V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

that's right...in approximately 35 minutes I am leaving the office and am officially on vacation....this is the extended forecast and I'll take it!

Why Can't Lindsay Lohan Wear a Bra to Court?

I know she claims she can't afford counseling because her SAG insurance has lapsed even though she sported a pair of $1100 Louboutins to the Courthouse....but...girlfriend needs to put some $ aside and buy a bra!

Thanks to my friend, M, for furthering my insane girl crush on Kate Middleton and bringing me back this momento from Australia!

Shoe shopping with A at the Nordstrom's Anniversary sale...the salespeople seem to like her :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

It's Wednesday! Hump Day..and time for my favorite blog hop of the week with Jaime from http://www.littledaisymay.blogspot.com/!

So...onto what I'm loving...

it was on my summer want list...yours truly went and bought it for $150...I read that it ran big, so I bought a size down which was HUGE. It was so big it wasn't even something the tailor could take in. On a recent shopping trip with my friend, A, I begrudgingly returned it....only to browse at Banana Republic since it was 40% all sale items to spy it in a size 4.  Let's just say..I've never been a size 4 in my life...but since this dress ran ridiculously huge, a size 4 fit..still needs a little tailoring. BUT..the best part of my story as to why I LOVE this dress....it was on sale for $80..with 40% off and then the nice little Banana Republic greeter let me pick a coupon from her little Banana Republic goody bag and I nabbed an additional 25% off...so my $150 dress came down to $34...the little silver clutch I needed cost more than the dress

I'm also loving Jennifer Aniston's Fragrance from Sephora. I bought it at the beginning of the summer and it's quickly become the only thing I've been wearing..it's light, kind of beachy and not overbearing and has made me put all my other fragrances and perfumes on the back burner for now!

 

My goto summer snack...Larabar Minis. I love Larabars as they're made with all natural ingredients, no long chemical names you can't pronounce...they're made with godo stuff like cashews, dates, and dried fruit. I love the minis as they're very calorie and fat friendly and these little ones are so easy to pop in your purse and grab on the go!

 

lastly....I'm absolutely LOVING that next week is V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. A week on Martha's Vineyard awaits us! I will be sitting on the beach, hopefully everyday, with a frosty beverage in one hand and my Kindle in the other!

a typical Vineyard shot...from http://www.travelmuse.com/

The Allan cats vs. the big nasty huge ass bug that flew into our house

round 1

round 2

the cats sat watch at the lamp until the bug fried itself against the lightbulb and Mr. Allan had to remove it's gigantic gross body from the lamp...and then sat watch for an additional 30 minutes to make sure it was really gone.



Happy Birthday Oscar Meyer Wienermobile!

Did you know that there are 6 active Wienermobiles on the road today? Or did you know that the driver of the Wienermobile is called a "Hotdogger." I have always had a small obsession with the Wienermobile....in fact one lofty goal I had in college was to be a "Hotdogger"...but that fell flat...I even went as far as to write into the Rosie O'Donnell show for a contest called  Make My Dream Come True...unfortunately Rosie and the peeps at NBC didn't think my dream of driving the Wienermobile was special enough...boo.

Onto more important things...it's the Wienermobile's 75th birthday! Here's a little video and tour of the mobile!

First it was Mila

Then Justin Timberlake got a shout out...

and now we're on to Betty White...

I love the trend and think it's great that celebrities are taking time out of their schedules to attend with members of the Armed Forces that protect and fight for our country. I'm also interested to see who's next...because the videos are getting better and better!

Homemade Walnut Pesto

What's a girl to do when she's got about 10 colanders worth of this stuff....

It's official pesto making time...time to pick all my basil and replant before it starts to flower. This past week I made two huge batches of homemade pesto. One container is in the fridge and the others get thrown in the freezer so we can enjoy it all winter long.

I make my pesto a little different...instead of pine nuts or pignoli nuts, I use walnuts.

Some garlic, some decent quality olive oil, and cheese round out the ingredients. Pop them in the food processor and you have this...

I usually double the recipe, although every time I do I struggle a bit with getting all the ingredients into my 8 cup food processor.

Pesto with Walnuts and Garlic

3 cups loosely packed basil leaves

4 peeled garlic cloves

1 1/2 cups walnuts

3/4 cup of Olive Oil

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Place basil, garlic, cheese and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Stream in olive oil. Be sure to scrape sides well (especially the bottom near your blade).

Just a couple notes...the original recipe I found for this called for double the oil. I found it to be way too much. I cut it down to 3/4 of a cup. Since I primarily freeze my pesto, when I thaw it and put it in a dish, I do add a little bit more olive oil. For example, I made a Pesto Scallop dish with pasta. Once the pasta was cooked and the pesto added, I poured in an additional 1/4 cup of olive oil to mix with the pasta.

Also...I always just buy a hunk of Parmesan cheese at my local grocery store. This time I decided to splurge a little and bought some Parmesan from Whole Foods. I can't describe the difference in quality. Sure, it was a couple bucks more, but so much better than the run of the mill stuff at my big grocery store.

I'm more of a less is more type gal when it comes to dressing showing lots of skin ....but Serena Williams believes in letting it all hang out...maybe if I could get my boobs to do what hers are doing I'd be more open to this look

and Baby has definitely got back!

Easy Fresh Healthy Summer Dinner

I planted the garden a little late this year, so right now I have tiny baby tomatoes, green beans, lots of baby squash and cucumber plants that are loaded with flowers. One thing that is going absolutely crazy in my garden that I typically have absolutely NO luck with...tomatoes! The past couple years we've had the worst blight...a fungus that turns the leaves yellow with little black dots and the leaves eventually dry up as it crawls up the plant. With proper precautions...our tomatoes are thriving...I've never seen so many before!

So, it was time to whip out as many recipes that match up with what we're growing. Last night, a recipe by Ellie Kreiger from the Food Network...a simple cherry tomato pasta. Fresh, easy, and oh so good.

I've got lots of these

and made lots of this

Cherry Tomato and Basil Pasta

from Ellie Kreiger

1 pound whole wheat pasta

3 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup basil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

3 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Boil a large pot of water. Salt and cook pasta according to directions. While pasta cooks, thinly slice 4 garlic cloves. Heat a large skillet with oil. Add garlic and saute for about 8-10 minutes until it is brown. (be careful...you look away for 2 seconds and garlic can burn!) Add cherry tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes soften, but keep their shape. Once pasta is done, drain and add pasta to the skillet with tomatoes and garlic. Add about 1/3 of a cup of basil and half of the cheese. Toss and add salt and pepper. Place in a serving dish and top with additional basil and cheese.



An Inspirational Weight Loss Story

from Miss South Carolina, Bree Boyce, who went from 234lbs to 122lbs in a period of 3 years..that's right...a 112lb weightloss! Now, 22 year old Bree just snagged the title of Miss South Carolina and will compete in Miss America on January 14, 2012. The best part..she did it the right way with portion control, eating healthy, and exercise. Here's a clip from Good Morning America...

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Time for one of my favorite blog hops...What I'm Loving Wednesday. Be sure to check it out at http://www.littledaisymay.blogspot.com/!

So what am I loving this week....

I'm loving this new body scrub I grabbed at Whole Foods. Giovanni's Hot Chocolate Scrub. I love body scrubs..especially this time of year when I'm probably outside way too much in the ocean, in the pool, and admittedly in the sun too much. While I love scrubs, you mostly see salt scrubs which I'm not a fan of...one tiny scratch or cut and salt HURTS! So, I'm always on the look out for a good sugar scrub. This hot chocolate scrub smells so good. It leaves my skin soft and exfoliated and while it smells great in the shower and leaves my skin all polished after..the scent doesn't stick too much...so I'm not walking around town smelling like a mug of hot chocolate!

The price tag wasn't too bad either. I think I paid around $7 for this! You can find a local retailer at the site http://www.giovannicosmetics.com/

I'm also loving that this show is back on....

I'm caught up in. If I watch the first episode I get sucked in. Probably because there's not much on tv during the summertime...plus I don't feel guilty because with TIVO I can watch it in about 15-20 minutes!

I'm also loving this Lady Gaga song...On the Edge. I need to put it on my running playlist.

I'm also loving that vacation is 2 weeks away! Can't wait!!!

Happy Wednesday...may the rest of your week fly by!

SJP on the August cover of Vogue

seeing this makes me miss Sex and the City sooo much. Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick and the kiddos grace the pages of Vogue for their August issue.

Best Lobster Roll I've ever eaten

courtesy of the Matunuck Oyster Bar, South Kingstown, RI. http://www.rhodyoysters.com/

Thanks to my lovely sister for telling me about this non drenched in mayo lobstah roll

Best husband ever for taking me to the Matunuck Oyster Bar last night and braving the swarms of tourists invading our lovely area

One of my favorite summer buys....

Love these bad boys. Perfect summer shoe with good height and they're quite comfortable!

Here's what they look like when you're not staring down my leg at them...Seychelles Purr wedge

Available at Nordstroms..HERE

Fun Fridays!

It's time for Fun Fridays with Jen from A Girl In Pearls and a Boy with Toys!

So what's in store for the Allans this weekend? Not too much..and it feels good saying that! Summers in New England are WAY too short. I hate to say it, but I really hate having plans every single weekend..especially those that require us to travel out of town...only because we have 3 months (if that!) of nice hot weather and I hate how weekends start filling up! We work hard to make our yard and home nice and sometimes I just want to sit and enjoy it and do nothing but stay at home!

Today....it's a Friday office day at work! I love these because 1) I SELDOM get a day where I don't have to go over to court and don't have to wear a suit. 2) My office is starting to resemble a pig sty. 3) There are lots of voicemails to return and paperwork that needs to be tended to! 4) it allows me to plan a nice leisurely lunch with my friend A and hit up the Nordstrom's dress sale!

Just for the record I'm most excited about #4...maybe a quick lunch in the Nordstrom cafe as well!

I was just explaining to Mr. Allan why I love Nordstroms. I tried to tell him what it's like to just try on a dress there...how you're assisted by staff, how nice the dressing rooms are with their 3 way mirrors and platforms in the actual dressing room itself so you get to see how you really look in the dress, and how it's just so much nicer and better...I don't think he got it, but that's ok...I'm in well equipped I totally get company today!

Tomorrow...it's a trip to the gym in the morning then off to the farmer's market to pick up our CSA from a local farm!

Here's a link to a previous post about the CSA we participate in. Click HERE. Sorry that some pictures from the old post are functioning! Hands down a great decision that some great friends got us involved in and we look forward to our monthly meat pick ups at the farmer's market!

We're also off to a little garden party soiree with some friends on Saturday night. The forecast is calling a for a perfect summer day. I'm excited to throw on a sundress and hang with these guys!

Hopefully the weekend will bring some sitting in the sun, lots of glasses of wine in my hand, and plenty of time with friends!

Have a great weekend!

Smile....It's Friday

Award winning photographer David Slater was in Indonesia visiting a national park. He put his camera down and this black macaque monkey took a self portrait of herself. I can't help but smile when I see her toothy smile...that..and oh yeah..it's Friday...reason #2 to smile!!!

A Mighty Fine Summer Sangria

photo courtesy of food.com..

One of my favorite things to do in the summer time is to grab a drink and sit outside....or even better..grab a drink and sit in a float in my pool. This past weekend we had a couple friends over for an impromptu pool party/BBQ. I'm usually a huge wine drinker during the summertime..there's nothing better than a nice cold glass of a good wine. I was looking for something to make for a crowd and decided to give sangria a try.

I was a little nervous...I've attempted mojitos at home..they just didn't come out right..or you nab what you think is a good martini recipe only to go out buy $80 worth of liquor and it turns out bad.

So...I searched lots of recipes and found this one. I must say..I was pleased with the results, there weren't too many ingredients, and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

White Sangria

(adapted from http://www.food.com/)

Ingredients:

750 ml white wine, cold (this is one regular sized bottle...I used Yellowtail Pinot Grigio)
1/2 cup vodka (I used Stoli Orange flavored vodka)
2 limes, juice of
1/2 cup sugar
1 lemon, sliced
2 limes, sliced
1 1/2 cups tonic water
ice cube
fresh mint leaves, to garnish

In a pitcher mix wine, vodka, lime juice, sugar, lemons and limes. Chill overnight. Shortly before serving, add tonic water, ice. Garnish with mint to serve.

Just a couple notes. I doubled this recipe. I used a larger sized bottle of Pinot Grigio and double the vodka, lime juice and sugar. I also added a sliced orange and 2 sliced apples to the fruit. I added 3 cups of tonic water (since I doubled this recipe) the next day before I served it. When I taste tested it, the citrus flavor from the limes and lemons is strong. I ended up adding an additional 2 TBSP of sugar to take the citrus bite away and I thought it turned out perfect!

What I'm Loving Wednesdays

Time for one of my favorite weekly posts with Jamie from www.littledaisymay.blogpsot.com!

So what am I loving this Wednesday??

Hollywood Fashion Tape

I don't know how I live without this stuff..especially in the summertime. I had a big wardrobe malfunction on Friday night for Mr. Allan's spectacular birthday dinner. Thank god for my Hollywood fashion tape with helped me fix the front of my dress and the whole restaurant wasn't required to stare at way too much of me. You can use by sticking it fabric to fabric if a hem pulls loose, or you can use it by sticking it right on your skin and the fabric of your clothes will adhere to it. Often times I find a dress maybe drooping a little too much in the front or a strap that won't stay over my bra...this stuff works wonders!

I know I always mention this stuff...but it's always in my purse and when I needed it this weekend it reminded me just how much I love it.

so ..my purse was full of Hollywood Tape and Bandaid Friction Block stick. I use this so much during the summertime when I'm throwing on a pair of sandals that have a strap that rubs the wrong way or getting used to flip flops early in the season. If you feel your shoes rubbing the wrong way, rub some of this stuff on the spot (it has the consistency of a thick chapstick) and it prevents blisters. You just need to hit it before you actually have a blister. And...beware..don't leave it in your car..it will melt!)

I'm also loving that this lady is going the cast of Gossip Girl!

Elizabeth Hurley will have a recurring role as a media mogul on Gossip Girl! I think she'll be a perfect addition to the Upper East Side crew.

I've also loved all the coverage of William and Kate on their honeymoon tour of Canada and now onto the US. It's sending my girl crush into overdrive.

 and my favorite pictures of the two of them....some casual shots from a dragon boat race

Happy Wednesday!

While I was making some cookie dough this past weekend...I had a little helper in the kitchen.

I love how he sits so contently on the trash can. While I'm always looking for an extra hand in the kitchen...this wasn't what I had in mind.

T.G.I.F.

And it's a very special Friday...since it's Mr. Allan's Birthday! So here's to my fabulous husband! Happy Birthday babe!!!!

Tonight...we're off to celebrate! We're headed to the MGM Grand at Foxwoods for dinner at Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak. Since it feels like we've been to every restaurant in RI three times over...I figured it would be fun to venture to the casinos..have a great dinner and do a little gambling. Thanks to my sister for putting this little idea in my head!

It's also a long weekend! We'll be bbq'ing, sitting by this bad boy, and enjoying some fireworks. I'm looking forward to our first low key, stay at home, enjoy the pool and yard weekend of the summer!

Have a safe 4th of July LONG weekend!

Don't forget to stop by and see Jen at A Girl In Pearls and A Boy With Toys