Crispy Peanut Butter Chicken

My newest post on Alex's Wonderland: Crispy Peanut Butter Chicken.

I thought it would really just be rude not to share it with you all, because it was DELICIOUS. I was so glad I found a recipe that hit pretty close to what I was going for and only had to make a few adjustments. I highly recommend trying this one out!

In other news, my hat AND dress for the Kentucky Derby have both arrived and it is taking all of my self control not to share them with you guys immediately! I'll be honest, I've been wearing the hat around the house a little bit the last few days. Putting it on immediately makes me feel like I'm going to some fancy event like the Royal Wedding. If only there were more occasions to wear such silly but wonderful accessories!

A 23rd Birthday in Pictures

Patterns in Blue

I bought this skirt and shirt last week and wanted to get a little bit out of the box and mix up some patterns by wearing them together and toning it down with gray accessories. Overall I liked the outfit, but I have since done the skirt with a basic black tank top and black accessories and I think I liked the outcome of that a lot better. I will for sure be repeating that in the future to get some pictures. 

I was so glad to find this skirt, not only because of the ability to wear it as a high-waisted skirt with a shirt to give off the appearance of a dress (that can be more easily customized), but because I was in love with the springy feel of the light blues on the white. What other ways would you style the skirt?

Outfit

Shirt, Skirt, Cardigan, Purse: Old Navy

Scarf, Sunglasses: Forever 21

Boots: DSW

ASOS Curve

Here are some of my current picks from the ASOS Curve line:

Swing Dress with double layer 

$53.72

Exclusive Dress in butterfly print

$68.04

Wrap Dress with bow detail

$62.67

Playsuit with flippy short

$62.67

Tank Dress with bubble skirt

$44.76

Skinny Jean in true red

$57.30

I might have to take some upcoming birthday money or raid a little bit of my savings to grab a few of these. I love the flowy/flirty feel of the dresses!

Birthday Wishlist

It's funny how the older you get, the faster birthdays seem to creep up. This one will be the 23rd, which in itself seems pretty uneventful. I have been wanting a Kitchen Aid mixer, but at this point I am thinking that I may be better off saving that one for next Christmas. The focus for now will be on a few pairs of shoes I've been looking at, particularly a new & more comfortable pair of cowboy boots. This may have been a little exaggerated with the recent trip to Nashville, but there's no question in my mind that they will be worn plenty!

 

ARIAT Heritage Western R Toe boots in Russet Rebel (Size 9)

(Link Here)

I have been told by a friend who has ridden horses for years that these are some of the most comfortable cowboy boots out there. My old pair have gotten pretty worn down on the soles, but they're still wearable, so I want to go with a slightly darker color so they aren't too similar.

ARIAT Rhinestone Cowgirl boots in Sassy Brown

Ok, these are more of a "fun" wish list item and probably on the end of this list next to everything else. I think these are more inspired by this Nashville trip and would be a fun boot for any trips back there. I'm sure I would find other occasions to wear them (such as a trip to Austin in November for the stateside return of Formula 1), but I don't think these would be in the regular rotation as the others would. I do like that they are really just studs instead of actual rhinestones.

TOMS Crochet Women's Classics in Silver (Size 9)

(Link Here)

I think I have finally decided on a pair of TOMS to start out with. My friend Lauryn has these in white and said they have been great & are nice and breezy, making them great for Spring & Summer. She said they have also held up really well, and I love how they're just a little less casual than the regular classics. 
 

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer (Sephora)

 

Gentleman Jack

Starting with my dad bringing a bottle of 1942 Angosturan rum back from a trip to Trinidad as a Christmas present, I think "present holidays" are a fun opportunity to try new bottles of things I wouldn't normally by on a regular basis. 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Cherry Tart, Tutti Frutti, and Pink Truffle (CVS)

I'll be honest, I kind of want to try all of them, but these look like the ones I'll wear the most.

SOME NIGHTS by Fun.

This has been an album that I listen to enough to want to buy a physical copy. While iTunes is wonderfully convenient, I will admit that having Spotify has changed the way I handle music in that the albums I really love are something I want to have a copy of to not only upload to an iPod but also have around in either my car stereo or somewhere in my room for easy listening. 

 

Urban Decay All Nighter (Sephora)

This is just something I stumbled across while looking at the primer. I'm curious to try the smaller size of this and see how well it works. 

A Weekend in Nashville

I LOVED Nashville, and will be absolutely going back sometime to see more of it. We spent Saturday wandering around doing some shopping at the re-opened Opry Mills mall and spent both nights checking out several bars along Broadway and 2nd. Next time I will also be planning in time specifically for some boot shopping! Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Downtown on Friday night.

 At "The Karaoke Bar". Definitely the best karaoke I've ever witnessed.

 Catching up with Elvis.

 I don't recall this bar being particularly better than any others, and the bouncers were maybe a little rude, but I just like anything that has to do with tequila. 

 Patron shots at Coyote Ugly. 

 Watching the Coyote Ugly dancers. 

 Sign behind the Coyote Ugly bar. I think I'm going to need one of these...

I really just like taking pictures with any large statue along the streets. 

 

Our epic brunch at Waffle House Sunday morning, including the fluffiest most delicious blueberry pancake I have ever consumed in my life. 

Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes

I just posted a new recipe over on Wonderland Kitchen and wanted to be sure to share it with you all as well. This was probably the most creative I have gotten with decorating them, and I LOVED the way they turned out!

You can check them out here!

The Art of Entertaining

...a 3 year old.

I have been working as a nanny to save up some money while I'm on the hunt for a job that actually utilizes this degree I spent the last four years picking up. I mainly watch a 3 year old on the week days, and sometimes his older brother and sister after school or on weekends.

It's probably not hard to imagine that a lot of three year olds are pretty curious and need something going on at all times to keep busy. This one loves movies, but I try to do some kind of craft or project on most days with him and not rely totally on the t.v. to do my job for me when we're not playing outside.

One of his favorite things involves making things with construction paper. It started with a dinosaur themed week suggested by my aunt who teaches preschool. I usually will cut out the basic shapes ahead of time and a bunch of random shapes from the construction paper and clearance scrapbook paper for him to glue wherever he wants. I also bought a little pack of googly eyes and some glitter glue (which he usually just wants to use AS glue, and not glitter...) to add at the end, and let him use crayons to color whatever else he wants on the pages.




He LOVES it and always gets really excited when there's some "NEW" project to do. We have also done fish, butterflies, and most recently a few little rainbow/leprechaun scenes for St. Patrick's day. Overall it's really not much of a mess if you keep everything organized, pretty cheap, and can keep them entertained for a while. The older kids even liked making their own, though since they can actually use scissors they cut most of the embellishments out themselves.


I'm not going to lie... I kind of love getting paid to do crafts, puzzles, and play outside all day long. It's certainly not the worst job in the world!

A Summery Spring

Temperatures have already hit the mid 80's here in Southern Indiana, and it's becoming apparent that our extremely mild winter is transitioning straight into summer. This means tights and leggings are largely out of the picture and sandals are being dug out of the closet!

Outfit
Dress, Sunglasses: Target
Cardigan, Flip Flops: Old Navy
Bracelets: Charlotte Russe

Lipstick: Revlon Colorburst in True Red

I have definitely been favoring coral this spring for everything from lipstick to shoes. Are there any spring trends or colors that you are in love with this year?

Some Nights

This album, by the band Fun, has been one of my latest album obsessions. That is, when I can pry myself away from Lana Del Rey and the Cold War Kids. Sometimes it happens.

You may have heard the song "We Are Young" featuring Janelle Monae on the radio, or a commercial. I can't even remember where I first heard it but I almost immediately loved it. I'm here to tell you that the rest of the album as just as amazing. If you have Spotify, or want to check them out on Youtube, give it a listen and let me know what you think!