1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7

Better late than never! I apologize for such a late post, but alas, here it is! Today's installment of What to Wear Wednesday is all about what to wear on your evenings out during a tropical vacation!

1. Eiger - Shimmer Pink Nailpolish : Number one, picking the perfect nail polish for vacation is a must and after a lot of consideration I feel like this shade is just beyond perfect for a little Mexico getaway, am I right?!

2. Steppin' Out Hat in Pink : I am obsessed with hats and this one would be the perfect touch for a night out in a nice simple Summer dress. Giving the outfit a little extra accessory, but nothing too big or crazy!

3. Polished Promise Heel in Ecru : Keeping it simple, that's what these heels are all about. Not only are they minimal in the amount of shoe there actually is, the color is perfect to walk around giving an illusion of wearing no shoes at all, what else could be perfect for a beach vacation night out?!

4. Super Duper Strength Crazy Tort : Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on a pair of these sunglasses. They would be the perfect accessory to any evening outfit, or any outfit at all really, on vacation or at home!

5. Elise Embroidered Clutch : Probably my favorite item on this list, the embroidery detail with the pops of color just scream vacation!

6. Floral Lace Slip Dress : Keeping it simple, a slip dress would be perfect and airy to spend the evening sipping drinks out by the pool, on your balcony or anywhere on a tropical vacation!

7. Bella Floral Dress : Same as above, nothing better than simplicity and airy for the beach in the evening!

Stay tuned for next weeks installment!!!

In just a couple short months we are headed off to Mexico for a little trip (without the kiddos that is!)

While I am a little nervous to leave the boys I'm also super excited to just get away!

In preparation I have been putting together wish-lists of items that I want for each leg of the journey! I have decided to do a little series on Wednesday's (What to Wear Wednesday) of these specific items in hopes of keeping things organized for myself as well as inspiring those of you heading on your own vacations plan your packing list!

1. Bayside STL Heart Hat - I don't know about you but I can't imagine doing my hair the morning of any trip. Especially since our flight leaves around 6 am! This hat is not only a necessity but also super cute and I can represent my city at the same time!

2. Camp Director Tote in Mint - I'm obsessed with this tote bag! I want it so bad, it seems perfect to travel with! I'm always looking for a sleek, cute and functional bag to bring along on a trip and this one fits every single one of my wants!

3. Army Green Cargo Pants - Comfort, comfort, comfort. That's the only word I care about when traveling and these pants seem like they fit that bill while being cute and flattering as well! I can definitely say that I want these to be a staple in my travel wardrobe!

4. Airport Greeting Cardigan in Oatmeal - Again with the comfort, this cardigan can be worn closed or open, which is great because we are traveling in November and if anyone knows anything about St. Louis, it's either going to be colder than all get out or hot as heck, okay maybe not that hot but still. To top it off we are traveling to Mexico so having a versatile cardigan to wear in the weather change is a must have!

5. Reggie Sneaker - Another aspect of comfort while traveling is foot wear and for me it's sneakers all the way! They're perfect for any weather and let's face it, they're cute at the same time!

That does it for today's outfit inspiration! I hope you all enjoyed it and come back next Wednesday for the next installment of What to Wear Wednesday!!

A while back I did a post about my favorite running accessories. You can go read it HERE. In that post I fawned over one of my favorite's, the SPIbelt, which wasn't even mine but my Mom's. I had grown very attached to this accessory to the point that I was going to be very sad to give it back. Well smash cut to a few weeks and some conversations later, I received my very own, LARGE POCKET Limited Edition SPIbelt in the mail! Seriously, I was beyond thrilled! My ridiculously large iPhone fit just fine in my Mom's standard sized belt, however with the Large Pocket belt there was so much room to spare! The beauty about these belts is that once you buckle it on you forget that it's there! When I come home from my runs I take my phone out to check my times, before I know it I'm starting my daily activities and quite a bit of time later I realize it's still on. These belts are like magic, they fit everything you can imagine all while feeling like they're not even there! Plus they don't ride up as you run, where you place them they stick the whole entire run! It's so important to keep essentials with you while you run, phones, keys, ID's and even some cash just in case, for me I won't ever choose another product over the SPIbelt and I highly encourage everyone out there to do the same! Whether you're a runner, hiker, biker or anything in between, these belts are definitely the superior choice!

I would love to see pictures of you using your SPIbelt, be sure to use the hashtag #SPIbeltStyle on Instagram and they may even feature your picture on their account!!

Cheers!

Please Follow Along

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST | SNAPCHAT | BLOGLOVIN'

**I received the belt courtesy of SPIbelt, however the opinions in this post are totally my own!**

 Top : Last Years Sale, Similar | Jeans | Shoes : Similar | Scarf

Jeans : Size 26

Outfit #2:

 Sweater | Jeans | Shoes

Sweater : Size XS

Outfit #3:

 Top : Similar | Jeans | Shoes

Jeans : Size 26
Boots : Size 7.5 (I'm usually a size 7 so I sized up a half and it was perfect!)

Outfit #4:

 Sweater | Jeans | Shoes

Sweater : Size XS

Outfit #5:

 Top : Last Years Sale, Similar | Jeans | Shoes : Similar

Jeans : Size 26

Outfit #6:

 Top | Scarf | Jeans | Shoes

Jeans : Size 26
Boots : Size 7.5

Outfit #7:

Sweater : Last Years Sale, Similar | Jeans | Shoes

Jeans : Size 26

I can't say enough great things about Nordstrom, yes their sale is great every year, however more than that, I have never dealt with such great customer service from a retail company. Every employee I have had the pleasure of dealing with, even when they were busier than busy, never acted like they were stressed or even annoyed by helping a customer. Yes, I know it's their job but still, job or not I have come across some very not nice people in the retail world. Like I said before, I brought my sons with me the day the sale opened and they were not cooperative, instead of acting inconvenienced or just flat out aggravated, the sales women came up to my boys, started talking to them and just tried to make them smile and let me tell you, it worked for a while! I never expect anyone to go out of their way when my kids are getting fussy, in fact when they get fussy I do my best to calm them down and get out as fast as possible. I just really appreciated the extra mile the sales women went to in that situation. On top of that their social media responses and overall help on those formats is beyond anything I would have ever expected. I'm not saying any of this for any other reason than these are my experiences and my feelings towards this company.

Okay, now that I have that off my chest, what outfits are your faves?! What items did you snag from this years sale?!? I'd love to hear in the comments!

If anyone knows me they know that I have a huge weakness for buying as many pairs of sunglasses as I can get my hands on.
I'm not into paying high end prices for my glasses, however. I cringe at spending more than $10 honestly. With two little ones running around I just can't bring myself to pay any more than that on the off chance that they get their tiny little hands on them.
I've been lucky so far and haven't had any accidents, even with my $10 sunglasses!

I was fortunate enough to receive a free month of Ditto's Endless Eyewear program a little while back and today I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the process and product.


Bottom line, they are a great company with incredible customer service and response time.

I never felt like I was being pushed off or just given an answer to get me to go away. They were caring and wanted to make sure my experience was a great as it could be!

Being that I don't ever spend any real amount of money on my sunglasses I was a bit intimidated to choose a pair that was worth a lot of money, however I figured go big or go home, right?!

I chose a Prada pair which you can see HERE.


With a retail value of $385 I was giddy and nervous when they arrived.
Needless to say I immediately fell in love with these sunglasses. I did, however, make sure to wear them carefully when the kiddos wouldn't be going crazy all around, just to be safe!

I got to try out a few more pairs at the Go Blog Social conference and let's just say, I want them all, all the time!

After I placed my order the sunglasses arrived within a few days, even faster than I could have ever expected. Then when I was ready to send them back I was able to use a prepaid packing label that came with the glasses. All around such a simple process.

For $25 a month you can change out sunglasses whenever you want. Making it simple and convenient to wear designer brands for a fraction of the cost!

I look forward to taking part in this program here in the future for sure, once the kids are a bit older and I won't be as afraid of little hands getting a hold of these gorgeous sunglasses!

So go on and check out the website! You won't regret it!

Every now and then I come across a brand that I just know that I want to work with.

Arch Apparel located in St. Louis was absolutely one of them.

I can't tell you enough just how much I love everything that this company has to offer.

Seriously, this tee shirt has easily become one of my absolute favorites to wear all the time, it's just so comfortable and soft, I have to make myself take it off!

Being a Mom of two little boys, tee shirts and jean shorts are pretty much my uniform every single day. So it makes it so easy to just grab for my STL tee!

Shirt : Arch Apparel (c/o) || Shorts : Old, Similar Here || Sunglasses || Shoes : Old, Similar Here

I can't wait to add to my closet with more clothing from Arch Apparel!

Here are just a few of my favorites...

1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 

I hope you enjoy and check out their website, jump on the STL bandwagon (even if you don't live here, it's cool!)

Be sure to check them out on all their other social media as well for outfit inspiration and new products!

Facebook || Instagram || Twitter || Website

Cheers!

Please Follow Along

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST | SNAPCHAT | BLOGLOVIN'

**This is not a sponsored post at all... I bought this watch because I saw tons of great reviews on Amazon and wanted a tracking watch**

Okay, with that said here are my thoughts on the Polar FT60 Heart Rate Monitor

First off I have to say I researched a lot of different calorie trackers and my first choice was the FitBit. I had heard things here and there about the FitBit but upon further reading it wasn't exactly what I wanted. I didn't want it to just track my steps, however I wanted something that would be able to track other activities outside of running or biking such as strength training.

The FitBit is awesome for what it is and I have friends who absolutely love theirs, and I'm sure I would have loved it too had I gone that route.

So onto my Polar watch. Man do I love this thing. Seriously, no matter what workout activity I am doing I put this baby on and get a much more accurate idea of the amount of calories I burned during said workout.

**View from my morning runs!**

I was nervous at first since it comes with a chest strap that you have to put on before starting to workout. This tracks your heart rate thus giving you a more accurate reading of your calories. I thought it would annoy me and feel uncomfortable. However once it's on I forget that it's there. I come home from running or any other activity and I keep it on because I forget that it's there. So as far as that aspect of the Polar watches, it's really a non-issue and if that's what's holding you back, don't let it, I promise it's not bad at all!

**I never run without it**

Also the style of this series of Polar was one of my favorites. I was looking for a sleek design and wasn't too worried about size, since it is rather large. I was looking for white and clean looking which this watch completely captures the exact look I was going for. I also wear this watch throughout my everyday life as well, without the chest strap of course, when running errands or out with the boys. It's large display makes it easy to glance quickly and see the time rather than rummaging through my bags for my phone! I sort of feel naked without it now!

There are plenty of other generations of the Polar watches and the newer ones look absolutely awesome as well and one day I may trade up but for now, I couldn't have made a better decision on going with this watch and would highly suggest it to anyone looking for a sports tracking watch!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR OWN POLAR FT60 WATCH TODAY!

I hope this helps anyone who is looking to buy an activity tracking watch! Please let me know in the comments what your favorite watches are or if you have tried one of these Polar watches yourself! I'd love to hear any and all feedback!

Cheers!

Please Follow Along

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST | SNAPCHAT | BLOGLOVIN'

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending the Go Blog Social Conference here in downtown St. Louis. The venue, Lumen Private Event Space was absolutely GORGEOUS!

To say this conference was incredible is a bit of an understatement.

I have never attended anything like it before and I will constantly be on the lookout for other blogging conferences as well as signing up ASAP for this conference next year!

We started the morning out with an AMAZING breakfast catered by 23 City Block Catering, they also catered lunch, yum!

Throughout the day we were able to hear presentations from incredible bloggers and businesswomen who have dominated this industry.

Along with presentations, there were discussion panels, one on one mentor sessions as well as workshops for us to attend. I was able to connect with so many incredible people. 

A few businesses were there as well, had booths set up and we were able to try out product and network with these brands.

I got to meet and chat with Mizzfit Bianca Jade

I can't wait to receive my first pair of DITTO Endless Eyewear glasses in the mail!

Walls Need Love | Peach | Snapdragon Studio

After the conference was over there were a couple after parties we were all invited to attend.

I went to the Fauxgerty Meet & Drink at Fauxgerty in the Central West End.

Not only was the event a lot of fun, the store was awesome as well! I could have taken one of just about everything there!!

To top it off I got to have some one on one time with both Christine Camron and Nicole Alyse.

... Who are, by the way, two of the nicest people ever!

All in all this weekend was one to remember for a very very long time.

I would highly recommend you to check out all of the blogs, websites and stores that I have linked in this post. I know there are quite a few, but it is totally worth your time to check them all out. Who knows, maybe you'll find a new person to connect with or a company to partner with or product you love!

Happy Friday, everyone!

 Cheers!

Please Follow Along

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST | SNAPCHAT

**Also, blog update: I am currently waiting on a new header to be designed YAY! But after that, the site will be complete... I would love your input on the new layout!**

Wow, so much to go over in this post I hope you are all ready... I know, it's Monday but bare with me please...

First, this happened over the weekend

Seriously?!? I am so excited & can't thank you guys enough for getting me to this milestone, it's crazy to think that anyone would care to hear about my life or my crazy rants I can go on from time to time. So again, thank you! :)

Second, Friday evening Andrew & I went to the baseball game where the Cards beat the Nationals 12 to 2. So needless to say we left happy fans! {Here's to hoping for some post season play!}

Third, on Saturday morning, I may have jumped the gun on this one but I couldn't help it. Pinterest inspired me & pretty much, I failed BUT the thought was there...

Inspiration...

My version...

Yeah, I added some food coloring to make them more "Halloween-ish" & I think that was about as far as it went, the white chocolate chips kind of sunk in & it was just not a pretty sight. Then again, they're supposed to be ghost's so being "pretty" doesn't really apply. What do you think?! Success or fail?!

Saturday evening my parent's hosted a Poker Tournament in which Andrew & I took part in. Well my sister, Melanie, & I were the only two girls that actually played. The rest of the women just sat around and hung out. Well, Melanie won the whole thing... beating out five grown men & myself. Craziness I tell ya.

Sunday, we didn't do a whole lot. Just hung out, I made sloppy joe's for dinner & watched some Snapped & Living with Jonas {am I the only one completely obsessed with this show?!}

ALSO, I added another item to my ETSY shop...

COWL Craft-N-Dash

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

OKAY, so now it's time for a little fun. In honor of hitting the 200 GFC mark I am putting together a little giveaway. For those of you who don't know already, I have a little ETSY shop {Craft-n-Dash} & I am going to be giving away one of my 

Coffee Cozie's, along with the mug as well as some Starbucks coffee!! 

Who's ready to get their raffle on?

Currently I have my Coffee Cozie's up & ready to go

{give me a week or so and I'll have a few more things added!}

I am so excited to finally be doing this, it's been an idea that I have been toying with for a while now! If you are looking for a specific color just let me know & I will see what I can do!

I have been knitting for just about three years & love it! There's something extremely calming about knitting, taking your mind completely off of whatever it is that is going on in life & instead solely focusing on this project... It's a great escape & such a fun hobby!!

Here are a few of my favorite projects I've completed...

With Craft-N-Dash I am hoping to be able to bring my love for this hobby to others! I am completely committed to this little shop and would love to hear feed back & am taking suggestions as to the types of items you all would like to see available for purchase! :)

Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!!

{Tomorrow I'll be sharing some pics from the Mug Swap I was involved in! YAY}