Red Blazer + Plaid.

The outfit below is from a cold snap a few weeks ago. Currently, though, I am in scorching Southern California for my little brother's wedding. (When did he become all grown up?!) 
It's been a great trip so far. 
On Sunday we threw my soon to be sister-in-law a tea party themed bridal shower. Everyone dressed up in fancy dresses and hats and it.was.amazing. (Check out the pics on Instagram!)  And apart from spending time with my parents (lots of shopping with mom yesterday. Snapchat: hellogorgblog), I've been doing nothing but eating delicious home-made Persian food. 
So, basically, the trip has been perfect. Mwahaha.

The rest of the week is going to be just as busy with other wedding-related activities. Speaking of which, I better get to it!
Here's hoping that when I get back the weather has cooled down enough that I can wear outfits like this again! 

Plaid button-up: Old Navy | Similar 1, 2, 3
Red blazer: Kohl's | Similar 1, 2, 3, 4
Khaki corduroys: Target | Similar 1, 2
Cognac ballet flats: Target (exact) | Similar 1, 2
Tote c/o Angel Reinares
Necklace (Similar)
Watch c/o Wristology | Use code GORGEOUS20 for 20% off
"Love" cuff c/o Bauble Boutique 

Shop The Look:

Comfy Cozy.

Oversized sweater, skinny jeans and a scarf?
Sign me up!

     

Oversized sweater c/o Catch Bliss Boutique | Similar 1, 2, 3
Dark wash skinny jeans: Express | Similar | High-waisted option
Ivory Moto Jacket: Express | Similar | Love
Scarf: Forever21 | Similar 1, 2
Grey suede loafers: Payless |Similar 1, 2, 3

Shop the Look:

Navy Ankle Boots.

Last week's ankle boot shopping spree turned out to be much more of a spree than I had originally intended. (Sorry, honey!)

I ended up purchasing a couple of additional shoes, including this navy version of the cognac pair of boots that I ordered. And call me crazy, but I love the navy pair so much that I'm not even sure if I will keep the cognac pair. The navy ones are seriously gorgeous and on sale for even cheaper than the price that I bought them at! So, if you're looking for a comfortable, beautiful pair of navy ankle boots, these babies are calling your name.

Gingham button-up: Old Navy | Similar 1, 2
Cargo vest c/o Avery Lane Boutique | Similar vest 1, 2, 3 | Similar necklace
Skinny jeans: Rock Revival | Almost exact | Similar 1, 2
Navy ankle boots: Kohl's (exact) | Similar 1, 2
Watch c/o Wristology | Use code GORGEOUS20 for 20% off

Shop the Look:

Spinach Muffins!

If you're the kind of person who enjoys cooking delicious food that happens to be healthy, drop everything and read this post.

J was gone over this past weekend. Naturally, I divvied up my time between entertaining the dog, browsing Amazon, and attempting to better my life through Pinterest. I pinned approximately 572 crockpot recipes and 67 pancake recipes--all of which I planned on making that same weekend, duh. I also happened to pin a recipe for spinach muffins. 

Shut the front door. Spinach muffins?! 

Right now I'm at a stage where finding healthy recipes that also taste great makes me feel like I'm winning at life. So, you can imagine my excitement. I used this recipe from The Green Forks. The entire preparation and baking process took a whopping 30 minutes and the results were A.MA.ZING. The muffins were also approved by my neighbors and co-workers. 

I believe one direct quote from a co-worker went something like this: "MmmmMMm nomnomnomnom".

A few alterations I made to the recipe:

• Whole wheat flour throughout, instead of 1/2 wheat and 1/2 all-purpose
• More spinach and a little less sugar
• Added a handful of chia seeds. They are packed with protein and fiber. Plus, their texture and flavor is similar to that of poppy seeds! Yum.
• Olive oil instead of canola oil
• 2 bananas

Other Ideas/Suggestions:

• Natural honey instead of brown sugar
• Coconut oil instead of canola or olive oil
• Almond milk instead of real milk
• Use more chia seeds. You can never have too many chia seeds. Think of all that fiber!
• Use a scoopful of vanilla protein powder mixed with 1/2 cup water, plus half the suggested amount of vanilla extract

I hope you guys enjoy these muffins as much I did. 

Let me know how they turn out!

Shopping Adventures: The Perfect Ankle Boot.

1  Apt. 9    |  2  J.Lo   |  3  SO    |  4  Sonoma

Even though I love fashion and style, I'm always late on trends. I don't know if it's because of my cautious, have-to-know-#ALLthethings-before-I-jump-on-the-wagon personality, or because I live in a small city and popular trends hit us much later than other places. Either way,  it took me a long time to warm up to ankle boots. My stylish mom was wearing them for at least a year before I convinced myself to buy a pair and try to incorporate them into my wardrobe. But once I learned how to style that first pair, I fell in love. Living in a cold-weather state, they can seriously save your sanity by breaking up the constant monotony of rain boots, riding boots, and winter boots. And with Fall just around the corner, I've been on the look-out for new ankle boots. However, I didn't want to spend an arm an a leg on just one boot because I was hoping to buy at least a couple of pairs in different colors. 
Since I had found my ankle boots at Target last year, that's where I decided to begin my search. To my surprise, however, I wasn't overly impressed with Target's selection this year. I checked out a few other online stores before landing on the Kohl's boot page. And I have to say I was blown away. I don't have a Kohl's near my workplace anymore, so checking their website for shoes was on a complete whim. But, WOW. They have such a great collection of boots right now!  
I ended up buying four pairs-- all on sale under $60! I can't wait until they come in the mail so I can style these pretties. 

Fingers crossed that they all work out! ;) 

Shop Ankle Boots:

Pretty Little Layered Dress.

Even though I've been trying to hold off on my excitement for Fall, the weather this month has been all over the place. My favorite thing to do in shifting weather is to wear layers over a cute dress. That way I can pull the layers on and off as appropriate. 
And this particular dress was perfect for layering. I can't even lie to you, I have feelings for this dress that are usually reserved for shoes. It's so pretty, feminine, and fits like a glove. It will even be perfect in the Fall with boots. 

Dress c/o Catch Bliss Boutique
Navy Cardi: Target | Similar 1, 2, 3
Grey chunky knit cardi: Forever 21 | Similar 1, 2, 3, 4
Navy flats: DSW | Similar 1, 2, 3 | Love
Scarf: Forever21 | Similar | Love
Headband c/o Bauble Boutique

Shop the Look:

Labor Day Weekend.

Every Labor Day weekend we head out to our friend's cottage on Lake Michigan to give summer a proper send off.
Packing for this annual getaway used to send me into a tizzy. But, as with most things in life, I've gotten better at packing with each passing year. Now I only pack very basic tank tops, shorts, and sweatshirts. But, I always make sure to have a few things with some spunk and personality. 
This year I grabbed this adorable "Chic Happens" sweatshirt and this fun fedora from TJMaxx.

Hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Labor Day!

Sweatshirt c/o T&J Designs | Use code YASI20 for 20% off
Shorts: American Eagle | Similar 1, 2
Tank: Target 
Bikini: Victoria's Secret | Similar 1, 2, 3
Hat: TJMaxx | Similar 1, 2, 3
Flip flops: Target
Bracelets: Similar

Shop the Look:

Classic Shirt Dress.

I can hardly believe how long I went without owning a classic sleeveless shirt dress. Shirt dresses are such great pieces to layer and build around. I have almost three layers on in the outfit below!

Shirt dress c/o Catch Bliss Boutique
Striped sweater: TJMaxx | Similar 1, 2, 3, 4
Cargo vest c/o Avery Lane | Similar 1, 2, 3, 4
Pencil skirt: Zara | Similar 1, 2, 3
Ivory belt: Target | Similar 1, 2, 3
Flats: Target | Similar 1, 2, 3, 4
Necklace c/o T+J Designs - use code YASI20 for 20% off

Shop the Look:

Casual Friday: Football Edition.

Although my workplace is fairly casual and we partake in "Casual Fridays", we are still expected to look presentable.

 Here's how I cheered for my team while still looking work-appropriate!

Spartan tee: Similar 1
Blazer: H&M | Similar 1, 2, 3
White Jeans: JCP | Similar 1, 2
Flats: Target | Similar: 1, 2
Watch: Wristology | Use code GORGEOUS20 for 20% off
Necklace: Similar 1, 2, 3

Shop the Look: