CHAMBRAY & STRIPES

I always think it is semi funny that I post about fashion b/c, like I said before, the last thing I claim to be be is fashion forward. I may not know a ton about fashion, but what I do know is that we have our family pictures scheduled in two weeks and I need to figure out how I am going to dress our family of three.  Naturally, I start with myself. :) I was looking online at Old Navy the this past weekend and I saw this adorable chambray dress and it reminded me of two pins I recently made. One reason I love Pinterest so much is that it shows you how to put your clothes together into cute outfits. These pins were not linked to any source, so I had no idea where to find the items in the picture. Even if it did link to source, my guess is the pieces are probably rather pricey. I love the look of this cute chambray dress over stripes with fun colored flats. Here is where you can find the look for (what I am guessing) is less. :)

ok, ok,  I know the clutch isn't exactly cheap, but isn't it so darn cute?! I love that you can monogram it! :)

Dress  |  Top  |  Flats  |  Clutch

NORA & PAT'S WEDDING WEEKEND WRAP UP

I took about a million pictures with my iphone over Nora and Pat's wedding weekend. Probably b/c it was so darn beautiful.

Photography by the oh so talented Blue Dandelion Photography.

Photography by the oh so talented Blue Dandelion Photography.

1. drinks at merchant    2. yellow peep toes    3. mint maids  
4. party trolly    5. san fran officiant    6. wedding wishes from e

1. rehearsal decor    2. lovely ladies    3. matron & maid of honor  
4.  the bride   5. bride & her top maids    6. deliciousness

1. post wedding high five    2. the vet sewing in the bridesmaids... damn zippers    3. top maids once again :)    

4. my handsome hubby    5. bride crossing    6. wedding cake & beautiful bouquet

1. herb boutineers    2. steamer anyone?    3.  Rifle Paper Co. banner    4. giraffe dress ❤   
5. rehearsal sunshine    6. pretty much the most adorable family ever    7. charcuterie    8. more rehearsal deliciousness

Wedding details: Ceremony - Allen Centennial Gardens  |  Reception - The Madison Club

CHICKEN, BROCCOLI & QUINOA CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

3 to 4 seasoned chicken breasts (salt and pepper), cooked & cubedOne 
10 oz can condensed cream of broccoli or mushroom soup (See note below)
1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (traditional calls for 1 full cup. WOW.)
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/4 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, etc)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large heads of cooked broccoli
2 small cans of sliced water chestnuts
1 1/2 cups COOKED quinoa (3/4 cup quinoa | 1 1/2 cups water | 1/4 teaspoon salt)
Feshly shredded parmesan cheese for the top

Directions:
1. COOK CHICKEN BREATS
Season with salt and pepper. cook at 350° for about 40-45 minutes. Cut open to make sure they are cooked all the way through. Keep the oven heated at 350°.

2. COOK THE QUINOA
Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear. (I use Bob's Red Mill brand and it is pre-rinsed so no need for that part) In a small saucepan combine the quinoa, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and the white ring/tail is visible. Fluff with a fork.

3. STEAM THE BROCCOLI (or cook in any way you choose)

4. MIX TOGETHER:
In a large bowl combine the soup, mayonnaise, milk, shredded cheese, sugar, and pepper until well mixed. Stir in the quinoa, broccoli, chicken and water chestnuts.

5. TRANSFER TO THE BAKING PAN(S)
Spoon mixture into greased casserole. (either one 9x13" or two 8x8" like I used) Sprinkle on some shredded Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes (30 minutes for the two pans) or until bubbly on the edges and golden. Makes 10 generous 1/2-cup servings.

season, cook and chop the chicken (I buy 'JUST BARE' brand chicken breasts - organic & cage free!)

Make your own "cream of whatever" soup to avoid unnecessary ingredients

Mix together the soup, mayonnaise, milk, shredded cheese, sugar, and pepper

Sprinkle on the fresh parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

Note: Sometimes I make my own cream of whatever soup. Here is how:

Condensed “Cream of Anything” Soup
1 cup cold milk
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Instructions:
In a small saucepan, whisk milk and cornstarch till well blended.
Stir in butter, bouillon, salt, and pepper.
Heat to a boil, stirring frequently. Simmer on low for one minute more to thicken.
Use in recipes to replace one can of cream of anything soup.

CONDENSED CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP:
Stir in a drained 4 ounce can of mushroom pieces to the recipe above.
Use in recipes in place of one can of Cream of Mushroom Soup.

CONDENSED CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP:
Stir in 1/2 cup cooked chicken pieces to the recipe above.
Use in recipes in place of one can of Cream of Chicken Soup.

CONDENSED CREAM OF CELERY SOUP
Stir in 1/2 cup sautéed chopped celery to the recipe above.
Use in recipes in place of one can of Cream of Celery Soup.

recipe adapted from Eating Well... Living Thin(er!)

BTW, I have professional taste testers for all my recipes and J & L clearly love it! ;)

TARGET TIME - 70% SHOES AT TARGET!!!

I know i usually do not post on Saturdays, but 70% off shoes at target is worth posting! I just got back from 'target time' with Jodie and they have A TON of shoes on sale for $5 - $7!  Get 'em while they're hot ladies! ;)  I got these adorable sandals for $5 and all the flats below are about $6. There are many more than shown, but these were few of my favs! Happy weekend!

NUDE WEDGES FOR OUTDOOR WEDDINGS

For Nora and Pat's wedding she asked us to wear nude shoes. Nora suggested we wear wedges b/c the ceremony was taking place outside on the grass. Seems simple, right?! Well, I do not know why, but I felt like it took me FOREVER to find a pair I loved. They sell about a million nude wedges with an espadrille (rope), cork or wooden bottom, but I felt all of those were too casual and didn't work well with my little strappy dress. I looked everywhere and came up with these. I thought I would give my research to all of you in case there is someone out there who needs a nude pair of wedges for a wedding, just likes shoes, or maybe just wants a few new ideas for shoe websites. :)

ONE  |  TWO  |  THREE  |  FOUR  |  FIVE  |  SIX

ONE  |  TWO  |  THREE  |  FOUR  |  FIVE  |  SIX

I went with these (#5 from the first set above) and they were actually super comfortable.

TOP 10 DINGBAT SETS

Some of you know what 'digbats' are, but I sure many of you do not. Well, here is the actual definition:

Dingbat: An ornament, character, or spacer used in typesetting, sometimes more formally known as a printer's ornament or printer's character. The term continues to be used in the computer industry to describe fonts that have symbols and shapes in the positions designated for alphabetical or numeric characters.

I thought I would post about digbats for those of you that have interest in design, but are not graphic designers. You do not have to be a graphic designer to make things pretty! :) Some of you might be interested in enhancing your blog images or would simply like to create an invitation to a shower or birthday party.

As a graphic designer, I can illustrate these type of images, but choose to use dingbats quite often to save time. 

Here are my top picks:

Links to download these fonts:

ONE  |  TWO  |  THREE  |  FOUR  |  FIVE  |  SIX  |  SEVEN  |  EIGHT  |  NINE  |  TEN

Now, how to install and use them:

Note: I can only speak to mac implementation. Sorry folks, I am completely dumb when it comes to PCs. HERE is a link that shows other ways to install font, including how to install on a PC.

STEP ONE:

Download your desired fonts.

My favorite FREE font sites are Dafont, Font Squirrel, and (MY FAVORITE!!!) Lost Type Co-Op.

STEP TWO:

Open your Font Book and load in your font.

STEP THREE:

Add your fonts to your Font Book from your downloads.

STEP FOUR:

Use your fonts! They are now in your system. You might have to restart your programs and possibly your computer so that your computer recognizes them.

I, of course, use the Adobe Suite to design, but HERE is a link to some free (and more user friendly) design programs if you are looking for some.

PLEASE let me know if you have any troubles with installing your fonts by commenting on this post. Many times someone will have the same question and they can browse the comments to figure out the answers. I get lots of emails with questions, but not many comments. Please feel free to comment on the posts! :)

LIFE THROUGH MY IPHONE

Happy Wednesday! I was transferring some of my iphone pics from my phone to my external HD and wanted to post a few. I have been having way to much fun with the new phone ap.

Top to Bottom - left to right
1. Oliver snuggles    |    2. Pink ruffled sweetness
3. Me as a toddler    |    4. Giant heels that didn't end up happening (of course, I went the practical route)
5. Summer livin'    |    6. Concert on the Square
7. Princess pops made by my sister-in-law (craftiness runs in the fam)    |    7. Cheap-O scarf & a little phone app fun

1. My little spider monkey    |    2. Girl cousins

3. No more of that Johnson & Johnson crap    |    4. Snuggles before bed

5. All the littles at Miss Isla's 2nd Birthday Party    |    6. Storm sky

7. Work outfit    |    8. Deliciousness

1. Brixton giving E a lift    |    2. Playing with our new phones a work