Date Night

There were two "date nights" this past weekend so I figured I would just through both outfits on in one post! I tend to gravitate to dresses in the summer and these two dates were no different. One was for an outdoor party that called for "Outdoor Chic" - fun :)  The other was for a dinner party at a friends house that was to also be and indoor outdoor party. For that one I choose a 3/4 sleeve dress since it was a little chiller that evening. 

One final thought; What is it about me and the black and white? I never thought of myself of needing more color in my wardrobe, but I really do wear A LOT of b&w!

 (I realize now that I snapped these shots before I put any of my jewelry on - ugh! Oh well, rest assured it was perfect - LOL!!! :)

Banana Republic Dress (sold out) / Tommy Hilfiger Wedges via TJ Maxx / DKNY leather clutch/bag

Scarlet dress  (purchased in So Cal years ago) / Slide Sandals via TJ Maxx / DKNY clutch/bag / Michael Kors watch / Boutique necklace

 

SO now we are off - to the lake for the weekend!  Friends of ours own a home on Lake Norris in Tennessee (about 4 hour drive for us) and have invited us to join them again for a long weekend. This time we are being joined by another family that are mutual friends so it should be so much fun!. Between the 3 couples we have 10 boys (aaaahhhhh!!). We decide not to bring our daughter, Gabrielle, who is just now 16 months. She is just into everything and it really worries me to have her at the lake and on a boat, etc.  Not to mention we would not be able to sit for 5 minutes all weekend! She will be staying here with her nanny where she will be much safer and I am sure happier. I know I am going to miss her like crazy, but it will be best for everyone.

 

 As soon as we arrive back into town we have the closing on our new home!  Literally we will drive in from the lake on Monday evening and straight to the bank to sign the papers.....Talk about a celebration. It is just beyond exciting!!

 

On Tuesday our contractor starts the demo and construction work to be done there. We will not be officially moving in until our movers come on July 1st.  I will be sure to take lots of pics of the before and afters so I can share them with you all. We aren't doing anything too major, but it will be fun to see the changes anyway :)

 

Hope that everyone has a fantastic weekend!

 

XO

Jessy

Latisse Review: "The Results"

Okay, it has officially been 6 weeks since I started using Latisse.  This is the week that they say you will see "results". Well, I saw results in the first week, but I have to say that what I see now is crazy growth!  My lashes are darker, thicker and WAY longer than they were before I started using this product and I have seen no ill side effects at all. As a matter of fact this product has been so easy to use it's crazy that it works so well. 

Here are some pics to show you the transformation of my lashes over the last few weeks:

Week 1 (no makeup)

Week 2 (no makeup)

Week 3 (with mascara)

Week 4 (no makeup)

Week 6 (with mascara)

Honestly, they are almost too much (okay not really! ;)  As you can kind of see in the above pic my outer lashes tend to get "intertwined" if I don't separate them well before applying mascara ;) In the pics above this is only one coat of mascara.  When I really "doll them up" they are ridiculous and really make my eyes look amazing!

All in all I am very happy with the results and am curious if there will be an end to how long or thick they grow. They do feel so feminine and beautiful with such gorgeous lashes. Much better than the semi-permanent extensions I have had in the past (Derek said they looked like I had glued spiders to my eyelids when I had those - I don't think they looked anything like that, but he definitely likes the results of a more "natural" looking lash with Latisse ;). 

They are much darker and thicker so even if I don't apply mascara they still look nice. Unlike before because my natural lashes are very blonde - especially at the tips - so you almost can't even see them. 

I know that once you stop using the Latisse they say that your lashes will return to "normal". I am only about half way through my first package and already purchased a second so I will be using this for the rest of the summer at least. I will stop back by with an update in a month or so. As of now I am using it now just every other night for maintenance.  The updated pics even from just this week they are way longer than in these shots....I don't need them any longer (never thought I would think or say that about my own lashes!).

And just for fun....here is an outfit post:

NY & Co. Patterned Shorts / NY & Co. Tank / Tory Burch Espadrille Wedges (sold out) / Old Navy Cardigan (old) / Francesco Biasia Bag / Stella & Dot Rebel Pendant / Bracelet from Boutique in La Jolla

Happy Wednesday everyone!!  

XO

Jessy 

Dressing to the Max

What a busy and gorgeous week this has been!  I have been wearing LOTS of Maxi dresses this season so far and I don't see that changing any time soon.  So comfy, easy to dress up or down and so nice on these summery days. I usually prefer them to shorter dresses for two reasons really: 1.) I am so tall that most shorter length dresses are just too short for my liking (and age!) & 2.) When chasing around my 16 month old daughter I don't have to think twice about being appropriate in a maxi dress, but would be constantly worrying in a short version!

This dress is a recent purchase and I LOVE it! So comfy and light and flowy....the perfect maxi to dress up or down (as I have here with a denim vest and slides).  It is very long which is perfect for me (I am 5'10") and even in a small it is still plenty long enough for my tall frame - in love! 

Express Printed Mesh Maxi Dress / Express Faded Denim Vest / Black Embossed Leather slides via TJ Maxx / Nine West Grey Leather Satchel via TJ Maxx (similar here)/ Bracelet and Necklace via boutiques (old) / Michael Kors watch

*I added a bandeau top underneath for I wasn't showing too much cleavage. If I was wearing this out for a date night I would ditch the vest and bandeau top :)

So today I worn this lovely and OH SO COMFY maxi dress that I recently bought from Athleta.  I decided to snap a couple of quick pics on our way out the door and my adorable baby girl wanted to see what was going on so I decided to grab her for a picture.....she makes anything look better!  :)

Pink Lotus Dip Dye Maxi Dress via Athleta (sold out - find similar here) / The North Face flip flops (old)

*You can't really tell in these pics, but the dip dye is violet and then a darker plum on the bottom (not black as it looks here - it's so pretty in person!)

I realize I had not yet put on any of my jewelry before the pics (except for my dad's necklace that I ALWAYS have on as a bracelet :)...oh well. It was simple and casual. 

I guess that is all I have for now. I will be checking back in - maybe tomorrow - with an update on Latisse. All I can say is that this is a miracle product and I am very happy with the results!  

Stay tuned :)

Have an incredible weekend everyone!!

XO

Jessy 

My Weekend in Pictures

What a lovely weekend this has been!  We had my son's baseball game, time at the pool, riding bikes as a family, fishing, church, time with family and friends and my husband and I even managed to sneak in a movie and dinner out :)

I decided just to do a weekend review in pictures as I so enjoy seeing so many of you posting this way.  It's such a nice way to see what everyone else is doing and getting great ideas for what I might want to do (or wear or eat or try ;) possibly the next week!

Friday night we had my son's baseball game (he's 6) - it was a gorgeous night with temps in the 70's and no humidity so it made for a super nice evening of watching (and playing) ball :)

Saturday morning we hit the local Farmer's Market and then my husband took the 3 boys fishing while Gabrielle napped. After her nap we took a quick bike ride and then headed to the pool for some water fun and sun. Gabby LOVES the pool - and it shows!

My middle son, Max, and my baby girl - could she smile any bigger?  Seriously this is one happy baby!!  

Mas is so sweet and is almost always at Gabby's side...he is truly crazy about her!

 I just love this picture of her.....with pool time over she is in her little terry cloth robe ready to head home (even though she kept trying to get back in the pool). 

 Took a few pics after church today......Max and Gabby again in this one - not sure why my oldest hides from the camera (he is 11 and that is the age where boys generally do not want to be photographed I would say - unless he is in his football uniform - LOL! :)

 My husband saw this shirt when we were out shopping and he asked me if he could get it.  I thought it was awesome and I love that he would want to wear it so of course I said. "yes"!  My son snapped this pic of us this morning and I couldn't resist posting it.....I am so in love with this incredible man!  

 Okay, so here is the outfit: 

Calvin Kline maxi-dress (seen here previous post) / Express Denim Vest / Tory Burch Leopard print sandals / Francesco Biasia Bag / Michael Kors sunnies / Kenneth Cole white leather banded watch

  I can't get enough of my incredible baby girl (who is wearing Calvin Kline also ;)  She is almost 16 months old and is just a doll baby!

I hope everyone had wonderful weekends with there families and/or loved ones.  What a blessing a beautiful weekend can be to our souls :)

XO

Jessy 

Airbrush Legs - makeup for legs!

Okay, I have been using this stuff for a few years now and I don't really know why I never thought to share so today is the day!  This stuff is legs magic!  I probably really didn't think I needed it as much in my 20's or even early thirties but the more my age creeps up there the more I see it in my legs (who knew?!). 

For most of the year (exception being summer) I use the Light Glow color (it comes in 4 shades). It is a nice light color that is not much different than my normal year round coloring so it doesn't look like I am wearing leg makeup and that is the point. 

 ABOVE: I attempted to get a picture of the difference after spraying it on only my right leg (shown in the picture as your left - the leg crossed behind the front leg). You can kind of see how it smooths out lines and wrinkles (yes, ladies, I have wrinkles on my legs - what is up with the wrinkly saggy skin above the knee that developed almost as soon as I turned 35 - ugh??!!!). It also smooths our any blotchiness and hides those unsightly veins that I have also developed just under the skin. Anyway, try it and I think you will find that you like it as much as I do.  I only wear it when I am going to special events or cocktail parties, but I keep thinking I should just slather it all over when I go to the pool with the kids - it is water resistant! Kidding.....well, kind of  ;)

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs
(also comes in a lotion version!)

Well, here are the pics of the actual outfit I ended up wearing this past week after putting on my "leg makeup"! My husband was hosting a VIP event at the most expensive penthouse condo in downtown Cincinnati (he currently has it listed for sale - anyone looking? lol) . It was an fantastic event with lots of incredible food and drinks, fun and interesting people and the most incredible views of our city's skyline, the Ohio River and our stadiums (Paul Brown Stadium and the Great American Ballpark). Complete with a fireworks show after the Red's game for all the watch at the end of the night. Glad my legs were looking nice for all that!  LOL ;)

**UPDATE** I have had many comments in regards to application and I am so sorry that I left that out in my original review!  So here it is:
I always apply by spraying it in my hand and smoothing it on lightly. I also use sparingly around my knees and over my ankles. I do apply it to my feet as well (tops and around the side as if they were tanned) so that my feet match my legs ;)  After applying wash your hands really well with warm water and soap or you run the risk of transferring the make-up to your clothing later not to mention I don't think palms look very good in make-up!  
I wait until the make-up has set/dried well (about 5-10 minutes) and then I apply lotion to my legs and feet - right over top of the leg make-up.  I have found that it makes my legs dry so adding the lotion after makes them silky soft and they stay that way all night. It doesn't remove the make-up, but I make sure to apply it lightly and I don't rub a lot. I typically use Banana Boat After Sun lotion, but I am sure that any lotion will work just fine. Make sure to wash your hands well again after applying the lotion as a small amount of the make-up will transfer to your palms again during this process. 
I also wait about 20 minutes before getting dressed. I will just use that time to do my hair/make-up, whatever and dress last. 
One more tip: I stand in the shower or bath tub when applying. That way any make-up spray that doesn't land in my hand doesn't go all over my bathroom floor or bedroom carpet.  
I have never had it transfer to my clothing (only worn it with skirts and dresses), but I also always wait at least 20 minutes before getting dressed. 
Hope all this helps!

Calvin Kline Dress via TJ Maxx (couple of seasons ago) / Steve Madden Cage sandals (old) / Steve Madden black leather clutch (old) / Spike bracelets from a boutique (older) / Loft necklace (this season) / Stella & Dot Luna Wrap bracelet

 Just for fun here is one during the party on one of the balconies......the river and stadiums are in the background (city skyline just out of view in this pic is to the right)- it couldn't have been a more beautiful night to have this event (and airbrushed legs! :)

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week!

XO 

Jessy 

A Healthier Breakfast Loaf + Where have I been?!

Wow!  I feel like it has been forever since I have blogged!  A couple of weeks ago my 38 y/o sister-in-law suffered a stroke and the days since have been quite a blur as we have had so much going on initially with her recovery and time in the hospital and with the selling of our home during the same period of time.  I am so thankful to report that she is recovering wonderfully!  She had lost her speech, but the doctor's say that should come back completely with time and therapy and hard work on her part. She has 2 little boys (our sweet nephews!) that have been an inspiration for her to get better I am sure! I just can't tell you how thankful I am that it was not worse - the outcome could have been much different. God is good!

In the light of this event it has pushed my husband and myself more toward an even healthier lifestyle. We always feel like we are doing pretty good and then when something like this happens we start to re-evaluate. Whatever we can do to stay alive and vibrant and healthy together, you know?!

Before this happened I was trying to work out a recipe for a healthier version of Zucchini Carrot bread. In the days since her stroke I have been making versions nearly every other night (my husband has been the official taste tester and has been trying LOTS of bread lately - LOL!)  until I think I have finally gotten it right. Judging by the way even my kids gobble it down I think this recipe is a winner!

Healthier Zucchini Carrot Bread (Breakfast Loaf)
Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cup of Whole Wheat flour
3 Tblsp Flax Seeds (or Flax Meal)
1 & 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice blend
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Egg (or Egg substitute)
3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1/2 cup Almond Dream non-dairy yogurt (plain)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup grated Zucchini
1 cup grated Carrots
Combine try ingredients in a medium size bowl and set aside.  In another bowl combine egg and sugar - beat until well combined. Add in oil, Almond Dream and vanilla - mix well. Add grated carrots and zucchini. Mix the dry ingredients in.  Pour into loaf pan(s) or into muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees - about 35-40 minutes for bread loaf or about 20-25 minutes for muffins.  Enjoy!

Of course I couldn't leave it with no outfit pictures. I have been taking a few here and there since I have been gone. I will throw one on for fun from last week!

Love Moschino People Print Dress (no longer available) /  Tory Burch Filipa Espadrille Wedge (no longer available in natural, but I LOVE this color!) / Stella & Dot Renegade Necklace and Bracelet / Kenneth Cole White Leather and gold watch

I have so much more I want to catch you all up on, but I will have to feed it to you a little at a time so that you don't fall asleep trying to read these super long posts!  One big piece of news is that we purchase a new home (closing at the end of June) and sold our home, too (closing July 11th so we have a little time to move out)! Lots of exciting things happening in our home and now I get to go new furniture shopping to fill the extra spaces I will have - yay!! :)

Hope everyone is enjoying some sunshine and warm weather now that summer is just around the corner!

XO

Jessy