A New New Dress

Thanks to everyone who commented on this post. I really love the ruffle dress, but I obviously had reservations about wearing it to the wedding this weekend. I guess I was looking for validation that I wouldn't be under dressed. Most of you thought it would be fine for a wedding, but there were a few who did not think it was dressy enough. Ultimately I decided that I would rather be overdressed, so I set out to look for a new dress last night.

On my way home from the dentist I decided to browse the stores in Union Station. I never think to check out White House Black Market, but as I was walking by last night, it caught my eye. There are some really nice dresses there! I tried on a bunch and ended up finding a little black dress that I can wear to a variety of events. It is currently on sale, looks really expensive, and is super slimming. I am obsessed with this dress.

I also picked up these shoes.


I cannot wait to wear this outfit! I even tried it on again last night before bed. You can't see my shoes, but I was definitely clomping around the house in them. Sorry neighbors.




I haven't decided on jewelry yet, but I like the chunky necklace idea.

I also really liked this dress, but decided against buying it in addition to the LBD and shoes. When I sent the picture to my husband and mother, they both said I should go back and buy the dress.

I may be stopping by the store again tonight!

A Good Morning

You know what I love? Days when I really feel like I have kicked ass.

It is only 9:30 AM and I am already loving today. This morning I woke up at 5:30, went for a run, showered, packed my lunch, fed the dog, and headed off to work. I also have done a bunch of things here (including testing a kid) since arriving at 7:15. There is just something about being productive in the morning that makes me feel great!

I am now about to begin marathon report writing, which is admittedly one of the worst parts of my job. I am not looking forward to it (especially since the reports are due tomorrow), but I have my Pandora pumping some country music and it is helping to keep me upbeat and happy.

Hope you all are having a great day as well! :)

Dress - Yay or Nay?

This morning I set out to find a dress for a wedding we are attending this Friday (Yes, we! I get to see my husband this weekend!). I decided to check out Target to see if they had any cheap options. I ended up purchasing this Ruffle Tank Dress for $20, but I am not sure if it is dressy enough for a wedding. I mean, it is from the juniors section and the top is cottony. What are your thoughts? And what about the black? Is that still a no-no?

Here is the dress without accessories:

Better with the long chain necklace?

(that white blob on the floor is Kona)

More sophisticated when looped twice with some pearls added in?


Help me decide, please!

I also tried on this Zac Posen for Target Two-Piece Ruffled Dress. It was super fun, but I didn't buy it because the only dress available in my size had a rip on one of the ruffles.

Is this dress over the top? I might go to another Target to get it.... Thoughts?

Rewards Winners

I just sent out emails to the five groupon awards winners! Check your email to see if you've won. If I don't hear back from someone by tomorrow morning, I will pick someone else. Happy Grouponing!

There's a New Whole Foods in Town

Last night I was invited to the sneak peek Bloggers Tour of the new Whole Foods in Friendship Heights. The store, located around the corner from the Friendship Heights metro stop in the Shops at Wisconsin Place, officially opens at 10 am with a bread breaking ceremony. I won't get into great detail about everything I saw, but there are a few things I'd like to highlight:

This place is ginormous! The ceilings are high, the aisles are wide, and the departments are huge. When you visit the store you will not feel like you are getting jipped by the grocery gods, like I normally do when shopping at the other grocery stores in the city (although technically the store is located in Montgomery County).

When walking into the store from the street level you are immediately met with a coffee bar. Besides the obvious drink selections, the bar also offers breakfast sandwiches, an oatmeal and fresh fruit topping bar, gelato, and sorbet. The coffee bar opens at 6 AM. (I forgot to grab a picture...I was fumbling with my umbrella.)

One of many cool features...a trail mix bar! You can make any combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and chocolates for $4.99/lb.

The Global Animal Partnership is working with Whole Foods to rate all meat products sold at the store. The rating scale (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) lets customers in on the welfare practices of farmers and the well-being of the animals. You will see the rating on the pricing sign for each product.

A similar kind of rating system is also available in the Seafood department, with the ultimate goal of only selling sustainable seafood in their stores. The color coded system identifies the sustainability status of all wild caught seafood. Other nice features of the seafood department...free marinade with purchase, and free skinning, de-boning, and cutting. Our tour guide mentioned that she has all her fish cut into 4 oz. servings so that she can better control portion size and not waste any food!

My personal favorite and the main reason I will trek up to FH.....fresh cut pasta to order (and sauces) by Severino Pasta:

The prepared foods section offers multiple options (in addition to the salad and hot food bars) including pizza, burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches. The place is going to be a hoppin' lunch spot.

Another great feature is the value packaging program for the salad and hot food bar. In addition to the traditional $7.99/lb boxes, a portion controlled slightly smaller takeout container is available for a flat fee of $7.99. The only caveat is that your lid must close completely!

The bakery offers gourmet cupcakes for $1.99 each! I didn't get to try one last night, but they looked delicious and should give the many cupcakeries in DC some stiff competition.

The candy available at the candy bar contains no artificial colors or flavors. The jelly beans are delicious!

Other cool things I did not get pictures of.....

Bulk salts, pour your own honey (with bear containers!), grind your own nut butter, Gatorade and G2 Natural (a Whole Foods exclusive product), three frozen food cases of gluten free products, and the NYC style checkout lines.

Now onto the cons. Because the store is located in Montgomery County and there are weird alcohol rules, they cannot sell beer or wine. My main gripe, however, is that this will be one of three Whole Foods locations in the Upper Northwest/Bethesda area. As a Capitol Hill resident that has to drive to the P St. location or ride the red line to get to a Whole Foods, this is especially annoying.

Throughout the tour I obviously learned a lot about the Whole Foods philosophy and the vast array of features and products in the store, but I also learned a little bit about myself. I have been quite apprehensive about jumping on the organic and natural foods product bandwagon for a variety of reasons, but am now wanting to embrace this kind of lifestyle. Yes, I realize that the point of the tour is essentially to sell the Whole Foods store and their products. Clearly I am a marketer's dream. Oh well...at least this stuff is good for me!

Disclaimer: I was given food and a goodie bag for attending the Bloggers Tour.

Fiddleheads

Any curly haired girls out there??

I am the lucky owner of a full head of curly hair. I straighten my hair almost always during the winter months....but now that the humidity season is upon us, it is time to start wearing my hair curly again. I am currently using Aveda be curly in an attempt to tame my tresses, but it just isn't working for me. I am not sure if it is because that is the only product I am using in the "4 step curl perfecting system" or if I need to try something new.

So....let me in on your favorite curly hair products! Tips on shampoos, conditioners, and anything else are all welcome.

Groupon Rewards For Me & You!

Are you a member of Groupon?

If not, go join now. Here is a referral.

Because I have bought quite a few Groupons, I was given an advanced invitation to the new Groupon Rewards program. As a Groupon Rewards Member, I will earn G's when I view the daily deal (1 G) and/or buy a Groupon (50 G's). I'll earn even more G's if I buy a Groupon before the "deal is on" (150 G's). G's are equivalent to cash (100 G's = $1) and can be used to purchase the daily deal. I can also win G-oodies for purchasing a Groupon. Pretty sweet, right?So why am I telling you all this? Because I have five referrals for the Rewards program! Just leave a comment on this post and I will randomly pick five winners. I was given 500 G's ($5) for becoming a member and I am betting you'll get a welcome present too. You must have purchased at least one Groupon in order to be a Rewards member, so let me know in your comment which Groupon you previously bought. You have until Wednesday the 19th at 8 PM EST to leave me a comment! (And if you haven't purchased a Groupon yet, you have until Wednesday night to do so!)

Disclaimer: Like I said above, I was given 500 G's because I am a Groupon junkie. I wasn't asked to write a post, but I wanted to extend my invites to readers....soooo that's that. I think. I don't really understand this whole disclaimer bit, but alas....I'll do it to keep myself from being fined.

Weekends

I never thought I would say that I wanted a weekend to end, especially because I used to live for the weekends, but now it is different.

I didn't have any plans for Friday night, which actually isn't that unusual for me. By Friday afternoon I am tired and drained and just want to relax, watch a movie, and drink a glass of wine. However, when you do the same thing alone....the night doesn't have the same charm. I was sad that I was sitting at home drinking by myself while my husband was up in NY being wined and dined by the law firm. I just want to be with him and hate that we have to be apart right now.

Luckily I had plans for Saturday night so I didn't feel like a loser the entire weekend :/

Being home alone on a weeknight isn't so bad, but there is something about being home alone on a weekend night that had me feeling extra lonely. I am hoping that I am just adjusting and that my second weekend will be better.

Domestic Diva

If there is one thing I have learned during my first week on my own, it is that I am SPOILED. I always knew that my husband did a lot for me and was a big part of helping to keep our house /life in order, but man...I did not realize how much work it is!!

Let me run through the things I had to do this week:

Walk Kona three times a day, feed Kona twice a day, make my lunch, make tea in the morning, go grocery shopping, carry the groceries in, put the groceries away, cook dinner, do the dishes, empty the dishwasher, do the laundry, fold the laundry, take out the garbage, recycle the wine bottles (yes, multiple), get my car inspected, change my registration sticker (which is a bitch...anyone that has a car in DC can affirm this), clean up dog vom, clean the kitchen, dust the house, sweep the floors, water the flowers, make the bed, pay a bunch of bills, etc.

I do a few of those things on a regular basis, but doing all of them on my own made me feel like I didn't sit down this entire week. (Don't let me fool you, I did sit down....I even watched 3 hours of RHNJ one night, but you know what I mean!) I guess all this house work is good though, because it has helped to tire me out and I have slept pretty well each night (with the exception of the first night).

Anyway, it made me realize how lucky I am and that I am so thankful to have someone that helps me out so much! Do you all do this stuff on your own or does your significant other help you out? If you do it on your own, how do you do it on a regular basis?! I need your tips!

Back

Well hello, strangers! Did you miss me?

So much has happened since I last posted. Things have finally calmed down and I am slowly adjusting to my pseudo-single life. I'm glad to be back...I've got lots of things to talk about.

Stay tuned!