Scenes from the Weekend

It's hard to believe the last June weekend is in the books! I'm counting down the days until our trip north for the Fourth of July, feeling a little overwhelmed at everything that needs to get done before then!

I keep adding unnecessary things to my to-do list, like my unexplained urge to make homemade caramel corn after a full weekend of touristy things with our guest. Despite the on and off summer rain, we got a lot in for one weekend!

Friday night we went to dinner at Vickery's on Shem Creek. The crab cakes were so delicious! Thankfully we sat inside because those enjoying the view outside were hit with a monsoon at one point. No pictures from that mess.

 

Saturday and Sunday consisted of some touristy stops like Rainbow Row, the Charleston Farmers Market, and the Old City Market. (I just snapped some iPhone photos that day, too lazy for my big girl camera)

I swear I could walk around downtown all day and take about a million pictures of the pretty windows!

There is always that one jackass that has to ruin your photo...

The Farmer's Market did not disappoint. I love seeing all of of interesting things people sell there, some of the homemade soaps smell so amazing! Of course the fruits and veggies looked delicious... I'm on a total peach kick lately!

 

Before we headed home we stopped by the Charleston Beer Exchange to get my Dad something local for this weekend. It was a tiny shop but absolutely packed with beers I've never heard of! If you bring your own growler, a 64 ounce is only $5 to fill, so I think we'll be doing that next time. The selection was a little overwhelming and we ended up just heading to Westbrook Brewery so our friend could try it out and we pick up some of my favorite 'White Thai' and 'One Claw' beers for my Dad!

I hope you all had a great weekend and are looking forward to the holiday weekend like we are!

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Happy Weekend!

Today I'm starting the weekend off early with a mini blog break! We've got a friend in town so I'm busy playing hostess and tour guide, which I absolutely love doing in this gorgeous town!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! See you back here Monday!

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Home Office Reveal

A few cans of spray paint and some pretty accessories later, my home office is officially complete! I still plan to add on to the gallery wall but after looking at the "before" photo, it's crazy how much brighter the space looks. I actually don't mind sitting my butt here to work all day! (Though lounging at the beach would be better, I guess I can't have it all, right?)

I think I came in $100ish for this redo, plus the chair... forgot about that! (If my husband asks, its definitely closer to $100). I would categorize it as a "Kate Spade taste on a Target dollar section budget" makeover and I'm really happy with how it came out!

Dark + Cluttered... Ew!

I loved this find on Pinterest for color inspiration! Since I needed to keep the rug I already had, I was excited to see the grey and gold together.

{via}

I decided not to paint the walls since we're renting. The light aqua color would have been a bit much since this room is open to our living area anyway. When we finally buy a house, you better believe my office is going to be a woman's version of a "man cave!"

If I could get rid of the double-screen computer I would, but that brings in the paycheck so I'm stuck with it's ugliness.

I debated spray painting my desk because its huge but it was worth it in the end. It was still much cheaper than buying it all over again in white and driving 4 hours to the nearest Ikea.  

 

So there it is! Probably the quickest room makeover I've ever done. What do y'all think, did I do okay?!

Sources

Desk: Ikea

Rug: Rugs USA

Chair: World Market

Pillow: DIY, fabric here

Task Lamp: Ikea

Tray: DIY, tutorial here

Gold scissors and stapler: Target

Acrylic Accessories: TJ Maxx and Amazon

Frames: Michael's

Chanel and Paris Prints: Vendor in Paris

Hustle Print: Charm and Gumption

State Print: DIY, tutorial here

Paint Strokes Art: DIY, tutorial here (I redid mine with smaller brushstrokes)

L'Amour Triomphe de Tout Print: Made by Girl (Originally 11x14, I had to resize it)

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DIY :: State Art

I hope you all had a great first weekend of summer! It's a little hard to believe summer is just now technically started and stores are already bringing out fall decor. I love fall, don't get me wrong, but whoa buddy!

I've been searching for something that reminds me of my Pittsburgh roots to add to my gallery wall so I headed to Etsy in the hopes that I could save myself some time. After searching forever for a gold state print, I was coming up empty. There are tons of other colored options, but I was being my usual Type-A, perfectionist self and couldn't get my mind off adding another gold print to my wall.

Michael's to the rescue. I picked up the prettiest scrapbook paper with the gold foil look and finally committed to making my own version. This couldn't be an easier project. Unless you are doing a state like Wyoming or Idaho. The "other" side of the state of Pennsylvania (I'm biased, sorry Philly friends!) was a little annoying to cut out with my kindergarten cutting skills.

What you need:

Gold Foil Paper: $1.99 at Michael's (found in the scrapbook paper area)
X-Acto Knife or Scissors: Owned
Pink Paper (for the heart): Owned, but only 49 cents at Michael's
Background Paper: Owned. I used laminated paper from this DIY tray project but any scrapbook paper will do
Glue Stick or two-sided tape: Owned
Frame: $4.99 at Michael's

Three super easy steps....

One: Google "state outline" or something of that nature (I found mine here) and print it out on cardstock paper. I copy and pasted the state into to Word so I could resize it.

Two: Trace your state onto the back of your gold foil paper and cut it out. Then cut out a small heart for the city.

Three: Using two-sided tape, a glue stick, or whatever you can find... assemble all your pieces and hang!

Clearly it's tricky to take photos of gold foil prints!

That's it! If you're not into the gold thing, you can always use whatever color cardstock paper you want for the state. Someday I'm definitely making an orange and blue version of Gainesville, Florida for our future man cave!

Does anyone have one of these state prints in your house?

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Friday Favorites!

High five for Friday, we made it! My husband and I have been working so much this week, it was starting to feel like we were in hibernation after barely leaving the house and making half-assed dinners all week. Anyone else have those weeks?! Anyway I couldn't be more happy to have the weekend here so getting down to business...

As usual I'm linking up with Amanda this fab Friday!

Summer Grilling

I have to admit my diet is mostly vegetables and sweets, but I'm trying to kick the latter to the curb since it's bathing suit season. My favorite healthy side this summer has been grilled corn on the cob!

You can keep the husk on but personally I hate messing with it after the corn is cooked and when I'm practically starving so my trick has been to husk it first, coat it with butter, add a little sea salt and some fresh parsley before wrapping it in tin foil and grilling for about 20 minutes. It comes out so good and  ready to eat! 

Ruby Update

This is an old photo, but it's one of my favorites!

I've gotten a few questions lately about how Ruby is doing after her ACL/Meniscus surgery (y'all are too sweet!). I'm so happy to report she thinks she is completely healed, she jumps on and off furniture and runs around trying to get us to play (all things she isn't supposed to be doing yet, but how do you stop a dog from being a dog?!). She does still limp a little but she's got another checkup coming up so we'll see what the vet says then!

Favorite Find: J. Crew Factory Dress

Factory Stripe Pocket Dress

So I saw this in the store a few weeks ago and was waiting for it to go on sale, I think I may have to snatch it up this weekend! It's such a cute, easy dress to throw on with sandals this summer! Love me a cute shift dress!

Fourth of July Dessert Kebab

{Via}

Remember what I said about trying to cut back on sweets?! Well, this might have to be an exception. It would be such an easy and festive dessert option for Fourth of July parties! I'm pretty sure this is being added to our party menu! (You can see more festive ideas here!)

Home Office Redo: Complete!

My home office update is finally complete! It took me a while to get the gallery wall in order so I'm giving you a sneak peak! The rest of the details will be on the blog next week!

In other blog news, I almost caught up on emails late last night and my one year Blogiversary is coming up next week! I can't even believe it! Stay tuned for some fun stuff now that work is slowing down and I can actually have a life!

Cheers to the weekend! :)

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Book Report :: Lean In

I finally sat down yesterday and read through the whole second half of this book! It took me weeks to read the first half, mostly because I like watching movies more than reading. Don't get me wrong, I went through the Hunger Games books within days, but something about these types of career-related books makes it tough.

There are tons of reviews on this book out there, good and bad. And don't worry, this isn't going to be a super technical, thought provoking book review. I just thought I'd share my two cents because from what I can tell from this post, a lot of women need a little extra push to "lean in" to the career they have always wanted. Or at least to go out and find what it is you are passionate about.

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

I admit that my expectations of this book could be summed up like this: Feminist rich woman tells us to "lean in" to our careers even though we can't all afford a full-time nanny or go to Harvard.

Even though my expectations were kind of true, I thought Sandberg did a good job of admitting she has it easier than many while encouraging you to be ambitious and do what you can in your particular situation.
 
Sandberg emphasized a lot of things that I do without realizing it. Some examples that stuck out to me were doubting my abilities to take on a new role or responsibility, holding myself back (and not "leaning in") because I want to start a family in the near future, and being worried about taking a step backwards on the career ladder in order to do what I really love.

A few of my favorite quotes: 

"The cost of stability is often diminished opportunities for growth." 

"What I'm arguing is that the time to scale back is when a break is needed or when a child arrives - not before, and certainly not years in advance. The months and years leading up to having children are not the time to lean back, but the critical time to lean in."

"Feeling confident- or pretending that you feel confident- is necessary to reach for opportunities."

"Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder."

Sandberg shares the reasons why women tend to give up their career once kids come along, which I thought was interesting. I have a Master's degree and have always wanted to be independent and work my way to the top. But if you don't truly love the job you're in before kids come along, you're less likely to go back to it.  

Overall, I thought this was a good read for a young professional woman, if you're into books other than 50 Shades of Grey (no judgement here, this book is definitely not my normal thing!) There are definitely some things that didn't apply to me or that I didn't completely agree with, which was okay. She also shares a ton of studies supporting her assumptions of how women act and are perceived in the workplace, which I read at first and then sort of skipped over toward the end of the book.

Has anyone else read this? Do you agree or disagree? 

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Confessions

I hope you all had a great weekend! We didn't do much, but I did get my day of pampering in with a mani-pedi and some pool time. It was much needed!

I went with Essie Mint Candy Apple on my fingers and a China Glaze neon on my toes. Bonus points since they both matched my bathing suit!

I ran into a little issue at the nail salon though so I thought that might be a good starting point for my first ever confessions post. Let's do this.

I confess...

+ My cell phone practically back-flipped into my pedicure water and sunk to the bottom next to the jets immediately. I grabbed it and one of the nail techs gave me a towel to dry it off as the ladies next to me told me to take out the battery and use a hair dryer to dry it out. I half-jokingly asked if anyone had rice because apparently that does the trick. No one said a word... crickets. Then I realized the nail salon is probably not the most appropriate place to joke about rice...

+ I started watching Orange is the New Black last night. I'm only 2 episodes in, but I'm not that into it. Does it get better?

+ This... I go out of my way to put running shoes on because if I just throw on my flip flops, people will know I'm faking it.

{via}

+ My library book is currently overdue. I owe $1 so far with only half of the book read.

+ I can't stand the sight of blood. I get weak just thinking about it. When I was 16, my mom let me get my belly button pierced. I passed out in the parking lot because I saw a drop of blood, like full-on passed out on the ground.
 
+ True life: We're a cup hoarding family. This is only half of it.

+ Cute headbands don't work on me. I always see Megan wearing the cutest headbands but they look straight up ridiculous on my mane.

+ My herbs took a turn for the worse. The cilantro is long gone and Parsley is on its way out but my Basil and Rosemary are just okay. I guess 2 out of 4 isn't that bad?

{via}

+ I gave up coffee last week, just because. I'm pretty sure I'm losing my mind.

Can anyone else relate? I know there are a lot of Orange is the New Black fans out there, does it take a few episodes before it gets really funny?

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Hello Friday!

Happy Friday! So glad we made it to the end of the week! Lets get right down to business. Per the usual, I'm linking up with Christina and Amanda for my Friday favorites!

Father's Day

I hate to admit that Father's Day totally snuck up on me this year! Maybe it was because we were out of town but I didn't have my act together until yesterday when I finally mailed my Dad a card! Totally talking my Mom into picking up something in the gift department for him so he has something on Sunday! What did y'all get for your Dad? I need ideas!

Poke Cake/Cupcakes

It's official, poke cupcakes are my favorite summer treat! Has anyone had poke cake before? I just used a boxed cake mix, strawberry jello, and cool whip for the topping. The jello makes the cake so moist, though I could have gone a little more crazy with the poking part!

Treat Yo Self Mani-Pedi

I'm finally treating myself to a mani-pedi this weekend... I've been needing it for so long! Anyone else have "Treat Yo Self" days?! Anyway, I can never decide what colors I want and the nail techs always get really impatient with me so I'm trying to decide in advance. Is anyone else into the powder blue nails this summer? It's a little out of my box but I'm kind of liking it!

Bacherlorette Party Gift Idea

Has anyone seen this poem that goes with a bunch of sexy (and granny) underwear for the bride-to-be?! One of my bridesmaids put this together for me and I thought it was hilarious! She definitely picked out some crazy ones (particularly the 25th anniversary panties to "keep the love alive"). Instead of hanging them on a clothes line, she wrapped each pair separately with the corresponding section of the poem so I could open them in order. I am totally doing this for two bachelorette parties that are coming up!

Instagram  Funny

I saw this on Instagram this week and it made me laugh. So true, for like... every picture of myself that I try to post!

Also I wanted to say thank you for the comments on yesterday's post, you are all so incredibly sweet! Y'all are the reason I love this blogging community!

We don't have big plans for the weekend, just getting organized, catching up on sleep, and hopefully a trip to Boxcar Betty's because I've been heard about it a ton this week from Ally and Megan! Anyone have anything good going on?!

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When I Grow Up...

Today it's getting real over here. I'm kind of putting myself out on a limb here because I don't normally post serious stuff (I mean, its definitely less fun to read about). But I've been thinking about this for some time and thought today might be the day to just let it out.

I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. 

There, I said it. Although I like my job, I know its not something I want to do for the rest of my life.

{via}

I always envied my friends in college who were Pre-Med. It was pretty clear they were going to be doctors and dentists. I was over here like "Hey guys, I'm majoring in Anthropology and Criminology because its cool." But what the heck do you do with those degrees?! Before that, I was a Chemistry major. Clearly that didn't work out.

Then I went to graduate school and earned my Master's degree in Political Management. Though I think I found my niche, there are still a lot of different paths I could take. After 6 years of school, lots of great experiences working in the Capitol building and where I am now, I'm still unsure.

{via}

So what am I doing about it? Well... if you expected me to come to some grand conclusion by the end of this post, I'm sorry to disappoint. I'm still figuring it out. I don't have everything together at the moment but I know I will find my passion eventually. Until then, I'm thankful for a paycheck, my education, and my amazingly supportive husband and family.

And if I'm being honest, what I'd really like to do is retire now, travel, and eat lots of cupcakes without any of the calories. Is that too much to ask?!

Anyone else in the same boat?

Linking up with  Home of Malones and East Coast Chic!

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Wedding Season is here! Help!

I hope you are all having a great week so far! During our almost hundred degree weather yesterday our A/C decided to bail, so its approximately 87 degrees in our house as I'm writing this (92 degrees upstairs). It's just... ew. I feel bad for the poor soul who is coming to fix it today because I look and smell like a hot mess.

Speaking of Summer... As I'm sure other twenty-somethings can relate, wedding season is here again. We've got a wedding next month at the fanciest hotel in Pittsburgh (but it's not black tie) so I'm really stoked about dressing up. I'm not the most fashionable person, but I know I can't wear my go-to J.Crew dress to this shindig.

Unless I find a really gorgeous patterned dress, I'm definitely going with a solid, classy look. Hopefully I can wear the same jewelry and strappy nude heels with each option so my bank account doesn't suffer for the sake of one day. 

Top Shop Crepe Shift Dress (Similar). Zara Open Back Dress. Topshop Fit and Flare Dress.
Lucite Fan Necklace. Zara Wide Heel Sandal. Uber Clutch.

My main qualification for any wedding guest attire is that I be able to bust my moves in it. Heels are questionable since I rarely wear them these days, but I figure once everyone is a few drinks down they won't notice I switched to sandals!

I love these bright colors and I think they will look nice next to my husband, who is wearing a grey suit. That is... assuming they can take out his pants so his big booty will fit. (At least our kids will have the good butt gene thanks to him) 

So what do y'all think? Should I look for a maxi dress or are these good options? I'm only slightly considering renting something from Rent the Runway. To be honest I get majorly overwhelmed by all of the options there.

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Our Week in Florida

I hope you all had a great fab weekend! I personally would love to rewind time and have another weekend starting today. Wouldn't that be great?!

I missed blogging last week and I'm so glad to be home and get back into the swing of things. We weren't actually on vacation, both my husband and I had to work from home in Florida. It was weird not being able to head to the beach whenever I wanted or take my husband down in an epic mini-golf battle since we were confined to our computers on the few days the sun was out. 

But we were able to help my husband's family out which was the whole point of our trip and it was so great spending time with them! We managed a quick trip to Siesta for a walk on the beach and a little sun, but unfortunately I haven't officially retired Casper yet this year.
 

A friend of mine from college is 20 weeks preggers and her family hosted a giant party this weekend. I was so happy to be able to celebrate with her, she's the first in our group to have a little babe so it was really exciting! The daddy-to-be has this huge Cuban family and they went all out with food, they seriously need to start a catering business.

Keep in mind it was hot as balls and we had all been sweating for hours before this photo. The pretty mama is in the yellow dress, her bump is just too cute but its hard to see here! Also, remind me not to stand at that angle anymore for photos! Ew.

The party was topped off with a photo booth, cornhole, homemade beer, an acoustic guitar performance, lots of spanish-speaking (which I pretended to understand), and a decorate your own onesie table. My friend and the daddy-to-be are Florida Gators so since I have very little talent when it comes to puff paint, this is as good as my design gets...

So how was everyone's week?! I can't wait to catch up on all your posts that I missed!

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