Monday Musings Vol. 10: 10/17/16

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This week has been pretty boring, but that is actually a good thing. I’ve had some time to relax and of course watch hockey!

On The Blog:

• I had planned on doing a post last Friday, but time got away from me.

Love & Life:

• Thursday, we had chicken fajitas and watched the Stars’ season opener.
• Friday, I went to Katy Trail Outpost with some friends. I highly recommend their Texas Mule.
• Sunday, Michael joined me at my mom’s for lunch which was nice.

Professional:

• I pretty much just worked a lo this week.

Recently Spotted:

• I’ve had my eye on this Lauren Conrad Pleated Fit & Flare Dress, but in purple polka dots. I’m considering getting it with a gift card I have.

Crafting:

• I have all the Christmas gifts for the boys done. Now I am just about on schedule on the first girl project. So excited!

Now Streaming:

• Podcast: I need some new ideas. I go through my podcasts so quickly.
• Music: NeedToBreathe is one of my favorite’s right now.
• TV: SO I just found out this week that I won’t be able to watch someof my favorite shows on Hulu. I’m pretty sad about that.

Reading:

• I’m really enjoying the Chuck Colson book.

Hockey:

• The NHL season started on Wednesday and Auston Matthews who was the number on draft pick scored 4 goals in his NHL debut. That is pretty good.
• Canadiens opened their season in Buffalo on Thursday and beat the Sabres 4-1 in regulation.
• The Stars opened their season on Thursday as well. They played the Anaheim Ducks at home in Dallas and won 4-2 in regulation.
• Saturday, the Canadiens played in Ottawa and loss to the Senators 4-3 in a shoot-out.
• The Stars also lost on the road on Saturday. In a high scoring 6-5 game, the Colorado Avalanche was able to come out on top.

Looking Forward To:

• A wine night on Thursday with my friends.
• UTA Terry Scholar and Alumni costume picnic in the afternoon on Saturday.
• A friend’s birthday party on Saturday evening.

Link Love:

• Love Jenn’s work appropriate Halloween costumes, since Halloween is on a Monday this year.
• Love Lauren Conrad’s list of things you should and shouldn’t compromise on in your love life.

 

Monday Musings Vol. 9: 10/10/16

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Happy Thanksgiving! Today is Thanksgiving in Canada and I celebrate every year by making pumpkin cookies. I brought some to work today and sent some with Michael as well.

On The Blog:

• Check out my post about Fall Outfits. My first flat lay post and I think it turned out pretty well.

Love & Life:

• I had a Happy Hour with some of the girls from my small group on Wednesday and it was great to share a margarita and some time with my girls!
• Saturday was my friend, Nancy’s bridal shower. It was the cutest tea party theme.
• Saturday night, I hosted sister night. I always enjoy the time I get to spend with my sisters.
• Sunday, we made pumpkin cookies at my mom’s house.

Professional:

• I attended the TWU Terry Banquet last Monday. It was great to see how the program has grown. The speaker was great and said some really though provoking things.

Recently Purchased:

• I know I said I wasn’t buying anything, but I found this adorable dress at Kohl’s and I needed something for the wedding I have at the end of the month and the UTD Terry banquet.

Crafting:

• I should have the third project done this week! I’m pretty excited to move on to a new one that is different.

Now Streaming:

• Podcast: I have started listening to Molly Stillman’s Business with a Purpose podcast. It is really good and eye opening to see how many businesses really care about helping others out.
• Music: I’ve got Gavin DeGraw and Andy Grammer Pandora on all the time.
• TV: I started to watch Notorious at my sister’s suggestion. I like it quite a bit.

• My small group has started a study on Chuck Colson’s The Good Life. Pretty good so far.

Hockey:

• Friday night, we watched the Frozen Fury pre-season game that took place in Las Vegas. Dallas won so that was pretty great.
• We already have plans to watch the season opener on Thursday.

Looking Forward To:

• The NHL season starts this week!
• I have Small Group tonight. Every time I leave small group, I always feel so refreshed!

Link Love:

• Shay’s list of books she’s read lately is great and I’m wanting to add a few to my list of need to read.
• Tif looks so cute in this essential fall outfit. I wish I could pull it off the same way.

Is It October Yet?

The answer to that is yes, although here in Texas it does not feel like it. I love October and always look forward to it. I love breaking out my fall clothes. I love boots, leggings, sweaters and leggings with tights. Although I’m still waiting for cooler temps (below ninety, please), I have some fall outfits already planned out. In fact, I have a whole work week’s worth of fall outfits planned.

These Old Navy Pixie Chino pants are my favorite. The fit works perfectly with these booties. I love the studs and they make me feel just a little edgy. Also, this tank that I scored at TJ Maxx makes me think of pumpkins because of the color and I love the way it looks with this black sweater. I styled this outfit with this Charming Charlie tassel necklace and earring set.

I got these boot during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale at a great price and have looked forward to wearing them since they got delivered. I think they work perfectly with this sweater I got from one of the vendors that come to my building. It’s long enough to wear with leggings and still be appropriate for my office. My favorite part of this sweater is the lace insets. The owl necklace and silver leaf earrings worked perfectly without distracting from the lace insets.

My stepmom bought me this maxi skirt for our beach trip in August, but it is perfect for fall. I have been longing to to wear it with Old Navy cowl neck sweater with it. I love it when  I add a piece to my wardrobe that is multi-seasonal. I love wearing long necklaces with a cowl neck and this necklace has pearls (my favorite) to tie with the bracelet. Although I love boots, this outfit works better with my LC Lauren Conrad black lace flats from last year’s runway collection.

This dress just makes me so happy. I love the flouncy bottom on this. It was another building vendor find. It works perfectly with brown tights and my tall leather boots. This knit kimono works well with it, but I’m really hoping to find a brown cardigan to go with it . I love the way my gold Kendra Scott earrings go with this. The necklace I actually found at Charming Charlie just to match my earrings.

My last outfit is for Fridays. We get to wear jeans to the office and these Old Navy Curvy Skinnies are awesome. I love the way they fit and I always feel more confident in them. I put them with a Target sweater I got a few years ago that ties in my heeled black boots. The gunmetal with the blue in the necklace keep the color scheme working.

So small side note about the owl necklace. I got this necklace six years ago when Michael and I dated the first time. When we broke up,  I stopped wearing and only found it again recently and started wearing it again. I love this owl and it always makes me think of all the things that Michael and I have been through together even when we weren’t a couple.

What are some of the clothes items you are looking forward to styling for fall?

 

October Small Goals

It’s October! That means it is time for tights, boots, pumpkin, cinnamon & hockey. I have a pretty busy month in October, but is should be a lot of fun too. Before we get into my goals for this wonderful month, let’s recap my September goals.

1. Spruce Up My Resume: Done! This was actually not that hard, but needed to be done.
2. Finish Promulgated Contracts Class: Also, done! Now, I need to look into taking my next class.
3. Use To Do Lists More at Home: I’m counting this one even though I didn’t use them as much as I really want to get into the habit of doing. I did use them a few times in the month and it really helped my productivity.
4. Finish 3 Crochet Projects: I’ll have to settle for finishing 2. The good news is that I have really gotten the hang of this pattern so this third one should be done in no time!
5. Post 2x a Week: Yeah… that didn’t happen. This will be one of those goals that get pasted on to the next month!

So 3 out of 5 is not bad, but could be better. Part of my problem was probably that I didn’t keep my goals written down anywhere so I couldn’t easily reference them. Here are my October goals:

1. Post 2x a Week: Let’s try this again. I actually have posts planned for this so it should really help with that.
2. Finish 2 More Crochet Projects: I’m thinking 3 was a pretty high goal last month so I’m just hoping to get 2 done this month.
3. No Spending Extra Money: I’m really trying to build up my savings account more, so this month I am not spending extra money. I’m obviously still buying, groceries and gas as well as the occasional going out to eat with friends or family, but I am not going to spend money on a bunch of extra activities.
4. Use Instagram to Share Posts: I am going to make an effort to use Instagram to share and promote my posts.
5. Establish a Work-Out Routine: I really need to get back into a good work-out routine. I am not sure what that is going to look like yet, but it will be a priority this month.

Here’s to a good October! As always, I am linking up with Nicole at Writes Like a Girl and the rest of the wonderful Small Goals bloggers.

What are your goals for this wonderful month?

Monday Musings Vol. 8: 10/03/16

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It’s October! I pretty much love this month because everything is decorated for fall and the NHL season finally starts!

On The Blog:

• My Small Goals for October are up so check them out.
• Hoping to have another post up on Friday!

Love & Life:

• Michael got a car! His car was totaled 6 months ago in a hail storm and he has been riding his motorcycle everywhere since.
• Michael and I went to see That Thing You Do while it was at the Alamo Drafthouse. I loved that movie as a kid and Michael had never seen it. We went with our friends, Wes and Tricia so it was great to see them as well.
• I picked out new glasses via Warby Parker. I really enjoyed the experience and can’t wait for the glasses to come in!

Professional:

• I had a very productive Terry Officer Meeting this past week. We got a lot of dates on the calendar which was a goal for the year.

Recently Purchased:

• I got this pair of jeans from Old Navy. They had a huge sale and I had just found a hole in one of my pairs of jeans.
• I also picked up a lunch box while I was there because my old one had an unfortunate encounter with my toaster oven. Mine is gray with the word lunch on it in pink cursive.

Crafting:

• I finished 2/7 projects so far. I’m already making good progress on the third though!

Now Streaming:

• Podcast: I loved the recent podcast about Robbers’ Roost by Stuff You Missed in History Class.
• Music: Gavin DeGraw’s newest album is on repeat in preparation for his concert at the end of the month.
• TV: I’m watching The Voice and trying to decide who I really like.

Reading:

• Still working on  The Unbroken Line of the Moon (The Valhalla Series Book 1) by  Johanne Hildebrandt. It’s a pretty interesting historical fiction piece.
• My small group has started a study on Chuck Colson’s The Good Life. Pretty good so far.

Hockey:

• Team Canada won the World Cup of Hockey to no one’s surprise.
• The NHL season starts next week!! (I am so excited)

Looking Forward To:

• TWU Terry Banquet tonight
• My friend’s bridal shower on Saturday
• Sister Night on Saturday as well

Link Love:

• I may be referencing Cupcakes and Cashmere’s cheese plate post in the coming months. Michael loves cheese plates and they are easy to bring to holiday gatherings.