Missed last Wednesday’s “C”ute Casual Outfit ideas?  Click here for last week’s installment of OWW.

Let’s begin shall we….. my stomach is already growling.

As ever, all recipes and ‘pins’ available here on my ‘Absolutely Edible’ pinb board.  I’ve worked hard on that sucker!

702 pins and counting!

A greedy girl’s gotta do what makes her happy.

To the foooooood ——->

Feta, Cheddar & Spinach Muffins

Because I love spinach and I don’t care who knows it.

Chicken with Olives

I’ve made this.  It was rich.  It was delicious.  Pioneer Woman, I love you to the moon and back.

Beef Stew with Beer & Paprika

Another Pioneer Woman recipe.  Frikkin amazing, this stew is to die for!

Ms Ree Drummond, it’s leap year.  Will you marry me?

Apple Pie Dip and Cinnamon Sugar Chips

I want to swim in this.

Frozen Grapes as Ice

Even Jesus had sense to turn water in to wine.  He was a clever man and knew what was good for him! Amen to wine.

Baked egg in a ham cup with parmesan cheese and green onions

Because breakfast foods are where it’s at.

Gorgonzola Garlic Bread

That goes for bread too.  Atkins was a fool.

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

Stews are the foodstuff of the Gods.

Spicy Pasta Salad with smoked gouda, tomatoes and basil

My name is Kate and I am addicted to carbs.  It has been 40 minutes since I last ate pasta.

Mozarella, Tomato and Gnocchi Bake

Gnocchi is the shiz.

Mozarella, Tomato and Avacado Salad

Something healthy for good measure.

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Candied Pecans, Feta & Raspberry Poppyseed Dressing

Am I feeling virtuous yet?

Inside-out Carrot Cake cupcakes

Not. One. Bit.

A great recipe book….

Hungry now?  Sorry….

C = Cute Casual Outfits

Images all from Pinterest, follow me here

All images can be found on this pinboard.

Love ya.  Enjoy the virtual (window) shopping.  Click continue reading (outfits viewable after the jump).

I have a ‘thing’ for stripes.  This seems very Chanel, without much of the Chanel – i.e. a Chanel look within budget!

This is gorgeous, very nautical in an unexpected way.  Very Lilly P without the prints.

Perfect for a casual Saturday.  Love the different length jeans.

Cute lipstick shades – how could this outfit not cheer you up!?

Beautiful hints of turquoise.

I know Fall is so long ago, but it brings some of the best inspiration for Fashion.

Perfect Ballet shades for older ‘girly girls’.

Casual but still dressed up.  I’d wear this on a dinner date.

Lovely for a casual stroll around town.

Bright and sunny!  Love yellow and so glad that it seems to be in fashion this S/S.

EDIT:  I have had a LOT of emails regarding the gorgeous yellow wedges asking where they are from, they are currently a STEAL at $54 from heels.com.  Just search ‘Galena’ to find them.

I have just realized that all of these outfits, bar one, have jeans.  That’s because you will never find me wearing a skirt.  Dresses yes, love them.  Skirts no.

Happy Hump Day! xxx

Why not!?  I did it last year.

I hope you are all having a lovely Valentine’s Day whether you are celebrating or not.  If you aren’t then I hope you have a lovely day anyway!

Valentine’s Day wish list 2012 …

Luxury Pink Tulip & Rose Globe flowers from Interflora - gorgeous!

14K White Gold Overlay Angel Wing Necklace from Overstock – LOVE! Because Angels exist.

10k White Gold 1/10ct Diamond Pendant also from Overstock – because a girl can never have too much jewelry and I have always wanted a diamond cross pendant.  This one is one of the nicest ones I have seen.  Gorgeous vintage style.

Self explanitory!

Pampered Chef Stoneware Rectangular Baker - on special at the moment on the US store too $39.00 $31.20!  A practical gift is always good, and a girl’s gotta feed her man!

and lastly

A trip to Paris in the Spring time.  Because a girl can dream….

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! xxx

Or 15lbs before you have to hit the beach this Summer? In a bikini!? *DREAD*

Is it wrong to admire images from the Victoria’s Secret Swimsuit Preview and wish that you had a body like this?

Is it so wrong to want an amazing body at 40+ like Jennifer Aniston’s.

Is it so wrong to also be hating on her BFF for looking similarly H.O.T at the same age?

Would you not want to be photoshopped like Kate Winslet if you had to be on the front cover of a magazine? (she didn’t need it at all in my opinion – at all).

Is it so wrong to have a Pinterest pin board with inspirational weight loss quote?

And work out ideas?

Have you pinned something similar? I have…

Do we need to ALWAYS blame men for making us feel so insecure about our bodies?

Or the media for their portrayal of women that we should ALWAYS look beautiful first thing in the morning?

Or do we pressure ourselves?

Do our friends pressure us?

Does the Fashion Industry pressure us?

FYI Karl Lagerfeld – at least you are honest about the fact that you ‘make clothes for thin women’.  You have been quoted for saying this on several occasions now. What is so wrong about honesty these days?  We all need a market to cater for, a market to shop.  Just find what fits, stay away from what you don’t like.  Targeting someone directly however (Adele) was not on…

I agree, that the idea of thinspiration can be taken TOO far.  Photoshopping can be taken TOO far.  I am looking at YOU Ralph Lauren.  What a joke.

But what would you rather aspire to when thinking about your body? Your eating habits and your workout regime?

Would you paste up a picture of a slim, toned Victoria’s Secret model or would that be ‘wrong’?  Have you been made to feel wrong about it?

I’m not entirely sure how to end this post without p*ss**g someone off.  This wasn’t meant to offend, it’s just that the question arose in my head earlier today.

Is it wrong that *I*, a woman of 26 years old want to hold an image in my head of what I aspire my body to look like without someone taking the blame that I have been brainwashed, and am seeking out some unhealthy distorted image that I cannot obtain?  Am I on the verge of an eating disorder?  Heck no!

Does anyone else have some sort of ‘thinspiration’ – a.k.a, fitness and health goals?

Those ‘skinny’ jeans (total opposite to your fat jeans) in your closet probably count.  As well as that dress you bought 2 sizes to small to “slim into”.

I’ve just got a bad feeling that the media and all reports I read from so called ‘experts’ claim that this is a really unhealthy attitude to have on my self-image and self-worth.

Doesn’t feel all that bad to me.  Especially if I live with the hope that I can rock an ass like J.Aniston’s at 40+.

Bring it ON thinspiration if it means I’ll actually attend a fitness class once in my life, or step away from the donuts.

This ‘subject’ was covered in a certain episode of friends where Ross gets to meet Isabella Rosselini, but she got ‘bumped’ from his laminated list just the day before.  Not sure what I am on about?  Well, see here

So back to the point.  I myself have a “list”, but don’t worry, it isn’t a pervy weird sort of list – a list of one’s I ‘do’, LOL!

I have my man for that!  Get your minds out of the gutter!

My list is more of an absolute girl-crush list.

A list of fabulous famous girls that you SO want to be your new BFF and no matter how damn good they look all the time you can’t help but love them, when you should totally be hatin’?

Well ‘LDR’ Lana Del Rey has just totally been added to my list.  It takes a LOT to be added.

Gorgeous? Check

Cute as a button? Check

Talented? Check

Seem friendly? Check

Here’s more on why…

Sister if frikkin GORGEOUS!  Not many redheads about these days.  I am not sure if this is natural or not.  I have Google’d pics of her and some older ones look as though she was bleach blonde at one point.  Whatevs though, she is rocking this red and it is to die.  Almost making me consider going back to red.  Almost.

Have you checked out that make up style?  Preened, primped but not overdone.  She reminds me of the Ralph Lauren campaigns, their models are always natural and fresh looking with a certain polish.  Plus, I can totally attempt a Lana Del Rey make up look like that without ending up looking like Aunt Sally.

She made the cover of VOGUE UK already?  Yep, she’s somethin’ special

Without a DOUBT, one of the best ‘new voices’ I have heard since Adele.

Just listen to (this is my FAV) “Born to Die” (opens in YouTube) from her album.  There is something totally sexy about this track and it would fit right into a Twilight movie.  Win, win.

Link to her album here.

Remind you of anyone?

On her album cover she reminds me of Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias.

Julia Roberts = another girl crush of mine.

It’s not just me who has developed this love of all things Lana Del Rey it seems….

PLENTY of Lana Del Rey inspired make-up and hair tutorials are popping up all over YouTube, I found a good one here.

I ‘m off to make myself a flower crown….

Or perhaps I’ll just buy one instead…

Obsessing over…
My weight, I have no idea why but I have not actually put any weight on according to the scales, but everything seems to be tighter and bloatier but for no reason, I know I haven’t been eating more, and didn’t put on an ounce over Christmas, so what’s up!?!

My hair is also mega oily too, there are some major screw-ups going on with my body at the moment and I just don’t know what to do about it #sadface

On the plus side, I haven’t had a pimple in what seems like forever so that it a bonus.

Working on…
Brand ideas and website content for my new venture.  I am transitioning from full-time employed to self-employed it is exciting and frikkin scary all at the same time.

Making time for an old hobby.  I used to draw all the time as a kid, like, obsessively and I just don’t anymore.  I think this (no real hobby) may have contributed to feeling a little low and bored recently.  I need some new challenges and re-learning my drawing skills will definitely be one of them.  I’d really love to learn Fashion Illustration too, not for a job, just because I think it would be fun to do….

Thinking about…
How much I love Mr S.  He is absolutely the love of my life and every day I realise it more and more how incredibly lucky I was to find this man, the one made just for me. #soundscheesybutitstrue

Also thinking about getting some clip in hair extensions from Foxy Locks, my hair just isn’t growing fast enough, and although I don’t think I could commit to proper extensions right now, the Foxy Locks ones might be fun to play around with when I fancy a change.  The owner has some amazing video’s on YouTube too on how to style them.  Link here.

I went for the big chop this time last year, meaning from bra-strap length to pixie-crop.  BIG mistake!!!  Now it has only just reached shoulder length and is in that “hang there and do nothing else” stage.  U.G.L.Y

I need to wait til my next cut and color appointment at the hair salon however as I’d hate to order a color that turns out to be wrong in a couple of weeks time.

Anticipating…
A trip to London this weekend to see my bestie.  It’s been too long and I can’t wait to see her gorgeous face. Also anticipating having more time to blog when I am the only one I have to answer to about how I spend my time during 9-5! Shhhh!

Listening to…
Nothing at all right now, which is nice and peaceful.  Actually, if I listen REALLY hard, I can hear my exhausted heater working over time to keep me nice and toasty.  It is ferrr-eeee-zing!

Eating…
Guilt.  That’s how I can describe ANYTHING I eat right now.  It’s all about “I could have saved X amount of calories if I’d had that instead”.  Also not eating much bread.  I have been put on a bread-ban.  It’s my vice.  My stupid carbohydrate vice.

Wishing…
I could win the lottery and never have to worry about money again.  Heard that a young couple in Nottingham won the £45m Euro Rollover on Tuesday.  Lucky sods!

Over and out til next time.