Bloggers Take the Town!

It's the last Monday of the month, folks, so you know what that means...It's time to link up to Bloggers Take the Town! And this month, we're leaving the linky tool open until Friday, so if you don't have a going-out outfit posted yet, you have all week to post it and link up :)




Alright, I'm off to the pool and later, to go air conditioner shopping. Happy Memorial Day, all!

Long weekend

Hello there! Just popping in for a couple quick photos and some reminders. First, don't forget that Bloggers Take the Town is tomorrow! And this month, Sydney and I are leaving the link-up open until Friday. So you have all week to link your blog up.




On the other hand, time is running out for you to enter my eShakti giveaway. That stays open until May 31 at midnight, so click over and get yourself entered!






dress: H&M
bracelets: secondhand
shoes:Target

I like this outfit for a couple of reasons, but I didn't have time to do a full-on outfit shoot when I wore this last night. Matt and I went out to the bar for his birthday libations, and I was getting ready in a hurry so I snapped a few quick pics on my phone. These bracelets were part of a surprise package from my bloggy friend Loren. There were a lot of great items in there, but I can't wait to showcase them here :) Thanks, Loren!

I also liked this outfit because for the first time in my life, I legitimately rocked a fauxhawk. It's one of those weird style things that I have always wanted to try, for as long as I can remember. I really love how it looked with this button-up shirtdress-type thing. I can't wait to try this look again!

Oh, and because I can't get enough of this video of what might be the sweetest proposal ever. Go ahead, watch it. If you don't have a smile on your face by the end of the clip, you probably have no soul. I just watched it again, and I'm pretty sure my heart just skipped a beat.

A self-conscious blogger's worst nightmare

You guys, it's finally happened. Someone caught me while I was taking outfit photos. Horror of horrors. I was shooting outside in my backyard just now, and my hippie neighbor was outside watering her garden. And she stared. And then she said hello. I felt like I needed to explain myself — I'm not vain, I have a personal style blog, that's why I'm taking photos of myself in the backyard before work. But then I figured, "I have a fashion blog" probably doesn't make me any less vain. So I didn't say anything.








blouse: secondhand
jeans: RVCA
shoes: Buckle
necklace: gifted

This outfit has actually been sitting in my backlog for quite some time. It's from Matt's and my four-year anniversary date night earlier this month. We went ice skating and got dinner at The Melting Pot. Gosh, I love that boy. He's pretty special. His birthday's tomorrow...can't wait to tell you guys about his birthday surprises!

We don't have any real plans for Memorial Day yet...mostly just catching up and enjoying the extra day off, I think. What about you guys?

Oh, and before you go start your weekend, don't forget to enter my giveaway. And Monday is Bloggers Take the Town. We'll be leaving the link-up open all week, so if your going-out outfits aren't ready by Monday, no worries. You have time :)

Giveaway love

Have I ever mentioned how awesome you guys are? I have? Well, I'll say it again. Whenever I blog about having a bad day, I get a slew of comments with kind words and hopeful thoughts, and it never fails to cheer me up. So when eShakti asked if I wanted to do a giveaway, the answer was a resounding YES! So this is for you all, loyal readers. Thanks for rocking my socks.

eShakti giveaway pics by verbalmelange on polyvore.com

This giveaway is for one item of your choice from the amazing eShakti. You can even choose a custom-sized/styled product. Custom sizing allows you to enter all of your measurements for a custom-made item that is perfectly tailored to fit you like a glove. Or, you know, a dress. Whatevs.

Mandatory to enter:
- Visit eShakti and pick out which item that you'd get if you won. (Personally, I'm drooling over everything pictured above.)
- Comment below and tell me which item you'd pick. Make sure you leave your email address in the comment. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

For extra entries:
- Like eShakti's Facebook page
- Like Verbal Mélange's Facebook page
- Follow eShakti on Pinterest
- Follow me on Pinterest
- Follow eShakti on Twitter
- Follow me on Twitter

That's a total of seven possible entries! And with the great quality of eShakti's clothes, this is a giveaway you definitely want to enter as many times as possible ;) Just make sure you enter before midnight on May 31. Winner will be announced on June 1! Good luck!

Disclaimer: I was not paid, perked or compensated for hosting this giveaway. I just love y'all and I love eShakti and I wanted to do something nice :)

Kitty woes

You guys, this morning I was so mad at Spazzcat that I wanted to just throw her out the window and let her go feral in the wild. When I woke up, I discovered that she had gotten into Matt's closet...the one we try to keep her out of because my bridesmaid dresses for this summer are in it. And sure enough, she found one of my bridesmaid dresses. Tore it off the hanger. And ripped into it with what looks like both teeth and claws. The thing is pretty much unwearable, at least if I want to avoid looking like a homeless person at my own sister's wedding.

Thankfully, Abby's dress is the $25 one from Target, not the $100 one from David's Bridal. I ordered a replacement online, but they only have petite sizes left online so I had to order two dresses in the next two sizes up...I'll just return whichever one fits less. I also have my mom out hunting through the Targets near her house. Good thing she has the day off work.

On the bright side, I can skip my coffee this morning. Nothing wakes you up like the adrenaline rush of pure fury. I may have punched a door. Now the cat's just sitting there, staring at me, probably confused about why I wouldn't let her in the room with me as I was getting ready this morning like I usually do. Sigh. It's a good thing she's cute...that makes it so much easier to forgive her for just being, well, a cat.

Okay. Vent over. Moving on.









shirt: JCPenney
jeans: RVCA
heels: thrifted
necklace: gifted

I got this shirt during my "OMG I got my job start date I need to bulk up my professional wardrobe" shopping spree. JCPenney really impressed me with its Worthington line (I think this shirt is from that line...a few of the other things I bought were). Actually, the store impressed me in general. I hadn't been there in years. The overhaul is pretty nice. Anyway, I can't quite decide what to call this shirt...it's vaguely poncho-esque, but the sides are sewn shut for modesty/convenience. It's quite comfy.

Oh and hey. Don't forget that Bloggers Take the Town is back this Monday. This time, we'll be leaving the link-up open for longer than usual, so get your weekend/going-out outfit photos ready!

More weekend, please

Yet again, the weekend is over far too soon. And it was a good one too, full of sun and pools and shopping. Matt and I even made it down to the climbing wall and got a few routes in. I was pretty behind my game, though. It's been a while since I've been out. And we had dinner with Matt's family Sunday night. That's always fun :)

But perhaps the highlight of the weekend was finally getting a new mattress! The one we've been sleeping on is actually almost 20 years old. We upgraded to a queen from a full, too. I know it's only six inches bigger, but it makes a heck of a difference! I slept better last night than I have in ages.







shirt: secondhand
vest: New York & Company
capris: Old Navy
shoes: Target
necklace: The Limited

I don't know why, but I tend to wear this shirt with vests. Maybe it's the crazy-high shoulders on it. I always think it's cute, but then I chicken out at the last second and cover it up. Hm.

You know, I really want to go crawl back into our new bed right now. Getting up for work this morning was definitely more painstaking than usual...

Food Fridays: Spaghetti Carbonara with chicken and asparagus

This is by far one of my favorite quick-dinners, because I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand, and it's easy, and it's delicious. Once again, I've adapted a Rachael Ray recipe to include fewer of her crazy ingredients. And I added chicken and veggies to make this a more filling meal.





Ingredients (makes enough for four):
- 1/3 package of bacon
- 1/2 pound chicken breast, diced
- garlic powder
- 16-oz box of spaghetti or linguine
- about 4-6 stalks of asparagus
- olive oil (I like to use an arbequina oil, but extra virgin works too)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup white wine, cooking sherry or chicken stock
- 2 large egg yolks (keep the whites for omelets!)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- red pepper flakes (optional)

Start with a large stock pot of water. Set it over high heat and bring it up to a hard boil. While the water's heating, cook the bacon in the biggest skillet you have until it's good and crispy. When it's done, set the bacon on paper towels to drain, and drain out most of the bacon grease. Leave about a tablespoon or so. Add the diced chicken to the pan, season with garlic powder, salt and pepper, and cook through. When it's done, remove the chicken from the pan and onto a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. Return the skillet to the oven and add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using. Add a little olive oil if the pan needs it.

By now your water should be boiling. Add a small palmful of salt, then add the noodles. While those are cooking, crumble the bacon you set aside and add it and the chicken pieces back to the skillet with the garlic and pepper flakes. Add the wine/sherry/chicken stock and let it reduce by half, which should take about a minute or two over medium-high heat.

Drop the asparagus into the pasta water and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. Remove it, chop it into pieces about an inch long, and add to the skillet with everything else. (Note: Frozen peas also work well for this. Just let them thaw a little first, then boil for a few minutes with the pasta then add to the skillet to finish cooking.)

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks. While you're whisking, add a small ladle-full (about 1/4 cup or so) of the boiling pasta water.

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Remove from heat. Drizzle the egg mixture over everything, then add the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat for about two minutes to let the pasta soak up all the sauce. (I usually like to pour everything into the big stock pot to toss it, but if you can manage in your skillet that works too.) Serve with extra cheese and sprinkle with some chopped parsley, if you like.