Oh Margaritas, how I love thee. To send you off for Memorial Day weekend, here are five Margarita recipes to inspire the mixologist in you this holiday. Just click on the name of the margarita and it will take you to the site that has each recipe! Continue reading…
The Price Is Right! Having style in your home and wardrobe doesn’t always have to cost a fortune. I’ve found seven style steals — none over $44! Don’t you love finding awesome things that don’t make you hold your breath when you click purchase?
7 Items with Style Under $50
Blue Batik Tray // I love having trays everywhere — it seems to make things feel organized.
Gold Tumbler // Paint brushes, pens, toothbrushes — it options for this tumbler are endless.
House of Harlow Sunburst Earrings // I have these in black, and constantly get compliments on them!
Gold Dipped Porcelain Spoon Set // This would make my coffee every morning that much better.
Speckled Burst Planter // I might actually be able to keep something alive in this planter…
Marc by Marc Jacobs Foil Covered iPhone 5 Case // Never lose your cell phone at the bottom of your purse again!
Tealight Holder // Classic but not boring.
Have you bought any style steals lately? Show me and share a link in the comments!
I tend to read in cycles. I’ll read a ton of books for a few months, and then not read for a month or so. However lately I’ve been eating books up. It’s part of my nightly routine. I’ve always had a little trouble falling asleep, and I’ve found that reading helps wind down. I also love to read true stories, biographies, memoirs — really put my mind into someone else’s life. These three books are really amazing stories, and all just happened to be medical-related if you’re into that sort of thing. For me, in addition to reading the story, these books are also informational as far as hospitals and medical information goes. Never a bad idea to learn from the stories of others.
Until I Say Good-Bye: My Year of Living with Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel — Have tissues handy. This book is so good. I love Susan’s choice to continue living her life — to the fullest — as her body continued to fail her. I love how she wanted to make memories with her kids. Like I said, have tissues. If you knew you only had a year (or so) left of movement, what would you do? A good reminder for all of us to really live our lives now and make those memories we want to, before we don’t have the opportunity to do it any longer.
When I was reading this book, my husband asked me what I was reading, and I told him and he was like — why would you want to read that? I think all of us wonder what we would actually do if we were given a year (or so) to move around (or live). What would that bucket list be now that there was a time period on it?
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan — We all think we are going a little crazy sometimes due to stress, overstimulation, too much on our plates, etc. But Susannah Cahalan felt more than just the normal crazy feeling. Can you imagine not being able to remember entire sections of your life and having to watch video to see what you were doing?
Heaven Is Here by Stephanie Nielson — Wow. Stephanie’s story is just amazing. Stephanie is the blogger behind the popular website the Nie Nie Dialogues. If you aren’t familiar with her story, this book will really bring you in. It’s very specific about what happened to her when she was in a fiery plane crash. I mean, the woman survived a fiery plane crash — amazing.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What are you reading right now?
Crystalin / In the City with Crystalin
Two themes to this post.
One — For every Revelry tee or Lover sweatshirt purchased today and tomorrow (May 22 & 23) I will donate $10 from that sale to the Red Cross for the Oklahoma tornado victims. In times like this, finding a way to contribute seems like the smallest thing we can do. Also I feel like of all the coverage I’ve seen, all of the victims can only talk about how they are fine, and since they have each other the rest can be replaced. How amazing is that!?! It’s like, oh my house AND EVERYTHING IN IT, all the photos, the memories, grandmother’s jewelry, will probably never be found, but yet they are so resilient and such good people, expressing that doesn’t even cross their mind. They are just grateful to be alive. Gotta love some Midwest people.
Two — How amazing do all these girls look in their Manifesto tees!?!? I can’t thank these ladies enough for wearing my tees and helping me spread the word. It wouldn’t be successful without them, so I am so so grateful for all the posts, tweets, instagrams. Thank you. The blogging and social media community is so supportive.
Sally and Molly / A Piece of Toast
Liz / Sequins & Stripes
It’s a little weird to think that I’ve been with my husband for more than a third of my life. We started dating at 19, engaged at 21, and married at 22 (literally a week after graduating college — yes that was crazy!). Today marks eight years of being married. I feel very fortunate to have met my husband so early on in my adult life and yes, I’m that annoying girl that just knew. I never went through my 20s worrying about dating and guys and stressing over when I would get married? Which is funny because prior to being in a relationship with my Mr., I thought I’d get married in my 30s (I thought I’d be in New York City working my ass off and too busy to bother with a relationship). But of course, you can’t plan when you fall in love.
Even though you can’t really plan it, I do think you can do things to help your odds of finding the right person. At the time I met my husband, I was focused on myself. I was a college student, and I just wanted to figure myself out and be the best version of myself I could. It seemed like right when I told myself I wasn’t going to focus on guys and focus on myself is when my Mr. came into my life. I know it doesn’t work that way for everyone, but it worked for me.
I feel so lucky that I’m so happy in my marriage, and that we have such a mutual respect for each other. We are very different and independent, and that works well for us. I don’t take my happy relationship for granted at all (for any of you thinking, blah blah I hate you and your happy marriage) — I know how lucky I am and I think about it constantly. We’ve had our share of ups and downs like any marriage (insert car accidents and neck injuries here). But when you make it through hard and stressful times, usually it makes your relationship even stronger, at least for us I felt it did.
Even after eight years of marriage (11 years together!) the man continues to surprise me. And when you think you couldn’t fall in love with someone any more, you do — and that’s the coolest feeling. I can only imagine what the next eight years has in store for us…
Photo from the wedding of Ashley & Michael, photographed by Chris Humphrey, featured on Brides of Oklahoma
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