Cruel, hot Summer....

Is it Monday already?! It feels like this Summer is flying by right before my very eyes... 

We're at the tail end of July and it's about to be August soon... whew! If you haven't noticed I took a wee break from the Blogosphere.... it's nice to unplug every now and then and just enjoy life. Not only have I been enjoying life, I've also been working with the Mister on "fixin' up" our place. We just finished painting our guest bedroom "Saw grass", a very cool and calm grey color. It looks amazing and it wasn't all that bad because we did it together while listening to a mix that I made. It was actually kinda fun and I typically hate painting....

I wasn't sure if I wanted to post these images or not. I don't typically wear closes like this or haven't since I've lost the weight but they were there and I was like... "okay, why not?" I used to wear fit and flare skirts all the time to conceal or hide my tummy but now I'm more into form fitting clothes and actually don't feel all that self conscious in them either. I was also sweating buckets during this photo session and I think you can kinda see that I was all hot and flustered....

It's gonna be a "hot one" this week! There were even temperature warnings to take extra per cautions because of the humidity etc... It's almost unbearable to go running in this heat, I try to get up and go as early as I can but it's still just too hot. Not only that but there is like zero shade where I like to go running. It's times like these when I wish I could afford a gym membership or had a treadmill. Us broke people have to go outside and use old school workout video's.... which I'm totally not opposed to. I have some tried and true videos that are my favorites to use in a pinch. 

On top of all that the Mister and I have been doing the "21 Day Arm Challenge" by "Pop Sugar" and it's only week two and I've already lost 1/2 an inch on my arms! Matt gained 1/2 an inch... which was his goal and I wanted to get my arms more trim. It's so easy and I can't believe how fast we saw the results! The gals in my family tend to carry their weight in their upper bodies so I've always have been self conscious of them but now that I know how easy it is to keep them fit I'm gonna take it to a whole other level. I'm going to continue the challenge and use heavier weights and increase my reps. I'm really excited to see what they'll look like a month from now! 

In other news my BFF just gave birth to her little girl Eveyln Louis Hall last week and I got to meet her and hold her for the first time this last weekend. It seriously blew my mind!! She was pretty much amazing and perfect in every way and I can't believe my friend did such a great job delivering her! What a brave and strong gal my friend is... I'm so proud of her new little family!

This week I'm making some little but BIG goals for myself. I'm going to focus more on my book and finishing it up and sending it off to the Publishing Co. On top of that I want to knock out some plaques and stain a huge batch, which isn't going to be fun in this heat but it's got to be done! I'm going to pay more attention to my eating habits and implement the "no drinking rule" again for myself. I've been way lax on it recently and I've started to get into old bad habits again (drinking during week nights) and I hate the way it makes me feel. I don't get good sleep and then I wake up all anxious about life and it's just not a good feeling to have. I don't need those extra calories anyway.... so back to restricting myself once more. It's cool, I need to put myself in check every now and again.

Onto another topic... my messy milkmaid braids! I've pretty much worn this style since I can remember and just love it. It's so easy to do and it's perfect for this type of weather. I get a lot of compliments when I wear it this way and it looks great dressed up or down. I'd like to experiment more with different types of braids but I need some practice...

I hope every ones weekend was amazing! 

I already can't wait for next weekend to come... Ha!

xoxo

Skirt: Forever 21 (thrifted)

Blouse: The Limited (thrifted)

Shoes: Target

Don't quit your day dream...

Happy Monday! We made it through another weekend and now I'm all rested up and ready for the work week to begin! A huge weight feels like it's been lifted off my chest; I'm almost officially done with my final manuscript! I have a few more things to type out but other than that I'm in the home stretch as they call it. There were times when I seriously questioned what I was doing and how I got myself into this mess. Lol! I had a lot of anxiety and sleepless nights over this book but I know now what I'm capable of so that's cool. This journey of mine has probably been by biggest challenge of my life thus far.... I'm really looking forward to the next six months where I get to be involved in the editing process and more of the creative side of writing the book. 

In other news, the Mister and I fixed up the house a tad more this weekend. He was outside working on the benches for our new Farm table and I was cleaning, framing and hanging artwork. I was supposed to be painting the guest room but didn't even get to taping off the walls.... 

It feels like every time I turn around there is something that needs to be fixed or could be improved on, but I guess that's just life right?!

It's been crazy humid and hot in Austin lately. It's almost unbearable for me. Both our cars are having ac issues which is really a pain in the ass to deal with. We just got our ac unit fixed on our home because it went out last week and now it's on to fixing our cars ac now... ugh! More money out the window... lol!

On a side note... can we talk about my ghetto fabulous accessories? I love this fatty chain I bought from Forever 21 awhile back. I never really get to wear it all that much but think it may make more of an appearance this Fall and Winter. Also, you can't go wrong with a head wrap or a hair scarf to complete the look. Ha!

I was super excited when I found this hounds tooth dress at the thrift store and bought it right away but it was a small and I couldn't fit into it at the time... now that I can actually wear it I'm not quite sure if I like it all that much. Ha ha! It's a drop waist which isn't all that flattering of a cut if you ask me but I was just so thrilled that I could actually wear it. It's now in my "donation" pile which is currently in the trunk of my car just waiting for me to drive it to Buffalo Exchange. 

Besides fixing up our house and writing a book, I've been "working out" over time. I really want to push myself to be in the best shape that I can be. I've even started lifting weights.... which is really challenging but I like they way it makes me feel. I can barely lift more than 5 lbs repeatedly but eventually my body will adapt and I'll get stronger and be able to lift more... that's the beauty of the human body, give it change and it will adapt.

Our front yard garden has been taking off nicely. Our "Pride of Barbadoes" is blooming, which is my favorite Summertime flower! It's so bright and colorful, it makes me happy everytime I see it. 

Our Palm has also been blooming. It's the first time we've ever seen it boom which is pretty neat. All the buttterflies and dragonflies are swirling around our yard.... it's a pretty cool site to see if you can stand the heat. 

In the meanwhile, I'm gonna stay in the shade....

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! 

xoxo

Dress: Forever 21 (thrifted)

Chain: Forever 21

Scarf: Hobby Lobby

Shoes: Target

Welcome to the Jungle...

Oh hey there! It's mid week and I'm feelin' the heat. No seriously, I'm feeling the heat because our a/c went out!! It couldn't be better timing either; the dead of Summer. Not only that but both our cars a/c units went out about the same time as well. Sheesh, what next?! I'm trying to remain cool as a cucumber though... I have way too much on my mind and too much to do these next two weeks to stress now. 

Let's switch gears and talk about this lovely outfit and our amazing banana plants!! I love our backyard garden in the Summer, it's like a tropical paradise. Our banana plants are all over our backyard and we actually do get banana's... although they don't taste too good. It's really neat to see them grow though. This is the oldest skirt ever that I got at my ol' favorite thrift store. I managed to hang onto it all these years and now it fits better than ever! I've been really into black and white lately but thought with it being July and all I'd mix in a little pop of red. 

It is crazy hot here in Austin and the humidity has been at an all time high! I've never felt this kind of weather before, to me it feels like the hottest Summer I've experienced so far since moving here. The Mister says that last year was technically hotter but the humidity is what's making it feel like ten times worse. It's hard trying to look cute while your makeup is literally melting off your face!

I love this new headband that I bought from "Little Minnow" at The Renegade this Spring and these white rimmed glasses from Forever 21 are pretty fun too. I just love playing with accessories.

In other news, I've been working out overtime to try to get more into shape. I want to push myself a little harder and was even thinking about lifting weights. I mean, I lift weights when I'm doing my Jillian Michael's 30 day shred video but have also been doing the 21 day arm challenge and really like the results I'm seeing already! I may set a new type of fitness goal for myself as a challenge and see if I can crush it! Ha ha!

So hopefully we can get someone out to fix our ac and everything will be peachy keen.

Hope every ones work week is going good. I've actually been way more productive than usual and I'm really surprising myself. Ha ha!

xoxo

Skirt: Thrifted

Tank: Target

Shoes: Target

Headband: Little Minnow

Sunnies: Forever 21

Creep it real...

Oh hi there! Is it Thursday already!? I swear this week just seemed to fly by.... I'm glad the weekend is upon us but I've gotta work through it so it's kind of a bummer. I am looking forward to staying in this weekend though. The last few weeks I've been going out and having way too much fun. I think it's finally taken it's toll on me and I feel exhausted and completely worn out. I actually have felt crazy lethargic the past few days that I got really worried and even made a trip to the Doctor to get some blood work done! I couldn't even image anyone being this tired throughout the day but after talking to some of my friends they've reported that they too have been feeling extra sluggish lately and that it's normal to have to drink a few cups of coffee to "stay awake" during the day. Who knew!? Maybe this is what being in my mid 30's is gonna be like.... I have been working out a lot lately, running in this humid weather can really "take it out" of a person. It's never been this humid in Texas since I can remember.... and I've lived her for about 8 years now. 

Besides being completely exhausted all the time I'm also trying to stay focused on my book but I did manage to take a few outfit pictures last weekend, so I have enough images to get by until the end of July I hope. 

I'm really into black and white right now. Oh, and stripes if you couldn't already tell. I've pretty much had to get an all new wardrobe after I lost all that weight (I'm not complaining). So my closet is full of fun new things that I can't wait to wear and share with everyone. I had to get rid of all my jeans that I had bought when I was in my "transition" period. The weight in between where I was then and where I am now... kind of a waste of money really. I should have just waited until I shed all the pounds and then went out jean shopping but I honestly didn't know that I would loose the rest of it so fast! 

(Still not complaining). So right now I have one pair of jeans that fit. I guess it's kind of nice having less clothes.... I do like living simply and it's less of a pain when choosing what you're going to wear....

I'm also thinking about going back to my natural hair color after the Summer is over. I love the Ombre' look but I still have to dye my roots every now an then, which isn't too hard or expensive but really annoying. So I may just let my roots grow out so that when I go to the Salon they can try to match them to my natural color, or at least something close to it. 

After August 3rd (when my final manuscript is due) I'm gonna seriously think about taking a mini vacation. Nothing big because we can't afford much but a trip to the coast would be amazing! I miss the beach so much and last time we went we camped out and I was miserable. I was eaten alive by mosquitoes and we didn't even go swimming because the water was still too cold. This time I want to dive in and taste the salt water. Ha ha!

That's about all that's going on in my little corner of the world. Nothing really new to report, just some random thoughts. You'll be seeing more black & white with a peppering of stripes and hounds tooth coming up here soon.... Hope everyone has fun plans for this weekend!

Bye kittens!!

xoxo

Top: Old Navy

Skirt: Thrifted Forever 21

Shoes: Target

Head Wrap: Forever 21

Land of the free, Home of the babes....

Hope everyone had a marvelous 4th of July weekend! I know I did. I was a little "social butterfly" this weekend, which is not like myself. Normally I like staying indoors and watch a movie while cuddling on the couch with the Mister and our fur babies but instead I was making plans and meeting new people and having new adventures.....

 

I recently formed a new friendship with a crafty lady friend that I have known and have run into over the course of the last two years but since then have made more of an effort to get to know her and am delighted that we have a lot in common and get on really well. The Mister and I spent the good portion of Friday with her and her fella enjoying Krause Springs and some delicious BBQ. It was a really great day and I'm so glad they invited us to join them. 

After that we headed on over to our neighbors house to mingle and have a few drinks and set off some fireworks. It was a good time full of delicious food, some good ol' adult beverages and roman candles. They have the best parties with super nice friends that I enjoy getting to know more and more each time I see them. 

For the 4th we headed out to Georgetown to have a cookout with my BFF Anna and her Husbear Tellis. They are two weeks away from becoming parents so we are trying to squeeze in as much "adult time" as we can before the baby arrives. It was a good excuse to eat yummy food and hang out with some close friends and fireworks are always fun to see. 

On Sunday we spent the whole day working on the house, fixing little things and cleaning what needed to be cleaned that I have been putting off. The Mister continued to work on our Farm Table which looks amazing and I can't wait till it's completed and all finished so I can host a Dinner party and actually be able to seat six people around the table. It will be a nice, intimate gathering with just close friends of course but I'm excited non the less. 

My work with the book is still underway, I'm just about finished with all the patterns and then need to move along to the table of contents, resources and introduction. It makes me nervous every time I think about the deadline but I just gotta keep my head down, work non stop and make sure it's my first priority. That's about all that's going on in this girls life. I can't wait to see everyone's 4th of July posts!

xoxo

Dress: Old Navy

Cardigan: Target

Wedges: Target

Necklace: Benu

Party in the U.S.A.

Hey kitty cat's! I can't believe it's July already and almost the 4th at that... where did June go? In honor of our Country's Independence Day I'm wearing this fun little red, white and blue get up. How patriotic of me right... just doing my part. I've never been so proud to be an American as I have been these past few weeks. I got the pleasure of seeing a lot of my dear friends celebrate equal rights and become united with their partners and have it recognized by law. Yay for love!! 

I haven't been taking many outfit posts lately, I really haven't been doing much at all besides working on my book and exercising and eating right. I make sure I devote a good hour or more to myself in the mornings to go jogging or workout to Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. I swear by that video!!! I love jogging and listening to my music while I enjoy nature much more but I've gotta "mix it up" and stay toned with the 30 Day Shred. I'm also taking on The 21 day Arm Challenge that I found on Pop Sugar. I'm starting with 5lb weights and working up from there. I'm totally going to aemsure my arms before and after and document my progress just for curiousity. My arms have always been a "problem area" for me and I want to see what I can do to improve on them... 

Get ready to see a lot of stripes and red lippy stick in the next few upcoming posts. I'm obsessed with black and white stripes these days and my closet is full of pieces that I've picked up here and there. I'm pretty much in love the French Riviera nautical vibe that Coco Chanel made so popular. Here's a really interesting article I found on the history of stripes in fashion.

In other news, I'm super excited that my Sister and her Husbear along with two of our very dear and close family friends will be venturing to Austin, Texas late September to visit me and the Mister! We've been working on fixing up the house and have spent a little bit too much at Ikea and World Market trying to upgrade our interior. I want to make our home welcoming and inviting for all of them which includes painting and re-vamping our guest bedroom and screened in porch along with a few touch ups elsewhere around the house... 

We spend most of our time at home (we never go out) and don't mind working to make it a lovely place that we and our guest's can all enjoy. Matt is building a Farm Table for our Dining room. I specifically  requested that we have a table that seats six people so that we can entertain more. I love Dinner parties, they are so intimate. I've already sold our previous four person table that we first purchased when we moved to Austin. There were a lot of good memories attached to it, but it's time to make new memories and now we can actually have Thanksgiving and Christmas diner at our home. I look forward to cooking good food and drinking good drinks and sharing stories over our new table...

This weekend for the 4th of July the Mister and I are going to spend time with our dear friends that live in Georgetown, a town that is super adorable. There will be a cookout and some fireworks to follow. It may be the last time we can actually "hang out" with them before their little bundle of joy arrives. Awhile back I posted a little mini Maturnity photo session with my friends Anna and Tellis. Well, the clock has been ticking down and Anna's due date is right around the corner. 

It still blows my mind that my BFF is pregnant and about to have a child. The other night I was Facebook stalking people and was looking at all the people I used to go to High School and College with and almost all of them are parents now with at least one or two children! It's so weird the thought of getting older and starting families and becoming parents. I still feel like I just now in the last few years have figured out what I want to do with my life and have just recently learned what actually makes me happy. Sheesh! I'm excited for them though... I can't wait to meet little baby Evelyn and hold her and see her grow and change and to also see my friend become a Mother. It brings a little tear to my eye...

That's about all that's been going on over here in my little corner of the world. Hope everyone has a fun and safe fourth of July weekend. I look forward to seeing all the awesome posts about what everyone did, ate and wore. 

xoxo

Shorts: Wet Seal

Tank: Target

Cardigan: Thrifted

Bandana: Hobby Lobby

Wedges: Target