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Irish Fest

Last night we had the chance to visit Milwaukee’s Irish Fest. The weather couldn’t have cooperated more beautifully. We were initially a little worried about being chilly, but the sun warmed us until it set, and with a cool breeze we were very comfortable as we wandered the grounds. For those of you following along earlier in the Summer, Irish Fest and most other cultural festivals are held on the Summerfest grounds. Typically we attend Germanfest, which has always been a fun tradition, but this year we took a break as we were a bit event fatigued. Luckily Irish Fest messaged us and gifted us some tickets to head down and enjoy the experience. 

We just missed the opening ceremony, as it was difficult to get down there quickly after work. Irish Fest runs Thursday, August 15th through Sunday, August 18th, so there is plenty of time to join in on the world’s largest Irish celebration! Any time we hear about the irresistible combination of themed (fried) food, live music, and some beer, consider us lured in. We did some scoping of the traditional Irish fare being offered and after last night, we can conclude safely, that we love it. 

Being that it was our first time, we can’t speak to the crowd typical size. As we walked in, we were relieved to see that although there were plenty of people enjoying the first night, we wouldn’t be elbowing our way around as it usually happens at Summerfest. Some of the food vendors were closed probably just because of the smaller crowd size on the weeknight, but there were still ample options available and we took full advantage!

Whenever we visit festivals, fairs, etc; we love to share food. It’s always better to get a couple of bites of something and be able to try another new item than fill up on one thing. Plus you’re also risking not liking the new to you food you just spent good money on! So grab a friend you can split your grub with and enjoy as we do! To start us off strong, we stopped at Mulligan’s Irish Pub and grabbed the Reuben quesadilla. That was at the top of my list of items to try and I didn’t regret it! If anything now I’d like to make it at home. 

From there we grabbed a Sausage Roll from Mother Machree Strudel House. It was a top-notch Usinger’s sausage encased in a wonderfully flaky crust. It was like a gourmet corn dog, completely wonderful. As we enjoyed our first bites, we sat and took in the sounds of Backwest at the Miller Lite Stage. They are a traditional Irish music band and play some really fun classics while providing a backstory. Once we satiated our stomachs with the first round of food, we headed to find some beer. We ended up with the Terrapin IPA, which was new to us but had a great orange (citrusy) flavor.

We got to the grounds cutoff point (which might be shortened again because it was a weeknight but can’t confirm that) and found Winston’s. There was quite a line and as we scanned their menu, we realized it was for good reason. They have a plethora of incredible sounding options, and we intended to put it to the test. We ended up trying the Irish Egg Rolls, and oh my gosh were they more than we ever hoped! Perfectly fresh out of the deep fryer, with gooey wonderful insides.

Although we haven’t typically eaten a lot of Shepherd’s pie, for some reason the Shepherds Fries were calling our names. They are fresh fries, topped with Shepherd’s pie and melted cheddar cheese. The toppings were ample enough that we dug in with forks. It’s a play on the typical chili cheese fries and we loved it! The last thing we tried at Winston’s was their Toasted sandwich. It’s a corned beef sandwich on toasted marbled rye, with cheddar cheese and grilled onions. You can tell the corned beef was high quality and plentiful, we all just agree that we should have gone with the traditional Reuben because we missed the thousand island dressing. It was still a great sandwich, just hard because it was so similar to a Reuben!

While we passed around our food with sighs of contentment, we listened to Realta another Irish Band at the Aer Lingus stage. They had a lot of the traditional instruments, playing with uilleann pipes, whistles, flute, bouzouki, banjo, and bodhran for an alternative folk take on Irish traditional music. They mixed in some slower tunes and then had some livelier riffs, which we truly enjoyed! We had a blast trying to figure out which Irish instruments they were all strumming on.

As we were heading back out of the festival, you know it wouldn’t be us (especially down at the Summerfest grounds), if we didn’t make a stop at Cedar Crest Ice Cream. There we split their peanut butter ice cream sundae, to satisfy our sweet tooth and cap off a great experience. We loved our first visit to Irish Fest, and we will definitely be returning in the future. Next year they are celebrating their 40th year of Irish Fest, so it seems like a great time to return. Go check it out for yourself this weekend, or save the date for next year’s huge celebration! 

Peep the face you make when you remember you are sharing the sundae!

Outfit Details

Caitlin’s Shorts are linked here

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A Military Inspired Moment

Gosh, it’s Wednesday but we’re still yearning to be on vacation back at the lake. This year we split up our vacation from the typical one full week to two extended weekends. On our way back just were agreeing that it just doesn’t feel long enough. Normally when we’re up there we like to do some day trips, whether it be a long UTV ride on some trails or into Eagle River to do some window shopping or go-karting. This time, we went to a supper club for dinner one night and just went to grab our fishing licenses but even that felt like we had barely any time on the lake. 

We were still blessed with some incredible weather, just not as hot as it was in July. So it didn’t really make sense for us to be out on the water or floating in the water like we did plenty in July. Don’t worry, we still did some of that. This trip probably felt a lot more well rounded because we did some of everything! There was a day we fished. We like to fish for little bluegill, perch and rock bass and we make them into a fish fry. It’s completely satisfying to catch your own dinner and prepare it all in one day. 

Y’all know it wouldn’t be like us without some physical exertion as well. I was able to workout with the gym setup they have up there. Our Dad rounded it out with a Bosu ball this time, so I had to do some activities using that. We got to bike, Caitlin did multiple times and we all went as a family once. Because it wasn’t so hot, it made for perfect biking weather. We took the UTV around the lake to pick up our Grandma, she enjoys riding in it and took it on the trails a couple of times as well. 

Minimal reading was done, especially compared to the almost 10 books I had brought with me. That’s alright, prioritizing family time isn’t a bad alternative. I did finish one book, The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff. I haven’t updated our reading page in a while but I read this for our book club and I love good historical fiction. Especially a lot of World War II-era novels. It was a terrifying time to live in, and there’s a lot to be learned about what people endured and how they had to evolve (especially women) during that time.

Speaking of war, and onto some military-inspired fashion. We have always been drawn to any military-inspired look. Not sure if it has to do with it being structured, or if its a relatively classic silhouette. Regardless, we both usually ooh and ahh when we spy something new. This was definitely the case with this sundress. 

Caitlin has been living in dresses and skirts this summer. Like we’ve said before, our window to not wear pants (comfortably) is smaller than a lot of places and we like to take advantage. In the past when we worked together, we used to do Dress July and Skirt August. This year, I’ve been able to wear jeans on Monday Wednesday Friday at work, so I haven’t participated with her. Plus, I’ve been adoring all of the cozy comfortable but still chic culottes that are everywhere right now. 

Basically, as a business professional office setting, she can wear dresses to work if she pairs them with a blazer. Plus with the frigid office temperatures, it’s a necessary addition. This dress might not necessarily be the most office friendly as it’s jersey material, but dang is it cute for everything else in the summertime! Plus the olive green color transcends seasons, which is always helpful in stretching your wardrobe. All in all, it’s an amazing dress option. Tell us below, what are your go-to summer wardrobe options?

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Sustainability with Lake Effect Co.

One of our favorite companies is hosting a sustainability challenge this month and we were all about doing our part. We wanted to take today to first and foremost remind you that we are hosting the Lake Effect Co. Pop-up shop, tomorrow August, 13th, at their summer brick and mortar shop along the beach in Pewaukee. We would love to see you there, you can see all of the details in the Facebook group here. And don’t forget you get to take advantage of our 15% off coupon in stores! 

The second and main reason we are writing this post is to hold ourselves accountable and hopefully give more light to this sustainability challenge because the more the merrier. Here is an example of the first few days:

Day 1: Keep your lights off and let the morning sun do the work. Use this same approach for when you get home at the end of the day. One of the biggest perks of this time of the year is that the sun is our fuel, let it naturally do its job for you. You’ll be surprised how well your eyes (and entire sleep cycle) adapt as you start to lose natural light. 

Day 2: Put your reusable water bottle near your bag for the next day so you don’t forget it and become forced to purchase a single use bottle or go thirsty. Same with your silverware. Toss an extra pair into your lunch bag! Worried about forgetting to keep a set in there? As soon as you take out the dirty pair to wash them, toss a new set in right away. Or better yet, clean them at work or on your trip as soon as you’re done using them, so they’re ready for next time. You can use a cloth napkin to wrap them up when you put them in your bag.

We were chatting at the pool a few weeks ago when the challenge started and had fun bouncing the things we do off of each other. I have always been a bit of a freak when it comes to turning lights off. As I am walking in and out of rooms, I’ll constantly shut lights off (even if they aren’t mine-oops!). I also tend to use natural light as often and as long as I can throughout the day because not only is it better for sustainability; it’s better for my bank account. Even if you aren’t big into conservation think about your bank account!

Another way to conserve (resources) and financially is carpooling. Between Jenilee, Nick, and I we are incredible at this. Since we make the four-hour trek to the lake so often we are always trying to be as compact as possible. My friends are all equally as great in this department. Whether we are camping, heading to a local lake, or just to the park they either choose to get there by foot or we make ourselves comfy with three in the back seat. 

In addition to being conscientious of the lights, I have been trying to use minimal plastic bags, rather I reach for a reusable container to pack my lunch instead. Jenilee just invested in some reusable silicone bags. We are both anxious to see how she likes them! I have also been saying no thank you to the plastic bags at the grocery store as often as possible. My memory isn’t always the best when it comes to remembering to bring in my reusable bags. Usually, the internal light bulb turns on as I get to checkout. If I only have a few items I’ll grab everything with my hands or try to opt into using paper which I will then use again at home. 

Another big one for both of us the past few years is using reusable water bottles rather than packing a case of water. I also recently invested in a 64 oz. jug that I can bring out on the boat or on long hikes so I can refill without using any plastic. We still sometimes find ourselves packing gallons of water for camping in the traditional cartons, but always hold onto the empties to reuse them. Maybe a bigger reusable jug is in our future? Along with this, we have been saying no to using a straw when we can or using the metal ones. 

Something else I find myself doing is picking up trash around the lake or along the streets in my neighborhood. I was on a walk recently and was really sad to see multiple cans laying less than 10 feet from a trash and recycling unit. That is something I will never understand, but people can be lazy. 

One last thing we are both extremely diligent with, is donating clothing we no longer like/want/need/fit into. We are constantly giving friends and family hand me downs or donating them to stores that participate in reduce reuse recycle projects. This also reminds me of a high school science project we had to do that was specifically to reduce, reuse and or recycle something. My mom helped me decide on an (ambitious) project for a weekend. We turned all of my old T-shirts that I don’t wear into a quilt. We used an old blanket for the filling and an old flat sheet as the back. I still use this blanket almost everything I go camping and my teacher loved how extreme we went on this one. I have since then made 3(!!) blankets, which may be excessive, however, it helps me hold onto my memories and literally wrap myself up in the nostalgia. 

Katherine is selling some reusable produce bags at her pop-up event, we just may just need snag those tomorrow. It’s one thing to use a few plastic bags here and there on occasion, especially if you reuse them again at some point. When we get them, we totally are the type to have a plastic bag drawer and reuse them as garbage bags. However, those flimsy little produce bags are so wasteful. If we’re being honest they are way too weak to be used again. So if I can remember to start skipping them I certainly should. 

In the effort to be transparent, the things we are doing are so easy and small. But if everyone started doing these simple small things, they would all start to add up quickly. Everyone can easily help preserve our beautiful planet and the most beautiful gifts God put on this planet (cough lakes).

We both really hope to see some of your smiling faces tomorrow night at the Lake Effect Co. x The Real Tall Pop-Up event tomorrow night! This is the best opportunity to try on some of their goodies in person and avoid needing shipping.

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Classy with a little Sassy

Apparently, it’s a mini week of linen love! It’s funny how we shoot pictures and they aren’t close together but when everything is scheduled, sometimes there ends up being a theme. You know us, we’re all about themes! Party or otherwise. Plus when we like something, we go all in! So you heard about my love of pink pants from Tuesday’s post. If you missed it, check it here. They happen to be linen fabric, and that was the secondary love that I’ve discovered. With all of this glorious heat we’ve experienced this Summer, there is no better fabric to wear than breathable linen to keep you comfortable.

We’re still sharing all of the incredible items we were gifted from our Asos showroom trip. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, honestly. Probably the biggest pinch-me moment of life! When I saw this on their site, I was definitely interested. The red color is a big draw, to start. Then it’s one of the best shapes on my pear-shaped body. The A-line is flattering because it skims over your hips/butt area which happens to be the largest part of my frame.

I do want to note that I got the size 10. It was still quite generously cut, so I had it altered. Personally, I’m all about having someone you trust to do alterations. If you like a garment but find that the fit isn’t quite right, they can literally customize it to your body. That’s why I love this sundress so much. She was able to take it in so it skims perfectly. 

Plus the sundress is on sale right now. If I can buy something on major sale, I definitely don’t think twice about having it altered. Then you’re saving money and getting the perfect customized fit so you won’t have to worry about gapping or tugging on it while wearing it. I wore it to my Grandma’s 90th birthday party and was so comfortable and felt good all night long.

The belt detail on the back is also a nice unexpected addition. It’s like I was mentioning yesterday, that Asos has a lot of great options within their dresses that give you a little extra pizzazz that sets your dress apart from the average. It’s like classy in the front and party in the back. Like a mullet, but way cuter. 

Plus, y’all know me and mini dresses don’t really get together often. This midi length is ideal for me. I can run around and not worry about bending over or anything. Nothing against mini dresses, but for most of them, the length just doesn’t work well. Plus having a bigger butt, I know I’m not alone with seeing how much shorter it makes the dress in the back! Something must be able to be done about that issue. It is comical at times that I’ll like something based off the front view, and then turn around to discover I lost 3+ inches in the back and can’t bend over comfortably. 

So basically you’re not going to find a better linen summer dress than this one. Plus it’s nearing the “end of summer” (even though it technically doesn’t end until September 23rd in case anyone cares), and everything is on sale. Hooray for anyone who waited to shop until now! We’re constantly holding out for a sale, and this is ideal because you still will be able to wear it for almost two whole months depending on how quick your weather starts to change. Let us know what you’re shopping for right now if anything!

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On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink

It might be Wednesday, but it’s our Friday today so life is good! It’s been a whirlwind of a week, and we’re so ready for vacation. I ended up getting a summer cold, so I’m trying to (unsuccessfully) rest up so I’m not miserable on vacation. At first, I was sure it was allergies, but after a couple of nights of mouth breathing from a clogged nose, I’m changing my tune. If anything sounds a little off in today’s post, it’s my stuffy head messing me and making me feel foggy.

Fortunately, we’re a family who likes to plan ahead. So I already went and did a Costco run on Sunday for the food we’ll be making up north. Caitlin found a copycat recipe for Taco Bell Crunch wraps and I am super excited to give them a try. It’s perfect because she doesn’t really like to eat Taco Bell, due to the adverse effects. I, on the other hand, would eat Taco Bell a little too often, so I’m all about a make at home option! I’ve found a great copycat quesadilla sauce as well. If you’d like either recipe, give us a holler and we’ll be sure to let you know how the Crunch wraps work out!

Back to the good stuff, the clothing! We’re super excited about this dress. Caitlin is forever searching for great work-appropriate dresses. This is the ultimate work dress. We’ve found it, we’re sticking with it! Often when we’re browsing Asos site (which is very often indeed), we spy dresses that will have a lot of amazing parts to them. The length will be incredible, or the color will be spot on. 

But there’s usually a big BUT followed by the initial admiration. It might be the cut of the neckline, being far too low to wear to work. There’s also been plenty that look work-friendly from the front, only to watch the video (friendly tip: always watch the video) and realize that the back is backless or there are cut-outs or slits that extend too high. There are a million and one ways to cut a dress, and I’m sure everyone has their own favorite. 

For us, we need it to be pretty modest. Modest doesn’t mean it needs to be boring, but those two words are often used synonymously. I would argue that it’s an unfair comparison as well. If you want to show some skin, go for it. We think there is a time and a place, and it’s definitely not in our workplace. So we have a pretty specific idea of what types of dresses we look for. 

Anyone else in a corporate environment knows that often the temperatures aren’t conducive to dressing for the weather. If I show up to work in a sundress, I will be shivering in no time. The air conditioner is always going in the summer at both of our jobs. While it would be nice to wear lighter fabrics or fewer layers, it just isn’t realistic. That’s why this dress is completely perfect because of the sleeves. 

Another concern when sleeves are in play with a less stretchy fabric is if our arms will still fit comfortably. As women who like to lift weights, sometimes our shoulders and arms feel restricted if we’re buying the right size to fit our bodies. Luckily that is not an issue with this dress at all! Like I mentioned above, it really is the perfect work dress. It is anything but basic but still completely classic and timeless. 

Caitlin is basically influencing me to buy this dress as well, and I’m not mad about it. Tell us below what you look for in your work wardrobe. Do you like wearing dresses? If so, where do you shop for them?

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