To The Woman Who Gave Me Life

Happy Birthday!

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful Mother. She has always been there for me through good times, bad times, rebellious stages and break-ups. I couldn't ask for a better friend & mentor.

Love you Mom!!



Champagne For My Real Friends

After seven months apart, my bestie and I were reunited for one crazy fun weekend!

Some highlights include:

apples to apples

white pomegranite martinis

hometown hoodies

mimosas

brewery tours

brick oven pizza

shots

all night girl talk

beer towers

dancing

It's amazing how we can just pick up right where we left off,

and down way too many Washington Apple shots.

That's why best friends are so great.

We went to our favorite bars, ate at our favorite restaurants and spent time with our favorite people.

We took time to celebrate my birthday together.

And hugged.

a lot.

She's back in Cali now, so until next time...

<3



Upscale Mexican Fare & A Delicious Wine Bar

To celebrate my birthday the Future Hubs and I decided to go out for a nice dinner.But, instead of hitting up one of our favorites, we tried somewhere new!

We saw Mezcal Tequila Cantina on the Phantom Gourmet and the prospect of upscale Mexican immediately put it on our "to try" list. We decided to make the hour drive to Worcester, MA for my Birthday dinner.

Our choices: golden fried jalapeno rice balls (not enough jalapeno), grilled chicken burrito (perfect in every way) and the Carnes Y Patatas (steak & jalapeno cheddar mashed potatoes, so amazing)

We kicked off our meal with some signature Margaritas. I tried the Sangria Margaria, it was delish! Mezcal had a very lively atmosphere, definitely great for groups!

For dinner we ordered the Platos Completas for 2. The meal included Mezcal's freshly made guacamole & salsa, choice of appetizer, traditional plate and special plate.

After our very indulgent and very delicious dinner we decided to check out Bocado. A wine & tapas bar with the same owner.

We enjoyed a Tempranillo flight and sweet potato banana empanadas for dessert.

Overall it was a perfect birthday outing with my love!

pssst! are you reading this in a reader? please click over and check out the new look of TangerineHearts!

Twenty Seven

That's how old I am today!!

Happy Birthday to Me.



I haven't changed much, right?

Shots, Slots and Shopping

That was my weekend in a nutshell.

On Saturday we grabbed a few friends and headed to Foxwoods to celebrate my hubs-to-be's 26th birthday! We'll be in New York for his actual bday so we decided to celebrate early and spread the fun out over the next week. Who doesn't want two birthday parties?

We got the party started at the Hard Rock Cafe where we had a little holiday photo-op with the giant Christmas tree and indulged in Cran-a-kazi shots, mixed drinks and yummy food. Of course we had to embarrassed him with a happy birthday shout out and free ice cream sundae.

With our tummys full we hit the gaming floor to try our luck with the slot machines & video poker! We aren't serious gamblers, we just like to have a good time, and get free drinks haha.

The night ended with some serious dancing at The Scorpion Bar, voted best margarita in Connecticut we enjoyed the live cover band, booty-short clad dancers (well maybe just the guys) and lively atmosphere.

The next day the boys were off to the Patriots game while us ladies hit the Wrentham Premium Outlets to do a little shopping. Coach, J Crew, Loft, Williams Sonoma....pretty awesome weekend if you ask me!

Best Friends and Brewery Tours

Sheesh, we have been having the busiest August ever!

Social commitments and adjusting to my new work schedule are  the main reasons why this Blog has been so neglected over the last week or so. Getting home an hour later than I'm used to makes for a tired and lazy Katy.

Well anyway, I promise I am well on my way to getting back some form of normalcy. I have some awesome recipes lined up for this week and a brain full of fashion.

But what have I been up to?! Since getting back from Chicago it has been one social affair after another. Going away parties galore, brewery tours, dinners, drinks, an almost Wedding...

One of my bestest gal pals, Amber, is making the move to San Francisco next week which meant not one, but two going away parties for the lovely lady this past weekend the second of which was a brewery tour in Portsmouth, NH.

One of the Fiance's close friends is being deployed to Afghanistan so of course there was a party to see him off, wish him well, celebrate his birthday and get him very drunk.

Then the was the wedding that wasn't. Straight out of a crazy rom-com there were last minute disagreements over a pre-nup which resulted in a walk down the aisle but no vows, rings or marriage followed by a reception. At least the venue was totally gorg.

So am I staying in this weekend to relax and recoup? No! I will be making a trip down to the great state of New Jersey for my Brother's engagement party.

And after that, can a girl get some rest please?

<3

Blog Awards & Birthday Gifts

Oh my, I was gifted two lovely awards this week! I am so humbled by the recognition from my fellow bloggers.  I received them to two ladies whose blogs I adore. I cannot say thank you enough!

From the beautiful Jennifer at I'm Just A Girl...  I received this award:

Hope over and check out Jen's blog. Her blog has a lot of heart and soul and a great variety of entertaining posts. You will enjoy reading it I promise!

and the rules of this award are:

1. To accept the award, you must post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted you the award, and a link to their blog.

2. Pass the award on to approximately 15 other blogs that you recently discovered, and think are great!

3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

15 is a lot of blogs!
So here they are:
A Wonderfelle World
Annie at Chapters Of Our Life
The Pursuit Of Happiness
Carissa at The Lovely Dove
Domestic Bliss
Color Me Katie
Rachel at The Redhead Fashionista
Christen at La Rue Neuve
Laura Leigh at The Human Trampoline
Lilu at Live It Love It
Kinsey Michaels
Ty Fields at Capture The World
Nicole Leigh at Summer Is My Favorite
Jill at Life After College
It's Like I'm...mmmagic

and my second award is the Happy Award and it comes from Jill at Life After College one of my newest blog friends whom I adore!

The rules of this lovely award are to name 10 things that make me happy and 5 blogs that make me happy.
Here they are:

10 things that make me happy:
1. Ryan
2. Starbucks peppermint mocha
3. sunrises & sunsets
4. movie theather popcorn
5. friends & family
6. happy endings (like in movies)
7. new jeans
8. music
9. a good conversation
10. all my new blog friends

and 5 blogs that make me happy & always put a smile on my face:
1. My Teacups In Peony
2. Oh, Mishka
3. oofa luffa le
4. life is BANANAS
5. BonBon Rose Girls

and there you go. Awards all over the place!
Now onto the gifts!!

I got some really lovely things from my Family and Boyfriend.
From my Sister and her Girlfriend I got a bottle of wine and this beautiful custom made multi-chain bracelet from Etsy shop PsquaredDesigns

From my Brother and his Girlfriend I got a gorgeous long pearl and silver necklace

And Ryan (Boyfriend) booked a weekend getaway for us up in Lincoln, NH. Lincoln is home to Loon Mountain ski resort and the Kangamangus Highway which is the most popular road for foliage viewing in NH. Since it is near a large ski resort Lincoln is a super adorable little ski town with lots of restaurants and local shops, outlet shopping, snow mobilibing and more. He booked a room with a private balcony and our hotel has a lovely indoor pool. So excited!

I also got some lovely gifts from my friends, like this:

and

Peace sign pajamas,

a framed photo,

votive candle,

and two cute ice cube trays

oh, money from my Parents haha.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Wednesday!!!

TGIF & LBD

Happy Friday everyone!! I thought it would never get here, this week felt sooooooooo long but finally it has arrived! Also arriving today; my Brother & Sister with their significant others. I can't wait to see them!! I'm turning 26 tomorrow and hopefully I don't cry very much as I am ever so slightly devastated to be entering my 'late' twenties. My Boyfriend has already dealt with a lot of tears this week and I really hope I can keep my shit together for the rest of the weekend.

I realize 26 isn't that old but it just makes me think of all the things I haven't done yet so I am trying really hard to turn my frown upside down and be happy for the things I do have and stop dwelling on those that I do not have. I will also be drinking a lot which I think will help hahaha. I also do try VERY hard to keep this blog upbeat but let's be real with eachother, I am not happy-go-lucky every day so there is no way my blog could be. Thank you all for dealing with me during my week of turning 26. I promise as soon as I'm over it I will stop my whining and spare you all the dramatics.

Now, I am SUPER excited to wear my new party dress! and I bought so many cute plates and decorations over the last few weeks and tonight all my girls are coming over for a decorating pizza party!! I am beyond excited for that. I love spending time with my girlfriends and I will definitely be way less stressed since they are all going to be helping out. Love them dearly.

And onto the fashion! When I began my birthday dress search I wanted black and white. Or off-white and black or whatever. I ended up with a black dress but I promise it is so gorgeous and not just a black dress. It did get me thinking though about how important a good LBD is. I tried on so many so now I think I'm an expert haha. Here are a few lovely choices that I felt like sharing with you all!

This tiered lace halter dress from BCBG was my runner up. My Boyfriend really liked it but decided it was too sexy to wear in front of my Siblings haha. You can't really tell from the pic but the neckline is plunging. I love the feathers on the bottom they add a nice touch.

PS this dress is ON SALE right now for $113 down from $378.

Arden B Sequin Tube Dress

Love the sequins of course!!

3/4 Sleeve Dress from Betsey Johnson

I love Betsey but sometime her dresses are too poofy for my taste, I think this one keeps it classy though.

This sassy number is by Valentino

I'll keep dreaming but isn't it so pretty?

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! It sounds like this week was rough for a few of us so I hope everyone has a chance to kick back and relax (with a cocktail) this weekend!

Love you all & Happy Shopping!

<3

Mental Health Day

So yesterday I called out of work because I just needed a personal day. I have been really stressing about getting everything done before my birthday party on Saturday. Saturday is also my actual birthday, my 26th which is also stressing me out. I had a nightmare that the party was a disastor and according to my boyfriend I was screaming in my sleep.

So anyway, when I woke up yesterday morning I just knew I needed a day to do all the errands I had and just be by myself. My friend Lauren asked me if I was taking a mental health day and I guess I was because I would have lost my mind otherwise. Normally I wouldn't stress out so much and would do everything Saturday morning but my Sister, Brother and their Girlfriends are coming to stay for the weekend so I can't just ditch them to run errands ya know?

I was able to do the majority of my errands yesterday so the day was a total success. With the exception of purchasing the food & alcohol, I cleaned the house, ordered two dozen black and white balloons, ordered our black and white polka dot birthday cake, made a centerpiece for the dining table and did all the birthday gift shopping. Phew!

The cake was ordered from Fredericks Pastries which is local and they make really gorgeous, really delicious cakes. It will be a chocolate cake with raspberry filling and white buttercream icing. I cannot wait to eat it!! I got this beautiful cake platter from Homegoods to place it on, I got the larger one on the bottom, the pieces covered in plastic are large crystals:

and I bought white candles and tied ribbon around them to fit with the theme, I don't have a picture of the flower centerpiece yet.

Aside from my birthday and my friend Lauren's birthday (it's a joint party) this month it is also Ryan's Sister Tiffany's birthday (today) and next week my Sister's Girlfriend has her birthday. I aboslutely love buying gifts for people, I actually had to stop myself from spending god awful amounts of money on them all. I got super cute gifts for them though and I can't wait to give them to the gals. I would share but some of them read my blog and I don't want to spoil the surprise.

I wrapped them all in pretty gift bags :)

And Ryan took me out to dinner last night to a local french restaurant called The Saffron Bistro it's downtown and it's very cute. The food is outstanding. I had haddock and Ryan had lamb, we ordered a nice bottle of red wine and enjoyed ourselves very much. I got to wear my new BCBG dress too.

Goofy smile? check :)

After dinner I watched TV while I wrapped those pretty presents and Ryan locked himself in his Man Cave. It's seriously just our guest bedroom but it has his bed, desk and computer from his old bachelor pad. When we moved I wrote 'guest room' on all the boxes for that room and he wrote 'Ryan's room' which really confused our movers haha. Our place has 2 bedrooms so one of the moving guys came up to me and said "So where is Ryan's room?" and I had a good laugh. So now we call it Ryan's room or the Man Cave because it has blue walls, blue bedding and a framed Subaru poster on the wall. It's such a boys room.

All in all a nice relaxing and efficient day! I didn't come on Blogger at all and there are seriously 10,000 posts to read from you all! I will now be catching up!

One-Shoulder Wonders

I only own 1 piece of clothing that is one-shouldered but I am becoming increasingling smitten with the style. I am seeing more and more styles out there that I love and I think I might be ready to try some out.

One of my biggest body insecurities are my shoulders, they're just..so broad. I'm not a dainty girl by any means and I am really self-concious about my shoulders. According to everyone this is all in my head but I refuse to wear anything strapless because of this. One-shoulder is not strapless though! and I feel like maybe I can get away with it. So I have been cruising the stores checking out the styles and on my next mall trip I am going to go for it and purchase myself another one-shoulder beauty!

Elizabeth & James Vanessa Blouse

Love this bluse, and this line.

LaRok Electro Clash Dress

One Shoulder Dress by Thread Social via Net-a-Porter

This color is gorgeous

Forever 21 top

Arden B tunic

I'm really loving that Forever 21 top so maybe I'll start with that. My Boyfriend promised to go to the mall with me this weekend so I can finally find a dress to wear on my birthday. Dress #2 didn't work out, not that I've explained the whole debacle. So here's the story...

I ordered the perfect dress from Modcloth.com and using their size charts got a medium. It was way too big. So I sent it in for an exchange, they confirmed they recieved my exchange on December 15th, they didn't process my exchange until December 28th (!!!!) by which time the dress was SOLD OUT.

So I started my search over silently cursing Modcloth under my breathm, I may have written a nasty tweet about them. I found an uber pretty Max & Cleo dress (I featured it here) which I love BUT it came and it is not white or off-white, it's ecru which simply does not work for my Black & White themed birthday party. And on top of that, a little too snug in the chest area, common problem of mine. My fault for not reading the description properly but the picture shows an off-white dress!

Sooooooo after shedding some (a lot of) tears Ryan offered to take me to the mall (his least favorite place) and of course, I said yes! Because when a man offers to take you shopping you don't say no!

Happy Shopping everyone!

I hope by next week I have a fab Birthday dress to show off

<3