Have you had a "WOW!" moment lately?

There is a great article in Experience Life magazine, entitled Don't Miss Your Life.  I find that I can easily get caught up in the day-to-day routine and hectic, stressful pace of daily life.  This article is a wonderful reminder to "stop and smell the roses". 
The writer, Joe Robinson, suggests creating a "To-Live" list, that gives you a set of fun things that you'd like to do or experience (sooner rather than later!).  I think it's an even better idea than a Bucket list.  He asks a few questions and gives examples to help jumpstart your fun list, like what places would you like to visit or what activities would you like to try? 
I never thought I would even attempt to run a marathon, but Chris and I did it.  That's one thing from my list!  What would be first on yours?

Lovin' Life

Today's list is all about the fun, little everyday things.  Here's just a few that make me love life and feel so blessed!

My husband’s kisses

Sunny days

Feeding the friendly ducks, down by the lake

My house – after I've just cleaned

Chats with my sisters

A good yoga workout

Curling up with a book and cup of coffee

What small things bring a smile to your face?

I hope everyone has a super wonderful day!

What I Wore Wednesday - Blues & Whites

In honor of Flag Day yesterday, I decided to go with blues and whites for today's WIWW.  I'll have to work in the red next time!

Outfit 1 - The dress has adjustable spaghetti straps and if you don't want to wear it with a sweater, like I did, then a camisole works well underneath, too - both pieces are Old Navy.

Outfit 2 - I love this blue and white striped boyfriend cardigan!  I'm going to be wearing it with a lot of different outfits; it's super versatile.  The skirt actually has small vertical white stripes running down it, and both it and the sweater are from Target.  The white camisole is New York & Co.

Fashion Friday -Getaway Outfits

PiperLime

Summer is all about fun travel to warm, sunny beach locations and The Getaway Essentials on the Piperlime website just really make me want to pack a weekender bag with a couple of those outfits, and get out of town. So very cute! What’s your favorite?

Piperlime

Piperlime

Fashion Fridays @ Blonde Episodes

 
Fashion Friday

Fun Stuff Friday - Books!

    

     Ah, the joy of reading!  My love of books was passed down to me from my mom at a very young age, when during summer vacation, we would walk to the library and spend an afternoon deciding which books to check out.  Nate the Great was always a favorite (maybe that's because I, too, adore pancakes!) and the Choose your Own Adventure books couldn't be beat.  What a great concept for young minds - letting them decide how their story ends.  I moved on to the Nancy Drew series, and loved tagging along with her and her gal pals, Bess and George, as they solved mysteries.
     My love of books still continues to this day.  I admit, I am one of those people that judges a book by it's cover.  Sorry to say!  I will almost always pick up a book if the cover looks fun.  Target usually has interesting choices in their Club Picks section, and of course, Barnes and Noble displays all their new fiction (I'm a fan of paperback), to grab my attention as soon as I walk in!   For me, books not only provide a relaxing pasttime, but they also do double duty as decor pieces. 

GoodReads is a fun website for fellow readers - http://www.goodreads.com.

Here are some of the books on my next to read stack:

Salting Roses, by Lorelle Marinello
Table Manners, by Mia King
There's Cake in my Future, by Kim Gruenenfelder

How about you? What are you reading these days?

Gray & Black

I am a huge fan of color, but I also love neutrals - especially blacks (who wouldn't want to wear something slimming?!) and grays.  I really love this dress - it fits me so well and it's a simple choice when I want a more sophisticated look.  The capris and ruffled top combo are super comfy, so they are perfect for me at work or on the weekend.  I can always change out the wedge sandals for flats or flipflops.

#1 Dress - BCBG, Shoes - Adrienne Vittadini
# 2 Top & Capris - Elle, at Kohls

Designed Interiors

Better Homes & Gardens

My dad was a home builder when I was younger, and I loved using his house plan books to draw furniture in the various rooms.  I remember at some point wanting to become an interior decorator (either that or a gymnast!).  Though I didn’t end up doing it professionally, I still love all things interior decorating.  We’ve owned our home for a few years now and it’s already gone through multiple “looks”.  I like to think of them as household wardrobe changes.  It’s so much fun to move furniture from room to room and change out pillows and decorative accessories.  I tend to get a little obsessed, but really just genuinely enjoy creating “new to me” spaces.  I love browsing through magazines like Better Homes & Gardens, Country Living and House Beautiful, for ideas and inspiration.  BH&G has a couple of special interest publications that are my favorite – 100 Ideas Flea Market Style and 100 Decorating Ideas Big Style for Small Rooms.  I really love this dining room - it looks so cozy and I could definitely see myself enjoying coffee or reading a good book while curled up on the banquette.

Fun home décor blog to check out – http://www.sohautestyle.com.

Which decor blogs or magazines inspire you?