Five on Friday: Nordstrom Sale, Bluejackets, Outfits.

+one

Four words: Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale.

Going on now! Here are my favorite picks, they are all 40% off:

 Report Fairfield Booties / Jessica Simpson Drop Waist Dress / Michael Kors Watch (obsessed) / Bobeau Fleece Wrap Cardigan (read below!)  / Halogen Roll Sleeve Shirt

This Michael Kors watch is such a steal, not to mention it's just gorgeous (I have a serious thing for gold watches and truly believe they are worth every penny! I have been wearing mine for years). That striped fleece wrap cardigan? I have this in the 'Mink' color (I ordered a small) and it is probably one of my favorite pieces in my closet right now. It is so warm and cute. Every time I've worn it people ask where it's from! The leather trim dress would be perfect to wear for holiday parties coming up. I just love it all. :)

+two

My girlfriend brought me flowers the other day and made me this adorable mason jar for them. It matches some of the decor in our kitchen perfectly. This candle? Love this scent. Pick it up next time you are at B&BW! (Although I will say Fireside is my absolute favorite!) 

+three

Last night we went to our friend Grant's surprise 30th birthday party. His wife rented out a huge suite at the Bluejackets game (our NHL hockey team) and they had food and drinks for everyone. We also happened to get on the jumbotron 3 times, it was so funny!

This was the best outfit picture I could get...gotta love #bathroomselfies.
{Leopard scarf is a gift from Nordstrom Rack, leather jacket from F21, Tunic from Target}

 

 

Luke//Grant (happy birthday Grant!)//Billy

+four

  Starbucks Red Cups are BACK! Who's excited?

+five

The other night we went to my girlfriends to watch the CMA's. Her basement has a fireplace and is so adorable, I just love it. Who watched? I have to say Jason Aldean was my favorite, with Eric Church's performance coming in at a close second. :)

Tonight I am going to a wedding event with my three girlfriends for a bit then having date night with Billy. We are trying out a new restaurant in Grandview that has been on my list for quite some time! 

What are your weekend plans? 

Have you checked out the Nordstrom sale yet?

five on friday link-up here!

THE PERFECT PAIR OF NIKE'S / WORKOUT GEAR

I had a completely different post in mind for today.

BUT THEN (dun dun dun) the cutest, most awesome pair of Nike's came to me in the mail and after a quick snap to Instagram and nearly 350 likes later, it is clear that I need to share them with you all...

Nike Free 5.0 V4 {BUY THEM HERE}

You better 'add to cart' quickly because from what I've heard they are extremely hard to find in stores and will probably sell out quickly online {early Christmas present, anyone?}. I was debating between this pair and this pair {in the distance blue color}, but ultimately decided to go with the V4's in the leopard. I am in shoe heaven over here. This girl would prefer new tennis shoes over stiletto's 365 days a year. ;)

These run more narrow than past Nike Free versions (I recommend sizing up!), but I still love them just the same. It might have something to do with the leopard and overall awesomeness of them, but I can't be too sure. I also heard that white on tennis shoes are coming back in for next year, so there's another plus to these, if you even needed one.

when you are this cute, you are allowed on the kitchen table. ;)

These shoes, and with the help of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show later this month, will be just what I need to get my booty back in the gym on a more consistent basis. This time of year can be so hard to stick with a solid gym routine so if you feel like this is you, this is me reaching out saying don't quit! Just make sure you have some awesome new shoes or gear to get you through those hard winter workouts. :)

Speaking of workout gear, here's what else I'm loving right now:

VS Knockout Crop / Nike Dri-Fit Knit (similar)  / GapFit gFast Capris / Nike Pro Core Compression Shorts / Patagonia All Weather Top (50% off!) / VS Funnel Neck Pullover (love & need this) / VS Sport Duffle Bag / Nike Legend 2.0 Capri / C9 by Champion Cami Bra / Zella Trinity Jacket (40% off)

What are your favorite workout pieces?
I'm all about the zip up's and casual jackets this time of year!

Don't you want to workout now after seeing all this cute stuff? Maybeeee?

Happy {hump day} shopping!

Pizza Quinoa Casserole

Pizza-our love/hate relationship goes WAY back. Love it because it's obviously so yummy and one of my favorite foods...hate it for how it makes my body feel afterwards. Sluggish, tired, just that overall blah feeling. I remember my freshman year in college days when I thought that eating all of those late night pizza's during the week and on the weekend (what was I thinking?) wouldn't ever catch up to me. Oh so wrong.

When I found this recipe, my eyes kinda perked up because honestly I haven't had the best luck with quinoa in the past, but felt this might change my feelings on it. Being a vegetarian, quinoa is such a good source of protein for me, but every time I've cooked with quinoa I've felt it comes out a little bland for my liking. But combining pizza flavors with it? I knew I had to give this a shot and I'm pretty dang happy I did (all of you vegetarian girls out there will love this recipe! and even if you aren't, this is a good meatless monday meal option.)

Billy doesn't like quinoa (well he didn't until I made him try this!), so this casserole provides me with lunch or dinner for about 4 days. I just portioned it out into multiple storage containers and kept them in the fridge until I was ready to eat then reheated them in the microwave. So simple and delicious!

Pizza Quinoa Casserole
recipe inspiration from here

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
1 medium onion
1 green bell pepper
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 roma tomatoes
1 cup fresh spinach
3 cloves garlic
15 oz. can tomato sauce (I only used and recommend 12 oz)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (optional-I didn't use any cheese and it was still great!)
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
Salt

Directions:
+Preheat oven to 375.
+Rinse and cook quinoa: add 3 cups water and quinoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed.
+Meanwhile, chop onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and mince garlic.
+In a skillet over medium heat, saute onion, green pepper, and mushrooms with salt for about 10 minutes or until softened.
+Add garlic, stir, and heat for 1 more minute.
+When quinoa is cooked, place it in a large mixing bowl. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella, sauteed vegetables (any excess liquid removed), basil, and oregano. Stir to combine.
Spread mixture into a lightly sprayed 9x13 inch dish and gently press down. Top with a light sprinkle of cheese.
+Bake for 20-25 minutes.

 

What are your feelings towards quinoa?

If it's tasted bland to you in the past, give this recipe a shot! The flavors are great and may change your mind! :)

The Blowout

Do you enjoy getting your hair done?
Do you like to get pampered with your girlfriends?
Do you like to drink mimosas or wine while getting pampered?

If you answered yes to any of the above, I have the perfect solution for you...

Columbus' first blowout bar, The Blowout Bar, conveniently located in Grandview (right by Matt the Millers!), just opened up last month. I am escastic to finally have a local blow out bar after hearing all the hype in bigger cities about them! If you haven't heard of a blow out yet, let me break it down for you. It's basically a salon that skips the cut and color but gives you a beautiful style (after washing your hair!) to rock for a few days. You can pick between a sleek and straight style, messy beach waves, loose curls, or big curls with lots of volume (all you Southern girls!). It gives you a much needed break from blow drying your own hair, and to me, not much can beat that because I hate blow drying my hair.

I took my girlfriend Leslie for our first visit on Saturday and was so impressed by all of it. The salon was so modern, clean, and everyone was so friendly. The Blowout Bar was founded by two sisters, Kaitlin and Kailen, who are both super sweet and after talking to them on Saturday we realized that Kristin also went to college at BGSU where both me and Leslie went. Such a small world!

Our experience was relaxing and so much fun. We had an appointment, but they do walk-ins as well. You receive one complimentary mimosa or wine with your blow out {cheers!} and they had Sex In The City playing on the TV's, which was just an added bonus. All of the stylists were very professional and knew how to achieve that perfect blow out that us girls want. Leslie got "The Hurricane" blow out and I got "The Bahama Mama" (see the menu here). We both walked out with beautiful, soft locks and already talked about how we want to plan a trip back.

When we were there I kept thinking about how awesome gifting a blow out to girlfriends would be. Think about it...birthdays, Christmas, for their bachelorette party (every girl wants perfect hair for this!), for a bridal shower gift, etc. The options are endless! I see many blow outs in my future...

Today, many different cities have them or are opening them, so I would recommend checking online to see if you have one in your city! It's such a special treat and experience that us women deserve from time to time. Right? Columbus gals, you can book your appointment, or read more about it, here! :)

And just because his locks were looking extra fluffy this weekend, his momma decided to put him in bow tie and then had her heart melted over and over....

Rocky meet bow tie. Bow tie meet Rocky. I think they're a perfect match, don't you? 

Have you been to a blowout bar before?

Hope you all had a great weekend!
{follow me on instagram for more snaps that I took}