Currently

I saw this on Emily's blog and Nikki's blog, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon! It was a great reminder to be in the moment.

Currently, I'm...

Listening to the HVAC unit. Everything else is so quiet. It's kind of eerily peaceful.

Eating an orange. Trying to keep it healthy folks.

Drinking nothing. Seriously, this may be the first time in my life when I haven't had a drink near me. That reminds me, I'm thirsty.

Wearing a pink sweater. I'm hoping my bright shirt will convince the sun to come out.

Feeling tired, as always. I wonder if I have a vitamin deficiency?

Reading a contract. Work never ends.

Wanting a thin mint. The box in my bottom drawer is calling to me.

Thinking about how much I miss my husband and how it is to work opposite hours.

Enjoying the fact that I have hot yoga tonight. I'm so looking forward to it.

What are you doing?



 

 

What I'm Buying

Yesterday I mentioned that I'm looking for outfit ideas that won't cost me my life's savings. Well, when J.Crew Factory sent me a 25% off code, I decided to take a look.

It is extremely unreasonable for me to think that I won't buy anything this season. Especially from J.Crew Factory. It's great for basics and pieces you can keep forever. I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but here is what is in my shopping cart.

Button Back Sundress

Colorblock Skirt



Charley Sweater
 

Back Zip Artist Tee

What are you buying this spring?

Style Statement Tuesday

Spring is 8 days away. 8 DAYS!

I've been slaving over Pinterest trying to get some outfit inspiration that doesn't require me to spend thousands of dollars. I've decided to make my finds part of Style Statement Tuesday for a few weeks. Let's see if I can replicate without looking like a d-bag, shall we? BTW, this is the second day in a row I've used "shall we" in a post. It's just my way of keeping it classy.

Also, just in case you're wondering, the reason this SST post doesn't include pictures of things I actually wore is NOT because I didn't wear anything cute or remotely acceptable last week. You hear me? That is NOT why.

OK, OK, maybe it is. But, just a little.

Look One:

Source: refinedstyle.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Look Two:

Source: media-cache1.pinterest.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Look Three:

 

Source: gochicorgohome.com via Jessica on Pinterest

  

So check back for the next 3 weeks to see how I made these looks my own. I'd love to see what inspires you!

 

Link up and share your style! I'm linking up here, here, and here.

 

 

Springing Into Fitness

Let's be honest, shall we? I'll go first.

 

I haven't really exercised this winter.

 

Sure, I've gone on an occasional walk, been to the gym and to barre a few times, but  mostly I've been stagnant. And, if I'm being really honest, the stagnation has occurred on the couch in front of the television. Probably while RHOA is playing.

 

At the beginning of February, I made the decision to start watching what I eat. Since then, I've lost almost 7 pounds. I'm pretty proud of myself. So this winter hasn't been a total wash, but I still feel like I need to start moving more and more often.

 

Normally, I have no qualms with exercise. As you may remember, training/running last fall pretty much made me hate my life. I blame that for my sloth-like behavior, but with a beach trip just weeks away, I'm feeling the pressure. That pressure may or may not be coming in the form of a black bikini. Sweatpants just won't cut it at the beach, you know what I'm saying?

 

The weather is getting warmer, and I have resolved myself to get off the couch and start moving! Here are my 3 favorite workouts:

 

Barre - I love barre. It's challenging, and I always feel like I've done something incredible for my body when I leave. Barre works my muscles in ways I didn't know they could be worked. I've been doing barre off and on for over a year. This will be what I do to tone up.

 

Hot Yoga - This is a new favorite for me. I've only done it 3 times, but those 3 times were all last week. I think I may be obsessed because I have another 4 sessions scheduled for this week. I have never felt more connected to myself and my body than I do in hot yoga. I have a feeling this is going to be a beautiful relationship.

 

Walking - this is my all time favorite physical activity when in the spring, summer, and fall. I love to walk, and I can walk for hours outside. I calms me, lets me think, and gives me so much more focus. I'll definitely be getting my money's worth out of my tennis shoes this spring!

 

So, what are you doing to shape up?
 

Source: theonlyten.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

 

For more information on workouts I love, click here.

 

High Five For Friday!

Tonight, my live-in-lover and I are hitting the town for a little fun. No idea what we're doing, but I'm thankful for any weekend time I get to spend with him.

I'm also looking for forward to the warm weather that is supposed to be coming our way. 65 and 67 degree highs are my jam. Losing an hour of sleep is not my jam, but I'll take the bad with the good.

I didn't really take pictures of anything this week because it pretty much kicked my ass, gangnam style. Wait, is that even a thing? I'm not sure what it means, but it sounded good in my head. OK, whatever. So instead of showing you pics of 5 things from my life, I'm going to share pics of 5 things I wish were in my life.

 

 

Love this eyelet skirt. Perfect for spring!

 

I think this bag is just darling. Great for the office or just for fun!

 

You can never have too many watches. This would be a great addition to my collection!

 

 

Dear Tory, I love you. Please send me these shoes.

 

Or these earrings. So simple and cute.

All images are pinned on my Pinterest 'blog' board, which can be found here.

Happy Weekend! Linking up here.

Babies on the brain

It seems everyone has babies on the brain. They've definitely been on my mind lately. My sister had a new baby 2 weeks ago, and that little Ari is a doll! But seriously, I have been asked probably 5 times lately when I was going to have a baby. Let me explain...

I was asked in a polite and acceptable manner by a woman I know if I thought I might want to have children one day. This question does not bother me at all. I replied and said "maybe one day, but who knows. I work a lot and so does my husband so the time will have to work out for us." She replied "oh, so you would want to continue to work if you had a kid?" Uh, yeah. I have a great job, which I happen to love. Please note that she did not ask if my husband would want to continue to work. Just me. Gender stereotypes make me want to scream. If you choose to not work outside the home after you have a child then good on ya. My mother did not work outside the home, and I think I am better for it. But, women who continue to work outside the home are OK, too.

I was asked by a woman who works with me when I was going to have children. This question really doesn't bother me much. It does assume that I want children, but most people want children so it's not too bad. I said something like "I don't know. I'm pretty happy with my life the way it is." It still throws me, though. I am happy with my life the way it is. I like to travel, sleep in, stay out late, eat dinner out, drink too much wine, watch TV uninterrupted, exercise, etc. I know good and well that I won't be able to do those things nearly as often as I do now if I have children. I'm not sure I'm ready give that up. I do want kids, but I'm not sure when. And that's OK with me.

I told a good friend that I had something to tell her. She said, "You're pregnant!" This bothers me a lot. Probably because it happens to me so often. Anytime I start a sentence with "guess what" or "I have news" it is followed with "you're pregnant!" News flash, I have other things going on in my life that warrant excitement. When did I become old news to my friends.

My husband and I live about 3.5 hours away from our families. He works odd hours (nights, weekends, holidays) so we do not get to go visit them often. Randomly last summer, he had 2 weekends in a row off. We decided to go visit our families both weekends. Who knew when we'd see them next? A dear friend found out and told a mutual close friend she thought the reason we were visiting 2 consecutive weekends was because I was pregnant. Who thinks that way?! Luckily, the mutual friend saw the absurdity and set her straight.

I guess I just feel like when Kris and I choose to have a baby is our business. I know people don't intend to be nosey, but sometimes I want to say "NEVER!" just to get people to back off. Don't worry, I haven't actually done that. The hardest part is that my husband does not seem to understand why this bothers me so much. He's much more "go with the flow" than I am. Seriously, I don't think anything bothers him. I feel like guys don't have the pressure on them that women do to have children. It's like just being yourself is not enough. Which is so weird to me because I feel like I'm enough. I feel like if this is as good as it ever gets then I am 100% happy and so thankful for how much God has blessed me. Not to burden you with this, but I know my readership is predominantly, if not 100%, female so I feel like you guys will get where I'm coming from.

I in no way mean this as a slight towards women who choose to be mothers, stay-at-home, outside-the-home, or otherwise. I also hope this doesn't come off too harsh. I do not mean it that way.  I admire mothers. I hope to be one some day. All I'm saying is my life is full and interesting so it isn't something I feel like I have to do right this second. I am open to the fact that my mind may change in 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years, or at some other point in the future. Hell, it could change tonight. Who knows? But until it does, I'm happy with my husband and my dogs. I love our little family, and I think it's just perfect the way it is.

Currently Reading

My parents bought me a kindle for Christmas, and it has opened a whole new world to me. I know, I know, I was way late to the kindle party. I just had a hard time with the thought of not holding a physical book while reading. I'm over that now, so please forgive me. And, I've actually had an iPad for quite sometime, but I don't think the screen is good for reading. That doesn't make me too far behind the times, does it?

OK, moving on.

One of the things I love most about having an e-reader is the ability to read multiple books without having a ton of them stacked on my nightstand. I hate clutter. Just ask my husband. I throw things away like it's mu job.

Currently, I'm reading...

The Baby Trap by Sibel Hodge - I bought this book because it was like $3.99 in the kindle store. I wouldn't say it was the best book I've ever read, but it wasn't bad at all. It's a fiction book about a woman and how crazy she becomes while trying to have a baby. We're talking wearing rose quartz in her underwear crazy. It has been a cute little read, and I'm due to finish this book tonight.

Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner - First, let me say that I love Jennifer Weiner. That's why I bought this book. I knew nothing about it when I bought it, but I knew it had to be good. I just started it, and it has disappointed. It's about 4 women, 3 of whom are pregnant. That's all I know so far.

Proverbs 31 Wife Handbook by Lara Velez - This one I use as a weekend devotional. On Saturday and Sunday mornings I sit down with my tea and read a devotionals. I'm kind of taking this one slowly and letting myself digest. I'll dedicate a complete post to it when I'm done.

Waiting in queue I have...

Love By Design by Liz Matis
Faking It by Elisa Lorello

I have a few trips coming up next month, and I would love suggestions on books.  What are you reading? Do you prefer an actual book or an ereader?