What I'm Thankful For

With Thanksgiving just around the corner {Hi, Thursday}, it feels much needed to put what I'm thankful for down in print. I know this should be done more than once a year on the obligatory holiday, so possibly that is something I'll work on this next year {like how I said "possibly?" I can never fully commit to anything. le sigh.}

I'm thankful for a support system like no other -These past couple months have been a little bit draining and I know I could not have gotten over the hurtle without support from my loved ones. I'm truly blessed to have strong, supportive and loving people around me. I know there are those in this world that are not as lucky, and for those people I wish for them to seek and find just one other person that can be their rock - I know going at this world alone is next to, if not impossible.

I'm thankful for food, shelter and clothing - These items may sound menile, but while we're all blogging about the latest health food trend, fancy juice cleanses and designer threads, there are people that are barely getting by and wondering where their next warm meal will come from - and these people don't care if said food is gluten, vegan and wheat-free. I walk by these people nearly everyday by our apartment and see their  faces on my local news station. I've stood in line behind the young mother at a grocery store, flipping through her purse to supplement her government assistance with the last few dollars in her purse. I'll remember the next time I want to complain about cost of housing, that some people don't even have the option to put a roof over their head.

I'm thankful for the freedoms that we're allowed in this country - Although I may always agree with government decisions all the time, I'm truly thankful that I live in a country that I can voice my dislike if I choose without fear of consequence. I'm happy that I'm allowed to write this blog and post it freely to the Internet without persecution or censorship.

And now for a couple little things I'm thankful for - I'm thankful that I don't have to shovel snow everyday during winter. I'm thankful that the beach and ocean is just down the street from where we live. I'm thankful that finances allowed me to get a newer car this year - I love my Passat!

What are you thankful for?

Currently Coveting

This circle skirt from H&M - I saw it in stores a few months back and didn't grab it. When I noticed it was online once again, the next time I was in my nearest H&M, I scooped up the last one in my size. The fabric and texture are much higher-end than what is the norm for this store and it's so versatile - I wore it for a cocktail party with a lacy tee and then dressed it down for work with a black cami and striped cardigan.

The perfect tees from Everlane - I discovered this brand via Instagram and found out they are based out of San Francisco and make pretty awesome basics. I'm sure I'm late to the party on this one, but I can't wait for my first couple tees to arrive this week. And HELLO, you can't beat the price of these bad boys!

Dying over this beautiful robe from Plum Pretty Sugar. I've been wanting a kimono-style robe for a little while now, so I think I'll be adding this limited-edition one to my Christmas wish list!

This cozy blanket scarf from Zara - It is finally getting a teeny bit chilly in the land of sunshine and I've even gotten to wear my riding boots a couple evenings out. I'm looking forward to a little winter weather this year, so let's cross our fingers it gets just cold enough to have a fire.

                                          

Halloween Costume Preview

Anyone who knows me, knows that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. For the past two years I haven't been able to celebrate my favorite holiday due to little things such as our wedding and anniversary trip {both fantastic times in my life}. This year I'm determined to give Halloween its' proper celebration, so after browsing the Internet tirelessly, I came across a couple ideas for a tooth fairy costume that involved plenty of tulle.

Finished product!

Although all of the instructions I found noted to buy mutiple sheets of tulle, I didn't use near as much and headed to Michael's to get one 54’x33’ rod of Arctic white tulle and some glittered ribbon for a belt. I ordered my wings from Amazon.com, bought a small burlap bag from Walmart and filled it with "teeth" {aka Dentyne gum} and viola, I have my Tooth Fairy costume. Thanks to my wonderful husband's patience and tulle-wrapping skills, I was able to complete the dress in one evening. It's a little on the short side, but with a white cami and dance shorts, I shouldn't offend anyone. If you wanted a longer dress I would just buy more rods of tulle and you could even add other colors.

After everything was put together, I only spent $35 total for all materials (including nylons), which is on the cheaper end of what buying a store-bought costume will run you. Since turning the corner on a new decade of my life, I feel like all of the "sexy" costumes aren't really my thing anymore.

What are you dressing up as this Halloween? I would love to hear your ideas!

Mirror, Mirror

This past weekend we put the finishing touches on getting everything out of our old townhouse and into the new apartment. My husband cleaned the place like a mad person (yes, we really want our deposit back) and we are finally ready to say good-bye to the place we had some many memories in. Now our living room at our new place is stacked with boxes to sort through, but that's okay because decorating is going to be my next adventure!

Our new bedroom is pretty awesome - it's bigger than our old one, has high ceilings and two closets (his and hers), but my favorite part is the fact that the room came with built-in vanity, which is something I've always wanted. We hit up our local Ikea one night last week and I found the cutest vanity mirror, rug and stool to pull the area together - so cheap and easy because everything else I already had! I love the pull-out drawer too because that means I can give my makeup bag a rest {stored below} and just use it when I'm traveling.

TEJN Faux sheepskin rug / MARIUS stool / MYKEN table mirror

One thing I want to add is something to organize all of my necklaces along one of the walls and to figure out a way to get rid of the unsightly cable/telephone cords that we will not use. All-and-all, I'm really happy with how it's coming along.

Catching Up

I have been off the grid these past couple weeks and have neglected this poor blog! There are lots of life things getting in the way currently, but I plan on rekindling my relationship with my little space on the Internet. Here's what I've been up to lately:

I hosted a fun-filled bachelorette weekend in Palm Springs for my dear friend, Jill. She is getting married on November 2nd, so I wanted to make her final fling a memorable and enjoyable time with her closet girls. We had a wild night out at a local nightclub one night and did some Karaoke at coconut bar another night (which is Jill's favorite). In between there were plenty of cocktails and relaxing by the pool, which equaled a perfect girls' weekend.

Essentials for Palm Springs

We have been on the search for a new apartment and finally found "the one!" I'm a little sad to be leaving the beach area, but we'll only be moving about 15 minutes away near downtown San Diego in an area called Little Italy. I'm excited to be living more urban and checking out our new neighborhood with plenty of tasty restaurants, farmer's markets and shops to explore; not to mention that our apartment is on the second floor and has a stunning view of the bay and the San Diego skyline. Now we just have to get through this upcoming weekend of packing and moving, but I know it will all be worth it when we're done!

Home Sweet Home

Another exciting event this past weekend was that I traded in my old Hyundai Elantra for a new Volkswagen Passat TDI! The trade-in wasn't necessarily planned but the hubby and I had been thinking of getting a newer vehicle and this opportunity just happened to fall in our lap, so to speak. Everything worked out in our favor, so we couldn't pass it up.

Loving my new baby!

I hope to get back in the swing of things for this blog. Sometimes it takes a little time off to refresh and I feel like I have a lot more ideas for this little space. Stay tuned!

Welcome Fall!

image via Rhi Creations

It's hard to believe that fall is already upon us! I'm more than happy to welcome in some cooler weather, but in typical San Diego fashion, September and October can be some of the warmest months of the year. This fact however, never deters me of dreaming of beautiful leaves crunching under my ballet flats, warm knit scarves and knee-high riding boots. Hey, a girl can dream right?

We have so much going on right now with our apartment search in full swing, a bachelorette and bachelor party to attend, Halloween, a wedding and our 2 year anniversary to celebrate - then comes more birthdays and the holidays. Whew! It looks like the McDowells are headed out of 2014 with a bang! In the meantime, I'm going to sit back in soak up the little moments and try not to get to far ahead of myself. Have a wonderful first day of fall!

Apartment Hunting

Image via

My husband and I are currently in the process of looking for a new place to live, as we've been given notice that our rent will be increased significantly come November. Major le sigh. While we had planned on staying in our current digs until we start house hunting in the next year, that plan is officially off the table. I'm pretty sad that we have to leave our quaint two-bedroom townhouse by the bay that we've occupied for the past four years. There have been so many good memories made in our current residence, from getting engaged to getting married and all the adventures in between. I know it will be painfully bittersweet when we pack the last box and take the last glance of our home we've made together.

The past weekend we got our first taste of how the housing market is for renter's in San Diego - not enough inventory for all of the people searching and prices are not very forgiving. We viewed the most charming duplex that had all of the amenities (minus the closet situation - another story) and the area of town we desired, but when I e-mailed the owner right after the viewing, she informed me that someone else had come by with cash and application in hand - needless to say I was bummed out in a major way. Thankfully my clear-thinking, supportive husband put things in perspective for me: we'll find the right place at the time we need in the price range we've allotted for us - it's just a matter of patience. So, the search continues and in the meantime, I'll be dreaming of decorating our new apartment just the way I want.