Clothes Swap Extravaganza!

So today, I was super excited to be a part of this amazing event-Swapping Uncapped! Basically, you bring $8 and a bag full of clothes to give away.  In turn, they set up the donated clothes in a really neat way and unleashed about 200 girls to grab as many clothes as they can! Although, I admit in the minutes before they 'released' us, I had butterflies in my tummy wondering if I would lose a toe or an arm in the mix, but overall everyone was pretty civilized. The ladies were all really trendy and there were some great brands-I left with JCrew tops, lots of vintage jewelry, belts and a few dresses!

This was a super fun event, sponsored by Vitamin Water and Pinkberry, so we got to nosh on some yummy fro-yo while waiting. I was also excited to hang out in the Fenway area of Boston, my college stomping grounds and meet up with a college friend!

Riding the bus to the event- Fenway, Boston

walking my college stomping grounds!

Getting ready for the swap...

can you feel the energy?

and of course some post-swap margaritas! swapping is hard work!

 Thank you eventbrite-swapaholics for hosting such a fun event! I also got to meet fellow bloggers Jessica Quirk (author of What I Wore) and Jen Lula who both have such amazing style and were so lovely in person!

 All in all, a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon....I am definitely hooked on swapping and looking forward to the next one, or maybe I'll make my own with a couple friends :)

Happy weekend everyone!

-Liz

Hair Despair

So, per uge I have been getting bored with my hair lately and I'm looking for a change.  It seems I do this every two years, I grow out my hair and then chop off 10-11 inches (and donate ).  However, this time, I'm just not sure what to do-I definitely want a change, but sometimes I really like my hair and the way it looks and other times I feel like it just hangs there.  I'm either thinking I'll chop it off again or maybe color it-I'm thinking dark chestnut brown...

Here are a couple of different ways my hair has looked-let me know what you think, pretty, pretty please :)

 These are styles that I'm thinking of...

 this color??

this cut?

Okay, any thoughts/ideas are appreciated! I am SO bad at making decisions when it comes to my hair...but hopefully I can do something new/exciting for the fall!

Wordless Wednesday-fun at the park!

The Dog Days of Summer

I don't know about where youare-but here in Boston it has been HOT!  Not that I'm complaining...I mean we all remember the winter that never seemed to end right?? To keep cool around here we've been: taking cat dog naps, playing in the pool and hanging at the park (in the shade).  Enjoy some pics of our summertime activities!

Snoozin

Gerties in Mirror may appear closer than they are!

The incredible surfing dog

river walk

relaxing at the park

her favorite game :)

want the ball?

pretty girl!

Restaurant Review-Stephi's

For those of you living in the greater Boston area, I'm sure you've heard of a little show I'm kindof obsessed with-'The Phantom Gourmet'. My husband and I love this show, in fact it is one of the few shows we can actually watch together (he prefers the history and military channel, while I prefer TLC and Bravo). So, every Sunday morning we watch this show, mouths drooling as the 'Phantom' reviews restaurants around the Boston area. If we're feeling particularly adventurous, we'll even venture out to one of the places reviewed.

Last night, we went out for my brother-in-law's (BIL) birthday dinner, and I thought I'd live out my inner phantom and review the restaurant.  We went to one of my BIL's favorite spots-Stephi's on Tremont.

Outdoor Seating

Tremont St. South End, Boston

This restaurant has the best of both worlds, because it's casual dining, so you don't have to get too dressed up or fancy, but the food is outstanding and definitely what you would expect to find at a fine dining restaurant.

Appetizers:
I'm pretty embarrassed to admit, but we actually scarfed down the appetizers so fast, that it wasn't until my BIL teasingly remarked, "didn't you want a picture?" that I realized, I didn't take any pictures! Total blogging fail on my part...  Not only did we chow down the apps because we were starving, but they were delicious.  We ordered two apps for the table, the pretzel crusted crab cakes and the thai pork spring rolls.  The definite winner of this round was the spring rolls. While the crab cakes were really yummy-they were served with a mustard dipping sauce, I have had many a crab cake, and these didn't quite stand out to me.  The spring rolls on the other hand were so tasty! I'm not usually a huge fan of spring rolls, especially when I don't know exactly what's in them...but these were delish! They were tangy yet sweet, the pork was definitely marinated and tender, and the filling had wonderful cabbage, carrots, and cilantro for an extra kick.  They were served with an equally scrumptious sweet and sour dipping sauce, that was finger licking worthy.

Main Courses:
All the items looked amazing on this menu, and it was a toss up for me between a few. I had already looked at the menu online and narrowed down my choices (natch) but when we got there, we realized the menu was slightly different, which I took as a good sign, that they must have creative chefs who change the menu up based on what ingredients are fresh and in season. The three of us each got a different dish, so we could all try each others and judge :)

My husband ordered the crispy duck:

It was served with roasted sweet potatoes, corn husks and a really tasty sweet, tangy mustard sauce.  Let me tell you-I have never tried duck before, and this was amazing!! The skin was so crispy and the meat tasted like a mix of chicken/turkey, but wasn't dry at all.  Overall very good.

On to the birthday boy, my brother in law order the pan roasted cod:

This dish was amazing! It was a pan roasted, crusted cod served on top of corn & bacon chowder (ummm can I just say YUM-I could've had a bowl of this, and called it a day ) But it didn't stop there...it was served with oven roasted potatoes and a bed of crispy thin onion straws. SO GOOD!

My dish-get ready....braised veal and gorgonzola tagliatelle:

Is your mouth watering yet?! Mine is all over again :)  This dish was amazing-we all voted it the best dish of the night-we basically didn't talk for about 15 minutes after our meals arrived because we were too busy devouring our dishes! This pasta was nothing like I've ever had...it had roasted yellow and red tomatoes, braised veal (which I've never actually had either, but was delicious), tagliatelle pasta, served with a balsamic reduction sauce and melted gorgonzola on top. It was to die for!


Dessert:

Okay, you didn't think we wouldn't save room for dessert, did you? We were all pretty stuffed at that point, but we just had to splurge-it was a birthday after all...of course we got three different items and rated them all.

Sorbetto-

This was a light, refreshing dessert-served with lemon and mango sorbets.

White Chocolate Cheesecake- (YUM)

This cheesecake was delicious-the crust was made from Nilla wafers, and it was served with a raspberry sauce.  I love cheesecake, and this one was at the top!

My dessert choice-toffee bread pudding:

This dessert was probably, no lie 500 calories...but seriously worth every bite.  The bread pudding was warm, but firm-not gooey or crumbly. It was surrounded by a homemade caramel sauce, and in the center was ooey gooey toffee. OMG foodgasm-this dish was so good! I can't believe I couldn't finish it, but I was just that stuffed.  I debated taking it home, but decided it would get too mushy and it was better left in my memory as the perfect delectable dessert it was :) Probably the highlight of the meal for me :)

This was my second trip to Stephi's, and I know with my BIL down the street, I will be back again.  Although, it can be a little pricey, you definitely get your money's worth with the huge portions.

Stephi's on Tremont is beantown wife approved :)



What are some of your favorite spots in your city??


xoxo Liz

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend we had the great pleasure of being invited up to a family friend's lake house in New Hampshire. The weather was gorgeous and the company, even better. What I love most, is that no matter how much time has passed, when we all get together, it seems like yesterday.  I couldn't resist taking some pictures of my surroundings :)

Needless to say, it was tough coming back to the city, back to work today :)

xoxo,

Liz

1st Wedding Anniversary

I cannot believe it's been a year since I've been married-this past year has flown by! I know this is cliche but I truly feel so lucky, I married such a great man who has been my partner now for nine years and is without a doubt my best friend.

This year has had it's challenges: my husband lost his job (thankfully he was just hired!), I broke my hand (still working on physical therapy), and we struggled financially. However, this has also been a year full of extreme joys that I never knew we would have. Nick makes me smile every day and knowing I get to come home to him is the greatest comfort. I am so excited for the years to come, knowing I'll have Nick by my side to live this life we've been blessed with is the best feeling. He is an amazing husband, and I know he will be an amazing father-I just can't wait to see what the future holds.

Pictures from our wedding day a year ago:

One of my favorite pictures-I was walking into my wedding-so full of excitement and anticipation!

Saying our "I do's"

exchanging rings

You may now kiss the bride!

We did it!

vintage shot

And they lived happily ever after...  :)

xoxo,


Liz :)

Wish List

For the past few months, my husband has been out of work and so we've been pinching our pennies to make ends meet.  I have a great job, that pays pretty well-but we do live in Boston, and with only one income, it was difficult. 

But......Nick got a job!!!! I am so excited for him, he deserves to be happy and fulfilled with his work, and I'm really hoping this job does just that.

Another plus...I get to shop again!! Feel the rush! Now, I'm not going to go crazy or anything, throughout these past few months I have learned how to live frugally and I do want to continue that.  However, there are a few items on my wishlist and I'm hoping to splurge on at least one :)

1.) Digital SLR Camera

I definitely have to research this product, as it is such a HUGE purchase, but after playing with my friend S's all weekend, it is a must have! I love love love taking pictures, and the pictures this camera takes are amazing :)

2.) Macbook Pro

I know this one is a stretch, since it's also a big purchase, and my old macbook works fine-but a girl can dream right?!

3.) Reef Stargazer Sandals

I love these sandals! I saw someone wearing the black/silver pair and thought they were adorable! I think this purchase is do-able.  I'm getting my credit card ready as we speak.... :)

4.) Boat Shoes

Love these boat shoes! They have a slightly Lilly flair, which I love :)

5.) iphone4

Technically I am due for an upgrade from the 3GS, so this purchase could be a possibility, but I'm thinking I might want to wait until September for the iphone5!! Even if I don't get the iphone 5, the iphone4 price will have dropped drastically.

So those are a few of the things I'm currently coveting.

Can't wait to shop until I drop :)

Thursday Latelies :)

 I got this great idea for Thursday Latelies from Bex. The message is to stop once a week and reflect upon what you're thankful for and what made you happy throughout the week.  Here are some of my pics, you'll have to watch for a surprise cameo visitor :)

Thanks Bex!


Michael Kors Sunglasses

Otter Box iphone Case

Coconut Milk

xoxo Liz :)

1st Anniversary-paper??

So, with my first wedding anniversary around the corner, I am working on a present for Nick-but it's a little upgrade from the traditional paper gift :)

I am a huge believer in tradition, and while I don't want to break this one- technology such as blogs, emails, tweets, etc are the modern upgrade to paper....I thought of an idea that is not only *free* it is really meaningful for me....

I created two movies within imovie of pictures and videos from our wedding and honeymoon set to music-our wedding song: John Legend's 'I'll Stay With You' and a song that we heard throughout our honeymoon, 'Bob Marley's' Is this Love?

Sorry, I won't post it here (I want him to be the first to see it :) But, here are the songs, they are some of my favorites:

I know it isn't exactly the traditional paper present-so, what do you think-does it work?!

Wordless Wednesday

Leaving paradise, Martha's Vineyard...

Hopefully one of these days I'll have a fancy dslr cameras (I was eyeing my friend S's all weekend!) and take some really beautiful pictures, until then, my cheap, old digie it is...  

xoxo,

Liz