Girl Versus Shoes

Urban Outfitters top, H&M shorts, Francesco Biasia bag, CO-OP Barneys heels, J Crew hat, Gap Belt, Ray-Ban aviators

I snagged these black heels a few weeks ago at the Barneys Warehouse sale for 75% off! I wore them out with Gabe to celebrate his birthday last week and was actually able to walk a mile and not have any blisters to show for it. I'm not sure if that's ever happened to me before and it made my entire evening even more enjoyable. We celebrated Gabe's birthday (and my shoe victory) with Italian food, wine, and blueberry pie (Gabe's favorite). It was the perfect summer evening.

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

As I've mentioned here and here, I've been recently going through a bit of a salad phase. I've been experimenting with quinoa and now with lentils and have been pleasantly surprised with how delicious and filling they've turned out! This is my most recent salad experiment and it did not disappoint. I added some fresh tomatoes, a red pepper, and used the lentils from Trader Joe's that are already cooked and just need to be heated. The whole salad only took a few minutes to prepare!

Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Serves 6-8

1.5 cups lentils

1/2 cup sliced sundried tomatoes

1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar1 tsp. dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. good quality extra virgin olive oil

3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a pot of water and the bay leaf to a boil. Rinse and pick over the lentils, and then add them to the boiling water. Cook until soft, about 20-25 minutes.
Drain the lentils and set aside to cool slightly. Toss with the sundried tomatoes, olives and parsley.
Whisk together the shallot, red wine vinegar and dijon. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking constantly until the dressing emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the slightly warm lentils and mix to combine. Top with goat cheese crumbles. Serve at room temperature.

Scarves for a Cause

My friend Minka is involved with an amazing organization called Mocha Club and she just returned from Ethiopia and Kenya on a trip to help women and children in these countries. Mocha Club is a non-profit organization that funds relief and developmental projects in Africa. They're currently selling these beautiful scarves made by Ethiopian women in order to provide jobs and fund rehabilitation of other women affected by poverty in Africa. For $15, these scarves not only make a fashion statement, but also create opportunities for these women. Check out her video (and online order form if you're interested) here.

Sarah's Baby Shower

She's the prettiest pregnant girl ever

Sarah with her mom and sisters.

Instead of playing games, we had everyone decorate a onesie for Sarah and hung them on a clothesline to dry.

The pink candy bar

Over the weekend, I joined Sarah's sisters and mom in hosting a baby shower for Sarah. She's due in October and is having a girl! We were all overjoyed to be together celebrating the upcoming arrival with gifts, food, candy, cupcakes, and decorated onesies. Congratulations to Sarah and Chase! I can't wait to meet the baby!

Cozy Hats

1. Anthropologie Gardenia Epoch Cloche $48.00

2. Anthropologie Solitary Hat $28.00

3. Modcloth Claudette Hat $67.99

4. Forever 21 Cable Sweater Visor Beanie $5.80

5. Target Xhilaration Herringbone Military Hat $9.99

6. Forever 21 Wool Rosette Cloche $7.50

As the September issues arrive in my mailbox and summer comes to a close, I find myself drawn towards hats in materials such as tweed and wool. I can picture myself wearing these with skinny jeans, over sized chunky sweaters, and cozy boots throughout the upcoming months. And what a great way to beat bad hair days!

On a separate note, today is Gabe's birthday! Happy birthday to my incredible husband, skilled photographer, unbiased taste tester, biggest fan, and very best friend!

Little Black Dress

Ray-Ban sunglasses, Banana Republic pumps, J Crew belt & bracelet, handmade necklace, Kenneth Cole clutch, Michael Kors watch, ?? Linen dress

I revived this black linen dress from my high school wardrobe last time I visited my parent's house and I couldn't be happier for countless reasons. The first is that it still fits! The second is that it's back in style. The last being that it brings to mind so many priceless memories of high school outings, graduation parties, and girls' nights out (with strict curfews, of course). I can't for the life of me remember where I bought it, but it has quickly become one of my favorite LBD's all over again. It really makes me want to hold on to all outdated item in my closet in the hopes that they will one day be back in style. (You'll probably see me in a few years on Hoarders). Do you have any of your old clothes/accessories that have come back in style?

Heart of the Matter

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Emily Giffin has a way of pulling at your heart strings. I read Heart of the Matter over the weekend and loved it. I laughed, cried, had anxiety, felt depressed, elated, basically every emotion there is. She always does an incredible job of portraying the dichotomy of each character and shows both sides of realistic difficult situations. Giffin makes the characters easy to relate to, even when you didn't agree with their actions. While it wasn't my favorite of her books (I'm a huge fan, as discussed here), I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it (even through the tears and anxiety). Something Borrowed remains my favorite of Giffin's books, which is being made into a movie to be released June 2011. Have you read Heart of the Matter? What did you think?

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

As I mentioned here, I've been experimenting with quinoa recently due to it's light, healthy, nutritious nature. This week I used the red variety to make a Southwestern Quinoa Salad. I chose this recipe because it was simple and straightforward and added an avocado and a bit of red wine vinegar. It exceeded my expectations and was the ideal light but satisfying weeknight meal.

Buy This, Not That

Lulu's Mixx Laura Blue Suede Studded Pump $39
Sam Edelman Lorissa $200.95

There's no escaping studs right now. They're currently everywhere from jackets to shoes to watches and everything in between. As I mentioned here, they've quickly become a large part of my wardrobe and I love the edgy feel they add to an outfit. When I first saw these Sam Edelman pumps, I stopped in my tracks. I recently came across this blue suede version at Lulu's and I might like the bold color and subtle studs even better. I also envision the Lulu's pair to be less dangerous to those of us who aren't as graceful as we'd like to believe (a.k.a. me). How do you feel about studded pumps? Which pair would you prefer, given the vast price difference?

Set an Intention

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If you're ever taken a yoga class, you've probably heard the instructor tell you to "set an intention". I remember the first time I heard this, wondering exactly what that meant, attempting to make an educated guess and set my intention to "be stronger" (I mean this is a workout, right?). Over time, the setting of intentions has evolved into something I do on a daily basis, first thing in the morning, in order to bring meaning or focus to my day. Sometimes we get so busy with our daily routines and stressful situations, we forget about what's really important. Setting an intention of clarity, compassion, gratitude, love, energy, motivation, or courage helps me to focus on the bigger picture as well as improving my yoga practice (as seen here). Do you ever sets intentions for your day?

Slow And Steady

H&M shorts and top, Frye cowboy boots, Latico bag, Michael Kors watch, Anthropologie belt (last seen here and here), Forever 21 cocktail ring

My weekend was spent running errands, chatting with girl friends, reading, and relaxing. Gabe and I were able to walk to dinner on Friday night and enjoy all the pleasures of summer- eating outdoors, glasses of sangria, ocean view walks, and seemingly endless sunlight (it helps that we went to dinner at 5:30pm). I welcomed the opportunity to unwind and relish the simple pleasures of summer.

Nutella Cheesecake Brownies

I made these Nutella Cheesecake Brownies over the weekend and I know I've said this before, but they are my new favorite dessert. They were creamy, decadent, gooey, and rich (exactly what I look for in a dessert). As big fans of Nutella, Gabe and I were in dessert bliss while eating these. I used this recipe and added a jar of Nutella, dropping it by the spoonful after adding the cheesecake mixture.

Superstitions

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Most people often participate in superstitions, even without realizing it (ever knocked on wood?). As today is Friday the 13th, I'm wondering how many of you have that ominous belief that today will be filled with bad luck. After researching the actual effects of this day in the number of accidents that occur compared to other Fridays, the results surprised me. Most surprising was that there were very few studies on the topic and the two that I did find seemed to contradict each other. The logical side of me wants to believe that if there's any connection between Friday the 13th and bad luck, it's due to an increased level of anxiety or fear that changes behaviors rather than an unexplainable black cloud of misfortune. I found this article written by Atul Gawande about a non-believing surgical resident doing a rotation in the E.R. on a particular Friday the 13th (after being warned that it would be a busy night and dismissing the warnings as ridiculous). Read the entire article here.

"...Nonetheless, I came on duty that evening to find the resident from whom I was taking over swamped with patients. He stayed late to help me catch up. Just after he left, a new trauma victim rolled in--a 28-year-old who had been knocked unconscious in a high-speed head-on collision. The police and paramedics said he had been stalking his girlfriend with gun in hand. He fled in his car when cops arrived and led them on a chase that ended in the massive crash. The rest of the night was no better. I was, as we say, "slammed." It's full moon Friday the 13th, a nurse explained. I was about to say that studies showed no connection. But my pager went off before I could start. I had a new patient coming in."

I asked Gabe to weigh in on this from his residency days in the E.R. and he didn't have any recollection of it being any busier on the day in question. He did, however, inform me that there isn't an Operating Room #13 in the hospital (even though there is a #12 and #14). How do you feel about Friday the 13th? Do you believe in superstitions?