THE PERFECT PAIR OF NIKE'S / WORKOUT GEAR

I had a completely different post in mind for today.

BUT THEN (dun dun dun) the cutest, most awesome pair of Nike's came to me in the mail and after a quick snap to Instagram and nearly 350 likes later, it is clear that I need to share them with you all...

Nike Free 5.0 V4 {BUY THEM HERE}

You better 'add to cart' quickly because from what I've heard they are extremely hard to find in stores and will probably sell out quickly online {early Christmas present, anyone?}. I was debating between this pair and this pair {in the distance blue color}, but ultimately decided to go with the V4's in the leopard. I am in shoe heaven over here. This girl would prefer new tennis shoes over stiletto's 365 days a year. ;)

These run more narrow than past Nike Free versions (I recommend sizing up!), but I still love them just the same. It might have something to do with the leopard and overall awesomeness of them, but I can't be too sure. I also heard that white on tennis shoes are coming back in for next year, so there's another plus to these, if you even needed one.

when you are this cute, you are allowed on the kitchen table. ;)

These shoes, and with the help of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show later this month, will be just what I need to get my booty back in the gym on a more consistent basis. This time of year can be so hard to stick with a solid gym routine so if you feel like this is you, this is me reaching out saying don't quit! Just make sure you have some awesome new shoes or gear to get you through those hard winter workouts. :)

Speaking of workout gear, here's what else I'm loving right now:

VS Knockout Crop / Nike Dri-Fit Knit (similar)  / GapFit gFast Capris / Nike Pro Core Compression Shorts / Patagonia All Weather Top (50% off!) / VS Funnel Neck Pullover (love & need this) / VS Sport Duffle Bag / Nike Legend 2.0 Capri / C9 by Champion Cami Bra / Zella Trinity Jacket (40% off)

What are your favorite workout pieces?
I'm all about the zip up's and casual jackets this time of year!

Don't you want to workout now after seeing all this cute stuff? Maybeeee?

Happy {hump day} shopping!

Pizza Quinoa Casserole

Pizza-our love/hate relationship goes WAY back. Love it because it's obviously so yummy and one of my favorite foods...hate it for how it makes my body feel afterwards. Sluggish, tired, just that overall blah feeling. I remember my freshman year in college days when I thought that eating all of those late night pizza's during the week and on the weekend (what was I thinking?) wouldn't ever catch up to me. Oh so wrong.

When I found this recipe, my eyes kinda perked up because honestly I haven't had the best luck with quinoa in the past, but felt this might change my feelings on it. Being a vegetarian, quinoa is such a good source of protein for me, but every time I've cooked with quinoa I've felt it comes out a little bland for my liking. But combining pizza flavors with it? I knew I had to give this a shot and I'm pretty dang happy I did (all of you vegetarian girls out there will love this recipe! and even if you aren't, this is a good meatless monday meal option.)

Billy doesn't like quinoa (well he didn't until I made him try this!), so this casserole provides me with lunch or dinner for about 4 days. I just portioned it out into multiple storage containers and kept them in the fridge until I was ready to eat then reheated them in the microwave. So simple and delicious!

Pizza Quinoa Casserole
recipe inspiration from here

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
1 medium onion
1 green bell pepper
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 roma tomatoes
1 cup fresh spinach
3 cloves garlic
15 oz. can tomato sauce (I only used and recommend 12 oz)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (optional-I didn't use any cheese and it was still great!)
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
Salt

Directions:
+Preheat oven to 375.
+Rinse and cook quinoa: add 3 cups water and quinoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed.
+Meanwhile, chop onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and mince garlic.
+In a skillet over medium heat, saute onion, green pepper, and mushrooms with salt for about 10 minutes or until softened.
+Add garlic, stir, and heat for 1 more minute.
+When quinoa is cooked, place it in a large mixing bowl. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella, sauteed vegetables (any excess liquid removed), basil, and oregano. Stir to combine.
Spread mixture into a lightly sprayed 9x13 inch dish and gently press down. Top with a light sprinkle of cheese.
+Bake for 20-25 minutes.

 

What are your feelings towards quinoa?

If it's tasted bland to you in the past, give this recipe a shot! The flavors are great and may change your mind! :)

The Blowout

Do you enjoy getting your hair done?
Do you like to get pampered with your girlfriends?
Do you like to drink mimosas or wine while getting pampered?

If you answered yes to any of the above, I have the perfect solution for you...

Columbus' first blowout bar, The Blowout Bar, conveniently located in Grandview (right by Matt the Millers!), just opened up last month. I am escastic to finally have a local blow out bar after hearing all the hype in bigger cities about them! If you haven't heard of a blow out yet, let me break it down for you. It's basically a salon that skips the cut and color but gives you a beautiful style (after washing your hair!) to rock for a few days. You can pick between a sleek and straight style, messy beach waves, loose curls, or big curls with lots of volume (all you Southern girls!). It gives you a much needed break from blow drying your own hair, and to me, not much can beat that because I hate blow drying my hair.

I took my girlfriend Leslie for our first visit on Saturday and was so impressed by all of it. The salon was so modern, clean, and everyone was so friendly. The Blowout Bar was founded by two sisters, Kaitlin and Kailen, who are both super sweet and after talking to them on Saturday we realized that Kristin also went to college at BGSU where both me and Leslie went. Such a small world!

Our experience was relaxing and so much fun. We had an appointment, but they do walk-ins as well. You receive one complimentary mimosa or wine with your blow out {cheers!} and they had Sex In The City playing on the TV's, which was just an added bonus. All of the stylists were very professional and knew how to achieve that perfect blow out that us girls want. Leslie got "The Hurricane" blow out and I got "The Bahama Mama" (see the menu here). We both walked out with beautiful, soft locks and already talked about how we want to plan a trip back.

When we were there I kept thinking about how awesome gifting a blow out to girlfriends would be. Think about it...birthdays, Christmas, for their bachelorette party (every girl wants perfect hair for this!), for a bridal shower gift, etc. The options are endless! I see many blow outs in my future...

Today, many different cities have them or are opening them, so I would recommend checking online to see if you have one in your city! It's such a special treat and experience that us women deserve from time to time. Right? Columbus gals, you can book your appointment, or read more about it, here! :)

And just because his locks were looking extra fluffy this weekend, his momma decided to put him in bow tie and then had her heart melted over and over....

Rocky meet bow tie. Bow tie meet Rocky. I think they're a perfect match, don't you? 

Have you been to a blowout bar before?

Hope you all had a great weekend!
{follow me on instagram for more snaps that I took}

Attitude. Life. Perspective.

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes. -Charles R. Swindoll

This was the opening of my cousin TJ's speech yesterday at my uncle's (his father) funeral service. This was also the quote that defined how my uncle lived his life and how he raised his children. I don't think I will ever look at a quote the same again.

Dear week, you have been rough. ROUGH. The past two days I've been out of town for my uncle Jerry's funeral services and on top of that somehow I managed to lock myself and Rocky out of our house yesterday morning, so needless to say Halloween hasn't been that great this year. However, there is always a silver lining. I got to spend time with family I haven't seen in a while and celebrate my uncle's life with them. I've learned valuable lessons about life and how important having a positive attitude is this week that I really want to take with me in the years to come.

 

Dear Charlotte (my niece that I got to meet for the first time this week because her and her momma, my cousin, live in Boston), you are the most precious baby girl I have ever laid eyes on. You melted my heart. I just loved getting to hold you and meet you, finally!

 have you seen a more gorgeous 14 month old? I haven't.

Dear Billy, thank you for carving some kick butt pumpkins this year. I like our little thing we got goin' on...I gut the pumpkins and you carve. 

Dear Columbus' very first blow out bar, I will be paying you a visit this weekend. I cannot WAIT to get my first blow out with a girlfriend of mine! Much.needed after this week.

Dear readers, I promise to be more upbeat next week. I've got some good things on the horizon. Did you scoop yourself up one of the vests I posted about the other day? Better get on that because the weather looks perfect for them this weekend! ;)

Dear Uncle Jerry, I have never seen more people at a funeral service. You will truly be missed! For hours yesterday, I listened to your friends and family share the most amazing stories about you, and I feel proud to have called you my uncle. Please watch over my Dad, will you? I know he is missing you already. Thank you for being such a good brother and best friend to him. We love you.

Dear trick-or-treaters, I told you to take handfuls of candy because I didn't want to be stuck with pounds of candy just for myself, but you didn't listen. How about coming back for round 2 tonight? Because let's be serious, candy and myself need to be on a break after the past few nights. A serious break.

....can't stop eating twix. tootsie rolls. twix. tootsie rolls. vicious cycle it is, really.

Dear week, you know how I said up above you have been rough? You've also reminded me how short life really is and how well I want to live mine. Thank you, again, for the firm wake up call.