Party Dresses

I'm always looking for stylish party dresses but I don't want to spend a fortune, cause I know that next season there will be a new hot trend.

Here are some great fashion finds that are super trendy and even more affordable from H&M, LuLu's and ASOS:

Find it here

Find this look here

My personal fav


Happy shopping!!!

Rockin' Around the Holiday Clock

It's about that time....the holidays are sneaking up on us fast, which means the holiday parties are right behind. Besides shopping, making cookies, decorating, finding deals, (and the lists goes on and on) planning a party is one of the more stressful events of the holiday season...even attending them can be just as stressful (depending upon what type of party you are attending).

Here are some important things to remember as the parties creep up on our calendars.

1) It's ok to say no: The social butterfly that you are, you have many invites flooding your inbox and mail box. Some of these parties may fall on the same day. If they aren't close in distance to each other, pick one and commit to it. It's ok to say no to one of them, people will forgive you - - it's not the end of the world!

2) If you are planning a party: the best days to have a party or Thursdays or Fridays. Saturdays are something people treasure, so they are more likely to reserve those for themselves or their family but Thursdays or Fridays -- people are ready to put their party hats on!

3) Go easy on the spirits: It's ok to live it up and have a good time, but make sure you have a glass of water in between your drinks and keep the drinks to a 2-3 maximum if you aren't driving. Your body will thank you in the morning. As you wind down at the party, have a glass of sparking water, it will help you "come down" off your holiday high.

4) Don't go empty handed: It's always a good idea to bring something with you to the party. Wine or liquor is always a fan fav. But you can also bring something to have at the party - like a dip or dessert or you can bring a host/ess gift like cute cocktail napkins, an ornament (if they have a tree), or a candle.

5) Have fun: Make the best of it - make friends - mingle - force yourself to have fun, even if you had a long day, or you are tired or come up with any other excuse in the book. Don't be the party pooper - be the party starter - be the one that people say to the host the nest day "How do you know ___? They were so much fun" (and I don't mean to be "THAT" person that drank too much...)

Simple common sense rules to ensure that your night will be nothing less than a fun night ripped right out of Sex and the City.

image from HBO's Sex and The City

Oh come on, Philly, where were you on this one?!

Residents of DC spend the most on clothes?! I guess Philly, we are just bargain hunters, cause I KNOW there are hard core shoppers out there!

Fashionable Cities

Jaw dropping

Love her looks...and now I love her home....it's for sale too only $3.75mil....pocket change

I want to live here!

Dinner is served

When the clock reads 7:00pm, that's about the time that I normally have voices, big and small, asking "what are we having for dinner?". I typically love to cook, and try to do so most nights, but there are just some nights when it's too much....long day at work, coupled with traffic on the highway, makes for a cranky "lady of the house", so I tend to either choose from my two "outs" take out or go out. It's typically an easy win - something for everyone, coloring for the kids and, ...wine....for Darren and I, of course.


Those are the easy nights....

The nights when I put on my June Clever hat and whip something up in the kitchen are the "toughies". My go-to meals that everyone likes are pasta, and....wait... that's it...pasta....that's all EVERYONE can agree on.

Darren and I have a pretty extensive pallet and I must say, so does Addy, the 5 year old, but Morgan on the other hand....if it aint fried or wallowing in butter, it's not gonna work. So what I do, to save time...and my mind is.... make pasta.

I get the whole wheat pasta, which once in sauce or butter, you typically wouldn't know is whole wheat, and then I steam some veggies - I'll toss some in sauce for the girls and then I'll toss some olive oil and veggies with some hot pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese for Darren and me. It sounds boring but it will save you from pulling out your hair! Other good family friendly dinners include, grilled cheese (you can add fun things like caramelized onions and tomatoes to the adult versions) or breakfast for dinner!

Here are some other great meals that you can prepare when you are willing to go the extra mile:
for kids
do it yourself pizza
and for dessert

Here's a fun pic of my cousin Ali and the two girlies making homemade pasta in my kitchen...fun day and amazing food!

Staying trendy at (gulp) 30

I know, I know....30 isn't old - not even close, nor do I feel old but I'll admit I all of a sudden feel silly walking into Abercrombie and Fitch or American Eagle. I shouldn't but when I'm standing next to high school girls who are looking for size 00 cut off shorts, I tend to think, hmmm...maybe I don't "fit in" here. I am a "professional" so I need to look the part during the day, in front of clients but I still want to be "edgy" and "cool" and "fashionable", but how do I look like that without looking "silly"?

Some of the best places to shop in store and/or online are listed below - all of which provide you with the look that you need and a look that's reasonable in price.
http://www.hm.com/us/
http://us.asos.com/?hrd=1
http://www.zara.com/
http://www.jcrew.com/factory.jsp
http://www.makemechic.com/

I'll post some of my "looks" from time to time to show you how I handle combining the agency edge that I am supposed to have yet maintaining my professionalism....(insert laugh here)

The Lo Down

Welcome! Before I start blogging to you all, let me introduce myself. I'm a 30 year old "girl" (I can't bring myself to take on the role of "woman" yet cause I feel like I'm still learning things). I am recently married and and obviously became a "wife" but at the same time, I became a "step-mom" - all these titles that I have taken on are exciting and new and all a great experience but of course I'd be lying if I said it's always fairies and pixie dust... I, like most of you, face many struggles on a daily basis - but at the end of the day, we can laugh about some of them, if not all of them (hopefully).

That's what this blog is meant to do - share, laugh at each other, talk about things going on in life, things I like, what I hot, what I cook, tricks that help me stay "on the ball", etc. Now, by no means am I saying that I am an expert...but I'm another voice out there who's willing to share and another set of ears that's willing to listen. So now, to put some faces with the names, here's a pic of me and my little family (my husband Darren, the oldest is Morgan and the little one with the curls is Addy)

Hope you all enjoy and please - keep the lines of communication open - I love to hear what's going on outside of my little world!