Being from the desert, I love a good sandal. Whether it's a cringe flip-flop (hey, sometimes you just need to run things out to the trash!) or a sleek slide, sandals are almost always my go-to shoe. Since the temperatures are fairly nice year round they become a closet staple almost. Really the only time they aren't worn is during the chilly winter temperatures (which really only happen two times a day). 

Growing up a trip to Target was a treat. Today it's more like a wonderland that makes money fly right out of my wallet as soon as those doors slide open. If I can stick to the list of things I intentionally went to buy, I'm shocked. Truth be told, my list goes right out the window if I go NEAR the Hearth & Hand by Magnolia section. But now there's Made By Design. Made By Design offers simple, well-designed items at an affordable price tag. We're talking 750 brilliant items to channel minimalistic style without breaking the bank.

Chrissy Teigen's Cravings cookbook is probably my favorite cookbook. So it's not really surprising how excited I am for its follow up. But since that doesn't come out for a little while I have plenty of time to keep cooking my way through the OG cookbook. And there is one recipe that keeps popping up in my Twitter feed. I feel like Chrissy has literally favorited every single tweet featuring her Cacio E Pepe. I am pretty hesitant to try new pasta dishes.

4th of July is just a couple of days away. Everyone is packing up and going on vacation. Except for me. I'll likely end up watching a fireworks display, having a burger, and making some boozy popsicles. Not that those things don't sound fun, it's just I wish I was going on a vacation. I can't remember the last time I took a real vacation, but since I can't pack up and go, I thought I would dream about it instead. I picked 4 places I wish I could be right now plus what I would have to bring with me. And so this series of destination wardrobes was born.

It might be a cliche, but I definitely can't believe it's almost July. Just days away at this point. Right now I feel like a stressed out mess. Something that isn't a good look on anyone. Have you ever just gotten so mad at someone that you just have no way of telling them how mad you are? So instead everything just snowballs and you start getting mad at everything else essentially covering up what is bothering you in the first place? Sure, it's not a healthy behavior, but I guess its easier than realizing how hurtful the original situation is.

Pasta salads are basically a 4th of July tradition. At least to me for a couple of reasons. First, the end of June/beginning of July the temperature begins to start hitting over 110 more frequently. This makes cooking or consuming heavy meals uncomfortable. Second, everything about pasta salad screams summer and al fresco eating. I mean BBQs, picnics, or even just casual meals at home can welcome a tasty pasta salad. And, I won't lie, as an Italian, I'm a fan of any dish featuring a good noodle or a really good antipasto.  Antipasto Pasta Salad combines two things I've joyously grown up eating. This is one of my favorite pasta salad recipes.

As I sit here writing this I can't help but wonder where half of the year went. It seems like just 5 minutes ago I was really hopeful about the year ahead, and now that's half over I feel pretty bummed out. I'm definitely not anywhere close to where I thought I would be 6 months ago, but I guess that's how life works. Posting another What I'm Listening To after just posting one last month seems like a bit of a cop-out, but I have a good reason. There have been so many good new releases this past month and just some songs I've had on heavy rotation lately. 

Ah, summer is officially here. I will admit summer was always much more fun as a kid. Sure, going to the beach, spending a day at the pool, or taking a long vacation is still fun, but it still feels entirely different. Being from the desert, the temperatures are much higher (duh) so when it comes to getting dressed, you have to be strategic. This is because by midday you can end up looking like a sweaty tomato. Denim jackets and light sweaters really save you when it comes to air conditioning, but don't really serve any other purpose. I find trying to style outfits pretty difficult during summer. That's not to say I don't come up with some great outfits.

To be quite honest, at first, the thought of wearing an all-white outfit gives me peak anxiety. Just the sheer amount of things that could go wrong and make the outfit dirty heightens my anxiety. But the more I kept seeing them on the internet, the more they started to grow on me. There is something so clean, simple, and chic about an all-white outfit that I find appealing. Not to mention, one of the first rules you're taught about dressing in the desert is to wear light colors.