Drink of the Month: Michelada

With Summer winding-down I am moving on from the citrus cocktails of summer and into fall-spiced ones.  But, Texas is still hot, so I can't help but crave Micheladas.  

A Michelada is the product of a beer that married a bloody mary.....but so much better.  With a small addition of bloody mary mix, lime juice, worcheshire, and hot sauce, it gives the beer a tang and a kick.  

Served over ice, a Michelada is refreshing, spicy, and too easy to chug within two minutes of making it.  

Michelada, serves one

• 12oz beer, preferably a Kolsch, Lager, or Mexican Lager 
• 2oz Spicy Bloody Mary Mix
• 1oz lime juice
• 1/2 oz worcheshire
• 1/2 oz hot sauce 
• ice
• garnish: lime wedge

Date Night Style: Lace & Zippers

Let me start by saying, I have not loved an outfit this much in years...

Who doesn't love a good romper in the summer time?  Especially when it is one as comfortable and cute as this one.  I found this gem of a piece on one of my weekly trips to Target.  I couldn't believe how lucky I was to find such an adorable, sexy piece for the price.  

With the lace detail front, and the zipper back it's the perfect combination.  Plus, it's navy blue, which is my favorite color to wear.  

I love how high-up the lace neckline goes.  With all the details, very little accessories were needed.  I wore my new favorite jacket (two-in-one) earrings, and my navy blue and gold bracelet to match.  

THESE SHOES!!!  I found these perfect brown booties at Target as well, with zippers on both sides to match the romper.  They are seriously one of the most comfortable pair of shoes I own.  I will be wearing these all the time this fall.  

Affordable (thank you Target),

cute,

sexy, 

comfortable,

and

the perfect summer-to-fall transition outfit.  

Summer Festival Style

Something always on our schedule is beer festivals, especially since we own a brewery.  In the past I have worked our booth at festivals so I was always wearing a brewery shirt of some kind. 

 Ever since my little boy made his appearance I rarely get to festivals, but when I do, I am not working them; which means I get to wear whatever cute outfit I want.  Hooray!  

It's no surprise that Texas Summers are brutal and being outside can sometimes be excruciating.  That is why I am loving rompers right now!  I wore my first romper purchase of the summer back in May for UnTapped Fort Worth.  This romper is so lightweight, you can barely feel that you are wearing anything.  The drawstring around the waist gives you plenty of room to move around in, and it's easy to use the restroom (romper lovers you know what I mean).  

I picked-up this little number at Old Navy (big surprise, my favorite store these days).  I was timid to buy it wondering if I would wear it, but I am so glad I did.  I have worn it just about once a week for the past two months.  I paired it with my brown boho sandals (to match my sunglasses) for the perfect festival look.  

You can never go wrong with a black and white romper; perfect for a summer heat wave.

Drink of the Month: Tropical Red Sangria

I love Sangria!  Not the nasty stuff you find in a plastic bottled labeled, "Sangria," but real hand-made Sangria prepared with a good bottle of wine.  

White Sangria has always been my Sangria of choice.  I like Red Sangria, but I always found it to have a weird flavor that I just wasn't a fan of.  I finally realized what the flavor was, it's Brandy.  It seems like most Red Wine Sangrias call for Brandy, and I do not like the stuff.  So I set-out to make one that didn't involve Brandy.
  
It took a couple years, and a few failed attempts that went down the drain, but I finally concocted the perfect Red Wine Sangria for me.  

Most Sangrias are comprised of four main ingredients: wine, liquor, sugar, and fruit.  
*Wine is the easy one, I prefer a dry-spanish wine in Sangria, but most any red wine will work.  
*For the liquor component I used spiced rum instead of brandy.  
*The sugar was no sugar at all, it was Simply Tropical by Simply.
*The fruit was slices of orange and lime (because it's what I had on hand at the time).

Finally, a Red Sangria that I can drink all Summer long.  

Plain White Tee

I have always been a fan of plain white t-shirts, but only if I can find one that doesn't get tattered and faded in the wash.  A few months ago I picked-up this adorable slouchy one from Old Navy for just $12, and it has been my best friend ever since.  

Not only do I love how it drapes, but the material is a thicker, more course one, so it isn't see-through or too delicate.  

Lately, I have been wearing this tee with shorts and sandals, but my favorite way to wear it is with blue jeans and pointy-toe flats.  

The jeans, a steal from H&M, have quickly become one of my favorite wardrobe items as well. (They stretch and have a higher waist, which is perfect for chasing a baby).  

I added my Aventine Collar Necklace, Heirloom Crystal Bracelet,  and a teal Kate Spade bag, and I was ready for a dinner date with my two favorite people.  

*Dinner was Mexican, and somehow I managed not to get any salsa on the shirt.  Outfit for the win!* 

Woodland 'Onederland' Camping Birthday Party

I am pretty sure I was pregnant just yesterday, but somehow my perfect little boy just turned one.  All the sayings are true, you blink and time has passed you by.  It wasn't a sad moment for me though, it was a happy one.  Seeing how much my baby has changed and grown over the past year has been so much fun, and I can't wait to see how else he astonishes and amazes me in this coming year.  

Of course being the party planner that I am, I went crazy planning his first birthday bash.  It wasn't about him remembering the day (we all know he won't), it was about giving me the satisfaction of knowing I did what I could to make the day special; and for theme to really shine through.   Plus, I had a lot of fun with it.  I could go into so much detail about everything I did and how I did it, but i might bore some readers.  If you have a question, ask it, and I will answer.  

THE THEME

It started out as a Lumberjack party, but that seemed to not fit a May birthday; with the flannel and all.  Then it changed into a Teepee party (since one of his gifts was a teepee from his mommy and daddy), but I felt like it needed to be more centered towards boy.  His nursery is Woodland themed, so a Lumberjack-Teepee party morphed into Woodland Camping!  It was perfect. 

The backyard was scattered with hand-painted wood signs and arrows.  We had blue and teal streamers were swinging in the trees, with camping signs all around.  A "fire" was started to roast some melty marshmallows.  And a wall of pallets greeted you as you entered the party.  

We set-up our camping tent full of balloons for the kiddos to play in, had a 'ball and can' toss game, and a coloring station for younger ones.  The theme was very obvious to say the least.  

THE SMASH CAKE

Yes, I am one of those moms that doesn't want to feed their kid a sugar-filled cake on their birthday.  That doesn't mean I won't let my boy have a sweet thing every once in a while, but I didn't feel that it was necessary for his cake to be that way.  

After searching through dozens of recipes, I finally found one where I was mostly happy with the ingredients, so I took the recipe and changed it to my liking.  A simple mixture of flour, baking soda, salt, egg, and coconut oil.  To add the flavor; a bit of vanilla extract, pineapple pieces, banana, and cinnamon.  Then for the icing: creme cheese whipped with 100% pineapple juice.  The cake was actually quite yummy for no sugar-added.  It took my little guy a few minutes to warm-up to it (probably because it was being stored int he fridge so it wouldn't melt in the heat), but once he started to pick it apart it kept him occupied for about twenty minutes.  

THE BIRTHDAY BOY

I knew I wanted pictures of baby T scattered around the party to show how much he has grown and changed over the past year, so I decided to do "A Year of Tucker" from Day 1 to Day 365.  I printed all the pictures in 4x4, attached them to string with clips (so I didn't ruin them), and strung them across a pallet.  

I also put together a board of all of his monthly sticker pictures.  Ah, a bittersweet image to see.

THE FOOD & DRINKS 

You can't go camping without beer, and luckily we knew exactly where to get a keg of Mr. Green Pale Ale.  I personally like to 'camp' with sangria though; a giant mason jar full of Sparkling White Berry Sangria.  

We had your typical camping food: Smoked Hot Dogs, macaroni salad, and beans.  We also had some snacks to appeal to all age groups: twigs, campfire flames, fish bait, bear poop, etc.  Then we topped it all off with S'mores Cupcakes. 

THE ATTIRE

This one was easy for me: jean shorts, HAPPY CAMPER t-shirt, and Chaco's.  The hubby wore a camping themed shirt as well.  Baby T had three different Camping/Woodland themed outfits for the day and pretty much ruined all of them.  :) 

THE GOODY-BAGS

So the party guests would, "Take a Hike," I made S'Mores trail mix.  It was a delicious combination of Teddy Graham's, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips.  It was hard not to eat it all while stuffing the bags.  (Note: The cereal and Teddy Graham's went stale really quick, so stuff the bags the day of the party and encourage guests to eat it that day as well).  

Overall my baby boy had such a fun day and so did we.  Hmmm, is it too soon to start planning birthday #2?  I don't want him to be two yet, I just want to plan another party.  

Overalls

Yep, I said overalls.  You know those things your parents made you wear when you were a kid that you needed help unclipping so you could use the restroom?  Ahhh, memories.  

The adult overall trend has been on the horizon for a little over a year now, and I have been wanting to get myself a pair since then.  When I was pregnant I thought it would be so cute to sport a pair with a big ol' baby bump; but I didn't want to spend the money on them when I wouldn't be in them very long.

Lucky for me I found a kickass pair at Old Navy about six months after my little guy was born, so I immediately got them.  They hung in my closet for a few months before I mustered-up the courage to wear them, but I am so glad I did because I seriously love them.  

I've worn my overalls a few times with different colored tanks underneath; I think sleeves look goofy with overalls.  On this particular occasion I paired them with a simple black tank, a colorful wrap bracelet, and some cute periwinkle slip-on sandals.  We were walking around downtown for an arts festival, so comfort and minimalism was key.  

I am definitely looking forward to wearing these again before it's too hot to do so.  

Curious how others wear their overalls?  Head on over to Fizz & Frosting to see how Lauren styled hers.  

*I have to brag, I got these overalls for a STEAL.  They were on sale for 30% off....and since they were apparently an on-line purchase return, I was given an extra 30% off the sale price. I had no idea Old Navy did that but I lucked out.  So I only paid $12 for these!  #shoppingvictory #bargainshopper