{Style: Minimal Chic at MANGO}

It surprises me that Mango doesn't seem to get the much deserved recognition it deserves. It's a store that has the same style as my faves Club Monaco and J.Crew, but their prices are what sets them apart. Definitely not a brand that you should ignore because there is no denying that this store has got some serious style. Lucky for us New Yorkers we have a store here in Soho, but have no fear out-of-towners - they have a great online store (which honestly I like to shop more so than going to the store). Last weekend my sister and I went to check out their spring line - and I fell in love and picked up a few pieces. When I think of my personal style - this store is IT - definitely in my Top 5!

I  have an obsession with coats and jackets - so when my sister showed me this, I knew I had to have it. It can go with so many things and can take me through spring....and wait for me in the fall! Love it!

This dress is perfect for the upcoming months - you can dress it up by accessorizing with jewelry and adding a pair of killer heels - or you can dress it down by throwing on a pair of sandals - carrying a cardigan it case you get cold. 

I love the style of this top - so again, I had to have it. It has a timeless look to me and it can be work so many different ways. Pair it with shorts, a skirts, dress pants, patterned pants, or even jeans - take your pick!

You had me at oversized coat. I have adopted this trend full throttle. The moment I saw and tried this coat on, I knew I had to have it. It was a little more than I had wanted to spend that day, especially since warmer weather is coming (it is coming, right?) - but I figured its one of the investment, timeless pieces that I needed in my closet. 

I love a nice pair of white pants and it seems like I have to renew mine every season because I can never keep them....white. So I think these along with a pair of white jeans should get me through the next several months. I love the tie!

So if you haven't heard of Mango until now - I urge you to take a look. They even have men's clothes and lots of accessories. To shop the looks shown above - see below:

Black Bomber Jacket | Shift Dress | White Blouse | Kimono Coat | White Pants

{Weekend Plans + Friday Finds}

Happy dance - happy dance - its Friday - woo woo - its Friday - woo woo! Happy Friday Peeps!!! If you can tell - I'm really excited that the weekend is here. Not for any particular reason - well, maybe because I get to turn my brain off for a couple of days. The past week has been full of thinking, making decisions, thinking, planning, and this girl needs a break!

1. As I'm starting to cross off my New York Bucket List - I plan to visit the Museum at FIT this weekend. Looking forward to this as its just a quick walk from my apartment. 

2. My sister and I have heard nothing but great things about Long Island City - so we are going to visit, walk around, and see what this neighborhood as to offer. Depending on if I decide to stay in New York or not, this neighborhood could be a possible contender for my next apartment. 

3. This will happen only if my sister and I can fast all day. I can just imagine what the calories are for 1 piece of deep dish pizza - and who eats just 1 piece?? If we go this will definitely check off one of my Bucket List places to eat - so we are going to try our hardest.

4. Happy Bones - my new favorite coffee spot. I have to take back a couple of shirts that I bought last week - so stopping by this cute little spot is a must.

5. I'm sure you've heard that Sprinkles Cupcakes now has an ATM cupcake machine here in New York. I really really want to go check it out - although I'm sure the line will be ridiculous. Who am I kidding - I'm not afraid of lines - if it's worth it, I will wait!

6. Next Thursday is the start of a long-awaited girlfriends weekend (I can't even tell you how excited I am about this - its waaaaay overdue - but more about that later) so in preparation I have to do some laundry and get these bushy eyebrows done. 

Oh and lets not forget March Madness - all weekend I'll be glued to the TV (whether at home or at a bar) as I'm completely obsessed. I'm not much of a college basketball watcher throughout the regular season, but when it comes to March Madness - I'm all in! My bracket is completely blown - so let's see how it all shakes out!

1. Have you ever layered your perfumes? I have a small (actually not so small) obsession with fragrances, but never thought about layering them......until now. 

2. The facts of gluten-free living - great read!

3. This Brooklyn townhouse kitchen - EV ER Y THING! Truly this is my ideal kitchen - I would sleep in here.

4. Salted Cocoa Nutella Cupcakes? Yes please!

5. I believe that the word "no" is a complete sentence. I've always been a yes girl - a sure no problem just add it to my pile girl - always wanting to please everyone and wanting to provide and 'be all I could be' - but I now believe in the power of "no" as it is one of the most important aspects of living a life filled with balance, integrity, and authenticity. Our ability and capacity to say "no" with confidence is one of the most important aspects of creating peace and power in our lives. This is about creating healthy boundaries, honoring ourselves, and being real -- it's not about being closed, cynical, or unwilling.  (sorry got a little winded there - stepping off soapbox now...)

Enjoy your weekend Peeps!

{Part IV: New York Bucket List - Staples}

I hope you have enjoyed my New York Bucket List this week. I've had fun putting it together and now needless to say, I have my hands full with plenty of things to do (and eat) over the coming months and I'm going to enjoy and savor every bit of it. So without further ado, here is the fourth and final installment of my New York Bucket List - it's all about the iconic (and touristy) New York staples - enjoy!

If I happened to miss some of your favorite places and spaces in NY that you think that I should visit (and did not mention this week) send me a quick comment - there's nothing wrong with adding to the list. Thanks for reading!!

{Part III: New York Bucket List - Museums}

On to my third New York Bucket List installment - Museums!! New York is full of them - and while I'm not a huge museum goer - there are still a few that I would like to visit:

{Part II: New York Bucket List - Parks}

There is nothing better than New York in the spring! While it's officially spring, the weather is still a little too chilly to spend extended times outside - but hopefully that will soon change and then I can starting checking my second New York Bucket List installment about the parks I want to visit. 

{Part I: New York Bucket List - Eats}

My apartment lease is up at the end of May and while life for me has been in limbo over the last couple of months, I'm still not sure where life will take me next. Will I stay in New York? Will I pack my bags and move on to somewhere else? Will I leave it all behind and travel the world? Who knows! All I know is that 2 months is going to come and go very quickly, so I decided to put together a New York Bucket List - broken out into 4 installments that I will share with you this week. Yes, this  is my personal bucket list, but I hope it can also be a list for you (whether you live here, or plan to visit) to use as this city is so much more than all the touristy stuff. I've lived here in New York for almost 2 years now and have had some amazing experiences. I could live here another 20 and never get close to experience all that this city has to offer. So my first installment is all about food (of course) - I have a list of at least 50+ restaurants that I want to try, but for now let's start with these:

Needless to say I'm going to be quite busy over the next couple of months. Do you have any New York restaurant favorites that I should add to the list?

Wilfie & Nell | Emmett's | Toro | Freemans | Tremont | Je and Joe

{Weekend Plans + Friday Plans}

It's the weekend - TGIF!! I've really been trying not to live for the weekend, but this week has been extremely hectic and I'm looking forward to some down time. I don't have anything overly exciting planned, but do have a few errands, and a couple of fun things, on the agenda:

1. Last weekend I purchased several pairs of shoes at the Macy's pre-sale event - which means if you shopped last weekend, you got 25% off your total purchase but you weren't able to take home your purchases until after March 19 - so I need to go and pick up all the damage I did. 

2. One of my favorite coffee shops in the city is Birch Coffee. As a visit is well overdue, I plan to go on Saturday morning. It's funny - I really only drink coffee during the weekend, when I'm at my parents, or when I'm on vacation. 

3. I have a photo shoot on Saturday afternoon for Six Eighty Eight Jewelry (yay!!!!) at the Highline - its coming together peeps! While I'm there - how can I resist stopping by the Lobster Place - I just love their lobster rolls (although I think I will do sans bun this time as I'm watching my gluten intake). I really need to do some laundry - but that will probably have to wait until Sunday.

4. If I had all of the money in the world, and could live in any neighborhood I wanted, Soho would be high on the list. I love strolling through the streets and shops of Soho. I would like to go to the Piperlime store, and also my favorite paper store Kate's Paperie to look at some options for Six Eighty Eight Jewelry packaging. 

5. I think I really want to see Divergent. I didn't read the book, but I hear it's very similar to Hunger Games. Have you read the book? Is this a must see movie - the hype around it sure seems like it. 

1. It's not what you say, it's how you say (please always remember that) - word

2. Onion straws. Love them. I put them on salads, over braised short ribs, mashed potatoes, everything. Here's the recipe that I use - so good!

3. Potato and Sausage Hash with Baked Eggs - I plan to make this on Sunday morning. Looks easy and delicious!

4. I'm no where near ready to wear this - but this is my type of bikini - lol! Right?

5. Fresh Sugar Acai Body Cream - my favorite!

6. The Creative Habit - this is the next book on my list. Have you read this book? What did you think? What other books are on your to-read list, or what have you read recently?

Enjoy your weekend!!

{Decor: Relax Here | Eat This!}

Lately, all I want to do is cozy down and eat every delicious looking thing in sight, including this Goat Cheese, Herb and Heirloom Tomato Tart! I can practically taste the creaminess of the goat cheese and the freshness of the heirloom tomatoes right through that picture! Doesn’t it look like the perfect meal to stir up while you're watching the latest episode of Scandal or House of Cards? All you need is a nice glass of wine, right? While I can’t wait to give this recipe a whirl, I also have to pay proper tribute to this apartment space - hello!

The natural light, the balcony, the wall full of windows....all seem like the apartment for me. I can't believe I only have 2 more months tip the end of my lease! Decisions, decisions - more about that later. Until then - we cook!

Goat Cheese, Herb and Heirloom Tomato Tart

1 batch Flaky Pie Dough for single crust (recipe below)

1/2 lb. goat cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tsp. minced fresh herbs, such as basil and chives

3 or 4 heirloom tomatoes, sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup packed baby or wild arugula leaves

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions

Prepare the flaky pie dough and chill as directed below.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a circle about 13 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough to a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and ease into the pan, trimming any excess dough. (Alternatively, roll out the dough into a rectangle and line an 11-by-5 1/2-inch/28-by-14-cm regular tart pan.) Line the shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust starts to look dry, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the crust is golden brown, 5-1o minutes. Let cool.

In a small bowl, beat together the goat cheese and cream until smooth. Stir in the minced herbs. Gently spread the herbed goat cheese over the bottom of the tart shell. Remove the tart shell from the pan and slide onto a flat serving plate.

Lay the tomato slices on the tart so that they are slightly overlapping and in an even layer. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. In a small bowl, toss together the basil leaves, arugula, olive oil and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Top the tart with the arugula mixture and serve.

Flaky Pie Dough: Single Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. sugar (optional; omit if making a savory dish)

7 Tbsp. very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

5 Tbsp. ice water, plus more if needed

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, stir together the flour, salt, and sugar, if using. Sprinkle the butter over the top and pulse for a few seconds, or just until the butter is slightly broken into the flour but still in visible pieces. Evenly sprinkle the water over the flour mixture, then process just until the mixture starts to come together. Dump the dough into a large lock-top plastic bag, and press into a flat disk. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or up to 1 day, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Apartment image via Dust Jacket |  Recipe via Taste Williams-Sonoma

{Life Is Short - Buy The Shoes}

And I'm back! Now that we have sprung forward - all I need is the weather to cooperate so that I can start wearing some of the shoes that I've recently purchased (or will be purchasing in the very near future). Shoes are a great way to incorporate new trends into your wardrobe and they can be worn in a variety of different ways:

1. I've never really been a boot wearer in the summer time - but I think I may get a pair of these to go with dresses and maybe even shorts (if I can find the courage to put some on this year). What do you think about short booties in the spring/summer months?

2. Love these heels from J.Crew! The give a pop of color (which is rare for me) and the heel is the perfect height to wear to work (but since I work from home, I'm usually in my fuzzy slippers.....but once I'm back in an office everyday, these will be worn).

3. Pastels are huge this spring/summer, and to be honest I'm not really a pastel girl but I did pick up these flats at the Gap last weekend to ease me into this trend. (unfortunately these are only sold in stores. I got mine for $22)

4. Cage shoes are a must have. You can wear them with your boyfriend jeans, dresses, skirts, shorts, everything. Get a pair!

5. I'm not going to say every girl needs these - but they're so much fun. I ordered these like 2 months ago, and I still haven't received them yet due to them being backordered - but I plan to wear these when I want to wear a flat sandal, but kick things up a little. Big plans for these!

6. The flip flop. There's no way around them. These Burberry flip flops will be mine.

7. All things perforated are in this spring/summer. I purchase these over the weekend and they are so cute on (actually way cuter than this picture looks). I can't wait to wear them!

Now, combined with all the other shoes that are stuffed in my teeny tiny closet (and surrounding area), I think I have all the shoes I need for the upcoming months. Now its time to work on the wardrobe. 

What spring essentials have you bought recently that I shouldn't live without?

Tomorrow Tomorrow - It's Only A Day Away!

Good Morning! I hope you had a nice and relaxing weekend! I wanted to send a quick note of apologize for the delay in posts over the last couple of days, but a few things have been going on and I needed to take a little time. I'll be back tomorrow - and the next day - and the next day - promise!!

PS. I need to find these around here - I can think of a million places where these would be genius to use - like the movies, the beach, an outdoor concert, uhh....my couch - just to name a few. They are cute little cans (comes in a pack of 4) of easily portable champagne. Cute right? Ok - see ya tomorrow!

{The Infamous Dominique Ansel Cronut}

As you know my sister was in town this past weekend celebrating her birthday, and man did we have a blast. On Thursday evening, I had this genius idea that we should get up early the next morning and go stand in line to get one of the most hyped and talked about cronut (if you happen to live under a rock and don't know what a cronut is - click here). There are lots of imitators out there - but I wanted to go to the place where it originated - Dominique Ansel Bakery in Soho. Bucket-list checked.

The bakery opened at 8:00am so we figured getting there by 6:30-ish should be plenty enough time to snag one because they only make a certain amount everyday (200-250) and just because you're in line, doesn't mean you'll actually get one. Once we got there we were about number 30 in line. Not too bad. Did I mention it was FREEZING - we had several moments of "what in the hell are we doing, we should just go home"...

But then this moment happened....one of the pastry chefs came out and passed out a few samples to thank everyone for waiting out in the cold (they also were selling coffee and hot chocolate). The moment we tasted it we knew instantly we weren't going anywhere because if the cronut tasted half as good as the sample - we were in for a treat. 

So it was about 8:20am and me and my sister were still standing outside because they only let you in in batches of 20ish as the bakery is so tiny. This girl below in the hat came up from way back in the line and started talking to us and complaining about why was the line taking so long, she needed to get to a conference, why was it taking so long, why was it taking so long, why was it taking so long. Just when I was about to explode as I couldn't hear her say "why was it taking so long" one more time - it was time for the next group to go in. Yay!! So she started walking with my group and said "oh, lol, I guess I'll just go in with you guys, do you mind?" and I said "I don't care if you go in with us, as long as I get in - cause if I don't get in and you do, then we're gonna have a problem, lol" (who knew I could be so cranky in the morning? ......don't answer that). Long story short - we all got in, we ordered our cronuts ($5 each, maximum 2 per person) and she turned to me and my sister and said she was going to pay for ours and wasn't going to take no for an answer. I immediately felt a little bad for being a little cranky with her, but thanked her over and over as I didn't deserve her sweet gesture. Hey don't mess with a girl who is freezing and just wants her gosh darn cronut, lol!!!

Cronuts in the making - such an art...

(insert me here closing my eyes reminiscing about my first bite) This was the most delicious, amazing,  sweet piece of heaven I've ever had. I don't know what I was expecting - but words can't fully describe how fantastic this treat was. Just in that one bite I forgot how tired, cold, and cranky I was....and in turn I realized that at that moment, nothing else mattered.

If you're ever in New York, I PROMISE standing in line for one of these is so worth the wait. They are life changing.

{Weekend Plans + Friday Finds}

My baby sis is here to continue her birthday celebration New York style and we are so excited to have her here. Times that all of us sisters are together, are times that we cherish because it doesn't happen often. We have lots of fun things planned, but also wanted to leave some room to just go with the flow:

1. Tonight we are going to MOMA!!!! I've been wanting to go since forever and on Friday nights admission is FREE - so we are going to check it out. Yay!!! I'm sooo excited - (although wish I could have gone with the person that I originally was supposed to go with months ago....) 

2. We've heard that Cascabel Taqueria has an amazing brunch. If you've never brunched in NYC - you must put it on your bucket list. Bring on the mimosas - mama is off medication!!

3. The weather is supposed to be great this weekend - great as in low 50's - so we are going to stroll through Central Park. My little sis hasn't been before, so we want to show her how amazing this park is. 

4. I'm still unable to exercise (oh darn) but my sisters are going to take a spin class at Soul Cycle. Kinda jealous as I would love to experience a class there - I hear its all the rage - all $34 a class rage. lol!!

5. Harney & Sons is our favorite tea shop. It's in Soho so I'm sure after we stock up, we'll do a little walking around and shopping.

6. We are going to walk over to The Highline to take some pictures for our blogs. I love going to the Highline - and hopefully we can find someone to take a picture of all four of us together.

7. The Butcher's Daughter is a farm-to-table vegetarian restaurant/juice bar that we've been dying to go to. Being that half of us are vegetarian/vegan (that half does not include me) we thought this would be the perfect place to go. Can't wait!

8. Alcohol throughout the weekend - we have a lot of celebrating to do! Cheers to the freakin weekend!!!

- With spring right around the corner, it's time for us to start looking through our closets and think about a little purging. Here are 7 questions to ask when cleaning out your closet.

- If you watched the Oscars then you saw that Lupita gave Ellen her lip balm. It sold out that night, but its back in stock.

- 5 ways to stay healthy while working from home (or even in the office)

- LEAF TV - love love love love. And make sure to follow their Instagram!

- I woke up like this - I need this sweatshirt. #beyonce

- Grown up grilled cheese - yummmm.....

Enjoy your weekend Peeps!!!

{DIY: Quote Wall Inspiration}

Over the weekend my sisters and I took the ferry over to IKEA and of course, as all IKEA trips go, I bought way more than I had planned to. One thing that was on my list was to get a few frames so that I could start a quote wall at the foot of my bed. My goal is to have a wall of quotes that when I go to bed and wake up can remind me that I'm doing ok, and everything will be ok. I'm a huge fan of the show Being Mary Jane and I feel like this wall will be a kicked up version of all of her sticky note quotes she has around her room and bathroom mirror. 

I have a million favorite quotes that I could have used, but I felt theses were best for where I am in life right now. I simply found the quotes I wanted, typed them out in a Word document (11X17) using a few different fonts. I then printed the pages and placed them printed the pages and placed them in the RIBBA frames  (removing the mat) I purchased. Pretty easy - what do you think?

{Happy Fat Tuesday: Real Bacon vs. Turkey Bacon}

Happy Fat Tuesday Peeps!!! While I've definitely been cutting back on many things, especially gluten (which that's a whole 'nother post to come later),  I have a major weakness when it comes to bacon. If you too have a love for bacon, and have been eating turkey bacon because you think it's healthier - check this out:

As far as calories go, the difference between “healthy” turkey bacon and “fatty” regular bacon is negligible—and depending on the slice, turkey might sometimes tip the scales a touch more. Additionally, while turkey is indeed a leaner meat, turkey bacon isn’t made from 100% bird. One look at the ingredients list will show a long line of suspicious additives and extras that can’t possibly add anything of nutritional value. And finally, the sodium content of the turkey bacon is actually higher than what you’ll find in the kind that oinks—so if you’re worried about your blood pressure, opting for the original version is usually the smarter move.

LOTS of turkey bacon brands out there are, in fact, still hiding pork (some even dip their turkey bacon in pork fat). They’re also put together using TONS of chemicals because turkey does not have a CUT of bacon. Bacon comes from a very specific part of the pig. Turkey bacon is just put together pieces of turkey, sometimes held together by foreign substances, dyed a certain color to make it appear to be more like bacon, and formed into a shape similar to what you’re used to expecting from pork bacon. Ummm....yuck!

In summary - 1. READ YOUR LABELS, 2. Stick with as few ingredients as possible, 3. Watch and try to minimize your overall intake of meat in general. Just a little food for thought... Happy Fat Tuesday!

{My Favorite Oscar Moments}

Man were the Oscars amazing last night! Did you watch? Ellen was perfection, I'm such a fan, and as far as I'm concerned she should host the Oscars every year. There were so many great moments, worthy wins, and of course fabulous gowns and below are my absolute favorites of the night:

-  My favorite dress was Lopita's (light blue - can she do any wrong right now? I can't wait to see whats next for her) with Charlize's (black) right behind hers. 

-  Pharrell and Lopita dancing to everyone's favorite I'm Happy - loved this!

-  Jared Leto's speech - just beautiful. So thought out, so genuine. If you didn't see it, here you go.

-  ELLEN!!!! She killed it - from the selfie (and crashing Twitter), to ordering the audience pizza and passing it out on paper plates, to my absolute favorite moment - her running out as Glenda from the Wizard of Oz after Pink (per usual) sang her out, saying "not cool guys, I was waiting for you to call me out" - I literally cried from laughing. So good....

-  Cate Blanchett winning Best Actress for Blue Jasmine. I didn't get to see all of the Oscar nominated movies this year - but I did get to see this one over the summer and she is stellar in this role. If you haven't seen it - WATCH IT (yes, that's an order)!

-  And last but not least - 12 Years A Slave winning Best Picture. I was a little nervous that Gravity was going to completely sweep the Oscars which was another great movie, but of course, hands down, 12 Years A Slave deserved this. Woooohooooo!!!!!!

Next year - I PROMISE I will see all of the nominated movies and I will be having a party!

Such a great night - I just love the Oscars. Did you have any other favorite moments last night?