Summer is around the corner and I am determined to get bikini ready before I hit the lake this Fourth of July with my husband and friends.  Aside from working out five days a week I need to make sure I eat healthy.  The hardest thing for me is finding healthy food that actually tastes good.  One of my favorite things to make for breakfast is my homemade breakfast sandwich.  It takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes delicious!

{you’ll need eggs, english muffins and breakfast sausage, I love Morning Star, everything I use I buy at Trader Joe’s}

{toast your english muffin}

{crack one egg in a cup, or pour some egg whites, and microwave for 45 sec.}

{heat the morning star patty for 40 sec and put it on the toasted english muffin, with the egg…yummy!}

The past 6 years I have struggled with figuring out what to do with my necklaces.  I thought hanging them up in my closet on hangers was genius.  Boy was I wrong!  My husband and I live in a one bedroom condo and space is somewhat of a commodity.  Over time some of my favorite necklaces either got tangled or broken, but I didn’t know where else to hang them.  The other day I was at World Market with my sister and we found wall hooks that were perfect for my necklaces.

{we bought the hooks for $1.99 and used a screw and an anchor}

{screw in the anchor first (great if your hanging where there isn’t a stud), then the screw in the hook}

{we ended up adding two more, I have a lot of necklaces}

{the end result – know I can see all my necklaces!}

Instead of a statement necklace, why not try statement earrings?  I love Twisted Silver’s Mum earring and so do stars like Dancing with the Stars pro, Karina Smirnoff!  When wearing large earrings, like Twisted Silver’s Mum, you want to keep the rest of your jewelry to a minimum.  You can see the only other accessory I wore was my Michael Kors watch.  These earrings are great to wear with almost any outfit.  I wore mine with a turquoise tank and khaki skirt.  Mum earrings are very large and make a great statement, but you won’t want to wear them from morning to night as they will get heavy towards the end of the day.  Instead try wearing them out to dinner or to a social gathering.  These earrings retail for $40 and are available for purchase from Twisted Silver.

{Mum earrings c/o Twisted Silver}

{Mum earrings c/o Twisted Silver}

{wore it with my turquoise tank from Banana Republic}

I’m always looking for great pieces of jewelry and with my 30th (gasp!) birthday coming up, I have been pinning a lot of Samantha Wills designs to my birthday list.  Samantha Wills, rather SW, is a self-taught jewelry designer with offices in her hometown, Australia and also New York.  Every girl needs a giant cocktail ring, I am obsessing over her Angelica Ring.  Snag some fabulous pieces for you, or your mom (mother’s day!), while they have $1 shipping going on!  Or, do what I do…pin everything you want and ask your husband to buy it for you!

This weekend was crazy hot and I spent mine in air conditioning at the Four Seasons in Palo Alto.  I went with a friend to view Springs swim trends from  Luxe by Lisa Vogel and I have to say, I was in love with every piece they showed!  I’m used to attending traditional runway shows, so this one was a treat as it was in a more intimate setting at the hotels restaurant, Quattro.  We enjoyed an incredibly delicious lunch (check out the pics) while models shared trendy bathing suits and to-die-for cover-ups.  In fact, I purchased a hot pink cover-up and I can’t wait to wear it both on the beach and out at night.  Some of my favorites include the blue one-piece and hot pink peek-a-boo tankini.

{gifts were left at our seat: mini lip gloss set, blow-out, and others in a clear Luxe pouch}

{lunch was delicious – pea risotto with prawn tartar}

{dessert – yes please!  mini waffle with cream custard and fruit strips}

{loved this piece!  it is so classic and chic}

{my friend bought this one, it looks beautiful on!}

{there was a lot of hot pink & I liked how this was a mix n’ match suit}

{tankini making a comeback with a peekaboo}

{so many great items!  I purchased the hot pink cover-up at the end of the table}

The other day I was at my favorite nail salon and decided against my usual pedicure and paid for a mani/pedi (what girl doesn’t love getting her nails done).  I normally only get a pedicure, but was in the mood to pamper myself.  About 5 days later, I remembered why I never get a mani at the salon – it flakes off so easily!  My toes still look great and it’s been 2 weeks.  So, instead of paying $18 for a manicure, that only lasts a few days, I took a stroll to my local drug store and bought a new color for Spring.  For $8 I can do my own nails as often as I like.  I’ll save the nail salon for my pedicures.

{just bought play date. I love pastels for Spring}

{some of my favorite colors, the OPI is metallic}

{What color are you wearing for Spring?}

This past weekend was a busy one!  I spent the entire day in San Francisco on Saturday in the Embarcadero – one of my favorite places to visit in the city!  After all the rain we have had, it was so nice to walk around in the sunshine.  We strolled around the Ferry Building and bought some dark chocolate and honey sticks, which worked up our appetite for lunch at Sinbad’s.  After lunch I bought some cool street jewelry at the open market across from the Ferry Building.  And oh yeah, we watched the Giants beat Pittsburgh at AT&T park, which explains my shirt of choice for the day.

{Oliver People’s sunglasses, Marc Jacobs shoulder bag, SF Giants jersey tee}

{reminds me of my last name, Shaffer & they have my favorite dark chocolate!}

{bought a thin sterling silver thumb ring and 3-string wish bracelet on the streets}

It’s tax time!  Luckily, I did my taxes in January, but that money from Uncle Sam is long gone – new bathroom renovation.  For most, this weekend is dedicated to filing taxes and seeing what you get back or, god forbid, have to pay.  If you’re getting money back go out and stimulate our economy a little!  If you have to pay, I think you’ll like what I have to share.  I was meeting a client this afternoon at Banana Republic and this weekend only they have a tax rebate sale going on!  Walk in and an associate will give you a card.  It can have a savings from 10% to 40% off your entire purchase!  Of course this tempted me in to doing a little shopping for myself (I got the 40% off card!).  Check out the outfit I bought today.  I’ll post photos of me later.

{love this top! It’s a sheer tank and looks great with this over-sized sweater}

{they just got these in, the shorts look great with the tank and are the perfect length}

{I got the coral earrings, but they have four colors to choose from}

{what are you waiting for?}