Wish List: Work it Out

Now that we're a month into the new year, how are you holding up with your resolutions? I'm not much of a resolution-maker myself, but I did come up with a list of goals to help make 2012 awesome. These goals pretty much focus around being happy, eating well, and keeping healthy. Keeping healthy (unfortunately) means exercising... not exactly my favorite way to spend 80ish minutes a day, but important nonetheless.

After the laziness of the holidays, Christopher and I have been pretty good about hitting the gym 5-6 days a week, but this week feels as if I've hit a one month slump. Here are a few items that I'm thinking may just motivate me to kick it up a notch...

 

1. Ladies, meet the Ta-Ta Tamer II. Not kidding. I have yet to find a supportive sports bra... but with the full support, moisture-wicking fabric and convertible straps of this baby, perhaps my ta-tas have found their match.  2. This beautiful typographic water bottle is made of BPA free glass - healthy for you and the environment.  3. I bought my first pair of yoga pants a few weeks ago and they are so comfy... I would live in them if it was socially acceptable. Obviously, I need 5 more pairs, and these Aerie Slim Gyms are next on my list.  4. Clean and Clear's Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub is great for cleaning a post-workout sweaty face and smells amazing. 5. If you're particular about your gym footwear, NikeiD has a full line of shoes you can customize, right down to the sole color and swoosh detail. Neat.  6. Sometimes I trick myself into exercising by playing Just Dance... a half hour of play burns roughly 200 calories!  7. I know there are a ton of fitness apps out there, but the Nike Training Club app looks amazing. It's designed specifically for women and has step-by-step videos, targeted workouts, and other great features to help you get the most out of your workout.  8. My current gym bag is a plastic grocery sack. It's probably time to upgrade to something like this cute tote from ModCloth, prefect for hauling my workout gear and shoes.  

Anyone else trying to keep up with a new year exercise regime? I'd love to hear some of your methods and tips! My routine is pretty standard... stretching, running and light weights. It's tried and true but can get pretty boring (although sometimes I get crazy and switch things up with the elliptical machine or a little yoga...  .) Maybe next week I'll try a few new workouts from the Nike Training Club app and go from there.

Wish List: White Christmas

Remember all the Michigan snow I was bragging about in my previous post? Well it's gone. All of it. Two days of rain and yesterday's balmy 55 degree morning have left us with flooded gutters and dirty, dwindling lumps of plowed snow in the Walmart parking lot.

With Christmas only eight days away, it's a bit of a buzz kill to look out the window and see muddled gray and brown. For now, I'm dreaming of a white Christmas and using this roundup of festive items to get my fix.

1. This origami reindeer ornament should probably be on my tree. Right now.  2. Aerie's lace paneled top would be pretty layered with a festive red cardigan and braided belt.  3. There is something so simple and beautiful about this porcelain conifer kiln ornament.  4. Spiced Chai candle. Need I say more?  5. This hand-woven Chloe throw would be perfect to curl up under with a cup of peppermint hot chocolate and a good book in hand.  6. I've been admiring West Elm's modern snow globe collection for a while -- and now they're on sale!  7. Anthro's Mirrored Mirth Trees are the perfect balance of modern and vintage. They would look beautiful clustered together, with candlelight flickering off their metallic glaze.  8.  Sip the aforementioned peppermint hot chocolate from this rustic wood grain mug. So cozy. 

With snow in the forecast for the next two days, I'm really hoping we'll get enough to last us through Christmas. Call me sentimental, but there's something so magical and peaceful about fresh snowfall around Christmastime. Agreed?

wish list: another year older

Friends, let me tell you, September is my all time favorite month. It holds so many wonderful things... the last days of summer, my wedding anniversary, sweater season, the welcoming of fall, golden bean fields and chubby squirrels. I can't believe it's almost over.

The best part of September, in my opinion, always falls on the 29th... my birthday! This means going out to lunch with my coworkers, forcing my husband to eat breakfast for dinner, German chocolate cake, and a few presents here and there. Obviously, this list is a little late coming for any last minute shoppers, but here is my September-birthday-inspired wish list of awesomeness...

1. I don't think I need to explain why I want this wool tote from UO. It's wonderful.  2. If you follow me on Pinterest, you probably know that I love this military style cardigan. The epaulets, brass buttons, pockets, and "cinnamon cider" color are perfect for fall. Better yet? It's on sale.  3. I've already cashed in my free birthday drink at Starbucks, but I'll probably end up getting another venti half-caf caramel latte tomorrow. 24 ounces of smooth, sweet, caffeinated gold.  4. Hello, vintage brass key necklace.  I like your turquoise patina.  5. Is it sad that I want these West Elm bed sheets for my birthday? Perhaps... but can you really blame me?  6. I love iced coffee, but all the recipes I've seen online involve a little too much work for my liking. After reading this review by Anna of Door Sixteen, I'm convinced that a Bodum Cold French Press is the way to go.  7. I won't try to hide it: I loved Easy A and all it's ridiculous high school drama. Emma Stone is golden and I love everything she's done. Also on my b-day list? Bridesmaids.

After being with Christopher for nearly five years, I've come to learn that birthday celebrations in the Ross household last a good week or so. We visited Frankenmuth last weekend as a family celebration (my mother-in-law's birthday was a few weeks ago) and met up with my family for an epic Shriiiiimp Fest. Chris and I will be capping off the festivities this weekend with a trip to Grand Rapids to check out this year's Art Prize displays. Such a great way to celebrate my 24 years with the ones I love.

Wish List: Big Girl Paycheck

Today is Friday, dear friends... and Friday means payday. Since having a full time job, this is actually the first payday I've had with a full salaried check. Although the mister and I are saving up for a house down payment (and lets not forget all our bills and college debt), I'd like to take a minute and dream about all the wonderful things I could spend my big girl paycheck on instead....

1. Bronze and jade are a gorgeous combo, and this necklace from Urban Outfitters gives a polished nod to the geode trend. Yes please.  2. I would love to own an original painting by Michelle Schneider someday. One of my new favorites is "Her Faithful Friends."  3. The first DSL I ever learned to shoot with was a Canon Rebel. I think I'll always been a Canon girl at heart, and I'm hoping this will be my next major purchase.  4. I may just buy this gorgeous skirt from Ruche today, via Rachel on Pinterest. It had me at high-waisted bow. 5. I know thou shall not covet thy neighbor's bike, but I am SO JEALOUS of Abby's gorgeous turquoise and cream Trek bike, Ingrid. I want a twinsie. Real bad.  6. The butterfly motif is usually a little too girly for my tastes, unless it's a real and beautifully displayed Sea Green Swallowtail. The slightly creepy fact that it's a dead bug in a glass balances out the prissiness, methinks.  7. I've been wanting these Tiny Twig hair pins from Woodland Belle for three or so years now. I just need to cave in and buy a pair already.

Who needs groceries or gas for your car when you could have so many preeeety things! If I were completely out of my mind, I would also buy this dress from Anthropologie. Not really, come on. But it's so gorgeous. And impractical. I would never.... but I totally would. Where would you wear a dress like that, anyway?

Have a lovely weekend!

Wish List: Avant Garden

A few weekends ago, Chris and I decided to plant our own garden for summer. Roma and cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, green onion, cilantro, cucumber, zucchini, summer squash, watermelon... it's a small plot but has everything needed for delicious, summery meals. I've also got my eye on a few blueberry bushes to frame out the back end of the plot with a little something sweet.

My cute husband planting seeds -- I love him so much!

So far, the garden just sits there, so I can't say it has been a fun or stressful venture. Little green sprouts have just started to peek up, and soon we will be weeding, watering, and tending to the young plants as they grow. It's funny, I've always admired my mother's garden, and I could list off the names of dozens of flower and tree species, but I've never had the desire to garden until now. Perhaps it's just one of those things that develops with age... now that I'm married and living in a house of my own, I find myself reading more about landscaping, gardening, and the like. Which is exactly what inspired this week's Wish List...

1. The weathered, graphic numbers of this zinc thermometer from Terrain are wonderful and would be easy to read from a distance.  2. A pretty bow adorns ModCloth's Fun in the Sun hat.  3. The lines of these herbery stakes from Anthropologie are perfectly understated, and the white porcelain would really pop in a green garden.  4. As much as I love it, I couldn't spend $48 galvanized steel watering can. With a quick search on Etsy or eBay, though, you could stencil a number on a vintage can for a cheap & easy DIY project.  5. West Elm's recycled glass lanterns would be so pretty strung along a fence.  6. The My Garden five year garden planner would be an interesting keepsake once filled, and that cover design is gorgeous. 7. Grow Great Grub also seems like a pretty useful garden-to-dinner table book, complete with organic pest control and fresh-picked recipes. 

Have you ever gardened before/do you have any tips to share? Chris and I are pretty much learning as we go along, which is part of the fun, but I hope we actually have plants to harvest -- we've already had to replace the tomato plants because of frost. I can't wait to be able to pluck something straight of the vine and make dinner with it later that day... fingers crossed.

wish list: take me to the beach!

I awoke this morning to snow. SNOW. In mid-April! Big, wet, fat flakes that stick to everything and ruin your hair and your Monday morning. Although it has now warmed to a balmy 42 degrees, I'm still a touch upset about it. So, I'm focusing my thoughts on the beach and dreaming of sunshine and the sea (or in my case, Lake Michigan)...

1. I haven't had a one piece suit in a while, but this Paisley Twist-front Tank from JCrew is so pretty.  2. Cute, cheap sunglasses from good old Forever 21.  3. I've been using Aveeno's Continuous Protection sunblock for years and have yet to be sunburned (or slimy.)  4. Hey there compass necklace from UO. I need you.  5. I love the work of illustrator Catherine Campbell, and her tote is perfect for hauling around sandy towels and magazines.  6. Write the sea a love note with Miniature Rhino's Message in a Bottle kit.  7. Unlike my standard Old Navy flip flops, these Kimchi t-strap sandals wouldn't fall off in the sand.  8. This lightweight sweater from Anthropologie is a cute alternative to a towel or sarong coverup. And who can resist mustard yellow?! 

Sadly, it will be a few more months before the lake warms up enough to swim, so a trip to St. Joe will have to wait. But a girl can dream... and perhaps by then these items will be on sale.

Wish List: Ikea

Happy Friday! Christopher and I are both cutting out of work a little early today to journey to the mecca of clean-line design and Swedish meatballs: Ikea!! We plan on spending a bit of our tax return on some much needed items for our newlywed nest (and hopefully a few just-for-fun things, too!)

Clockwise from left: 1. We never have enough seating at our house, so we're picking up a Karlstad Loveseat that matches our sectional couch.  2. I'm obsessed with eyelet detailing, like in this Skurar plant pot.  3. Helllllo blue enamel Sockerart pitcher. I must have you.  4. I'm still trying to convince Chris that I need a new desk, and this build-your-own Vika option would be practical and perfect. 5. We already have one of these Stockholm Blad cushions, but I'd like to pick up two more. I love that linear floral pattern.  6. Right after our honeymoon we picked up two Hemnes dressers, but they didn't have the coordinating bed in stock. We're hoping they will this time.  7. Even if I don't get my desk, Chris has already promised we can pick up a new chair, which beats pulling one from our dining room table any day. 

Are you a fan of Ikea? I know some people hate it because their pieces are so obviously Ikea-ish, but I think Ikea is great. The company does a wonderful job at providing people with simple, modern designs at incredible prices. And why wouldn't you love that? Mhmm.

And of course, you can't go to Ikea without thinking of this adorable scene:



That's because it is delicious!  Oh I love that movie. And Zooey Deschanel.

Happy weekend!