10 Pretty Things I Love for Spring!

The weather has been damn near gorgeous here lately!

You know the saying, "March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb"? Okay, maybe I'm showing my age here a little. But that is a phrase and in this case, March came in growling and out positively ROARING! The weather has gotten into the 90's, especially last week. I even think I saw a heat index of 100 degrees or so. But maybe that was just in my car.

The days that have been in the 70's though, those have been the best. I am not ready for 90 degree weather, to be honest, but you work with what you're given. When it's in the 70's or 80's, I am more than happy to welcome Spring into my life.

I have worn the crap out of all the skirts, dresses and sandals that I own. This is problematic because Joey and I are on a spending freeze and I really can't afford to buy anything pretty. See, we are on the search for our first home and those things don't come cheap!!

Instead of just stomaching the fact that it might be late May or June before I get to buy anything to plush my spring/summer wardrobe, and maybe being creative in ways to keep wearing my winter clothes in a summery way, I have taken to Pinterest and found things that I would absolutely love to add to my arsenal. But can't afford. Some I couldn't afford even if I wasn't scrounging for pennies in my couch cushions to add to our piggy bank.

But that's for another day.

1) This pretty red, flowy dress from Old Navy. There is nothing better than an empire waist, knee length dress for work. I could totally pair this with a white cardigan or shrug and some sandals that I already own - easy and adorable.

2) Oh my GOSH! I am so into arrows right now, and naturally since I am a 14 year old girl, this totally symbolizes my love for The Hunger Games. This bracelet is from House of Harlow. I found it in sterling silver and rose gold, and I kind of prefer the rose gold. It's just so striking. I want it!

3) Okay so I'm kind of cheating here. I own this pillow. I found it on the clearance rack at Target. I wish there had been 2, so I guess you could say I still covet one of these magnificent pillows. I don't have a link to source here because it's been taken offline. :( But I promise I got this pillow from Target.

4) I am obsessed with all things wood right now. I have an iPhone cover that is wood, albeit plastic, but I love it. These sunglasses from the Tumbleweeds shop on Etsy. They have woodcrafted sunglasses in all shapes, sizes and colors. I wish, wish, wish that I could afford a pair, and that I didn't have to wear glasses. Hrmph.

5) Speaking of wood things, how adorable is this cutting board? I found this on Pinterest and followed the source back to a shop on Etsy that makes custom wood crafted cutting board in the shape of the states! Of course, I would want a Missouri one with a heart in St. Louis. :) Check out the shop - AHeirloom.

6) I own these shoes too. Shhh. I had a Kohls giftcard left over from Christmas, can you believe it? I managed to buy a dress for Easter and these shoes from the Simply Vera collection. I haven't worn them yet but they are so adorable and I can't wait to put together an outfit with them.

7) These shoes are also from Kohls, but I haven't been gutsy enough to try them on. Mostly because once I put them on, I will want to buy them. This is regardless of how comfortable they are, just because they are so gorgeous. So I am steering clear. Until my willpower shatters. Tomorrow. Shhh.

8) AH! How adorable are these Pantone iPhone cases! I want all of them, but I think the Tangerine and Yellow ones would make me the happiest.

9) I won a Vera Bradley Attache at my work's Trivia night in March and am super excited about it. I mean, technically I have nowhere to need a briefcase but hey - now I have one if the situation arises! To go with it - you know, thinking ahead - I want to get this Turn Lock wallet in the same fabric (Folkloric) as the Attache. Pretty!

10) Finally, what Spring wouldn't be complete without some new baseball gear?! I love this collection from Victoria's Secret, and with Joey being a majorly huge Mets fan, I know I could get him to agree to me getting this hoodie if it was for the Mets. ;) Here's trying!!

10 Quotes on Pinterest that I Love

So, pretty much around this time of night you'll find me wasting time on Pinterest while Joey plays Modern Warfare 3. SNORE! (I'm definitely referencing MW3 here.. hehe.)

I love Pinterest, as I'm sure I've said before. My favorite things to pin are clothes/shoes and crafty things. I also love stumbling across quotes and inspirational thoughts, because more often than not, I find one that speaks to me and the mood I'm currently in.

Personally, I think that is one of the best parts of being able to think creatively. Not everyone can hear a song and relate it to an emotion they are feeling or to a memory they have. I can hear a song, a phrase or someone's voice and be instantly transported to days, weeks, months... even years in the past. Even smells or tastes can remind me of things I might have forgotten about unless otherwise reminded.

I remember walking into Joey's grandmother's house one day recently, and smelling the air freshener she had plugged in. I had the same freshener in my dorm room back in 2008, and for no reason other than my crazy brain doin' its thing, I remembered a conversation me and my suite-mate Janna had one night in our dorm's shared living room. I would have never remembered that conversation, nor would I have had any reason to seeing as it was a completely random night, but that plug-in totally transported me back to that dorm room, and it made me so happy.

I feel extremely lucky to have the ability to be reminded of events and conversations and emotions based on the trivial act of hearing a song or smelling an air freshener. That is a gift, and while I'm sure it's more common than I think, I do know that you should not take these things for granted because you never know what might happen.

I can't help but be reminded of my Mom every time we change the ink cartridges in the printers at work. Random, right? Ha. See, I used to help print and fold our church bulletins as a teen when my mom worked there as a receptionist. I spent many a summers day in a tiny windowless room in the back of the church, printing and folding, printing and folding (and trying not to swear when I got a papercut for fear of being smited). But my Mom was in the next room and I could hear her talking with her friend and colleague Jane, and she would come in every so often to check on me, and probably to make sure I hadn't passed out from the ink fumes. Those days were always some of my favorite days during those summers and now, I can't smell fresh ink and paper without thinking of my momma.... and god, actually. Don't smite me, bro.

So yes. Well. That kind of went totally off track... but I kinda like it. I hope you did too.
Do you have any examples of songs or even smells that remind you of particular memories? Please share! :)

The thought behind this blog was to share my Top 10 Quotes on Pinterest that I Love.
Obviously, I'm aware there are millions more that I probably would like, maybe even more, than the ones I have listed here. These are just my top 10 from the ones that are currently pinned on my Quotables board. Here goes!

(These are in no order... I'm not that OCD.. ahem.)

1. The below image is kind of what brought on this whole post.... I just love that something like this can make such an impact on your day. :)



2. Seriously, this makes me smile so much. I love this. Hold your head high, have your dignity and keep your cool. You are what matters, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.



3. As you can, hopefully, tell... my mom and I were very close. She was my best friend. I said goodbye to her in 2009 and it was THE worst experience of my life. I would not wish this kind of heartbreak on my mortal enemy, if I had one.

4. This quote has been everywhere with me. I have a magnet of it on my fridge, and it thumbtacked to my cube at work. It has provided me so much comfort. I know it by heart. I love it.


5. This one is haunting. I love it. I wish it had punctuation because I'm not gonna lie, it took me a while. But I do really love this. The people you love become just as much a part of you as any part of you is. Chew on that.




6. This speaks volumes. I'm not going to talk about it. Just read it. And live it.



7. This makes me happy because it's just true. :)



8. I have to tell myself this one a lot, too. My mom used to tell me that just because nothing "exciting" or "new" happened, doesn't mean I had a bad day. She would get so upset when she asked how my day was and I said "boring" or "bad"... she would tell me that if something new! and exciting! happened to me every single day of my life, I would get so overwhelmed and wish for nothing to happen! I agree with that now... even if some days I wish weren't so boring. ;) I'm a work in progress.

9.  This one rings true for me because I have such a hard time letting things go. Even some of the more ridiculous things that shouldn't bother me so much. But how can I grow and move on if I keep letting little things trip me up?



10. And finally, paraphrasing my friend Cayse... life does not need to be taken so seriously! There ought to be more dancing. Especially awkward white girl dancing in a family full of Puerto Ricans. Is there any other way?!

10 Things I Love.... about Autumn

So I guess it's officially October, but seriously, wasn't it just September yesterday? How is October already a week gone? I swear, time flies when you don't have time to breathe.

I think I am also having a hard time with the idea of it being Autumn, because we've been having 80+ degree weather here in St. Louis. We've had perfectly blue skies, which is great, but I don't want to have to peel off my sweater when I get in my car after work. I want to wish I had more layers on!

COME ON!

I decided to get in the mood for Autumn by sharing my top 10 things I love about this wonderful season. Now, if only it would GET HERE ALREADY! :)