My Instagram Style

This week has been a bit crazy and all of our schedules have been thrown way off as Justin, I, and the 4 year old get used to living together. Justin and I went from living in a tiny house and only having to be concerned with ourselves to living in a bigger house and worrying about the 4 year old, the guinea pig, the cat, and some fish. Crazy, right?! Everyone says this will help us prepare for parenting later in life…

In the mean time, another blogger challenged me to think about my instagram account, which is rarely updated anymore since 1) it was bought by Facebook and 2) they now have advertising. Yuck, yuck, yuck. I don't want to sift through hundreds of ads to see what my friends and family are doing!

Anyway, I started thinking about the subjects I photograph most often with my phone and about my style of photography and editing via the cell phone. It was definitely interesting comparing the images and seeing the very different editing styles I tend to use with instagram in comparison to photoshop.

1. Sunsets/Sunrises

One of my favorite things to photograph is sunsets and sunrises, and unless I've planned ahead, which is rare, my shots of the sunset/sunrise are most often taken with a phone. It doesn't help that Justin and I tend to stay incredibly busy and find ourselves out on the road a lot. It actually takes effort and thought (and probably pre-planning as well) for us to remain at the house every night for a whole week. Frankly, that kind of forethought doesn't usually happen.

While Justin and I do fail quite well at staying in one place for more than 24 hours, I do love the soft editing and creamy colors in my instagram sunrise and sunset shots. Often if I have planned to be out taking photos at that time of day, the clouds are not cooperating. It seems everything only comes together perfectly when you can't find a place to pull over and you don't have your dslr. Go figure.

2. Skylines

Along the same lines as the sunset/sunrise shots, I always see the perfect set-up for a skyline shot when I'm in the car going somewhere and there is nowhere to pull over. Where, for example, am I suppose to pull over on I-85 in Atlanta without killing myself? So, iphone shots from the car it is!

3. Food

Justin loves to make food, and I love to eat it. ;)

And photograph it. :) It would seem I have the most patience photographing breakfast and dessert. Then again, we have a very dark house with very few windows which makes it hard to photograph anything even with a dslr! Shooting during the morning or early afternoon is the most practical and allows for the most beautiful light to enter our windows.

4. Flowers/Plants

When I'm babysitting, I don't always have my camera but I typically find myself bored when the kids are entertaining themselves. Of course that is when I notice the most beautiful scenes. I sit as still as possible, hold my breath, and spend the next 15 minutes taking a picture of one flower getting the positioning just right. It's especially wonderful when the image turns out beautiful.

5. Kids

I babysit A LOT. I'm always amused at what the kids are doing and how creative they are. They generally let me take their picture as long as I'm not pushing for a smile. I try to keep it low key and low pressure; I hated having my picture taken as a child (and even now!), and the last thing I want is to push the kids away by taking their picture too often and dictating their play. My cell phone allows me to capture the moments without distracting them. Plus, the middle shot from above was taken when the battery of my camera died; I love it!

What are you most likely to photograph with your cell phone? Do you photograph a little bit of everything or are you very particular? Feel free to share your instagram account in the comments below or follow my instagram account!

Living with a 4 Year Old

This week I'm watching a 4 year old. And boy am I feeling it. One minute everything is wonderful, but the next … everything couldn't be worse. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. And occasionally there is a bit of cute. :)

This weekend we took him to Legoland and to see The Lego Movie. It was quite a lego-tastic weekend. I practiced shooting, and Justin built a house and robots out of legos. I guess this is what our lives will look like for the next week…

A Love-ly Day

Today I was going to post … well, I didn't know what I was going to post … and then I came across this letter a friend wrote to me many, many years ago:

Mandy,  

I just wanted to thank you for being such a good friend for the past few years. I don't know when the last time I thanked you was. You have always been there for me when I needed you the most. Always willing to listen to me when I needed it. You never judged me in a negative light. I consider you one of my best friends/sister. You have always been able to give me the best advice when I need it. I guess I got lucky with you coming into my life all those many years ago. I will never forget the countless late night conversations we would have about life and stuff in general. Your more then I could have ever asked for in a friend.  

-E

Awww… :)

Anyway, this prompted me to encourage all of you to think about the family and friends that mean so much to you on this holiday (not just your significant other!). Give them a call or write them a note and let them know you are thinking about them. Obviously, you can do this at any point, but given that it is Valentine's Day, you almost have an excuse or reason to make that call or send that text!

Hope everyone has a fantastic day!

Snow Days + Giveaway

As you may have heard, ice has crippled the city of Atlanta. Many are without power. I dare say that while the ice was far worse than what we experienced two weeks ago, the weather from my perspective was a tad over-exaggerated. Yes, I am getting 2 snow days out of the deal rather than just 1, but I didn't see near the 10 inches and constant falling of snow that was predicted.

Nevertheless, here are a few of my favorite things about being stuck at home during a snowpocalypse.

1. Hot oatmeal for breakfast.

I've always liked the instant oatmeal, but Justin introduced my to steel oats without any preservatives or excess sugar. My life was changed, but not in the way you would expect. All of a sudden, ALL oatmeal was unappealing and gross. It has taken me YEARS to get over that.

And yet, what do I find myself eating on this 30 degree snowy winter morning?

Oatmeal.

I'm feeling a little sick. Oatmeal feels good on my throat and is warm. Plus, Justin adds just the tiniest bit of maple syrup, so that I get my sweet without too much extra sugar! It is delicious. :)

2. Going for a walk.

Taking pictures, looking at pretty, throwing a snowball… These are a few of my favorite things. :)

Plus, a lunch out containing something hot to break up the walk is crazy fun too!

3. Reading a book or watching a movie curled up under a blanket.

I just like curling up under a blanket really. Or two. Or three. Throw in my favorite pillow and I've got it made!

4. Along those same lines, having my husband working from home.

It sounds a bit cliché, but I am so grateful to have him in the same house as me. He's great for killing bugs, fixing lunch, and keeping me company… :)

5. Cleaning.

I bet you didn't see that one coming!

I hate cleaning. Really, I do. I like living in a clean house, but I hate getting there. Snow days in allow you to see that your house is a mess and that you should clean it. Perhaps that's why everyone does spring cleaning? They've been cooped up inside their messy house too long, and they can't get out of the house to do anything else!

GIVEAWAY

One of the household chores the snow day in has allowed me to get caught up on is laundry. When your husband bikes to work in the snow, there is a LOT of laundry! 

Purex sent me a bottle of Purex Crystals Fresh Mountain Breeze to try. It's a laundry enhancer great for practically everything! And it smells divine too!! :) You can use it in both top loading and front loading machines to add a lovely scent to your fresh, clean clothes, towels, or even sheets! Can you imagine falling asleep to the wonderful smell of the fresh mountain breeze? … I can! :)

The best part about Purex sending me this lovely free sample is that they sent me a few coupons to give away as well! Are you interested in trying the new, wonderful smelling Fresh Mountain Breeze Purex Crystals? Enter the giveaway via the rafflecopter below and perhaps you'll win the chance to have awesome smelling laundry too! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway *I was given a sample from Purex to try the Fresh Mountain Breeze Crystals and coupons to give away. All opinions in this post are my own. 

Money, Money, Money!

I usually do a finance update approximately twice a month, since Justin's paycheck (our biggest source of income) comes in just as often. I've been a bit slow about doing a finance update this month, because we've had a lot of transferring of funds going on. Even now that I think most of the transferring is complete, I still can't really show you accurate graphs from Mint, because Mint can't seem to connect to one of our bank accounts (and the amount it has listed in the account is wrong). Nevertheless, since Justin should be receiving his paycheck next week, I will try to give an accurate assessment of what we are doing well and what could be improved – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

1. This month I figured out how to show Mint a bank account was cancelled! Woo!!

We cancelled a bank account with Chase, and it was beyond irritating me that it would constantly show excess money in that account. I was thinking – "NO! We don't have any money in that account!" and there was this constant add/subtract bit going through my head trying to figure out exactly how much cash we had available. Not fun. Especially if you have to do it every time you check your finances.

(Side note: Here's how to close an account in Mint:

After signing in, look at the left side of the screen where your accounts are listed. It should look something like this:

Click on the edit symbol, the piece of paper with the pencil over it. Your entire list of accounts should appear. Scroll down until you find the one you want to close.

Click on the light blue text, i.e. "paypal account" or whatever yours is titled. It could have the word "checking", "savings", or "credit card" in the title. No matter what though, it should have the little arrow next to it like this does with an amount listed across from the account name.

DO NOT CLICK DELETE. That will delete the entire account and you will no longer have access to any information from the account. Yes, you can re-add it, but why? If you would like to maintain accurate financial data from the time you listed this account on Mint, continue following my instructions.

When you click on the name of your account, you should see a list of options available to you such as: renaming your account, listing the APY, listing fees, etcetera… The bit you need to pay attention to is status. If your account is closed, use the arrow keys to mark the status of the account as "closed".

You will get a pop up informing you that Mint will no longer attempt to download any transactions from that account. Obviously, if it is closed that won't matter and you should click "ok".

Simple as pie, right?! I have no idea why it took me a year to figure it out!)

2. I bought a $2,000 lens.

Before you go all "WTF?! You're trying to save money!" on me, please note that the lens was on sale, offering a rebate, and I had won a gift card towards the purchase price in essence bringing the cost down to approximately $1,000. Plus, there is the whole going to Europe and wanting to be able to capture the images I see using equipment I have rather than merely wishing I had the capability of capturing that which I want.

Unfortunately this lens did not do all that I wanted, and I considered returning it for a bit, but Justin recommended I keep it.

3. In an effort to afford the lens that would do what I wanted, we were fortunate enough to be able to cash out with our Venture Visa for almost enough Amazon money for me to buy a wide angle lens. Yay!! It's nice to occasionally get things for almost free! (We paid 1/5 of the price!)

Now I really will be able to capture absolutely everything as I see it! :)

4. On the same note as lens purchasing, Justin and I signed up for a trial account with Amazon Prime for 6 months. Paying so much for a prime account when we could be putting the extra money toward paying down debt, savings, or paying for our Euro-trip was a bit upsetting for me, so I changed it. We use Amazon too much to give up prime, but a free trial seemed acceptable.

5. We prepaid for the room we will be staying at in Germany. (Technically it is a house found through AirBnb, but either way it has been paid for!) On the one hand this was an expense we could have waited to pay for, but on the other hand it allows us to separate our expenses into more manageable chunks hopefully allowing us to budget better when we are in Europe than if we were to pay for everything all at once.

I think this month we will be paying for the car lease and a hotel room for France, but we shall see. I also have to look for group accommodations in France. I've been a bit slow/lazy about it.

6. Justin and I took advantage of some money making offers last month providing us with a bit of extra money. Yay! (Granted, it was probably only in the $100 range, but anything extra helps!)

7. We were on top of interest rates last month paying very little, but this month our interest rate has nearly tripled since we got behind on a credit card payment. Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck! :( Plus, with mint (and the bank accounts) being all confusing like, it's been hard to determine where the last credit card payment came from and making doubly certain we have enough in another checking account to pay even more down on the credit card. (The last thing you want is to have to pay the bank for taking out too much money!)

8. Our Goals

We are currently projected to meet our vacation goal by April 19, our emergency fund goal by August 15, and our credit card goal by March 2015.

Vacation and emergency goals are on target. We will have to work on our credit card goal. Originally we were hoping to meet that goal by October 2014, so we have a bit of work/saving to do.

9. We already filled out our taxes. Money was owed to the state, but we're getting money back from the government. Yay!

10. Justin is now saving for retirement with the help of his company. We also now have dental and vision health insurance coverage (in addition to regular coverage). Oh - and our cars are fully insured. Yes, we could be worse off.

11. I will be getting a bit extra this month as I am house-sitting and watching a 4 year old for a week. Wish me luck.

12. Our debt is back down to where it was in October! YAY!!!

Hopefully, we can keep tackling it by making extra money and saving.

(Have I mentioned that I am totally envious of the blogger I just read about who is going to Italy on plane tickets that cost $450?! Why couldn't I find a deal that good? Or maybe her price didn't include taxes? Those taxes KILL! Or Delta lies. One of the two.)

13. Our assets could be doing better…

This graph lies. Our assets are about where they were in November. We've been paying down debt and not necessarily saving as much as we could be. Plus, I'm not entirely sure what happened to all of that extra money in December and January; I'm not even really sure it actually existed. Too bad money can't talk.

14. Our net income:

We really didn't make that much extra in January. We also aren't doing as well in February as the graph implies. Lies, I tell you! Lies!

But we aren't doing too bad either. Spending less than we make is generally a good thing.

That's our finance story and I'm sticking to it. We spent a lot in January, we made some extra money, and we could be doing better in February, but we aren't spending more than we make. And mint needs some help to get my finance graphs right.

How are you doing this month, so far? Right on track? Slipping behind? Jumping ahead? Any advice for me?

The Perfect Pinterest Valentine's Day

First and foremost, I must say that I find Valentine's Day a little over-rated. I was blessed to grow up in a family that celebrated Valentine's Day as a day of cherishing those we love rather than loving those we cherish, if that makes any sense. In other words, I never felt pressured to have a date or significant other on Valentine's Day. We didn't always celebrate in a big way, but we always did some little something.

- My mom encouraged dressing in pink or red.
- We would exchange cards at dinner.
- Dinner often consisted of something red or fancy: spaghetti or steak.
- Dessert was typically a chocolate cake with a heart decorated on it.
- Occasionally small gifts were exchanged. Usually small teddy bears, chocolate, or a toy. One Valentine's my dad went all out and bought me some ruby earrings from Jared, particularly meaningful since ruby is my birthstone. Unfortunately, I lose everything so I've been too afraid to wear them too much. :-/

For the most part, it was the little things that were the most meaningful. Sometimes going out to eat and celebrating in a big way takes away the thoughtfulness of a home cooked meal and homemade cards.

Past Valentine's have been a mix of awesome and sucky for me:

- One year my replacement Dell computer came in on Valentine's. That was awesome. Dells suck.
- A few years it has "flurried" on Valentine's Day. Considering the lack of snow typical of GA, that is always fun. :)
- Last year Justin and I were babysitting a then-3-year-old on Valentine's. My computer hard drive crashed, my car needed fixing, the president came to town, and my attempt at a cake failed miserably.

This year Justin and I get to celebrate sans 3 year old, and while I'm not hoping for a perfect holiday, there are definitely a few things that could make my Valentine's Day more awesome.

1. A Homemade Meal

Obviously, Valentine's Day this year falls on a work day, so there will be no homemade breakfasts or lunches, but a homemade dinner is always delicious. If Justin decides he really doesn't want to cook, I definitely would not be opposed to going out to eat. I'm also not opposed to having dinner with our families. But if we stay in, it would be great fun to have roasted tomato soup and a salad with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It would be a warm meal that incorporates the color red. (I picked these things because they sound delicious, not because of the color!)

image from Baked By Joanna

image from A Beautiful Mess

2. Cards and gifts will most likely not be exchanged because of the whole saving for Europe and paying down debt thing. Plus, Valentine's Day everything is SOOOO expensive. It's much cheaper to wait until afterward when all of the holiday merchandise goes on sale!

image from Inked Fingers; this product is from last year and no longer available

Nevertheless, I can't help but want to decorate for Valentine's Day even in the simplest of ways.

BzzFeed

image from Niche White

3. A cute outfit. 

I'm thinking something like this would be fun:

Chicwish top, bottom

Floral, feminine, basic. Maybe with these:

Steven Ravesh from Zappos or 6PM

I know it's not pink or red, but I could totally jazz it up with red or pink accessories if I wanted.

4. Dessert

It's the only appropriate way to end the night. What about a mini chocolate bundt cake with strawberries or raspberries on the side?

Bronze Budget Bride

Yes, I do believe even the most basic homemade Valentine's Day can be amazing (and inspiring).

How are you planning on celebrating Valentine's Day? Have you been crafting up a storm? Or searching pinterest for the perfect gifts and foods? Perhaps you are going out of town for the weekend? If so – lucky you!! :) Share with me! I need more ideas! And I'd love to hear from those who celebrate in bigger ways than I do! :)

** I'm participating in the SITS girls' February writing prompts. Feel free to join in!!

Anthropologie Reviews (Feb 2014)

After Friday's post, I was inspired to watch Water for Elephants again (such a beautiful movie!) and pull Catcher In the Rye off the bookshelf (at least until I can get my hands on another desired book!!).

Of course, there was also some major cleaning that took place over the weekend (white bathroom grout ftw?), a few random jobs, going to a local concert, and visiting Anthropologie to make a few returns … You know what happens when I make a few returns, don't you?

It probably doesn't help that they put a bunch of clothing on sale last week.

As you may recall, a few weeks ago, the andrassy dress was on my watch list. I love that the dress flared a bit at the bottom, and the gorgeous green color!!! Yes, this was a dress I could get behind. Until I tried it on. :( The day this dress went on sale last week, I waited to order until Justin got off work. I had approximately 10 things in my basket, and I wanted to talk to him before ordering; Anthropologie is not cheap. When the end of the day finally came, all but one of the items in my cart had sold out including this dress!! So I called Anthropologie and their winning sales associate came through for me! (Love you Anthro!) Within minutes she had me hooked up with the numbers of 3 stores that had this dress in my size (2) in stock! YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY! Then, it was a waiting game.

But finally, last Thursday night I received this dress in the mail. I was soooo excited to open it that I'm pretty sure I mutilated the box. (Off to recycling it went!) As for the dress … The color was gorgeous (as I have previously mentioned), and the fabric was a dream! It had a lovely thick fabric for the actual dress, and the dress was lined with a silky smooth cottony fabric inside. It was so wonderfully made that I felt like I could practically sleep in it! No scratchy fabrics for Anthro girls!! :) I had ordered the 2 since Anthro reviews on the website recommended I size up. (I usually wear somewhere between a 0-2 and xs/s),

As to the fit, I found the sizing up to be accurate EXCEPT in the area between my chest and my hips (i.e. my stomach). It probably doesn't help that I am short. It is also quite possible that a "petite" version of the dress would have fit me better. Nevertheless, the dress was tight across my hips (adding extra weight to the look in the front) and baggy in my stomach area. It was definitely a fail fit for me. The sides of the dress did look gorgeous though, and made the dress look like it fit wonderfully!

I tried the dress on with the sequined cardigan you see above, but that didn't necessarily help matters. :( For one the cardigan is scratchy. Secondly, the cardigan seemed to overwhelm the dress. Very disappointing.

The dress has already been returned, and I am still debating on the cardigan. It's cute, but can I get past the scratchiness? Will I wear something with that much bling? (The bling could be fun if you have a bright dress for a Christmas/New Years/Valentine's party/date/whatever.)

During my trip of returning the andrassy dress, I decided to check out the sales section "just to see" as I told Justin. Pssh. Yeah, like I would leave Anthro without trying on another million dresses. ;)

The Terrace Sheath was a dress I had been watching since Christmas, so when I saw it was on sale I jumped to try it on. I loved the multiple layers, the brightly colored fabric underneath a beautiful lace exterior, and the bottom of the dress is just adorable. What I found when trying this dress on is that it is adorable … just not on me. I tried the dress on in a size 2, mostly because I didn't want to have to go back to the rack if the dress didn't fit. I think a 2 fit well, but I didn't manage to get the zipper all the way up; it got hung and I was far too lazy to actually figure out (or get the husband's help) to make it go any higher. I guess if I had seen this dress on the model on the Anthropologie website, I probably wouldn't have tried it on to begin with. This dress tries to emphasize curves by pulling in at the waist (which is far too low for my short self!), but it is really more of a dress for straight girls. Plus, the high neckline totally de-emphasizes any amount of chest you may have which inevitably adds weight to your body merely because you are female and have a chest! Perhaps a triangle body shape would work well in this dress? I don't know! Back to the rack it went!

Next up: the Glissade dress!

Thinking it would be a cute winter dress due to the thick fabric and how I imagined it would look with tights, I pulled this dress from the rack. The sale price especially made this dress seem like a good deal! :) Once again, I tried this dress on in a 2, and, once again, the zipper got stuck on me. (It's quite possible that I was feeling exceptionally lazy in the trying-on process Saturday!) Anthro's website suggests that this dress is typically large and you may want to size down. my experience was that the bust was large, the waist was tight, and the fit was all wrong for my body type. (I like higher waisted things, specifically underbust a-line dresses.) The fabric felt nice and thick, but it was a bit scratchy in my opinion. I can't imagine what body type this dress would look best on, but it was definitely not mine! :)

The only item I tried on over the weekend that was not on the sale rack was the Quinby dress. Justin said it reminded him of France. My opinion is that the dress reminds me of flower petals; it is so light and soft – perfect for spring! The fabric quite literally flutters. Think ballet dancer: elegant, light. Can't you imagine this model up on pointe?

And that's how you feel in this dress too.

Ok, well maybe not like a ballet dancer! But it definitely makes you feel elegant, light, and very much ready for spring and summer! This dress feels like it would be comfortable to run around in even on the warmest of days!

I tried this dress on in an xs. While the bustline/waistline goes a little lower than I'd like, overall it does not offend my body too much. I especially love how the model (on Anthro's website) pulls off this dress with a belt! How lovely! :) I think some nice, modest, nude heels would look gorgeous with this dress and create a really feminine look.

*Ahem* Back to sizing. :) The dress is stretchy, so I recommend going with the smallest size you think you can fit into.

Also, if you are particular about where the flowers "fall" on this dress, be sure to pick yours out in the store. Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to this in the store, but others have mentioned it in reviews on Anthro's website.

I definitely recommend this dress for a great spring/summer, low maintenance, fun, light, feminine, romantic-night-out dress. I imagine it would look good on a variety of bodies including straight and curvy. :) But please don't buy them all up before they go on sale! It may be worth the regular price, but I would much rather buy it on sale! :)

One of the last things I tried on was this lovely Ruched Pointelle Cardigan in red and black.

I have to say if you are even somewhat interested in this cardigan, go buy it now! It is so beautiful, soft, and feminine! It is also delicate, but I tend to like things that are delicate-looking. (I just wish it weren't actually delicate fabric!!!) I tried on and bought the s in a regular size. I tend to like cardigans (and tops) that are a bit longer (and perhaps make me look just a bit shorter). I'm weird; I know. I did like how the sweater pulls in a bit at the waist adding to your shape and (at the very least) making you feel skinny.Then, just take a look at the beautiful sleeves! Sooo gorgeous! :) I feel like this sweater is perfect for wearing in between seasons whether paired with a top and jeans or over a casual dress. I'm so glad I discovered them before they sold out! :)

Before I left Anthropologie, I did try on another dress and top which are no longer available on the website. :( Needless to say, I left Anthro feeling like most of their current offerings just aren't for me. Granted there are still a few items I will be keeping an eye on, but overall, I don't feel the need to go in and buy the whole store. (Probably a good thing for my wallet!!)

Is there anything you've got your eye on at Anthro? Did you pick anything up during last week's sale?