Month: March 2016

OOTDs: Easter (Weekend) Lillies

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Dress | Clutch

Some weeks are just crazy and busy, but this week was just plain challenging for all sorts of reasons. Needless to say, we were ready for the weekend. It’s no secret I’ve been ready for spring weather and spring clothes, but there’s no better time than Easter to rock all Lilly Pulitzer, all weekend.

On Saturday, we went to a couples wedding shower for an old friend and his awesome fiancee. I knew I wanted to wear this tunic dress I snagged during the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale back in January – it felt like I’d ordered it forever ago and I’ve just been waiting for it to get warm enough. The day started out pretty chilly (it was a rough run that morning), so instead of the sandals I hoped for, I stuck with with booties. Note to self: I really need some closed-toe espadrilles for these in-between days…and just in general. Fun tassel earrings and my monogrammed clutch were all I needed to complete my party outfit.

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The shower was super fun and eventually transitioned from your pretty typical wedding shower to just hanging out with some of our oldest friends. My friend, Amanda, and I have been besties since the first day of first grade when we got lost together before the school day even started (true story). She, Colin (the groom-to-be), and I all went to elementary school together, and then my husband joined the group in middle school. Colin’s house was where we’d all hang out, and Amanda made my husband and I admit we liked each other during a 7th grade field trip, so to say we all go wayyyy back is an understatement. It’s also why we’re apparently incapable of getting through a normal photo together without laughing hysterically (though I’m sure the margaritas didn’t help much either)…this was the best of the bunch. The boys’ antics haven’t changed much since middle school either!

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Dress (similar) | Cardigan | Shoes | Earrings

The only downside of the Lilly After Party Sale is that you end up waiting so long to get to wear your new treats if you don’t go anywhere warm during the winter. I’ve been waiting since the August sale to wear this Bentley v-neck dress,  and it was totally worth the wait as the perfect Easter dress. (It’s no longer available, but this one is pretty similar.) My heels are favorites from J.Crew Factory – they’re amazingly comfortable and go with literally everything. And yes, my Kendra Scotts again, because they also go with everything and I have no self-control. We were staring directly into the sun for this series of pics, which is why we’re all squinting and the boys were being ridiculous.

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This year, my mom put together an Easter egg hunt for us to do after mass, but it was no ordinary free-for-all egg hunt. Each of our (color-coded by person) eggs was filled with pieces of a poem we had to unscramble. Once the poem was unscrambled, you had to solve your riddle to figure out where your Easter basket was hidden. You can see our intense concentration as we all tried to solve ours (I figured out mine first!), and the whole thing was pretty funny.

Hope you had a gorgeous and happy Easter weekend!

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OOTD: 3.17.2016

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green top | black pants | monogram necklace | lipstick

Can you believe I was the only person at my office to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? I love dressing up for holidays, mostly just because I love themed anything. (I firmly believe adult life needs more theme parties, college totally spoiled me.) I also just love wearing a bright, springy green, so this holiday works out well for me.

To be completely honest, I half expected to be the only one even in the office on Thursday. Had I realized I wouldn’t be sitting alone all day, I would’ve pulled out one of my favorite spring dresses for the office. This green dress from J.Crew Factory was a favorite last year, and another dress I couldn’t wait to pull back out this year. But you know how you hate to waste a good outfit on a day you don’t really see anyone?

Instead, I went with my green, flutter-sleeve top, which has been a favorite since I ordered it last spring. Luckily J.Crew Factory is good about bringing back classics and brought it back again this year, along with my green dress (although the fabric on the dress is a little different this year). The flutter-sleeve top also pairs perfectly with jeans or tucked into a pencil skirt, and I can guarantee this won’t be the last time you see it on here.

I paired my green top with my trusty black pants and basic black peep-toe pumps. I love the floral jewelry trend this spring, so I decided to join in with these fun white flower earrings that were my Grandma’s. She’s always been ahead of the trends.

Nars’ Cruella is a matte, scarlet red has been my go-to red lip since I got it with my Sephora birthday gift in October, but I was ready to trade it in for something with a little more pop. Bite’s Pomegranate is a perfect brighter red for the warmer days, while still staying a rich, true red.

I may love a good holiday theme, but this is a spring outfit I’ll definitely be wearing again!

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Half Marathon Training: 4 Weeks

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MiniTraining - 4 weeksMiniTraining 4 weeks 2

The picture isn’t my prettiest, but yesterday officially marked the end of week 4 of my half marathon training. While I’m still 8 weeks away from the big day, I’ve also realized how far I’ve come in the month since I started.

The first time I stepped back on the treadmill, I couldn’t even make it through a full mile of running. I suppose that’s what I get for thinking I could do a half marathon when I hadn’t actually worked out in a solid year. There’s still a good amount of walking happening, but yesterday I ran 2 miles straight through, and ended up running 3.75 of my 5 total miles. Even with the walking, I wrapped up my whole 5 miles in just barely under an hour (59 minutes and 38 seconds, to be exact), keeping me nicely on pace for our starting corral time of 2 hours and 30 minutes.

My cousin has decided to take my sister’s spot, and um, I forgot she used to be a real runner. Real runner, like her first training run the other day was “only” 4.5 miles at my best pace per mile on a good day. So this should get interesting.

Luckily, I’ve made another running buddy who’ll be running with us. Like me, she’s just in it for the experience, so our goal is simply to have fun and cross the finish line. Regardless of our pace or our finish time, I know the three of us are going to enjoy the adventure.

My Go-Dry seamless long-sleeve and compression capris are the remaining items I snagged from my trip to Old Navy a couple weeks ago. I’m still just as in love with the performance, and I stepped a bit outside of my comfort zone with the bold pattern of these pants. I also had to break down and get an “expandable waist pack belt” to carry my inhaler and epi with me while running. Let’s be real though, it’s a fanny pack.

The real stars of the wardrobe show are my new running shoes. I was really trying to get through my training using my old shoes, but last weekend’s training left my feet hurting so badly, I had to spend the rest of the weekend in sneakers. I thought I was ok by Monday…until I tried to do my run Monday after work. An abbreviated run and trip to our local running store, The Blue Mile, later, I learned the searing pain in the balls of my feet and the lightning bolts going up my shins to my knees were a sign that my old shoes had had enough. Turns out, even though I hadn’t been putting in this kind of mileage over the past 4 years, the shoes had still aged and broken down. I knew trying to save myself the cost of the shoes could end up costing me a lot of future pain, so I bit the bullet and invested in these babies, and boy am I glad I did. These Mizuno Wave Enigmas are honestly the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn in my life, and running in them feels soooo much better!

Eight weeks and lots of miles still to go!

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OOTD 3.7.2016

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I’ve been so excited to share this outfit all week. Yes, all week, because it’s been one of those weeks. I thought I’d post Tuesday, or Wednesday, or…you get the idea.

I said last week I was ready to pull out my Spring wardrobe, and I wasn’t messing around. One of my favorite bloggers/Instagrammers, Sara Matthews (check out her blog, Lilly and  Leopard!), has been posting adorable outfits with this blazer for as long as I’ve been following her, and I’ve been drooling over this blazer for just as long. I’ve been working on adding more blazers to my wardrobe, but the issue is those things can be pricey. Not this striped beauty from Old Navy though. It’s already super affordable, and I was able to snag it for an extra 30% off a couple weekends ago, making it a perfect Spring steal. I knew a Monday meeting day would be the perfect debut, and I couldn’t wait to wear it. I also can’t wait to wear it again, so expect to see (a lot) more of this one. (PS, the reviews are right, go down a size from what you’d normally wear.)

When I went to pull out some of my Spring dresses, I knew exactly the dress I wanted to pair with my blazer. This coral scalloped shift from J.Crew Factory has been a favorite since I got it last Spring. So much so, it was my Easter dress and I wore it for our engagement pictures. It’s a perfect shift for wearing to work, and for just about everything else you may need a dress.Easter 2015Engagement Portraits -93 copy

After a crazy week, I was elated to hear my husband say his thoughts on dinner Friday night were to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Chile Verde. It’s actually owned by my sister’s fiancé’s family, and is some of the best Mexican food you’ll find in Indianapolis. They even let me customize my favorite enchiladas to be shrimp instead of chicken since it was a Friday during Lent. Chile Verde has become a staple in my family – and I mean my whole, extended family. They don’t mind when we need to make a reservation for an intimate family dinner for 20+ (I have a big family), and they’re amazing when we want to get carryout catering. Full disclosure: I skipped my scheduled workout for this:

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Don’t worry, I still did all of my other training this week, and have 5 miles to put in today. Sometimes, you just need some beer and queso.

If you look closely, there’s also a tiny peak of my first wear of one of my dresses from the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale in January. Who else is ready for Spring dresses?

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Pudding Poke Cake

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Everyone needs at least one easy, crowd-pleasing dessert in their arsenal that can whipped up in no time. I made this cake a few weeks back when my husband’s brother was coming over for dinner. It wasn’t anything fancy – a low key dinner and sweatpants – but I’m not one to need an occasion to make dessert. I always send him home with plenty of leftovers, and after sharing this cake with a friend of ours, he was told to pass on the message that I “can definitely make that again.” My brother-in-law specifically requested this cake  for a birthday dinner for my in-laws this weekend. Like I said, it’s crowd-pleasing. 
I also mean it when I say you can whip this up in no time. How quickly, you ask? Well, imagine you return from your half-marathon training at 3 p.m., and your husband informs you that he told his brother we’d be there at 4:30 to help make dinner. Oh, and for whatever reason, every grocery store you’d been to had been out of the gluten-free chocolate cake mix, so it still needed to be located and purchased. Sigh. 

Luckily, said husband went to one more grocery store, procured the cake mix, and took care of at least getting it in the oven while I hopped in the shower. But to tell the truth, following the directions on the box of cake mix is the “hardest” part of the recipe. It really is that easy.

Note: This version is gluten-free; however, you can make this with any cake mix/pudding combo your heart desires.  

 

You’ll need: 

  • 1 box of cake mix and the required ingredients (eggs, butter/oil, etc.)
  • 2 3.4 oz boxes of instant pudding
  • 4 cups of milk

Optional and amazing (but not pictured) additions:

  • 1 tub whipped topping
  • Crushed Oreos (in this case, gluten-free Joe-Joes from Trader Joe’s)

Preheat your oven and prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box. If you’re familiar with GF cake mixes, you’ll know that the box of mix is smaller, and this particular mix does not offer directions for a 13 x 9 inch pan. Use one anyway. Mine is ready to come out after 30 minutes, and the thinner, denser layer becomes almost fudge-like when you add the next layers. 

About 2 minutes (or slightly less) before your timer goes off, mix your pudding mix and milk. You don’t want it to have time to set up all the way, and it needs to stay a bit liquidy for the next steps. 

As soon as your cake come out of the oven, use the non-eating end of whatever kitchen utensil  you have (I used the end of a cheese knife) to poke holes all over the cake about an inch apart. This is where the pudding will fall in, so make sure they’re big enough to let the pudding fill.

Once you’ve finished poking the holes, pour the pudding over the warm cake. Use a rubber spatula to evenly spread the pudding layer and press the pudding into the holes a bit. 

Then, just pop the cake in the fridge for about 1 hour to let everything set up and meld together. (We obviously did not have that full hour this time, but I finished the next steps at my brother-in-law’s. For the record, we were there by 4:40.)

After the pudding has set, you can leave it as is, but I like to add a layer of whipped cream and crushed Oreos. I’ve also just added the crushed Oreos right on top of the pudding. Because why not?

 
It was delicious, super simple, and a hit, as usual. Gotta love those recipes you can keep in your back pocket for a quick fix! 

Why gluten free? My mother-in-law and brother-in-law both have Celiac. My husband and I lived with my brother-in-law for a few years before we bought our house last summer, and many times, it just didn’t make sense to make a meal we couldn’t all share together. Plus, I couldn’t make a birthday cake the birthday girl couldn’t eat! Every recipe posted to Real Life Sparkle (thus far) has also been made gluten free more than once, and is equally delicious either way. Feel free to ask me about the swaps to make it work! 

  

Wonky Posts

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Apologies for those of you who subscribe and have now received two errant emails of incomplete posts with links going nowhere. I tend to start posts on my phone and finish from my iPad or computer, and my WordPress app has been posting before I’m ready. 

I’ll get the kinks worked out, and the actual post and recipe for the amazing Pudding Poke Cake is coming tomorrow, I promise! 

  

OOTD 3.4.2016

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Oh Friday, I felt so ready for you this week. We may not have casual Friday at my office, but I was definitely feeling an easy look and a little springtime mint green. 

I’ve had this Portofino shirt from Express since they introduced the line a couple years back. It’s light and filmy, so it’s always easy to wear by itself or as a layering piece, making it perfect for transitional weather. I also love that I can wear it long-sleeved or use the button tabs for half-sleeves. See what I mean? Transitional. (Note: It’s also light enough that a cami is necessary underneath. These seamless camis from The Limited are my favorite base layer.) 

Once I discovered skinny black pants, it made the fact that I’m in a no jeans office much easier for the days you’re tired of standard office wear. These black pants from J.Crew are admittedly right on the edge, but can still be considered similar to a skinny chino. Just know your office dress code, tread lightly, and err on the dressier side with what you wear them with. I won’t tell if you won’t. 

Now, let me tell you about my shoes. Years of working retail makes it pretty much impossible for me to pay full price for things – you reallllllly get used to that employee discount applying to most of your wardrobe. So even though I’ve lusted over these shoes for ages, they were never quite on sale enough, and I sure couldn’t bring myself to pay full price. Luckily, when J.Crew Factory is your favorite store, you eventually earn rewards. When you’re really lucky, those rewards are timed with the shoes you’ve been lusting after being 40% off. When I can pay the same price for J.Crew Factory shoes as I could for shoes from Target, those things are mine.

I swear I don’t wear my favorite Kendra Scott earrings every single day, they just happen to always match my favorite outfits. My white pearl Danielle earrings were the first piece of KS jewelry I bought, and I chose them specifically because they’re just the right about of bold, while still being goes-with-everything classic. 

I do wear my monogram all the time, but I love it and I’m not ashamed. I love the Reese Witherspoon words to live by: If it isn’t moving, monogram it. 

I told my husband that this weekend is the weekend I pull out all my spring stuff. I’m ready for the built in wardrobe refresh, and visions of warmer weather are dancing in my head. What are you looking forward to most for the warmer days? 

  

OOTD 2.29.2016: Fitness Edition 

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As I’ve continued my training for the Mini Marathon, one thing I learned pretty quickly (other than the limits of my asthmatic lungs) is that there’s a good reason all of that fancy workout gear exists. In college, random tshirts and leggings leftover from dance classes and show choir rehearsals were just fine for the half-hearted time I occasionally logged on the elliptical at the gym. My workouts after college got a bit more serious with regular Zumba classes and ballet barre method Pilates, but even then a loose tank, sports bra, and some leggings were all I really needed. Last week on the treadmill, I realized my (drenched) concert tshirt and few remaining pairs of athletic leggings just weren’t going to cut it anymore.

Though I’d love to just go nuts in Lululemon, that’s not exactly in the budget right now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely earning a Lululemon treat with all this training (I’ve got my eye on some things…), but for now, I needed to restart my workout wardrobe with a much lower price tag.


 After my miles on Saturday, I decided to swing into Old Navy on whim to check out their activewear selection, and I was not disappointed. I might actually be a little obsessed. The whole store was 40% off for the day, so this pretty blue seamless long-sleeve and my striped compression capris were an absolute steal! All of the moisture-wicking, breathable goodness for what ended up being about a quarter of the price of all of the various brands I’d been looking at for gear. If you haven’t checked out Old Navy Active for your workout clothes, you definitely need to!

As a training update, it’s going. This whole asthma thing is no joke, and learning the difference it makes when I’m running outside in the colder air can be unbelievably frustrating. I go from feeling good and lasting longer running on the treadmill, to not even making it through a mile outside before I need to walk. My husband reminds me that it’s still early in my training and the most important thing is getting in the miles to keep building up, whether they’re walking miles or running miles. Moving forward indoors (even though I still think the treadmill is miserable), just to feel like I’m going backwards outside can be annoying. But I’m still going, and I know I’m getting a little better every day, even when it doesn’t always feel like it.

At least now I can put in my miles in cute workout clothes too!