While I was in California last month, Courtney from Sweet C's Designs and I made a whole lot of really good food, but I have to say that these Bloody Mary Oysters might be my favorite. I don't know about you, but I can never resist a cold, fresh oyster or a Bloody Mary, so combining the flavors of both into one delicious bite ended up being, you guessed it, even more delicious. We paired them with a glass of Matanzas Creek Winery's Sauvignon Blanc and it was just fantastic!

I'm sharing my Bloody Mary Oysters recipe on Sweet C's Designs today, so hop on over and check it out!

Photos by Courtney of Sweet C's Designs.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Matanzas Creek. The opinions and text are all mine.

I originally bought this little striped dress to wear as a top with maxi skirts, but the other day I was in Roanoke and hadn't packed enough clothes, so I threw one of my favorite tees on top of it and it ended up making a pretty great skirt. Now it's my favorite outfit!

I'm also still using this bag almost every single day. Rob got it for my birthday last year and it was perfect for fall, but I think the brightness of it has carried over well throughout the summer. The color was both what drew me to it and made me think twice about it, but I've loved the pop of color it has added to my otherwise mostly neutral outfits.

Dress (worn as skirt) similar: H&M| Tee:  | Hat similar: c/o Zappos

Shoes: c/o Famous Footwear | Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs | Earrings: c/o Stella & DotAnd don't worry, I have since gotten a bang trim.

And don't worry, I have gotten a bang trim since these photos were taken.

Photos by Andi Perullo for Freckled Italian.

Every year around this time I start saying the same thing: I am ready for autumn. I know that's really annoying, especially down here in the South where it'll stay warm and muggy until October, but it's true. We've had a few cooler mornings and evenings lately and it's been so nice to go out in jeans and a tee shirt. I'm not craving pumpkin spice everything, either; I just want to wear a sweater and sit on my patio with a cup of coffee and read Villette by Charlotte Brontë or listen to Dashboard Confessional (which is really a specific fantasy and has me wondering what the perfect autumn moment looks like to all of you).

I basically disguised a work trip to California as a vacation to California (although it definitely had aspects of both), so I was really confused when we came back home and I was totally exhausted all week long. And then on Friday, Ender started displaying symptoms of kennel cough, so all three of us have barely gotten any sleep since then. It's been a rough few days, but if anything it's just made me realize how incredibly lucky I am--jet-lagged or not, there is nothing sweeter than watching your husband take care of a sick puppy.

I'm off to the chiropractor this morning after our accident a few weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier. My lower back has been bothering me a lot since then and it's been a long time since I've seen a chiropractor anyway, so that will be nice.

Hopefully we'll be sharing some of the work we did in California starting this week or next! I am so excited about all of it and I hope you guys are looking forward to it, as well. This week I'll be getting all of that stuff ready, folding a bunch of laundry (don't tell my mom I let it get out of control again!), possibly taking Ender to the vet, and hopefully taking a nap or two. Life, man! It catches up with you.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend--what are you up to today?