Big Hot Mess!

I am not kidding when I say it is stinkin hot here! It has been above a hundred degrees for 2 weeks. It was 107 today (not including the heat index) sheesh!

So we went to a wedding today, came home and walked in our bedroom. Seriously looked like WWIII happened! Our huge master closet is overflowing, and my poor husband gets one small section, the floor is full, and it just looks icky. It got me thinking that I really NEED to clean that mess out!  Do you guys have any good cleaning/organizing tips for closets that will make my closet look like this? 
I found this checklist on RealSimple.com that might help me out:

Clothing Closet Organizing Checklist

Make getting dressed fast and easy: Organize your closet in just a few easy steps.

• Edit your wardrobe. Take a look at your clothes and assess what you wear most, least, or not at all. Donate the clothing you haven’t worn in a year or more, as well as anything that no longer fits. If an item is severely damaged, toss it out.
• Decide what to store. Let seasonality and frequency of use be your guide in determining what to keep in the closet and what to stow elsewhere.
• Organize hanging garments by type and color. Blouses, for example, can be sorted first by sleeve length and then by shade. By keeping like with like, options for a given outfit are clear at a glance.
• Choose the right hanger. Your closet will look neater if you use just one type of hanger—wood, wire, or plastic.
• Set up zones. A low rod holds tops and skirts; an eye-level pole, dresses; and a high bar, shirts and suits. A high shelf works fine for out-of-season shoes and sweaters.
• Arrange folded items. Any clothing that will stretch out of shape should be folded over hangers. When organizing the folded clothing you’ll store on shelves, place heavier items at the bottom of the pile, and lighter ones at the top. After folding, arrange garments by function (workout tops together, business tops together, etc.) and color (white to nude to bright colors to black). If your closet doesn’t have shelves, consider using part of your clothing rod for hanging canvas ones.
• Get a garment bag. A sturdy canvas garment bag protects fine suits, dresses, and jackets better than plastic. (Leather, in particular, is susceptible to drying and even cracking if kept in plastic.)
• Deal with dry cleaning. Remove clothes from dry-cleaning bags as soon as you get home, and hang your clothes on proper hangers. Return the wire hangers to the dry cleaner for reuse.
• Manage odds and ends. Store bags, belts, ties, scarves, and other accessories in plain sight on hooks or racks, which can be attached to the inside of your closet door.
• Contain what doesn’t hang. Use containers—consider a matching set of baskets—to hold accessories and clothing that can’t be hung, such as socks and undergarments. Smaller baskets or boxes can store a single type of accessory, such as scarves or hats.
• Pick a system for storing shoes. Choose between a shoe rack on the floor, a hanging shoe organizer, see-through plastic boxes, or original shoe boxes with photographs stapled to them to identify the boxes’ contents. Stow shoes you don’t wear frequently in labeled plastic boxes on a high shelf, in another closet, or under your bed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Friday Faves!

Hello and Happy Friday!!! The weekend is finally here and I am looking forward to it. Tonight Andrew and I are going to have a date that we pick out of the "date night jar" that we made! (Pretty Exciting stuff)..Then tomorrow we have a wedding.. so our weekend is going to be full of fun I have a feeling!

I am going to share with you some of the items that I am lusting drooling over right now. I can not wait to save some pennies to buy these things this fall..

1.  The infamous Louis Vuitton - Neverfull - $900 (yup thats right, and it will be mine.. mwahhhahaha) It is just a timeless piece that I think would make some great arm candy!

2. Black Classic Tory Burch Reva Flat - $195 -  ok, ok, so I know I am late to hop on the Tory Burch bandwagon, but I see these and they must be on my feet. In Love.

3. J.Crew Long Sleeved Cashmere Tee - $188 - This one has been on my list for a long time, but this year it will happen. It comes in soooo many different colors that are sooo lovely, and I think know it would be just perfect for those early fall days! (I am counting down to fall weather- my favorite!)

4. J.Crew Long No. 2 Pencil skirt (in Natural) - $89 - Love this. Easy as that.

5. J.Crew (sensing a pattern here?) Collection Icon Trench $298 - I have been looking for a new trench since mine from Calvin Klein seems so bulky. I love this one.. well actually I just love the whole outfit that they have styled here.. honestly, in my eyes J.Crew can do no wrong.

6. Z Gallerie - Allu Accent Table (Chrome) $100 - No explanation needed. I just want this in my home somewhere.



Have a good Weekend!!!
xoxo

Thursday is one Day Closer to Friday...

Inspired Thursday:

Was it just me, or did this day seem to drag on for everyone?! I think having Wednesday off messed with my schedule. 

So lately I have been doing a lot of blog stalking, and I kept seeing pictures of this girl with amazing outfits on Pinterest, so finally I clicked and it took me to her blog. Linda from P.S. I Love Fashion, is this adorable lady with great big style, and I very quickly became obsessed and I began devouring her blog!  

I mean, she is my inspiration this Thursday. She makes me want to wipe out my closet and  just start all over again! Linda has the most classic style with a fun youthful edge. Most of her wardrobe seems to consist of black, navy, nude, white, and gray... but somehow she makes it adorable and fun!  If you want some good inspiration, I highly suggest you check her out!

xoxo

Work Out Wednesday!

So fitness and eating clean are two things that I let go for entirely too long. I'm sure most can relate. Now I think I am finally on the right track. I thought I would note some of my favorite workouts, healthy eating tips, and favorite healthy meals!

I love tolerate working out, but I hope that in time, I will learn to love it. Here is one of my typical workouts:

Squat Press - my number one for working out those legs. I typically do 3 -5 sets with 12 reps each using a set of 15 lb. kettle bells

Plie Squat - once again 3-5 set with 12 reps each using a 25-30 lb kettle bell - this one works wonders when it comes to  your tush and inside/outside of thighs

Lunges- Then I will do some "around the world lunges", until I can't anymore haha - sometimes to up my workout i will do it with 20 lbs of weight

Bench Press - I do this a bit differently. I use a ball so as to give my core a little bit of a workout.... typically i do 3-5 sets of 10-12 reps using a set of 15 lb kettle bells

Then I top that off with some crunches, V-ups, or Russian Twists

I ran a half marathon back in April and when I say ran, I mean I ran the whole thing! That was such a feeling of accomplishment.. now I try to run several times a week to keep up my endurance and to just feel good. I love to push myself and challenge myself daily.

Right now since there is such an abundance of fresh veggies, we have been grilling a lot of our veggies. Our favorite is asparagus! We may or may not eat this 3-5 times a week.. haha! We just use the throw away aluminum grill pans (with the holes). Trim ends off asparagus, spread evenly in grill pan, lightly spritz or drizzle olive oil or cooking spray (we like Smart Balance Spray) over the veggies, sprinkle with garlic powder and Salt and Pepper.. Amazing! Sometimes we like to throw in Summer Squash, Zucchini, and Mushrooms.

We will eat with grilled chicken and other veggies..

Our main challenge is avoiding processed foods and eating out... but I think if you can think of new/exciting ways to fix things, "eating clean" becomes much more manageable. What do you guys think, what are your favorite workouts/healthy recipes? I would love to hear!

Xoxo -Sarah

Tuesday...

Hello!

So I think that I finally got this blog thing figured out. I have a concept which is awesome possum. It has taken me so long because so much has been going on, but now I am ready to make a go at this.
I have some fun things to share with you!

Scenes from my past two weekends. Andrew's cousin and his lovely new wife got married the Saturday before last, and unfortunately my sister in law has the photo of both Andrew and I, but here is one of my seester in law and myself.

Then last Saturday, I had a Bachelorette party for my dear friend Victoria who is getting married this Saturday! Here are some pics from that fun night. We did Hibachi, and I laughed so hard I cried!

Now Since its Tasty Tuesday, I have to share a recipe that I tried last week and it was delicious. I mean, what girl wouldn't love the perfect marriage of sparkling champagne and cupcakes!? The recipe was from Sprinklebakes.com. Below is the picture of my creation.. hers were much prettier! Next time, I think I will skip the filling though...

Cake: 

1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup champagne, prosecco or your choice of sparkling wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.  in a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup champagne and 1/2 cup sour cream (mixture will fizz and bubble a little).  Add flour and champagne mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour.  Batter will be thick.

Fill cupcake papers with 1/4 cup level measures of batter.  Bake for 17-22 minutes.  Set aside.




Champagne Pastry Creme Filling:

1/2 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 cup champagne or prosecco
2 tbsp cornstarch 
5 tbsp granulated sugar
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, whisk cornstarch in 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Combine the remaining heavy cream, sugar and 1/2 cup champagne in a saucepan; bring to a boil then remove from heat.

Beat the whole egg and egg yolks into the cornstarch/heavy cream mixture.  Pour 1/3 of boiling champagne mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs do not cook.  Return the remaining champagne/heavy cream mixture to a boil.  Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.  

Cut a divot into the top of each cupcake and fill with pastry cream.  Trim the cut-out cake pieces flat to make a "lid" and place on top of the filled divot.


Champagne Frosting:

1 cup plus 1 tbsp. champagne or prosecco
2 sticks of butter softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Place 1 cup of champagne in a small saucepan.  Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons.  Transfer to a small bowl or condiment cup and allow to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream softened butter and powdered sugar together.  Once the frosting is thick and fluffy, pour in the reduced 2 tbsp. champagne plus  1 tbsp. champagne from the bottle and mix well.

Frost the cream-filled cupcakes and decorate with pastel dragees.

HOT!

 I don't know where everyone else is.. but I swear its been 100 degrees for the past two weeks!!!  Makes me wish I was back here where there is that cool sea breeze and never ending cocktails! ahhh.. vacation anyone?!

Until next time loves! xoxo

Fresh Start

I am going to give this thing another whirl... I will be coming up with a new concept, some revitalized ideas and so on..so I will just post a couple things I am lusting over as far as interior design go. What is your style? 

xoxo!

Long time no see...

Hello! Sorry it has been so long since I have posted, but so much has gone on.  There were huge stressors at work and a busy busy life, Andrew is working seconds now so that's lonely, and I did some major spring cleaning. That being said,  I think things are back to normal for now so HELLO!

So I wanted to share a few things...

First we're going on a weekend trip this weekend and I get to go to this amazing mall so I will share a few of my fashion dreams!

These pretty babies from J.Crew and the following cuties from H&M just to show you a few... =)

 Next, I have to share a few of my favorite things right now and they happen to be beauty related...

I love the new Suave Keratin infused smoothing shampoo/conditioner.. not what you'd expect for $2.50/bottle. I have paid 10 times that for products that do not work half as well, and it smells fantastic!

 

I am loving the new Estee Lauder makeup that I got... keeps me matte and smooth all day, and it even stays on through my workouts!

Now... I have more, but I just have to share one more thing for the night..
My goal is to become a really good cook while Andrew is on 2nd's.. so my life consists of stalking food blogs and drooling over  the food that I want to make.. so tonight I am attempting Chicken Tikka Masala.. if it is tasty, I will post the recipe.. wish me luck.. I have never eaten  Indian food so I think I am going to need luck making it!!!!

xoxo