A Refresher

Hi everyone!

So it's been about three weeks since I've posted. I started an internship and it has been keeping me extremely busy, but in the best way possible. Getting back into the working world has been great but intense, and I'm finding myself needing some refreshers for the start of this week. A way to recenter myself, if you will.

Mind Refresher
Yoga is something that I feel gives my mind a clear and refreshed feeling. So here's a precious illustration that I came across with a simple morning sequence.

Body Refresher

I've been an advocate for lemon water for awhile now, but realized recently that I have not enjoyed this refreshing drink since I moved to Denver. So I definitely plan on working it back into my daily water intake (which I discuss some of my journey with here). 

I love this post from the blog New Nostalgia that gives 5 Reasons to Drink Lemon Water in the Morning!

BONUS:

And with all of this refreshment, why not refresh your wardrobe? I have been working on rebuilding my closet recently with staples and a more consistent personal style. I have been living by this four part Building A Wardrobe Series by real girl glam! It is so helpful and basic. I even made a pinterest board to store ideas for items to create my perfect wardrobe. 

Along with getting refreshed I'm hoping to be better about posting. I miss it a lot, so I plan to make more time for it. I think it's absolutely essential to make time for hobbies always and I've been neglecting mine a bit lately. 

Well, thanks for reading!

Bye friends. 

Locke: A Photo Essay

Locke loves to lay on dad, talk, dream, watch squirrels, find interesting places to sleep and to snuggle with blankets. 

NOW TRENDY: Super Creative Party Themes

OK ya'll, I am beyond excited about this post! As you all know by now, I love a good celebration/party, so I am currently loving that people are going all out for their parties these days! Themes are on a whole new level and it just makes my heart happy.

One of the main reasons I am so excited about this post is because I have a real life example to share! A friend of mine recently had a baby shower and when I saw the pictures I almost cried it was so perfect. 

The theme was children's books and everyone really went above and beyond to make the books come to life through creative refreshments and clever decorations. The result was just adorable and perfect for a baby shower! 

Here are a few of the details!

pictures via Sarah C

I just can't get over it. So great! I especially love the added touch of using those library card labels! (not sure what the technical name for those is, but if you've ever been to elementary school surely you know what I'm talking about)

DO YOU LIKE IT?

Nope. I looooove it. I have some experience in event planning/management, and seeing people get excited about planning parties and creating themes makes me overjoyed!

WILL IT LAST?

Oh man, I think so (and rrreeaally hope so!). I think that the sense of community that comes with planning a well thought out get together will help keep this trend going strong!

OTHER COMMENTS .....

I'm not saying that there haven't been good parties out there until now, I just think that the desire to throw one is more apparent. I mean, my parents planned and threw some amazing birthday parties for me and my sister, and I think that's one of the reasons I'm so passionate about it. 

Plan on, my dears, plan on! 

BONUS:
Click the link to see where the hostesses got their inspiration to create a children's book theme!

Thanks for reading.

Bye friends.

8 Cups. Every Day.

Since I've moved almost a mile into the sky, it's been even more apparent to me that I do not drink near enough water. Occasionally I will wake up feeling sick to my stomach and light headed. I'm no stranger to the feelings of dehydration, and it's something I'm trying to work on. 

So recently my husband came across an app called Waterin. It is a super simple tool that helps you keep track of your water intake and sends you alerts throughout the day letting you know that it's time for more water! 

source

At first I was annoyed because I wasn't  doing a very good job and it was simply serving as a reminder that I am terrible at drinking water. However, slowly but surely, it has made me much more aware of how much water I'm drinking, and although I still struggle to hit the daily recommended amount, this app has definitely helped me make water a more constant thing to have around. 

So if you're having a hard time hitting that 8 glasses a day quota, I encourage you to download this FREE app, Waterin. (available on the iPhone, iPad, Android and possibly other stuff, idk)

BONUS:

If it's a really hot day (shout out, Texas) or you are a more active person (working on iiiit .....) then you do have the option of changing the amount of water you would like to consume every day! 8 glasses is just the suggested minimum. 

BONUS BONUS:

I think it's also helpful to have a reusable water bottle that holds at least a liter. It serves as an additional reminder to carry with you at all times and is another way to visualize how much water you are drinking/need to drink. 

Cheers to staying hydrated!

Thanks for reading!

Bye friends. 

A Little Something For Friday

I wish I had the energy/brain capacity to write a really awesome post today, but I don't. I decided to clean the living room today, in detail, and now it smells really good in here and I just want to sit and smell it and watch HGTV while I await some news on the job front.

So here is my Friday post. Just a few links that I've come across and want to share. I hope you find something that strikes your fancy!

- Some super charming illustrations that reflect my life pretty accurately.

- This is me, openly admitting that I do not like sweet potato fries, and I want to try these butternut squash fries as an alternative. (see pictures 4 & 5)

- An amazing tunic from Curator

- These pointed toe flats from Victoria Secret (I forget that they sell amazing basic wardrobe essentials.)

- A hand bound address book from Etsy.

BONUS:
I had a moment while writing this where I questioned whether or not it was Friday. This week went by so fast!

Thanks for reading.
Bye Friends!

Festive-al Weekend

Don't you just love a good festival?? That has definitely been one of my favorite things about our recent move to Denver. So. Many. Festivals. I'm a big fan, and thankfully so is Jonathan. So this past Saturday he had plans for us to attend TWO festivals (whaaaat. dream day.).

Originally they were both going to be a surprise (a continuation of birthday fun), however, he was really really excited about one of them so he went ahead and told me what it was. 

First we went to the Lafayette Peach Festival. This one was a complete surprise, and I was so pumped! I looove peaches. My family actually used to have a peach tree when I was little. We would pick peaches and my dad would make the most amazing peach cobbler. Ah, memories. 

After walking the whole length of the festival street lined with vendors selling everything from fresh picked vegetables to handmade soaps, we were a bit hungry and stopped at a fun little pizza place, Apiezza. We snagged a table by a window so that we could still enjoy the festival view. They had a special menu for the festival and I could not pass up a refreshing peach italian soda. It was amazing. The pizza was perfection and being able to watch the festival from a comfortable air conditioned area was simply ideal.

With almost full stomachs we were on a mission to get some peach cobbler on the way back to our car. Well, mission possible, because we snagged some from a booth that was completely out of their peach pies and almost out of their cobbler. People here love their peaches. And because of this we were unfortunately not able to get any actual fresh-from-the-farm peaches on our way out because they had all sold out! However, it was still so enjoyable and I can't wait for next year! 

After the peach festival we went home for a hot second to grab a few things and rest before heading to our second festival, Cultivate! This festival is presented by Chipotle (which started in Denver BTW) and is all about promoting sustainable, local, wholesome food. They strive to educate people on the importance of sustainability while entertaining them with all day live music (cold war kids headlined ..... I knew a song ..... ) and live cooking demonstrations from well known chefs. And obviously, they had some amazing food as well. 

We had a blast. There was so much good food and oh, did I mention that I met Blais from Top Chef? BECAUSE I SO DID. And he's really photogenic ..... 

BONUS:

We met this kid (teen) who helped out Blais during the cooking demo. He's apparently a prodigy chef that caught the eye of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who is now making a documentary about him. (here's to hoping I make the cut, right?) Anyways, his name is Aaron Kirschner and you should look him up!

BONUS BONUS:
- We bought an amazing soy candle from Incendiary Scents at the peach festival.
- And we enjoyed a pecan pie doughnut from Glazed and Confused Doughnuts in the Artisans Hall at Cultivate!

We're always on the lookout for mention of other festivals in our area. There are quite a few coming up in these next few months before it gets too cold. And I say, bring it on. 

Well everyone, as always, thanks for reading!

Bye friends. 

A Grab Bag Of Sorts

Hey guys!

I want to start out by saying thank you to those of you who sent me little bits of encouragement yesterday after I posted "I just need to 'do me' for awhile." I'll be honest, it was a little embarrassing to post something like that, but it felt really good and yesterday being my first full day with out social media went really well. I'm looking forward to this time and what it is going to do for me. Now, I promise that I won't constantly post about this, but occasionally I will in order to hold myself accountable.

So, that being said, one of the (many) reasons that I am trying to rid my life of various distractions is so that I am able to do things that I truly love doing, or have wanted to try doing. Instead of grabbing my phone to mindlessly stare at it, I want to grab things (get the post title now?? heh) that will make me feel more productive. Things like .....

1. Craft Supplies
When I was little I was ...... adorable. And along with being adorable and a bit chunky, I was all about crafting. I still craft occasionally but not near as much as I would like to. So I want to channel my 10 year old self and craft my heart out.

BONUS: Some DIYs I am particularly excited about
- DIY Oversized "Gallery Prints" via little chief honey bee
- T-Shirt Headbands via Milo&Ben
- And I want to experiment with making homemade beauty products such as lip balm, deoderant and soap!

2. Tennis Shoes/Yoga Pants
So my husband and I have been trying to eat better lately. It's actually been going pretty well. We both feel good about it. But we cheat on the weekends, because we love food to much not too. Anyways, all that is great, but we have not been working out really at all, and that's just silly. So I am really wanting to try to make that a big part of this whoooole thing.

BONUS:
I'm particularly wanting to get into Hot Yoga. Have ya'll heard about this? It's also called Bikram Yoga and apparently It can change your life. It has SO many benefits, and if it becomes a regular thing for you than it will more than likely increase your daily water intake (which can't hurt!). Read this to learn more about all of the benefits!

3. A Book
I have never been much of a reader. More so when I was little, I rrreeally loved (and still love) Roald Dahl. But through High School and college I only made it through the occasional book. But it's a goal of mine to make it through all of the Harry Potter series. I have had all of the books since they came out and have never made it through book 4. So wish me luck!

BONUS: Books I want to read after I make it though HP .....
- The Wild Wood Chronicles (written by the lead singer of the decemberists)
- Less Is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, a Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness
- Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

OK, well, I don't know what has gotten into me with these super wordy posts but, I'm thinking tomorrow I will post about the festivals that Jonathan took me too for post-birthday weekend! (aka there will be pictures) So, that'll be fun.

Thanks for reading!
Bye friends.