For the love of Bobs...

I'm not talking about a bunch of men named Bob here...I'm talking about the timeless and classic haircut. Do you love it as much as I do? I've pretty much had a bob all of my life. I know that when you all come to my funeral I will be laying in a cheap casket with a really great bob. Please make this come true. 

Here are some of my favorites.

How could you not love this! I even love the bangs, but I AM a bang person.

I would happily sport this bob as long as I can have the body to go with it.

Even Jen got her hair cut into a bob again...

It's a haircut for urban or suburban. If you have no idea what to do with your hair, get a bob! You will never regret it. How often do you look at pictures of people from 20 years ago with a classic bob and think their hair looks outdated? Never. It's a haircut that spans across many generations. 

I've been growing out my hair to give to Locks of Love and am well past the ten inches I need to get it cut. For some reason I can't part with my long hair just yet. Maybe I'm holding onto my youth? Wait, I never had long hair in my youth. My hair is longer than it's ever been. Soon enough, though, it will be a bob.

Stacy

Foodie Friday...yes, again!

I wanted to share a quick drink with you, before the summer is over, so today you are getting two recipes for the price of one. No that you pay to read this blog, but you know what I'm saying.

Last Fall I discovered this at Ikea. I knew I had to do something with it since pear flavored anything is my favorite! So I decided to make it as easy as possible. Hence, this is hardly a recipe, but more just something that you need to try at home when you're sitting outside in the heat.

I'm realizing it's hard to get a picture of a glass bottle. Sorry about that. I hope you didn't notice that my bottle of Absolut Pear is almost empty either. It's really not. That's just a weird reflection too. Umm, yes, let's just go with that explanation and leave it alone okay?

So all you do is mix a shot (or slightly more) of the Absolut Pear and the sparkling pear drink from Ikea. I won't even type the name of it because you know you can't pronounce it any better than I can! This beverage is like heaven in a glass. It's refreshing and light and I love it. If you don't like pear, you won't like this. It is slightly perfumey tasting. I love that. Also, if you don't have access to an Ikea, you can use any sparkling pear drink from the grocery store. I just happen to like this because it is less sweet.

Happy drinking!

Stacy

Foodie Friday

Our first Foodie Friday is going to be a recipe that I originally found here. It's exactly the recipe that I use, but I use basil instead of oregano. Either one would work. 

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

4 tomatoes, halved horizontally
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, or basil
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet. Top with parmesan, oregano, and salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until tomatoes are tender. I bake them for 15-20 until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

These are great served with a steak or chicken breast and about as easy as you can get. Tomatoes will be in season soon so you will have a new recipe to use for them!

For my next Foodie Friday I will have pictures of my own for a simple recipe you can make in the crockpot and eat for lunches and dinners for the week!

Stacy

Today's Etsy!

I'm really in love with my find today. I want to have about twelve kids PRONTO so that I can have one with 12 little pendants. However, that is not going to happen so I will leave that part to you. These might be a little more expensive than the things I would normally show you but well worth it!

Did your parents have one of these made of your profile when you were a kid? Mine did! I think they are some of the most charming little treasures to wear around your neck. I am going to order a necklace with four pendants. They will be of Curtis, Chloe, Sonny and Tinkerbell...my three cats and dog. Okay, call me crazy I won't do that. BUT if my husband were to go through the trouble I would wear it every single day! 

If you have already had 12 children, please email me ASAP. I will throw you a party at my house AND buy you one of these with twelve pendants!

Stacy

A Project for Later..

Well, today I am going to share with you a fun little project... a little something for any celebration depending on the colors you choose. Here is the sneak peak.. before I run off to work for the day!

Backyard Update.... Stain adds a bit of warmth...

Newly stained wonders of happiness. Stained to match the wood along the fence.

Pinterest Post. Creative Foody Ideas!

 Graduation Celebrations.. for the how-to click here.

 

 Halloween Celebrations... for the how-to click here.

Halloween Celebrations...Mummy Dogs....

Who doesn't want to celebrate with an owl! 

More creative wonders by Handmade Charlotte here.

Can you say no need for a celebration. Yum!
Find the recipe here.

 

 Again. Yummy! I could eat this whole thing... with some milk, of course.
More fun ideas found here.

Enjoy these little morsels! 

Alyssa

I might move...

Did you happen to see this house on apartment therapy?

Well, I'm CRAZY in love with leopard print everything. Every house needs some leopard print. A pillow, a rug, a chair, a sheet, a towel...SOMETHING! This house is in Chicago and I am going to need to go knock on their door and tell them that they are rockstars. Leopard print rockstars from heaven. No, I couldn't go this far, but I completely admire the people who did. If it were in my neighborhood I'd have to walk by it everyday. With my pet leopard. Just kidding. Do they have pet leopards? I want one.

What do you think? Cool or crazy?

Stacy

Urban Style

I thought I'd share some chic urban style to wear shopping, lunching, or barbecuing. Mix and match these simple pieces with other things you have in your wardrobe already...

You will find this tunic on Etsy for $40. It's one of those things that will never go out of style. It's just a cute retro-vintage sort of classic and the colors are so perfect for summer!

Pair the tunic with these slim leg jeans from Land's End. You can even roll the jeans up so you'll have a couple of wide cuffs...so cute! They are simple dark denim jeans and they cost $59.50. CHEAP for jeans and you can wear them all winter too. You'll be wearing them with some cute riding boots this winter!

Next let's throw on some comfy ballet flats in silver. These are from Nine West and they're on sale for $41.40. They still have a wide variety of sizes so get them quick if you want them. Nothing says comfort like ballet flats. I think they look great with jeans or skirts.

These earrings will go great with your new urban style and you'll be able to wear them with anything! They have gold (brass) and silver in them and we all know that a combination of the two means you can't go wrong. They are $24 and two and a half inches long. Go for big earrings!

These are just some ideas. Buy all of this for a great outfit or pick and choose things to buy and wear with what you already have. All of it will look urban and chic for a year or two...unless you live in New York where you are required to constantly update your style to look current. I think that in the midwest and other urban and suburban areas all of this stuff will look great for quite a while!

Remember to try different combinations of clothes in your own closet too. If you like how things look and it's comfortable there aren't many rules. Fashion these days is a great mix of fun vintage, crazy color schemes and hip new trends all thrown into one.

What's your favorite thing to wear these days? I'd love to hear!

Stacy

Today's Etsy!

Today's find is one that I'll be buying as soon as I paint my front door. I'll be getting it in white. Such an easy way to welcome people and add some whimsy to your door! Love it!

You can buy this in a multitude of different colors for $7! Yes, that is it! How can you resist?

Stacy

Back Yard update #367.. With a steal of a deal!

Yes.. the backyard is still under way... although we are getting closer! We now have stairs. Woot! Love them.. Love them.. Have I told you I love them? We also invested in an umbrella this weekend. We will soon have 2 because I ordered one from West Elm, but it hadn't arrived yet and it was hot, hot, hot yesterday. Now that we have the umbrella's we needed covers to protect them when they are not up.. and boy oh boy did I get a steal of a deal on these! (Note: the umbrella was a steal as well.. $26 with my discount at Pottery Barn and a $50 gift card I had. So happy! Love my deals!)

 Digging out for the ground work. 

 

 Hmm. What next?

 Yay!!!

 What I found while he was working.. a wasps nest at the back door! Eek! 

The boys (Eric & friend Ashley) enjoying the new stairs and watching the little white puffs float by.... I'll be honest. There were a few beers involved. A cape cod or two, some spiked lemonade and a margarita. Not totally sure who had what but those were our options that day!

 The new umbrella... It kept 6 people well protected from the sun... treats on the ottoman.... and fun to be had! It was cute. We moved all the blue chairs under  the umbrella and were huddled up together. Eating of course. Though with the new umbrella and my need to protect things.. I wanted to get a cover.. 

Can you sort of see that price in the blurry picture? $3.98! Thank you Target. 

 Fits Perfect! 

 Trouble.. watching the world go by. 

Only the garden to finish moving and we will be done! 

Alyssa

Vinaigrette - Every celebration and day needs a little Olive Oil & Vinegar!

Welcome to my neighborhood! I live near the 50th & Xerxes shopping area. There are so many fun places to stop and peruse in that little corner of heaven.

Vinaigrette is one of my favorites of this area. Vinaigrette is owned by the super cute couple, Richard & Sarah.  They opened almost 2 years ago and have been sharing with us fabulous olive oils, vinegars and recipes.

At Vinaigrette they provide you the opportunity to taste all of the olive oils and vinegars they bring in from around the world. It is so much fun to walk in there to mix and try their fused olive oils & vinegars. I think my favorite might be the Greek olive oil and raspberry balsamic vinegar.. then again there is the dill olive oil and 18 year aged balsamic vinegar.. oh and the Chardonnay vinegar .. oh and the pear infused vinegar... mmm.... I think you get the idea.  I could spend hours in there trying and mixing and trying and mixing. They have something for every recipe and for every celebration. Oh and..their little bottles make great hostess gifts. They also make up the most fabulous gifts boxes for other occasions.

They also carry a line of olive oil based beauty products. The hand cream is by far my favorite. I have it sitting right here on my desk.  Sarah recommended it to me for my daughters extremely dry hands during the winter. A few applications and the scalyness was gone! Amazing. The other fun find at this shop is the art, photography and pottery. They feature some fabulous artists in their shop. A must see.

Finally, if you need a place to host an event, they are even willing to share their space with you! The following photo is a shot of an event we hosted there about a year ago.

This is a must visit if you are in the neighborhood. If you can't make it to the shop and need something soon you can also shop online here. Need some recipe inspiration? Check out their recipe box here. Vinaigrette has so many wonderful things to offer that I hope you stop by soon to experience this little bit of heaven.  Their knowledge of olive oil and vinegar and the growers they work with is amazing. There is so much to learn as well! Check out there website at www.vinaigrettemn.com.

Enjoy & Find something to celebrate! 

Alyssa

Pinterest Post - Celebrations!

I hope you had a happy, fun and relaxing 4th of July celebration. We had a nice impromptu party that ended in a walk around the neighborhood visiting other friends. There are so many fun things to celebrate in life. So today, I thought  I would share some fun celebration ideas for the many other things we celebrate throughout the year. Enjoy!

 Anytime is the best time for a backyard celebration. Celebrate anything from being done for work to a beautiful day. Collect vintage table cloths & dishes, have the kids decorate white napkins with fabric markers and some candles and fun people and away you go! 

 We all see the typical triangle bunting.. and here is a cute take on this old tradition with a soft rounded edge. Fun patterns and colors to add to the ambiance of what you are celebrating.

 You can find out more at... Martha Stewart Weddings ..

Cute table scaping idea for a rustic celebration..

 The ever dreaded kids table... needs to be dreaded no more! Fun is to be had at this little table!

 You can find this and more here.

 PomPom bunting... Can you say love.. and yours for $20.00! 

Find it here.

 I finishing with this cake because I am in love with the pompom decoration and red cake plate! What fun is this!! The garland can be yours for $18... and the cake you must make! Find it here.

Enjoy your celebrations! 

Alyssa