A Paler Pink

You see this blouse here....

..It's only $13.80 from Forever21...and I'm about to be all over it!!!

I'm not necessarily a fan of pink but I really like the subtleness of this color. I mean you can't beat the price but kudos for versatility as well.  This is a future addition.

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?BR=love21&Category=love21_main&ProductID=2078336541&VariantID=

Def Leopard

I don't normally post about handbags because I don't particularly fall hard for any....until now.

I really want THIS bag.  It is Kate Spades "2 Park Avenue Beau Bag" and it is beautiful!  

Now I was seriously considering purchasing this bag being most of the bags on her site run about $500.  Not really in my price range...but do-able.  This bag..which was the last listed on the page is for me a staggering $998.00 or simply $1000.00.  That, I being a new mother who lives pay check to pay check, can not do.  

If I'm lucky it will be on sale soon enough and I can pick it up as a Christmas gift to myself....maybe?

http://www.katespade.com/2-park-avenue-beau-bag/PXRU4457,en_US,pd.html?dwvar_PXRU4457_color=984&cgid=ks-handbags-view-all#start=115&cgid=ks-handbags-view-all

Floral Camo

OMG!!...again.. but happily this time.  You can not tell me these "The Skinny in English Garden" jeans from 7 For All Mankind are not awesome!

How friggin' nifty are these!!  Grant it..from the back your ass looks like a military inspired Monet...

 hence Floral Camo.. but you gotta give it to them.  They are different.

...I want them

Currently $123.00 @ Revolveclothing.com

http://www.revolveclothing.com/DisplayProduct.jsp?product=SEVE-WJ1130&c=7+For+All+Mankind

Photo Bomb!

OMG! I am seriously disliking Shutterfly right now!

I got a coupon from Target for a free 8x8 book and was thrilled.  Yay...something to do with all my favorite "Bean" pictures!

Wrong!  I am having the hardest time just keeping the damn thing on track.  I remove pictures to replace with others from a frame just to have difficulty getting the new picture in the frame. Instead of going into the same spot it wants to only set in the whole page messing up the layout!  Leaving me having to start the whole thing over again, removing all the pictures and refreshing the layout. Pretty sure I'm doing something wrong here.

But then the damn site keeps crashing.  Or at least Shockwave does.  It must have crashed on me about 7 times so far with the last time being only 5 minutes ago leading me to write this post.  I just want a damn baby book man... really.  I'm gonna stick with Snapfish from now on.  The pictures may take 5 minutes to upload but at least it doesn't take 5 years to get through a project!

The September Issue(s)

...my favorite time of the year.

A Tasty Protein Pancake

Thank you JNL

for your fantastic Protein Pancake with Peanut Butter...cause seriously..isn't everything better with peanut butter??
I found the recipe in an older issue of Oxygen. -I keep all my old issues of Oxygen because I adore the magazine...plus if all doesn't go well, they'll be out of print soon..if not now.   I easily skipped over the recipe because it was placed in the ad for her JNL Fusion workout and I don't really read the ads. Thank God I found it.  Many of the protein pancakes recipes I've made have tasted a little rubbery.  Not Cool! These however actually taste a lot like real pancakes with a hint of PB.

Here's the recipe:
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cups cottage cheese
3 egg whites
1/2 tbls creamy peanut butter
blend blend blend and cook on a greased griddle.

Personally I like to add cinnamon and a little vanilla extract to mine along with a little extra peanut butter...obviously.  I also use chunky pb instead of creamy because I enjoy the surprise crunch of the nuts.
SO good! And packing 27 grams of protein and only 296 calorie per serving...can't beat it.

photo courtesy of prweb.com

A Boobie Tea

yep...that's what I said.  Normally they're called teas to help promote healthy lactation, and I've been drinking a lot of them lately.  Are they really doing anything for me..I honestly can't tell but I can give you my opinion of which ones taste the best.

I started on this journey with a tea Patrick's mom gave me.  Earth Mama Angel Baby Organic Milkmaid Tea

Pat's mom and I are on the same page when it comes to what we put in and on our body, -she also gave me nipple butter by this same company that is AWESOME!- so I was eager to try this. Being this was my introduction to lactation teas I was a little caught off guard by the taste.  Not bad but definitely different. 

Next up was Yogi's Woman's Nursing Support.

This one tastes pretty similar to EMAB but a lot more bland surprisingly.  I expected a little more from a Yogi tea.

And lastly is the tea I've decided to stick with..originally because I couldn't find EMAB at any of the stores I shop at is 

 Traditional Medicinals Organic Mother's Milk.  Okay..these teas all pretty much have the same ingredients so obviously they all taste similar.  This one however has the strongest taste of licorice which I love and provides a stronger brew. I even dig the smell of the tea bag after its all dried out.  .... is that TMI??   Again..this is only my opinion.  Should you go by my opinion? Well only if you too are a fan of licorice. 

So this is my go to for "healthy" lactation not necessarily an increase in it.

Honestly the only thing that seems to increase my milk supply is a nice 6 oz glass of Allagash Curieux.  Don't know what that is...Bing it up. You'll never look back I promise!

photos courtesy ofearthmamaangelbaby.com

 iherb.com

traditionalmedicinals.com

Honestly Good

Thank you Honest Tea

for being the best tasting bottled tea on the market.  I appreciate all of your organic ingredients, and your lack of high fructose corn syrup.  You are the best. MUAH!

Don't Bother

If you see this tea kettle at Walmart....

run in the other direction.  This is the Copco 2.3 Qt Stainless Steel kettle.... and it sucks.  To be truthful I was looking for a cheap tea kettle from the thrift store questioning the quality of the mugs I was using to heat up water in the microwave.  I first came across this kettle there, and not realizing what I was purchasing thought it would go great with the color scheme of my kitchen.  Well when it came time to get a new one I went to Walmart and low and behold...the same exact one.  It was the cheapest mind you so I wondered a little right there but decided to go with it anyway.  BIG mistake.  About two weeks into using it the metal pieces on the nozzle part that lifts providing the boil whistle fell off into my tea! This continues to happen to this day.  Also the part of the handle that's used to open the spout gets stuck once in a while and can be a little tough to get to closed.  You can't let it boil too long because it can damage the pot -the spout will melt a little- but if the cap isn't on securely it doesn't whistle anyway which doesn't help when your in another room. Plus I stopped hearing the whistle once those pieces fell off. It only "whispers" now.  Invest in quality people.  This will now only be a backup kettle.

Photo Courtesy of Walmart.com

To Mint or not to Mint.

            There's ShoeMint, there's HomeMint, there's even IntiMint all brought to us by BeachMint. The "Next Generation Social Commerce Company".  I'll admit.. I was a fan originally.  I loved and raved about JewelMint when it first arrived on the scene. (Remember my "Bling Bling" post a couple years ago...http://126king.blogspot.com/2011/11/bling-bling.html  .)
Currently however,  I gotta rant about them.   I've actually been ranting about them to myself for about a year now planning to cancel my membership but never really getting around to it.  Seriously tho, why do you have to call to cancel your JewelMint membership but not for any of the others???

           First of all, I hardly EVER like anything they add to my showroom anymore.  I almost feel like I should take the "style" quiz again and pray for better results.  Some of the other pieces available on the site are quite nice like these Open Arrow Rings.

Then again one of the comments left by a customer states that the rings look cheap.  And I can agree with her there being my very first purchase from JM back in 2011 was this In The Rough ring,  

 which has faded on the band after only a few wears. But what can you really expect from jewelry for only $29.00

I did recently purchase their Lady Luxe Cuff in black and I do love it, 

however my main reason for buying it was because I wasn't able to "Skip the Month" in time before they charged me.  In the beginning you had until the 7th of each to officially skip it.  Now you only have until the 5th and let me tell you... when you're already running around worried about other things you forget to "skip" you're month.  It really sucks.  They got me about 3 times with this so far, and I couldn't even use my credit to buy this cuff because I it was on sale, which I didn't know either and wondered why my account said I still had 1 credit until I saw my Amex bill.  Did I mention you can't use your credits to purchase any Collective pieces either... Even if they're priced UNDER the $29.00 credit you receive???  Yea... I don't get that..

All in all they have a decent product especially if you're buying from their Collective brand.  It's the service that's a little irritating to me.  Very "Do this, but don't do that"...a lil bit of a pain in the ass if you ask me.

A lil Bit-o-Leather Done Up

A lil Bit-o-Leather by deathofadame featuring high heels

Top
$42 - stun-l.com

River island
$69 - riverisland.com

Alice Olivia alice olivia
bloomingdales.com

Giuseppe Zanotti high heels
couture.zappos.com

Tory Burch leather handbag
toryburch.com

Nixon watch
bloomingdales.com

Multi layer necklace
gojane.com

Retro sunglasses
shopzerouv.com

A Lil' Bit-O-Leather

Huh....hhhhhmmmm   ...  Do we like these?

For $596.00 I guess you better be pretty damn sure you do.

Alice + Olivia Leather Zip Crop Leggings at Bloomingdales.com  ...something about leather CROP leggings.  I mean..they are quite nice..yes..  but how do you wear them without looking like you belong in The Pink Ladies, or sitting on the couch next to Peg Bundy?? ....Ah..nothing a lil sexy Betty Jackson Studded Ankle Boot can't fix!

...aaahhh  understood.

http://www.my-wardrobe.com/betty-jackson/studded-ankle-boot-401621

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/alice-olivia-leggings-leather-zip-crop?ID=717964&CategoryID=1001037&LinkType=#fn=spp%3D3%26ppp%3D96%26sp%3D3%26rid%3D96%26spc%3D482%26ppp%3D96%26sp%3D3%26rid%3D96%26spc%3D482

Oh Ombre!

..well I guess they're not REALLY ombre more than they're just two-toned.  WHATEVER! I don't really where shorts...in public...too much...unless they were made my me.....but these!!

I may just have to slip into these babies this summer. Mossimo Supply Co. Junior Dip Dye Denim short obviously from Target.  I really really like these.  Even when I saw them in the ad I wanted to go grab them that day forgetting the sale starts Sunday... not the day I get the sale ad.  They're $19.99 regularly but if I'm quick enough..I'm gonna grab them for $15.00.   So cute!

http://www.target.com/p/mossimo-supply-co-juniors-dip-dye-denim-short/-/A-14408500#prodSlot=medium_1_25

Maxi MANIAAAAHHHH!!!!!

I am loving this Made My Day maxi dress from Free People.

Not only is it a double whammy with the slit and elongated arm holes, but I love that it has pockets! It's effortlessly cool and sexy from the back. 

I'm actually diggin' a couple of the maxi dresses FP has happening.  The one above is only $88.00 but this beauty below...

$198.00  It is gorgeous though!  This is the Meadows of Lace Slip. Worn modestly it looks like..

Talk about a "Day to Night" piece.  Gorgeous.

http://www.freepeople.com/meadows-of-lace-slip/

http://www.freepeople.com/made-my-day-maxi/?productOptionIDs=07e81d1b-a61e-4777-9a28-eac907deedc1

Super Shit.....

I had FINALLY found a pink polish that didn't make my fingers look like an 80's hand model reject...

Sinful Colors Bikini Line!

The annual Summer Solstice party was this Saturday past..

and I really wanted to wear some color.  I got this great color-block dress and decided to do my nails in the Bikini Line pink. Well...my manicure was holding up strong until I added this a two days later...

Okay..I know what you're thinking..."It's a top coat...what could go wrong??"...This

 I have been using Sally Hansen's Super Shine for years, and just now realized it's caused my chipping.  Why now??  Because I now wait a whole day to add my topcoat so I'm certain the polish is dry.  Now to be fair, I'm not sure if the waiting has anything to do with it or not as my nails often chip, however not a single chip the two days prior to adding the topcoat. Sinful Colors did its "thang" for a $1.99.  Not a flawed nail in sight... and let me tell you people...

..this isn't cool when you're kneading dough...

...no one wants THIS surprise in their buttermilk biscuits.

...And It's Back to the Drawing Board

So I had a child about 11 weeks ago now.

...isn't she precious.

And we know that lovely baby weight that we embraced while pregnant is not looking so cute now that the egg has hatched.

I went from this..to this

(pay no attention to my boyfriends mess in the background...we'll just say it was "laundry day")

Well...at least I have boobs now.  I must say.. I kinda dig having all these hips.  To be completely honest however this isn't the worst.  I was pretty rough looking right out of the hospital.  All the drugs they gave me to have my C-Section did not do my body good..nor did the C-Section itself.  The image above is a vast improvement from the original me post op.

I went from 137 to 195 and am now at 163. I dropped the first 25 easily without any effort really (Hooray for breastfeeding!) In the past I have been this weight before but still in better shape than I am now.  So you know what that means!!!  Oh yes.  It's time to make dates with Retro Fitness, Tony Horton, Pauline Nordin and all the free workout videos I can find on Youtube!!  The physical aspect of getting in shape is never the problem for me...it's the nutrition that gets me. This girl likes to eat! But I am determined and ready to go in an all out effort to get back to this...

Rant!! Swiffer Wet Mess!

..and it looks like this..

Yes yes..very classy I know.    The culprits of this mess....

(...but the hubby won't let me get rid of them..well his.. Loki -the tan one- I'm free to toss whenever I feel. ) AND...

the Swiffer Wet Jet.

Okay... I know you're suppose to sweep pretty thoroughly before you use this thing, but no one told me how meticulous you would need to be if 

1.  You have tile flooring

2.  You have dogs  

I was so excited to get this, but found it to be a bit of a pain in the ass after the first use.  You really can only use it in 1 room and the room shouldn't be too big because than you're pretty much just pushing a dirty pad across your floors. (Hello upstairs bathroom only!)  I've even gone over the floor with a wet cloth and found the cloth to be pretty filthy after.  Not only does it cake up any dog hair or dirt I may have missed with the broom, it also has a tendency of leaving the grouted area of the tile looking like so...

I feel like we wasted our money on this a bit. It is good for a quick clean up but for the downstairs of my home it's back to the old mop and bucket for me.

Photo from Kaboodle.com

Connecting The Dots

...and they tell me that my post baby thighs are currently a little too large to be wearing these...

These Polka Dot Skinny Jeans from LoveCulture.com are exactly what I want for summer!  Grant it they're black and I'm trying to get away from all that but they're too damn cute. $32.90 People!

Now I just gotta ditch the baby weight!

http://www.loveculture.com/Item/ItemDetailView.aspx?StyleId=1000006472