Happy Monday everyone!

How was everyone's weekend? To all the dads out there, I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day. I spent the weekend with the animals while Chandler was back home. I was a little worried at first having all of the animals by myself but it was super easy! I was able to take Diesel and Neville out together and they got a ton of play time at the park. I also went to the stable this weekend and didn't fall off this time! While I was there I also gave King and Brandy a bath and I'm sure it felt really good since it was so hot out.

Today's blog post is all about this green maxi dress from Free People. This dress has multiple layers and it does have some weight to it. I was actually surprised at how heavy it was when I picked up my package! In addition to the layers, it also has some openings near the hip on both sides to add a little extra detail to the dress. There are ties on both sides at these openings so you can tie it tighter so it's not as revealing. I will say that the openings come up pretty high, so I wouldn't wear any colored underwear with this or else it'll be seen.

The straps at the top are also adjustable. I tied mine a little tighter since I have a smaller chest. The top part of the dress really has some room to it so just be aware of that if you also have a smaller chest. In other words, if it's not secure, don't lean too far forward haha! I do love this dress and it would be perfect for any summer occasion.

Photography: Alondra Vega Photography

Shop the look below. 

Maxi dress is sold out in green but available in sage. Clutch is also sold out, linked other options below!

Weekly Round Up

Happy Friday!

How was everyone's week? I'm so ready for the weekend! Diesel's best friend Neville is staying with us until Monday so I can't wait to take them to the park, go riding again, and get ahead on some blog posts! I actually haven't been to the stable since I fell off because I went out of town the week after. So, I'm really excited to get back on that horse haha!

Below are today's weekly round up post articles! P.S. there's a lot of fashion posts this week! 😊

Food:

I love peanut butter. I think that everyone has it when they're kids and the love for it never goes away! Skinny Taste shared a how to make nut butters blog post which was really insightful. Who knew it was so simple!

Read it here: https://www.skinnytaste.com/how-to-make-nut-butter/

I discovered a food blogger name Leigh Anne Wilkes, also known as Your Home Based Mom this week and she is fabulous! I found two recipes that go pretty well together if you ask me. I even found one right after the other too and not on purpose! Leigh Anne shared two recipes for a homemade pizza dough and pizza sauce.

Read it here: https://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/pizza-dough-recipe/
Read it here: https://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/homemade-pizza-sauce/

So I've never heard of this before but it sounds really interesting. I've made zucchini noodles, I've even gotten the veggie pasta before but I've never heard of arugula pasta! I've always wanted to make pasta from scratch and this recipe could be my first try.

Read it here: https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2018/06/arugula-cacio-e-pepe.html

Entertainment/Life:

With Father's Day happening this Sunday, I've seen some really fun gift guides and other cute posts. Cosmopolitan shared a post about 20 Sweet and Relatable Things Celebrities Have Said About Their Dads and it really is thoughtful.

Read it here: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/g21526590/fathers-day-quotes/

Women need to empower other women constantly. Miley Cyrus demonstrated awesome girl power/friendship when she defended Selena Gomez from Dolce and Gabbana's designer when they called her ugly. I don't understand why people are so cruel over the internet. #stoptrolling #whyyougottabesorude

Read it here: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a21562891/miley-cyrus-defends-selena-gomez-dolce-and-gabbana-stefano-ugly/


Fashion:

I'm not sure if I've shared this before but I'm originally from Mount Dora, FL. It is the cutest little town and always has something fun going on. I discovered Jeanette from J's Everyday Fashion this week and saw that she had recently visited! I was so excited/proud haha. Check out her post below.

Read it here: https://jseverydayfashion.com/home/2018/6/11/todays-everyday-fashion-mount-dora-lemon-print-forever

I have been following Aggie from Travel_inhershoes since I started blogging. I think she is absolutely incredible and has such a sweet spirit. I really want to go on an adventure with her someday too! If I could share every post that she has ever shared on here I totally would. But today, I have to show this incredible photo from her trip to Morocco. Trust me ya'll, it's stunning!

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkCtjjKhGYs/?taken-by=travel_inhershoes

Venessa from We The Classy shared the cutest striped dress from Vicidolls on her Insta yesterday that I had to share. I love Venessa's account! She has the cutest style, and I really want pretty much everything she owns in my closet.

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkBj2NNBr50/?taken-by=wetheclassy

Being a marketer and a blogger, I always applaud good content. I know how much work goes into it! The second I saw this photo from Tezza my mind was blown. This photo is absolutely stunning and she should be really proud of it. Such a beautiful way to show off this suit!

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkDS0nggcCc/?taken-by=tezzamb

I feel like I could own every item that comes in palm print. This includes home decor and stationary haha! Nina from Law Of Fashion Blog shared the cutest palm print romper on her Insta yesterday that everyone needs for the summer.

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkBvYVUHDBT/?taken-by=lawoffashionblog

I have been following along Caitlin from cmcoving's honeymoon through her Instagram all week and I am in love with the photos! She jokes that the majority of her wardrobe on this trip is blue, but that color really does look stunning on her and it matches the location perfectly. I really want to go to Greece now!

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj_Mii6hevA/?taken-by=cmcoving
See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkBx-WMBufD/?taken-by=cmcoving

I love Leslie Langan! She is so real, funny and has great style. She shared the cutest outfit on her insta this week with the funniest caption ever. The last sentence was fantastic.

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkDGqnxg4kS/?taken-by=leslielangan

You can never go wrong with a black swimsuit. The color will always be flattering! Peyton Baxter shared the cutest black halter bikini on her Insta this week that I just loved. She also shared a beautiful maxi right before that too (also linked below).

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkBwKZgFaEi/?taken-by=peyton.baxter
See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj6AdOSlKML/?taken-by=peyton.baxter

That's all for this week's round up post. I hope you all loved them and have a wonderful weekend!

Top: Nike

Pants: Nike

Sneakers: DSW

Photography: Alondra Vega Photography

How To: Engage Your Core

Happy Thursday!

Remember all of those crunches we did in PE as a kid? Let's not forget all of the push ups too! I remember those way too well, but what I don't remember anyone telling me was "engage your core." I didn't hear what that meant until I was older, and I didn't know how to do it until after I hurt myself from incorrect form at the gym.

Because of what happened, I did learn what engaging my core really means which is a positive. I'm more aware of how I should be doing my workout moves which will strengthen me rather than hurt me again. If you're not sure what this means too, then I hope this blog post is insightful!

Engaging your core is just another way of saying do a pelvic tilt. When I was doing physical therapy, I had to do 15-20 of these every visit because I needed to start training my body to know this motion. I've created a Gif below to show the difference between how we normally look: butt is more out with a curved spine compared to the pelvic tilt where you'll see my back is more of a straight line, core is more tucked in. The pelvic tilt is the correct position to be in before doing any exercise that is working your core. For additional information, here's a YouTube video that really shows what I'm describing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VQ5ITSDpaI 

To show how your body should look with the initial exercises mentioned, I've created a few more Gif's. For any core movement on the ground, you want to feel your low back flat against the mat or any surface that you're on. By doing this you are protecting your low back from any potential injury.

The next Gif shows the correct form of a push up + a way to strengthen your core and low back if you're weak or have hurt yourself like I have. One of the workout moves that I am doing are called full release push ups. Basically you're starting in a plank position, lowering down to the ground, releasing your hands fully and then either coming back up on your knees or completely back up into a plank. The benefit of doing this is to build your body up. Not everyone has the strength to do a full push up right away and even if you do, you may not be doing it correctly. I know for a fact that my spine was curved in when I was doing push ups previously after learning about the pelvic tilt which could have been one of many factors that contributed to my low back problem.

I truly hope this post was helpful and that I can hopefully prevent future injuries (from not doing this at least).

Tank: Nike

Pants: Nike

Shoes: Asics 

Photography: Alondra Vega Photography

Show Me Your Mumu Barbie Collection Look 3

Happy Monday!

How was everyone's weekend? Chandler, Diesel, Oscar, Felix and I spent the weekend at my parents house for my mom's birthday and I'm sure you already know that the house was packed just from reading all the names on this list haha! I hope she had a good birthday too! This week is definitely going to be a busy one for me. I have a blog photo shoot, work dinner, and I'm watching my friend's dog, a.k.a. Diesel's best friend, Neville.

In the past two weeks I've shared two other looks from the Show Me Your Mumu Barbie Collection and today is my third look. One of my favorite go to looks for the summer is a pair of denim shorts and a cute t-shirt. When you live in 100 degree Florida summers, you can never go wrong with a cool, breathable tee. This tee has the Barbie logo, it's the perfect shade of pink, and would go perfect with light or dark denim. If you want to add a few extra accessories to the look, the v-neck fit gives you the perfect amount of room to add a statement necklace.

Tee: Show Me Your Mumu - currently out of stock but they have been restocking the collection! 

Shorts: Altar'd State

Photography: Alondra Vega Photography

Weekly Round Up

Happy Friday!

How was everyone's week? Mine was pretty good/a little stressful but I think that happens to everyone on a regular basis haha! I am happy to be spending the weekend at home. Today is my mom's 25th birthday 😉 and we're going to enjoy it at home. Today is also national best friends day, and I will say my mom is definitely one of my best friends. I call her everyday on my way to work, on my way home, and then multiple other times throughout the day just to talk or share something that happened. I'm very lucky to have her and I don't know what I'd do without her.

P.S. Because she reads my blog posts, she should be crying about........now haha! 😂

Below are this week's articles from my weekly round up. I hope you all love them!

Food:

Passion fruit from miles away....haha! Pretty sure Drake didn't make these cupcakes, but Tessa from Style Sweet CA did! I'm not sure if my version of these will look as pretty, but these look and sound delicious!

Read it here: https://www.stylesweetca.com/blog/2018/6/2/lemon-passion-fruit-cupcakes

I've never tried matcha before but have heard about it for quite some time. Lee from Fit Foodie Finds shared a banana matcha smoothie recipe plus some facts about matcha! If you're curious about what this powder is/does for you, definitely read her post.

Read it here: https://fitfoodiefinds.com/banana-matcha-smoothie/

So, I've never heard of a pandowdy before but trust me, after you look at the photo of this recipe, you'll want to make all the pandowdies in the world. Haha! This dessert recipe from Food 52 is great for all of the fun summer events coming up.

Read it here: https://food52.com/recipes/77020-swampy-strawberry-pandowdy

Ok, so obviously I love strawberries. That's a given! Since strawberries are in season right now, a.k.a super cheap, I always love buying a ton of them. The only problem is, I always end up buying a ton and not using them all. When I read the post below from Naturally Ella, she provided many different solutions for how to keep your strawberries all season long! These solutions should also apply to other fruits too if you're not a strawberry fanatic like I am!

Read it here: https://naturallyella.com/3-ways-strawberries/

Summertime = bbq's, crawfish boils, and basically any other type of cookout there is! Damn Delicious share the recipe below for an instant pot shrimp boil. Now, I love shrimp! You can give it to me fried, grilled, blackened, etc. and I'll eat it. #sogood! If you love shrimp too, definitely check out the recipe below!

Read it here: https://damndelicious.net/2018/06/05/instant-pot-shrimp-boil/

I prefer quick, delicious dinner recipes since I'm always working on something. Whether it's my blog, my job, the animals, etc., I always like something that is tasty and didn't take long to make! If you're the same, Once Upon A Chef shared 8 easy breezy summer dinner recipes that look so good. I already know my mom will be all about #7!

Read it here: https://www.onceuponachef.com/articles/8-easy-breezy-summer-dinners.html

Chandler and I love seasonings. Seasonings really make or break food in my opinion. There are two different spice shops in Jacksonville and back home in Mt. Dora that we just love. One of our favorite meals is a nice steak. We have a few different rubs that we use (LongHorn's steak seasoning is on point ya'll), but this one below looks really good too. We're always down to try a new seasoning!

Read it here: https://www.closetcooking.com/2018/06/montreal-steak-seasoning.html

Life/Entertainment:

Tomorrow is National Rose' Day. 'nuff said! *clink*

Who listens to the Elvis Duran morning show on the radio everyday? I absolutely love every person on the show and find the show to be so entertaining. The other day they were talking about awesome Instagram accounts and they mentioned one called DILFS Of Disneyland. Trust me, it's magical. ✨😂

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/dilfs_of_disneyland/

I'm not sure if everyone's heard, but the unfortunate news of Kate Spade's death shook the internet this week. I have always loved Kate Spade and everything she has created. My thoughts are with her family and friends right now in this tough time. If you have/know anyone who has ever thought about committing suicide, please call 1-800-273-8255.

Read more here: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a21087625/kate-spade-family-statement-designer-suicide/

Fashion:

I stumbled upon Kate from Scathingly Brilliant's blog this week and it is beyond cute! If you like aww sam or any other colorful account, then you will love her! Check out her recent blog post for the cutest rainbow dress!

See it here: http://scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com/2018/06/rainbow-sherbet.html

Rochelle from Pretty Yellow Things shared the cutest red boots ever on her Instagram today. I love a good statement piece and these shoes are hot! P.S. This look will be up later today on her blog so definitely check it out later to see more!

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjxet9SDJ0F/?taken-by=rorodeiso

I love albion fit's swimsuits! I've never bought one but I've seen this one styled by Jennifer from Boy Mom In Jeans a few times and just love it. It has such a flattering fit and I love that it mixes prints!

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BjxSXMMhSKb/?taken-by=boymominjeans

Mackenzie Bay also shared another cute suit from Albion Fit that I had not seen before. I mean, we all need to have options right? Haha! I loved this one just as much as the one Jennifer shared.

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BjvWBkWnbFX/?taken-by=_mackenziebay_

So this outfit was literally posted 30 minutes ago and I want all of it SO bad! Cortney Dryden has always been one of my favorite bloggers to follow because she has such fun style that is so similar to mine. All of the bright colors are right up my alley! If you haven't seen this amazing sequin look below, then go check it out right now!

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjxgg-YHNix/?taken-by=cortneydryden

I have been loving all of the little white dresses that I have been seeing, and have one of my own that I love. After seeing this one from Hilary Rose, I think I'll be adding another to my wardrobe!

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BjvuohTjUVA/?taken-by=byhilaryrose

Last but not least is this red hot look from Jenn Ibe. You can never go wrong with the color red. It looks good in every season and it's a classic!

See it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bju5ul5gz6v/?taken-by=cranberrytantrums

That's all for this week's round up post. I hope everyone has a wonderful national best friend's day, national rose day, great weekend, and a wonderful birthday weekend to my mom. P.S. go give her a shout out on my Instagram!

Photography: Alondra Vega Photography

Dress: Free People - sold out but linked more styles in the Like to Know it app!

Hat: Nordstrom