Happy Dipping

I moved grocery shopping from Sunday to Monday which has made the weekends longer, and if you're going to be a Monday, you might as well be a Monday. I've been shopping at Trader Joe's for all groceries for a couple of weeks now and it has certainly spiced grocery shopping up. I don't go in with a list but get inspired by it all, especially their sampling station, and that has been the game changer. I'd like to recommend this tasty and cheap beach snack, the always classic French onion dip.

Grab Trader Joe's zero percent Greek yogurt, their .99 packet of onion dip mix and their oh so delicious salt and pepper chips. Mix the dip in the yogurt container - that comes with the perfect lid - toss it in the cooler, and enjoy in an hour. Too easy! Happy Dipping.

Congrats, Ladies

New homes and babies and an engagement, oh my! So many exciting major life happs for my sweetest friends. Maura asked me to be a bridesmaid in her fall 2015 wedding in New York. This is the photo I sent after I called her with squeals of delight. She asked with a sweet note and treats from Sugarfina that included champagne bears (brut and rose!), bubbles and pearls. I could not be more happy for her and Steve.

My friends Jen and Nick just had baby Mason. He's the cutest little guy. Hank and I brought them dinner one night from all of our favorite Italian restaurant, Daniel's in Apex. It was so fun to see them as three. No one had to worry about cooking dinner, so we all just got to enjoy their new baby in their new house. 

Kathleen is having baby Kennedy next Thursday! I'm so happy we visited her and Brad at their new home in Charlotte a couple weekends back. She has been such a cool pregnant version of herself. I'm just so excited! The Kennedy countdown begins...

So proud! Live it up BIG when it comes to life's celebrations, y'all.

Happy Nails

Lady tossed NARS' nail polish in color schiap in my Poshmark box, and it's the best polish. One coat and done... Celebration. No turning back now! Yes to trying NARS and yes to the amazingness that is Posh. Two thumbs up. Party nail in Deborah Lippmann's Boom Boom Pow.

Happy Fourth!

In the words of Katy Perry (since that's my theme this week)... You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine. Just own the night like the fourth of July... Because it is!

Happy Fourth. Wishing you lots of sparkle and all things fireworks.

Photo from May birthday celebrations at favorite restaurant, Angus Barn.

Home Happenings

This past weekend I spent some time rearranging - one of my favorite pastimes. It's always satisfying to take what you already have, give it a new location in your home, and voila, a new look... Free!

A few favorites you'll see on the desk shelf above are a distressed wooden frame, backed with chicken wire, where I've used glitter clothespins to attach travel photos from Paris and Rome to the Dominican Republic and London and Barcelona. I love the letterpress calendar on the left where the pages groove into a piece of wood (from Rifle Paper). There's a black and white of Hank and I kissing on UNC graduation day (that gold frame is my Dollar Tree jam). You'll also find my favorite lamp (!!!) and two little travel knickknacks - one my Dad brought back for me from Norway, I call him Norge, and he's a Norwegian viking representing strength. The other is a pig I watched a potter create in Germany, and he represents viel gluck (that's good luck in German). I love decorating with items that mean something or tell your story as those treasures are in no threat of going out of style.

You're a Firework

Our guys were sweet enough to drop us off at the bar for a fun afternoon / night of Katy Perry's Prismatic World Tour. We held it down at Backyard Bistro as long as possible to watch Team USA in the World Cup and then it was onward in our coordinated outfits.

The bar was a quick walk to the arena and while we missed one of Katy's openers, Ferras, for the World Cup, we saw Capital Cities which were pretty great. They sing this song that you've probably heard on the radio. We met people who flew in from L.A., and as far as Russia, for this show since it represented Katy's first stop on her tour (Go, Raleigh!). 

Katy Perry was simply amazing. She had at least 10 costume changes, the light show rocked and there was so much fun going on you could hardly stand it. 

She sang songs from her new album, Prism, along with lots of her older songs going back to I Kissed a Girl. We were in Katy Perry heaven right along with the teeny boppers.

And then there was confetti, lots and lots of confetti. 

Katy is so cute, as party princess as it gets and inspiring. She said this great line: "Put your Instagram away for a bit and just live in the moment. This is not about what happened yesterday or your tomorrows. It's about the fact that we were given this moment. And this moment is all we have right now."

U-S-A

I believe that we will win! Watch this video to get hype for today at 4 p.m.

The above photo is from the bar prior to the Katy Perry concert (recap tomorrow). Cheering on U-S-A until the last possible minute was a must before heading into the arena.