India Hicks Lifestyle Brand

I'm so excited to share my new adventure on my blog. For years, I have gone to home parties for various direct sales companies (Premiere Jewelry, Stella and Dot, Rodan and Fields to name a few) and I always loved to concept. You throw a party (my favorite), have friends over, sip on a cocktail, and enjoy a brand from the privacy of your home. However, I never found the brand that seemed to fit my personality, my style, and my need for a variety of products rather than just skin care or earrings.

Then, I was approached to participate in this "ground floor" opportunity they are calling it. Basically, it's brand NEW and absolutely beautiful brand of lifestyle products. It also happens to be started by India Hicks. If anybody knows style, it's India Hicks. Some may know her and others might need a brief introduction (see video below).

http://player.vimeo.com/external/116183329.hd.mp4?s=820420fbb9e63688dd7330e3c25e013d 

This product line just seemed like "me". The colors, the fabrics, and the quality all scream classy and elegant yet surprisingly affordable. At the meeting in Chicago, the line was compared with names like Tory Burch and Jo Malone. Simply said, it's a win-win.

Here on the blog I'll be featuring a product once a week in some capacity. Whether it be a simple description with a picture or possibly me wearing/styling a product (Oh-La-La). Either way check back weekly to see all the amazing items this brand has to offer.

If you are interested in any of the products, want to host your own party (will you choose an English Tea Party or Island Cocktail Party?), or become an ambassador please contact me or visit my website:

Nicole Waldron- Style Ambassador
nfleshin@gmail.com
indiahicks.com/rep/nicolewaldron

Cheers,

Party Nicole

Change is Good.

Greetings Internet,

This is your long lost user Nicole. SO much has changed since my last post that I'm fairly certain I'm unrecognizable. The short of it is as follows, in the year I took off from blogging:

1. Sold house
2. Moved from Gainesville to Chicago
3. Got a new job in Speech Pathology
4. Had a BEAUTIFUL baby girl
5. Put job on hold in Speech Pathology
6. Took on new business ventures (more to come there)

I mean, goodness, that was all in a matter of less than a year. I'm physically exhausted just typing it onto this blog post.

In the past, I have used this as a social media outlet and a way to express my love for a lifestyle involving all things fun, girly, beautiful and inspiring. I have also been less than successful at being a regular poster. So, I will make no promises about how often I will post but now i'm leaning more towards quality over quantity. I have some exciting new things going on and I would love to use this blog as a way to showcase what it's all about. And, yes everyone, it involves lots of good parties. I've missed you all. How about a little sweet face for your morning...

Cheers, 

Party Nicole

The Napa Valley To Do List

Today, my husband and I are leaving for California (yay for vacation!) to celebrate his big 3-0. So, I thought I would post a list of Napa Valley to do's. The places I will mention have become tradition in our families and are absolute musts when we visit. We are huge winos so some of these vineyards are pricey and we will often share tastings to make the trip more affordable.

Vineyards
1. Stags Leap Wine Cellar: That is where this picture was taken and as you can see the scenery is just breathtaking. You can receive a tour of the grounds with your tasting if you book ahead of time and wander around aimlessly with a glass of wine. Sounds like heaven. (reservations recommended)

2. Black Stallion: Their wine is outrageously good and if your not on a budget, try the Bucephalus pairing. (reservations not necessary)

3. Frogs Leap: Very affordable and located in the heart of the Rutherford district. They are an organic, self sustaining, and amazing wine! Their pairing includes fruit and cheese plate. Some of my best memories there were frolicking through their garden eating their tomatoes and drinking wine. (reservations not necessary)

4. Silver Oak Cellars: Their food and wine pairing is out of control good but only offered on weekdays. (reservations required)

5. Louis M. Martini: We asked for the wine tasting in the basement cellar and it was soooooo cool. (reservations required for cellar tasting but not regular tasting)

Food
1. Sweetie Pies Bakery: My husband will laugh when I list this first because I am absolutely obsessed with this bakery. They serve breakfast and have pastries cooking all day. The smell will permeate the whole downtown area and I could sit there for hours just smelling the aromas of fresh baked AM buns. YES you must try the AM bun.

2. Celadon: Great food if you want to eat downtown but make sure to make a reservation because it's always busy.

3. Rutherford Grill: Perfect lunch place or in the case of my father-in-law, lunch, dinner, and then lunch again:) We usually end up there more than once because the food is awesome! I suggest visiting vineyards in Rutherford or Yountville and then lunch here because they are very close.

4. Gott's Roadside Napa: This place is the quintsential burger/shake shop. The seating is all outdoors and you order up and then your name is called. The line is always long but moves quickly. Burgers, shakes, fries it's all amazing and glutinous, but hey, you're on vacation!

Well thats a pretty good dent in the list. The greatest thing about Napa Valley is you always leave knowing you have not discovered everything and the adventure will continue on your next visit. Happy travels to anyone who reads this and I would love to hear about your experiences at these places or anything you found during your travels.

Party Nicole

Cupcakes and Updates

A fall chill actually came to Florida today. So, I thought what better time to post then now!

It's been a crazy few months and blogging just didn't quite make it into the schedule. I've been making some changes to my blog (and life) to better suit my goals and interests. I eliminated some things and will be adding some things as I take on new and exciting adventures. I'm also going to make it a goal now to blog 2-3 times a week instead of every day like I was doing. I was a tad overwhelmed:)

As you can see the blog also got a facelift. What do you think? I thought it better suited my personality and gave a more general feel. But we shall see because I am often indecisive.

Speaking of indecisive, I gave the whole cupcake business a try and let me tell you, it was a CHALLENGE. With everything else going on in life I just didn't have time to worry about frosting colors at 11pm so, I took the business off the website:( I am still more than willing to bake for anyone and everyone but i'm going back to the hobby status instead of business. Who knows what life will bring me in the world of cupcakes but for now it's strictly pleasure. That being said, I made an Apple Pie Cupcake on Sunday and thought that would be a great way to share my love for fall and cupcakes as pleasure and not business. So, here we go friends..

Apple Pie Cupcake
Makes 12-18 cupcakes

Wet ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Dry ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup grated or finely chopped apples

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Cream butter and sugars
-Mix remaining wet ingredients
-Sift all dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients in 3 portions not to over load the batter
-Add milk with each dry ingredient portion
-Bake for 17-20 minutes

Frosting
1/2 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
3-4 cups of confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Easy Peasy. I try to make it reader friendly so anyone can feel empowered to make a homemade treat. I hope you feel that way too. That being said, I promised a long time ago (April to be exact) a few posts so here is what's to come.
1. Napa Vally to do's
2. More fashion blogging for fall/winter wear
3. and a few more updates coming to the blog

Thanks so much for visiting. I'm excited for new things to come:)

Party Nicole

Destination Wedding 101 (What nobody tells you)

In October 2010, after years of long distance dating, years and years (and years) of school, and much anticipation my now husband proposed during a breathtaking Naples, FL sunset.

We drank good wine (of course)..A New Zealand Wine called LaRose from Stonyridge Vineyards in Waiheke Island, NZ.

You read about this time in your life in fairy tales and Disney stories but never do you think something like this could actually happen. It was magical. And then...came wedding planning. We had just moved into a new house, in a new city, new everything so we thought a long engagement was a good idea. Truthfully, I don't know how people plan a wedding with any less than a year. We set the date for April 27th, 2012 and to work we went!

We had NO idea where we wanted to get married. It was starting from a completely BLANK slate. I was certainly not one of those girls that had every detail and color planned as a young girl. I definitely work day to day and barley that sometimes. All I knew I wanted was to marry Matt at a beach because we met at the beach. All Matt knew he wanted was an open bar. We were CLUELESS. So, i'm pretty sure when we returned home from the engagement weekend we started our wedding planning by googling "beach weddings". Hey, you gotta start somewhere! After much research, we stumbled upon this quant beach town north of Jacksonville, FL called Amelia Island a.k.a HEAVEN.

We were all clueless with the idea of planning a basic wedding but I had all these bright (in the wedding world that's also referred to as...expensive) ideas like outdoor wedding, at sunset, and you get the idea. So, as we planned...we learned...A LOT. I thought I would share with you some of the things that even stumped many highly educated people, google, and wedding planners. Stuff I wish I knew nearly one year ago...

Destination Weddings
They are becoming more and more popular for a lot of reasons. One, if you're going to travel for a wedding people are now a bit spoiled. They want to travel somewhere new, different, and fun. Two, As a bride planning a destination wedding, you can be as "hands-on" or "hands-off" as you would like. I would make decisions and choices as needed or wanted and left the rest up to the professionals. Three, it allows you to create a special memory in a place that is unique to your relationship, family, and friends.

Transportation
We chose Amelia Island, FL for a lot a reasons (look here) but one of the most important was its close approximation to the Jacksonville International Airport. Easy access for our friends and family who were all traveling at least 2 hours by car but mostly by plane. However, during the process we realized that providing transportation to and from the wedding was important because of the location we chose.
So, we rented this bad boy to get our guest SAFELY to and from the wedding venue. Believe me people, it came in handy.

Wedding Itinerary of Events
Keep your guests informed. They spent a lot of money to be a part of your day and traveled long distances so they deserve to be entertained and spend time with you. One of our main reasons for doing a destination wedding and on a friday was to make it a whole weekend of events. We provided transportation to and from the venue, had a newlywed meet and greet on saturday mid-day, and a bonfire on saturday night. I don't mean to brag here, but I might be one of the only brides who can actually say I met with and even had a conversation with all of my guests. It was a nice feeling.

Welcome bags

Many of our guests came from out of state and traveled by plane so providing an amazing welcome bag was one of my must-haves in a wedding. Receiving it upon check-in to your hotel sets the tone for your wedding. It also provides people with some celebratory pre-game champaign, UV protection, hangover remedies, snacks, breakfast, and a tote for the beach. It wanted it to reflect a thoughtful collection of items that you meant to pack but might have forgotten for a beach/destination wedding. 

Our burlap bags with wedding itinerary attached 

Lighting
A VERY unexpected dent in our budget FOR sure but lighting was super important for the outdoor setting and the fact that in April the sun sets around 7:45pm and the wedding didn't end until 10pm. It made the setting romantic and soft. Of course, our photographer (Jimmy Ho Photography) captured the lighting's feel perfectly.

Dance with Pops:)

Looking very sober.

Aerial view..they thought of everything.

Starting our first dance...

Little bro's speech

I hope this helps all you newly engaged couples out there. Congratulations to you, and as my mom always reminded me during this sometimes stressful process, enjoy every moment of your planning and engagement because the actually day goes by SO fast. Best. advice. ever.

Party Nicole

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps and What's to Come..

Many apologies for my lack of posts. It's been a busy couple of weeks! My husband and I will be celebrating ONE year of marriage next week so we (us and Matt's parents) traveled to Napa Valley this past weekend to celebrate our first year together and taste some good wine of course. We also fit a few other things in there that I will be blogging about later.

While in Napa, We tasted TONS of wine, ate MOUNTAINS of delicious food, and were fairly sedentary (with the exception of a few brisk walks to and from vineyards) so, Monday started the "detox". It was one of the rare occasions where my body was ACTUALLY begging to be 'cleaned out'. Therefore, it was a back to the gym, green-smoothes, and lots of water kind of week. This recipe was inspired by the Thai Lettuce Wraps I always order at Cheese Cake Factory and my husband's love for buffalo sauce.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (roughly 3/4 lb)
1/4 cup of buffalo sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot )
1/4 white onion
pinch of cheddar for each lettuce wrap
1/4 tsp sriracha sauce (for garnish sauce)
1 tbs low fat ranch dressing (for garnish sauce)

1 head of butter lettuce (whole leaves)

Slice the chicken breast in thin but even (so they cook the same) slices as they turn that white/cooked looking color you add the onion and buffalo sauce. 

Then simmer until onions are soft and sauce has absorbed (about 5 more minutes).

Prepare the lettuce by cutting the ends to make an even edge on both sides. Here's a little hint, I use two leaves per wrap for extra greens and the hubs didn't even notice..HA!

Mix the VERY small amount of ranch with srichia just to add an extra kick of flavor. 

Add a pinch (not too much!) of cheddar and enjoy:)

You'll notice a little cake next to the lettuce wraps and that happens to be another one of my hidden gems. I pretty much have to hide all things healthy in something that looks realllllly unhealthy to get my husband to eat well. So, that my friends is a Quinoa Cake. It will change your life and your families eating habits. Recipe to come! Speaking of upcoming blog posts I'm working on here is what you can expect over the next few weeks: 

1. NAPA VALLEY--of course! It's been overwhelming to write because we visited 2 years ago and last week so I want to reflect on both trips and get allll the must-do's covered for anyone who might be visiting in the near future. Believe me folks, we did Napa right x2. 

2. Nashville , TN here we come!--as previously blogged, my dear high school friend Ashley is getting married and it's time hit up the home of country music. 

3. ONE YEAR!--I'll take everyone back to my trip down the isle and the many sleepless nights and daunting days it took to get us there. I'll share some of the things that I (and google) didn't know about planning a destination wedding including welcome bags, guest itineraries, transportation and the list goes on and on. 

4. RECIPES--Quinoa cakes, green smoothes, and probably a cupcake squeezed in there:)

5. SPEECH AND HEARING MONTH--Party Nicole will be celebrating May with speech and hearing month or as I like to think of it...a chance to pat myself and all my fellow speechies on the back for their hard work in our field. I'll take you through some experiences I've had in my short time as a speech pathologist and talk about why it's soooooo darn important to TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN!! Watch out band-wagon, I'm getting on.

Well, that's brushing the surface. Lot's coming!

Party Nicole

Fiesta Soup

As promised, my chicken fajita soup or as I like to call it, Fiesta Soup! It is simple for two reasons:

1. you can make it in under an hour

2. you can also throw it in the crock pot before work and have delicious soup when you come home

The pictures and step by step process is for the under an hour recipe but the same steps apply if you make it in the crock pot.

There are few components to the Fiesta Soup:

1. The "fajita broth"
2. The salsa
3. The chicken


First, you chop a sweet or yellow onion and a red pepper and simmer in a large pan(enough to hold 4 cups of broth and onions/peppers) with 2 tbs of olive oil.

Then, reduce the peppers and onions 10-12 minutes and add a:
1/2 package of taco seasoning
1/2tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 tbs of Chile powder
4 cups of chicken stock
1/2 lime
pinch of cilantro

Let simmer for 30-45 minutes

 While that's simmering, make the salsa and chicken.

Salsa:
2 tomatoes chopped
3 tbs chopped red pepper
1 tsp cilantro
1/2 lime's juice
1 tsp sriracha sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
 1 tsp kosher salt

(avocado for garnish at the end)

Chicken:

2 chicken breast

1/4 cup Lawry's mesquite marinade

2 tsp sriracha sauce

other 1/2 of taco seasoning package

Grill chicken and then shred into bottom of bowl

Soup should be done simmering and add salsa over chicken

Add layer of pepper jack cheese and ladle in fajita broth

 Add cheddar, avocado, and sour cream to garnish...Annnnnd  Ta DA! Time for a soup fiesta!

Hope you enjoy and let me know how you like it and what you did to make it your own!

Party Nicole