A (Saturday) Night In

Last night was Saturday. I realize that. But I stayed in while my husband went out with a few guy friends and I had an amazing time spoiling myself. I baked cookies, tried a new recipe, painted my nails (duh) and watched episode after episode of "Friends" on TBS. Everyone has their idea of a perfect night, right?

Keith and I went to a nice restaurant in town this week for his birthday. He was OBSESSED with this flatbread that they served with seeds and lots of parmesan cheese on top. I tried to replicate by using whole wheat tortillas, brushing them with olive oil, and pouring on the parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic and salt. I baked at 350 for about 10 minutes and the result was pretty delicious, if you ask me! It may not be quite the same, but pretty close.

Good Reads

Here's what I'm reading (at any given time):

SmittenKitchen.Com

This is my favorite recipe from the blog, so far

Peel and cut carrots into about 2 inch pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and about 1/4 tsp of cumin. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. After taking out of the oven, add sliced avacado (1/2 to 1 whole avacado, depending on the size) and drizzle with a little more olive oil if you'd like. The last time I made it I also diced a sweet potato to add to the carrots and roasted them together. The avacado at the end is cool, creamy and in perfect balance with the sweet, roasted vegetables. The writer also has a book filled with her recipes coming out soon!

HelloGiggles

Hilarious, heartwarming, easy-to-relate-to posts ... especially the bachelor(ette) recaps.

And one of my new faves ... Pinterest! I know, it's not realllly a blog, but it is sorta the lazy girl's blog. It's like a picture book of cool, funky, inspiring ideas that your friends and acquaintances circulate.

Weddinspiration

Some of you may know that I'm getting married this year! My wonderful fiance and I, along with our supportive friends and family, have been planning each and every detail of the big day for the past 9 months. Here are things that inspire me as I plan (photos courtesy of pinterest ... I'm sure there'll be a post soon about my new love affair with that website):

love all of these hairstyles!

fall bouquet

claret - the color that started it all :)

puerto vallarta, mexico - see you in 3 months beach!!

Fall Nail Fashion

I really like doing my nails. My former roommate, Courtney, got me into the habit; we would do our nails about once a week. It's a good way to take care of my nails AND incorporate fashion and accessories. I'm not very good at accessorizing. I don't really wear bracelets (annoying) or necklaces (choking) or heavy earrings (ouch). I don't really wear belts. Basically what I'm saying is freshly painted finger and toenails make me feel feminine and in control. And what woman doesn't want to feel those two things? I feel professional and polished when I have a fresh manicure/pedicure. But I can't afford a weekly (or monthly/quarterly/let'sbehonestyearly) mani/pedi. Good news - this is something I can do by myself, you can do by yourself, with basically the same results.

This fall, I'm wearing:
OPI espresso your style

Can't wait to try:
Matte nail polish (over color nail polish) - will post review!

Recent adventures:
Cut small strips of newspaper (using captions on photos is best because the font is bold.) After painting nails and letting dry (use light color for best results), dip nails in alcohol and press one newspaper strip per nail. Hold for about 30 seconds and then peel. Use clear top coat for long-lasting results.