a scorcher of a day

It's blazing hot in nyc today with the temperature in the mid 90s! The city feels like a brick oven, all the buildings and concrete keep the heat trapped and could quite possibly bake a delicious pizza pie!

I am far away from the ocean or a pool, but I find other ways to cool off. On hot day I love to soak my hands and feet in cool water.

I always feel like a dog when I do this though because that's how they cool off too--through their paws :)

photo via Christopher W. Moriarty

it's the first day of summer

celebrate!

By the way, this outdoor space is beyond gorgeous!

photo via JAGwired

my summer essentials

I love love love my TOMS Shoes. They are so comfortable to walk around it and with all the fun colors and designs they are a great accessory.

me and my brother at a sox game

Anyone who knows me is aware that I have a thing for hats. I like baseball hats, floppy hats and fedoras for the summer.

I first used this lotion, Crabtree and Evelyn's La Source Relaxing Body Lotion, on a vacation and loved it so much I bought a big bottle of my own. It has a sweet yet airy scent that seems perfect for those summer nights

image via dcolson5201

Now that school is over (still can't believe it!) I can read for pleasure. I just finished Jennifer Weiner's Best Friends Forever and Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray Love.

image via 96dpi

My drink of choice throughout every season, but especially refreshing in the summer.

cakes

Lately I have had cake on the brain. It all started because of my cake for my graduation party. My mom was making me a two layer white on white cake, but when she assembled the layers the top one broke in half and made a big mess. My brilliant idea was to add another layer on top then cover all the cracks and holes with frosting. But, frosting wasn't enough. So then we picked fresh flowers and placed them in the danger areas. In the end it looked pretty and half-way decent. Wouldn't you know that I forgot to take a picture of the final product though! And worse...not one person had a piece! The cupcakes and brownies were too hard to resist and everyone filled up on those. Anyway, here are some photos of cakes that look way too good to not have a slice.
picture via craftstew.com

backyard gardens

A little slide show of my mom's beautiful gardens in our backyard. It is a little oasis that the family spends a lot of time in!

bahamas

For my graduation gift AJ and I recently went to the Bahamas for a long weekend (I know I am spoiled). We stayed at the Atlantis Resort and had a wonderful time, I recommend it for a fun getaway or a family trip. There is so much to do--some things we really enjoyed were the beautiful pools and beach, the water rides, casino, comedy show and Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill! Here are some pictures!





Some tips: If you can, pack some snacks. Unless you are eating at the nicer restaurants, the food is expensive and meh, especially for lunch. And, make sure you pack sunscreen unless you want to pay $30.99 for a bottle!

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I am loving these vinyl wall sticker decals from etsy. I think these trees and birds would be the perfect accompaniment to a baby's nursery or sunny kitchen.