The little one

My sister and that little angel of hers are coming for a visit tomorrow! I could not be more excited. How did I prepare myself? By going through the pictures of our last visit, of course. Here are my favorites from about a month ago. She's gotten so big!

She really needs to be less adorable so that I don't miss her so much.

Baked Gnocchi with Ricotta & Marinara

This weekend, I experimented with gnocchi for the first time. I was really happy with how easy it was to work with {so happy, in fact, that I have made this twice in five days...} and so I thought I would share the recipe with you!

The recipe was from Martha Stewart's "Everyday Food Light" recipe book, but can also be found here. I especially loved how few ingredients and steps this dish involved, not to mention how quick it is to throw together. The second time I made it, I added about a cup of grated mozzarella to the top, which I really loved.

An ode to this Gap dress

{Dress: Gap, Belt: American Eagle, Flats: Payless Shoes, Necklace: Plenty, Watch: Nixon, Bracelets: Anthropologie and bfrend's Flora, Nails: Essie's 'Play Date'}

Dear Gap,

Thank you for creating this dress. Or, as I like to refer to it, this very long t-shirt. You have created something that I can get away with wearing to the office and also fall asleep in on my couch, all the while experiencing a maximum level of comfort. And do I even have to mention the semi-nautical stripes and color scheme? Because goodness only knows that I'd do anything to look like I was about to jump on a boat {but not without my flippy floppies and a nautical-themed pashmina afghan, of course}. So thank you, dearest Gap, for creating my new favorite summer clothing item.

Love always, 

Karla

Mint & Ginger Limeade

While at the market this weekend, I passed by some mint bunches that I just couldn't leave without. Without knowing exactly what I was going to do with it, my mint bunch and I happily headed home. The following concoction is what I came up with!

Ingredients:
the leaves from 15 sprigs of mint (I may have gone a little crazy here), slightly muddled
2 cups of Santa Cruz Organic Limeade
the juice of one lime
2 cans of soda water
1 liter of ginger beer
3/4 cup of rum
1 tablespoon of icing sugar
ice

Throw all the igredients into a pretty jug and stir with a giant wooden spoon. {I'm quite sure there was a more eloquent way to do this, but let's get real, I'm not all that eloquent}. Enjoy!

Rose lace

{Top: Forever21, Jeans: Mavi, Boots: Steve Madden, and Socks & Belt: American Eagle}

I love how easily I can make this top fancy or casual. I've found that I can definitely work it to fit both ends of the outfit spectrum. Since our mornings here have been chilly, but it tends to warm up later on in the afternoon, this combo did me well when I wore it on Friday.

My weekend was filled welcoming new and old friends, dinner parties, experimenting with mint to create a refreshing concoction, jamaican food, and a sunny trip to the farmer's market for produce and fresh flowers. What did you get up to?