on, at least not at full price. I'm leaving for Chi-town tomorrow to do some a) more relaxing than in my living room and/or office studying poolside at the grandparents and b) enjoy some 4th of july/taste of chicago fun this weekend so I'll hopefully have some posts from that coming up! Is anyone else doing anything exciting for the 4th?

flowering pasture blouse- I've had my eye on this one for a while, and I kept not trying it on bc I have a flowy, yellow, silk blouse by dvf from last spring and this is just too similar for me to justify paying full price for this. But, I still want it. hopefully it will go on sale and I can track down an xs when it does.

midas touch tunic- I liked this, I think it runs a big and could have used a slightly smaller size, but I couldn't even try one on to tell if I was right bc this was a zero (I btw usually wear 2's in button downs) to the metallic threads bordered on tacky for me too, but I think with the right bottoms it would be very cute. this is a 0.

pizzoccheri jacket- When I saw this jacket online I was all over it. Then I tried it on. too boxy, too big, weird length, not quite cropped enough for me or not quite long enough, can't decide. this is a 0

up close ikat shell- I wasn't a huge fan of this top online, or really in person, but boy convinced me to try it one bc he liked it. I'm still not a huge fan, the cut is kind of unflattering in my opinion, and it runs oddly wide on my frame- this in an xs. I have to admit that the color scheme and pattern have grown on me:

country quarters tank- I thought I'd love this. And I do like it, but the bib on the neckline is a bit much for me. It was super comfortable and airy though. this is an xs for reference

secret grove tank- this top was probably my fav. thing I tried on. I really do like it, it just wasn't worth full price to me. But I think the color scheme and pattern go well with a lot and are a great way to add a bit of trendiness to a casual outfit. xs here btw.

I really like this cardigan, boy hated it, said it looked like I was wearing a trash bag (he's so sweet, right?) Wishlisted for sale.

I'm back! kind of sort of- and a weekend ootd

2010-06-29T08:47:00.003-04:00

Sorry I've been soooo MIA the last week or so, I was super busy with, well, life, mostly bar exam studying. I'm going to try to post at least three times a week while I study for the bar from here on out, but I can't really promise more than that- the studying + having a life + packing/shopping for new apartment + random summer weekend trips are leaving me with little free time. Here's an ootd from this past weekend. I'm loving this top I'm wearing- I picked it up in Rehoboth beach a few weeks ago, its by theory and I've basically managed to live in it since purchasing it. It's more interesting than it looks in the photos- the center part has a chiffon-y type overlay, adding some texture and interest to what would otherwise be a pretty basic piece. Ill be back tomorrow with some fitting room reviews I did this past weekend too!

top- theory- I can't seem to find it online

skirt- urban- this is similar, kind of.

shoes- miss sixty- get them here

bracelets- urban- get them here

belt- jcrew

necklace- old f21

ootd- f21's dresses are too short! and blog sale part 1

2010-06-17T08:48:00.003-04:00

I really need to give up on dresses from f21 as they are pretty much only fit to be beach cover ups because they are so short. But, here is one anyway.

dress- f21- get it here in a different color combo as mine appears to be sold out.

shoes- bakers- get them here

belt- jcrew

cardi- nordstrom bp last year- this is similar

bracelets- urban

So here is the first installment of what is likely to be a multi part little closet clean out/blog sale- prices are as shipped- US only sorry international ladies (if you are super interested in something let me know, but its going to jump the price a lot bc of shipping!) email me at nml723@gmail.com if your interested in something- if there are multiple people interested in an item whoever pays first gets it. ps- i will respond to emails MUCH faster than comments- so if you want something please do email me and do not comment, thanks!!

t-bags top- size s, worn a handful of times, in great condition- $30 shipped

t-bags top- size s, worn twice, its just too big on me. the picture isn't the best but it has a square neck and ties at the sleeves. Really nice flowy comfy top with jeans.- $35 shipped

jcrew ruffle top- size 0, worn once, just doesn't work for a body type. I've seen it on other ladies and it looks great on them! $35 shipped

juicy couture top- size 2- this can be a kind of tunic top over leggings if your on the shorter side as it is on the long side for a button down. Also has a self tie waist. Made of a nice, thick material which holds it shape well, with a slight sheen. I'd also say that it runs a big big- if your between sizes (ie a small 4 you can do this.)

free people sweater- s- worn once. Its just not me, super pretty though $35 shipped

free people halter- s small- LOVE this top its just too short on my long torso. its also got a cross back in addition to the halter top, very cute piece. $30 shipped

free people tank- size m- just a bit too big on me- never really worn, other than tried on a couple times $25 shipped

antro one september tank- size s- worn once- also too big on me- I think it would look really nice belted- $25 shipped

laundry by shelli segal blouse- nwt- I can't zip this baby quite all the way so I don't get to keep it, but I love it. size xs $40 shipped

rock and republic jeans size 26- I think these are called london crowns. They have been hemmed with the original hem to a 31 inch inseam, I've worn them maybe twice- they are too big on me. Flare leg. $65 shipped

weekend away recap... 3 days late

2010-06-16T12:56:00.003-04:00

I'm back for real. I stumbled upon my camera cord while unpacking (lets not talk about the fact that it took me 3, yes, 3 days to unpack and its really only because I'm going to the beach again this weekend and wanted the same swimsuit...oh yes, yes, I do suck at life.)

I wore this our one night out:

dress is from urban- get it here

shoes- mia, get them here

belt- old

necklace- anthro

and boy for his first, and likely only ever ootd appearance is wearing all jcrew.

Anway the trip involved consuming lots of this:

and this:

fending off lots of these:

and being lovey and silly, as evidenced by this:

(beware I totally flashed the camera here, hence the fun sticker added to the picture to avoid, well, flashing you all, but I just think the pic is too fun to not post)

and we came home to a very angry one of these. Who, in our absence appears to have decided he is king of the box hill (that I've been stockpiling for the move next month, we don't normally live amongst card board boxes, I promise):

I'm not dead, but my camera is... for the moment, impulse buys and health and fitness recap

2010-06-15T19:19:00.002-04:00

Hi all I just wanted to pop in really quickly and say

a) I'm am alive and haven't succumbed to bar hell and entirely stopped blogging

b) I had a lovely weekend in Rehoboth beach, highly recommend heading there if your on the east coast and searching for a new shore destination, I think we'll be going back even though its an hour further than most of the jersey shore from us. If you go there, go to SOLE - too cute of a place with an amazing selection of clothes for a small beach area boutique- I made the mistake of drunk afternoon shopping and came out with a Diane Von Furstenberg top.... biiiig ooops, but it is very pretty. look for it in an ootd sometime this week if I manage it. here is a picture of it for now, it seems to be mostly sold out online so no link, sorry:

c) I haven't posted because I seem to have lost my camera cord and can't upload any pictures to my computer :( If I dont find it by tomorrow i'm caving in and buying a new one, but I'm giving it another day of hoping it pops up since I've already frantically and not-so-frantically searched my home.

While I'm here's this weeks health and fitness recap that I meant to post yesterday

2 yoga sessions

4 runs (5 mi, 5.5, 6 and 3.5- this was a morning at the beach boardwalk "run" with the boy, not sure if I really even want to count it it was so lame of us.)

food front- i think I've been eating well, other than a little mexican food disaster mid last week, but per usual drinking far far too much.

the world cup, giant buddha statues, oh and some home design ideas... help me!

2010-06-11T12:49:00.003-04:00

um guys, the world cup starts today. just in case you didn't know. I'm not the sportiest of ladies by any means, but I love me the world cup soccer like you wouldn't believe. And to make it better my peeps (the serbski's) made it in this time around, so I get to root for them, whoooooo! Once they get knocked out (prob first round, lets be realistic) I'll prob revert to rooting for Italy or Portugal, which have been my go to's since I was a wee one.

In other news, moving next month has caused me to go on quite the home design spree. We're hoping to stay in the new place till we buy a house, which is probably at least a couple years away so I actually want to make it look nice, and you know, un-apartment like. I wanted to share, and maybe get some feedback one some of my ideas for various rooms. Up today: the living room. This photo pretty much inspired me. I love the deep bold turquoise on the wall, and think I'm going to paint one wall in that color, leaving the rest a pale, beigy- taupe. The pops of Fushia and green (though I think I'm going to sub yellow for green) also inspired me as did the not-so-subtle worldy/asian flair of the ENORMOUS buddha statute.

eclectic living room design by philadelphia home staging Busybee Design

beyond the crazy turquoise wall, I'm thinking dark brown leather for one couch (thats easy as we already own a dark brown leather couch) and a neutral couch, we have one now, but its actually a day bed and officially moving to a den or another bedroom now that we will have lots more space. I'm this one maybe, but really just started looking....

I'm also thinking about doing one of these wall decals, which you can find all over etsy, on the wall our tv goes on going through the tv vertically, off center, prob not in the turquoise, but maybe a dark brown or honey color. This one is one of my favorites of the bunch; you can get it here, from byrdiegraphics.

and lastly- this rug, which I have been looking for an excuse to buy, well since I first saw it.

I still need to find some pillows to pick up on the overall color scheme, and maybe a new coffee table.....

thoughts- too overwhelming, or pretty?

in other news looks for a bloggy sale starting in the next few days- I cleaned out my closet in prep for moving and, shit, I own a way too much stuff that I have never worn, or barely worn and I figured I'd offer some of it up on the blog for you guys and ship the rest off to goodwill.

ootd- banderole tank, sunny necklaces and layering for chilly mornings

2010-06-10T13:52:00.004-04:00

I'm busy playing catch up for being a waste of space yesterday so I only have time to pop in with a quick ootd- but here it is. Also- boy and I are heading to Rehoboth beach this weekend- we've never been- if anyone has and has an recommendations please share! We know we're planning on checking out the dogfish head brewery in Milton- but beyond that, clueless.

first take is the look for the warmer afternoon- I added a cardi and belt for the morning because its been kind of chilly early this week.

shoes- miss sixty- get them here

necklace- solstice necklace

top- banderole tank

cardi- old urban

belt- old H&M

bag- gucci

wait, what do you mean fake online shopping isn't covered on the bar exam??

2010-06-09T15:47:00.006-04:00

YUCKKKKKK. sorry but- Its rainy and generally vile outside today. I am also an idiot and went drinking last night leading to a serious hangover this morning, which I oh-so classily started off by eating my leftover burrito half from dinner last night for breakfast. Hey, I said I was hungover, don't judge, at least not too much. I feel gross, I can't concentrate and I've spent most of the day kicking myself for thinking that margaritas were a fab idea last night. Alright enough whining, I decided after I tried to learn and failed today after lecture that today was kind of a bust as my retention abilities and attention span are on par with my cat's so I compiled a teensy weensy wish list of completely random fun clothes for this summer- here it is:

rachel pally long cami dress- LOVE this. seriously need to find it on sale somewhere because I'm not too thrilled about $207 for a jersey maxi dress.

the tunic- by tucker- another piece that I am totally in love with but not in love with paying for

robin's egg bow mini dress- I think this is too much money for what it is, but it is cute.

la vie boheme tunic- depending on where this would fall on me I would either treat it as a mini dress or wear over jeggings. But either way I think it would look great with a metallic belt and chartreuse shoes (can we tell I'm trying to figure out ways to wear mine)

right time right lace cardi- I think this is a great way to incorporate lace into a wardrobe for summer, and stay a smidge warm on a breezy night...

anthro's stemmed sweetbriar dress is just lovely. Its so dainty and ladylike (and kind of not me) but I love it anyway.

I've been in love with the cedar chest blouse since it first came online and really want to come across it in stores. I think it would look great with so many different bottom options and be a wonderful airy shirt for sweltering july days.

The mara river dress from lulus is a great little throw on to run errands or go to the beach summer dress-

the common garden dress is another great cheapie from lulus and I love the little lace details at the straps.

and last, but not least, is the charlie grenade silk romper from nordies. I stole this off the lovely justine's blog and need it. If I buy one thing from this wish list anytime soon its prob gonna be this (ok, well maybe this and the rachel pally dress....)

ootd- black white gold and turquoise, and yet another (yummy) salad recipe

2010-06-08T14:43:00.004-04:00

I was really feeling the white jeans this morning. I actually really would like a full length pair of skinny (or maybe straight,) white denim, but I keep trying on pairs and hating them all, so I'm stuck with my ag crops. I really like simple tops with with white denim and love black and white together in this context. I thought the look needed a bit of a pop though so I added this bold gold necklace from anthro, these mildly obnoxious shoes from bakers and a really obnoxious gucci that was a gift and I usually only wear to the beach (the bottom, not pictured, its metallic, its a bit much, even for me.)

in other news todays barbri lecture made me actually want to die. It was well over four hours long, my brain is about to explode. Oh, and I am totally already behind on these checklists they give us to use as a sort of guide of what do to each day.... oops.

anyway, here was what I wore to watch hell lecture today.....

jeans- ag crops- similar here

top- old f21- similar here

shoes- bakers- here

necklace- anthro, sold out online, similar here

gucci

I know the only food things I've posted recently are salad (wtf???? I need to fry something asap.....) but I've been on what is now becoming a ridiculous dinner salad kick, seriously we're talking two or three nights a week for like the past month. I'm starting to worry that boy is going to protest one of these days, but he keeps actually complimenting all the salads. I'm planning on making some yummy pulled barbecue brisket later this week, so hopefully I'll post that. But here is here is today's recipe from me, yet another salad.

arugula salad with pears, grapes, candied walnuts and roasted brussel sprouts (and god knows what else,) topped with lemon, mustard tarragon chicken:

just combine the following ingredients for the salad:

baby arugula

shaved parmesan or other hard, white cheese

a ripe red pear, sliced

red grapes, also sliced

jullienned snap peas

candied walnuts- I make my own, just take a handful of raw walnuts, a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of honey and toss together for a couple minutes in a non stick skillet on medium heat.

chopped red onion

pan roasted brussel sprouts (cooled to roomish temp. before adding to salad)- just take some halved sprouts, put them in a hot pan with a bit of olive oil, salt and balsamic vinegar cook till cooked through and nice and browned

dressing:

Lemon juice

olive oil

while balsamic vinegar (i used a fig infused one, yums!!)

herbs de provence

salt and pepper

chicken marinade:

grainy mustard

honey

fresh tarragon

lemon juice

smidge of olive oil

coat chicken in this, let sit for ideally a dayish- cook in non stick pan coated with a bit of oil. and chill for a bit for the salad.

on the side I made little toasts (of some artisanal roasted garlic bread) topped with goat cheese/greek yogurt, honey and pistachios:

1. take equal parts of soft goat cheese and 2% fat greek yogurt (for two people I used about 2 big spoons of each)

2. blend with a handful of pistachios (roasted, salted,)

3. spread over the toasts and drizzle with honey to taste. I used my deda's amazing homemade (or harvested???? hmmm.) honey. Yes, my 84 year old deda keeps bees. Its half terrifying and half amazing.

ootn- island holiday dress, monday health and fitness recap

2010-06-07T13:42:00.005-04:00

Boy took me out for a belated graduation dinner friday night and I opted to wear my new Island Holiday dress (which as if by fate showed up at my doorstep just about when I started getting ready for the evening) We went to Morimoto which was, in a word, amazing. The rest of the weekend was kind of quiet, I even studied some (I'm NOT a weekend studier,) but I was at the beach so that doesn't count, riiight??

dress- island holiday dress from anthro (linked above)

shoes- calvin Klein, old

necklace- vintage

bracelet- old, i think f21

I had an ok week in terms of working out, I'm adjusting to my new class/study schedule and trying to figure out when to get all my work outs in. I think i've settled on yoga/strength in the morning when I wake up and runs after class (before I study independently at all,) in the evening before dinner, or on the weekends. The one serious issue with this for me is is has seriously made my yoga and strength sessions lose on the quality. I am NOT a morning person and the first 15 minutes of each work out is spent kind of falling all over myself and cursing the world, here's to hoping I get over that this week.....

I managed 3 runs (5.5, 6 and 5 mi)

3 yoga sessions

1 strength session.

I'm getting super frustrated about my weight (which I know seems ridiculous,) but I gained a couple lbs this spring and have been really good the last couple weeks and haven't managed to lose any of it. I know its just a couple pounds, but it really bothers me to see myself back on track but in the same spot. Oh well, hopefully if I stick with normal eating habits for the next couple weeks (errr.... indefinitely) my weight will normalize again.

ootd- old dresses, new takes.

2010-06-03T15:32:00.004-04:00

::insert random bitching about studying for the bar here:: Actually, I'm going to spare you guys this today, but lets just say Im tired, cranky, have been having some sleeping issues, and I shouldn't have walked home from school today because now I have blisters and just want to take a nap from being out in the heat. oops.

I never wear this dress, it just kind of sits in my closet and I notice it every now and then and think to myself, hey, I should wear that sometime. But I just never reached for it. Today, however, I decided i'd stick a tee under it to add some interest and actually wear it, for the first time, even though I've had it for nearly a year I think. I took the pics this morning, didn't look at them and left. I wish I had taken a look. I kind of sort of really don't like this outfit. at all. I know there is nothing wrong with it per se and I look totally fine. The dress, well, I see why I never wear it, I don't like the way it fits, and the shoes, well, they don't really match the look. I'm going to give myself a bit of a fail for today, but I'm posting it anyway, because, hey, I think its good to show that we all have days where we thought our outfit worked, but, it really didn't work all that well. This is actually one of the reasons I love doing ootds (ok really the reason I like taking pics of my outfits,) because seeing it on camera is SO different than seeing it in a mirror, its amazing really. I thought this worked until I saw the photos and grimaced, no its not the worlds worst outfit, but a few changes would have made a big difference in my opinion.

dress- maeve from anthro, don't recall the name

tee- foliage fancy tee

heels- seychelles get them here

anthro sale picks

2010-06-02T15:17:00.004-04:00

I was underwhelmed by the last two markdowns at anthro, and managed to order not one single piece. This morning, however, made my day (which granted isn't that hard as I listened to 3.5 hours of con law cramming lecture, ran, and now I have about another 3.5-4 hours of studying ahead of me.... so pretty much anything remotely good could have made my day.) Anyway, here are my picks, I only bought 2 things (yay self control) but I think I will be inordinately happy with them when they arrive.

the banderole tank - Im a huge fan of this top and was super excited when I saw it this morning.

Island holiday dress- I did a double take when i saw this. It's a pretty new (ish) arrival for sale no? Oh well, I certainly didn't complain as it went into my cart this morning.

Sprinkled shells tank- I love this top, and am super bummed that none of the xs is in stock on the grey. Here's to hoping I happen upon it in store at some point.

striated tunic - I wish this had ever come in an xs. Its so pretty, even though one really needs a cami to layer underneath due to the sheerness. But alas this top doesn't even come in a size that would work for me.

cooling palette dress- The reviews say this runs small in the bodice but kind of voluminous in the bottom (which does not bode well for me) so I stayed away, but for those it works for this dress is such a pretty summer piece.

In other news I'm trying my hand at another fun salad tonight (I've been on quite the dinner salad kick the past few weeks) and these goat cheese/ricotta, pistachio, honey bruschetta's tonight so I might have a recipe post tomorrow if a) it turns out tasty and b) I remember to take photos.

ootd- watermelon, catalog copying, and health and fitness recap a day late

2010-06-01T13:44:00.005-04:00

today was my first day of bar class- and if its any indicator (which I am positive it is,) this summer is going to be prettty miserable, but I was expecting that. I hope everyone had a great memorial day weekend. I only managed to go to the beach for one day of it, but there was plenty of barbecuing and other outdoor merriment to be had so I really can't complain. I actually wore this on saturday, running errands and to a barbecue, and yes, I totally stole the idea from the anthro catalog and i also totally look like a piece of watermelon, but I just love pink and green together, I couldn't resist.

oops thats a cat tail in the way:

skirt- anthro landing field skirt- sold out online but check your stores, I bought it on sale when it first got marked down (thanks to the lovely reader who held it for me!!) and then returned it because I wavered on it. Then, as if by some miracle came upon it in my size at a different anthro about 2 weeks ago.

top- old f21

shoes- michael by michael kors? (I think...)

I had lots of time to kill during the week last week so I had a great week in terms of working out:

4 runs (4.5, 4.5, 5.5, 5 miles)

3 yoga sessions

1 strength session

I also got to take the whole weekend off bc I did so much over the week, which was pretty great.

ranty rant rant and recipe time: thai-indian fusion flank steak salad and curried flatbreads.

2010-05-27T11:23:00.006-04:00

Maybe I just have too much time on my hands this week. After not getting on planes two mornings in a row I gave up on my chicago trip, barbri doesn't start till tuesday, I'm going a bit stir crazy without anything that I actually HAVE to be doing (I totally need some structure in my life or I go batty.) I feel like i've cleaned the house three times over, and worked out about 3 hours each day and I'm still bored to tears...

Anyway, this post is going to be wordy and ranty- if you want to look at pictures/recipes of possibly the yummiest salad I've made in quality time- keep scrolling.

I have a formspring account, as you can see in the top right hand corner of the blog. And I love it when you all ask me questions. However, A recent question got my panties in a bunch. And I want your opinions on sexism, feminism, and for those of you in the law, both of those topics in the legal field. I'm just going to post the initial question here. If you want to read the rest, and my possibly too harsh initial response (I'm a blunt person, like realllly blunt,) feel free to click on my account.

"as a female, did you ever feel intimidated by your male classmates? what was it like to be a female in law school? what were the other females like? and what field of law did they hope to practice?"

When I initially read this, I was taken aback/concerned/saddened by what I perceived as a lack of confidence on the part of whatever woman opted to write this to me. Such a thing would have never even struck me as a concern. That then turned into me just being really bothered that fellow women actually have this as a real concern. This is where I guess I feel like I should throw in some back story on me, and where my perspectives come from....

I'd like to call myself a feminist. I also am not the type of person who takes bullshit from anyone. I was raised by a verrrrry strong willed single mother which I think really effected who I am today. However, what I think can really sum up the way I deal with sexism when confronted by it lies in my career experience. I spent two years working in a male dominated field (real estate development- which involved ALOT of work with construction types.) I already wasn't intimidated by men, in fact most of my best friends in high school had been male. I don't let men who are sexist get to me, even a little. I learned a lot about myself working with construction workers (lets note here: no offense to construction workers, I know many who I think are awesome people.) A lot of those men did initially take one look at me, a pretty, then 21 year old, girl with a penchant for four inch heels and thought they would be able to walk all over me. This didn't intimidate me though, I more found it entertaining. I treated it this way: If you want to think I'm dumb and meek and am not going to tear you a new asshole when you fuck up because of what I look like. Well, I'm going to enjoy watching your face when I prove you wrong when you were expecting to walk all over me.

Maybe this effected my perspective and demeanor is law school. Maybe its just who I am. Maybe the above intimidation just didn't really exist in my law school. I don't know. But for some reason, it really bothers me to see women worrying about this. Why aren't you confident enough in yourselves to not just let it roll off of you and prove them wrong if someone does try to intimidate you, belittle you? Maybe you are confident enough to- but, if you are, why does it worry you so that its even a possibility (however remote or not, thats a different debate)? Also how do you think we can change it (if it really exists, which I'm sorry but I just don't see it being a pervasive problem, at least among people around my age.)

This brings me to my point: I'm curious- in your lives have you ever found men intimidating? have you ever been concerned about a situation, career or otherwise as a result of that? Do you feel that women , generally speaking, do tend to follow certain career paths/study paths? And most importantly, why do you think that is or isn't?

Onto lighter and yummier topics- I'm staying true to my promise and I actually took photos of dinner last night. And, not to toot my own horn, but, it was amazingly good. I made a thai/indian fusion salad topped with curried flank steak. You veggies out there could easily do some grilled tofu, seitan or fish/shrimp (if you eat it.)

On the side I made whole wheat grilled flatbreads topped with a greek yogurt, curry, parmesan mix and scallions and tomatoes.

Salad- this is open to lots of change, as most salads are:

baby spinach

grape tomatoes

pineapple

basil (chopped up, whole leaves will be terribly overwhelming

peanuts

crunchy asian noodles

broccoli

red pepper

scallions

dressing:

sesame seeds to taste

a dash of sesame oil

1 teaspoon of olive oil

lots of rice vinegar (I didn't measure)

some shredded fresh ginger

juice of one lime

siracha hot sauce to taste

Flank steak- marinate overnight in the following

trader joes red curry sauce

juice of two limes

rice vinegar

curry power

garam masala blend powder

a few tablespoons of greek yogurt

then grill to desired doneness- slice and top the salad

Flatbreads

I used store bought dough bc I was being lazy, but see my pizza dough recipe here

take half a dough recipe or store bought dough (freeze the other half for later use) divide it into four rounds- flatten them out into, well, flatbreads.

grill one side for about 3 min (oil the grill/grill pan a bit!)

while doing that, mix up about 1/4 cup greek yogurt, a small handful of shredded parm, some curry powder and some hot sauce)

flip the breads (cook for another few minutes), top with curry mix

also top with sliced grape tomatoes and chopped scallions

ootd- diy dress alterations, turquoise and chartreuse accessories

2010-05-26T14:18:00.004-04:00

So I bought this dress on ebay, thought the keyhole (hard to explain beyond that) neckline that it initially came with was cute in theory. It came in, I put it on, and wow, bad, awful. I can't do the neckline it came as because of my broad shoulders, so what did I do? I cut the little strap holding the two straps together and now the dress is a simple cross back and much more flattering for my body type. I also recently got me some chartreuse shoes, and I am super excited to finally wear them.

so it looks like my ankle is broken/breaking here. this is yet another reason why I never bother trying to move mid photo.

shooeees:

close up of the outfit:

necklace- express

dress- anthro via ebay

shoes- seychelles- here

belt- f21

Anthro fitting room reviews- dresses and monday morning health and fitness recap

2010-05-24T11:34:00.003-04:00

Happy monday everyone! I'm supposed to be in Chicago, well, right now, but I'm not and I'm quite grumbly about it. See, I fly standby bc my mom works for a major airline and thus my flights are free if I'm willing to deal with going standby. This usually isn't a problem, especially not around a holiday, but it seems that today was my very unlucky day. The first flight this morning (6 am, yes, I was up at approx 4 this morning) was overbooked, so much so that they were offering $400 credits to those paying passengers willing to take a later flight. Well, I obvi didn't get on the flight, waited for the next flight, didn't get on that one either. I talked to the customer service woman who at this point knows me by name (I fly home a lot, and its always the same philly-chicago route and she always seems to work the same flights) and she was skeptical about my chances so I just went home. And here I sit, tired, but too over-caffeinated to sleep, grumpy and jittery (from my coffee overdose.)

My travel grumbles aside, I have some new fitting room reviews from anthro, and I could really use some reader advice here on the hinterland dress, because part of me realllly wants to buy it and part of me thinks that it doesn't look as good on me as I envisioned it would. Thoughts? To buy or not to buy? I could wear it to a wedding rehearsal dinner and a couple other events I have coming up so its not an issue of it not getting worn anywhere, more an issue of does it look right? is it cute enough? am I too young for the cut?

without further ado (or is it adieu? english buffs, help me out, I never know on this one...) the hinterland dress (apparently sold out online already, what???)-

I love it from the front (I obvi need a different bra, I know,) even though I do feel like the cut is a little more mature than I usually dress. But from the side is where I get a little meh on it. I'm not super curvy and I feel like that is profoundly evident from the side, to the point of maybe, just maybe, being unflattering? thoughts? good/bad???

next up is the sunwashed dots shirtdress- which I actually really like. This is a 2 pictured, and it was loose, but not too loose. My store didn't have a 0 and I would have liked to have tried it one to see which I would prefer. But i'm going to say this runs pretty much true to size, for my body type at least. My friend tried it on (she's verrry pear shaped, with a tiny tiny waist) and had to size down to the two from her normal 6.

undercurrent dress- I liked this dress on the hanger. It looked very 1940's to me. On me, no. No thanks. The cut is just much better suited to a woman with some curves. Not me. This is a 0, I'd say it runs a bit big. this was a little loose at the waist and way loose in the chest.

roped in dress- I've never tried this on before because its a little more themed looking than I tend to be attracted to. But on, I really love it. Its comfortable, I like the tie in back. One complaint- they really should have put a zipper on this baby, the 0 fit but it was such a pain to pull on and off. It might just be that I have really broad shoulders, and after looking at the reviews I think that may be the case as I appear to be the only one with this complaint.

health and fitness recap- ok, so I think I should at least sort of get a pass for last week because its graduation, its more a miracle that I managed to work out at all and not gain weight given my hectic, celebration (read: alcohol) filled week/end.

I managed 2 runs (4.5 and 4 mi)

2 yoga sessions

and 2 pretty intense strength sessions (45 min and 55 min- impeding beach season really motivated me to pick up the weights for some extra time last week, hopefully that continues)

lets not talk about food, or drinking. Its ugly.

in other bloggy news I'm going to try to do some recipe/cooking posts this week. I always forget to take photos when I cook/bake and so that feature of the blog, well, sucks- goal this week is to actually photograph some of my cooking and post about it!

adding some letters to the end of my name, and bold jewelry for summer

2010-05-21T11:16:00.003-04:00

I graduated yesterday!! Now you can just call me Natalie ____ J.D. pretty exciting right?

I also haven't posted in the past couple of days because I've been dealing with the whirlwind of having my family out for graduation. They all finally went in their many different directions this morning and I am seriously exhausted and can't wait for a relaxing weekend. Here's my fav pic, its my and my grandfather and you can def. see where I inherited my signature sort of confused scowl from. The rest of my photos are all normal and smily, but I just love this one too much to not post it despite the unhappy faces.

I'm really wanting some bright, bold necklaces to accessorize with this summer and thought I'd post my picks (you know, instead of buying all of them right now, which I was quite tempted to do on first sight with almost all of these.)

my fav is this new solstice necklace from anthro, if I buy just one big, bold necklace in the near future it will def. be this one. I think yellow matches a surprising amount of other colors and is a great pop of color in many outfits. it does come in a more muted pale pink for those of you who prefer something a bit more subdued.

The beaded swag bib necklace, also from anthro, is one I really want to see in person. I feel like it will either be amazing, or just down right terrible and overwhelming. I'd go with the green, but the yellow is fun too.

the long multi strand beaded necklace from ann taylor loft is very neutral, but still somewhat bold as a result of its general size/design and reminds me tons of a much more expensive piece that shop bop is selling that I posted a couple weeks back.

the feild nap necklace from anthro is lovely. like reallly lovely. but realllly pricey. But seriously, little turquoise flowers clustered together. just too pretty.

I might try to pop back in an post an ootd- but I'm not 100% I'll get a chance too. Thanks for reading!! :)

anthropologie fitting room reviews- ootd and random warm fuzzies

2010-05-18T10:43:00.003-04:00

I popped into anthro on Sunday to make a return and check out some new arrivals so obviously I had todo some fitting room reviews. here they are:

mandore tank- so I never even took a second glance at this online. but in person. love. The colors and pattern are lovely. Its comfy, it would go great with denim or white bottoms. and is a great lightweight loose summer top. this is an xs

comet's trail tank- I really like this. the details are lovely, I think the neckline is flattering. its comfy. and looks great alone with a pair of jeans. this is an xs.

picnic on the danube racerback- hate hate hate. thats all. i knew i would though the whole bubble hem thing bothers me to no end. and its a shame bc i think it could maybe be nice if the bottom was different, ok really if the entire overall cut was different.

sprinkled and shine tank- I'm a big fan of this top, but not for the price. this is an xs, it was kind of sheer (the second pic really shows that) I'm hoping it goes on sale soon. In fact, I was hoping it would hit sale today. obvi that didn't happen though.

in a twinkling dress- meh. I felt kind of swallowed by this dress. Its really pretty on the hanger. and I liked it a lot better when I belted it. But alone, not so much. This is a 0. And yes it was kind of itchy, and kind of sheer. not worth nearly $140 to me personally.

and here's what I wore to shop:

dress- urban outfitters

cardigan- dwarf quince cardi from anthro

necklace- rapunzel necklace

belt- old

bracelet- f21

and just because I can't help myself... boy smushing cat. too cute, even though boy looks a little bit like a non cartoon version of a simpsons character to me here.

apartments and ootd's- day to night

2010-05-17T10:50:00.002-04:00

Good morning! I hope everyone had a fab weekend- mine was a smidge hectic- but we have an apartment!!! I have the hair how to all set to post later this afternoon btw- so that really is coming. I was bad at blogging last week, kind of sick, generally grumpy and really busy equalled very little posting time for me.

Ok, so I have to gush here, for a minute, because well, our new place amazing and one hell of a deal. The rent's not that much more than our current rate (which for the city isn't bad) its in the Washington West neighborhood of the city, which is my second fav. area and super close to all my fav restaurants/bars and just an overall majorly more convenient to my life location than Nolibs. It also is HUGE. We're talking 1500 or so sq. ft (go ahead laugh those of you who live in the suburbs, but seriously this is enormous to me,) and it has a deck and a garage (which doesn't matter to me, but boy is ridic happy about it.) Our landlord used to live there and seems like he will be really nice without being overly present. I couldn't be happier. In other news- if you live in philly and you know anyone looking for a 2 bd (or really 1 bd with den because I don't know how your using our second "bedroom" as an actual bedroom, but it makes a great office/guest room) in northern liberties for july 1st (or 15th, we can talk)- email me, not kidding, we have a month overlap between our leases and I'd love to not have to double pay rent. they would get a free washer dryer (bc the place doesn't come with one and I have no intention of taking ours with us,) and some seriously nice finishes (granite, marble, fireplace, property is only 1.5 years old, built to be a condo, not a rental.)

this is actually what I wore fri- running errands and to a friends bday party. I wasn't going home between the two so I needed to make the look both for work. It was going to get chillier at night so I brought a cardi and I added a pair of heels for the night look. here are the results:

night time:

day time:

and because I love the back on the top:

Top- anthropologie ruffled rice flower tank

belt- anthropologie looping lanes belt

skirt- urban outfitters- I can't find it online but this has a similar feel

shoes- cheapies from barefeet (the flats) and heels cheapies from target (way old, like 3 years, maybe more)

bag- gucci

cardigan- h&m, this is similar

hot rollers- they aren't just for your grandmother- I promise.

2010-05-17T10:17:00.003-04:00

Here it is, I'm finally putting up a hair how to. I've avoided doing this forever despite the fact that lots of you have asked for it for two reasons 1) sheer laziness and 2) I realllly don't do all that much to my hair.

the details: My hair is naturally kind if wavy, but not really the type that you want to leave as is unless your at the beach or are going for the crazy hippie look so I either straighten while I blow dry (when i blow dry, I do let it air dry whenever possible) or pop some hot rollers into it. I wash every other day or so, sometimes I go three days but it gets unbearably gross at that point. It is color treated, and used to be much more so and I used to be quite the little flat iron addict so there is a lot of damage I'm still in the process of growing out.

product: I use whatever shampoo I feel like- often times just regular old herbal essences or pantene. I do tend to splurge on conditioner and am a huge fan of the phyto hair masques- my fav here- and for day to day I sometimes use biosilk and sometimes use cheapie pantene. As far as out of shower product I use a little bit of fekkai glossing cream and hairspray- my personal fav is L'oreal Elnett

The curl process: In the morning (or whenever I'm getting ready really,) we start with dry hair and heat up the rollers. I use about 10-12 med/largish ones for my average textured hair, I'd use a couple less if you have thin hair and a coupe more if you have super thick hair. I just start with the top of my head, take a chunk of hair twirl it a little so get some spiralness going on and wrap it around the curler, I secure with a bobby pin. repeat till done. I let is sit for about a half hour (usually what it takes me to eat breakfast, get dressed, put my face on.) remove them carefully, then separate each curl a bit, mess with the part a bit if you want, spray to set and voila. donsies. Easy right?

here are a couple photos of the mess:

I also forgot to do the monday morning health and fitness recap this morning- so here it is:

I took the week off of running, I just wasn't feeling it- which i was fine with.

4 yoga sessions

2 strength sessions

in related news I think I'll be buying a treadmill and ditching the gym membership when we move, and I can't wait. I do all my strength work at home anyway, and I can invest some of the money I save long term into some studio yoga or pilates classes! I used to have a treadmill and I loved just being able to roll out of bed and get on it and run, walking 5 blocks to the gym is a real deterrent (esp in the rain/winter) and not having that 5 blocks between me and my run will be fantastic!

too much junk food. Seriously bad pms, sickies filled week. I really need to permanently get back on track. I've been derailed off an on for over two months now. yuck. I know I feel better when I consistently eat healthy, and for some reason I just seem to forget that when i opt for pizza/burgers/insert random bad for me heavy food here for dinner along with copious amounts of booze. I haven't really gained much weight- like 2-3 lbs, but my body feels gross and heavy in a way that it never does when I stick with healthy choices. I need to figure out a way to snap out of this bad set of habits I'm settling into.

quick and kinda boring ootd.

2010-05-13T17:30:00.005-04:00

I'm running out the door- so this is going to be quick 1) I will finally be posting a hair how to tomorrow, I took pics today so I'm out of excuses. 2) ootd below. Gotta love how I think that law school's lasting legacy for me is the constant need to make lists/outlines out of my life btw.

I'm meeting a friend I haven't hung out with in, oh, approx 1000 years, for dinner and drinks tonight and I can't wait. But first boy and must plod through another 5 apartment showings, and likely find nothing we agree for what is seeming like the 80th night in a row. wish me luck.....

did I mention I love pockets on my skirts, because I do. alot.

top- fei, older

skirt- sold out anthro

shoes- steve madden

bag- gucci

belt- old urban

necklace- double torsade (which I'm not actually wearing anymore, I think its too matchy after seeing the photos.)

sorry no time for links and comparables today :(

last but not least I wanted to mention the FANTASTIC giveaway that chloe is doing at her blog, see chloe shop. click here to enter for a chance to win a $100 gift card from shopbop!

ootd- mixing prints, well, kind of...

2010-05-12T21:30:00.000-04:00

Well, thats it. I'm done. law school is over, pending graduation that is. And I can say that I'm half really excited and half terrified of the future.

I was all geared up to be super excited and have a fantastic time the second I finished, but alas life had different ideas. The weather in philly has been crappy the past few days, my allergies are bothering me like never before (like I'm practically in a congested, itchy nose/eye, coma if I spent more than a half hour outside,) and boy and I can't seem to find an apartment we see eye to eye on (seriously the hunt is never ending.) So I'm in a generally bad mood.

Anyway onto the ootd- Do you ever find yourself pairing things that you never, ever, in like a bagillion years would think would match. Then somehow as if by cosmic intervention, they end up next to each other and it's like fate? Ya well, that was overly dramatic, but I totally had one of those moments the other day. I was cleaning my closet out and this shirt and my from the green cardi ended up stacked on top of each other on my bed. and I thought it was perfect. And, in real life they may look kind of silly together, but I kind of like the plaid paired with the bright green and the flowers on the cardigan so I went with it. I feel kind of like an artsy farm girl or something....

cardigan- anthro from the green cardi no longer avail

top- modcloth

jeans- seven for all mankind flynts in mercer

shoes- aldo

happy mothers day!!

2010-05-09T19:43:00.005-04:00

I'm sorry I've been super absent from the bloggy world the past few days- I'm all done with finals (and thus law school) after tomorrow night and will be back to more regular posting after that. I just wanted to take a quick moment away from my frantic legal writing fest to wish a very very happy mothers day to all the mom's out there, mine included.

Here's my fav. picture of her and I. We both share a ridiculous obsession with watermelon (we also share an ability to eat pretty much one whole, in a single sitting, scary right?) so thats why I love this one. It was taken back on a relative's farm in the old country, somewhere in the mountains in Bosnia if I'm remembering the family vacation correctly, hence my kind of adorable toothless peasant looking relatives :)

and one of me recreating it, ok not really, but its hilarious and randomly, also taken in europe, on the spur of the heel of the boot of italy:

ootd and spotlight on shopbop's friends and family sale

2010-05-05T15:26:00.003-04:00

I'm not buying anything (did I just say that... gasp.) I went too crazy with the anthro sale and thus am going to exercise a bit of self control, which I think I'm only able to manage doing because 15% off isn't THAT great, well that, and the fact that most of the stuff I'm realllly in love with is far more than I normally spend on one piece of clothing anyway. Here are my picks, you know if I had all the money in the world to spend:

Noir jewelry multi strand beaded necklace - this is just so fun and whimsical and tribal all rolled into one.

noir jewelry beaded multi strand necklace- eerily similar name as the piece above. very different color scheme though. I love both.

blue life braided tank- I love the dramatic open, braided back on this

L.A.M.B front to back ruffle top- I actually may have caved and bought this had it been on sale its just so pretty, but there is no way I am paying over $200 for one shirt.

leyendecker hyperspace tank - I love the color scheme and the pattern and most of all the interesting cut out detailing on the sides.

robert Rodriguez cap sleeve romper- I need this. It needs to go on serious sale.

here's what I wore today- I usually love navy and green together. I think if I repeat this though I might opt for a plain v neck navy cardi as much as I love this one for simplicity's sake, and maybe some heels, but my feet are all messed up from forgetting socks for my run this morning (hellllooo blisters)

belt- f21, this one is much nicer but also much much more expensive

dress- anthro, no longer available

cardigan- clinging blossoms cardigan, navy no longer available online, but the grey is super pretty too

shoes- target

bag- gucci

tons and tons of new markdowns at anthro!

2010-05-04T09:37:00.003-04:00

I know there are a bunch of wonderful sale recap posts already out there (see roxy's amazing, exhaustive one and kim's almost equally extensive list) on this lovely morning, so I won't do anything like that. But what did everyone get?!? my only regret is not trying to snag a wright dress- though I'm thinking about calling around, should I? I can't decide.

I did pick up a few (ok way too many) things, though I am pretty sure at least one or two will go back- here's the haul:

vittorio epaulette tank- I've been waiting for this one to go one sale. I love it, but I'm glad i waited, this price point is MUCH more palatable.

force field corset: Another one I've been waiting for- I think this it going to look too cute this summer with white shorts/pants/skirts and also great in the winter with a grey cardi.

boudurette tank- I dont know why i bought this, really. But I think I like it. We'll see.

today and tomorrow skirt in navy- I needed a simple navy skirt and this def. fits the bill

drifting jasmine skirt- this may or may not go back to the store when it arrives in my hands, i'm a smidge on the fence, but I thought it was cute and worth a try

I've got to run- but I'll try to be back later this afternoon with an ootd. Hope everyone has a fantastic day :)