Neroli Blossoms

Try the Trend - Leather Skirt

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:11:00 +0000

chambray shirt: Banana Republic, tank top: H&M, skirt: Forever 21

tights: Target, booties: DSW, necklace: Bloomingdales, watch: Michael Kors

That last picture is my "It's 16 freaking degrees outside, why am I doing this?!" look. I think it's pretty awesome and is definitely going to catch on, you just wait. It's a bit 'I don't want to be here' with a little 'hurry up and take the picture!!!' on the side.

Anyway, I bought this skirt last fall because I wanted to try the leather trend, but wasn't sure if I could pull off an actual leather skirt. I feel like this is a good compromise. I like to tone it down a bit with a casual shirt because let's be honest, I'm not exactly miss hardcore rebel over here. I wore this to brunch last Sunday and it was part of the Winter Remix Challenge.

Also, Kacey snapped this picture of us getting ready for his birthday brunch and I think it's adorable so I'm sharing it! Happy birthday, Love!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Sydney over at The Daybook started Awkward and Awesome Thursday a long time ago, and I've loved reading her silly posts. I thought I'd do a mini post of my own to recap Valentine's Day. First, the awesome.

Awesome:

- These cookies. Valentines for geeks and I scored mega points with the future hubby. In case you want to get in on this action, Williams-Sonoma sells 3 different Star Wars cookie cutter sets as well as pancake molds. Even if you don't want them, check them out and look at how the cookies on the box are frosted so perfectly. Then laugh hysterically and dip them in chocolate because there's no way you could ever decorate a cookie that nicely.

- Most of the Valentine's Day dinner I made Kacey. See the Awkward section for the rest of it.

- My first attempt at broiling turned out pretty well. Will be attempting this more often!

- Future hubby showing up with champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries to nicely round out the meal!

- Bacon wrapped asparagus. Bacon wrapped anything, really. Mmmmm, bacon.

Awkward:

- The "super easy" 4 ingredient mousse that I was trying to make for dessert was a disaster. It. Would. Not. Thicken. No matter what I did, or how long I mixed it for, the stupid thing resolutely remained a liquid and I ended up having to dump it down the drain. Sad times.

- Um did you know that broiling steaks would create so much smoke? Because I sure didn't!

- Stupid blurry low lighting pictures from my iphone of said delicious dinner because I can't take a decent iphone pic to save my life.

- Dear downstairs neighbors, turning on your bathroom fan does not block out sound from my apartment. I can hear you. And it's uncomfortable. Turn on some music or something. I'm betting that if I can hear you, so can your children who are in your living room. I hope I never have to have a conversation with you because I'm just going to be snickering the whole time. Because yes, I am that immature. Also, 2:30 in the morning?! Don't you have to work tomorrow? Because I do and I'd prefer my sleep not to be interrupted by overhearing your um, party times. Thanks.

Modern American Girl - Meet Kirsten

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:40:00 +0000

But Sarah, it's not Thursday! Why is there a Modern American Girl post today? I know, I know, but I'm posting this a day early. I had planned to write about this amazing Valentines Day dinner I was making Kacey, complete with pictures of all its glory, but it ended up being a disaster and a half so this is being posted instead. I felt like the dinner deserved it's own Awkward and Awesome Thursday post. So instead you get Kirsten.

I don't know how I felt about Kirsten as a little girl. I mean I liked her braids and I thought it was pretty cool that she went off exploring by herself and had secret Indian friends and all, but the books just didn't sit right with me. I think this mostly came from the fact that they were supposed to be speaking Swedish, having literally just arrived off the boat, but the whole book was written in English. This especially bugged me in the second book where Kirsten is all "oh school's so hard because they only speak English there" except we wouldn't know that because this entire book is in English and my 8 year old mind was like, "uh aren't you speaking that all the time?" Eventually I got over this injustice to 8 year old readers everywhere and was able to enjoy the books. Although I have to say, having her best friend Martha die right in the first book was some heavy stuff back then. But on a lighter note I did always like that blue trunk and wanted my own life size version.

Happy Valentine's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:45:00 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, I had the honor of participating in What I Wore's Winter Remix Challenge styling my favorite chambray shirt 2 different ways. I wanted to post the picture on my own blog as well. Look for details on the outfits later this week! There were so many great submissions and I loved finding new blogs to read. Thanks for hosting this Jessica!

Also, Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is full of chocolate. If not, well that's ok - it all goes on sale tomorrow!

Birthday Brunch

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:43:00 +0000

Wednesday is Kacey's 25th birthday, but since we weren't sure if we'd actually see each other that day I decided to take him out for a birthday bunch this weekend. It was a 45 minute wait, but it was worth it. The food was amazing - all locally grown and sourced - and it tasted incredible.

My mimosa and Kace's man-mosa, aka beer and orange juice.

My incredible ham, gruyere and spinach omelet. With bacon of course.

Happy birthday future hubby!

Delicious homemade jam on toast. Also a random Statue of Liberty.

BACON COOKIES. You guys, I don't even know. I just...don't....I can't deal.

Edit: Check me out over on What I Wore as part of her Winter Wardrobe Remix!

Friday Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:58:00 +0000

Fun comedy theatre breaks

Yummy lunch at fun new restaurants

A fun Thursday treat after a long week

So obsessed with posole

Trying to pick out dishes to register for is harder than I thought

I had to amuse myself in Cabelas while Kacey did manly shopping. I had to take a pic, Rage Acorns. RAGE!!!!!!! Although I don't actually know what this is...

These past two weeks have been a blur. Most of my life has been taken up with work and wedding planning and yet I feel like nothing gets done. These are a few of the things that made me happy and picked me up during the past weeks.

Modern American Girl - Changes for Josefina

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:58:00 +0000

I've been waiting forever to share this one, because I love it so much! I want to move down to Arizona and wear this every single day. Except in summer, because I hear it gets to 120 degrees and I think I'd die wearing jeans and a wool poncho in that. But every other day! In winter! And cooler fall days! And at night when it gets cold in the desert! I really can't say any more about this outfit, so I'll just let you soak in its awesomeness.

Fairest of Them All

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:20:00 +0000

As you probably know there are two Snow White movies coming out this year, each with it's own look and feel. The March issue of Elle Magazine had a little feature on Lily Collin's costumes from Mirror Mirror, coming out this March. Movie costumes are what got me into the fashion industry, so this was right up my alley. The costumes look amazingly ridiculous and fanciful! I couldn't find images from the article anywhere online, so I had to scan them. They aren't the best quality, but I love how they show the movie costume and how it would translate to a runway look and a street style blogger outfit. I especially love the yellow raincoats!

Almost Chicken Posole

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:44:00 +0000

Mmm, chicken posole. This was a fairly new discovery for me, and now I can't get enough of it. This is one of my favorite go to meals when I want a quick dinner. I started with Real Simple's Chicken Posole recipe as a base, but I've made it so many times and kept fiddling with it until I found my perfect version. In fact, I don't even think it can be called "posole" considering I took out the hominy in favor of gnocchi I'm not a huge corn fan. If this sounds in any way interesting to you, continue:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 of an onion, thinly sliced
2 14oz cans of chicken broth
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy, I don't)
2 cups of shredded chicken meat (you can either sauté breasts/tenders with the onions, or use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.)
1 15oz package of gnocchi
1 lime
cheddar cheese

First slice the onion. The original recipe calls for a whole onion, but I find that it's usually too much so I prefer to use between a half and 3 quarters of an onion. Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and brown the onions about 8-10 minutes until they are transparent and smell incredible.

Here's where you have a choice to make. I prefer to get raw chicken breasts, filets, or tenders and cook them in the pan with the onions, however, if you want a quick and easy route, get a cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shred about 2 cups of the meat with a fork. If you decide to use a rotisserie chicken, it's already cooked so don't add it to the pan yet, you'll add it at the end.

Add the broth, tomatoes, and chili flakes and bring to a boil. The original recipe calls for diced tomatoes which will give you a broth based soup with tomato chunks. I prefer using crushed tomatoes for a more hearty saucy texture. I feel it distributes the flavor better, but that's just me.

Once the soup boils, reduce head and add the chicken and gnocchi. Like I mentioned, I'm not a hominy fan, so this is a substitute. Simmer for about 5 minutes until gnocchi is soft and everything is heated through.

Spoon into bowls and squeeze a lime slice or 2 into the soup. Personally I think the more lime, the better it tastes! Top with some shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with a nice loaf of bread for dipping and a glass of red wine for maximum enjoyment. Warning: this soup is filling and extremely delicious. You may find yourself making it over and over again. Or perhaps that's just me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go stuff my face.

Anchors Away

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:04:00 +0000

First of all, look at this Kate Spade clutch, isn't it phenomenal?!?!

I sort of freaked out when I saw it. But since it's waaay out of my price range, I'll just stare at it online. And let's be honest, where would I take it? A 100 year anniversary of the Titanic sinking party? Somehow I don't think that would go over real well. But joking aside, I love that every spring nautical and preppy looks come back in style. While I'm usually not a super preppy dresser, I do enjoy a good stripe and nautical themed accessory! Let's look at more pretty things from Nordstrom that I can't afford, shall we?

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Modern American Girl - Josefina Saves the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:03:00 +0000

The good thing about still owning all the American Girl books is if you're staring at a set wondering what on earth happened in this story because the cover art doesn't tell you anything, you can just go pick it up and read the book in about 10 minutes. In this installment, American traders come to Santa Fe and there is much trading. Blankets are traded to a fairly cutely illustrated man of Irish decent and then everyone spends the rest of the book freaking out thinking they can't trust him. Except he was actually honest and Josefina and her sister have a little midnight adventure into the bowels of 19th century Santa Fe to recover a violin at a church to prove his trustworthiness. And nothing says 'I'm ready for a midnight adventure' like a hand tooled leather vest and puffed sleeves . Her boots are pretty cool though, and I'm digging the ones in this set as well. As well as the feather necklace - gotta rock the feathers.

Wedding Wednesday - Bouquets

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:44:00 +0000

{1, 2, 3, 4}

I admit, I know nothing about flowers besides the fact that they look pretty and die in a few days. I really have no idea what to do for my wedding, however, I'm finding myself drawn to muted, dusty colors in ivory and blush, and I really like the lambs ear/dusty miller stuff (like I said, no floral knowledge at all) in these bouquets. And peonies, I know I like peonies. And succulents, but those might look out of place in a Wisconsin wedding.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:59:00 +0000

One of my favorite bogs, Automatism, posted these pictures last week of the Berlin based clothing company Maye r's Fall 2010/11 Peace Collection. As a former history major, I absolutely love the vintage feel to these photos and clothing. Also, the embroidery on that last sleeve! Be still my heart.

Modern American Girl - Happy Birthday Josefina

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

You know how I keep saying how much I love all the Josefina outfits? Well, yeah I love this one too. It's a little bold with all the bright colors, but that's what makes it awesome. So Josefina's turning 10 (um, let's age her up to about 20 for this post ok?) and wants to be a healer like her aunt. But then she breaks a vase and causes everyone to be mad at her, so she goes off and fights a rattlesnake and saves her best friend so all is forgiven. Let's be honest, this outfit would not help you in a battle against a rattlesnake, you'd probably be bitten. But at least you'd be wearing some awesome orange shoes and blue shorts! Besides, the dreary weather outside makes me long for bright colors and spring time.

See all Modern American Girl posts

Got the Moves

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:54:00 +0000

Break ton Neck from Alex Yde on Vimeo.

This has been around for a while, but I still like watching it. This guy is amazing. It's like he's doing some sort of yoga/breakdancing combo. It's true his flexibility creeps me out a bit at times, but mostly I'm just jealous because I wish I could move like that.

Monday Miscellany

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:49:00 +0000

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

I feel my posts haven't been incredibly interesting lately because I haven't been doing anything. All my free time has been going towards wedding planning. Less than 5 months to go, I just want my life back. I'm so ready to be married.

Antioxidant Power Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:10:00 +0000

Technically this should be a Wedding Wednesday post, but honestly I'm burnt out on wedding stuff. So instead here's a super easy recipe for a delicious smoothie full of antioxidants to keep you healthy in the winter. Only three ingredients! Ready, go!

One cup of POM pomegranate juice. Yup, the stuff old people drink.

One cup of frozen fruit. I used whatever was in my freezer which happened to be blueberries and blackberries. Add a few ice cubes and blend. (Not pictured, make sure you put the cover on first. This is a very dark and staining drink)

Pour into glass and drink delicious smoothie, soaking in those antioxidants and feeling their super powers.

Note: smoothie will not give actual super powers such as flying, invisibility, or telepathy. This only involves fruit super powers, giving you the ability of being fruitful...fruity? On second thought, never mind, no super powers are transferable to you, only the power of being awesome for making it.

Loving Tartan

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:40:00 +0000

Now that the holidays are over (and it finally snowed!) all I'm thinking about is how to stay warm. There's just something about tartan that just makes me want to curl up next to a fire.

Source

Modern American Girl - Josefina's Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:21:00 +0000

This outfit was harder than normal but I like how it turned out. The dress is perfect and literally the only thing I could find in a tan and black with stripes that weren't completely horizontal. I went a little more conservative with this outfit since it's a Christmas outfit and church is involved. I really wanted to do a fabulous headpiece but a black veil just looked weird. Like some sort of bridal ninja. I suppose this outfit isn't very true to the story since there's no way you could go riding around on a donkey acting out the part of Mary in this dress, but we'll just say today Josefina would have had a speaking part in the church pageant instead so she can wear a dress and shoes that are a bit more restrictive.

See all Josefina looks
See all Modern American Girl posts

Wedding Wednesday - Inspiration Board

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:54:00 +0000

Row 1: unknown, Style Me Pretty, unknown, Row 2: unknown, Amy Carroll Photography

Row 3:Style Me Pretty , White on Rice Couple , wedding concierge, Ballard Designs

Row 4: Hopelessly Vintage, unknown, Project Wedding, unknown

I know I just said I was in wedding overload, but I did manage to put together something I'm rather proud of. Apparently vendors and I were just not connecting on what I wanted (like the time someone asked me how blue mason jars were vintage) so I made an inspiration board for the feel of my wedding. I had made one this past fall for color inspiration but I guess that wasn't clear enough. I feel this one really captures the mood of what I want my wedding to look and feel like, so we'll see if this helps people get my vision any better.

Monday Miscellany

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:45:00 +0000

I'm a bit weddinged out after this weekend. We met with a florist who was definitely not on the same page as me (no thank you sir, we will not be going with you), picked out a few bridesmaid dresses with 2 of the girls (yay!), and then went to a bridal show. It's all kind of made me brain dead so here are some random pictures from the past 2 weeks.

Also, since it's 160 days until my wedding (holy crap!) and to go along with my new years resolutions I've been keeping my eye open for anything health and wellness related that I could muster up enough excitement about. I found two things that I'm actually looking forward to starting!

Bon Appetit's 2012 Food Lovers Cleanse - I'm not a fan of cleanses or diets since I don't have the willpower to sustain them for more than a few days (who are we kidding, more like hours). I might actually give this one a try. Not to lose weight, but because I've been eating so poorly all through the holiday season. I might do a few substitutions, since I don't like everything that's listed there, but we'll see how it goes.

Nike Training Club App - I never know what to do when working out so I'm really excited to give this a go and see if it works for me.

Shoot 'Em Up

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:04:00 +0000

As I mentioned last year, or last week depending how you look at it, I went sporting clay shooting for the first time in December. It was so much fun!!! We drove out to the foothills in San Jose to a range that had 18 stations set up, similar to a golf course.

Kacey and one of his best friends, Marc, taught me how to load various shotguns, basic hunters safety rules and protective gear, and how to aim.

The thing about shooting sporting clays is that disks are actually catapulted into the air so you are shooting at a moving targets as opposed to a fixed target at say a rifle or pistol range. I was hoping to get 1 hit so I could at least leave without feeling like a total noob, but I ended up hitting 4! Now that I sort of know what I'm doing, I want to try it again!

Modern American Girl - Josefina Learns A Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:38:00 +0000

I think this title or at least the cover artwork is a bit misleading. Josefina doesn't go to school in this book. In fact, it's not until the very last chapter when she even starts learning to read. So with that in mind, I went for a more after school relaxed look, although I've never been to school in the Southwest so I guess you might wear this to class as well. My classrooms were always freezing so you never really wanted to wear a short skirt anyway. And again, I want this outfit. I want to move to the Southwest and dress like this all the time.

See all Josefina looks
See all Modern American Girl posts

Wedding Wednesday - Our Engagement Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:11:00 +0000

I realized that I never posted any of the engagement photos that we had taken this past fall. One of Kacey's friends, John, took the photos but I can't seem to locate a website for his photography so I can't link it. We went to a few places around Milwaukee such as the lake, the city, and a park, but these are my favorite. I love the soft romantic look of these photos - almost like a secret garden.

New Years Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:38:00 +0000

I'm usually not one for resolutions, I tend to completely forget about them after a few weeks. However, I think these are general enough that I can actually stick to them. I broke my resolutions down into 4 categories to make it simpler.

Make one new project a month: I used to make things all the time and it made me feel so creative and happy. I really want to get back into flexing my artistic muscles and I have a feeling that once I move into my new apartment this summer I'll have decorating projects like crazy!

Eat well, exercise more: Self explanatory. I was really good about this most of the year but I fell off the cart in November and never got back on. The worst part is that I can tell it's taking a toll on my body and health. So come January I'm going to hitch up the oxen and ford that river to better health, stopping in Independence to pick up some bullets so I can go shoot 542 pounds of meat but only carry 165 pounds of it back to my wagon. (What, you never played Oregon Trail?) I have a wedding in about 5 months! I need to get on this stat. (I also need to go track down that game. Do they still make it?)

Start a prayer journal, stop worrying: I read somewhere that to really see how God has been guiding and taking care of you in life to start a prayer journal and record how He has answered your prayers. When I start thinking of big moments in my life over the last years (graduating from school, finding a job, etc) it's obvious that things have worked out way better than I could have ever planned and I think this is a way to remind me of that. As for stop worrying, it goes along with the journal, I need to trust more and worry less.

Take a dance class: I'm out of excuses. I've been telling myself this for 2 years and I won't do it. Which is ridiculous because I've been wanting to take ballet or Irish dance and dancing makes me happy. So I need to stop stopping myself and just do it. And then join a Nike campaign.