mySTYLE :: maxis

A style that I absolutely adore, but am too nervous to wear is the maxi.

Whether in dress or skirt form, I always find myself drawn to it.

I think there is a right way to do this and a very wrong way as well.

Don't want to look preggo.

This is the primary reason I haven't stepped out of my comfort zone a given this style a go.

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I love the simplicity of pairing a brightly colored maxi skirt with a simple white shirt.

It's the perfect balance of casual and frilly.

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As far as dresses go, I find myself more drawn to bold patterns rather than solids.

This just seems like a super easy way to be comfortable while dressing up.

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Another thing I love is that the maxi doesn't have to be a "seasonal" style.

You could get away with wearing them in multiple seasons.

For warm spring and summer days, you could totally go with a super cute sandal.

For cooler days pair your maxis with ballet flats or even moccasins or moccasin boots,

a fitted leather or denim jacket completes your look.

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I might have to give this style a try in "real" life.

I'm always on the lookout for something that I can feel pretty and stylish in,

as well as something that is comfy (and covering) enough to keep up with my kiddos easily in.

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Is there a style that you love, but are afraid you can't pull off?

xoxo.

five fancies on a friday

Hello and happy Friday to you!

This is something we all need to remember.

Even in hard times or times when our spirits are low,

there is so much beauty in this life we live.

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I am absolutely LOVING these earrings.

Fun and funky!

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Halloween is coming.

Are you ready?

This weekend I will be breaking out the Halloween decor and finalizing ideas on the kiddos' costumes.

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Um, yes, I would love a fireplace that I could do this to.

Also, isn't this mantle just gorg?

One kind of "clutter" that I love is spaces overstuffed with books.

It makes me feel all tingly.

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And, finally with it "technically" being fall, 

and with cool(er) weather (hopefully) around the corner,

I am craving hot beverages like crazy.

I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season a few weeks ago,

and although the weather wasn't appropriate for it,

it gave me the warm fuzzies about what's to come.

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What's your cool weather beverage of choice?

xoxo.

8 questions for me :: 8 questions for you

 I was tagged last week by Mandy of Chocolate and Cream Cake to complete a bloggy questionnaire.

Here's a little rundown on the "rules" before moving on.

1. You must post the rules.

2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.

3. Create eight new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged. 

4. Tag eight people with a link to your post.

5. Let them know they’ve been tagged.

Now onto finding out eight random things about yours truly. :)

1. What's the best gift you've ever received?

Well, the obvious answer would be my kiddos, but I won't be cliche.

It would probably be the DSLR camera that the hubs bought years ago.

Not only was it a nice present, but it was a complete surprise, as well as a "just because" gift.

2. What book are you most looking forward to being released?

Ooh, tough one. There are multiple series that I'm waiting on sequels to.

One that ended the second book on a complete cliffhanging moment was the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver.

I'm anxiously awaiting the third (and final) book, Requiem.

C'mon March 2013! 

3. If you had the superpower that allowed you to shapeshift into an animal—but it could only be one animal—which animal would you choose?

The first animal that came to mind was a cat. 
They are fast, smart and can jump high.
Plus, they're feisty.
 

4. What cancelled TV show would you most like to see rebooted?

Hmmm....Charmed. I miss that show like whoa! 

5. What's your dream vehicle?

Some kind of old muscle car.
Like maybe what Mr. Dean Winchester drives.
A '67 Chevy Impala.

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6. Would you rather travel forward in time or backward?

I'm kind of split on this one.
I guess I would like to go back in time just a bit more.
The main reason to go forward would be to see what all of my family and friends are up to.
Yes, I'll choose back.
I'd love to see all of the things, places and people that I've heard about.
 

7. What is your favorite shape or pattern?

 My current favorite pattern is chevron.
How trendy of me, right?! ;)
So, I guess my favorite shape would be a triangle. 

8. If you could trade places for one week with a famous (or quasi-famous) person, who would you choose and why?

 JK Rowling. 
I just want to know what it's like to be that imaginative and brilliant.
And to be British, of course.

Now for my 8 questions....
1. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
2. Would you rather always be under dressed or overdressed?
3. What shoe do you put on first?
4. Pepsi or Coke?
5. Do you sleep with your bedroom door open or closed?
6.  What is one talent you wish you had?
7. Is your personality like that of your astrological sign?
8. If you could only save one keepsake, what would it be?

I don't know how many people really follow my blog.
So, I'll just tag a few.

1. Ang from Words and Sounds
2. Jess from Jessica Monnich Photography
3. DeAnna from Cloudlessblue
4. Cheyloe from Pineapples and Toesocks
5. Leilani at Soleil Selene

If you want to add this to your blog, feel free.
Or even do the answers in the comments.
I look forward to reading everyone's responses.

xoxo.

weigh down wednesday :: i'm bored

Yep. It's happened.

I've grown super tired and bored of my current diet program.

I've also plateaued in my weight loss.

I know for a fact that the two are tied together.

Me being bored = me "cheating" more often.

So, I'm doing a little something to change it up a bit.

As of yesterday, I am on, what I consider to be, a "fad" diet.

Low(er) carb/low(er) sugar.

Hopefully I will not approach it from a "fad" diet perspective.

I'm not going all crazy like in the induction phase of Atkin's or something.

I'm just trying to limit the amount of carbs and sugars that I'm taking in.

I don't have a set daily amount, but yesterday it was around 50grams. 

This isn't something that I really plan on doing forever.

I just need something to kick start my weight loss again.

And where before I at a LOT of carbs, maybe taking them away for a bit will "shock" my system into releasing some weight.

Does anyone out there have any experience with low carb diets?

What are some of your favorite tips/tricks?

How about your best recipes?

Or your go to snacks?

I've done Atkin's in the past, but was never able to stay on it because of the limitations.

Trying to stay under 20grams of carbs a day is basically just asking to be miserable.

This time around I also want to add in some variation to the foods I'm consuming.

I've created a Pinterest board that I will be adding new recipes and inspiration to.

Wish me luck!

And, of course, I will keep you updated as to how this all goes.

xoxo.

monday musings

I have absolutely no direction for this post.

I have a few other posts in the works, but wasn't "feeling" any of them for today.

I'm watching my kids crawl around and play on the couches and my heart is just so full.

I love them so very much.

I tell them this ALL the time, but I don't think those three words can even begin to explain my feelings for them.

As Lawson is getting older, they are interacting more and it is so wonderful to watch.

There is a good deal of fighting and Lawson picking on Audrey,

but there is also a lot of playing and a lot of sweet giggles and belly laughs.

I find myself tearing up during these times.

Something about your kids loving on each other brings out the emotions BIG time.

My weekend was a mix of work and relaxation. Mostly work.

I got to spend some time with the hubs and the kiddos during the day on Saturday.

I truly love and cherish our Saturdays now.

It's the one day of the week that we are all home and have little to do.

This past Saturday we ate some TacoDeli, took a library trip and just milled about the house until I had to go to work in the evening.

That is my favorite way to spend a day. :)

At this point I am SO looking forward to Friday.

It will be my first day off since last Monday.

Not only that, I get two WHOLE days in a row off!

There will be naps happening. Trust.

I am little by little trying to find a routine that works for us.

I have a kind of crazy work schedule.

Couple that with the needs of two kiddos and household stuff and I have a tendency to not use my free time too wisely.

It's only been about a month since my workload increased, so I know I'll get the hang of it eventually.

The hubs has been a rock star though.

He has the kids pretty much all day on Sunday and various evenings during the week.

Yesterday I came home from my first shift of the day (I do the split shift thing) to find that Lawson had just gone down for a nap.

Normally he wakes up right before I get home, but Bryan stretched his morning out so that he would be asleep when I got home, so that I too could nap.

Then, when I got home from my evening shift The carpets had not only been vacuumed, but cleaned as well.

Bless him!! 

Well, I guess I should go make dinner or something now.

I'll leave you with a video from one of my absolute favorite bands (thanks to the hubs!),

Death Cab for Cutie.

I have been in the car 6 different times today, and DCfC has been on all day.

xoxo.

five fancies on a friday :: fall edition

Tomorrow is the first "official" day of fall,

so today's edition of five fancies will play off of this most wonderful of seasons.

This scene just makes my heart go pitter patter.

Love the architecture mixed with the autumn foliage.

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Love this little guy!

And the fact that it's made out of letters and numbers and book pages (oh my!),

makes me love him that much more.

Might have to attempt this with Audrey.

Can you spot the letters and numbers?

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With fall comes cooler temperatures, 

which makes me think of getting cozy on the couch with a quilt or blanket.

Also, I think fall is the most "domestic" season.

What with all of the baking and crafting.

Time for me to get out my sewing machine (finally!) and attempt to make something.

Maybe a quilt of some sort?

This chevron pattern might be a little far fetched for my first go 'round, but isn't it pretty?

And the colors! 

Be still my little heart.

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For some reason this just stood out to me.

Maybe it's the simplicity?

I don't know, but I heart it. :)

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And, of course, I'm getting more and more in the mood to bake.

Something sweet, rich, and pumpkin-y.

Doesn't this pumpkin "pull apart" bread look simply divine?

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Have a lovely first weekend of fall!!

xoxo.

for your viewing pleasure

One of my favorite kid's shows out there is definitely the rebooted version of 

The Electric Company.

This show is da bomb dot com.
I admit it, there are times that I've watched the show
(which I've seen every episode of, multiple times)
while my kiddos were not even in the room.

There is more diversity on this show than a lot of others that I have seen 

(one of the reasons the hubs and I love PBS so much).

The show has such a big learning aspect,

mixed with pure fun!!

Here are a few of my favorite raps from the show.

Be warned :: they can easily get stuck in the ol' noggin.

Silent E is a Ninja

Hard and Soft G


 Pure genius, I tell you!

xoxo.

weigh down wednesday :: motivation (part 2)

So, I've been rethinking my weight loss lately.

In all honesty, I've been thinking more than doing.

Coming into a new busy season in my life I've realized that I need to find some new motivation, or inspiration, if you will.

Let me tell you a bit about my summer.

All was well and good on the weight loss train until the end of June.

What happened in June, you ask?

Well, simply put, I went vegetarian.

I know you're probably thinking, "how on earth did going meatless make you stray off of your diet program?".

Well, given the type of diet I was on, going veggie through a wrench in the plan, because a lot of frozen dinners/breakfasts have meat in them.

I also fell into the (false) thinking of things being okay and/or healthier because of their lack of meat.

Enter in more high calorie/fat foods and less and less of what was working before.

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Now, let me clarify and say that I think a vegetarian lifestyle can be very healthy and can definitely inspire weight loss.

If done right.

I wasn't doing it "right". 

I went from the ease of precooked, premeasured  meals and snacks and all of the sudden tried to make this gigantic switch over to a completely different way of eating.

And I did it for 4 weeks.

Let me tell you, 4 weeks is more than enough time to severely offset your eating habits.

Now, I haven't gained any weight and have actually still lost a little, but it is really hard to get back on the horse that I was on a few short months ago.

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I've been working harder this past few weeks to get back on track.
I still have some work to do to get back to the level of "dieting" that I was doing before,
but it's coming.

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What is currently helping to motivate me?
Lots of little things and two major things.
1. My 29th birthday  is 3 weeks away.
2. My 9th wedding anniversary is in a little over a month.
These two milestones are starting to help me push just a little harder.

I only have a little over a year left in my twenties and I want to end this crazy, life altering decade with a bang(ing bod!).
I don't want to start my thirties being self-conscious and not being at my best.
I want to be able to keep up with my kiddos and have the energy to take them on adventures (however big or small they may be).
I want my hubby to be able to recognize the woman he married, just a few years older.

Part of my motivation comes from me wanting to be able to feel good about myself and the way I look.
Some of it comes from me just wanting to physically feel better.
I don't want to be afflicted with some of the aches, pains, and health problems that commonly come with being overweight.
Extra weight is a burden on our bodies.
Our joints start aching.
We become short of breath super easy.
Feeling lethargic just becomes a part of the everyday.
I don't want this to be me.

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Slowly, but surely I'm achieving my goals.
I'm feeling better about the person I see in the mirror.
I feel healthier.
I don't hate going clothes shopping anymore.
I'm keeping up with my crazy job and schedule.

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I'm not to the end of this race yet, but I honestly don't think I ever will be.
There will always be food temptations.
It will always be easier to veg on the couch rather than get out and move.
There will always be someone who is in better shape than me.
But finally, as I'm getting closer and closer to 30, I feel like I can take all of this on.
I feel more confident everyday.
I truly know now, deep inside, that if I have a "slip up", I can get right back up and keep going.

xoxo.

can i get a role model in here?!

Here's me stepping up on my soapbox.

I am beyond tired of a lot of the mainstream television programming out there geared toward girls.

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If you know me or this blog at all then you know that I am the proud mama to a beautiful and intelligent 6 year old girl (along with a cutie 15 month old boy).

My daughter, like most kids, loves to watch tv.

Her choices basically come down to the PBS Kids line up or something on Netflix.

Now Netflix is really getting just about EVERYTHING out there imaginable for kids.

You have a pretty large catalog of both current and, ahem, older tv shows and movies available.

Audrey is very much like most kids, in that her favorite shows are constantly changing, so she watches a HUGE variety of things.

Something I am noticing in this ever changing stream of media is that there are a lot of shows out there that are aimed at a young female audience.

However, there are very few that center around positive influences.

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I'm finding that I'm having to "restrict" Audrey from watching a lot of shows that she wants to.
For example, the other day she was watching a cartoon called Horseland, which is centered on a group of kids who, well, ride horses.
This is a show that as of a few months ago was a regular on one of the stations that has Saturday morning cartoons.
From the living room Bryan and I could hear the show playing and we both thought that we heard one of the girls on the show say, "I hate you!" to another girl.
After asking Audrey about it and receiving a confirmation that this was said, I thought back to other things I had seen on the show.
Lots and lots of cattiness and put downs back and forth, between girls.
Which is what led us to tell Audrey that she couldn't watch Horseland anymore.

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Unfortunately I'm starting to see a correlation between what she watches and how she acts.
Several times recently there have been tears (hers, not mine) over how I'm doing her hair or what clothes I picked for her to wear.
Why the tears?
Each time she has said that she was afraid her friends at school were going to make fun of her.
After asking her repeatedly if this has happened before and getting a consistent, "No.",
a light bulb finally clicked on in this mama's head.
Stuff like this always happens on these "girl-centric" shows.
So now, on top of weeding out shows that are too "old" in content for her, such as Hannah Montana and iCarly, I also have to be aware of how these girls (often cartoon characters) act toward their peers.
Because I'm sorry, putting a bun in a 6 year old's hair should not produce fear induced tears.

xoxo.

mySTYLE :: chevron

Yes, I know, I'm WAY behind on this fashion trend.

I love it even so.

I really want a steady enough hand to execute a chevron print on my nails.

Also, the bright color/b&w chevron/glitter combo in this mani is swoon worthy!

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A few of these would look excellent in my living room.
I bet my kiddos would love them too!

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I could use an updated shower curtain.
And gray is my current favorite neutral.

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Love, love, love.
Aqua is another favorite!

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This entire outfit would be VERY happily worn by yours truly!

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Lusting after this dress hardcore.
Love the lace detailing.

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This wedding cake is just GORGEOUS!
The colors of the flowers combined with the gold chevron is simply beautiful.

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I'm definitely wanting to make some glitzy pumpkins this year.
Feeling Lovesome has some great ideas for pumpkins, including...

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Super cute baby quilt.
Love the mint and coral combo.

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These curtains are to die for!
Picture them in a sweet nursery or little kid's room (or even in my room!).

Take a look at the source link and all of her nursery pictures. Just lovely!

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I would absolutely wear this sweet racerback tank.

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Can I have this ring, please?

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Or this necklace?
Pretty please?
With a cherry on top.

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Honestly, I could keep going and going, but I fear I may bore you.
These lovely zigzag stripes bring a smile to this girl's face.

xoxo.