Weekend Recap & the cutest J. Crew sweater!

Happy Monday! This Monday feels a bit worse than usual, maybe because it's the first full week after all of the Holiday celebrations? I need an extra shot in my latte today!

My weekend was the perfect mix of relaxation & celebration! I have been battling an awful cold, I got it just after Christmas and I thought I was turning the bend but it hit me again last Tuesday pretty hard, which also happened to be the day Oliver left for Australia for two whole weeks! I am warning you now please excuse the "bathroom selfies" I am seriously missing my photographer/husband..subtle hint for him to come home early ;)

After generous doses of NyQuil/DayQuil I finally felt better so Saturday I had a lunch date planned with an old friend. I hadn't seen her in so long so it was amazing to catch up on life, love & real life jobs! We went to The Local which I know I have mentioned before it is one of my absolute favorites in the area!

Saturday night I headed over to my cousins house for drinks (my cousin is one hell of a bartender as well) &

appetizers. We had an absolute blast hanging out and catching up! My cousin and her partner just bought an amazing apartment in Boston- I have serious real estate envy every time I walk in the door!

Case in point, that fireplace and woodwork is original to the house and we are talking over 100 years old...amazing!!

For a hostess gift I spiced up the usual bottle of wine gift with this awesome bottle coozie and corkscrew. I found these at J.Crew Factory just after the holidays and bought several. I loved the Polka Dot & Chevron mix and so they did they!














On the topic of J. Crew we can talk about my outfit, it is pretty much head to toe J. Crew! I got this sweater for Christmas and I absolutely love it. I like the fit, it isn't super fitted but it is short enough that I think the boxy look is really flattering! I also love the little sparkle along the neckline. The pants I have raved about before, they are the Winnie Pant and I am absolutely obsessed with them! You can get both of these items on sale for an extra 40% off with the code EXTRA40!

The flats are old from Gap, I love them at really like the pointy toe. Here are a few other similiar styles: Gilt: Elyse Pointed Toe flat, Steve Madden: Elusionl  use code SMFREE50 for free shipping!

A Dinner party, wedding & sightseeing: Our weekend on the blog!

I will preface with the fact that although I don't always recognize it I have a pretty great schedule, I work three 12's a week which means I have four days off. However I work a rotating schedule so after those three long night shifts I am pretty much useless for a day or two. One of the perks is having the time to do errands that on weekends would be a total nightmare (Target or Trader Joe's on a Saturday morning). Like anything there are pro's and con's to shift work, as I am sure there are for 9-5's. This week I am grateful for the "pro" of having an extra long weekend! :)

Our weekend started Thursday evening at 730 when I left work and met up with my college roommate and her Fiance for drinks in town. They live in NJ so I don't get to see her often, when she called and said she'd be in Boston I was thrilled to get the chance to see them. We had a great time catching up and getting to know her future husband! I snapped this photo of the city on our walk home- I am always in awe of this city's beauty!

Friday was my day to run errands and get ready for a little dinner party we had scheduled with my sweet friend Ashley and her boyfriend. I absolutely love getting together with these two, we always have such a great time! Last time they came up for dinner we had a Mexican themed dinner where we tested out new recipes. We totally appreciated them being taste testers, but this time we went with a signature dish in our house, homemade ravioli with a white wine pesto sauce. For dessert we had a flour less chocolate cake a la mode topped off with a lingue di gatto cookie! It was a such a fun dinner to prepare, and even better to eat!

Saturday morning we got an early start dropping off Clovis to his "grandparents" for the night so we could head North for one of my childhood  friend's wedding. We have known each other since second grade so getting to see her marry the man of her dreams was such a great moment! So happy for those two :) In between the ceremony & reception we were drove by the cutest coffee shop- Backyard Coffee & Eatery and could not resist stopping in. How perfect is this chalkboard sign in the shop?


After a couple of lattes we headed over to the reception. We danced, drank & ate lobster so quite frankly it could not have been better!

We also got to spend time with my cousins who have a place in Maine. They cooked us the most amazing breakfast and we got to enjoy their company. Hours had passed & an entire bottle of Champs before we realized we were still in our PJ's- a pretty perfect Sunday for me! :)

We had such a great time but I was SO happy to come home to our little guy and snuggle up with him on the couch!

I hope your weekend was filled with laughter & love! 

I am a firm believer in maintaining "girls nights" on my calendar. Getting dolled up & going for a night out with your girlfriends is good for the soul! My ladies nights usually entail dinner, drinks, dancing & lots of girl talk.

When I have a night out coming up I find myself scanning my closet for the perfect outfit, which is some variation of a skirt or dress and always heels!  I can't tell you how many stories I have heard about my insistence to dress up as a child, there are countless photos of me with my Mother's shoulder bags, heels and jewelery on. Many years later absolutely nothing has changed, and luckily those heels of hers are actually my size now! :)

For this look I went with an ultra feminine tulle skirt, this one is from The Loft (last season) however check out this Lauren Conrad version, and RED Valentino find! To give it a bit more edge I went with a faux leather sleeved shirt and black leather booties. I am wearing a statement Crystal Necklace currently available on J Crew Factory! The earrings are a staple in my wardrobe, I often find myself wearing them to work! - Overkill I know. They are Nancy Studs from Stella and Dot

I would love to hear what your favorite look is for a girls night out- leave a comment below to share!