Noisli

My best friend (who is my coolness mentor) sent this site to me yesterday and I've been listening nonstop at work. Usually, I listen to One Republic, Capital Cities, Haim, or Foster the People while working-their catchy songs and positive beats keep me afloat. Well, they can just take a seat, because Noisli just stole my entire heart! Basically, Noisli is a website that acts as a sound machine complete with rain, thunderstorms, rustling leaves, and flowing water. AMAZINGGGG. Did I mention that you can select as many or as few sounds as you'd like and adjust the volume of each for a custom sound? My favorite recipe is rain, thunder, and rustling leaves! 

I have had this website running on my computer for 2 days straight and it's really got me thinking that I need a sound machine for falling asleep at night. I don't even have trouble falling asleep, but I want to listen to falling rain on demand!!

PS the coffee icon provides background noise of a coffee shop filled with customers! #swoon

 

To Mom, with Love . . .

It is just about that time where you need to make your final purchases for Mother's Day to have them arrive without springing for upgraded shipping. If you are like me, you're usually scrambling the weekend before to find something that will prove to your mom how much she means to you. Let's make a pact, we aren't going to do that anymore!

This list has been curated with my mom, mother-in-law, and grandmother in mind- I can assure you that these three women could not be more different!

Picnic

I have no logical reason for where this compulsion came from (surprise, surprise), but I really want to have a picnic. In truth, I'd like to have a picnic every Sunday from May 1 through Sept. 30th-but I doubt my husband is game on that plan (he hates putting on real pants on Sundays). There is something about the warmer, sunnier days that makes me want to pack up some food and just run away for a little while! Maybe a picnic in my backyard will suffice! I have a few items below that would really up the ante on any lawn based feast! What are some of your favorite foods to bring on the go?

Honey Nut Smoothie

This smoothie was inspired by Forest on First's smoothie menu. This particular recipe combines ingredients found in most homes and the measurements below can be adjusted to your taste. I usually throw everything but the kitchen sink into my VitaMix. Since we are on the subject of this stupid, overpriced blender, I will tell you that I am converted. My husband insisted that we avoid registering for a generic blender in lieu of saving and holding out for a VitaMix-and I have to tell you, it's completely worth it! This thing could make a smoothie out of concrete chunks, that's how powerful it is (and it cleans itself)! Without further ado . . .

Honey Nut Smoothie:

1 cup of Plain or Vanilla Yogurt
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Peanut or Almond Butter
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup Almond Milk ( I used coconut almond milk and it was thebomb.com)
1 fresh Banana (frozen if you prefer)
10 ice cubes

On Repeat

This song is so damn catchy! I'm currently listening to Days are Gone at my desk and a coworker stopped over and commented that I'm having an 80's dance party, I can't think of anything better to be doing on a Friday morning at 11am (except maybe work? nahhhh).

The Best is Yet to Come-Weekend Preview

My husband and I have decided to pick up a calligraphy and try to teach ourselves over a bottle of wine (this should prove to be very interesting, indeed)! 

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I love me some Bobbi Brown, and regardless of her age, she is beautiful. I've become really interested in juicing and smoothie making, I'm so excited to give her go-to smoothie a try! 

Bobbi's Coconut-Kale Smoothie 

1 cup ice
1 cup coconut milk
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 scoops of chocolate protein powder
½ frozen organic banana
A handful of frozen organic cherries
½ to 1 cup of kale, depending on personal taste

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I have several chocolate bunnies in my fridge that I have to re-purpose somehow. I'm not likely to sit down and eat an entire bunny, so I plan to take an approach to re-incarnation and give them new life as a baked treat that I am sure to indulge in! 

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It's dawned on me that the humble margarita (on the rocks, EXTRA salt) has become my go-to drink. Also, lately I cannot get enough coconut-I'm craving it on the regular. You cannot imagine how happy I was when this drink popped up on my feed from A Beautiful Mess. I am always attempting to live a balanced life, which is why I plan to try Bobbi Brown's super healthy smoothie and a toasted coconut margarita within the same weekend-probably on the same day too!

I'd love for you to share with me your favorite weekend activities, I'm always looking for fun new DIYs, recipes, restaurants, etc. Enjoy  your weekend, lovers! 

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Reading Assignment Part 2

C style magazine:                                                                                                                  I was first introduced to this magazine via Taylor Sterling's Instagram post. This fresh, fun magazine is dedicated to California style-fashion, interior design, and lifestyle extras. You can imagine my surprise when I found this mag in Barnes and Noble in northern NJ, I was so excited to bring a small piece of the golden state home with me!

the gentlewoman magazine: 

This artistic British magazine which is published biannually highlights extraordinary, inspirational women in a "real" way via high quality journalism and photography. This magazine gives the feeling of indulging in a special treat and the scarcity of it only amplifies that feeling. Previous cover girls include Adele, Beyonce, and Christy Turlington while issue No. 9 highlights the fashion visionary known as Vivienne Westwood (of Sex and the City wedding dress fame)! Just a side note, the aforementioned wedding dress is estimated to retail for an astonishing $23,780, which is more than my entire wedding cost!

Wednesday Words

#preach Rumi! 

Krispy Treats

I've consumed far more Rice Krispy treats than I care to admit. This past weekend I made two variations for a birthday celebration with my family, which is made up of just as many kids as there are adults (all kidding aside-9 kids and 9 adults between my mom and her 2 siblings). I'm happy to report that these treats transcend age. I saw many hands-big and small alike-snagging treats off the plate! Here is the original recipe, which I doctored up a bit to appeal to everyone! What makes these treats different is that they call for coconut oil as well as butter, which provides a lighter feel to the treats while also imparting a very subtle coconut flavor. I've made these at least 4 times now and continue to bring empty containers home! Of course, they're super easy, because that's my MO when it comes to everything baking. Let me know what toppings you'd love to see incorporated into these babies!!

PS. these don't have to bake and are the perfect summer treats for upcoming BBQ's and picnics!

PPs. Stay tuned for a rice-free option, my goddaughter is allergic to rice and I promised that I would find a way for her to enjoy these treats!

 Kids Version:

Follow recipe as shown and mix in mini M&Ms and sprinkle them on top for effect-these can be switched up with seasonal colors, Skittles, Reese's Pieces, or even personalized M&M's!

Adult Version:

Follow recipe as shown, add 1/2 cup of coconut flakes to a small nonstick pan and toast until golden brown-they will smell slightly nutty once ready. Incorporate flakes while mixing marshmallows and krispies and/or sprinkle on top. Melt chocolate (fondue chocolate chips melt and drizzle really well). Drizzle on top of treats prior to sprinkling coconut flakes on top-this provides a glue-like base for the flakes to stick to!

Bocce

I am constantly on the hunt for cute little toys and treats for my pups, they are my babies after all! I received an email from Wag.com featuring these cute, locally made treats and knew that I had to share them!

Bocce Bakery is located in NYC and offers small batch biscuits that are handmade with all natural, organic ingredients including vegetables, hormone-free meat, and organic (locally milled) flours. As a pup mom that feeds her dogs food that is about 1000 xs healthier than her own, I love these products and what they stand for. Every time I think about the short life span that dogs face, I can't help feeling that they deserve the absolute best of everything, and if that makes me a crazy pug lady-SO BE IT!

My pups have VERY distinct, different personalities and I'm eye-ing two totally different flavors for them. Piglet is the princess in our house-the AKC registered purebred that cost a ton to "adopt" and continues to cost a ton with all adorable accessories that she needs! While Piglet was born with a silver tag on her neck, Harry is our laid-back rescue. Half Pug, half Cavichon (Cavalier King Charles and Bichon), he is a world class cuddler who sheds his wiry blonde hair with wild abandon and loves everyone that he comes in contact with! Really, the best way to sum them up is this: Piglet is Charlotte York and Harry is Aidan Shaw!

You can get these treats for 20% off on Wag.com using code BOCCE - don't miss out!

 

The Elvis is the perfect treat for Harry, our all-american boy! 

Only the best will do for our high-maintenance pup-Truffle Mac and Cheese (a la Cafeteria) for Miss Pigz!

Wednesday Words

Having turned 25 last week, followed by a crazy week of car and puppy expenses, this feels totally appropriate. But the question that begs to be answered is, when will I have my shit together??

April Showers

I work very hard to keep my complaining in check (my husband is rolling his eyes right now), and the weather ahead will not be conducive to living a complaint-free lifestyle. I've noticed that the trench coat that I currently have doesn't fit very well in the shoulder/chest area and that the sleeves are too long. I'm looking to invest in a quality trench (I'm looking at you, Burberry) that I can wear for years to come. Here are a few options that run the gamut from expensive and dreamy to trendy and affordable!

Stay dry (and stylish), lovers!

{Delicious} Honey Lavender Scrub

This body/hand scrub is AMAZING. Seriously! This is another one of those super-easy-but-looks-difficult projects that you know I love. This scrub leaves your skin feeling amazing and smelling delicious, and the best part is that it is completely natural (re. edible). All ingredients used were purchased at Fairway while food shopping, how easy is that? I will say this, you won't likely find lavender oil at your local food store, but if you frequent Whole Foods or Fairway, you're in business!

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl (you can adjust measurements to your taste) and transferr to a glass jar and your scrub is ready to be used.

Happy scrubbing, lovers! Enjoy that soft, spring skin!

On My List . . .Spring Wardrobe Updates

I am definitely not the girl that lives in ruffles and floral prints but something about this extra long, extra awful winter has me craving soft buttery colors and light airy pastels!

Spotlight on One King's Lane-Long Lazy Weekends

I signed up for email alerts from One King's Lane when I first began to hunt for an apartment in the summer of 2012. I would receive the emails and delete them almost immediately until I heard that Iris Apfel would be curating a sale with them and since then, I've been stopping by almost daily to window shop for anything and everything! I stumbled upon their Weekend Escape shop (open until Sun 4/13) and fell in love with nearly everything! See below for my favorite pieces-don't wait-that vacation that you have planned will be here before you know it!

Click here to sign up for email alerts and access to really awesome sales!

Wednesday Words

Reading Assignment

I was inspired by the Glitter Guide's Fresh New Magazine Guide to create my own! While GG definitely opened my eyes to a few, I've noticed that the Shop Rite and Barnes and Noble that I frequent have a couple new mags that I've never seen before and you definitely need to find them too!

Fresh Style Magazine

This bi-monthly mag offers easy and inspiring DIY projects alongside coverage of upcoming mom-and-pop companies that are creating awesome hand-made products! Also featured, designers who are adept at putting a personalized spin on re-purposed goods as well as Etsy artists that can create anything you may want for your home!

Porter Magazine

Also mentioned in GG's Guide, this quarterly magazine (pronounced "Poor-Tay") is so beautiful and aspirational in the best way! I was first interested in this publication because I saw all of my favorite bloggers covering it over Fashion Week and I had to see what it was all about. Fast forward to a fateful night at CVS where I spotted this beauty and I'm now hooked on it's big glossy photos and informative editorials! At $10 it feels like an easily accessible treat from the incredible minds at net-a-porter.com!

Iris Apfel for One King's Lane

I was recently flipping through Elle Decor when I came upon a feature of Iris Apfel detailing her life, philosophy, and her upcoming collaboration with One King's Lane. If you are unfamiliar, Iris is a 92-year-old fashionista and I could not love her more! To me, she is a perfect example of how to live one's life to the fullest. In spite of her age, she is fabulous, fearless, and sassy-which is everything I aspire to be (today and in 67 years)!

A lifelong traveler, Iris has amassed a collection of souvenirs that has filled multiple storage facilities and she has now curated over 800 items that will be available for sale on OneKingsLane.com on April 5th! The collection will include fashion items as well as furniture and decorative objects. I cannot wait to see what jewelry is up for grabs. Even though I've already blown my birthday gift budget, I'm hoping to grab a little piece of Iris to enhance my life and soak in her ethos!

I'd like to leave you with my favorite quote from this article, "Things are either good or they're not. They either suit you or they don't. Some years all the colors and cuts are wonderful, other years they're ridiculous. I never buy what someone says is "in" or "must-have". I buy what makes me happy."  #PreachSistah

You can check out Iris's Rara Avis collection for HSN here for more affordable options!

T-Shirt Take Two

Much like the rest of the world, I am avoiding looking forward to spring cleaning! If you are anything like me, you own about 1,000 T-shirts that are either too big, too small, or just plain ugly. I am a huge advocate of (theoretically) throwing those tees into a bag and donating them at your local supermarket or church. That being said, through my internet/Pinterest travels I have seen several really cool ideas for re-using those shirts that don't involve wielding Hefty bags over your head (it's just not a glamorous affair). My absolute favorite option below is the P.L.A.Y dog beds, as my pups have been known to shred every single bed I've ever brought home, and this one seems like it would be pretty solid against their vicious little Pug teeth!

Dog Toy!

Re-usable shopping bags!

 

Upcycled baby bib!

 

P.L.A.Y. Dog Bed!