SPLURGE VS. STEAL

Hey Hey! Tested out the new running kicks today. Verdict: muy bueno! Felt so good on my feet and reaffirmed that, yes indeed, I need to replace my running shoes more frequently. After the morning workout, this happened:

Mmm...

So, last night the hubs and I went to a bar just around the corner from our house and had a few drinks and watched some football. The bar was PACKED, so I wish I had been in the mood to stay out longer, but around 11:30 we called it quits. I was so tired and all I wanted was to put on my PJ's and crawl into bed. Plus, I always feel guilty when we are out because I know that, "the boys" are locked up in their crate just waiting for us to get home. After losing our trust (several times) Charlie and Winston are officially crated whenever we leave the house. Luckily, they like their crate. I think it gives them a sense of safety, and it is a good routine that they have picked up on: when we go in the crate, mom and dad are leaving for a bit. Speaking of picking up on routines, Winston is very in tune to myself and my habits apparently. The hubs and I realized/noticed that when I get up in the mornings for work, or anything for that matter, Winston will lay on our bed waiting for me. The SECOND I spray my Victoria's Secret body splash, Winston jumps off the bed and stands at the top of the stairs. He knows that that is the last thing I do before I go downstairs. It is so crazy that he has realized this and it is also crazy that I am that predictable. We truly are creatures of habit I guess!

In honor of the Victoria's Secret Semi Annual Sale, and the fact that I mentioned PJ's and their body sprays, here are three of my favorite things from there, one splurge, two reasonable.

SPLURGE:

Victoria's Secret $69 Sale $59
Satin After Hours Pajama

These are super comfy pajamas and I really do love them. Although, I do not love the price tag. Rarely are they on sale either! I have a few pairs that were all gifts. I pretty much told the hubby that he has the green light to get me a pair of these in a new pattern once a year for whatever occasion he chooses. I really am not a crazy control freak, but I just want him to know that I like them, won't buy them for myself, and if he is in a bind for a gift idea I would be very happy for a new pair. Similarly, every year at Christmas, no matter what gift I get him, I always include some American Eagle boxers. They are his fav and he is always in need of new ones. And, if you don't have someone who is willing to drop the cash for these puppies, don't worry, I have found a substitute (duh!). 

Apt 9 for Kohl's $46 Sale $18
Satin Notch Collar Pajama Set

These also just happen to be on sale right now! Can't beat $18!! I haven't tried these out yet, but I'm sure they are just as fab! As I write this sentence I am wondering to myself why I haven't just converted to these ones....hmm.. And they, too, come in multiple colors/patterns.

REASONABLE:

Victoria's Secret 3/$25 or 5/$30
Fragrance Mist-any scent

Victoria's Secret $25
Heavenly Angel Mist

I love ALL the fragrance mist scents and they are always running deals on these! I like to spray the fragrance mist first, and then top it with the Heavenly Angel Mist. Always smells fabulous!!! 

And lastly, here is my look from last night. I'm still on a bold lips kick! I just love it! Flowy black tank, faux leather jacket, animal print scarf, faux leather pants in maroon, and over-the-knee stilettos. Love! (Kohl's, TJ Maxx, Charlotte Russe)

Cute!

No plans as of yet for tonight. This girl has to work tomorrow, boo. 

Have a great Saturday!

xoxo MaryBeth

+e.l.f. Cosmetics 

+Kohl's 

+Tj Max 

+Produtos Victorias Secret 

RUN BABY RUN

Hey Hey! Before we get to my new running kicks, how about those Louisville Cardinals and their Sugar Bowl upset! Needless to say, the hubs has been in an exceptionally good mood since. So, today I had some work commitments to get out of the way and also made my way back to the eye doctor.. boo. My vision just didn't seem to be that great, and when I would drive at night or early in the morning all the lights (street lamps, car head/tail lights, etc) would glare/glimmer. Basically, it looked like each light had a million spikes coming off of them. After a few more eye exams, switching out my contacts with some new ones and realizing that one of my contacts was actually inside out (oops), I can now see better. So, we shall see.

After all that excitement (ugh) I made my way to the shoe store because my running shoes were seriously expired. It's funny how running/working out is something I really enjoy and do very frequently, but when it comes to spending money on that hobby, I'm always reluctant. My feet, particularly my heels, always hurt and so keeping my workout shoes updated should and needs to be a top priority. Lately, I have been loving Asics shoes and decided to stick with them again. Check em out:

Asics Platinum 5

I also was in desperate need for some, "everyday" tennis shoes. I used to own the classic New Balance 574 shoes, but haven't had a pair in a while. They are impossible to find in person, so I had to search them on the internet. I am always tempted to get a pair with funky colors, but decided to stick with the simple and versatile grey pair. Zappos is fabulous and so I chose to go through their website. Free shipping! Yay! Can't wait for them to get here. 

New Balance 574

Another exciting thing going on is the Victoria's Secret Semi Annual Sale! I am avoiding VS at this time.. haha. The deals are always good, but I don't have anything I need from there right now. I usually take the Semi Annual Sale as an opportunity to stock up on sports bras, but the ones I currently have are still in pretty good shape. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't check it out! Love me some VS! 


Not sure what we are doing tonight, but hopefully it will be fun! 


Have a great weekend!


xoxo MaryBeth





+New Balance 

WEEKEND WHIRLWIND

Hey Ladies!! Happy Monday(not!)! I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was fun! Friday the hubs and I stayed in and grilled up some dinner and drank beer together. Although we both really enjoy going out on the town, we also really enjoy just chilling at our house and having fun together :)  Especially all the work we have put in to our home, we want to enjoy it!! This is what I wore on Friday:

I rocked one of my beloved v-neck long-sleeve shirts from Forever21 and my faux leather leggings. As I said before, I usually don't wear these as pants but rather under something else, but my tribal open cardigan is so thick and long that I felt comfortable. The grey thigh high socks are from Kohl's and I also have them in black. They are great for layering under boots and are very warm and comfy. And since I wore them with my rider boots that aren't thigh high, I just scrunched them down. Super cute! And to top it all off, my studded headband in silver and those mauve/burgundy lips I mentioned here. Now, about those lips... I LOVED it!! It took the hubs just a second to get used to them, but then he decided he actually really liked it and even went so far as to describe how the dark lips brought out the contouring that I had done with my makeup. It's hilarious when guys get excited about something totally girly! ha! Take a look:

 

The only problem with rocking bold lips like this is that kissing is absolutely off limits! (unless your man is okay with having colored lips! haha) So for dinner we grilled up some steak and green pepper, asparagus on the stove top and two potatoes in the microwave. We didn't plan enough in advance to put the potatoes on the grill. They take soo long!

Mmmm....

For the asparagus I sprayed some olive oil on the pan, added the fresh asparagus, and topped it with just a sprinkle of water, pepper, sea salt and garlic salt. I just mixed it all up in the pan so the asparagus got the olive oil on it and then put the lid on, flipping and mixing occasionally. I like my asparagus to be really well cooked and I just kind of eyeball it as far as time goes.

I like to top my sweet potato with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and some cinnamon. Yum!

And the hubs' potato was covered in olive oil and sea salt prior to cooking. He then topped it with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and some sour cream. The green pepper was cut and wrapped in tin foil. I sprayed it with olive oil and added pepper and garlic salt. Tossed it on the grill with the steaks and voila! It was all delish!!

And the best part of all: the beer. Ha! As mentioned before, our grocery has a section of loose beers that you can create your own 6-pack of beer. I decided to go this route because there were so many beers that I wanted to try and it made more sense to spend $8.99 for six beers instead of having to by an entire 6-pack of each of the different beers I wanted, which would definitely cost more than $8.99 ha! I got two of the Samuel Adams Octoberfest because it looked really good!

Our Alma Mater had a neat event on campus earlier this year to promote all the local beer and wine makers and we  used the sweet glasses we got for attending.

On Saturday we went and tailgated the UofL football game and it.was.cold. The weather was awful but they pulled out the win! Here's what I wore:

I wore my fleece North Face hat that I got at an outlet and my super warm, super worth the investment, down feather North Face jacket. This sucker is warm and I love it! I got it last year for a little under $200. The red sweater, plaid scarf, jeans and black boots are from Charlotte Russe. PHEW! I guess I like that store! ha! And of course, some coffee was a must for the tailgate. I went with my usual, tall skinny vanilla latte, and the hubs went with the grande Pike's Place roast (and some beers).

Work on Sunday was not too bad. The weekends are usually not bad and we all try to have fun and make the most of it. Today is an off day from work and I've already got some laundry done, all the Halloween decorations down (sad face) and got my workout in. Here's what I wore:

I am so pale.... ha!

 I rocked this fab hooded running top by Nike and my Nike Tempo running shorts. I swear by these running shorts! I have them in about six different colors. They are perfectly comfortable and I am obsessed with them. I have to control myself and not buy more and more (they have SO many colors and patterns to choose from) until the ones I have get worn down. They usually are around $28 which is a great price for what you are getting. Mine last forever! Which is both good and bad because I just want to have an excuse to buy more! ha! Under my top I wore one of my retired tanks from Target.

A great feature of this running top is that it has built in gloves. You can wear it this way, with just your thumb through the hole, or you can pull the extra flap out and it becomes a mitten, covering your fingers. How fab?!

So, after my workout I ran by the grocery to snag some seasonal coffee. And, you guessed it, Pumpkin Spice was my final pick! haha It's a serious addiction that I may need to seek counseling for. There is a machine that will grind the beans for you. Sometimes if the prepackaged flavor I want is only available in whole bean I will just open the bag, pour the beans in, grind and then place them back in the original bag. But, the pumpkin spice flavor wasn't available in a prepackaged bag, so I used the bags provided and wrote my flavor down. Yum!

Ohh Yeahh

I really like Stevia. Don't get me wrong, I'll use Sweet 'n Low, or any other substitute for that matter, if I'm in a bind. But, when I am at home we use Stevia. It just makes me feel better, even if there really is no difference. haha


Hope you have a fabulous week! That wedding day photo post is coming, and I can't wait to share the recent purchases I just made at Forever21 online. I hope they are just as gorg in person as they look on the internet! Still waiting on my Stella & Dot loot to show up on my doorstep, and when it does I'll be sure to share.


xoxo MaryBeth

FOOD, FASHION AND FRIDAY

Hey Ladies!! Happy Friday!! (happy November, too! How crazy!!) Oh how I love the weekends. Unfortunately, though, I do have to work on Sunday. Boo. I'm especially sad about working Sunday because some of my Stella & Dot gals are getting together that day at a local coffee shop and I'm going to miss it! Ugh. Such is life! So, today I picked up a few extra hours at work, came home for lunch and a nap and then hit the gym and the grocery store. Today's workout was similar to the other day: run, weights, abs, stretch. Not too exciting, huh?! Here's my workout look: The tank and the pants are from Kohl's and the Nike top is the amazing steal I got at T.J. Maxx that I raved about here.

I swung by the grocery store because the hubs and I are going to grill some steak with potatoes (regular for him, sweet for me) and asparagus. Probably have some salad action on the side, too. And, I am super stoked about my beer selection, which I will share later. There is a small section at our grocery where you can pick your own 8-pack from the loose beers provided. I picked mostly seasonal ones and I.am.excited. I also snagged a new shade of lipstick that I cannot wait to try out! It is a fabulous deep lilac/mauve/burgandy color and I die. It's by Cover Girl and is called Entwined. The lip pencil I bought to go with it is called Sophisticated. Can't wait to try it out! Take a look:

Cover Girl LipPerfection Lipcolor $5.99
Entwined

Cover Girl LipPerfection Lipliner $5.99
Sophisticated

 

So, the other day I tried out cooking with butternut squash, and it wasn't bad! I think I liked it more than the hubs did, but her still ate it. As promised, here is a pic. I forgot to take one of both halves in the baking pan, so here is a pic of one of the halves, cut in half. ha! I filled a glass baking dish with one inch of water, put some olive oil, sea salt, pepper and cinnamon on top. Baked at 350F for about an hour and voila! My sister-in-law sent me a butternut squash soup recipe that I am going to have to try out soon!

 

Butternut Squash-mmmm

 

I'll be back later with a recap of our seasonal beer choices and activities this weekend! I'm also feeling a wedding post coming on! Oh how I love everything wedding! I think it will be along the lines of tips and suggestions when it comes to photos on that BIG day!

 

 

Have a great weekend!

 

 

P.S. I have more Stella & Dot goodies heading my direction and I'll be sure to share when they arrive!! :)

 

 

xoxo MaryBeth

 

 



DIY DELIGHT

Hey Ladies! Today was a, "go to the gym, run errands, clean the house" kind of day. And of course I am dressed to the nine's and rockin' my stilettos on a day like this....not. This pic pretty much sums it up. But, like I said, it's not about looking fabulous every second of every day. It's about knowing how to look fabulous, whenever you want!

Kohl's $12ish
Black Running Tank
Target $19ish
Black Running Capris
Dick's Sporting Goods $80
Asics Running Shoes
Sweet Bun On My Head $priceless

Another thing on the agenda for today was to finish up a DIY (do it yourself) project the hubs and I started. After all the remodeling that we had done to our house, we somehow let the closet doors to our master bathroom fall to the wayside. Not that they were terrible, but they just needed a little touch up so they could shine with the rest of the house. It's funny how when you remodel a home you think that you have every square inch accounted for and that you are going to have everything perfect. Wrong. So wrong. We have come across MANY things that were either an oversight, or a corner cut that, at the time, cutting that corner meant life and death because all we wanted to do was move in. Hence, my poor little closet doors. Here is a pic after we had already sanded the doors down so that their fresh coat of color would stick.

  

After sanding, we then spent around $5 on two cans of the appropriate type of spray paint, and there you have it.

Finished Product

Finished Product

And yes, I did say spray paint. Have you ever been in the spray paint aisle of a Home Depot or Lowe's?? If you are turning your nose up to the thought of spray paint, then clearly you haven't! It is amazing all the different textures and colors they have to offer. Even metallic colors (which, by the way, I am going to have try out on something). So there you have it! Hope you liked this, "DIY Delight".

xoxo MaryBeth