NUMBER 245

ohh la la! check out the new design for happily ever parker!! we combined laura’s love for ombre, glitter, and blue hues for a gorgeous, fresh, and happy design! laura is new to the blogging world, so be sure to stop by and show this sweet girl some love!

NUMBER 244

summer is here and the air is HOT. even though we've seen mostly cloudy skies in the queen city, having a cold drink in hand makes bearing that humidity a little easier. here’s what’s keeping me cool [and hydrated]:

1  |  after sampling the barefoot refresh wine “style” [whatever that means] at the teeter last friday, i decided it would be the perfect beverage for a hot summer night. once i got home, i remembered christina raving about this fabulous libation, and for $5.99, you should be too! my favorite is the crisp white – reminds me of a tastier champagne!

2  |  nothing beats an ice cold diet coke on a hot hot day. [or a cold, wet day for that matter – i don’t discriminate]. i've been watching my DC intake lately and trying to opt for water whenever i can. so only having one every now and then feels like a little indulgence and makes it taste that much better!

3  |  every morning, i throw my VT tervis into my bag, and after i've downed my morning coffee, i'm on a water binge for the duration of the day. in a previous life, it would have been a large diet coke or tea in the cup beside me, and i'm happy to say it’s been an easy adjustment to have something a bit healthier by my side.

4  |  on a quick errand to the teeter yesterday, i was having a craving for that afternoon DC. instead, i grabbed this ICE sparkling water [in grapefruit] for $1. i'm usually not a sparkling water fan, but that grapefruit flavor really pleased my palette. i like to think i did my body a favor by choosing this over my beloved soft drink.

WHAT’S YOUR SUMMER SIP?

p.s.: in case you missed it last week, hop on over to the good life blog and be sure to enter the giveaway for a custom blog design by moi!

NUMBER 243

it’s friday! which means i'm linking up with my favorite ladies for five on friday! head on over and link up with darci (or christina, april, or natasha) and while you’re there, enter the faaabulous giveaway going on NOW -- a blog design by yours truly! now that’s worth a #1 spot in this list!

1  |  what? you just skimmed my paragraph above and missed the GIVEAWAY reminder? better get over there now! i'm so so thrilled about the overwhelming positive response from this giveaway! i can’t thank darci enough for this opportunity! YAY YAY YAY!

2  |  j.crew, you jerk. don’t you know that we’re on a shopping hiatus right now? how dare you send me coupons and sale announcements for ridiculous discounts. ugh. daydreaming about these sandals and this gorgeous necklace. for those of you who AREN’T on a financial restriction: j.crew factory is having a 50% off sale PLUS 10% off with the “VIP” discount code. (code is: VIP)

3  |  andrew came home yesterday with a sweet treat in hand. every night after dinner i get a craving for just a little something sweet – it can be 1 dove chocolate or an entire ice cream sundae. with these at 100 calories each, it’s no longer a guilty pleasure! these skinny cow chocolate truffle ice cream bars satisfy my sweet tooth without sacrificing my waistline!

4  |  this weekend is 1 of 2 forth of july weekends! since the holiday falls on a weekday, it’s only natural to start celebrating early at 5 o’clock today. how festive is this scarf?! i'm pretty sure we wont have one of those mild mid-seventies weekends (it is the south, after all), so i think a scarf is out of the question. bring on the cutoffs and tank tops! ‘MERICA WOO!

5  |  we’re hitting the road this weekend (what? i know, we never do that! psh.) to play with my college girlfriends and christen emily’s house with a cronie celebraish! i was blessed with a crazy huge group of college girlfriends (who mostly live in northern virginia and richmond, and who i don’t get to see nearly enough). i'm so so excited to celebrate the 4th, several birthdays, and fabulous friendship all weekend! oh, and emily and her hubs recently got a golden retriever puppy – do i really need another excuse to go?

HAPPY WEEKEND!

NUMBER 242

well hello there! so you’ve GOTTA check out the good life blog today where i'm teaming up with sweet sweet darci to give away a BLOG DESIIIIGN! get your butt over there and enter!

orrrr you can enter below (but still go check out darci’s super cute blog!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NUMBER 241

we were traveling last week for father’s day, so i missed the chance to link up with some of my faves for five on friday. [faves – in no particular order: 1, 2, and 3] well ladies, i'm not missing it this week:

1  |  YES, i'm featuring a vacuum cleaner on the blog, but y’all it’s THAT good. this little baby arrived on monday, and andrew can vouch for my level of excitement when the UPS man arrived. i've already used it twice this week! it does a great job of getting into the grooves of our older hardwood floors and sucks up the kitty hair that has a tendency to accumulate like tumbleweeds overnight. if you have hardwoods and need something quick and light, i highly recommend this vacuum [over sweeping] – AND it’s cheap!

2  |  today’s the official start of summer which means i’ve had a tan now for 2 months in preparation. false. working indoors every week and traveling lots on the weekends leaves little to no time beside a pool/lake/any body of water. fake bake to the rescue! i ordered my fake bake earlier this week and have done 2 applications so far. the transition is a lot quicker than the lotions i've used in years past and doesn’t streak or leave me orange one bit! [or maybe no one’s telling me….] ANYWAY! i used this awesome fool-proof self tanner tutorial to ensure a flawless summer glow.

3  |  wednesday, i shared my new meal planning printable. what? you didn’t get that. here you go, friend. having this plan early on in the week made cooking a breeze! i actually looked forward to cooking my new recipes, and we ate a lot healthier than usual [bonus!!] here are some new recipes we tried: parmesan baked tilapia [YES!], skinny grilled buffalo chicken salad [YES!], zucchini cakes [eh…no, because i burnt the breadcrumbs], sweet corn, bacon and greek yogurt chicken salad [YES!]. as long as i can get my act together on sunday, this will hopefully become a weekly routine!

4  |  since andrew’s been watching a lot of basketball this week, i've had a lot of time to myself to take care of some girly things [hence the new vacuum and self tanner]. i scooped up essie’s FIJI polish - only to paint my nails that night, decide i didn’t like it, and exchange it the next day. [did you know you could do that at CVS!?] SECRET STASH came home with me in its place. i'm not usually a pink gal, that’s alex’s department, but it’s such a fun color and looks great on [after 3 coats: step up your game, essie].

5  |  with the sun shining and warm temperatures in the air, i'm craving something cool and refreshing – and i don’t mean ice water. i know i talk about blood orange margaritas on the reg, but they’re always on my mind...always. we really love cantina 1511, a mini-mexican chain here in charlotte. the tijuana taxi margarita is my go-to, and i think it might have to be added to the weekend’s agenda!

HAPPY [SUMMER] WEEKEND!

NUMBER 240

yesterday i talked a little bit about the transition from college eating habits [binging on taco bell] to being an adult and taking care of your body with a healthy diet. i am NOT one to stand on a soapbox and be high and mighty on the subject. i wouldn't even go so far to say that i try my best to eat healthy. it would be a lie.

after a hard day at work, or when i'm feeling stressed, i find comfort in delicious food [homemade biscuits, ice cream, anything super cheesy]. in the future, i want to emphasize more that delicious food can [and should] be healthy too. by planning meals at the beginning of the week, it gives me a clear plan of what’s ahead, a stocked kitchen, and reduces the risk of letting my inner fat kid join us for dinner.

click here to download and print the pdf

feel free to download and print the meal planning pdf above. i'm starting mine this week! at 27, i guess i have to be an adult now, so it’s time to eat like one!

NUMBER 239

i still haven’t gotten this whole “eating healthy” thing down to an art. i thought that was something that automatically happened when you became an "adult" - you stop craving mcd's and taco bell and start wanting a glass of water and quinoa for dinner. apparently not.

well get excited! i'm sharing a very unique and one-of-a-kind healthy "recipe" with you today. who am i kidding? everyone probably has this dish (in some form or another) at least once a week. am i right? andrew and i are huge mexican fans (of the tbell variety and homemade). actually i could probably just integrate avacado into anything and everything i eat, and be just fine with it! avocado ice cream? sure! avacado chocolate milk? yeah man! give it here! ok, so maybe not everything.

i threw this salad together a few weeks ago and was so pleased with the look and taste. that deserves to be documented! here are the ingredients that went into my fine, fresh, salad:  spinach, diced tomato, canned corn (drained), black beans (drained), avocado, a little red onion, a little leftover grilled chicken, just a touch of cilantro lime dressing from the new teeter.

and my notes: the avocado was mixed with lime juice, salt, garlic, and the red onion – guac makes everything better. which means the salad really didn’t need the dressing.

so, this recipe definitely isn’t pin-worthy. it isn’t one you’re going to scribble down because you HAVE to make it right-this-very-minute. BUT hopefully it inspires you to put a healthy twist on an old favorite, use a little more veggies and a little less filler, and start eating like you love yourself!

NUMBER 238

boots |  phone case |  bag  |  umbrella

mother nature has apparently decided she wants to give charlotte a daily downpour. there i am shopping [usually at the grocery store], and while i'm enjoying delicious deli samples and perusing fancy cheeses, i hear the massive raindrops start banging on the tin roof. at this point, i know i should be prepared for a quick “sprint” to the car – only to arrive there drenched, humid, and mad. i use the term “sprint” loosely, because c’mon, i've got groceries [and we all know physical activity running is not my forte]. today, i've put together a little list that would make my rainy day running-around more enjoyable!

NUMBER 237

it’s friday! which means i'm linking up with my favorites for five on friday – FOOD EDITION! ok, maybe it’s just me thinking and talking about food [what’s new?]

1  |  as i'm picking up my bi-weekly cup of coffee at dunkin' donuts this morning, the man at the register asks me if i want to add a FREE donut to my order? the huge smile that immediately spread across my face just couldn't say no! today is national donut day and they're celebrating in the BEST way possible - FREE DONUTS! my favorite is the sour cream donut, and although she’s not the prettiest, it’s certainly veeeerrry tasty!

2  |   i made crock pot chicken last night and not ashamed to admit that we’ll be eating it all weekend. just 3 chicken breasts is enough to feed andrew and me for a while and we usually still throw a little out. just throw the ingredients in a crock pot for 6 [on high] or 8 [on low] and you’re good to go! i've been adding a little water to the pot too, so the chicken doesn’t dry out. [find those super cute recipe cards here]

3  |  i stocked up on fresh fruit this week at the new teeter, and i've got a boatload of strawberries just begging to be piled on a cake with fresh whipped cream. via

4  |  breakfast is my favorite meal, and throughout the work week, it’s definitely not the most glamorous. weekday breakfasts usually consist of yogurt and a piece of fruit or breakfast bar. weekends are saved for pancakes, eggs, and their friends. i saw a great post earlier this week about mixing cottage cheese with your eggs and i'm excited to give that a go! there i go again, getting excited about food.

5  |  i've been making a conscious effort to drink more water [and less diet coke]. i'm thinking of getting one of these infuser water bottles to liven things up a bit. does anyone have any suggestions of combinations that have worked really well? i might just stick to cucumber, lemon, and mint to boost my metabolism from gorging myself on all of the above. whoops!  [similar]

HAPPY WEEKEND!

NUMBER 236

you may have noticed this gorgeous necklace from my post last friday. that beauty comes straight from my most recent client, madeline, of poppy style. poppy style is an online boutique that has a gorgeous mix of trendy and classic pieces, and the best part is that it’s wallet friendly! you’ve seen poppy style talked about by some of the big time blog gals like hello happiness and julie leah, and i know it’ll be many more soon! madeline and i took her current logo and gave it a bit of a modern twist with some metallic gold stripes and white space. i honestly can’t stop staring at this design! love!