From Carpools to Cocktails

Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Amber. A to the mber(said in my best Jay-Z rap voice)

I've done some sprucing up around here did you notice? Call it spring cleaning if you will. While visiting Suburban Sparkle I learned fellow blogger Kotryna was offering an amazing deal on blog design and you know I hopped on that bandwagon!! Whoop Whoop! It was time for a new look to go with the new name!  Things have been crazy busy here at Carpools to Cocktails both IRL and blogland and I realized that with Blissdomonly a few weeks away, LuckyFABB coming on the heels of that and a host of new things in the works there will be new people stopping by here and the Facebook pagethat may have no clue as to what Carpools to Cocktails is all about!
So I thought I'd do a quick list of 10 random/interesting/fun facts about me!


 My favorite color is lavender. I love all shades of purple but lavender has my heart. Procrastination makes me more creative and is also a constant source of stres…

So I've gone on and on about wanting a pair of leather leggings but being afraid to take the plunge. I've posed the question on Facebook, Twitter  about whether or not a real (like carpooling real) mama could pull them off in everyday life and especially here after seeing so many cute bloggers wear them. After querying a dear friend, fellow mama and pretty much my icon for accessible everyday style, I headed to CottonOn to try on a pair. The Zara pair wasn't crazy expensive but I wasn't willing to invest too much into a trend I wasn't sure I'd love but I had to try it out. I couldn't get those images/outfit ideas out of my head!
I've made collages about the different ways to style them and I think I am going to challenge myself for the next month to style them at least three ways to 1) ensure they were worth buying, 2) prove they really are as versatile as I've claimed they could be, 3)  see if I am cooler than I think.

The girl and I had hair appoi…

You may recall I am a bit nuts about my closet organization. If I had my way I'd have a beautiful walk in with separate shelving for everything. So I can see all of my things.

A girl can dream right?
Well, in my continued effort to pare down the wardrobe to what I really wear, what works etc.... I tackled the dreaded denim problem. I have a ton of jeans. I mean it. It's kind of obscene I guess. Or maybe not. I'm sure there are many out there with more. But it's a staple of my wardrobe so it is what it is. Anywho. I've realized that if I don't see it I won't wear it so I am continually trying to make my closet and drawers more visually appealing so I am inspired when I look through them. Last month I cleaned out my purses. Purged quite a bit and was happy to do it.   Then, I went to Ikea and purchased a set of storage containers from the ever awesome SKUBB line (in purple naturally) and used them to store my sweaters and some tote bags that were taking up s…

My sister in love was on hand to assist with the food for the weekend and since everyone always raves about this tortellini salad  I asked her to make it for the party.  It is pretty delicious. Go make it. You can thank me later.
Being that I still had tortellini on the brain (not to mention all the ingredients on hand due to over calculations)  I thought why not whip up a yummy dinner for my peeps?
My original "plan" was to do some kind of lite cream sauce (oxymoronical I know) but while in Fresh & Easy I stumbled upon a Shrimp Scampi seasoning packet.


And thus a new dish was born.
It couldn't have been more simple.

Most everything I had on hand except the shrimp and the foccia bread.

Cast of characters:

Fresh or frozen Shrimp (I like the large ones) de-veined1 cup grape or cherry tomatoesSpinach (about a cup or so)Diced garlicFive Cheese TortelliniMcCormick Shrimp Scampi SeasoningWhite WineLemon JuiceParmesan cheese



Prepare Tortellini according to package directions. …

Today I'm linking up with Alissafor this week's Coffee Date.
I love the idea of this link up and think I may even try my hand at vlogging for the next one! Yikes!
Except the idea of y'all hearing how strange my voice is compared to my writing makes my palms sweat.  New year new things right? So yeah.
Moving on.....
Today's topic is 5 Things You May Not Know About Me. Sheesh. I feel like I am an open book but here we go!


First things first - you would be surprised to find that I am incredibly shy. Yeah, I know. If you've met me in real life you know I can be a loudmouthed silly somebody but I can be terribly introverted at times. I love to meet new people but am befuddled by small talk and feel awkward when the conversation runs out. So Blissdom should be a huge adventure for me.

I've been engaged twice. To the same man. We got engaged when I was 23 and broke it off a few months later (I had NO idea what I was doing) and then got back together when I was 28 and w…

By now you've all seen the photos of the latest designer collab at Target no? If not, you'll recall my post  about the pieces I saw that piqued my interest in the magazine and online. Prabal Gurung is the latest designer to work with the retailer on a limited edition collection for this spring. Dubbed the "LOVE" collection the pieces were bright fun and looked like this was just the thing to bring Target back from their holiday debacle with Neiman's . Like many others, I diligently made my way to Tar-jay on Sunday to check out the new collection (hey we NEEDED toilet paper!) and was kind of dismayed to find such a sad looking layout for the shoes, accessories and the clothes. I mean, if you're going to do a collection then make it stand out right?

Not so much, it seemed. It was all mingled in with the 'everyday' stuff and didn't stand out. Most of the racks seemed a bit picked over and most of the pieces weren't even available in stores (as w…

I've always liked stripes. Like plaid there is just something about them that makes me happy.
Maybe it's all the different variations/sized they come in. Maybe it's the uniformity. Maybe it's the simplicity. Who knows. I just like them. Always have.


As I continue my closet assessment I am taking inventory on what items I own and what I don't and it appears I have a few striped tops in my possession so when I found out from Ma Nouvelle Mode that this week's challenge was stripes I thought: I can so do this.
I've been dying to wear this sweater again anyway and this was the perfect time!

I originally bought this sweater to simply add to my sweater collection and to switch things up with a pattern of some kind. Upon trying it on I realized the many different styling options I had an was jazzed to find it fit perfectly!
Due to the somewhat lightweight material I can see myself wearing it with shorts in the spring and on cool summer evenings over a dress or aft…

Are y'all as obsessed with Instagramas I am?
I know a bunch of folks hopped on the Vine app bandwagon in the last week but I don't have an iPhone so that's not an option. Nor do I think I really need one extra thing in my life right now anyway.
Anywho, like I was saying, I love IG and the instant feedback you get. I'm an indecisive shopper by nature and since my general shopping buddy is hunk of drooling love, with not much of an opinion on my wardrobe I've taken to IG (follow me!)as a way to vett my purchases.
I'm also notorious for posting 'wannabe modeling shots' of the outfits I think work on a daily basis.
It's like having a visual record of my closet!

Here's what I've been wearing lately:









Save for a few prints and pops of color my uniform consists pretty much of grey/black/white top jeans and boots. With the occasional pair of chucks/flats thrown in for good measure.

Clearly I'm not setting any trends but I do enjoy rocking a few o…

I got to have lunch with a dear friend today and I was pleased as punch to be meeting her.
I haven't seen her in awhile and y'all know I get excited about the idea of time with other adults.
Since the little man was in tow we planned on going someplace casual and I've been jonesing to rock my chucks and what better way to pair them than with hot pink skinnies?
I mean....


I found this cute tee while on 'quick cruise through H&M' the other day and was drawn to the simplicity. I love grey. It's one of my favorite neutrals.
The fact that this tee also has tiny neon dots to add that extra punch only made me want it further and the loose fit is divine.

I know there are many bottoms I could pair this tee with but I wanted my outfit to reflect my mood and the fact that the weather was BEAUTIFUL. And hello? It's February! The month of love! I figured hot pink was a great way to start off a Monday! Nothing  like bright colors to get the week started off right! Am…