a savvy summer

Summer in New England is synonymous with lobster shacks, sand filled shoes, and festivals galore. Even though those activities are a necessity to partake in, I would most often prefer an afternoon of boutique shopping, a quite evening drive along the coastline, and spending time in the historic city of Portsmouth, NH.

This little city and the surrounding area has so much to offer I thought I would share some of our favorite spots with you. First up is the historic grand hotel, Wentworth by the Sea.

This hotel was built in 1874 and has seen many historical figures grace its halls. The gardens, landscape, and stunning views make this the perfect stop for an afternoon drink on the terrace.

Dress: c/o London Times | Necklace: LOFT | Shoes: c/o Wanted

Around every corner in the road there is something new to see and we always find ourselves pulling over on the side of the road to explore.

Once you get into downtown Portsmouth make sure you park around Market St. or Congress St. so that you may explore the city on foot more easily.

Here are a few of my favorite shops you should make sure you check out:

• Portsmouth Salt Cellar - Chat with the staff to learn about the properties of the Himalayan Salt Blocks
• Cool Jewels - One of a kind accesores and jewerly pieces at affordable prices
• Macroscopic - A great location for picking up unique gift items
• Le Roux Kitchen - Try out samples of their interesting flavors of oils and seasonings.

And of course there is always decision of where to eat:

• Friendly Toast - Always Stew’s number one choice. They serve breakfast all day.
• Portsmouth Brewery - Great pub food and local beers.
• Cava - A wine and tapas bar nestled in the cutest alleyway for when you are looking for something smaller to eat.
• Ri Ra - Your basic Irish pub. Yes, it might be one of a small chain but still a great spot for a cider, some mussels, and live music.
• Moxy - We recently just tried this place for the first time and really enjoyed it. An american take on tapas. (Stay tuned for a Thursday Night Date post)

I had fun with this sneak peak into on of my favorite local cities. Perhaps I will do more posts like this in the future. Any suggestions on cities/towns I should hit up?

friendship

This has been one of my favorite outfits over the last few weeks. The comfy/casual feel has been a go-to for me, especially on my days off from work.

On this particular day we took our little friend Wesley and his parents to the aquarium for his first birthday.

Chambray Shirt, Tank, Denim: LOFT | Shoes: Restricted | Friendship bracelet: Wakami from LOFT | Belt: Calvin Klein

in my world.

Here are a few things that have been happening in my world lately.

• I have a renewed obsession with Pinterest recently and have been following new boards and pinning up a storm. You can see my boards here.
• I am trying to convince everyone that I have the cutest nephew in the world. It is the truth! And he just started crawling which is the just about the most adorable thing ever.
• This dress just arrived in the mail and I am super excited about an upcoming partnership with London Times. Stay tuned for more on that.
• We are already starting to plan our 4th of July party which has been a highlight in our family for years all thanks to the planning genius of My Sister. P.S. I haven’t seen My Sister in 6 months and I am starting to have serious withdrawals.