Too Much Fun For One Day

One Top: Two Ways

top: Forever 21
shorts: J.Crew
sandals: Bandolino
clutch: TJMaxx
sunglasses: DKNY

I think, I over-scheduled my Thursday. 

I had so many wonderful plans, but I didn't factor in that the day only has 24 hours. 

Between Jonathan's doctor's appointment, trip to the farmer's market, stupid fight on the way home, lunch (side note: it's always better not to fight on empty stomach. Everyone is a lot more snappy), hanging out with girlfriend I haven't seen in ages, laundry and taking care of super tired and cranky baby, I was exhausted. Add to that 80-degree weather and it's even more tiring.

 I crashed for a quick nap at eight o'clock and asked hubby to wake me up in half an hour. 

Yea, that didn't happen. Ha! 

But I did get up, an hour later just to have some food and go back to bed. Good thing Jonathan didn't object and was out as soon as he was done nursing. 

Seriously, it's great to have fun and productive days but sometimes we I schedule too many things at once. We I end up tiring ourselves myself out so much that next day is spend recuperating from all the 'fun'.

I think, it's a new first-time mom syndrome. I am getting it under control.

So take let's easy and enjoy our weekend!
Shall we?

Vanilla Strawberry Cupcakes w/ Buttercream Frosting {Recipe}

So here is the deal - I don't like to follow recipes. I usually read them for general reference and then go and do my own thing. It works. Sometimes. 

More times then not, it doesn't.

My sister on the other hand, she follows them to a T and gets amazing results pretty much every time. 

We were making some delicious sweets for my mom's bday party and she wanted to make cupcakes.

From scratch. Such a good daughter.

I wanted to make them from the box. Hey, I was making food too.

She won. I said, fine, but you are on your own. 

And lemme tell you, I'm glad she did. Because these were some delicious cupcakes. 

I mean, little-bakery- on-the-corner delicious. 

Lick-your-fingers-after-you-ate-the-cupcake-t-get-every-bit-of-frosting delicious.

The only thing she improvised with was the addition of strawberries. And she should have added more because they were giving the sweet cupcakes just the right amount of tartness. 

Delicious I tell ya!

And she did such a great job decorating these puppies.

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup milk
• ½ tsp vinegar
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/2 lb strawberries

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a bowl, mix the vinegar and milk together and let stand for 3-5 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs until pale and frothy.
4. Add sugar and whisk again until incorporated.
5. Mix in the vegetable oil and set aside.
6. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
7. Gradually alternate incorporating the milk mixture and the flour mixture until everything is incorporated.
8. Finely chop strawberries and add them to the batter. Gently fold until incorporated
9. Divide into lined muffin cups, filling about ¾ full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a cake tester/toothpick comes out clean. The edges will be lightly golden =)
10. Let stand in the pan for about 2-3 minutes and then remove and let cool on a wire rack.
11. Frosting recipe from here. It's a lot easier just to watch a video;-)

 Party's simple decor

What To Wear: Summer Wedding

dress: Dorothy Perkins

shoes: Aldo

clutch: Nordstrom

necklace: Bauble Bar

sunglasses: Les Nouvelles 

Summer is here and the wedding season is upon us! Every time I have a formal event to go to, I reach for a dress. There is something about wearing a dress - it gives you super feminine powers. 

Here is an elegant look for any summer soiree on your social calendar. 

I especially love the color and cut of this dress. It's light, summery and very classy.

Happy shopping!

Weekend Happenings

top: TJMaxx (similar)
skirt: Loft (similar)
shoes: Tahari
clutch: H&M

Welcome to Monday!

Hope you had a good relaxing weekend.

 Mine was filled with birthday celebrations - a one-year-old party and my mom's birthday. It was lots of fun.

My sister and I threw my mom a small bday party yesterday night. Sunday afternoon we started getting some major rain and lighting. A lot of people lost their power and it was hot and humid outside. 

Thank God we didn't because first of all, the party would've been ruined and then it A/C wouldn't work. 

I'm so spoiled. I know. 

All in all, it was a great weekend.

What did you do?

How Far Are You Willing To Go To Please Your Man

Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm not talking about any shades or any gray nonsense here but what you are willing to do within reason to be attractive to your man. 

I may sound old-fashioned and anti-feminist but I've been thinking about this a lot lately. 

Who do women dress for? Do we dress to stay attractive to our men or do we buy designer labels and try to fit into size 2 dresses just to show off to other women? 

Hubby tends to think it's the later and lately I've been inclined to think that too.

Let me back up a bit.

Ever since I got pregnant, my body started changing and taking some unwanted forms (hello stretch marks?). Unwanted is a very understated word. Those changes were hated with passion.
 Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful to bring a life into this world. Only it wasn't so wonderful to see my body take a hit and show clear signs of aging. I've complained and lamented over my baby weight to my hubby a few times too many. 

He kept saying that I'm even more beautiful to him, that he loved my body as it was and on and on. Sounds like a sweet guy eh? Well, did I believe him? Of course, not. 

I wanted to fit into size 2. I wanted to show other gals at church that I've lost all my baby weight. I wanted to wear a-line skirts for goodness sake. I wanted to wear all the latest blogger fashion hits (leather pants anyone?). I wanted to wear my hair in a top-knot, without it accentuating my filled in cheeks. 

But it wasn't happening soon enough.

After an honest conversation with hubby,  reading this post and couple girlfriends on this topic, couple things became very clear.

Men don't care about latest fashion.

Men don't care about size.  

When a wife is dressed nice, a husband isn't going to ask her where she got that hot dress that accentuates her size 8 curves from. He will pay her a compliment. He will tell her she looks sexy. 

The end of story. 

Well, maybe the story continues but behind closed doors ;-)

Women on the other hand? A whole different story.

Women care about the labels.

Women care about the latest trend

Women care about the price tag

And most of all, women care about what other women will say/think about them.
Don't deny it. You know it's true.

We, the female species, know that men are very easy to please. As long as men are fed and their women look good (whatever that entails for your man),  have some sexy time (ya know what I mean?) they are set for life. Yep that's all.

So if you know that your man doesn't care about J.Crew, loves to see you in heels, can't stand the top-knot and has an aversion to giant jewelry (i.e. statement necklace), would you give it all up?

 Or would you still wear/not wear it?

There is a fine line between being a total pleaser and loosing your own identity and someone who loves dressing for your husband because, well, he is the one who matters the most. Doesn't he?

It's about giving and receiving. If you want your man to give you what you want, fulfill your emotional needs and love you the way you need to be loved, it's probably a good idea to listen to his advice on your looks.
It matters to him. A lot. 

I can see how this would bother a lot of women. 'He should love me the way I am' and 'Forget it, I'm not giving up my__________' is the attitude that comes naturally.
This is what is meant by marriage being hard work, a lot of compromise and sometimes sacrifice and submission (oh no! not that word)
. Bending your own will to please someone you love isn't a sign of weakness, or giving in to male's chauvinistic domination but a sign of maturity and true love.

Isn't it what we, ladies, really want? 
I'm just sayin.

What She Wore

For a first time mama and fashionista like me, it's a bit challenging to find the balance between comfort and style. Comfortable fabrics, no fuss tops, minimal jewelry and closet staples are my go-to pieces when getting dressed. Check out these must-haves in any mama's closet.

- you've got to have plenty of tees, as they go with everything and can be dressed up or down, with skirt, shorts or pants

- a maxi dress when you simply don't have energy to dress up is a must for any mama

- chambray shirt goes with everything

- pair of comfy, appropriate length shorts

- a small floral cross-body satchel that's sure to dress up any plain outfit

- have to have jeans (in light wash for summer months)

-  cute floral dress for going to dinner with hubs or having friends over for bbq

- protect your eyes from sunshine with these cute cateye sunglasses

- when you need to go up the stairs carrying that car seat, or chasing your little one down the street you need to be wearing cute pair of nude flats

- maxi skirts are like grown up fancy pajamas that hide unshaved legs

- when it's hot and got lots to do it's sandals time

- having a little ones means they will be tugging and pulling on your statement jewelry left and right, so a simple bracelet is a way to go 

- last but not least, dress up any good ole t-shirt with a scarf that has a fun print and you are ready to go

Hope you are having a great week!

It's a Girl Thing

dress: not sold online (similar)
flats: Target
bag: H&M  (similar)
glasses: DKNY

Hello lovelies! 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We finally had some sunshine and warmth but it started pouring on Sunday night. Again.

I feel like it's been raining for the last few months here. Non-stop.

On Saturday, some girls from church and I went out and did some shopping. Well, some did and some didn't. But what struck me the most is how much we all were into it. Even if ladies weren't buying anything, going around admiring pretty dresses and throw pillows was satisfying enough. Seriously, it's such a girl thing. 

What's my point?

There is none. 

Girls like shopping. 

The end of story.

But you knew that already, right gals? 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day

Jonathan // Four Months//

Oh my, how the time flies!

Dear Jonathan...

You are four months old and growing like a weed. So many things are changing, so many things are happening.

My dear boy, sometime in the last four months I managed to fall in love with you. I love you more then anything else in the world. You are my baby boy. 

It was hard for me to say that I loved you when you were first born because love is something that grows over time, something that needs constant attention and care. I've nursed, changed, bathed, rocked, burped, carried, kissed, held you since the day you were born, but only now I realize how much I love you.

You definitely have a calm personality and very content to be in one place for some time. Although you absolutely love looking around and always inspect everything with your curious gaze. 

We dubbed you Curious George.

You are very patient. When I need to get boogers out of your nose, you don't even make a peep. Just hold your breath for a little bit while I do it and bounce your heels on the bed. Such a trooper. 

You love taking baths and excitedly move your feet, splashing the water. If you are a little fussy, all I have to do is draw a bath and you quiet right down. 

You went through a growth spurt last week and let me tell you, I'm so grateful that you've been sleeping through the night all those months. Only couple of days waking up every two hours wiped me out. I don't know how those mamas do it for several  months. I'm so blessed and you are such a good kid.

You do not like the car seat but as soon as I start driving, it's all good. 

You haven't been sick or allergic to anything which is a great blessing.

It's interesting to watch you on your play mat, as you try to reach and grab toys - always such a serious face. You don't like strangers and only want your mama, but you started smiling at grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins recently. 

My mom's neighbor wanted to look at your chubby little face and peeked into the car while you were inside and you got scared. Started crying for real - with tears. I felt bad for the lady who wasn't sure what she did wrong and didn't want to tell her that you are such a scared little monkey. Gotta toughen you up a little, boy!

You are still eating like a champ - 2-3 hours during the day and sleeping through the night. You love nursing and nothing comes in place of a boob for you. Can't fool you with water or pacifier either.

I gave you a little oatmeal cereal to try and you weren't thrilled about it but then gobbled it up. Also, black currant juice with water was kind of sour; you made the cutest face but kept drinking it. So funny.

You love when I play with you and blow raspberries on your time while I'm changing your diaper. You roll from your tummy on your back and from your back to your front, which is pretty impressive in your age. You have a real laugh now and a super deep voice. Your baby talk is more of an old man complaining about his arthritis babble and it's super adorable. 

You are not fussy and very easy going, and a huge blessing in our lives.

Daddy and I love you. 

Chicken Pasta Salad {Recipe}

Another day. Another recipe.

I have to admit that most of my cooking is pretty simple. It's centered around simple ingredients and wholesome taste. This was a spur of the moment thing, involving some imagination, where I used whatever I had on hand. You can add more veggies or spices for different variations of this dish. Husband dubbed it 'very good' and he doesn't throw complements easily, so I'll take it. 

Here is a recipe for a quick, weeknight one-dish, one-pot meal.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 box of tricolor Rotini pasta

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 13oz canned chicken breast

- 1 broccoli head

- 1 can medium black olives

- 2 tbsp mayonnaise

- Parmesan cheese

- salty, pepper

Process:

Cook pasta according to package directions. 

Cut broccoli head into small florets and pour the hot liquid from pasta over the broccoli. Let stand for 3 minutes then drain.

Pour olive oil over pasta, add chicken, drained olives, broccoli, mayonnaise, black pepper and pinch of salt. Mix gently so that chicken only falls apart into smaller pieces. Cover the pasta to keep it warm. 

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over individual plates and serve. 

Enjoy!

Hard To Find

The same blouse works two ways

blouse: Target
skirt: NY&Co
heels, clutch: H&M
necklace: similar

Hello lovelies... 

Hope you had a great weekend!

Really, it seems like a man with a good character and solid moral values is hard to find nowadays.

I'm so happy I've been blessed with an amazing husband who treats me right, because settling is worse than being alone.  

So here is something for you gals on this bright Monday morning.

A good man is hard to find

You always get the other kind

Just when you think that he is your pal

You look for him and find him fooling 'round some other gal

Then you rave, you even crave

To see him laying in his grave

So, if your man is nice, take my advice and hug him in the morning, kiss him ev'ry night, 

Give him plenty lovin', treat him right

For a good man nowadays is hard to find, 

A good man nowadays is hard to find.

:-)

Have a great day! 

Leading By Example

A leader leads by example, whether he intends to or not.

Ever since I got pregnant, I've been thinking a lot more about what kind of example I'm going to be for my kids. Am I going to be the kind of parent my children will follow and be proud of? Or the one they want to stick in the back of the family album and be embarrassed of at the family reunions?

We talk a lot about teaching our children to do right.

To respect their peers.

To honor their elders.

To love their neighbors.

To fear the Lord.

To esteem their heritage.

To obey the authority.

To love their spouse.

To cherish the youngsters.

To protect this God-given Earth.

And that's all fine and good and very necessary. As parents we have the responsibility to raise those little ones into mature, responsible adults with solid moral values.

The best way to do that is to teach by example.

You can spend your days drilling, talking and lecturing your children about what is good, wholesome and right but if you yourself isn't doing any of it - it's not worth a  single penny.
Your actions speak louder then your words.

You have to be respectful to your mean boss, without talking trash behind his back.

You need to honor your parents and grandparents, landing them them a helping hand when they need assistance in their old age.

You need to love those who gossip about you, mean to you at the grocery store and take your pew on Sunday morning.

Those who take advantage of your kindness and take your parking spot at the mall. Those who don't respect your space and privacy, and who don't ask for forgiveness. Love them.

You need to show your children how to fear God and honor Him with your life. How to be an example to this world without judging those who aren't doing right. How to be a genuine Christian and nevermind occasional hypocrisy and hate.

You need to appreciate where you've come from and who you are. No matter the race, ethnicity and color without putting anyone else down.

You need to obey the laws that are put in place by the government, even if at times they seem ridiculous and the authorities aren't truthful.

You need to protect the littlest children from the cruelty and hate in this world, showering them with  abundant love.

You need to protect this Earth for future generations and be thankful for sunshine and rain, for beauty of flower and depth of an ocean.

You must be what you want your children to become.

Date Night

dress: Target (similar)
purse: Target (similar here or here)
necklace: H&M (similar)
shoes: Guess (similar)

This outfit is supposed to be my date night get up. That is whenever, if ever, we will get a date night again [maybe this Saturday if it isn't raining cats and dogs]. 

Between having a house [always something to do/fix]; it being the beginning of summer [stupid grass grows so fast, the windows are in need of some thorough scrubbing]; and an infant [did you check his diaper? what time did you feed him?] - it's non-stop here.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. 

I'm enjoying my life. I just don't get the opportunity to wear my sexy dresses much.

I had this outfit picked out and ready to go for several weeks now. 

Date night is usually one hectic evening. Everything needs to be planned out in advance: diaper bags packed, reservations made and clothes picked out. Between dropping Jonathan off at grandparents and then rushing off to a dinner, there isn't time for outfit photos.

So to make sure I capture this PBD [perfect black dress], I snapped some pics.

I really wasn't one for the high-low trend but I'm loving it here. For some reason it works very well and kind of shows off a little bit of leg, which is always a plus for a date night.

Rule Breaker

 

top: boutique in Phoenix (similar)
pants: Target (similar)
shoes: ALDO (similar)
clutch: H&M (similar)
necklace: Forever21 (similar)

There used to be a few rules in fashion. For example, you are not supposed to wear white before Memorial Day, never mix prints or wear pink and red together, and definitely never double up on one print. 

The new rule is to break all the rules. 

Wear camo and animal print together.

Again stripes and floral.

Get super matchy.

Wear the weird daring color combo.

Double up on same print. 

Boyfriend jeans with pink heels. 

White before Memorial Day.

Ballerina skirts for everyday wear. 

Shorts with boots.

Neon shoes. Again.   

And much more.

So, I'm wearing one of my favorite prints twice in one outfit (inspire by this look) and loving it. 

Forget all the fashion rules your aunt has ever taught you and brave the new trends.

Have a great day!

  

New Start

top: Forever21 (similar)
 skirt: Target (similar here and here)
necklace: Sharlotte Russe (similar)
heels: Aerosoles (thrifted) (similar)
bag: Nine West (similar)

Welcome to a brand new week!

I feel like every Monday is a new start. I bet we all start Monday with our best intentions to do whatever it is we were slacking of with the previous week.

Sunday night is like the end of a bad book and Monday we get to re-write the whole thing all over again. 

We finish the last salsa and chips, have last ice cream cone, stay up too late and fight with our spouse. 

The last time. 

Because Monday everything is going to be better, brighter and right-er (that's not even a word, but you get what I'm saying).

Then comes the glorious Monday and we fall back into the same routine, follow the same bad habits and fight the same dirty fights. And we give up on the rest of the week.

But today is a brand new day and another start to a whole new week that COULD be different. 

So go on and do all those things you set out to do without looking back. And if you fail, remember, I'm probably there with ya, picking up the pieces and trying to do the right thing. 

Have a great day! 

P.S. I'm also probably eating another bowl of ice cream that I definitely shouldn't be eating.