My new (old) friend Denim

I am no fashionista. But I love to try out new looks and put together outfits where I feel like one. The problem? Lack of disposable income...aka the ability to buy every cute thing I see at Target. I shop mostly at Target with a little Macy's and Forever 21 thrown in there. I am proud of a few purchases I've made that incorporate denim. I feel very put together in these outfits, and that always is a benefit to my [low] self esteem.

Here they are:

A denim shirt from Forever 21 I mentioned here paired with a super cute denim accented fedora from Target [bonus: it was on sale] with white shorts:

My new denim jacket I found for a good deal at Marshall's. I tried to by like this fabulous shopper and blogger and take my picture like she does. MUCH harder than it looks, although I didn't have access to a mirror, I believe that helps!!

Denim on denim makes me a bit nervous though, it seems to be a trend, but it also goes against everything I ever learned about fashion. We'll see about that! :)

Refreshed

I needed some refreshment and that's exactly what I got this past weekend! I had the 6th Annual Cottage [where I lived Senior year of College] Reunion, with all my fabulous closest and dearest friends.

We did everything every girls getaway should: screaming with excitement, shopping in the cute area of Cedarburg, stopping ice cream and coffee houses, talking and laughing, eating, sharing stories, staying up until 2am, ATVing, laying out at the pool, loving time one another, getting dressed up for a fun night out, going downtown to Milwaukee, sharing exciting news, taking a million pictures, talking and crying, screaming with animation, eating more snacks and ice cream and dessert than I ever need, having dance parties, more talking and praying together. 

It was beautiful. Every minute. And I feel oh so refreshed.

Provoking and Powerful, a book reccommendation

I love reading, and as you saw on my Summer Bucket List that I had a few books on my list for the summer. This is the current one I'm addicted to:

I absolutely love Peggy Orenstein's style of writing. The way she conveys emotion, truth, pain, and [sometimes irrational] hope is amazing and speaks right to my soul. I certainly don't agree with everything, maybe even many, of her religious viewpoints or perspectives, but it is very interesting, and made me think deeply about various beliefs that I had not considered before. I highly recommend it, whether or not you have faced infertility, I think it is a powerful read.

What did YOU do for 4th of July!?

BBQs, parades, fireworks and snow cones might be the norm for 4th of July, but we stepped out a bit. Tom was off (yea!) but we both have early mornings tomorrow (like 4am early) so we did all things us to just enjoy the day and relax: walked to Starbucks, read on the couch, ate bruchetta for lunch, did some yard-work and talked on the patio drinking diet coke. It was wonderful!

Oh, and we shaved our dog. YES, I guess we're *those* people now. I feel so bad for Maggie, she hates the heat, but who wants their dog to look like *that* dog. {You've seen 'em before, it's bad.}Don't worry! It was pretty minimal and she still looks pretty darn cute if you ask me! And hopefully, a little bit cooler!

Happy Fourth of July!

To Run or Not to Run?!

I think I'm feeling ill. I am *considering* running a half marathon this fall. I could go either way right now.

PROS:
-force me to stay in shape/get in shape
-I set a goal to do this last spring and should follow through
-accomplish a bucket list item

CONS:

-really, do I need to say anything here!? I used the word marathon, that should be enough.
-extensive amount of time it takes to train
-I would have to run a lot.
-expensive [my main justification, because let's be honest--those other cons are just excuses]

We'll see. I mean, I should just go for it, right? Now or never! My feet hurt already.

This is what I'm considering: St Louis Rock and Roll Marathon

I'll keep you posted!

Summer Blues

I love summer! This summer was been wonderful because I'm loosely working [6 hours of tutoring a week], working out like crazy [love/hate relationship with my personal trainer], fitting in all my appointments and to-do list items and projects [seriously, that is almost a full time job] and relaxing [did you say read a book at the pool!?]. It's great.

But today I got all bummed out and in a funk. It probably had something to do with Tom beginning residency today [Alert: He's a real doctor, people!] and knowing I won't see him much for the next 4 years. He left home at 4:45am and returned at 7pm, so it's a crazy life. I took Maggie on a walk at 5:15 and then I made dinner and then I waited. I'm not much of a time waster or a wait around and do nothing kind of person, but that's kind of what I did for the last half hour. And I got all sad and lonely and thoughtful about life and it wasn't very fun. And whenever that happens, I go straight to music. I love music. And I love this song:

It's not that new, but I like it. I like thinking about things that make me "feel again." And I learned my lesson: tomorrow Maggie and I will take a longer walk.

Graduation Party Ideas

Tom graduated Medical School, so clearly we needed to celebrate BIG TIME! I also finished my Masters degree this past year, so we opted for a double graduation party. I really wanted to enjoy the opportunity to be creative and make it special. I love being crafty, but often lack the time. So...I was ultra-prepared. The party was earlier in June, but I started crafting in February, so I wasn't stressed at the last minute, well, at least with the stuff that could be done in advance! :)

Here are a few ways I included both a Medical School Graduation theme and a Reading Specialist Masters degree [say that five times!] theme into one {fabulous} party:

Welcome to the Party!

Wreath with graduation pictures

                                 [yarn wrapped wreath + cardstock + pictures + scrapbooking letters]

Mantel filled with Graduation Memories and Banner

Pinterest-inspired quotes and inspirational sayings banner

Pencil and alphabet vase 

 [2 boxes of pencils + actual teacher alphabet desk strips + washed out veggie can + lots of hot glue]

A dressed up card box

                                             [I had an "extra" mailbox. I may be a *bit* of a hoarder.]

Special drink coozies for the grads

                                     [Dollar bin at Jo Ann Fabric + scrapbooking letters]

Scrub shirt cookies for dessert

Large and small versions

     [Recipe for the cookie found here: Authentic Suburban Gourmet; Recipe for the icing found here: AllRecipes; "Gourmet Writer" edible marker bought at Hobby Lobby; cookie cutters found locally]

Alphabet and school supply cupcakes

My amazing mom made this great teacher themed table runner...

and tablecloth for the drink table!

And you can't leave without a party favor!

A prescription from the Dr.!

[purchased empty pill bottles + Avery labels from Wal-Mart + a color printer + a little creativity

 + lots of different "prescription-y fonts]

We had a wonderful turn out and a fabulous time celebrating with friends and family. It was a treat to have everyone who supported us through the past years in one place to celebrate. I'm so glad I did all the detail work ahead of time, because cleaning our house and setting up was enough work the week of! And, making those cookies!! [Seriously, it took 2 days, or the equivalent of watching 5 seasons of the Office.]