Weekend Detox 101

This past weekend I hosted a bachelorette party for one of my good friends (recap coming soon!) To say it was one for the books, would be an understatement.

 

I had way too much junk food and just enough sun. Miraculously, I only gained like a pound, but now, my body hates me. Literally, I can feel a difference--and, believe me, it's not a good difference.

 

Here's what I'm doing to not reach for the cupcakes and detox after a very fun, but very bad for me weekend:
 

 

 

 

1. Drink Water. Like you didn't see that one coming. Line the water bottles up and knock them down, so to speak. Rehydrating yourself will make you feel 10x better and get things moving again. I've been guzzling about two-three water bottles during the work day (9AM-5PM) and then two during/after my workout. You won't regret trading your sugary soda with a water bottle!

 

2. Cut the sugar. All I did this weekend was eat junk--two cupcakes a day (I think I demolished a dozen cupcakes all by myself), plus chips and dip, and a variety of other processed foods. Add in the alcohol and it's a no wonder my body hates me. Sugar is in most every junk food and is arguably more addictive than drugs. If you can stay away from it or cut way back on it, you'll feel better in no time.
 

 

3. Get moving. Thank goodness a new session of FitCamp started this week otherwise, I'd become one with the couch. It's a fact: exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy and happy people just don't shoot their husbands get shit done and don't crave junk food. See a few tips for working out here and here.
 

 

4. Fruits + Vegetables. Eat better. I'm trying to incorporate "good for me" foods (whole grains, fruits, and yes, vegetables). And, I acutally signed up for a meal plan from the gym I currently attend and so far so good. The meals are portion and calorie controlled so I'm not overeating, yet still getting the nutrients I need. If you don't have meals to order, just be smart. Don't eat crap.

 

5. Baby Steps. If you're like me, the effects of the weekend will want to creep back into your routine. Don't let it. It's NOON on Monday and I'm craving a wedding cake cupcake something crazy, but instead of giving in, I drink water. It's mind over matter for a lot of it. But if you cave and get a Venti S'mores Frap from Starbucks, don't beat yourself up, but also don't chase it with a Big Mac. All things in moderation.

 

How do you get back on track after a weekend of fun (and junk)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birthday Wish List

My birthday is in 17 days! SEVENTEEN y'all. This is not a drill!  It really snuck up on me this year, but not too much that I didn't have time to make a list!

 

Here are a few things I'm asking for this year (along with contributions to my savings accounts #grownupprobs):

1. Ever since I started working out and going to FitCamp regularly, I've been noticing that 1.) I'm getting stronger and leaner and 2.) that I'm running out of workout clothes! I'm obsessed with this Nike Pro Spandex (I already have a pair in neon yellow!)

2. S'well Water Bottle. If you haven't heard about these or didn't see my Instagram post, they are amazing. They are designed to keep cold beverages cold for 24 hours and hot beverages hot for 12 hours.

I put ice water in the mini bottle that I have an hour before I drove an hour to work out for an hour (that's a lot of hours for those keeping up) and it still had ice in it (like a lot of ice). The next day, it still had ice in it because I forgot to empty it! So now, obviously, I want a big one! Totally crushing on all of these bright colors--I can't decide between Birds of Paradise or Monaco Blue!

3. This candle from Anthropologie--y'all it smells divine!

4. Konfetti Shorts. This boutique has been on my radar for months! How adorable are these Mai Tai Pom Pom shorts!?

5. Lilly Pulitzer Michelina Mini Skort in Feeling Tanked. I love love love the one I have in Red Right Return!

 

6. Starbucks. Maybe it's the lack of sleep talking, but I really need some Starbucks. It's basically a morning ritual at this point!

 

7. Kendra Scott earrings. I do not own one piece of Kendra Scott--shocking I know. Am I even a real blogger? I've been lusting after these gorgeous earrings for some time now and I'm already dreaming of all the outfits I'd pair these beauties with.

 

8. FitBit Flex. I currently have the Nike Fuel band, but it's on it's last leg. My mom has the Flex and Josh has the Charge. I'm leaning towards the Flex just because you can customize the colors (the Charge only comes in like black, mauve, or blue). Opinions? Personal experiences?

 

 

I've made it easy this year for my family, this year the list includes pictures #bloggerprobs! And if you aren't into giving gifts, don't worry I always like gift cards or cold hard cash :)
   

Dog Days of Summer

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.  We (Laney and I) received the Kong toy to review as part of Chewy.com's blogger review program.  Since Laney has yet to learn how to write, I am reviewing on her behalf. As always, all opinions and pictures are my own! (oh and Laney's) See Laney's other posts here and here !


It's only the third day of summer officially, but it's been in the 100s here for a while. So what happens when your fur child wants to play, but is the color of asphalt and absorbs the sun's heat so quickly that you're afraid she'll burst into flames or pass out from heat stroke?

Take the fun indoors, duh. 

The dog-child is a huge fan of any toy she can shake and shred (especially when you've freshly vacuumed). Most of the time it looks like it snowed indoors because of this habit. In fact, I was going to name this post "When your dog is actually a Velociraptor" Just kidding. Maybe.

So, when Chewy approached me to review this Kong toy--I thought "perfect, Laney will love it." The round part squeaks and we'll be able to play tug of war (me from the comfort of the couch). 

 

Laney is 40 lbs (30 if we don't over-feed her over the weekend) of pure excitement when she realizes she's getting some sort of treat/new toy. This one was no exception. 

The problem? She would rather play with the human part of the toy (the handle) rather than the  indestructible squeaky part. She almost cut through the rope before I even got the chance to photograph it! (Velociraptor)

Even though we didn't use it as intended, she still had lots of fun shaking and chewing up this particular toy. And since she hasn't completely destroyed it yet, I would say it lives up to the Kong name brand. It'll be a toy we bring everywhere (Nana and Pop's house, vacations, etc.)
 

P.S. Is anyone else's dog secretly a Velociraptor when it comes to chewing up toys at an alarming rate? Or is it just mine?

Officially Summer

Y'all it's summer. Like, officially. 

That means more pool days and it becoming increasingly more difficult to keep my hair straight during the day-- the heat and humidity in South Louisiana are nothing to take lightly. (P.S. that's why I wore my hair in it's "natural" state for this post)

In case you missed it, yesterday was the official start of summer and National Wear Your Lilly Day--but let's be real, every day is the perfect day to wear Lilly. And lately, I've been so obsessed with this skort!

 Shirt (similar here and here) || Skort || Jacks (similar here) || Watch (similar here) || Bracelets (similar here and here)

 

If Lilly isn't your thing, you can enter to win an Anthropologie gift card below!

-----------

And who couldn't use a shopping spree to Anthropologie right now? Luckily, I've teamed up with a wonderful group of gals to bring you a wonderful $75 Anthro giveaway.  Don't miss out, enter below.

Brought to you by: 

The Nashvillian | All The Joys | The Lady Lawyer

Mrs. Collier | Because I Said So | Hel on Heels | Alanna & Company

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond and claim their prize before a new winner will be selected. Entries will be verified, so please be honest. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Sorry, international friends!

Twenty Questions

I used to play this game with my family on long car rides.  I decided to modify it, so y'all can get to know me a little bit better.

If you don't know much about me already, read my about page and this post to find out the most random things about me. 

1.  DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yes, but I still wish it could be more like those that I see ALL over Pinterest.

2. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Honey Glazed Turkey/Ham from Hillshire Farms. It HAS to be from Hillshire. GO MEAT!



3. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Duh, I'm the coolest person ever. But really.

4. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
All the damn time. See #3

5. WOULD YOU EVER BUNGEE JUMP?
I actually almost did it over Memorial Day Weekend. One of these days!

6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Lucky Charms all the way.

7. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
I'm getting stronger thanks to the FitCamp classes I'm taking! Also, I don't want to brag or anything, but I set out ten 72" tables (the ones that seat 10 people) at work ALL by myself.

8. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their teeth. It's a braces thing.

9. RED OR PINK?
Both.

10. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I have the worst habit of picking at my nails when I'm nervous. It's why I can never have a good manicure!

11. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Not reading anything right now (any suggestions?), but currently almost done watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Season 2 on Netflix!


12. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Cerulean. Ever since I learned how to pronounce the color (thank you Devil Wears Prada) I've been kind of loving this color even more.

13. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Freshly mowed grass, new carpet, and the smells of the kitchen at work when they are getting ready for a party!

From Top Left: Mini Muffuletta, Andouille and Cheese Stuffed Pastry, Cajun Meat Pie with Garlic Aioli
From Bottom Left: Crab Cake with Remoulade Sauce, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Marinated Crab Claws

14. MOUNTAINS OR BEACH?
Mountains. I like the beach, but I don't LOVE (I got sunburned BAD last time I went). Although, I would LOVE to go to Hawaii because it has both!


15. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Football. (Go Steelers!) But I'll really watch anything that Josh watches and pretend to be interested.

16. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
NO! I could NEVER stick my finger in my eye lol I have had glasses, but I lost them and am due for a checkup at the eye doctor.

17. FAVORITE FOOD?
Mexican/Sushi/Pizza. And yes, I've had ALL three of those in one sitting. #biggirlgottaeat

18. SCARY MOVIE OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings. I'm a serious RomCom fanatic. I still get nightmares from all of the Paranormals and Insidious.

19. HUGS OR KISSES? 
Hugs THEN kisses.

20. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Both. I love to see snow when we go to Pittsburgh every year. But, I also love getting a tan and laying out by the pool.


So there you have it! 

In vs. Out

This week has been made possible by copious amounts of coffee followed by a Red Bull on most days. So, you could say, I'm ready for some R+R.

IN:

Everyone was so excited for the new season of OITNB to release early via Netflix, but my nerd-self was excited to start watching Season 2 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (which I did until about 3AM last night)

The NBA Finals. Ok so not really, I just want Golden State to win because I think Stephen Curry's daughter is the most adorable little girl ever!

There's exactly one month until my birthday!

OUT:

Not having pictures to post on Instagram during the week--I mean I can only post so many pictures of coffee!

It's literally the worst, when people use poor grammar. THEY'RE, THEIR, THERE have different meanings. Likewise, so do YOUR and YOU'RE. Also principle and principal (your school principal is your PAL) AND stationery and stationary (you use a pen when writing on stationery). #thegrammarpolice

ICYMI:

This AH-MAZE BALLS no bake cheesecake recipe from Monday will leave you wanting to make it every.single.weekend.

Need some motivation to work out? Look no further. I share what motivates me here.

Also, did you catch my interview with Emily from Ember Grey? I confessed that I give Laney a voice similar to Kronk from the Emperor's New Groove!

Now get me to 5PM STAT!

Staying Motivated When You Want To Quit

Working out is hard.

 

Working out when it's raining is harder.

  

Yesterday I just wasn't feeling the gym. At all. In all honesty, I wanted to pitch a fit and eat a tub of ice cream followed by wine.

 

Some Most days, the gym is not my friend. I always find some reason to talk myself out of it. But this time, I sucked it up and went anyway. And I'm glad I did.  I felt accomplished and strong, albeit a very sweaty. (side note: can your hair sweat, because mine so was)

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Have someone hold you accountable. I text Josh when I'm not feeling it and he'll usually respond with a "JUST DO IT" or "GET IT GIRL!" He never goes along with my whining.

 

 

2. Turn up the music! I blast upbeat music on my way to workout and jam out like a #badass--Similar to an athlete getting in the zone before a huge game.

 

 

3. Have a plan. Pack your workout clothes, write it on your calendar, pay for the membership yourself. Do what you have to do. You know what they say, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

 

 

4. Stop making excuses. As soon as you find one, you find ten others to go along with it. Been there done that. The whole "I'll just go tomorrow" trick never works. You likely won't go tomorrow. So, stop getting in the habit of making excuses. Also, rain is not an excuse unless your gym is outdoors or it's flooding and you can't drive there.


5. Go with a friend. When someone is physically holding you accountable because they are there too, helps tremendously. I know for me, if I know I'm going to see someone I know at the gym, it makes me that much more competitive and I get a better workout.

 

 

6. JUST DO IT! Typically, going to the gym takes an hour of your time, you can do it! There are worse things in life. I promise, you'll feel better if you don't cheat yourself.


What do you do to stay motivated?

 

 

No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

This weekend I crossed one of my "summer to dos" off of the list. I went blueberry picking! A lot of people have been asking what I'm going to be doing with all of the blueberries I picked (and believe me, there's a lot)--well, yesterday, I made cheesecake! Yep, you read that right.

 

This cheesecake was literally the easiest to make--I adapted the recipe from this one I found from Pinterest.

 

 

 

 

Here's what you'll need:

 

FOR THE CRUST:

1.5 cups of graham crackers (it's almost the whole box)

3/4 cups of butter, softened (which means not to the point where it's oily, but soft enough that you can stir it up)

4 Tablespoons of sugar

 

Crush up all of the graham crackers and mix in softened butter and sugar. Stir well. Press into a pie pan and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes. Cool completely. (I put mine in the refrigerator while I was making the filling)

 

FOR FILLING:

(2) 8 oz. packs of Cream Cheese

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 cup of heavy cream

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract (I used bourbon vanilla extract)

Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. It's really tough to mix, so use a mixer and put it on the highest setting. Here's where the multiple bowls come into play. In a separate bowl, mix together heavy cream and an additional 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar. Mix until peaks form. Add heavy cream/powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture and mix well.

 

Spoon your cheesecake mixture into the cooled crust and let it set in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. I'd leave it in longer to ensure it sets right and is the right firmness.

 

I made a fresh blueberry puree as a topping and OMG y'all it was the perfect touch. For the puree, just take fresh blueberries and blend. Add water to get the right consistency. Next time, I think I'll add the blueberry puree to the cheesecake mix!

 

 

TA DA! I really surprised myself by making this. I usually label myself as someone who cannot cook whatsoever. Seriously, don't let me near the kitchen (that one time I burned EasyMac)

 

But, I seriously felt like Julia Child when my family was ooing and ahhing over how delicious this cheesecake is! It's the perfect summer recipe and since it requires nothing more than blending and stirring, it's perfect for those who are not seasoned chefs.

In vs. Out

Happy happy Friday y'all. Yay for another weekend--just have to make it until 5PM and then the fun begins. This week I've been focusing on staying on track with my health goals, which is more time consuming than I thought it would be FYI.

Without further ado, here's what's in and out this week!

IN:

This. video. is. everything.

Making "real" turkey bacon. Y'all. This week, I successfully made bacon on the stove, in a pan. I usually make the kind that takes like twenty seconds in the microwave!

This roast recipe. I used to hate roast. It's just the most boring of meats. Seriously. But I had this baby cooking while I was at work the other (praying that I wasn't going to burn down my apartment) and y'all, it's not your mom's roast--sorry mom. I paired it with some garlic roasted new potatoes and viola--dinner, lunch, dinner again, and lunch again. Oh the perks of cooking for one.

Having my family come over to visit in the middle of the week to shop for gala dresses.

OUT:

Washing dishes. (out every week)  I've actually been cooking, in order to stay on track with my health goals, and ugh the dishes. Adding insult to injury, my dishwasher sucks and leaves residue so I have to hand-wash after.

Here's what you may have missed on Because I Said So this week:

I made some goals for the new month (blogging, financial, and health). I'm trying to stay away from sugar, grow my Instagram following, and stick to a budget. You can read more here.

I also made a list of all the things I want to do this summer. I'm planning on going blueberry picking this weekend before attending a gala #fancy

Summer To Do

It's June which means it's basically summer (even though technically, it's not until June 21st). And if we are REALLY being technical, it's been "summer" since late April here in the South. 

While I don't get the two months off for summer like I did when I was in school, I still like to make the most of my weekends. So, I made a list. Here are a few things I'd love to do this summer!

Go blueberry picking.

Learn to wake-board.

Go fishing with Joshua.

Beach Weekend.

Outdoor movie in the backyard.

Get a snoball from Papa Sam's. 

Rent bikes and go for a ride on the Trace.

Go to an outdoor concert.

What's on your to do list this summer?

Goals, Goals, All Types of Goals

Happy Monday and start of a new month! I'm more chipper today than I've been in awhile because...

...JOSH GOT A JOB! He starts his first day TODAY. It's been a long, tough road, but he's been such a trooper and is proof that hard work pays off. I'm so so proud of him and can't wait to see where this next chapter leads us. We joked this weekend that essentially, him getting this job is the start of the rest of our lives. Things are starting to fall into place and it's all very exciting!

 

Also, since it's the start of a new month (how is it already June), I've made some goals (blogging, health, money).

Blogging:

Increase Instagram followers. I love sharing my day to day life with all of my readers, so if you don't already, follow me on Instagram!

Overcome writer's block. Lately, I haven't been feeling all that inspired. I've been trying to slow down and really be present on the weekends instead of trying to come up with the next best thing to blog about. And that leaves me to not having anything to write about Monday-Friday. Planning in advance/taking the time to sit down and really think about what I want to write about should help with this.  (P.S. This post was not planned #fail)

Health:

Eat clean-er. Ever since I watched Fed Up, I'm literally fed up. I've been putting nothing but junk in my body (spoonfuls of icing--I'm looking at you) and hoping that I'll lose weight. Isn't that the definition of insanity? By implementing a little bit of the Whole30 and eliminating MOST forms of sugar (hey, I'm not perfect) I hope to see a change in how I feel.

 

I plan to stay away from most dairy, all added sugars, and try to incorporate more fruits and vegetables. I can't promise I'll stay away from all carbs, but I will be checking their sugar content--according to Fed Up, the recommended amount of sugar is about 6-9g and the average person eats that (and more) for breakfast.

 

Financial:

Stick to the budget and save money. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, even to myself. This is THE HARDEST thing for me to do and keep up with. I made a budget today and have planned out all of the expenses I think I'll have--even my friend's Bachelorette Party. This month, I will stick to the budget and SAVE the amount I've planned to. If it's not in the budget, I can't/won't buy it.

 

 

Have you made any goals for this week/month?