What I Wore Wednesday

After taking a week off, I'm back linking up for What I Wore Wednesday with The Pleated Poppy again!

I am also linking up with No Model Lady for All Dressed Up this week - so fun finding new parties to join!

This week, I am sharing what I wore on Mother's Day, when we spent the afternoon at the lake celebrating with Handsome Husband's family.

(See what I mean about the capris?  Really accentuate these stumpy legs I've got, no?)

Sweater: so so so old, but I think it is originally from Charlotte Russe

Camisole: Charlotte Russe

Fants*: Nordstrom Rack

Sandals: gift from Fashionista, but they are Steve Maddens

*I am fairly certain these pants are not actually called fants - the reason I call them fants (fake pants) is because they are super soft and stretchy like leggings, but have a fly and buttons like jeans.  Thus...fants.

Target Tuesday: Bedding

Another week - another Target Tuesday!  Are weeks flying by, or am I just busier than I've been in a long time?

This week, I chose to do bedding.  I just discovered a huge rip in my (super cheap, but super soft) Target sheets - don't ask me how you get a rip in your sheets, I have no idea.  So I've been doing a little "pre-shopping" shopping and scoping out the Target bedding.

Handsome Husband and I were lucky enough to be gifted much of a bedding set from Macy's from our wedding and gift cards for the remainder, but I am weird and want to wait until we move out and have our own home to use it!  So until then, Target sheets for us!

Here are the bedding sets that caught my eye while I "wandered" the hallways of Target.com's bedding section.

I think this is actually a teen set, but I love how bright and fun it is!

Handsome Husband would never go for the pink, but if I was a single gal - I'd love this!

A bit more modern than my usual taste, but love the colors.

LOVE how simple and classic this is.

I think this one is my favorite - I'm really being drawn to this color this season!

Are you shopping at Target this week?

Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots ... in Strawberries!

While brainstorming on what kind of (alcohol-themed and edible - she's only 2 years post 21!) gift to give to Best Friend Swagger for her 23rd birthday last month, I came across these jello shots - and I was immediately sold!  (PS I am totally almost embarrassed to show her link and follow with my pictures, hers are AMAZING and mine...not so much.  But they tasted great!)

These were surprisingly easy, and I definitely plan to make them again soon - anyone have an occasion?

I made one change to the recipe at the link, due only to the fact that I had no Cointreu, and I also was in a hurry and didn't ice the tequila before adding it to jello on the stove - turned out fine, so I'll be posting the version I made below!

Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots

Yields 25-30 strawberry shooters

1 box Strawberry Jello - not generic brand

5 ounces tequila

First, start by cutting off the "pointy" ends of your strawberries, so that they will stand upright on their own.  Works best to use the biggest and freshest strawberries you can find!  Be careful to cut the minimum amount possible to ensure there is no hole in the bottom of the strawberry - we'll talk about this later.

Use a melon baller to empty out the strawberry.  Don't get too close to the sides, because if you make a hole in the side of the strawberry you won't be able to use it for these shots - it'll just have to be a mid-prep snack for you, instead!

Again, check the strawberries for holes in the bottom or on the "walls" of the berries - any of them will holes will need to be discarded (again, please indulge - you need your sustenance!).

Now - to prepare the jello.  Boil one cup of water in a small saucepan, and add jello and whisk until completely dissolved.  Turn down heat, and let sit while preparing alcohol mixture.

Combine 1/4 cup cold water with 5 ounces (2 1/2 double shot glasses) of tequila.  Add cold mixture to hot jello mixture on stove.

After everything is mixed well, pour jello mixture into your newly made "shot glasses" and put in fridge overnight.

Now, this is where we're going to get real.  Remember where I prefaced that it was very important to use only strawberries without holes in them?  Well, I didn't.

And this is what I woke up to in the morning.  So next time (and you're lucky enough to learn from my mistakes!), I'll be heeding my own (and Bakers Royale's) advice!

Bakers Royale suggests rimming your strawberries with salt at this point, but I have a serious problem with salt in margaritas, so I abstained.

I still had about half of my originals viable though, and that worked for me!  I have to say display was severely lacking due to the fact that I take a completely inappropriate amount of time to get ready to go out.  

These tasted so good - you could not even taste the (relatively cheap) tequila in them, and it was so fun to get to actually eat your shot - "shot glass" included!

Quotable Tuesdays

C25K Update

So we are a little over 5 weeks in to our C25K training, and coming up on the most terrifying day thus for, so I thought I would share an update on my progress and the program has been treating us so far.

First of all, I have to say how immensely helpful it has been to have a workout buddy throughout the program!  Tutor Girl keeps me accountable, and chatting her while we run is the best way to make the running intervals fly by!  I am so glad we are doing this together, not only to help me with the actual working out part, but because we have also grown much closer now that we are seeing each other a minimum of three times a week.

I have to admit that I was a totally skeptic that I could ever really be a runner, or that me running a 5K would ever happen.  While I still won't quite believe that until I cross the finish line, my body has already made some huge strides toward becoming fit.

At the beginning of training, I could literally hardly run 90 seconds without feeling like my lungs were burning, and my chest was about to explode.  Now I can do a full 8-minutes, and while it is still hard, it's not impossible.  I know running for 8 minutes might seem like nothing to a lot of people, but for me - it's huge!  I really am going from the couch to a 5K, so going from nothing to 8 minutes at a steady pace without stopping is an accomplishment for me.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we are fast approaching (as in, Monday) the scariest day of training yet.  Day 3 of Week 5 is 20 minutes of running...no stopping.  That is more than double the length of time I've been able to run up until now.  I am utterly terrified of this run, but after talking to Tutor Girl about it, I feel a bit better.  After reading Jenna's synopsis on her C25K Training over at That Wife, I feel like maybe it takes a little longer than just 9 weeks for the entire program for some people.  She expressed that it took her days, even weeks, just to master one day in the program.  Tutor Girl and I decided we would give it our all, but if we need to stop or can't do the entire 20 minutes, we will just keep trying.  While I would love (and be seriously proud of myself) to do the whole 20 minutes during our next run, I feel much more at ease knowing that if I can't...there's always Tuesday!

Are you following any kind of fitness regimen? 

Grateful Sundays

This week I am grateful for my Mother.  (As cliche as it might be on Mother's Day - it's true!)

I love Gardening Mom and feel so grateful to have a mom who I have such respect and admiration for.  She is the smartest woman I've ever known, and she has accomplished so much.

I have always been lucky in that my mom is truly my best friend - she is most often the first person I look to for advice, the first person I want to tell exciting news to, and the first I want to cry to.  We have a mutual respect that not all mothers and daughters have between each other, and for that I feel blessed.

My mother has never handled me with baby gloves and does not hesitate to tell me when I am wrong.  She is like looking in a mirror that is constantly encouraging, but also glaringly honest.

We are not "mushy" or overtly affectionate, but I love my mother and I know she loves me.  For me, true success in life would not be complete without her satisfaction and pride for how I turned out and the way in which I choose to live my life, and I hope she will always be proud to call me her daughter.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

One of my favorite pictures of Gardening Mom and myself - from my LVN pinning ceremony last fall.

Wedding Recap: Me and My Gang

After taking some solo photos with the lovely ladies of D2 Photography Studio, I got to take some pictures with my very best friends and bridesmaids!  These are some of my favorite photos of the day, because they are literally the last photos of us as all single ladies!  I hope I am lucky enough to be in all of these fabulous ladies' weddings, but there will never be another picture of all of us together unmarried, so I am so happy to have these pictures.

**Warning - this post is going to be very picture heavy!  Way too hard to narrow these ones down!

(Bridesmaid Cute Apartment, my little helper)

(Everyone so excited!)

(Maid of Honor Fashionista, Bridesmaid Does it All, Bridesmaid Kindergarten Teacher, Bridesmaid Swagger, Sister Singer, Sister Swimmer, and Bridesmaid Cute Apartment help me with dragging my dress around)

(One of few moments of seriousness during our photo shoot)

(Sister Singer)

(Sister Swimmer)

(Me, MOH Fashionista, BM Does it All, and BM Kindergarten Teacher)

(Sister Singer, Sister Swimmer, Bridesmaid Cute Apartment, Me, Maid of Honor Fashionista, Bridesmaid Kindergarten Teacher, Bridesmaid Cute Apartment, and Bridesmaid Swagger)

(Kindergarten Teacher, Swagger, Sister Singer, Me, Fashionista, Sister Swimmer, Cute Apartment, and Does it All)

(Kindergarten Teacher, Swagger, Sister Singer, Fashionista, Sister Swimmer, Cute Apartment, and Does it All give me a group hug!)

(All the giggling totally led to mass amounts of gum-smiling!)

(Quick shot of me and my sisters while we still shared a last name)

(Even Gardening Mom got in on the photo shoot!)

(Love this photo of me and Gardening Mom)

Up next?  The boys take pictures, and Handsome Husband has his own personal photo shoot!

All amazing pictures courtesy of D2 Photography Studio in Riverside, California.

Happy Hour and a Little Boob Tube Babble

I am (shamefully) sipping on coca-cola at 10:30pm on a Friday night, while sitting on my couch doing homework and watching Friday Night Lights - wild life I live over here (try not to be jealous).

This week for Happy Hour, I'd like to also link up to A Complete Waste of Makeup's Boob Tube Babble.  I can't believe I missed their first week, because if I haven't mentioned it yet here, I am a total TV addict.  Like - it's a problem.  If I didn't have a DVR, I would have a hard time leaving the house.  I get invested in my shows, no matter how cheesy or ridiculous their story lines might get.

I am really into reality TV, but one drama that I am a die-hard for (even after many fans - Cute Apartment included! - have jumped ship is Grey's Anatomy.  I started watching a couple seasons in and had to backtrack a bit, but ever since them, I've been hooked.  It's one of the rare shows I have been known to get emotional during, and no matter how tired I am on Thursday nights, I rarely miss watching the episode before bed.

This week, two of the characters on the show got married - in Grey's first ever lesbian wedding!  It was beautiful, and so well done, I thought.

Is it weird that I totally feel like I know these characters, and was like inordinately happy for Callie and Arizona?  Also, though I totally don't think Handsome Husband would be on board, I adore the name 'Arizona'!

Also, how totally rude was it that these two thunder-stealers skipped the wedding to finally make their stupid post-it legal?  I was so flabbergasted that they did this!  As Gardening Mom so succinctly said - "couldn't they have, like, done that tomorrow?" - weird!

That's what I'm thinking about during my (late-night) happy hour.

If you're popping over from Happy Hour or Boob Tube Babble, please feel free to take a look around!  You can catch up on my wedding recaps, find out how I met Handsome Husband, or learn a little bit more about me.  If you like what you see - please consider following me!

Things Thursday: Things That Look Totally Cute on Other People, But Totally Don't Work For Me

1. Bermuda shorts

2. Ankle boots

Source

3. Headbands that go across your forehead instead of on top of your head

Source

4. Skinny jeans

5. Capris - really only full-length pants and short-shorts work on these stubs I call legs.

6. Cat-eye eyeliner

7. Red lips

Source

8. Hats - of pretty much all kinds.

Adios, April!

In April...

Our sweet little second cousin, Teeny Girl, celebrated her 3^rd birthday.

Tutor Girl and I started our Couch 2 5K training.

Two of my favorite girls ever, Fashionista and Swagger, hosted their first ever party in their new apartment in LA – so glad to be celebrating their successes with them!

 (From L-R: Fashionista, Me, Swagger)

We walked to raise money for research to find a cure to MS – and plan to do so again next year.

Handsome Husband and I  visited San Diego for the first time since we moved away in December, and got to spend some quality time with our friends.

 

Best Friend Swagger turned 23 and we had a blast in LA on her birthday!

(From L-R: Fashionista, Me, Birthday Girl Swagger!, Cute Apartment, and Dimples)

We celebrated another Easter (Lil C’s first!) with Handsome Husband’s family.

(From L-R: Handsome Husband, Me, Lil C, Tutor Girl, and Cousin Ronomon)

Gardening Mom and I got to spend some much needed quality time together at the Stagecoach Music Festival and listen to some down-home country music!