Sunny Side Up {A Fashion Post}

Coat: Old Navy (featured in Oprah magazine 2009...so, so old!), Sweater Dress: Ross (very similar to this Target one on clearance), Tights: Target, Suede Booties: Charlotte Russe (similar from Kohl's), Belt, earrings and ring: Molly Suzanne

My favorite color is yellow. Has been for as long as I can remember. I bought this coat at Old Navy almost a million years ago and have worn it tons since then. It's actually a canvas raincoat, making it perfect for our wacky weather, as of late. As you can tell by my mess of a mop, the humidity has been in full swing and it's been dark and rainy. I'm feeling totally ready for spring and couldn't help but throw this coat on the other day to brighten the mood. 

Don't you feel a wee bit more happy when you wear a happy color? 

Clean Eating Lunches: Mexican Quinoa Salad

I can't tell you how good I feel doing this clean eating stuff. I've lost weight, my stomach has lost the bloat I normally rock, and I just feel healthy. Now, I'm no expert on the whole clean thing, but my interpretation of it is working just fine for us. 

What is okay to eat?

Vegetables 
Fruits
Whole Grains (Brown rice, quinoa, barley, whole wheat)
Meats (Organic as much as possible)
Beans/Legumes

What is bad to eat? 

Sugar
Processed Foods
Dairy is on some people's bad list. Not mine. I eat less cheese than I used to, but lots of plain greek yogurt. 
Alcohol. You think I cut this out completely? Funny. I have cut back though. 

Basically the idea is to stop eating crap. Look at the ingredients list. If it has more than 4-5 ingredients, chances are it's processed crap. I'm amazed at how empty my pantry has become and how full my fridge has gotten in doing this. I've amped up the fiber and protein with beans, flax seeds and wheat germ. You have to stay full to prevent eating junk and you need to eat every 3 hours or so. 

This takes planning ahead. Make extra of your dinner and eat it for lunch the next day. Chop and clean veggies so they are ready for a quick snack. You can even grill up a bunch of chicken on the weekend and put it over your salad during the week. 

I'm sharing with you the recipes for one of my favorite go-to lunches, Mexican Quinoa Salad. It's easy, it stores in the fridge and last several days. 

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa (make extra at dinner!)
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 can black beans, drained (or better, use dry beans that you cook)
1/2 cup of sharp cheddar, cut into small cubes (you can leave this out)
3/4 cup salsa (I use my homemade clean salsa, recipe here)
2 Tbsp lime juice

Mix all together, refrigerate and serve cold. It gets better as it sits and soaks up the flavor! 

I'm in the process of perfecting some recipes that I've come up with and I'll be sharing those with you as my family gives me 2 thumbs up! 

Babies become big boys.

I'm not sure how it happened, but this skinny jean wearing, lover of the snow is getting big. Too big. I've been keeping him all to myself for nearly 5 years and it suddenly hit me that he's going to school THIS YEAR. I'm happy for him. I know he's going to love it. He loves his math books, writes more letters than I know what to do with and is really good at art. 

But I'm going to miss him. 

I love our morning jammie snuggles. How in the afternoon, he tells me he's so cold and the only thing to warm him up is hot chocolate. I love how he draws me a picture and tells me "Mom, you're special to me, because I love you". 

He's in a major Daddy phase and tells me I'm the worst butt wiper in the universe and I still don't want to spend our days apart. 

How in the world am I going to keep myself together when he runs, wearing his tiny backpack, down the street to hang with his friends at the bus stop? 

How did my baby, my first little love, grow so fast?

Shrimp and Spinach Linguine

I've written about eMealsbefore and there's no hiding that I'm a big fan. I love the simplicity of having a meal plan, the less time spent at the store and the money savings.  

We recently started Clean Eating, so I was very excited to see they now offers a Clean Eating Plan. The meals are great. Now, I'll be the first to admit we don't eat every single meal. I have the pickiest hubs in the world and there are some meals he just won't eat. I just fill in the menu with some of our family classics, or repeat past eMeals recipes that we love. Like this Sautéed Shrimp with Spinach and Linguine. 

The recipe is simple, easy and clean. 

Original Recipe:

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp white wine
2 lbs shrimp
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
2 cups fresh baby spinach

I'm not one to really follow a recipe either...I end up swapping and adding. I use linguine instead of spaghetti because the hubs doesn't like spaghetti. Yes, I know. They are the SAME THING. But not to him. I add in half of a purple onion for some more flavor and use frozen shrimp. It's just easier to me than the fresh stuff. So I'll give you instructions my way:

Cook pasta according to directions. While cooking, heat butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add red pepper and white wine. Add onion and cook 5 minutes or until translucent. Add (fully cooked, frozen) shrimp that has been thawed, spinach and lemon juice. Cook just until shrimp is heated through and spinach is wilted. Toss in pasta and serve. 

This was the second eMeals meal I made for the second time this week. That's a really good sign over here! 

eMeals offers a variety of meal plans, including Classic, Simple Gourmet, Low Fat, Gluten Free, Paleo and more. Depending on how long you sign up for, the cost is between $5-$7 a month. Right now, you can save 15% with code "NEWYEAR" until February 10th! And don't worry. If you aren't crazy about the meals in your plan, you can change plans at anytime. 

It's fool proof, really. Go check out eMeals today! 


If you're a blogger, you can join the eMeals Blogger Network. Tell them I sent you! 

Blissdom Prep Series: What to Wear

Since this will be my 3rd year at Blissdom, I'm going to be doing a Blissdom Prep Series in the coming weeks for y'all. Just a few post with my tips for making the most of your Blissdom experience. 

I think the #1 question I hear is, What do I wear to Blissdom? I give you the answer to that question.

 
You wanted more info than that? Oh, okay. Let me break down the days for you. 

Thursday night: Kick Off Reception - First Impression

This was me and my roomies (Heather, Natalie and Rachel) last year. You can ignore me and my "I've been traveling all day with a 3 month old/hello nursing tatas" look. The Papparazzi pic (including roomie Neely) above is from kick off night 2011. 
If there is a time to wear a dress, I generally do it. I love dressing up a bit. And obviously my roomies feel the same way. But, I've seen people in jeans, dress pants, or their just got in from the airport clothes. It's pretty much up to you. I just like to feel my best. It's going to be your first time meeting tons of people and you don't want to have camel toe, a wedgie, or a top thats about to turn into a wardrobe malfunction. 

Friday: Sessions - Cute and comfortable

My outfit with the Lorax is one I wore last year during the day. I was comfy and I had on flats. NOTE: I wore flats because I brought my 3 month old and wore him around a lot. I generally don't. Most people generally do. It will be a lot of walking. The Gaylord hotels are quite beast like. That being said, I walk in heels very frequently, so I'm comfortable in them. I know I also have the option of running barefoot back to my room and grabbing shoes in between sessions. Maybe the barefoot thing is frowned upon...

During the day's you'll probably find me in jeans or colored skinnies with heels, leggings with boots, and casual tops with lots of accessories. 

Friday Night: Girl's Night Out - Bring your A game

This is THE NIGHT to look your best. It's all glitter, heels, cocktail dresses and dance worthing clothing. It's a fun night with entertainment that often ends with us dedicated lovers of booty popping dancers at the hotel bar shaking what our mommas gave us. Basically, I wear what I would wear if I were to go clubbing. Except longer than it used to be. Motherhood has really blessed my tush and thighs. 

Saturday: Sessions - Some more cute and comfy

If you were planning to wear heels one day and flats the other, go with flats on Saturday. Your tootsies may be yelling at you from all the dancing the night before. Same kind of tips as from Friday sessions. The conference rooms are jekyll and hyde. Some are toasty, some make your legs grow hair. At least throw one basic color cardigan in your bag to bring with you during the days. Another tip? You will be sitting. Remember there are eyeballs behind you and wear a shirt that is long enough. Don't pull a plumber. Crack is whack. 

Saturday Night: Girl's Night In - What you'd wear to watch The Bachelor with your girlfriends

Blissdom 2011 was a pajama party and people literally wore their jammies. I opted for workout pants and a tee, but it was because I didn't want to wear my hubs t-shirt and boy shorts. Last year I don't remember it being a pj party, people were just very casual. Leggings, jeans, loungewear kinda stuff. We watched the premier of Oprah's new show while eating popcorn, then danced and karaoked the night away. 

Other tips:

Try to plan your outfits and bring just that. You will get so much swag that you will want any extra bit of space to bring that stuff home. That second bag fee? Yeah, no one wants to pay that! 

Skip the purse. I bring a large tote/computer bag that holds my camera, iPad and stuff I get from the sponsors. Then you can bring a little clutch to take out at night with just your phone, room key and lipstick.

Bring a swimsuit. The Gaylord Texan has an amazing pool with a lazy river. While there probably won't be time to use it during the conference, this Momma booked her flight for Sunday evening. Which means some relaxing in the sun before it's back to reality. 

Because I'm so excited about this trip to Blissdom, I'm currently offering 30% off any of my ad spots using the code BLISSDOM. 

Check back for more of my Blissdom Prep Series, including all my tips on Blissdom with a baby! 

Emerald + Gold {a fashion post}

Pantone's color of the Year for 2013 is Emerald. I'm pretty excited about this, since I happen to love the color and own quite a few pieces in it.

I got the rare joy of running errands alone over the weekend, on a unseasonably warm (55 degree) day and this is what I wore. 
Ankle Pants: Oh, so ancient Old Navy (similar), Shirt: Old Navy (similar) (still available in stripes), Shoes: DIY here, Sunnies: Prada, gift, Jewelry: Molly Suzanne

There is really no need to talk about how much I regretted wearing heels when I was trying to shove a 50 gallon plastic tote in the back of my car. Usually, it would be no big deal. I have a huge SUV. But, it just so happened to have my double stroller, umbrella stroller and 2 carseats in it. Both the double stroller and the plastic tote fell out of the car at one point, while I was sweating and trying to move the seats around. Nothing like being quite the ridiculous show to the entire parking lot.

At least I embarrassed myself while well accessorized. 

DIY: Chalkboard Label Storage Containers

I found these containers for $2 at Ikea and snagged them up. I knew they'd be perfect for all the new foods I've been buying for clean eating and I had a hankering to use chalkboard paint on something. Anything. Everything. 

(A lot of you have asked about the clean eating stuff and I will blog on it all soon...once I get it all figured out!)

I just did the old "cut off the label and tape it on the front" thing for awhile, before it's complete ghetto-ness was driving me batty. 

I decided to cut a cute shape out of labels and paint on the containers with chalkboard paint. Let's just pause a second to say, labels were an awful idea. Like, don't even attempt it. The sticky mess they created was pure torture trying to scrub off. Use a stencil. Or painters tape. Or freehand it. Seriously. 

The actual painting process was simple. 2 coats, cure 24 hours, done. 

Write on those puppies...

...and voila! Pretty, pretty pantry. Which is begging for the rest of it to be organized. 

Now I'm off to cover anything else I can find in my house with chalkboard paint. So much fun! 

Fashion finds for the frugal. Or super cheap.

Over the weekend, I did a little shopping. Now, y'all know I'm cheap. However, I do like to buy massive amounts some new clothes. When I saw that The Limited was having a 40% off all their already marked down prices, I had to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't all winter-y things, either. I snagged several pieces that are perfect for spring and even summer. There is still a good bit of selection, so go check it out! Here are some of my faves, a few of them being ones that will be living in my closet soon! 

 White Side Zip Slim Ankle Pants: Was $69.90, Now $20.99

Draped Metallic Jacket: Was $138, Now $23.99

 Reversable Dot Scarf: Was $36.90, Now $5.99

 Lace-Back Dress: Was $108, Now $44.99 (The back of this dress is GORGEOUS)

 Silver & Rose Gold Sequin Jacket: Was $148, Now $29.99

678 Colorful Skinny Jean: Was $74.90, Now $20.99

 678 Glazed Legging Jeans: Was $69.90, Now $20.99

A-Line Mini Skirt: Was $59.90, Now $11.99

Happy shopping! 

Chambray + Fair Isle {a fashion post}

Shirt: F21 (similar), Pants: JCrew matchstick cords in Plum (on sale for $40 now!), Fair Isle Scarf: Target (similar) (neck warmer version), Booties: Kohl's (similar), Necklace: Molly Suzanne, Belt: Molly Suzanne

If I would've already unpacked my suitcase from our trip to Ohio, I would have a) remembered I bought this scarf while we were there, and b) therefore remembered I dragged the hubs out for yet another photo sesh. Whoops. I can't find the scarf on the Target website anymore, but look for it in your store! It's HUGE. And ridiculously cozy. And with our temps plummeting to the teens next week, you better believe I'll be living in it. 

In other news, I should do a post called "1000 ways to wear a chambray shirt" since I wear this one, oh, every 2 days or so. If you're wardrobe doesn't have one, get it now! It will be a great piece for spring, too! 

Here's to another plan-less weekend in the W household! Seems like this may be the last one until late spring! Happy Friday! 

Wow at my insane use of exclamation points. 

DIY: Glitter Toe Shoes

This was seriously one of the easiest DIY's ever. I love getting maximum use out of things in my closet and often find myself mixing in pieces that are 10 years old. These shoes, though, had really seen better days. They are so comfy, but the toes were a bit scuffed up and worn. Welcome DIY glitter toe shoes. 

With the new trend of color tipped shoes, (here are some reasonably priced ones from Charlotte Russe and Target) I decided to give it a shot myself. If these got ruined, I didn't really care. I used painters tape to create a straight line on the toe.

The paint I used is Martha Stewart craft paint. It's a multi-surface acrylic paint that, of course, is glittery! I'll take everything with a side of glitter, please. 

After 1 coat, they looked like this. Once it dried, it was pretty, just a coat of glitter and all the thick areas dried kinda clear. I wanted a bit more coverage, though. 

 So after coat #2, this was the result.

There you have it! I'm trying to resist the urge to do this to all my shoes.