Thursday's Randoms

How cute is this? I can't bear it.  It's too cute for words.  As is pretty much everything from this awesome Etsy shop, Red Red Completely Red.

Hello, yumminess!  Even though the mister and I are on a bit of a detox (yeah, how could we not be after Sunday's events?), I think this cocktail might be a nice treat once it's over.  I mean, could it be any more apt?  This honey badger don't care!  

I recently ordered myself a Christmas coat from Anthropologie.  It was on major sale but was also on backorder.  I have been waiting and waiting for it to ship but was saddened to receive an email saying the item was cancelled.  I guess it wasn't meant to be after all.  So I got to thinking about how I've been carrying the same purse around for well over a year and a half (who knew an Aldo bag would stay in perfect condition with every day wear for this long?).  While this scalloped clutch from Topshop isn't exactly ideal for every day use, it is pretty irresistible.  `

I could really use a little r n' r in this spot right now.  It looks so calming, relaxing and breezy.  Le sigh. Via 

We have decided to name her Stevie!  After both my stepdad and our friend Daniel suggested we name it Steve in two entirely separate emails, we figured why not go with Stevie?  I like the idea of a boys name used for a girl and it has a feminine ending, so why not?  Lil' Stevie Nicks, Lil' Stevie McQueen, etc.  She even slept through the night on her bed and only made a couple of accidents.  She is getting bigger already and smarter by the second!

Thursday Randoms

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Well.  Today is supposed to be the day we pack up our moving truck.  But notice...I'm still here.  Yesterday we received some bad news from the bank.  We weren't going to be able to close on Friday because some forms needed to be rerun.  So now it's looking like next week for the move/closing and both of us are completely heartbroken.  Neither one of us were mentally prepared for this giant hiccup (especially myself, I am not happy with the way I've handled it so far).  Our apartment is seriously all packed up with the exception of some stray things we've been using.  It sucks.  Because this weekend is a holiday weekend and our original plans were postponed, we've decided to make the most of it.  We're already packed...so why not take a trip!?  With the help of our lovely friend Anna-Maria, we've decided to journey east to Michigan to visit the Sleeping Bear Dunes!  We realize this is totally last minute and it's a holiday weekend so we run the risk of every camp site being taken or there just being an insane amount of people trying to get out into nature.  But we don't care.  We need to get out of here and spend some time outdoors.  Hoorah!

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As an example of how we're trying to make the most of the situation, when life gave us lemons, I insisted we drink vodka lemonade.  So we did.  It was good.

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This eco-friendly handprinted clutch from Etsy shop seaoats has my heart all aflutter.  It's my favorite hue, I'm a lover of design with birds (put a bird on it!) and it's totally affordable.  Be sure to check this shop out as she has a lot of other cool things in there!

Have you seen this split-screen love story?  The video won the Nokia Shorts Competition of 2011 and it was shot entirely on a Nokia N8 phone.  The screen is split between Paris and New York, meeting up in London at the end.  It's worth the few minutes of your time :)  Via Refinery 29

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This Midnight Coral shirt by Rachel Rose is too beautiful not to share.  The colors, the design...brilliant!

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Last, how awesome is this twinkly entryway?  It would put me in a cheery mood every time I came home.  The rest of the flat is pretty neat too.

As I mentioned before, all of our plans are all kinds of messed up now.  Our closing date/move in date is still up in the air, but hopefully there won't be any more set backs.  The bank is completely at fault for this one but it really sucks to know we have no control over anything at this point.  I imagine truck rentals will get expensive and I have to forget about the fact that we reserved it weeks ago with the best rate possible.  But I digress.  

I am bidding you all adieu for the long weekend but please check in tomorrow as I have a very special guest stopping by!  You won't want to miss it.

So Liqurious about these cocktails

Our dear friend Inna passed along this website, Liqurious, and I'm intrigued.  I have spent quite a bit of time on there drooling over the delicious looking cocktails that are perfect for hot summer days and nights.  I can't wait to suggest these to our friends, especially the Bart-tender a/k/a Bort-tender cause he makes such great drinks, not to mention has the perfect name for the job!

Anyway, here are some of the drinks that caught my eye. 

Fresh and Clean Cucumber Gin Fizz

makes 2 cooling cocktails
Ice
2 Inch piece of cucumber diced plus some for garnish
4 Sprigs dill finely chopped plus 2 for garnish
2 Wedges lime plus more to garnish
Tonic
4 oz (4 shots) Gin Tanqueray No. 10

In a cocktail shaker muddle cucumber, dill and lime
Add gin & ice
Shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice
Top off with tonic and give a quick stir
Spritz with lime and top with a sprig of dill & or a slice of cucumber

OK, so if that doesn't tickle your fancy...

Cajun Lemonade

makes one drink

1 1/2 ounces white rum or vodka (I used vodka)
1 ounce Pimm's No. 1
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes Tabasco or other hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
splash of 7Up (set aside for topping up the drink)
lemon wheels (for garnish)

Combine all ingredients (except for 7Up and lemon wheels) in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top up with 7Up, stir, and garnish with lemon wheels.

And certainly the most promising of the bunch:

Perfect Summer Sangria

We start with a dry white - some times you can find whites that have a slight sparkling quality these are perfect! The wine doesn't have to be a stellar bottle because it's just getting mixed.
Lots of fruit cut in bite size pieces. This has a mixture of chopped peach, nectarine, strawberry, raspberry & orange
Chopped herbs - it varries based on what is in my window box here we have mint and lemon balm
For a little sweetness some juice. This has a bit Red Jacket Orchards strawberry apply juice. Juice adds sweetness that compliments the wine but better than the 7-Up or Sprite.
Sometimes I top with a little seltzer, since this already had some bubbles from the wine we left this alone. I also will freeze the berries and add them at the last minute to help the mix stay cool.
One of the best parts is if you use good fruit it's a nice treat at the end of the glass.
Mix together with a tray of ice and serve!!

Do you have any great cocktail recipes or tricks?  Pass them along to Liqurious and let others enjoy!