Check, Please!

Outfit Details: Button-Down: Gap; Dress worn as skirt: H&M; Purse: Vieta; Flats: Gap

I wore this outfit Monday while B and I wandered around Charlestown. Evenings when I have little homework are few and far between, but Monday was one of them, so we hopped on the T and rode to this little neighborhood of Boston located north of the Charles River. It is seriously the most charming place I've ever seen! We're planning on exploring more extensively soon, so I'll be sure to post some pictures for you all to see, if you're interested.

I've been eager to try this knotted button-down look. Theoretically, it's an easy, subtle way to jazz up a more casual look. Practically, however, I'm worried that the checkered pattern and the style make me look a little farm-girlish. I think I'm going to have to try it out a few more times before I make up my mind, but what do you gals think?

XO!

Dress Yourself in Bleeding Madras*

Outfit Details: Earrings & Necklace: Gifts; Buttown-Down: Ralph Lauren (Thrifted); Skirt: American Eagle (Thrifted); Flip Flops: Old Navy

I'm not ashamed to admit that this bun is my go-to hairstyle on days when I don't have the time and/or energy to do anything else with my hair. Okay, I'm a little ashamed since this is the third post in a row that I've rocked said bun. I promise to make myself more presentable next time.

Anyway, I thrifted this madras skirt at Goodwill last week, after having looked for one forEVER. Madras is a quintessentially summery pattern and fabric, and I love its preppy feel. If you've been a loyal reader thus far, you may be saying, "But Hannah, I thought you were so over summer?" Fair enough. While I am gravitating more toward fall looks, I just had to wear this skirt before summer is officially over. Besides, it was 80 degrees. Cut me some slack!

XO!

*Title of post from Vampire Weekend's "M79."

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Seeing Spots

Outfit Details: Sunnies: Steve Madden; Dress: Liz Claiborne (Thrifted); Belt: Express Men (Husband's); Purse: Vintage Dooney and Bourke (Thrifted); Sandals: Gap (Thrifted)

B and I are ridiculously busy during the week, so we try to make sure we have date night every Friday. We get dressed up, eat delicious food, and talk about topics other than school and work for a change. This week we went to our favorite pizza place for Melanzane pizza (eggplant, Ricotta cheese, Marinara sauce, oregano, basil, Romano and Mozzarella) and Summer Tonics (summer gin infused with cucumbers and sweet lemon basil, blended with muddled strawberries and topped with tonic water). Then we walked around the North End, which is like Boston's Little Italy, though no one who lives here calls it that.

My outfit is almost entirely thrifted, and this Dooney and Bourke purse is amongst my all-time favorite thrift finds ($10, people!). What are some of your favorite thrifted items?

Vegging Out: Lasagna

B and I generally like to eat out on the weekends, but unfortunately the imminent hurricane has forced us indoors. I figured it was the perfect time to attempt a veggie lasagna, since we happened to have all of the ingredients lying around (I wasn't about to walk to the store!).

Here's what you'll need:
9 lasagna noodles, prepared as package instructs

2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 bags frozen California mixed veggies that can be steamed in the bags

16 ounces ricotta cheese

Onion powder (to taste)

Garlic powder (to taste)

Here's what you'll do:

1. Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Boil lasagna noodles
3. Steam frozen veggies in microwave
4. In large bowl, sprinkle veggies with onion and garlic powder and stir
5. Layer: half of the noodles, the ricotta, 1 cup parm, enough veggies to cover the layer, and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat this sequence. If you have remaining veggies, sprinkle them on top, along with some mozzarella cheese.
6. Cover and bake for 25 minutes; remove foil and bake for another 10.

Obviously, this lasagna would be best with fresh vegetables. If, however, fresh veggies aren't an option for whatever reason, the frozen veggies are a good (quick, cheap and easy!) alternative. We'll definitely enjoy leftovers tomorrow while we wait out the storm. Enjoy!

Hooray for Chambray!

Outfit Details: Earrings: Gift; Chambray Top: Gap; Belt: The Limited; Purse:Vieta (Marshall's); Shorts: Calvin Klein; Flats: Gap

I only recently jumped on the chambray/denim shirt bandwagon. The fault lies mostly with my hometown, where I saw horrible, unstylish denim with such frequency that I was scarred for life. It took a lot of time and fashion therapy before I conquered my fear and rediscovered the joy of denim, particularly in shirt form.

One of  the keys to any wardrobe is versatility, and a good chambray shirt can be worn a variety of ways: you can dress it up or down; you can pair it with a variety of colors, patterns and/or textures; you can wear it on its own, or you can layer it. Here, I styled it simply with white denim shorts, which is one of my favorite summer looks, but I'm already imagining the possibilities for fall..

Do any of you own a denim/chambray shirt? What's your favorite way to style it?

XO!

Olive You

Outfit Details: Sunnies: Old Navy; Earrings: Gift; Shirt: Forever 21; Belt: Gap (Husband's); Shorts: Levi's; Flats: Gap

Guys, I have a serious obsession with olive green right now. I've bought this shirt, a sweater and a jacket in the past few weeks, all of which are this particular color. I can't help myself.. it's so pretty and so versatile! I definitely see it working as a neutral in my fall wardrobe. I'm particularly excited about this shirt, which I think is a great transition piece for this time between summer and fall. Plus, isn't the pattern on it just so darn pretty?

I'm noticing that my outfit choices are becoming decidedly more fall-ish. What about you? Are you anxiously awaiting fall's arrival (like I am), or are you relishing the last bit of summer weather?

XO!

Easy Caprese Pasta

B and I made this caprese pasta for dinner Monday night. It is delicious and really easy to make.

Here's what you'll need:

1 box penne pasta (or similar variety), prepared as package instructs

2 tablespoons basil pesto

balsamic vinaigrette

olive oil

1.5 cups fresh mozzarella (cut into cubes)

1.5 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)

Here's what you'll do:

1. Prepare the pasta and drain it

2. Mix all the ingredients in with the pasta, adding as little or as much olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette as you wish

Super easy, right? We ate our pasta right away with some crusty Italian bread and oil, and it was delish (I also added more cheese on top because I'm a cheese addict). Yesterday I had leftovers for lunch, and the pasta was even better after having chilled in the refrigerator. For this reason, I'd suggest preparing the dish early and letting it chill for an hour or two before eating it, if you have the time.

Enjoy!

Back to School

Outfit Details: Sunnies: Steve Madden; Button-Down: American Eagle; Watch: American Eagle Shorts: Old Navy; Moccs: Old Navy (thrifted new)

Yesterday marked the first day of my seventh year of post-high school education.. Crazy, right?! I've had quite a few first days of school, but each year I am SO nervous. Yesterday was no exception. It went well, though! (See, you can tell because I'm smiling in most of these photos; otherwise, I'd be crying.)

Heading back to school always inspires a bit of preppiness in my clothing choices. This outfit fit the preppy bill and was also super comfy for a day of sitting through classes. Plus, blue and gold is a classic color combo that I love.

Good luck to any of you heading back to school in the upcoming days!

XO!

Rainy Sunday

Outfit Details: Shirt: Gap; Belt: Thrifted; Skirt: Forever 21

I'm a little embarrassed that I've resorted to the dreaded beige wall backdrop so early in my blogging career. I have grand plans to take photos outside all over Boston, but sometimes (usually) the weather gets in the way. I put this outfit on yesterday in anticipation of outdoor brunch with B. Of course, as soon as I did, it began to storm. By the time we left for brunch, the storm had passed. We ended up enjoying a nice, sunny brunch outside, but I forgot to take my camera along. Bad blogger!

XO!

Date Night

Outfit Details: Sunnies: Ray-Ban (Husband's); Dress: Forever 21; Purse: Vieta (Marshall's); Flats: Gap

I've been contemplating starting a personal style blog for over a year. Each day, as I pour over the blogs of fashionable gals who inspire me, I think, "I should totally do that," but I've always found excuses not to. Recently, I was perusing various blogs and other fashion-related websites (as is my morning routine) when I came across photos of a floral-print maxi dress. Given my obsession with florals and my growing affection for maxi dresses, I knew I had to have one of my own. I promptly visited Forever 21's website (one of my first stops whenever I shop), found a comparable dress, and added it to my cart. As I was about to check out, I was confronted with a disturbing fact: I already owned the very dress I was about to purchase. This was the moment I knew I needed to start my blog, if for no other reason than to be more aware of and creative with my wardrobe.

How fitting, then, to feature said dress in my first post! I wore this outfit for date night with my husband, whom I lovingly refer to as "B." We walked through Brookline and gawked at some of our favorite homes, dined on delicious vegetarian burritos for dinner at a taqueria in Coolidge Corner, and finished off the evening with frozen yogurt and people watching. I hope everyone had similarly lovely weekends.

XO!