Comfortable, Classy and Made in Memphis!

 Hello My Fashionistas!
  After a short hiatus spent both moving and traveling, I am returning to blogging again. Tonight,  I am going to focus upon getting dressed and going out on the town while still looking effortlessly comfortable. Most moms tend to confuse looking comfortable with looking frumpy by remaining in their sweats both inside and outside of the home. While I enjoy my sweats for working out, doing household chores and occasionally traveling, I certainly do not replace them as my " going out" clothes. Some mothers might disagree with me and insist that sweats are the easiest way to remain comfortable while chasing their broad around town, I am not advocating for all moms to be dressed in heels and LBDs each time they go out. Instead I am insisting that moms can still be comfortable all while looking stylish; and so, for a night out at the pier with both my mom and sister I wanted to look cute. But knew I'd be meeting up with my dad and toddler for dinner, and needed an outfit that would give me some flexibility to chase him around should we do anything afterward. Keeping this in mind, I paired a pair of Anlo dark faded cut off skinny jeans with a transparent chiffon button down Juicy Couture top.  After having chosen both my top and pants, I found an old but lightly used pair of multi color Matisse flats to add some color to my outfit. In the end, I felt both classy and comfortable for a night out. I was also shocked to realize that all items of my outfit were purchased in Memphis, and so for all you Memphians who complain there isn't any good place to shop, you're just not looking hard enough! Memphis is filled with bunch of independent boutiques that are sure to be right up your alley!

Top: Juicy Couture- Purchased from Indigo, Memphis, TN
Tank: American Eagle- Purchsed from Memphis, TN
Jeans: Anlo- Purchased from Isabella, Memphis, TN
Shoes: Matisse- Purchased from Peria, Memphis, TN
Purse: Louis Vuitton- Purchased Brand New w/tags from Sugar Plum Consignments, Memphis, TN

Retuning to Cooking

Hello Everyone,
If I have not already driven you crazy with complaints and updates surrounding this move, here is some more news regarding that same subject! For the last month, aside from making Layth his quick meals, I have been giving my pots and pans a rest as they have sat comfortably clean in my cabinets. Even when we were busy trying to empty our fridge, freezer and panty, we made sure we only had a few pots out before packing up the rest. And then when Chafeek's mom ( we could not have survived this move without her) came to help with Layth as we prepared for the move, she also did some late " spring cleaning" with my pots and pans, throwing out some she thought had already reached their final cooking days. Her visit also allowed me to focus on packing, taking Layth out and cleaning as she took care of the kitchen duties. But now, two weeks after arriving in California, I have to face reality: If I am not going to cook, we are simply going to eat frozen or processed dinner meals and pack on the pounds. And since I am not a fan of either one, the pounds or the frozen dinners, I choose today to be creative. Normally, I try and do all my cooking while Layth is taking his afternoon nap, but since he is still adjusting to his new schedule with this two hour time change, I choose to employ him as my helper. Layth, of course, found it funner to break the spaghetti noodles in half and make letters on the floor ( anything to keep them occupied, right?) leaving me to go about making the spaghetti. As the noodles were boiling, and Layth engaged in his letter making, I went to go see how creative I can get with the food I had in my fridge when I stumbled upon a pack of organic cherry red tomatoes. Again, I am not a fan of cooking, so I could have gotten more creative, but instead, choose to make the tomatoes my main ingredient. Slowly, I cut the tomatoes, and sautéed them in olive oil for 20 minutes adding both a teaspoon of basil and a teaspoon of garlic. Once they were done grilling and the noodles boiling, I drained the noodles mixed them with in a tablespoon of olive oil before emptying the tomatoes with the oil into the noodles. And to top it off, I added some fresh parmesan cheese for flavor. I know you must be thinking that is a lot of oil for one dish, but I promise you it is delicious!! It also helped me to score some points in the domestic goddess department, since I'm failing miserably!!!

My final product

The tomatoes as they sautee in the olive oil

Busy Moving

Hello Everyone,
  I know I have taken a short hiatus from blogging, but do not worry I have not completely abandoned my readers! I have just been busy packing, moving, and unpacking to spend any real time doing anything I actually enjoy! Even poor Layth is not use to not having mommy all to himself to entertain him and take him somewhere fun. Thankfully, I had the help of Evergreen Montessori, whose summer camp helped to both teach and entertain Layth in the morning, and Jenna ( a fellow parent of Evergreen Montessori whose daughter is the same age as Layth) who took him out to the CMOM and the Pink Palace, all places he greatly enjoyed. And now, that we finally made it to the Bay Area, my days are spent finding things to do with Layth, endless trips to Ikea to furnish the new house, and unpacking while Layth is asleep. Even Chafeek does not have it easy, as his job is to set up the newly bought furniture and clear out the boxes once were done unpacking them. But one thing is for sure, this move has opened up doors to new ideas regarding decorating, blogging, and how to better manage a move! Stay tuned, I promise more exciting posts will soon be on their way!