Listening to...

"Slow Dance" by John Legend

Braiding my wet hair and running out the door to go to work, but loving some John Legend lately and just had to share!

ella ella ella heyyy

Woke up to rain this morning... I wonder if it is planning on sticking around?

If so, I hope you enjoy this stormy summer day with someone that you love.

(Check out this sweet duo umbrella along with some other fun ones here.)

fishbone!

Remember this post about how I wanted to learn how to do this braid?

Women's Health magazine to the rescue! This morning I was reading the July/August 2010 issue, and they included this image of Leona Lewis and step-by-step instructions to do a side fishbone braid! Tried it this morning and looove it! 

Side Fishbone (adapted from Women's Health)

1. Create a side part (whatever side your hair naturally favors) and gather hair in a low ponytail (don't secure it though)

2.  Divide hair into two equal sections at the neck

3. Start the braid by grabbing an eighth-inch piece of hair from the outside of the left section and add it to the inside of the right section. Next, grab an eighth-inch section from the outside of the right section and cross it over to incorporate it into the inside of the left section. 

4. Continue this process until hair is fully braided and secure with an elastic. 

5. For a messier look, rough up the braid by pulling at the sides and allow face-framing pieces to hang loose. 

Guilt-free Friday!

I have an unabashed love for magazines, and lately I have been really enjoying Glamor. One page in particular: the Guilt-free Page! It always starts out by saying

 "Hey it's ok!"

and then lists everything we typically should feel guilty about, such as,

"...to not act fun and personable until two cups of coffee. Not one. Not one and a half. Exactly two."
"...to still want Jennifer Aniston's hair."
"...to wait in line at the ice cream  truck, surrounded by people three and a half feet tall."

Love it.

So, I have decided to make Fridays "Guilt-free Fridays"

Here's the first round-up of guilt-free fun!

Hey it's ok!

...to re-purpose your hair straightener to iron that stubborn wrinkle out of the collar... or the entire shirt
...to donate the dress when you realize she has it too
...to wait for him to call/text/send carrier pigeons first (even after you've been dating 6, 8, 12 months...)

golden girl (continued)

OH MY GOSH.

Extra, extra. read all about it.

Just found these:

"Candice" by Kate Spade (duhhhh). Neeeeed these too! Ahhhhhh! On sale here. 

golden girl

I'm a bit of a golden girl (see here.) I love gold. Silver is pretty, too (or white gold, platinum, yadda yadda yadda.) And I most definitely wear both. But there's something so pretty about the way a gold ring or bracelet shimmers on sun-kissed skin.

Yesterday I was browsing through the Kate Spade section at a local department store (kind of like an alcoholic checking out the bars) and this little beauty caught my eye told me I can't live without her.

Meet the Gold Coast Lauralee by Kate Spade. Heaven. She was still full price, and in lieu of the recent addition of another darling purse (see here for details) I decided to resist temptation.

Fast forward 12 hours later and I wake up to a facebook message from my darling mother. That little temptress sent me a link to another department store's website that has the purse on sale. I think the universe is telling me to buy the bag.

It is the most perfect bag for any dressy occasion. I would never carry a clutch again. And the long, pretty strap would be perfect to sling across my body so I can still dance all night (the fact that I can't dance to save my life doesn't even matter because the bag is that perfect.)  

Well kittens, what to do? Is she the one?

But I want it NOW...

I woke up in a bit of a Veruca-mood... (not familiar with Veruca? see here.) Actually, I was just peachy when I woke up, but then I wandered over to Feather Report and so it began. (For those of you unfamiliar with Feather Report, it is only the most amazing thing ever... Fashion+Weather=Feather... as in they tell you what to wear according to the weather. And they don't just "tell you what to wear," they put together the most adorable ensembles.)

Exhibit A:

Stuff that I need: The shoes. Definitely. And a floral skirt... maybe a little shorter than this one though because I have been spinning/running so darn much! (haha... kidding... kind of... not really.) 

Exhibit B:

This shirt from J. Crew is too cute (hint hint boyfriend who works at J. Crew... haha again kidding! kind of! not really! ahhh) Did I mention that Feather Report tells you how to make the outfit more appropriate for warmer/colder weather? Yeah, they're THAT awesome. For warmer weather they suggest black shorts instead of the leggings, which would be perfect here in the Sahara. 

Well, there are other things that little Veruca wants too. 

For example, to be here:

As in Wintergreen Resort. Hiking, spa-ing, eating delicious local veggies, and spending time with the people I love. (oh and enjoying the mid-70's temps.)

I am happy, and I am immensely blessed beyond belief... but a girl can dream right?

OH P.S. Feather Report is not just a blog, but also an app for iPhone... I live in Blackberry land, but those of you who don't should go download the app! Right now!

Braid-y Bunch

I have been rocking a braid lately, maybe potentially entirely too much. But I'm loving it. This post was probably a warning sign of things to come. It has been entirely too hot to blow dry, and the braid is so easy and perfect for summer. 

Here's mine at the beach!

And a few that I love:

And one that I wish I knew how to do:

DISCLAIMER: I know I'm jumping on this train a little late. Alexander Wang put them all over the runway in his 2010 spring show and they quickly became a seasonal staple. Nonetheless, I'm loving them. 

Photos of the Alexander Wang models backstage. (found it here.)

Knight in Shining Armor

I babysit for a family in Wilmington, and in the little girl's room she has a sign that says, "My prince did come, his name is Daddy." Love it.... it couldn't be more true!

Generous, dedicated, compassionate, loyal, honest, hard-working, a man of integrity who can always make us laugh. Happy Father's Day to the best dad in the world.

beard?

Haha saw this and thought it was too funny... especially since my baby brother has been growng out his "beard" for his upcoming trip to Chile! (it's winter there, so he has rationaized his facial hair)

recovering lazyholic

I recently stumbled upon the incredibly talented Erin Hanson of Recovering Lazyholic. I instantly fell in love with her work. Her photography is beautiful, but her other "stuff" is too fun. Seriously, I was literally laughing out loud at a few things. 

Absolutely adore these wants vs. needs.

She has the most adorable "symbolisms." 

And this one is just perfect for a certain boy that I know...

You really must go to her website and look around. I especially love this cheeky take on the word association abc's.

And guess what... Erin has a blog too.

And yes, I am aware that I am in the running to receive the world record for the number of links in this post, but I am trying to make it easy for you to check her out.  Haha that last link was just to be sassy. :)

heat of the moment

The weather has been oppressively hot these past few days, and with the humidity hovering around 99.9%, the only solution has been to pass the time like this:

Talk about the dog days of summer, right? And it's not even July!

Found this presh photo here. 

Welcome to the Family....

The Medium Serena from the Yardley Collection by the one and only Kate Spade. Even though I am a total Stevie* girl, it was love at first sight.



*For those who are not addicted to Kate Spade, the Stevie bag looks like this. :)

summer jacket

I am unapologetically girly. I always have been, and I always will be. But first, to clarify, girly is not to be confused with high-maintenance. I am, by no means, a poodle, and I assure you I can "get up and go," but boy do feminine frills make my heart swell. Ruffles, lace, bows... the works. 99% of the time I would choose a dress over jeans. Hands down. 


Well, a few eeks ago when I walked into Gap, this most perfect jacket stopped me dead in my tracks. It is one part military, one part safari, and is the perfect alternative to my tradish cardigan. Can't find it on gap.com but here are some cute alternatives. 

Top to bottom: J. Crew $98, Old Navy $34.50, Gap $24.99

Side note: Mine looks just like the J. Crew jacket, but in the color of the Old Navy one. :)

Girl Crush

I finished summer school this morning and devoted the rest of the day to the truly important things in life:

Drinking coffee

Painting my nails

Reading magazines

Catching up on The Hills (thank you inventor of DVR)

Let's talk about The Hills. Specifically, Lo Bosworth. 

As I watched the most recent episode ("The Company You Keep") All I could think was she is sooo pretty. No, seriously. I have been a fan since the Laguna Days (and yes I certainly do have that entire series on DVD). But goodness go watch this episode and just take notes on homegirl's hair.  Every single look was absolutely stunning. Whether it was down and straight (but never too straight) or in a perfectly messy braid, it was always that right balance between put-together and carefree. And her color is gorgeous as well. These days far too many girls try to go too blonde.

Bottom Line: If this is what it takes, sign me up. 

Side note: If I was tech savvy I would figure out how to get pictures out of video and put them on here.I'm clueless though, so go ahead and invest the 20 minutes and watch it here. You won't regret it. Trust.

Listening to...

Chugging coffee and dashing off to work, but had to share this lovely.

Had a fabulous two days in Wilmington.

Back with fun things later!

workin on my fitness...

Exercise is 99% mental. Eh... make that 99.9% mental. It is amazing what your body can do if you don't let it quit. 


Does that mean the only thing separating ME from THEM is a little willpower? 

No way, Jose.

But goodness, isn't it funny to compare the first picture with the other three? Times have chaged, sweethearts.  

Off to spinning class! (my new obsession)

Peachy

There is something perfect about a juicy, summer peach. I had my first one of the season last weekend and I am hooked. I noticed yesterday that my affinity for this tasty little treat is beginning to affect my fashion choices as well.

Exhibit A: Mani/Pedi

I opted for OPI’s elephantastic pink on my fingers, and the most delightful shade of frosty, pale orange on my toes. I committed a cardinal sin and forgot to look at the name of it, but it was by China Glaze and I swear it looks exactly like an orange creamsicle (I never cared much for creamsicles, honey, pass the rocky road ice cream!)

Exhibit B: The latest additions the boyfriend tee collection- a soft, heather pink and a pretty pale orange. (Sad, no photos.)

Exhibit C: Craving this…(Of course Forever 21 doesn't have my size!)

Exhibit D: … and this.

And to think I was depressed when strawberry season ended...

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Listening to...

Many the Miles- Sara Bareilles

Looooove it. :)

So Proud

My sister is a brilliant, little diamond.

Tonight she is graduating from 8th grade. And she is Valedictorian of her class.

ValeFREAKINdictorian.

I couldn't be more proud to call her my sister.

Update: Graduation was fab. After receiving the Award for Outstanding Student in English and 1st place in the science fair, Janie gave a wonderful Valedictorian address about challenges. So soooo proud & excited to see the great things she will do in life.