OOTD 8.31.10: Autumn Dots + Gray {rainy day}

Last day of August and it is definitely feeling like Fall here in the Pacific Northwest...

Loft Multi-Tier Shell - Autumn Dots, Loft V-Neck Cardi in Dark Grey Melange, Target belt (last year), Paige denim

Polish is the OPI "Just a Little Rosti at This" that I used for a pedicure recently; sapphire ring is custom I had made when we lived in Thailand.

And I'd love to be wearing some cute flats in a fun color today, but it's pouring rain and feeling chilly and I'm wearing these until I put on my rain boots to head out:

Hope everyone's having a great week so far.

xoxo

OOTD 8.28.10: Autumn Bouquet + Iron Grey

LOFT Pleated Front Blouson Cami - Autumn Bouquet shown against their V-Neck Cardigan in Dark Grey Melange, Pale Violet, and Wild Berry

LOFT cami, LOFT Ruffle Front Cardigan in Iron Grey, Paige Premium denim, Anthropologie earrings (shown below), La Scarpa Paris flats

LOFT is currently running a "buy one, get one at 50% off" promo on sweaters and tops. Lots of cute things there right now.

Happy Sunday!

xoxo

Gap Give & Get {August 2010} + some Target earrings

I placed an order online last night with my one-time-use code and then made a quick run through Gap and Banana today to see if I missed anything great.

Here is a try-on pic of what I purchased. I have a close-up of the earrings below:

Oversized V Neck Sweater in Charcoal and Striped Embellished T in Gray

...and I apparently need to clean my mirror, sorry

close-up of the embellishment on the tee... you can also see this top (and lots of other Gap) on Ema here

Here are the earrings (recent Target find)... I was wearing them with some light gray today:

Sterling Silver Triple Drop Earrings - Multicolor

My other G&G picks won't be here for several days, but here's what is on the way:

Cotton animal print cardi in light gray heather (Banana)

Ruffle-front cap sleeve top in Ludlow bay blue (to wear under above cardi) (Banana)

Silk lace-front shell in cocoon (Banana)

Herringbone band blazer in dark brown (Gap)

Double-breasted funnel cardigan in oatmeal heather (Gap)

(last five pics from Gap & Banana)

.... and also some of Gap's new American in Paris line for my girls... love it.

Anyone else happy with their Give and Get finds?

xoxo

Just a Little Rosti at This {OPI's 2010 Swiss Collection}

We are really really enjoying Summer. I'm not quite ready to let it go. But... the temps are starting to dip and we're getting a little gray rain... so Fall boots, pumpkin spice lattes, and dark nail polish colors are beginning to gain appeal for me again. This color is dark but not super dark... just a very deep brownish-red. Or reddish-brown. Rust, I'd say.

I recently bought it ("Just a Little Rosti at This" from OPI's new 2010 Swiss collection) and took it along to my latest pedicure. I like it so much it'll be my next manicure too.

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo

Crowds, Fruit Bats, and Orange Le Creuset {Florida Vacation Wrap-Up}

the view from our room at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House

we saw giraffes and zebra everyday

I realized we left Florida over two weeks ago and I've only posted some snaps from Harry Potter. I could go on and on and share hundreds of pictures but here are some highlights:

First, the crowds. I mentioned that it was extremely busy at Harry Potter but of course it was "regular busy" all over Universal and all the Disney Parks and any mom knows you are never truly relaxed in those kinds of places when you are watching your children (...or any public place, really). One thing I've found to make it easier is dressing my children in similar colors:

At Universal, when we noticed there was a Dr. Seuss "Thing Three" tee shirt in addition to the other two from The Cat in the Hat, we went all out and dressed our three in matching tees the next day. This really does make it easier to keep track of multiple little ones:

Another tip I heard recently - which is so smart - is to take a quick snap of your child(ren) on your cell phone right before you enter the mall/park/airport etc. That way, if your child does happen to get lost (it can only take seconds) you have a very current pic readily available.

Now fruit bats. They may seem to be a strange highlight from a trip to Disney... but have you ever seen those little creatures up close? They are amazing! They look like cute little furry puppies with these incredible long thin leathery wings they wrap around themselves. We saw them at The Animal Kingdom (it was our first trip there and such a great visit for our little animal lovers).

After a safari tour, taking pictures with Jiminy Cricket, and petting a snake, we found a furry little stuffed bat at a gift shop and my son quite quickly became attached to him:

"Theodore Batman" and his happy (and sleeping) new owner

The Lion King show was also wonderful.

And the orange Le Creuset...

It is my favorite (I have a French oven and teapot out on my stove all the time) and just one of the touches I love about the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes, Orlando. We stayed there last May (post here) and really wanted to stay again during this visit, so spent three nights there before we moved on to The Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House for that full Disney experience.

grits and oatmeal served up in orange LC at the Ritz Carlton breakfast buffet... perfect

love the decor too

I do have a couple more OOTDs from the trip that I'll post together soon.

Happy Monday!

xoxo

Cucumber Dip

It seems like Summer is coming to a close fast and there were a few great hot-weather recipes I had meant to share but I never got around to it... so I wanted to at least post this one because it is sooo delicious.

This is Teresa's recipe from the delightful blog Blooming on Bainbridge and she graciously said I could share it. I have a pic of my end result below but I must refer you to her original post because I can't begin to compete with her gorgeous photography! Her recipes really are a joy to read.

I will tell you to make sure to follow her instructions to pat those cucumbers dry, dry, dry to ensure non-soggy dip! It is amazingly good and we all loved it.

Teresa's Cucumber Dip

4-5 cucumbers

sea salt

4 Tbsp mayonnaise

2 pkgs cream cheese, softened (I use Neufchatel)

garlic powder

peel & cut cucumbers in half lengthwise; scoop out seeds; pat dry (very dry); chop & sprinkle with sea salt; mix it all together... done!

great photos here

Happy Thursday!

xoxo

OOTD 8.18.10: LOFT Cardi in Pale Violet + Stripes

I love these V-neck cardis from LOFT's recent rollout -- bought two other colors as well. Today I'm wearing the Pale Violet. I didn't do a great job of photographing the buttons but they are fabric covered and match the sweater.

LOFT V-Neck Cardigan in Pale Violet, Boden Rosette Top, Paige Premium Denim, La Scarpa Paris flats in nude patent (last summer), J Crew Small Crystal Colletto Bracelet

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo

Today's Target Find: Necklaces

Since we just got back from a two-and-a-half week vacation I needed to make an early Target run this morning to restock on things like dishwasher detergent and snacks. Of course, this gave me the opportunity to check out what had been going on in some of their other departments during my time away too.

Perusing the jewelry, I noticed that much of it had been put on clearance. I am guessing they need to make room for the Temple St. Clair collection that is hitting stores on August 29th.

loving the earrings in light blue set in gold - looking forward to seeing in person

In the clearance area I found this:

Two Strand Beaded Multiplier Necklace in Blue 027100879 $39.99 marked to $19.98 (still full price online; also available in coral, white and multi)

And in the regular priced area, this little bargain:

Necklace Silver 215012859 $4.99

a try-on to show size

Happy Monday!

xoxo

OOTD 8.8.10: Gray + Dusty Shale

This past Sunday we went to brunch after church. When the waitress handed my five-year-old son his chocolate milk in a kids' cup, he looked at me and (quite seriously) asked:

"Is this chocolate milk or a cappuccino?"

When I was growing up, I loved to read my parents' copy of Art Linkletter's Kids Say the Darndest Things. Now I'm lucky enough to hear these things daily. :)

Here is what I wore that day:

Dressy jersey strapless dress - J.Crew

Cotton-gauze petal cardigan #24596 - dusty shale

Tory Burch Miller Silver Leather - Jildor Shoes, Since 1949

Louis Vuitton Totally Damier Azur MM Tote

Gucci Open Temple Oversized Sunglasses

Happy Friday! Our traveling is just about done for Summer 2010 - flying Atlanta to Seattle this weekend - but I still have some snapshots and OOTDs from the trip to post over the next week or so.

I'm also getting started on plans for a trip to Austin, Texas this Fall... any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

xoxo

J Crew Outlet Buys, Water Bottles, and a Plate of Southern Food

Yesterday we went up to North Georgia to visit the city of Dahlonega, home to the site of the first major US gold rush in 1828, a classic old Southern downtown district, and North Georgia College & State University.

It also happens to have close proximity to a large outlet shopping venue.

After checking out the downtown and enjoying a big Southern meal served family style (you pass around the platters and bowls of food at a big table, likely with people you don't know) at The Smith House, we ventured to the outlets.

Here's what I ate (+ homemade rolls & butter and strawberry shortcake with ice cream for dessert):

And here's what I bought at the outlets:

J Crew Corduroy Eden Jacket in an eggplant color $89.50, discounted to $59.99

The body of the jacket is not lined, but the sleeves are, and these were displayed with a rolled cuff.

J Crew Printed Kelsey Ruffle Top in a purple paisley $69.50, discounted to $34.99

J Crew Merino Forever Cardigan in a pale pink $69.50, less 30% = $48.65

Pottery Barn stainless steel water bottles (aren't they pretty?!) $12.00 ea., on sale for $6.99 ea.

These are going to remind me to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Our first stop on our recent Florida trip was Universal Studios, because (if you haven't already heard), the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter has opened. My eight year old is a huge Harry Potter fan (our puppy's middle name is Potter if that's any indication) so we decided to head to Florida as part of our trip back South this sumer and check it out.

Personally, I've made it a bit into the first book and have watched parts of a couple movies, so I don't know nearly as much about it as my daughter but I do have a general idea. And the park seems very authentic and I'm sure will thrill and delight Potter fans. The effort put into detail really is amazing. The "snow" covered haphazard roofs and the buildings of the village really take you into the movie... well this part does:

But not exactly this part:

Yes. The crowds. They were insane. It was hot. The sun was beating down. And we were just about shoulder to shoulder with ... well, I can't even guess the number, but... a LOT of other Harry Potter aficionados. Sunday actually wasn't too too bad, but on Monday there was a line through other sections of Universal just to enter through the magical gateway into HP Land.

Over the two days (we visited other parts of the park too) we bought candy at Honeydukes, drank frozen Butter Beer (like melty caramel ice cream yum),

rode the one roller coaster that was mild enough for our group, and waited an hour and a half (hot but interesting window displays along part of the way) to get into Ollivander's.

There was a cool little show inside (for 30 people at a time) where a couple of children (I think it's usually just one) were chosen by their wands (and then the parents were offered the opportunity to buy them next door), and then we were ushered in to the shop. Here we were shoulder to shoulder as many people were still in there from previous shows. As I grabbed one of my children and clung to a wall, I learned that the Hermione wands were sold out (among a few others) but luckily I would be able to order my little fan her perfect wand online when they came back into stock.

So we will get my eight year old her Hermione wand eventually and my five year old chose a Willow #5. My seven year old said she'd rather go to Italy.

I'm already planning for next summer.

So all in all, I do have to say the Wizarding World is an amazing work of art, engineering, effort, and of course, imagination. I would probably just wait another year or two until some of the excitement dies down and it can be really seen and enjoyed.

Happy Monday!

xoxo