When Baking Goes Wrong… Distract Them

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I have been sitting on these pictures for months. I really liked the outfit. I really disliked the recipe I made that day. So, I was unsure what to do. Should I still show the outfit or scrap it?

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Well, with all of us baking this holiday season, there are bound to be some mishaps. If the same happens to you, just know at least you will probably be fully clothed when it happens. Winning.

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Although showing a bit of undergarments is a sure fire way to distract folks from bad food.

Or not.

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I have a chicken empanada recipe that is out of this world. It is my sister’s favorite thing that I make. And if memory serves me, my daughter’s too. Although I have never shared it here…yet. I am a bit slow on the draw.

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I decided to try making sweet empanadas. Sounded simple enough. Just fill pie crust dough with a filling (I originally typed “feeling” and that would probably have turned out better), crimp, sprinkle with sugar and bake. But the lemon curd filling oozed out everywhere and the Nutella ones I made dried out and it was all a big disappointment. My husband and my mom both liked them, but in my opinion, they were not worth making again.

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What are you baking this holiday season? I am making pie crust cookies. And chocolate chip cookies. And when I want something simple, I pick up the prebaked sugar cookie shapes at the grocery store (available at Albertson’s where I live) and dye vanilla frosting then let the kids take over. For dinner last night, I made Tyler Florence’s Pot Roast Tacos. The night before I made a very easy lasagna I will be sharing here next weekend. Tonight I am making Beef Enchiladas with the leftover taco meat. Tomorrow will be Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Potato Soup. Do you plan your weekly meals in advance? I love to cook. And I am trying not to fry my brain as I work out exactly how many more presents I still need to pick up. Smells like Christmas… And singed hair.

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I am oblivious to the future of these pastries as I happily wear Anthropologie’s Horizon Lines Maxi (sold out, similar here), Free People’s Shadow Hacci Top, and Cosabella’s Never Say Never Sweetie Bralette in this picture.

It’s The Little Things: Bralettes and Bandeaus

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This is a sensitive subject. I am hoping to write an informative post without being tacky. I am a modest girl, after all (for some reason my family laughed ridiculously hard at this statement). Okay, I try to be a modest girl. I also happen to be a mom. So, I have to keep it tasteful.

Deep breath.

Here we go…

I randomly picked up two bralettes at Nordstrom Rack in the clearance aisle about two months ago. I loved the bright colors. I purchased a cheery yellow and a fuchsia. I still thought they were expensive at $22 each, but I had been looking for a pretty bra that had a back that did not necessarily look like a bra. A bralette, if you will, to wear with low-back dresses and tops. I try not to show too much cleavage. And I like to stick to nude and black bras for every day wear. The picture above is the back of a bandeau over a regular nude bra.

A flirty back is much more my style than a low-cut top.

I went home and was pleasantly surprised at how many items in my closet the bralettes looked pretty with, just peeking out the back.

In, hopefully, not a risqué way. I consider bralettes to be more of an undershirt than a bra with their thicker body and pretty textures (I love the eyelet one in this post). I grabbed a medium in everything I mention below.

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My husband saw this outfit* (post to come, well, actually, cooking post to come) and said to me, “Um, your bra is showing… A lot.”

I breezed by him like a true woman of the world and said, “I know. It is supposed to be this way.” Inwardly I was wondering if he was right. But the key to pulling off this look is being bra-ve.

Long story short, I found that the bralettes I purchased are actually made by a well known brand sold by many of my favorite retailers.

The brand is called, “Cosabella.” I checked and Nordstrom Rack currently has these colors for sale in their online store. They do not have the colors I picked up, but they might in-store. The prices online are slightly higher than the in-store price I paid (however they are still much cheaper than full price).

Amazon also has a pack of three in certain colors for $45 right now. Since the regular price for the bralettes are over $44 each, this is a great price.

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I also picked up three Free People bandeaus in July. I bought them for $8.40 each at Nordstrom Rack. Original price is $28. However, I was just there last week (buying the gift card for my giveaway) and they are now currently on clearance at Nordstrom Rack for $7 each. My Nordstrom Rack had a ton of these bandeaus in a variety of sizes and colors left. I wear them over my regular bras (the bandeaus offer nothing in the way of support) to add a pretty lace pattern where I need it in the front or back.

My husband said to me, “you are seriously going to post pictures of your underwear on the internet?”

“Um, yea. Besides it’s not underwear. It’s bralettes. They’re not even real bras. I would never post pictures of my real bras on the internet. Why? Is it weird?”

“Uh, yeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh.”

Hmmmmm. But what to do? I had information to give. So rather than post pictures of my bralettes, I am simply posting pictures of my bandeaus. This is because the bandeaus are worn over my bras and are therefore more like a short tank top and not actual undergarments. In conclusion, I have determined that they are postable.

And I remain not creepy.

Or less creepy.

And hopefully creepless.

It’s the little things: a way to make all of those oddly cut garments work with your undergarments instead of against them.

*outfit in picture is this top and this skirt.

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My Valentine’s Day

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I love a theme. It’s not that I love Valentine’s Day. Or really, that I even like it. But there is just something wonderful about a day devoted to love. And I absolutely adore when people give into a day and support the theme. In this case, pink or red. I purchased this Free People bright pink caftan and I knew I wanted to wear it specifically for Valentine’s Day. I loved wearing it. It made me feel, oh, so feminine.

I also purchased my husband a tie (clearanced to $10) that matched my dress perfectly. Remember, I love when we match, too.

Double theme. Check. Double nauseating. Check.

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I was asked what I wore under this dress. It is extremely low cut, so I paired it with my eyelet bralette. It looks like a pretty supportive tank top.

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My honey brought me roses. It is kind of an inside joke. Red roses. I will write about it some time.

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My husband and I went out to lunch at our favorite restaurant. They have these fries. These fries. You guys, you have not had fries until you have had these fries. They take three days to make. It is a secret process. I have never had anything like them. You know what I’m craving now.

It was fun to see how different people interpreted Valentine’ Day through their clothing. My favorite was a little old woman in a pink shirt, red pants and flashing lit-up heart pins covering her bodice. It was awesome!

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It was a beautiful day.

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I had planned on making homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner, but my sweet mom dropped off a homemade chicken pot pie. It was so good. And much appreciated.

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And I made these macadamia nut individual brown sugar cakes for dessert.

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Did you have a good Valentine’s Day? A good weekend? What did you end up doing? Wearing?

If it wasn’t good, I hope this week is much better for you.

* P.S. I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!