Go-To Salad

When cooking a meal, I try to always have a green veggie with whatever is being served. I am a huge salad fan and would be happy eating one every day for the rest of my life. Recently I have added a lot of new salads to my collection, but this is one of my all-time favorites and my go-to salad.

Twisted Greek Salad

Ingredients:

1 head of iceberg lettuce

1/2 purple onion

2-3 tomatoes

3 Tbsp. capers

feta cheese

croutons

Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning

olive oil

apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Chop the lettuce, onion and tomatoes and place them in a bowl. Add the capers. Add the desired amount of feta and croutons on top. Sprinkle with Greek seasoning, as you would salt and pepper. Toss with olive oil and apple cider vinegar.

* Depending how much you like of each in your salad, you can adjust the amount of veggies and capers that are used.

Monogram Love: Wedding/Shower Gifts

A true southern girl, I simply adore all things monogrammed. From embossed envelopes, to pillows on a bed, to luggage sets the monogram adds a personal touch to a seemingly ordinary every-day object.

Adding a personal touch of a monogram to a wedding or party makes it more special for the people/person being honored. Wedding are a perfect time to utilize the use of monograms. For my wedding, I chose to use an "H" for our last name on the wedding programs. Also, a large "H" was made and hung at our reception.

I know that when I was a new bride, it warmed my heart to receive gifts that had my new monogram on them. Shower gifts are the perfect excuse to get something monogrammed for an upcoming bride. When decorating for a new home as husband and wife, guest towels add an extra special touch to a bathroom. These salmon towels are beautiful.

One use of a monogram that I have recently fallen in love with, is a monogram on the front door. Most people wouldn't think of taking a front door wreath to a shower, but this takes it to a whole different level. Southern Proper Monograms has lovely ones that can be hung alone or with a wreath.

I saw these vases on a friend's blog and immediately wanted to purchase one for a couple whose wedding I recently attended.

Extra-large candles with a monogram are also one of my favorite monogrammed items right now. There are lots of them on Etsy, but this is one of my top picks.

Any type of monogrammed bucket can be put to good use in a variety of ways. Use it for drinks at a party, for rolled up towels in the bathroom or for magazines in the living room. There is always the classic silver bucket, but this burlap bucket is a wonderful steal for a much cheaper price and is sure to be thoroughly enjoyed just as much.

What are some of your favorite ways to use monograms? Have you received or given a special gift with initials to add a personal touch?

The Weekend

It was extremely nice to be home and sleep in my own bed last night. After three days on the road there is no better feeling than being able to relax back at your own house. It occurred to me on Saturday morning that I had been in five states in 24 hours-Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. For those of you who missed my last mule post (yes, the four-legged creatures), my mom, Bryan and I headed to Kentucky this past weekend to pick up the mules from their Amish trainers. I am pleased to say that the trip was completely uneventful as far disasters go.

Did you know there was such a thing as a horse motel? Seriously, apparently there are corrals all over the country where you can stable your horse for the night if traveling. I quickly dubbed the one we used on Saturday a mule motel. It worked out perfectly to stay at Bryan's parents' house, which was only about 20 minutes away.

We finally made it back to my parents' house mid-afternoon yesterday. All of the mules were glad to be out of the trailer and home in their own pasture. Of course Bryan had to saddle up Gus and go for a ride. And yes, even I hopped on him to ride around the front yard. (I still shake my head and wonder why we own mules.)

While in the front yard I found this lovely welcome home present. Looks like someone was drunk driving on the back roads over the weekend.

I wanted to get more pictures along the way, but it just didn't happen. The Amish do not allow picture or videos of themselves. There were the cutest little kids running around and kicking the fire out of horses they rode, which were about 15 times their size. One of the men fixed a broken wagon wheel and we saw quite a few of them in buggies going down the road. It is a completely different world than the one we live in daily. I find it fascinating to learn about the way other people live and the whole mule-training process gave me some insight into a lifestyle I was quite unfamiliar with. I am glad to be home and the mules are glad to be home, so we are all a big happy family. 

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I found these pictures saved on my computer and thought you might get a little laugh out of them. I know the two that I am in were taken three years ago. I'm not sure about the one with my dad. It's a cute close-up.

As you can tell, as much as I like putting on my stilettos and silk dresses, I am a country girl at heart who likes to sip sweet tea on the front porch. Don't tell anyone the silk thermal underwear I slip on in the mornings is pink. :)

5 Randoms

1. Sister sent me this earlier in the week. I refrained from showing you our profanities reaction to a grocery section for souther cuisine, as if it's a foreign food.

2. I have become a top-knot wearer. All the time. This was a good day.

3. On Thursday the weather was due to hit 77*, but I think it was actually warmer. Going into the post office I saw a lady wearing white jeans and wedged cork sandals. There are many things seriously wrong with that in February.

4. I have found the perfect white lace blouse for spring at Anthropologie

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5. I feel like a ghost. Pulling off the wintery layers, donning spring attire and showing a little more skin does not make me happy right now. I have refrained from tanning beds and used self-tanners, but I still feel pasty-pale and yuck. Anyone else having this feeling?

Poor thing, she doesn't like being pale either. :)

Friday's Fancies: Oscar Outfit

This week has flown by for me. Being gone last Thursday through this past Tuesday makes the week short with only three days at home. Today we are off to Kentucky. It should be an interesting trip with a few stories to come back and tell. Hopefully we will be back in time to watch the 84th Academy Awards show on Sunday night. I always like getting to see who who takes a little man home to put on a shelf.

Friday's Fancies is all about Hollywood Glam today. What fun to pick out an outfit for the Oscars! Be sure to check some of the amazing blogs that link up with Alison at Long Distance Loving.

When it comes to being in the spotlight, I think some of the best dressed women are the ones who have a classically regal Hollywood look.

Dress: The one and only Oscar de la Renta. The one-shoulder is sexy, yet modest and the color brings out the green in my eyes.

Shoes: Miu Miu gold heels are not shockingly bold, but add a bit of fun to the outfit with their glitter.

Clutch: Not wanting to take a way from the dress or shoes, the Anya Hindmarch glitter clutch matches the shimmer in the shoes.  

Jewelry: I chose gold elegant gold jewelry and earrings with a pop of pink in them. The bracelet with the fringe drapes around the wrist, so I'm not sure what both together would actually look like.  

Hair: The hair needs to be pulled back and in a bun. This one is a little bit more modern, with a fun twist.

Makeup: A pretty pop of pink on the lips with the eyes being the focal point add the nice finishing touch to the whole look.

What do you think? I'm not one to make any bold or daring moves on the red carpet. Throughout the years, Catherine Zeta-Jones has been one of my favorites when it comes to glamming it up. I think she is a true beauty. That's all I've got for you today, lovelies. Have a great weekend!

Color Run

This week's posts have all been about color! It was not planned that way, but just sort of happened along the way. I spied one of the coolest races that I have ever heard about. I am completely bummed that I missed the closest one (in Dallas) this past weekend. But, be sure to check out the Color Run website to see if there will be one near you this year.

It is a 5k race, but more like a run than an actual race. It is all about getting out and having fun with your family or friends while running. Each leg of the run is a different color. Literally, you get color thrown on you while you are running. Nothing about it is harmful in any way, the site states, except that you might get in trouble for having too much fun. I think this is a wonderfully creative idea to get people out to exercise.

Just the music in this video makes me want to participate!



How have your work-outs been going lately? My run on Monday was painful. I'm talking miserable every single step of the way. Sometimes it just happens and you have to push on through it.

Here are a few helpful tips to help you out this week.

I have not tried this smoothie yet, but the ingredients are on my grocery list to pick up next time I go to the store. It sounds so yummy to me.

Pineapple Mango Green Smoothie

1 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
1/2 banana, frozen
1 cup chopped mango
1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup of ice

Blend together and enjoy!

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Tibi: Rawwrrr

These pictures confirm my need for this print to hang in my closet.

I have a few Tibi items that I need to be gone from my closet in order to make room for new ones. :) Instead of posting all of them, I am going to email pictures out to those who are really interested. Leave a comment with your email or email me at sweetteaandstilettos at gmail.com if you are interested.

Pretty Pastels

Did you know that it is not officially spring until March 20th? (Em, I think this means that you are technically a winter baby.) Oh my goodness, but this past winter has been so warm that I am already spoiled by the warm weather we have been having...all.winter.long. Seriously, I think we have had only two really cold spells. Last week one day there was snow on the ground, and two days later I was outside running in shorts. Insane.

 

Yes, I posted yesterday about all of the brightly colored jeans that we are seeing everywhere. As popular as brights are, pastels are equally as popular. As long as you're seeing color, it's definitely "in" right now. I have not participated in Semi-Wordless Wednesday in a while, thus I'm posting lovely pictures today.

Everything about this outfit makes me giddy with delight anticipating the upcoming season. Come on, spring!

All images via.

Show Me Some Color

I just can't get enough of all the many colors of jeans for spring. Brights or pastels, both are a-ok in my book. Right now I'm debating over the fit of some bright pink ones that arrived last week. Of course, pink would be my first purchase! Mint is another color that I am searching to add to my colored collection. Ohh, and don't forget the lovely coral. She'll be hiding in there somewhere, too.

I'm still liking the ad that Joe's Jeans first used last fall announcing their 55 colors of jeans. There are so many options!

What are your favorite colors?

New Collaborations

Happy Monday, lovelies! I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful weekend. After the cold and rain, the sun is shining today! Bryan and I spent the weekend out of town at his parents' house. He went to a sportsman's banquet and I helped his mom with rehearsal dinner plans. (His brother is getting married in June.)

Have you all seen the new collaborations that are taking place right now? Some of my favorite designers have really cute lines coming out soon. First let's talk Diane Von Furstenberg. She and Gap have a collection coming out March 15th. Hello, cuteness!

 

Next, Marni has a collection coming out at H&M. Have you seen these pictures yet? I have to say that I'm pretty impressed. I like the patterns and the way they have been styled. March 8th is when the clothing is available in stores. Click here to view the whole collection.

Eek, and I'm so excited about this one! Milly and Sperry have teamed up together. Coming from a sailing family, these are the perfect touch to wear while out boating for the day. Ok, maybe not the heels, but the coral canvas ones are just what I need to wear on the water. Click here for the full collection.

What are your thoughts on all of these collaborations? What will you consider or definitely stay away from? I think it is wonderful that designers we all love, but maybe cannot afford, have teamed up to make their brand affordable through different outlets.

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