west elm holiday

Ummm, guess who I got to meet last Wednesday??? YHL!! I went to my first ever book signing. The bloggers/masterminds behind the blog Young House Love were in Boston to sign copies of their new book.

This book is pure genius. So many great ideas that are easy & affordable. Now I just need a house to attempt these projects on.... YHL is the first blog I started following daily close to 2 years ago now, crazytown. I've hooked some friends and family on it too - it's just that good.

So there was no doubt in my mind I'd be going to their book signing. Even if that meant waiting in a very long line....And when that very long line snakes its way through West Elm, it's really not a bad wait. I was also lucky to have a great friend there with me so we were able to chat/catch up for the 2+ hour wait. Ya, we're hardcore. But it was worth it to meet these two gems!

Oh, and did I mention it was SNOWING in Boston on Wednesday?! Also crazytown. But again, no way were weren't going!

So what were some of the items at West Elm that caught my eye while waiting you ask? Here are a just a few accessories I saw Wednesday that I wouldn't mind having in me casa.

1 - Industrial Pendant - I can't help but love mercury glass. 

2 - St. Jude Ceramic Owls - $5 of each purchased goes to St. Judes. How amazing is that?

3 - Cozy Throw - omg, this throw looked amazing. Comfy, cozy just like the name. I really liked the Slate colored one and could totally picture it in our home.

4 - Snow Globes - these were perfect. Simple yet so fun. I don't know what it is about snow globes but they always make you smile. I may need to add one to our winter decor over here.

5 - Owl Mugs - owls are huge right now. They're everywhere. These are just fun. I like the white ones best.

6 - Kamal Snow Dots Dinnerware - absolutely loved these. Great holiday mugs without being too in your face christmas-y or winter-y. Though I definitely have a pair of reindeer mugs I bring out each year!

Happy shopping!

Sneak Peak

Happy Friday! Any plans for the weekend?

J & I are heading to the ski & snowboard expo in Boston tonight to possibly buy J new snowboard bindings. Remember back in August when I bought J a new snowboard for his birthday? Ya, well the snowboard cost me enough $$ so I skipped the bindings ha. I figured we'd have plenty of time until ski season to pick those up. And somehow it's already November. Yikes!

And tomorrow I'm heading to a wine festival with a group of girlfriends. I.can't.wait. Seriously. An afternoon of girl time, plenty of wine, and then dinner reservations to follow. Sounds like the perfect Saturday to me!

Oh, and if you live in the Boston area, you may have seen a deal for BBQ on Living Social this week. Well I jumped at that deal, and so didn't this lovely couple. BBQ and Patriots on Sunday afternoon? Yup, another great day.

And this my friends is why I have to do bootcamp! I would rather eat good food, drink good wine, and exercise daily than to skimp on food to exercise less. It's just my thing.

Anywho - why is this post labeled sneak peak? Well because I'm about to show you a couple peaks at some changes over here.

I am dying to show you our new dining set but it's just not ready yet. The final piece should be here in a week or so. Let's hope! Especially since it was ordered in September. But here's a sneak peak at the chairs we refinished. We as in not only J & I, but also my parents. They are saints and were a huge help! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Aqua & poppy for the win.

And another sneak peak...while in Morocco. J & I decided to treat ourselves to a Moroccan rug. I wasn't sure if we'd use it in the condo or not. I didn't buy it for the condo specifically but knew it would be a great piece to have for years to come. It was one of the first rugs we looked at and just kept going back to it. It was meant to be. (And it's not stained, that just my shadow taking the picture.)

I've was never a huge fan of red decor but apparently that has changed! The key is adding just the right amount of color without over doing it. We'll see if I can master that!

Have a great weekend!

Best Body Bootcamp: Week 3

I am still loving this bootcamp! Yes, there have been a few times that I've had a really hard time getting my booty out of bed in the morning but instead I've gone to the gym at night twice this week. That may be a record.

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Word of advice - going to the gym while the election polls are running is a great idea. Hardly anyone there and you can distract yourself by watching the results! I'm so smart.

Tuesdays workout was one of my favorites so far. Instead of 40 minutes of steady cardio, this week's cardio days incorporate intervals. But instead of doing quick one minute or 30 second intervals, this one had you working at an intensity of 8 (out of 10) for 5 minutes, then recover, 7 minutes, recover, and finally 10 minutes. I would have never thought about taking small recovery breaks on the treadmill before. And it made a huge difference in my workout. I pushed myself harder during the running intervals knowing I had a 3 minutes of recovery coming up. Recovery intervals were at an intensity of 6. My workout looked a little something like this:

• 5 minute warm up - walking at a 5.0 incline at 4.0 mph
• 5 minute run at 7.0
• 3 minute recovery at 6.5
• 7 minute run at 7.0
• 3 minute recovery at 6.5
• 10 minute run ladder starting at 6.8 increase every minute up to 7.2 and then back down
• cool down starting at 6.8 decreasing by .2 every minute until stopping at 6.2 and 4 miles total

I really think if I had just jumped on the treadmill and attempted 4 miles I wouldn't have made it. I felt GREAT after this workout.

My workout today will look very similar. And since I'm writing this Wednesday night....hopefully by the time you read this my workout will be finished!

And I'll look like this. A sweaty mess.

Happy Thursday!

What I Wore Wednesday: IRS Town Meeting

A few weeks ago I was able to attend an IRS Town Meeting at my alma mater, Bentley University. I know, most of you are thinking, total snoozefest, but I have to say, it was rather interesting! I not only went to Bentley for undergrad but also for my Masters in Tax so it's always nice to be back on campus. And it is just so freakin gorgeous there in the fall.

The meeting itself was made up of a handful of discussions throughout the day with a lead speaker and several guests. It was really interesting to listen to my former tax professor interact with public accounting partners as well as representatives from the IRS. It certainly brought back memories from my public accounting days!

So, how do you dress for something like this?! I had a feeling I was going to be on the younger side of the audience members. And knowing it was being held in an auditorium, I feared being cold. So the obvious decision? Layers. And lots of them.

Tank top under button down under sweater vest under velvet blazer. And this was a great choice because I was never too warm. 

Button Down: Ann Taylor

Sweater Vest: Banana Republic outlet (very old)

Velvet Blazer: J.Crew

Work pants: Ann Taylor

Shoes: Bandolino (via DSW)

Watch: Michael Kors

Glasses: Kate Spade

This outfit will certainly be making a debut again in the office. Although I was afraid of feeling a little restricted with so many layers, it was actually really comfortable. There's nothing worse than being cold in the office! 

Election Day 2012!

Not much of a post today but I really do hope all of you who are eligible to vote do! Even if you're from a state, like MA, where the vote doesn't normally swing, vote! Local government is just as important.

J and I froze in line this morning for an hour to vote before work. I am finding this election much more exciting than 2008. Maybe because it's a closer race? Maybe because I've been working for 4 years now versus just getting out of college at the last vote? Not sure. But it sure is exciting! Looking forward to watching the election results tonight.

FYI - for anyone who lives in South Boston, like J & I. Be prepared. Romney is holding his election night event at the BCEC and all surrounding streets will be closed - Summer St., D St., etc. Looks like I'll be walking home from work! Here's a link to the local story - Romney Election Night Event

So, go vote!  Vote for who you think is the right candidate. Oh, and it's ok to keep your political views to yourself - I do not think it's my place to tell you who I voted for and why you should vote for them too. Just do me a favor and don't post an obnoxious facebook status about it, mmkay? K.

Window Panes

How's your Monday treating you? Did you have a nice weekend? We had a great weekend over here and have some fun condo updates to share soon. Can't wait! But for now, here's Monday's home decor post.

Something you don't see everyday is colorfully painted interior windows and doors. I love the look of black exterior windows so why not bring it inside?

Last month when I was home for my grandfather's funeral, I spent a lot of time flipping through old photo albums. (Side note - what are we going to do in fifty years when no one has photo albums anymore? Will we still have the digital prints from fifty years earlier? So strange.)

Anywhoo, I came across this photo of myself and it brought back many, many memories. One thing I've learned from my mom through the years, do not be afraid to take risks. Don't mind the obnoxious face I chose to make in this photo, apparently I did not want my photo taken.

My mom chose to paint the interior door and windows in the sun room of our old home turquoise. You daredevil, you! And I loved it! Still do in fact. If I had to guess, this paint job was definitely done while my dad was away because there is NO way he would have said yes to this. This was how many risks were taken in my household growing up. Do it while dads away, if he doesn't like it, he can paint it back. Love it! Remembering this one.... ;)

Here are some other color options that add such character to the rooms - Would you dare? I am certainly keeping this in mind for our future home.

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Currently, I'm thinking black exterior windows if we end up with a white or light grey home, colorful interior windows in a room that gets a lot of natural sunlight and possibly a navy, or dark grey door to the master bedroom. Who knows what our future home will look like so these are just some ideas. But we'll see! What do you think?

Best Body Bootcamp: Week 2

Still going strong. More like, still getting strong!

Week 2 is going great. Better than Week 1 actually. I'm really not sure what happened last week but I found myself getting very lightheaded, very quickly. It was strange and frustrating, but I also knew I needed to listen to my body. I didn't push it too hard and used a lighter weight than I may normally so that I could finish the sets.

This week, I've increased the weight a little and speeded up my interval workouts. That was tough! But so worth it. It feels so great to be working out hard again.

I decided to write down my measurements to see if there are any differences at the end of the 8 weeks. No I will NOT be sharing those numbers. But I do intend to share my results at the end. Sound good? Good.

Like I mentioned last week, the Best Body Bootcamp switches up the workouts everyday to include various supersets, cardio intervals, steady cardio, planks, and full body unilateral workouts. I'm not going to share too many details because well I did pay for this session. And it wouldn't be fair to Tina now would it?

But I will say, if ANY of you can do this Scorpion move, well than I am EXTREMELY impressed! I should probably tape myself attempting this one to give you all a good laugh. I have no core strength, which I knew, but at the same time was super surprised at how hard this move is for me.

The workouts change every two weeks so I'm eager to see what new moves I'll be attempting next week. Wish me luck!!

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