Weekend Wrap-up

Woot!  Look at me!  It’s almost 9am as I sit here typing.  Getting a jump start on my NaBloPoMo, day 3!  This is going to be a real test of whether I can get a post done quickly or not though because I have to get ready for the day in about 30 min.  *let’s do this!*

I’m also multi-tasking and may or may not be (okay, I am) eating leftover chili for breakfast. I was hungry and I didn’t want to eat a sugary breakfast, but I didn’t feel like making eggs…soooo chili was the only obvious choice of course! I love chili. I can eat it at 8am, I can eat it at midnight, I can eat it in a box with a fox, I can eat it anytime, anywhere!  Which is a good thing since I’m the only one in the house that loves it enough to eat it multiple days in a row. So when I do happen to make chili, I’m eating it for lunch and dinner and apparently sometimes breakfast!

I remember when I first started living with my husband and I thought I could cook so well, but it ended up that I could really only cook the few meals that I cooked for my mom at home and my two staples, spaghetti and chili, my new partner HATED!  #wifefail  I would get so mad at him because these were my two favorite meals and he wouldn’t eat them.  Who hates chili and spaghetti?! Good thing I didn’t know that when we first started dating or it might have been a deal breaker! 😛 Nowadays, I just make it whenever I want and he just has to deal with it.

Anywho, back on task.

So, over the weekend if you didn’t hear, Brittany Maynard, the terminally ill woman who was going to end her life in Oregon, actually passed away.  It was so sad to me because I watched her latest video update and she seemed like she was still getting joy out of life so she was going to postpone it.  But, either she got worse right after that or she just implied she was postponing in hopes of getting a little privacy. It’s times like this that I’m really disappointed in the character of a large majority of the population. People can be so cruel. This woman opened up to the world in a very scary way and while there were a lot of people who were supportive, there were a lot of people who were judgmental and downright mean. It’s okay to voice your opinion if you don’t agree, but why must people be so rude and hurtful? I read comments after her recent video came out and people were saying idiotic things like, she did this for publicity, she “doesn’t look sick”, she just wanted her “15 min of fame”.  Really people?  She didn’t *want* to die.  She chose that date because she wanted to be there for her husbands birthday and she thought that her quality of life would be dwindling so she just chose a date that she liked. If she decided not to go through with it, why would that for one, be any of our business, but for two, why does it matter?!  She was allowed to change her mind. We all know that our bodies don’t always do what we want them to. I eventually had to stop reading the comments because it makes me sad and angry that people can be so dispassionate and cruel. I think the internet has given people the courage and anonymity to say whatever is on their minds when they should really just keep it to themselves. Didn’t their momma’s teach them, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? If not, they should have! What good comes out of attacking her character or her motives? She’s dying people!! Have some compassion!

*sigh* rant over.

In happier news, my Baublebar package came on Saturday while I was gone to an all day school event for the teen!  I was so exhausted from the day, but I was thrilled to see my pretties had arrived in the mail while I was gone.

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When the double sided earring trend started last year (I think Dior was the one that everyone started making knockoffs of), I was definitely intrigued…exhibit A, B and C. But about that time that I was really tempted, I was starting down the road of reassessing what I liked/didn’t like and cutting back on spending, and deciding not to buy things just because they were “trendy”.  Then last month was my SIL’s bday and she wanted some of these earrings, so I went browsing at all the options.  And again, started jonesing for a pair…but decided against it.  THEN, stinking Baublebar sends me an email with the $10 deal of the day and I couldn’t control myself any longer.  I mean, they were sparkly, plus colorful, plus trendy, and they were only TEN dollars!  It was seriously a no brainer. I’m glad I waited until the right pair came along though because I really do love this color/style combo.

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Have you jumped on the double sided earring trend?  What’s your favorite pair?  Any trend that you waited on and then finally caved?

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Comin’ at ya…

with my weekend recap and some randomness…on a Tuesday.

Say whaaaa?!

I know, right.  Randomness should be my middle name.  😛

So, this past weekend I travelled to Atlanta with a pack of middle schoolers.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not the greatest traveler.  Once I get to my destination I’m usually okay (sometimes even great!), but the preparation sends me into a tailspin of anxiety and stress.  I was super cranky on Thursday because 1. I didn’t want to go (bussing it for several hours when I can’t do anything but stare out the window + going to a theme park  isn’t my idea of a good weekend) and 2. I was anxious about the bus ride (please don’t let me get sick, please don’t let me get sick).  I hem-hawed until the very last minute, but ultimately, decided just to drive myself because my stomach was completely jacked before we even got on the bus.  We left out Friday morning, had a whirlwind of a weekend involving a concert at a church, vocal competition and TWO trips to Six Flags, then back home by Sunday night!  Shew!  Then I spent Monday catching up on my ZZZ’s and my daughter got sick.  Fun, right?!

Fotor0401203228[the obligatory selfie, rides that Caitlin went on and cherry blossoms!]

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I’ve had my eye on the Project Life products for several months now and I’m finally getting around to getting the supplies to get started.  I used to love scrapbooking, but it got to be more about the design of the pages and less about the photos.  Not to mention that it took too long to drag out all my materials and then put them away again.  There are definitely PL pages that are super scrapbook-y, but I don’t plan on doing more than sticking some photos in the page inserts along with a few cute pre-cut papers and a little journaling.

IMG_2593[my first album!]

Now to order pictures so I can start filling the pages!

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I saw this Louis Vuitton bag on a blog post last week (then crazily enough, also in person on my trip to Atlanta), and it’s officially on my lust list!

Screen Shot 2014-04-01 at 9.09.58 PMLouis Vuitton Neverfull MM

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And, just because it’s late and I’m snacky, and despite the fact that I’m getting back on the healthy train and back in the gym VERY soon, I want this cake batter puppy chow something terrible right now!  YUMMMMM!

Yo.

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Last weekend was filled with birthday parties (three to be exact), then it was spring break so the kids went to their grandparents for a few days while it rained cats & dogs and hubby and I vegged out in the house (okay, okay, I vegged, hubby worked :P).  The kids came back, we watched Frozen (best Disney movie evah!), the boys went away for the night while the teen had a friend sleepover and now it’s Friday once again.  Oy vey!

But, I’m not going to dwell on how fast my week went by.  Instead, I’m gonna share the internet goodness I found while surfing this week…

Umm, a digital mixtape with all the vintage-y goodness of an old school mixtape?  Yes please!

My hubs is constantly telling me I need to get my clutter piles under control.  I found this on the818.com which conveniently starts today!!  I think the universe is trying to tell me something.

I’m kinda in LOVE with Ashley Bell’s latest outfit!  Firstly, I DIE for that skirt and secondly, denim + sequins?  I die…twice!

This NYC runner looks like she was having a blast during her recent half marathon.  Maybe I should try this fun game to keep me distracted during my first half this year.

Like the idea of boyfriend jeans, but not sure how to wear them?  Confessions of a Product Junkie posted 5 ways to wear boyfriend jeans and they’re all awesome!

Is it just me or does Grey’s Anatomy have the best songs?  They are the reason that Ingrid Michaelson is my favorite singer ever.  Last night I was catching up on the last few weeks of shows when I had to immediately look up who sang the cover of Time After Time at the end of last weeks episode.  FYI, it was by The Wind + The Wave.

I know St. Patty’s day just passed and we all had green on the brain, but I don’t need a holiday, I always have green on the brain!  When I was looking for interesting links to share I checked out my Pinterest to see if I had pinned anything good…my last eight pins all have one thing in common…green!!

K, that’s all I can think of for now.  Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

 

What am I missing?

Is there a secret I don’t know about? I see all these cute dresses & tops where the back or sides are cut so low that a bra would show and I think, are these only made for the young/paid-for perky boobed chicks or is there a way to wear them while also being supported.

This is the dress that prompted this internal debate today…
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But for the life of me, I can’t figure out how to wear it.  Okay, TMI, but after two kids, my girls need  support when I leave the house.  I’m not 18, I can’t go braless and look as cute as the model does.  It’s just sad looking when I try to do it.

So, help a girl out.  Is there a way to wear something like this if you need to be supported?

And a flattening tube top is NOT an option!

Maybe you wear a bra and just plan to keep a sweater or jacket on the whole time?

I usually look at pieces like this and quickly dismiss them since I know I can’t go braless, but today I’m wondering if I maybe dismiss them too quickly.

Or maybe the answer is the exact thing I’ve been telling myself, “nope, you can’t wear that and get away with it.  Move along!”  🙂

On my mind this week // Five on Friday

Geez.  My week has flown by!  Why is it that when we’re younger, the days/weeks/years seem so long and as we get older, time passes so quickly?!

*sigh*

Speaking of time passing quickly…my baby boy turned 11 yesterday…ELEVEN!  Holy moly, how did this happen?  It feels like just yesterday that he was this little…

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We celebrated by taking him to jui-jitsu (his request!) and having dinner at Carrabba’s.  Unfortunately, our night wasn’t as pleasant as I would have liked.  We were tired and hungry by the time we got to dinner and the restaurant was on a slight wait, when we finally got seated we had a not so great experience due to having a new server.  I didn’t even bother telling the guy it was his birthday because he sucked at his job and I didn’t want to make it any harder.  Then it was late and he was too full for dessert so there was no singing of “happy birthday” and no cake.  🙁  He did get to open presents though.  He seemed fine with how his evening turned out, but I wish it would have gone a little better.  We were rushed because of jui-jitsu, but that was his choice and he loves going.  I told him we’d do dessert today and then tomorrow is his birthday party so there’s still time to make up for what went wrong yesterday.  🙂

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Have you heard of oil pulling?  I’ve seen it floating around the internet for the past several months and I’m super intrigued.  My only issue is that I have a crown and some people have had issues with their crowns coming loose or off completely.  Maybe because of all the swishing?  But maybe the crowns were just old and bound to come off anyway?  I don’t know. Maybe I’ll try it for a week or so and if I want to keep doing it I’ll double check with my dentist.

benefits-of-oil-pullingimage via Fashion Lush

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Am I the only one who over thinks rating books on Goodreads?  I fret over not wanting to give it a lower star than it deserves.  I don’t know why this matters, but every time I go to rate a book, I go through this whole thought process of what it should be rated.  This last time I decided to write down my rating process so that I don’t forget.  This rating scale is much more lenient than my last one, but it fits me better.

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I fall down the rabbit hole often.  It’s one little thought, one crumb, and I get lost for hours.  Last week, it started with my new blog design.  I was looking for a possible font for the heading and I ended up searching for all types of calligraphy.  I love all the modern styles that are everywhere right now.  I landed on a page that suggested a book to learn and the next thing you know, I was on Amazon with it in my cart.  It arrived on Wednesday last week, but I didn’t get around to gather a few supplies until this week.  My mom writes beautiful classic calligraphy and she tried to teach me when I was younger, but I quickly moved on. I’m hoping I can last a little longer this time.

bohobabybumpINKImage from Boho Baby Bump. I love her calligraphy. I originally bookmarked it so I could commission her to design a tattoo for me.

While traveling down the rabbit hole, this was the post that led to the ordering of a calligraphy book…Besotted and here’s the book I ordered.  I waited to gather supplies until I got the book and I didn’t want to spend too much money getting started, but I’m almost ready to begin!  I bought a pencil and sketchbook to start, but then realized I needed some kind of real pen and now I’m realizing I want a lined sketchbook to practice instead of a blank paged one.  Geez oh man!  I just want to start practicing all right already!  Spring break is next week though so with any luck I’ll be able to find a lined sketchpad locally and  properly start soon.  Then it will be easy to just spend a few minutes a day practicing!

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If you have reward points at Sephora, you should order something NOW!  They have awesome goodies in their points shop.  I had been saving my points for awhile so I was able to get all 3 of these…

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I almost ordered the rollerball size (the PERFECT size for me b/c I only wear it occasionally and the rollerball makes it super easy to put on) of the Tory Burch perfume, but then I saw that it was in their points shop for 250 points so I just ordered that instead.  I really like the scent, but it’s strong so a little goes a long way.  Which is why the rollerball or this little sample is perfect.

I have a big version the GlamGlow SuperMud, but they just recently came out with YouthMud and I told myself I didn’t need to buy it since I had a full tub of the other version, but I really wanted to try it.  Problem solved!  This one was only 100 points.

If you have been wanting to check out the new Naked Lipglass from Urban Decay, you can buy this sample for only 100 points.  I tried it out in the store and really liked it, but talked myself out of buying it.  After getting this sample though, I feel like I should have bought it.  I really like that it’s glossy and moisturizing, but not sticky.  The sample color is a little on the pink side, but it’s sheer so I think anyone can wear it.

Just FYI, I’m betting these points products are going to go quickly so they might or might not be available in the store.

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Okay, this post took me way longer to finish that it should have.  Now I’m off to do some cleaning and finish getting ready for the party tomorrow!  Happy Friday!  🙂

Five on Friday

This week has been cold and dreary and mostly uneventful

My Floridian blood wasn’t made for this cold weather

I’ve been wearing jeans,sweatshirts and tennies on the daily

and drinking coffee like it’s going out of style

However, my youngest rocked his middle school piano audition on Monday, we had my husbands grandmother over last night to go see Jake Shimabukuro and I had a yummy hot breakfast this morning from a local place called Grumpy’s…so I guess my week wasn’t a total wash.

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I’m not a huge fan of Miley’s, but I love this denim on denim look she rocked on the Jay Leno show last night!

miley_cyrus4via Steal Her Style

I can’t even tell you how happy this made me when it popped up in my inbox. Thank YOU wonderful person who signed up using my referral link! My second fix is coming in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait to use my credit!

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I’ve been following a workout plan for almost 4 weeks now and I haven’t missed a day yet! *patting myself on the back*

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Sometimes you find what you’re looking for when you’re looking for it. I’m not sure it’s the perfect style of cardigan, but the color was too good to pass up.

photo 5sweater from The Limited

I’ve had my 2014 goals written out for a couple of weeks now and I intended to make this pretty photo collage with all of my goals, buuuuuuut, that didn’t happen…and it’s now the end of January and if I don’t get them listed, it will never happen!

  1. Read 14 books
  2. Eat meals at home more often
  3. Run a half marathon
  4. Get my photos OFF the computer
  5. Blog more often
  6. Take more OOTD pics
  7. Record more video
  8. Finally paint a wall with chalkboard paint
  9. Be consistent with my fitness
  10. Sign up for college courses even though I still don’t know what I want to do with my life
  11. Keep my car cleaned out
  12. Volunteer

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Happy Friday party peoples! I’m off to pick up some dinner and then watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 with the fam.  I hope you all have a great weekend! 🙂

Get it in gear, Katie!

Ugh. It’s October 24th and I have not put up one single Halloween decoration.

Actually, I take that back.

I was at Target yesterday and bought this cute light up pumpkin for the entryway.

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I think I’ve mentioned before that I have a bit of a one tracked mind, so for 10 days of this month, I ate/slept/breathed zombie & dancing to get ready for the zombie flash mob.  Then I crashed for a couple of days and got caught up on housework and everything I let fall to the wayside while my focus was elsewhere.

I used to put a fair amount of decorations up, but over the years I got tired of the clutter so I cut it back until there wasn’t much of anything up.  Last year I dressed up the mantle and I loved it.  It wasn’t the most spectacular display, but I was happy with it.

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Good news, I guess, is that the kids’ costumes are bought and pretty much complete except needing to get shoes for Caitlin.  So, other than decor for the house, I’m ready for Halloween!

Well…unless you count the need to go to the pumpkin patch for pumpkins that we are going to carve in 2 days.

Yep, just look up the definition for procrastinator and you’ll see a picture of me.  😛

At this point I don’t even know if it’s worth it to put up decorations, so I’ll just stick to admiring awesome decor online, like this…

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And drooling over all the yummy/spooky/fun foods like this…

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To Write Love on Her Arms

This week I came across a pretty awesome website.  It’s called Sevenly.com.  Sevenly highlights a new charity each week and for 7 days, they donate a portion of the proceeds to the highlighted charity.

With [seemingly] a new teen suicide story every week, it’s heartbreaking that these children are hurting so desperately that they feel suicide is the only answer.  To Write Love on Her Arms is “dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide”.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IOmU0NUhC0&w=420&h=315]

With one kid just entering teenage-hood and another on the cusp, I think a lot about the teenage years.  I know I’ve had it easy up until now.  I know that their hormones are going to start raging and they may turn into little people that I don’t recognize.  My girl, once filled with self love and confidence, may let the words of others tear her apart.  My shy, sweet boy may give in to peer pressure and feel like he needs to do some out of character things to fit in.  Doubts fill my mind. Have we done enough?  Do they have what it takes to make it through the teen years with minimal scarring?  Will they be bullied? Will they stand up for themselves…for others? Will they come to me or their father when they are hurting or will they keep it bottled inside, convinced they are alone in their fight?

Depression is the most common mental illness in America and when left untreated, it’s the leading cause of suicide. TWLOHA is not only bringing awareness to a very real problem, but also providing help and encouragement to those who are suffering.  My favorite line in their vision statement is…

“You are not alone and this is not the end of your story”

Check out TWLOHA and/or Sevenly.com to donate to a cause while also buying cool stuff.  From now until Monday, when you make a purchase at Sevenly.com, they will donate $7 to TWLOHA.  Here are some of my favorite items from both.

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2013-10-17_00021 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4

P.S. my little blog is not even remotely big enough for anyone to pay me to say any of this. Mental illness is something that is close to my heart, so when I found these websites through FB, I wanted to spread the word.


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what’s on my current playlist and other randoms…

I was only going to post some recent songs that have been on repeat on my iPod lately, but then I had other randomness floating through my head and thought what the heck, let’s just throw it all in one big mashed up randomness post.

Currently listening to…

  • Olly Murs, “Dance with Me Tonight” :: I’m kind of in love with this song.  I love to dance, so any song that makes me want to get up and dance is destined to become a playlist favorite!  Car dancing is almost not even good enough for this song.  I want to stop the car, jump out and start dancing in the middle of the street.  But, then I worry about getting arrested b/c I look like a crazy person or more importantly, getting run over and that wouldn’t be good so I stick to car dancing.  For your listening pleasure, I included the video so you can chair dance at your desk or even better, just get up and bust a move next to your desk.  If this song doesn’t make you at least tap your foot…I just…don’t even know what to do with you.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3EG4olrFjY&w=560&h=315]

  • Lady Gaga, “Applause”
  • Lana Del Ray, “Summertime Sadness”
  • Katy Perry, “Roar”
  • JT & Jay-Z, “Holy Grail” :: I didn’t love this song at first, but it’s slowly grown on me and now I like it a lot.

Currently lusting after…

  • these boots from Target.  They are too high or they would have been mine already!  I love everything about them, except they like 1/2″ too tall.  Curse you Sam & Libby!  🙁

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    • leopard shoes :: I *need* some.  Part of me wants flats because I don’t actually wear heels that often, but I really want some classic leopard pumps.

Currently losing my mind over…

  • party madness!  ::  My daughter’s 13th bday was Saturday, along with her party.  We usually have parties somewhere other than the house so that it’s less stressful, but for some reason I was obsessing over what needed to get done.  I think because the party room at the location was plain & barren so I felt the need to bring more decor than just plates & a few balloons.  I didn’t bring a lot, but enough to get me in a tizzy.  I spent Friday night prepping and getting all my stuff organized though, so the next day it all went off without a hitch and she had an great 13th birthday!
    (*side note* Ahhhhh!  I am now the mother of a teenager! Where’s the biting your fingernails emoticon?!)

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  • wedding madness :: My brother is getting married next weekend and my sister and I are going to put together a candy buffet for the reception.  We’re driving ourselves crazy deciding on candy, decor, containers, etc.  We’ve got most of the candy figured out.  Now we just have to pull it all together!

Currently dreaming of…

  • a clean house.  My house is in more of a disarray than usual since I’ve got a one tracked mind and lately it’s been torn into two trying to focus on the two parties/events.  It’s getting a bit ridiculous.  I had a dream about needing to do the laundry last night.  Because needing to do it in real life isn’t bad enough, I have to DREAM about it not being done too!  Maybe I can get back on track this week since one party is over now.
  • Fall weather and clothing and holidays!  I love Fall.  There’s a nice breeze, it’s not so flippin’ hot, pumpkin spiced lattes are back, and there’s a holiday every month until the end of the year.  By Christmas I’m pretty much over the holidays, but I love October and Halloween.  I’m a little more in love with my fall wardrobe than my summer one too so I need cooler weather to get here soon so I can start wearing all my favorite clothes!

As of now, I could have had a jump start on that clean house, but I chose to completely slack today.  Maybe tomorrow!  😉  Hope everyone’s week is off to a great start!

Latest obsessions…

I don’t know why I haven’t tried it before now, but I recently discovered Iced Passion Tea from Starbucks and I love it!  I wanted something different, but not something sugary or with a lot of calories so the unsweetened passion tea is perfect!

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And, hello…have you seen these adorable insulated mason jar tumblers at Target?!  I instantly snatched up two! I have no idea what I need two for (or another tumbler even for that matter), but I HAD to have them!

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Remember Saturday’s post about floral dresses?  Yep, the urge was just too much, I had to go shopping.  I ended up with these two pretties!  Both under $50 thanks to a coupon at Express.  😉

2013-07-22_0003Forever 21 :: Express