Tuesday, March 13, 2012

What I Wore- Summer Dress in Winter

I know this is not true for everyone, but I love warm weather all year long. In Southern California we get a week of rain here and there or some very blustery wind. We always have 70-80 degree days thrown in sporadically throughout the winter and I am really ok with it. I know others of you may miss extreme weather but not this girl! I lived in Northern Indiana for 5 years so I think I can speak from the heart when I say I am ok with only the sporadic colorful trees in the fall, Christmas lights on Palm trees, swim days in February, and ridiculously hot days when it should be cozy and warm. Downside? (or upside however you look at it) I don't have a cold weather wardrobe. I have a hard time justifying the money for a nice coat or a trendy winter item.
Hear is how I solve this problem....I make my warm weather clothes work for cold weather. Here is one example of how I do this.

Pretty self explanatory, yes? Summer dress + tights + cardigan + scarf + boots= appropriate for winter. All I would need is an incredibly warm coat for when I am outside (if I lived in Indiana still) and this would totally work even in the bitter cold. 
Please excuse my ridiculous poses, I was at a 5 year old birthday party and I was feeling a little bit silly.
Dress and Scarf: Anthropologie, Cardigan: Macys, Tights: No idea, Boots: Steve Madden, Headband: H&M

So do you have any secrets for making your clothes work all year long? Do you love winter? Our differences are what make the world go 'round so share your thoughts! xoxo- Christie
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Monday, March 12, 2012

What I wore, House Hunters International

Okay, so if you are a regular reader here you may know that my husband, boys and I were on a little show recently.  It's called House Hunters International, heard of it?  A producer from the show in London called me a while back, last summer actually, asking if our family would be interested in doing the show.  My husband graciously gave me the go-ahead, although this is most certainly not his thing, and we got our chance at being stars!

I spent the months between filming, back in November, up until the show aired which was last Wednesday night, worrying.  I am not normally a worrier, but I was this time.  I was worried about how the show would portray me and my family, I was worried I would come across like a spoiled American.  And while I might be in some aspects, I have most certainly learned to go with the flow.  You have to with our lifestyle.  So I thought I would do a follow up post with what I wore and a little insight into filming. 

scarf: Paris flea market // shirt: gift // jeans: Rock & Republic // Shoes: Steve Madden

I chose this outfit because I wanted my hair to be something different but cute.  However, I was unaware at the time of filming I would have to wear my hair like this for three days straight.  And as you might have guessed, for a hair girl like me, that was kind of a bummer.  But you just roll with it, I guess, and all the other chances I got I wore it down.  If you want to see how I did this top-knot kinda look, you can head over to 30 Handmade Days.  I did a post on it last Wednesday.


So some main questions people have been asking me are one: did you really pick that house and are we living in it.  The answer is yes.  That is our house.  We are still currently living in it.  We love it and although some things are hard (i.e. the hill) it is a great fit for us.  


Two:  Did you buy that house?  The answer is no.  We are renting that house and the team helps with furnishings & locating the things we need.
Shirt: Express // Earrings: Avery's Loft // (not pictured because I took this later) Necklace: Lisa Leonard  To win some money to Lisa's shop - go HERE

Three: How was filming everything?  It was lovely.  The people were nice and made us feel like pros although I am sure we didn't look like it.  It was long days, but overall an amazing experience that I am so happy we did.  It turned out lovely and I will be happy to have a dvd to remember this fun time in our lives.

Four:  I liked the house with all the red! Why didn't you choose that one!!  Well for one, it wasn't even for sell.  The owners were there while filming!  And for two it looked a lot larger on tv than it was in real life.  And while I would have loved to live in the city, we needed more room for our crazy boys to run free!

That's about it!  I would love to hear your take on everything if you saw the show.  If you didn't I am sure it will be rerun all the time, and I'm not sure how excited I am about that...

Now off to finish packing up to head back to France.  Wish me luck on this 14 hour flight and even longer travel day!



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Friday, March 9, 2012

Follow Along Friday ~ Pinterest!


Pinterest is lovely. Don't you just love the inspiration? The many hours of time spent gathering the details of your home, your office, your shop, your space, your life?
We want to follow along with YOU! so, come... link up! Let's share & have fun!

this week we are featuring 4 amazing women:

how to connect:

1: follow me on Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/byaimee/ & the other four featured ladies linked up below
2: Link up your PINTEREST PROFILE URL
3: go check out all of the other links and follow along. come back in a few days & check out a couple more!
4. IF you want to share our little get together, please tweet: “love Pinterest? follow along with @byAimeeSki today at http://wp.me/p1yWH4-bn & link up.” or you can always tell your peeps on Facebook too!
thanks for stopping by today. we look forward to following along with everyone that links up!









Oh and if you want to win some free money to shop Lisa Leonard Designs, you can check that out here...

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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Shopping for Spring Trends From My Own Closet

I don't know if you are aware, but it is March people! For some of us spring is already here, and for others it is just around the corner! So let's do it! Let's get our spring wardrobe ready.
There are a TON of trends hitting this streets this spring and since I am pregnant and hoping my body will not remain as is forever, I am not big on purchasing new trends for my current size and shape. This leads me to work on my skills of "shopping my closet" which is a fantastic exercise if you want to view your clothes in a different light and come up with new things.

Trend #1- Floral Prints
Red Floral dress (Elle brand @ Kohls) Blue Strapless Top (New York & Co.) Runway Photo (source)

I have had this dress and top for quite awhile and they fit right into this trend perfectly! They will also both grow with me through this pregnancy.....

Trend #2-Boxy Bags & Trend #3- Mint Green
Boxy Bag (source) Mint Green Pants (Kohl's) Mint Green Blouse (GoodWill) Black Boxy Bag (Urban Outfitters) Mint Green Runway (Source)

So MOST of this stuff I already had in my closet! A+! But I will admit that I found the mint green blouse  at our local GoodWill recently and could not pass it up :)

Trend #4- Metallic Shoes & Trend #5- Polka Dots
Polka Dot Skirt (GoodWill), Gold Rose Pump (Guess), Bronze Wedges (Naturalizer) Champagne Strappy Heels (ShoeDazzle) Polka Dot Runway (source) Metallic Shoes (Source)

Again I bought this skirt at the GoodWill. I had nothing that was polka dots and I don't feel guilty one bit for spending $3.50 on this spring trend! The shoes have been in my collection for ages (I have always been partial to metallic shoes!)

Trend #6- Neon Colors
Orange Blouse (Ella Moss@Anthropologie) Hot Pink T-shirt (Koh'ls) Runways (source)

YES! I love this trend. Though, I admit, I do not own much neon. I just love the excuse to rock these colors more often! 

Trend #7- Blue-Green Jewelry
I have had both these necklaces for so long I have no idea where I got them! Blue- Green Jewelry (source) 

Love this trend because it makes it easy to jazz up any outfit!


And finally, here are some other big trends for this spring that would be fairly easy to create from your own closet!


Color Blocking
(Source)






Peplums

Ok this one may not be very easy to pull from your own closet :) If you dig it, just go buy it! 


So now you go and Shop Your Closet for some of these trends! Your budget will thank you :)




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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

What I Wore Mint Green Pants

So I was feelin' a little "hipster" this past weekend and I threw this little outfit together. And you know what? As much as I hear people revolting about the mint green trend this spring, I have to admit I was loving it! I think this shade of green is very "wearable" considering that teal and red have also been hitting the streets (and btw I LOVE both those colors in pants). I know that not everyone feels like they  could rock colored jeans, so I think this nice pale shade is a great place to start.

That is my "hipster" face....I am really, really cool (HAHAHA). Seriously could I look more irritated?
I was really excited when I found this blazer at Kohl's for $15 and I was planning to wear it a lot. But then the weather turned to the 80s again and I am not into sweating for fashion :)

Outfit: Scarf- Express, Blazer-Kohls, Top- Kohls, Jeans- Kohls, Shoes- Kohls (seriously I had no idea I was wearing all Kohls items until just now as I was writing it out....)


And, hey, if you are digging my hair, go check out this post for the tutorial on how I curled it easily and quickly! Thanks for tuning in! xoxo- Christie




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Friday, March 2, 2012

Loose Curls for Short Hair

Guys, I did my first hair tutorial. I will admit it, I feel like total dork talking to the camera. In fact. I need to emphasize that point again....... I feel like SUCH a DORK!!! First of all since this was my first tutorial I learned a few things: Like look at the camera....clean the mirror first......don't say the same thing over and over....etc. But even with all the stupid stuff that embarrasses me I LOVE this hair style on me right now, so I am going to still post the tutorial. My hair is at a totally strange place with length and there really is only so much I can do that feels fun and chic.
And just as a note: this method of curling/waving works on ALL length of hair so if you have long or medium length hair this will look amazing on you too! 

Ok here it is.......GAH!


Go easy on me! Xoxo- Christie

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Thursday, March 1, 2012

Baked Chicken Parmesan

I like to post some recipes here on our blog not because I am in the best cook in town or because I think I have amazing recipes. I like to post the recipes that are 1.) yummy 2.) easy 3.) fast and I feel like every woman, mother or otherwise, should have some go-to recipes in her cooking arsenal. I have three boys in my house who, putting it lightly, like to eat. I have to come up with substantial, hearty recipes that will satisfy large, picky tummies. When I find a goodie, I keep it! This one's a goodie.


You start with a bowl for eggs and a bowl for bread crumbs. Now here is my trick to make a little bit of chicken go a long way. Instead of just taking the entire breast, I cut them in half horizontally. Adding the bread coating to them makes them more substantial and helps your chicken go a long way.

For the bread crumbs, I make them from sliced bread in my food processor. Add seasonings like salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika, whatever you'd like. Mix it around and then add your cheese. Now I'm gonna be honest with you. I don't use Parmesan cheese here that much. I use something called Ementhal, it's cheap and found everywhere and tastes great. So I suppose you could use a variety of cheeses that would fit with the rest of the meal. Probably not cheddar... just saying.


Oh and don't put cheese in the eggs. I did that by accident because I wasn't paying attention and just putting cheese in a bowl. Worked out fine, but that isn't generally how you do it.

Brown the chicken on both sides. Just a couple minutes on either side until brown, don't cook it all the way through.


While the chicken is browning, prepare a baking dish by pour one can of marinara sauce (or two depending on the size of your dish) into the bottom of the dish. Spread out entirely throughout the dish.


After you have browned the chicken on either side for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, transfer to the prepared baking dish. Line up the chicken and try not to overlap, but a little is okay.


Then slices some mozzerella cheese and lay them over each piece of chicken like the picture above and bake for about 8 minutes. This recipe also goes fast because of slicing the chicken in half, the thinner pieces cook faster.


Voila! Doesn't it look delicious? Trust me on this one, it is. It is one of my favorite dishes to eat and the kids and husband love it too. I suggest you give it a try! Here is the recipe broken down and it comes from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast book (best cookbook I have ever used, hands down.)

3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
8 chicken cutlets
1 large egg
2 cups of chunky tomato sauce
1/4 cup pf olive oil
6 oz of mozzarella cheese


  1. Heat the broiler. Combine breadcrumbs and cheese. Beat egg in another bowl. Half chicken horizontally and season. Dip chicken in egg then into the breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides.
  2. Spread tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 10 - 15 inch baking dish. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.Place about 4 pieces of chicken in the dish at one time, cooking until golden, 1-2 minutes each side. Transfer chicken to the prepared baking dish, placing on top of the sauce.
  3. Top each cutlet with a slice of mozzarella. Place about 4 inches from the heat source and cook until the cheese is melted and browned in spots and the sauce is hot, about 5 - 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Have an excellent day!!



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