Bachelorette Finale & ATFR Recap!

So I am finally getting to post about the finale and AFTFR and I am psyched! I was anxiously awaiting Monday and couldn't wait until the time came. I always get so funny when I'm watching the finale's, lol. I get super-excited/nervous and when the moment finally comes I sit there sucking in my breath and practically covering my eyes!! Ultimately I think Jillian made the right choice choosing Ed! I was so happy that those spoilers (or should I say rumors) I came across weren't true!! From the moment Ed walked in to the room on the first show I just had a gut feeling and once they went on that first date, I called it! I have been correct pretty much every single season with the exception of 2 ;) Jillian & Ed make such an adorable couple and they seem to really compliment each other!

I felt so bad for Kiptyn! I think she did the right thing, but you could just see the disappointment wash over his face when he realized what was about to happen. I think that even though I felt like there was something "off" about him, that he genuinely had feelings for Jillian. I hope that he meets a great girl after all of this!!!

And Reid, omg! I give him major kudo's for having the guts to go by a ring himself and fly back to not only tell Jillian how he truly felt, but to propose as well! That was a ballsy move!! I think he might have been a teensy bit too sure of himself, but I still think that it was really sweet that he put himself out there like that. I felt bad for Reid also. I know it must have been so hard for Jillian to make that choice, which brings me to.....

The After the Final Rose show! Kinda boring, but I could just feel the pain and tension coming off the screen when Jillian and Reid were on together! I'm guessing there were probably some little Jillian/Ed tiffs going on after that show!! Poor Jillian looked like she was so confused - did anyone else think that? And Reid, well you could just tell that he was still really hurt and maybe holding out hope that she was going to change her mind? And how funny was that girl that came up and asked him on a date!! lol. These guys are going to have NO problems meeting girls after being on this show - they'll need to fight them off!

So who do you think/hope with be the next Bachelor? There are lots of "rumors" and speculation swirling around! My vote would be for Jake. He's caught a lot of flack for being the way he is but I LOVED him!!! I do think that he would have a really hard time letting women go though - he seems like he might be too nice to be able to deal with that. I guess we will see and I hope it's soon!!!

If you fell in love with Jillian's style on the show and want to know where she gets her clothing or jewelry, check out the fashion and jewelry roundups on my other blog and on Possessionista Is there an outfit or item Jillian was wearing (or anyone else for that matter) that you can't find on the blog? Contact Dana from Possessionista! She is THE fashion sleuth =)

My New Addiction!

Last night there was nothing on TV - absolutely nothing!!! So I started flipping channels and came across Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood on Oxygen. I've always liked Tori Spelling and had watched an episode or two of the first season, so I figured I would give it a go. I found myself quickly being sucked in to this show! First of all, let me just say that Tori Spelling seems like the nicest person!!! I'm putting emphasis on the "seems" part because I don't actually know her obviously, but she really does seem so genuine. Even after being stalked at the Farmer's Market by an uber creepy fan girl and being asked question after ridiculous question she remained so nice! Now I'm going to have to go OnDemand and see if I can find the older shows ;) Anyone else watch it? What do you think?

Bachelorette Gossip

I received the Hollywood Gossip newsletter this morning and there was a ton of gossip and speculation surrounding this season of The Bachelorette! Maybe I'm late in seeing all of this, but wow!! If it's all true I feel so bad for Jillian. I am a huge fan and she seems like such a sweet and genuine woman. She does not deserve the shenanigans that went on with these "boys" this season!!! If you do not want to read possible spoilers, DO NOT READ =) So anyway, on to business....

Rumor #1
This is one that has been going around pretty much since the beginning of the show and I'm sure one that everyone has heard by now - that Kiptyn has already signed to be the next Bachelor and has known for some time! Maybe this is what I've been sensing all along? That this "rumor" might be true? So that leaves me wondering where all of this fits in if it is true. Does Jillian know? I don't really understand how ABC could really do something like that without her knowing about it. Kiptyn and Jill's interactions have seemed very rehearsed to me at times. Maybe this explains it?

moving on.....

Rumor #2
Another rumor that has been going around since the last show is that Reid comes back on the finale and tells Jillian how he feels. Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE Ed fan, but I kind of hope this is true and I kind of hope Jillian chooses to be with Reid - you'll see why when we move on to #3 ;) I thought Reid and Jill seemed to have the best natural banter going on and he seemed truly sincere. I think the goofiness they share is a major thing necessary for a relationship and seemed to be what Jillian is looking for.

And last but not least, the bombshell...

Rumor #3
Ed is rumored to have a GF back home!! ED...HAS...A...GF....WHAT THE HECK?!?! Let me just say that if this is true it infuriates me!!! I have been rooting for Ed the whole show. I have been a loyal "Ed & Jillian" fan from day 1 and this totally changes my opinion of him! Apparently Ed was dating a girl back home and left her high and dry to come on the show. And the kicker? Apparently when she questioned him about it he said that she just has to wait out the show, giving her the impression that they were still together and would be after the show is over!! And apparently Ed proposes??? What?!?!

What is with these guys this season?! This is worse than all the catty girls on past seasons of The Bachelor!!! So I guess in a couple weeks we will see. I wish we didn't have to wait that long. All I can say is poor Jillian, I hope Reid comes to rescue you from this mess!!!

Oh, and a little shameless promotion here ;) If you're wondering where Jillian got the adorable earrings she is wearing in the photo above, they are the Jasmine Filigree Earrings from Stella & Dot available for purchase in my e-boutique. They are one of my absolute favorite pieces of jewelry - even before Jillian was wearing them on the show ;) Have a great weekend everyone!!!

The Bachelorette and a creepy movie!

Monday nights are one of my favorite nights and it's because I spend most of my night watching one of my most favorite shows. I loved Jillian on The Bachelor. I fell in love with her cute charm, adventurous personality and most of all, well ........ her wardrobe! There is no denying that the girl has an exceptional sense of style!! So I was super excited when I found out she was going to be the next Bachelorette. I have loved the season so far and have really enjoyed watching all the drama that has ensued - especially over Weasely Wes!!! ACK! Which brings me to last nights show....

I thought the Hawaii trip went great. Jillian was rocking some extra-cute clothes, was in a beautiful place and had the company of 3 great guys! Her date with Kiptyn looked like a lot of fun. A little scary .... but fun. Definitely fitting for both of them. Kiptyn seemed like he was very attentive and the affection between them was cute. But do I think Kiptyn is the guy for Jillian? No. I think he is so handsome, seems like a lot of fun, but I have just had this "off" feeling about him from the beginning. I've never been able to put my finger on exactly what it is. I just question his sincerity.

Moving on to Jillian's date with Reid. I thought this date seemed like it went really well! There seems to be an easiness when Jillian and Reid are together. I think they seemed to fit really well. I thought it was pretty obvious how Reid felt about her and that the reason he was holding back was because he was scared. Whenever he was around her in these settings he seemed to be a cross between a man in awe and a scared little boy. I think Reid made a HUGE mistake in not opening up and just laying it out there on the line for her. But I don't think she should have held it against him. I thought her feelings of Kiptyn possibly breaking her heart would definitely win over in the end.

The last date with Ed!! I absolutely LOVE Ed! I was sooooo happy when he came back!! I think Ed is the guy for Jillian and have thought that he would be the last man standing since she first spoke to him after his late arrival in the premier. I don't know what it is about Ed, but I just feel that there is a genuine connection there. I think he is a nice mix of all the guys and is exactly what Jillian is looking for. He has Kiptyn's adventurous side that Jill loves so much, Reid's humor and funny banter, he's sensitive and charming and have I mentioned HOT?! What more could a girl ask for?! So the date seemed like it had a fantastic start. I wasn't sure about Ed's little shortie shorts, but hey ... you can't judge a guy on his choice of bathing suits right? I mean it wasn't a speedo at least!! I thought it really showed just how serious Ed is in the fact that he had his parents fly out to Hawaii. He knew how important that was in Jillian's decision making process and it shows that he really cares about her and wants to stay. Now on to the "elephant in the room". I feel so bad for Ed. I really do. Obviously his little mishap is going to be the topic of conversation everywhere today and that is one of the things he is going to be most remembered for. I know it's reality TV and you have to have drama - but c'mon!! Cut the guy some slack for pete sake!!! I just didn't think that it was necessary to air all of that. So he had some issues .... so what!! I am glad though that Jillian talked to him before sending him home because of his little "no-show" so to speak ;)

So she kept Kiptyn and sent Reid home. Definitely not the decision I would have made, but it's a moot point because she is going to pick Ed!!! Could I be right? I guess we'll see in two weeks!! I can't wait for next weeks show and I really hope it turns into "let's slam Wes" show. I'm not a mean person. I just think the guy deserves it. I'm curious to see if he has the guts to be there. I doubt it, but then again you never know!



In addition to watching The Bachelorette, I also watched The Unborn. It was definitely creepy. Not one of my most favorite movies, but not a complete waste of time either. There were definitely some parts of it that I found disturbing ... in a good way. And it didn't hurt that hottie Cam Gigandet was in it either. If you're a horror fan I definitely think it's rent worthy. If not, you might want to skip it ;)

New Boots - Thank You Dana!!!

Some of you may not know that I am a HUGE fan of this seasons Bachelorette, Jillian Harris!! I love her style and covet most of what she wears on the show!! I obviously have a good portion of her jewelry covered as you can see on my blog I Heart Stella & Dot but a lot of her adorable clothing and accessories can be very difficult to track down. That's where my pal Dana over at Possessionista comes in. Dana and I connected over Jillians jewelry and let me just tell you ... Dana is a master at sleuthing out Jillians wardrobe ;) I was extremely excited to find out that Dana had uncovered a password to purchase Aldo's Flosand Boots that Jillian had worn on the show! I wanted these boots so badly and thought they were sold out!! That is SO not the case and would I have known otherwise? No, but thanks to Dana I got a gorgeous pair of gray to wear this fall. Thank you so much Dana!!!



If you have been looking for these boots, head on over to Dana's Blog. All of the ordering info is there!! I even tracked down a coupon code for an extra 10% off!! Code #29247590. Happy Shopping!!!

Baked Angel Hair with Eggplant

Last night I could not fall asleep! So I decided to see what I had saved on my DVR. I was happy to find that some old episodes of Everyday Italian had recorded and decided to watch one so that I could get sleepy. This show was called "Pasta Potluck" where Giada made her own version of Italian Mac & Cheese, Chicken Carbonara and my favorite of the three, Baked Angel Hair with Eggplant. The unique thing about this recipe is that it's like a "pasta pie". I'm only familiar with this concept because I own all of Giada's cookbooks and there is a similar recipe in one of them. But this one was a little different and looks absolutely delicious! I wish I had a photo to post but sadly there was not one included with the recipe, nor was there a clip of this dish being made. I did, however, find a photo of the finished dish on a fabulous blog called Culinary Infatuation. I hope you don't mind me swiping your photo - your blog is great by the way ;) Here is the recipe courtesy of Food Network


Baked Angel Hair with Eggplant
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis via Food Network




Ingredients...
~ 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
~ 4 to 6 Japanese Eggplants (about 2 lbs total), cut into 1 inch cubes
~ Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
~ 1 TB Minced Garlic
~ 1 lb Mild Italian Turkey Sausage, casings removed
~ 1/3 Cup Dry Red Wine
~ 3 Cups Marinara Sauce
~ 1 tsp Dried Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
~ 8 oz Angel Hair Pasta
~ 1 lb Mozzarella, diced (not the kind that's soft and soaked in water/milk)
~ 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
~ 1 (17 1/4oz) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets) thawed


Directions...
Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium high heat. Add half of the eggplant and toss to coat in the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute the eggplant until it is golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium. Add half of the garlic and saute until it is tender, about 2 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant mixture to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and the remaining eggplant and garlic.

Add the sausage and wine to the same frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the wine evaporates and the sausage is brown, breaking the sausage into pieces with the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage, marinara sauce, and crushed red pepper to the eggplant mixture, and toss to combine.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the Angel hair and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until pasta is slightly crunchy and undercooked (you will be baking it so you don't want to cook any longer). Drain. Toss the angel hair with the eggplant mixture. Cool completely. Add the mozzarella and Parmesan and toss to combine.

Preheat the over to 375 degrees F.

Roll out 1 pastry sheet on a floured surface to a 13 1/2 inch square. Transfer to a 9-inch spring form pan, allowing the excess pastry to hang over the rim. Spoon the pasta mixture into the pan. Place the second pastry sheet on top of the pasta filling. Pinch the edges of the pastry sheets together to seal. Trim the over hanging pastry edges to about 1 inch. Fold the pastry edges in to form a decorative border. Cut a slit in the center of the top pastry to allow the steam to escape.

Bake until the pastry is brown and puffed on top, about 1 hr and 30 minutes. Let stand for 20 minutes. Remove the pan sides and serve.

I know what I'll be making this weekend! Enjoy!!

Book Review

An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell

Lola, 17, is deeply in love with her boyfriend, Doug. Doug’s family is wealthy, and Doug is on his way to university, while Lola is a middle-class girl and works at a fish-and-chip shop. Doug’s mother sees miniskirt-wearing Lola as an obstacle to overcome and offers her 10,000 pounds to never see Doug again. Lola is about to refuse when her father reveals a huge gambling debt. The only way to keep him safe is for Lola to accept the money. Ten years later, she encounters Doug and his mother again, and now Doug knows Lola was bought off by his mother. Lola still has feelings for Doug, but Doug won’t have anything to do with her. Will their relationship be repaired, or is the money too much to handle? Mansell’s novel is the perfect read for hopeless romantics who like happily-ever-after endings. --Hilary Hatton

Since it had been about time for me to take a break from my more intense reading I decided to try out this book by Jill Mansell. I happened to be at Border's one night perusing through the shelves and the cover of this book caught my eye. It was bright and sparkly and fun - what's not to love?! It was actually in the wrong spot so it was funny that I even came across it. I picked it up, read the back, and started reading the first couple of pages. I immediately recognized that funny British humor that I love so much! Score!! So I brought it up to the register and purchased it with my 30% off coupon - gotta love Border's!!!

I didn't end up reading the book until a little over a week ago. But I finally got to it and read it in about a week. It definitely would have been a quicker read if I hadn't had some different things going on at the time! I quite enjoyed the book. It wasn't one of the best books I've ever read, but it was funny, quirky and fluffy - just what I need sometimes!! I would definitely recommend if you're a chick lit fan and looking for a light, beach read. I just recently purchased another Jill Mansell book as well - I think she's one of my new favorite Author's ;)

Never Miss A Sale Again!

Have you been coveting a certain item but don't want to pay full-price for it? Afraid you'll miss it when it finally goes on sale? I have the perfect solution for you! I've been using Shopping Notes for some time now and love it!! Opening an account is free and using this fabulous invention is so easy. All you do is pull up the web page of the item you want to keep track of in a separate window, copy the exact URL of the specific item, past it into your Shopping Notes Alerts and wallah! You will be notified by email if the price changes on this item. There is also an option to drag the shopping notes to your toolbar to make for easy adding whenever you come across something to add to your lust list!! Here are my recent additions to my alerts...

Cordoba Small Shoulder Bag

Garden Statement Necklace

Both from Banana Republic who is actually offering a special Online Only sale on New Items starting today through July 5th - 20% off with coupon code "BRNEW" and Free Shipping on orders of $100 or more! To open up your own Shopping Notes account Click Here. Happy Shopping!!!

Spartina 449

I was sitting here bored out of my mind, reading my blogroll again, and went on to read a post by The Pink Tutu about a fabulous blogger award that she received. Being that I love all things preppy, I was immediately attracted to the name of one of the blogger's who had bestowed her with this wonderful award - Madras & Pearls. I love Madras and I love pearls, so I was there! I clicked on the blog and scrolled down where I found a post featuring the most adorable patterned handbag! Madras had featured a company called Spartina 449! They have the cutest cosmetic bags, wristlets, wallets, and handbags all in a different island theme! Thanks so much for posting about this company Madras!!!

Martin & Osa Sale!

Martin & Osa is having a fantastic summer sale! All items in the "Sale" section are an additional 30% off with code #15516228 through July 7th and all orders placed through July 5th will receive Free Shipping (orders of $100+ always get free shipping). Martin & Osa's clothing is of fabulous quality and they have excellent customer service. I've ordered loads of times and anytime I've spoken with a rep on the phone they are always pleasant and efficient, returns are easy and super fast and I always love my purchases!! Here are some items I would recommend....



The Floral Maxi Dress. The pictures don't do this dress justice! I own it and I LOVE it. I don't typically wear these colors, but they are really flattering and the material is this soft, gauzy cotton. It can be dressed up with a nice pair of earrings and some bangles or dressed down with a jean jacket and flip-flops!




I own the Silk Halter Top in Cricket Navy and it is really pretty. The silk is more of a brushed silk and is nice, light and very classic. The fit is flattering and pretty true to size maybe running slightly larger. It hits right above the hip - which is nice for someone like me who is 5'4!




If you like summer scarves M&O has a really gorgeous selection! I don't know that I would pay full price, but on sale with extra % off, they are a really great price for the quality. The Linen Ombre Scarf is very nice!

I also own a few tee's, tanks, and sweaters as well that aren't on sale, but the fabric is always soft and the clothing always seems to be very well made! And if you don't like it, you can send it back for free!

Tori's Gap Find!

I was in GAP a few weeks ago and fell in love with this gorgeous Ikat Cami - but at the time it was just a little too pricey for me to grab. This morning while reading my blogroll I came across a photo of Tori Spelling wearing said cami over on my pal Possessionista's blog! The cami is also available in purple and yellow/green and there is also a peasant blouse in the same material! It is currently on sale (prices vary depending on the color) but is sold out in regular sizes online. It might be worth checking your local store!! Oh and ps - it runs big!!!

J.Crew Final Sale

There are some great finds in the J.Crew Final Sale! Here are some of my Fav's....



The Parisian Polo for $19.99 and available in TONS of colors!




The Merino Flutter-Trim Tunic for only $29.99. I hear this runs big so it might be worth a trip to the store. The Warm Blush is my favorite!




Grecian V-Neck Jersey Dress in Chocolate or Oasis Green for $69.99. I'm not sure I could pull off the deep V, but I LOVE Maxi dresses - especially in soft Jersey!




Tortioseshell Resin Bangle in Bronzed Twig for $24.99!