Love Lately

What do I love lately? So many things right now, especially now that spring/summer is making an appearance. Nothing like warmer weather and being outside to awaken the soul ;)

So let's get to the list, shallow we?

1. Summer is almost here!! This past weekend we finally hit 80 degrees and sunny…..so for us Hobokinites, it was off to Pier 13 (an outdoor beer garden on the water) for food trucks, cold beverages, and laying out in the sun. Seriously, this place is my heaven and I'm so happy its officially back open for the season. 

Also what I'm loving - Bellini's in a can. Brilliant.

2. May flowers! April and May showers are finally starting to settle and all the pretty flowers are in full bloom. Love them all. Minus the pollen. 

3. Day drinking. Two weekends ago was Hoboken's Arts and Music fest which happens twice a year and everyone in town looks forward to it. They basically close down the main street for cool art vendors, food stands and live music. It's a tradition for my old roommates and I to meet up at a local bar for day drinking since we used to live above said bar. Ohhhh the memories. 

Either way, it's officially day drinking season!

4. Having the world at my finger tips. Every day I am so thankful for the beautiful place I live filled with great food, diverse culture, and stunning views of the best city on the planet. (Sorry I'm a little biased!) It never gets old and it will be a sad day when I move away from this happy place.

5. Frozen Yogurt. Yup, it's also the start of frozen yogurt season. Fact: I choose frozen yogurt toppings like a 5 year old. Hello, Fruity Pebbles and Cap N' Crunch. I guess I like cereal. We've gotten into a habit this past week where everyday after dinner D and I look at each other, and with unspoken words, we both know…..yup. It's time to go get that frozen goodness. It truly is the sweetest ending to a boring Monday. And the view doesn't hurt either.

6. Quinoa Fried Rice. I've been experimenting a lot with quinoa lately and I've found that I really enjoy it. I found a recipe on my pinterest, and tweaked it adding some chicken, brown rice and barley (along with the quinoa) and zucchini. And let me tell you, this recipe was BOMB! D said it tasted like the rice you get at hibachi restaurants (I'd agree) and he asked that next time I make it to double the recipe. 

Recipe on the blog coming soon :)  

7. Much needed girl time. When your friends turn into mommies and mommies to be, it can be really hard to find the time to get together. Especially when we live in different states. I'm so glad I got to hang out with these ladies for a nice lunch at the OG (Olive Garden haha) and making a pact to get together monthly. Love my girls!

8. On Wednesdays we wear pink.  Apparently last week was the 10 year anniversary of the movie Mean Girls. Oh how I love this movie and wowww, can I say I'm feeling crazy old!! So fitting for me being a counselor in a middle school.  #meangirls #middleschoolproblems #wewearpinkonwednesdays #sofetch #yougoglencoco

Well that's all for my love lately list.

What have you been loving lately?

xo Steph

Weekend Recap

How was everyone's Mother's Day weekend? Here in Jersey we couldn't have gotten nicer weather. If anything, it started getting a little hot in the sun! Luckily, we had outdoor reservations in a nice shaded spot on the waterfront so it turned out to be the perfect day! Even more perfect, I had my mom and D's mom there - so it was such a nice afternoon :)

 me and my momma down at the waterfront.

 Mother's Day lunch was at a restaurant called Little Town, NJ. Fun Fact: for anyone who watches The Real Housewives of New Jersey (guilty!) Caroline Manzo's sons own this restaurant. I've actually seen them there a few times but they weren't there on sunday. A cool thing about this place is all their food is locally grown and sourced from New Jersey. And the bar is stocked with only local Jersey craft beers and wines. #jerseystrong

love him!

I even got a Mother's Day card from Tiki!! (You're cute D!)

After lunch we took a walk on the river for some frozen yogurt and people watching.

With two of my favorite ladies, Momma D and Momma G :)

 my parents :)

And to top it all off….my best friend had her baby on Thursday. 

I'm officially an aunt!! I can't wait to meet this little peanut and so excited for her to celebrate her first mother's day!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

xo Steph

Entertain: Host a Mother's Day Brunch

It's a funny thing about Mother's Day. Most moms I know like a big "ta-do" for their special day. Taking them out to a nice lunch (which is what I'll be doing for my momma and D's mom) or hosting a special event at home. The key is attention to detail! Where on the flip side, Father's Day usually consists of a low key day at home grilling (with Dad in charge of the grill of course) and beers on the patio. Why is that? Is anyone else's family like that? Maybe dads in general are more simple and don't like a lot of fuss? Anyway, I put together some inspiration for hosting a mother's day brunch of your own. I actually put these ideas together last year, so they are the perfect #tbt.  All original ideas can be found {here} on my {pinterest} page.

1. bright & colorful flowers are a must (tulips are my pick)

2 have an arrangement of various teas and display them in a pretty way

3. Momma's day chalk board art -- love this song : )

When it comes to breakfast/brunch food, I'm one of those people who can never decide if they want a sweet or savory choice. Egg and bacon or french toast -- I just can't decide!! The ultimate food dilemma. So why not have both? A little it of everything we surely please all hungry bellies.

4.  Bloody mary shooters garnished with shrimp 

(sans alcohol for my momma who doesn't drink)

5. Egg and bacon mini cups - why haven't I thought of this?

6. Nutella & strawberry french toast. 

I have died and gone to heaven

7. Fruit & munchkin skewers because, well they're too stinkin' cute not to have.

We're almost at the weekend folks!

xo Steph

Met Gala Fashion

The Met Gala brought out all the high fashion stops this year and the celebrities were wearing their gowns in full artistic expression. So what is the Met Gala you asked? Well good question! I always knew it existed as a red carpet event but wasn't quite sure what it was all about. Was it an award show? What was it? Well after simple research, (aka Wikipedia) I found that:

The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Gala and also known as the Met Ball, is an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of theMetropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. It also serves as an opening celebration for the institute's annual fashion exhibit. It is widely regarded as one of the most exclusive social events in New York and one of the biggest fundraising nights of the city with a reported nine million dollars raised in 2013. Hence all the high fash-un, most of which I don't understand but fully appreciate. So anyway, I wanted to share some of my hits and misses. Again, most of these gowns are intentially over the top and outlandish and I tend to like more classic pieces….so keep that in mind! I think I have more misses than hits here.

My Favorites:

Hands down my FAVORITE dress of the night. Blake Lively is stunning and oh so retro glam here.

This is how you do it ladies!

Jessica Alba came in at a strong second favorite for me. 

Again with the old hollywood glam look. Timeless in my opinion.

Reese will pretty much always be on my best dressed list. ALWAYS.

She just knows how to dress her figure and looks effortlessly put together.

Selena is looking so grown up and beautiful. This dress fits her perfectly and I'm loving the deep burgundy color of the dress and lips. Total win!

Emma Stone is just adorable. Not super crazy about this two piece, but somehow she manages to pull it off.

Some people most people will probably hate this dress, but I have to admit I'm totally picturing Carrie Bradshaw when I see SJP. So in that case -- win, win, win! Can't you totally see Carrie with Mr. Big at some fabulous New York event. At the Met Gala perhaps?

The Misses:

This might be the only time I ever say this but…..Lupita is on the worst dressed list! Girl, you missed the mark here! This looks like a fishing net with seaweed stuck in it. Terrible. This is your one and only pass and I'm hoping the next time I see you, you are back to being fabulously stylish as usual.

Katie Holmes. Nope. This looks like something Scarlett O'Hara would wear, and I don't mean in a good way. Because let's face it, Scarlett O'Hara was fierce.

Note to self: never ADD extra fabric to your waist to make it look bigger. 

Why would anyone so this??

 This looks like a cheesy comforter in a motel. Like the kind you pull off and immediately throw on the floor because you know it's cleanliness is questionable. 

Sorry, just don't like it.

 Nope. Terribly unflattering and the fabric looks heavy.

Is this a space scene? Wait, is that the Death Star from Star Wars??

 I feel like little miss Hayden has continually ended up on my worst dressed list this past year.

Girl, get yourself a new stylist!!

This is Kate Upton? The same Kate Upton considered one of the sexiest women alive by Sports Illustrated?? Momma, you got some beautiful curves -- flaunt them. This looks like a hot mess.

I must state for the record that I typically never like anything she wears. 

Or her RBF (Resting Bitch Face). Find out more about this terrible affliction here. 

Negative.

 I have to admit, I typically like a lot of things Kim Kardashian wears (don't hate me!) This is not one of them. This dress is a little too 80's prom/bridesmaid to me for some reason. Also the thigh high slit is so Angelina last year. Over it.

And this monstrosity is just flat out ugly in my opinion.

So there you have it - my hits and misses from the Met Gala!

What were your personal loves & love to hate gowns?

xo Steph

Entertain: Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

Happy Cinco de Mayo people! A holiday devoted to eating Mexican food and drinking Corona -- I can get down with that! So of course, I need to share some party inspirations because, we all know I love to plan a festive and fabulous party. I swear, I live for holidays and theme parties -- why can't they be every day? Anyway here are some inspiration photos I pulled together from {Pinterest}. If you want to recreate a Cinco de Mayo party like this yourself, all original sources can be found {here}.

1. Festive chalkboard -- "Fiesta like there's no Manana"

2. Colorful plates

3. Fresh pico de gallo

4. Pink Grapefruit margaritas

5. Homemade guacamole served in a (mortar and pestle here)

8. Mexican corn with a squeeze of lime

7. Taco Bar chalkboard art

8. Ombre garlands for decor

9. mmmmm Taaaacos

10. Pinata cookies -- amazing.

11. Fuchsia peonies for pops of color

12. Stocked bar, including San Pellegrino (one of my new favs)

13. Margarita Lime cupcakes

I'm be sure to enjoy a Corona Light with lime and some fresh guac today to make my Monday afternoon a little more special.

What are your fun Cinco De Drinko plans for today?

xo Steph

Derby Style

With the Kentucky Derby this weekend, I thought it would be fun to look back on some of my favorite Derby styles, which is a "thing" all it's own. While I've never been to the Kentucky Derby, I have been to the Belmont Stakes which is in New York. Some do the Kentucky Derby, others do the Preakness, but around here we do the Belmont Stakes. It's probably the lesser known of the Triple Crown, but the fashion is all the same - big hats, springy dresses, pearls, sport coats....you get the deal. Very southern belle. Which as a born and bred northerner feels like playing dress up to me!  D and I had a tradition of going every year, but we missed last year -- so I'm hoping we can fix that this June when the Belmont races will be in town. 

| details |

Hat: $5.99 from the grocery store (seriously!) // Floral Dress - boutique in Hoboken, NJ

Pearl Necklace and Bracelet: college graduation gift from the parents // Horse shoe earrings: old gift from my Aunt // Wedge sandals: Seychelles // Purse: Michael Kors // Watch: Michael Kors

Hats are a MUST here!

Horse shoe earrings for good luck!!

Pearls to look like a lady ; )

 And of course we took pics of the horses and the actual races...

And of course me and my oh so handsome man : )

 And I have to include out takes because they are just too funny!

 Ahhh finally got the self pictures done right! : )

Have any of you attended the derbys before?
What's your derby style?

Happy Friday friends!
xo Steph