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Hey there! I'm Holly. A 40+ year old insurance-nerd wife, mom, beauty lover, and about a million other things in between.
This is the place where I share about our lives, what I'm currently loving, books I'm reading, plus-size style, beauty recommendations, health + fitness endeavors and anything else I'm finding interesting at the moment.
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Monthly Archives: September 2011
30 Days of Denim – Day Ten
It’s a two-for-one today. Two pieces of inspiration, one end result outfit.
Here’s a couple of things that inspired me:
First, (on the right) I love a blazer. Love. It’s a hard piece of clothing for me to wear since I have broad shoulders and boobs. Broad shoulders + Boobs = No Blazer Love. But I keep trying.
Second, (on the left) I also love the bright colors and chunky LacKore jewelry. Two things that make me feel pretty over and over. I love the new Corazon Latino sterling silver jewellery collection.
Third, Stripes. I’m going to be so sick of stripes in a couple months, I’m sure but for now I still have L-O-V-E for them.
Here’s what I came up with:
Yep, still NO love for posing for the camera but what are you gonna do.
Blazer: Old Navy
Striped Tee: Banana Republic
Jeans: Old Navy (hand me down from AndreAnna. Thanks!)
Shoes: Merona for Target
Necklace: Target
I like the inspiration pics more than I like the actual outfit, but hey — 10 days in a row of trying to style fun, denim outfits will do that to a girl.
Hope you all are having a good weekend!
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell. I know one of you will one of these days…
30 Days of Denim – Day Nine
Today we are really taking it back to basics. I don’t even really need to show you an inspiration photo, but I kind of like them so indulge me, would ya?
Behold, Jeans and a White Tee:
Though just to clarify, it’s not actually Tuesday. It’s Friday. CAN I GET A HELL YEAH???
OK. SO! No inspiration needed, but still fun. I love this blank canvas of an outfit because I have SERIOUS LOVE for my jewelry, shoes and scarves. There is nothing that gets me more excited than accessorizing and the truth is, I’m not savvy enough (YET!) to accessorize more complicated outfits.
One day.
We all need goals, right?
Here’s what I came up with:
I’m sort of running out of poses, folks. Tyra Banks was right — modeling is not for the faint of heart!
In fact, Miss Jay would probably make a joke about how I look constipated in this one.
But then I would just show him this picture and say, that he looks like he stuck his finger in a light socket.
So TOUCHE MISS JAY!
Do you need a minute to recover from that photo? Ok, let’s talk about clothes and not constipation. Or men who have better looking legs than I do.
YAY!
Scarf: Old Navy
Tee: Royalton for Norstrom
Jeans: Old Navy “The Flirt”
Shoes: Isaac Mizrahi for Target
Earrings: (Practically invisible, but they are dangly!) Target
You all, I am so in love with these shoes and you can hardly see them in this photo! HOT PINK DRIVING MOCCASINS! Could you die? Just because I love them so much, I am posting an old picture of them so you can at least see them.
Hot pink shoes. I never grow tired of you. Thank god for Jeans and a White Tee because what the hell else would I wear you with????
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell. I know one of you will one of these days…
Broccoli, Bacon and Apple Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
This is one of those recipes where the deliciousness of the actual end product is directly proportional to how unattractive the photos are. What I’m saying is his salad is kind of an ugly duckling. Don’t hate on her though, she’ll grow up to be a swan right about the time you scoop a little bit out onto your plate.
I had this salad at multiple CrossFit potlucks (it’s very Paleo Friendly) and finally decided I needed to figure out how to make it. Luckily there are recipes all over the internet, so I reviewed many of them to verify ingredients and then (as usual) eyeballed my own mixture (and used my own Warm Bacon Vinaigrette, which is THE BOMB, if I do say so myself!)
Try it out! It’s an easy, cruciferous side dish that is a little more exciting than your average salad.
Broccoli, Bacon and Apple Salad
Serves 4 as a side (or Two Broccoli Loving Adults)
Salad Ingredients:
2 small heads of broccoli, chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 apple chopped (I like Gala or Fuji or similarly sweet apples)
1/2 cup raisins
8 slices of bacon, diced
Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Dressing Ingredients:
2-4 TBS of Hot Bacon Renderings
1 Shallot, finely diced
1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
Salt + Pepper to taste
Method:
1. Cook diced bacon over medium heat until browned. Err on the side of a little undercooked because they will be sitting and doing some carryover cooking while you assemble.
2. While bacon is cooking, add all other salad ingredients into a medium sized bowl and stir to combine.
3. Drain bacon renderings from pan leaving only about 2 to 4 TBS left in the pan. Add diced shallot and cook until softened about 2-3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Add dijon mustar, vinegar and salt/pepper. Stir to combine.
5. Pour desired amount onto salad and toss. If you have an leftovers, throw in a glass jar in your fridge. To use again, just put glass jar in a pot of warm water on the stove and let warm up again.
6. Enjoy!
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I really think the dressing makes this salad. Oh, who am I kidding — the bacon too! This dressing is versatile and delicious, it is my go-to for Spinach Salads with lots of chopped hard boiled eggs and takes LITERALLY a few minutes to assemble and packs a punch of flavor.
I hope you love it!
Desperately Awaiting Their Return
Growing up, one of the things I used to love about fall was all the new TV shows. They held such promise! These days I am less interested in new shows because networks are so fickle. Right as you get involved in a show it goes and gets cancelled on my cliff-hanging ass! Hate that. So I try and wait to get into shows, or watch them on DVD all at once because I am an instant gratification type of personality. I don’t even apologize for that.
I always check out shows that look particularly trashy or like guilty pleasures — this season I will check out ABC’s Revenge for that exact reason (it looks terrible but I can’t say no.) But mostly I am excited for some of my tried and true favorites to be back on the air or their new seasons available on Netflix.
Here’s what I’m jonesing for:
1. Psych
I have so much love for Psych it is out of control. Initially when I heard the premise, I was uninterested — two guys who run a fake “Psychic Detective Agency” but who actually solve crimes — no thanks. But Garrett made me watch an episode and I was hooked instantly. It is quick, witty and oddly hilarious. I like the cheesy pop culture references and for me, it’s a nice change of pace to watch an hour long comedy amidst my Reality TV addiction. (Seriously, I need a 12 Step Program.)
**It returns in October on USA!
2. The Killing
Just like my taste in books, I am a sucker for a murder-mystery drama on tv too. The Killing totally delivered. This show really captured my attention last year with its dark (though pretty unrealistic) portrayal of moody Seattle and the murder of a high school girl. Sure there were some inconsistencies and annoying characters, but nothing can trump my need to know who the bad guy is. And of course the season ended with a nice, juicy cliffhanger. I have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers. I can’t WAIT for this to come back.
**It returns in 2012 on AMC. Boo.
3. Mad Men
Is anyone on the internet NOT waiting for Mad Men to return? There are too many things to love about this show: the characters, the costumes, the portrayal of time in history — and all of it is done well. Even if you despise Don Draper, you have to admit the show is visually appealing and has a very quiet momentum to it. I am so OVER waiting for Season 5 to come back. Desperation doesn’t even quite describe it.
**It returns in early 2012 on AMC.
4. Downton Abbey
I am always interested in a good British Period Drama. Actually it was Masterpiece Theater loving Garrett who turned me on to that, truth be told. And when I mentioned the internet was abuzz about this show he was like, “NETFLIX IT, YO!” which is just one of the many reasons that I love him. Downtown Abbey hits all the high notes of classism, family drama, moral scandals and closets just FULL of skeletons. Obvs, I couldn’t get enough
**It returns on Jan 8, 2012. YES!!!
***
So tell me, what TV Shows are you hotly anticipating or Netflixing?
30 Days of Denim – Day Eight
Woo Hoo! One week down. Now let’s get back to the roots of this project:
Pinterest Inpsiration!
Isn’t this so cute and comfy and stylish looking?
Jeans! Stripes! Mustard!
Many of my favorite things for fall. Not wearing shoes though, will NOT be a favorite thing for fall. That, I promise.
Here is what I came up with:
Sweater: Merona for Target
Striped Shirt: Banana Republic Outlet
Jeans: Old Navy “The Flirt”
Gold Loafers: Target Clearance. I love these shoes double because they were a $3.98 red tag purchase!
Blingy Bracelet: Target
The shoes are actually my favorite part! (Well, you know, besides the Jazz Hands!)
This can go in the casual yet put together file I think. It’s nothing special, but I don’t look like a complete ragamuffin, so it’s a win, I think.
My standards are obviously very high.
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell. I know one of you will one of these days…
30 Days of Denim – Day Seven
Well, would you look at that — one week down!
(HOLY SHIT, this is why I am not a fashion blogger. This takes WORK, you all!)
That said, I’ve already had some interesting revelations this week:
1. Having style takes planning and effort just like getting dinner on the table takes planning and effort. Neither just do it by themselves, despite our hopes. I am a very efficient meal planner, thus far not very efficient at making myself appear stylish. But I can see how it gets easier. So maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.
2. I DO, in fact, have something to wear. How often do you feel like you have nothing to wear? I feel like I say that often. Kind of like when I look in my refrigerator and say “We have nothing to eat.” When really what I’m saying is “We have nothing to eat that I don’t have to think about and prepare.”
Style, in my mind, is becoming very analogous to kitchen management. I didn’t see that coming.
3. In the wise words of Cher Horowitz: Never trust a mirror. Always take Polaroids.
Which brings us to today’s outfit. Which I hate. But guess what, I liked it in the mirror. (Also, it was before Labor Day so don’t panic that I’m wearing white pants, mmmkay?)
My face pretty much spells it out, but here is how it looks when I’m not trying to scare off the defensive line.
Why I loved it in the mirror:
Comfy pants that feel like pajamas but don’t look like pajamas.
Why I hated it in the picture:
Dude, they LOOK like pajamas.
So there’s the rub. On the upside, I enjoy a nice worn in denim jacket, and this one comes courtesy of AndreAnna who sent me the most gigantic box of clothes a few months ago when I was bemoaning that none of my clothes fit. I wish all of you a friend like her! Truly.
Truth be told, since it is still warm out, I spent most of this outfit sans denim. I feel like I must confess.
Pants: Merona for Target
Tank: Mossimo for Target
Necklace: Target
Bracelet: Target (I mean, why do I even label my outfits anymore IT’S ALL FROM TARGET.)
Sandals: I’ll give you one guess.
Comfy, but I don’t love this outfit. You win some, you lose some. Also I wanted to post this picture to remind myself this is not a vanity project. You all have been so kind with your comments that I have literally turned fuchsia looking at my email, so thank you for that! But hopefully this has been beneficial and inspiring to you like it has for me. So it’s only fair to show you the outfits that were kind of a bomb.
Style, like anything, takes a bit of work. But it’s probably work you know how to do if you start small. Throw on a pair of earrings. Grab a nicer t shirt than normal. Do something different with your hair. Make yourself feel good, don’t worry about what others think. Fake it until you make it, remember.
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell. I know one of you will one of these days…
30 Days of Denim – Day Six
Alternate Title: The One With The Skinny Jeans
So hey, here’s something out of my comfort zone. We were getting a little comfy there with the cardigan sweaters so why not just dive right into the deep end, shall we?
Baby’s First Pair of Skinny Jeans
(And frankly, she had to grow a pair in order to pose for pictures in them)
Can we talk about skinny jeans for a minute? Because, like bathing suit shopping, I think skinny jeans kind of get a bad rap. I mean, I understand the panic, I do. I had a panic stricken moment when I went to take this picture because I had just eaten lunch and I mean: THE HORROR. You mean I have to take pictures in a pair of skinny jeans after I have consumed one morsel of food?
What the hell is that all about?
It actually wasn’t just lunch, it was a freaking meal after I had annihilated my workout, but all I could think about was that I probably should not be wearing these pants. Because let’s be real — I’m a lady with some ample thighs. At my best, you’d call them “muscular.” At their worst, a lame fashion magazine would call them a “problem area.”
But here’s the thing: WHO CARES?
When I tried these pants on (scared out of my mind) I actually felt like kind of a rock star. Sure I also felt a little bit insecure and a little bit like, ohmygod but then I decided to revert back to that rock star feeling because you know what: IT WAS MORE FUN. Remember when you were a kid and it was fun to get dressed? You didn’t think about what matched, or what looked good on your body — you picked what was fun!
And style should be fun, right?
So yes. I have thighs. And they touch. There will never be a gap. They are muscular thighs. Lou Ferrigno thighs, if you will. Also, I have calves that like to make themselves known, and an ass that sure doesn’t want to remain anonymous.
But you know what? I have worked really hard for all of those muscles over the last year, so why should I feel nervous about showing them because they aren’t super model thin?
I say I shouldn’t.
Here’s to wearing what is more of wearing what is fun and less of paying attention to rules! Because that shit is rock and roll, my friends.
Shirt: Crap, I cut out the tag because it was floppy. It’s from Target though (natch)
Jeans: Old Navy “The Diva” (ugh) Braided Skinnies (Ok so you aren’t completely dead to me, Old Navy. For now.)
Shoes: Xhilaration
Necklace (which Garrett calls my “Pebbles + Bam Bam Necklace”): Nordstrom
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell.
Scenes From Our Relationship
The thing I love most about Garrett is that I never quite know what is going to come out of his mouth.
********
In Nordstrom Rack:
H: Hey babe, what do you think of this necklace?
G: Oh yeah, it’s awesome. You are trying to look like a chinese checkerboard, right?
moments later…
H: Ok, what about this purse? This purse is cute though, right?
G: Oooooooooooooh I see. We’re going through a gaudy phase, are we?
(For the record, it was cute damnit! Also $300. Nordstrom Rack, remember that you are THE RACK and not actually Nordstrom.)
On Face Wash:
G: I think we need some new face wash in the shower, this one is drying my face out. What do you think?
H: Oh, you don’t like the Garnier Fructis one?
G: Yeah, no more Gardener Fruit Loops. I think I want to go back to Oil of Old Lady.
*****
As we got into bed recently….
G: Hey :::sniffs at me::: did you buy a new face wash?
H: Yeah, it was on clearance at Target the other day, I thought I’d try it out. Why does it smell weird?
G: No, it smells good. It smells like…you know, older lady naturals.
H: OLDER LADY NATURALS? What on earth does that even mean? Because that sure doesn’t sound like it smells good.
G: Older Lady Naturals — you know, like lavender and jojoba and shit. It smells good. I like it. Good Night babe!
30 Days of Denim – Day Five
In an ideal world every outfit would say something about who we are. Because this is real life, this outfit is telling you: “I have errands to do and I would prefer to not do them naked, so I’m wearing this.”
If these walls could talk, they would likely tell you they would like the bird shit washed off. Everyone’s got something to say, don’t they? Well except me, of course, I’m just up here calmly staring off into the horizon, thinking deep thoughts.
Anyway:
Tee: Loft
Denim: Gap Slim Boyfriend Jeans
Belt: Target
Shoes: Mossimo for Target
Copper Bangles: Target
I tried to find a cute t-shirt instead of a ratty t-shirt, does that count? Plus I put on my Mossimo-Does-Jack Rogers-Meets-Birkenstock Sandals. You didn’t even know that hybrid was possible did you? Well it is, and for the clearance price of $3.98.
I kind of hate these shoes actually and have only worn them twice since I bought them a year and a half ago. I’m starting to realize that a good deal does not always equal a good wardrobe purchase. (See Also: Old Navy You Are DEAD TO ME.)
What can I say, sometimes I like to learn the hard way.
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell.
2011 Summer Garden Notes
I have spent many hours over the last couple of days digging up my garden beds with the help of top-tier landscaper near Otsego, MN to get ready for fall. I can’t believe I’m trying it again either, but what the hell!?! This has meant lots of time to reflect on things I did well this summer and the things I did not so well.
My summer garden was, in some ways, so much more successful than I anticipated, that too without the help of services like www.wildtree.co/. It started as an experiment and there were lots of challenges, but in the end it was totally worth it. I wish I had kept a spreadsheet of all the produce harvested (Nerd Alert!) so I could give you the stats, but alas you will have to settle for these unofficial notes. I want to have something to look back on next year to help guide me.
If you want to take care of your garden and make sure that you do not have any pests, we recommend you to contact pest control Middle Park or other reliable pest control services in the area.
What Worked
*Soil Testing – I mentioned this back in May when I started getting everything ready and honestly, I think it was 100% the reason we had overflowing amounts of everything. Well that, and we planted A LOT. I hardly fertilized but I think because I started with soil that had all the correct amounts of pertinent things, it helped my otherwise novice skills.
*Elizabeth’s Tomatoes – I bought 4 tomato plants from Lowe’s and planted 12 little seedlings that Elizabeth gave me. The Lowe’s tomato plants? Were garbage. Only one produced regularly and the rest were just limp, lifeless and hardly had any fruit. Despite all that, we still produced over 220lbs of Tomatoes (OHMYGOD, I KNOW!) I stopped counting mid-August mostly because I forgot, and because at that point I started giving them away to people on the streets. Next year I will seed myself and put in the freakin’ effort. Totally worth it.
Thanks Elizabeth!
*Spaghetti Squash + Zucchini – These were amazing and awesome to have around all summer. No maintenance. I planted 2 spaghetti squash plants and 2 zucchini plants. I would definitely plant again. Maybe even MORE zucchini?
*Garrett’s Irrigation System – Despite the fact that we fought like crazy over this (also over staking tomatoes) — Gardening: Good for the Tummy, Bad for the Relationship? — having an irrigation system hooked up to timers that automatically watered was paramount to maintaining a garden this size. Everything would have died otherwise, I’m sure of it. Worth the time, money, effort and bickering.
What Didn’t Work
*Lemon Cucumbers – I actually enjoyed these in June and a bit in July but then they started getting REALLY seedy. Didn’t love that. Might just plant regular or burpless cucumbers next year. Oooh, or pickling cucumbers. Yes, those!
*Bell Peppers – After all damn summer, I got ONE pepper. One. And it wasn’t even very big. I think I’m either doing it wrong or they are a pain in the ass to grow. Either way, not worth it. Won’t plant again. Or mayby I’ll do jalapenos or something small??
Seriously?????
*Crook Neck Squash (maybe) – This was delicious at the beginning of summer. Towards the end they started getting super bumpy and dry on the inside. I don’t know what causes this. Then they would grow and look normal on the vine, only to be discovered completely HOLLOW when I would pick them. Weird. I love squash, but I will pick a new kind next year and probably seed it myself.
Herbs — dude, this was another pain in the ass. I planted Dill, Lemon Thyme, Basil and Rosemary. The dill died, I never used the lemon thyme and then IT died, the rosemary just become a fort for spider webs, and the basil, while that did well, I forgot to pinch off the flowers so it ultimately stopped growing Herbs are drama. May or may not attempt again next year.
Miscellaneous Notes
*Just Wear Gloves– Yes you will probably only be out there for a minute but just do it, ok.
*See Also: Sunscreen.– Nuff said.
*Cage your freaking tomatoes. – Don’t be a dummy again next year.
*Keep a Spreadsheet – acknowledge your nerdiness. Delegate to Garrett, the spreadsheet nerd of the house.
*Pick tomatoes more often – also can them. You will miss fresh tomatoes this winter. FIGURE IT OUT.
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All in all this was a totally fun experiment and I can’t wait to track fall progress!
