Hammock Envy

The wind here has picked up quite a bit- it's blowing in some storm, that's apparently supposed to bring snow tonight. But you wouldn't know it with how gorgeous the weather's been all morning. Duke and I were able to go for an hour long jog, followed by him hogging the couch and sleeping the rest of the morning away. All I want to do now is take a nice, long nap on a hammock we don't have. Today (maybe with some warmer temps) would be the perfect day for it. Instead, I guess I'll dream about it, and try to get Duke to share the couch with me.

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Happy Napping!

Monday Motivation

Yesterday, I learned something about myself. I have higher expectations for my life than I realized. And I am not meeting (some of) those expectations. Which makes me...angry, sad? A little bit of both? But what to do? How do I fix it, this void I've created (and ignored)?

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Make what I'm thinking and saying be what I'm doing.
I had a bit of an immature moment and forgot to be thankful for what I have and do. But that doesn't mean we have to settle and be stuck. Works towards something. Always.

Flats

While shoe shopping (more like window shopping) the other morning, I found Old Navy's new line of spring and summer shoes. Oh. My. Goodness. It's like they heard me talking about wanting/needing some flats and said, "Okay. We got this."
So many options. And they can all be worn to work, as well as other places and functions (the neutral colors are because they have to go with my work uniform which consists of brown, khaki and traffic cone orange).
Here's what I've got my eyes (and, hopefully, soon to be feet) on.

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The Farmhouse Bed

So sorry these took so long to get on here, but with both of us going back to work, it was hard to find time during the day to get it in the right light, not to mention the gross weather we'd been having last week. I finally caught some sunshine and here it is! The boyfriend basically did all of the work. I helped stain but after I dropped the headboard (!), I pretty much wasn't needed for that kind of help any more.
I can't believe we made our own bed! And I couldn't be happier. The grand total was a whopping $147. Total. Including the two cans of stain we bought (that's two coats, and a primer, and a seal on top-phew!). I only wish we'd made three or four more, so we could sell them! haha Just kidding- I think I've exhausted the furniture building gene of the boyfriend for this year. We'll see what we can get out of him next year. :) Until then, I can enjoy sleeping in this beautiful, handmade, masterpiece.

Monday Motivation

Sometimes, things don't go quite the way we planned, or how we thought they would, or how we think they should. But like my mother said, "that's life". Instead of trying to figure out why people are the way they are, or why things have turned out like they have, or why things aren't exactly how you originally dreamed they would be, use these things to your advantage. Learn from others mistakes and how they treat you. Don't take it personally, take it to heart and remember. There will be a time in the future, and it may be in the near future, it may be years from now, that these experiences and trials and tribulations will help, not hurt us. Just be patient, and use it, when the time comes.

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And don't worry about what other people are doing or have (or say they're doing and have). Focus on what you want, and already have, and will have.

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Live your life, to the best of your abilities. Work hard and treat people fairly. It will all work out and the seeds you've sown will flower,

 in due time.

Coastal Living

So I found a Tumblr the other day that made me daydream about living on the beach. I've always wanted to be near the water, same goes for the boyfriend, and I think someday, we'll more than likely end up there, for however long. There are just so many appealing things about living somewhere with waves and sunshine. Sigh. Someday.

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 We could live somewhere like this...

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Or this...

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 Or somewhere like this with a cute little shop downstairs!...

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 And we could eat food like this...

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And this...

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And we could go on road trips and picnics by the sea with Duke like this...

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And I could dress like this...

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And eat my lunches outside on the deck like this...

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And this would be my new mantra...

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And we could dress up the baby like this... (haha I'm totally kidding, but this was too cute not to throw in).

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And we could finally get a working boat...

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And I would ride on the boat like this...

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And we'd have steps from the backyard leading down to the beach like this...

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And we'd have a hammock on the porch for naps like this...

And life would be very good.

Someday...

Mani-Pedi time!

With the cold front that came in, also came one last opportunity to cover my man-feet with super cute boots. But now that spring is here and summer is right around the corner, it's time to make our fingers and toes presentable again. Which means nail polish! You may remember when I became infatuated with nail art, to an extent (some people have way to much time on their hands, haha no pun intended). I still have a few things I'd like to try, including polka dots and stripes! Here's some nail inspiration to get at least one part of ourselves ready for this warm weather!

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 How cute are these for working at a lake? So many color options too, or add glitter stripes!

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This is genius. I'm so doing this today.

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Can't beat the classic French manicure.

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 Simple heart on one nail for contrast.

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And here's how to do it!

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And finally, some pretty toes. 

Better go get started, while Duke's sleeping...

Sitting/Reading/Blogging Chair

So we've got a bit of wasted space in the living room that I would love to fill with one or two comfy chairs to take advantage of at the end of a long day. I've been looking for and finding inspiration for a while.
Here's what I've got in mind!

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 Love the length of this one- def enough room to put your legs up and curl up with a book. Or puppy.

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 The blue and white of this one are prefect for the decor and wall colors we already have.

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 Black and white stripes- can't beat this classic, and bold look.

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 I like the ottoman with this one, looks just as comfy as the chair.

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 I really like the low arms on this style of chair. And they gray of the two chairs is stunningly subtle.

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 Love the circular shape of this one.

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 Here's where my love of chairs and a half begins. Genius. Not quite a bulky as a loveseat, but offers enough seating, and room to spread out a bit.

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 Isn't this just calling your name for a nap?!

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 Again, with the low arms. I really liking that style.

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This one actually looks like a corner chair, which can work in space other than corners, and can act as a space definer, which is something we need to sort of close off the living room.

PS- Duke experienced his first thunderstorm while I was writing this. I actually had to stop for a bit because lighting struck so close (so brightly and SO loudly), we lost power and the town fire alarm immediately went off. Duke, however, loves the sound of the rain and wasn't phased at all. He cuddled up to me during the brunt of the storm, but is already back to playing. So brave. :)

Little chilly...

Our weather went from high 70s to 24 degrees last night and 40 degrees today. I'm wearing a turtleneck, for goodness sake. Not real impressed. Especially if anything happens to our brand new plants!
It's supposed to warm up tomorrow, and stay fairly warm the rest of the week. Guess we'll see.
Here's where I'd much rather be, reading some magazines, drinking something good.


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Monday Motivation

So the other morning, I had to run to a neighboring town 45 min away to do some errands. It was then that I really saw how much time I have in the morning during the week! Since the boyfriend has gone back to work and has to wake up at 6:30am, I have quite a bit of time to kill before I roll into work at 11am. With all that being said, I've decided to use this time more wisely then sitting around drinking four cups of coffee and go for jogs/walks at a park about 5 min from here! I went the other morning and felt amazing afterwards. And Duke loved it (wasn't too crazy about the leash, but really loved when we jogged-he ran the whole time!). I was focused all day at work, my legs had an incredible soreness and I stayed up later than I have in a loooong time. In the interest of losing weight in time for summer, I've also started trying to eat five smaller meals a day, instead of three huge ones. I'm also trying out meal replacement shakes for one of my extra two meals and fruit or veggies for the other. And I'm drinking 80 oz of water per day. Since last week, I lost two pounds. Which doesn't seem like much, but if I keep going at this rate, I'll be able to lose these 30 pounds I lazily gained in no time!
Here's some motivation to keep us going and healthy this week! (Sort of like last week's Motivation, but with our health in mind!)

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