{Friday Cocktail} Fourth of July Addition

It's that time of year again. As you break out your red white and blue in preparation for Wednesday's festivities consider making this festive beverage...

I mean, how perfect is that. Really. get your self some star shaped ice trays and you'll be all set. It's a spicy watermelon concoction that will be sure to please everyone. 


Ingredients
1 oz watermelon schnapps
1 big splash of cranberry juice
1 very thin sliced jalapeno (or whatever pepper you want)
1 slice lemon
1 slice lime
1.5 oz tequila
.25 oz blue curacao
.5 oz simple syrup

• watermelon wedge for garnish

Directions
combine schnapps and cranberry juice, pour over ice in a tall glass. Then muddle jalapeno, lemon, lime, tequila, blue curacao and simple syrup. Shake and strain SLOWLY over the the watermelony goodness already in your glass. enjoy

have a great weekend y'all, and don't forget you still have 2 days to enter the Rouge & Co giveaway!

Thursday Randoms

I'm kind of loving doing a Thursday Randoms post in bullet point form. Some days you just need to, so this may become a weekly thing. (If y'all hates these posts though, let me know)

• Have you entered my Giveaway yet?
• Last night I attended my first CapFabb Meet up at the American Ice Company. OMG y'all, I had a great time. Meeting blog friends in real life is such a strange feeling. But I love how you instantly have this great connection, and there's no real awkward small talk. :)
• I got to see some of my favorites last night, so get ready for some shout outs:
• I spent most of the evening with Alissa from Feeling Good, Erin from Currently Coveting, Jaime from Forever 81,  and Krista from Blonde Aesthetic
• I also chatted with the gorgeous Meaghan of District Sparkle. Meaghan was one of the first bloggers I met in real life, and I'm kind of obsessed with her. She is one of those people you know will be super successful one day, and I'm so impressed with her because she's started her own charitable organization, G.L.A.M (giving labels a meaning) and is hosting her first event TONIGHT! If you are in the DC area and don't have plans tonight I would seriously urge you to go out to the event tonight. From everything I hear it is going to be FABULOUS. Even if you can't go (like me) you can go here to donate. Good luck Meaghan!!!
• I met a few new bloggers too! I'm completely obsessed with Krista's blog. 
• HOLY HEALTHCARE! SCOTUS decision is out on the Affordable Care Act. I'm shocked/elated that the law was upheld. I'll post more later. 

• Oliver (the cat) ran away last night for an adventure around the hood. After 30 minutes of searching the house he just trotted up from across the street, SUPER dirty. Boyfriend got a shower as punishment and hated every minute of it.
• I'm super excited for the Congressional Baseball Game tonight!
• I'm also going to the Dew Drop clothing swap this weekend. Do you have your tickets yet? 

• It has also become clear to me that I need to get blog cards. Does anyone have any recommendations? How many should I order?
• DUDE. I JUST SAW MITT ROMNEY. omg. omg. omg. his speech on the SCOTUS decision was on the roof of my building at the Goldman Sachs office (hmm...). TOTES saw him coming in.

• Sorry this is such an uber political post. I'M JUST SO EXCITED!!!! WOOHOO!!!

okay. busy day. back to real life. I promise to be more coherent tomorrow

WILW

I'm back for another week of What I'm Loving Wednesday. 

First and foremost, I'm LOVING the awesome Rouge and Co. Giveaway I'm hosting right now. Have you entered yet? go here.

Next I'm loving this cooler weather that we are having in DC. I went swimming after work the other night and OMG it was chilly at 7:30 pm. LOVE it. is it too early in the summer to say I'm ready for fall?

I'm loving these pretty bedrooms. One day I will have something this glamorous  

I'm thinking about doing a super bright fun color like this now though... thoughts?

I'm loving that the Cap Fabb meet up is tonight

Who else is going? 

Y'all know I'm a political nerd, but I am SO EXCITED for the Congressional Baseball game tomorrow. It's AWESOME. A bunch of Congressmen and Senators get together for a friendly game of baseball. Dems vs. Repubs. Last year was a blow out for the Democrats, so we shall see if they continue to dominate or if the Republicans will be out for blood. 

I'm loving that the fourth of july is only one week away!

if only this is what it really looked like

I've been on a STRICT budget this week (testing to see what it will be like when I do a month long spending freeze for my 25 before 25) and let me tell you it's been tough.

Once my spending freeze is over here are a few things I'm loving

ugh. Can some one just by me a whole new wardrobe? k. thanks. 

So that's what I'm loving today. Hope to see some of you tonight!!!!

{Beauty Tuesday} Eye Makeup

First of all, don't forget to enter my awesome Rouge and Co giveaway here.

I seriously love makeup. I always have. I love the process of applying it, learning about it, practicing different looks and techniques. I love it all. While some girls just slap something on to look presentable, I really take pride in applying my eye makeup in the mornings. I could seriously spend hours at my vanity every morning. I love how different shades, and tones and blending techniques can change the look of your face so dramatically. I have been on a pinteresting hunt lately for some inspiration and here's what I've come up with. BTW: all of these can be found on my Makeup Board

I love these step by step pinterest tutorials.  I tried this look today. minus the false eyelashes... a tad too much for work.

I LOVE using my naked palette and the half baked (beautiful gold shimmer) to achieve looks like this one.

never underestimate the power of a dark brow and a shimmery smoked out eye. Amazing.

Love. Uber dramatic

 I am dying over this color. silvery green. gorgeous.

I love this drama without a heavy liner

and I LOVE kiko lynn and her makeup tutorials. Look at this stunning cat eye. Purple liner. purple smokiness? amazing.

I love how simple this look is too. with the white that blends out through the rest of the eye.

love. 

This last look could not be more perfect. 

Seriously. This I spend too much time on pinterest. It's kind of an obsession. But a worthwhile one. 

hope y'all have a great day!

Good Morning

Where do the weekends go? I never know. They seem to speed by much faster than the work week though. 

So I don't know if y'all have seen all the ads but I picked this stuff up at the grocery store the other day and OMG is it good. I highly recommend the B&J's greek yogurt. It's a little tangy and super creamy. It comes in a whole bunch of flavors, but this one in particular caught my eye.

Also, I was BEYOND excited when I won Julie's giveaway a few weeks ago. Well my beautiful earrings were delivered on Saturday, and they did not disappoint. They are the drop bling in hazel from JoJo Loves You. They are seriously gorgeous. Thank y'all!

I woke up ridiculously early on Saturday, so I wend for a walk in the hood and found this little joy. so gross.

and sipped on this beauty. amazing.

Sunday I partook in a more fun beverage (bloody mary at the boundary stone)

I'm also trying to get going on my 25 before 25. I tackled a pinterest project/ idea. I love pinning makeup ideas, and this one was beyond amazing. I tried it saturday night and of course forgot to take any good pictures, but I used my nyx smokey palette and the naked palette, and it turned out pretty close. 

exciting weekend. I know. 

Do you know what is exciting? my newest giveaway with Rogue & Co. go here to enter 

{Giveaway] Rouge & Co CLOSED

So remember when I talked about my obsession with monograms here? Well I went on a bit of an etsy spree and found this wonderful company called Rouge & Co. They can pretty much monogram anything you can think of. Their patterns are super cute and colorful. and they are very cost effective (always important). I mean just look at these. Beyond cute. I mean just look...

Koozies (perfect for summer, and don't forget football season is right around the corner)

Adorable trays for entertaining

Keep everything organized with this awesome calendar

Protect your ipad with this beauty

and who can ever have enough coasters? It's summertime, don't forget to protect your furniture!

Rouge & Co has generously agreed to giveaway not one but TWO personalized Kookies for you wonderful Blue Dog Belle readers! I'm so jealous y'all, I plan to order some too!!!

The giveaway will be open now through Sunday Night! So make sure you go check out Rouge & Co and let me know which products you love!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Friday Cocktail} Peach Two Ways

So, I'm from Georgia. I love Peaches. I love peach cocktails. I saw this on the lovely Julie's blog and I knew I had to devote this week's cocktail to the peach. You should know something about me though, I am indecisive. oh, and I like many liquors. When making these last night, I absolutely couldn't decide so I made two versions.

They both start out the same: Peach Puree. All you need to do is slice up a perfectly ripe peach (over ripe would be even better) remove the pit, and puree in the blender/food processor. Strain if you so desire (I did not care to).

Jim (Bean) and the Giant Peach

In a shaker combine 2 Tbsp of the peach puree

1.5 oz of Bourbon

1 Tbsp Honey or Simple Syrup

add ice and strain into glass.

Top with cranberry juice (but next time I would probably cut it with club soda)

or if gin is more your style (as it is mine) you should definitely try...

The Gin-ger Peach

In a shaker combine 2 Tbsp of peach puree

1 Tbsp Honey or Simple Syrup

Add ice and shake. 

Strain into glass. Top with Gingerale.

Can you tell I love peaches? mmhmm. Both are delicious (I had to down sample both of them for y'all ), but the gin-ger peach is much lighter, perfect for summer time. 

Hope you ladies have a wonderful weekend!

Another Thursday Randoms

• Some days you just need to write a blog post in bullet form. So here you go. 
• I stayed at work yesterday until 10 pm. I am DRAGGING today, let me tell you. 13 hour days are for real, no fun. EVEN when drinking is involved.
• I am also suffering from a minor mid week hangover. what the heck? "I don't got time for that"
• I finally broke out the sear sucker for Sear Sucker Thursday! But now I remember why I so rarely participate (this skirt is too short for work. oh well)
• I went to a CRAZY huge UGA reception at Union Station last night. It was awesome.

• Outgoing President Michael Adams (President of UGA) really needs to get his teeth whitened. Come on dude, you make a lot of money, you are making us look bad. 
• I really miss college. 
• I REALLY don't know what to do about Grad School.
• I am beyond over this hot weather that has suddenly invaded DC. I get that it's officially summer now, but seriously? I am not ready for heat indexes 100+, for reals, not okay.
• I wore a dark suit yesterday--> worst decision of my life
• Have you ever swam in a public pool? Something about it just kind of irks me. I feel like they are full of diseases and urine. BUT there is a pool like 3 blocks from my house, and I'd really like to start swimming laps after work. But... eww, I don't know if I can do it. 
• I love jambalaya. (and plan to have some for lunch today, just thought you should know)
• I forgot to put on foundation today. I just forgot. My make up routine is slightly extensive but I have the exact same routine for my face. just about every day. primer. concealer. foundation. powder. blush. more powder. Today I did primer (stila bronze). then cheek stain. then powder.WTH?  I don't even know. I'm tired.
• I might go get gelato for a post lunch snack. I've been thinking about my Sunday trip to Pitango all week. 
• ALL week I've been thinking that the fourth of July is on Wednesday (meaning next week is a very odd 4 day week). NO wrong. We have a whole other week in between. NOT FAIR.
• I really want to take a "mental health day" soon... but I want to plan it to be AWESOME. DC peeps, any suggestions on random day time activities?
• OH. So I had a huge tech victory yesterday! I figured out how to make a blog button! OMG I know right? I'm so impressed with myself y'all have no idea, well... actually most of y'all probably do. If you want my button you can get it here...

&<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">lt</span>;center>&<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">lt</span>;a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">href</span>=”http://<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">bluedogbelle</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">blogspot</span>.com/“>&<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">lt</span>;<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">img</span> border=”0″ <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">src</span>="http://3.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">bp</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">blogspot</span>.com/-I6gvhPIq3Ts/T-IPA4SmDZI/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">AAAAAAAADKE</span>/7jbp_sqtl0A/s1600/button.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">jpg</span>" />&<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">lt</span>;/a>&<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">lt</span>;/center>

• Does anyone want to do a button swap? leave a comment or email me at thebluedogbelle@gmail.com 
• I. AM. SO. EXCITED. FOR. FRIDAY. these weeks just keep getting more and more painful
• Pretty sure that's all I've got for you today. Maybe I'll double up tomorrow since I feel like my posts have been lacking the last few days. Summer cocktail and a Friday Fancy? I think yes.

Have a great day lovelies.

Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz

If you got the reference you are my bff. If not... it's a kind of ice cream, don't judge me.

Today I want to talk to you about coffee. A very serious subject. I am a coffee addict. I blame my father, who has an obsession with good coffee like no one I've ever seen. He has an espresso machine, some fancy drip maker (that I can't figure out how to use for the life of me), french presses galore, etc. Several Starbucks in the Little Rock area know him by name, or more specifically by order "doppio espresso per favore." He has been a proud owner of a gold card for several years (I'm still loving mine) And whenever I go home I realize what a coffee novice I really am. I started drinking coffee for real in college, but I dabbled during high school. Super sweet Starbucks drinks... does anyone remember the chocolate brownie frappaccino? I sure do. Then I moved to Spain for a study abroad in 2008 and I was introduced to cafe con leche, espressos y cortadas. The cortada was my drink of choice. Delivered in a shot glass was straight espresso with a some steamed milk. You can sip it or shoot it, but whew, is it a caffeine rush. yum.

Needless to say all of this coffee training has failed me of late. I bought one of these a few years ago

and while it's awesome on the go, it doesn't exactly brew a great cup of coffee for my discerning pallet. Since I get free coffee at work I have somehow trained myself to wait until 9 for my first cup of the day... but it's not cutting it anymore. I've recently fallen in love with the idea of french press coffee.

Look at that rich coffee goodness. If you don't know how a french press works, you basically fill up the bottom with your grinds then add boiling water, stir and steep. Then you "press" the coffee with a nifty plunger, pour and enjoy. Pretty easy right?

Some of the reasons I'm thinking about switching to the french press:

It's a relatively cheap investment (compared to a more expensive drip machine)

You can easily control the number of cups you make (most make 2-3)

You get everything out of the coffee-- with drip coffee the water spends very little time with the grinds, and just strains through. With a french press you make more of a coffee soup then you strain it, leaving you with a stronger and fuller flavor.

I can have "fresher" coffee. Coffee goes stale once it's been ground, and how long have k cups just sat around after they've been assembled? Weeks? Months? Years? who know... and should I waste my time with stale coffee? no gracias.

I'll no longer be a slave to the k cup- don't you just hate it when you run out of k cups and your left up the creek without a paddle? *yes I have one of those reusable k cup things, but they are such a mess I rarely use it. 

Okay, I think I've just convinced myself. French press here I come... Do any of y'all have recommendations for a good one? I'm officially on the hunt. 

Quotable Motivation

Trying to remember to do all of this today.