Time for a Change?

When the weather eventually gets a little warmer, I think it will be time to start my next home improvement project. Last year I got pretty crafty with this little number...

And I absolutely love it! It's fun and accomplishing to make something new. It fit perfectly into the dark themes I have for our living room. 

Lots of reds and black. Which I think is super sexy. The downside is that it is a small space and dark colors can accentuate that fact. 

But when I got my March issue of InStyle, I was flipping through and came across this little number:

I was pretty much instantly obsessed. I love all the beautiful pastel colors and just the overall airiness the room has. The only problem that struck me at first was that it is pretty girly and I do live with a boy. Then I remembered..."Wait just one cotton-pickin minute! I live with this..."

And that is totally fine! I truly believe every man needs his space to just chillax, even if it is starting to look like an Applebees wall...

Anyway, so that took care of my girly guilt, but I also have no desire to break the bank. SO I went on to my trusted Polyvore to see if I could put together a little room collage and this is what I came up with!

Possible New Living Room by sarahkeck86 on Polyvore

It has a lot of the same features from the picture that I found but just toned down a little bit and utilizing the things I already own. The couch is a slip-cover in a neutral ivory instead of pink just to make it more versatile if I ever decided to change it up again later. The lamp stands would also stay the same, I would just get new lampshades. Where I would bring in the pink is with the accents, the pillows (which I would just recover the pillows I already own) and the wall artwork. I would also keep my current armchair the same since I think it is plenty feminine for the proposed new room. I couldn't find the exact chair we have but it illustrates how the new pillows would look. 

I love the idea of the zebra rug, but we have carpet. I don't know if you can do rug on top of carpet, anyone have any thoughts? 

Of course this is all super dependent of if our landlord will let me paint the walls that pale blue that's in the background of the collage I made. But what do you all think?! I would love some feedback on this. It's going to take me a couple of months to get everything and start, but until then, I welcome any changes or suggestions! Part of the fun is the planning!

Happy Wednesday!

Gettin' Down & Dirty

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt

I've been very MIA from this blog for a while. It's been an absolutely crazy couple of weeks with work and life in general. And a rough couple of weeks at that.

The quote at the top of this post reflects what I keep trying to tell myself today. Last night I had a moment where I was made to feel very small by a person that I though I had a good relationship with. I was proven wrong and it stung pretty hard. More like I was crushed.

For those of you know me, know that I suffer from Seasonal Affect Disorder(those of you who know me but didn't know that, can now have that "oooooohh" moment lol), and things like small mean comments can really hurt more than it probably should. It can be taken as overreacting to someone on the outside. It's been flaring up pretty bad lately due to the very cold, wet, snowy weather that has left a blanket of blah over much of the New England area. We are still running regularly and eating healthy which should really help but it's just not quite the mood booster that's needed.

My point of this post isn't to bring all of my couple of readers down, but to remind people to be kind to each other. You don't always know what's going on in someone else's life, but a nice word can go a long way to making someone's day.

SO to end this post on a happy note, I would like to leave you with the best face from last night's Oscars!

via http://blog.zap2it.com

Just when I thought she couldn't get more awesome!

Thanks for letting me get personal today. Sometimes you just gotta get it off your chest.

A Little Fashion Update

If you follow me on Twitter, you aren't unaware to the fact that I love Downton Abbey. And now that I have Andrew hooked it makes it that much more enjoyable.

Along with my daily need for hot tea now, I have also changed up my wardrobe to be a little more conservative and reflect a little of the 1920s. This isn't just happening in my closet! This Spring we are seeing the skirts get a little longer and the necklines not so revealing. There are also a lot of floral patterns coming in the upcoming seasons, so prepare yo-selves!

But that's in the next couple of weeks. As of right now we are still in the "navy blue phase" of things. So this past weekend I decided to put together a navy number with a combination of Ann pieces and a thrift store find.

Although this outfit didn't get a ton of compliments at work, I loved it so much! The peplum combined with the pleated skirt was so feminine and flirty and then with the riding boots it throws in the English feel.

Getting more creative with the pieces you already have in your closet is so important as we are transitioning seasons. Have fun with it!

Weekend Recap

As usual, I have been MIA for a couple of weeks. I have been talking to some friends about why I've been so anti-blogging lately. I have been very uninspired but I think that I can safely blame it on the weather. This winter thing is just awful.

To beat the winter blahs, Andrew and I decided to do a little bit of an old-fashioned date. Dinner and a Movie. We did the movie first, Movie 43. I wouldn't say that the movie was very "date-friendly" but the dinner definitely was. We tried a new restaurant that we have been wanting to try for a couple of months. 50 West is right down the street from our house and it was amazing!

We got dressed up which doesn't happen very often, and had a little night in the town.

Great new skirt from Ann Taylor, Shirt from Paper Doll and shoes from Charlotte Russe

And now for a little food porn...

You can't start out a night on the town without libations and thanks to my mother's friend Jen I have a love for Gin & Tonics.

YUM!

We just had to split this baked Vermont Cheddar Mac & Cheese...just a little bit of heaven.

My New England Cobb Salad with homemade dressing

Needless to say it was a much needed date and we had so much fun just sitting and talking! Sometimes it's just better to get back to the basics. I'm excited to start blogging again! I hope you all had a great weekend too!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year friends! I know we are four days in but I thought it was about time to do a little New  Years resolution post. I've done the usual in the past, lose weight, eat better, but I decided to change things up a bit. Those of you that know me quite well might know that I'm a little bit of a worrier. Ok, I'm a lot bit of a worrier.

It's really, if I don't have something to worry about, I usually find something. This is exhausting. It stresses me out like crazy. Poor Andrew puts up with it but it drains on him too. So here's what I plan on doing, working on my anxiety. I need to let things like money and the future stop worrying me. Living more in the moment and living LIFE.

This will be easier said than done but there it is. As far as the blog is concerned, I haven't quite decided where this blog is going to go this year. I think I'm just going to see where it goes. I really don't want to get to a place where I get super competitive about it. I want it to be fun. An outlet that allows me to meet new people and learn new things through those people.

I hope that you all had amazing Holiday season. It always goes by way too fast.

Oh and if you haven't had a chance or  don't follow Andrew and I on our other blog Two Tickets For..., we were nominated by some fellow bloggers for a Golden Katz Award. This award covers movies and other movie bloggers. If you guys get a chance, go on HERE and vote for us for Best Rating System or Review Format. Thank you!

Indulge Me for a Minute...

Yeah, I've been a really bad blogger. But according to my blog following list I'm not the only one! So I don't feel quite as bad.

I hope that everyone had an AMAZING holiday season! Is it just me or did it seem to be a whirlwind? There was such a huge lead-in to the season and then it was over in a heartbeat! But I have to say it was so nice to get out of dodge for a little while. Disney was so much fun and the weather, oh it was so nice we really didn't want to come home! It was so nice to see my family as well. Andrew and I have decided that we might need to try and get home more often. We miss our friends and family but it's hard to get home as often as we would like.

So anyway, Disney. We had so much fun! I had forgotten how much the parks are just as fun as an adult as they are for kids! We also went to Universal Studios and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Aside from the cray cray crowds, I'm so glad we took the time to go. So get ready for a little bit of a photo dump!

Needless to say we had a good time. I am so excited for the new year and all the possibilities that come with it. For those of you still traveling visiting family for the holidays, safe travels and to you all, a very Happy New Year!

...

I had wanted to post a Holiday Party post about what women could be wearing to their holiday parties this year. But after this morning's horrific shooting here in our state, that seemed inappropriate.

To all those families who will not have loved ones come home tonight and to the families who have to explain this tragedy to their children this weekend, our thoughts and prayers are with you. This unbelievably sad day is the second worst school shooting in U.S. history and that blows my mind.

The President said it best, "we have had too many of these tragedies in the recent years." This needs to stop. Love each other. I know that sounds silly but events like this bring the fragility of life into harsh perspective. Take care of one another. This holiday season needs to bring some good out of this. Hold the door open for someone. Smile at someone.

God bless the families going through something no one should go through. Thoughts and prayers for all those involved