Fashion Friday- Girl’s Week!

My Dad and Travis left yesterday for work in Florida, so it’s just the two girls here for a week! We’ve already decided to eat lots of girly stuff that normally wouldn’t be allowed in our house. In honor of this, we thought that we would start a Meatless Monday post- keep an eye out for the first one this Monday.

We also are going to watch plenty of chick flicks and do any other girly things that we can think of 🙂

Here are some random things that I found this week and loved…

Tucson Adventures Printed Dress

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I really love the colors and pattern of this dress.

One Way Ticket Bag in Type

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This looks like a perfect school/laptop bag.

Pleated Cap Sleeve Top

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So pretty.

All Rose Gold Metal Watch
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I really like this watch- I had a hard time deciding between the rose one (above) or the gold one, because both are super cool.

Lattice Cutout Shirt

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I like the unexpected detail on the back.

Spiral Ring

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I love rings. I normally have four to five on- two that stay the same, and the other two to three are changed out as I feel the urge._DSC0046

^^^here are the five that I’m currently wearing- I took them off my hands to show you 🙂

Besides my basic rings, I also have a collection of cocktail rings that are super fun to wear. They were even more fun to collect- the gold one with an opal was my great-grandma’s, who will be 90 in September, and Danae gave me the silver rose ring because she knew I had my eye out for one just like it.

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^^^All my rings….yes, that is a kitty-cat ring holder. 

Mandarin Twist Printed Blouse

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I have a feeling that my mom would love this top- she is currently obsessed with orange, and has a blouse very similar to this one. I just figured out that her orange top fits me- yay! I love being able to share clothes and jewelry with my mom- it’s like having a sister with better taste than me 🙂

Taupe Suede Wedges

w-taupe-suede-desert-wedge-h-fa12Yep, another pair of Toms. I love these so much. The heel height seems nice (the heel is only 2 3/4 inches), and the color is really cool. I feel like they would be adorable during the warmer months, but also would be really fun during the winter with tights.

Sherwood Crochet Detail Top

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I think that this would be adorable with jeans or a cute skirt. It looks so cozy!

Jordan

Date Chocolate Chip Cake

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We got this recipe from Vicki, the gal who has cut our hair for forever. Literally, she’s been cutting our hair since before I was born, so for 16+ years. Vicki is constantly baking, and always has a yummy treat to share when we go to get our haircut.

Date Chocolate Chip Cake was one of those treats, and it’s delicious. Right about now, you might be clicking away from this post because of that ominous word: dates. But keep reading, because this cake is more than worth it. Dates aren’t normally something that we like to eat around here, but this is a huge exception. The dates add a really unique flavor and a ton of moisture. The cake turns out rich and chocolate-y and super moist…in other words, it’s amazing.

Preheat oven to 350*. Put dates into boiling water, and set aside to cool.

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Cream butter and sugar.

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Beat in two eggs and add vanilla.

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Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa.

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The dates will look really weird once they have finished softening and are cool. Don’t worry, that’s how they are supposed to look- here is a picture of the dates once they have cooled…

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Mix in cooled dates and water…

date chocolate chip cake 9I know. This looks a lot like throw-up. But have no fear! That’s how it’s supposed to look, and it will be delicious once you’re done.

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Stir in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Pour into greased 8″x8″ pan and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the top.

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Bake 55 minutes at 350* or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

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Travis was more than happy to help with this one…

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Date Chocolate Chip Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup dates, dried and chopped

1 cup of boiling water

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*

Put dates into boiling water, and set aside to cool.

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in two eggs and add vanilla. Mix in cooled dates and water, and flour, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa. Stir in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

Pour into greased 8″x8″ pan and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the top.

Bake 55 minutes at 350* or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Jordan

Fashion Friday- Splurge Edition

Yes. I realize it’s actually Sunday, but I thought late was better than never. I was at summer camp from Wednesday to Saturday, so I actually have a decent excuse for my lateness 🙂

Summer camp was absolutely incredible by the way…so many new friends made, old friendships strengthened, fun games- some challenging, some just plain silly (can you say Twinkie eating contest?!? Ohhh yeah), and the best of all: awesome teaching. God’s presence was so strong in that camp!

Anyways…. here are my Fashion Friday picks for last week- I chose to do a splurge edition this time- items that I’ll most likely never get up the nerve to buy, but that’s okay, since drooling is free, right?

Lady Lanes Cami

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So sweet and pretty.

Elizabeth Heels

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Oh these heels… I fell in love with them when I saw them on Penny Pincher Fashion, one of my new favorite blogs, and I haven’t stopped loving them since.

Michael Kors ‘Parker’ Watch

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So. This is my mom’s addition to this week’s post. She loves herself a good white watch, but has yet to find one that fits all the criteria (not too large of a face, not annoyingly sparkly etc. etc.). She does love the nautical look of this one though.

Yarn Dye Swing Top

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I love this one. Not only is it white, it’s also a tank top, so it’s pretty much a perfect shirt.

Eileen Fisher Alpaca & Merino Sweater

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Some of you might know that I’m not a huge sweater person, mostly because I get hot so easily. My mom loves to tell about when this weird temperature phenomenon began to show itself: when I was a baby, she would bundle me up in long sleeves, a beanie and then swaddle me like a burrito. I lasted that way for a few minutes and then my face would get super pink and I would start to sweat. Apparently it started young 🙂

I just might be able to wear this sweater though because it looks so perfect. The color is one of my all-time favorites and it looks really comfortable.

Navy Polka Dot Toms

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Toms have to be some of my favorite shoes, and I love the polka dot pattern on this pair.

I Work Out Tank Top

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When I saw this shirt for the first time I couldn’t control my laughing. This is definitely on my wish list as the perfect work out top, but almost $30 seemed a little excessive. But most likely I’ll give in at some point because it’s just too funny to pass up.

Free People Shell Stitch Lace Henley07282013071646

 

I thought this was really cute and comes in a lot of pretty colors.

Ex Boyfriend Tee

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Ditto to the comment above, except I think I love it even more because it looks so comfortable.

Jordan

August Fitness Challenge

I debated on where I should post my August fitness challenge; important stuff or obsessions? I think obsessions was the right category. I work out, a lot!

For the month of July, I started a squat and lunge challenge with a few of my boot camp buddies. The challenge was doing 50 squats or 50 lunges everyday in the month of July, alternating so you complete one set each day. It was great and sometimes quite difficult to complete after a really hard boot camp or barre workout. But I persevered and so did my buddies!

Well, August is here and so is the new challenge. This starts out slow, but doing a plank for 5 minutes, eek, I’m afraid! Anyone interested in joining too?

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You can check out other challenges at http://www.tribesports.com