The Friday Five

1. Friday. The simple fact that it is Friday is making me so happy today. Its been a loooooong week. G will finally be home after two weeks of traveling and we're having dinner tonight with some good friends. Solid start to the weekend. 

2. Chili. Making the first big pot of chili of the fall this weekend and I cannot wait. 

3. My new mug. I got this mug last weekend in Nashville and I can't even take the cutenesss! Schnauzer eyebrows and beards kill me even in ceramic form. 

4. This girl. Macy had been acting strangely for a few weeks so I took her to the vet about a week ago and it turns out my girl has a UTI and was kind of dehydrated. Sadface. She's been on antibiotics and has water added to her food and she seems to be back to her old self. Poor little thing. 

5. The Pampeered Chef. I recently took the plunge after attending a few TPC shows and decided to become a consultant. I really do love the products and the extra money will be nice considering my desire to travel every while also supporting my love of expensive material goods. I never thought I'd go into direct sales but here I am and very excited! If you are local to Baltimore/DC contact me to host a show! 

Lately...

I've been trying very hard to be positive this school year. We got two first year teachers in our department and they are great and definitely the dose of good we needed as of late. I've tried so hard to stay positive but its back again. The exhaustion. The frustration. The constant "What I am doing here?" thoughts. Long hours, heavy workload, and students who want to do what they want to do when they want to do it and will make your life miserable if you don't let them have taken their toll.

I don't want to complain and be sad and angry because lately I've started become just a tad annoyed at all the complaining we teachers seem to do. But. But damn, lately it's been hell and I'm back to reconsidering my career choice.

Thankfully, Thanksgiving break and Christmas break (!) are nearing soon and we (me and them) will get a necessary reprieve from each other. Here's hoping we all make it.

Scenes from a Nashville Weekend

This past weekend, hubby and I headed down to Nashville, TN to celebrate one of our dearest friend's 30th birthday. Her and her husband recently moved to Atlanta from Baltimore and I can't even express how much we miss them. When she sent the initial Nashville email her husband and I co-conspired to surprise her by not telling her I was coming down and we pulled it off! It was really fun to surprise - she was shocked to see me when I walked into their hotel room. It was such a fun weekend and I am still suffering from post-weekend depression. Nashville is a crazy place but I loved it and want to go back!

We stayed at the Omni Hotel Downtown Nashville. It just opened on September 30th and it was definitely the newest hotel in which I've ever stayed. I usually avoid hotel bars (unless its post wedding) but this place had great food and drinks.

The husband was in Orlando all last week so we met up in Nashville on Thursday night before the rest of the crowd showed up on Friday afternoon. I took a little stroll around Broadway and the surrounding areas on Friday morning.

The rest of the group ate here and I was a little jealous but G and I had met up with some of our family that lives out in Franklin and had just eaten at Puckett's Grocery, which was amazing. Fantastic pulled pork sandwich.

 A lot of time was spent here. Pretty cool place. 

 My husband loathes taking pictures and make sure to ruin them every chance he gets.

 See? Every chance.

 We took the Studio B tour and it was awesome. I really didn't expect to be that enthused about it at all but standing in the same spot as greats like Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and Roy Orbison was pretty amazing to me.

 The piano that Elvis played on and recorded my most favorite Christmas song, "If I Get Home on Christmas Day" as well as many other songs.

Love!

I didn't get any pictures of the restaurants we ate at but they were both wonderful and I would highly recommend- Merchant's and The Farmhouse. We also had burgers at Past Perfect- it was good but not great. Beyond eating and drinking, there was dancing at an 80s and 90s dance party, browsing boot shops, and all around merriment. 

Anyone else ever been to Nashville? What did you think?

Post Office Outfit Inspiration

On Saturday morning I was standing in line at the post office when I spotted a chick in front me wearing an outfit I knew I had to recreate immediately. Before I tell you what she was wearing, let it be known that I am a pretty laid back dresser. I am, after all, a P.E. teacher by day. I also have an affinity for gray in all areas of my life. Love that color and will always choose it if its an option. In this case, this woman was wearing the following: 

J.Crew Merino Pocket Tunic

and a pair of cropped black pants...

J.Crew Pixie Pants

and a pair of these...

Nike Air Max 90

Truthfully, I was headed to the mall later that day with the intention of trying on and possibly buying the pocket tunic (in gray, of course) but after spotting this chick's outfit it was a definite purchase. So after my stop at J.Crew I proceeded to Lady Footlocker and tried on a pair of Nike Air Max 90s and I can't even tell you how much I want a pair of these. I absolutely love the idea of this outfit. Comfortable yet chic. Thankfully,  I already own a pair of Joe's Jeans jeggings that I scored at T.J. Maxx about 3 years ago that will work for this outfit. My mom, sister, and I are headed to the Leesburg, VA outlets in about 3 weeks where I am hoping to score a pair of Nike Air Max 90s. My sister thinks I'm crazy but I cannot wait to make this outfit come to life.

In Pursuit of..

I have been searching for months for the perfect black crewneck sweater and the search has not been as easy as I thought it was going to be. I want something quality that will last a long time but also needs to be the correct price point as we're on strict budget over here. 

I looked at and ruled out a bunch of different options and finally narrowed it down to these two above. The one on the left is the Cashmere Crewneck Tunic from Garnet Hill that comes in at $98 dollars has 94 reviews for an average of 4.25 stars. The one on the right is the Hayden Carbon Cashmere Sweater from Bluefly.com and comes in currently at $79.20 but only has one review.

Therein lies my dilemma.. I like both of these sweaters for different reasons but as a consumer, I give credence to customer reviews and often spend a good deal of time sifting through the reviews to see what others have to say about the item. The sweater on the left has 94 reviews the one on the right only has one. I've gotten Garnet Hill catalogs for years but have never purchased clothing from them because well, nothing ever caught my eye. I've never purchased anything from Bluefly.com either so I'm really at a loss in that department.

They are both very adorable sweaters and I just can't decide which one to go with.. I like the neckline of the sweater on the left but like the tighter fit of the one on the right. Obviously, the price of the one on the right is better. 

I'm putting it out there in hopes that one of you reading has purchased an item from either of these places and can speak to the quality of the products! 



 images courtesy of garnethill.com/bluefly.com

Five on Friday (...after a long hiatus)

That three month hiatus I took from this here blog? Let's pretend it never happened and jump right back in with my favorite link-up!

1. Beauticontrol Skin Care Line. One of my oldest and dearest friends became a consultant for Beauticontrol over the summer (think Avon-esque) and what initially started out as me just trying to support a friend has turned into an almost complete skin care revamp. I've been using the Spa Facial line (purifying cleansing gel, exfoliating polish, defend & restore night cream, and the under eye dark circle and puffiness solution) and my skin has never looked better. It scares me a little to actually write that as I am terrified I'm going to jinx it!

2. Soapwalla Deodorant Cream. Sometimes I can be a bit of a freak about chemicals and the scary things they could be doing to our health. G's cousin works in the environmental policy industry and has shared some scary stuff with me (only at my prompting she rarely gets on a soapbox about it...no pun intended hehe). I tried out a few natural deodorants that can be bought from the store but none of them worked. I discovered Soapwalla on Etsy back in March and decided to give it a try and it works so well! It lasts all day and has a great scent! Its expensive at $20 (including shipping) but I just purchased purchased my second one so it does last a fairly long time. I should mention it is kind of a hassle to put on since you have to use your hands but I feel so much better about using it that I really don't care. 

3. Oasap.com. UM, have you visited this website? Adorable clothes for ridiculously cheap prices. I clicked on a Pinterest pin that took me to this sight and my eyeballs almost popped out of my head. It is based in China so it takes a week to 10 days for your shipment to get here but definitely worth the wait. I was a little skeptical at first, but the clothes seem to be of good quality. You have the option to pay through PayPal which always makes me happy. I'll report back in a month or so to let you all know if the clothes hold up! Here's what I ordered:

 

Also ordered this in Orange

4. Bikram Yoga. I've been doing Bikram on and off for a little over a year now but just recently started making it a once a week habit and I am loving it! I know there are mixed feelings out there about Bikram but I love it and I like to think I'm smart about it and don't push myself too hard during class if I'm not feeling up to some of the poses.

5. Prissy's Ponytails. My little Etsy shop has been doing really well lately but mostly through Instagram sales (follow: @prissysponytails and let me know if you'd like to order). I do thoroughly enjoy making these hair ties and love coming up with different color combos! This month I am offering a Shades of Pink pack to support Breast Cancer Awareness! 

Happy Friday!!!

The Five on Friday!

1. I started watching the Good Wife on Amazon Instant Video with my 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime and I am hooked! It is so good and makes me want to become a lawyer ha! Julianna Margulies is absolute perfection in that role. I've mentioned before that I don't watch much TV so it takes a lot for me to become invested in a show but this show is definitely worth the time!

 

2. I've been using Extremely Essential Camera Skills to officially learn how to use my Canon Rebel T1i which I have had for like 3 years now. Lauren is a camera genius but is able to break down the concepts so common folk like myself can actually learn how to use this device. If you are in need of a tutorial that won't overwhelm you, I'd definitely suggest Extremely Essential Camera Skills. I'm so impressed with the pictures I've started taking after using this tutorial! And the price! 49.95 for everything!

 

3. I'm in the midst of planning our trip for next summer and I have to say, I just love travel planning. No matter where we are going I love researching this stuff! Restaurant research is my favorite part as the husband and I LOVE to eat. We love checking out local restaurants when we are somewhere new. (I have a weird formula that I've come up with to find the most delicious restaurant that is slightly off the beaten path so it won't be packed with people). We've been to so many wonderful places and I'm already so stoked for our trip next summer even if 11 months and a whole school year stands in between me and drinking Guinness and eating a boat load of pizza! 

 

4. Hanging out with my newest nephew, Miller. I'm so grateful to have the time off to spend with my sister and her baby boy! It is really fun to just simply be around  him. While babies terrify me beyond belief, I also find them so fascinating. They are beguiling and resilient little creatures. I mean, seriously, does it get any cuter?

 

5. Have I ever professed my love for Garden and Gun? Either way, I'm doing so now. It is my favorite magazine. While there is some debate over whether or not MD is really "Southern" (depends on who you ask), this magazine has so much to offer any reader who is interested in food, drinks, dogs, traveling, hunting, fishing, etc. If any one of those things is of interest to you, Garden and Gun will have something for you! The current issue, The Southern Food Issue is mouth-wateringly good! Sometimes, I get sad it only comes out 6 times a year!

 



Happy Friday, friends! 

Images:

VIA

VIA

VIA

VIA

Blog Sale!

In an effort to make some extra cash as well as clean out my closet, I'm putting a few things up for sale! Please comment if you are interested and I will email you. If you want to use a different email than the one associated with your blog, let me know! After the initial email, I will send you a PayPal invoice. 

Purple and Black dress size Medium  from Francesca's - retails for 45 selling for 15- worn twice

Lilly Pulitzer "You Gotta Regatta" dress size Medium- New with Tags never worn - runs large- retails for 108 selling for 75

Mint green with black collar shirt size M from Francesca's- worn once- retails for 38- selling for 15-

Spilling about my Love

 

 Today I am linking up with A. Liz Adventures to share with you all about my love life! This link-up is quite fitting since yesterday was our 2nd anniversary (which we spent drinking red wine and eating Thai food at our favorite Thai place in the city).  

 

{1} Describe your dating life prior to finding your husband/boyfriend/fiance.

Messy. I had a serious boyfriend in high school that I truly thought I was going to marry. We broke up at the beginning of senior year and I was absolutely, completely devastated. Unfortunately, we proceeded to put each other through a world of hurt for the next several years. It was pure torture and for a long time I couldn't see through to the other side. One day, I realized that the two of us were never going to work out, there had been too much hurt between us, and we kind of unspokenly ended things. Its hard to explain how G came into my life as he was technically already in it since we'd known each other for 4 years when we got together. I guess without all the baggage of my previous relationship, I saw him with a different clarity and realized what a great guy he is and how much we have in common. He's changed every notion I ever had about what it means to love someone. Very, very thankful to have what we have now.

{2} Describe your husband/boyfriend/fiance in one word. How would he describe you in one word?

Genuine. What you see is what you get with G and I love that about him. He genuinely cares about me, the dog, his family, his friends, his work. When he says he is going to do something 99% of the time he follows through with it. Whether its plans with a friend or cutting the lawn for his mom, he's there. His one word to describe me is dedicated. 

{3} You had a really silly fight. Embarrassing silly. What was it about?

Both of us have a hard time not expressing our feelings which has led to a lot of fights. I'm not sure what silly things we fight over because usually the fight escalates and then we're angry and then tired and neither of us can remember what we were fighting about in the first place. I will say this, I (and G) think sometimes we get into arguments for the sake of arguing- it seems we like the drama of it. We're both really good at apologizing, though.The quote from "Love Story" that says, "love means never having to say you're sorry" is misleading and completely untrue.

{4} In three sentences (and only three!), describe where you both hope to be in 5 years.

I hope we have a baby, if that's the path we've decided to take in life. I hope we are still living in a city somewhere if not here. I hope we are both incredibly happy career-wise and happy in our personal lives. 

{5} Tell us something about your husband/boyfriend/fiance we wouldn't know from reading your blog. 

He's a nickname fanatic. Seriously, almost everyone in his life has a nickname of some sort. Some are very obvious like a person's last name. Some, like most of mine and the dog's, are completely off the wall. The nicknames take on a life of their own and morph into several different nicknames over the course of time. He says its a sign of affection so I guess I'm glad I have a whole bunch and they're all weird. 

 

{6} What's one thing you never thought you'd do in front of your husband/boyfriend/fiance, but you did?

Talk about bowel movements. It comes up a lot in our household.