Law 159

Earlier this week, Victoria talked about how she had been seeing these Laws of Modern Man everywhere on Pinterest. Well I have fallen victim to the intrigue. This is just one of the many laws that really resonate with me.

I think there is a difference between being thankful for life, and truly contemplating it and thinking about it. I have never considered myself ungrateful, but lately, I have been caught up in where others are versus where I am. I can't do that anymore. Life is way too short. I have everything I need and then some, so whenever I get that way, someone needs to just knock me in the arm and tell me to do this. I bet that would bring me back down.

What do you guys think of these Laws of Modern Man? Though some of them are a bit silly, I'd love to read more!

Back in the Swing

When I was little, the first sport I ever learned how to play was tennis. My parents were both super good at it and we would go to the courts behind our house all the time. I also learned to hit the balls against our garage door. Sometimes I did it so often that the paint would fall off! I never played on a team because my serve was never up to par, but this summer, I vowed to get it off the ground again.

My mom and I went to play over the weekend and I am STILL sore from it. I truly forgot how much of a full body workout tennis is, but it felt so good. So since I'm trying to get back in the swing, how cute is this Kate Spade racquet case? I love it! I saw it in the newest issue of Rue. Maybe it'll be on eBay someday!

Kate Spade had a whole tennis line this past spring that I died for, though of course, because of those high, high price points none of it became mine. So for now I'll just dream it!

Do any of you guys play? Do you have a sport that you love to play still or once played?

What to do with your leftover Coffee

Source: topnfun.com via Willow on Pinterest

After I exercise in the morning, the first thing I do is reach for a cup of hot coffee (or two). It's exactly what I need to put me in a good mood and get me started. But sometimes, especially in the summer time, we don't always finish the pot and have a little bit of extra leftover. What to do? Well, you don't have to waste it! Here are a few tips to stretch your dollar on your coffee:

Make iced later! This is a no-brainer! Chances are, later it'll get warmer and iced coffee will be the perfect treat to cool you down.

Make coffee iced cubes! A perfect addition to the iced coffee. It makes the flavor more intense and is the perfect compliment to the iced drink.

Bake with it! I know, it sounds odd, but you could add it to cake batter, chocolate sauce, even cookie dough to give your baked goods that little extra zing! Hello, yum!

Put it over vanilla ice cream!!! My mother taught me this little trick about a month ago...and I'm hooked! I love it! It's the perfect way to make coffee ice cream if you don't have it. Sometimes I even add little chocolate chips on top to make it like a mocha. Best.Treat.Ever!! Seriously, tell me if you try it because you will not regret it!

How do you stretch your coffee? What's your favorite way to have it in the summer?

Right now, I...

Right now I'm crushing on my blue nails! Essie Bikini so tenny. Only in the summer would I think about pulling off blue nails. But it's fun and perfect for this weather!

Source: wimbledon.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Right now, I'm loving that Roger Federer won Wimbledon! However, that Andy Murray is so good looking, and I truly felt for him when he started crying at the end. He put up a good fight. Plus, this match brought Kate and Pippa to the final, and I was jealous of both of their outfits!

Right now, I'm loving my newest consignment finds. I found this penguin bracelet that is thin, light, and so much fun to stack up!

Right now, I love that my windows are open! The breeze feels fantastic and even though I was kind of a fan of the intense heat, it's nice to have a break of air conditioning.

Right now, I love that I picked up the Joy the Baker cookbook from the library. I think her blog is so good and she's got some fantastic recipes in here that I can't wait to try! This one looks right up my alley!

What's going on with you right now? Did you have a great weekend/extended holiday?

My Friday Fancies: Stars and Stripes!

Happy Friday! I took a few days off of blogging to get out of the city and visit my grandparents. We celebrated the 4th there under these hot, hot conditions. Despite the heat, I was able to wear my red, white and blue. 

I look forward to this time of year every year just to be able to make outfit combinations. I really do! This year though this was probably my favorite!

Tank: H&M Skirt: J.Crew (on sale now!) Bandana: Walgreens 

 So I would sport this outfit again, any day of the week! I just love it and it's the perfect amount of red, white and blue for the holiday (sometimes I can go overboard!). What'd you sport this year? Lots of stripes? Any stars?

Hope you all have fantastic weekends! I'm not doing a whole lot, though I keep calling in every hour to try and win Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw tickets. Maybe I'll be successful?

Happy Friday!

~Susan

Songs of the Season

The other night, we were sitting around my house and Ellen's boyfriend Cody was asking me to play more patriotic American songs on the piano for the fourth of July. He said that I didn't play enough of them last year. So, to make it up, I played several different American tunes. I couldn't pick a favorite.

Besides the national anthem, which I think is a beautiful song (and I can't wait to hear it once the Olympics are on!), which song makes you think of America?

God Bless America. This Celine Dion version gives me the chills!

God Bless the USA. A more contemporary song, but I love the refrain a lot.

Stars and Stripes Forever. A classic Sousa march that you can't stop humming along! I love when it's played by big military bands.

Yankee Doodle Dandy. I know we've all heard this song when we were little, but have you ever seen this movie? It's such a classic! It's got some of the best dancing ever and when you hear this song in context it makes so much more sense (and I love the song now thanks to the movie!)

America the Beautiful. This song also happens to give me the chills! Can't tell you why, it just does!

So do you have a favorite? Or a favorite version? I think our country has some of the prettiest songs to represent it and though we don't always listen to them all year long, celebrating our nation is a great time to bring out the tunes!

Have a safe time at fireworks tonight/tomorrow!

Boxes and Jewels

Hi friends! Last week I took my old sterilite jewelry container to pieces and went through all of my jewelry and chose what to keep, toss etc. I settled on a new system to organize it, and so far I'm pretty happy with it! I can see everything that I have, and I can change it around too if I want to take some pieces and display them on my window sill if the mood strikes!

 I opted to hold my big statement necklaces and chunky bracelets in old Brooks Brother's boxes that we had saved from Christmas and they fit them perfectly!

On my window sill, I decided to add some more jewels there in vintage tea cups that belonged to my aunt. They fit the sill perfectly and I think that they are a great option to fit small jewels like rings and earrings!

I'm happy with how everything looks and I can't wait to get to my bedside tables and work on those now!

Hope you all had fabulous weekends!