Who You Love

I'm mildly obsessed with John Mayer's new song "Who you love" featuring his girlfriend Katy Perry. I've been a John Mayer fan forever and I own most of his albums. There has never been one that I didn't like, and by the sound of this song it seems like the next album is a winner as well. I'll be downloading it today! 

Anyhoo, enjoy this beautiful video....This song really resonates with me. Sometime we just can't help who we love. :)

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Happy Holidays!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas & a fun entrance into 2014! See you in the new year!

Lately...

Hey there! I can't even wrap my head around the fact that Christmas is in 4 days! And guess what??? I haven't done ANY shopping....Ugh! I do this mess every year and of course I'm jam packed with stuff to do and have been super busy over the last 5 days or so.  I may be able to squeeze in some shopping time before Church tomorrow and Monday morning while my little guy is asleep. I imagine if I didn't have a million and one jobs, and a super active social life (thanks hubby) I could do things in a timely manner. Oh well, such is life.

Anyhoo, please don't take my whining and complaining seriously....I'm super grateful for this life that God has given me, and every now and then I just feel like yapping a bit. Lol! But I have been crazy busy, and if you follow me on Instagram then you've probably seen me posting often over the last couple of weeks. Below are a few pictures of a new venture I'm apart of called A Toast 2 Artistry. I co-own this wonderfully fun art & wine event with my girlfriend Monica and this has kept me quite busy lately. Below are some pics from a few of our events and some of my random Instagram pictures too!

Have a great weekend! 

Follow A Toast 2 Artistry on Instagram for upcoming Art & Wine events.

My finished Masterpiece at A Toast 2 Artistry...Ha!

Adventures in Babysitting...Whew!

Gotta have it! via

Yep, this is a must!

I love when my shelf is organized with fresh flowers.

The set-up for our Irvine AT2A event last Monday.

Rainy Day errands in my Anthropologie sweater :)

Blogger Style...

Woot Woot...today is the 2nd installment of Blogger Style! Pray for me y'all because I'm trying to be consistent in all that I do. Oh the struggle though...Lol! But I managed to remember that today was the day to feature some fabulous bloggers that you may or may not know about, so here it goes. Bambis Armoire and Sincerely Jules and two style bloggers that put together looks that are definitely blog worthy in my book. Although, I lean more towards the boho-chic style of Julie from Sincerely Jules, I still very much appreciate the sophistication and overall pulled together-ness of Tosha from Bambi's Armoire. 

Let me know what you think of them... 

{All pics via & via}

Northern Cali Trip | Weekend OOTD #1

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a lovely weekend.  My lil' family actually headed up north on Friday evening for some fun in the bay area, and boy was it much needed. Since my hubby is such a busy guy, he was definitely due for some time-off and quite frankly...so was I.  So we drove up to Oakland and stayed a few nights with family and of course we dipped into San Francisco for some shopping and sightseeing while there. We took one of my cousins with us who is a high school senior and has been accepted to some Northern California colleges, so we thought it would be a great opportunity for her to do some tours and see the area.  

I've been going back and forth about posting some of my weekend outfits here on the blog. I guess I've been so indecisive about posting them because 1. I don't think my outfits are that fabulous 2. My photographers can be a bit impatient...Lol! And 3. I wasn't sure if fashion stuff was the route I wanted to take on this blog. But, after some nudging and since it's only once per week, I think I can do this! Anyhoo, below is what I wore on Saturday. This outfit took me from brunch, sightseeing and shopping in San Francisco to a casual family gathering in Oakland and more sightseeing later in the evening. My layers were perfect for the upper 60 degree weather during the day {long sleeved leopard top with a tank underneath} and the evening weather which dropped to the low 40's {I added a heavy sweater}.

//Leopard Top - Bluetag Clothing//Black Sweater - Fossil//Cross body Purse - H&M//Green Pants - Unknown//Boots - Shoe Dazzle//Scarf - Gifted//Bracelet - De Lux

Unfortunately none of these items are no longer available....I purchased them years ago.

{Photo's by D. Turner}

30 Things To Stop Doing

I'm definitely guilty of doing several of the "not to do's" listed below. We can be our own worst enemy sometimes by telling ourselves the same untruths over and over again. But when you reprogram your mind and heart, you'll get a better understanding of what you really need, can do, and how your life should look and feel. As a woman of faith, my first go to read is the bible, however I have read Zen for Dummies & Zen Living, GodChicks, and currently The Love Dare. These books have all gave me a better understanding of my strength, what's important in life, and how to love deeper. But the clincher is...You have to want to change. I wanted and needed change, and so my journey to be better each day continues. I've told a snippet of my story here. With time and bravery I'll share more. 

So, are any of you free spirits grappling with a few of the 30 Things below? 

30 Things To Stop Doing

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  Read The Road Less Traveled.
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you likeeveryone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.  Read Getting Things Done.
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

{30 Things via}

Blogger Style..

There's no denying that I'm a blog junkie. I love to peruse the web for hours checking out all different types of blogs. But I must admit I'm most drawn to the ones with fashion photographs. I don't want to be the shallow chick that just wants to look at pictures, but beautiful styling and fashion can simply draw you in. No words needed sometimes. Especially if the blogger knows how to rock an outfit.

In this series, each week I will highlight a few bloggers that I love for their fashion sense. It can be that their wardrobe is extraordinarily fabulous and I would die to have their Steve McQueen bag that costs a gazillion dollars. Or maybe it will be a blogger that's super simplistic in her dress....You know the basics...things we can afford, but simply just don't know how to put it all together. And how about those "natural" looking poses they strike? Man, I need to start practicing since I'm actually thinking of blogging about what I wore over the weekend. The jury is still out on my decision to do this though.

Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this new series and hopefully you'll find out about some new blogs that you hadn't already heard of, that might inspire you to take your fashion to the next level. Let me know what you think of the first two featured fashionista's...Aureta's Blog & Simply Cyn.

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