spring vacation beauty must-haves

just a few of my favorite beauty products for going on a beach vacation. these are products I actually use and love.
dolce&gabbana light blue has been my go-to perfume since i was in high-school and i barely ever smell it on anyone else. it is a great scent and the hubby loves it.
victoria's secret's beach sexy sunkissed self tan lotion is one of the few that actually have a nice scent. it is till self tan lotion so you will still get some of that slightly unpleasant smell but it's so much better than some of the others i have tried.
organix morrocan smooth perfection blow out cream helps keep my hair smooth and less frizzy in humid weather.
sunscreen is a must-have for a light skinned girl like me. i'm definitely no fan of the skin cancer.
lip balm is another must for when you're out in the sun a lot. keeps that pucker nice and smooth.
and when you're trying to boost your beachy wavy hair a little my recommendation is bumble and bumble surf spray.

this is not a sponsored post. 

Neutrogena sun care, $9.49
Victoria s Secret bath body, $12
Bumble and Bumble hair, $24
Women's Light Blue by Dolce & Gabanna Eau de Toi... : Target, $70
meet me at sunset, $8
Blow Out Cream

blueberry crumble bars

as promised here is the recipe for the blueberry crumble bars i made.

i actually had a frozen berry mix that i used instead of just fresh blueberries. it was delicious nonetheless. the original recipe came from here

here is what you'll need:

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries (i used frozen)
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

9x13 pan (greased)

oven at 375F 

in a bowl, mix together the cup of sugar, the 3 cups flour, the baking powder, salt and lemon zest.  blend in the butter and egg. dough will be crumbly. 

in another bowl mix together the fruit, 1/2 cup of sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice.

 press half of dough into the prepared pan.

add fruit and top with the remaining half of dough. 
bake for 45 minutes. when top has turned golden brown remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting.
tastes extra yummy warmed up with some vanilla ice cream on the side.  

{style files} a pleated skirt

skirt: f21, belt: old navy, tshirt: ae, heels: tjmaxx, lip color:  revlon, watch: michael kors

the great weather we had this past weekend called for a breezy skirt, so this pleated one was perfect. the hubby reminded me that it was in fact st.patrick's day and i was unintentionally wearing green (we are not irish). i informed him that i wasn't going to let that keep me from wearing the skirt and so i did. ha!
i love it. it was such an easy and comfortable look.

{style files} gingham and fur

Shirt: A&F, Vest: YesStyle, Pants: Drykorn, Shoes: The Gap, Lips: Revlon gloss in papaya

i am a little bit busy this week. i might sneak in a peek at what i'm doing here and there or you can follow me on twitter to get some updates ;) mysterious, i know!

For the end of this week and some of next week, I have a few wonderful ladies to guest post about their awesome style and handmade businesses. Please make sure you come back to see what they've got up their sleeves and leave them some comment love. 

instagram sunday

  this week we...

 

  made turkey burgers with white bean mash and blueberry crumb bars. yum. (recipes to come this week)

 

  had our first ice cream experience and loved it

 

actually loved it so much that there was loud protest when the ice cream was all gone

  went to get the beginnings of my vegetable garden  dyed the hair because the grays where getting out of control once again

  found this fun   rainbow striped nine west scarf

  painted the nails the same color as the kitchen walls and got really tempted to buy these pretties (but  didn't) self control people ;)   

  spent part of an afternoon at ikea

  shopped for clothes and this sun hat which he proceeded to pull on like crazy (it has straps)

        

  had daddy read bedtime stories

  spent an afternoon by the river while daddy was in the longest meeting in the history of meetings

  admired the city

  watched the ducks

  took a ton of pictures

        

  had a quesadilla 

  struck a pose

        

  clapped and clapped and clapped some more

  wore sandals for the first time this year

        

  had a frozen mocha

  got stuck in traffic that wouldn't move for 40 minutes after lunch with a good friend

        

  went down the slide at the park with grandma

  ate buffalo chicken salad for lunch, out on the porch in the sunshine

  sunbathed 

like crazy

we watched this movie last night. it was good. it was a story we could personally relate to a great deal and it was portrayed in a way that made it feel so very real, brought back lots of memories and that feeling like there is something stuck in your throat and you can't swallow it no matter how hard you try.

so i thought to get it out of my system i'd just write this down.

it really took me back to the days when our story had just begun and we had no idea where it would take us. airports almost became our second home, a home we loved to visit in anticipation for that special visitor but also dreadfully had to return that person to when such a tiny piece of shared time came to an end. to this day and probably for the rest of my life, airports will be difficult places for me.

i remember the late night phone calls that we didn't want to end but had to. the video chats with a picture all jumbled up or frozen because of a slow internet connection. the whisperings of sweet nothings that meant so much. emails replaced love notes and little surprises in the mail made the time between visits bearable.

i remember going out with friends and not remembering much of anything or who had talked to me those nights. no, not because of alcohol. i remember forcing myself to go out at all. it was like living in slow motion while i was staring into space all night, trying to be polite to those actually still trying to make conversation with me when my thoughts were clearly somewhere else. somewhere on a different continent.

friends did their best to understand, couldn't understand, tried to steer me away but failed. as we grew closer some of those friendships started to fall apart.

i know that feeling of total helplessness and that bottomless longing for that other person. like you can't go on for another minute without them. and then you do go on. another day and another day because you don't know any other way. because there is that glimmer of hope and the determination that you are meant to be with that person for the rest of your life.

and then you just jump without quite knowing what you'll land on. you take that leap of faith because it's the only thing that makes sense. and maybe you're just a little crazy.

in may of 2006, 21 year old me got on a plane to cross an entire ocean and not look back.


sometimes it takes a good movie to make 27 year old me reflect on life. i think 21 year old me had way more guts than 27 year old me does ;)

if you have no idea what i'm even talking about, click here

oh and go watch like crazy and let me know if you liked it.

{style files} boyfriend jeans and a military peplum jacket

jacket: f21, shirt: tj maxx, scarf: tj maxx (old), jeans: AE, belt: pieces, shoes: converse one stars (target), 

i'm back. we've been busy this week trying to get ready for the hubs to go back to work. we cleaned out his closet and got rid of so much stuff. do your men still have t-shirts from high school or college in their closets? no? well mine sure did. not that he would wear them but they were just taking up so much space. so we spent a couple of afternoons sorting through old dress shirts, pants and sweats, made another donate pile, and ended up going shopping for some new things. i have to admit, the man sure looks extra handsome when he gets all dressed up.