Friday, February 28, 2014

Casual Friday: Lace, Denim & Snake

Texas has no clue if it wants to stay in the Polar Vortex or run for the southern border. Fortunately, the cold days in the 30s and 40s have been weekdays with the last couple of weekends in the beautiful 60s and 70s.  As such, I dress in leggings, uggs and thick layers during the week and get to pull out my cooler tees and open-toed heels for weekend dates with Mr. Fantastic.
Top: Ann Taylor; Denim: Joe's Jeans Provacateur; Purse: Rebecca Minkoff Amour (all old)
Sunglasses: Balenciaga (current); Earrings: c/o Tacori
Bracelets L-R, T-B: eBay (gift from husband), Fossil, Blue Nile (all old)
Heels: Diane Von Furstenberg Jemma; Nail Polish: Petal Faster Suzi c/o OPI
I bought these DvF snakeskin heels earlier this month during the Nordstrom Shoe Sale. I'd never bought DvF shoes before because to be honest, I was on the fence about the comfort factor. These shoes, however, are one of the most comfortable pair of heels I own! I wore this to have lunch with my husband and switched to flat sandals for afternoon errands.  Then I slipped the heels back on when we met up with friends for happy hour and I was able to stand in them for over 3 hours with no problem.

What are your favorite brands for comfortable heels?

Monday, February 17, 2014

Unexpected Romantic Redo

This weekend one of the kids went camping and we celebrated Valentine's Day with the other one with a fancy family dinner. We cooked mashed potatoes and sauteed mushrooms, while Mr. Fantastic grilled us some steaks and then we all ate chocolate and exchanged Valentine's cards.  To our surprise and much needed delight, my mother-in-law called early Saturday and asked us if she could take our youngest on an overnight adventure.  We quickly made plans to celebrate Valentine's Day alone and since I didn't have time to go shopping, I wore an outfit I wore late last summer to a formal dinner.
Dress: BCBG MaxAzria
Earrings: old; Necklaces: Vintage Richelieu Pearl (gift from MIL) & c/o Jane Basch Monogram
Clutch: Vintage Oscar De La Renta; Bracelets: Fossil & very old costume pearl strand
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
We are lucky that the weather really warmed up and I was able to wear open-toed shoes and this lace dress that has become a figure-forgiving favorite. The only changes I made were to wear a warm shawl and a trench coat during the ride to our favorite steakhouse. All the vintage pieces made me feel very romantic and that was exactly the feeling I was hoping to evoke with this lace dress and little details.

What do you do with unexpected free date nights?

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Wear Red for Valentine's Day

We've had what we consider to be a brutal winter here in Texas and yesterday was the first day that it got above 55 farenheit in a long time. It was glorious to be able to wander around in a thin sweater and no scarf or hat or gloves.
Trench: Banana Republic Flare; Sweater: JCrew Factory; Denim: JBrand
Leverback Earrings: Macy's; Necklace: Old Gift from my Dad (very similar steal)
Bracelet: Lauren Ralph Lauren (very similar, next on my wishlist)
Boots: Ugg (old); Handbag: Sam Edelman (old)
Because Mr. Fantastic and I were married on August 14, each Valentine's Day marks the halfway mark for each of our anniversaries.  My husband refuses to acknowledge anything other than our actual anniversary and then only our wedding and I think it drives him to madness that I celebrate the anniversaries of our first date and when he proposed and all our "monthiversaries."  He really spoiled me this year because we had a rough winter and some very emotional losses at the end of the year.  Celebrating a holiday he usually ignores was his way of pampering me a little and he brought me flowers, perfume and took me to breakfast. To celebrate Valentine's Day, I wore red skinny jeans for breakfast with my guy.

I bought him the Bose Soundlink Mini that I had caught him playing with the last few times we went to Target.

How did you celebrate Valentine's Day?

Thursday, February 13, 2014

If You Only Have One Weekend in Mazatlan

At the end of the year, Mr. Fantastic surprised me with a quick trip to Mazatlan to ring in the New Year.  We stayed with friends of his and spent nearly everyday being pampered and acting like tourists in their hometown.  Here are the highlights if you only have one weekend in Mazatlan.

STAY:
Breakfast view of our hosts' home. We were incredibly spoiled.
We stayed at home with my husband's friends. However, we didn't know they would invite us to their home when we initially made our plans and we had reserved a room at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay. The photos of the beachfront views were gorgeous and we were looking forward to staying there. Our hosts took us there for dinner the first night we were in town and the views (the first photo is from Cilantro's) did NOT disappoint!  They also recommended the El Cid Marina Beach Hotel, which is very close to their home.

EAT:
Seafood, especially shrimp, is a staple at this Pacific town by the sea.  Mr. Fantastic is not a fan of seafood, but I was in heaven.
Breakfast at Chili's Pepper
We tried to go to Surf's Up Cafe for a late breakfast on New Year's Day, but they had a set menu and the only dish that looked appetizing the day we went (pulled pork) was already sold out.  It just felt like they were bothered we were even there and wanted to go ahead and close.  It was very refreshing to end up at Chili's Pepper down by the waterfront and eat an authentic Mexican breakfast with chorizo and coffee with sweet bread.

For lunch, we ate wherever we happened to be.  One day it was at a tavern across from the town plaza and another was by the expansive boardwalk, in a small restaurant called Puerto Viejo.  Both times, my husband and I both ate a ceviche appetizer and entrees, plus multiple beers and our tab was less than $20!  My favorite lunch was Mr. Lionso's Playa Bruja.  They had a live band and the drinks were wonderful. I drank a habanero-mango margarita and I was definitely tipsy by the time the check came.

My favorite meals were our decadent dinners. The first night we were in town, we ate at Cilantro's at Pueblo Bonito Hotel and the food was wonderful. Their margaritas were not very good, but the pina coladas were delicious and the Imperial Shrimp made our mouths water.  The hidden gem in Mazatlan is a casual grill restaurant that our hosts took us to called Las Brochetas.  It is across from their Mega-Mart and is BYOB so it was nice to stop at the store and pick up whatever we wanted to drink and bring it with us.  Between the charro bean soup, loaded baked potatoes, and the different skewers, we had to be rolled back to the house!  Pancho's was our favorite dinner place for both the seaside ambiance and the delicious food.  I really wanted to buy one of the Day of the Dead figurines, but I ended up leaving it behind.

VISIT & DO:
Photo by our pulmonia driver at a lookout at the top of the city.
While we had a few more days than just a weekend, we did spend a couple of those doing nothing at home.  The couple of days that we packed activities into were so much fun.  One day, our hosts were committed to a golf game, so Mr. Fantastic and I took a "pulmonia" into town and our driver basically acted like our tour guide.  A pulmonia is just a tad bigger than a golf cart, but with more horsepower and it is called that because of the old wive's tale that if you ride in an open cart you might end up with pneumonia! In any case, our driver took us all around old, historic Mazatlan, up by the flower market and the massive shrimp market and to several lookout points in the area. He even took us to the base of the Faro, where I attempted to climb, but we stopped about halfway and came back because we weren't prepared to make the climb.  He charged us 500 Pesos, which is about $50 and for sure a rip-off, but one we were willing to participate in as he really did take us everywhere and he stopped when we asked so I could get photos and even took a few of us!
At the top of the Faro
The next day, we got up early and dressed properly and came back to the Faro (The Lighthouse) with our hosts and made the 20 minute climb (I made it in about 35 minutes) and we were so thrilled with the view from the top. Mazatlan is just beautiful and we were blown away with how everywhere you looked there was just so much history. The Faro is the second highest light house in the world behind Gibraltar and it's beacon can be seen for 30 nautical miles. The trek was fun and light for everyone except for me because I am out of shape, but it was definitely worth the climb.

Mr. Fantastic and I also snuck away to walk down the famous boardwalk in Mazatlan, called El Malecon. At four miles long, it is the longest boardwalk in Mexico and while my husband tried to pretend he didn't like holding my hand, I kept blabbering on about how romantic it was to walk along the beach holding hands.
In front of The Immaculate Conception Basilica
We also spent some time in Old Mazatlan with our awesome hosts. They showed us the beautiful Immaculate Conception Basilica and indulged me when I wanted to stop and buy a rosary, and took us to the Mercado Pino Suarez and again waited patiently while I loaded up on Mexican candy that I have a hard time finding back home.  One of our favorite things each day was that my husband's friend and his wife would plan ahead of time where to take us to watch the sunset that day. While Cilantro's and Playa Bruja were tranquil and pretty, nothing beat having a margarita by the rooftop pool at the Freeman Posada while watching the sun set right in front of us.  The view was simply stunning.
Waiting for sunset by the rooftop pool at The Freeman Posada
Other places we wanted to visit, but didn't get a chance to were: La Noria for a Blue Agave Tequila Tour, we actually signed up for this tour and it didn't make so we missed it; Stone Island Party Tour, I don't know if we are too old or what, but a party boat no longer has the same appeal it used to have; and lastly, I wanted to go visit the capital Culiacan because we were already there, but it was much farther than I thought so we missed that as well.  There is also a beautiful waterfall by the sierra canyon called Mexiquillo Canyon that looked interesting and we might have tried if the weather was warmer and we had more time.

Have you ever been? What did I miss? What did you love?

Monday, February 10, 2014

What's Up, Doc?

I haven't blogged much in recent months. We bought a new house in August of last year and because it was our first house together, my husband let me sell, donate, and toss every last piece of furniture that was acquired before we got together. While it was exciting, once we moved in, we realized that we may have cut off our noses to spite our faces. We literally moved into our new home with our dining set, couches, and beds. That was it.  We had one mirror that was a wedding gift and one work of art that I accidentally bought at a charity auction a few years ago. I may or may not have been drunk when I made the final bid. It happens sometimes.
Enjoying a Christmas Party with friends and realizing we know the most beautiful women around.
Realizing that we needed to furnish our new house was both exhilarating and depressing. Exhilarating because it has been fun to wander around town with my husband, my sister, my mother-in-law, and multiple friends looking for just the right things to put in our home. Depressing, because sometimes you find the perfect set of arm chairs and they are $2000 and there is no way that purchase will not result in a divorce.
We co-hosted a baby shower for some expecting friends. So much fun!
I want to return to blogging, but I am having a very difficult time as I've shifted my shopping focus from the perfect white tee to the perfect set of lamps. Is that even something you are interested in reading about? As I research what is the perfect wine to serve at a dinner party instead of what to wear to host it, will you still be interested?
We climbed the Faro in Mazatlan. I am all sweaty and Mr. F didn't even break a sweat! Yuck!
Finally, it seems that in the past, the more events and places we went to, the more content I had for my blog.  I now jealously guard my family and friends from this space because I don't want them to grow tired of having to wait for me to grab the perfect image of my new bracelet or bag.
We attended the KU game in Ft. Worth with the fam. Rock Chalk! They won!
We posed for the NOH8 campaign. Can't wait to see the final images!
What have I been up to? I've been trying to conquer my fear of mirrors in every room; we moved in with only the aforementioned wedding gift and I have even gone out and bought one on my own for the sitting room. I've tried to figure out the perfect size for a rug in our den and then tried to forget the rug when rugs that size run $1200-1800 that I can't spend right now. I battled bronchitis and won after 3 weeks of a hacking cough. Most importantly, I ran away with my husband to Mexico for New Years and didn't take a single outfit photo, but managed to capture some amazing sunset views almost every day.
Mr. Fantastic and I attended our annual charity ball. I loved this dress I borrowed from Lisa.
I know updating the blog on a regular basis is important, but I have been paralyzed by options and decisions to make regarding which route to take going forward. I really want to move away from just writing about what I wear and I need help figuring out what direction to move in. I hope you will stick around until I do so.  In the meantime, here are some photos of what we've been up to since we last saw each other.

What have YOU been up to?