Tracy Negoshian Giveaway from Maryland Pink and Green!

(image from Tracy Negoshian)



The lovely Maryland Pink and Green is hosting a very generous giveaway from Tracy Negoshian :) Two lucky winners will receive their favorite Tracy Negoshian item of choice from her website.  The winners will be able to select their prize in any style and print available online from the current collection (which is fabulous, BTW!). Head on over to Maryland Pink and Green to read the entry rules and enter. The deadline is Tuesday, July 12 at 11:59 p.m.

Happy (Belated) 4th of July!!!

(image via Google)

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend :) I know that I did! Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. Cookouts, parades, fireworks, patriotism - what's not to love?

Peter and I have spent the last three Independence Day weekends with either my family or his family so this was our first Fourth at home in awhile. It was kind of nice not to travel and just to be able to relax and enjoy some downtime! Our community pool finally opened on Friday (they were building a new poolhouse and there were some delays) so we had a very refreshing swim after work and then we made homemade pizza. This was the first time that I made my own crust! Pioneer Woman's recipe was easy and excellent, and I highly recommend it (as if there was a PW recipe that I don't highly recommend!).

(image from Pioneer Woman)

After stuffing ourselves with pizza, we watched the third Harry Potter movie, Prisoner of Azkaban. I had finished the third HP book last week and wanted to watch the movie version. Peter had never seen the third movie, and he got really into it. So into it that he started reading the HP series on Sat. (Finally!) :)

On Saturday, we made omlettes for breakfast (Peter's specialty!), and then Peter headed off to work and I headed off to the local outlet mall for some shopping. Another advantage to staying local for the holiday weekend was being able to take advantage of some of the awesome holiday sales! I found several cute pieces for work so it was a successful shopping day! When we returned home, Peter and I played tennis for about an hour, and then I made a taco salad for dinner. Every so often I really crave taco salad and just have to make one. And I always laugh at myself because I end up making an enormous salad! I think we could have fed 8 people easily with the salad that I made :) We definitely had leftovers for a few days! We then watched the fourth Harry Potter movie, Goblet of Fire, at Peter's request. I think that I can safely say that he's an HP fan now :)

(image from IMDB)

On Sunday after church, we made BLT's for lunch (Yum!) and took a walk around our neighborhood which was cut short by a thunderstorm. So we read and talked with our parents while it rained. I honestly can't remember anything else we did that day! It was just a nice, laidback day at home :)

On Monday, I attempted to make scones for breakfast but accidentally added too much milk so they turned out rather "interesting." Edible but "interesting." We then headed to the store to pick up some groceries for a cookout later that day and to pick up some screws and nosepads for Peter's glasses which were sort of coming apart over the weekend! After that, we just cleaned a bit around the house, I ironed a mountain of clothing (I seriously thought I would never get through that pile! Ironing is one of my least-liked chores!), and Peter repaired his glasses. Then we went to our friends' house for a backyard BBQ which was a combination Fourth of July celebration and birthday party :) And then we went to our town's fireworks show which Peter and I had never attended. We were impressed! The finale was especially good :)

I'm really bummed that I don't have pictures from this weekend! My camera is only working about half the time now so I havn't been using it that much since it's such a hassle. A Canon Rebel is at the top of my birthday wish list for sure :)

(image from Amazon)

My Top 5 Summer Beauty Products

Since it has now officially been summer for an entire week, I thought it would be fun to give y'all my list of essential beauty products for the warmest season of the year :)

(image from InStyle)

1. Neutrogena Sunscreen: I sunburn faster that you can say "summer," so if I'm spending any time outside (like more than 5 minutes), I have to slather on the 30SPF+ sunscreen. I really like all of the Neutrogena sunscreens (and I'm pretty sure that I've tried them all!). They're always light and non-greasy, and they don't irritate my skin.

(image from Drugstore.com)

2. Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer: After reading about my first summer essential, you know that I don't tan easily :) So my second summer essential is self-tanner. This self-tanner from Jergens is nice and light, relatively fool-proof, and doesn't smell too awful.

 (image from InStyle)

3. Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer: I've used this tinted moisturizer for years, and it's the best!!! I hate wearing heavy foundation in the summer so this is perfect. It's light, doesn't streak if you get sweaty, has SPF20, and has a nice range of shades for all skin colors. Love it :)

(images from Amazon)

4. OPI Cajun Shrimp and Strawberry Margarita Nail Polish: These shades are on my toes all summer long :)

(image from The Body Shop)

5. The Body Shop White Musk Eau de Toilette: This is my favorite summer scent hands down! I've worn it as my daily summer fragrance for years, and people always stop and ask me what perfume I'm wearing. I don't like floral perfumes at all which seems to be what most summer perfumes smell like, but this is different. I can't really describe the scent very well (you will just have to try it yourself!), but it's nice and light and refreshing. It smells like summer to me :)

There you have it! My top 5! What are your summer beauty product essentials?

Weekend Recap

I know that my past Friday night might not sound very exciting to some, but it was fun for me :) After work, Peter and I made dinner, and then we read all night until we went to bed. A librarian's dream date night :) I'm currently trying to re-read the Harry Potter series before the new movie comes out in July, and I was able to finish the third book on Friday night so I felt pretty good about that!

On Saturday, I went to the grocery store and tidied up around the house. I made Oven-Fried Coconut Chicken from Cooking Light for dinner.

(image from Cooking Light)

I've been wanting to find a "healthy" version of fried chicken because I get cravings for it sometimes but traditional recipes are so greasy (delicious but greasy!). Peter has been requesting coconut shrimp so I thought this recipe might be the best of both worlds. Peter really liked it, but I thought it was only "so-so."  The search continues for the perfect healthy fried chicken recipe :) After dinner, we went to see Cars 2 with a couple of friends. 

(image from IMDB)

We had read some reviews beforehand that weren't glowing, but we all really enjoyed it. It was James Bond-themed, and while I'm not a huge James Bond fan, I thought it worked. I especially loved the car representing the queen of England :) We went to Rita's Italian Ice after the movie, and I had my first Gelati of the summer, fat-free vanilla custard with black cherry ice. Yum! That might be my new favorite combo!

(image from Rita's)

Peter tried the Blendini which is sort of like a Dairy Queen Blizzard but with the addition of Italian Ice. It sounded kind of gross to me, but I tasted some of Peter's and was pleasantly surprised :)

I developed a bit of a cold on Saturday so on Sunday, I didn't feel that great. We went to church and then went for a short walk since it was such a nice day and then I spent some quality time on the couch. I feel better today so the week ahead is looking brighter!

New Muppets Movie

 

Have y'all seen the trailer for the new Muppets movie yet? This will definitely make Thanksgiving even better :) Can't wait to see Kermie, Miss. Piggy, Fozzy, and Gonzo on the big screen again!!!

A Little Bit of Hermes Fashion History For You

I'm certainly not a fashion historian by any means, but I ran across this fun fashion fact today and thought that I would share :) Did you know that on this day in 1937 Hermes changed the fashion world forever by introducing a line of scarves celebrating their 100th anniversary? I do not own a Hermes scarf (yet!), but I love admiring their beautiful colors and patterns. Each one is a work of wearable art, for sure!

Some other fun facts:

• Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Onassis, Grace Kelly, and Catherine Deneuve were collectors of Hermes scarves.
• The silk scarves are each made from 250 mulberry moth cocoons.
• The motifs are "drawn from history, mythology, flora, fauna, war, peace, global culture and (but of course) the realm of the horse." (Guardian, Nov. 21, 2009)
• In the 1950s, the Queen Elizabeth II of England wore a Hermes scarf on a British postage stamp. She is still a fan of the scarves today :)

 (images via Google)

Anything else that you would possibly want to know about Hermes scarves, you can most likely find in the book The Hermes Scarf: History & Mystique by Nadine Coleno. Looks like a very colorful read!

(image via Amazon)

(Sources: Guardian, Nov. 21, 2009 / Fashion History Page a Day Calendar by Workman Publishing Company)

Weekend Recap

What a nice, restful weekend :) I feel like I can't usually describe my weekends that way, but this weekend was indeed nice and restful!

After work on Friday, I made Shrimp Cobb Salad from Cooking Light. This salad was the cover photo for the May issue, and it looked too good to pass up! Peter liked it more than I did, but I would certainly make it again.

(image from Cooking Light)

Does anyone know a trick for preventing avocado from turning brown after it's cut? I've tried leaving the avocado pit in the storage container with the avocado, but that doesn't seem to help.

After dinner, we popped some popcorn and watched The Fighter.

(image from IMBD)

I liked it, but boxing scenes are hard for me to watch. I'm really glad that Peter is not a professional boxer! I could not handle watching his matches!!! I also had a hard time understanding what the characters were saying through the thick Boston accents. A trip to Boston might be in order so that I can learn the local language :)

On Saturday, I ran some errands and went to the mall to pick up a few make-up and skincare items that I had run out of, and then that night, Peter and I went to see the Royal Danish Ballet perform Napoli at The Kennedy Center in DC.

Waiting outside of the Kennedy Center before the performance. I love that we have identical squints in this picture (we were staring straight into the sun when this was taken!) :)

I took ballet lessons at Ballet Memphis when I was younger, and I thoroughly enjoy going to see performances now. Peter did not take ballet lessons when he was younger :) , but he's still a good sport to go with me and likes the performances too. This was my first time to see the Danish Royal Ballet and to see Napoli performed. The male dancers with the DRB were especially good!

On Sunday after church, we did nothing which felt pretty good. Naps and reading on the couch and watching baseball games on TV were made for Sunday afternoons, I think :)