today i read this..

today i was perusing the interwebs and stalking...(i mean)... learning more about one of the most influential women in the news right now. and by that i mean none other than the real housewives of new york: specifically carol radziwill.  (saracastic about her being among the most influential women in the news right now, but she is influential to me! haha!)

photo from carol's website

i'm a romantic girl. i love love and i love romance and most of all i love reading a love story with a happy ending.  so when i read her bio on her personal website here i felt some kind of way.  because although there isn't necessarily a happy ending to her love story, the ending is really yet to come

she's so real and honest and so likeable.

i found her story a nice little read and thought i'd share.

hope you had a fabulous thanksgiving!

xo

the vintage bathing suit

i love seeing trends come back around.  one in particular is the vintage style bathing suits that are everywhere this season.

photos via pinterest

so cute! is this something you would wear?

xo,

friday things

boy, time sure does fly when i'm not working! it has been my first full week off for summer vacation and i have been loving it.  it really makes me wonder when i got things done around the house- all the cleaning, laundry & errands, when did i have time for that?

in honor of this being my first week off & wednesday being the first day of summer i thought i'd share the things i'm most looking forward to this summer. . .

1. beach getaways

2. summer nights spent outdoors

3. wedding plans, including my own bachelorette party ;)

4. new beginnings

5. getting lost in a good book

 photo 1, my own
photos 2, 3, 4, 5 via pinterest

what are you most looking forward to this summer?

xo,

color crush: coral

loving this color for the summer season.  no matter where i see it, it looks perfect!

all photos via pinterest

what's your favorite summer shade?

xo,

friday things

this week has been a whirlwind & i can hardly believe it myself when i say it actually flew by! it was gym & it was work, followed by appointments, and some shopping... glad to have the weekend here!

1. happy to finally be feeling back to myself. that was one wicked stomach bug, lasting just over a week! what the hecckkkk..

2. still excited over details discussed & decided on during last night's appointment with our reception venue coordinator (more to come on that)

3. looking forward to getting some fresh highlights tomorrow. nothing says spring like a little more blonde;)

4. loving our mother's day tradition of whipping up something delicious on sunday for mom

5. heading to the phillies game tonight...let's hope they win!!

happy weekend, friends!

oh, and one more thing!
6. still on a little bit of a rush after completing my ten miler last weekend 10 minutes faster than last year!

xo,

i'm la-la-la-loving...

• all things gray + yellow (and not just because those are my wedding colors;) )

source

• that spring is here & that means fresh flowers throughout the house

• this saturday is april 14th.  that marks the 5 month countdown til i slip on my dress & walk down that aisle!

source

• tomorrow is friday!!! and i get to see a few friends..

xo,

friday things

i've been truly enjoying my little spring break.  having small vacation time around holidays is definitely a huge perk of my job. .. a time for catching up on dentist appointments, straightening up the house, doing laundry, and of course getting a little shopping done! last night i ventured out & came home with just a few spring essentials.

just a few of my purchased goodies:)

with Easter this weekend, i really feel like spring is here.  it's not as warm as i'd like it to be, but it is perfect for afternoon walks, and drinks on the deck, long runs, and cracking open the windows to get some fresh air flowing through the apartment.

off to enjoy this sunshine! happy weekend & happy easter...
 xo,

a few friday things

1. (sometimes) it is necessary & (always) it is fun to play hookey.

2. a fresh mani can/does change the direction of the day.

3. a little pretty plant is a fabulous way to say thank you.

4. wedding planning is THE. MOST. FUN!

5. looking at photos will always be one of my favorite things to do.

missing my bangs!

TGIF!

xo,

in the kitchen: healthy pasta!

are you on the mailing list for fab, fit, fun? it's giuliana rancic's daily email which includes the latest on fashion, accessories, workouts, and the occasional recipe.  a while ago i received an email with a recipe for a healthy, low calorie pasta, which for a carb-o like me, sounded too good to be true! so, i of course tried the recipe that weekend.  it was o-k....but was seriously missing something. and shawn was not a fan because it definitely tasted too healthy for his liking!

i was craving pasta last night and thought i would give this recipe a try again, but perhaps add a little something to fill in the missing flavors.

Penne and Asparagus with Ricotta Cheese

1 box of fiber-enriched penne pasta (Alexander suggests Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate)
1 pound trimmed asparagus, cut into 2-inch diagonal pieces
2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese (Alexander suggests Precious)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup reduced-fat grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, optional

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting any oil or butter.
2. Two to four minutes before the pasta is done, add the asparagus to the water (two minutes for thin spears, four minutes for thick).
3. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water in a small bowl. Drain the pasta.
4. Meanwhile, add the garlic, ricotta, and olive oil to a large serving bowl. As soon as the pasta is drained, mix in 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water.
5. Immediately add the pasta and asparagus and gently toss until the pasta and asparagus are coated with the cheese mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss again.
6. If the mixture seems too dry, add more reserved pasta water, about 1/4 cup at a time, until no longer dry.
7. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the pasta. If desired, sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings. Each serving (about 2 cups) has 318 cals, 15g protein, 60g carbohydrates, 7g fat, 2g saturated fat, 18mg cholesterol, 9g fiber, 183mg sodium.

while gathering all the listed ingredients, i noticed my grocer was completely sold out of asparagus!  um, what?! must be a hot item this time of year! so i thought i would substitute it with two of my other favorite green veggies: green beans, and broccoli.  i threw in more than two cups, cuz i just can't get enough of the green stuff! i also added in a pinch more garlic than this calls for; a decent amount of salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese, and i also added in some of our home grown herbs: fresh basil, oregano, and parsley!

it turned out so much better this time around & i would highly recommend trying it.  don't be afraid to change a recipe to your liking. that's what i love about cooking & trying out new recipes. you can add more of what you like and substitute different ingredients to make something unique and different!

(find the original recipe here)

bon appetite :)

xo,

monday morning

typically, monday mornings are about the worst part of my week. however, i am quite excited to have woken up this morning feeling refreshed & ready to conquer the week!  feeling accomplished to have checked off things on the "to-do" list, but still have had time for reading & sleeping in. 

source

happy monday! make it a great week:)

xo,
allison

6 MONTHS!

it's thursday evening & i'm finally just now having a moment to sit down and get all caught up in blogland...how i have missed thee!!! things have been in full swing around here and i just haven't quite had the time/energy to sit at the computer if there was an opportunity to be sleeping ;)

buttttttttt...yesterday S and i celebrated our -6 month aniversary!!! that's right, only 6 months to go! this past month was all about the BRIDESMAIDS!! three of my girls (the 4th is out of state), my mom & myself had THE best time choosing BM dresses. and to my surprise the process was fairly easy & quick! their dresses are the same fabric as my own dress, so to see them all together looks gorgeous!!

my momma!

afterwards, we had had a fabulous little lunch & then headed back to my apartment for a girls night. my mom hung in there with us for quite some time.  i think she enjoyed the girl talk & the martinis!

my gorrrrrrrrgeous MOH! she is the best!

all of the girls, this was my pre-bachelorette ;)

 coming up this month: flowers!!! here are some ideas i have been gathering via pinterest

*****

so happy tomorrow is friday! this has been a very LONG two weeks & i am ready for things to get back to normal around here!! 

xo,

a new read

recently, some co-workers organized a book swap at work.  slowly, the collection of books started growing & i eagerly searched through in hopes of finding a goodie.

for christmas, S gave me a kindle.  something that i had wanted so badly, but had not expected.... the perfect kind of gift to receive.  although, i don't miss holding a book & turning its pages, it's sort of nice to hold a book & turn its pages...haha.

back to the swap: i picked up two books i'm eager to read while on hold for e-books from the library. i have already started the first.

the last letter from your lover: a novel by jojo moyes

this has been quite the page turner & i love how it is unraveling this far.  amazon says:

"A sophisticated, page-turning double love story spanning forty years-an unforgettable Brief Encounter for our times.

It is 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply "B", asking her to leave her husband.

Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper's archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too. Ellie's search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance.

A spellbinding, intoxicating love story with a knockout ending, The Last Letter from Your Lover will appeal to the readers who have made One Day and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society bestsellers."

the second book i picked up from was barefoot: a novel by elin hilderbrand.  

says amazon:

" Three women arrive at the local airport, observed by Josh, a Nantucket native home from college for the summer. Burdened with small children, unwieldy straw hats, and some obvious emotional issues, the women-- two sisters and one friend--make their way to the sisters' tiny cottage, inherited from an aunt. They're all trying to escape from something: Melanie, after seven failed in-vitro attempts, learned her husband was having an affair, and then discovered she's pregnant; Brenda embarked on a passionate affair with an older student that got her fired from her prestigious job as a professor in New York; and her sister Vicki, mother to two small boys, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Soon Josh is part of the chaotic household, acting as babysitter, confidant, and, eventually, lover. "

review to come!

i recently finished girls in white dresses by jennifer close.  

unfortunately, this was one of those books that had too many characters to keep track of & too many story lines that were too similar. i was confused most of the book & kept waiting for something to happen. even up to the last three pages, i was searching for a storyline. at the end, i was still waiting for something to happen.  if you have read this book before, i would love to know your thoughts! perhaps i was missing something with this book!

xo,