SAE Formal 2013

  

 

 

Lots of Love,  Natalie

Well, we are off to New Orleans today! We are so excited to be going back there for formal this weekend. Along with getting all dressed up I am looking forward to good food like Jambalaya, Shrimp Po-Boys, and Beignets from Cafe Du Monde. I am also planning on doing a little shopping. The only downfall to this weekend will be that it is supposed to be raining the whole time. Wishing you all a happy weekend and I will see you again on Monday!


P.S. Follow me on Instagram to keep up with everything this weekend.

Lots of Love,  Natalie

Long Awaited Arrival

Ladies and Gentlemen they have arrived! The two dresses that I ordered from Rent the Runway arrived yesterday. I ordered one Herve Leger (black) dress and one Haute Hippie (gold) dress. I tried on both and have decided to wear the gold Haute Hippie halter dress! I am slightly obsessed with it and cannot wait to wear it Saturday night in New Orleans for Jay's SAE Formal! Right now I am resisting the urge to post the two pictures that I took of me in the dress to send to my mom and friends to get their opinions but keep checking in on here or my Instagram account to see if I break and post it. Have a good day!

 

 

Lots of Love,  Natalie

Counting Down the Days

This past weekend was pretty good but now I am counting down the days until Friday. This coming weekend Jay and I will be going down to New Orleans for his SAE Formal. This is our third year at formal and we cannot wait to get down there. We both really like New Orleans and always have a great time when we are there. I am also looking forward to Wednesday because that is when the dresses come in that I will be wearing for the formal. I have rented two Haute Hippie dresses from Rent the Runway for this coming weekend and I cannot wait to get them and try them on. Don't worry I will be posting more about these two dresses later this week. Have a Happy Monday!

Lots of Love,  Natalie

Valentine's Day Part Two

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day! I like holidays like Valentine's Day because I love to bake. I made this Red Velvet Puppy Chow that I found here. Puppy chow is actually very easy to make which it good because it is addictive. Have a good weekend!

 

Red Velvet Puppy Chow:

 

Ingredients:

5 C. Rice Chex cereal

3/4 C. white chocolate melts or chips

1/4 C. chocolate melts or chips

2 oz cream cheese, room temp

1 1/2 Tbsp. milk

1 C. Red Velvet Cake mix

1/2 C. powdered sugar

Valentines colored M&M's or other candies

Heart sprinkles for extra decoration and cute-ness

 

Directions:

1. Measure out Rice Chex cereal and place into a large bowl.

2. Place cake mix and powdered sugar into a large plastic bag or tupperware with a lid.

3. Melt chocolates together in the microwave or on the stove top. Careful not to burn and stir until smooth.

4. Stir in cream cheese and milk (the chocolate will get thicker, but it's okay)

5. Pour chocolate over Rice Chex cereal and stir until coated.

6. Dump cereal into the bag or tupperware with powdered sugar and cake mix. Shake, shake, shake until coated.

7. Dump onto a cookie sheet and let cool.

8. Mix with extra colorful candies and serve!

NOTE: Because of the cream cheese, keep in the fridge if you won't be eating them that day. You can also omit the cream cheese all together if you wish...if you do that, you don't need the milk either!

 

 

Lots of Love,  Natalie

Valentine's Day Part One

Here are just a few of the Valentine's Goodies that I am gifting to loved ones today. All of these have been a surprise and I cannot wait until they all open their little gifts. Be sure to check back in tomorrow to see Part Two which will have more pictures and recipes! Have a Happy Valentine's Day!!

 Red Velvet Puppy Chow:

 

P.S. Let me apologize for being absent. I had four tests yesterday so needless to say I had been studying since Sunday and banishing myself from my computer and television. Don't you worry I am back and it feels so good!

 

 

Lots of Love,  Natalie

Workout Wednesday

For those of you that do not know already know I am Pilate's Instructor. Since, I have been teaching for almost two years now, that means that my wardrobe for work consists of lots of different workout clothes. I often get asked where I get most of them from so I decided that I would answer this question on here. For chic fitness clothes that won't break the bank the best places to shop are Target, Old Navy, JC Penney, and Forever21. The medium priced range would be Zella at Nordstrom, Gap, and Athleta. As far as a place that will cost you a pretty penny its name is Lululemon. While it may be a little expensive it has amazing clothes that will last after years of wear and tear. Now that you know all my little stops for fitness clothes feel free to let me know if you have any others that I did not mention here.

Lots of Love,  Natalie

Super Bowl XLVII

Since, I am pretty sure you watched the Super Bowl last night I want to know what was your favorite part? My favorite thing from Super Bowl XLVII was Beyonce's performance and the Bud Light commercial.

Beyonce was FABULOUS and could not have done a better job! I mean Single Ladies and Destiny's Child reunion, good luck topping that next year or ever. Now about that Bud Light commercial, I am not a big beer drinker but the Bud Light commercial did a wonderful job of showing what New Orleans is all about. For those of you who do not know that is where my dad is from and I always love going to NOLA for a weekend. I will actually be there in a few weeks and all this Super Bowl and Mardi Gras talk has me more than ready to get down there again. Let me finish by saying the only thing that would have made this Super Bowl perfect would have been if my New Orleans Saints would have played in it. WHO DAT!!

Lots of Love,  Natalie

Recently, I decided I was tired of cooking Chicken dishes so Jay and I thumbed through our Cooking Light magazines and came across this tasty sounding recipe, Honey-Orange Pork Tenderloin. I already had a good bit of the ingredients that it called for which made it an affordable meal. Although the recipe called for Brussels sprouts as the side, I thought this recipe sounded like it would pair well with cooked (white or brown) rice and Asparagus.

Ingredients:

 

1/3 cup orange marmalade

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

Preparation:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 2 tablespoons marmalade mixture.

3. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.

4.  Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned. Turn pork over; brush with 1/4 cup marmalade mixture. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Turn pork over; brush with 1/4 cup marmalade mixture.

5. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 150°.

6. Remove pork from pan; brush with reserved 2 tablespoons marmalade mixture.

7. Let stand 10 minutes; slice.

 

 

Happy February 1st! Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you again on Monday!

 

 

Lots of Love,  Natalie