Friday Flick Picks

If you're new to little yellow apple then you aren't aware of my serious love for the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. If you're an avid reader than you know, in my opinion, there is no better movie than Matthew Broderick's comedic romp around Chicago with friends. Love. This. Movie.

In Lexington, during the summer, the city shows free Friday night movies at Triangle Park. Last Friday was FBDO, and I've had it on my calendar since May! It was so fun to see my favorite movie on a big screen. I desperately tried not to quote every line in the movie, but a few favorite lines slipped out. It was hands down my favorite movie viewing of the summer.

"Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."

Easy as Chow Ciao!

Julia Child was right, anyone can cook. Even me! This past weekend I was able to cross something of my 30 for 30 list: cooking a 3 course meal. For me, this was definitely one of the more challenging tasks to complete because I would not consider myself as someone who cooks. I've managed to feed myself for years of course, but I've always taken the easy way out when it comes to preparing meals. Picking a dish, shopping for the ingredients, and then putting it all together for an edible meal, from scratch, seemed unimaginable. But after successfully making a delicious meal I feel motivated and inspired to cook, a little, more!

The first and main courses came from chef Fabio Viviani. His easy to follow video and recipes made cooking this meal 10 times easier with step by step instructions and his fun attitude. If you're looking for some genuine Italian recipes check out his videos on Yahoo. He will crack you up.

The Menu

First Course: Gazpacho. This was so easy to make. I made this part of the meal earlier in the day to cut down on dinner time preparation. All I needed was a blender.

Main Course: Chicken Cacciatore. At first it seemed a little scary to cook chicken and the vegetables this dish required at the same time, but it all came together so easily. Cook 'em separately and then throw them in a pot to finish cooking together-genius! I even made the marinara sauce for this dish too! No sauce out of the jar for this meal.

this mess turned into this...

Dessert: Skinny Monkey Cookies. This was actually a cookie recipe I found on Pinterest (which actually falls into another 30 for 30 goal). Baking is something I know I can handle, so I made this before hand too. To jazz up a simple cookie I bought whip cream and raspberries to make it something special. Watch out cooking world, I'm improvising!

So that was my meal, and it turned out delicious! Thanks must be given to Fabio for giving me the knowledge to cook this meal, and the man I'm dating for being brave enough to consume it, and for encouraging me to make it. I'm so glad I tackled this goal on my list and was happily surprised at how easy it was. Bon Appetite!

More Happy

I've recently had a change in my working life. When I moved back to Lexington 15 months ago I started working at an apartment complex. Six months ago I went part time at the apartments so I could work part time at Arhaus Furniture as their visual merchandiser. This past Monday was my first day working full time only at Arhaus. Which also means I have the weekends off. Two glorious days off in a row. And I don't think I've enjoyed a whole weekend off as much as I did these past few days. Sleeping in, having fun, getting errands done, and even accomplishing something off my 30 for 30 list (I'll post on that later this week). It just made me realize that it's nice to have a break from work and all the other obligations Monday through Friday usually requires. Happy is the only feeling I can use to describe my weekend and I look forward to experiencing more in 5 days. 

Friday Flick Picks

When you a pick a movie to see at the drive in it has to be a movie that is a little ridiculous. Something you don't mind if the quality or sound isn't as awesome as the theatre, or the occasional set of headlights or screaming child running through the parking lot to interrupt your movie. So seeing Expendables 2 seemed like the obvious choice for a night at the Sky-Vue drive in. 

It's your typical uber-cliche action movie, but seeing all the classic action heroes together somehow made it better. Totally laughable and ridiculous in parts, but with great action sequences throughout, i.e., explosions, car chases, guns, bullets flying in all directions, and just your general "kicking assess and taking names" attitude. And I'm a total sucker for any movie with Bruce Willis. 

I'm not trying to recommend everyone run out and see this movie. Only if you're a sucker for an action film, which I usually am, especially the 90's/early 2000 era, would I suggest you should see this movie.  

Have a great weekend guys! 

Adventure is Out There

Check out a guest post I did on my friend's blog today: The Adventures of Lesalina!

Hunting Style

Totally loving everything about Tommy Hilfiger's Fall 2012 look: The Hunt, right now. Cable knits, plaid, velvet, and quilted textures. Camel, maroon, mustard, and rust colors. Totally digging the shooting style sweater the model, direct center, has on especially. Hand me my most fabulous pair of riding boots and a saddle and I will be set for Fall! 

Playing With Paper

Over the weekend Lexington had their annual Woodland Art Fair, and while I successfully avoided eating an entire funnel cake, I discovered a great local artist. Jenni Phillips is a fellow Kentuckian, who creates beautiful and fanciful paper art and paper toys. I was drawn to the dark, dream like, quirk of her art. What I like the best about her art is a lot of her pieces have movable and adjustable parts; so even a seemingly flat piece of art almost becomes a toy.

You can check out her etsy shop for more of her work or her tumblr site to see more of the pieces like the ones below.

"Marooned"

"Ursa Major 2"

"Trust Your Instincts" 

Pre-Flick Picks

Even though I haven't seen any new movies this week (don't worry, it depresses me too), I still want us to keep the Friday movie conversation alive here on LYA! So in movie world we're in this weird transition period. Summer is winding down so there aren't a ton of big movies being released, and we're not into holiday/Oscar season release dates either. So we're left with some Indie movies, smaller budget films, and the occasional sleeper hits that are coming out right now. Here are some trailers that have caught my eye, and I'm crossing my fingers really hard they make it Lexington!


Mike Birbiglia's film Sleepwalk with Me
Josh Radnor's film Liberal Arts (you all know how I love to support the cast of HIMYM) Todd Louiso's film Hello I Must Be Going. So great to see Melanie Lynskey in a starring role. Craig Zobel's film Compliance. This movie looks to have the same creepy feel as the movie Catfish.  

I hope this gets you guys excited about some up coming movies!

Reunited and it feels so good

A year and a half ago I took this photo of myself trying on the Recurring Theme skirt at Anthropologie. I never bought it and it turned into something I wish I had.

I can finally get a good night's sleep because we've been reunited.

Thanks to the wonderful world of ebay I can cross one of my sought after Anthro items off my wishlist. 

Wedding Legacy

I'm embarrassed to say that I've watched 27 Dresses on more than one occasion. I blame lazy Saturday afternoons and TV channels that replay the same movie over and over again. If you've haven't seen the movie besides the main plot of Katherine Heigl being a bridesmaid 27 times she has this fantasy of wearing her deceased mother's wedding dress on her wedding day.

I can safely say I will never have that fantasy. Let me explain so I don't sound completely unsentimental or cold.

My mother got married when she was very young, to someone who wasn't my father. There are very few pictures from her wedding, but of what I've seen I knew that my mother's dress have lavender ribbon and lace around the collar, long sleeves, and a high neck. Recently my mother came into possession of her first wedding dress and I got to see it in person. I love my mother, and I think she's a very fashionable lady now, but this dress looks like she's living in the Little House on the Prairie era. She was completely covered in dress from neck to ankle in the weirdest fabric I've ever felt. There is nothing bridal or breathtaking about it.

When she married my father there is even less photographic evidence of the occasion. She was married in a light pink suit on the 24th of May. And as much as I dislike the lavender atrocity, I adore the suit. The suit makes me wish I was as petite as my mother to don the suit myself one day. My father sweetly offered the other night, when we were all having a laugh over my mother's dress, that whenever I got married he would find a tailor to custom make a suit to fit me to replicate my mothers. (Isn't he the sweetest?)

So I will never be disappointed if someone decides to rip apart her old dress, just leave the suit please. But it makes me laugh at how much your fashion tastes can change over the years. My mother's two wedding wardrobes can speak to that.

Bring 'Em Back

My favorite Anthro blog, Effortless Anthropologie, wrote a great post last week that inspired me. She wrote about pieces of Anthro items that she missed out on or that she wished Anthro would bring back. I can't tell you how many times (when I worked for Anthro) I would leave work for a few days, return, and the item I wanted would be gone! Never to return again; and I've spent many hours searching on ebay for them. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to find these items, in my size, and in my price range.

Dear Anthropologie, Please bring these items back...

Influential Anorak
This one is probably my biggest regret. This jacket feels and looks amazing. I will forever be jealous of a former coworker who snagged one that was returned to our store a few weeks after I stopped working there. Sad face for life. 

Lolland Sweater Dress
Doesn't every Anthro girl want this one? I find it on ebay from time to time, but it's out of my price range or bidding is too hot for me. I practically attacked a customer at our store that came in wearing it one winter. I did all but ask to buy it off her back!

Birling Ruffle Coat.
I die.

Scalloped Buttondown
Totally classic, and in my favorite color. This blouse went so quick and I have yet to see it surface on ebay.

Influential maxi dress
The only maxi dress I've ever thought looked good on me. 

Narration Booties
I have no idea what I'd wear these with, but I can't help but love them.

Everything in Place
Another item I have no idea where or when I'd wear this, but the uniqueness of it makes me want it. 

Wright Dress
I tried this dress on a month before I started working at Anthro, and talked myself out of buying it with my birthday discount. The first week I was there we had to transfer out all of these dresses to another store and I missed out on buying one! Always a high priced item in ebay world. 

So there you have it. The stuff I dream about. If you'd  like to make an Anthro addict happy, and have one of the above items you'd be willing to part with for a fair price, let's talk.



P.S. Check out what Roxy wants back too over on Effortless Anthro!

Friday Flick Picks

Yes, I finally made it to the movies! Of course it was to the most talked about, most popular movie of the summer, The Dark Knight Rises, but nevertheless, it's one in the win column.

The Nolan directed Batman series are the only superhero movies I have ever gotten into. I love Christian Bale as Batman and I love watching a Christopher Nolan directed movie; but I had my issues with this movie. Here's what I liked: Tom Hardy. He gives Heath Ledger a run for his money as the best villain in a Batman movie. The mask, his strength, and the voice are all super scary, and he conveys everything through his eyes which is pretty powerful. (He also wears this sick shearling coat in one screen that even I am coveting). I also loved the ending. A great climax with some good twists and teasers that I think left all movie goers satisfied. I'm interested to see if a 4th movie rumor could be true. Bale said that if Nolan directed again than he would be on board. Other highlights from the movie were a great performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a couple good cameos (no spoilers here!) and watching the Dark Knight regain his power.

The bummers: Marion Cotillard. Don't get me wrong I love her, but her character seemed unnecessary. I think they could have written the story a little different and found a way to get the point across without her. I wasn't much for the whole Anne Hathaway/Cat Woman angle either, but it didn't bother me as much. The run time was another thing. Two and half hours was a little long for me. Nolan's movies typically have a slower build and some down time, but this movie really seemed to drag in places.

Overall I liked the movie and I would definitely recommend you all to see it. I just loved the first two that I was a little let down by number three. Oh well, it's another movie in the books, and Oscar nominated films are right around the corner!

Have a great weekend guys! xo

Summertime Silliness

Whoa guys, did you forget about me? I know I've been a little MIA lately, but nothing has been really grabbing me to write about. There are of course things that I see that I'm like, "oh, that's cute," or, "that's a pretty picture," but no real content to go with it. I think this post my friend Lesalina wrote about challenging bloggers to write better content has made me stop and think about what I'm writing about before I hit 'publish.'

But lets focus on the here and now: this post. I've gotten so used to taking outfitting pictures by myself with instagram or a self timer I don't know how to act in front of the camera when someone else is taking pictures. Results usually end up with silly faces and posing like I'm a first round vote off on ANTM. But I can embrace some not-so-perfect pictures of myself and share them with you guys.

sweater: JCrew, skirt: Anthropologie, necklace: Macy's