At my sister-in-law’s baby shower last weekend, my husband’s cousin (are you following?) had the most beautiful clutch and of course I fell head over heels for it. Turns out it was handmade in Columbia, SC by a young lady named Sally who left her corporate career as a paralegal to pursue entrepreneurship. So since I’m a sucker for female business owners and beautiful bags, I felt it would be selfish of me not to share. Not only are these handcrafted bags super chic and original, but also incredibly affordable at under $100! Head on over to Sally’s Etsy page (nana by Sally) or her website (nanabysally.com) and check out her unique designs. She also does custom designs by request, making these the perfect present for a new grad, birthday gift for a BFF or a new addition to your own bag collection.

nana by Sally

Columbia, SC

{etsy}  {website}

{Blazer – GAP (similar), Sweater – Old Navy (similar), Pants – c/o The Limited, Necklace – Versona (similar), Heels – Dolce Vita Notty}

The body has a funny way of telling you to stop. There is no warning sign, no yellow light, it just goes straight from green to red. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I turned 30 in December or that I have been taking on way too much, but Monday my body finally decided it had enough and put me in the bed for three days straight. I have been saying for weeks that I needed a vacation, so my body decided it would take one unbeknownst to me. After a doctor’s visit, several prescriptions and lots of laying around, I am finally feeling (almost) back to normal. One day I will learn to quit thinking I can do it all, unfortunately today is not that day.

I couldn’t help but watch The Bachelorette this season for the star of the show…CHARLOTTE. I haven’t watched since 2003 but I had to check on the beautiful Queen City to make sure she was looking her best. Emily was looking great too, in part to sporting one of my favorite local jewelry designers, Towne & Reese! You may remember I blogged about them last year and they were so sweet to gift me several items along with some to giveaway. Lucky for you, they just launched their online store today to coincide with their supporting role on the show, so you can pick up some beautiful baubles from right here in the QC.

Pick up one of these and many other unique pieces at Towne & Reese and do share, what did you think of the season premiere of The Bachelorette in Charlotte?!

To My Mother
For all the times you gently picked me up,
When I fell down,
For all the times you tied my shoes
And tucked me into bed,
Or needed something
But put me first instead.
For everything we shared,
The dreams, the laughter,
And the tears,
I love you with a "Special Love"
That deepens every year.
Author Unknown

Happy Mother’s Day to my biggest supporters, my mom and my grandmother (who will probably get me for posting her picture on the blog!). Love you both very much and thank you for always being by my side! <3

{Skirt – J.Crew (similar), Blouse – Forever21 (similar), Blazer – Aryn K. via StitchFix, Earrings – Handpicked (similar), Heels – Zara (similar)}

Tuesday was the NC primary and assuming that you live in the US, I would be willing to bet you heard at least something about the outcome. While I don’t necessarily agree with the results, I am proud to live in a place where I have a voice. My parents raised me with the knowledge that I am free to have my own opinions and voice them however I choose, even if those opinions are not always identical to theirs (though many times they are). I vote because I can. I vote because I want see progressive change in our country. I vote because it directly affects my job. I vote because women (among others) fought hard for right to do so. Most of all, I vote so that I have the right to complain when the outcome is not in my favor. So shame on you North Carolina for further disenfranchising part of the population. I just hope that one day my vote will help us to live in a country where freedom also encompasses compassion and respect for everyone.

{Jacket – Forever21 (similar), Tee – Old Navy Vintage T (buy one in every color and thank me later!), Pants – The Limited, Heels – Zara (similar), Necklace – Anthropologie (similar)(gift)}

Sometimes I get so entrenched in the less than thrilling parts of my week that I forget altogether to sit back and enjoy the weekend. Instead of valuing every precious minute of freedom, I tend to spend much of the time mindlessly dreading the impending week. This weekend I made a concerted effort to sit back, relax and savor my precious time away from the office and not so surprisingly, I had quite a wonderful and relaxing weekend. It doesn’t hurt that the hubs and I both took Friday off and enjoyed some much needed (and appreciated) quality time together. My recipe for the perfect weekend?

Perfect Weekend

Servings – 2 (or how every many you choose)

Ingredients

1 Extra day off

4 Corona Lights with Lime

1 Bowl of fresh guacamole

2 High Intensity Workouts

3 Cups of TCBY Frozen Yogurt (one just for the pups!)

A dash of snuggles

4 naps

A sprinkle of yard work

1 Trip to Trader Joes

40 ounces of Starbucks Soy Milk Frappucinos

1 Empty Google Reader

Zest of Life

1. Mix together and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Calories – Who’s counting? Fat – So what? Happiness – Immeasurable

{Jacket – H&M (similar), Blouse – Thrifted (similar, here, and here), Skirt – The Limited (similar), Heels – Nine West Flax,  Bracelet (with chain detail) – BaubleBar}

Trying to start a business can be an incredibly daunting task. Who am I kidding, it IS an incredibly daunting task and isn’t for the faint of heart. Once you put your intention out into the universe, it’s like a race to the finish so you can have something to be proud of instead a few ideas scribbled in a notebook and a domain name on reserve. The thing is, it isn’t a race. There is no finish line. There is (arguably) no right or wrong route. So I am taking it step by step, day by day (name that tv show) and hoping and praying that I can bring this plan of mine to fruition no matter how long it takes. And if not, at least I can say I tried instead of wondering what could have been. Failure > Regrets

{Striped Shirt – Zara (similar), Blouse – Forever21 (similar), Skirt – Anthropologie (similar), Heels – Forever21 (similar), Necklace – Express (similar)}

I’ve been meaning to write on this subject for a while, and after reading this article (“Make Your Job More Meaningful”) in the Harvard Business Journal my mind started stirring. For as long as I can remember, the word “job” has had a negative connotation to me and the author of this article confirms why. People with jobs have a mindset that they work for money and find little meaning in what they do, leading to dissatisfaction and discontent. On the other hand, the author goes on to explain that those persons with a “calling” view their work in a positive light, feeling inherently good about what they do and gaining happiness, satisfaction, and success. Needless to say, I have nothing more than a job.

In a lot of ways, I have known since grad school that my current career choice was not my calling (and that’s a story for another day…or blog post). Rather than help people as I originally thought I would in my field, I spend most days telling people what they can’t do, how much money they have to spend to make things work, trying to navigate the murky waters of the political system and generally leave at the end of the day feeling nothing less than frustrated and depressed. I WANT to feel good about what I do, I WANT to leave every day feeling good about my work, I don’t WANT to care about a paycheck (don’t we all?). Maybe there is a reason I have been led down this path. Sometimes you need to see how bad it is to see just how good it could be. Onward and upward. There is really no other way to go.

{Jacket (similar), Tank (similar), Pants – GAP, Heels – GUESS, Necklace – Piperlime (similar)}

My husband often jokes about my lack of balance. I run into walls, trip over my own two feet, bang my head on random objects and generally despite years of ballet practice, he might be right. I can hold a hands free standing split in yoga with the best of them but I can’t run down the sidewalk without falling flat on my face. Sadly this lack of balance has slowly but surely carried over into my work life. Between working a full time job, trying to start my own business (or two), and managing two blogs there isn’t much time left for anything else. This is a blessing and a curse at the same time. While I am thankful for the opportunities that come my way, I won’t say it is easy juggling all the balls in my court. It leaves me stressed, frazzled and completely exhausted by the end of each day. Why do I do it? Mostly because the things that I am passionate about are not the ones that deposit the paycheck in my account every Friday. I can’t help feeling that if I devoted more of my time to those things that bring me joy that eventually they would be the ones that also pay the bills. With only 24 hours in the day, how do I balance the scale in my favor?

{Blazer – Zara (similar), Jeans – Old Navy Boyfriend (similar), Tee – Old Navy, Necklace – Forever21, Wedges – Carlos Santana (similar)}

Five years ago a tiny little bundle of fur came into the world making it a much (MUCH) happier place.

Happy 5th (!!!) Birthday to my sweet Cooper baby! Thanks for being my #1 blog dog