OOTD and {Nail} Polish Review

This past Thursday after getting layers put in my hair (yes layers in my hair like I had when i was 13) I ran to Target for 3 things

and left with 2 bathing suits for me, swimming trunks for Z, the three things I went for, feather earrings and a new top!

I have come to the realization that beside the fact that I am a shopaholic, Target is the devil! I can never leave there with just the things

I went for! (I am a little bit of a work in progress)

So outfit of the day, out with my mom and younger sister hannah to get my wedding dress - Top: Target($14)  Earrings: Target(9.99) 

Shorts: Vault Denim ($50) Sandals: Target from a couple of years ago cant remember price

I am absolutely in LOVE with the feather extensions everyone is getting, however they would not be appropriate 

at work, so I opted for the less permanent version, feather earrings!! also you can see some of the 

layers in my hair, which in case you couldn't tell I am in LOVE with as well!!

PRODUCT REVIEW - NAIL POLISH

I have been looking for this color for a while now and the only brand at Target was Sally Henson Xtreme Wear. 

The color is perfect, however the nail polish is not. It's pretty thick and dries so quick that it 

makes for a difficult time painting. Any new color that has caught your eye?

Xoxo,

"E"

A Wedding And A {Dress}

On Saturday one of my very good college friends got married! It was such a beautiful intimate wedding and Marlie looked absolutely beautiful!

Such a beautiful arbor the ceremony was held under

Z and I always very fashionable at weddings! We are kind of experts!

Alyssa and I!! Marlie is Alyssa's little in Delta Zeta!

Alyssa and I with the beautiful bride!

Jarrod and Marlie's first dance! (My flash on my camera was doing weird things)

AND FOR WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR - 

MY DRESS!!!

Well at least a picture of it in its cover! I wouldn't actually show everyone my dress before the wedding!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!! I am looking forward to my 4 day work week and AUSTIN with my man!!

Xoxo,

"E"

Recipe Of The Week - {Prosciutto} Wrapped Chicken

Ingredients

1 Cup white rice, long grain (uncooked) Salt to taste 1/2 C Shredded Mozzarella, part skim 1 C Canned Italian Tomatoes  2 Boneless Chicken breasts, sliced down the middle and pounded to 1/2" Black Pepper to taste 4 thin slices prosciutto Basil 1 Lemon

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Cook rice according to package instructions.
2. Pound chicken breasts halves to 1/2" thickness.
3. Stuff chicken with mozzarella, tomatoes & basil to taste, roll and place seam side down on pizza stone or casserole dish (sprayed with Pam).
4. Bake 14-16 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
5. Zest entire lemon into rice and add 2 Tablespoons of basil. Mix well.

Makes 4 servings

Number of Servings: 4

Xoxo,

"E"

Wedding Wednesday - {Wedding} Dresses

So a HUGE expense besides everything else that goes with planning your wedding is your wedding dress. 

Luckily, there are so MANY resources to help you find the most perfect wedding

dress in your price range. All of the dresses seen below are in the one $ price range on theknot.com

The last one is probably my favorite! I love everything about this dress!!

Are you currently shopping for a wedding dress? If so have you found less expensive dresses?

Xoxo,

"E"

{Quaint} Little Dinner Party

This past weekend my parents had a dinner party for their friends and after begging on our knees AND 

one couple dropping out Z and I got on the invite list!! 

Here are some of the pics from the "Southern Living" inspired dinner party! (Martha Stewart and Betty Crocker where NOT invited)

Notice the outfit...he was so excited about smoking the hog

Eat your heart out PETA!! Sausage stuffed chicken stuffed pig!

AND then top it off with champagne and a popsicle!! So good!

What do you think?? Southern Living Magazine material?? I think so, way to go LORI MAYO!!!

Xoxo,

"E"

Wedding Wednesday - {Wedding Outfits}

Since we have attended our fair share of weddings just in the first half of 2011, I wanted to show you what I have worn so far. It's a little difficult to know what to wear  to weddings.

A rule of thumb....no white, ever, don't even think about it. If you are a guy it should be nothing less than khaki's and a collard shirt.



****This dress is from forever21(where most of my dresses come from) it was less than $30 and I have gotten so many compliments on it****



****This dress came from Target I purchased it this spring and it was less than $30 as well****



****I am on the left, this dress was a birthday present from my mother! It is such a classy dress and it came from Belk****



****This orange dress came from forever21 and was less than $30 (see a trend here?) I saw it first on Just Dandy's blog and had to have it! Alyssa's dress was so cute and perfect for a summer wedding and its from The Limited.****

Where are some places you shop for wedding attire? Have you ever been to a wedding and wanted to tell someone they need to go home and change??

Xoxo,

"E"

Things I have learned from {YouTube}

My YouTube obsession started in high school when a friend and I wanted to know how to C-Walk. Since then I have taught myself a few other things just by searching YouTube....

C-Walk

Drop it like it hott

how to get Gretchen Rossi's hair

how to do the fish tail braid

how to do a messy bun

Pretty much whatever you want to know from dance moves, hair styles to cooking lesson can be found on YouTube....Love social media!

Xoxo,

"E"

OOTD: Dinner With My Parents

Z and I went to dinner and to have drinks with my parents this past Friday night. I wore my leopard romper that I got at forever21 and my summer black wedges from DSW. What do you think?? (side note: Z took my picture and bless his heart, he is getting better)

Xoxo,

"E"

Friday {Brain} Dump

What I have on my mind:

• Sunday marks officially 5 months until our wedding and I have yet to start my skin care routine (which the knot has nicely reminded me of today)
• Sunday marks officially 5 months until our wedding and I have YET to get serious about my fitness/diet routine (which the knot nicely reminded me of today as well)
• I am thinking about doing the Master Cleanse, but I am not sure if it will be healthy and/or I could go 13 days without food.
• I do not know what to get my bridesmaids....I think I am trying to be too creative, which I am not
• I have no EARTHLY idea what I am going to get Z for his wedding day present, but I can think of 10 things he could get me....
• Major things I have left to do for the wedding are: save the dates, invites, table clothes, chair covers and find a videographer
• I am half way wishing we would have done a destination wedding like 3 weeks ago so I would officially be "Mrs. Gillean" since my work email already says I am a "Gillean".
• I have started this obsession with fingernail polish..worse than it was when I was 13. I would like to thank all of the blogs I follow for that
• I have thrown in the towel on this Texas heat and decided to boycott pants this summer....skirts, shorts, and dresses for this girl. (see pic of hotness below)

• I am getting my hair done next Thursday and until then I have decided to try new hairstyles courtesy of YouTube videos. See below for Messy Bun

• During the summer I am completely addicted to sno cones....I just found their replacement last night at Fuzzy's Taco Stand. Meet the Watermelon Margarita!

• I could care less about the Mavs playing as much as I do Anthony Wiener taking pics of his "wiener".

That's all my brain dump for now....

Xoxo,

"E"

Recipe Of The Week - {Tex Mex} Chicken & Rice Skillet

Tex Mex Chicken and Rice Skillet

Ingredients

Vegetable oil
1 can Mexican-style corn
1 lb Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp Southwestern seasoning mix or taco seasoning
2 cups Uncooked instant white rice
2 cups Chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Salsa verde
2 tbsp Snipped fresh cilantro
1 cup Shredded Mexican cheese blend

Preparation

Add 1 tsp oil to large skillet; heat over medium-high heat until shimmering (1 to 3 minutes). Meanwhile, drain corn; pat dry with paper towels. Add corn to skillet in a single layer. cook without stirring 5 minutes or until caramelized on one side. Remove corn from skillet; set aside. (Caramelizing the corn intensifies the sweetness and adds an interesting color and texture)

As corn cooks, cut chicken into 1-in pieces. Combine chicken and seasoning in a bowl and mix. Add chicken to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.

Add 1 tbsp oil to skillet. Add rice; stir until well coated with oil. Add broth and salsa; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover skillet; reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, snip or chop cilantro.

To serve, spoon chicken over rice mixture in skillet. Sprinkle with cheese and corn. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro.

This recipe was Z and Joe approved!! The salsa verde adds such a good flavor to this dinner!! (sorry you can not really see the whole picture but it was difficult to get a good picture since it stays in the skillet) Also my Pampered Chef rep and good friend Shayna just started a blog all about yummy food and the amazing products by Pampered chef!! check her out and show her some love!!

Xoxo,


"E"

Wedding Wednesday - {Office} Wedding Shower Ideas

Since this year has been deemed "the year" of weddings, a lot of people are buying wedding gifts and running out of ideas if the couple already has all of their registry items.  This past week my office had a surprise potluck and wedding shower for one of our marketing reps. Our manager did the cutest money tree for Suzanne and Bill.  If you are planning a wedding shower at work, a money tree is a great gift to give and everyone can pitch in!

Have you given someone at work a wedding shower?? What gift did everyone give?

Xoxo,

"E"

What I am loving {RIGHT} now

***Well I LOVE LOVE Z always but I had to put him in here!***

***OPI Nail color "Ladies and Men-genta"

***OPI Nail color "Austin-tasious" Had to get it since I was in Austin!***

***Love Love Love this lotion it smells AMAZING and is a great summer scent!***

***Again great body wash summer scent!***

***My trusty Vera Bradley planner!***

****Chocolate Coffee from Kerbey Lane in Austin....sooo yummy!***

What are you loving right now?? 

Xoxo,

"E"

Forever21 - Oh how I {LOVE} you!

For new items to add to my wardrobe that are in style now and possibly not five minutes from now, I love going to forever21.  You can get super cute clothes for super cheap and not feel guilty spending money there because you know you are getting a really good deal!

I went shopping at the forever21 in Austin this past weekend because #1 - it's right by Z's parents house and #2 - it is a huge store that carries mens and now maternity clothes! I will not be needing maternity clothes for a good 5 - 10 years from now, however if you are pregnant and looking for cute maternity clothes check out forever21!

This is the super cute super fun stuff I got shopping on Saturday!

***Love these bracelets! They all look so good together!***

***I am really into big rings right now and blue is making it's way back this summer!***

***I love layered necklaces and this one can be dressed up or down***

***This is just a fun sun dress and will be saved until July 4th as my designated July 4th outfit!***

***Stripes are really in this summer and I wore this out shopping with Z and his parents. Cute and comfortable!***

***I absolutely LOVE rompers and this one is a bit wild but I had to get it because it looks like something the kardashian sisters would wear!***

***I saw this dress featured in Just Dandy's blog and had to have it! Luckily I found it at the store and got to wear it Saturday to our friend's wedding!!***

All of these items combined were more or less $100 and look how much I got! When shopping at forever21 you have to remember hand wash and hang dry to make it last!! 

Xoxo,

"E"