Fashion Friday

I made a surprising find at my local Target store a few months ago. Now, don't judge me and I am definitely NOT pregnant, but I purchased a dress from the maternity section. I know, I know. But it was really cute and it turns out I am an Extra Small in maternity! I love it when I am an Extra Small in anything. I am not a big girl, by any means. I am 5'4" and weigh in around 135 on a good day, but I am "curvy". My "big girl" cousins smirks and scoffs when I say this, but I am not using the term curvy as a euphemism for chunky like most people do, I am using it in the original way, like Marilyn Monroe or Sophia Loren. Ha! Not that I look anything like either of them, but you get the picture. My chest and my hip measurements are equal and my waist is 11" smaller. This is a big difference and it's often hard to find clothes that fit well. So I tried on this adorable dress and I bought it, because it fit well, it was cute, and it was on sale! I have worn it multiple times and not a single person would have guessed it was from the preggo section (ya know, if I hadn't told every single person I know that it was).

I went back to Target on Tuesday and scoped out the maternity dresses, thinking I might get lucky, again. I did.

Liz Lange Knit Dress - Black

Liz Lange Twist Front Maxi Dress - Green Print

Liz Lange Knit Dress- Turquoise Print

I bought three more dresses! $70 total for three knit dresses that I can wear casually or to work. As my mother would say, "You can't beat that with a stick"!

I also saw these two online and I want them, too!

Liz Lange Tie-Dye Maxi Dress - Gray

Chiarakruza Maternity Olivia Sleeveless Dress - Violet

But my local Target didn't have them... *pout* I think I am going to be stalking the maternity section this summer. Whatever works, right?

Current Obsession

Every week I wait for Design*Sponge to publish their Before & Afters. It is my favorite day on their site and usually my favorite posts on anyone's blog or site.  So, have you seen the website Better After yet? Before & Afters everyday! Totally rockin' wicked awesome! And the girl (Lindsey) who writes the little intros to the pictures is clever, which always makes a blog more enjoyable. Check out some of my favorites:

 Suburban Spunk

 Potholes & Pantyhose

Piney Flats Style

I totally stole the ric rac trimmed curtain idea for our Master Bedroom, which I will reveal to you in all it's loveliness if I ever find bedside tables I like and we can agree on.
I have always wanted a table made out of a log and Mister and I talked about it years ago already. Rebekah's concept is much better than ours, so now I must steal her idea too!

Family Time!

I love my family! Is that dorky? I don't care. They are awesome, generous, fun, humorous, etc... My paternal grandmother, Nani, turned 90 on June 14th! 90! That's a reeeeaaaaallllllyyyy long life. We had a birthday party for her at my parents house, by the pool.

I didn't take this photo, my maternal grandmother did. I hope somebody got a shot where you can actually differentiate between people!

Can you see in the photo above, Gidget came along for the fun?

"Mo'om, stop taking my picture"

Do you recognize this room? Probably not, since it was buried under 6 feet of crap last time you saw it!

My SIL put this together using 90 Nips. My grandma is obsessed with Nips, my dad buys them for her and keeps her well stocked. I'm surprised she hasn't developed diabetes thanks to all the sugar! She cried when she first saw this with all the time Angie put into it and all the signatures...

My aunt brought those brownies all the way from Michigan and looking at this picture I JUST realized that I didn't try one... Oh well, I'm not a fan of brownies anyway. We also had a chocolate fountain, but I forgot to get a picture. I think the chocolate in those always tastes like ass no matter what kind you put in.

Happy Birthday, Nani!!

Monkey Love

Menu for the Week of June 14th - 20th

We are running low on our "joint household" money for this week, so I thought I would try the ever popular Weekly Menu form of attack and see if I can waste less food. I continually buy things we don't need and it ends up going bad before we can eat it. Our house does not have central A/C, so it tends to get stuffy and humid quickly and since (I guess it's part of the reason) our kitchen cabinets are old-skool metal, breads and perishables tend to go bad like *snaps* THAT! Blink of an eye and the bread is a science experiment. Blech!

Menu for the Week of June 14th - 20th

Monday, June 14th

Centsational Girl's Marinated Chicken Breast w/Asparagus and Brown Rice

Tuesday, June 15th

The Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast w/Carrots and Mashed Potatoes

Wednesday, June 16th

Blackened Tilapia w/Oven Roasted Corn and Coconut Red Beans & Rice

Thursday, June 17th

Leftover Pot Roast with Rotini and Karen's Caeser Salad

Friday, June 18th 

Pan-Fried Salmon w/ Curried Cauliflower & Acorn Squash

Saturday, June 19th
Homemade Pizza! Yum!

Sunday, June 20th
FATHERS DAY!! Grilled Lime Shrimp at my parents! Boo-yah!
(I'll share the recipe next week. This is, by far, the greatest shrimp recipe EVER!)

Current Obsession: Bath & Body Works Candles

I have a newfound, desperate love for both Bath & Body Works candles and the Slatkin & Co. candles for Bath & Body Works. They may not be soy, but they do have lead-free wicks and the company is cruelty free.

Four flavors I am loving now:

Slatkin & Co. Fresh Lemon

I keep this one in 1st floor bathroom. It smells so delicious, clean, and fresh - just like the name says! I am on my third candle, so obviously this one's a keeper.

Slatkin & Co. Carribean Salsa

This one lives in the living room and smells like summer. Not that cloying coconut "sunscreen" smell that some companies call summer.

Slatkin & Co. Pineapple Mango

I haven't lit the Pineapple Mango, so I can't tell you if it smells as good when you burn it, but it smells pretty damn good in the jar!

God's Country

We went for a little ride on Sunday with our friend, Dan (also known to the macho biker guys as Redman).

 Check out that sexy mullet! This was Halloween last year, but is not Halloween hair.

He took us on two ferries and through the hills of western(?) Illinois. (Whatever's directly to the east of St. Charles, Missouri. I know, geography and direction are not my strong points.) I wish I could get up the nerve to take photos while on the bike. I did get drunk brave enough to try it on the way home from the Thursday Night Ride this past week.

 

 I forgot to turn off the flash and Mister freaked out! Probably a good way to wreck the bike. Whoopsie. I just thought our shadow from the streetlights looked so awesome, kinda like this:

But in silhouette and, um, not so stereotypically "bikerey".  Oh, and with a passenger. This guy is too cool for a passenger, though; it would totes ruin his bad-ass biker appeal to have to cart around his old lady.... Check it, there's not even room for that biatch. That'll teach her to ask if she can come along...

 Anyway, some pics of the islands in the Mississippi (I think) and the river:

 

 

 

I want to live in that house up on the hill. 

 

 

 It was such a perfect day.

This adorable little farmhouse was at the entrance to the ferry. Can you imagine having people parked outside you house from 9am to 9pm all day? Ick.