Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Last week I announced that I would be hosting my first ever giveaway over my Facebook page and  today a winner was chosen!

and the winner is....

You are the winner of Nora & Jac's super cute color block infinity scarf and two sailors knot bracelets!

A big thank you to Nora & Jac for providing such an awesome prize package for me to giveaway to the fans of this blog, it's been a pleasure watching your business take off!

I'd also like to thank everyone who entered this giveaway and take the time to read what I write. You are all awesome! (or really bored...I'll go with awesome, though!)

Hosting my first giveaway was actually pretty nerve wrecking for me, but it was fun and I look forward to hosting another soon!

{Summer Giveaway} Fashion Edition

I'm incredibly happy to announce, that I have teamed up with Nora & Jac to offer my readers and Facebook fans a chance to win some great items!

If you love fashionable, handmade accessories, this giveaway is for you!

Entering is as easy as 1, 2, 3...:

1. Visit the Nora & Jac Facebook page and hit "Like"


2.  Visit my Facebook page and make sure you already "Like" it.


3. Click the summer giveaway tab on the top to fill out the form.

(There are also links to Nora & Jac's Facebook page on there if you prefer)

One lucky winner will be randomly chosen on July 1, 2013 by 3:00 pm to win these great items (which are valued at approx $45):

So hop on over to Facebook to enter today and keep an eye on the Nora & Jac page....she has some great sales going on now to make way for new items which are in the works and will be launching soon!

FitBump Almost Makes Me Wish I Was Pregnant

No, no, no...there is no baby on the way here, or in the future. This mama is done with that road in life, but let me tell you... If you are expecting and are into fitness, you have to check out FitBump!

I had the pleasure of meeting the founder of FitBump, Kira Kohrherr, as well as her PR rep Liz Graham a week ago, while attending The Brooklyn Baby Expo. At the time, I didn't realize that Kira also designed a full line of maternity fitness apparel, but as soon as I saw it, I was in love!

This line, which is due out in July 2013, is full of fun colors and cute prints, plus it sports flattering silhouettes that celebrates the bump, while the active-chic styles easily transition from the gym to everyday wear!

One of the things I hated most while pregnant, was constantly having to buy new clothes to fit my ever growing belly. With FitBump's revolutionary design you don't have to, because it expands over nine months and then retracts as your post-baby body gets back into shape. How awesome is that?!

Seeing this line almost made me wish I was pregnant, but then reality hit me, I heard a room full of fussy infants and I remembered how much I love to sleep.

FitBump just launched their new website about two weeks ago, and it was created as a one-stop-shop to help wellness-focused women make mindful, educated decisions throughout their pregnancy and beyond.
Their site offers a community with advice from wellness experts and real moms. There are also categories you can browse including Fitness, Nutrition & Recipes, Mommy & Baby Care, Style, Holistic Health, and Green Living.

FitBump doesn't stop there! They also offer products to make living a healthy life easy and fun. One of the services they offer is called Thrive Foods, which is a specialty meal delivery service. It provides nutrient-dense dishes for moms-to-be and new moms. This farm-to-table option is delivered in 5 or 7 day meal plans. The plant-based, gluten-free meals are prepared in Oxnard, CA and shipped overnight in sustainable, recyclable packing. Nothing is frozen and an air-lock system keeps food fresh and healthy. Click here for more information on this service.

As you can see, FitBump has a lot offer to mom-to-be, so make sure you visit their site, check out the amazing fitness apparel and maybe even give this Total Body Workout a shot!

If you order something from their maternity fitness line, I would love to hear what you think about it, so be sure to stop back and give me a full report!

Also, a big thank you to Kim and Nicole from A Child Grows and Melissa Chapman for allowing me to be a part of the #BklynBabyExpo!

Obsessed With Nautical

I am a jeans and t-shirt type of girl. I am known for my love of hoodies and my hatred of heels. My idea of accessorizing, is grabbing an elastic band for my hair that matches what I am wearing.

This summer, I have decided that I need to put a little more effort into my clothing. I need purchase actual outfits, as well as a few dresses and non flip-flops for my feet.

You can quit laughing now.

No really. Stop it.

As you know, I spend a lot of time on Pinterest, so I began pinning outfits I liked and I even picked up a few things for my birthday and over the passing weeks. Do you know what I keep gravitating too? Nautical style prints.

Honestly, I'm obsessed with it.

If it's blue, red or yellow, my eye goes straight towards it. Add stripes to that color palette and I instantly run to it. I don't know what it is. I just can't help myself. Even when it comes to accessories, if I see a sailors knot, I want it.

Quick! Someone stage an intervention!

Which summer fashion trend are you gravitating to this year?

T-Shirt Recycling

As many of you know, I am a true t-shirt whore. I love them and have collected many throughout the years. Since losing all of the weight I have, many of those t-shirts have ended up in bags and gone to Goodwill. There are others that I have not been able to part with or have recently gotten too big on me and I have finally found a way to still wear them and not look like a complete and total bum.

I'm sure many of you are familiar with a Pinterest, you know, that website full of neat stuff that sucks you in and eats up all of the precious time that you could have been productive in? I have been guilty of pinning many crafty things and then forgetting about them, however yesterday, I found a pin that really intrigued me and before I knew it, I was going through my dresser drawers, grabbing a pair of scissors and dusting off the sewing machine.

The pin I am referring to is a tutorial on T-Shirt Restyling or Recycling and can be found HERE. That blog also links to where she found the idea so if you decide to give this a try, be sure to visit both sites to see all of the photos!

I ended up doing two t-shirts last night and I LOVE the way they turned out. Of course I got all caught up in making them and forgot to take step-by-step photos to go with this post, but both of the blogs I mentioned above did.

There are so many possibilities for these! I used a fun cord from a pair of old sweatpants on the Star Wars t-shirt, instead of the original collar as the tutorial suggests because I wanted a looser fit to that one. I'd actually love to do the top in orange on both of these and I'm almost positive I have an old orange t-shirt somewhere I can cut up and use just for that purpose. I also didn't worry about swapping out thread colors. I just went with plain old white on both of these and I think they look just fine. (I also stuck with white because I forgot how to change the bobbin on my machine...sssshhhh!)

I'm so glad I found this and decided to actually try it instead of just pinning it and moving on. Buying new clothes over the past 3 years has gotten very expensive, so now I have a fun new way to wear my old clothes while saving a little money!

Two Weeks Post-Op and Putting a Plan Together

Yesterday marked two weeks since my surgery and I'm feeling good! I'm becoming more active each day and this week I'll be easing my way back into work, which should be interesting.

My milestones over the past week have been three things I've longed for:

• I can finally sleep on my side again.
• I was able to fit into a pair of my jeans.
• I no longer need to take Percocet, at all.

Sleeping on my side again has been wonderful. I am finally able to sleep for more 2 hours at a time, so I am feeling more rested these days. It's a little difficult to get myself onto my side and rolling over is a bit of a challenge while I'm sleeping but not being stuck like a turtle on it's back is simply blissful.

As for the jeans, I honestly didn't think I would be able to fit into them yet, but I being my thick-headed self, had to try again. I was pleasantly surprised when I had no trouble getting the button to fasten and that truly made my day. In all honesty, these are not my normal size jeans. They are a pair that were too big on me, but I would wear to work because I didn't care if they got ruined. I'm hoping in another week I'll be able to fit into my normal size, but progress is progress, so I'll take it and be happy.

Being off the Percocet feels great. I didn't like how tired they made me feel. Napping all day was not very productive at all. About a week ago I weened down to needing them just at night, and at that point I was using them more for the sleep aspect than for pain because I was struggling with sleeping on my back so much. I am now just taking Tylenol as needed, which is really just before bed and I'm sure I'll need some once I'm more active at work.

Being laid up for the past two weeks as been making me antsy to workout again. I know I'm going to have to take it slow once I'm cleared by my surgeon. I'm planning on getting back into walking the fitness trail and I'm hoping that lower body workouts will be OK. If I am able to do lower body stuff, I think I am going to restart Brazil Butt Lift. The workouts are pretty quick and all of the moves are very effective. I'd LOVE to be able to lift again so I can regain the shoulder/arm definition I have lost, but I'm pretty sure that it off the table for awhile since you need to stabilize your core to lift properly. Sigh.

I've been doing really well with my nutrition lately, too. I know how important vitamins and protein are to my recovery right now, so I've been very motivated.

Next week I have another post-op appointment with the surgeon, so I'm hoping we will be covering all of my new do's and don'ts. I'm also hoping I will be given a "transition" garment, because I am officially hating the compression garment. My only fear is that transition one will suck even more and I'll wish I was back in the first one. (Cause that's my luck and how things usually work, right?)

Till next time...

Tomorrow's The Big Day / What I Wore {Easter Sunday}

Yup! You read it correctly...tomorrow is the big day. In less than 12 hours I will be taking a major step in my weight loss journey and I'll be having my tummy tuck with muscle repair.

The past week has been a whirl wind and with things being so hectic up at work, I didn't really have much time to think about the procedure. I did manage to find time to make a list of things I needed from Target and pick them up, but outside of making sure I was taking my supplements as directed, that's it.

Since we are on the subject of supplements....let me vent about what I pain in the ass they are! I feel like a junkie popping pills all day. It's not fun and I'll be happy when I'm 7-14 days post surgery, so I can stop taking them. 

At this current moment, I keep flip flopping between excitement, nervousness and full blown anxiety. I'm thankful that today was Easter. I had plenty of things going on to keep my mind busy, so I didn't dwell on it all day. It wasn't until around 6pm when people started texting me to wish me luck tomorrow, that I started to enter panic mode.

Speaking of Easter, I decided to be girly and wear not only a dress but also my 5" platform sandals. For those of you know me, you know how tall I am in 5" platforms (as well as how ungraceful I am in them) but I wanted to step out of the box and finally wear these shoes. I bought them a year ago in two different colors because I loved them. I swore I would wear them but they never saw the light of day before today.

Coral Dress: Old Navy, last year. Teal Animal Stripe Sweater: Charlotte Russe, last year. Sandals: Charlotte Russe, last year. Necklace: Premiere Designs about 2 years ago. 

It felt nice to get dressed up instead of just tossing on a pair of jeans and a shirt. I won't lie, I took a pair of flip flops with me in my purse and wore them for the drive home. My feet can only take so much...they are used to my beloved Converse after all! Plus I'll be living in sweats and I won't have a need for shoes over the next 1-2 weeks.

I'm hoping sleep will find me tonight and the anxiety will subside. (Plus I can't eat after midnight or I'll turn into a Gremlin.) I have to be at the surgeons office tomorrow morning at 7:30 am, so I think I'll be waking up around 6 am so I can shower, get into some comfy clothes and try not to be too cranky without coffee or breakfast. Sigh.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported me in my decision to do this, has been there to ease my anxiety and has kept me motivated along the way. You all mean a lot to me and I'm happy to have you in my life.

P.S. - I was hoping to have some pics of where I'll be staying during the first few days of recovery, but we never got around to setting it up this weekend. Thankfully my husband is going to take care of all that while I'm in surgery tomorrow. I didn't want him just sitting around waiting for 4-5 hours anyway, so now he'll have something to keep his mind busy for a little while.

What I Wore {Anniversary Dinner}

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary by going out for dinner to a local restaurant. I have been sick since Friday with some kind of strange stomach bug, so this is the first time I've put any form of effort into getting dressed for a while.

Black 3/4 length sleeve shirt: Old Navy, Grey tank top: Target, Black and Grey Scarf: Charlotte Russe, Jeans: Charlotte Russe, Boots: Charlotte Russe
(You can tell I've been sick in this photo....damn I look tired!)

It was chilly out yesterday so I was happy we didn't go anywhere super fancy that called for a dress or heels. I like feeling pulled together but casual and this is certainly a step up from the sweats I've been rockin' for the past 4 days.

Hope everyone had a great day!

What I Wore {Friday Night: Dinner and the Mall}

While this outfit isn't super exciting, I am head over heels in love with this shirt. I was aimlessly wondering the clothing section at Target the day I tried on the dress and it caught my eye. I don't know if it was the color or the fact that it is part of the Converse One Star line, but I had to try it on.

I was surprised at how well it fit and I loved the color. I also loved the fact that it is girly but not floral. I have a major thing for neutral and earthy tones, so this fits in with that while bringing a slight pop of color.

Shirt: Target's Converse One Star line, Jeans: GAP

The shirt looks pink in this photo but it's actually burgandy.
I love the detail on it and just tossed on my black "boyfriend" sweater I bought at Target cause it was chilly.

 This is just an example of little changes I am trying to make to look more "pulled together" while not putting a ton of effort into getting dressed. I'm realizing I can just as easily slip into a shirt like this, as I can into a Star Wars t-shirt ;)

What I Wore {Shopping & A Wedding}

Yesterday I took a shopping trip up to Target. I've been there a few times over the past 2 weeks and I've found myself drawn to the spring dresses they have on the racks. While there, I grabbed the Jason Wu dress I have on in the photo below, along with a few other spring dresses, a shirt and a bathing suit (GASP!).

I've noticed that I am finally used to grabbing the proper size from the rack for myself. I used to always grab a larger size and I think that as I become more comfortable in my new skin, the reality of my actual size is setting in.

This is me in the fitting with the Jason Wu dress on. As cute as it was, it didn't fit right and this was the ONLY one left.

After my shopping trip at Target, I had a wedding to get ready for. I always hate getting for weddings, especially when I am unsure of the type of place it is. I knew it was a casual event but I never want to go somewhere and be overdressed or under dressed. I am a fan of blending in with the crowd since I don't handle attention well. After trying on multiple options, this is what I decided to go with:

Teal Dress: Old Navy (Last year), Zebra sweater: Charlotte Russe (Last Year), Shoes: Madden Girl

Close up of sweater and dress

Close-up of my shoes...which are heels...nothing crazy, but they are heels.
(I also love that the weather is warming up and my tattoo can see the light of day again.) 

I have to admit, I've had fun putting more effort into getting dressed. I've even had fun trying things on...including the bathing suit which was a pleasant surprise. Tapping into a new side of myself is proving to be enjoyable, and I look forward to making more strides in self acceptance.

What I Wore Today {A Taste of Spring}

Today we had a nice taste of spring weather ... it was 74 degrees this afternoon! As a result, I decided to actually change out of my gross work clothes before running errands. I opted for one of the girlier shirts I purchased last year, it has ruffles and flowers on it...GASP!

Floral Shirt: Forever 21 (last year)
Jeans: H&M
Sweater: Target (You'll see it on my a lot...it's comfy)

Close up of my shirt...it might be the "girliest" thing I own.

I gotta stay true to who I am....Chucks on muh feet!

 I'm actually looking forward to buying new clothes for the spring and summer this year...and becoming a little more girlie in the process.

Trying Something New

Recently, a few of the ladies I follow on twitter have been doing a "What I Wore" blog each day and I found myself enjoying it and wanting to participate. The issue? a) I didn't feel my blog was built for posts like that and b) well...I'm a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl.

I started thinking about these two things and I realized that there is no reason why I can't dress "cute" every now and then. Most times I'm headed to work and I don't wear anything good to go there as it would just get ruined. However, if I go out to run errands at night or on my day off, I can put a little effort into my attire. The other thing I started thinking about was that I can fit that kind of stuff into my blog. It's part of my journey and I am able to fit into clothes I like now because I have busted my butt and lost all of the weight I felt I always needed to cover up under baggy, shapeless clothing and sweaters.

So, here are three outfits I wore this week. I seem to be attracted to stripes lately (probably because overweight people and stripes were always a no-no). I'm taking baby steps with this stuff and to be honest, the victory is in the fact that I'm not wearing a sports or Star Wars t-shirt.

I wore this Saturday night to a neighbors house for a get together.

Animal Print Shirt from Forever 21 purchased 2-years ago
Black cardigan from Target purchased this year
I wore a pair of dark wash jeans and boots with this. 

I wore this on Sunday to go grocery shopping.

Striped shirt - purchased at Target last week.

Grey sweater - purchased at Target a few months ago.

Jeans from Charlotte Russe purchased last year.

Shoes which you can't see are a pair of grey Converse (my favorites) 

Yesterday outfit was worn to do some training at work, for a trip the mall and lunch with my husband.

V-neck t-shirt from Target - purchased this year.
Striped sweater from Target - purchased the other day.White scarf - purchased at Five Below
Jeans from H&M - given to me by a friend to serve as goal jeans (they sat on a shelf in my closet for a long time!)
Purse - I believe I bought that at Target 3 years ago. 
Shoes - which you can't see are a pair of UGGS - I know, I know...they're comfy and it was chilly so get over it! 

Here you have it....my attempts at putting some effort into my attire. To some, this is super casual but to me, it's slightly out of my junior high school boy comfort zone. Maybe some day you will see a major pop of color, a skirt and some heels....but don't hold your breath on that one.

 A special thank you to Jac, Beth and Amy for inspiring me to put forth a little effort. It's time I realize I don't have to hide behind clothing and I can use it to show off all of my hard work.

P.S. - I have no idea why some of my captions wouldn't center on this post. All of my setting seem correct on here, but I'm late for work and can't fight with it anymore. Sorry.