Gift Idea: 5 Year Journal

Posted in Life by Alexis

This a thoughtful, fun gift that’s great for anyone or even for yourself! Q&A a day offers an easy solution for someone who wants to record their life but doesn’t want to take the time to sit down and write in a journal regularly (ahem…me). It’s a 5 year journal with very simple questions to answer each day over 5 years. It takes only a couple minutes to jot down an answer and the result is pretty cool. I’m on the 4th year of mine and I love seeing where I was 4 years ago [see below] and how I’ve evolved with my answers. I’ve bought this as a gift for many people including my sister, best friend and my boyfriends sister and it’s always a hit!

5 year journal

[a peak into my journal…taco bell…really?]

[quote on the first page]

29Nov2014

Holiday wishlist

Posted in Style by Alexis

[Lace Heel Socks]

[Leather monogrammed wallet]

[Suede Booties]

[Style Cartel- Essie]

[2015 desk calendar]

[diptyque candle]

[Notepad]

26Nov2014

One In, One Out

Posted in Style by Alexis

PicMonkey Collage

I have a shopping problem. Now that I’ve admitted that (anyone else?) what’s the next step? I decided a while ago this was an actual problem I wanted to fix and I needed to take control of my need to buy all the clothes (ALL THE CLOTHES).

I’ve read a lot of different books/blogs (like this one. and this one) about living with less and while I don’t go crazy with minimalism I still like to use some of the concepts that fit with my lifestyle. One is the: the one in, one out rule. You buy something, you get rid of something. Easy.

I normally use this with clothes but it also works great with anything that you buy. Bought a new set of dishes? Donate the old ones. Got the new issue of Elle? Recycle last months. This works best for me if I force myself to get rid of the old thing before I can use the new thing. Don’t cut the tag off the new dress until an old one is in the donate pile.

Stuff builds up when we are constantly buying new stuff but are unable to part with the old things we’re replacing. If you’re not ready to get rid of the old dishes or any of your dresses, don’t let yourself buy a new one!

I most recently applied this to a sweater dress I bought at the Banana Republic Outlet and a pair of nude heels I needed for an upcoming wedding. The sweater dress replaced a green dress I’ve had forever that my sister passed down to me. Although I still wear the green dress from time to time, I’d rather have the sweater dress. And a lot of times I’ll put on the green dress and end up taking it off. As far as the shoes, the old ones were old, gross and just needed to go.

22Nov2014

Weekend in Savannah, GA

Posted in Travel by Alexis

Last weekend the boyfriend and I headed up to Savannah for a couple days to celebrate our birthdays. It’s such an easy drive for us I don’t know why we’ve never done it before! (btw we listened to Serial the whole way there and we’re hooked!) It was my first time there and I kinda fell in love. We ended up having just the relaxing weekend both of us needed which included a lot of pretty walks, yummy restaurants, window shopping and listening to live music. :) Here are some of the highlights from our trip and some things I definitely recommend doing if you ever find yourself in Savannah:

– The Olde Pink House and Planter’s Tavern– this place wins the award for my favorite thing in Savannah [also the most expensive but totally worth it], the basement bar was awesome and the food upstairs was AMAZING
– Moon River Brewing Co.– we sat at the bar here a while and watched football, great beer, super laid back, nice outdoor patio if it’s warm enough!
– Smiles Dueling Pianos – pretty touristy but very entertaining, definitely stop by later in the night
– Vic’s on the River– went for happy hour which was amazingly cheap for such a nice restaurant, also enjoyed the pretty views of the river from the 4th floor
– Vinnie Van Go Go’s– great pizza especially after drinking, [sidenote: I also carried our whole pizza for a 25 min. walk back to our apartment because it was warm and I was cold]
– Goose Feather’s Cafe– nice, simple breakfast even though it was super crowded
– Bonaventure Cemetery– really pretty place to take a walk and a camera
– Jen’s and Friends– super tiny but worth stopping by for a drink, any martini flavor you ever wanted [or didn’t want]
– Boar’s Head Grill and Tavern– stopped here for a drink, the bar was really cozy

[just another beautiful park]

[bar hopping by the river]

[it was just a little cold for this Florida girl]

[so many pretty trees!]

[at Jen’s Martini Bar with another couple we met from FL]

[across from our carriage house]

[even the walls are pretty]

[bonaventure cemetery]

[such a pretty place for a walk]

bonaventure cemetery

the olde pink house

[the olde pink house aka one of the best meals we’ve ever had]

[they also have the coolest bar ever]

[surprise birthday desert]

[dressed up for our night out]

[taking selfies with a real camera is like, really hard]

18Nov2014

Chicken Curry Recipe

Posted in Eat by Alexis

I often find myself craving to go out for a good curry dinner. This one satisfies my need but doesn’t require me to go outside or spend a lot of money. It’s one of the first recipes I learned to make, back when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing in a kitchen (thanks to my sister for giving me this super simple recipe). It’s easy and great for last minute entertaining. Make it mild or more spicy depending on your taste. For less spicy look for a mild curry paste and add less cumin.

Makes about 4 servings.

Ingredients
– thin chicken cutlets
– white rice
– 1 white onion
– 1 red pepper
– 2 tablespoons curry pasta
– 1 can coconut milk
– cumin to taste
– salt

Directions

1. First cook the chicken with oil in a pan for 3-4 minutes a side. Dice chicken, set aside.

chicken curry

*Start cooking white rice to pour curry over (I use boxed rice, it takes about 20 minutes). chicken curry

2. Dice up onion and peppers and cook together in oil in a sauté pan on medium heat until onions are semi-translucent.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of curry paste.

4. Add one whole can of coconut milk.

5. Stir until combined.

6. Add spices to taste.

7. Let simmer on medium heat for around 10 minutes until onion and pepper is tender.

8. Add chicken for 5-10 min to reheat.

9. Spoon curry onto rice and…

Enjoy!

14Nov2014

Interesting tidbits

Posted in Life by Alexis

[Sarasota sunset]

How to make a relationship last.

Why you should try Himalayan Pink Salt.

Anyone else an introvert? Read this.

How to say no and take back your time.

12Nov2014

What’s in my bag?

Posted in Style by Alexis

I love getting a glimpse into other people’s purses to see their go to products, so here are mine!

Essentials

Agenda– small enough to fit in my bag and also waterproof (surprisingly that has come in handy) [out of stock but they have similar cute ones]

Sunglasses– these gold aviators dress up any outfit

iPhone– duh. with a Rifle Paper Co. case (again duh.)

Lip color- my newest find/splurge is Clinique Chubby Stick in Mega Melon

Trader Joe’s Shea Butter Hand Creme– smells good, works great

In case of emergency I keep all these little items in a bag inside my purse so I can easily move it from purse to purse!

Tissues– if you’re sick… or sweaty or just need a tissue Bobby pins– when do you not need a bobby pin? Floss– I use the floss in my purse way more than I ever thought I’d ever use the floss in my purse Perfume stick– if you need to feel a little refreshed during a long day Hand sanitizer– because I’m a germaphobe Band aids– for when your feet are bleeding and you have no backup shoes Nail file– always comes in handy Makeup brush– actually I don’t think I’ve ever used this… Mirror– if you ever need a mirror in the dark, this one has a light Visine for contacts– after staring at a computer for 8 hours sometimes my eyes need a little refresh.

My latest purchase: this purse [in faded aluminum] a splurge but I’ve been lusting over it forever!

11Nov2014

The easiest dinner ever

Posted in Eat by Alexis

If you’re looking for something ridiculously easy mixed with something ridiculously delicious for dinner tonight you’ve come to the right place! I adapted this meal from one I learned in home economics class in middle school and it has been one of my go to’s ever since. Without further ado, I give you the tortilla pizza:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Take as many soft tortilla shells as you want to eat (these are great leftover as well!) Place the tortillas on a baking sheet. Add spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese, and anything else you have in the fridge (tomatoes, garlic, onions, goat cheese, pepperoni, bacon etc etc etc) Top with some italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. Bake for 12-ish minutes until the cheese starts getting brown. And voila! – dinner!

10Nov2014

What’s in your inbox?

Posted in Organize by Alexis

I really try to control what makes it into my email inbox. No one wants to be bombarded with a million emails a day and I’m constantly striving to only receive emails that I want to read (although most of the time this seems almost impossible!) Normally I unsubscribe to any newsletter or product email I get but here are a few I actually look forward to seeing in my inbox:

theSkimm– I really can’t recommend theSkimm enough. I HATE reading the news/trying to figure out what’s actually big news but I also know it’s important to know whats going on in the world. It’s always good to know what people are talking about when they are referring to current events and maybe even add a little to the conversation. This daily email has been a lifesaver for me. I have used info from theSkimm in many a conversation and I come across much smarter and informed than I actually am.

Levo The Brief– I just subscribed to this one recently. While theSkimm is sent early in the morning and is great to start the day reading, this one comes in the afternoon when you’re probably ready for a fun little distraction from work. It’s more of entertainment news but set up the same way as theSkimm with short tidbits linked to longer articles if you want to read more. This will equip you with plenty to talk about at happy hour!

Refinery29 Weekly– I used to get emails from them everyday but this weekly one keeps my inbox a little cleaner. It’s just a collection of the best articles from their website which include: fashion, beauty, living, wellness and entertainment. These are usually fun lighthearted articles that are easy to skim through.

* To receive weekly emails subscribe to the daily one and then change your preferences.

Rob Brezsny’s Astrology Newsletter– I realize that reading horoscopes is a little silly and I’m definitely not one of those people that totally believes everything they say. That’s the main reason why I like getting this one in my inbox once a week. Instead of “predicting” if you’re going to have a good day this one is more inspirational. Honestly it was due to a quote from my horoscope one week that said this “The next ten months will be a favorable time to get yourself on track to fulfill your life’s most important goals.” that gave me the final push to start my blog!