A Little Bit of Nothing

Ever think about buying something for a long time and then after the long consideration making the decision to spend the money only to find a Groupon/Living Social/Fab thing a day later for a significant discount? No? Well good for you. This happens to me more than I want to admit and I can't even return it since it's a perishable item. Yeah. Sucks. Oh well at least I will feel better as a result of the product. Allegedly. We will find out this week.

Anyway, hi there. Long time no post. It's been a holiday kind of week last week and this weekend was just catching up on mail, writing and watching Don't Trust the B*&^% in Apt 23 (Totally funny show and James Van Der Beek is hilarious in it as JVDB. Really it's funny). So anything fun happen while I have been absent other than Kristen Stewart cheating on Edward or whatever his name is? Oh yeah, the Olympics. Totally my favorite time for me to curse my parents for not forcing me to continue my gymnastics career even though I am obviously too tall and way to into carbs (and wine) to be a gymnast, but that doesn't mean I can't do it anyway.

Speaking of carbs I really wanted to share this no knead, easy as can be Rosemary Lemon Bread that involves only a few ingredients and your Dutch/French oven. Nothing beats fresh bread from your oven. I can't wait to try it once the BF is back in town. Share the love and the carbs!

There are tons of variations that you could do with this!

Have a great week everyone!

Get Your Shop On - Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

I wrote about this sale last year here with my favorite picks and this year will be no different. The great thing about this year is that I was able to shop the sale prior to the public sale and online no less. No crowds, no waiting and nothing out of stock. Easiest sale ever. This year I took a different approach to my shopping strategy and really kept to fall basics and essentials to compliment my current closet and not restyle it. I think I made some good choices that will last well beyond fall, which is always the goal with those of us trying to make the most of our hard earned money. Now comes the hard part and I have to wait until the weather cools to be able to wear my items. Apparently SoCal has not received the memo that I want to wear my new boots (Just kidding, please keep the weather warm and lovely mother nature. Thanks in advance. xx Shann)

The sale officially started last Friday, but now is the best time to check it out as the crazed shoppers have died down to a dull roar. Don't wait too long thought, you only have until August 6th to get these prices!

View this SkinnyScoop List

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Dream List

The One With Monica Geller Hair

I have been sporadically online and posting irregularly the last week or so due to my work schedule and then the work travel to Atlanta. Yes Hotlanta in July. Oh my is was hot out and humid. There were thunderstorms and buckets of rain, followed my thick, heavy and hot air. Lucky for me the work takes place in air conditioning, but the walk outside from hotel to convention center is enough to make one melt in a big ol' puddle.The good news is because I have such a fab hair stylist that I had hair serum that doesn't make me look like this:

Oh poor Monica

In other news today is the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, otherwise known as my favorite sale ever. I will be putting together my favorite items next week for sure. Oh the boots and purses! Simply Fabulous.

Right now I am just happy to be home and frizz free. Have a great weekend everyone!

Flakey

No not me. It’s my head. Remember this trip on the boat?Well apparently my scalp got a little sunburnt even though I have pretty thick hair and it looks as though mybrain is trying to escape one little flakey piece at a time. Now that you know all about my current grooming woes you are probably asking yourself why I brought it up. Well summer is in full swing and now that I officially live back in the land of sun and warmth I realized that this particular problem could happen again. Since I really don’t want to have to rub sunscreen into my hair at thebeach (that would not make for pretty hair) I turned to the internet for options. Surprisingly there are some really awesome non-bald guy options that I just had to share, so you can avoid the flake!

I am thinking the hat is a must just because you could eat dinner off that brim. Dramatic and Southern. Just my style!

The reviews on this are awesome. It has an SPF AND it reduces frizz.
Sounds like worth a try to me!
via Nordstrom

This is a leave in conditioner that has a built in SPF.
Super easy, no additional steps necessary. Wash and go.
via Skin Store

This hat also contains an SPF so not only is it stylish, but gives extra sun protection.
I do love a big hat!
via Sunday Afternoons

Current Obsessions

I shop in outfits. I don't just buy a dress or a pair of pants, I like to plan the entire outfit start to finish. I may not always purchase every item, but I like to think about the possibilities before buying the main item. The outfit I have been currently creating possibilities around (and still not purchased) is a beachy summer outfit that goes from day to night effortlessly and has a big pop of color. This dress certainly fits the bill, but I think I need to keep looking for a similar dress at a lower price tag to make it the perfect dress.

Alice + Olivia long dress / Sandals / Beach tote  / Monica Vinader stud earrings  / Marc by Marc Jacobs crystal jewelry / Peacock jewelry / J by Jasper Conran straw hat

Bodie

Bodie, CA

Heading up to Tahoe this past week we decided to take the 395 (instead I-5), which got me all excited for adventure! I went to the map and declared that we could go to Death Valley in July, AWESOME! Then the BF pointed out that DV was still 100 miles off the route. Total bummer. Since that was out I then decided that we needed to visit a ghost town. It is total gold rush country and there has to be something to check out. So I looked up 'ghost town route 395' and up popped Bodie, CA, old, deserted, big and creepy. Well that is definitely a place that I need to check out. Old, deserted, big and creepy is right up my alley.

It was the strangest thing to walk through this dirt road town thinking that 10,000 people at one time called this place home. As you walk through the town it feels like everyone just got up one day and took off. There are books still left at the desk and beds still made up expecting their owners to show up at bedtime. Give or take an inch or two of dust. I mean really who leaves a casket behind? Weird stuff. I love this kind of thing though and Bodie has a history worth it's weight in gold. When the story of the fire bell, "which tolled the ages of the deceased when they were buried, rang often and long", you know this place has a a legit ghost or 30. If you ever happen to be in this area, Bodie, CA is totally worth the 13 miles off the main route and the $7 per person entry. You can spend hours in there and still not see everything there is to view. Best ghost town to date!

Drink anyone? I am sure they have an excellent wine.

It truly was a beautiful place in the summer...in the shade.

It's like everyone just got up and left at the same time. 

Bullet holes in the sign.

There are some jars and tins I would love to have!!

Surprisingly a lot of houses have held up over the years.

According to the history the morgue was a very busy place.

I Love Holidays

I know most people complained about the 4th falling on a Wednesday, but for me it worked out wonderfully. I still worked on Thursday and Friday, but I did it from 6000+ altitude, which proved to be good for the mind and soul. We worked outside under the shade of the trees during the day and ate dinner and drank wine outside until the mosquito's chased us indoors. A change of pace and the fact our phones didn't work there ended up being exactly what both of us needed.

Then the weekend arrived and we found ourselves on a boat, out on Lake Tahoe with the most amazing weather. While the water was not super warm I still found myself jumping in, because I can't resist a good lake swim on a hot day. The next morning I wished I had applied the sunscreen a little better, but regardless it was totally worth it. Wrapping our weekend up we bid goodbye to our hosts and did the long drive home. Seven plus hours later and I am proud to say my Zoku arrived in my absence and this week looks to be a drunken, frozen delight!

Lake Tahoe from above

The water was so blue. This photo is not doctored at all!!

Castle Rock

Crazy Shannon

4th of July

Happy 4th of July. Enjoy your BBQ, Summer, Freedom or day and remember:

Pleased as Pasta

Everyone has a dish that they bring to potlucks. It could be macaroni salad, fruit salad, killer dip and chips, bean salad or dessert. Bottom line most everyone has one, except for years I did not. I would actually dread having to bring something. They pressure was on to make a potato salad that didn't taste like butt or cheat and buy the version from the deli counter and put it in my own dish. Yeah I did it, so what? Then a couple of years ago I realized that I had been looking at this wrong. While I was trying to make a good potato salad I should just be making what I want even more. Pasta salad. I can make an entire batch of it and eat it all myself in a weekend. Of course that is having it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I love it enough to do that. So my tried and true pasta salad is now my official go to potluck dish that I can whip up in 30 minutes, chill and take anywhere with rave reviews. Since tomorrow is a BBQ type holiday I thought I would share it just in case you need to whip up something quick and easy before then. All I do is always keep some penne pasta on hand and then put whatever I happen to find in my cupboard and fridge. Really it's that simple.

This is what I had on hand. I had to chop it, but taste tested the whole
way so totally worth it.

Then I cooked up some pasta.

Yup Pasta. Cooked, drained and cooled.

Mix it all together, toss in some salad dressing (I prefer italian style vinaigrettes, but you can experiment with this for sure) and refrigerate for at least and hour and serve. I usually like to leave it longer to really get the flavors to mingle appropriately, but totally your call. And your done. See you didn't even break a sweat.

Happy 4th of July Everyone!!

Summer Lovin'

I have been in full on summer mode since I stepped foot in California last week. The weather has been exactly what you would expect in Southern California which does nothing but make we want to pretend I am on vacation 24/7. This means I have been thinking about barbecues and fun summer cocktails all weekend long. So when not outside playing in the sun this weekend, I came across a few things that I have to try and thought you might be want to take advantage of them as well.

This one happens to be one of the best sangria's I have had in a long time, but I haven't had the pleasure of partaking in this in awhile. Good thing Kimpton finally spilled their 5 o'clock wine hour Sangria recipe. Now I can whip up this sucker at home.

Kimpton Summer Sangria

1 3-L Pinot Grigio
1/2 bottle of 1.75L Christian Bros. Brandy
Juice of 7 lemons
Juice of 5 limes
2.5 cartons of finely diced strawberries (or two pounds-ish)
1 bunch of basil
2 lbs of watermelon (pureed)
2 cups of granulated sugar

Mix all ingredients and let it sit for a few hours. The longer it sits, the better it gets!

This next one comes care of one of my favorite blogs, Britney.Herself. She, like me, enjoys mixing fruit and alcohol. In a safe and moderated manner of course. This was one something that I pretty much hit myself on the head, going how in the world did I not think of this before!! Follow the link above or here are the instructions for the Walking Margarita:

Slice your watermelon and place in a baking dish and cover with a shot of tequila per piece (yeah it's that serious!). Cover and refrigerate three hours (preferably overnight). Right before you serve dip the edge in some salt. Instant margarita.

Should you happen to be in Southern California and at my house this summer I am pretty sure you will have both of these at some point during your stay!

Also if you come here, I might take you here.