Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July guys!  This has to be one of my favorite holidays because the weather is warm, the family is together, and the fireworks are so beautiful.  Our family usually starts out the day with a nice hearty breakfast, followed by a walk in the park, slathering on loads of sunblock and floating in the pool for hours to cool down and then grilling-out for dinner (with something usually unhealthy ..like hotdogs),  As the sun starts to set, the family climbs up the hill at the park across the the street to watch all the fireworks in the area. This series of events is usually interspersed with history lessons from my Dad throughout the day about all of the fun facts we didn't know about American history. It's really great & so relaxing!  I feel so lucky.

For fireworks at home, we usually get pretty tame ones from our local grocery. As we like to partake in the festivities but do not need to get too elaborate because of all the local fireworks we see on the top of the hill.

Hope your day is just as relaxing and that you have a happy 4th of July, too!
-Whitney

The Perfected Mojito

It's the 4th of July and we are finally on break! Woot woot! To celebrate we went outside and had mojito.  My husband always makes the best cocktails. He will try a ton of different recipes and tweak them here and there to come up with perfected classic cocktails.  One of his goals this week on break is to create an amazing Mojito to enjoy in the hot summer weather.  Below is the recipe. Yum!!:

Mojito Recipe:
- 2 bar spoons white granulated sugar (see photo below)
- juice of half a lime, fresh
-8-12 mint leaves
-muddle lightly
-add 1oz club soda
-stir to dissolve sugar
-1.5oz white rum
-stir to mix
-add ice cubes
-top with more club soda
-garnish with mint
Serve with a stirrer or spoon to stir sugar mixture up from the bottom to taste.

A bar spoon of sugar.

Now all you need to do is put on the best of salsa hits & you'll be ready for business! Haha 😉

Until next time,
Whitney

Women In The Work Force: 3 Little Things

Sheryl Sandburg (left) and Mary Barra (right);  Picture taken from http://www.autonews.com/article/20170608/RETAIL03/170609783/barra-tours-gm-plant-with-facebooks-sheryl-sandberg

Recently, my company has come out with a great series for women in the work place.  To some, this may be controversial, but so far I have really enjoyed how spot-on all the topics have been when applied to my life.  These topics range from Executive Leadership Skills to Work-Life "Satisfaction."  All of the things I have learned so far have been enlightening.

One of the videos in this series had Sheryl Sandburg, CEO of Facebook, give one piece of advice that she believed has helped her the most.  In the video she stated that we focus, so often, on the things we did wrong during the day and not enough on the things we have done well.  This creates low self-esteem which is counter-productive in the work place.  So, instead, she suggests keeping a journal by your bed side and writing down three (3) things that you have done well that day.  By doing this, you will go to bed thinking about what you have done well.  This will, in turn, help boost your self-confidence and improve your outlook for not just at work, but in your life, too.  

I am naturally a skeptic and have been asking myself: "Could doing something as simple as this really effect my career at work?" I am sure that it will raise my self esteem, but could this really improve my presence and product output at work enough to change my future career path at work?  ...I do not know.... 

Have any of you tried this journaling 3 things you have done well during the day?  Do you do it every day?  If so, does it seem like it has helped?  ...Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 

Refreshing Summer Pimm's Cup

Now that it is the summer, there is just something so refreshing about having a fruity cocktail for bunch on a hot day. One of my favorite drinks is a Pimm's cup cocktail. Pimm's is a traditional British liquor that first started in 1823 as a digestive served with gin. The taste is a little bit spicy with hints of citrus and is usually served with 'English-style' lemonade (aka- in the USA lemon-lime soda). For garnish, a variety of fruits can me used, but one of my favorite mixtures contains strawberries, cucumbers, orange slices, lemon slices and fresh mint for garnish.  I also sometimes like to substitute the lemon-lime soda for ginger ale. Below is our recipe for a refreshing summer's Pimm's cup. Cheers!

Pimm's Cup Recipe:
4oz Pimm's
1oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1oz simple syrup
Add 1of each: large strawberry, orange slice, lemon slice, cucumber (sliced the long way; like a ribbon)
Put in ice to cool --> then stir!!
Top with lemon-lime soda or ginger ale or club soda to taste.
Slap the mint to release the flavor without smashing it.
Enjoy!

One Essential Tip To Improve Your Style

Over the years I have read a lot on articles style. For me, style is not only for clothing, but also applies to things like interior decor, entertaining, landscaping/plants, food, work, etc... After reading all this information, I wanted a place where I could write it all down and refer back to it in the future. A place with a ton of ideas, from all of the great advice I've come across. An ever changing, dynamic blog that documents all of the charming ideas that I want to remember for future use.

As such, I will first start of with a piece of advice for how to dress with great style. In an article a long time ago, one stylist's tip was to shop frequently, but buy infrequently. They said that looking through stores often to see what the latest trends were helped to keep them up to date & stylish. Try on the clothes (especially new styles that you may be unsure about) to see how the fit is and if you may like something that you previously may have thought was unflattering. However, the trick is to not buy the clothes unless you absolutely must have it. This is tough to figure out, but they suggested to go home, wait until the next day, and if you cannot stop thinking about that piece of clothing, that you go back the next morning and purchase it.  In the past, this would have consumed a lot of time. However, now that we have the internet, instead of going back to the store the next day, you can just go online to buy it.

I also don't don't have time to go shopping very often, so what I do is get on the email list for my favorite stores & look through the emails for style ideas. If I love something, then I will go to the store to try it on usually (or you could order an item, try it on, think about it for a day, and return it if you don't love it).

Below are some looks I'm loving from the stores that are on my email list:

Express Emails; Sometimes they have looks that I love which are perfect for when I am not at work.  I love the look above and how well the whole outfit goes together.  It is a great style idea that I would not have thought of before.

J. Crew Emails; They send out emails with a lot of helpful hints, such as the one above "how to pack for a long weekend" (which is something I always struggle with).  

White House Black Market (WHBM) Emails;  I love WHBM for work wear. I do not work in a more 'conservative' environment as a female engineer and need to look professional everyday. WHBM always has great 'conservative' work wear ideas that I can translate into my closet.

Pottery Barn Emails; So many great tips and decor ideas for the home!

Michigan Bulb Co. Emails and Catalog;  The Emails are just ok.  However, the catalogs are amazing!  Within the catalogs they have landscape 'blueprints' that show which flowers should be placed where (see image below).  These are insanely helpful because I always struggle with making sure all my flowers show (and not just the ones in the front row).

Michigan Bulb Co. Catalog part (example);  I love things like this; the only thing I have left to do is make sure that I live in the right zone for the flowers to grow (aka - not die in the winter) and then buy & plant.  Done! :)

Do you shop frequently and buy infrequently?  Do you have any tips for style that you have come across that have you helped a lot?  Or are there any emails that you receive that are full of great inspiration?  ....Let me know in the comments below! 

Until next time!

Whitney