Tasty Tuesdays

Ok, lovers, I won't shout, because I'm sure that some of you are still hungover, but happy Tuesday, and I hope your weekend was lovely.

Now, like I said yesterday, I'm slacking on this week's Trend Watch Tuesday, but I totes had my doctor write me a note, like he used to for junior high gym class, so we're all good. Anyvajazzle, I figured I'd bring in this lovely mini segment to briefly take TWT's place.

Drum Roll, Please (quietly, remember, hangovers!)...

Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays, where I throw a few links atcha with some savory food! Now, there's too many for me to make it all and then post the results here, so I'll just cut out the middle man and send you straight to the source. Got it? Good, cause here we go!

How about we shake things up, and start with dessert?

First there are the Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from Jen over at Food, Love, & Life.

Then we have a few delicious recipes from Karly over at Buns In My Oven:

Brookies

Peanut ButteR & Banana Pound Cake with Nutella Glaze

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Now we can move on to the main course!

How about Daph from Flip Flops & Pearls' Creamy Pesto Shrimp?

Or, how about the Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Cream Cheese and Chives from the 4sisters over at Crumbs and Chaos?

Or, what about the insanely amazing Pork Loin with Cranberry Sauce from the Pioneer Woman?

And lastly, to wrap it all up, you gotta get your drink on, right!?

You have your choice of alcoholic:

Blackberry Thyme Margaritas from Josie at Pink Parsley

Or non-alcoholic:

Speedy Strawberry Lemonade by Mary at Deep South Dish

So, there you have it, friends! A few of my favorite recipes. Now, eat, drink, and be merry!

Happy Memorial Day!

Hello Lovies!!

Firstly, lemme say, that I'm very sorry for the lack of posting lately. I promise I'm trying to get better at blogging, but, between sick babies and sick me, it's hard. Which is also my excuse for there being no Trend Watch Tuesday tomorrow. I've been on my death bed with an evil Ebola/Bubonic Plague mutant virus since last week and don't have anyone lined up! But, no worries, it'll be back in full swing next week!

Now, I hope that all of you are having a wonderful three day weekend, and I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day! I, unfortunately, am stuck behind my desk at work. The work of a bail bondsman never stops, apparently! So, I will let all of you get back to your barbecues and your beach frolicking, and I'll get back to calling criminals.

Happy Memorial Day, y'all!

viz

I thank God for my life

For the stars and stripes

May freedom forever fly,

Let it ring.

Salute the ones who died,

The ones who gave their lives so we don't

have to sacrifice

all the things we love.

Trend Watch Tuesday

I am so excited about this week's Trend Watch Tuesday featured blogger! She's a local gal from Austin, which you know I adore! She got great style, and her confidence is through the roof! I love her blog, and she's also on the twit, which, as you know, gives her extra brownie points in my book. Ok, I've made y'all wait long enough, please welcome the lovely Cathy!

Hi lovelies! I’m Cathy from Austin Slave to Fashion, and I am absolutely honored to be here on Mrs. J’s blog. She cracks me up both on her blog and her brilliant Tumblr. She sort of gave me free reign *evil grin* to talk about style and fashion and such. So I want to share with you the three things that I think of when I get dressed. I apologize in advance for the mayhem and foolishness that is about to ensue……..


1. Don’t be afraid to get a little bold. I love my neutrals as much as the next girl; I’m pretty sure I own more little black dresses than most of my friends combined! But I always remember to add something. Whether it’s bright shoes, a cool patterned scarf, or even just a bold red lip- I like to have a dash of the unexpected. Just one unexpected twist can take a grouping of clothes and make it into a polished outfit.


2. Style does not equal discomfort. There is nothing more I love than to get all fancied up for some grand event. But let’s be honest ladies- that takes a lot of work and usually a lot of discomfort! For my everyday outfits, I like them to be fun, a little unexpected and a whole lot of comfortable. I know we are constantly bombarded with images of women in body-con dresses and sky-high heels. But for the majority of us, that’s just not feasible for our crazy lives. I’ve invested in many a pair of cute flats (and more than a few pairs of funky Vans!) and have no problem admitting that I wear dresses because they are comfortable and easy. Just because you want to look great doesn’t mean you have to feel bad.


3. It looks better when it’s me. I read a million fashion blogs, fashion magazines, and style articles. It’s awesome because I get so much inspiration from what I see. But I always remember that it’s just that; inspiration. I don’t want to copy someone else’s look- I want to take that and make it my own. Sometimes it’s just the feeling a look evokes; other times it’s a brilliant color pairing that I’d never thought of. No matter what it is, there is always a way to take it, adapt it, and make it into something that says something about me.

So, to make a long story short (too late)* I choose to wear what makes me happy, what makes me look my best, and what says the most about who I am. Each and every one of us has something different and unique to share with the world. Let’s all make sure that our clothes show those brilliant differences and amazing qualities. Keep it classy and fabulous ladies, and a HUGE thanks to Mrs. J for inviting me to be on her sweet blog!

*If you can tell me what movie that’s from, I’ll give you a hug……or a puppy…… or some cheese whiz. Your call!

Trend Watch Tuesday

Y'all are in for a special treat today! The blogger who is featured in this week's Trend Watch Tuesday is none other than the lovely Summer from Athena in the Middle. Not only is this lady stylish, she's incredibly sweet, amazingly gorgeous, and insanely talented! She is basically living the life that I would live in an alternate universe. She's originally from Louisiana, but now lives in NYC with her equally adorable husband, and is currently attending The French Culinary Institute in NYC. Glamorous, huh? I'm so lucky to call her a friend, and I'm so excited to feature her today! So, without further adieu, please welcome, Summer!

Hey Butterbean Readers!

Summer here from Athena in the Middle.

I just adore Mrs. J, so when she asked me to be apart of her Trend Watch Tuesday, I jumped at the chance (even though, I did send it to her at the last minute)!

I would never be good in publishing!

Deadlines. ;)

Love ya, J!

I don't necessarily think I am trendy or stylish; I just wear what I feel good in.

There are three things that I absolutely love and would consider major players in describing my style.

♥♥♥♥♥

1.

Dresses

I have a closet full.

Some are vintage, from H&M and F21 or even some major designers.

If I like it, if it fits and I can afford it -- I buy it!

2.

Hair and Make-up

(I count them as one)

As you can see, my hair has changed in color and length!

Right now, I have a longer, platinum blonde pixie cut.

I have an appt. tonight and who knows what I will do.

HA!

3.

Confidence

I know it sounds cheesy, but it is something that took a long time for me to learn.

You most beautiful style/trend/etc. is when you are you!

AND

I shall leave you with the outfit I will be wearing for the next 9 months - forever!

ha!

Thank you so much for reading!

Stop by my place, say hello so that I can check your blog out!

XO,

Summer Athena

Trend Watch Tuesday

Hey y'all! Welcome to another Trend Watch Tuesday! I have a surprise for you today. We are shaking things up a bit. This lovely lady that I'm featuring today isn't technically a blogger. {Gasp!} She's actually a designer from Austin, and she's insanely talented. I love her personal style, and I love what she creates, so I thought I'd throw the rule book out the window for once and feature her. We're rebeling it up in this hizzy, y'all. Anyway, her name is Anslee and you can catch her on the twit or you can like her on facebook. Ok, I'll stop chatting, please welcome Anslee to the blog!

Hey, hi! It’s Anslee, your new best friend! How much fun is it that I get to talk about my style on this blog?! I’m so honored and excited – so let’s get right to it! Oh, and beware: my hair recently became blonde, so note that some of these photos of me have darker hair but it’s still me. And just for the record, I AM having more fun! ;)

Ladies, if you’ve got curves like I do, it’s all about the waistline! The waistline is where I start my outfit planning every day. If I don’t have that mapped out, my outfit can be a total miss. Luckily, I get to make my own clothes for a living, so I don’t have to worry
about where my clothes fit me, but I know I am a special case. For the curvy ladies who don’t sew, just keep your eye out for well-tailored skirts and dresses that hit at the natural waistline that is at the curve of your body when you bend over during the song “I’m a Little Teapot.” (You’re totally singing that right now, aren’t you?)


This super fun, brightly colored, splatter painted, neon piranha fitted pencil skirt pictured above hits me in all the right places, but especially at the waistline. It was perfect for the day I opened Austin’s first plus size designer boutique under my label – savannahred – inside Cypress Vanguard downtown. What a happy day to wear a curve-hugging 80’s print skirt!

Being plus size, I know the difficulties one may encounter in the dressing room because plus size manufacturers tend to make our clothes a little on the shapeless side. Fortunately, for some dresses, you can
fix the shapelessness with my second favorite accessory - a belt/sash (preferably of the wide variety)!


My first favorite accessory is… COLOR! I. Love. Color. I love it on my face. I love it on my body. I love it on everything from my head to my toes! Color is what makes me happy. There are times I’ve gone a bit overboard on the color boat, but I try to maintain a pretty good balance that isn’t too Rainbow Bright. Of course, prints are my friend, too. They keep the movement happening in the outfit, even if the color is fairly minimal. (That neon skirt sure knows some movement!)

More often than not, you’ll find me in a sleeveless sweetheart
neckline with or without a wide set halter. That’s my classic neckline because I know what works for me. I love any off-the-shoulder styles. They tend to add a saucy little element to your wardrobe, and let’s face it, the sweetheart neckline is good for “the girls.” And what’s good for them is good for you, baby.


Accessories are so important for every outfit and they give you that extra step for you to express yourself – so speak up, gorgeous! Since we already know about shoes and where to find them and how much we all love them, I’ll skip that part for this blog entry. For the rest of the outfit, I like to keep it local, so for jewelry and handbags, I call on my best friends who are also local designers like Simmang Design and *annemarie* to accessorize my outfits in order to keep them fresh and truly unique. Because they do custom work, they can tailor their creations to my outfit. How freakin’ cool is that?! I’m also a big hat person, so even accessorizing my head is extra fun and it adds a special detail to the outfit, which was a super rad tradition not too long ago. I usually talk to my friend Laura del Villaggio with Milli Starr to get the hook up, and there again, she can customize to my specifications because she lives down the road from me and we work in the same shop! (Living in Austin really does have its perks, huh?) If you don’t live in Austin, I know you can find someone who can make you something to go along with your outfit (or
hop on over to the magical world of Etsy.com). At the very least, it will be a great conversation piece! Or hey, maybe even make it yourself, sassy lady!

And of course, the golden ticket to making any outfit a winner – no matter what you’re wearing – is a smile! Confidence and happiness go a long, long way, my lovely new friend, and even the cutest, best fitting outfit can go from a good outfit to the most amazing outfit you’ve ever worn when you’re happy and you know it and your face is really showing it. (So I love children’s songs. What?) Smiles are contagious and they look great on everyone, so get out there and work it, hot stuff. The day is yours and you are beautiful.


Thank you for letting me post about how I flaunt my assets! ;) Be my friend on the Facebook if you want or Love my business page at http://www.facebook.com/savannahredcurvycouture. I’ve had so much fun
here. I can’t wait to hear what you think about my style. Have a
wonderful day, gorgeous!

<3.
Anslee

Mommy Moments

Happy Monday Lovers!

I'm a little late to the game, but I'm so excited to be hosting the May Mom Blog Tour today!

Basically, instead of celebrating moms for just one day this month, we're celebrating them all month long with a blog tour! There are some really amazing bloggers on this thing, so be sure and follow along. I'll include the link to tomorrow's featured blogger at the end of my post.

Now, we were supposed to write about something "mom related". I tossed around a few ideas for awhile, but settled on writing about my favorite memory from my last 16 months of being a mommy. And then I ran into my writer's block. Mostly because I couldn't pin point my favorite memory. There are far too many to count.

There are also the struggles I faced before I got pregnant. My husband and I tried for a long time, and had almost thrown in the towel.  They were so hard to go through at the time, but I look back now and realize that life turned out the way it was supposed to. All of that time that we tried and failed prepared us for what was coming. It made us so much more thankful when the test came back positive. It reminded me to be thankful when I found myself with my head in the toilet thanks to the never ending morning sickness. It made me completely hysterical with joy the first time I felt my baby kick. And it made my heart break whenever I heard a story about a woman who wasn't able to conceive.

Then came that January day. The day that my world changed. I welcomed my teeny tiny beautiful baby girl into the world. I knew I was ready. Her first cry, the first time she looked at me with her big blue eyes, the first time she wrapped her hand around my finger. This was my reason for living. She was my world.

Then came the "Ohmygah, I've got a baby, what am I supposed to do with this thing!?" phase. Thankfully, that didn't last long. She started sleeping through the night very quickly, and we settled into a pretty comfortable routine. There were a few rough patches, like the time she rolled off of the bed, or the time that I thought she suffocated. But, for the most part, the last 16 months have been a blast.

We've taken trips, spent a lot of time with relatives, and built a wonderful little family. And we've looked so stylish while doing it.

We've celebrated holidays.



We've played in the water.

We've been to zoos.



We had a birthday party.

We've eaten cake.

We've seen cute boys.

We've played at the park.

We've played with chickens.

And we've eaten lots of chocolate.

Bottom line, there isn't one part of motherhood that has been my favorite. It's everything all wrapped together. It's been the wildest ride of my life, and it's only just beginning. And the best part? I wouldn't change it for the world. Cause this girl:

is what makes it all worth while.

Now, be sure and check out The Truthful Mommy tomorrow for her May Mom Blog Tour post!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello my lovelies! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! Mine has been jam packed, but today? Today is for relaxing. The hubs has taken over, and my mommy apron has been hung up for the day. I'm free of all my duties today. The hubs even made chocolate chip pancakes from scratch.


Happy Mother's Day y'all! I hope everyone else's is as good as mine!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Semi Wordless Wednesday: Easter Portraits Edition

Alternate title: Please don't kill the chicks! These are a little late, but I figured better late than never!








The wind was out of control, which meant the hair was also. She got a haircut shortly after this!





This is her mean face





I said please don't kill the chicks!!


Can't you just see the devilish look on her face?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Trend Watch Tuesday

Update: I have no idea what's going on with the link in this post, but Amber's blog URL is www.bebebirdbeck.blogspot.com Hopefully I can figure out what's wrong with the link once I get access to my computer!
Hi y'all! It's Trend Watch Tuesday again! The featured blogger today is Amber, and she's one of my favorite bloggers. Her style is awesome, she's extremely funny, her blog is so cute, plus, she and her husband are absolutely adorable together! She's also on the twit which just means that I like her even more! (anyone who's on twitter gets extra brownies points in my book!) Ok, I won't keep y'all waiting any longer! Please welcome Amber!
Hi lovelies! My name is Amber and I blog over at I love you to the moon. I'm so happy to take part in Trend Watch Tuesday and share with you a little bit about my style. I definitely love remixing my outfits and piecing together unlikely things. I'd describe my style as girly with a touch of edge. I love dainty dresses and skirts but usually mix it with a chunky heel, striped cardigan, and belt it all together. In the fall my favorite accessory is my leather jacket. Toughens up any outfit and somehow still looks glam.








Also? I think I need an intervention. I have a problem with collecting shoes. If I find a pair of shoes under $10, I feel like I have a serious obligation to give them a good home. My closet is full of all sorts of different shoes. It makes it extra fun to piece together my outfit for the day.

Ok, so I really am such a sucker for any good deals. I don't ever buy anything full priced and will search high and low on the clearance racks for that one thing that is waiting to be uncovered.








I think my favorite outfit, lately, is this. It's ultra girly but still comfortable and wearable. I could go on a picnic, head to the movies, or sit down at a nice dinner without a problem. I'd just pack a pair of flats in my bag. Lace has my heart lately. :]








It could change any day though. I'm about to pull out my extra summer clothes from the spare closet and I can't wait to start mixing those pieces in with my wardrobe!

















Right now I'm super loving tights, huge rings, and bright skinny belts.

Biggest piece of fashion advice is to be confident. I love seeing confidence, especially in fashion. It always has been and always will be attractive! If you want to wear something, do it! Who cares if its black and brown and that at one point it was frowned upon! (one of my favorite color combos!!) Rock it! Wear that brown belt with black heels! Bust out the ultra high waisted wide legged jeans, and the socks with heels. Just smile as you're doing it and know that you look adorable.








Hope your Tuesday is sweet!
Thank you for having me J! :]

Monday Musings

Hello lovahs!! How was everyone's weekend? Wonderful I hope!
Anymonday, I just wanted to stop in and say hi (yes, it's a little late, but at least I'm stopping in!) and pass the word along on a little linky love!
First off, be sure and stop by my twitter bestie Christine's place for the second day of the Mother's Day May Blog Tour. You'll love her, I promise!
Secondly, if you haven't yet, swing by my tumblr and have a looksie around. You just might see something you like! (also? If you have a tumblr, let me know! I wanna follow you!)
And lastly? I've only got 5 more days until I Walk for Babies! I'd love if y'all could help me out! You can donate, or just pass the word along!
And with that, I'm off to bed. Come back tomorrow for an all new Trend Watch Tuesday!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Let's Hear It For The Mommas

Now that I'm a mom, it's perfectly acceptable for me to say that one day for mothers is just not enough! So, some Mom-Blogger pals of mine and I are dedicating this entire month of May to Moms. Here's how it's going to work: each day one of us will post a special Mom-related blog and then guide you on to the next day’s blog with an easy access link to just click for the next day. On this blog tour, you will meet new friends, find new blogs to follow that bring you laughs, tears, tips, ‘Thank Goodness It’s Not Just Me’ moments, and more…Some bloggers may even offer drawings for prizes to pamper YOU…You just need to follow along, read…and wait for more details on how you can get some great goodies as souvenirs on this Mother’s Day May Blog Tour.
The first post of the blog tour is by Miss Nadia and it's up now (5/1)!! So, head on over, check it out, and get the link for the next post! And I'll be featured next week! Alright, hope y'all enjoy!! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone