Blazer Love + Two Penny Blue

I have to say I absolutely love a nice blazer! They are so classic and versatile. Every woman should have a few in their wardrobe!

As I was perusing new blogs and websites recently I ran across Two Penny Blue! If you haven't checked out their online boutique you definitely should! They have a fabulous selection of classic blazers that would look good on anyone! I'm also loving that these blazers and accessories not only look chic, they also support a wonderful cause! With each blazer purchase a school uniform will be given to a girl in Africa, helping promote not only her education but also her self-esteem. You can read more about how Two Penny Blue gives back here.

Here are a few of the pieces from their premier collection that I'm simply loving! What I wouldn't give to be wearing on of the Cambridge Blazer in Linen right now!

Two Penny Blue also carries an awesome line of jewelry, umbrellas and bags!

My fav! The Cambridge Blazer in linen

Hudson Blazer

The Ikat Topper

{Image Credit: Two Penny Blue Pinterest via 2PennyBlue.com}

Tuesday {In the Kitchen}

{Image Credit: Maillardville Manor blog}

Morning lovies! Today I wanted to do a recap of a feature from The Evergirl (p.s. if you haven't seen or read The Everygirl, it  is MUST!) for our In the Kitchen series.

Equipping your kitchen with the right tools is one of the first steps to good cooking (and baking)! I remember a little over a year ago I was registering for our wedding and I had absolutely no idea what kitchen items I was really going to need/use. I mean I knew the basics, a good set up of pots and pans, some good kitchen knives, and a cutting board, but it wasn't until I got married and begin my journey to healthier lifestyle with my new husband that I really understood what things I would need in order to make fabulous meals for our little family.

A few months ago, The Everygirl, did a feature called "Kitchen Essentials for The Everygirl"(you can check it out here). I so desperately wish I had seen this feature before registering! Not only is it packed with great information, but it also provided a "Handbook" with a guide to the basic tools needed for your kitchen. As you know, my hubby and I rarely eat out except maybe once on the weekends, the rest of the week we cook from home so we have to make sure we have excellent tools that will last us well into the future. In some cases it means making an investment, but it's nice to know that we have a few top of the line pieces that will last us through daily use for years to come.

{Image Credits: The Everygirl 1, 2}

Back to Work

Happy Monday loves! So sorry I was absent last week. I promise it was completely unintentional, I'm still trying to figure out how to manage my blogging with all my other responsibilities. I hope you'll forgive me for my absence.

Last week I spent Wednesday through Friday on yet another business trip. I absolutely love traveling for work but it can be tiring! Lately it has been taking me to so many cool cities including Cincinnati, Dayton, and Portland, cities I'd never dream of going on my own! I'm so thankful to have a job that allows me to see the country! But anyway, it is yet another Monday and unfortunately time for me to report back to the office.

While the set up of our office isn't really all that bad, here are a few offices I'd rather be in.

{Image Credit: Coco + Kelley}

{Image Credit: BHG}

{Image Credit: Pinterest via The Everygirl}

Happy Monday loves!

xoxo, Meg

It's Finally Friday

Yes, lovlies, it's finally Friday! And I couldn't be more in need of a good weekend. You'd think that having a mini weekend in the middle of the week would have made the week go by faster, and believe me it definitely helped and was much needed day of rest from this week of chaos, but nothing beats two days off. This week I was finally able to put the finishing touches on one of our projects at work and call it closed. The last two months have been non-stop, I kid you not, but I've put my heart and soul into it and needless to say I'm ready to breathe again! 

Just gotta get through today and we are free for the weekend loves!

{Image Credit: Note to Sarah Tumblr}

High-Fashion Bridal Shoot

I recently modeled in a bridal shoot for my super talented friend, Courtney Miller. Yes, I did have bridal photos done before the Mr. and I got married, but I wanted to help out a dear friend of mine and I thought to myself, hey, it not only gives me a reason to get my hair and makeup done, but it also gives me an excuse to pull my wedding dress out of the closet and wear it one more time!

I'm so far from a professional model, but my friends worked their magic all afternoon on my hair and makeup before we ventured out to do the shoot. I had such an awesome time hanging out with some of my favorite girls. And I am so in LOVE with how the photos turned out! So is Mr. W, so much so that we will be getting a few prints to hang around our home.

If you are looking for a fantastic photographer/make up artist be sure to check out Courtney Miller Photographer. God has truly given this woman with an incredible talent and eye for design and I'm so blessed to call her my dear friend. She is professional, funny and so easy to work with.

Courtney's images range from high-fashion and commercial style photography to weddings, bridals and maternity. She even captures some pretty incredible under water photos.

I'm also excited to announce that Courtney is one my first sponsor on Style & Strength!

Photography: Courtney Miller Photography
Make Up: Courtney Miller
Hair: Brittany
Assitant: Jenna Ragsdale
Dress: Maggie Sottero

Tuesday {In the Kitchen} Grilled Bruschetta

During our trip to New Hampshire two weeks ago we experienced an uncharacteristic warm front. The homes on the lake don't have air conditioning, so we spent most of our time outside where the air felt a tad cooler. In an effort to keep the house cool we decided to do some cooking outside. We also needed to use these amazing cherry tomatoes we found at the market before they went bad so I decided to try and make one of my favorite appetizers outside. It turned out to be a perfect start to our meal! 

You can make this a gluten-free recipe by simply using a gluten-free loaf of bread.

Grilled Bruschetta

Ingredients:
Loaf of fresh bread (your choice: sourdough, french, etc.)
Package of grape or cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves
Parmesan Cheese (optional)


Heat grill to a medium - medium high temperature.


Cut bread into thin slices (I cut my slices thin, then cut the slices in half to make them almost bite size).


Place chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh basil and olive oil in a bowl and mix well.


Place bread on heated grill, close lid and let crisp for 3-4 minutes (check to make sure it's not burning). Then flip and cook the same amount of time on the other side.


Once the bread is heated spoon the tomato mixture on top of the grilled bread slices, and if you'd like, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Weekend Recap & New Cleaning Schedule

{Image Credit: Cape Cod Collegiate Tumblr}

This weekend was very nice. Being an early riser, I was up bright and early Saturday morning with a cup of coffee in hand and I immediately got to work on a few projects I've been meaning to complete. Turns out the project was a total flop, funny how that happens.

Anyway, I was also able to spend most of the day Sunday after church cleaning up around the apartment. The place has literally been a train wreck since we got back from our vacation last weekend. There wasn't much time for laundry and cleaning when we returned, so this weekend I spent a few hours doing some laundry and some deep cleaning (i.e. the ceiling fans! Disgusting! And if they are constantly going I don't quite understand how they collect so much dust! Ugh gross!) Needless to say, the ceiling fans are a lovely shade of white again!

This week I also plan to put a new cleaning schedule into effect to see if I can stay on top of our organization and cleaning a little better. I don't know about you all but I love a clean home. There is nothing worse to me than coming home from a long day of work to a huge mess and paper piles occupying ever surface. 

After reading this post, I was inspired to create a similar cleaning schedule. Here is the schedule I came up with last week based on our weekly schedules. I'm sure I'll miss things here and there, but my hope is to spread the cleaning out through the week so it doesn't look like a tornado blew through by Wednesday evening.

Weekly Cleaning:

Monday: Dust, clean floors (vacuum all carpets/rugs, sweep and mop kitchen and bathroom), windex mirrors and glass

Tuesday: Clean bathroom, water indoor plants

Wednesday: Clean kitchen counters, clean stove top, wipe down refrigerator

Saturday: Wash sheets, pay bills, review finances, file paperwork, clean cluttered drawers, sweep patio, etc.

Sunday: Grocery shopping, clean out refrigerator

Daily Cleaning:

- Clean dishes after every meal

- Clean kitchen counters

- Clean bathroom counter

- Spray down shower walls

- Water flowers

Monthly Cleaning:

- Clean ceiling fans and light fixtures

- Wipe down blinds

- Clean windows

- Clean vents

- Wash bath mats/shower curtain