I might regret this…

This poor closet needs to be organinzed...stat!

So for those of you that know me, you know I love to shop. I shop when I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I’m bored, when its 3pm…ok maybe not that last one but you get the drift. I love shopping! I especially love finding great deals and I refuse to pay full price knowing whatever item will be on sale in a week.  Now that my love for shopping has been expressed, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before. I am going to ban shopping from my life until May 2013. Why you ask?!?! I asked myself that same question when I found those words coming out of my mouth as I told my husband (ok, they didn’t came out of my mouth, they came out in a text via Words with Friends since that’s mainly how Michael and I communicate while he’s deployed!) Anyway, I have decided to push myself not to shop until May 2013 because I realized I have entirely too many clothes, most of which I don’t wear. Hell, I still have stuff with tags on them that have moved with me over the last 3 years and 2 moves (yes, we moved 2 times in less than 3 years…love the military!) and we’ll be moving again in 8 months. I realized I always wear pretty much the same few outfits because I love them but I have a lot of cute things in my closet that I love and they deserve just as much wear as my every day fall back items. The fact that my husband has to keep his clothes in the spare bedroom closet because I took over our closet (pictured above), our dresser, and our hall coat closet is just sad...not to mention the clothes I have stored in our basement! So that’s that. I am challenging myself to shop in my own closet(s) until we move back to the states! Wish me luck!

xoxo

J

What We’re Lovin’ Wednesday

Funny thing…Michelle and I are both loving the same thing today! Unbeknownst to us, Michelle and I both bought the same Old Navy Rock Star skinny jeans (in camp fire) and we BOTH love them! We both own other ON rock star skinnies, but they haven’t had a dark wash out in almost a year…so I guess we both saw that the camp fire color was just released and we snagged them! We actually both have the same sheer peach top (we may live apart, but yes, we still shop for each other!) that I grabbed for us in TJ Maxx and we decided to each show you our take on how to wear our favorite skinnies and the peach shirt!

My outfit may look a little fall inspired, and it is, because it feels like fall here. Seriously, it's been pretty damn chilly in Germany! Upper 60's to low 70's, insane! I decided to pair my skinnies and sheer peach top with brown leather wedges, a leopard print belt, my Louis Vuitton, and my gorgeous earrings my friend Bridget got me (thanks B!) I think the outfit is cute and perfect for this odd summer/fall weather! Also, I apologize for my cheesy closet mirror self portrait! PS, love your outfit, Michelle! I would never have thought to tuck this shirt in...I will be copying your outfit since I have similar shoes :)

xoxo, J

My take on the outfit is more geared to Knoxville's hot,sticky weather. I mean, any temperature under 90 is a cool front this time of the year. As you can see, this is my attempt at prepping it up--tucked in, skinny belt, and a soft bun. The platform heels are a bone color and it takes some serious skill to walk in them. I would definitely wear this outfit out to dinner but would slip on some ballet flats if any walking (outside of to and from the car) was required! Happy Wednesday!! PS--Jenn-love your take on the outfit!!

xoxo, M

I'm back too :)

Hey all! Unlike Michelle, I have no valid reason for not posting this past week other than I didn’t feel like it and I’ve been grumpy! As I mentioned in a previous post, I am doing a Paleo diet challenge for a month in my crossfit class (I’ll post another time about crossfit…but I pretty much love it and I’m hooked!) I’m on day 6 of this challenge and have quite a ways to go! Anyway so the Paleo diet is no dairy, no grains, no beans etc…you basically have to eat what a caveman would eat. So this month consists of veggies, lean proteins and fruit….which is why I’ve been grumpy. The fruit and veggies part is fine since I normally eat a lot of them, but I LOVE dairy and pasta and bread and anything else I’m not supposed to have on this diet. Luckily this challenge is only a month long and I’m currently out of my grumpy phase, which is why I’m posting J

The pictures are of two different meals I’ve made so far on the Paleo diet, spaghetti squash with tomatoes, kale and spicy Italian turkey sausage and then coconut flour pancakes…they sorta tasted like coconut sawdust, but I need something carb like, so they’ll do for the next month! There are some awesome Paleo blogs that I’ve found and I plan to try some of their recipes so I’ll keep you posted on my month long Paleo adventure!

xoxo

J

I'm back!!!!!

Well hello, friends. After three days in D.C. followed by 4 days in Denver, I'm glad to be back in Knoxville. While the trip was "strictly business" I managed to make the most of it by hitting up some restaurants, getting my toesies painted, and getting my sweat on at barre class. In D.C. I took a class at the Barre3 studio in Georgetown. The Barre3 method is a barre based workout method that includes elements of yoga and pilates. Though it may sound like an easy workout, it is 60 minutes of anything but. I do Barre3 regularly in Knoxville and the Georgetown studio did not disappoint. BONUS: Apparently Barre3 has gained popularity on Pennsylvania Avenue. Vice President Biden's wife, Jill, was in class with me.

In Denver, I headed to the nearest pure barre studio to check it out. Similar to Barre3, pure barre is a 60 minute class but at a much quicker pace and with less of an emphasis on yoga. While I enjoyed my pure barre class and felt like I got a good workout, I left class feeling like my form was all wrong and that I didn't work my core to its core:)

However, to each their own. I encouage you to give barre a try.

XOXO, M

Yum!

What is this chocolatey deliciousness you ask?!? It’s GREEK YOGURT!  I found this simple recipe on pinterest (I love pinterest!!) and I tried it out not expecting it to be too exciting…but it was! At least in my book it was! I have a serious sweet tooth! I LOVE chocolate but don’t want to eat junk food so this recipe seemed like a good alternative! The recipe (here) called for maple syrup, which I didn’t have so I used stevia and that worked just fine. I am about to torture myself start a Paleo diet challenge for the next month with my crossfit class (should be interesting since it cuts out carbs and dairy and those are my 2 favorite things!!!) but there is a Paleo friendly version (recipe here) of this made with coconut milk which I will be trying too!

xoxo

 J

I’m 384! What are you?

I just got back from donating a double session of blood platelets! Doesn’t sound very exciting, but it was! Apparently I have a pretty high platelet count (384 woot woot!) and realized the Armed Services Blood Program could use my platelets more than my blood, so guess who will be donating a double session every month?!?! This girl! If you are military, military spouse or an ID card holder, I urge you to look into blood, plasma and platelet donations. If you are not affiliated with the military, you should still try and donate via the red cross! Help save lives, people! I helped save 2 today! NBD ;)

xoxo

J

What we're lovin' Wednesday

I’m loving my new shower curtain! Honestly, I smile every time I see this adorable thing! The color is gorgeous and the pattern is awesome…I wouldn’t mind having actual curtains like this! I did a bit of Home Goods shopping while I was in the states and grabbed this beauty, an awesome area floor mat, and some great pillows (all of which I will show in another post) and of all those things,  I think I may love this shower curtain the most!

xoxo

     J

I'm loving my super easy and go-to summer meal: the greek salad. I made one on Monday and added some baked chicken and it was as equally delicious as it was easy to make. Like Jenn, I really don't measure out anything, I just go by taste...then add a little extra salt. Here goes:

Preheat over to 350 degrees
I used 3 small chicken breasts and seasoned them with a little s&p, olive oil, and lemon juice
bake for 40 minutes ( I like to make sure the chicken is really done, as I have a fear of food poisioning)

While the chicken is baking I use an old school large wooden bowl as the canvas to my Grecian masterpiece.

I prefer really crisp greens, so I typically use something like Romaine.
2 homegrown tomatoes that are quartered
Athenos crumbled feta (or whatever feta you prefer)
1/4 red onion, finely sliced
1 half cucumber sliced (thin or thick, whatever you prefer)
1 pinch of oregano
s&p

Dressing:

Equal parts olive oil and lemon juice

Enjoy!

XOXO M