What I wore

As I type this, it's 68 degrees outside. The windows in my house are open, dinner (white chicken chili) is on the stove, fall candles are burning... they're my favorite ones, all from bath & body works. Y'all, if you haven't smelled Leaves by B&BW yet, run! It is.the.best.!!

Tonight we'll have our first fire in the firepit outside of the season...glass of wine in hand. It'll be a wonderful evening.  C has been home for the last two weeks, and will be for the next week and a half. It's been so nice! Usually, he's gone 3-4 nights a week for work. 

Anyway.... here's what I've worn recently!

 You can tell it's football season!! Dress: LOFT, belt: H&M, scarf: stole from my mom :), Shoes: super old from wet seal

Top & Shoes: Charlotte Russe, Belt: I have no clue its so old. Like 7 years old maybe. Skirt: J Crew Factory, jewelry: collected over the years. There is a LOFT & Brighton bracelet there, though.

Top & skirt: LOFT

Ok so I've loved foxes waaaaaay before the song "what does the fox say". I just wanted to clarify :)

Sweater: Ann Taylor; Blackwatch pants: LOFT

 Nothing special about this outfit, but my tee shirt says "My husband's wife is freaking awesome. True story" Hilarious, right?!

Tee: Skreened.com, Yoga crops: old VS Pink

Let me just tell y'all about these pants. The ones below are similar (but from somewhere different..cost more. and I like the orange & blue fit much better). I now have 3 pairs of pants like this. And am ordering another one! They're so so so comfortable and cute. Like fancy yoga pants :)

Tank: LOFT, scarf: from my sister in law, fabulous pants: Blue Lawn Boutique. Go order some. You'll fall in love like I did! I'm sure you'll see these pants pop up here all the time!

Tank: LOFT, necklace: super old, watch: Michael Kors, Pants: Boca Leche

 I would have bought this skirt in every color they had if it came in others.  It felt like wearing yoga pants! (anyone else notice I'm talking a lot about yoga pants? I guess I'm obsessed with being presentable and comfortable lately...!) Plus, the skirt was $12!!!

Top: LOFT, skirt: Forever21, Shoes: Buckle

 Who doesn't love a statement necklace? and one of these embellished sweatshirts and so cute!

Shorts: J Crew, Boots: (they have a cognac colored loooong fleur de lis on the back) Charlotte Russe, Sweatshirt: Forever21 (has sheer black panel in back), White & yellow button down: Target, Necklace: online somewhere..sorry!

Top: LOFT, skirt: Francesca's, Booties: Charlotte Russe

This skirt is fantastic. It holds shape even when it's on the hanger. Generally I would have worn heels with this skirt but at work I need something more comfortable, with my back issues right now. Enter: booties. They add an edge to the outfit and are way more comfortable than a heel!

And that's what I've worn in the last two weeks or so :)

xox~

Ash

Fall/Holiday Bedroom

I'm thinking of getting some holiday bedding! Much to C's delight..... hahahaha :)

Here's what we currently have:

 

I clearly didn't take this picture for this reason! Please excuse the mess. My 3 dachshunds (one of which you can  see! that's my Paisley) messed it up about 1.2 seconds after I made the bed this day. Also, we now have to more pillows.. they say Good and Night in the same blue that the euro shams are in.  Anyway,  It's the Bella Paisley duvet from Pottery Barn, white linen sheets, and awning stripe pillowcases..all also from PB. The euro pillows and shams came from JC Penney and total were $45. Great deal~

Here is what I looooooooove for fall and the holidays:

 

Gorgeous, right?! I mean, minus the fireplace, this could be our room! Similar furniture and color. The aqua medallion sheets and aqua in the duvet match the wall color in our room. I just love it. 

The king duvet is $159, and sheets are $159. If I get a 15% off total purchase coupon....this is being ordered!!

I saw all this in the new PB Bed & Bath mag.  Also in that, the following: 

This is very similar to our bathroom. We need the hardware and faucets. Since we do not currently have hardware on our cabinets, I told C this is what I want! Hooray!  Hopefully that'll happen next weekend :) 

Tomorrow: what I've worn for the last two weeks

xox~

Ash

What I learned from putting together 2 chairs

I have had my dining room table for almost 1 year. The table came right after we moved in.  The table, as seen below, was built by my stepdad. He had an inspiration table and measurements from me, and he went to town. My husband painted it white. I went back and forth on what color I wanted....but you can't go wrong with white! We have almost black cabinets, grey walls & countertops. I wanted a coastal-y vibe in the whole house...so white was perfect.

The poor table sat lonely (read: without chairs) for about 10 months...until August! I knew the look I wanted, and it wasn't cookie-cutter, ready made, or something you could see anywhere. Well, and since my table was custom made, I couldn't have something like that anyway!  I searched and searched and searched.....and searched somemore. I spent many nights while C was traveling for work scouring the internet for chairs.  I needed reasonably priced, wanted wicker for the head chairs, and something else for the side.  This took forever.

I saw the head chairs online at World Market one day..and knew they were it. I waited until I had a 15% off coupon and went & bought them! (and put them in my 4 door sedan....I'm still not sure how that happened! C, if you're reading this....we NEED an SUV!!!)
The side by the window will house a bench, also made by my stepdad, in the next couple of weeks.  Then I focused on side chairs.  I thought a parson would be best, simple, can be slipcovered, and easy to find.  Enter: Target. 

Their new Threshold line is fabulous y'all! So the chairs went on sale for $65 a piece; I had a $10 giftcard for a couponing outing the week before; and their Cartwheel app had 5% off dining chairs...oh, and I have a Red card, so I save 5% on everything everytime.  A deal I could not pass up.  These went into my car easily. They were in boxes.

 Here they are! Perfect. I can get slipcovers from anywhere to suit my decorating desires!
As I said above, they came in pieces in boxes. I had to put them together! Well, ok, I could have waited for C but he was on a long work trip.... I didn't want to wait! I had waited long enough.  I started putting them together in the garage. Everything was together, all pieces fit, screws were tightened...or so I thought. When I got them next to the table and upright, I could feel they were a little loose, a little unsteady. So I un-velcroed the bottoms and went back to work. It was so weird. All of a sudden, pieces moved ever so slightly and fell into place. Screws that would not turn anymore earlier, did! Then they were sturdy.  As I sat testing out my new chairs, I started to think.... Wow, there's a life lesson in there. Someone wanted to teach me something that day. I clearly had patience (with some things)...I had a lonely table for almost a year....but I learned to expand that patience into other areas of my life.  I learned that you may think things are how they are supposed to be, but a minor change may make all the difference.  That once something gets into it's proper location, you'll really see what needs to happen.

All that from a couple of dining chairs from Target!

Uninspired?

Hi!
So. Have you ever had one of those moments where you just think to yourself "what am I supposed to be doing with my life?" I have. This moment has lasted for awhile now. And at times it is worse than others.  I've been trying, hard, to find the answer to that very question. No, I have not yet found it.  I've been uninspired for some time now.  Hence my little (ok, not so little) absence. I'm working on that inspiration though! Just check out this board on Pinterest.

I've had many moments in the last year or so where I've felt as though I am not participating in my life, just riding along. For example, there are some things I would have done differently with the wedding. Don't get me wrong, I think it was an absolutely fabulous day and I was (& am) incredibly happy. But, if I would have had more time, some things would have been better. And I mean time spent at home or planning instead of working like crazy and having a looooong commute--not more time as in a longer engagement.  I would have had more involvement in making my sister's baby shower wonderful. C & I would have gone on a vacation. It's been years since we've taken one. No, not even a honeymoon.  

How do you know when you've found the right career? Is it like finding the one you're supposed to marry? I know how that feels. Will I just know?  Hmmm....I guess we'll see!  Below are some of the things I've pinned that have kept my mind wandering and pondering.

          This one really got to me. It was almost exactly what I had been thinking and feeling.

                                   This is what I'm focusing on! What's too grand? Nothing!

Take this journey with me.  Better yet, tell me your journey. How did you know you were doing the thing you were meant to do? If you're not sure yet, tell me that, too!


Tomorrow: what I learned putting dining room chairs together. :)


xox.
Ash~

Liebster Award

So I saw this on Track Suit Friday and thought it looked like fun! So here we go... First are the rules:

 

 

 

Acknowledge the blog that nominated you

Tell 11 facts about yourself

Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger created

List 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you believe deserve some recognition

Post 11 questions for them to answer

Notify them that they've been nominated

 This might be difficult to nominate 11 bloggers! But, we shall see!


Ok here goes!  11 facts about me.....

C & I were together for five years (to the day) that we got married. We met while opening a restaurant. I told my boss not to hire him, he seemed ...how to put this delicately....douchey :) The next day he sat at the front of orientation and made me laugh the whole time. And here we are

We have been married for 6 months and I have not changed my name. And this was a huge thing for me! I couldn't wait to change it.  Maybe next week?

I work in fashion. The end.

I will forever love Tim Tebow. Say what you will about him..but I will only take seriously those who have actually met him.. and yes, I have. We went to school together.

...which brings me to fact #5. I graduated from the greatest school ever. The University of Florida!!!! GO GATORS!  I have wanted to be a Gator since I was two years old. The day I graduated...I was so so so proud of myself. I had to overcome a lot to get to that moment. and I did! Go me.

In case you didn't know, we have three dachshunds. Three little wonderful weiner dogs. They are the loves of our lives, hands down. If you were to go through my phone all you would see would be pictures of my kids... Paisley, Peonie, & Piper! I'm biased, but aren't they the cutest things!!!

 I have a need...ok maybe not a need, more like a deep desire to go back to school. I would really like to get my Masters. I'm not 100% sure in what, though! I don't know what I want to be when I grow up :) I'm thinking something finance related; I've been drawn to that field recently. Thoughts?

I'm obsessed with The Real Housewives of anything! Seriously. I'll watch the same episode 1000 times.

My husband is from Louisiana. Imagine how much fun it is in my house that Saturday every October when UF plays LSU.

Apparently I am related to Al Gore.

I do not eat fruits or vegetables. We can talk about this later :)


And now.... the 11 questions from Ashley at Track Suit Friday:


 1.You have an unlimited budget to shop, but you can only spend at 3 stores.  Where are you headed?
As a self proclaimed shopaholic, limiting it to just 3 stores is a bit difficult!! But let's try... Lilly Pullitzer; Kate Spade; Michael Kors.

2. After you're done shopping, someone hands you 3 plane tickets.  Where are you and your fabulous new outfits going?



Fiji! I have always wanted to go there...sparkling blue water, sand for miles... Rum! 

3. Turns out the tickets are for 2.  But your husband/boyfriend/significant other can't go.  Who do you take?
My mom

4. You can pick 3 languages to speak.  What are they and why did you pick them?
Spanish, Chinese, and Italian. The first two because they would provide to be very useful and Italian because I love the way it sounds.

5. When you get home, you find out you've lost your job.  But that's ok.  You can pick out a new one.  What will you do?
Honestly? Helping our servicemen and women coming back from war or cruise or any type of deployment reenter civilian life. Not to bring everyone down, but the suicide rate for our military is incredibly high. 

6. You've got to relocate for work. Where do you want to move?
California...or somewhere super Southern!  I've never been to Cali, but have been told that I would love it!  Super Southern because I have an idealized version of life in my head where C & I would raise our kids in a nice quaint fantastic Southern town.

7. And your job is buying you a work car.  What kind of car would that be?
Well, this is not my original answer, but seeing as I will be working with our military..something American. A Jeep maybe. C would looooooovvveee that (note the sarcasm, please)

8. You've done such a great job at work, you are nominated to be "Queen for a Day".  What pet peeve of yours will now be illegal, punishable by punches to the face?
Speaking incorrectly! I.e.: Rihanna & Chris Brown have a song out, I think it's called "Me & my baby". It samples an old Michael Jackson song. In it she says "ain't nobody's bidne" instead of business. It drives.me.crazy.

9. You've clearly got a knack for ruling the roost.  Who is your VP?
Paisley! No, ok. For real?  My friend Alex, one of my bridesmaids. She is super down to earth and logical..where I am not so much.

10. President Obama has Camp David.  But you want to give things an update.  Where's your new American retreat?
Puerto Rico! Hey, it's a territory of USA

11. Now that you're out of office, what cause are you dedicating your life to?
See #5!



I'll have to do some looking through my blog roll to see who to nominate! Check back with me please :)

xox,

Ash~ 

Jan 5, 2013 (part 3...the finale!)

Just so y'all know... I've been trying to post this for 3 days! There have been some technical difficulties..
So you've seen the details, the preceremony & ceremony...and here is the party!!
We had SO much fun!
After firing our caterer one week (ONEWEEK!) before the wedding, we scrambled to come up with plan b. and it was perfect! We hired servers and a bartender that were friends of friends. I joked with the bartender (who is a long time friend of my brother...and she was amazing, by the way!) that I wanted a PepsiMax & Captain ready for me everytime she saw me walking up. I was kidding, however, she had it ready to go for me every.single.time! I loved it~  We had a signature drink... "The Pink Piper" to go with the peonies and paisleys on the cake (if you don't know yet, our three dachshunds names are: Paisley, Peonie, and Piper ;) ). It was a huge hit!

Like I said before, we did just about everything ourselves. And it was successful. What everyone will remember is that they had a great time. Not everyone could come..in fact, only about half the people we invited came. And that is ok. Several people were very sick and couldn't make it; some got lost on the way; some lived too far away to come to FL.  But in the end, we had a fantastic time...as evidenced by the pictures to follow....

My mom & stepdad

C's mom & stepdad

Our first dance was to Matchbox Twenty's "overjoyed". They are my very fave!! If you haven't heard this song, go listen to it!  You're welcome

Best man toast

Matron of honor (aka my sister) toast

Toast from my grandparents

During my grandmother's toast, both my grandfather & I got choked up

My grandparents won the "who's been married the longest" contest....48 years!!! May we be blessed with that

 In the corner of one of these pictures you can see my grandfather doing the Cupid Shuffle. I can't find the picture right now. but it is one of my favorite memories ever.

 The best grandparents... EVER. period. hands down. See below and you'll see one of me & C that is similar.These two are framed in our library.

 Me, my mom, my sister, and my brother

 They were teaching me the "superman"..Clearly I had a great time at my wedding!

 One of my favorite pictures from the wedding. Me & my brother-in-law. Had I known he could dance all these years....

 One of my favorite people!!

<3 <3 <3

Doing what we do~ :)