Take it High and then Get Low

The weather in DC has been horrendous and all I want to do is throw on a light and breezy dress to go to work. I really like the idea of a pleated high-low dress.

Forever 21, Embellished High Low Dress, $29

Bet you wouldn't have guessed this to be Forever 21 and under $30. The blush color is perfect for summer.

Nordstrom, Kenneth Cole Pleated Ikat Dress, $69

A little ikat perhaps? I would add a metallic belt to this dress but I love the neutral canvas. 

Modcloth, Roof Garden Party Dress, $41

I think Modcloth aptly named this dress. Give me a beautiful roof and a glass of sangria and this dress.

Asos, Chiffon Dress with High Low Hem, $66

This is one of my favorite colors and the fact that I can wear a good bra and a great necklace is good enough for me. 

High low dresses are a great way to mix up your standard summer dress staples. Add some pleating to make it more work appropriate.

Be fabulous today!

Friday Foodday

We made it! Happy Friday lovebugs! Here are some of my favorite recipes for this week.

Peppery Punch
c/o The Bitten Word

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 cups gin
• 1/2 cup elderflower liqueur (such as St-Germain)
• 2 cups champagne
• Sliced lemons, quartered strawberries and freshly ground pepper, for garnish

Directions

Make the simple syrup: Bring the sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves; let cool.

Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and 1/2 cup simple syrup in a punch bowl. Add the gin and elderflower liqueur and stir. Fill with ice, then add the champagne. Garnish with lemons, strawberries and pepper.

Sweet Corn Risotto

c/o Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients

4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried minced onion
1 cup arborio rice
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh corn, or frozen (thawed)
3/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
1/2 tbsp herbs de provence


Directions
1- Heat the chicken stock in a pot and keep warm over a low simmer.
2- Meanwhile in a large skillet heat the oil and onion. Stir well. Add the rice, and stir, until lightly golden.
3- At this point add stock, 1 cup at a time, and simmer over low heat until all of the liquid absorbs. Repeat until all liquid is used. Season with salt and pepper.
4- Once the final cup of stock has been added mix in the corn, cheese, and seasonings. Stir well. Once most of the liquid is absorbed, serve hot. Top with additional herbs if desired.


Chocolate Eclairs in a Jar
c/o Kitchen Bellicious

Ingredients
1-2 sleeves Graham crackers
1 tub chocolate frosting

2. For the Pudding:
3. 2 2/3 cups whole milk
4. 1/2 cup sugar
5. 1/4 cup cornstarch
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
7. 2 tsp vanilla extract
8. 2 tsp vanilla sugar
9. 1 large egg
10. 8 ounces of whipped cream

Directions

1. Break graham crackers into small pieces and line the bottom of jars with them.

2. Mix up the cream.

Bring 2 cups of the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. While it is heating, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla sugar in the bottom of a medium, heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup whole milk, a little at a time so lumps do not form, then whisk in the egg. Once milk is boiling, very gradually add it to the cornstarch mixture in the bowl, whisking the whole time.

Return the mixture back to the saucepan, stirring constantly with a silicon spatula or wooden spoon. Once it comes to a simmer, cook it for one minute longer (which will cook the cornstarch and egg fully). Stir in vanilla extract and whipping cream. Divide cream mixture among jars. Fill about 2/3 to ¾ full.

3. Top with another layer of grahams. Break up here and cover entire surface as well as possible.

4. Finish off with a thick layer of frosting spread across the top like a lid.

5. Refrigerate for 8 hours with no lid then cover with lid for another 10 hours.

Hot and Unbalanced

And I'm not just talking about myself! Today, we're looking at one shoulder maxi dresses; I love maxis, and we looked at some maxi skirts last week, but today we're taking the maxi dress and cutting off a shoulder.

Willow & Clay, Zig Zag Belted Maxi Dress, $84

This flirty and fun maxi is perfect for day or night with the appropriate shoes.

Hive & Honey, Maxi Shirred Dress, $49

This also comes in navy. I think either color is the perfect neutral canvas to add some big and colorful jewelry.

Tinley Road, One Shoulder Maxi, $29

This is a little bridesmaid worthy, but also lovely for an outdoor dressy wedding.

KAS New York, Sue Bead-Neck Maxi, $98

Want to feel like a Grecian goddess? Throw this on and be ready to turn heads.

I love the idea of a dramatic neckline created by a one shoulder dress. These beauties really are a tall glass of water.

Be fabulous today!

Vent Sesh

Do you ever feel, like a plastic bag, drifting through—no I’m kidding, come on, this is for real guys.

Thank you to Alyson who let me be a part of this week’s Vent Sesh. I think it’s a really great and honest way for bloggers to tell readers more about themselves instead of ‘omg I love those shoes’, which, don’t get me wrong, I love to do, but this is a great opportunity.

Today’s sesh was open-ended which I found a little daunting. Just to pick something out of the blue that I was cranky about. Generally I’m a pretty happy person and thanks to loyal friends and loving family members, I’m able to keep that mood, but sometimes it’s exhausting and you just need a break.

I’m tired. I’m just worn out a little bit guys. Nothing specific has happened to make the sky fall but just the constant merry-go-round of days is a bit of a bummer recently. Right now I categorize my life into two categories, work and not work. I have found this to be an easy way to keep things organized but I’ve realized this system leaves no time for Kelsey. Let me break it down.

Work- I work 9-6 and I work hard. I do a good job and I aim to please. By 6:00pm I’m spent. It’s usually been a long day of multi-tasking, conference calls and creating things and even after that, sometimes I feel like I wasn’t good enough that day. I could have done something better.

Not Work- This is everything after 6:00pm. The two most important things are my friends and family and my dog. You all know a little bit about The BF-going strong after four years last week- and I have a handful of very close friends that I do my best to keep in touch with and make sure they’re happy. My family lives in Philadelphia so when they call, I answer, no matter what. Sometimes it’s hard to be away from them. I try my very best to talk to at least one of them everyday. Then there is Norman. My one year old joy. The BF and I got him in September and since then he has been a fluffy bundle of energy, love, half-eaten remote controls, vet bills, accidents and happiness. Having a puppy is no small task and while there is nothing in the world I’d rather do than come home to that little man wagging his tail, it makes it difficult to go to a happy hour with a friend or decide to be spontaneous with The BF.

I’m having a hard time expressing my frustration because it seems selfish. Who am I to bitch about not getting any me time? I have a great job, a loving boyfriend and family, a fabulous pup, a beautiful apartment and a great support network. Sometimes I just want to tell myself to man the eff up and deal with it, but putting on an act and what you’re really feeling are two different things.

I think I need to add a category. I’m not sure what I will call it yet but it will be the ‘Take Care of Kelsey’ category. It will be my space to break the cycle of work and not work. Doesn’t have to be big or expensive or time consuming but it needs to happen.  I know I'm not the only one who feels this way - we live in an incredibly busy and demanding world, and often times the last person that we take care of is ourselves. But it is so important. I'm going to make a better effort to make some 'me' time more often - I hope you do, too.