I don't know about you, but when I think of Fourth of July I don't just think red, white, and blue. I think fireworks and pasta salad. I feel like everyone wants to show off their new pasta salads like it's a new car or something.

"OMG did you see Susan's pasta salad? It had some kind of seeds in it. Yes SEEDS!"

Oh Susan. Always trying to one up the next salad. I'm pretty sure I'm Susan in this story so I'm gonna share my pasta salad recipe that is currently packed and ready to roll.

BLT Pasta Salad

While your elbows are boiling, fry your bacon. Once bacon is complete chop into small pieces. Follow with chopping up your green onions. Stems only. Then cut your mini tomatoes in half. I use kitchen scissors to cut the onions and tomatoes.

Like many people these days, I do A LOT of my shopping on Amazon. Having a new baby in the house makes it hard to get out and shop, so throwing stuff in my cart and having Prime really makes life that much easier. I mean if I am being honest, I don't like to go out and shop, so I have been shopping this way since wayyyyyy before the baby. #lazyshopper

Let's see what I bought in June... (This post does include affiliate links btw)

We have been trying REALLY hard not to buy new furniture until we buy a house next year. I purchased this H.VERSAILTEX slipcover in the pretty blue to keep things fresh (and cover the damage my cats cause from thinking the couch is a scratching post!)

I really like this cover. It was really easy to put on and the price was pretty sweet ($45.99 and Prime approved!). We bought a pretty expensive one after our wedding back in September of 2016 and this one is comparable, but it almost feels more durable. I am excited to see how it goes.


Now that I am getting more serious with my blog again (and I really like to take selfies) I decided to try out a ring light for my phone. We all know we use our phones WAY more then we want to admit when it comes to taking photos (and pretty much everything else in life). This light by QIAYA is pretty great. For $12.99 and Prime approved, it is worth the try. It has 3 different lighting options and easily clips onto your phone.

Happy Friday! I am so ready for the weekend! What about you? I have a few things to chat about today as well as my next set of dreams for my 100 Dreams Project

1. 100 Dreams


41. Have my family be close again.
42. Have a space just for me dedicated to writing, yoga, meditation, etc.
43. Confidently promote myself.
44. Be a great parent.
45. Be a mentor.
46. Land a sponsorship that pays me to vacation.
47. Figure out what my "dream" job is.
48. Own a Range Rover Sport SVR in Estoril Blue.
49.Start a benefit/foundation that helps women with body image issues and mental health.
50. Dance like no one is watching. I need to get over the fear of people watching me.

2. Updates

Yay for blog updates! I am finally sprucing the place up a bit. New layout and nicer photos. I am actually taking time to either take my own photos or buy stock photos to make everything a little more clean around here. I can't believe how long it has been since I did any kid of housekeeping here. It is super exciting for me. Maybe not so much for you. Sorry about that.

I'm giddy about writing a new "about" page and adding some more focused topics here. This will always be a lifestyle page, but I truly believe if you write about what you love, it will be effortless and the passion will shine through to your readers. That is my main focus now. Write what makes me happy. If it goes viral great! If not, that's okay too.

3. Speaking of going viral..

So I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that a link from my blog was posted on a Reddit thread. Well it is apparently getting some hits because that post is now the top post on my blog. See exhibit A:



Not bad for a post I wrote in 2016.. Mind you this was the page views for one week.

Moving on.

4. Letter boards

Guys, I think I have found my new passion in life. Maybe even my "dream" job. Sorry dreams post, I think I just scratched one off the list before you were even published. So I got myself a letter board at Target (Also speaking of Target, I think I go there 900 times a week now that I'm a mom.. but that's a whole 'nother post) for a project and now I own 3. Mind you I went to Target on Sunday, like this past Sunday. Yeah I have a problem. Check out my 2 first masterpieces on Instagram. Follow me while you're there. I'm sure there will be MANY more great letter board works of art to come.

5.  Who likes it HOT HOT HOT?



If that's you, move to Central NY. It is going to be SO HOT this weekend. Like it's going from being in the upper 60's and rainy all week to the mid 90's this weekend with full humidity! Seriously! I am already roasting just thinking about it. I will NEVER complain about the heat after the winter we just had, but can we at least ease into the fires of Hell? Thanks!

How was your week? I hope it was fabulous! Have a great weekend! Stay hydrated!

The more I photograph these fixes, the more I realize I love fashion. I was never a "fashionista" growing up. I just wore what was comfortable. I don't think I had a specific style per say. Although I do specifically remember a moment in my early 20's when I got to a friends house and she made a comment that I always looked so put together. Her and her boyfriend had been discussing how nice I always looked.

That make me feel awkward at the time. I never thought about what I wore. I just put clothes on and went out. Thinking back, I think I was more fashionable than I gave myself credit for. I suppose that fits my personality though. I am always so naïve about my talents, or my looks, or anything about myself really.

I remember standing in front of my closet two years ago and the wheels started turning. I started seeing pieces of my clothing matched with each other. Pieces I would have never put together normally. I got excited. I was always the girl who did the awesome makeup. Not the girl who had awesome fashion sense.

I had thought about subscribing to Stitch Fix for awhile, but always thought it would be a waste of my time. I told myself I already knew what I liked to wear. I told myself it would be too expensive. I told myself I wouldn't like to wear clothes someone else picked out.

I was so wrong about all of those things. I finally bit the bullet early last year. I was going to try one box and then cancel. I was so sure I wasn't going to like it enough to keep it going. Now here we are at fix number 18.





Stitch Fix has allowed me to try on pieces that I would never have picked out on my own. I have found quality items to add to my closet that again can be mix and matched with my existing wardrobe. It makes it fun to get dressed.

It also makes it fun to photograph. I love modeling the clothes I get sent. Even if I don't keep the items, I still get to freeze them in a frame to post here for you to see. I have been inspired to do more and more fashion posts because of Stitch Fix.

Now on to the photos. It was such a bright and cheerful fix that popped to the backdrop of my backyard.

 For those of you unfamiliar with Stitch Fix, it is a monthly clothing subscription where you get a personal stylist to send you 5 pieces according to your profile. You have the opportunity to write your stylist a note each month further customizing your fix. You pay a $20 styling fee each month to receive the fix, which is then deducted from the cost of anything you keep from your fix. If you keep all 5 items you also receive a 25% discount. Pretty great right? If you have interest in trying out the fix, I would appreciate it greatly if you used my affiliate link.

First up is this Fortune + Ivy wrap dress. I have come to realize since I have given birth that wrap dresses just do not work for me. This one is also a bit too short for my liking. It is a pretty color, but not my style. This went back.







Not pictured because I some how forgot to photograph it is this pink Nine West Crossover.  I thought it was really cute, but was not in the need for a new bag right now.
All in all I loved this fix. There were pieces I would never had picked out myself (hello shorts!). When it first arrived I thought maybe they sent me someone else's fix because it was so out of my comfort zone. But this is why I keep getting Stitch Fix. It forces me out of my comfort zone.

I also realize I need to do better on my photos for these posts. I am just lucky I got it done while it was still daylight to be honest. I literally ran down from my office after work and did this before I went to the gym. I only have so much "me" time now with the baby. Oh well! I am just glad it got done.

Which piece is your favorite?

Hi there. Happy Monday. You may notice things are looking a little different around here today (Ahem, new layout). Over the next week you will see some more changes here. I am not completely done yet with the layout. This is just the barebones. I will put in time as I can to get my vision created. But now on to what has made me decide to put in the time to make the changes.

You may (or may not) remember me mentioning the book 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam. (Just an FYI, I won't make any money off of that link if you click it, because even after 5 years of blogging, I have no idea how affiliate marketing works! Ooops!) If you don't remember, it is basically a book reminding you of how many hours in a day you waste on pointless shit.  That is pretty much the jist of it.

Now you may think I am not digging this book by that statement, but that's not true at all. The book has reminded me that I once had a passion and some real time put into this blog. This blog was my life at one point, in a good way.

I loved coming here each and every day to work on something new for you all to read and engage in with me. Over time a life thing happened that really left a bad taste in my mouth, and from that point on my time here became less and less. I was looking at my archive list earlier. My first year of blogging was in 2014. I wrote 137 posts and I started blogging in May.

In 2015 I wrote 156 posts and really started to get some notice. I had brands who reached out to me. I did some sponsored posts. It was great! I loved to write and I was getting asked to write. It made me happy. In July, the life thing happened. Things slowed down a bit, but I made a promise to myself that I would at least blog through the end of the year, plus I had some commitments already that I had to honor.

In 2016 I was down to 123 posts and by last year I only had 73 logged. Here we are in 2018 and this will only be my 22nd post of the year. A majority of these posts only happened over the last 2 months. It seems I have found my passion again with writing. It doesn't even have anything to do with being sponsored or making money.

I just love it. Signs have been pointing me back to writing for awhile now. It is something I never thought I would enjoy so much, yet here I am. Inspiration at it's finest.

 Now back to the book I mentioned and how it inspired me to change my path here on the blog.

It reminded me that if I am passionate enough about something, I will make time for it.  There is no longer an adequate excuse. It's either I want to do it or I don't. There really isn't any in between.

You carve out time where you can. For instance, I am typing this out while I pump for baby bloob. I have mastered doing this lately. I write and I create food for my child. I am making time for 2 things that are very important to me.

You use all of your free time efficiently. It works.

If I can hash out time and multitask for something I love, then so can you. You just have to make a choice.

I plan to finish this book today, as it is due back to the library tomorrow. I plan to write down my week in hours next week. I will share how it goes along the way. I am excited to see how I spend my time.

Who's going to do it with me?

We hear this saying all too often. "Home is where the heart is", but do we ever stop to think how true this is?

Our bodies are ultimately our homes. We live in our bodies everyday. Our heart beating keeps us going. It also becomes the source of our emotions.

Sayings like "Putting your heart and soul into it", or "She was broken hearted when her dog passed away" will reference the heart with an emotion.

Today I am thinking a lot about the emotion side of the heart and body because of something that happened recently.

The other night I was sitting in bed with R and our cat Grace. She wasn't feeling good through the day and she had lost a lot of weight. She came up into the bed and was being super affectionate and cute like she is when she wants attention.

My immediate reaction was, something is really wrong. Maybe she's sick and she doesn't have a lot of time left. Maybe she is here trying to comfort me so it will be an easy transition whens she goes. I had all of the emotions running through me.

My heart was literally breaking and full of love all at the same time. I wanted to be strong for her but sad because I love that little cat like she's my child. I sat there petting her and the tears started falling. She just kept on butting her little head into me, like "Mom, it's going to be okay. Please stop crying".

My body literally reacted to the emotions before I could even make that connection myself. The heart and emotions are such a powerful force of nature. My body reacted to these emotions and helped the tears along, which alerted Grace to comfort me more. Such a powerful moment.

I was able to calm myself down and talk about it with R. I wanted to be in control so I could prepare myself if something was wrong and she didn't have time left. This pushed my emotions into a place of comfort while I remembered all the times I spent with her. My silly little furball, who will only be 3 next month. Too young in my opinion to be sick and dying.

R comforted me to remind me we didn't know she was on her way out. We needed to trust that things were going to be okay. We needed to take her to the vet to have her checked out.

Yesterday she went to the vet, and miraculously she was feeling better. She was eating and seemed to have gained all this weight back, which I am not sure how that could even be. The night before she was so frail and I could feel every bump of her ribs and spine as I rubbed her back and belly.

I was relieved and felt whole again when the news came to me. I realized at that moment, that Grace is home to me. My heart reacted with those emotions because;

Home is where the heart is.  <3

Happy Monday. I am coming to you from my desk at work (Baby bloobs nursery if I'm being honest) while I am pumping and trying to get stuff done before I start work. Oh the life of a mom. Also a good sign I didn't get any posts done ahead of time.. oops!

Today I'm tired. I am reminded that I love sleep. I am cranky when I don't get enough. Maybe it's the extra-extra pounds I'm carrying. Maybe it's a little bit of my depression rearing it's head. I'm not sure to be honest, but I do know I am not as easily motivated or cheerful when I am tired these days.

The weekend was hot and a little more busy than I anticipated. We did some cleaning projects on Saturday, one in which we completely emptied the freezer and refrigerator. Everything got scrubbed down. Lots of stuff got thrown out. It's like a brand new fridge in there. Even rick had to check it out...




On Sunday, Father's Day, we spent a quiet early morning outside on the deck drinking coffee and letting R open his cards. I get him a card every year from our cats. I am that nerd. See exhibit A:



He did okay going, but was a screaming maniac on the drive back. We had to stop 2 times to calm him down. This requires taking him out of he car seat and cuddling him for a few minutes before strapping him back in.

We got home last night at around 7pm and between 730 and 9pm we had our stove catch on fire (everything is okay, just the stove suffered burns) and R fell in the driveway while playing basketball with his son. We had a pretty crappy ending to out weekend. Bloob fell asleep when we got home, so naturally he was up around 10, then 12, then 2. He just would not settle. He is currently wide awake and ready for the day. Mommy not so much. Where's the coffee?

I started reading a book last week that was inspired by the 100 Dream Project. While researching what other people had down as their dreams, I came across this book. It's called 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think. It's by Laura Vanderkam. Laura mentions using the 100 dream project as a way to find out if  you are wasting hours during your week doing things you do not enjoy.



It is interesting to look at your week in hours, rather than days. You have 168 hours in a week, and if you are actually "billing" your time out, you can see how much time you are actually wasting. Laura recommends tracking an entire week, hour by hour to see how you really are spending your time. She explains you are wasting way more time than you think, and people who claim they work too much, aren't really working much at all.

It is quite an interesting concept to me. I feel like I have wasted a lot of my time scrolling on Facebook for the last few years. Time I will never get back. I am thinking about tracking my whole week. I have not finished the book yet, so I want to do that first. I think it will be interesting to see what my week really looks like on paper.

What do you think? Would you track your week out? Are you wasting more time than you think?

Let me know! I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!

This is going to be short and sweet this week. This mama is exhausted. Between my first full week back to work, power loss inducing thunderstorms, and allergies, I am just beat. I am hoping to get ahead this weekend and write some posts ahead to I can keep on trucking on!

Here are the next dreams on my list! Happy Friday.

21. Win the lottery.
22. Do a professional boudoir session.
23. Own a vacation home by the ocean.
24. Watch my son graduate from high school, and then cheer him on to whatever it is the next stage in his life takes him.
25. Have a mentor.
26. Attend the Kentucky Derby.
27. Wear a fascinator (to the Derby right?).
28. Become an expert at something.
29. Speak another language fluently.
30. Live abroad for at least one year.

Make sure to catch 1-10 and 11-20 if you missed them!

I don't normally post on Saturday, but after reading Lauren's post, who got this great idea from
Amanda (Whom's blog I have never read before, but it's fab!) I wanted to post an ABC's of Summer because this is going to be a new experience with me having an infant.

Alcohol. I just had a baby in April which means this mamma is gonna make all those fun summer cocktails we see all over Instagram, blogs, and magazines. (And this basically means, I will have one a week, because baby and breastfeeding, duh.)

Blankets. I plan to spend as much time outside with my little dude, which will require lots of blankets. Think things like star gazing and picnics.

Corn on the cob. I love fresh sweet corn on the grill. It's a summer staple around here. 

Drive in. Probably the only way I am seeing movies this summer since we can bring bloob.

Exercise. I am going to be getting outside as much as possible to get those workouts in. Most of these will require me to either wear little man in a carrier or a stroller. Bring it on!

Fireworks. You can usually find fireworks somewhere in the summer. Fourth of July will be a first for us with baby bloob, so we will see how that goes. He needs a pair of noise headphones to protect his little ears!

Garden. We will spend a lot of time home this Summer, so our garden will be a priority.

Host get togethers. It is easier for us to have our friends and family over then travelling with the little one. 

Ice cream.. I mean is there any other option?

June and July. We get long days and shorter nights. The weather is warm and the festivities are aplenty. 

Kite flying. I haven't flown a kite since I was a kid. This will be something fun for little man to look at. 

Leisurely evening walks with the baby. 

Meteor showers. Summer is always a great time to look up at the sky. Introducing this to little one will hopefully be soothing for him.

New adventures. New baby means new things. 

Open windows. Warm days means windows are down in the evening to cool off the house. 

Parks. Time to explore some new parks this year. We got a NY State park pass and we plan to utilize it as much as possible. Whether we are just chilling out or hiking. 

Quick meals. Always on the go, plus who wants to cook a full on dinner when its hot outside?

Road trips. These will consist of day trips until bloob does better for longer periods of times in his car seat.

Swimming. Gotta get the baby in the pool! 

Try a new restaurant. So many in this town and we haven't even scratched the surface. Also need to become familiar with the family friendly spots who wouldn't mind a crying baby once in awhile.

Unplug. It's time to live in the moment so I don't miss any sweet moments with my little man. 

Vacation. I'm ready for one! Maternity leave did not count!

Watermelon. We are growing them in our garden! Can't wait to have some to eat!

X marks the spot. Not sure what X is right yet, but I'll let you know when I find it. 

Yoga. It's time. I need to get back to it for my sanity and to get my body feeling good again.

Zoo. We have been meaning to go visit April the Giraffe and her baby Tajiri.

Happy Friday! We made it!  Time to share all the things. Ya know from this week? Let me jump right in. So much to share.

1. Back to work

I had to go back to work this week. Not cool! I was not mentally ready to be back to work on so little sleep with my little screaming baby in the background. In case you didn't know, I work from home. I dont get to go back into the world while little bloob goes off to daycare.

Nope. I get to pray to the man above all morning that he doesn't scream in the middle of a phone call. I get to stress eat that he won't be cranky when I get up every morning.

Yes, I know it sounds like a dream not to have to send little man to daycare while I work, but the reality is, my job is phone heavy. I can't have my 8 week old screaming in the background because he's hungry or needs a diaper change.

I had to hire a sitter for the afternoons to keep him fed, changed, and happy. Im grateful he's in the house with me all day, but man does it make for a stressful day.

Have mercy on this mamma!

2. 100 Dreams Project - 11-20


Today I am sharing dreams 11- 20 from my 100 Dreams Project.  Take a look at my first 10 dreams to keep up with the project! You can also follow along and make your own list! It is very interesting to see what comes up!

11. Attend a fancy gala
12. Take a train trip on all 7 continents
13. Celebrate New Years Eve (my birthday) in every time zone (Think all the big cities)
14. Take a solo trip to a place I have never been for at least a week.
15. Run a 5K
16. See the northern light in Iceland
17. Make an appointment at a famous salon with no plan. Be surprised with new hair
18. Drive the Pacific Coast Highway (I have done this as a small child, want to do it as an adult)
19. Buy my first home with my husband
20. Write a book

3. FabFitFun



I got my first FabFitFun box! I was so excited when this box showed up at my door. It was so bright and cheery. I needed that pick me up after a dreary week or rain and clouds. I plan to do a review of the box for next week. Stay tuned for that.

4. Mental Health

Another life gone too soon. By now you have probably heard that Kate Spade took her own life. After I wrote this up, I was sad to learn that we have also lost Anthony Bourdain. This is such an unfortunate situation. It adds to the ever growing list of precious lives taken due to depression. As someone who suffers from depression, I know how hard it can be to get the help you need when you are at your worst.

It is not an easy thing to navigate in the world we live in today. No one wants to come out and admit they are depressed. I had a hard time this week admitting to my doctor at my postpartum appointment that I have had some low moments since giving birth. We are scared of being judged.

Please know that no matter what tricks your depression plays on you, there is always help available. You are worth it.

Call the suicide hotline if you need someone to talk to. Please. The life you save could be your own.

1 800-273-8255

5. June Goals and Mantras

My mantra for June is:

"Whatever it takes."

Goals

• Read one book. Yes its been rough to sit down and get through a book. 1 would be a win. 
• Get out of the house at least once a week by myself. 
• Self care: Get a massage.

Happy Weekend!