Life Lately

It finally feels like spring! It felt like we had snow every week for about 6 weeks! I'm so happy that the weather seems to have made the turn and we have warm weather, sunshine, and things are finally beginning to bloom out! Here's some snaps of life lately.  Our front landscaping is finally starting to come out of the winter hibernation and Wyatt has already mowed a few times!

We had coffee at Star City coffee one Sunday while waiting on our table for brunch with friends at the Black Sparrow.  We definitely need to have more coffee dates there!

We also had a date night at Green Leaf, a Vietnamese restaurant over on the west side.  I got the rice noodles with egg rolls and pork skewers and Wyatt got pho.  We stopped for ice cream at the Silver Dipper on the way home!  

We also recently had a date night at Basil Thai.  We love all the variety of restaurants we have due to the diverse population of our college town!  Last week I made these chicken lettuce wraps for dinner! They're super easy and a dish that we both love!  We also made Greek chicken souvlaki and a Greek orzo salad this past week. 

This past weekend was gorgeous! Our neighborhood had its annual neighborhood garage sales so I went on the hunt for some treasures.  I managed to pick up a milk glass serving platter, a set of salt and pepper shakers, and a compote dish! Since the weather was so nice, we walked to an early dinner at El Rodeo since it was Cinco de Mayo.  Today is commencement for Ivy Tech Lafayette and I worked a luncheon we host prior to the ceremony.  The weather was once again gorgeous and it ended up being the perfect day for our student who were graduating!

Clegg Memorial Garden

Since the weather has been so nice and we practically jumped into summer without much spring, we decided to go spend some time at one of our favorite spots a couple weekends ago.  We love Clegg Memorial Garden here in town. It's one of our favorite spots and we try to get out there each season (except winter).

We missed most of the blooming daffodils but the trees are leafed out and the whole surrounding area is just so peaceful and pretty.  We took some sandwiches and had dinner at one of the over looks on the trails.  It was a nice night out so it was lovely.

Lilly Loves: Spring 2015 Favorites

Callahans | Shift | Dorothy Top | Iona Sleeveless | Jupiter Island Cover-up

There are so many great items in Lilly's Spring line.  I had a hard time picking my favorites for this post.  My favorite print is the 'In the Vias' print and I love it in both Bright Navy and Multi.  I wish I could just buy all the pieces in that pattern, especially the Leona zip up sweatshirt.

Callahans are a go to for me in the summer!  These are so comfortable.

Another easy staple for spring and summer is the infamous shift.  They're so easy to throw on and go.  In the cooler temps, I just grab a denim jacket or a cardigan and head out the door.

I picture the Dorothy top being perfect for spring, especially here in Indiana.  One day it's unseasonably warm and the next day it'll be 20 degrees cooler.

The Iona top is up there pretty high in my favorites.  I love how chic it looks with white jeans and wedges.  I need this outfit!

With swimsuit season right around the corner that means beach, lake, and pool season.  The Jupiter Island cover-up is perfect to wear to both!

I absolutely loved this Spring line and am quite excited to see what's next for summer!  I am also ready for warmer temps to I can start to wear more of my bright, fun, and cheery Lilly more often! What are your favorites from the Spring line?

Life is a party, dress like it: Garden Party

Mom's gorgeous flowers this spring.

All the pretty spring flowers and summer dresses out, have me wanting to host a garden party luncheon.  Of course, I have no reason to host one currently but I have been eyeing pins on Pinterest to create the perfect outdoor garden party luncheon/tea.  I love everything about the idea of a garden party from the decor to the attire to the menu.  It is the perfect type of party to start the summer season off right.

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The a simple summer shift dress would be the perfect outfit for a garden party paired with some metallic accents in the form of sandals and jewelry and a great floppy hat.  When I think about the style aspect of a garden party, many thoughts of derby attire cross my mind. (You can find all of the items pictured above and below on Pinterest for links and tons more pins)

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For summer lunch parties, indoor and outdoor, I love a lighter menu full of salads, light summery sandwiches, and fruits.  Of course, cake is always a great menu item, especially when you like to bake like I do.  

You can take the girl out of the college, but never the college out of the girl....

It is drawing nearer to the best week of the year for an IU student.  For those who do not go to IU, they just don't get it on the same level as the students/alumni.  Spring in Bloomington is indescribable.  It's a gorgeous campus and town in the Spring.  Something magical floats around this time of year.  Of course, I'm completely biased on the subject.  As a freshman, I really had no idea what to expect.  You hear all of these stories from classmates and friends and the anticipation builds...but I found myself locked in the library most of the week (clearly my professors didn't know about the student proclaimed holiday).  Some of my best memories from college with my friends occurred during Little 5.  Out of all that I miss about college and Bloomington, I think this is what I miss the most.  We all worked extra hard to get homework and studying done in advanced in order to hang out all week long.  How much fun did we all have together? Cookouts, bags, concerts, porches, beer olympics, beer pong, frats, random nights with no plans, house parties, bars, etc. etc.  Hey, IU, I'll see you next weekend to reminisce with my friends about good times...and maybe make a few great memories along the way! (I'm so excited to see all my TBO loves anddddd Amanda anddddd a slew of other random friends from four years there...we're all having separation issues)

Who wants to watch 'Breaking Away' now?



Ps. Here's a little tiny trip down memory lane via pictures, one from each year of college.



Freshman year edition: The girls who became family, HH.


Sophomore year edition: Happy to have one of my best friends from high school visit!


Junior year edition: We will always love Rabb 1.


Junior year part 2: this was the best year so it warrants two pictures. Had so much fun with you three that day!


Senior year edition: Washington girls.

this spring will be a season of weddings...

I am going to be a bridesmaid in two weddings this coming spring. I have been looking online at blogs and other sites for bridal shower ideas for at least one of the brides. Her colors for her wedding are watermelon pink and canary yellow. The only thing she has mentioned to me about her desires for the shower has been that she wanted wine. These idea sets are just a sampling of some ideas I found around the internet. There are so many more cute ideas that I found. The first picture is a grouping of some decorating ideas I thought were cute. I really like the tissue paper pom poms, but I've never seen them in person at a party or wedding/reception, just on blogs. I have only seen paper lanterns. I saw a segment on decorating for the holidays a while back on Kathy Lee and Hoda and they featured a similar wine bottle candle holder centerpiece. I think it's a cute idea and we have some old wine bottles at my house that could work. I'm not sure about candles at the shower though. Just something that could go with the idea of drinking wine. The paper clip hearts are just something cute that I like. Not sure if there is really any use for them at a bridal shower though. I found some free downloadable pom pom inspired items. It is amazing the amount of free things you can find on the blog-o-sphere. And lastly was a cute little favor, a matchbook notebook. My mom and I have made little matchbooks with lifesaver mints in them, but this is adorable to and would be fairly easy. The picture below that is a grouping of some menu ideas. I got so hungry when I made that graphic. It all looks so good...I want to try it all A.S.A.P. Some of the images in the picture are linked to the blog or website with directions or stories to accompany them.  There are a couple of pictures of cakes/cupcakes below, and luckily for us, the bride-to-be has an amazingly talented sister who makes pretty neat cakes.  So hopefully Steph has some cute ideas ready for us when we put all the plans together!