Spring – Page 4 – Blondie Birdie

OOTD: Breezy Southern Belle

May 14, 2018May 20, 2018by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment

Good Morning and Happy Monday, everyone! Time to get back to the grind and get some work done!

I hope all the moms and/or moms-to-be out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day! I spent most of the morning and afternoon with my mom- savoring the sunshine, cooking a delicious, homemade brunch together (the recipe for our main course will be up on the blog in a couple of days!) and doing a little bit of shopping for some plants/flowers for her garden- as well as some furniture and decor for a few renovations she has planned for her house this Summer.

My mom is very much the DIY, HGTV-obsessed type- always coming up with new projects to keep her home and lawn looking immaculate and cutting edge- so it was a lot of fun to just watch her in her element and jot down some pointers she had for me as we went about our day together.

Since our plans weren’t anything particularly fancy and I am all about comfort this time of year- I wore this lovely, lightweight gauze maxi dress I picked up a few weeks ago with laid-back weekends in mind. Something about this dress gives me a Southern Belle vibe. Not like Scarlett O’Hara- but I could envision myself strolling through a picturesque town in South Carolina during the Summer in this (it should be mentioned that I also recently watched ‘The Notebook’ for the first time in forever so that scenery is still fresh in my mind…)

The great thing about maxi dresses is that you can wear flats, sandals, wedges or heels with them and it always looks good. Yesterday I opted for these woven strap heels to give me a little boost of height and improve my posture- and topped things off with an over-sized hat I had originally bought a couple of Summers ago for the beach. Add some colorful bracelets and rings with aqua and orange tones and you have a perfect look for a lovely Spring Day!

But now I’ve got to get to work. Monday morning obligations and whatnot- and I haven’t even had my coffee yet!

Here’s hoping you all have an easy and stress-free week!

– Ashley –

OOTD: In Bloom

May 11, 2018May 17, 2018by Ashley DeLarge2 Comments

Good Morning, everyone!

I’m so beyond grateful it’s Friday. It’s been such a busy week- with work, post-office plans nearly every day, trying to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift before this coming Sunday- and squeezing in enough time for the gym and getting enough sleep to function like a relatively normal person. Although tonight is my bi-weekly family dinner with my mom, brothers, sister-in-laws and niece- I have to admit I’m looking forward to just being able to relax and sleep a little late tomorrow morning. I need it!

Earlier this week I had dinner arrangements with friends at The Local in Wellesley (one of my favorite towns in the Greater Boston area!) and thought it was just as good a time as any to break out an oldie but a goody party dress I’ve had since my early-to-mid twenties so that I could match the blossoming trees along Wellesley’s main street/historic district.

This lightweight, cotton dress with detailed embroidery and a floral print is the most beautiful shades of sky blue and pastel pink- and hits a little ways above the knee- making it easy to wear to both my office (with a modest button-up cardigan over it) and out with friends where I can expose some shoulder.

Wearing heels with this dress, however- can make it look entirely too short. Instead, I paired it with my pastel pink flats (which have made an appearance in some past OOTDs!) to stay comfortable and keep from exposing a little too much to those who were enjoying the late Spring afternoon/evening around the town.

And for my makeup- some shimmery pink eye shadow and lip balm was all I needed to keep things in a light, pretty and seasonal state.

I have a similar dress in a different pattern that I feel is more Summery given the colors- so I’m sure that will be making an appearance on the blog at some point after Memorial Day!

But I’m off to finish up some work for the week and get ready to catch up with my family tonight. I’ll be back on Monday- and in the meantime- I hope all the moms out there from all corners of the Earth and all walks of life have a truly beautiful Mother’s Day: filled with your favorite foods, maybe a little wine, some quiet time- and lots of pampering. You earned it!

I’ll be spending Mother’s Day with my own Mama- where we have brunch and some shopping plans in mind- so I’m hoping the nice weather holds up so we can spend more time outdoors.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

– Ashley –

May Flowers, Margaritas and Mirror Selfies…

May 9, 2018May 15, 2018by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment

Good Morning, everyone!

Although Cinco de Mayo was this past Saturday- I held off on hitting up some of my favorite Mexican food restaurants and/or any bars until Sunday afternoon at the absolute earliest. It’s a tricky holiday (much like St. Patrick’s Day), especially in the city- and even moreso when that city has a large college population. There’s a lot of drunk people running around- most of whom don’t know what Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates- and an alarming amount of white people wearing sombreros and making packed places somehow feel even smaller.

I digress. While many people were recovering from their hangovers on Sunday morning/afternoon- I took the opportunity to visit Citrus & Salt in Back Bay to try one of their signature cocktails and catch the Bruins game while I chowed down on homemade tortilla chips and fresh guacamole. Some of my friends had been there before and raved about it- so I decided to check it out on my own while I was in the area.

Firstly, the decor to the place is gorgeous- like a mix of a beach party meets a Día de Muertos celebration- so many pretty colors and skulls everywhere- and the food was awesome. Everything was made fresh and had so much flavor to it.

My cocktail of choice was the “I Didn’t Text You- Tequila Did”- which combined tequila, a coconut puree, and a big Popsicle dunked into it. It was strong- but delicious- and got me a little buzzed right away. I liked that the name of the drink was prominently displayed on the bathroom mirror, too…

When I was done dining, I headed back towards Boston Common and the Public Garden where I was meeting friends who had gotten a late start due to those aforementioned hangovers. Although the sky was a bit grey and dreary at times- the park was vibrant with the newly planted tulips along the pedestrian walkways and around the statues/monuments. I couldn’t resist getting a little tourist-y and snapping some pics while I waited. Below are a few of my favorite shots!

I’ve got a meeting to get to this morning and some work to catch up on this afternoon before I head back downtown for dinner plans with some friends and to pose in one of my favorite dresses for the Spring/Summer season. Keep an eye out for it this Friday!

‘Til then- enjoy your Wednesday/Hump Day, everyone! We’re almost to the weekend!

– Ashley –

Mid-Week Hooky

May 4, 2018May 10, 2018by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment

Good Morning and Happy Friday, everyone!

Okay, so technically this past Wednesday wasn’t an actual day of hooky- since my job knew I wasn’t coming in just for the sake of having a day off while the temperatures hit the mid-80s (!!!)– but there was something kind of thrilling about being out and enjoying such a beautiful day when I knew my co-workers were back at the office. The day was made even more fun, of course- since I didn’t make any specific plans and was just sort of rolling with the punches as they came.

There were plenty of options. Would I catch the Red Sox game at Fenway in the early afternoon? Tempting- but my seats would have had me roasting under the sun well before the fourth inning. Would I go day-drinking and enjoy one too many margaritas near the park? Also a possibility- except that finding parking on a weekday around lunchtime is a nightmare- and leaving the car while I went from place to place until the evening when I would be back to normal and ready to drive home would have likely landed me with expired meters and plenty of tickets tucked onto my windshield. Or, would I head to Cambridge to see Ronan Farrow discuss his new book? This choice nearly won- and I would have loved to have gone if I hadn’t gotten sidetracked.

Instead, my best friend (who ended up playing a bit of hooky as well) and I packed some snacks, a couple of towels, and some SPF 50 and headed to Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea to get our 2018 “Beach Bums” season underway while the coast wasn’t crowded.

I couldn’t find my swimsuit from last year and had to improvise with one from 2014/2015- but I’ve been meaning to buy a new one anyway, and a lot of the cuts/colors/embellishments I’ve been seeing on this year’s hottest and trendiest swimwear has me excited to try something completely new! I’ll share whatever I eventually go with- but I’m hoping to find something bright, colorful, flattering- and comfortable!

But I digress- the water was still a bit too cold to dive into- so I kept things dry and laid back on the sand. I sat under an umbrella and read while my friend worked on an assignment they’re completing for degree work. Afterwards, when it started to get dark out and the late-night beach goers began rolling in for their planned bonfires- we headed back to Melrose where we stopped at Wood + Fire for some salad and to split a pasta dish (their wood fired Gnocchi is delicious, by the way!) before it came time to call it a night and get ready to head back to work the next morning.

Overall, a “Just Because” day off was just what I needed. It was laid-back, stress-free, spent with the comfort of a good friend in beautiful scenery- and included a fantastic meal. I highly recommended taking a day off every now and then to decompress, unwind, and then prepare yourself to get back to work and start fresh. It’s invigorating!

Speaking of, I’ve got to get to work so I can begin re-organizing my schedule for next week. I like to stay a couple of steps ahead of things!

Enjoy your Friday and your weekend, everyone! See you all on Monday- where I’ll have a BBQ/Cookout-inspired recipe to share!

– Ashley –

April 2018: In a Nutshell

April 30, 2018May 6, 2018by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment

Good Morning and Happy Monday, everyone!

With the exception of a couple of showers (that went away as quickly as they came)– this past weekend was gorgeous- and the forecast looks to only get better as this week goes on. I took a “just because” day off from work this Wednesday once I’d heard the temperatures were going to be near 80. It seems like such a shame to spend that kind of day cooped up inside of an office- especially after the rough Winter and rocky beginning to Spring that we had here in Boston! A day like that calls for a picnic, or maybe even an afternoon at the beach.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before I dive into May and all the fun, outdoorsy plans I have (both here and out of state) as the Summer gets closer and closer- I wanted to tip my oversized Kentucky Derby hat that I’m dusting off for this weekend to the month of April- filled with plenty of family gatherings, quite a few nights out, and a LOT of unpredictable weather.

April kicked off with Easter and a house filled with brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles and at least two dogs- as well as enough food to feed a small army- and from there the momentum only continued to build. In the days that followed, I was celebrating my best girl-friend’s boozy birthday, donning a purple wig for another friend’s Wrestlemania party, and racing through the streets by Fenway to catch a gig from Franz Ferdinand.

When the snow finally stopped falling and stayed gone long enough for the trees and flowers to begin blooming- I was able to break out the pastels and florals and fully commit to Springtime. I even took the plunge and dyed my hair a subtle and lovely shade of rose gold to commemorate the occasion!

Of course, April had some minor and inconvenient setbacks. A couple of weeks ago I had gotten into a car accident when another vehicle pulled from a stop sign and hit my car as I was traveling on the road- resulting in some dents/scrapes and a brief period of shoulder pain in the days that followed. Thankfully, it wasn’t any worse than that- and my car has since been repaired and returned to me- so it all seems to have worked out for now! We’ll see how it goes when it comes time for the insurance companies to get reimbursed. I’m really pleased and impressed with my own company, though- because they handled everything so quickly and efficiently.

But overall- April was a joy- and now that May is here and things are winding down at work while everyone begins to plan their vacations, cookouts, gardening, etc. I’m really excited for the coming weeks. Boston Calling is this coming month, which is shaping up to be an amazing festival- and although I didn’t make it to NYC this past month as I’d originally planned due to a scheduling conflict- I intend to visit Manhattan again in May. I’m also in the process of putting together another adventure to Washington D.C. for Memorial Day weekend with a longtime friend I haven’t seen in a couple of years since they moved from San Diego to Chicago a while back!

As always, I’ll have my usual rotation of recipes and OOTD posts (now that it’s getting warm enough to show a little leg!) but I’ve also got a really fun contest/collaboration coming up a little later on this week to get everyone into the Spring/Summer accessories frame of mind- as well as some local and product reviews, and plenty of pictures along the way.

Speaking of- to close out this post (and this month), I thought I’d share a series of photos I snapped while out and about this past weekend. Commonwealth Avenue was in full bloom on Saturday, and set against the historic brownstones in the neighborhood and the warm weather- it was a bright, beautiful way to begin the evening!

Enjoy the rest of your Monday, everyone! I’ll see you all on Wednesday- where I’ll have the contest details!

– Ashley –