Summer Sailing

Dan and I wrapped up my week at home and his weekend in NYC with a little day out on the sailboat with the family. My cousins Eric and Kristen joined my parents, sister and our golden retriever Speights (she was named after our favorite New Zealand beer) and we headed out to the open sea.

Speights as always rocked her life jacket and there were plenty of libations for all the passengers on board while my dad enjoyed an orange soda or two.

Nothing prettier than this dog. She should model for the lifejacket company.

Dominique, Eric and Dan hoisted the sails for everyone and we quickly got out of the channel. We sailed around for a while and then anchored for lunch and a swim. Speights was not sure about jumping off the boat because she had never swam in anything deeper or bigger than a pond, but once she realized she could climb back on the boat she kept jupming in over and over agian.

The pup and I taking in the breeze.

Eric and Speight's glamour shot.

Kristen, my mom, and Dominique (and Speights doesn't want to be left out)

After a day of sailing we headed back to the dock and while my dad dropped Kristen and Eric at the train so they could head to Yankee Stadium for the second JT/JayZ concert, Dominique, Dan, my mom and I grabbed a drink at the pool bar. We then headed back to the city for dinner and some good old fashioned family bonding before we took off the next morning.

It was a great trip and I can't wait til I get to see everyone for Thanksgiving. My parents and sister just decided to come to LA for Thanksgiving this year meaning I don't have to wait til Christmas to see them. SO Excited!!!!

3 More Months of Emerald

Emerald the official color of 2013  how I adore you. With only 3 more months of you being the official it color, I wanted to pay homage to you today. There are so many ways to rock emerald from the totally doable to the only in my dreams like these gorgeous emerald drop earrings, emerald can look great at any budget.

What I'm Loving... Emerald for 2013 by preppy-lizzy featuring emerald jewelry

Luckily with the holidays coming up, emerald tones are the perfect colors to rock!

September Recipe Swap - Pimento Cheese

This is  new feature for the blog that I hope to share monthly. One of my favorite wedding shower gifts was from my friend, Heather, who had a recipe box engraved with my name. She then filled the box with recipes she had collected from every woman invited to the wedding. She had sent every single family 2 recipe cards asking them for up to two recipes they would be willing to pass down. Since then, I have added dozens more recipes that have become go to's that I would love to pass down.

My very full recipe box thanks to Heather.

Since it is football season and therefore the season for dips and shareables, I decided to kick off Recipe Swap with a great cheese dip my cousin, Amelia, gave me which was passed down from her mom. It is pimento cheese dip.

Pimentos are a type of red pepper and can easily be found in the grocery store if you know where to look. If you don't you may be searching for a while. Hint: It's near the canned and jarred peppers in the pickle aisle usually.

Quick and easy. Only a few ingredients needed.

Ingredients:
1lb Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2/3 C Mayo
7oz Diced Pimentos, Drained (usually in a glass jar)
1 Tsp Smoked Spanish Paprika
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Pepper to Taste

1. Break cheese down into cubes and grate in the food processor (easier than by hand).

Food processors make this so much easier!

2. Stir all ingredients but cheese in a large bowl.

Just need one mixing bowl to do it all.

3. Add grated cheese and stir all to mix.

Stir until cheese has a smoother texture.

4. Chill in Fridge.
5. Serve with crackers or pita chips.

ENJOY!

Snag A Deal on a White Blazer

With Fall officially here, it is the perfect time to snag some great deals on traditionally summer pieces. The one I have my eye on is a white blazer. I love rocking winter whites and I think white blazers are totally versatile pieces you can wear year round, especially if they have a little edge or contrasting color details.

The big thing is you have to look for luxe fabrics and cuts to make it a piece that can easily transition day to night since you will most likely be rocking it for nighttime outings in the Fall and Winter.

Here are some of my favorite snags, and while some of these are totally lust worthy (ie #6 from Theory and #8 from Stella McCartney) while others more budge conscious (ie #4 from Misguided), most are mid range and they are almost all on sale. My favorite has to be the Erin Fetherston blazer in white jacquard. Great lines and nice heavy weight fabric that does great in all seasons.

What I'm Loving.. White Blazers by preppy-lizzy featuring a white leather blazer

Does anyone have any suggestions for me on a killer white blazer?

Been Loving J.Crew Lately

J.Crew Fall. Always one of my favorite times to shop. I feel like my J.Crew card is usually left to gather cobwebs in the late Spring/Early summer until the Fall gear starts to arrive in stores. Then it gets a major workout. Sweaters arrive on shelves that I can pair with shorts or jeans, button downs with details that will peak out of blazers perfectly, don't get me started on blazers being appropriate for the weather again, and oh the shoes. Booties, ballet flats and heels are all perfect and making me seriously swoon. I am in love with J.Crew Fall, seriously IN LOVE.

Falling in Love With... J.Crew Fall by preppy-lizzy featuring glitter ballet flats

I love tuxedo styled shirts and this Thomas Mason shirt is the perfect mix of casual and fancy. I also love how they styled it.
This strawberry peplum long sleeve top is amazing. I have this top in sleeveless in white and navy and my mom has said multiple times its the best and most flattering shirt I own. I freaked when I saw it in a long sleeve version. It comes in light pink, white and black as well. I snagged the pink and black!
Glitter flats are always fun and navy is a great neutral. I could wear these to work or out dancing. I find myself attracted to really cute flats lately because heels are still tough with the knee during rehab.
I adore this black sweater and I am stoked to rock it with shorts during the Fall in SoCal and with jeans in the winter. I see these with white or plum shorts or some cute light skinnies.
And I leave my favorites for last, these stacked heel black booties. I AM ADORING THESE. The wrap buckle detail. They are perfect. If I fail with the riding boot hunt, these are mine!

J.Crew also just sent out the Online Fall Style Guide. Check it out here.

Legends of Summer - Yankee Stadium Perfection

My week long vacation visiting my family this summer closed out with the epic Legends of Summer Tour at Yankee Stadium.

Waiting for the sun to go down so the concert can get started!

Dan flew in for the concert and the weekend with my family and my dad treated the two of us, my sister and my cousin, Kristen to the game. My dad is a season ticket holder for the Yankees and as a result got pre-sale tickets for the concert. He unknowingly hooked us up for seats in the Delta Sky Suite, complete with air conditioned bar area and private bathrooms and super plush seats. We sent him a picture to thank him for the seats at the event and he didn't even know!

Dan, me, Kristen and Dominique. Perfect night for a concert!

It was a clutch surprise, since summer in NYC is both very hot and very sticky and being able to escape to the air conditioning for bathroom breaks and cool down breaks was absolutely clutch. Honestly, I was happier with our seats than anywhere else on the stadium. Field seats out on the grass get you closer to the action, but who wants to sweat their ass off unnecessarily.

When we got to the stadium, we were able to order drinks from the sky suite bar. They had two speciality drinks named for Justin songs, the Cry Me A River and Sexyback and two for JayZ, the Magna Carta and The Illuminati. We rocked Sexybacks and Cry Me A Rivers all night long; another perk of the Delta Sky Suite since we were one of the only areas in the stadium with a full bar.

One of the perks of being in the Delta Sky Suite

Kristen and her Cry Me A River and my Sexyback as the concert gets underway

If you ask Dan, he will tell you that this was the greatest concert he's ever been to and honestly I have to admit it ranks up there. Collaboration concerts usually are only so-so because they treat each artist individually and they each end up with their own solo sets, and then occasionally will sing one or two concerts together. What made The Legends of Summer so fantastic was the constant collaboration with one another on stage. Justin sang backup for JayZ throughout the show and played piano, guitar, bass and more for both his own and JayZ's songs.

My favorite collaboration was probably New York State of Mind, with Justin opening up and closing the song singing Frank Sinatra's New York, New York and Alicia Keys making a guest appearance on stage. The show was phenomenal and I am so happy we got the chance to go!

JT serenading everyone with his rendition of New York, New York.

A little New York State of Mind.

Kristen and Elisabeth's Day of Fun!

One of the best things about going home to visit my family in the summer is that I have a ton of family members who are teachers so they have summers off and I have old fashioned play dates almost everyday. Not only is my mom a teacher but my cousin Kristen and cousin Amelia as well. Since Eric and Amelia were busy moving from D.C. to New York that week, Kristen and I had a week of fun, especially one all day traipse around the city acting like tourists.

Kristen had said she always wanted to go to the Cloisters, which were built by the Rockefellers from European castles and monasteries that were being torn down. The grounds are essentially an homage to European art and art history, especially the medieval period. It is a beautiful museum now, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's family of museums.

I love all these interior windows looking into other rooms.

 My favorite part of the grounds were definitely the gardens. I felt like I had immediately been transported to Europe. If I lived in New York again, I could see myself escaping to the Cloisters on a day off just to read a book in the shade with a view of one of the beautiful gardens.

I would love to read here.

Kristen and I in the Cloister garden

After the Cloisters we dropped the Car at the parking lot and headed to Brooklyn Bagel for a quick lunch. While in Rome right? I always go for a Sesame bagel with tuna if it's lunchtime and a cinnamon raisin with cream cheese for breakfast. No none will convince me there are better bagel options ever!

After lunch we hopped the train downtown to the World Trade Center Memorial. I have not been down there in I think 10 years. I had been down once a few years after 9/11, but then could not bring myself to go down again. There is something about having been in New York City the day of 9/11 that just kept me from heading down there.

I was glad we went down this past July though. I have watched them build the tower from afar these last 12 years and I have to say the grounds, tower and water memorial features are all perfect. It is so well done; I could not have imagined a more perfect way to remember those we lost that day.

It was a perfect July day.

A really nice feature they added are the kiosks around the outside fences where you can look up the locations of those you knew that perished. It even has a picture of them along with what tower, where they worked (company or first responder company) and location on the memorial. 

The memorial was perfect



After the WTC Memorial, we headed up to Times Square where my sister, Aunt and Meme (grandma) were joining us Girl's night aka Dinner and a Broadway show. Meme decided to treat us to a show as long as we all treated her to dinner. We figured it was a fair trade. We met up with everyone for a drink first at the Heartland Brewery, then headed over for some BBQ. Following dinner we were off to see Pippin. 

Kristen and my Mom enjoying a White Wine Sangria Cocktail before dinner

Getting ready for Pippin!

It was a jammed packed day full of fun and we had an awesome time. And for those that got the reference in the title nice job! You gotta say it the way Janice would have said it to Joey though!

Joey Tribbiani Twitter Page