Things You May Not Know...

I saw this great list of questions on Mimi+Meg and thought it would be fun to answer them for myself. Who knows, I may ask a few other bloggers to stop by and answer them as well!

The Wonder That Is Social Media

What's pretty cool about social media sometimes is that it can seemingly link you closer to celebrities you love. {Hopefully not in a stalker-status sort of way.}

I was just perusing through my notifications on Instagram this morning when I noticed this:

See that little arrow I made? It's pointing out the fact that Todd Leduc (@toddleduc) liked my photo on Instagram that mentioned him.

Here's a closeup of the description I had posted with the photo:

He simply must have run a search on anything with the hashtag #toddleduc, but STILL! Kinda cool. And notice, his sponsor is Rockstar. He was meant to discover me eventually.

This isn't the first time this has happened. When I raved about my Minnetonka Moccasins, it wasn't long before the company followed me on Twitter and re-tweeted me. Remember these tweets I mentioned in the past?

Anyway, I just thought I would share. What are the coolest interactions you've had on social media?

Oh, FYI, you may not have known this, but I LOOOOOOOOOVE monster trucks and offroad racing. And now my little guy does too. ♥

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A Place to Sit & Relax {Front Porch Redo}

OK, so I'm FINALLY posting this!

I will start off by saying that it's not completely finished, but all of the very crucial elements are in place and other little things will be added here and there as accumulated.

I didn't get a "before" picture unfortunately, but if you can gather by the size of the space in the pics and imagine one wicker loveseat, coffee table and wicker chair all cohabitating here, you can probably guess how crowded it was. The furniture was way too bulky. As a result, it was left unused and un-enjoyed. I also even had my beach cruiser chained to the railing for a while, and often strollers were stored there when I was too lazy to put them back in the garage. So you get it - messy, bulky and unwelcoming. Not the first thing you want people to see when they come to your door!

First, I will show you my inspiration for the space - of course, one of the always organized and super-cute spaces of Jen's:

I started off by going on the hunt for a cute little bistro table. I was of course open to something that needed a little TLC, as I knew I had planned on painting one anyway {highly unlikely I'd find one in the color I wanted}. If y'all remember, this table was $10 and you can see how I upcycled it here.

I then needed a couple of chairs. My goal was something laid back, but not bulky. Something along the lines of wooden rockers, but maybe not quite as large, or didn't necessarily need the arm rests. When I found these two chairs on Craigslist, I knew they were exactly what I was looking for. I haven't painted them, but might someday decide to.

After those main pieces were found, it was accessorize, accessorize, ACCESSORIZE! I knew I wanted to use a lot of pops of color - making it a bright and cheery space.

You might remember me posting this pic of the front door area the other day:

And now without further adieu, here is the rest of the space!

I also wanted some type of storage bin to keep outdoor toys for the front yard, i.e. sidewalk chalk, bubbles, sprinkler, baseballs, etc. This basket on rollers was perfect. It easily rolls out when the boys want to play and back out of the way when they're done.

Unfortunately, as you can see, the humidity got to it quickly and added some black moldy spots. I have since taken it in, scrubbed it clean with a hand brush and I am going to spray it with a protective coat to prevent it doing that again. Live and learn.

As far as things I still want to add to the space - I would like more containers for plants. And also looking for the perfect piece of decor to hang on that empty space on the brick between the door and the window.

Here is a tally of what I've spent so far:

Bistro Table: $10 {Facebook group of Moms that sell used items}

Chairs: $40 {Craigslist}

Door Mat: $12.99 {Target}

Yellow Pot $16.99 {TJ Maxx}

Hibiscus Plant: $24.95 {Abide-A-While Nursery}

Teal Citronella Candle Pails: $5.99/ea {Kmart}

White Plant Stand: $5.00 {Goodwill - last year}

Basket on Casters: $29.99 {Marshalls}

"S" on Door: $6.99 {TJ Maxx} 

Small Runner: $12.97 {Walmart}

So there you have it, my friends! My new favorite place to enjoy a glass of vino and wind down after a long day. 

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Laguna Beach Alums & Their Blogs

 

So, I was pretty much obsessed with MTV's Laguna Beach back in the day. It didn't help that I lived within a stone's throw away from it - Huntington Beach.

Well, being a blogger, every now and then I happen upon a famous person's blog and start following. Of course, we all know Lauren Conrad. She has her Lauren Conrad blog and also owns The Beauty Department blog. But what about the rest of the cast? Where are they {blogging} now?

I actually happened upon a cute fitness blog called Beach Babe Fitness not too long ago, written by this pretty gal:

I thought to myself, "Hmmmm....she looks familiar...", and sure enough, after a little digging on her site, I realized she was Christina from MTV's Laguna Beach. {Looks awesome these days, right?} She's a barre instructor at Equinox gym in LA. {I love barre...love.}

After discovering her blog, I started thinking back to the show and remembering that she and Morgan on the show were BFFs back in the day, so I started Googling to find out what ever happened to Miss Morgan. Turns out she has a blog too. Oh, and she's married now. But wait, it gets better.

She married a Smith. She is now Morgan Smith. And her blog is called, Smith, Here! 

Yep, another Morgan Smith running around Blog Land. Her hubby's name starts with a "J" too. If it was Jake, I'd think that was too crazy...but no worries, it's Joel. I actually wrote her and we are now Facebook friends. Our relationship is official now. LOL.

Oh, want to hear another bit of craziness in all this? In college, she had a roommate named Caitlin. Caitlin writes a blog too. You might know of it.

 

Here's a pic of Caitlin at Morgan's wedding in Orange County:

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Not only is Blog Land small, but so is this world we live in. Go check out all of these blogs, you won't be disappointed.

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Online Ordering & Oopsies

Ever since I saw this purse on Caitlin's blog, I was like, obsessed. I had to have it.

 

She didn't put the purse name in the post, so I just started with keywords such as Kate Spade, pink, straw, natural, purse, etc...and it never came up exactly what I wanted.

Long story short, a month or so went by and I was playing around on eBay and I saw this:

 

Yeah, look closely...NOT the same purse!!! I didn't even truly realize it until I opened the box yesterday. I mean, I do love this little tote, but it's more beach/book bag like and not really a purse, per se...so there went $109.00.

I went on an eBay hunt again last night as my last hope and lookie what I found:

Yep, that's the right one. It's $209.99. {Reeeally wishing I still had that $109.00 right about now.} Oh yeah, and it's from the same seller as the other one. Doh! Well, so I'm buying it. Just over $300 later, I will have this dream purse, and a cute little tote to boot.

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iHeart Faces Photo Challenge

I've started following a great photography website called iHeart Faces. Today, I am joining in on their Summer Fun Photo Challenge.

Here is my entry photo:

These boys are definitely having some summer fun!

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Link Love

It's been a while since I threw any Link Love out there...it's time to show some love.

1. Even though I graced the fine age of 30 almost 3 months ago, this list of 30 Signs You're Almost 30 just about made my Pepto Bismol come out my nose. {You 30-somethings can relate to that - especially once you read #15...} The following ones especially hit a chord with me:

2. Instead of drunken party photos, your Facebook friends are all about the baby pics.

Source: facebook.com

3. …and marathon times.

Source: running.about.com

2. Curious when other women think it's time for you to stop wearing that "young girl" fashion item? Check out this survey to find out if it's time to throw some things out. {I think if it still looks good, WEAR IT!}

3. A little Fresh Prince of Bel Air nostalgia...remember "The Carlton"?

4. Not sure which shade of coral/blue/yellow/metallic/etc. nail polish is right for your skin tone? Check out this article and have your problem solved!

5. Aaaaaand...I'm going to throw this one in there. Who has a Fitness pin board on Pinterest? How many of those workout pins have you actually attempted? Take on my challenge now at The Gym Bunny. You won't be sorry!

 

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Monday Musings

Hey y’all! Hope you had a great weekend celebrating our nation’s freedom! I was blessed with a 4-day weekend {let’s be honest, I made that shit happen…no way was I going to work my 4am shift at the gym on Friday. I gave that away. Ain’t no one got time fo’ that.}

4th of July was great – we went to a pool party at a house a block from our spot at the beach, then when it came time, we walked down the boardwalk to get the boys some ice cream and then headed out to the sand to lay out a blanket and sit and watch the big fireworks show. The boys really enjoyed it. {Aside from the fact my husband had to go tell some obnoxious, cursing, crude drunk guys to watch their mouths because they were in mixed company – kids/families, etc. – thankfully it didn’t start any sort of fight, but I’m glad he had the guts to do the right thing for everyone else trying to enjoy the show with their little ones. I can’t believe some people sometimes – no class, no clue; just plain stupid.}

Anyway, I believe I spent Friday catching up on some chores around the house so I could concentrate on enjoying the rest of the weekend. But the boys and I made popsicles out of frozen berries and yogurt {will share that recipe on here with you soon} and they did a bit of running around in the sprinkler, despite the rainy weather. {If you’re already wet from a sprinkler, what’s a little rain?} I also finally managed to find some great pillows for my patio at Kohl’s! They are perfect. I can’t wait to finally reveal this patio makeover on here. Hubby and I sit out there at night a lot now and chat over wine. It’s a nice end to our sometimes crazy-hectic days.

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On Saturday, Hubby worked because he has a lot going on right now to keep up on, so I took the boys to Splash Zone at James Island County Park with my friends Bill & Suz and their kids. It was a great water park – first time I had been to it.

We started off Sunday with church and headed out the beach after that. Once we got home, Suz invited us over for pool and BBQ fun, so we did that too. Gotta love impromptu dates with friends.

And that brings us to Monday – back to the reality of five-day work weeks. And man, have I got to get back on track! I’m sipping a protein shake made out of nothing but a scoop of vanilla whey, Greek nonfat yogurt and frozen berries as I’m writing this. I had a major “fat” week last week…just felt pudgy…and it didn’t help that my bosses were in town treating me to lunch every day. So with that and then the holiday weekend eating and drinking, well, I’ve got to lock it up. And if you’re feeling the same way, I invite you to head over to The Gym Bunny, my fitness blog, and join in on the Pinterest Fitness Board Challenge I just launched today. I hope you’ll like it and join in on the challenge. Check it out!

Happy Monday!

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Independence.

 

I want to extend a huge "thank you" on this Independence Day to the servicemen and women that have made our freedom in our country possible and continue to fight for that freedom every day. Thank you to my husband, Jake, who proudly serves with the USCG, going on 10 years soon.  It is a huge sacrifice to be away from those you love, to risk your life for others and to do the right thing. May all of those that serve and have served know how very important and appreciated they are.

And as for the rest of you, have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

 

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Outfits of Note {Read: #iwantitinmycloset }

Ever have one of those days, weeks, months, even seasons where you just look in your closet and think "I seriously have NOTHING to wear"? Maybe it's that I grow bored easily...but I feel like I'm constantly cycling the same 10 or so articles of clothing into mix and match outfits until the next few happy purchases come along into the rotation and a few others get cycled out. Well, now I find myself on Pinterest pinning all sorts of outfits lately...inspiration I can use to maybe pull out a few of my old pieces and put together "new" outfits, or even inspiration to take to a cute little store like F21 and find like pieces.

OUTFIT #1

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OUTFIT #2 {This is just plain fun!}

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OUTFIT #3

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What outfit inspiration have you been pinning lately? Are you having one of those "nothing to wear" moments?

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