(500) Days of Summer Eat See Hear Outdoor Movie Blogger Meetup

Group shot! Leeann, Brianna, Elisabeth, and me

If I could I would go to an outdoor movie every weekend. I absolutely love it! Last summer I went to see Mean Girls (Street Food Cinema in West Hollywood), Risky Business (Oscars Outdoors), Troop Beverly Hills (at Grand Park downtown), and The Sandlot (at Dodger Stadium).

Photo credit: Leeann

Two weeks ago I went to see (500) Days of Summer at Santa Monica High School through Eat See Hear. It now officially feels like summer! This was the first Eat See Hear movie of Summer 2014. Leeann organized a blogger meetup to kickoff the summer. Leeann, Brianna of Heart of Life (who I met at the TVD PaleyFest), Elisabeth of Headbands and Bagels (who I had just met at the SoCal Blogger Society brunch fiesta), and I had a great time. There are food trucks, live music, and then the movie of course. Located at rotating outdoor venues throughout the LA area, you can watch your favorite movies under the stars! For dinner I had pizza from The Urban Oven and then an ice cream sandwich from Coolhaus. Perfect Saturday night!

Ready for the movie to start! I wore my Lilly Pulitzer skipper printed popover in Lobstah Roll

I kept warm in my ChappyWrap. It was windy and cold by the water

If you are local make sure to check out the Eat See Hear summer schedule

10 Nautical Dresses for Spring and Summer Weddings

ETA: I'm not sure what happened to the text I had for this post. I am adding it back in

With Memorial Day approaching we are gearing up for wedding season! This is the time to bring out the nautical dresses! I have included 10 options below from casual daytime to more formal evening dresses. Whether you are going to a small wedding on the beach or a big formal wedding at the country club there is a nautical dress for every summer wedding!

1. Lilly Pulitzer Sloane v neck maxi dress, $198 | 2. Kate Spade Tropez dress, $248 | 3. Kate Spade mariella dress, $398 | 4. J.Crew pleated knit dress in stripe, $128 | 5. Persifor Kilpatrick dress in baja sea fan, $198 | 6. Kate Spade Corley dress, $398 | 7. Donna Ricco Belted stripe matte satin dress, Nordstrom, $138 | 8. Kate Spade Elza dress, $448 | 9. Kate Spade Fiorella dress, $358 | 10.
Vineyard Vines chevron tail dress, $158

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Target Merona Nautical Accessories: Seashells, Sailboats, Whales, and MORE

I have yet to see most of this collection in person but I had to share! I bought the sailboat and whale cardigans and the whale button down. I didn't realize there is also a whale popover so I may exchange the button down for a popover

1. Sailboat Credit Card Wallet, $7 | 2. Sailboat Phone Case Wallet with Removable Wristlet Strap, $15 | 3. Sailboat Print Scarf, $17 | 4. Sailboat Zip Around Phone Case Wallet with Removable Wristlet Strap, $15 | 5. Zip Around Sailboat Print Wallet, $15 | 6. Sailboat Hard Case Wallet, $13 | 7. Sailboat Phone Case Wallet with Removable Strap, $13 | 8. Sailboat socks, $4 (not pictured) | 9. Sailboat cardigan, $23 (not pictured) | 10. Sailboat tie, $20 (not pictured)

1. Seashell Print scarf, $17 | 2. Seashell Credit Card Wallet, $5 | 3. Seashell Hard case wallet, $13 | 4. Seashell Zip Credit Card Wallet, $5 | 5. Seashell Zip Around Phone Case Wallet with Removable Wristlet Strap, $15

Whale v neck cardigan, $23 | Whale popover shirt, $23 | Whale print socks, $4

Whale credit card wallet, $7 | Whale print scarf, $17 | Whale button down shirt, $23

Starfish hard wallet, $13 | Crab print socks, $4 | Lobster tie, $20

Anchor print swim shorts, $18 | Nautical flag print socks, $4 | Men's Crab print sleep shorts, $10

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The Bachelorette Viewing Party Essentials

The new season of The Bachelorette starts tonight on ABC! I did not watch most of Juan Pablo's season because I really didn't like him. But I liked Andi a lot and I am excited for this season. 25 hot guys? Count me in! My sister used to host viewing parties at her house but now that she has a second baby I will be taking over as hostess. My sister's friends always do a bracket with extra categories to get more points such as if someone cries, someone says they are in it for the right reasons, and of course when someone says another contestant is in it for the wrong reasons (oh the drama!). You can make your own or just google "Bachelorette Bracket"

The Bachelorette Viewing Party Essentials:

Fun drinks and cute paper straws! If you are hosting your girlfriends how about Sofia mini blanc de blancs and Perrier Pink Grapefruit Sparkling Water? How cute are these heart paper straws from Cost Plus World Market ($10 for 25).

Games! Pin the tie on host Chris Harrison or Bachelorette bingo (can also be a drinking game depending on guests) are major hits. Ask guests to come up with an opening line, the cheesier the better, that they will say when they arrive (pretending they are getting out of the limo)

Treats! These tuxedo chocolate covered strawberries are perfect. I saw this muffin idea on The Dating Divas. Just print out photos of the contestants and you are set!

Meet the stud muffins!

Roses! ProFlowers was the official floral partner of The Bachelor. Any Bachelor/Bachelorette viewing party must have some flowers around in honor of the infamous rose ceremony. These can also be favors (a single rose to each guest as they leave)

I am sharing this post as part of ProFlowers Summer Viewing Party. You can see more viewing party ideas over at the ProFlowers blog

Will you be watching The Bachelorette tonight?

RadioShack Summer Technology Preview/Gifts for Dads and Grads

Earlier this month I attended an event at the new RadioShack flagship store in Santa Monica. The updated RadioShack stores are bright, colorful, and open.

These are perfect graduation gifts for kids heading off to college. There are never enough outlets in a dorm room! Here we have the Quirky wrap around extension cord and Quirky flexible power strip (available in multiple colors)

Track your exercise, calories, and sleep with fitbit flex (plus you can change colors with fitbit accessory pack) , or Jawbone UP

My dad and stepmom do not have DVR (crazy!) so I am thinking about getting them a Roku. There is also Apple TV which I haven't used but my sister and brother in law have. There are so many fun gadgets these days: wireless extenders, signal boosters (if you spend a lot of time driving for work this is a must!), and TV/video/movie streamers.

This Philips SHOQBOX Bluetooth Portable Speaker is perfect for perfect for outdoor adventurists! It is splashproof and drop proof with a rubber casing that is a specialized tough material to withstand drops and rough use. You can use the metal loop/carabiner at the top to attach it to your backpack or bicycle

This JBL Voyager Bluetooth System with Detachable Speaker is awesome. Main dock unit features 3" subwoofer and recharge dock for portable speaker. It has built-in speakerphone and a 5-hour rechargeable battery It also works as a portable speaker you can carry. You simply unclick and detach the Bluetooth wireless speaker from the main docking system 

USB port for charging smartphones and tablets

This JBL Pulse Portable Bluetooth Speaker was hands down my favorite of the night. I think this would be a fun high school graduation or housewarming present. The tag line is: "Bring your music to life, with sound you can see." Wirelessly stream music from any Bluetooth enabled device. Control color, brightness or download more light themes with your JBL app to keep the party jumping. You can adjust the light show depending on your mood (something soft and calming for studying, bright for a party)

And we can't forget the "toys": RC Bladerunner HeliQuad , Porsche, and more

The Mentalist: My 5 Favorite Episodes + Finale Predictions

As I have mentioned before I LOVE Simon Baker so of course I am obsessed with watch The Mentalist. I tend to overanalyze TV so a show like The Mentalist keeps my brain very active. I am still thinking about previous seasons, looking for hints about Red John's identity that I might have missed. I kind of think it all made perfect sense. Just in case you aren't caught up I will leave it at that.

The season finale is this Sunday May 18 on CBS and I am wondering if we are finally going to have Jane and Lisbon together. Or at least maybe going in that direction. Now that Red John is gone I think Patrick Jane needs some love!

I really wanted to do a post about The Mentalist so I reached out to Warner Brothers and got some high resolution photos to go with my list. I have really enjoyed the second half of this season. The elaborate con in Violets reminded me why this is one of my favorite shows. It was tough narrowing down my list to just five episodes but here they are:

Red Scare (season 2, episode 5): Rigsby and Van Pelt kissing for the first time! From the very first episode it was clear these two had chemistry. Even Patrick Jane picked up on it in the pilot episode!

Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Blinking Red Light (season 4, episode 7): A blogger, James Panzer, obsessed with a case may in fact be the killer ("The San Joaquin Killer"). We are also introduced to another suspect, Richard Haibach (Ethan for all of you LOST fans). Haibach comes back in the sixth season. Panzer and Jane go head to head on a talk show as Panzer attempts to clear his name and show that he is an expert on the case. Jane pushes all of Panzer's buttons and in anger Panzer calls Red John a common sociopath. Panzer says that Red John is not as good as the San Joaquin killer, he's an amateur. Panzer is found dead the next morning with a Red John smiley face over his body. With Panzer dead we don't know for sure if he is in fact the San Joaquin killer or not.

Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Little Red Corvette (season 5, episode 12): Desmond from LOST. Enough said. Henry Ian Cusick playing a villain might be even better. Tommy Volker is a very very bad guy with a lot of money and power. Volker is in multiple episodes but I liked this one best because it was filmed at the LA Zoo! The plot is interesting but the fact I (quickly) saw them filming made it even better. H and I were there for one of the zoo classes and I happened to see the chase scene being filmed.

Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Wedding in Red (season 6, episode 3): Rigsby and Van Pelt get married (yay) but we also get another episode with Sheriff McAllister (who is on the list of Red John suspects). Xander Berkeley is fascinating as the small town Sheriff that we don't know much about (he was also pure evil as Percy on Nikita). This is a REALLY important episode. We know Red John has a phobia but we don't know what the specific phobia is. Jane thinks McAllister might be afraid of heights when he won't get up on a ladder in the beginning of the episode. At the end of the episode though he climbs onto the roof to save Jane so clearly he is NOT afraid of heights. Apparently in the same scene he is startled by a pigeon (HINT HINT!). I need to watch this episode again.

Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Red All Over (season 2, episode 20): This is our first look into Visualize, a cult that comes up in multiple episodes. Its leader is Bret Stiles (Malcolm McDowell) who is on the Red John suspect list in later episodes. I wrote a paper on Scient*ology in college (I even visited the celebrity center here in LA) so this episode was right up my alley. Bret Stiles is the perfect cult leader: a charismatic, charming con man!

Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

I would love to hear what your favorite episode of The Mentalist is! 

What are your predictions for Sunday's finale?

Super Saturday LA THIS SATURDAY MAY 17!

Just a reminder that OCRF's Super Saturday in LA is THIS Saturday May 17! To get your tickets go here . The New York Super Saturday will be Saturday July 26 and you can find information here

This year Super Saturday, the iconic charity shopping event benefiting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, is coming to Los Angeles for the first time on Saturday, May 17th. The event will be hosted by Rachel Zoe and Molly Sims! The event is expanding to the West Coast from New York to commemorate OCRF’s 20-Year Anniversary. OCRF’s Super Saturday was created in 1998 by Donna Karan and the late Liz Tilberis. In 2013, Super Saturday raised over $3.7 million for Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. See below for ticket information!

Super Saturday, is a fun-filled, family-oriented fundraiser that offers premier fashion for women, men and kids plus beauty, jewelry, accessories and home items for up to half off the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Proceeds support OCRF's research grants. Think of it as the fanciest garage sale you will probably ever go to! A few of the many designers included this year are: Vineyard Vines, Rachel Zoe, Kate Spade SATURDAY, James Perse, Michael Stars, Trina Turk, ERIN by Erin Featherston, Kenneth Cole, Dogeared, Hudson Jeans, and Cosabella.You can see the full list here

Some of the activities include: At Home with JCPenney where guests can relax and enjoy refreshments, cooking demonstrations by actress and “Dinner at Tiffani’s” host Tiffani Thiessen; L’Oreal Paris Beauty Suite where attendees can pamper themselves with a manicure or professional make-up application; complimentary blowouts at the pop-up premiere blowout salon, DreamDry, co-founded by Rachel Zoe and marketing expert, Robin Moraetes.

For the kids there will be activities, games and arts and crafts galore! Fashion designer Rob Younkers and Elle's Creative Director Joe Zee will bring their highly successful Stitched Fashion Camp to OCRF’s Super Saturday LA, bringing the fashion design experience to life and working with teens and children at the event to design and style one-of-a-kind shirts. Local LA charity P.S. ARTS will host amazing activities for kids modeled on their incredible “Express Yourself” fall event. Duff’s Cakemix, founded by celebrity chef and television personality, Duff Goldman, will also be on-site with an interactive design bakery and a DIY cupcake decorating station for kids.

Ticket prices for OCRF’s Super Saturday LA are $250 for general admission, $100 for entry after 1:30PM, $50 for children ages 6-16 (kids 5 and under are admitted free) and $20 per pup. VIP tickets featuring exclusive benefits are available for $400, and include: early access (10:00AM) to luxury designer sale, preferred parking, access to VIP area to rest and relax, expedited cashier process and shopping bag check.

Apparel by PW

Apparel by PW was founded in Boston in 2013. The first official collection launched in March 2014. Apparel by PW creates unique hand crafted items such as croakies, belts, shirts and key fobs. Each item combines a unique design with a New England feel with high quality materials (everything is made in the US).

Sailor knot sunglasses straps (also available in white, red, and red, white, and blue/"USA").

The leather sunglasses straps feature a leather backing on the design ribbon so you can reverse them!

Beach essentials sunglasses straps

The classic beach essentials: Sunglasses, bathing suits, sandals, a 6-Pack, and a beach ball

USA Red Leather Sunglasses Straps

The bow tie sunglasses straps are available with white vegan leather or brown genuine leather straps

Blue seersucker white vegan leather | red seersucker brown genuine leather
paisley white vegan leather | blue seersucker brown genuine leather

Pink seersucker bow straps with white vegan leather

I was sent the poppin' bottles to try. 

This week we have had a heat wave and I have been wearing my sunglasses as soon as I get outside. Yesterday we went to the zoo and it was so handy to have straps on my sunglasses. I could take them off during bathroom breaks (inevitable when traveling with kids!) or the rare moments we were in the shade. I had H take this photo of me at lunch. Keep in mind it was 100+ out and he is only 4

I love that they are reversible! I can have the bottle design out when I am off the clock and then the brown when I am Nanny Kate

All of the designs you see on the sunglasses straps are also available on belts!

Bar tap belt

If you are in the Boston area Apparel by PW will have a tent at the SoWa Open Market June 8th and July 6th.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Please note: Apparel by PW sent me a pair of sunglasses straps to review. All opinions are my own

The Preppy Cookbook

Have you heard about this book, The Preppy Cookbook? I was sent a copy of the book to review. It is a playful, tongue-in-cheek cookbook about the preppy palate and lifestyle by award-winning chef and a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Christine Nunn. Her love of manners, madras, and campy cuisine inspired her to write The Preppy Cookbook. Filled with 125 perfectly tested recipes you will find everything from the best lobster rolls to drinks for Sunday brunch. If you are hosting a cocktail party this will be your go to guide. There is even a cocktail made with Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies!

Recipes include essentials for a bridal shower, hors d’oeuvres for holiday parties, the perfect lobster bake, and more. The Preppy Cookbook provides a variety of recipes for all (preppy) occasions. The photographs and illustrations are charming too (see below).

The back cover includes "Preppy Rules to Live By." My favorites are: Lobsters can and should be cracked with your hands and no bloodies after 3 P.M.  I laughed out loud several times while reading this book. Just the right amount of humor!

Here are the categories: The Formative Years, Summer and the Living is Easy, The Sporting Life, The Grand Tour, Brunch as a Verb, The Cocktail Party, Luncheons and Showers, and Home for the Holidays.

The author in madras

How cute is that illustration at the bottom?

I can't wait to try this mac and cheese. I would eat mac and cheese every day if I could!

A delicious dessert for a warm summer night

With summer quickly approaching it's time for picnics at the park or beach. Bring along the perfect sandwich!

The nautical details on this page are my favorite. Time to get grilling!

An essential

Recipes in this chapter include: what to make for breakfast at Wimbledon, Kentucky Derby inspired drinks, and snacks for the football tailgate

Brunch as a verb. I am on board with that!

Pink and green and monograms oh my!

It is never too early to start planning your menu for the holidays!

What to stock in your preppy kitchen and pantry

I think this book would make a wonderful hostess or housewarming gift. Share it with your friends in the Junior League too!


Please note: I was sent a copy of the book to review. All opinions are my own.