Be a Lady

I'm a bit of a half-breed, as my boyfriend so lovingly puts it. I am the daughter of a strong, sincere, loving Southern woman and a well-educated, kind, Yankee gentlemen. To put it simply, I was raised to be a lady. And while I have not always been as ladylike as my parents may have liked, I realize it has been instilled in me enough that it's exactly what I (now) genuinely strive to be.
During my recovery yesterday after working the night to am shift, I came across this darling Tumblr and almost every post sounded like my mother, and father (I can't tell you how many times growing up that I heard "Brittany Taylor! That's not very lady-like." haha Don't fret- it was mostly in reference to a burp worthy of a trucker and a mouth worthy of a sailor).
I wanted to share with y'all some of my favorite "instructions" (now, there are a lot, and I've heard most of them before, but it never hurts to be reminded- and it was nice to see these things again. I have quite the amazing parents).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I firmly believe we should constantly grow, work on, develop, and better ourselves. And these are certainly a great guide to continue to improve one's self.

Night Owl

So I just woke up about an hour ago, bringing my hours of sleep total to a whopping four and half. I worked the night owl shift last night and therefore, I don't have a whole lot of inspiration for a post today. I have a load of things I'd love to share, but can't seem to organize my thoughts enough to choose just one of my current obsessions with necklaces, lace, cropped jackets, jogging, our garden, dresses, finding a sectional upstairs that will create a new space for my office, finally having finished the closet, espadrille wedges, starting a new business adventure with the boyfriend, keeping up with Duke, etc, etc, etc...
So for now, I'll let you know I'm awake, drinking a large glass of coffee and am a bit

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But I'm workin on it.

Have a beautiful day!

Monday Motivation

Keeping it simple today!

I try to re-read this as often as I can. And make an effort to do as many things on this list of instructions as I can. Do the same and have a great week!

TGIF

It's Friday y'all! Time to do some grocery shopping then I think Duke and I might take a drive and a walk somewhere. It's absolutely beautiful here! So we're gonna get out and enjoy this weather! And maybe do some swimmin!

Happy

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Confidence (and lack of sleep)

Last night, we had one of, if not the worst storms I've ever experienced my whole entire life. I'm sure it seemed worse because it was dark, but I don't recall ever seeing so much lightning, and long lightning-it was freaky. (At one point, I ran to the bathroom with my eyes closed.) And it didn't seem to cool down from the 80 degrees we had all day. It was humid, loud, scary- we might as well have been in the deep south (ha jk, mom). Needless to say, the boyfriend and I got about 2-3 hours of sleep. (I'm pretty sure Duke slept like a baby because he's just full of energy this morning). I, however, went back to sleep after the boyfriend left for work (bless his heart) and woke up at 9:30am- I do remember looking at the clock and saying "No it isn't." which seems to be my new thing- I also said it when I saw a snake on the front porch yesterday. PS- How's that for terrible luck?! My two least favorite things, snakes and thunderstorms at night, in the same day! Sheesh.
Anyways! I came across this quote this morning while relaxing that describes what I feel like I'm going through these days and wanted to share it with y'all.

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In moving back to PA, graduating from college, getting a promotion, moving into a real house with my boyfriend, buying my first car, getting a dog, etc, etc. I'm finding more and more out about myself. Things I like, admire, want to be, things I hate, people I look up do, characteristics in myself I never knew I had, characteristics in others I do not want, how I conduct myself in certain situations, how to love the present, where I think I want to go, how I can get there, and what to do in the meantime. While it's mostly scary, it's also very exciting. The boyfriend and I have come a long a way and have many things to look forward to. And these things are helping me shape just who I am, and want to be. And with that, comes confidence- something I severely lacked in the past (although you might not know it from the way I talked ha). And I think that comes from not really knowing who I was. I was always comparing myself to others and seeing what (I thought) I lacked, instead of seeing what great qualities I did have, and those that I was developing. I also think it had a lot to do with what I was doing. Not a lot of admirable things. Nowadays though, I've accomplished a lot (quite a bit more than a lot of people my age, and even some older than me). And I've surrounded myself with the right people (unlike in the past- not everyone was bad! And those that were good have stuck with me.) I have quite the support group. It may be small but it's all that I need and I couldn't be more thankful (quality over quantity, I've found). Which not only feels good, but is teaching me who I am. And who I am becoming. So while I try on different lives, I can be sure of how I will be during these "fittings" because I can be sure of myself. Don't get me wrong- I have my moments/days when I'm constantly questioning myself. But I'm growing up and working towards being a better me, and it (finally) feels pretty dang good.

And this is what happens when your sleep schedule gets a little wanky! :)

Front Porch

I'm hoping to be able to take Duke to the beach later today, weather permitting. But, if it rains/storms like it's supposed to, I'd love to let him play outside anyways, without either of us getting soaked. This is when our covered patio in the back with come in handy, but our porches (that's right; we have more than one) should work for now. I do wish we had some better seating... and maybe lighting so we could sit out there in the evenings... here's what I'm going dreaming for.

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 I love, love, love Southern porches. With their classic white rocking chairs, swinging chair (which reminds me of swinging on my grandpas porch) and those ferns - I have ferns on both porches and there are baby birds in one of them!

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 I could sleep out here! Those look so comfy!

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 Not only do I adore this porch, I love this style of home. Definitely on my future house checklist.

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 How 'boat those headrests and lights?!

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 This is just ridiculous. And what I hope our backroom turns into when we rip it off.

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 I really think we need some ceiling fans on the porch now.

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This railing is so neat- we saw it on This Old House. It's made specifically for waterfront properties, with the wind and whatnot. Wouldn't mind this view either!

Keep your fingers crossed for Duke and the beach (I'm sure he'd have his crossed if he knew what was at stake...and if he had fingers.)

Who wears short shorts?

Not me, but I'd love to get some shorts! Not any crazy booty-shorts, but something a little cooler for summer. Jeans get a little old-I've been wearing em all winter! And I've lost ten pounds so far! I'm ecstatic and so glad the boyfriend decided to get a scale to track and encourage the whole process. I've been eating four to five smaller meals a day and don't find myself nearly as hungry as I normally did... except when I work late nights, then everything pretty much hits the fan, including my morning workouts, which were nonexistent last week. I just couldn't get my body to wake up enough to go out for a jog. Luckily, the boyfriend took Duke to the farm so he certainly didn't miss out on any exercise. Hopefully my semi-back-to-normal schedule this week will allow me to get back outside. Here are some inspirations I've collected over the past couple years, dreaming of when I would be this close to getting back to a healthy weight.

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 How cute are these with heels!?

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 Love this sweater; always show one or the other- arms or legs, never both.

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 I'll take this shirt (a little longer though) and that tan. Thanks.

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 Love the different colors of shorts, as well as this scarf and those wedges! 

(Looks like NM too...)

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 These are a bit short for me, but I like the belt and shirt.

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 This is a much better length and quite a bit swankier!

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 Love this shirt too!

Just a few more pounds to go!

Monday Motivation

I'm finding that the more I smile, the better I feel. And not just because I have a great smile (I know how much that cost, dad! I appreciate it!). Smiling at other people and getting a smile in return makes everyone involved feel good! And seeing yourself smile triggers certain things in your brain that tricks it into thinking you're happy.) So even when things are rough or getting you down, don't show it! Smile your way through it, and sooner than later, you'll forget why you weren't in a fantastic mood.

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And if that doesn't work, get the Nutella.

Maxi Dress/Skirt

Here's the latest thing I'm into and need want to get one or two of for the summer; the maxi dress/skirt! So cute, so versatile and so comfy. And apparently, so easy to make (included are some DIY links!)

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 Love this gal, and the simplicity of this whole outfit, colors and all.

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 This is so effortless paired with a basic white tank top.

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 I'm also really getting into jean jackets (and kicking myself for getting rid of the one I had in high school!)

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 Love this gal too, and her comfy airport style!

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 Throw a big chunky belt into the mix, and you've got a fancy, and more fitted maxi dress!

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Love the blue and white and beautiful pattern. So beachy!