creativity

i have been thinking a lot lately about creativity. i was asked a few weeks ago how i like to express my creative side and i answered with things like: writing and cooking/baking. that is about all i could come up with. while those are both wonderful things, i want to do more of them as well as find other ways to allow myself to be creative.

 i want to do, make, style, think, and create. i want to challenge myself. 

i have a pinterest account where i pin beautiful and inspiring images over and over. yet, i have only made a few recipes from my food board. i have thousands of images that are pinned, that inspire me to be creative and make things...and yet i don't.

i don't really know where this all came from. maybe that little question that was asked so passingly "what do you do to be creative" sparked me to really think about it.

so here i am...making this commitment to myself.

i want to write more. i want to think and create more. i want to make things.

so i am going to start.

baubles

it's absolutely not a secret that i am obsessed with jewels. it just might be my ultimate weakness...that or chocolate. both fantastic if you ask me.

i have recently stumbled across bauble bar...a website that has an assortment of wonderful jewels to be scooped up.

many of these are going on my wish list. with my birthday and christmas coming up in a few months, i am definitely going to be hoping some of these end up in my jewelry box.

{aqua boho drops}

{burgundy gem bib}

{bonbon duo drops}

{red tassel earrings}

{molten gold bib}

{puzzle prism bib}

{gold stud cuff}

my first bauble bar purchase was this pretty little (or not so little) treat. i plan to rock it with a striped shirt or a shift dress pretty soon...

{fire elsa necklace}

if any of you want to shop the pretty pieces above, hop on over to bauble bar and set up an account. i would definitely recommend them. best part? you get $10 off your first purchase. TREAT!

bauble bar doesn't know about me or my little blog. they don't know i'm writing this post. i just wanted to share the jewelry love...

kentucky love

a few weeks ago, A and I headed to my sweet state of kentucky to celebrate my little holly. she is getting married in a few weeks and we celebrated her and showered her before her big day. we squeezed a lot into a weekend and saw so many of our loved ones. i got to meet little babies, see my bestie with a bump (who has since had her little babe) and hang out with all of my favorite people. 

sweet sweet little evie. oh how i loved meeting her and seeing her sweet mama

 my sees. oh how i love her...

 the bride-to-be with all of her gifts

 friends at dinner. SUCH a wonderful time and good food.

yummy breakfast with friends. look at those mini beyonces up on the roof.

such a wonderful time in lexington. i am blessed beyond belief and thankfully, get get to go back soon for that little bride-to-be to get married. round two is coming soon....

healthy start

many mornings i find myself in the kitchen making a quick smoothie before work. i have tweaked it quite a few times from the original smoothie {recipe found here} but for the most part, keep it pretty much the same. i just add spinach to get a serving of greens in {and no you can't taste it...promise}.

my recipe is:

*8-9 strawberries
*a handful of blueberries
*a handful of spinach
*1/2 cup OJ
*a small spoonful of honey
*a small spoonful of ground flax seeds
*10-12 ice cubes

Mix it all together in a blender. Pour it in a big glass. I usually stick it in the freezer as I finish getting ready for the day and then grab it and go. In my opinion, 10 minutes of making it is worth getting in a good serving of fruit and veggie first thing in the morning.

life lately according to my {instagram}

in the past few weeks we have....

-been to florida with my family

-taken a drive up to north carolina

-gone to the farmers marker

-added to my mint green obsession

-found and bought my first peonies 

what have y'all been up to lately???

working it out: in my gym bag

i have mentioned before that i wanted to start talking more about my passion of fitness and eating better and then i forgot. so i figured i would give you another little "working it out" post.

this time, i want to talk about my favorite necessities for the gym. many times, you will find me in an old tshirt and running shorts. that is pretty typical. however, when i took on spin, i had to find some pants to wear for class.  i picked some out and wear them every spin class. they are super comfy (not see thru at all) and fit really well.

(here)

if i need to wear shorts, my favorites actually come from old navy. although i do love the color options that nike has, i just can't justify the price. ON actually has some great ones and i have gotten them on super sale too. i love them!

i also have some fantastic shirts from victoria's secret that i have quickly become obsessed with. sometimes a tshirt is too heavy and too much to wear. something along the lines of this but without the writing.

(here)

a few months ago, i had to get some new shoes because my old ones were super worn. my new motto? go bright or go home.

and last, you can't survive in the gym without a water bottle. last year i discovered bkr and haven't looked back since. i carry mine everywhere - they are perfect.

also, my little blue ipod nano comes with me to the gym. i can't do cardio without having music to motivate me to go faster.

so there is a typical "what's in my gym bag" post. do y'all have any favorites that you can't go to the gym without? how about some of your favorite workout songs? do share!

hakuna matata

the lion king on broadway is here in greenville for the next month and A and I were lucky enough to go see it last week. it was really wonderful. A had never been to a broadway show and this was a great starter for him.

i might have sang the songs along with the characters. how can you not sing along with "hakuna matata" or "i just can't wait to be king"?

 it was a fantastic time and i would definitely recommend it to anyone. here is a little sneak peak of the show...

tell me that does not give you goosebumps.