Monday, April 29, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
I'm still alive, sort of...!
I still have seven more work days until my first day off for the month of April. If I haven't responded to your emails, I apologize in advance!
Currently, my hair looks like this (see image below)! This is my "I am really tired/exhausted" hair style that I have been sporting most evenings. Sexy, I know!
Currently, my hair looks like this (see image below)! This is my "I am really tired/exhausted" hair style that I have been sporting most evenings. Sexy, I know!
I will probably be somewhat MIA for the next few days ... Elle & I have a special surprise that we are working on right. If all goes as planned, it will be launched on Wednesday! Eeeek, time is running out!
Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Guest Post ... Elle from My Dearest Friend.
Hello everyone! My name is Elle and you lovely webmistress has graciously allowed me to write a quick little blogger highlight so that you all can get to know me and my blog! Now, if you'll recall, Chelsea and I were partnered up for the Bigs and Littles Network, and she was so sweet, kind, and supportive. I honestly learned so many amazing little blogger tips that I hadn't even thought about or considered before meeting her. And even though our partnership for the network has finished, we still email back and forth every week which I love! So, when she proposed writing a blogger highlight, I felt so touched and excited. I hope you all enjoy!
1. I LOVE Chatelaine magazine. Love. Love. If you have never heard of Chatelaine, it is a Canadian lifestyle magazine that I had always thought was geared toward a mature woman, but let me tell you... Chatelaine has changes so much. It's been modernized and stylized to perfection so that it appeals to a younger audience like myself. They are currently celebrating their 85th anniversary!
2. I collect tins! It started off with that olive green tea tin you see in the picture above and it has slowly grown to contain a variety of vintage tea tins. That tin in particular is from the 1870s England! Now, I really love doing research on where the tea tins were from and what was going on in history during that time. It's a fun hobby!
3. Style! I love it. Love. It. It is the majority of what I blog about, so it helps, haha. I specifically love street style. I am so inspired by seeing how other girls style certain pieces in their wardrobe and finding an affordable option that I can rock. Most recently I've started writing a feature on Style Clashes, looking at how different styles, that should clash, actually work beautifully together! You can check out the first post here!
4. Should I be ashamed to say it's one of my favourite things to do? No! Haha, I love imagining things, new creations for the blog, dreaming up things for my shop (coming soon!), writing stories in my spare time, sketching, thinking up design and home decor ideas.... it goes on as I'm sure you all can relate to. I love using creativity as much as I can which led me to create the Dear Parcels Monthly Swap on my blog! It's a really great way to promote blogs, meet some wonderful new friends, AND get creative with cool monthly prompts! I'm so excited about it.
5. I make silly faces... A LOT. It's just apart of my quirk personality. I love smiling and laughing, so if I can make others laugh and smile it feels so amazing. And so I make faces randomly, haha.
Alrighty, I hope you all enjoyed learning a little more about me! I would love to get to know each and every single one of you so feel free to shoot me an email or visit me over at My Dearest Friend! I'm always looking for guest bloggers so if you've been looking to give it a try, please email me! If you like to sign up for the Dear Parcels May Swap click here! I hope you're all having a lovely week!
Thanks Elle for taking over my blog today!!
I hope you all take a few minutes to check out Elle's lovely blog, My Dearest Friend!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Wanderlust: Retreats & Resorts.
All this work and no play is really making me want to go on vacation to some place tropical where I can relax. Looking that these four images above doesn't make this urge any easier.
The last vacation I took was to Hawaii with my family back in 2008. I think I am a little over due for one! As much as I would love to go away, we have a busy summer coming up, so I know it wont happen.
This December, I am also going to be thirty years-old. Eeeek I know! Part of me would love to go away and do something special for it. My boyfriend will also be turning thirty about a month after I do, so I was thinking that going away sometime in between would be perfect. If all works out, I would really love to go back to Hawaii. Maybe even ring in the new year there.
* Boyfriend, if you are reading this post ... hint hint! *
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
You're Getting By.
I was recently contacted by the folks at Happify. The idea behind the website is that they are turning the latest innovations in the science of happiness into fun activities and games that help you lead a more fulfilling life.
Overall, I consider myself a "happy" person, but over the past few months, I have been feeling that I could be a lot happier than I am. Tonight, I took this quiz/assessment about my happiness. I received a score of 54.
Along with the score was this note:
Along with the score was this note:
You're Getting By
... but you could be embracing life and living with more optimism, less stress, and more confidence on a regular basis.Yikes! This hit rather close to home because its 100% accurate.
If you're new'ish to my blog, at the end of December, I was finding myself very angry and frustrated all the time. I was also starting to curse like a sailor. It was bad, really bad. The largest reason for my behavior was because I was tired and not taking enough time for myself. In January, I decided it was time for some change. Step one -- stop going to bed super late. Going to bed at 1 or 2 am, then waking up 6 hours later doesn't work for me. Step two -- I bought a book about happiness: The Happiness Project. I am a slow reader, so I still have a few more chapters to read, but from what I have read, I absolutely love this book.
Part of my resolutions for 2013 is to leave a healthier and happier life. So, when I had the opportunity to be a pioneer of this great new website, I jumped on the opportunity. What have I got to loose? Nothing.
I only started using the website this week, but I am really looking forward to learning some life-changing habits to help me better embrace life, and to live my life with more optimism, less stress and a lot more confidence!
I only started using the website this week, but I am really looking forward to learning some life-changing habits to help me better embrace life, and to live my life with more optimism, less stress and a lot more confidence!
Monday, April 22, 2013
Weekly Wrap-Up.
I am a little tarty on my weekly wrap-up(s). Life has been very busy with work and not a lot interesting has been happening around here. I am on day twenty-one of working straight with no days off. I still have another twelve days to go. I am almost there!
Today while driving home, I almost got into a car accident. Thankfully, I didn't. I was in the right-hand lane and the vehicle in font of me went to parallel park, so I decided I would change lanes. I checked my mirror and did a shoulder check, no vehicle so I signaled and started to go into the left-hand lane. Next thing I knew this car went speeding past me - what the heck! I am pretty sure he didn't want to slow down for me, so instead he sped up and went for it. Scared the crap out of me! I am grateful nothing bad happened.
Favorite Snapshots:
+ Found a few friends hanging around work today.
+ Random selfie of yours truly.
+ My favorite salad with some chicken, delicious!
+ Taking a photo of D trying to get a photo of Django.
Favorite Posts:
+ The Truth about Being a Introvert via By The Porchlight
+ 3 Creative Blog Post Ideas via Life Unsweetened.
+ Tools of the Trade via Being Ashley.
Recipes I Pinned/Want to Try:
+ Chicken Parmesan Manicotti via Six Sister's Stuff.
+ Salted Skinny Brownies via ABpetite.
+ Twice Baked Potatoes via This Gal Cooks.
Weekly Dinner Menu:
+ Monday: Pesto Pasta & Salad.
+ Tuesday: Chicken Parmesan + Salad.
+ Wednesday: Sushi.
+ Thursday: Indian Food.
+ Friday: Leftovers - Indian Food.
+ Saturday: Leftovers - Indian Food.
+ Sunday: Green Salad & Chicken.
How was your week?
Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
3 Tricks: Hack Your iPhone.
If you're like me, I love learning new tricks about my iPhone. I stumbled upon these three tricks the other day from the Hack College website; they are aren't well known but they are pretty amazing!
1. Make a passcode on your iPhone with as many numbers as you want.
2. Put your iPhone on airplane mode when waiting for it to charge. It will charge twice as fast.
3. Set custom vibration patterns on your phone.
They go into more details about these tricks on their YouTube video and on their website; you can view the video on their YouTube channel here, and/or on their website, here.
What's your favorite trick out of the three? Mine is definitely # 2 -- I am always playing around with my iPhone, so I can blast through the battery life pretty quickly in a few hours. I am also too cheap/lazy to go buy a second charger for my vehicle or at work, so I always have to rely on charging my phone when I get home. Sometimes I am not home for very long before going out again, so this trick will be a HUGE help for me!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Small Sponsor Spotlight.
Looking to find some new blogs to follow? Today's post is dedicated to my small sponsors who have been hanging out on my sidebar! Take a minute or two, or even three and check these seven lovely ladies below!
"Heeey there, I'm Lacey. I love anything turquoise and a sunny day. I know too much about pop culture and eat popcorn daily. I'm an environmental software sales woman by day and a professional Bravo TV expert by night. I do not enjoy scary movies or my food touching. I prefer autobiographies and plane rides. I love chunky jewelry and chips + dip. Stop by and catch me posting about my fashion, food, travels.. My favorite day of the week is my Mean Muggin' Wednesday outfits where I keep it extra classy with mirror pics I'm sure you'd enjoy. "
Blog // Bloglovin' // Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest // Twitter
Blog // Bloglovin' // Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest // Twitter
Blog // Bloglovin' // Pinterest // Twitter
"Hello there! I'm Meagan and I blog over at My Wandering Heart. On my blog, you will find my journey through the end of college, being a foster family, nursing school and my faith. I love to travel, I love the rain and I get weak in the knees for a good basketball game! My story is a little messy most days but I hope that you join me for encouragement & truth as I seek to have my wandering heart bound tightly to Jesus."
"My name is madeline and I blog over at My Name Is Madeline (creative, huh?). I started blogging my freshman year of college because I was tired of only being able to read other blogs, and wanted to put my interest in graphic design to good use. I still don't think I've found the perfect "tone" I want my blog to have, and it is certainly a work in progress. You're likely to find random thoughts of mine, Pinterest pass/fails, me rambling about my amazing boyfriend, potentially a few recipes, and a bunch of other random delightfulness. I hope you stop by, I love emails and blog friends so don't be afraid to say hello :)"
"I'm a twenty-something single girl living in Salt Lake City with a roommate, fur/scale babies, and a bunch of friends that come by often. I'm currently on a journey to become fit and part of that is hula-hooping which I love. I craft and sell things in my shop, blog both on My So-Called Chaos and on Health NOT to Health NUT, as well as co-manage a blog swapping blog. I also volunteer for a local animal rescue and once at drag-queen bingo where all the proceeds go to charity. I love my life and documenting it on my blog!"
Blog // Bloglovin' // Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest // Twitter
Friday, April 19, 2013
PicTapGo Picks - I got featured!
So beyond stoked that one of my photos got featured on the PicTapGo blog!!! Since this app came out, it has been my top favorite photo editing app. I rarely use any other photo editing app. Anyways ... if you don't already have it, you must look into getting it! It's truly amazing and well worth every penny spent! I wrote a quick blurb about my love for this app back in February, or you can visit their website to learn more.
Follow me on instagram @chelseadward.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
My Week via Instagram.
yum, yum, yum, I love apples //
impromptu photo of our feet //
trying to distract django while darcy attempts to get a photo of him //
close up of django, such a cute pup //
no barking, bin lane ... ha ha //
finally, sushi for dinner! so delicious //
apparently this photo i took is going to be featured on instagram, i can't wait!
Ooooh, last but not least ... I received some fantastic news the other day at one of my jobs. I received a raise because they are so impressed with the work i have been doing while my co-worker is away. So happy! Working my butt off this month has definitely been worth it.
Follow me on instagram @ chelseadward.
Today I'm linking up with:
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Guest Post ... Laurie from The Brotherton's.
Hey hey! I'm so excited Chelsea asked me to introduce myself to you. I'm Laurie Brotherton. My better half is Mitch. We have two fur babies, Kodi & Maggie. They fill our hearts with so much joy & take up most of our time. Now that spring is in full swing here, we can be found outside on the lake, grilling out or hiking the mountains of northern georgia, where we currently live.
I'm returning to school this fall to study photography. My cousin was in a fatal car wreck last month & ever since then I've realized what's truly important in life. That life is too short to be wasted on things other than your passion. So back to school for me & to say that I'm excited about it would be an understatement. I can't wait to learn more about the art of photography, lighting & poses. If you ask M, he would make a stab at my asian blood, & say something like "you're asian side comes out when you take pictures"or "you look like a tourist". Yeah, yeah, thanks babe. Yes, I love my camera & capturing whatever I can with it.
I'm no pro, please don't think that I know what I'm doing, cause I don't -- that's why I'm going back to school. But I have been asked what camera I use & my shooting process {which flatters me greatly}.
I use a Canon Rebel T2i for all my pictures. I have no ill words for it. I love this camera. I hope in a couple years I'll be able to upgrade to a full frame camera like this beauty. I have the standard 18-55mm lens that I use rarely. My favorite lens to use is my 50mm lens. It has a low aperture, so it's great for indoor shooting & photos of products. Because my fantasies aren't real & there isn't a photographer that follows us around, whenever M & I take pictures we have to use a tripod. We probably use this 90% of the time for our picture a day project. I have a camera bag insert that fits perfect in all of my medium to large purses.
From experience {& as a reminder I'm not a pro. these are tips from my personal past experiences} the more natural lighting the better. Natural light gives off a cleaner light that looks fresh & things don't turn out yellow. Take lots of pictures. As a kid I played basketball. My dad coached me for a few years & he always told me to take lots of shots. Even if I missed most of them, the more I took the more likely I'd score. So I carried that over to picture taking -- the more you take, the more likely there's going to be a goood one. So be sure to take your camera with you when you leave the house. Don't be afraid to pull it out anywhere. Be prepared to be disappointed. Once I wrote all the things I thought I needed to know to capture those breathtaking photos on an index card & carried it around with me. I changed all my settings to the "correct" points but nothing turned out like they were supposed to. Let's say I was bummed. But that leads me to my next point -- learn what works for you. I've yet to master my camera, but what I do know how use properly, I use that as an advantage. & most importantly, find your theme. If you find someone's pictures you like, you may notice all their pictures have a similar feel to them. This is something I'm still working on. It's not something you can establish other night & I hope as I continue to learn I'll be able to find my niche.
Thank you so much Chelsea for asking to share with your readers. I hope this was helpful to many. I'd love to meet you, so please stop by & say hello!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Recipe // Breakfast Smoothie.
Oatmeal + triple berry smoothie = absolutely delicious! For a quick breakfast in the morning, I have been making a lot of these breakfast smoothies. Another great thing is that these smoothies are full of healthy things, and let's face it, we all need some healthiness in our lives! I have been playing around with my recipe lately, mixing up a few different recipes that I have found.
Ingredients
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1 tsp flax seeds
1 cup mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries)
1 cup ice
1 cup milk
Directions
1. Place quick oats and flax seeds in a dry blender. Blend until oats are ground into a fine powder. This step is a must!!
2. Add the yogurt, ice, mixed berries and milk.
3. Cover and blend until smooth and creamy.
To mix things up a bit this morning, I added 1/2 cup of spinach to my smoothie. I was hesitant about the first few spoonful's, but once I got over the idea of having spinach in my smoothie, it was actually really good. To be honest, I couldn't really taste it, and neither could my boyfriend. To sweeten it up, I also added a spoonful of honey.
What's your favorite type of smoothie?
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Medium + Large Sponsor Spotlight.
I have been really lucky have met some pretty incredible ladies through this little blog of mine. Today's post is all about them, so, you know the drill -- take a minute, or two, or even three and go check out these nine fabulous ladies below!
"Hey y'all, I'm Gayle, and I write over at Grace for Gayle. I live in Dallas with my two dogs and two cats. I love peanut butter, animal memes, chips and salsa, scary movies, working out, borrowing people's kids, but most of all I love Jesus. I blog about all of the before-mentioned, and more, so come join me!"
"I'm a 20-something college student, working on my degree is Communications and Journalism. I love writing, photography, and skipping through the park singing (off-key) at the top of my lungs - and that definitely shows on my blog. Good Day Sunshine is a collection of essays, stories, and photographs inspired by life, The Beatles, and the beautiful sunshine."
"Hi Im Ashley and I blog over at Wannabe Green! I'm a stay at home mom with three beautiful girls, a wonderful husband, and the sweetest and most destructive little puppy ever. I love to craft, run, read, and find new and exciting ways to be healthier and live longer. My hope is that I might inspire you to get off the couch and do something FUN!"
"I tell stories. About me. My life. My faith. About being a mother. A wife. A friend. In no particular order."
"My name is Lauren, some call me Lo. I blog about my personal style, fashion trends, D.I.Y's, and my Etsy shop Mintgem!
One weird thing about me is I have a strange obsession with the TV show Storage Wars, and secretly wish I could be on it."
"I'm a girl with a big head who really likes cats. I eat too much candy and I like to write about my life in the hope that you like to read about it, so stop by and join the party!"
"I'm Laurie Brotherton. M is my better half, we have two fur-babies, Kodi & Maggie. & together we are the The Brotherton's. I occasionally bite M & he hates it! To learn more weird & random things about us, stop by our blog. I'd love to meet you :) "
"Hi Life Unpublished readers! My name is Britta and my blog is The Boots Parade. Over there you'll see posts all about my life in Costa Rica! I write about my life as an English teacher, my life in this country, my adorable puppy Rocco, and all the little adventures I have as an expat. I hope you will come by and say hello!"
"Hey, I'm Jess. I blog over at Some Snapshots, a lifestyle blog made up of snapshots into my life. I`m a little obsessed with photography, travel, all things chocolate & ice cream related and (I admit) my cat. What’s weird about me? I gave up my last stable, full time job so I could travel the world!"
Friday, April 12, 2013
My Week via Instagram.
love, love, love my handsome dog //
some crazy clouds the other day //
i love taking photos of all the cherry blossoms //
clouds, upside down //
looking down, at my feet while out for a walk //
apparently i like to take photos of trees
Some of these photos I took for the #fmsphotoaday challenge. I also recently discovered the #projectlife35 photo challenge which I am loving.
Follow me on instagram @ chelseadward.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
I am a bit (okay, a lot!) behind on reading a lot of the blogs I follow via bloglovin', and as I begin to read through all these unread posts this evening, I have been picking up on a lot of negativity that has been going on in blog-land. To be honest, I really haven't a clue what has gone down, and I would like to keep it that way.
What I do know is that Erin's post yesterday inspired me, so I thought I would play along. Plus I don't always share that much personal information about myself and my life on my blog, so I thought this would be a great opportunity!
+ I have never cheated on a significant other.
+ I have never smoked a cigarette and have never done any drugs.
+ I have never done anything illegal.
+ I am always putting the ones I love before myself.
+ I am very reliable and always follow through with my promises.
The Bad
+ I have an addiction to soda pop, specifically coke.
+ I am an over-thinker. It's not a good thing and often gets me into too much trouble!
+ I have a short-term memory. Unless you have my undivided attention, I will forget.
+ I am very lazy with any form of exercise.
+ I don't eat as healthy as I could/should.
The Ugly
+ I don't shower every day. I do shower every other day.
+ I will sometimes wear the same pair of socks twice.
+ I sometimes self-injure myself when I am very stressed out. Nothing serious.
+ I curse way too much other other drivers. Most of the time they deserve it.
+ I have zero patience for bicycles on the road. I say that because they DO NOT follow the rules of the road.
In a nutshell, that is me ... the god, the bad, and the ugly! Coming up with this list was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. It honestly took me over an hour to write all of this. Anyways, I challenge you to do the same and link up with Erin!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Giveaway & a Blog Hop!
First things first ... have you entered the group giveaway over at All My Happy Endings?! If you haven't, you should head on over to Mandi's blog because she has put together yet another fabulous group giveaway for all of her readers/followers! Oh, and I happen to be participating and I am giving away 2 months of large ad space!
What are you waiting for? Go enter!
Last but not least ... Life Unpublished is the featured blog over at This Girl's Life Weekly Wednesday Blog Hop. If you want to make some new bloggy friend, then you should definitely link-up with this blog hop! Thanks Melissa for the feature!
Monday, April 8, 2013
New look...!
Notice anything different on the blog?
Maybe a new header image, welcome image, widget boxes, and link colors! I decided tonight that I would play around with a new header design (again!) and one thing led to another....
I think I am liking these changes though -- hopefully they will stick around for longer than a month. Anways, with it being spring, its the perfect opportunity to do some spring cleaning on the blog. I still want to clean up a few of my pages, and maybe redo my blog button, but will I save that for another night.
What do you think of the new'ish design? Yay or Nay?
Today I am linking up with:
Weekly Wrap-Up.
Work, work and some more work ... that is how I spent my weekend. For the most part, my work weekend was fairly uneventful. The best part was walking into my office Sunday morning and finding a large gift bag full of cookies and bottles of wine. While I knew the bag wasn't for me, I was determined to score myself a few cookies. When the rightful owner of the bag showed up, I told him there was a fee for holding onto his gift bag and ended up with one of the small bags full of cookies. SWEET! They were delicious and didn't last very long.
Favorite Snapshot:
Favorite Snapshot:
+ Came home after work on Sunday to find some cool clouds across the ocean.
Favorite Posts:
+ Aerial Abs: Side Plank Push-Up by Silly Grrrl.
+ Ab Workout by Shine or Set.
Recipes I Pinned/Want to try:
+ Quick Skillet Potatoes by Katherines Corner.
+ Coriander Chicken Kebabs by Cooking Classy.
+ Skinny Lasagna by ABpetite.
+ Palo Pulled Pork Pizza by Popular Palo.
+ Gourmet Grilled Cheese by Rouge & Whimsy.
Weekly Dinner Menu:
+ Monday: Chicken, potatoes and salad.
+ Tuesday: Sushi.
+ Wednesday: Leftovers - Roast Beef, roast beef and yorkshire pudding.
+ Thursday: A&W hamburger and fries.
+ Friday: Chicken Alfredo Pasta.
+ Saturday: Leftovers - Chicken Alfredo Pasta.
+ Sunday: Leftovers - Chicken Alfredo Pasta.
Hope you all had a great weekend!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Friday's Letters.
Dear friday, I am so happy that you are here. Only two more days of work, then I get to start week number 2 of working seven days/week. Dear raincouver, I do not like this rainy weather! Last weekend was so beautiful, I even got to wear shorts and sandals, and now ... rain, rain and more rain. Dear chiropractor, ouch! I feel much better having my bones put back into place, but the headache I get afterwards, ughhh. Last night I went to bed at 9:30 pm because my head and body hurt too much. Dear myself, you need to keep going to bed early so that you don't get over exhausted with this crazy work schedule. Yes that means going to bed every night, before 10:00 pm! Dear eyesight, I am a little disappointed that you have gotten worse. Now I have to go and buy new glasses and sunglasses -- lame!!! Dear taxes, ohh I wish I could keep putting you off, but I am determined to submit you this weekend so that I can get some money back. Maybe I will put it towards the new lenses I need. Dear new followers, thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and follow my blog! I promise I will reply to all of your comments, it may take me a day or two because of my crazy work schedule right now. Dear coca-cola, I don't know what I would do without you right now. My employer has noticed that I work so much better in the afternoons after having a can of you that they have offered to buy me a case for this month. Oh dear!
Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! See ya on Monday!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
This or That: Pink Dress.
The boyfriend's brother is getting married this summer and I have yet to decide what style of dress I want to wear. I honestly haven't been to many weddings, so I really have no idea what dress would be more appropriate? The wedding is at the end of July, so I still have lots of time to decide, but I don't want to leave it to the last minute. Part of me would love a simple black dress, but I think a pink dress would be more fun?!
Suggestions? Thoughts?
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The Bloglovin Collective - Blog Hop!
There are many out there in Blogland like it, but this is THE Bloglovin' hop you do not want to miss.
YOUR HOST:
Bre @ Peacoats & Plaid
CO-HOSTS:
April @ Hearts on Guard
Ashley @ Horseshoes and Pearls
Mariely @ Sensational Creations
Harley & Jane @ Harley and Jane
Lauren @ The Albrechts Blog
Chelsea @ Life Unpublished
Tara @ Penniless Socialite
**Co-hosting slots are filled until May 16th**
Send me an email at peacoatsnplaid(at)gmail(dot)com if you want to get on the list
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)