Slow Cooker Sunday and A Day Off

~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

I mentioned yesterday (That’s right, yesterday. Two days in a row, look at me go!) that my sister and her fiancé were coming over for dinner. The temps outside were single digit with an even colder wind chill, so I was determined to not leave the house and make something that would feel warm and cozy. I’m a HUGE fan of the slow cooker. It’s a great way to make a stress-free meal that’s cost-effective and delicious, and the leftovers are great to freeze so you don’t have to worry about dinner some night in the future. There’s nothing better than coming home to your house smelling like someone’s been cooking all day, and the only real effort expended was dumping in the ingredients before you leave for work that morning. Easy, right?

A big batch of red beans and smoked sausage sounded like the perfect meal for the bitter cold day. I like this recipe courtesy of Plain Chicken, and you’ll probably have most of the ingredients around already. I know, I said we ate red beans and rice last Sunday at our friend’s restaurant, it’s just that great for when it’s cold out.

RedBeans Ingredients 01172016

You may notice the bell pepper from the recipe is missing. We didn’t have one, but as I mentioned, I was determined to not leave the house, so we did without. It still tasted amazing, even though I realize this was probably a cardinal sin of cajun cooking. Also not pictured is the hot sauce I added. We like the extra heat, so how much you add is up to you. Instead of dicing the onion, I threw it in the food processor with a clove of garlic (not required, but garlic is never a bad addition), so it would all just kind of melt together. The recipe says andouille sausage, but we had smoked sausage and that’s what we used.

RedBeans 01172016

There’s no pre-soaking needed for the beans, so it’s just everything in for 8 – 10 hours on low. If you’re around, give it an occasional stir, but if not, it’ll be just fine until you get home. Much to my Texan husband’s delight, I also took this opportunity to make my first ever round of cornbread in a cast iron skillet. Seasoning the cast iron was an adventure of a story for a different day, but we survived, the oven survived, and the cornbread turned out pretty great too.

Cornbread 01172016

Throw a pot of rice on the stove, and you’re good to go. My husband even made a pitcher of  sweet tea for good, extra-Southern measure.

RedBeansDinner 01172016

Amazing. We still added extra hot sauce on top, because like I said, we like the heat. So stick-to-your-ribs perfect. Normally we have lots of leftovers to eat on and freeze, but sharing cut down on the extras a bit this time. Don’t worry, the company was worth it!

Today, I went to lunch and shopping with my mom and sister since we all had the day off, and it was another COLD day. A freezing-doesn’t-even-begin-to-cover-it day.

It was a day of layers upon layers, and then a vest and a scarf on top for good measure. My jeans (look – no leggings!), flannel, and sweater are all J.Crew Factory. The flannel and sweater aren’t exact links, but are pretty close, and the pearls are now at J.Crew Factory and on sale. My vest is the ever-popular herringbone vest from J.Crew Factory (mine is gray, but it looks like black is all that’s left), and my scarf was a steal from Forever 21. It’s no longer available in the cream, but it’s so cozy, I’d definitely recommend the gray. My earrings are a fun monogrammed favorite from Marley Lilly.

Eagles 01182016

Today’s post was written to the sounds of the Eagles in memory of Glenn Frey. Our house was always full of music as a kid, and the Eagles were a staple. I’ve known the words to almost every Eagles song for pretty much my whole life. My husband loves music, although he isn’t much for knowing the words to any song, and comes from a similar background in terms of a childhood full of classic rock and the Eagles. Their music is a constant in our own house, we introduced our parents at a summer performance of Eagles music by the Indianapolis Symphony at Symphony on the Prairie, and we incorporated Eagles music into the seating playlist at our wedding. My husband was lucky enough to sit front row at an Eagles concert in high school, but unfortunately, I’ll never get my bucket list experience of seeing them live now. A true loss to the music world. Take it easy.

signature copy2

One of those weeks…

~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

You know those weeks when you have big plans laid out, then life kicks your butt, and you’re just happy if you can pick out clothes that sort of match? Yeah, it was one of those.

Working late every night meant blogging took a serious backseat, but then again, that’s part of why this one has “real life” in the title…it’s going to happen. On weeks like this, my priority is to actually find time to have real conversations with my husband, preserve my sanity, and get some sleep. During these weeks, I try to remind myself that I’m lucky to have a job that has allowed me to pay off my car and for us to by a house, and just give myself a lot of room for grace.

I had every intention of doing a post or two this week, took pictures and everything…they just never made it up on the blog. I never really intended for OOTDs to all be on one giant post, but since I haven’t had time, this will unfortunately be another week of grouped pics.

OOTD 01122016

I was nervous about the over-the-knee boot trend at first, but when I found a pair at H&M for $60 this fall, I decided to give them a whirl. Short answer: I’m obsessed. Seriously, some OTK boots and red lipstick, and you’ll feel like you can rule the world. Pairing them with black tights, a tweed skirt, a “sweater set,” and my favorite pearls from J.Crew (they’re at J.Crew Factory now, on sale!) helps tone them down enough for the office without being too over-the-top.

OOTD 01132016

Polka dot pants are a good way to add fun to your work wear, and Old Navy’s Pixie pants are a favorite. I know, I know, another pixie pant…it must be the name! I have a few pairs from Old Navy in solid colors and these polka dot gems, but the price can’t be beat and they’re so versatile.

OOTD 01152016

The Friday of a long week meant I was ready for a comfy swing dress, faux fur vest (not sure this is my exact one from H&M, but its a steal nonetheless), my OTK boots, and another Kendra Scott favorite. My swing dress was from Old Navy this past fall and doesn’t seem to be around anymore, but I’ve seen them around from other brands/stores for pretty cheap. My outfit was intended to be a day-to-night date night outfit…but then we both worked too late and ended up at Five Guys instead. It happens.

OOTD 01162016

Our only Saturday plans were to pick up patio furniture my aunt and uncle were getting rid of (high five for free furniture!), so leggings, a boyfriend tee, comfy cable sweater, and boots were all I needed. I’m still working on not washing my hair every day, and let’s be honest, who hasn’t hid their day-two hair with a headband? This one was beaded, so it makes me feel like it at least looks like I tried. Flowers in the background courtesy of my sweet husband who knew I was having a rough week…working on actually decorating our room is a project on the agenda for this year.

Today is a slow cooker Sunday, and my sister and her fiancé are coming over for dinner, recipe to come. I’m off tomorrow thanks to a girl’s weekend that’s since been rescheduled, so here’s hoping this week benefits from a slower start thanks to a long, relaxing, and snowy weekend.

signature copy2

OOTDs and De-Christmas-ing

~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

Chistmas Mantle 2015

We took down all of our Christmas decorations today, which means we’re officially counting the days until the warm weather returns. The house feels naked, so I guess that means I better start getting my decorating and DIY on to fill our very blank walls and mantle. Projects and results, coming soon.

I also had every intention of finishing up some grocery shopping today, but after a New Year’s party at our friends’ AMAZING Cajun restaurant, the only thing we were ready for was a nap. Winter officially hit Indy with our first “big” snow of the year, and what better way to spend a snow day than with a tummy full of hush puppies, red beans, and shrimp étouffée. After all of that, we weren’t exactly feeling like a trip to Trader Joe’s or Coscto like we’d planned, so a nap was necessary. If you’re ever looking for good Cajun/Creole in Indy, hit up Mudbugs in Carmel. You won’t be disappointed!

Luckily, my husband has tomorrow off and volunteered to take care of the rest of the shopping, so look for recipes to start making an appearance. Until then, I have OOTDs that I had every intention of posting this week, but as can happen around here, the week got a little too busy, and I didn’t get a chance to share.  OOTD 01072016

Thursday was a glimmer of warm hope before the cold hit, but those are sheer tights with a little bit of texture, not bare legs. My skirt is an old find from the J.Crew sale room, but you can find the same style either at J.Crew or J.Crew Factory pretty much year round (I linked one that’s almost identical – and on sale!). I’m OBSESSED with J.Crew Factory, and when you sign up for their emails, you can often get things for 50% off, so there are some pretty great bargains.

OOTD 01082016

My office doesn’t do casual Friday, so the closest I can get are skinny black chino-esque pants (I promise they aren’t leggings) that were another amazing J.Crew sale room find last year. They don’t seem to be around anymore, but searching the J.Crew website for the “Dannie” style leads me to these, which makes me think they’re the replacements. Watch for them to go on sale or buy at full price, because if they’re anything like these, they’ll become staples in your wardrobe (I also have mine in navy). My top is a tunic from J. Crew Factory that I loved so much, I also bought it in cream. It also appears to be on clearance right now. My camel blazer was another sale find at Gap a couple years ago, but luckily a good camel blazer never goes out of style. The Kendra Scott earrings are such go-tos, I’m very seriously thinking about investing in another pair, because you’ll notice I wear them A LOT. My other jewelry staple you’ll be seeing a lot of is my monogram necklace from Marley Lilly. It’s so much of a staple, I had this one with my married initials ready and waiting to replace my old one literally as soon as we walked down the aisle.

OOTD 01102016

Freezing cold and snow today meant I was back to my beloved Pixie pants in charcoal and a cozy sweater from Old Navy. When it comes to finding things at a great price, I’m a big fan of Old Navy. And of course, there are my Kendra Scott earrings again. The one thing I don’t wear my heavy earrings like these without are these little guys to help take some of the weight off of your lobes. They make a HUGE difference in keeping me comfortable when wearing a statement earring, and help protect your lobes from tearing.

I’m starting an experiment with trying to get away from washing my hair every day. My hair is baby fine, so it’s always seemed like if I didn’t wash every day, I just felt like a big greasy, stringy mess. My hope is to cut down on the static and dryness this part of winter seems to bring, so we’ll see how this goes. My hair on Thursday was actually my first time intentionally wearing day 2 hair to work, and I feel like it was a success. I’ll share my results and products used soon.

signature copy2

OOTD 1.6.2016

~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

OOTD 01062016

Ahh January, you’ve only just begun and I’m already over the weather. Some people love the winter weather, but once we get past Christmas, I’m pretty much done with winter and ready for the warmer days ahead. Another chilly day means another day of warm tights and a go-to sweater dress. Tassel earrings and red lips are just to perk up a Wednesday.

What’s your go-to winter outfit?

signature copy2

Back to Real Life

~ reallifesparkle ~ 4 Comments

The first day back to work after a vacation is always rough. In my head, I tell myself I’ll be there bright and early now that I’m all renewed from the time off. In reality, getting up comes way too early, getting ready happens at a snail’s pace, and my brain takes a little extra time to get in gear.

Remember how exciting it used to be to plan what to wear on the first day back to class? Planning exactly what to debut from the fun new clothes you got for Christmas (or the sales after with your friends) to feel on top of your game for a whole new schedule of classes? This wasn’t it. After spending a week and a half primarily wearing various forms of leggings, the idea of putting on work clothes again was a little…foreign. How do I even do this again? Plus, winter has finally started to make an appearance in Indy, so I needed warmth and comfort to ease myself back into the swing of things. I’m also a big believer in forcing myself to feel better with something bright and sparkly. Enter fleece-lined tights, a pop of hot pink, sparkly earrings, and an embellished top…Ok, fine, it’s a fancy sweatshirt – but it does have fun beading, and I always put a collared shirt under it to dress it up for the office.

OOTD 01042016

You totally cannot tell it’s basically a sweatshirt, right? We’ll work on the photography thing.

The other thing that both got me through the day and gave me heart palpitations was the semi-annual Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale. It’s always high anxiety, from the “there are 2,500 people in line ahead of you and here’s our best guess as to how long it will be before you can even see the goods” queue page, to the high-stakes race to see how fast can you look at EVERYTHING, pray your size is left, get it in your tote, and pay to confirm it’s actually yours.

The two After Party Sales are the only time Lilly is in my budget (other than my lovely assortment of koozies and a pretty sweet insulated cooler bag), so I try to make the most of it. My general plan of attack is to try to find two main items: one nice, typically non-print, dress to wear for any occasions I know are already on the calendar (hello, wedding season), and one cotton type dress that I can dress up or down. Last After Party sale my cotton item was actually a romper, but it’s still adorable and made me look like I hadn’t stayed up until 5 a.m. when I wore it to lunch the day after our wedding, so I’ll take it. This After Party was no different, and I was thrilled to snag both an amazing halter-esque shift dress and a super cute cotton dress in a fun print for less than it’d normally cost for just one Lilly dress. I’d link to pics, but it seems the crazy Lilly crowds have done it again, and there are no hints of either dress to be found on the website. Guess we’ll just have to wait for delivery and warmer days to come.

My holiday season officially ended yesterday with our Christmas celebration with my aunt and uncle on my mom’s side. Aunt Cheryl was the relative my sister and I would stay with every summer for a week of pool days, movies, candy, and all sorts of other fun with her and my uncle, so it’s always a good time when we’re all together.

Group 01032016

(Left to right: Me, Aunt Cheryl, Mom, and my sister, Sarah. You can’t tell, but Cheryl is actually standing on a crate to look a little taller, so this is one of the few pictures we aren’t laughing hysterically about it.)

With Mom and Sarah 01042016couples 01032016

We force our boys to take pics for pretty much any and every occasion, so obviously yesterday was no different. Ahem, and note my aforementioned leggings. They’re actually J.Crew’s more structured Pixie pant. I’ve had my eye on them for years, but never took the plunge because of the price tag. Let me tell you, they are worth every penny, and I’m going to wear the crap out of these. I loved them so much, I even snagged a pair of them in charcoal, because who can resist a markdown AND an extra 40% on top of that? And how cute are my sister’s boots?

Finally, because no visit with with my aunt and uncle is complete without receiving our body weight in candy, I give you the candy from the “stocking” bag. I need you to keep in mind that this is just the candy for me and my husband.

Candy Haul 01032016

Yes, my husband still sorts the candy like a kid on Halloween. I love it.

Happy first day back to real life!

signature copy2

Getting to Know You

~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

Josh & Jessi's Wedding -779

It seems fitting to launch a blog on New Year’s Day. New year, new possibilities, all that jazz. My name is Jessi, and after much encouragement from (and debate with) my younger sister, I’ve decided to create a little corner of the internet to call my own. I’ve been a Tumblr user for a few years, and while I’ll continue to love it as a source of inspiration and escape, I found myself needing and wanting more. So here we are.

I follow a lot of bloggers whose style I adore, whether their home or their fashion, but as much as I aspire to achieve their level of fashion sense, I don’t always have the, ahem, means to back it up. In the past year, my husband and I bought our first home and got married, so let’s just be honest and say it wasn’t the cheapest year of our lives. We have student loans, car payments, a mortgage, and all sort of other bills, and as much as I’d like to outfit myself head-to-toe in J.Crew and other pretty things, well, it just isn’t in the cards. So we make it work.

I’m a communications professional by day, and I like to think I have a decent eye for design, whether in how I dress myself or decorate our home. My husband went to school for furniture design, and while he doesn’t currently work in the industry (gotta pay those aforementioned bills and all), he indulges my at times ambitious project whims.

So that’s me. Newly 30, newlywed, and a new homeowner, just trying to live life a little more sparkly. We spent the past year getting to this place in our lives, now we get to enjoy our progress and keep digging in to make it even better. Real Life Sparkle is my way of chronicling my journey, whether it’s outfit inspiration, tackling a new project, whipping up something delicious, or just sharing some thoughts on life. I hope you’ll join me, and hopefully you’ll like it here.

JJEngagement - blogJJ House - blogJosh & Jessi's Wedding -343

 

signature copy2