What's Up Wednesday

Anybody else feel this way today?

Such a cute little puppy!

Okay, so what's up Wednesday?

Well here in California our temps are up for a few days and I love it.

I am without a doubt a warm weather, flip flop loving girl and I'm so happy when the temperatures begin to get in the 80's and even 90's.

I'm still loving this shirt I bought at Loft a few weeks ago and did I mention it's on sale for $20. Yep, I just might have to get the blue one too.  I've worn it a couple of times and it's just so comfortable. It's mixed media with a knit back and a woven front. I love a shirttail hemline when wearing a shirt out and it's more flattering than a straight hem. I wear my favorite cami under it because it's cut lower than I am comfortable wearing alone and check out my necklace. I love it! It's lightweight and will go with so many different outfits. I've recently purchased several necklaces from this cute boutique in Texas called Accessory Concierge (no, I'm not affiliated with them...just love to share). These Old Navy jeans are one of my favorite pair of jeans and have just the right amount of distressing. They have a really reasonable price point if you want distressed but don't want to pay a lot because you're unsure about how much you'll wear them. 

shirt / jeans / necklace / flip flops

 I love my Reef flip flops and I wear them pretty much everyday in the summer. This is my 2nd pair in the last couple of years because I literally wore the first pair out. I just ordered these Sam Edelman leopard sandals that I've been eyeing since last summer and they would have been so cute with this outfit. I can't wait for them to get here and start wearing them and giving my Reef's a break.

Sam Edelman leopard sandals

When it's warmer outside this is another shirt I love to pull out of the closet and I always pair it with this necklace. I love hot pink and I wear this necklace and earrings A LOT.

similar shirt / similar shirt on sale here, here and here  / jeans / similar shoes

earrings / necklace (with tassel)

It's lightweight just like the black one and has just a tiny amount of sleeve if you don't like to wear sleeveless shirts. This one I ordered last year, but there are a lot of similar options available.

I'm wearing my super comfortable and stretchy jeans that feel more like wearing leggings, but don't look like leggings. These jeans suggest sizing down 2 sizes and they are right. Don't ask me why they are sized this way, but who doesn't like wearing a smaller size? ;)

#feelinggood

Warmer temperatures make you want something lighter to eat. Kent absolutely L♥VES fish tacos. I hadn't tried making any yet, but came across a pack of frozen Cod when we were in Trader Joe's Sunday and thought I'd give it a try. 

I found a recipe on Pinterest and made a few modifications to it. I didn't make the slaw like they suggested, but used a bag of Tri-Color slaw mix and put the dressing in a squeeze bottle. I added a little lime juice and honey to the dressing. I marinated the fish according to the recipe, and heated the tortillas in a skillet, then once the fish was cooked I put several small pieces in each tortilla, added some slaw, fresh pineapple and cilantro. Squeezed a fresh lime on them and added the dressing. We all liked them and I thought for my first attempt they turned out pretty well. I'm going to keep experimenting though and I'll let you know if I find another recipe I like better. :)

If you've been curious about Rodan + Fields I'm doing something special this week and still have some spots left where I'd love to fill in your name. 

I'm looking for TEN VOLUNTEERS (new customers only) who would like to try one of our amazing regimens for 60 days. You will become a Preferred Customer for FREE - I will cover the fee for you (that saves you $19.95, earns you FREE SHIPPING and 10% off.)

This promotion is good through Saturday, May 21! At the end of 60 days, if you aren't happy with your results, you can return your products for a FULL (empty bottle back) REFUND. Who's in?

We have four regimens for you to pick from:

REDEFINE - fine lines, wrinkles, large pores, and preventative aging.

REVERSE - dullness, uneven skin tone, sun damage and melasma.

UNBLEMISH - acne and acne scarring

SOOTHE - sensitive skin, including severe dryness, redness and irritated skin.

You can check these out on my website:

www.lrichardson3.myrandf.com

or email questions to 

richardson4.lisa@gmail.com

Hope you're having a great week!!!

Lisa

XOXO

Breakfast for dinner (and dessert)

We love French Toast.

Here's the deal...we never have it for breakfast but love it for dinner, same goes for pancakes.

I shared my dad's pancake recipe here.

I love to make different kinds of pancakes. 

Cinnamon Roll

Banana, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip

Chocolate Chip, Pecan

Blueberry

The combinations are endless.

I'm convinced the secret to good french toast is Challah bread. Oh my goodness, it's just delicious on it's on but add an egg batter to it and it's over the top. 

See. It's literally picture perfect.

Challah French Toast
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 c. (I use fat free) half and half
Grated zest of one orange
pinch of salt
1/2 T. honey
splash of vanilla
1 loaf Challah bread

Slice Challah about 1/2-3/4 inches thick
Heat griddle to 350 degrees.
Combine eggs, half and half, orange zest (you can omit this, but it makes a HUGE difference in the taste), salt, honey and vanilla in a medium baking dish.
Place 3 (or as many as will fit) slices of bread in the batter/custard and let soak for a minute then turn over and do the same for the other side.

Melt butter on griddle and place pieces of bread on to cook. Leave for a couple of minutes and check to see if it's brown. Once browned, turn over and cook other side.

Serve with warm syrup and strawberries and whipped cream if desired.

This recipe makes enough for 3 people.

The best part of having French Toast for dinner is it's also like having dessert. This is probably why I love breakfast for dinner. ;)

Try it, I promise you'll L♥VE it!!!

Lisa
XOXO

Weekend Wrap Up

Don't you just love it when someone pays you a compliment or says something kind? 

Keep that in mind and look for opportunities to make someone else feel good. You never know what effect a positive comment can have on someone's day.

Now let me catch you up on our weekend happenings.

Actually I'm going to include Thursday night in our weekend. 

After we went to the hospital to sweet little Madeline we went to get ice cream. We have several cute little downtown areas near where we live and one of them has a kind of old fashion ice cream place that you can drive through or walk up to. It's called "The Dairy" and is so cute.

I mean seriously, doesn't this just look like a place you'd see on some old television show?

We each got a small cone. Now I have to be honest, the ice cream was just so-so but the place was really cute.

The shirt I'm wearing is the one from Anthropologie I talked about in Friday's post. See how cute the lace detail is? I ♥ lace!

Kent and I find ourselves being by ourselves more and more. I guess it's preparing us for the fall. 

#emptynestaroundthebend

#snapchatphoto

I know a lot of people have jumped on the snapchat wagon and I have to confess, I'm one of them. 

Our Friday night typically includes watching Hawaii 5-0. If you watch it you know there's a murder there every Friday night. ;)  We have a friend who lives in Hawaii and we tell her nothing good happens in Hawaii on Friday nights.

#sentherthissnapchat

Saturday was filled with our typical this and that, so I dressed for cute and comfortable.

White jeans are always a good choice and black and white really set them off. 

similar shirt / jeans /  similar sandals

This picture doesn't do this lace top justice. I got it last year at the end of the season from CAbi and was excited to finally get to wear it to church Sunday morning. I added my jean jacket because I'm always cold in church.

similar lace top / similar pants / jean jacket (not pictured)

A little lunch selfie

Katie had to work Sunday afternoon and Kent has been wanting to go hiking so hiking it was. We went to a park we'd never hiked before and saw some beautiful new scenery.

 Sadly everything is turning back to brown now that the rain has stopped.

All in all it was a nice, low key weekend. Just the kind we like.

Hopefully you enjoyed some down time and are recharged and ready for what the new week holds.

Happy Monday friends!

Lisa

XOXO

Friday Favorites

Good grief!! I don't know about you, but this week went by super fast for me. 

So here we are again. It's Friday and that can only mean one thing. It's time to link up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for Friday Favorites.

  Old Pictures

A couple of weeks ago when I was visiting my parents I brought back some old pictures of my grandparents and dad as a little boy. I love old photographs! Even as a kid I remember my grandmother had a box of pictures in one of the bedrooms and I used to love getting them out to look at them. There's just something about black and white pictures I love and I'm not really sure what it is. I do know I really love these because of the sweet scalloped border on them. Old pictures are really a treasure and I wonder if my kids will ever look back at pictures of me as a child and my parents and enjoy them as much as I do?

My favorite candle

Saturday we were out running around and popped into Anthropologie. It was my lucky day because the entire store was 20% off so I picked up my favorite candle. This time it was in a different jar than the usual blue and I just love it. This candle smells so good. It's called Capri Blue Volcano and you really need to try it.

While we were in Anthropolgie I also found this lace tunic. The one I got is off white, but online the Plum is the only one available which is really cute too. It's soft and comfy, but what I really love is the lace detail on the back of it. I love it when I find something I didn't even know I was looking for ;)  I'm pretty sure this is going to be a new favorite and a regular in my rotation. It's has 3/4 length sleeves which I love and are perfect for spring and fall. The handkerchief hem adds interest to the bottom, and who doesn't want to wear something with fun details?

Yesterday was the last day of my bible study until we start back in the fall. We were ending this session with a sharing day and brunch. I found a recipe on Pinterest for Lemon Blossoms and thought I'd give them a try.  They were delicious and Katie like them so much I wasn't sure I was going to have any left. I finally had to just cut her off. ;)

#metabolismenvy

 They were really moist and the glaze has just the right amount of sweet and tart. I changed the original glaze recipe a little by leaving out the water and oil, and adding the zest of 2 Meyer lemons. I love any recipe that calls for citrus zest, it just adds a freshness you can't get any other way.

Follow all of my Pinterest boards here.

WINNING!!!!

Since it was the last day of bible study there were quite a few prizes that were raffled off and I WON one!!! WHAT??? I hardly ever win anything. There were lots of cute baskets with pretties in them, but some clever person used this adorable coral duffel bag and filled it with lots of fun things. 

#iwassoexcited

Fresh flowers

I. LOVE. FRESH. FLOWERS!!!!

The yellow and purple together in these are perfection. I'm having some friends over for coffee this morning and wanted to have fresh flowers on the table so I picked these up, but that wasn't the only reason I wanted some. We have the most precious little 95 year old lady at our church that we just love to death and she's currently in the hospital with pneumonia. Madeline is not even big as a minute, she's cute as a button and sharp as a tack!

#southerngirlsayings

We went to the hospital last night to visit her and I wanted to take her a little something bright and cheery so I made a cute little arrangement for her.

This precious woman is such an inspiration to everyone she comes into contact with and I can only hope to be as spry and active as she is should I be blessed to live to see 95. Please feel free to add her to your prayers that she'll be able to recover quickly and get out of the hospital.

So there are my favorites for this week. 

I'm not really sure what we have on the agenda for the weekend, but I'm sure we'll find some fun things to do that will for sure include food.

#welovetoeat

Hope you have a great weekend friends!!!

Lisa 

XOXO

Friday Favorites       H54F      Five on Friday     Friday Favorites   oh hey Friday!   

Graduation gifts for girls

Graduation days are here!

When it comes to knowing what to get the graduate do you sometimes 

 feel stumped?

Whether you have a high school or college graduate, I've put together some ideas to help and there are various price points to fit your budget.

The items below are Katie approved and she's how show we say...rather picky, so I feel pretty confident most girls would be thrilled with these.

The items with pink numbers are things Katie already has and the others, well...she'd love them!

Click on the green links to be taken straight to that item. Easy peasy!

1. Kate Spade Watch

2. Kendra Scott Elisa Pendant

3. Alex and Ani Bracelet / All Alex and Ani Bracelets

4.Sole Society Saddle Bag

5. Shower Wrap (how cute would this be to have monogrammed)

6. Kendra Scott Earrings

7. B.P. Watch

8. B.P. Bar Pendant

9. Michael Kors Double Wrap Watch

10. Kendra Scott Elton Bracelet

11. Kate Spade Initial Pendant

12. BaubleBar "Ice Initial" Bar Pendant

13. Kendra Scott Arielle Ring

14. Kate Spade Wallet

15. gorjana "Taner" Small Bar Pendant

16. Monogram Necklace - small / large 

This is one thing I'm going to have to order for Katie before she leaves. She loves this Micro-Dermabrasion Paste as much as I do and frequently I have to go find mine in her bathroom.

If your graduate suffers from occasional breakouts or chronic acne the Rodan and Fields Unblemish line would make for a wonderful gift. Let that sweet girl take care of her face and start the next phase of her life with confidence knowing she has beautiful skin. You can't put a price on self esteem.

Click here for all Rodan and Fields Products.

Katie keeps one of these Camelbak bottles with her all time filled with water. Actually, Benny used to keep one with him too. These would be great to have in the dorm, throw in a backpack or take to the gym for a workout. They'd also look super cute with a vinyl monogram on them to make them personalized and you could take it a step further by doing it in school colors.

#lovemonograms

     Pink                     Blue                      Green                    Purple

More Camelbak Bottles here

Summer for the graduates often means trips to the beach to celebrate. Add a towel and a few magazines with the water bottle and she's good to go.

Beach towel

Katie keeps her keys on a lanyard just like #2. I keep my keys and license in the zip I.D. case. I love it because I can keep a little cash in it so when I'm running out and don't want to take my wallet I just grab this and I'm on my way. I've been using one of these for longer than I can remember. It would be great for a college I.D. to be thrown in her backpack. The All in one Crossbody and Wristlet is ideal for and I.D., cash, phone, credit cards, etc...

1. I.D. Case / 2. Lanyard / 3. Lanyard / 4. All in one wristlet

These ideas just scratch the surface, but maybe you'll see something you haven't thought of before or will be inspired to do some kind of theme gift. Whatever it is, I'm sure the graduate will be thrilled and thankful.

Hope you're weeks been treating you right!

Lisa

XOXO

Stranded...Books edition

Happy Hump Day...You can do this, only 2 more days til' Friday!!!

Linking up today for....

This month it's BOOKS.

What 3 books would you want with you if you were stranded?

Hmmmm...Well, for me that's really a tough one.

I'm not much of a reader and lately most of my reading is done via blogs so I'd be really sad if this island didn't have the internet. HAHA!

If I had to name books (can you count magazines?)  I'd have to start here:

I think and hope this would be the first choice for a lot of people.

If you were stranded you'd certainly need encouragement and direction and what better place to find it? If you'd been saying forever you were going to read this book, well now's your chance.

Any Nicholas Sparks book. All of his books will capture your heart.

I'd want to be able to whip up something yummy on this island so I'd obviously need a cookbook.

I'm assuming I'd have and endless supply of fresh seafood and be able to make my own sea salt. Hopefully there would be citrus trees and maybe some wild herbs.

#winnerwinnerfishdinner

I really wish I was more of a reader, but I just never have been. Honestly the only time I really read is if I'm by a pool or the beach...so I guess I'd better find more books if I'm going to be stranded.

Do you have any suggestions for books you love that I should try? Keep in mind I'm not a Sci-Fi girl and I love a good romance or something to make me laugh.

I'd love to know your suggestions!

Happy Wednesday friends!!!

Lisa

XOXO