Triftastic & May's Give Up/Take On

Now you know that I'm no thrifty maven. I've tried thrifting and always left empty-handed and annoyed that I spent the time.

Well, yesterday I was walking down the street and stumbled upon a thrift shop I haven't checked out before. You see, I've been trying out the hipster thrift shops. The one I walked into yesterday was anything but that. Not quite a Goodwill, but definitely no Buffalo Exchange.

And you know what? I found some gems, for sure. I saw everything from Nanette Lepore to J. Crew to Marc Jacobs to Diane von Furstenberg. I tried on several things, but told myself I couldn't spend more than $20.

White House | Black Market dress, Banana Republic shoes 

I scored this little number from White House | Black Market for about $18. Two cool things about this dress: 1. It's perfect for one (or both) of the summer weddings I'm attending this year, and 2. It's on my fashion to-do list! The update:

Fashion To-Do List:

• Trench coat
• Statement necklace
• Oxford wedges
• Chambray button-down shirt
• Peter Pan collar top
• Floral dress

Bam! You can't really see the darling little details of the dress. Just trust me, they are darling: the cute little ruffles that pop up around the collar and the sweet little buttons below the collar. I'm loving it.

Today after church some friends and I grabbed some Bi-Rite sanwiches and headed to Dolores park. It's a gorgeous day, and a great one for a picnic in the park.

 Yummy Bi-Rite sammy: "The Fidel"

One of the interesting scenes from the park. Can you spot the guy shaving in the SPCA van's side-view mirror?

It's that time again. Time for this month's Give Up/Take On.

Give Up: Kind of boring, but I'm giving up soda. I don't drink that much, but with the availability of soda at work, it's become too much of a temptation and I've given in several times. So I'm going to steer clear. I'd rather spend my calories on something yummier.

Take On: There are so many things I'd like to take on, but I'm going to practical route this month. I have the tendency to try lots of recipes, never really learning any, which keeps me dependent on the recipe. Well, this month I'm going to take on learning several recipes. I'm thinking six is a good start. I want to build my recipe repertoire so that I can have some basic (but yummy) meals to fall back on.

I have yet to choose the lucky six. I think I'll start with maybe twice that amount for the month and narrow it down to the simplest, most reliable, and most thumbsed-up by the hubs. Now, my husband will eat pretty much anything, but I do take note when he really likes something, so my goal is to find six meals that he really likes.

Although I have a growing list already, I'd welcome recipe recommendations (preferably gluten- and dairy-free) from any of you!