March Madness

It's my favorite time of year in sports, MARCH MADNESS!

Last year I won my office pool, but this year I'm not feeling very optimistic since I barely followed college basketball. The games are still so exciting though and once again my alma mater, Mizzou, is in the big dance so I'm happy. Plus, filling out a bracket gives me someone to root for in every single game making any match-up a little more fun to watch.

I always have Mizzou go at least two rounds in my bracket, even if it's against my better judgement, but can I really have them beating #2 seed powerhouse West Virginia in the second round? I don't think so. Some experts have West Virginia in the Final Four, so I'm just not sure. And what is with our arch-rival kU being the #1 one seed?? I just can't have this. I can't put them in my Final Four and still feel good about myself.

Just like last year, I'm having a struggle between my heart and my head again. Which will prevail? I'm not sure, but they only have until tomorrow to battle it out!

Lovin' Liberty of London for Target

I am lovin' the new Liberty of London line at Target! It was released this weekend, but of course by the time I went to my local Target on Sunday it was already terribly picked over and my favorite dress from the TV commercial was nowhere in sight. That dress would be the one below, which I went home and immediately ordered online.

The Liberty of London for Target® Ruffle Halter Dress in Multi Color Sixty Print

I thought it would be the perfect dress to wear in Mexico in a few months...

Since I'm also a BIG FAN of peacock print and the rich teal-blue color I also ordered the number below. The Liberty of London for Target® Halter Maxi Dress in Turquoise Isis Print

I thought this would be a nice evening dress to wear to dinner at the resort.

I could really go crazy with all of the great patterns found adorning the abundance of cute home decor, bedding, dining, bicycles and little girls' clothing items they have online. I particularly like a few home items, like these and this and this, but I did use some self-control and haven't made a purchase outside of the apparel realm (yet).

The girls' clothes were too adorable to pass up though, so I also ordered these two items early for our niece's 3rd birthday in May...

The Toddler Girls' Liberty of London for Target® Mark Romper in Pink

And the Toddler Girls' Liberty of London for Target® Swimsuit in Pink

Good thing I don't have a girl of my own yet or I would have to get more closets!

If you are curious, you can even find your "patternality" here on Facebook. I just found out that mine is "Maddsie Green"...

There is one caveat to this vibrant collection. Just as I believed with last year's Orla Kiely collection, less is more when it comes these trendy patterns. However, being that the entire Liberty of London collection is almost sold out online and hard to come by in stores, getting your hands on enough to "over-do-it" in your home or wardrobe is virtually impossible :-) So check it out online and grab a piece of the collection while you still can!

Last Weekend's Vintage Bazaar Finds

Last weekend I went to The Vintage Bazaar in Chicago with my sister and her friend Allyson and had a great time.

First, we had brunch at Cafe Selmarie where I started the day off right with a vanilla latte while we waited for our table. Once seated, I ordered a delicious chilaquiles casserole and a refreshing mimosa. They also have a wonderful pastry case but we had stuffed ourselves silly, and had to take a pass.

Next, we headed over to the bazaar around 1pm to find a line around the block!

The staffers said that they grossly underestimated the turnout of the "pop-up flea market" and they were basically doing "one-in one-out" so that it was not overcrowded inside. We were very antsy as we inched closer and closer to the door and felt tortured as we watched others walk out with their new-found treasure. But then it was finally our turn!

My first stop was at two neighboring booths right near the entrance, where I snatched a large, white milkglass vase from vendor 'Pretty. Quirky.' for $7.

And then I spotted this cool vintage chandelier from vendor 'Fine Diving' for just $25.

It had suffered a bit of bazaar wear-and-tear -- one of the strings of the beads had fallen off and scattered underneath their display -- but the nice seller offered to take my address down and mail me the remaining beads to re-string... and this week she did just that.

Also, I poked around online a little and found the post where she featured the before and after of my new kitschy chandelier here. I love knowing a little history about about my new piece.

Today I went to the Home Depot and bought a 3 foot chain and a few more materials with the hopes of hanging it in the area over our TV. Now I just need to borrow a VERY tall ladder :-)

My last find was this random little container that I thought would be a nice addition to my "bird room", aka the guest bedroom.

At first I added it to a bedside table...

...but then I moved it to the guest bathroom where I might even use it as a soap dish.

Here is my loot again, altogether.

I can't wait for another one of these bazaars to pop-up sometime. It has also given me some great new blogs/vendors to follow and a hankering to go thrifting again sometime very soon!

Mexico-a-go-go...

I have been to one all-inclusive resort, and it was in Cancun when I was a senior in high school for spring break. It was my first time on a plane in my life and believe it or not I did not even drink then so I didn't really take full advantage of the "all-inclusiveness". I do remember that even after my extensive travel in the Caribbean (Bahamas, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, Dominica, Barbados & Puerto Rico), the beach in Mexico was still one of the most gorgeous I've ever seen.

The reason I haven't been back to an all-inclusive in over 10 years is because generally I prefer more culturally interesting trips. I like the sun and beach, but I usually like to "do things" when I travel: take in native culture, try interesting cuisine, go off the beaten path, hang with locals, etc. Even our honeymoon to Puerto Rico was part sightseeing road trip and part beach time. Somewhat relaxing, but we didn't stay in one place long. In fact, the 2 weeks we spent traipsing around Italy last September were some of the best days of our lives AND not very relaxing at all.

But Dave and I have never taken one of those vacations together where you just land, lay, eat, drink, sleep and repeat, so I think it's about time we did! It actually really surprises me that this was my husband's idea since he hates to lay in the sun and is the type that won't take his shirt off at the pool; however, in May he will end a very stressful busy-season at work and I think he's just ready to get away and forget all of his worries.

SO MEXICO HERE WE COME!

In about 3 months, after Dave stands up at one of his best friend's weddings in St. Louis, we will be whisked away to Mexico's Riviera Maya. We did juggle around the idea of going to Jamaica first, but there are no non-stop flights available anymore for the dates we seek, even through a travel agent. And personally a short, direct flight to Mexico landing at noon sounds much better to us than spending a day in US airports and landing in the evening when we could have been at the beach instead. So Mexico it is!

We will stay in an adults only all-inclusive, The Royal Playa del Carmen.

A hammock on every balcony

A stand alone jacuzzi tub in every room

A great beach

And beautiful sunsets!

TripAdvisor ranks it #2 out of 181 hotels in Playa del Carmen and the 2,000+ reviews are 91% positive. The traveler photos look great, and I personally know a friend who has stayed there and loved it so I feel very comfortable booking our stay there.

I also like that this hotel, while on the beautiful beach, is just 2 blocks away from downtown Play del Carmen, so if we do get the itch to explore it won't entail an expensive cab ride.

Oh, and a regularly scheduled ferry departs from the nearby pier, which can take us to the island of Cozumel for a fun day trip.

I'm ready for some warmth and sunshine! What do you say? Only 3 months away!

The Vintage Bazaar - a modern, pop-up flea market

I have a nice little Saturday lined up this weekend.

First, I'll meet my sister and our friend Allyson for brunch at Chalkboard in Lincoln Square.

Then we'll make our way to The Vintage Bazaar - a modern, pop-up flea market.

Check out this vendor list. I can't wait to see what treasures we find!

Letterpress Necklace

This weekend, I ordered the sweetest, vintage Letterpress "S" Necklace from etsy seller 'GwenDelicious'...

Check out the rest of her Letter Press Necklace collection here, as well as her vintage Typewriter Key Necklace collection here. If she doesn't have your letter available, just convo her and she'll let you know when she has your letter in stock. (That's what she did for me!)

I think they make a great personalized gift with some lovely vintage charm.

My Milkshake Menu

Last night I had my oral surgery to remove all 4 wisdom teeth and I have to say it could have been much worse! I actually feel ok and I believe the worst part will be not being able to eat much solid food for a while. So I'm getting creative with my soft/liquid menu and fixing up a couple of non-traditional milkshakes.

Please note:

*I generally prefer malts so I usually add original Malted Milk to my shakes, but if you don't prefer malts you can simply omit!

**These recipes won't have exact measurements since I just wing it, but you can add & blend to your own taste & texture likings. I think I averaged about 3 scoops of ice cream and a cup or so of skim milk per serving.

Monkey Shake Recipe

This is inspired by my generous colleague, Emily, who gave me a gift bag full of all of the ingredients to make Monkey Shakes prior to my surgery.

• Vanilla Ice Cream
• 1 small Banana
• Chocolate Syrup
• Shot of brewed coffee or espresso
• Milk

Vanilla Cupcake Shake

This is inspired by my leftover pink vanilla frosted valentine cupcakes I made which were taunting me, begging to be consumed (if not chewed) last night.

• Vanilla Ice Cream
• 1 whole Frosted & Sprinkled Vanilla Cupcake
• Milk
• 2 tablespoons of Original Malted Milk

Cheesecake Milkshake

I have yet to try this one, but it was a suggestion from my friend, Lori, who said these saved her life last year while she had her jaw wired shut.

• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Scoop of Philadelphia Ready-To-Eat Cheesecake Filling
• Milk
• *maybe Malted Milk...we'll see!

So those are my three, unique milkshake recipes so far. If anyone out there has any other fun recipes to share, please do!