Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Jewelry

 

Sometimes we need to see a few pretties...

 

 

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Healthy Lunch

Recently I have gotten into a very bad habit of eating whatever can be scrounged up from the fridge for my lunches each day. Leftovers from the night before usually go with Bryan to work, but sometimes they are frozen or I eat them, too. Eating better lunches was not one of my goals that I listed yesterday, but it is something that I have become very mindful of recently.

A list was made before I went to the store earlier this week, with specific ingredients for healthy lunches for myself. Anything that is sour, tangy or salty makes me start to drool. Lemon was in my favorite lunch of the week, and it was oh so yumm-o! I grilled chicken to add to my salad, but it is not necessary.

Golden Chickpea and Artichoke Salad

+ Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (15 oz.) can chick peas, drained and rinsed well

5 to 7 artichoke hearts (1 can), drained and sliced lengthwise

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted if desired

1 teaspoon lemon juice  (I used a whole lemon)

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (I used 1 teaspoon dried)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a seasoned wok or cast-iron skillet. Add the chickpeas and cook on medium-high for 10 minutes, stirring only occasionally to prevent burning, until the chickpeas are golden brown all over. When done, put them in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

2. Add more oil to the pan and cook the sliced artichoke hearts until browned. Add them to the bowl of chickpeas.

3. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet (if desired) and then grind them in a food processor. Add the almonds to the artichokes and chickpeas. Season the salad with lemon juice and salt and stir in the chopped parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

*This served two people for lunch, but could serve more if used as a side dish.

*I grilled chicken and added a large, cut up breast to the bowl and tossed it in the seasonings.

..........

For a while now, my eyes have been set on a Michael Kors watch. It was on my Christmas list, and fortunately I got enough money to pick out the watch of my choice. After searching online and two different cities, I had just about given up hope of finding a smaller-sized gold one in stock anywhere. Much to my delight, my mother sent me a text earlier this week showing this little baby that she picked up for me in just the size I have wanted!

It had to be classic enough to wear alone or be stacked--that was one of my requirements. What do you think about it? I can hardly wait to slip it on my wrist and stack it with pretty baubbles.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

My (Birth) Day

Thank you all very much for the sweet notes, calls and texts that you sent yesterday. I had a wonderful birthday! I spent the day doing one of my favorite things, decorating for Christmas in my pajamas. About 11:00 am I got dressed and ran a few errands to grab things I realized I needed for decorating. The house is far from complete, but I did get a good amount accomplished. While running errands, I couldn't help but swing through Starbucks and purchase a birthday cake pop--of course it was pink!

My mom got stuck out of town due to weather, but we had celebrated with dinner last Wednesday, so I wasn't terribly bummed. Bryan left work a little early and surprised me with five kinds of chocolate and wine. He knows how to treat a birthday girl right! We also celebrated my birthday in Stuttgart with his family last Friday night. My gifts from him were a sewing machine and serger. I mentioned many months ago that I would really like to learn how to sew and own a sewing machine at some point. Little did I know that I would be teaching myself this winter! I know these might not be thrilling gifts to a lot of people, but I am extremely excited just thinking about all of the the creations I can produce!

Bryan and I went to IronWood Grill with a small group of friends, where I had a wedding cake martini and salmon with mango salsa. I asked the waitress for a fun drink and wondered if I could get a birthday martini instead of a wedding cake martini. Her blank stare and quick no would have been much better received had she just made up something and said yes. Can't a girl want to be festive?

I racked up on jewels, with my mom giving me a monogrammed West Avenue necklace from Max & Chloe and Dr. Ash giving me a sparkly rhinestone necklace. Love them both!

Bryan snapped this picture of me while I was getting out my lip gloss before we left for dinner. It is really the only good picture of the dress I purchased from Sosie.

That's all I've got for ya, so have a Happy Hump Day!

Bling Bling

Diamonds are obviously a girl's best friend, but rhinestones (crystals) follow pretty close in line. Sure, they aren't the real thing, but they do pack a mean punch on the side of gitz and glamour. Wear them in a simple strand or pile them on and go with the idea of "the more the merrier". My friend, Jax, is the queen of fantastic jewelry. I love scouring though her jewelry to see what treasures I can find. At the last Razorback game I didn't need a necklace, but I did manage to grab a few and stack them on Dr. Ash. A touch of bling here or there never hurt a gal!

They are sort of hard to see, but on the left side of the dresser are some beautiful rhinestone necklaces. Quite frankly, I just wanted you to see this beautiful picture.

Twinkle, twinkle jewelry of mine...(I wish)

See, all girls like some sparkle!

Banana Republic and J. Crew always seem to have classic pieces of jewelry that you can wear regardless of the current trend.

Classic Pave Link Bracelet

Sparkle Figure Eight Necklace

Crystal Venus Flytrap Necklace

Natalie Bracelet

Garden Pebbles Bracelet

Lady Necklace

Have you spied any that you cannot live without? I am seeing beauties like these everywhere I look--from TJMaxx to Saks, they're all around us. They are guaranteed to make the holidays even more festive!  

My Friend The Man Repeller

Leandra Medine aka The Man Repeller burst onto the fashion scene with such gusto that everyone was instantly drawn to the method of her madness. She has quickly transformed into a fashion icon and has loyal followers world-wide. If you are totally lost and do not have a clue about who I am talking about I highly suggest you check out The Man Repeller site and get in the know. There are multiple ways to follow this leading lady, her Tumblr being one of them, but I keep up to date with her the most on Instagram. Have I mentioned yet that we are bff's now? Ok, so maybe not that close, but we chat. Alright, we've had one exchange...but how stinkin' cool is that? The Man Repeller talked to me!

Pretty cool, huh?!? We're totes friends now. I looked up the Mr. Kate website and found some jewelry that is now on my birthday list. I think the bracelets are perfect for a stunning eye party. 

 I know we all could spend hours on Pinterest, so I pulled up a few of my favorite Man Repeller photos from there. Enjoy!