Tuesday {In the Kitchen} A Paleo Thanksgiving

For this week's post, I thought I'd share with you our Thanksgiving menu. Given that we try to eat as paleo as possible...well, or in my case, as gluten free as possible, our Thanksgiving meals have been a little less traditional than the typical Thanksgiving feast, but amazing and filling nonetheless.

I never realized food could taste this good!!

I am so excited to attempt these Apple Fritters for our Thanksgiving breakfast! They will be the perfect treat paired with a side of scrambled eggs and homemade pumpkin spice lattes (def. not Paleo..but who cares I need coffee) while we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! I found this recipe on PaleOMG! They sound amazing!!! I just bought a donut pan this weekend and I'm can't wait to give them a try!

{Image Credit: PaleOMG}

This year we are spending Thanksgiving away from family, so we decided to open our home up to friends and co-workers who don't have anyone to celebrate the holiday with. We love the community God has blessed us with and want everyone to feel like they have a place to enjoy good company and good food!

Our dinner will be fairly simple, and since neither myself or the Mr. are huge fans of turkey we started our own tradition last year of making a delicious slow cooked oven roast, using this recipe. 

Our sides consist of roasted brussel sprouts with bacon bits, using this recipe from Nom Nom Paleo and a sweet potato casserole, similar to this one found on Paleoaholic.com.

 {Image Credit: Nom Nom Paleo}

{Image Credit: Paleoaholic.com}

And...doesn't this Chewy Pecan Pie Brittle looks fabulous?! Yes Please!!! Paleo dessert too?? Doesn't get much better than this!

{Image Credit: PaleOMG}

Winter Workout Outfit Inspiration

Winter has officially arrived here in ABQ! It went from gorgeous to down right freezing literally over night last weekend. And we officially saw our first snow atop the mountains.

It may be pretty to see, but the cold sure hasn't been making my early morning gym trips very easy. Lets be serious now, who wants to wake up at 4:40 am to go out in 18 degree weather?! Living in mountain desert terrain may sound appealing, but the mornings and nights are frigid.

Despite the cold, I've been good and have been freezing my way to CrossFit in my crop leggings, tank tops and layered coats. One of these days our WOD will be outside in the miserableness (yes, that is a made up word!) and I won't be nearly as prepared as I'd like to be.

Here are a few pieces I'd love to have in my winter workout wardrobe. Maybe these cute clothes will help get me more pumped about early workouts.

Top, Lululemon

Pullover - Nike

Shoes - Nike

Pants - Under Armour

Bag - Lululemon

Tuesday {In The Kitchen}

Today I thought I'd share a recipe I adapted from a friend of mine back in Dallas. She is strong Christian, has the best personality and is an amazing cook!!! The picture just doesn't do this dessert justice.

This recipe is far from being gluten free or Paleo but it is so good. It's quick, easy and perfect for a night you invite friends over and need a nice homemade dessert.

Here is the recipe I adapted from The Pink Antler:

Apple Cinnamon Galette

Crust:
Pre-made pie crust rolled out

Filling:
2-3 apples, cored and sliced thin
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. Splenda
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl mix sliced apples, lemon juice, Splenda, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. On a plate roll out the dough. Lay apple slices in a continual circular pattern beginning in the center of the dough and working your way around. Leave a few inches of dough around the edge to fold over once you finish the circular pattern.

Place in the oven and bake for 45 or until crust is golden brown and apples are soft.

**I haven't tried this yet, but I've also considered cooking apples on the stove to soften them before laying them in the pie crust. I think it would give this galette more of an apple pie texture.

Our Moving Binder

I've mentioned before this is our first time purchasing a home and I can tell you it has been a wonderful but also a very intimidating experience. And to be completely honest we are right in the middle of it.

Let me start off by saying purchasing a brand new home is awesome! Our builder agreed to make a few updates to the home as a part of our original offer, so we are very excited to have a somewhat "custom" home. While we didn't build the home from the ground up, we are definitely getting a say in the final finishing touches, which is really cool. But along with purchasing comes a laundry of list of "to-do's" on top of the traditional home buying "to-do" list which includes: negotiating with the seller, to arranging a mortgage, choosing home-owners insurance, packing, canceling/transferring services, canceling current lease agreements, etc.

This massive list of things to keep in order and things to do can be incredibly intimidating, so I decided to cut the stress out of the process before it started by putting together a home purchase/moving binder.

The binder holds everything I need for our home purchase, all the important contact information for our mortgage loans, real estate agents, home builder, etc. It also has monthly calendars so I can easily keep track of all of our meetings and appointments. I've also included a budgeting/finance section as well as a section for floor plans, neighborhood plans/layout and home amenities. Again, this just helps me keep everything I need in one place. And it's easy for me to carry around wherever I go.

I started with a binder from the Martha Stewart line at Staples. I also purchased a set of Martha Stewart post-its that fit right inside the front of the binder. I also used a few dividers I had on hand and one page protector that I also had (to hold, CD's or anything else that didn't fit in the binder).

Here are the dividers I created:
Contacts 
To Do List 
Calendar 
Finances, Mortgage & Insurance 
House Information 
Apt. Move Out Info 
Moving 
Other 

I purchased the contact, to do list, budget and finance templates here through IHeart Organizing's Etsy shop! If you haven't ever checked out her store, you should! She has some excellent templates that would help keep any household organized.

And there you have it! One easy-to-reference place for all our home purchase information!

**By the way, can you tell these images are sooo much better than iPhone pictures?! Yes! I finally got my new camera a few weeks ago and man I am loving it!!!

Boxtoberfest

This weekend I participated in my first CrossFit competition event ever! I will be honest that I was nervous out of my mind. But I have to say I had an absolute blast the whole weekend! We had an awesome team, two girls and two guys; I couldn't have asked for better teammates! We weren't there necessarily to win we simply wanted to have fun and push ourselves to our limits and I'd say we accomplished just that and more!

Saturday, our first event took place on the soccer field, the men bear crawled 50m picked up their barbell and ran back then completed 30 overhead squats, then the women bear crawled 50m to their barbell, then ran it back and completed 30 overhead squats. Then the men bear crawled to their box  then ran it back to their side and completed 40 box jumps, when they finished the women did the same thing. Overall, the event wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, but I must admit that no one ever looks good doing a bear crawl.

     



The second Saturday event took place at the indoor pool. The teams had to complete 3 rounds of 50m swim, 20 goblet squats, 20 burpees, and 20 hand release push ups. Again, a difficult but fun event. We completed ours in 8:26 minutes!

Sunday's event was at the crack of dawn! And was by far the hardest, yet most fun event as a team. It began with a team 400m run, with one person carrying a sandbag, we had to finish the run together then we immediately started working on 200 double unders, then 40 clean and jerks, and finally 60 ring pull ups. As a team we decided that each of us would do as many reps as possible until we burned out and then the next person would step in. We alternated men and women to keep up our pace! It definitely paid off because we came in first in our heat at just past 9 minutes.

I must say it was one of the best events I've ever done! There is such an amazing community built around CrossFit, I honestly don't know what I'd do without that family! They are simply amazing! And I have some pretty fantastic friends from outside the CF community that came to support me as well! You guys are the best!! Thank you!

And a special shout out to my awesome, amazing husband for being there to support me the whole time. He recently had a hamstring tear that has kept him out of CF and out of this competition, but despite his inability to compete he was still there to cheer me on and bring me recovery drinks, water and food! You're awesome babe and I love you!!!

Friday Recap {We're Moving}

Hello again world!

Hope you've all had a great week! It's been a slightly crazy one for us. All very exciting things of course but busy nonetheless. Here are a few highlights of our week:

- We put an offer on a house this week and got it!!!! Yippeee!! We are really overwhelmed by all of the next steps involved in the process, preparing for a mortgage, finding good homeowners insurance, etc. It's all a bit much! Thankfully, we have some great friends taking care of us and making sure we only meet with the best people in the area.
- Now that we've almost got a home we also have to plan to MOVE! For some reason when we put an offer on the house, I seemed to forget that that would actually mean I'd have to break a lease then pack up my entire apartment! And if I didn't mention it before, this will all take place within a short time period of 30-45 days, and yes folks, you guessed it that will take place smack dab in the middle of the holidays! Again, so very exciting, but also very crazy! The Mr. and I have a LOT to do!
- In an effort to get things organized I decided to purchase a few of these templates. I will be putting together a binder of all our home buying and moving related information, including calendars, contact information, insurance and mortgage info., to-do lists, and moving checklists.
- I am also super excited for next week. I know this post is supposed to be a recap of this week, but I am not gonna lie I'm SO excited that our J. Crew opens next week!
- I will also be competing in my first CrossFit team competition this weekend. It's a two-day, three WOD (workout of the day) competition that will include swimming, burpees, box jumps, overhead squats, clean and jerks and double unders. I am very nervous, but I'm really trying to not worry too much and just have fun with it! Doing CrossFit everyday, I know I can do it. Let's just say, Monday, I'll be one tired girl!

{Image Credit: Wit + Delight}

This week....

Because he's just adorable!

Oh my goodness...the weeks keep flying by! As much as I love the weekends and loom forward to Friday, I'm beginning to wonder wear the time goes. Dare I say it, it's going to he Christmas before I know it! Anyway, here are a few of this weeks updates.

This week...

- I enjoyed my first ever pumpkin spice chai latte from Starbucks. I know, it's super bad, and loaded with sugar but can I tell you how absolutely AMAZING it is!
- I'm still in love with the house we looked at last week, no updates yet on Mr. C's job yet...but we are praying for guidance!
- bought this beauty! So soft, cozy and chic!
- The Mr.'s parents flew in this week! We love them and are looking forward to a wonderful visit!
- We will also be going to dinner with some friends - fajitas and margaritas! Doesn't get much better than that!
- And, this weekend is the beginning of Balloon Fiesta!! It's a huge deal here in Albuquerque, people fly in from all over the world to see the hot air balloons. I won't lie, I've lived here over a year, but I still get giddy every morning when I see them on my way to work! So, needless to say, I'm pretty pumped for balloon fiesta this weekend!

Have a great weekend everyone!

{Image Credit: Attackofthecute.com}

House Hunting

Mr. C and I have always dreamed of owning a home. It's never been anything we've wanted to just jump right in to though. We have always wanted to be wise about our money as well as our decisions so we decided to living minimally, until we knew where wanted to put down roots for at least 3 years.

This year will be our second year in our apartment though and while it has definitely become our home, we are beginning to think about whether we should look into renting or buying a home.

Fast forward to yesterday. A friend told us about a new neighborhood being built and it sounded intriguing so we decided to check it out so we went for a little Sunday drive. We've never looked at houses together, so I won't lie, it was pretty exhilarating. We walked through a number of model homes, looked at various floor plans and discussed how the community will evolve as a whole. We tried to imagine the lush parks, shops and restaurants that are expected to one day be a part of the communities ambiance.

After a few hours of talking and dreaming, we decided it was time to head home. 

Now for the big decisions and long conversations. The homes were not only affordable, but they are custom built, so we could pick everything from the start which is both awesome and overwhelming all at the same time. 

Here are the things we will have to be thinking/praying about:

- First, are we going to be here for at least 3 more years?

- Is this neighborhood a good one, worth investing in?

- If so, which floor plan works best for us as a "starter home." A 1500 sq. foot home or a 1900 sq. foot   home? One with 3 bedrooms or 4 bedrooms?

- We also have to be thinking about the resale value of the home.

- How much do we spend on the floor plan, and how much do we reserve for the upgrades?

- How will this effect our everyday lives and are we ready for that change (i.e. church community groups, CrossFit gyms, etc.)

{Image Credit: Urrutia Design}

Happy Friday

It's Friday and I couldn't be more excited! But in all seriousness, where did this week go?! I feel like I woke up Monday morning and suddenly it was Friday. Anyway, you won't see me complaining the weekends are by far my favorite! 

I could not be more excited to start my day with a little CrossFit, then head to work in a cute new outfit I got for super cheap then come home to homemade g-free pizzas and a little TV time with the hubby.

As for the rest of the weekend, well we don't have too many plans, just getting some rest and hoping to finish a few projects around the apartment before we have family visit in a week.

Anyway, here's to a great Friday and a relaxing weekend!

{Image Credit: Definitely Beyoutiful Tumblr}

Fall is Absolutely My Favorite

Late or not, I couldn't help but blog about all things fall! It is truly my favorite season of all. I love the cool weather that gives us a break from the desert heat, the smell of fires burning (although you definitely don't have many bonfires here, due to the drought conditions), a nice chai tea latte to warm you up on a brisk day, the deep rich reds, plums and vibrant oranges and yellows that the trees turn. I also love fall flavors, pumpkin, cinnamon, butternut and acorn squash!

So I thought today I'd share a few of my favorite fall fashion inspiration!

Denim, Leggings  & Boots = Perfection

{Image Credit: Katie Haakens}

Plum Jeans = Must Have

{Image Credit: The Jacksons}

Leopard Loafers

{Image Credit: Chloe Rose}

Coated Black Skinnies

{Image Credit: 9 to 5 Chic}

True Beauty

A few weeks ago I wrote this post about my experience with strength training and CrossFit and yesterday I ran across this awesome empowering video on YouTube. The videobrought to life everything I hoped to express via my post, so I couldn't resist sharing it.

If you have a few minutes, you should watch it. These women are both amazing, beautiful and strong!

This is what true beauty looks like. I can definitely relate to these women. CrossFit has definitely helped me gain not only strength, but also a confidence in myself that I've never had before.

{Video Credit: AnolympianVideo on YouTube}

Discovering What's Important

This Tuesday I'm taking a bit of a break from the Tuesday {In the Kitchen} posts to talk about the reason I've been absent from blogging. I realized a few weeks ago I was truly struggling with something I think most people struggle with and that is not being perfectly content with who you are and what you have. I realized more and more that I was coveting what every other blogger seems to have and was focusing on what I didn't have rather than focusing on the important things - what I do have and what a good life God has given me.

It was a hard realization to come to but one that I'm so glad to be working through. It's so easy for us to compare ourselves to one another, to bloggers, to co-workers and celebrities, but the truth is none of us is exactly alike, nor can we be exactly alike. It's not how we were wired. We all have a different gifts, talents, likes/dislikes, bodies, and strengths.

Last week I decided to take a week long break away from reading blogs. I know, that sounds crazy for me! But I knew my heart needed it. I had become too obsessed with figuring out how I could have the lives that tons of other bloggers seem to have, but I soon realized I wasn't just wishing, I was infatuated, obsessed, to the point where I spent most of the day consumed with wanting to have and be everything everyone else seemed to be, that is, everything but me.

But the truth is I was not trusting what God had for me, nor was I seeing myself as He sees me; a beautiful daughter of the King. I mean seriously what was I thinking, it doesn't get much better than that! My thoughts should be consumed by that truth, not the lies the world feeds me about not looking or being good enough or having a perfect blog with a million followers.

I'm meant to be just who God made me, and I'm determined now more than ever to be just that, nothing more and nothing less.

{Image Credit: Ryan Ray Photography}

Long Weekend

Hope you all had a great weekend, we sure did! We took a quick trip back home to Texas to celebrate grandma's 75th birthday and spend time with family and friends!

It was a great weekend! I'm so thankful, even for the short time, we had with my family and close friends. Saturday morning I was able to meet two of my best friends for coffee then spent more time with my mom, grandmother and aunt setting up for the big birthday bash we had Sunday.

Sunday turned in to a family reunion of sorts, but it was good to see everyone. It's been years since I'd seen many of them. Then the night was spent with my immediate family and very best friend enjoying great food at Chuys and margaritas!

We also enjoyed going back to the Mr.'s old CrossFit gym in Deep Ellum! Great workout and a good time catching up with everyone (but PS...I can't stand working out in the Dallas humidity, I'll take Albuquerque weather any day!). But if you're in the Dallas area be sure to check them out!

Now it's back to the grind!

{Image Credit: Pinterest}

Happy Weekend

This weekend the Mr. and I are headed back home to Dallas to spend the three day weekend with family and friends! We could not be more excited about our little weekend getaway! We have birthdays to celebrate, babies to meet and shopping to do!

Enjoy the last official weekend of summer everyone!

{Image Credit: Made By Girl}

Sick Day

I very rarely get sick but this was my lucky week, I must have picked up the nasty cold my husband had last week. Needless to say, I've spent the majority of the last few days laying on the couch, catching up on blogs and drinking lots of water and snuggling with my puppy. I hope to be back at it again soon.

{Image Credit: Jadore Tumblr}

Five Things...

Here are five things that I have absolutely been loving lately! Actually, by looking at these you'd think it's already fall, but I promise it's not...maybe I'm just ready?

Essie - Mochacino {image via Essie}

Chai Tea Lattes {image via Starbucks}

Sugar Fresh Lip Treatment SPF 15 {image via Sephora}

Stress Relief - Eucalyptus Spearmint {image via Bath & Body Works}

Comforts from the Cross by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick {image via Amazon}

Tuesday {In the Kitchen}

Not a food image, but I love a farmers market! And this awesome blogger does CrossFit and eats clean, check her out!

I have had an incredible journey the last year and a half, one where I have truly learned how take care of my body, from simple things like what to eat as well as how to exercise in order to keep it strong.

I have been eating pseudo-Paleo and gluten-free for about a year and a half now. It has been a truly eye-opening experience and I can honestly say my body has never felt better. 

I say I eat "pseudo" Paleo because while my husband is more strict about his diet, I don't eat as strict as he does. But eating a clean and balanced diet has become an incredibly important part of our lives.

The easiest way I can explain the Paleo diet is this - first of all, it's not a diet in the traditional sense, but rather a lifestyle, with all fresh, no pre-packaged, manufactured foods.

Most people think C and I are just picky, or maybe crazy, but when you feel as good as we do physically, you won't regret it. And no you won't miss the heavy grains and breads that leave you feeling weighty and bloated. In fact, after a few weeks you'll view breads and pastas very differently.

This week for the {In the Kitchen} feature, I decided to share what our typical weekly grocery list consists of.

If you are interested in learning more about the Paleo lifestyle check out this site. 

Our Weekly Grocery List

Fruits

Bananas - we eat them every morning before our workout

Grapes

Mangos

Apples

Avocados

Lemons

Limes

Vegetables

Lettuce

Broccoli Slaw

Red and Green Peppers

Sweet Peppers

Onions

Fresh Garlic

Asparagus

Sweet Potatoes (lots!)

Broccoli

Squash

Tomatoes

Green Onions

Spaghetti Squash

Meat

Pork Chops

Chicken Breasts

Steak

Fish

Eggs (lots!)

Other Staples - (most aren't Paleo, but are what we eat on "cheat days" when we aren't eating strict Paleo)

Coconut Flour (Paleo and Gluten-Free)

Gluten Free Bisquik (not paleo but good for those necessary "cheat" days)

Rice Chex Cereal (again for "cheat" days, Gluten-Free and comes in several flavors)

Milk (not Paleo, but I still have use it to mix with protein powder or with cereal on cheat days)

Greek Yogurt (not Paleo, but I still eat it)

Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches (obviously for cheat days!)

Almonds (can be put in a food processor to create homemade almond flour, or almond butter, both are fantastic when made at home and much cheaper)

Think Think Protein Bars - here (Gluten-Free)

Assorted Spices

Fresh Herbs

These are just some of the regular items we purchase, I'm sure I am missing a few, but if you have questions just leave me a comment. Be sure to check out this post for a few of my favorite websites and blogs that have amazing Paleo recipes or Gluten-Free recipes!

{Image Credit: Sterling Style}

A New Week...

Here are we are again loves, another Monday! Time to get back in to the work week. I hope you all had a great weekend! Mr. started coming down with a cold last week, so we made sure to keep our weekend low key and catch up some much needed rest.

Thankfully our home wasn't all too messy, it rained quite a bit (for Albuquerque), and we had several DVDs from Netflix arrive so we were set for a weekend at home! It was perfect!

As I get older I realize more and more just how important it is to take at least one day a week off, to have no true plans, sleep in, not workout, not put make up on (yes...I said no makeup, and yes, it's okay), make good homemade food and just chill.

I hope you all had some time to do the same! Have a great week everyone!

{Image Credit: image via pinterest}

Weekend Recap

This weekend the Mr. and I took part in the Bugaboo WOD with our CrossFit community. The workout was open to the public and all the CF gyms in area came together to participate. It was incredible to see how such a vast group of different people and backgrounds can come together to workout hard, encourage one another and ultimately raise over $10,000 to benefit Families of SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy).

 The WOD consisted of 200 Thrusters for time! It was crazy insane! But thinking of all the little kids that are born with this disease and endure pain for long periods of time and still wear a smile on their face, it was so worth the work. Check out this site to learn more about SMA.

My Week in Instagram

Happy Friday loves!

I hope you all had a fabulous week! This week has definitely been a stressful one, but I'm hoping this weekend is a little more relaxing.

Tomorrow, the Mr. and I are heading to participate in the Bugaboo WOD, benefitting families with children who have SMA! It should be a good, but tough workout!

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Just got my first pair of J Brand Jeans via Threadflip! They are awesome!

 

A little coffee and professional development at work this week.

  

Getting my workout on.

 

Working on deadlifts this week!

Fitness: CrossFit

 {Image Credit: Pinterest via Kettlebell Girl Tumblr}

Many people wonder why I decided to start strength training and doing CrossFit, so I've decided to share a little bit of my journey.

To be honest, none of it was my idea, instead it was the gentle nudge of my husband that really got me started. Before we got married, he had expressed a deep desire to be able to work out with his future wife, living a healthy lifestyle was incredibly important to him. So when we got married I knew I was going to have to start getting back into the gym, which honestly wasn't a big deal, until I realized he wanted me to literally work out with him. So my journey to strength began. Needless to say, I wasn't really too thrilled about this endeavor, but I obliged nonetheless.

Looking back, I can honestly say it's one of the best decisions I have made in my life and it's something I plan to continue as I get older. The incredible results I've seen since I've cleaned up my diet and begun strength training and olympic lifting have been truly amazing. But, honestly what is most remarkable is how much better I've felt both physically and mentally.

{Image Credit: CrossFit South Bay}

Ladies, I hear you, you're thinking strength training means "bulking up," but I've got some serious news for you and yes, I too believed the lie, but it's just that a lie - women can't get bulky like men. It's just physically not possible unless you are taking medications for that purpose. When I began strength based workout a year and a half ago I weighed right at 100 lbs and my heavy deadlifts started with just a 25 lb. barbell. Today, I am roughly 108 lbs. and deadlift 175 lbs. I've gained a heck of a lot more muscle but I didn't bulk up, in fact I'm pretty much still the same size in clothes the only difference is I have a lot more tone and definition in my arms and legs than I ever had before.

Don't believe me, check out this article by Cody Rice from CrossFit South Bay. The article truly helped me re-evaluate my attitude towards doing any kind of heavy strength based workout.

I want to continue to grow stronger each and every day. In the future I desire to be able to carry and play with my kids without getting tired. I want to be able to rearrange furniture in my house if I decide to do so. I want to be mentally strong as well, when someone tells me I can't, I want to prove that I can. And when I grow old I want to be active and strong despite my age. I don't want my body to hold me back from experiencing all life has to offer.

Tuesday {In the Kitchen}

Yesterday, my handsome hubby made the most amazing snack/appetizer. I'm telling you these are incredible and I just had to share them with you.

C recently found this recipe on Health-Bent. You must try it! I promise you won't regret it. We only altered the recipe slightly in the way that we make our homemade guacomole, so I have to give all credit to Megan Keatley who writes the Health-Bent website. If you haven't checked out this site, you should! They have fabulous paleo recipes! We've tried a number of them and a few remain our staple recipes to this day, including this new one. I highly encourage you to browse their page, especially if you are looking for some great healthy recipes!

Recipe adapted from Health-Bent:

• 1 lb sweet baby peppers
• 2 ripe Haas avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• salt, to taste
• 2 or 3 slices of bacon, chopped and crisped
• 1 Tablespoon diced red onion
• 1 diced roma tomato

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

First you will need to wash the peppers. Then cut off the stems, slice them in half lengthwise and remove the inside portion and seeds. Place them on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about 10 minutes. 

While peppers are baking, use a fork to mash together the avocados, lime juice, cilantro, onion, garlic, tomato and a good pinch of salt.

Remove the peppers from the oven, then using a small spoon to fill the peppers with guacamole. Top with bacon crumbles.

{Image Credit: Health-Bent}

Hello Monday

Happy Monday loves! Hope you all had a fantastic weekend.

This weekend I...
-slept in - it was glorious!
-had lunch on Saturday and Sunday with two great friends! There is absolutely nothing like spending the afternoon enjoying lunch and a nice cold iced tea with friends on the patio!
-cooked some fantastic meals with my handsome husband!
-took naps with my sweet puppy

What did you do this weekend?

{Image Credit: Atlantic-Pacific}

Arm Candy

I have been loving my gold watch that I recently scored from Target. I've definitely been eyeing the Michael Kors one, but I wasn't sure how often I'd actually wear it so I decided to settle on a similar cheaper one until I could decide. The verdict - I wear it everyday! The watch goes with everything and makes me feel super girly! I didn't think I'd ever be a gold lover, but ahh, I've been converted.

I love being able to wear my watch alone for a simple, casual look but I also love that I can dress it up with a few cute bracelets, whether its one bracelet or layered bracelets.

Here is the latest arm candy on my wish list:

JCrew Pave Link Bracelet

JCrew Classic Medium Bangle

The Limited Snake-Textured Skinny Hinged Bracelet

Coach Leather Double Wrap Turnlock Bracelet