Kelly Ripa's Dress From Intermix

I think Kelly Ripa is cute as a bug. I want to feed her some good Southern food to give her some curves, but I admire how dedicated she is to fitness. 


I love watching Kelly's "Fashion Finder" series on the "Regis and Kelly" website. She does a quick segment after the show, where she highlights her outfit of the day. Kelly had on an adorable dress this past Wednesday, so I rushed to look on "Fashion Finder" to find out the designer. Here's the segment (you'll have to scroll to Wednesday, January 26 to see it.) 


Turns out this is an exclusive dress for Intermix, and it isn't cheap--$238. But if you sign up for their emails, they'll send you an automatic 15% off your first order. That brings the price down to $202.30. 


You can't really tell by the picture, but you get a real feel of the fabric's flowiness on Kelly's video. I think it's such a versatile dress and is perfect for all seasons.

Intermix Exclusive Side Draped Party Dress

On this episode, Kelly also wears the infamous green Jennifer Miller earrings seen on Kyle of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills".  It's a total fashion trend "two-fer"!

BTW, I checked out the Fogal brand tights Kelly mentions. Um, hello. $66 for a pair of tights? No flippin' way. I already choke on my uvula and get an eye twitch when I fork out money for Spanx tights.

Texting and Driving

I've done it. We've all done it. We've read, sent, or typed a text while driving. How many times have you been at a red light when it turns green, and the person in front of you is in "zombie mode" texting & and you have to honk your horn for them to go? How many times have you been texting and slammed on your brakes in the nick of time before you rear end the car in front of you? I have no judgment, because in the many years I've had my cellphone.....I've done it too.

This video is eye-opening and heart breaking. It's not the gruesome one that was shown a few years back. It's true stories of people whose lives were changed because of texting.

Please take a few minutes to watch this video. And most of all, please don't text while driving.

My prayers and thoughts go out to all the people in the video, especially the families that are living with the loss of a loved one.

Things I'm Loving Right Now

I'd love to share with you a few items I've discovered in the last month. 

Philosophy "Amazing Grace" Body Butter

I bought this at Sephora. It smells so clean and even though it's extremely moisturizing, it doesn't feel greasy.

These are individual pads (think Stridex acne pads) that contain alpha, beta, and gamma acids along with peptides and vitamins.   You wash your face, and swipe the pad all over your face and neck. After a minute or ten (I have resilient skin), you simply rinse. 

This isn't a miracle product, but I love how convenient and quick these are. I noticed that my pores are cleaner & my overall skin texture is smoother.

 &

John Masters Organics Shampoo and Conditioner

I have been experiencing hair loss pretty badly the past five years. So much so, that I'm now regularly using a Rogaine/Latisse combination daily. I also take biotin and multivitamins along with silica and other supplements.

Hair loss, especially for women, is utterly devastating. It's not supposed to happen to us! In addition to the mentioned treatments, I've been doing a lot of reading on hair loss, its causes, and ways to prevent it.

One of the interesting things I recently read is how a hairdresser noticed the amount of hair loss she had been seeing in women in the past 10 years. After doing years of research with medical professionals and scientists, she saw a direct correlation between sulfates in shampoo and hair loss. Here's the article. Check out that website. It's very informative. 

Not all sulfate-free shampoos are created equal though. I utterly HATE  Pureology shampoo. I know a lot of you love it, but for my hair, the pH is off. That's why my hair looks like a wad of straw when I use it. Then I have to use 2 gallons of conditioner to get it to detangle. Then it's flat. Major fail.

The thing I love about John Masters' brand is that he's done extensive testing on the pH of all his hair products. After washing/conditioning my hair with the above products, my hair feels clean, strong, & silky.

I've also noticed that I'm not getting GOBS of hair in my hands when I wash it. 

Do any of you use sulfate-free shampoo? Are you using it to protect your color or highlights or for other reasons? Just curious.

What new products are you loving?

Flowers For Spring

With all the snow we've had lately, I've been trolling all the spring fashion that is popping up online. I've noticed that designers are presenting every type of floral print imaginable. There's sweet florals on silk chiffon tops, and bold, abstract botanicals sprawled across edgy dresses.

Sure, the floral print trend is nothing new for spring. We see it every year. But I'm super excited to see all the different interpretations. Here are a few pieces that I'm diggin'.

Loft Waterfall Floral Twist Neck Shell

Forever 21 Vibrant Floral Cardigan

Thread Social Dress from Shop Bop

Forever 21 "Ditsy Rose" Slingback Heels

Lilly Pulitzer Floral Tunic Dress

Escada Rassi Floral Pleated Skirt

Asos Floral Aviator Sunglasses

How do you feel about floral prints? Too girly or just right?

Swiss Almond Chicken Salad

This is a recipe that I've been making for quite a few years now. The combination of flavors in this chicken salad recipe is complex and unique. You get the creaminess of the Swiss cheese combined with the hint of almond and the sweetness of the grapes.

We love to eat Swiss Almond Chicken Salad on Earth Grains brand "Honey Wheat Berry" bread or open-faced on a bagel.  This would be a lovely recipe to serve in butter lettuce cups for a brunch or ladies' luncheon.

As with any "salad" recipe, not all measurements are precise. If you feel like it needs more moisture, add a dollop more of mayo.

Swiss Almond Chicken Salad

*This makes a pretty big batch. We like to eat it for a few days;-)

Ingredients:

• (2) whole rotisserie chickens-using the breasts, skin removed & chopped or shredded
• (3) stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup sweet purple grapes, chopped
• 1 slice of mild Swiss cheese, chopped or run through the food processor
• 1/2 cup salted almonds, run through food processor- ( I also like to toast unsalted almonds for a nuttier taste, then just add a tad more salt later)
• 3/4 cup to 1 cup of Mayo 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Bread or lettuce for serving

Directions: 

• In a large bowl, add chopped chicken breasts.
• Add celery, green onions, and grapes.
• Lightly blend together.
• Add swiss cheese and almonds.

• Next add mayo.
• With a spoon or plastic spatula, blend all ingredients together.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. 
• Serve on your choice of bread, bagel, or lettuce cup.

Enjoy!

It's In The Bag

Hi Friends!
I'm part of a fabulous Blog Crawl organized by Ashley over at "A Hasty Life". We're all showing what's in our handbags. I absolutely love seeing what everyone has in their purses. Anytime I see a magazine article showing the contents of a makeup bag or purse, I'm all over it. 

First up.....this my handbag. It's a Louis Vuitton Epi Leather "Speedy 30".  This is a versatile bag, and especially great for moms. You can just wipe it off and it holds A LOT.

Nothing exciting in here, but it looks like I squirrel away some food as a hobby. HA.

#1- This is a "Milly-like" cosmetic bag from the Sonia Kashuk line at Target. Love this pattern.

#2- Laura Mercier Secret Camoflauge Concealer in SC-3. My favorite concealer of all time. I've been using this product for almost 10 years.

#3- I talk about this lipgloss all the time. It's Loreal Infallible Plumping Lipgloss in #806-Plumped Tawny. My favorite color is "Sunset". 

#4-Sephora Mineral Compact in #25 Medium. Great compact to throw in your purse. I love the fact that it doesn't have fragrance, parabens, allergens, oil, or talc. 

#5- Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme- very emollient and smells yummy.

Tom Ford 'Raquel' Cutout Sunglasses

Tom Ford makes the best shades. I have a fat head & most sunglasses squeeze the living daylights out of me. Not these!

I saw the "Whitney" style a few years ago and fell in love with the cutout sides. 

I bought these 'Raquel" style sunnies new on Ebay. Chil' you know I ain't about to spend 395 dollas on a pair of sunglasses! 

This is the "business center" of my purse.

#1- iPhone 4 with a pink Otterbox cover. 

#2- I really need a new wallet. I've had this one a while. I think I bought it at one of those home parties. Eep.

#3- Educational Symposium pen that I snagged from my husband.

#4- Paper and pen.

Yes, I have a Ziploc with food in my purse. At.all.times.always.and forever.

I feel that if you're committed to eating well, you need to have a back up plan. This is my backup plan. It's so much easier for me to NOT eat a candy bar if I can reach in my purse and have a chocolate Luna bar.

#1- Emerald brand Trail Mix-Breakfast Blend

#2- Slimquick- Appetite Control Powder Dietary Supplement in Pink Lemonade flavor

Just add a packet to water & drink. 

These are great for when you want to gnaw your arm off, but you don't have time for a meal. For your daily values, each packet has 20% fiber and 10% protein. They also have prebiotics.

#3- Luna "Nutz Over Chocolate" bar

#4- Sugar in the Raw packets- I like to have these for coffee and lemon tea.

#5- Crystal Light lemonade powder. These help jazz up bottled water.

#6- Snickers Marathon protein bar

#7- Planters "Nutrition" mixed nut packet

Here's the "Health and Wellness" center of my purse.

#1- HandClens Foaming Hand Sanitizer-I have kids. Enough said.

#2- Zenergize- Super-V Super Fruits + Vitamin Boost

Acai & Pomegranate flavor

Another one of my kooky water bottle additives. hehe 

These little effervescence tablets dissolve in 12-16 oz of water, and are packed with tons of vitamins & antioxidants.

#3- Emergen-C 1,000 mg Vitamin C Drink mix. It's that time of year. 

#4- Trident White gum- I like to chew this after meals. 

#5- Treximet- my newest migraine medication.

So that's it lovelies!

 Be sure to check out Purses, Pastries, etc. and tomorrow, Trying Our Best will share what's in her bag! 

For more glimpses inside other handbags, here's the "It's in the Bag" schedule.

Celebrity Spotlight- Michelle Williams

From her early days on "Dawson's Creek" to her raw and compelling role in "Blue Valentine", I've loved seeing Michelle Williams' style evolve over the years. She never appears to take her celebrity status too seriously, and her sense of style proves this. Here are a few of my favorite looks:

This is my favorite all-time look. Love her Vera Wang dress!

Smoked Salmon Mini Pizzas

This is a recipe that I adapted from Food Network's show "Giada at Home". Giada made a lovely sunset brunch with Smoked Salmon Pizzettes (mini pizzas), Eggs Florentine, and Raspberry Filled Crepes. The whole meal looked amazing and I decided to try her Smoked Salmon Pizzettes. These are absolutely DELICIOUS. Things I changed---I used less capers & used a pizza crust mix.

Smoked Salmon Mini Pizzas

Ingredients:

• (1) 6.5 oz. package of pizza crust mix
• flour for dusting work surface
• olive oil for drizzling
• 1/4 cup Mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1.5 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped and dried on paper towels
• 2 oz. smoked salmon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped chives

Directions: 

• Place oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Mix pizza dough mix according to package directions. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 5 minutes or the amount of time stated on package.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a 1/4 inch thick round.
• Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles from the pizza dough. You should get approximately 14-15 circles.
• Arrange the circles on a heavy baking sheet.
• Prick the circles all over with the tines of a fork.
• Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

• Place in oven and bake until golden brown, 7-10 minutes.

• Remove from oven and cool.
• In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, marscarpone cheese, and capers until smooth.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon about 1/2 -1 teaspoon of mascrcapone mixture into the center of each pastry round.
• Top with a piece of salmon and press gently.
• Arrange the pizzas on a platter or  wooden pizza paddle.
• Sprinkle with chopped chives just before serving.

These mini pizzas are delish and I love the colors. I made raspberry crepes with Chambord whipped cream and fluffy scrambled eggs with chives to go with these. SO yummy!

Winter Boots

This morning as I threw on my old Uggs to let the dog out, I realized I needed some better waterproof boots. Here's a few pairs of boots I've been eying.

This is the Ugg "Belcloud" boots. I spotted these on a girl at the nail salon, and asked her where she bought them.  She told me she had gotten them at Nordstrom, but they were sold out everywhere. *Sigh*. After contemplating tackling her & taking them for my own, I decided I could find them. 'Cause y'all know I'm the queen of finding "stuff".

That night I got home and did multiple searches. No luck. But after 2 weeks, I can say that I found them, they're ordered, and fingers crossed, they'll work. Just call me the "Boot Stalka".

Burberry Check Rain Boot

LOVE. That.is.all.

Sorel "Joan of Arctic" Boots

My friend Danielle, who has the wonderful style blog "Just Dandy", got these for Christmas and I love them. Here's her post about them. How fun would these be with skinny jeans and an oversized cable sweater?

Michael Kors Women's Brandy Snow Boot

I'm a sucker for classic styles, particularly when it comes to boots. These snow boots by Michael Kors are super stylish with their fold-over faux fur shaft (try saying that fast 3 times).

****These boots are at Dillard's for half price. 

Sporty Rain boot in orange

I like these boots because they can give your outfit color without shouting "Hello fellow onlookers. I'm in my 30's, and I still like to wear rain boots with ducks on them."

You can find these at Target, and don't forget the liners. 

Hope everyone is staying warm and safe!