Breaking down how I break a sweat...

Hello Friends!

One thing I have learned from living in South Florida is that people here take working out seriously. Very. Seriously. And these people definitely work out in STYLE. Within two weeks of joining my gym,  I realized my faded college t-shirts and sofie shorts were not cutting it. Thus began the hunt for new work out clothing...and holy crap the sticker shock! I quickly realized I was going to need to find quality pieces at a price point I could stomach ($30 or less).  Here are my favorite picks:

• The Green Apple Activewear can be a little pricey but I found all 4 pairs of my shorts/pants at Marshall's and TJ Maxx for rather inexpensive. I love the quality, and they hold up really well. 

•  Victoria's Secret recently has come out with a fantastic VSX workout line that includes some AMAZING sports bras. I have a lot of hard core work out friends that are devoted to LuluLemon, but I honestly feel like these items are a fraction of the price, with great quality and style! The best part is that they hook like a bra on the back so that they are easy to get on and off. (Major points with me...). 
• Nike Tank Tops - I chose these two tops from Dick's Sporting Goods because the fit is perfect and they are moisture wicking. And, I bought the Cheese Fries tank for pure comedic value. :)

• Finally, I have my Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Workout Guide. Ladies, I swear by this! 

 Prior to going to Miami and SC, I had been doing Kayla Itsines's bikini body workout (see my first mention of it here...) I had gotten all the way to week 4, and was becoming rather impressed with myself. I have always struggled with a lower stomach pooch, no matter what I do. But, with this exercise plan, I really began to see my stomach and abs change, and my legs tone without bulking (KEY!) I have a tendency to bulk up when I work my legs, but this workout is really different and is designed to give you a toned slim body. Since I'm sort of starting over after my 3 week hiatus, I'm going to snap a picture this week, and keep track of my progress! I'll keep you up to date....

If you're interested in learning more about Kayla's workout and transformations check out her blog here.

To buy her eBook, and get started today, click HERE!

Trend Watch -- Slouchy Pants

I have recently been looking at the slouch pant trend as something I'm interested in trying. I attempted it once before, but the fit was really off in the pants so I sent them back. One year later, I'm ready to try them again. Here are 3 pairs that I found on Piperlime that I absolutely adore. Which ones are your favorites? What do you think of this trend? Yay, or nay?


Hive and Honey Slouch Pant - $89

THML Clothing Printed Slouch Pants - $46 - On sale!

Blank Denim Vine-Agram Chambray Pants - $69.99

Fun Summer Cocktails Using Mint!

After coming home from vacation last week, we realized that our herbs LOVE summers in Florida! Those afternoon rain storms have turned our tiny mint and basil plants into absolute monstrosities! So, last Saturday night we decided to use some of our mint to make some fun summer cocktails! I am on the hunt for some good basil recipes (I found a strawberry basil drink I want to try...) and as we have successes, we'll be sharing them on the blog!

While on vacation in Pawleys Island last week, my husband and I stopped in at Nosh to have a cocktail at the bar.  We had two of some of the best cocktails we have ever had - all of which were simple to re-create at home! Many times when you get high end craft drinks at nice restaurants, they are full of ingredients that are rare, expensive ingredients that you never have lying around the house. Here is one of the ones we tried, Dr. C's Lemonade.

I used a 'jigger' as a measurement, which is approximately 1 shot. You can use any measurement cup you want, just use the same one for each ingredient, and keep the proportions the same.

 Dr. C's Lemonade

2 parts of Ketel One Citron Vodka

1 part simple syrup
1 part sour mix (I used Rose's)

1 part lemon-lime sode/Sprite

3/4 part of fresh lemon juice

muddle mint (use as much as you like)

Add each of these ingredients and ice into a cocktail shaker (trust me, its essential) along with the lemons you squeezed for the juice. Hold the lid on tight (the carbonation can push the top off!) and shake it well.

I tend to like my drinks a little more tart, but you can lower the amount lemon juice and increase simple syrup or Sprite if you want a sweeter cocktail. If you want to weaken it, or water it down a little, add a little seltzer water.

Rim your glass with sugar, and pour the drink over ice. Garnish with a lemon.

Newsday Tuesday

     

Today I’ve got a couple stories that I think are worth reading…so here goes!

1.       ISIS

Over the weekend the militant Islamist group, ISIS has declared that they have created a caliphate (or an Islamic State) made up a predominantly Sunni populated area spanning from Aleppo province in Syria, to the Diyala province in eastern Iraq.  ISIS, an extremist Islamic organization has wreaked havoc over the countryside of Iraq and Syria, capitalizing on weaknesses from internal conflicts (or in the case of Syria, civil war) and void left by US troops.  An offshoot of Al Qaeda, this group rebranded itself in 2006, and has slowly been growing. Without American expertise in the field, the Iraqi forces have been unable to contain the growth and spread of this group. Further, the Shia dominated government has consistently alienated the Sunni minority within the nation – further fueling the cause of ISIS.  In the areas that it has overtaken, ISIS has imposed a strict Sharia law, requiring boys and girls to be separated and women to wear the full veil in public.  In the wake of the growing movement, the US has deployed 300 troops, in addition to the already 300 advisers on the ground, to protect the embassy, airport, and American personnel on the ground. 

To learn more about this issue check out these articles:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/12/world/meast/who-is-the-isis/

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/01/world/meast/iraq-crisis/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

2.       The Hobby Lobby Ruling

So as if your Newsfeed isn’t already clogged with people arguing over reproductive rights, how about we add it to the blog feeds as well, eh? Don’t worry. I’m not about to argue the case one way or the other here, but I do think its important that everyone understand what this ruling can mean.

Regardless of how you might feel on this issue, there are two main points that this decision makes, and that I think everyone should consider.

1.       Corporations have religious rights, and therefore

2.       Corporations can exempt themselves from federal statute if it believes the law to be incongruent to its belief system.

*The ruling actually was written as a ‘closely held corporations’ – meaning that the majority of the stock is owned by no more than 5 people. However, with this distinction in definition, the decision would apply to a very large percentage of businesses throughout the nation.

The idea that corporations have religious rights seems to further complicate (or support) the Citizens United ruling, making corporations even more like people, and less like an entity.  Ruth Bader Ginsberg, in her 35 page dissenting opinion, stated that this ruling has opened Pandora’s Box to allow for more suits against federal laws with the argument that the statute violates a religious belief.   

"In a decision of startling breadth, the Court holds that commercial enterprises, including corporations, along with partnerships and sole proprietorships, can opt out of any law (saving only tax laws) they judge incompatible with their sincerely held religious beliefs," Ginsburg wrote. She said she feared that with its decision, the court had "ventured into a minefield."  -- Excerpt from Huffington Post

To learn more check out these articles:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/30/politics/scotus-obamacare-analysis/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/30/ruth-bader-ginsburg-write_n_5544111.html

Thoughts For Thursday

It's #tbt and today I'm linking up to bring you Thoughts for Thursday! Lately, I've been daydreaming about my week in Pawleys Island SC. We returned late on Tuesday night, and although we do live in a tropical paradise year round, nothing can compare to the beaches of South Carolina! Why is it so perfect? Let me give you a few reasons...

Southern Cooking. It's fried. All of it.

We ate a lot of fried food last week. I mean a lot. We had fried chicken, fried crab cakes, fried flounder, fried okra, hush puppies...i can go on. And, if it wasn't fried, it was cooked in butter, mayonnaise, and/or cheese. Macaroni and cheese casserole, coleslaw, biscuits, cornbread, tomato pie, "vegetables" (like a wolf in sheep's clothing - no nutritional value there). One time we had boiled shrimp, but I bet there was butter on that too. God bless beach eating. #notbikinieating

Fried Chicken, Rice and Gravy, Macaroni and Cheese, biscuits..and Tomatoes. with Butter. Just kidding. :)

One of our 'healthy meals' - boiled shrimp, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, corn on the cob (buttered of course) and tomatoes.

Afternoon Thunderstorms

I do live in the land of daily 3 pm storms, however there is something much different about storms at Pawleys Island. You can actually smell the rain coming in, and afterward there is a nice cool breeze. (This never happens in Florida.) One night in particular, the water was amazingly still after the storm, the sky almost blended into the waterline. It was just stunning.

Front Porch Rocking & 

The Dawson Boys

y husband's family has a wonderful tradition of gathering together 5 families each year at the beach.  The group has grown to quite a crowd, so each family usually gets their own house on the island, and each night we have music and cocktails on the porch. Two brothers in the group, "The Dawson Boys", spent their youth writing songs, making music, and booking gigs. Each year at the beach they bring out their gear, play us their latest song, while we rock away in our chairs. 

The kids are eager to get some glow stick jewelry, and leis to celebrate our birthdays, and our last night at the beach.

Each year it is a tradition to end beach week singing "The Piano Man" and as you see here below, my generation crowded up on the 'stage' to belt out the nostalgic tune.

Waiting for the festivities to begin, and holding one of the youngest of the Pawleys clan (no, not mine :) )

Books. Lots of them.

Sure, you can read books at any beach, but there's just something much more peaceful about Pawleys. Perhaps its because their aren't 6,000 international drunk tourists, or spring breakers crushing beer cans on their heads (we only crush ours with bocce balls). Still, this is the only place that I can sit down and really ready a book cover to cover -- virtually, of course. #kindlefanatic

What Remains is an amazing book. Of course I didn't get to finish it until I was on a plane. And sobbing in public.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn...a book club read - so good, I ordered Sharp Objects. I'll let you know what I think!

Dune Photo Shoots

A few years ago, while dating, my husband and I started taking pictures in the dunes each year. The path from our beach house is in the perfect location to catch the sunlight as it sets. Here are a few photos from years past, and this year.

 2012 - My personal Favorite - The PERFECT sunset!

2013

2014 - It was a cloudy day, but still turned out great!

This year our nephew joined in on the photo shoot!

Can't wait to get back there next year...only 363 more days to go!

XOXO,
M

Sewing Progress...almost done!

Victory! I have managed to (almost) complete my first sewing project! I've been traveling a ton as of late, so I haven't really been able to devote as much of my time to sewing as I'd like, but slow and steady wins the race, right? I am still working on my skirt, but it is taking a little bit longer than I expected. I've taken some time to practice a few skills and improve before I really get going on the DVF fabric. In the meantime, I really wanted to make a few pairs of palazzo pants for this summer. I bought some really great light weight fabric with a tribal print on it - so that my crooked seams wouldn't  be noticed :) My inspiration was a pair of palm print palazzo pants at Zara.

 Here is another pair that I love almost as much.

I love how these pants are comfortable and casual, yet can be dressed up and great for a night on the town!

Here are a few photos as I went through the process, and the finished result! (Note - I haven't hemmed the pants yet, and need to make a few minor finishing touches on the drawstring, but you get the picture!)

A little shot of the finished product from Instagram...

It's especially important to press your seams open after you sew them, it helps to ensure that everything lays flat.  Once you have your seams pressed, it is a good idea to zig zag stitch up the raw edge (or another stitch, its up to you) to prevent the seams from unraveling as you wash and wear it. This not always necessary, but with this fabric, it is. (see the raw edge hanging off the ironing board? That's from one wash).

This handy tool helps to measure my waistband and help to make sure that it is even all the way around. It's also used for hemming as well!  The pattern for these pants actually called for a stretch jersey yoke, but I thought that might look strange. So, when cutting out my fabric, I gave myself several inches at the top as an allowance for a drawstring waistband.  Important Tip: This fabric is on that frays (see hem above) so to prevent my seams from fraying, I folded the very top about 1/16 of an inch, and then folded it over (the above picture is after the second fold.) So, when I sew the seam along the bottom, I am not sewing on a raw edge that could unravel, I'm sewing on a folded edge -- to both the raw edge and the fold are secured. I also used a zig zag stitch for this to make sure it was good and tight.

The pattern up close

I'm planning on wearing these pants for an upcoming plane ride (maybe the ride home, because I still haven't gotten around to the hem...) So I'll snap a 'transit' pic to show you!!

Many of you might be intimidated by the sewing machine, and that's ok...it takes time to get comfortable. One thing I think I can teach all of you (that you will use TIME AND AGAIN) is a blind hem stitch. A co-worker of mine helped me learn the stitch and I've already hemmed two items at home. It's done by hand, so all you need is a needle and thread. I'm going to use the same technique on these pants, so I'll post a tutorial as soon as I get it done!  For reference, here is a picture of what my last blind hem looked like:

I did this hem for Seersucker Thursday on a skirt that was too long. This shows the underside of the skirt hem - from the front is unnoticeable. I tried to take a photo, but you really couldn't see! (ignore the stitches above the hem, those are some loose strings from where I attempted to do a blind hem on my machine #impossible).

I'll keep you updated as this new little hobby of mine continues! If you have any questions feel free to ask! After I finish my hem, I'll show you the completed look!

xoxo

M

Photo Shoot with Dogs Life Photography

This past Christmas my mother and father-in-law gave us a gift certificate to have photos taken of us and our 'children' - a hound mix and a Shiba Inu. (Yes, we are those people). To call my husband and I 'dog people' is a gross understatement. In our family, dogs are like children, not just pets. We have been known to have doggie stockings at Christmas, and celebrate dog birthdays - for our Shiba's 8th birthday we let him sit at the table to eat his steak. (Not even kidding.) At least we come by it honestly - my mother in law has a dog watering station in her front yard for the neighborhood dogs to enjoy, and my mother has a "I <3 My Granddogs" bumper sticker on her car. Maybe its genetic.

Lucky for photographer Tom Brodigan, there are people like us, obsessed with the idea of a dog photo shoot. We met Tom up at a dog beach in our area in hopes to get some great shots of our dogs running around, playing and going nuts.  Unfortunately our Shiba (Barley), who is probably smarter than us, quickly realized that he was under a microscope (or camera lens) we mostly got a lot of sideways glances and angry faces. Thank God our life-loving hound was none the wiser and gave us some great expressions! I was so worried that our efforts would be for naught. But when I got the proofs back from Tom, I was so pleasantly surprised at how great all of the photos really were! You can really see the mark of a great photographer when he can coax a smile out of a Shiba, and turn it into a collection of amazing photographs!

Barley panics being this close to the water...

This is what we refer to as a 'Shiba Smile'

Sweet picture of Barley

Sunbathing

Happiest Little Hound Dog

Family photo - and Barley is none too pleased.

Candid Moment

One of my faves!

After our shoot, Tom sent us a CD with all of our images, and this amazing photo book keepsake.

       

                           I just love the way it looks on this antique brass tray table!

       

        

        

If you're interesting seeing more of Tom's work, checkout www.dogslifephotography.com!

                                                              Xoxo, M