Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Style Perspectives Wednesday

Back at it for another Wednesday Style Perspectives!  Thanks everyone for linking up last week with your leggings looks!  I had fun with it and like seeing how all the leggings were styled!  So glad I was able to get some of my Blended Blogger buddies out of their comfort zones!





Carrie's up today with her look.  And I gotta say...I'm excited!  When I saw that is was a jeans, tee, blazer and sneaker look, I knew exactly what I'd wear.  I am a cardi girl through and through but over the last year or two, I've very much embraced the blazer.    So here's my take on the look...

Saturday, May 7, 2016

A banner week on the blog!!


It's been a super fun week!
Check out what you might have missed!  (Links are the days of the week!) 




There were lots of link ups with my blog buddies on Monday and Tuesday! A Wednesday that saw me as the the star of the show over at The Blended Blog (eeeeekkkkkk!). A Throwback Thursday that got me all sorts of excited for this weekend, and a Friday Faves that had me dancing!!

Have a great weekend and thanks for spending some of your week here with me!

Friday, May 6, 2016

This Friday's got me like WHOA!!!


YAY!!  Friday is here and I might be in a boring PD Day as you're reading this, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel! Because in just a few short hours I'll be headed to the sunshine!!  I'm visiting my Mom for Mother's Day again this year! {Read about last year's visit here!}
And that is definitely my most favorite thing about today!!  But before I go, here's 4 more faves from this week!!

A day off!  And on Cinco de Mayo at that!  So I spent the day eating Mexican and drinking Sangria with two of my favorite people!  And who doesn't love free tequila shots...that you must do because it's cinco!?!  LOL
totally love that I'm Aunt Katie to this little one!!  

Actually this first week of May has been all about Mexican... Saturday night, Tuesday night and Thursday I went out, while Sunday and Monday I had quesadillas here at home!  Food in the house was slim pickings since I'm going away! Good thing Mexican is my most favorite!!


This song on repeat.
I watched a country cover (of course!) of Lean On by Lennon and Maisy online one day and thought it was really great. These girl KILL IT on covers!!  Went back later on and listened to it again on YouTube on my ChromeCast through my tv, which is on autoplay, so it played all the suggested videos. This is one of them! I'm a lil obsessed and not one bit ashamed to admit I was dancing in my living room!!  I don't know who this Major Lazer chick is but I like her!!

Having all this week's posts done and scheduled by Sunday Night!
Because ya know...THAT NEVER HAPPENS!!!!!!  Especially when it's a 6 post kinda week...7 if you count my post over at TBB!!

Being the featured blogger on The Blended Blog's Style Perspectives!  My prompt was a leggings and scarf look.  I like leggings for Spring...and they can be jazzed up quite nicely with a scarf.  It's simple look but I like it!  For me any day in leggings is a good day! Check out my look here!



Hope you all have a great weekend!  Happy Mother's Day to all the MOMS out there!! Enjoy YOUR special day!!!

Thursday, May 5, 2016

#TBT....to my first trip to The Villages!

I'm leaving on a jet plane...and unfortunately, I do know when I'll be back again!  But I'm really excited to once again be headed to spend Mother's Day Weekend with my parents in The Villages, Florida.  My sister, her two daughters and I went last year and now we are calling it a tradition.  I thought I'd be fun to share last year's post for Throwback Thursday!!
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A Weekend Away!

This weekend I escaped home and went to the sunshine!!  I visited my parents at their home in The Villages in Florida!! I was the only one in my family that hadn't been down to see my mom and dad's place and my sister was taking her girls down to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom, so I thought, it'd be the perfect time for me to go too!   I had a really great time.

I left work on Friday and scooted to the airport.  We are really so lucky to have an airport so close to home.  It's a small regional airport that never seems to be crowded so I was able to fly thru security.  I had plenty of time before boarding, so I headed to the bar for a drink.  I debated the Starbucks, and it would've been cheaper, but went with the beer!  I am not great at flying alone honestly, so I thought I needed something!  And went with the big one!  I posted my beer on Insta as "the most expensive beer ever", but when I got my final bill, realized she charged me for two!  Whew...so considering it 30 ounces...it wasn't that expensive at all!!  HA!!

When I boarded the flight, I was happy to find that it wasn't full, so even though I was the B boarding group, I went pretty much toward the back and had all three seats to myself.
The flight went pretty well.  We left early and arrived a full 30 minutes ahead of schedule...which is pretty crazy!  I had no baggage (I gave it to my parents when they headed down in the car last week) so I was out of the airport in five minutes, met up with my parents and we headed back to my Aunt's house.  When we arrived there, I was met by my nieces, sister (who had come down Wednesday night), my cousin Kim and her husband Brian, and my Aunt Laurie-my mom's sister, who lives in The Villages full time.  Mom, dad and I ate dinner, while we all chatted, watched the Rangers Playoff Game, and played Name that Tune (with my dad's 4000 songs!).  It was a late night and my aunt had to get up early for work the next day, so we headed to my parents house.  They live a few miles away, in a different community.

My mom and dad's house is really cute and my dad, who had been down there a few times for extended periods of time, while my mom was still working, has down a TON of work!  And it looks great!!

Saturday we headed to the pool!  It was a beautiful day!  We didn't stay long at the pool, and I was sooooo mad because I put on 55 SPF and got nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!  In fact I think I was whiter than before!!  LOL.  But the two hours were really enough for me.  I guess, for it being my first time out in this type of heat this season, I was a little dizzy.  But we came back ate a good lunch and got ready to go to The Square and dinner.

In The Square, they have live music nightly.  And people just dance, or sit and watch others dance!  My nieces loved this!!  It also has lots of shopping and restaurants.  
The family that dresses alike!  Totally unplanned...obviously!!



We ate at a place called The Lighthouse.  it was on the water, but being so many, when we put our names in, we said we'll take either in or out.  We got a table inside but by the window.  Dinner was very yummy!  I had the crab cakes!  But I think I enjoyed the apps we all shared better!  It was a lot of fun and laughs!!  
After dinner, we said our goodbyes to my cousin and her husband who were leaving the next day, and headed home to my parents.

Sunday for Mother's Day my nieces wanted to make breakfast for my sister and mom (and me too, because they didn't want me to feel left out!)  So my dad and I helped them make waffles and omelettes.  It was really a great breakfast.  After that us girls headed to Spanish Springs, another "Square", to find some souvenirs!  Being Sunday morning and all, not much was open but we did go to the Tervis store, and the Logo store.  So I got a few tervis glasses and two wine glasses from the Logo store.  Should've thought to take pics, but I left them for my parents to bring home.  After that, we had no plans but to spend the entire rest of the day at the pool! It was a spectacular day!  Not a cloud in the sky and hardly any humidity.  I got color!  Woo Hoo!!  
Golf cart selfie!

We spent a couple hours at the pool, headed back to the house for Happy Hour with my aunt, who came to say goodbye to us, then headed back to the pool to watch the sunset!  The girls loved this.  We were the only ones at the pool and it was so warm!  Awesome sunset!!

A few pics from Sunset....


This one I posted on Insta too!!  It just looked so cool!  I'm thinking of having it put on canvas to hang in my house!!


We got back from the pool around 8:30, had a late dinner and watched the end of the Ranger Game!! A win...and a game 7 is on Wednesday!!  (Woo hoo...but also eeekkkkk!!)    It was another late night.

Monday Morning we got ourselves together and headed the airport...our weekend was over! Booooo!!!!!!!
We had time for a quick lunch down by our gate.  While I waited for the bill, my sister and the girls headed to the bathroom.  We thought we had plenty of time before our boarding group, but all of a sudden we heard them call our names!!  HAHAHAHA!!  It was pretty funny, because it was five minutes after they started boarding.  I guess everyone was already there and eager to get home so they boarded in a flash.  Why would anyone be so eager to get home??  The flight wasn't as great as my one going down...super cray landing!!  And I sat next to a girl with a bad cold...chances are, later this week, I'll have the same cold!!  UGH!!

But I'm home now and actually took off today to recoup and get my act together!  Because tomorrow it back to reality...BLAH!!

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This post originally appeared on the blog on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 


Have a great weekend!  And Happy Mother's Day to all my bloggy buddies out there!!  You are all fabulous Mamas and deserve YOUR day!!

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

It's Style Perspectives Wednesday!



And I'm over at The Blended Blog  today with MY look for Spring!  Check it out here! And don't forget to link up with us! Hashtag your photos on insta and across all social media with #theblendedblogstyle!





14 bloggers each picked a look that defined their personal style.  
The featured blogger on the Blended Blog showcases her signature style (the prompt for that day) and then the other bloggers (on their personal blogs) show how they interpret it.  
Make sure you stop by the Blended Blog to see the featured lady.  
Please link up on the Blended Blog to show us how you would wear the prompt!


Daily Style Finds: The Personal Stylist
Foxy's Domestic Side: The Crafty Engineer
Simply Shaunacey: Reformed Frumpy Mommy
Two Teens and Their Mama: Stylish Midlife Mama
RSquared: The Not So Nerdy Accountant
Shoes to Shiraz: The Shoe Hoarding French Teacher
Puppies and Pretties: Cube Dwelling Fashionista
Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life:  Single Girl, Simple Style
A Lovely Little Wardrobe: A Casual Petite
Making the Most of Everyday Classic Yet Current Over Forty 
NickandNik: Mama with Curves
Living on Cloud Nine: Blissful Fashionista
Whitney a la Mode: A Book-loving French Teacher


Thanks for showing me some love on TBB today!!




Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Our First Foray into a Sentence-a-Day!



Blogging with some of my favorite ladies from The Blended Blog today!  And we're doing something a little different but so much fun!  We've decided to commit to documenting April in a Sentence-a-Day.  Sarah had seen this done before and told us all about it.  I was immediately on board and super excited to give this a try!
So here goes...
April

1st- Eating anything other than meatballs at Meetball is just wrong!

2nd- We may not get together often but when we do, it's always fun.

3rd- It's totally ok to have left all this work for the very last day of vacation.

4th- Where did Spring go?

5th- The world is full of nutjobs...it doesn't matter where you are!

6th- Maybe I overdid it...

7th- I need to retire.

8th- I'm not getting worked up!  Are you kidding me??

9th- He hung himself-like with a real rope!

10th- Happy Tea Party Day!

11th- There's not enough coffee to get me through this Monday!

12th- And so the dreaded last hour begins.

13th- We'll still be here til 6 o'clock!

14th-I really should have gone to Vegas!

15th- What a waste! (Speaking about wine that went wasted in my fridge!)

16th- Woo Hoo!!  Bake Me! (Me to...the sun!)

17th- This is a "shady area". (Where my sister likes to park her big-ass truck in parking lots!)

18th-Unfortunately I didn't go anywhere. (My response to everyone at work who wanted to know where I went for the weekend since I was so tan!)

19th- This world is scary small!!  (Me after meeting someone from grammar school after 25 years who said...I know you!)

20th- You can get a little tipsy on Tuesday...you can't get drunk!

21st- Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day! (100x to all my students today)

22nd- Wine...I've missed you!

23rd- I'm not even drunk yet but I've just been to 3 really sketchy places looking for the bathroom. (Things I say to school parents at the Spring Fling!)

24th- 4:50 a.m....you've got to be kidding me!

25th- I just really love my tulips!

26th- You ready for this Meg? (Asking my sister if she's ready for what a blog photo shoot with me entails! HA!)

27th- I really don't need wine tonight! (I know...I'm shocked these words came out of my mouth too!)

28th- I LOVE IT!  (Me in the salon!)  Eeeeekkkk!!!  (Me when I got home..but i really do love it!!)

29th- I really just need a guy to take out my garbage! (The actually words that came out of my mouth while watching my neighbor take out his garbage...lol)

30th- As long as she doesn't spit in our food we'll be alright!


Go check out more Sentence-a-Day posts!

Whew...what a month!!  And good news!!  We're making this a link up!  So start documenting your days in just a sentence this month and mark your calendars to link up with us on June 2nd!



Monday, May 2, 2016

April in Numbers


Linking up with Deena for April in Numbers today!!



2 girls nights with this ladies!  So rare in our world...it's usually months at a time before all three of us can get together!  Always a night full of laughter and fun!


 After being home every Saturday night in March, I made up for it in April and went out the 4 out of the five Saturdays!  One rainy Saturday night may have been spent in, binge-watching the OJ mini-series.  Sketchy but sucked me right in!  (Ross Geller will always just be Ross Geller to me!)  Actually I had lots of fun nights out scattered through the month.


2 girls-only days with family!
My mom made a trip home in April so on Sunday, April 10th she put together her annual Tea Party for her grand girls...and her daughters!  She always does a great job and the kids love it...


Also had a Sunday girls day with my sister and nieces in town.  Complete with a trip to Meetball for big pretzels and fro yo for dessert!!  Which got me thinking... why don't I ever get froyo?!? I posted more about this day {here}


3 BEAUTIFUL 'lay out" days spent on my Postage Stamp Patio! And a nice base tan to show for it, even if I did get burnt to crisp on my first day out! But it really got me wishing the summer would get here already!


4 Starbucks coffees this month....after not having one since I think January...

Received one Hello Fresh delivery (thanks Mom) and made all three meals!  They were some of the most delicious I can remember!! Not really sure why I only took pics of two of the dishes!!  Maybe I didn't make that third meal...Hmmmm....


 Had one Peapod delivery as well.  In which was 4 boxes of Peanut Butter Cap' Crunch.  Those 4 boxes of cereal contributed to the single most embarrassing moment of the month...which I documented on the Mishaps and Mayhem Facebook Page {follow here!}
#thatwasalie!

1 new computer bought...but have yet to receive!  I mentioned that my computer was getting iffy these days.  I thought about getting a Chromebook, but after using one of my school's this week, I realized at the end of the day I'm a Windows girl!  After seeing this on Amazon as the Deal of the Day on Friday, at 5:30 am I hit "buy now"!  I like that it's a two in one and also that it's five pounds. Way more portable than this huge lug I'm typing on now!!  Fingers crossed it's a good one!  And after 6 years, it was time for something new!

I bought the computer because it's a good deal and because I could kinda afford it at this point, with all the After care I've been doing!  49 hours this month to be exact!  LOL

1 blog photoshoot with my sister that resulted in 78 photos on my iphone! Only a handful of those will be making it to the blog!!
Sneak Peek!

Book club for this month was a total fail, as was completing any book!!  Hoping this changes in May! I want to get back to linking up with Alison for Reading Lately!


I feel like I've slept a lot this month but damnit,  I'm up at 5 am, even on the weekends!!  I watched Arianna Huffington on Dr. Oz talking about her Sleep Revolution earlier this month.  It's got me wanting to track my sleep in May!  I have already begun trying to disconnect from devices 30 minutes before bed.  This is hard though, when my cell phone is my alarm clock!  I may have to invest in a cheapo alarm clock.  I'll let you know how I do in May!

And last but not least...1 new 'do!  I colored my hair...#graybegone




April in Numbers on the blog...
Posted 19 times in April (my lowest since January, but up five since this time last year!)
Most viewed post: Finally Friday!
Most view post via The Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life FB pageMonday Moments of Gratitude (4-4-16)  I posted this to the FB super late in the evening,  but it had the most views...that's good to know!!!
Photos on Insta! 62 Find me! I'm @solitarylife101


Check out this year's previous Numbers posts {here}!

And now MAY is here, and you know what that means....one more month closer to summer!!  Woo Hoo!!  Hope you all have a month filled with fun, food, family and everything else in between!!