Outfit Collaboration: Date Night

Outfit Details

blouse: Wayf // skirt: Leith // shoes: Kelsi Dagger (similar)// sunglasses: D&G (similar)

// watch: Michael Kors // bracelets: Alex & Ani, Kate Spade, gift from a friend //

My beautiful friend Kasey and I are back with another edition of our outfit collaborations! This time, we're talking about our favorite looks for date night with our boys!

For my birthday last month, Andrew took me out to a nice dinner at Wayfare Tavern. I was so excited to go there because I'd heard so much about it, but mostly because I love Tyler Florence, and it's his restaurant. 

I figured this was the perfect opportunity to play dress up, and wear a new top and skirt I found at Nordstrom a couple months ago. Typically, our date nights are much more casual, but the special occasion called for a dressed up date night! 

Since my office isn't downtown, sometimes I feel like I miss out on the fun, city vibe that I originally moved here for. So I was really looking forward to meeting Andrew downtown for our date. Wayfare Tavern is pretty close to Andrew's office, so we just met there after work for an early dinner. If you haven't been there before, definitely add it to your list. The food was delicious. Since we had heard so much about the deviled egg appetizer, we had to try it. I also ordered a couple oysters on the half shell to start, because I can never pass those up! For my entree, I ordered scallops that were served with sweet potato biscuits and a drizzle of gravy. It sounds strange, but I'm so happy that I tried it. Oh man, it was ah-mazing! The biscuits were small, like the size of the scallops, and the drizzle of sausage gravy created such a unique and amazing flavor combination. Seriously, so good! Since Andrew had heard so many good things about the fried chicken, he got that as his entree. It was delicious, but not the best he'd ever had. One of the best parts about dinner were the fresh, warm pop overs they brought to the table. YUM. I can't wait to go back, but next time with a larger group so I can try everything on the menu! 

Clearly, it was a good thing I wore this jersey pencil skirt because I ate my weight in food! But, it was well worth it for my birthday celebration!

Okay, back to the outfit...

I absolutely love this top. I had seen it on another blog (I think it was Pink Peonies, but can't remember) and she mentioned it was on sale at Nordstrom for only $25! The back is so fun with a sheer black detail. The blouse is a bit short, so I like the look of it tucked in with a pencil skirt to define my waist. And I'm wearing my go-to black plumps, that seem to look good with everything. The skirt is also a newer purchase from Nordstrom, for a good price too. It's by far the most comfortable skirt I own, I love it. It's great too, because you can wear it high waisted like I did here, or lower on your hips. It scrunches to adjust the length as well. Such a versatile purchase. 

I think we need to plan more dressy date nights! Because, every girl loves an excuse to get dressed up! 

Be sure to head over to Kasey's blog to see the cute look she put together for their date night! She looks so effortless and put together as usual. And her purse reminds me that I need a new one, badly! There's a reason I didn't include it in this post!

I hope you all have a great day! I'm resting up, trying to get healthy before Friendsgiving on Sunday!

Easy Crock-Pot Applesauce

 I love that the core makes a little heart 

Remember when I went apple picking in my back yard a couple weeks ago? Well after I made the apple bread, I still had a ton of apples left over that I didn't want to go to waste. I remembered that both my mom and cousin often make homemade applesauce that is both simple and delicious. So I figured that was the perfect thing to make with our remaining apples.

Since I wasn't feeling that well Saturday, I figured instead of making it on the stove, I'd just throw it in the Crock-Pot to make this recipe even more simple. It would be perfect year round, but even better with crisp fall apples. As a recommendation from my Mom, I let the apples sit for a week or so after picking them. This allows them ripen up and get extra sweet and juicy, perfect for making applesauce.

Most of the recipes I had seen online and on Pinterest called for sugar, but I knew I didn't want to add any sugar to my recipe. Apples are sweet enough on their own. I LOVE cinnamon, so I knew I wanted to add some of that as well. Otherwise, I was just going to let the apples do their thing!

The recipe really couldn't get any easier, anyone can do this. You'll have all natural, homemade applesauce for a healthy snack in no time!

Easy Crock-Pot Applesauce

makes about 6 cups

Ingredients:
- 13 medium size apples (cored and peeled)
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon 
- 1/4 cup water 

Directions:
- Peel and roughly chop apples 
- In a large bowl, toss the apples and cinnamon until the apples are coated
- Add to the Crock-Pot
- Pour water over the apples to prevent scorching on the bottom
- Turn the Crock-Pot on low for 6 hours 
- Stir occasionally 
- Use a wooden spoon to mash the apples (I left mine slightly chunky). You can use an immersion blender if you prefer a smoother consistency. 
- Store applesauce in an airtight container for up to a week. Or freeze.

This was such a simple recipe and the applesauce turned out so great. It's plenty sweet enough without any added sugar. For dessert on Saturday, I served it warm on vanilla ice cream. Andrew said it was one of the best things he's ever eaten!

I've been enjoying it all week, it's delicious cold or hot, with or without ice cream ;-)


PS...I created a Facebook page for le blog, so hop on over and "like" if you wish :)

A Low-Key Weekend

I hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was very low-key and relaxing. We haven't had a weekend at home with nothing on the calendar in months, it was so nice just to relax and get stuff done around the house.

We started off our weekend with a date night Friday. We went to dinner and then to see Captain Phillips. It's such a great movie, I really liked it. Tom Hanks is one of my all time favorite actors, and as expected, he was wonderful in this film.

Saturday I spent the majority of my day doing a deep clean of our house. I lost motivation in the afternoon so Andrew and I decided to start a DIY project that has been on our list since he moved here! We already had everything we needed, so it was easy to get started since we finally had the time. Saturday night we made this tasty dinner (with brussels sprouts instead of green beans) and watched a movie. I felt like I should go out and socialize with friends, but I was just so comfy in my sweats on the couch!

I'm glad I stayed in, because Sunday I woke up with a sore throat. Andrew started feeling sick towards the end of last week, and now it looks like it's my turn. Even though I wasn't feeling great, we managed to get a lot done on Sunday as well. We made a lot of progress on our DIY project, which I can't wait to share with you once we're finished! Our other big project for the day was getting ready for Friendsgiving which we are hosting next Sunday. We bought the turkey and made lists of everything we'll need for the party. We don't have friends over too often (which I'd like to change) so we're really excited! It's going to be so fun!

I woke up feeling even worse this morning, so I'm hoping with some rest and lots of vitamins, I'll start feeling better asap! It's not a good week to be sick, too much to do!

I hope you all had a great weekend! Hopefully it was a bit more exciting than mine :)

Favorite Holiday Movies

Can you believe we're already halfway through November? I'm so excited for the Holidays! I've always loved Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this year, I'm even more excited than usual. Not only will this be Andrew and my first Christmas living together, but this is also my first Christmas as an Auntie! I can't wait to see Phillip on Christmas morning and shower him with love and gifts! And Andrew and I are already talking about what lights we want for our flat, and when we'll get our Christmas tree. It's going to be so fun! 

To get in the Christmas spirit, I thought it would be fun to gather up my favorite holiday movies and get them out so we can watch them all during the holiday season. We'll need to invite Andrew's sister over for a Home Alone night, she's never seen it in it's entirety! Can you believe that?! What a shame. My all time favorite movie though, has to be White Christmas. I don't remember when I first saw it, but I loved it immediately. I always watch it as I decorate the tree at my parents (on VHS, ha!) but this year, I'll watch it when Andrew and I decorate our tree. He'll have to put up with me singing, "sister, sister..." and "Snow, snow SNOW!" Good thing he loves me! I know I won't have to twist anyone's arm to watch Elf and Christmas Vacation with me. Those two are classics. For the others, The Holiday and Love Actually, maybe a girls night is in order. We can have some wine and enjoy our holiday romantic comedy's without the boys! :)

What are your favorite movies to watch during the holidays?

PS...Sorry Mom, I know you don't like Christmas to start too early, but with Thanksgiving so late this year, I'm already in the holiday spirit! 

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend! 

Sail Away: St. Vinncent & The Grenadines

On this foggy and gloomy Thursday, I thought it would be fun to reminisce on what I was doing on this day two years ago.

I was invited on the trip of a lifetime by my friend Erica. Her boyfriend and his brother in law both love to sail, and are certified captains. They planned a trip to sail for two weeks from St. Vincent down through the Grenadine Islands. I am so thankful to have been invited. It was an amazing trip that I'll never forget!

There was a group of 16 of us. They chartered two catamarans, Erica's boyfriend Corrie was the captain of our boat and Ben, his brother in law was the captain of the other boat. It was essentially like camping on a boat for two weeks. You don't need much besides a bikini and some sunscreen!

The day we chartered the boats, we went on a big shopping trip to stock up on most of the supplies we would need for the trip. There was a kitchen on each boat, but the fridge was tiny we purchased things like milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated until it's opened, Top Ramen, chips, bread and deli meat. It's definitely not gourmet, but when we supplemented with fresh lobster and fish from the locals, it was pretty delish! We were also able to buy produce from the Islands we visited along the way. And more importantly, rum, beer and ice could be purchased on land or by boat vendors each day!

It was such a wonderful trip, I couldn't even begin to tell you the many stories from those two weeks. It was quite an adventure! Our dinghy was stolen one of the first nights (common) so we had to share with our other boat and make multiple trips when we wanted to go to shore. And the fridge on the boat I was on decided to stop working, so we had to get creative with the food we ate, and put our meat in the other fridge.

The most exciting night, however, could have ended up pretty badly. We were up late (as usual) having a grand ol' time, when I went down to my cabin to get something. The ground felt really wet, and not from just a dripping wet swimsuit or something. Since I was the newbie and had never been on one of these trips before, I didn't want to make a big deal about it. So I just mentioned it to my friend Ken who was in the same cabin. Under further investigation, we realized the hull was completely filled with water, and it was starting to seep into the cabin. Thankfully we caught it when we did, but the boys spent the remainder of the night bailing water out with a single bucket! It could have been so much worse! But we had the pump fixed, and didn't have any major issues the rest of the trip.

Other than those few little hiccups, the trip was smooth sailing (pun intended). It was just two glorious weeks of sunbathing, day drinking, swimming, snorkeling, and exploring the various islands! To make it even more fun, we planned ahead with theme days. My favorites were America Day and Nautical! We also had 80's Day, Colombian Drug Lord Day, Beer Day, and an impromptu "rave" night with glow sticks and neon slap bracelets! To say we had fun and entertained ourselves would be an understatement!

My favorite place we visited was without a doubt Tabago Cays. It was spectacular, we even ended up changing our trip a little to spend an extra night there on the way back. The water was crystal clear turquoise and there was a turtle preserve where you could swim with turtles! It was such an amazing experience. We also took a water taxi over to a small island that was used in the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean! And swimming with sea turtles is an experience I'll never forget. They're just so beautiful!

Another favorite memory was my mini scuba diving experience. I never had an interest in getting certified before, but almost everyone on the trip was certified, and even brought along their own gear. One of the other guys in our group wanted a little lesson from our friends (who are very experienced) and Erica encouraged me to go with them. I was SO nervous, but I'm so happy I went. Now, I think getting certified is something I'm interested in. Ben helped me get set up and explained everything to me before heading down. He stayed with me the entire time. At first all the bubbles freaked me out, but I was able to relax eventually and even saw an eel! We only went down 10-15 feet, but it's an experience I'm so happy to have.

I could go on and on about our trip, but ya'll are probably starting to get bored! I'll let the pictures do the talking from now on!

my favorite picture of the trip!

'Merica Day

they nailed 80's day

fresh lobster for dinner

Nautical Day

we caught a Mahi Mahi

~ Tir Na Nog ~ 

awesome botanical garden tour