Summer Fun :: Grayson Lake, Kentucky

We're savoring the last 2 weeks of summer before the kids go back to school. Last weekend, we took the boat to Grayson Lake, Kentucky for a fun weekend. It was our first time taking the boat to an out-of-state lake. We had a blast exploring new places and beautiful scenery. The water was so calm, smooth and perfect for tubing/water-skiing. I put together a short video below. We enjoyed it so much that we're thinking about coming back in the Fall. I mentioned a few times in the past that my husband loves water activities. It warms my heart to see him in his element. I picked up this new swimsuit for the weekend and I love it so much. The material is thick and really holds you in. I especially love the belt. It adds a modern flair to a rather plain swimsuit. I can't believe this swimsuit is currently on sale for only $15 (was $68). I was happy to pay double the price for it. I went ahead and ordered the other 2 colors as well. Now, I have this exact swimsuit in 3 different colors =) So many amazing pieces are up to 70% here. Outfit details: A&F swimsuit *size XS* | Amazon cover-up | Designer heart sunglasses | Affordable heart sunglasses | 2-rider tube

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Summer Fun :: Grayson Lake, Kentucky

A Zimmermann dress dupe

I love Zimmermann dresses but they're way over my budget when it comes to an article of clothing. I am always on the lookout for affordable options. I stumped this dress on Misguided and had to give it a try. The floral pattern is so pretty. Since it's pretty affordable, the quality isn't anywhere near the real thing but I don't mind. For under $30, it satisfies my Zimmermann craving =) This dress would be perfect to wear to a summer wedding. This dress is available in 2 different floral patterns. Outfit details: Misguided dress *size 2 - 50% off* | Similar sandals | Designer heart sunglasses | Affordable heart sunglasses

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A Zimmermann dress dupe

The best trousers for petite women

I am so excited to share these pants with you today. As you may have noticed, I rarely wear pants. It's been years since I purchased a pair of trousers. Finding a pair of fitted work pants is a serious task. They're either too big in the waist, too long or would require some sort of alteration (which I am unwilling to do). I stumbled upon these pants from Express and I was blown away. Where have they been all my life? They fit and feel amazing. I am wearing a size 00 petite here and could not have asked for a better fit. The best part? They're available in regular length, short length, long and petite. I plan to order a few more colors/patterns. They are seriously the perfect trousers for work. I love the mustard color. This outfit is very simple a.k.a basic but I feel amazing in it. For me, this is one of those outfits that I can put on anytime and feel like a million bucks. If you're my size (5'2", 105 lbs), give these trousers a try. I promise you won't be disappointed. Outfit details: Express columnist ankle pants *size 00P* | Gap linen shirt | similar mules *40% off* | AE sunglasses *a Celine dupe*

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The best trousers for petite women

Seafood Boil Recipe

Sharing my crawfish/seafood boil recipe today. My mouth is watering just looking at these pictures. We had friends and family over for a BBQ on Fourth of July. We cooked 25 lbs of crawfish and crabs. You can add shrimp, clams, mussels or any other seafood you like. Sometimes, I add sausages as well. It was delicious and such a fun experience!

Preparation: Thoroughly wash the crawfish in a large tub by rinsing and draining. Repeat the process until water is reasonably clean. Fill the tub with 1/2 lb of salt and leave the crawfish in salted water for 5 minutes The salt is used to purge the crawfish prior to eating. After 5 minutes, wash and drain the crawfish a few more times. Inspect and discard any dead ones.

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Seafood Boil Recipe

Petite-friendly rompers

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Old Navy is killing it as of late. I found so many cute and affordable pieces. I bought this rompers last month. I love it so much that I went and got the exact one in a different print (which I rarely do). This is one of those easy weekend outfits for running around with my kids. Hope you're having a great week so far. Outfit details: Old Navy rompers *size XS* | Target slides |  Designer heart sunglasses | Affordable heart sunglasses | Forever 21 earrings | Hermes belt

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Petite-friendly rompers

Travel Bucket List :: Our Peru Itinerary

We're heading to Peru in a few short weeks to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. I am so excited! Our anniversary is in September but we're taking the trip before school starts to make it easier for my parents. This is the 6th destination on our travel bucket list (Hawaii, France, Italy, Alaska, Banff and now Peru). This trip took a lot of planning so I thought I'd break it down to several small posts. Today, I am sharing the itinerary. I will do several recap posts once I am back from the trip. Thanks to a couple of friends who have helped us tremendously when it comes to planning. We started planning in March (will tell you why in a bit). The itinerary below took us almost 4 months to plan (and to save) but regardless, we enjoyed doing it and can't wait to experience Peru.

Day 1: Getting there

• Travel day - 3 flights (CMH - ATL, ATL- LIM, LIM - CUZ). Total travel time: 16 hours. We'll be arrived in Cusco, Peru approximately 6:00 a.m the next day
• The hotel offers a free pick up from the airport. You can get a random cab from the airport for approximately 30 soles ~ $9.

Day 2: Spending the day in Cusco

• What to do: San Pedro Market, Cathedral at Plaza de Armas Cusco, Qorikancha temple
• We want to make sure to take it very easy on the first day. We need time to acclimate.

Day 3: Heading to Ollantaytambo from Cusco

• Natura Vive will pick us up from the hotel but if you don't want to book a tour, you can get to Ollantaytambo by bus. From the hotel, walk to "Calle Pavitos" to take a small bus from Pavitos St of Cusco. The bus will arrive at the main plaza in Ollantaytambo. Cost per person: 10 soles ~ $3. This trip takes approximately 1.5 hour via the Chinchero route.
• Zip-lining in Sacred Valley: We booked a zip-lining tour with Natura Vive. I'll talk more about the zip lining tour once I get back. 
• After the zip-lining, Natura Vive will drop us off at the Ollantaytambo train station so that we can continue our journey to Machu Picchu. 
• Take VistaDome 603 to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town). It's a 2 hour train ride via PeruRail. Departs at 3:37 p.m. and arrives at 5:02 p.m (must be at the train station 30 minutes prior to start the boarding process). Cost per person: $86
• Spend the night in Aguas Calientes. The hotel we'll be staying is 3-minute walk to the bus station heading to Machu Picchu. Still need to buy tickets for the bus at the Consettur bus ticket office in Aguas Calientes. This costs $24 each for round trip tickets. We plan to buy the tickets after we check in to the hotel so that we don't have to do it in the morning heading to Machu Picchu

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Travel Bucket List :: Our Peru Itinerary

Recipe :: Mango Sticky Rice

Sharing a quick, easy and delicious recipe today - mango sticky rice. It's probably one of my favorite desserts. I used my trusty multi-cooker to cook the rice. It's mango season and I can't get enough of them. If you end up trying the recipe, let me know how it goes. I have an exciting post coming next Monday. Check back if you're interested. No, it's not about the Nordstrom anniversary sale. I am tired to hear about the sale before it even started. I am sure there is no shortage of sales coverage. Your feed will be filled with picks and recommendations. There are a few things on my list but I am not in any hurry. I don't have a Nordstrom card and I am not planning to open one either. I will shop the sale once it opens to the public on the 19th.

Ingredients:
- 2 cups of sweet rice
- 1 can of coconut milk
- Sugar, dash of salt
- Ripe mangoes
- Sesame seeds
- Cornstarch

Directions:
- Wash and rinse the rice until water runs clear
- Add 2.5 cups of water and set to high pressure for 10 minutes (my cooker)
- Heat the can of coconut milk in a saucepan, add sugar to taste with a dash of salt
- Make a slur of thickener with 1 tsp of cornstarch and one tsp of water
- Stir into the coconut cream to desired thickness

Presentation:
- Scoop of sweet rice, coconut milk, sliced mangoes
- Garnish with sesame seeds

Enjoy!

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Recipe :: Mango Sticky Rice

Botanical Print Dress

Sharing another winner from Old Navy today. I've gotten so many great pieces from Old Navy and this dress was of them (other pieces I love here and here). The fabric is breezy and comfy. Great for those hot summer days. I got a size XS petite and the length is perfect on me. What first attracted me to this dress was the print. It's summery but not overwhelming. If midi length isn't your cup of thing, this exact print is also available in a shorter version. Outfit details: Old Navy dress *size XS petite* | Other women's floral dresses | Steve Madden wedges | Le Specs sunglasses | Forever 21 earrings

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Botanical Print Dress

Happy Fourth of July!

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Fourth of July. I am physically exhausted =) Unfortunately, I have to go back to work today but it's a ghost town in the office. Yesterday was so much fun. Started with Red, White and Boom on the 3rd. Since I work downtown now, I have an assigned parking space and it helped tremendously with the parking situation. Did you know Red, White and Boom is the biggest fireworks in the Midwest? There are approximately half a million people participating every year. The kids had a blast. On the Fourth, we invited family and friends over for a cookout. Not going to lie, hosting a large group of people was a lot of work. We decided on crawfish! lol not a surprise at all. Crawfish is in season now and they're so fresh. I'll share the recipe in a later post if you're interested. We grilled, we ate, we chatted, we laughed and we ended the night making s'mores by the fire. Hubby and I stayed up until 1:00 a.m to clean up but we wouldn't trade it for anything. It feels so good to be surrounded by down to earth, amazing people that we're lucky to call friends and family.

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Happy Fourth of July!

June Recap :: July Plans

I know I said it a million times but the month just went by so fast! Our highlight of the month was definitely the trip to Aruba. It was incredible! You can read more about it here and here. We're not doing any big trips in July but have a few fun things planned with the kids

Goal of the month: This month I promised my husband that I will learn how to drive the boat. We have the boat for almost a year now and I kept putting it off. Now that it's hot outside, he wants to do all kinds of water sports and would need someone to drive the boat while he's doing so (lol).

Looking forward to:
- We're hosting a BBQ with friends and family tomorrow! We started our backyard landscape last weekend and hope to finish it today
- Planning a camping trip with the kids this month
- Celebrating my nephew's birthday. He'll be 5!

June purchases:
1. Misguided floral dress *a Zimmerman dress dupe - 50% off* - $23.50
2. GymShark leggings - $13.50
3. GymShark crop top - $10.50
4. GymShark tank top - $7.50 - *got all my Gymshark pieces when they were 70% off*
5. H&M one piece swimsuit *fits amazing!* - $12
6. Old Navy maxi dress *size XS Petite* - $30
7. Vineyard vines x Target rompers *on me - $30*
Total spent in June: $127

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June Recap :: July Plans

20% off Gucci, Saint Laurent, Prada and more

Fourth of July sales have started. Today, I am sharing a really great one. From now - tomorrow (July 3), you get 20% off everything at Barneys with code BNYJULY. A huge selection of designer items included in the promotion. We're talking about Saint Laurent, Prada, Gucci and Fendi. Take advantage of the promotion now because it'll end in 24 hours.

Prada bag
Saint Laurent wallet on chain
Saint Laurent sunset bag
Fendi bucket bag
Christian Louboutin nude pumps
Christian Louboutin black pumps
Gucci mules
Gucci sandals
Gucci belt

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20% off Gucci, Saint Laurent, Prada and more