Things I love…

With the ever-expanding Little Leopard Book, I decided to actually  give some background on myself through my “about” page rather than being ambiguous and just talking about the things I love!

With that said the original page with the “Things I Love” was the starting point for a blog that I was not sure what was to become of! After months of blogging and thousands of hours of Tweeting, Facebooking and Pinteresting about the blog, the Little Leopard Book has formed an identity around food, cooking, party planning and a little bit in between!

I continue to love these things that I posted on the first day of blogging so I wanted to share a post on the LLB where new followers could connect with me through the things I hold so near and dear to my heart!

… the things I ♥

• Family
• Traveling
• Food
• Cooking
• Eating
• Football
• Pictures
• Friends
• Game Nights
• Milkshakes
• Fresh Flowers
• The Food Network
• Fashion
• Backyard BBQ’s

And the little leopard book will fill in the rest…

5 Favs in 5 Days – Take Two

Take two of my 5 favorite things from Mon-Fri was made a little easier with a trip back to Oklahoma! It’s always easier to find favorite things while on vacation!

My #5 favorite thing of the week…

I never understood my Mom’s obsession with ornaments, but as I begin to accumulate my own little collection I am starting to understand a little bit more. I get so much satisfaction each year I take my ornament’s out of their little boxes and place them on my Christmas tree. And thanks to Mom, I have a new guy to put on the tree this year!  The best running back of all time at the University of Oklahoma and now the Minnesota Vikings top running back, Adrian Peterson!  He will sit nicely on the tree next to my little Sooner and Charger players!

My #4 favorite thing of the week…

Every time I’m back home in Oklahoma, there a few things on the list that must be done every trip… 3 of those things will be included in this weeks “5 Favs” including the purchase of a new OU clothing item to add to my “Sooners Dresser”.  Yes, I have an entire dresser dedicated to OU clothing items… t-shirts, tanks, sweat pants, sweat shirts, boxers, if they make it, I own it!  My newest shirt involves one of the biggest rivalries in college football as well as a little irony for anyone who knows my ex-boyfriend and how that whole situation went down, a story you will surely see in a movie someday Wish I would have listened to the shirt before getting in that relationship!

My #3 favorite thing of the week…

Another Oklahoma trip ritual… dinner at Ted’s Cafe Escondido. Mexican food – Oklahoma style! While the bottomless chips, salsa, queso dip, spicy relish and tortillas are a huge selling point, my favorite part of every visit to Ted’s is their Frozen Sangria. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Best Sangria Ever! Yes, I do have the authority to name this the best Sangria ever because I am a Sangria connoisseur. Every restaurant, bar, drinking establishment I visit that offers this tasty combination of fruit, wine and liquor (what’s not to love!), I put it to my “Sangria Connoisseur” test and this is the BEST Sangria ever!

My #2 favorite thing of the week…

New boots! So I’ve been on the look out for a pair of flat motor-cycle style boots… and apparently I found exactly what I was looking for!  Upon arrival in Oklahoma in my new boots my Dad said I looked like I was “going for a ride on a motor-cycle” perfect, haha!  I picked up these gems for only $50 at Charlotte Russe! Been wearing them for over a week straight, so comfortable and go with everything!  Love the orange detail surrounding the zipper, totally on trend for the season!

My #1 favorite thing of the week…

SHELLAC! The revolutionary new combination of nail polish and gels has changed my life!  After blogging last week in my “5 Favs” about my amazing new nail polish, it began to chip 2 days later and my newly “freed from acrylics” natural nails began to crack and something that made me so happy just a few short days before made me so sad. Then, another one of my Oklahoma trip rituals,  a visit to my family’s long time nail girl Amberlea introduced me to Shellac! No chipping, no cracking, no dry time, just a super shiny finish and easy breezy nails for 2 weeks! I got mine done 6 days ago and they are still perfect!

5 Favs in 5 Days – Take One

So we all know that Saturday and Sunday get all the love when it comes to the days of the week… and who can blame them?? They’re filled with football, weekend getaways, BBQ’s, shopping and most importantly the two days of the week most people in the world don’t have to go to work! The ugly step-children of Saturday and Sunday are those “other days” during the week. You know who I’m talking about Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Just something to ponder… if Saturday and Sunday are the “week-end” days, couldn’t we propose that Monday and Tuesday be called the “week-beginning” days and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday be called the “week-middle” days?? I think I would look forward to Monday’s a lot more if I called it the “week-beginning” like it was the beginning of something new and exciting, not just another “case of the Mondays”!

All these thoughts about the days of the week and wanting to share some of my favorite things  led me to “5 Favs in 5 Days” a post I will bestow upon the world each weekend with my top 5 favorite things from those “beginning and middle” days that are usually consumed with all of the work and none of the glory.  We all know it is much easier to find five favorite things during the weekend, I’m challenging myself to find five favorite things during the week! These things can range from fashion to food to hairstyles and nail polishes to apps or books to restaurants or new spots, pretty much anything I condone as a “favorite thing” that week. Now let’s get this favorite party started!

My #5 favorite thing of the week…

“Ace of Spades” champagne. After an amazing night downtown Wednesday where I met some fun new friends , the BFF and I joined these new friends Thursday night for some more mayhem at Geisha House in Hollywood. Dinner and drinks were delicious, but the night was topped off with our endless supply of “Gold Bottles” … yes, these are the “Gold Bottles” that Jay-Z sings about in “On To The Next One”, for me it’s gold, shiny and pops bubbly so I’m sold!!

My #4 favorite thing of the week…

Perch, downtown Los Angeles. Great view, live music, amazing cocktail list, done, done and done. My first downtown excursion Wednesday evening for a “friend of a friend’s” birthday party was so much fun.  Great group of girls and always love trying new spots in LA! Highly recommend checking out Perch if you make it downtown! I can’t guarantee your group will be this really really ridiculously good looking, but the view of the downtown skyline will be

My #3 favorite thing of the week…

La Piazza Ristorante at the Grove, Los Angeles. I shared with you a recipe inspired by this restaurant back in August and while the food is yummy, I’m actually placing it on my “favorite things” list this week because of the ambiance and happy hour! After a long day of trying to dye my own hair and turning it purple (yes, there is a reason women pay hundreds of dollars to have their hair done by a professional and no I will not be sharing pictures of this travesty with you all… at least not yet… the wounds are still fresh), then doing pre-calc homework and on to buying my new laptop, it was a day of ups and downs for sure. And what’s better after a long day than happy hour with the BFF! Erin met me at La Piazza just in time to catch the last hour of happy hour (in bz terms, that’s about 2-3 glasses of happy hour wine time)! They have a rather extensive wine list for happy hour and all glasses are $6, they also have a variety of small bites for $3- $6. And best of all, who can beat a view like this??

My #2 favorite thing of the week…

My new OPI nail polish.  For the last decade I have had french tip fake nails. While they were somewhat low maintenance, good for scalp massages and being color neutral went with every outfit, it was time for a change. As of Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 PM I am fake nail free! Part of the deciding factor in this revolutionary change in my life… this glorious new OPI nail polish I caught a glimpse of while checking out at my local beauty supply store. It sparkles, it shines and when I look down as a type this it makes me very happy!! It’s called “Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It” from the OPI Muppets Collection.  Used a darker red underneath and perfection!

And my #1 favorite thing of the week…

Obviously the newest edition to my family, my MacBook, Zoe. Yes, I named her after Rachel Zoe, she’s sleek, stylish and brings a lot of joy to my life!

Hello Gorgeous!! I am so obsessed with this beautiful piece of craftsmanship. My way of honoring the life and accomplishments of Steve Jobs, purchasing my first MAC… and the fact that my HP gave up on life around Saturday…