homemade cookie dough topping

I eat a lot of ice cream, and unfortunately, one of my favorite brands doesn't make a cookie dough version. So last night a lightbulb went off...  I decided that since I love this ice cream and don't want to switch brands (aside from summertime drives to the local ice cream stand, obviously), I could make my own cookie dough topping to mix in to the plain vanilla flavor.

In my KitchenAid mixer, I combined:

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• dash of salt
• and of course... 2 sticks of butter (I didn't say this would be a healthy recipe)

You'll also need half of a bag of chocolate chips (about one cup).

Mix everything together until it has the consistency of cookie dough.

Pack the dough into a quart size freezer bag and put it in the freezer. After a few hours you will have a crumbly, delicious topping for your favorite ice cream.

P.S. I highly recommend eating ice cream out of a mug. This Little Mermaid mug is my favorite for a dish of ice cream.

Tuesday Shoesday: May purchases

I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend! I spent some time with friends and family, both in Boston and on the Cape. My belated thanks to everyone who has served and continues to serve our great country!

This Tuesday I'm sharing some of my May shoe purchases.

1. I've been checking out these J.Crew cap toe pumps for a while, and when they were on sale plus another 20% off, I had to get them. They go with pretty much everything.

2. I spotted the Zara heels (now only available in black) on Ashley's blog and couldn't pass them up at the $29.99 sale price. I've already worn them twice in the week that I've had them!

3. These Pour La Victoire beauties were on ideeli's sale and have a surprise gold detail under the heel. It's little details like that that get me.

4. I've been stalking these Valentino heels, but I can't afford the $1,000 price tag. I was floored when I found these Rachel Roy lookalikes at a fraction of the Valentino price on ideeli's site! 

5. Who doesn't need a pair of blue glitter metal-spiked heels? Clearly, I do.

The winner of the bunch for least practical but most awesome are definitely these blue glitter Enzos. I can't get over how fun they are. 

Sprout Saturday: Welcome

I recently came across a new-to-me blog, The Semi-Designed Life, and cracked up at the "Watson Wednesday" series highlighting her dog. I'm also kind of obsessed with Decor and the Dog, another fab blog. And that, dear readers, means that you now get your very own Sprout Saturdays, where I will share ridiculousness from my dog's life. He's kind of cute, right?

Sometimes he thinks he's a model (which is great, because I ended up using this photo - edited, of course - for our Christmas cards last year).

Around Here

Flowers are in bloom all around my yard, and some of them are so gorgeous. This is my attempt at using some of my new photo skills that I learned at Blog Better Boston. 

Sprout and I spend a lot of quality time together on the weekends, and last weekend after his new haircut, I made him pose for quite a few photos. This was his "Please stop, I'm tired" face. I think we got some good ones for next year's Christmas card, though! Success.

I feel like this Spring is busier than last. But with two graduations this week, visits from some really fun people I don't see enough, and some vacation plans in the works, it's mostly a very good busy!

Before yesterday's graduation event, my little sister and I realized how much our styles are alike:

Her Chanel pumps // My J.Crew Etta Pumps

Have a fabulous Monday!

May must haves

My May must-haves are a few things I won't let myself purchase, but I stalk them nonetheless.

- While a lot of girls fawn over the color pink, I'd love to add this Cuisinart mixer in baby blue, available at Lowe's, to my kitchen.
- These Zara-style GoMax shoes, which I found on ideeli (I really should just send my paycheck directly to ideeli these days) and these Zara studded sandals that I just cannot get over
- Frette sheets are too expensive for me now, but someday they will be mine. (If you've never slept in them, get to a hotel that has them, and then tell me you aren't stalking them too.)
- A dress with a bow would be sweet for the summertime
- A rose gold ring, something like this, or these mixed-metal rings

wedding Wednesday: the dress after the big day

You've taken your vows, your photos are being edited, and you are back from your honeymoon. While you're putting away everything from the wedding, remembering how incredible of a day it was, an important question pops up:  What do you do with your dress? The dress?

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I've heard of ladies cutting theirs up to make Christening gowns for their children. My own mom had hers (complete with hat) boxed up and sealed, and then it sat in the attic in its box for 20+ years; meanwhile, my neighbor got to wear her mom's dress at her 7th birthday party as we danced around to "It's My Party", which I remember thinking was the coolest thing ever.

These ladies opted to keep their dress in view after the big day.

Rhiannon from Hey Gorgeous Events hung her dress in her home office as decor. She is an event planner, so it works perfectly.

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Adrienne Maloof of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (you know who she is) framed her ballgown and hung it outside of her closet.

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This bride had wedding guests write notes on pieces of fabric, which she planned to turn into a quilt, incorporating pieces of her wedding dress.

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What did you do with your dress after your wedding? Or what do you plan to do with it? I can't see myself boxing up such an important piece of clothing and putting it away for years.

easy summer pieces

Hot summer days call for easy-to-wear pieces that have style but that you can be comfortable in. It kills me when I see women who clearly got way too dolled up and then limp in their too-high heels or are clearly sweltering in whatever they put on. (Especially if they're just at the grocery store. Don't get me wrong- I don't condone wearing pajama pants, even if it's just for a gallon of milk, which I unfortunately see way too often in the 'burbs.)

I recently purchased this blue J.Crew Factory dress and plan to wear it everywhere, from a daytime soiree to an impromptu brunch. Wedges will ensure that I don't sink into the ground at an outdoor bridal shower- have you ever had that happen? It's a great way to ruin a new pair of heels. (Unless they're black... grass stains hate the color black. But who wears black in the summer?)

Summer errands call for an easy tee dress, like this one from Old Navy, that can be worn on its own. I seriously live in these during the hot summer months. Another great pair of Nine West wedges, these with a shorter wedge, will make it easy to run around. Wearing signature studs from BaubleBar- I'm a sucker for anything monogrammed or with my letters- and a mani with Essie's "Boom Boom Room"- and I'll be able to tackle my ever-growing to do list.

Do you have a go-to for those sweltering summer days when you can't just stay in front of the a/c?

be the good

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With everything that has happened in the last few weeks in Boston, it could be easy to get caught up in what is wrong with the world... except I've seen some incredible acts of kindness and met some great do-gooders. To those people- thank you! You inspire me to continue to see the good, and to take action in my own life to be the good.



“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”
― Fred Rogers


“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

1 year anniversary

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Happy one year anniversary, my little blog!

outdoor entertaining must-haves

Every time I host a gathering, I recognize that I am missing one or two or 10 things that I don't need in everyday life but are essential to a great party. And this weekend's bridal shower taught me a few more items I should add to my list.

1. A drink dispenser
Originally, we had bottles of raspberry lemonade sitting in the boat bucket until we decided to use this little dispenser. Super easy to use and not bad on the eyes - I need to add one of these to my outdoor entertaining suite. I've seen some cute ones before, but this one at Target is a steal. This duo is perfect to have lemonade and iced tea side by side.

2. Boat o' drinks
This fab find is from Homegoods and, into the afternoon, also held vodka, rum, and other goodies. The boat base was perfect for the nautical-themed shower. Now I'm on the hunt for a metal bucket for my summer parties... maybe something like this one?

3. Plastic "glasses"
Classier than the tried-and-true Solo cup, and ones that you don't have to worry about your friends breaking, plastic ware is always great to have on hand for a more formal event. Or you could go all out and purchase acrylic wine glasses. (But then you'd have to wash those instead of just throwing them away, which takes away part of the fun of plastic!)

Tuesday Shoesday: fashion-forward sneakers

I am obsessed with pumps of all kinds, but today I'm highlighting a comfy shoe choice that is perfect for long springtime walks or sightseeing and won't have you wincing in pain at the end of the day.

I purchased a similar pair of these New Balance 442s specifically to wear last Spring in Paris and London on long days of museum hopping, and I'm so glad I had them. Bonus: They looked cute with my skinny jeans!

bachelorette party outfits under $100

My summer schedule is filled with a lot of fun plans already, including many wedding-related events. Not only is my best friend getting married, but so is my big sister, which means that a lot of photos from this summer's events will be around for a long, long time. And that means that whatever outfits I choose could very well come back to haunt me someday, much like the hot pink stirrup pants I had in first grade that, yes, had a skirt attached.

Using this nifty little widget from ShopStyle, here are three bachelorette-ready picks under $100:


 

Saturday stripes

A few weeks ago my younger sister and I did some retail therapy and bought matching Sam Edelman heels. How fun are these! They're sold out online, but these (from Zara) are similar.