Fall fashion week-day 3!

 

Shirt: Target

Shoes: Payless

Skirt: (its really a dress)-Kohls

Belt: off of a shirt-Kohls

Lipstick: Cover Girl-Porcelain Pink!

Good Morning! This outfit is really super comfy.  Today is just starting so not much to blog about. My daughter packed me cheerios today and wrote my name on them. I have my usual coffee in hand and an apple for good measure. Its rainy and muggy out. It feels relaxing in a weird way. My dad is coming to visit tonight and watch my daughter because- no school tomorrow! Its super busy around here at work...so lets get to it. Have a great day!

see everyone here!

Fall fashion week-day 2!

see everyone here!

cardigan: macys (a gift from my mom)
v-neck: target
tights: i have no clue!
skirt: the limited- thrifted
shoes: target
lip color: cover girl- tempt seduction

Monday was a pretty regular work day. I was super busy and it spilled over into after work too... I was running around until bed time! Fortunately I did get to see so many of my friends, unfortunately it was due to the death of one of my best friend's mothers. Seeing her in pain made me want to take it all away. Weddings and funerals is typically when it happens, although I'd always rather it be a Wedding when I get to see everyone and catch up.  I wasn't very healthy...I pretty much had cookies for dinner...my mom made chocolate chip cookies that had pretzels and potato chips in them..insane right? My daughter painted a beautiful rainbow after school and my sweet niece is just now discovering that my hair isn't like anyone else's in the family. She ran around the room saying "curly" last night and she actually got excited when I came in the room..two times! That made me smile :)

Fall fashion week-day 1!

I am brand spankin' new at blogging and I'm already getting involved! This looks like so much fun, so I'm going to take a crack at it. Here's my first outfit!
see all the participants!

shirt: thrifted

shoes: thrifted, old navy

pants: tj maxx

                                                      

I actually wore this yesterday (Sunday). I went to church, took my daughter to a birthday party, hung out with my sister and took a nap. :) It was a pretty relaxing Sunday. My sister made goulash and we bought some dogfish head punkin ale...it was the perfect fall meal!

Geese.

A goal without a plan, is just a wish.

I had a rough night last night; I was thinking too much about what I can't solve. It was frustrating. René suggested I get a good nights rest, go to church tomorrow and just try to relax. So I did. 

I got there a few minutes late like usual, made my coffee in the foyer and headed to sing with my daughter. 

I sat with friends and thought, maybe I'll get something out of today...maybe I won't. My pastor is pretty cool. Shes like me, but fast forward a few years. Shes a wife, and a mother and I know she tries her best to be a good person.

She was talking to us about our gifts, and how everyone has one. We might not be able to do everything, but if we can contribute something then we are contributing to the bigger picture. I like this, because I know I can't do it all...but I can do something.

We are learning about how to work effectively in our communities. Church community, work community, family community, really any place you spend time in your life. 

She brought up geese and told us how amazing they are. Ill tell you what she told me, and maybe you knew this...maybe you didn't. All in all geese are pretty awesome. She told us they fly in V formation because the lead goose will take most of the hit from the wind to allow the other geese to fly easier. The lead goose changes to give all the geese a break at some point or another. They fly a much larger distance together, than they do alone. I mean that right there... shouldn't that tell us something? Its hard to do stuff on our own! When you hear them honking, they are cheering the lead goose on, telling him what a great job he or she is doing. We need help, from "geese" that love us. She also told us that if one goose gets hurt, two geese will stay behind with it. They stay until the goose gets better, or until it dies. Whichever is the case, they can then return to another group...no problem. They will never leave one goose alone to face distress alone. 

One thing I found out on my own...geese are monogamous. They mate for life! I love that. I love that they participate in team work in their families and they stick with one partner forever.

So, church was helpful today. It reminded me that I can't do it alone, its ok to have help.

The first line of this post was on a college marquee on my way to church. It couldn't have been more fitting for me in that moment. I feel encouraged now that everything will work out, not because we sit back and watch it happen...but because we create a plan and make it happen. 

photo source: here

You feel like home.

Nothing could be more true than the title of this post. Currently my husband and I are 1,400 miles away from each other. Nothing feels like home, unless I'm with him.

I have lived on the east coast my entire life in so many different houses and apartments. I don't have a childhood home or one house I grew up in. My childhood was scattered between two states, two parents. I can't say I have ever felt "stable"...in any area of my life. In the moment, I believe I was unaware of this. I think I have acted out in ways because subconsciously I was frustrated with it.

Its hard to explain that even in a long distance relationship that you would begin to feel that stability you needed for your whole life.
I'm not who I was last year, and I realize I just wrote a lyric to one of my favorite songs by accident...(this is a pretty special song). Anyway...I'm really not. I didn't do a lot of thinking when it came to the future of my being...what I wanted, how I wanted to get there, and what I was willing to do and change. It was rough, and believe me it still is sometimes. We are talking 24 years of "dysfunction" to work through. Slowly but surely, I'm working on on it.
There are amazing parts of me, I know this. I love myself for who I am. I know that I can be silly; I know I am loving, understanding, and cannot hold a grudge. I know I worry way too much, but that's not always a bad thing? I know through my relationship with René that I can be trusting and trustworthy. Honesty is a beautiful thing. Being a transparent person is wonderful and something I try to work on every day. I really think life is about just being a good person everyday. You're never going to look at yourself one day and say, "Well, I'm done; I'm perfect.". All I can do is try to remember to think about how I make myself and the other people in my life feel with my words and actions. I am currently trying to instill this in my daughter at a young age.




I love this quote, It has always stuck with me. I have no idea who said it: "People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel."

I know I can be difficult and I can be hard to approach and talk to, this is one of those things I'm trying to be better at. Along with attitudes and ideas and self, I've also been actively working to get out of debt too.
My love for René and wanting to be a match for him was the beginning of this journey for me. I knew what I wanted, I wanted him. I knew I was going to have to show him I was serious and get it together.

I've said it before on here, but I believe René and I were meant to be together. It hasn't been easy, and we knew we would have to be apart before we could be together. I struggle daily and I hope people know how  fortunate they are to be with the one they love everyday. Don't ever take that for granted. Its the little things. Dinner, movies, bed time, even saying goodbye to go to work, kisses, hugs, holding hands, cleaning, riding in a car together, making the bed, folding laundry, just being in the same room as one another. Basically anything you do ever...
I get lonely, I get frustrated, I get sad. I just want to be held sometimes. I want a hug when I'm down. I want to talk without speaking. I want to share my joy when I'm happy. I want to cook him dinner and kiss him every morning and every night. I want to have Saturday morning coffee. I want to be the most amazing wife ever. I'm honored to have his last name and if that's the piece of him I have every day, I'll be grateful for that. 1,400 miles away or right here with me, I'm complete knowing he is mine. Home is where ever he is and I can't wait to be home every day.

The one with the style.

Let me start by saying, I do not profess to have "style". I do think I have one of my own, but if its up to anyone's standards...I have no clue. I have truly had to work at this.

Until very recently, I have always been a jeans and flip flops kind of girl. Pair that with a t-shirt, any kind of shirt and I'm good.

I've never been a casual shoe wearing person, or even a heel person. Flats have been a main staple of mine for a good long while. I doubt that will ever change. Heels and boots are great but flats are cheaper and they come in the most wide range of colors and patterns I have ever found. My favorites are my leopard ones with black bows and my yellow cut out mini wedges from target. I even wore these at my wedding after taking off my heels. They are comfy and it just worked.

Recently Ive decided to change the way I dress for the better. For about 2 going on 3 weeks I've been working hard, even on the weekends!

I lost about 15-20 pounds during wedding planning this past year and all of my work pants became huge. Here's the bad part, I still wore them. I had a closet filled with stuff I didn't wear. Ridiculous articles of clothing that only members of Jersey Shore should be wearing and that I myself hadn't worn either ever, or in years. I got rid of at least 10 bags of clothing in the past 9 months. This includes shoes too. After a birthday shopping trip with my mom, a few purchases from eBay, and raiding my sisters old work clothes now that shes a SAHM, I really have the start to a closet I am proud of. I still have my Phillies t shirts and some acceptable lounge wear, but for the most part I'm forcing myself to dress the part of a mid twenties mom, wife, and employee.

Add this to the fact that my husband has pretty great style and stick me next to him pre "makeover", and I look a hot mess.

I just didn't know where to start, but thanks to the awesomeness of the internet...Ive found my own niche. I really like looking the way I feel on the inside. Also, fashion doesn't have to be pricey contrary to popular belief. I found many bloggers that resell their clothes, eBay style. Ive also realized eBay is where its at too. In fact, there are quite a few blog resources that really open up a world of low cost fashion. Target has some pretty adorable things too, especially shoes. I don't think I will ever pay full price for anything anymore. Walmart's OP line has solid color v necks, scoop necks in every color for $4. Four dollars! That's great! Ive been tucking in Walmart tees with a cute skirt or pants and the look is super cute and cheap.

So far, so good in my quest to look "put together". I'm happy and confident and my husband thinks I look beautiful...and that's enough motivation to keep it up.

Food and all natural living!

Lately my husband and I have decided to try to eat all natural. We have no real scientific way of doing this other than taking a look at the ingredients and if we don't recognize something, it goes back on the shelf. This is super hard. Almost everything prepackaged has something unfamiliar in it. I personally am also a big fan of Dr. Oz so I find myself staying away from ingredients in his "first five" rule. These include simple sugars, saturated fat, trans fat, syrups and white flour. The all natural rule extends into personal products as well for us. Soap, detergent, shampoo, conditioner, hair products, etc.
We are by no means perfect. I love sweets and all things that are gnerally bad for me, but we try our best for ourselves and our kids. You can imagine what that leaves us when we grocery shop. I've usually have a cart full of fruits, veggies, whole wheat pasta and bread, and lots of staples to make my own food at home. I've been cooking a lot! Much to my daughters dismay. She'd much rather have deep fried anything.
So far we've made brownies from scratch, whole wheat banana bread, whole wheat zuchinni bread, key lime pie with a homemade graham cracker crust, quinoa with fresh veggies, chicken bakes, roasted broccoli, roasted sweet potatoes with oregano, sweet baby carrots, all veggie "chicken" patties, and whole wheat banana pancakes-just to name a few!
My next adventure in cooking will be baked tofu nuggets. I have high hopes for this! It involves wheat germ which I've never used.
My daughter's favorites were the sweet carrots and the meatless chicken, and of course all the baked goods. Broccoli and sweet potatoes didn't get good reviews...But I liked them!
I really enjoyed the quinoa dish and I can't wait to make it again! It's been really fun cooking healthy because I'm trying new things and it's good for us too. Win, win.

Products I've found and love:
-Dr. Bonners Magic Soap-lavender scented hemp infused castille soap. It's all natural and smells so good (Target)
-Seventh Generation all natural laundry detergent-again lavender scented (Target)
-Curls hair products-organic and they smell delicious and work great!(Target)
-Uncle Lees Tea-green tea, all natural (Walmart)
-Larabar-coconut cream pie is my favorite (you can get these pretty much anywhere)
-Mom's Best Naturals-really yummy cereals (found these at my local grocery store)
-Simply-shampoo and conditioner- paraben and sulfate free (some Walmart stores)

So far that's my list of things I'll buy again.

We have been so pre-programmed to think things are normal that just aren't. Maybe soap shouldn't have all that stuff in it that makes your skin smooth and moisturized feeling? Most shampoo has a lathering agent in it, we don't actually need the lather...but that's whats been the clear sign of feeling clean for most of our lives. The food and drug industry wants us to believe we need things that we just don't. I'm starting to talk about things that get into a whole other subject and one I am frankly not comfortable speaking on quite yet. I'll let you know when I am. Until then...here's to healthy, all natural living!