When I was young, I couldn’t wait to be old enough to wear bikinis. Then, I got old enough and didn’t love them so much. I felt exposed. Then, I got even older, and I just don’t give a fuck anymore. I love swimsuits because they mean I’m at the beach or by the pool. My apartment has a pool, and I don’t spend as much time by it as I should. When I first moved to Texas, I had very few swimsuits. Now, I have a whole bunch. It didn’t stop me from buying a few more for my cruise last month, though.
I found several from Asos and JustFab and Target. I love one piece swimsuits; being as tall as I am, they are kind of hard to find. So I have a renewed love in bikinis. I’m a huge fan of high waisted bottoms because I can binge on shitty food and not feel totally exposed. Here are all the swimsuits I brought with me on my cruise. I definitely overbought, but that’s fine. They are all on sale, and I adore all of them. Truly. They look so cute!
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I don’t drink alcohol anymore for a lot of reasons. (I’ll probably talk about that stuff later.) Before my freelancing took off and after my short-lived corporate career, I bartended. I did that for about two years. I wasn’t great, but I wasn’t too bad! I have always had a love of stemware. Even in college, I had a set of wine glasses, champagne flutes, and martini glasses. I just feel classy drinking out of them!
Anyways, I came up with two Valentine’s inspired drinks. I am including the alcoholic version and a virgin alternative. They’re super yummy both ways. For the guys, embrace your masculinity and enjoy these pinky/purple drinks. One is a fancy martini, and one is a super simple champagne drink. You can drink these without martini glasses or champagne flutes, but it’s not nearly as fun in my opinions. I do suggest having a shaker with a strainer; it makes the process faster and cleaner unless you know what you’re doing.
Ingredients Blackberry Fizz Martini
Fresh blackberries
Fresh Mint
Vodka
Champagne/Sparkling White Grape Juice – chilled
Ice
Raspberry Sunrise
Fresh raspberries – frozen
Raspberry syrup
Champagne/Sparkling White Grape Juice – chilled
Instructions Blackberry Fizz Martini
In the shaker fill halfway with ice. Add 1.5 oz vodka, five blackberries, four mint leaves.
Shake vigorously for thirty seconds to a minute.
Pour liquid through the strainer into the martini glass.
Fill the glass with champagne the rest of the way and garnish the rim with a blackberry.
Slowly pour raspberry syrup down the inside of the flute. The raspberry syrup will settle on the bottom creating the sunrise effect.
Add a few frozen raspberries to the top to keep the drink cold. You can also garnish the rim with a raspberry.
Pour the syrup gently down the side of the champagne flute for the sunrise effect.
To make these drinks non-alcoholic is very simple. For the martini, use sparkling white grape juice instead of vodka and champagne. For the raspberry sunrise, instead of champagne substitute sparkling white grape juice. For the sunrise look, it is really important to use white grape juice. The look of the drinks will be the same, but it’s perfect for the sober people, pregnant ladies, under agers, and anyone else. I love it. They are super quick, easy, and yummy.
No better way to toast your loved one than with a romantic cocktail. If you’re looking for a great red dress, I highly suggest this linen one from Nasty Gal! I love it. I’m ready for summer. I paired it with these light pink, faux-sued slip ons from Target. I wear them constantly and receive a ton of compliments.
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Here is a series of Beau pictures. They’re all perfect and very much us.
Enjoy Beau’s stream of consciousness.
The wretched hat is placed upon the head.No. Thank you. Stop. I don’t like it.Oh! Treats. I’ll sniff.I said, “I. Don’t. Like.”I don’t like the rain. I don’t like the hat. The treats are hardly worth this.Anytime now. We can take the picture.Food?This is not worth it.Is this a good enough pose? I look stupid. Is my expression conveying that?Why did the dog cross the road? To get away from you.Won’t you leave me along, devil woman?!?You. This. Is. Exhausting.I am being followed.There. We look good. Here’s my sweater | My hat/leg warmers | Mom’s hat | Mom’s Sweater | Mom’s scarf | Mom’s jeans | Mom’s boots | I’m done.
Beau and I wish you a Happy New Year!!! I can’t believe it’s 2019 already. Holy wowza!
We spent our New Year’s Eve with family in the Chicago area. A very low key night surrounded by the people we love most. My 63 pound dog was miniaturized by her 170-ish pound Great Dane cousin, Dexter. They snuggled on the couch along with a tiny, old girl, Ana, and three cats. It’s a big couch, but four people, three dogs (totalling 200+ pounds), and three cats is cozy. We celebrated with food and an Avengers movie marathon. We know how to party hard.
We said our goodbyes to family and friends in Chicago yesterday. My grandparents live directly on the way from Chicago to Texas, so we stopped in for lunch. Then, we were convinced to stay for a few days. Working from home, I can do this.
I visit my grandparents in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas often. I haven’t been since the end of May. One of the first things Grammy said when I walked in the door, “I was wondering what happened! You’ve been gone sooooo long.” For awhile, I was here almost every month. After the I love you and I missed you’s were exchanged. “You’re staying the night.” Then my grandpa, aka Poppy Walt, wanted to take us out to dinner. And Grammy said, “No, they’re staying a few days. She has nowhere to be.” I guess I’m staying for a few days. Not that I or Beau are complaining. They live in a gated golfing community, and their backyard overlooks a fairway, a lake, and some mountains. REAL shit hole, I tell you.
Since we drove over night, Beau was cozy in her backseat blanket cuddle puddle for nine and a half hours. When we arrived, she was so happy; she loves it here. There is so much space to run around in their woodsy backyard, and the big house has lots of sniffs to find. The rain dampened her high spirits, but life isn’t perfect.
I couldn’t resist taking these cute pictures. I found her sweater, hat, and leg warmers at Target. She HATES the hat. I won’t lie: she is not a fan. At least, she hasn’t transferred her hat hatred to me as the hat-putter-onner. She really likes the sweater though. It’s warm and snug. The leg warmers helped her bear the rain, surprisingly. I’m still in a festive holiday mood, so I donned one of my go-to red sweaters, my favorite red scarf (budget version here), and a white hat. I also live in my grey Aldo boots, and these jeans. Seriously, these boots are the best. For otk boots, these are an incredible deal! Beau is for sure the cuter of the two. Although, she got her beauty sleep… I drove through the night.
Not a bad start to 2019. Rang in the New Year together in Chicago. Day 2 and 3 will be in Arkansas. Day 4 will be home to Houston. Ruff life. We’ll see where else 2019 takes us on our travels!!!
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I live in jammies. Since I work from home, there is very little motivation for me to put on clothes or makeup.
I look forward to Christmas jammies all year long. Beau even loves her Christmas jammies. I don’t know about other dogs, but this one loves wearing clothes. I think she knows she look pretty. When the temperature dips below 60°, Beau NEEDS to wear a sweater or something. She’s a Houston dog. She also has really thin, white fur. So the layers are necessary, or she’ll shiver herself skinny.
I saw Beau’s jammies at Target one night for $9.99 and had to buy them. I’m not exaggerating, she loves wearing them. This morning when I grabbed them out of the closet, she did an excited hot lap around the house before sitting down at my feet and sticking her head through the head hole. She even picked up her paws for me. I would take the credit and say she’s well trained (she is), but she just loves wearing clothes. She’s kind of a diva that way. Even though they are around her back legs too, she still loves putting these on. They are fleece and fit her perfectly. They are so warm. She wears them outside and inside.
I’m also obsessed with my onesie. I almost never buy any one-piece items of clothing because I’m so tall. They never fit, and it ends up looking like a frontal and traditional wedgie. I’m in love with Old Navy right now because they have clothes in tall sizes. AND they fit. At 5’10” I can actually wear this waffled onesie comfortably with a little extra room. It also comes in a green stripe, but the buffalo plaid works for Christmas jammies and all year round!
Beau actually wears sweaters all year long inside. It helps her anxiety; it’s like a big hug. We have quite the assortment of puppy clothes because of it. I’m always on the lookout for a cute one to add to her collection. Of course, she doesn’t wear her clothes outside 90% of the year in Houston because it’s too damn hot.
Also the Christmas throw pillows in the background are on clearance! Hurry!!!
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Christmas tree hunting is one of my favorite activities of the year. There were only a few years after college when I didn’t hunt for a tree because family I lived with had a fake tree *gasp*. Even in my college apartment, I cut down a tree every year.
As a kid, my family brought our dogs with every year it wasn’t too cold for them. They always had a blast running around the tree farm sniffing all the smells. My brother and I would run around pointing at our favorite trees. I have always loved the big fat ones. The fatter the better. One year in college, I found the fattest tree, and it was 12 feet tall. It was ginormous. And it didn’t fit in my tree stand. It ended up being one my favorite disasters, and my best friend and I still giggle about it!
The Christmas after Beau came home, it wasn’t even a question of if she would come with us or not. We didn’t know exactly how she would do riding on the trailer at the farm or with all the people around, but she was a dream. Beau is incredibly well behaved around all the people, loves sniffing the smells, and running between the trees as best she can on a leash. This year, she did even better on the trailer. I’m such a proud Mama!
This is our third Christmas in Houston. The first year, we found High Star Christmas Tree farm just North of the city. We love it. The prices are unbeatable. They’re very kind. And they’re dog friendly! We’ve gone every year! Beau has come with all of her years with us! So, two.
Beau helped pick out our tree. As best as she can…. She sniffed it and wagged her tail, so I’d say that’s a yes. I’m so picky about trees. I like them tall and fat, but we don’t have a ton of tree space in our apartment. It’s also important to find one that is green and doesn’t have too much dead stuff in the middle. It’s a process. When we arrived, we took the obligatory blogger pictures. Then we spent an hour roaming around looking for the perfect tree. Don’t go tree hunting with me unprepared for a bunch of walking and “hmm…,” *head tilt*, walk around, and “not quite.”
The tree is now up and decorated. I couldn’t be happier. I love sitting at home with a cup of cocoa enjoying all the lights! Beau cuddles have made my Christmas season a gazillion times better.
If you still need a tree, you can find more information about High Star Christmas Tree Farm here. They’re really wonderful. This is not sponsored at all. I genuinely love them!
*Style* We decided to be nerds and all wear matching shirts. Beau LOVES her jacket. It keeps her so warm. It is an absolute must in the cold weather for our furry friends. It’s a deal at Target under $10. My shirt is from Old Navy. Dylan’s shirt is from Target. I actually wear his when I want the over-sized look! My jeans are talls from Abercrombie, but they come in short and regular too. I wear them all the time. I’m absolutely in love with my shoes. They’re silver sparkles from Old Navy! I’m wearing a size 7.5, and they’re true to size.
Happy Wednesday! Love, Beau, RaeAnna, & Dylan
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Beau’s jacket doesn’t actually fit that way. You couldn’t see the pattern when she wore it the right way, so it’s a bib.
I packed a suitcase full of books for my trip this month. Alex, my frequent partner in crime, is deploying next month. Before he leaves, I flew to North Carolina on Saturday. We spent the night on base; then, we road tripped to his parents’ homes in Minnesota. A mere 19 hours in the car. We’re actually pretty used to it. We’ll be spending a week and a half together before I go home to Houston. We’ll see how many books I read in that time span. I am travelling prepared, though!
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Miss D & Me: Life with the Invincible Bette Davis by Kathryn Seremak with Danelle Morton I’m looking forward to this one because I am a huge Bette Davis fan, and I love her classic movies! Such a talent.
Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking I feel like this speaks for itself. I’m always looking for books to challenge me. Stephen Hawking will for sure do that. I know very little about his realm of study.
Torch Song Trilogy: Plays by Harvey Fierstein I haven’t read a play in a long, long time, so I’m excited to dive in.
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker I haven’t read much historical fiction this year. I’m a tough critic, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about this one in particular.
Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton This is one of my favorite books. It’s been years since I have read it, and I want to revisit.
Him Her Him Again the End of Him by Patricia Marx I’m going to be completely honest… I bought this solely because the spine has houndstooth on it, and I have been obsessed with that pattern for ever.
A River of Stars by Vanessa Hua
I don’t know much about this book, but I do love the cover a lot! It’s so bright!
Pajamas from Target I love pajamas, but I honestly don’t wear them that often. I mostly bum around in oversized t-shirts, which is totally fine when I’m at home or with Alex. But I’ll be spending time around his parents. I love these pajamas; they are literally the softest thing ever!
Brown Hat from Amazon I think everyone needs a good brown, felt hat for the fall season… especially up North!
Yellow Faux Mohair Plaid Throw from Target I bought this throw blanket on a whim. I’m so glad I did. It was so necessary on the plane!!! It fit perfectly in my bag, but it is also incredibly soft and warm. You need it! Ok, I “needed” it.
Samsonite 20” Centric Spinner I bought new luggage for my trip because it had been a decade. I did a bunch of research, and I really like this set of luggage. This carry on is perfect and lightweight. It really only carried my books on this trip, though!
I’m off to bed! It’s been a long few days of travel, travel, travel! I need some sleep before I get to work again bright and early tomorrow morning, so I can have some fun in the afternoon!
