My BFF is Having a Baby!

My dear friend Jessie and her husband David are expecting their first little one, set to make his (or her – it’s a surprise) arrival in late April. I teamed up with two of her other best friends to plan and host a baby shower on Sunday. We were lucky enough to be able to have it at Jessie’s gorgeous childhood home here in Denver. Let’s just say that it didn’t take much decor to make the entire shower look oh-so-chic!

Jessie looks radiant and people still can’t believe she is just two months from her due date. She is so tiny! I know our entire group of friends cannot wait to meet little “Baby J.” Luckily we live just eight blocks from Jessie and David, so I hope we’ll get lots of Baby J time.

It was such a fun day, and lucky for me I am still snacking on these tasty little pastel Jordan almonds. Also, Etsy.com continues to amaze me. The “Drink Me” straws were the decor hit of the party and that is where I found them.

Congrats again to Jessie & David. I can’t wait to share pictures of their little bundle in a few short months.

Marmalade Muffins with Pistachios and Ginger

Two weeks ago I posted that my weekend aspirations included baking muffins. I had 100% of the ingredients, sans time. Fast forward to this past Saturday and I finally found myself with a spare hour. Rather than (gasp) sit down to rest for 60 minutes, I decided to bake.

I am super glad that I decided not to be a couch potato. These babies are so delicious and made our kitchen smell amazing. The orange marmalade I had on hand included ginger, which gave my version of these muffins a bit of a bite. I also had enough pistachios on hand to mix them in the batter and sprinkle on top. I love the crunch that they added.

Recipe (adapted from The Food Addicts)

Do you have any muffin recipes to swap?

Blog Love ~ Feb. 26

LoveSigh, it has been too long since my last Sunday Blog Love post. If you read Lex & Learn regularly you know that the first few months of 2012 are extremely hectic (in a good way) for Mike and me, so I am getting behind on blogging some weeks–but not this one!

Loves of the week include…

  • This killer weekend day and night ensemble by Sequins and Stripes. I am in love with the whole look, but am seriously debating whether or not to treat myself to that dress. It is still winter in Colorado so dresses with sleeves are a must, as is being able to rock dresses with tights.
  • The Everygirl launched this week and while I don’t know Danielle personally, from reading her blog she seems absolutely lovely and I’m excited for her success. If you don’t know what The Everygirl is yet, go learn about it right now!
  • Maybe I will do something like Project Life when I have kids, maybe I won’t. I’m not very crafty or patient. But my friend Lindsay is AMAZING at it and I am truly in awe of her Project Life digital creations. Her girls are going to love going through their books when they are older. Maybe Lindsay will teach me like she’s guiding my sister-in-law Kelly!

I also want to officially welcome Anne Mason to the blogging world. Anne is the fantastic better half to my cousin Joey. They live in New Orleans and just bought a beautiful old home…and according to her new blog Hammer & Heels, there are lots of projects in store.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Yoga Workshop

Source: prAna

On Tuesday night I joined two colleagues for a three hour yoga workshop led by Bryan Kest. I have never taken a yoga class that was longer than an hour so I was pretty apprehensive. He spoke for awhile, and the last part of the class included a meditation (newsflash, I suck at meditating), but overall I really enjoyed it.

Bryan said a lot of things that really stuck with me. Like how we bring our shit (sorry mom) to yoga and turn yoga into shit (again, sorry mom). How we turn yoga into a competitive sport to see who can touch their head to their knees further instead of quieting our minds and working to release those competitive, negative thoughts from our minds. How we are so obsessed with getting a pose “right” instead of getting it correct for our own bodies in that moment.

He challenged us to be okay with falling out of poses instead of judging ourselves–to exercise and eat in moderation, instead of pushing and starving ourselves to fit into the mold that society pushes down our throats–to just surrender to yoga and meditation instead of trying to make it something complicated.

Three hours with Bryan Kest did not change my life, so please don’t think that I am running off to India for my own Eat, Pray, Love experience. However, it made me even more curious about exploring yoga a bit more–beyond the physical practice. It made me want to take a day off for the Wanderlust Festival in Colorado this summer or find a few girlfriends who are up for a yoga retreat. Big Sky Yoga Retreats in Montana look pretty amazing.

I have no idea where yoga will take me in life, but I am quite convinced that I need to take yoga, both the physical and mental, along with me as much as possible.

Have you ever gone on a yoga or wellness-type retreat? I’d love to hear about it!

 

Friday’s Favorite Pin of the Week: Baking

I may have figured out my way around a stove but the oven and me are still not great friends. I need to get back into baking and this colorful bundt cake may just be what inspires me to get going again.

What have you baked (and loved) lately?

Wordless Wednesday: Girlfriends

Unplugged: Girl’s Trip Edition

 

Some of my favorite ladies on the planet are visiting me in Colorado this long President’s Day weekend. I refuse to miss a second of it by being online, in front of the computer. Chances to connect with friends, especially those who do not live nearby, are getting fewer and far between because of how busy we all are these days…and none of us even have kids yet.

So, I am unplugging and wishing you all a very wonderful President’s Day weekend. I hope it is filled with a lot of fun, tons of laughs and in our case, quite a bit of wine.

Cheers!

Friday’s Favorite Pin of the Week

I have nowhere to wear this dress, and I’d need to buy a tanning salon membership in order to pull off this shade of neon pink. But those minor details did not stop me from drooling over this ridiculously hot look all week. It makes me wish I had a tan and that we were escaping to Mexico for a snow bird weekend.

I guess that’s why it is my “Pin of the Week!”

 

Could you, and would you, try to pull off this neon backless wonder?

Pottery Barn Dreams

Pottery Barn is at the top of my list of stores that I want to “live” in right now. I try so hard to get into online home decor flash sales, kitschy independent stores, etc., but at heart I am truly a big box retail shopper. Scoff all you want, I just like the consistency of products from stores and manufacturers I really know.

Which brings me to my latest Pottery Barn wish list. My husband and mother can attest to the fact that it changes daily (and hourly). Yet, there are specific rooms in our new house that I am positively fixated on…rooms that I am dying to keep adding touches of our style.

The dining room needs a chandelier that makes a statement without costing thousands of dollars or looking like it belongs in our grandmother’s house. I think this beauty would work just fine.

Next up is our bathroom upstairs. Thankfully all the fixtures were updated but the medicine cabinet has to go. It is quite nice but it is way too bulky for how narrow the room is. Why is why I keep hoping this mirror goes on clearance.

Finally, our office is still a mess. This is because we own a bunch of crate-style “filing” boxes and random fire safes, but no large filing cabinet. We could run out and buy a metal cabinet that is there purely for function, but that is not pretty now is it?! So, maybe the tax refund Santa will bring us something along the lines of this.

A girl can hope, and save, and save some more!

Covet: All Things Zara

We do not have Zara in Denver. I rarely, if ever, purchase clothes online. For my checkbook this is a great combination. However, my fashion-obsessed heart is feigning for these Zara finds. I just might have to treat myself to one find this month…

Top to bottom: Gathered sleeve blazer / Front frill blouse / Striped blazer / Asymmetric pleated skirt

Are you Zara obsessed like me?

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