Oh, what a happy Sunday it is!

Shakira released a new single this week featuring Rihanna called Can’t Remember to Forget You. I’ve been listening to it on repeat for days on end. If there’s one thing you should know about  me, it’s that I LOVE Shakira. Love might not be a strong enough word. I adore/cherish/worship/idolize/etc. etc. her. She’s the best person in the world, in my opinion. If you don’t agree, it’s all good, just don’t tell me!

This Week’s Top 5

1. Shakira. Are you at surprised to find that Shakira is number 1 on my list of favorite things this week? Really should could be on every list but we have to be realistic, right? I’ll be honest, this new single isn’t my absolute favorite that she’s done, but it’s definitely not bad. I don’t love Rihanna, which might have some small influence on my feelings toward the song, but I’ll listen to and adore anything Shakira does!

2. Hobbies. If you search this blog back far enough, you’ll find that one of my favorite activities is belly dancing. I’ve taken a break for about a year because of work and school, etc. but classes started back Wednesday night and we jumped right into learning a new choreography! It felt good to break out the hip scarves!

3. Library. I’m a graduate student taking two online classes this semester. I’ve realized that trying to study at home is extremely distracting. The dogs always want to cuddle and/or play (and it’s really hard to ignore their cuteness), the computer has social media, the television has shows, etc. Luckily, there’s a public library near my house where I can go to study and work on assigments without [much] distraction. So, I’ll be spending a lot of time there. 

4. Nick’s Cooking. On the nights I have class in person, I have to commute over an hour and a half each way. On those nights, Nick cooks dinner and he is a very good cook. When we first met, I would make him cook me ramen because, for some reason, his always tasted better than mine. That seems to be true of most everything (except eggs… I’m really good at those). He’s a great cook and I love it when he cooks for me.

5. Sunny Afternoon Walks. With Nick and the dogs. Exercise, sun, fresh air, and quality time with the family. There really isn’t anything better than that!

Photo of the Week:

Speaking of sunny afternoon walks, we try to take  them most weekends, weather permitting. This past weekend, we brought the swanky new camera along and got some pretty pictures. This is one of my favorites!

Outfit #3

I kind of felt like Elle Woods in this outfit, with all the pink. But pairing the pink with navy shoes and blazer toned it down a bit and made it feel professional. It works because the two pinks are different enough that it’s monochrome without being too matchy-matchy. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’m taking some creative liberties with my challenge. The top, skirt, and shoes are in the original 30 pieces list but I added the navy blazer and scarf.

Nick admitted that he didn’t love the scarf with the outfit so I took it off and you could better see the cute sequin detail on the pocket of the sweater. I would have added a nice necklace if I knew I wouldn’t be wearing the scarf. I’ll admit that isn’t one of my favorite outfits that I’ve ever worn, so this might be the first and last time it sees the light of day. You win some, you lose some.

Official outfit #2.

I started the 30 for 30 Challenge because I was feeling a serious lack of creativity and wanted a reason to love the pieces in my closet again – without feeling the constant need to go shopping. The original rule of the challenge is to create 30 outfits using the 30 pieces, but I found that some of the items I chose are rather plain and that some of the outfits needed a little extra umph to make me truly enjoy wearing them. Based on this observation, I’ve decided to use the 30 pieces as “foundation pieces” and go from there. The result: this outfit! The top, pants, and shoes are on the list. When trying to figure out the best way to complete it, however, I felt all the cardigans and blazers in my list were too boring. When I paired with this blazer (which is new and therefore not in the list) I loved the outcome. It’s definitely a winner.

The stripes on the blazer and shoes are the same color (navy).

And just for fun!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s Sunday Morning Serenade, I’m a big fan of brunch. This was the outfit I wore to have brunch with Nick, our good friend (who is like a little sister to us), and her boyfriend. We went to a cute little French bistro downtown and I had delicious coffee and steak frites, which is a pan-seared steak topped with an egg and served with pommes frites (french fries) and Béarnaise sauce. Your mouth just watered, didn’t it?

So, I know I’m supposed to be participating in this 30 for 30 Challenge, but I did some unexpected shopping this weekend and wanted to wear all of my new pieces, which is what I’m doing in this outfit. The shirt and the black ankle boots are new and I figured they’d pair well with the black skirt. I also got Nick to take these photos instead of using my tripod and they turned out so much better than usual because I was able to have more fun. He’s going to have a new job from here on out!

I promise I’ll get to that challenege. Most of the pieces I chose for it are more “office wear” than casual wear but classes have started back so I’ll be able to wear the outfits in public instead of just sitting in them at my computer. Please be patient, they’re coming!

Sunday Morning Serenade has been MIA, for which I apologize. But we’re back in full swing so I hope you enjoy!

I’ve had several songs stuck in my head all week and today I’m sharing “Break the Walls” by Fitz and the Tantrums.  I bought this album last week and have been listening to it in the car. I wish I had gotten it sooner because the whole album is really good. I recommend it!

This Week’s Top 5

1. A New Year. It’s a new year with new goals and new possibilities to be the best possible version of myself that I can be. I’m happy, and even a little excited, to prove to myself that I can meet my goals and be the person I want to be! I invite all of you to join me.

2. Frigid Temperatures. I can’t be the only person on the planet that actually enjoys cooler weather, right? Really? Okay then. The only thing that would have made it better is snow! Unfortunately (for me, I’m sure everyone else would disagree), we didn’t get any here in my neck of the woods.

3. Brunch. I love brunch; it’s my favorite meal. And it’s even better when it’s enjoyed with friends, which is what I did this weekend. I had a delicious steak frites from a lovely little French bistro in town. Stay tuned for an outfit post from the outing.  

4. New Shoes. I got several pairs of new shoes recently and, I mean, who doesn’t love new shoes?!

5. This Top 5 List. Too often I find myself dwelling on the negative things in life, like I didn’t wake up as early as I wanted to or I didn’t make it to the gym again today, etc. But when I create this list, it forces me to focus on the positive things, which brightens my mood and makes me extremely grateful for all of my blessing. I would recommend you try it, too: when you find yourself feeling down and out about something that is happening in your life, take a few minutes and try to create a list of at least 3 positives that you can appreciate.

Photo of the Week:

A delicious mug of hot cocoa and cozy blanket during the frigid temperatures we experienced here at my house thanks to the Polar Vortex. It was 9 degrees on Tuesday morning when we walked the dogs. We bundled them up big time to keep them warm, like they both wore a little sweater AND a coat. The high was about 20 degrees, so we stayed inside all day. I’m sure some of you are laughing at me because you were dealing with temps in the negative, and I would laugh at me, too, if I were you. But this was the coldest it’s been here in my lifetime, so we were cold! We survived. And I loved every minute of it!