happiness is ...

my new lilly pulitzer planner that helps keep my head straight

my fortune after we booked tickets to puerto rico

breakfast for dinner

 selima for j . crew sunglasses

fruity pebbles rice krispies 

I got it from my momma

my mom has always been the most fashionable woman I know .

thankfully , with every new day , I see how I'm turning into a

mini - me of my mom - she constantly inspires my fashion , decor , & overall mannerisms .

here are some gems I found in my mom's closet that show how I got

my fashion sense from my stylish momma :

[ juicy couture fur vest ]

[ bright statement bauble necklaces from j crew ]

[ elizabeth & james sequin tee ]

[ joe fresh nude blouse ]

[ classic bags from coach ]

grilled banana split

i've never actually had a banana split before , but for some reason I was

determined to make one for dessert a couple of nights ago .

I visioned a warm grilled banana with ice cream ,

 toasted nuts , whipped cream , & chocolate ganache .

this post has more pictures than normal because I literally did four different

steps to make one banana split : grilling the bananas , making the whipped cream ,

toasting walnuts , & topping it off with warm chocolate ganache .

toasted walnuts

90 % cocoa 

I grilled halves of bananas on joey's griddle

& then caramelized brown sugar & cinnamon sugar on top of them 

once out of the peel , I started my sundae

topped with ice cream & chocolate ganache 

and finally homemade whipped cream & toasted walnuts

princess diana

just gorgeous .

update : girl problems

so , I finally caved & got the gel nail treatment instead of a regular mani .

lets be real - between all the cooking , cleaning , & everyday activities I'm lucky if a 

mani lasts that night . I've been hearing about the gel treatment & was instantly persuaded 

when my manicurist told me the mani would last 3 weeks . 

since yesterday , my polish still looks just as fresh as when I left , even after

a full day of work & many rounds of dishes .

they still have the bubbly gloss that I can never seem to acquire after doing a manicure myself .

let's just say I'm impressed :

the company that created the gel treatment has their own polish line ,

so I chose the lightest pink they had . I love it .

baked fish & chips

I'm not a huge fish person . I do like it , but it's never at the top of my list for dinner .

my mom got these amazing fish & chips last time we went out for dinner , & I was 

inspired to re-create the dish for myself - but baked instead of fried .

they turned out so good - fresh & healthy , & full of flavor

especially with lemon juice squeezed over .

we used flounder as our fish of choice 

baked " chips " in olive oil , paprika , & cayenne pepper

flounder breaded in panko breadcrumbs

& topped with two different dressings -

homemade tartar sauce or homemade spicy aioli 

girl problems

you know your life is not that bad when you're latest dilemma is 

what nail polish to get for your upcoming manicure .

I have a television appearance on friday , & am debating
what color would look best on screen .

I definitely want a soft pink / beige , so it will go with any outfit I have on ,
& will look classy without standing out too much .

here are a few of my options :

essie's bangle jangle

essie's brooch the subject

essie's lady like

essie's poppy art pink

opi's bubble bath

thoughts / suggestions ?

make your own infinity scarf

I've always loved the chunky look & feel of infinity scarves .

I love scarves in general , but tend not to wear them as the ends of the fabric 

always seem to get in my way when I'm in the middle of doing something .

I always seem to buy more & more scarves knowing
that they are a perfect finishing touch to an outfit , but rarely end up actually wearing them .

to solve my problem , I simply tied the loose ends of my scarves together , shaped it 

in a figure eight , & it works perfectly as an infinity scarf .

it's a nice way to update / change up the way you wear this accessory .

[ nail polish : opi's you don't know jacques suede , bracelet : madewell

scarf : forever 21 ]

recylcing old flowers

I always feel guilty throwing out flowers .

I grew up with fresh flowers throughout my house , 

& I now find that nothing makes me more happy

than having flowers in my apartment similar to how my mom has consistently 

kept her house filled with them .

along with the great feeling of buying beautiful flowers ( or having them given to you ) 

comes the sad feeling when the petals start to wilt , begin to fall off , & you know their time is done .

in order to lengthen the life of my flowers , I decided to hang dry these peonies that were this close to going

into the trash . 

in 2 - 3 weeks , I'm hoping they come out like this :

image via

recent purchases

I'm also really happy about my recent purchases from j. crew ,

they got me excited for spring , vacation , & being warm enough to wear

a dress again .

1. scalloped lace shell

2 . coaster stripe a lined skirt

cafe capris in casablanca blue

4. black & white striped dress