Down to the Wire, and a Belated Tuesday Tuneday: Autumn Leaves

I know, I know. I’ve been a bad little blogger this week.

With the move on Friday (OMG!) I have been legitimately losing my mind. Also, note to self: do not schedule a long weekend trip to Atlantic City the weeks before you move (or ever, for that matter…3 days is two too long…). I haven’t slept more than 4 hours in a night since last Thursday and even as I sit “calmly” in my cubicle trying to cram a week’s worth of work into 2.5 days (dumb, Carolyn, dumb), my heart is racing and my head is nowhere else but “You forgot to pack up the shit under your bed” and “How the hell do you plan on getting that 150-bottle nail polish collection into packaging?”.

The only things pulling me through right now are:

1.      There was a decidedly autumnal chill in the air this morning, and my iPod seemed to know it. She and I have this sort of telepathy thing going – and even though she was shuffling through 25K songs (yes, I’m serious), I got to hear 3 of my go-to fall songs and I think I am officially ready to let summer go.

2.     After two more nights, I will be sleeping in a bed with my best friend in the entire world. I’ll be putting on my makeup in OUR apartment every morning. I won’t be packing up a bag 3-4 nights a week and trying to figure out how to fit in my grocery shopping and gym sessions around our nights together. I’ll be cooking with my best friend every night. I’ll be lounging with him watching How I Met Your Mother on OUR couch. I’ll be waking up every morning in OUR bed (which, sadly for my 6’ 3” bestie, is still a queen). And I’ll be doing this forever. I realize that’s something that most people say when they get married, but for us – this is decidedly it (no, really, we had a conversation to decide it). Neither of us has ever imagined living with more than one person, ever – and I can’t bear the thought of splitting furniture and pots and lamps and the age-old “album collection” (all of the vinyl is mine, thank ya very much) in addition to a heart-wrenching breakup. We knew we were ready when we knew that this was IT. For good. This should give me at least a tinge of anxiety, but the boxes barricading my kitchen and the 3 rolls of packing tape I’ve killed already aren’t allowing for it yet – only room for excitement. Check back with me at week 2 when I’m already stuck doing all of his laundry…

Both are equally keeping me afloat. If that doesn’t give you an insight into how much I love autumn, I don’t know what will.

And with that said, I know I missed Tuesday Tuneday – but how about a Wednesday Whistleday (cause there’s Andrew Bird on the playlist – get it? No? Sounds like you need to listen to more Andrew Bird)?

These are the songs that always, always, always make me feel the first chill down to my bones and bring back images of the trees turning along the roads I drove every day and the fallen ones swirling around my car. And picking apples at home and the smell of nutmeg when they’re baking. And above all else, absolutely everything pumpkin-flavored. All while wearing these comfy buggers below:

How good is that tortoise ring?!

Juvenile Schmuvenile

A very mature title for a very mature post.

As the move-in date gets closer and closer, I have (almost) abandoned my clothes shopping fetish (sorry, fall collections) for all things interiors. And while looking at lovely rugs, couches, lamps, mirror...you name it - is exciting and I have 893405689340 different plans for our new place in my head, the reality is: furniture/decor is more expensive AND more permanent than a pair of heels (for me, anyway).

So I'm being forced to make more thought-through and carefully planned decisions about the our soon-to-be home, many of which unfortunately revolve around my (sad) financial situation. The absolutely #1 on my list for the new place is a rug. The one in my current apartment is not only not mine, but it is high-pile and therefore perpetually disgusting, no matter how much vacuuming I do.

I've been lusting after Jill Rosenwald rugs for MONTHS now, but they are pricey, even when they're on sale. I just know that I need a low-pile or dhurrie to complete a few of our (all hardwood) rooms, but purchasing multiples is out of the question.

Enter Land of Nod. Yes, it's a children's decor store. Am I embarassed? You tell me if I should be after you see these prices.

I mean, right? The rugs are gorgeous - and of course I stumbled upon equally amazing accents like that nautical curtain panel and adorable finial. They'd be perfect with that navy chevron rug in the nautically-inspired office I've created in my head (to appease the male half of my living situation). Don't even get me started on that gold hex lamp. $69, bam. I've paid more for lamps at Target.

So tell me: are there really children out there with impeccable taste? Or did is this an amazing hidden gem for adult accents? 

...or am I an 8 year old stuck in a 26 year old's body trying to decorate a Boston apartment? Really, judge me. I need it.

Suburban Sundays

There’s really nothing quite like spending time on a farm on a hot summer day – especially when it gets you back to the town you grew up in for 20 years.

The weather finally cooperated with my month-long plans to go peach picking this past Sunday (shout out to the rain on Saturday that forced me to start packing up my apartment for the impending move!), and I dragged the boy out into the hot summer heat to pick us some peaches (and raspberries – couldn’t resist).

Crazy plums!

Holding my bags & iced coffee - he's pretty great, huh?

As much as I love living in the city, I never feel quite as relaxed when I spend my weekends walking city streets, or even on my beloved Southie beach. The hum of AC units, shrill and unexpected horns, and the dull roar of cars rolling by, always, doesn’t bother me at all during my day-to-day; I don’t even realize it’s there until I’m standing in the middle of a field, and the hum I’m hearing comes from bees circling bushes and crickets in tall grass. 

I’ll always miss that as long as I’m living in Boston, and for it making me even more grateful for suburban summer afternoons.

Tuesday Tuneday: Fancay Schmancay

It's official: I've got the AC bug.

The boy and I are headed off on Friday for a much needed long weekend in Ocean City, NJ at a good friend’s summer home. I am beyond excited to soak up the sun, cruise the boardwalk, maybe invest in a few bro tanks (my YEAH BUDDY one from last year has fallen off trend…tear).

We will also be making the very short journey to Atlantic City for dinner at Amada in the Revel hotel. I am not a big gambler and have never been to AC. I guess unsurprisingly, I have also never been to Vegas. 

pretty swankster, no?

As a perpetual, somewhat intentional over-dresser who loves nothing more than throwing on heels and lipstick for a weekend dinner out (which is sadly borderline “too much” in Boston), I am beyond excited for the rare opportunity to go all out (and dare I say, a little slutty?) for our Sunday night dinner. 

There’s nothing better than a perfect dinner ambiance, and for me, that almost always means music. Here’s what I’d want to hear whilst sipping a swankay drank (my first dirty martini, perhaps?) in a trendy lounge in good ‘ol AC, trying to hold on to my last shred of summer…

Foxxayyy Finds for Fall

Like that alliteration in the title? Good, me too.

As much as I’m trying to avoid going full-out-fall too soon (because I will inevitably start missing summer almost immediately), there are a few trends that are making is EXTREMELY difficult. And perhaps the most irresistible of them all is: FOXES.

The adorable icon is showing up everywhere in fall lines, from tech accessories to shoes to tights (seriously – and they’re sold out!) – and I’m not complaining.

My only real complaint is that the two biggest proponents of this trend are heavy-hitters in the wallet-depreciation department: Burberry Prorsum and Tory Burch (at least 75% of this board is made up of the two iconic brands), and I really can’t justify $3,300 on a clutch, no matter HOW foxy it is.

Thankfully, smaller, on-trend retailers like ASOS and Zara are catching on, so I can hop onto this trend now with that FAB belt (only $17!) now while I pine away for those uh-mazing Tory velvet loafers, or flats...or both.

Would you rock the fox?

The Final Coutndown

The count to move-in with the boy is officially at 2 weeks as of today. I am incredibly excited but completely beyond stressed at the same time. Packing has officially started - but barely. I am making little to no progress because I just feel completely overwhelmed and don't know where to begin. Right now, I'm wishing my life looked like this:

I'd even settle for this - which is what I'm sure I'll feel like as we depart for a 3-day weekend in Ocean City, NJ - the weekend before we move (smart choice, right? Ugh.):

So what's the logical solution for this weekend? Avoid and deny? Sounds great. Remember that time I was supposed to go peach picking? Welp, it never happened (peaches are late this year, apparently - who knew that could happen when it's been so hot?). And as you can tell by just glancing at my Pinterest-ed recipes, I can't get them off my mind; they may just be the new figs!

We're off to my parents' house tomorrow morning to grab brunch at our favorite diner, drop off a few things from my place that I don't want to move myself (thanks, mom and dad!) and weather permitting, pick some fresh peaches. 

I plan to get my bake on on Sunday...while I simultaneously force myself to start packing, since it's my only full day off before the move...but I've resolved to just not think about it :).

Happy weekend!

Gettin' Lippy

This post MUST start out with this admission: I know NOTHING about lipstick. That is, I know what I don’t like – and therefore rarely, if ever, wear it.

So why would I ask you to take my advice? If you’re like me and have an unresolved hatred for lipcolor – this discovery will change your life, promise. If you’re a fanatic, well, take it or leave it – but something that can make a lipstick-hater do a 180 can’t be bad, right?

Last night at CVS, I picked up one of the new Revlon JustBitten lipstains. The whim was a combination of things – about 75% of it was how much I love how Emma Stone looks in their ads, but my color selection (Lovesick) 100% came from the blogging world. I can’t stop seeing fuchsia lips everywhere, and I had to try. I even tried 5 different shades (mostly NARS) at Sephora last week but I couldn’t justify spending $20+ on something I knew I would never wear.

Same color! I'm just that good...

So yeah, it's everywhere. Yes, it's a trend - and even though I'm not a lipstick girl, how can you resist Miss Blair?

via Atlantic-Pacific

  That's right, you can't. And then there are these lovelies:

via Glamour

via Nothing Less Than Perfect

via Marie Claire

via Riches for Rags

And of course, Alexis, my perpetual muse.

So, down to business. Why is this lipstain/balm so magical?

Homemade Pizza with Figs, Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Ricotta

Fig obsession is still in full swing; I just HAD to find another way to use them so the rest of the 9-pack I searched long and hard for last week didn’t go bad (I would have shed real tears throwing them in the trash). Answer? Pizza.

Pizza is basically the answer to all of life’s problems. Have a bunch of ingredients but you’re too lazy to find a good (likely complicated) recipe to use them in? Throw ‘em on some dough with a hefty helping of cheese and you’re set. I had basil, onions, figs, prosciutto and gorgonzola leftover from my Stella app recreation earlier in the week, so all I needed was some dough (cheated and bought it – shh), mozzarella and ricotta. True story: I recently discovered what ricotta tastes like on pizza and I will never go back. Seriously, if you haven't tried it, you have not lived.

Tuesday Tuneday: The Summer Wind Down

It may still be over 80 degrees and humid up here in Boston, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hankering a little for some cooler weather – even just a chilly breeze at night would do the trick (preferably with me on a beach wrapped up in a cozy blanket watching the sunset).

Though I am a HUGE autumn girl, I’m not ready for summer to go. I’ve noticed this shift in my mood as of late; I think it’s more of just a general winding down rather than being “over” summer – and it’s apparent in what I decide to wear every day and even moreso in the music I’m drawn to.

I’ve always been a huge music lover, but hadn’t really noticed how much the mood I feel from it also plays into what I’m wearing – or maybe it’s a recent change for me. Either way – this first edition playlist of Tuesday Tuneday (hopefully) encapsulates the slowly growing chill of summer’s end.

Autumn Handbags

I’m not a huge handbag girl. Sure, I love looking at fun, crazy, and pretty colors, patterns and shapes – but at the end of the day, I am far too lazy to change purses on the daily (or monthly…) and not adventurous (or rich) enough to go for much more than the basics. The only two bags I have used this entire summer are my Rebecca Minkoff MAC (obviously in a super neutral color) and my larger Longchamp for toting gym clothes and lunch to work.

That all said, I am going pretty crazy over some of the new shapes and colors for fall – especially the Rebecca Minkoff Desire – it’s the perfect satchel, in my mind. I can’t get enough of the studding detail – I just can’t decide on a color! Too bad it doesn’t come in green (yet?) – it will always be my favorite color, and the saturated shades for autumn are just perfection.

None of these are THAT impractical, right? 

Leather tote: ASOS Scalloped Leather Tote | Tory Burch Roslyn Tote | Tory Burch Horesbit Jaden Tote

Deep green: Longchamp Le Pliage Large in Fir | Tory Burch Lizard Small Resin Frame Bag | Kate Spade Cobble Hill Minka Crossbody

Colorblocked: Pour La Victoire Verona Colorblock Satchel | Coach Legacy Colorblock Leather Candace Carryall| Pour La Victoire Palermo Colorblocked Satchel

Studded Satchels:  Rebecca Minkoff Desire in Grey Croc | Rebecca Minkoff Desire in Mustard | Rebecca Minkoff Desire in Charcoal

Any handbags on your wishlist for fall?

Friday. Bacon.

This pretty much sums up the extent to which my brain is functioning right now. Not

Note to self: vodka sodas are NOT a Thursday cocktail. 

Happy weekend!

Figgie Fig Figs

I’m obsessed with a little fruit called a fig. It’s possible that this is being thrown into hyperdrive by the fact that the boy has been out of town all well, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking (and admittedly, dreaming) about them since my gushfest about Stella and the STELLAR (see what I did there?) appetizer I had on Saturday.

By yesterday around 3 PM, I had made the decision to take matters into my own hands after work and hunt down some figs and prosciutto. I HAD to recreate that dish if I was ever going to move on with my life. And granted, I don’t have local honey on hand and my prosciutto was store-bought, it made for a delicious solo Wednesday night dinner.

There’s no real recipe here, but this is what I used for a 1 person serving:

2 very thin slices prosciutto

2 fresh figs, stemmed and quartered

3 basil leaves, thinly sliced

4 TBSP gorgonzola crumbles

Drizzle of honey

2 TBSP drizzle Honey Ginger Vinegar (I know this place is local, but I HIGHLY recommend all of their products – post coming soon. And clearly I need to invest in the Fig balsamic, stat.)

Autumnal Feelings: The Pleated Maxi

Even though I come in at a whopping 5’3” on the giant ruler at the doctor’s office, I completely fell in love with the maxi length this summer. Over the course of the last 3 months, I have acquired 2 maxi skirts (one of which is white, semi-sheer and almost impossible to wear…but I have worn it at least 10 times) and a chevron maxi dress that I am utterly obsessed with.

They’re really the perfect go-to on those days you just don’t feel like wearing clothes (no? just me?) – the material barely touches you and if you’re walking around in the heat, there’s almost nothing better than not having a crotch seam (am I right?). But will fall around the corner, I don’t want to give them up.

This Urban Outfitters accordion pleat maxi’s telling me I don’t have to – and therefore will promptly be added to my collection once my spending freeze is over. And what better way to bring the breezy maxi into fall than top it with some saturated hues or a kitchy sweatshirt and some toughened up accessories (this is me trying not to be a little girl, once again).

Studs, skulls, snakeskin (with a hint of polkas to keep it “me”): the fall trifecta. Also, can we talk about how INSANE that Tory tortoise-frame bag is? I'll take it in all three colors, please..