TGIF Happy Hour : Champagne Cocktails

I've decided to start a little series on Fridays featuring some of my favorite cocktail recipes I've found around this here interweb. Because, well, Happy Hour is the best! I had a friend over the other night for dinner, and we drank orange mango mimosas and ate guacamole while we were cooking. So. Good. Basically any kind of mimosa variation works for me, they are so refreshing and popping the bottle makes you feel like a celebration is in order. Below I've included a few fun champagne cocktail ideas I want to try this summer, perfect for brunch, happy hour or just any time you are in the mood for something fancy!

P.S. I have found my favorite champagne to be the Barefoot Bubbly Pinot Grigio variety. It's not too expensive, and is much smoother than a lot of others I've tried. If you have found one you like most let me know, I'd love to try it out!

Strawberry Grapefruit Mimosa 

Blushing Mimosa

Watermelon Mimosa

Pomegranate Champagne

Coconut Vanilla Bellini

Sweet Tart

Wore: Leather Jacket

Today I had lunch with an old high school friend downtown who was in Burlington for work. It was so great to catch up, and really got me thinking about how much time has passed since we graduated, and how much has changed. Sometimes it can feel like I haven't made any progress at all - that I am still the same person. But when I really look back at what I've done, where I've lived and the friends I've made, I remember that I have come a long way from that time, and learned so much. It's funny how time flies folks. Feelin' old and nostalgic today.

P.S. Thrifted these Madewell jeans this weekend and I am in LOVE. Such a great fit.

More photos after the jump>

Weekend Recap : Half Marathon and Besties

Morning stretch

Nervous walk in!

This weekend was the Unplugged Half Marathon that I have been blabbing about for the past few months. My sister Kelly and I were lucky enough to grow up with another pair of sisters our same age who were our best friends, and remain our best friends today. They came up to run the half marathon with us for a little "girls weekend", and it was such a great time having the four of us together (a rare occurence). We all stayed at my house, had a little get together afterwards with some great food, and watched a chick flick with mimosas that night while we iced our knees. Let me just say, ouch. I am so proud of us all though, each one of us ran the whole thing without stopping to walk once. Although two hours and twenty minutes is not a record breaking time by any means, if you had asked me three months ago if I could have run that long without stopping, I would have said no freakin way. It feels really great to have set a goal and accomplished it. It also feels great now to sit on the couch with a glass of wine and move as little as possible. Hope your weekend was great!

More pictures after the jump >

This and That : Weekend Recap

Owen and I spent this past weekend in Stowe, Vermont. On Saturday we babysat our cousins' son Lucca so they could go to a friend's party, and checked out their new property with a such a beautiful mountain view. Sunday we hung out with our friends Allie and Travis from back when we lived in California, and their new baby Hartley, who were visiting and staying in their aunt's condo (you may remember them from this post). Sorry for the picture overload, but the cuteness was too much not to share ; )

P.S. I swear I don't wear this flannel every day, but apparently every day that we take pictures I post here. Oh well.

This and That: Barns, Babies and Chili's Margaritas

This weekend Owen and I went to visit our good friends Allie and Travis from when we lived in Lake Tahoe, CA. They live in New Hampshire now, and were in Vermont this weekend staying at their family's condo in Stowe (about 45 minutes from us). Allie had just given birth to the cutest of babies a little over two weeks ago, so we couldn't wait to meet little Hartley Madrid. The boys went skiing all day Saturday in the fresh snow (and saw a moose!), while Allie, their aunt Carolee and I hung out at the condo with Hartley. 

You forget just how TINY newborn babies are until you are presented with one to hold. I may have slightly panicked for a second (they are just so wobbly!) but once I got used to holding her I didn't want to give her back. That newborn baby smell is just the best isn't it? Ask Owen - I made him smell her head about five times until he stood his man ground and wouldn't do it anymore.

Holy Moly is she a lot of work though. Around the clock constant feeding, burping, sleeping, diaper changing then feeding again. Allie is a natural though and is such a great mom already!

The barn above was from our snowy drive home on Sunday. Stowe is full of red barns and houses that are built to look like red barns, its such a cozy ski town. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the area.

squinty snow eyes

I mean, does it get any cuter??

Sister margaritas earlier this week after checking out apartments all morning and workin' on business (please excuse my snowy hat hair, whatcanyado it's Vermont)

I had to capture the light in my dining room - every morning after it snows and the sun starts shining, the light is so great in there! Such a cozy place for breakfast.

Friday Thoughts : Alone Time

source

Today I woke up knowing that I had the whole day to myself; to work on my shop, go to the gym, thrift a little and see where the day took me. No one expected anything of me, I had no previously made plans, and I felt great. I love waking up like this. 

As I've grown older I have realized more and more what an introvert I really am, and I cherish time with me, myself and I. Luckily I have a husband who understands this and lets me do my thang when I need to. I feel refreshed, relaxed and ready to rumble afterwards.

Of course you always need a balance, and I have been recently working on balancing out my much cherished alone time with some good old fashioned friend time - making weekend plans for yoga and brunch or calling a friend from home. A girl needs her girlfriends am I right?

Happy weekend everyone!

Side note : I was apparently the last person to figure out how amazing New Girl is, and since discovering it two months ago have watched all the seasons on Netflix twice. Love. It.

This and That : Around Here Lately

girls night with my mom and sister

champagne with pomegranate seeds and lime slices

husband hang-time

always making to-do lists : )

a nice place to sew

vintage wedding dress details. coming soon to the shop!

It's been a fun week around here. My sister is moving up to Burlington after graduating from Chiropractic school, so she and my mom came up for a couple days to check out office spaces and such. We ate a lot of goat cheese and mango jam on crackers, drank champagne with pomegranate seeds and lime slices (delicious), and watched some chick flicks. I love me some girl time.

Here's hoping the temperature rises around here so I can go outside without being covered up from head to toe!

Weekend Recap : Winter Wedding

cheesin'

Reception at the Old Lantern in Charlotte, VT

This weekend we attended the wedding of one of Owen's good college friends. The reception was held in a beautiful barn-like building, with white light strung everywhere and pine tree branches decorating much of the room. It was a beautiful, Christmasy wedding, and we danced our butts off. 

*Side note: dancing with a glass of red wine is an extremely difficult thing to do and takes much more skill than I apparently have. Sorry, wooden dance floor, hopefully they mopped you afterwards.

I wore a white cropped faux fur jacket over my dress, and let me tell you, it was the coziest thing I have ever put on. Check out my next inspiration post, because watch out, I am now obsessed with all things faux fur.

This and That: Life Lately

Hot yoga with a friend Sunday morning, then balancing it out with an eggs benedict pizza brunch with mimosas. You've got to make sure you're not getting too healthy all at once ; )

I was invited to a sewing/pizza/craft girls night last week, and I whipped out my first throw pillow! (the little nugget on the right) I like how it adds another Scandinavian style pattern to my bedding. I'm planning on trying another one out this week in a matching pattern. 

On a side note, I am now realizing how much pizza I have eaten lately.

In New Hampshire, after my friend's baby shower, singing karaoke before eating some killer Thai food out. I'm pretty sure my voice permanently damaged everyone's ears, since I belted out some T-Swift with all I had. Isn't her house beautiful?

Babysitting for my husband's cousin. Toddler snuggles and watching reality TV after he goes to bed. Not a bad deal : )

Happy almost Thanksgiving!

Friends

All pictures by Julia Backus

Every year I get older I appreciate the friends I have more and more, and realize how lucky I was to have such a core group of friends growing up. I've been besties with my friend Lauren since I was three! (the hot mama on the bottom left). A couple weeks ago one of my best friends from high school got married, and I was a bridesmaid. With much of our friend group together at the reception, traveling from Oklahoma, Boston and elsewhere, it was so great to fall right back into our old, laughing, crazy silly ways. Definitely a spirit booster, and so amazing to see two people so in love starting their life together : )