Travel Work Attire

Since my work travel schedule is getting a bit hectic this summer, I thought I would talk about what I wear when I'm on the road. Our office has the most casual attire of anywhere I have worked in the past with the exception of the production departments at TV stations. Dressing up while working in production was wearing pants instead of shorts or jeans instead of sweats. Serious. At my current job, jeans are a staple year round. Shorts are a staple in the summer for the men. Some guys (there are only 3 women at my work) even wear t-shirts. We don't have clients that come to our office, so no one sees us except each other which has turned our office into a much more relaxed environment. My staple work attire is/was jeans (until they stopped fitting right), a t-shirt that is somewhat professional (scoop-neck) and my rainbow flip flops. 

Due to the fact that I can wear whatever I want to work, I have a really hard time when I go onsite. I have two suits that I only wear for conventions and job interviews. They are way too dressy for onsite work. I own one pair of khaki's that fit well. I don't know what it is but since the summer came around, I have been miserable in my shorts and 3/4 pants. This has led to that new walking routine I mentioned a couple weeks ago. I decided I would spend the rest of the summer in sundresses and elastic-waist pants. Yes, it's bad but I'm trying to work off whatever weight my body has decided to leave in my mid-section. 

So, what does a girl wear to a customer's site when she's feeling uncomfortable in her own skin and doesn't want to wear anything that she used to wear? Pull out all the stops. As you check out my wardrobe below, just remember, for years and years and years, I shunned dresses. I wore them when I had to - weddings, parties, events. I guess like everything, age changes your thoughts about attire.

Note: I do use the iron when things are wrinkly...just not before my photo shoot. I know you don't mind. :)

Day 1: The Unisex Look
I wore this yesterday, thus the wrinkly, lived-in look. The pants are comfortable. Lands End has come out with a new shape of pants that works pretty well for me, the Modern Cut. They're lower in the waist, so they don't sit up above your belly button like their classic style pants. I really like this new pair. Also, bonus - they didn't shrink in the wash! I used to buy Dockers khakis but every time I did, I would end up with high waters.

Pants: Lands End at JCPenny  Shirt: Target  Necklace: Silpada

Day 2: A Little Late on the Trend

I noticed after I placed this picture on the blog that you can't see the leggings underneath. The reason for the title on this one is I wear leggings under this dress. It's just short enough that I don't feel comfortable wearing it to a work environment without something under it. I decided on a pair of black control-top (amazing) leggings that end just below my knee. It gives the outfit a little something extra, I think.

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft  Sweater: Target  Leggings: Flexees from Kohl's  Necklace: Pandora 

Day 3: Everyone Likes to Have Some Fun

I love this outfit. It makes me so happy. The dress is a little bit too low cut for me and it's a tank-dress, so I always wear the sweater over top of it. The sweater is nice and light so it can be worn outside even on the hottest of days.

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft  Sweater: Target  Necklace: Kohl's

 Day 4: Dress Me Down

 I took my flowy little black dress and paired it with a greenish-brown sweater. It calms down the fact that I'm wearing a black dress - so I don't look too overly dressed-up. It's also probably one of the most comfortable outfits of this bunch. The length of the dress is perfect - just to the knees. The sweater comes down to just above the elbows. Perfect lengths on both.

Dress: Target  Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft  Necklace: I have no idea

Casual Travel Friday

I'll normally go into the station on Fridays and then head out of town around Noon. If I'm flying or driving a decent distance, I like to be comfortable for that trip. This skirt has a drawstring that is perfect for car trips or flights. I also wear it a lot on vacation because it's easy to pair with pretty much any top I want. 

Skirt: Gap  Shirt: Target

Staple Shoes:

I've never been a huge shoe person. As I mentioned above, I wear flip flops to work most days. I'm all about comfort and convenience. When I found these shoes, I knew they were meant to be. I found them in the Belk at our mall priced at $89. I really wanted them but, for a girl who never buys shoes, it's really hard to spend that type of money on them. I went home and did an internet search. I found them for $50 on Shoemall.com and then secured a 20% off your entire order coupon from RetailMeNot.com!

Adele by Born. They are absolutely amazing shoes. I can stand all day in them with no achy feet and walk a couple of miles to work and back with no problem. 

Staple Jewelry:

Bracelets: Pandora
Watch: Citizen
Earrings: Studs or various dangly earrings depending on the necklace.

You'll notice every single article of clothing comes from the same three or four stores. I don't like spending a lot of money on clothes. I used to do that and found it was so not worth it when I would wear something just once or twice. I find the clothes I'm buying now last longer and I'm wearing them over and over again. Not one article of clothing above was over $35. Most of the dresses were $20-$25. The sweaters were probably the most expensive items. All of the Ann Taylor items were purchased either at their 40% off sale or they were on their sale rack at 40-60% off. What can I say, I love a good deal.

Footnote: Just in case you know me in person, no I haven't changed much. I still wear this over my pretty dresses and little sweaters in cold server rooms.*

Jacket: The North Face

*This jacket was over $35. It is a staple wardrobe piece in my closet that gets worn through most of the winter and, as I mentioned before, in cold server rooms.

Painting the Dining Room: Part 2

After painting the dining room in a lovely baby blue color, we painted the other samples I had over the baby blue to see which looked best. We waited a few days and the decision was clear. Two of the colors practically blended right in with the blue already on the wall. The only color that stuck out as not a baby boy's room was the paint color called Sterling. It was actually the darkest of the four colors I had picked and was my last choice before. I let Hops decide this time. I think he made a very good decision.

Oh, it's so pretty and simple but lovely. I am so happy with it!! I want to paint my entire house in this color now!! It's really exactly the color I was looking for without knowing it before putting it up. I was super excited to get to decorate after the painting was finished. Hops had a friend come into town this weekend so that was good reason to do a thorough cleaning and re-decorating job.

I think the shelf is a little high over the table there in the picture above. I might move it at some point. Right now, it's there, it's staying. It's one of those super heavy shelves that took like 8 screws to get it up. It's holding our wedding memories for now. An engagement photo, our place cards, a centerpiece from our wedding (dried flowers and all) and our guest book my sister-in-law made for us.

Next things to change in this room:

• The "contractor" light fixture. The only saving grace with this one (and why it's still there) is because it's chrome, not gold like every fixture in our old home.
• Those eyeball knobs on the table. I still haven't found ones I like. I do think I'll go with something black and simple, though.
• Curtains! I can't wait to find the right curtains for this room. I'm looking to keep things somewhat light and airy with the option of closing the windows off for heat or movies. With the curtains I've been looking at, I figured I'll be putting up a double rod to allow for heat/light reduction when we want it. Here's a look at some of the curtains I've been drooling over.

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Also, I love it when curtains sweep or even slightly sit on the floor. It may not be the best way to keep out dust but I just think it makes the room look so elegant.

Part 3 will be up in a month or two. I won't post that until we're finished with the room, other than the casings we'll be building. Those will be a post all their own at some point. What do you think about the curtain choices with a gray and white (imagine the white) room?

Cinnamon Rolls - Freezer Friendly Food

I know, I know, just another cinnamon roll recipe. While there is nothing outrageously different about this, I appreciate being able to buy make something and save some for later. I decided to make a big batch, but to separate it out into two 8x8 baking dishes. This allowed us to freeze one dish and eat the other throughout the week. I know this seems like a long recipe but it's only because it's made in three parts - dough, frosting and filling.

Cinnamon Rolls
Servings: 12-15
Dough
1 cup milk
1/2 cup warm water - approximately 85 degrees
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups flour (I used bread flour)
1 tablespoon instant yeast

In a mixer with the beater attached, beat the butter and eggs. Add in the milk, water and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Slowly add them to the wet mixture and blend together until just combined.
Attach the dough hook to the mixer and turn it on medium low. Run the mixer for about 3 minutes until a soft dough is formed.
Remove the dough and place on a floured surface. Kneed for 10 minutes by hand. Place dough in a bowl and let rest for 10 minutes.
Grease 2 8x8 or 9x9 baking pans, set aside
Stretch and roll the dough out into an 8x12 rectangle. The dough should be approximately 1" thick.


Filling
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans are amazing in this)

Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts.
Brush the dough with the melted butter.
Spread the sugar mixture in an even layer over the dough.
From the long end, roll the dough. It should roll over three times. Don't roll it too tight or you'll end up with popped-up centers.
Cut 1 1/2" slices off of the roll with a sharp knife. Place them in the baking dishes. The rolls can be touching in the baking dishes, but they need space to rise.
Take one baking dish and cover tightly with cellophane, then cover with tin foil. Label and place in the freezer.
Leave the other dish on the counter for an hour to allow the rolls to rise.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the tops are browned and the mixture is bubbling up the sides.

 *For the frozen rolls, leave out at room temperature for 12 hours (overnight works great). After they have thawed, sit them in a warm spot, covered with a towel, for an hour to let rise.


Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together. Add more powdered sugar if the mixture is too runny. Add more milk if the mixture is too thick.
Spread or drizzle frosting over the cinnamon rolls while they are still warm.

Moving to the South

My friend Meg wrote a post yesterday called What to Expect When Moving South. I thought I would add my own 10 item list to hers.

I grew up in Maryland and lived in a bunch of states after High School which took me up and down the East Coast. I moved to North Carolina for college for two years and then went back up to Maryland to finish out the last 2 1/2. From there, I went to Georgia, Connecticut, New York and finally back to Maryland. Maryland, in my opinion, is a "confused" state. It's right on the border with Pennsylvania with the Mason Dixon Line dividing the two states.

As a Marylanders, we never thought of ourselves as a part of the south. There are no awesome southern accents, we don't do sweet tea and we certainly don't have such a big, creepy bug problem; yet, we're still below that line. I certainly experienced the south when I moved to Savannah, Georgia. That was a huge culture shock. I only lived there for 6 months before moving north, though so I didn't get the full blast of Southern until I officially moved to North Carolina.

Top 10 Things you Should Know Before Moving South
1.  The bugs are bigger, uglier and more prevalent.
2.  People will say things you don't understand. Some translations: "So good you'll wanna smack your momma" is a way to describe food. "Tall drink of water" is a way to describe a tall person. You stand "on" line for things, not "in" line (weird). You'll hear "Lordy" or "Oh Loooorrrd" a lot.
3.  Church is not a casual affair. Ladies wear dresses and heels, men wear suits. Seersucker suits.
4.  It does not snow very often, so there are very few snow plows. When it snows, and by snow I mean there is a very thin layer of white stuff on the ground, you stay home for your own safety and everything closes.
5.  Unless you live on a hill, there are no basements. This is really disappointing when it's 865 degrees outside and all you want to do is cool off in a dark, somewhat damp, but most importantly cool basement room.
6.  Barbecue is a noun, not a verb.
7.  Barbecue is made with a vinegar-based sauce in East North Carolina and ketchup/tomato-based in West North Carolina.
8.  Weddings include a grooms cake. It's usually a representation of something the groom loves like their school logo, favorite sports team or their favorite hobby.
9.  Nascar is a socially acceptable sport.
10. People will tell you YOU have an accent when you have lived your entire life knowing you don't have an accent. Hello, people from Maryland don't say things funny, hun.

When I moved here, two people gifted me the book, "Suddenly Southern." If you are moving here, check it out. Actually, if you want it, let me know, I'll give you a copy. It's written by a woman from Philly who's husband took a job in Raleigh, NC.

Check out Meg's list for more fun things to know before moving to the south!
So, what did we miss? Anything else that is different from "up north?"

S'mores Brownies

This is my way overdue 4th of July post.

 Spoiler alert: this is the extent of our fireworks for 2011

On the fourth of July this year, Hops and I met up with an old friend, Renee and a new friend, Morgan and Morgan's husband at Koka Booth for the NC Symphony and fireworks. We all brought food and drinks and planned on spending 4-5 hours at the amphitheater. We had also planned on meeting some other friends there, but they decided to stay home because of the storm headed our way. Turns out, they knew what they were talking about. Three minutes before the symphony was supposed to start playing, a crazy summer thunderstorm blew through bringing lightning, thunder, winds and rain. It was insane! All of those people there to hear the symphony and see fireworks, running to get under the covered area of the pavilion before the rain started pouring down. Not everyone made it but thankfully, we didn't get wet. The bad news - we didn't get to hear the symphony or see fireworks. The good news was we ate before the storm came through.

We enjoyed mini sandwiches, pasta salad, wings, fruit and baked beans. I took no pictures like a good blogger should.... Even with no pictures, there was no doubting we had enough food. We also had dessert. I had stumbled upon a recipe I used blog post about 4th of July foods. Oh, yes please. There were so many goodies in this list, it was hard to decide what to make. I ended up making something that was super easy and that would transported well.

S'mores Brownies

I forgot all about blogging about them until I was telling a friend of mine about them and she asked me for the recipe. Since she follows this blog, I figured I might as well make them again (hardship, yes) and post the recipe here. In following my "I won't repost other bloggers' recipes" stand, I will only link you to the recipe I used.

 

I wanted to mention a few things, though. This is so super simple: graham cracker crumbs and melted butter with brownies baked up on top. Once the brownies are done, marshmallows are added (I used regular marshmallows) and broiled until toasty. The recipe on How Sweet It Is has you using a stick and a half of butter for the graham cracker crust. I used that the first time, but I found it really just drowned the graham cracker crumbs. I used less this time, but I also used less crumbs. I think a good mix would be 1/2 stick butter to 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs.

 

Yes, it tasted as good, if not better, than it looks. 

ps...if you're reading this in Google Reader, click on the header and pop over to my blog. I got a new look courtesy of How Joyful Designs recently and I'm extremely happy with how it turned out.

Just keep walking...just keep walking...walking..walking...

Oh ho ho ho ho...how I love to walk. (not)

I swear, I'm not just acting crazy this morning. I was just doing one of my favorite things - changing words to songs. So. If you don't want to get a song stuck in your head, don't watch this video. But really, you should watch it because it will make you smile - and then hate me for that song. Yes, watch it anyways, you need that smile. You can always listen to Paula Abdul's Opposites Attract when you're finished with this. That will definitely take the place of Just Keep Swimming.

I started writing this blog post about one thing and ended up deciding to do a quick plug to cheer on a bunch of my friends. This weekend is the Boston Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk. I have a couple of friends heading out to do this walk along with thousands of bosom buddies. Yes, I went there. I'm so proud of them for raising so much money for their walk! At least two of the girls - Jenni and Jen - have done the 3-day walk a few times and Stephanie has done the Avon 2-day walk. This will be Ryan's first year walking but certainly not her first time enjoying the festivities. Last year, she helped work a cheer station to keep the walker's spirits up. In 2009, at the walk in Philly, the walkers got stuck in a hurricane in Boston and ended up having to walk most of the time in a mall!

Meet (part of) Team Community Chests

 

Jenni and Stephanie

 

Ryan and Jen

Unfortunately, it appears the weather in Boston is not going to cooperate very well this weekend. While they're not getting torrential downpours, they will be walking in sweltering heat. The same city where they had 70 degree temperatures last week will be experiencing the heat that the Midwest and South are experiencing right now. I just hope the ladies stay hydrated and cool and keep the heat rash/heat stroke at bay.

Today Jul 20

Thu 21

Fri 22

Sat 23

Sun 24

Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Mostly Sunny	Partly Cloudy	Mostly Sunny
92°FHigh	94°High	96°High	92°High	80°High
71°Low	76°Low	75°Low	69°Low	63°Low
Chance of Rain: 20%	Chance of Rain: 20%	Chance of Rain: 20%	Chance of Rain: 10%	Chance of Rain: 10%

They start on Friday, so let's hope that those 80's on Sunday can decide to make their appearance a little earlier than Weather.com says they will.

Now, the whole reason I started writing this post was to talk about the initiative my husband and I are taking to get active. Neither of us like going to the gym, we get bored easily and we like being lazy. Two weekends ago, we got to talking about walking the dogs in this heat. Since our dogs have short faces, they get hot much faster than other dogs. We decided we would get up before work to walk the dogs and us. This gave us an excuse to get outside and get some exercise and we were able to trick ourselves into thinking we're doing it for the dogs. Apparently, that's easier for us than doing things that are good for us.

We just finished day 10. DAY TEN!!! We are so proud of ourselves (virtual back patting). We never stick with an exercise plan so this has been quite an accomplishment.

Every weekday morning at 5:16, the alarm goes off. We are allowed one snooze session. We get up, toss on some walking clothes and snap the leashes on the dogs. We are out the door by 5:30am. We walk a loop of the neighborhood which is just under a mile and a half. We do this in a half hour. I know it's not particularly far and it's certainly not fast but we're happy with getting ourselves out the door and moving around more than we have been. When we're back home, I make breakfast while Hops gets ready for work. He leaves the house by 6:30 at the very latest. Thus the reason for the super early wake-up call. I get to laze around for another half hour before I have to start getting ready.

This weekend we did two walks a day and the morning walk was just under 3 miles long. It feels good to get up and go for a walk first thing in the morning and it feels even better to get up at a normal hour like 7am on weekends! I like walking a little later because we can utilize the walking path that our neighborhood offers. It's such a nice, calming atmosphere in the morning or afternoon. It is super creepy when it's dark, so we can't enjoy it at 5:30am. We both have Fridays off so three days a week, we get to enjoy our morning walk here:

Neither of us are surprised that walking is not that difficult. We are both surprised that we have been able to keep up this routine - even through the weekend. We've been cheerleaders for each other. This weekend I woke up on Saturday and asked if we were going for a walk. Reluctantly, he went. Sunday, Hops asked me the same thing. I was the reluctant one that day. Tuesday, I felt like crap. I woke up cranky and tired and miserable. Yet, he was up and dressed, so I dragged my sorry butt out of bed and spent the whole walk completely cranky - I didn't speak a word the whole time. Somehow today, we were both up and ready to go when the alarm went off. It's so very nice to have someone to motivate us when we're really just not feeling up to doing the work. 

Since we're not killing ourselves with this new routine and we're going to slowly add more distance, I do believe this is something we'll be able to keep up with in the long run.

Mint Chocolate Dipped Peach Sandwich Cookies

Voting is now open! 

Place your vote for your favorite dish (eh hem) here.

 
Do you follow the blog Big Apple Nosh? She has a fantastic food blog and always seems to have me drooling over something new. She has a series going on her blog called NoshGirl Challenge. Three contenders are picked to make a dish using two ingredients to make one delicious item. It's like Chopped or Iron Chef, but with bloggers! In this case, the winner gets two authentic NYC black and white cookies. I have had a lot of fun watching the last three challenges and was super excited to hear I would be a part of:

NoshGirl Chef Challenge #4: Peach and Mint

I took a few days to think about it and came up with two pretty good ideas. One was sweet and savory, the other was sweet and sweet. Since I love baking and I thought I could use mint in a different way, I decided to make a peach-filled sandwich cookie dipped in mint chocolate. Here's how to make them with the recipe to follow.

For the peach filling. Peel and chop a bunch of peaches.

In a small bowl, combine peaches, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Boil some water and add that to the mixture. Let the mixture boil down until it is gelatinous. This takes some time to get to a mixture that is spreadable and no longer a liquid.

While the peach mixture is boiling, pull together your cookie ingredients. This is a super simple vanilla cookie base. Mix together two sticks of butter and 3/4 cup of sugar.

Add one egg and one tablespoon of vanilla.

Add in the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda and salt.

Once the mixture is combined, take 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Place the dough ball on a cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake and cool the cookies, then wait for the peach mixture to cook down and cool. Take a spoonful of the peach mixture and add it to the bottom of one cookie. Sandwich the other cookie on top and let sit while you make your mint chocolate.

 

In your fancy double boiler (or if you're like me, fancy means a metal bowl over a sauce pan) melt the chocolate, butter and mint extract together. When completely melted, dip one side of the sandwich cookies into the mixture.

 

These were absolutely delicious. The cookie was soft, the chocolate was smooth and deliciously minty and the peach mixture was sweet and flavorful. According to my husband, we have a new favorite cookie in our house!

Mint Chocolate-Dipped Peach Sandwich Cookies
Makes 12 Cookies

Peach Filling
4 peaches, peeled and chopped into small bits (approximately 2 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
zest from one lemon
1/2 cup boiling water

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and add to a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and keep at a rolling simmer until the mixture has boiled down to a gelatin like substance. Approximately 40 minutes. 
2. Cook until it is no longer a liquid substance. Stir occasionally to check on the progress.

Vanilla Cookies
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla.
2. Sift together the dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until combined.
3. Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough into your hand and roll a ball. Place on the cookie sheet and gently press down with your finger tips or a spatula to flatten the ball. This will keep the cookie from puffing up too much.
4. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes or until the bottoms start to brown around the edges. Cool on wire racks.
5. Match up the cookies by size.
6. When the peach mixture has cooled some, scoop a large spoonful of the mixture onto one cookie. Spread the mixture until it is evenly distributed along the cookie. Top with another cookie of about the same size. Repeat. Let the cookies sit until the peach mixture has cooled completely.

Mint Chocolate Dip
12 ounces chocolate (dark or semi-sweet)
2 tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons mint extract, add more to taste

1. In a double boiler over medium heat, mix together all ingredients. Continuously stir until melted.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. Dip each cookie halfway into the chocolate mixture. If you can't dip the cookie completely into the chocolate, tilt the cookie to each side in the chocolate to completely cover one side.
4. Place on lined cookie sheets. Refrigerate until the chocolate is cool.

For best results, keep the cookies in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.

The NoshGirl Chef Challenge voting starts tomorrow (Monday, July 18th). Serena will be posting a challenge blog post sometime on Monday morning. Once the challenge post has gone up, please click on this link Big Apple Nosh and leave a comment to vote for your favorite dish (*cough cough*). I will update that link to the actual challenge post once it's up.