Tuesday, October 30, 2012

WIWW - Striped Shirt

Hi,

 Shirt: Banana Republic, Jeans: Gap, Shoes and bag: Arezzo (Brazil), Necklace: Banana Republic
Find similar styles: hereor a crisp white here


I love these delicate pendants. Here are my top picks:an architetural onea fun quirky one, or a bright stone pendant.




These past weeks have been really busy, trying to learn a new programming language and develop the database for my upcoming project. It is amazing how time flies when you are in front of the computer, to the point I realized I hadn't taken pictures or done any posts in a while.

Well, I am back. :-)

While the east coast is getting drenched with Sandy, Austin is nice and sunny. It seems like winter is never coming!

As usual, I am linking up with The Pleated Poppy and Transatlantic Blonde for WIWW! Go check out some cool blogs!

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Love,

Sam



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Casual Outfit and Business Update

Hi!


 




 Top: by me, Jeans: Banana Republic, Shoes: Corello (Brazil)

These past days have revolved around Excel. I am trying to build a database, so I can experiment with my business idea.

While I have played around with macros in the past, it was never my strong suit, so I am trying my best to look beyond the boredom that it is working on these macros and think about the end goal, which is to have good data to do what I want.

There were a few days though, when I just wanted to throw my @#%$@%@ computer out the window with a maniacal laugh. But alas, I haven't and, as I write, one of the macros is happily running in the background. Yay!

As for work schedule, I had at some point tried to go to a coffee shop to work. It did present a few problems, though.

1. I am too easily distracted by Ms. L-Sat who talks to herself as she works through her questions
2. I am even more distracted by Ms. L-Sat's comings and goings, as she leaves her stuff unattended at a table, while she goes to a table outside to read (thus taking up 2 tables)
3. Since I am not like Ms. L-Sat, I won't leave stuff unattended if I have to go get food (which I don't want to pay for anyway) or take breaks, which means I end up showing up after lunch and leaving starved and tired around 4:30
4. The countless hipster mustaches!

So, for the past couple of weeks, I have been getting up, working out, showering, getting dressed, taking pictures, then sitting down in front of the computer at home. Here, I have the flexibility to get up and grab a snack, tea, water, or a book when the macros run.

What is your trick to stay focused?

Love,

Sam

PS: Dear Ms. L-Sat,  I wish you the best of luck taking your exam in November. I am sure you will be fine!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Austin Startup Week and More Chiffon

Hi, 

today I am guest posting with Understated Classics. Go check it out!





Jeans: Banana Republic, Cardigan: Zara, Shoes: Nine West, Top: by me

This week has been kinda busy with Austin Startup Week, but it has definitely been fun. Meeting a lot of interesting people and hopefully someone who can help me get my idea off the ground. More on that later...

I made this (yes, another) chiffon top a long while ago. I bought the fabric in Brazil around 2007, but I only managed to finish the project earlier this year. 

It seems I have a problem. Whenever I buy fabric I really REALLY like, I tend to save it for a special and worthy project. Whenever I look at it, I think that my sewing capabilities are not worthy of the very special fabric I have.

This behavior left me with an ungodly stash of fabric that moved around continents and ended up at my mother's in Brazil.

Now that I live in a small condo with the hubby, this behavior cannot continue. So fabric purchases have a purpose (one can dream, right?).

Love, 

Sam


Friday, October 19, 2012

Tea time - Healthy Muffin

Hi!






I found a good recipe for healthy muffins on Pinterest and ended up adapting it quite a bit.

They are really tasty and about 120 calories per unit. Also, there is no added sugar or fat! You get plenty of sweetness from the fruit.

My husband and I eat them for snacks during the week. I usually bake them on Sunday afternoon, and then have a whole batch for the week.

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 scoops protein powder (I use vanilla flavored)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup frozen blueberries (or fresh)

Recipe
Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Put the bananas, applesauce, egg, and cinnamon in the blender and blend until smooth.

Sift the flour, protein, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl.

Add the blended mix and stir to combine.

Add the blueberries and stir just a little.

Spoon the mixture into a muffin tin that has been greased with cooking spray.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Use the toothpick method to figure out if the muffins are done.

So what is your favorite healthy recipe?

Love,

Sam


Thursday, October 18, 2012

Pretty in Blush

Hi!





Jeans: Gap, Blouse: by me, Earrings and Brooche: so old, I am not sure, Shoes: Arezzo (Brazil)

I must start by saying "Thank you!" Thank you to the Sewing with Style team, who strongly recommended that I starch any silk that I sew!

I tried it for the first time with this blouse, which I had already started and the results were AMAZING!!! I was a little skeptical at first, worried that it would ruin the fabric, but it worked wonders and made the sewing so much easier and fun. Plus, no fraying.

I love this color, I think it is muted and sweet and will go with a lot of different colors. And it goes well with Summer or Winter. BTW, it is still 90 degrees here. So, still no layering.

However, take note, if you have bigger girls, all this volume and detail around the bust will make them look bigger (and in a not so flattering way).

What are your fitting problems? Please share!

Love,

Sam



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

WIWW - Working away, inspired by music

Hi!

Let's start with some great Robert Plant, because it is one of those days when a great song just makes it all better.




 I just adore this song and I have been singing it to myself as I work on these databases. (Yes, I am that dork!)






Jeans: Gap, Top: J.Crew, Necklace: Banana Republic


"And my heart just sinks to the ground..."

And I guess my heart did sink to the ground when after days of working on these data, fighting with excel, with weka, with notepad, and gathering data points by brute force, weka kindly decided to tell me it was not enough.


"I'll run in the rain till I'm breathless 
When I'm breathless I'll run till I drop, hey 
The thoughts of a fool's kind of careless".

So, it is back to the drawing board, to keep running till I drop or till I have good data that works. I have to say, I actually feel really good about how everything is progressing with the business. Stay tuned!!!!

As always on Wednesday, I am linking up with The Pleated Poppy. Go check out some awesome blogs!

Love,

Sam



Tuesday, October 16, 2012

ACL - and festival outfits

Hi!






ACL was great! We bought the 3-day passes a long long time ago and both Josh and I had a wonderful time. It was weird to notice how I am getting old, since I didn't know almost any of the bands, but there were some great ones, like Florence and the Machine, The Avett Brothers, Alabama Shakes... According to Florence, it is not a festival until you have glitter on your face that has come from someone else's face.

We ended up skipping the second day, since it was POURING! And the last time that had happened, the mud was not really mud, but something that we shall not name here. (YUCK!).

The third day turned out beautiful, I met up with friends, and had a blast.

Of course, it is still pretty hot here, so shorts and tank tops were the outfit of choice. I wish had some cute boots for handling the mud. Well, maybe for next year!

Love,

Sam

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Sleepy head

Hi,

Sunny day, sunglasses, chiffon t-shirt

chiffon t-shirt, statement necklace, victory rolls

business casual, chiffon t-shirt, victory rolls, sunny day outfit

Pants: Banana Republic, Top: already seen here, necklace: made by me, shoes: Arezzo (Brazil)


Excuse the tired face and grumpy looks on the pics, but for some reason I could not sleep last night. Don't you hate when that happens?

So I read until the iPad fell from my hands... I have been reading The Mists of Avalon, which I had read once before, many many moons ago. I remember loving the book when I was a teenager, but now I am not so sure. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good fantasy book, and I can't wait until the next Game of Thrones comes out. Yet, I can't seem to put the book down.

Meanwhile, Austin Startup Week has been going on and how tough is it to network when you haven't slept! I ended up attending a really cool event for women, met some amazing people. The networking was great! Girls rock!

So, tell me, what do you do when you have a sleepless night?

Love,

Sam

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Casual Day Outfit

Hi,


I love this blouse. I bought it a while back at J.Crew, during a sale. I love that I can dress it up for work, with a suit, or dress it down with jeans. Check out these options: hereherethis animal print one, or this nice deal.

I wore it with jeans and pointy toe flats. As much as I love a pair of heels, sometimes, it gets to be too much. I can't seem to find a cute pair anywhere though.

If it had been a little cooler, I would have put a cardigan or a jacket, but alas, Austin is not suffering from the terrible cold front that has hit most of the country.

I wore this outfit to go to one of the Austin Startup Week events. I am trying to get my startup idea off the ground, and it seems like I need all the help I can get. The event was a panel to discuss how to better communicate with developers. It was really cool!

But I have to say, the developers do need some help with their wardrobes... 

I am linking up with Real Girl Style, go check out some awesome blogs!

Real Girl Style Link Up

Love,
Sam