Harp's Lingerie

I have learned the hard way that you can destroy even the best of outfits if you do not have the proper foundations on underneath. My secret to perfect lingerie for literally anything from a t-shirt to a backless dress is Harp's Lingerie in Birmingham. This gem of a boutique will not only measure and fit you, but custom fits each bra they sell. It is a little odd the first time you go in and are asked to go into a dressing room and get topless, but it is worth it! I will never buy a bra anywhere else! If you have a difficult top or dress that you need help finding undergarments for, you can bring it in and they will assist you in finding a solution. This past weekend my sister and I stopped into Harp's to update our foundations, and both left happily wearing new bras. I highly recommend checking this place out asap! You will thank me, I promise!

Harp's also recommends and sells this great, gentle detergent, Lovlast. You only have to use a little bit and it smells really good! If you are going to invest in some good foundations, it makes sense to take care of them properly.

Where It All Began... The Cupcake Station

The Cupcake Station, Birmingham, MI

My All-Time Favorite Red Velvet Cupcake

This past weekend I was out shopping in downtown Birmingham and stopped by my all time favorite cupcake shop, The Cupcake Station. This place is heaven. There is one in Birmingham, one in Ann Arbor, one in Ferndale, and one in Plymouth. The Cupcake Station is where I first discovered my love for red velvet cupcakes. They have since expanded my palate to pretty much every variation of flavor they come up with, and I have yet to taste a bad one. When my boyfriend and I were in college, the Cupcake Station in Ann Arbor was one of our favorite places to go together for dessert. I have already determined that whenever I get married, I will forgo a wedding cake and have Cupcake Station Cupcakes instead.

After checking out all of these beautiful cupcakes, I couldn't help but take a couple home.

While in Birmingham, Erin, Josh, and I hit up Cosi for some lunch and I had the most amazing brie and fruit plate. It was so pretty, I just had to snap a photo. Yes, I got some funny looks from the people around us...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

My sister, Erin and I at a friends Memorial Day/Birthday BBQ

This holiday weekend could not have come at a better time. I was in great need of some down time with family and friends, where my biggest challenge was what to wear to a BBQ. I wound up in a light cotton full length skirt and a gray t-shirt with a long strand of pearls and pink beads. Since it was hot and humid, I refused to use a blow dryer all weekend and stuck with the wavy, air dried beach waves.

Josh and I

Our contribution to said BBQ:

Heavenly combination.

I absolutely adore my Skinnygirl Margaritas with some fresh lime and sparkling water! They are so refreshing, especially on a warm summer night.

Like A Cat With A Mouse

Hank is the most entertaining little monster ever! I could seriously, scratch that, I do sit and watch him for hours. The stick with the feathers and the mouse is one of his all time favorite toys, and it is so funny to watch him play with it! 

I am so ready for the long weekend! My boyfriend, family, and I were supposed to be heading up north this weekend, but my dad's "work trip" to Hawaii is keeping us home. Since we are not going up north, I plan to hit the pool, read, relax, and spend some time with friends and family. Happy holiday weekend!

Nine West Love

I love Nine West. I have been loyal to their pumps since I was a teenager. They make stylish, beautiful shoes, for a good price, and they almost always fit my feet. I have branched out into Nine West sandals, and I have not been disappointed. Nine West sandals are just as beautiful and exciting as their heels. Here's my proof:

I have been wearing all three whenever my flip flops are too casual. The black and gold pair on the left sit a little high on my feat and I do not like to cut off my legs since they are not the longest, so I only wear them with pants or short skirts. The gold pair in the middle go with EVERYTHING! The watermelon colored pair on the right have a nice little wedge, so they look a little more dressy. These sandals can keep your feet comfy, cool, and dressy enough to wear to work.

I Work Out!

What is scattered all over my coffee table is a reflection of what is going on in my life. At this moment my coffee table is pushed into the corner of my living room and covered in stationary, books, the latest issue of W Magazine, and these work out DVDs:

I have made working out a focus in my life lately, forcing myself to do something active every single day. I have made a commitment and for 5 weeks I've stuck to it. So far, so good. What I've learned is that I get bored doing the same thing every day. I cannot walk the same path or on a treadmill or do the same work out every day, so I've added some fun, new DVDs to spice up my fitness routine. I took a ballet class in college and it was an amazing workout and it was actually a really good time. This lead me to discover a ballet conditioning work out DVD by Elements. I also picked up Bethenny's latest work out DVD, Skinnygirl Workout to get some yoga in the mix. Both of these DVD's are challenging and work out all different parts of the body. I am a big fan of both and actually look forward to doing them! If you are working on your fitness to get back in swimsuit shape, I highly recommend giving them a try.

30 Things...

Thirty Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She's 30. What started as a list article in Glamour magazine has turned into a cult favorite. It is a timeless, ageless list for women to use as a how-to guide for staying sane, grounded, and successful in life.

My favorites from the 30 things you should have:

#2. A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.

#3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.

#6. A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age.

#11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.

My favorites from the 30 things you should know:

#3. How to quit a job, break up with a man, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.

#6. The names of the secretary of state, your great-grandmothers, and the best tailor in town.

#12. That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs, or not flossing for very long.

#13. Who you can trust, who you can’t, and why you shouldn’t take it personally.

When I heard this list was turned into a book of essays by influential women on each of the 30 Things, I knew it would be amazing. I was not let down. This compilation offers a range of advice and perspectives. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. After I finished this book, I went back to Amazon and bought one for my sister for her graduation. I encourage all young women to not only read, but purchase this book. It's a keeper. I look forward to going back to it, and I am determined to do my best to complete the list before I make it to 30.

Lovely Weekend Back Home

Mudgie's spinach spread

I spent this past weekend at my parents' house in Grosse Pointe. My parents went to Indiana for my sister's graduation, so Josh and I spent the weekend with my brother and all the puppies. Friday night Josh and I met up with my Nanny and Uncle Rich for some dinner at Mudgies, which was yummy and entertaining as always.

We spent the rest of the weekend alternating between relaxing and chasing after Willard. It was fabulous and exhausting to hang out with all of the dogs. Josh and I took them for a nice long walk on Saturday and then made a fabulous grilled chicken dinner while the dogs napped on the kitchen floor. 

Now that my sister is home, I am looking forward to some quality sister time. She has already given me a stack of Jane Austen novels to read this summer. Love her!

It's Graduation Season!

I am so happy to be kicking off the weekend early! I am both dog and brother sitting at home this weekend while my sister graduates from college! Congrats Erin!!! I have every intention of spending the entire weekend in yoga pants since I will be covered in dog hair anyway. Can't wait! Enjoy the weekend!

Erin, the graduate. In fabulous Coach sunglasses that she will never let me forget

I dropped the one time she let me try them on.

Lots of cuddle time with this guy!

Willard and Parker. Besties.

Missoni For Target

Since I am pretty much always on the go between Lansing, Detroit, and my cottage up north in the summer, my huge toiletries bag has become so helpful! I can fit ALL of my bathroom stuff in this bag, and it even has clever zipper pockets inside for all the little things so they don't get lost. I picked this bag up at Target, it was one of the Missoni collection for Target pieces and I had to have it. I have been loyal to it ever since I brought it home. For all those summer trips this summer, I highly recommend investing in a large toiletries bag so that you don't wind up packing three different makeup bags to fit all your sunscreen and aloes.

Trip Gift

There is nothing that dissolves trip jealousy quite like a perfect souvenir gift for those you left behind. My mom and dad took a fabulous trip to South Africa. I was surprised, frankly that my mother not only made it through a vacation without a Four Seasons, but that she truly loved South Africa. Among the beautiful photos and fun mementos, my parents brought me back the perfect trip gift.

I fell in love with this bracelet the moment I laid eyes on it! I love the colors, and I had been searching for a stackable bracelet and this one was beyond what I had ever expected. My parents hit a home run, this was one of the best trip gifts I've ever received. 

A Little Spring Time Vera

My latest Vera Bradley addition.

Hank loves it just as much as I do.

We both especially love the fun print on the inside too!

I picked this bold Vera up at Crystal Crate & Cargo up north. The beauty of Vera Bradley bags is that they are all outrageously colored and patterned, but still seam to go with basically anything. I fell just as much in love with the shape as the bright, floral print. It will be a lovely spring/summer accessory, and it's the perfect compromise between a purse and a tote. LOVE Vera!

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

After spending the last two days relaxing and enjoying the weekend with my boyfriend, I don't have any fun photos to share. We spent Saturday going for a nice, long walk and then went to dinner and watched the New York Rangers win game 7! Sunday we picked up some take out and saw the new Avengers movie. It was fabulous! My dad let me know my mom loved the Mother's Day gifts he, my sister, and I picked out for her, so that was a complete success! I went the entire weekend without purchasing a new pair of shoes or wearing a cute outfit. I hardly even cooked. Since I didn't have any good weekend adventures, I thought today would be a good day to share my Stuffed Chicken Breasts recipe! They are very easy to put together and so very yummy!

Pick up:

A couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I normally make 3 for Josh and I, he eats 2),

Low-fat feta cheese block,

Bag of spinach,

Italian salad dressing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large pyrex with cooking spray. Take your chicken breasts, rinse them off, and then stab them repeatedly all over with a fork so they will absorb some of the flavor of the Italian dressing. Then cut them almost all the way in half so that they are open faced and put them into the pyrex. Slice your block of feta into several slices, don't worry about it if they crumble a bit. Rinse your spinach leaves and rip off the stems. Now you're ready to put them together!

Once you've got your chicken breasts cut open, you can layer in spinach leaves, feta, and then more spinach leaves. You can also squirt a little Italian dressing inside with the spinach and feta. Once you've got them each stuffed, you can go ahead and close the chicken breasts. Go ahead now and squirt the Italian salad dressing over the top of each chicken breast. Don't hesitate to use a lot and let it pool in the bottom of the pyrex. Now go ahead and stick them into the oven. Depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts, you can expect them to take about 50 minutes to a little over an hour. You want to be able to cut the thickest part of the chicken breast and have it be white on the inside with no pinkness. Then you can plate them and put a couple spoonfuls of the juices and dressings in the pan over the top of each.

The finished product!

This meal is perfect served with green beans, asparagus, or a nice spinach salad. You can even use some of that feta on top! This is a yummy, easy meal! Just make sure if you save some for leftovers, that you add some of the dressing/juices to the tupperware.

Moisturize!

I have found that the more I moisturize, the better my skin looks. My face normally gets really dry when the seasons change and does that really annoying peely thing on my nose. Regular light facial moisturizers just cannot fix it. A couple months ago I had a pretty bad curling iron burn on my forehead. Those of you that have ever experienced this are the only ones who can understand how much it hurts and how long those burn marks take to go away. I talked to a plastic surgeon about it, because regular over the counter burn creams just weren't cutting it and I was really worried about scarring. The doc recommended Dermaide, and told me that he swears by it. I found it at the hospital pharmacy.

I gave it a shot on my burn and in a few days it was almost gone. I have no scar left behind. I was amazed. So when the weather started getting cold and my skin started getting really dry, I decided to give it a shot all over my face. I have been using it as a facial moisturizer ever since. I have seen a dramatic difference in my skin. I have no more peely nose, my skin is nice and soft, and my makeup goes on and stays on much better even without a primer. The only down side is that it is really hard to find in a store or pharmacy. You can however find it online: http://dermaidecream.com.

Thanks to Sephora's free gift, I have also recently tried the new moisturizing oil with Josie Maran Argan Oil, and I have been pleasantly surprised. I have been using the Dermaide in the morning and the Aragan Oil at night. My face feels and looks great!

I Love Makeup, But It's A Great Feeling When You Take It All Off

My new go to makeup remover wipes.

My pink Clarisonic

I love makeup. It's fun to play with and create different looks or highlight different features. When I was younger, I would get all made up, go out, come home, and crash into my bed. Sometimes I would even go through most of the next day without washing my face, because sometimes my makeup would look really good the next morning. After I wiped the eyeliner/mascara smudges left behind from sleeping in a face full of makeup. This was of course a terrible habit. Sleeping in your makeup both clogs your pores and ages your skin. I am now obsessive about taking all of my makeup off when I get home at the end of the day. There is nothing that feels better than getting it all off and going to bed with nice, clean, moisturized skin. My skin has also been thanking me for it by not breaking out. I've found that the best way to clean my skin is to gently wipe my makeup off with a makeup remover wipe first. Then I cleanse with Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser. I also use Purpose Gentle Facial Cleanser. I have one in the shower and the other at my sink, so I use them both. They are both very gentle and non drying. I hopped on the Clarisonic band wagon a couple months ago, and I'm thankful for it. I use it about once, maybe twice a week to get nice, clean, and exfoliated skin. It's definitely not for daily use, but it's a great addition to my clean skin product line up. And yes, it is worth the rather hefty price tag. This is one of those beauty tools that you should not skimp on and get the cheap alternative.

So Many Shades of Gray

Nars  Tzarine Eyeshadow Duo

Bobbi Brown Cool Party Eye Palette

My new Talbots Jackie Blazer

My fav gray Nine West sling backs. Hank likes them too.

I have found myself embracing the color gray in so many ways lately. I love gray clothing, but lately I've been loving gray shoes and makeup too. I've found gray to be such a neutral color that works with every season. It also looks great from day to night. Gray eyeshadow in lighter tones looks great in the day and it's easy to darken it into a smokey eye for a night out. Gray shoes go with almost anything and  I've been using them instead of a staple black shoe lately.