So today marks the official start of the baseball season {at least in my mind}.

As I am stuck inside an office all day I will be scrolling through Facebook and Instagram living vicariously through friends and family, that are just down the street from me, enjoying the festivities.

Since I won't be able to be there I have been participating the only ways I know how...

Of course, sporting cardinals attire!!

{pictures from instagram}

Have a great Monday everyone! :)

Last week I mentioned a little opportunity I had been presented with & today I am going to share with you all just what it is. An incredible jewelry company by the name of Outfit Additions reached out to me a few weeks back about creating some outfits, using their jewelry of course, on their polyvore site. I was extremely flattered and excited to be asked and of course I accepted immediately! Once the outfits were about done I was asked if I wanted to do a series of blog posts talking about the outfits I had put together! Seriously, writing about fashion and jewelry, yes please!

So the first of five posts is currently up on their site now so go on over & check it out!

Let me know what you think!!

POST #1 : What to Wear with Skinny Jeans

Happy Monday everyone!!

It has been a while since I've posted & I hope that those of you who have read my blog in the past can forgive my long {way too long} absence recently.

Allow me to explain the best that I can....

I have this thing, where I find something that I truly LOVE to do, whether it be knitting, reading or blogging, and I go full force with it. I am so passionate about said activity that I burn myself out with it {in turn needing some time off}. I need to learn to balance everything out, take a step back and not over-do it.

So, here I am, back with a new perspective... I can't worry about "what will I post about tomorrow" or "I hope everyone will like what I have to say" as much as I need to focus on "I can't wait to write my next post, I'm so lucky to have this outlet."

I can't let these things that I love to do stress me out, it defeats the purpose. I'm trying and I'm learning as I go.

This realization has come in the form of an awesome opportunity I have been given, to work with and write a few posts for an incredible jewelry company. It will be a series of five posts {one a day... starting tomorrow & concluding next week}... I have had so much fun creating these posts & I can not wait to share them with you all in the next week.

Here is what you can expect from me in the future... I will be posting two to three times a week {in attempts to keep my thoughts and posts as interesting & fun as I can} and promise to not over do it & not try to be anyone else other than myself! :)

Thank you all so much for reading this blog of mine & I hope you continue to do so!!

Have a great day!!!

I haven't linked up in a few weeks to share my Instagram pics, mainly due to the fact that I have failed miserably in the department of uploading to instagram enough.

Instagram : @mmlarse

Anyway, here we are, catching you all up on the happenings around here...

1. Just an average girls night

2. What I've been doing a lot lately, writing, sipping on some wine & watching TV :)

3. Mab feels the need to bark at the pillows piled on our chair...

4. Khloe hogging the electric blanket

5. Mudslides a few Friday's ago, so good

6. Her favorite spot on the couch...

7. NHL has resumed, felt the need to use my Blues mug

8. It's not enough to be next to me, they must be on top of me

9. Tried Black Crown this weekend, very good

10. Mab approves too

11. Sporting my favorite Kiki La Rue outfit :)

12. It's official, my dogs are too pathetically cute...

Now it's your turn to visit Jenn and link up

This weekend St. Louis said goodbye to one of our most influential baseball players. Stan "The Man" Musial's funeral service was televised this Saturday, for all of us who either remember watching him play or just remembering hearing stories about him {which I did, a lot, from my Grandma... Stan's last game was played in 1963}. Hearing people talk about him made it that much more clear, just how influential he was not only to baseball but also to our community. Cue Bob Costas giving an incredible eulogy, that has left everyone {at least around these parts} talking...

Not only was Stan Musial honored this weekend by those in baseball but also by the St. Louis Blues... During pregame every player wore a jersey with the number 6 and Stan's last name on it...

If that isn't respect then I don't know what is. Makes me proud to be from a city where sports aren't just about winning, or records but about camaraderie and respect for one another. Sure, we aren't the only city that feels {or that is} this way, however it's nice to be reminded that I live in one that is.

Pictures of the memorial from Saturday after the funeral...

<3

Fact 1. I'm extremely self conscious. To a fault. Sometimes it takes over every single thought & I just feel like no matter what I do, it's never enough or it's never right.

Fact 2. I will listen to an artist or a song, even if I hate it, as long as I can sing to it {& in my head sing it well}. Not much to say about this one, it's just true.

Fact 3. I watch & re-watch seasons of TV shows that I love. I have probably seen FRIENDS and Gilmore Girls more than many people. Some things just never get old.

Fact 4. I would go to Disney World every single year for vacation, and never get bored. Let's be real, I have done this every year with my family since I was in fourth grade.

Fact 5. If I could, I would have my dogs with me 24/7. They sleep most of the time anyway, what would be the harm?

Fact 6. I could seriously drink coffee all day. I would have to cut myself off at about 6, otherwise this girl won't sleep. {When coffee stops, wine begins... Sounds pretty good to me}

Fact 7. I did gymnastics & danced pretty much my entire childhood, up until high school. Hence why when I get together with a few of my friends things like this sometimes tend to happen after a few drinks... Totally classy though


Fact 8. I am constantly cold. Seriously, it's a problem. I have 5 or 6 blankets on my bed and sleep in long sleeves and sweat pants yet still wake up cold.

Fact 9. I am the oldest of three. So basically it means I was the guinea pig & I see my sisters getting away with things I wouldn't of been able to be caught dead doing & I vow to not to do that to my oldest, but most likely will. {P.S. I do have some great parents though :) }

Fact 10. If I don't have a bag of curly-ish noodles and a jar of Ragu-Light Parmesan Alfredo sauce, I get very sad. This is by far one of my favorite comfort foods. Usually eaten later on at night before I go to bed {probably 3-4 times a week}... Takes no time to whip it up & is delicious {Andrew thinks this is gross lol}

Link up hosted by the lovely Whitney

I just can't help it. From twenty-five females all competing for one guy to some over the top, ridiculously rich family members who really are just famous for being famous. Throw in a few red-neck shows where they have to use subtitles just to understand them & I'll happily sit my butt in front of the TV for hours, with multiple glasses of wine {of course}.

Personally, I blame {& by blame I mean thank} Lauren Conrad for this. Laguna Beach and The Hills, turned me into a crazy reality TV fanatic. {Who didn't root for LC and Steee-phen?!}

I do give huge kudos to Lauren Conrad, taking her name from reality star level to creating a business for herself. Personally, I think she is the supreme example of how reality stars can take their positions and create something so great out of it.

I know, I know, you're either rolling your eyes right now or shaking your head "YES!" because you know exactly what I am talking about. Regardless of the full "reality" of these shows there's just something about them that keeps you coming back for more {& by you, I mean me, maybe you but definitely me}.

Generally, once a show is over, I think to myself...

So here's to another Monday that is full of some more "real" life drama!

A few weeks back a couple of my friends and I were hanging out, like we do once every week, for drinks and conversation. The topic of relationships & why some work while others don't came up which got me thinking...

What makes Andrew and I click?!

As we are just three months away from our two year anniversary I was thinking about this today so I figured what better way than to put it in words.

We are crazy & out there together. Sometimes I think, "What would someone think if they just peeked in on us right now." like that crazy together & I love it. He truly is one of the only people I am in no way self conscious around... I definitely let my freak flag fly when we are together {just ask him lol}

We are our own people. This is something that has taken me some time to really appreciate. We are two separate people who have chosen to spend our lives together, but that doesn't mean we have to be one person, we don't have to do everything together. There's something to be said about having your own space, your own interests. Like I said, it has taken a lot of time for me to really appreciate this aspect of our relationship but I am definitely starting to see the upsides. I, personally, don't think it's healthy to do everything together all of the time, we constantly communicate with one another about what we each have going on, every single day we learn something new about one another and I absolutely love that. {Of course, we have tons of hobbies and activities that we do together too :)}

Building off of the last one, we are independent individuals. We both have our jobs, our education's and we aren't dependent on one another for anything but we choose to be together, and in times of need, take care of each other. It's a beautiful thing to choose your partner instead of needing them.

We balance each other out completely. I'm more outgoing, sociable and love to entertain people. Him, not so much, he is a very relaxed and low key type of person. My favorite example though, I am not a morning person. He is completely a morning person, to the point I get aggravated. I just don't get how someone can have so much energy just waking up... I need two or three cups of coffee to just compete with his mood in the morning.

We fight. Plain and simple. We aren't afraid to say what we think, when we think it. We aren't afraid to be brutally honest, even if it makes the other extremely mad. {which we will both attest to that we have had moments of sheer frustration with each other} We are the farthest thing from a "perfect" couple & that's okay, heck that's how it's supposed to be. Marriage, not supposed to be easy, it takes a lot of work and just when you think you are ready to give up, you just have to fight that much harder.

At the end of the day, no matter what, we love each other. We choose each other. As aggravated as we can get with one another there's no one else I'd rather be aggravated with. I couldn't of picked a better person to spend my life with, to have a family with, to grow old with.

Today, I'm in a mood.

You know, that mood where everything has to go just right or you go bat shit crazy?

That's me today.

There's really no reason, it just is.

Okay I lied maybe there is a reason, at 5:15 am this morning our ceiling light decided to turn on, on it's own. Needless to say I was woken up by a bright light, very confused, tired and pissed off. 

Good thing too because looking back, it should of terrified the crap out of me & now it is...

Having to wake up at 6 am, I wasn't able to completely fall back asleep.

Damn ghost's or whatever it was that prompted the light to go on all by itself.

So I'm multiple cups of coffee in this morning and writing this lovely post & just ranting.

And while we are being real here, this is how I'm feeling about work today...

Is it 4:30 yet?!?

I'm ready to go home.

And yes, I'll keep you all updated on the ghost situation.

Happy hump day!

I'm a little late to the Golden Globe party but alas, here I am.

I was going to share my thoughts on the best and worst dressed of the night but after reading a few articles and getting Yahoo's take on the stars {with their grading system} I realized that either I was insane for liking the stars I did or Yahoo just had it all wrong...

Case in point:

Jessica Chastain

Yahoo gave her a D+ on this dress while I was thinking how much I loved it, I think the color fits her perfectly with her skin tone and hair color... But hey, who am I right?!

Anyway some of my favorite moments of the night included Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrels's bit, I laughed the entire time {& btw she was gorgeous!}

Of course, Jodi Foster's speech...

One tiny little issue I have with the whole celebrities and preaching about having privacy is this... If you choose to have the life of a celebrity, I feel as though any normal level of privacy is gone. Sharing your life with the world kind of just comes along with it. I'm not in any way saying it's easy or that everyone should jump up and down and love it because I couldn't even imagine having every little thing I do watched and criticized. However it comes with the territory, every job has it's good and bad points, sure it may be a bad point but it is what it is. Embrace it and use it positively. *end of soapbox*

Moving right along, my favorite part of the night had to be Ben Affleck's incredibly fast speech. He was going a mile a minute and managed to forget a few people, which was fine because his wifey picked up the slack and thanked the others for him when she got up to present an award.

Could they be any cuter together?!

Next up... Monday night television. I stayed up close to 1 a.m. and still haven't watched everything I had taped, can we say ridiculous?!

Bachelor, not too much exciting-ness if you ask me. Now next week shit will hit the fan with Tierra falling down some steps, cue ambulance, tears, blaming everyone in the house and Sean's pity. This girl seems like a basket case and I can't wait to see it unfold!

Fun fact : Sean is lucky number 25 in the Bachelor/Bachelorette family. Yup, that's right there have been 17 Bachelor's {Including Sean} and 8 Bachelorette's
source

My take on the Carrie Diaries, I think it will be worth watching. Of course I need to give it a couple more weeks just to be sure. 

Teen Mom 2... I balled my eyes out. Seriously, mess with a dog or a baby and I just can't handle it. Here's what I don't get, sure the dog wasn't on a leash so therefore they say there's nothing Chelsea can do but it was brought up on the show, what if Aubrey were to be outside and the dog hurt her? I get that they are totally not the same thing BUT the dog killed another dog, regardless of who is at fault it happened and I think that the owner of the other dog should have to be held accountable for that and take actions to make sure their dog is contained better so that this doesn't happen again & so the dog never hurts a human...

I think that's enough rambling for one day! Hope everyone's Tuesday is going swimmingly!

I've been in a writing mode lately, well book writing I should say. While I am extremely excited about this I have been slacking on the blogging side *sad face*

Anyway I wanted to check in with you all, see how things are going and chat about some things that are going on in the world currently {that have caught my attention at least}

Lindsay Lohan is difficult to work with. Let's be real, is anyone surprised by this anymore? I think we are all passed this, we get it. However the article concluded with saying that while she was difficult to work with she was a good actress...

Image source & article

Favorite part of the entire article, the opening, "Ever find yourself dealing with somebody difficult at work, and then say to yourself, 'Well, at least I don't have to make a movie with Lindsay Lohan'?"

Honey Boo Boo's theme song as performed by Brad Paisley on Jimmy Kimmel the other night...

I just can't even, there are no words for this one.

Charles the Monarch, labradoodle, shaved to look like a lion & gets the police called on him.

Photos and full article source

I think he is absolutely adorable... I mean those sunglasses, absolutely terrifying.

Sean Lowe, Bachelor is back! I can't help it, I love this show and I'm not ashamed. I love sitting in front of my tv on Mondays, drinking copious amounts of wine and watching all these girls compete for one guy, while consuming way too much alcohol themselves. Great television. Kudos ABC.

Photo & quote source

Images & article source

I would definitely rank this show in my top three favorites! Who else is tuning in on Sunday?

So that about does it for today! Hope everyone has a great weekend!! See ya back here on Monday.

TGIF

So I haven't talked about my book {if you're new here, I am writing a book *eek* and have been for a while, hoping to be done sooner rather than later!} much lately on this blog, crazy right?! I know, I know. I've recently had a surge of inspiration and have been writing like a mad woman. I love it. Every now and then I get to a point where I'm so frustrated that I just can't write anymore so the fact that I'm firing on all cylinders {I think that's the correct reference, don't really know but sounds cool} is just making me all happy!

Personally, I think my writing gets a whole lot better and more entertaining after a glass of wine or four two. Just saying.

I've decided from here on out, I'm just writing, no proofreading or printing it out and dissecting every little sentence {I am my worst critic for sure}, however I am going to just see where the story takes me and once I am done, entirely done, I will go back and let the nit-picking begin! Good idea?!

We shall see.

In light of this excitement, at least for me, I want to share with you all {something I have only shared with Andrew so feel special :) }, a little bit about my main character...

Hadley Moore. Teenager. Only child. Lives with her Mother & Father. Knowing nothing of who she is, never knowing her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins etc. Trapped in a life she doesn't feel is the truth. Surrounded by other teenagers in her school she never seems to fit in, except for with her best friend, Austin. Although she swears they are "just friends" things get a little rocky when she finds out not only have her parents been lying to her her entire life, Austin was in on it too, which not only comes as a shock to Hadley but to her parents as well. When faced with the truth she is forced to wonder whether knowing who she really is, is everything she had hoped for.

So, I'm going to be very straightforward here, hope you don't mind, would you read it?!

Now I know that's not a lot to go on but I don't want to give too much away just yet, the story is still taking it's full shape. The more I write, the more I learn about my own characters, which is incredible and exciting!

As I come to the end of the book I'm looking into all avenues of publishing, attempting to send it to publishing houses OR self publishing?! I know there are pro's and con's to both, I just don't know which is right for me. Anyone have any suggestions?! Anything at all would be greatly appreciated!

Stay tuned... I've been toying with the idea of posting the first chapter or two up here once I'm done!! :)

"There are many reasons why novelists write–but they all have one thing in common: a need to create an alternative world."
John Fowles

After taking such a weird break over the past few weeks due to the holiday's I began to think back to what started this entire blogging journey. I've been at it, regularly for quite some time now and in getting back in the swing of things I have a new-found love for this blog of mine!

I like being able to share my crazy side, my serious/stressed out side as well as my crafty side all in the matter of a week.

I like meeting new people, communicating with people from all over and this is the perfect platform in which to do that. And I have enjoyed the connections and the bloggy friends I have made along the way ;)

Writing for myself and no one else has been a dream of mine for a long time and because of this place, that's exactly what I get to do. Write for me, no one telling me what to say, how to feel, what to correct or change.

Simply me.

So I thank each and every one of you who stop by, read my posts, no matter how out there or serious and keep coming back for more.

For me, this is what it's all about and it's why I love writing for this blog... Being able to just be myself and letting that be enough :)

It's weird, ya know, having to work a full week after having a few two to three day weeks here recently.

Anyway, this weekend went by entirely too fast.

Friday, didn't do much of anything, which was nice for a change... Dinner with Andrew & then just hung out and watched some television!

Saturday, hosted Christmas for my dad's side of the family {yeah, we know it's January, it's just what we do}

Sunday, saw Wicked at the FOX! Seriously, I've been saying I wanted to see this since it came to the Fox this time around. I guess Andrew got the hint because he surprised me last night with tickets to the last show :)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

In other news, all of the television shows I've been waiting for come back this week {& some not until next week}