Peplum. It's not for everyone...

I dashed out at lunch to get some Farm Boy deliciousness, my fav salad bar around the corner.....

That's Tomato Basil soup (yummers!) with some Greek salad, Thai noodle salad, Edamame bean salad, red cabbage (so good for you) and a Vitamin Water.

After that wonderful bite to eat, I ran over to Ricki's to see what they had worth getting. I was pressed for time so I didn't get to really have a good look at everything. I have been loving the Peplum trend and spotted some cute Peplum tops in a beautiful red.

 This is the XL. It was a little too big.

This was the Large. I love the color but I honestly don't think that this style does anything for me. I am big on top with a short waist and Peplum just accentuates those flaws IMHO.

Oh well, you win some, you lose some.....but in this case I win by not spending any $$money$$...YAY!

Stripes and the City

So sorry I have been MIA, this week has been a little busier than normal with work. As a result my mind has been in a stupor from the time I get home until bedtime so my blogging brain has been on hiatus!

 Top: Forever 21

Jeans: Jessica Simpson Kiss me Jeggings, seen here and here

Shoes: Aldo White Wedges

Just playing around in the bathroom, ya know....totally normal behavior :-)

I  love this shirt from Forever 21 that I bought while in Colorado for a work trip many years ago. I was super thrilled when I saw it on TV during an episode of The City (GAWD I miss that show). Some girl that worked at Diane Von Furstenberg with Whitney Port was wearing this very shirt! I wish I had a screen shot to show you but sadly I don't :-(

Upon closer inspection of this shirt in the picture above I see a tear happening under the armpit! Oh no! I guess this fav of mine is on it's last legs. I hadn't notice this rip this morning because a) I am NOT a morning person so I am in a haze for the better part of 7am to about 10am and b) the rip was in a place that wasn't super obvious.

Are you like me, do you get sentimental about pieces of clothing and die a little inside when you have to throw it away?

First Pool Day!

Ahhhh! I CANNOT believe I am posting a picture of myself in a bikini. I remember when I first started this blog I didn't even want to post a picture of myself fully clothed! But I am really proud of the progress that I have made with eating healthier and even though I am certainly not where I want to ultimately be, I am compelled to celebrate how far I have come. If I can do this, you mostly definitely can!

The other reason for the bikini picture is that this weekend was all about the pool and taking in some much needed vitamin D of the natural variety. I am so fortunate to live in a gorgeous home (not mine) that has a spectacular pool. Now I know some of you will not approve of laying in the sun due to skin cancer but there is something to be said about being in the sunlight and fresh air that is good for the soul. I did wear sunscreen but probably didn't apply it as often as I should have.( I know naughty, naughty!)

I love having flowers in my bedroom and these happy little fellows enjoyed the bright sunlight almost as much as I did.

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend! Did anyone else get outside and garden, tan, exercise?

Casual Friday

 Shoes: Aldo, seen HERE as well

 Shirt: Dynamite

White Tank: Unknown

Jeans: Jessica Simpson Kiss Me Jeggings, seen HERE

Necklace: Dynamite seen HERE

Side View

Look down from above

How awesome is it that the weather is finally sunny and warm! If you are reading this from Colorado or Minnesota I am very sorry to say that it is tremendous outside here in Ottawa and most of Ontario. But don't worry, your summer will come just as ours did :-)

With the warmer weather here, we just had our Summer Dress Code email come out (I work in an office). It stated that Gentlemen could not wear Shorts or Sandals and that the women could not wear Spaghetti Straps or Flip Flops (women can wear shorts). Ummmmmm... WHAT?

First I would think that women wearing shorts is at much higher risk if violating the appropriate barrier as we often would wear short Shorts. Men however often wear longer shorts so what is that about?

I do agree with Men not wearing Sandals. Sorry Guys but the majority of you are about 10 years over due for a pedicure.

And no FLIP FLOPS! Now I do wear some form of dress high heel or wedge most days but sometimes a girl needs to give her feet a break and that's where I have a problem with no Flip Flops. 

Come on!  Flip Flops = Summer

Does your work have a Summer Dress Code? If so, do you agree with it?

Current Obsessions

I go on kicks. Clothing brand kicks, food kicks, exercise kicks. I obsess and then as quickly as it came, the obsession is gone and I am on to the next.....

My current obsessions are these oatmeal packs from Sally's cereals. I store at my desk at work and eat them every morning. They come in amazing flavors such as Cinnamon Plum, Chai Spiced and Dark Chocolate, they are organic and have flax which is so good for you! They keep me feeling full for the morning and the flavors satisfy my taste buds completely! For any of you following Weight Watchers, they are 4 points per serving which isn't bad. I found these at Wal-Mart for $1.77 CND for 5 pouches. I actually think this kick will be here to stay, at least for a little while :-)

For when I am having a food craving I have been turning to Icebreakers Sours by Hershey's. For some reason if I am craving sweet or savory, these little powerhouses really kick my craving to the curb.

What do you turn to when you are having a craving?????

Dig It

I am so digging the color green right now, more specifically an emerald green. I came across this dress on ASOS.com and immediately loved it. It is the ASOS Skater Dress With Ballet Wrap And Short Sleeves in green and it is $38.29 CDN. I find v-necks very flattering for us bustier gals and the wrap dress is the perfect figure flattering shape if you are a more boyish body type.

I have SO MANY dresses already that I really shouldn't get this but I likely will :-)

Artichoke Bruschetta

Good Day! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
It was my God Daughter's 1st Birthday Party this Sunday and today is her actual Birthday! There were about 30 people at her Birthday Party so it was a busy weekend cleaning the house, getting the backyard ready and cooking tons of yummy food. Some may think it is strange to have such an extravagant event for a 1 year old, but I see it as a good reason to get together with the people you care about to eat, drink and be merry! I can't believe that one year has past since she has been born, time really does go by so quickly.

I was asked to make Artichoke Bruschetta as an appetizer as it is ALWAYS a crowd pleaser. So I wanted to share this dish with you to try at home or to bring to your next Pot-Luck. Everyone loves these hot, dreamy Bruschetta bites and they are really easy to prepare so let's get to it!

You will need:

• 1 (6 1/2 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped ** If you live in Canada, get the Artichoke Hearts from Costco, they are the BEST**
• 1 medium tomato, seeds removed and diced
• 1/2 cup grated romano cheese or 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion or you can use a couple Shallots for a different flavour
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed ** I use more, I like these garlicky (sp?) **
• 5 tablespoons mayonnaise ** Hellman's is the best **
• 1 French baguette, cut into 1/3 inch thick slices * * Slice these diagonally **

Directions:

1) Preheat the broiler.
2) Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast lightly under the broiler.
3) In a medium bowl, mix marinated artichoke hearts, Romano or Parmesan cheese, red onion, crushed garlic, diced tomato and mayonnaise.
4) Top the lightly toasted French baguette slices with equal amounts of the artichoke heart mixture being careful to spread the mixture over the entire surface.
5) The edges of the bread will tend to burn if not covered by the artichoke mixture. * this is important*
6) Arrange slices in a single layer on the baking sheet.
7) Broil in the preheated oven 2 minutes, or until toppings are bubbly and lightly browned.

You can view the recipe from Food.com HERE

Here are the decadent little bundles of heaven..... Also I will post more pictures of the event soon!

Dress I wore to the party, sorry for the poor quality. I bought this in the Turks & Caicos. So glad that the weather is warmer so I can wear it!

Dressy for a Friday

Happy rainy Friday!

Blazer: Le Chateau

Tube Top: American Eagle

Jeans: Seven for all Mankind, seen here

Necklace: Cleo

Rings and Earrings: From Mexico

Nails: Sally Hansen Insta Gel Strips (more to follow!)

 Down from above

Shoes: Aldo seen here

I love getting my nails done, Acrylic, Gel, regular Mani...I love'em all! But what I don't like is the time that it takes to drive to the salon and sit there for an hour or more. It just seems to take so much time and we all don't have enough of that. So when I came across this product from Sally Hansen, I thought I would give it a try. Here's what you do:

1. Push your cuticles down 
2. File your nails 
3. Apply the gel strips & file those to the shape of your nail 
4. Apply the gel coat and place your nail under the LED light to cure
5. Wipe off the access with an alcohol pad that is provided and voila! 

Now the applying and filing of the nails with the strips can be tricky. I found some YouTube videos that were super helpful:

The Sally Hansen video from their website
This one with a review
And this one I really liked

My verdict, I loved the way they turned out, they are shinny and with the help of the videos, weren't as hard to apply as I thought. It was my first time applying these so I am sure I will get better the more I do it.
My criticisms of this product is that on the box it says "2 Easy Steps"..... ummmm no. There are several steps so the box is a little misleading.
Also not ALL of the strips will fit your nails so I would maybe try Sally's gel polish to get a better gel manicure. I already know how to apply nail polish pretty well so it will just be easier overall.
But I would use this product again!

Polka Dot Continued....

Wanted to follow up on this post for the Polka Dot Dress that I purchased at Cleo over Easter Weekend in Kingston, Ontario.

 Fully Polkie!

 Love the detail of the fuchsia lining.

Down from above. Shoes are Nine West.

Eat Here Before You Die!

Hello and Happy Wednesday! This Eat Here Before You Die! post will feature a Sushi Restaurant from Montreal, Quebec.

I LOVE SUSHI....like love,  Love, LOVE it. I consider myself a bit of a Sushi snob when it comes to this Japanese cuisine. Being from Vancouver and eating superb Sushi freshly caught that day is a very hard standard to live up to. Most Sushi restaurants that I go to in Ontario are kinda meh!? Don't get me wrong, there are some great places to get your Sushi fix inland and I have had some really great Sushi all over Ontario. However once you have had the best of the best in Vancouver where the fish is fresh, the Chefs are world renowned and you have access to cutting edge flavor combinations for this creative delicacy, it's like comparing apples to oranges.

On a trip to Montreal several years ago with my old Roommate from University we were hankerin' for some Sushi and the Concierge recommended we go to Shodan, located on Metcalfe Street. From the moment we walked in, we were impressed. The decor was modern and stylish, funky house music was playing but at a volume where you can still talk comfortably. The staff were very friendly and like any good Sushi establishment, the Chef's assemble their dishes for all the restaurant to see.

The Chefs will prepare dishes that are off the menu, kind of like a see-what-you-get dish with your favorites as a starting point, if you wish. The fish is fresh tasting, the dishes are incredibly presented (it's like art) and the service was efficient and friendly. This is a great place to start your night out at before you hit the club scene or you can have a romantic dinner for two as well.

 The Pheonix

 Rose Maki

 Specialty dish. Yes that's watermelon you see there. You really never know what you will be surprised with!

 Beautifully modern, funky decor

 Martinis YUM!

 Me the first time I visited Shodan in 2008.

Me again the last time I was there in 2011. It's time to go back!

There is a wall of celebrities that have eaten there, including Ms. Britney Spears, back before she went off the rails :-)

Even if you don't really like Sushi or haven't tried it before, I really think you will enjoy eating here. Please, if you are in Montreal check this place out!