[summer tv]

I'll admit, I love watching TV. While I don't have much time to watch live TV, I catch my shows on Xfinity On Demand when my schedule allows. Usually, this means some kind of late night binge TV-show-catch-up session or a day when I come home exhausted from work and can't move. Summertime offers up a different selection than the regular season shows, and I'll admit I've become hooked on a few new shows this summer.

Murder In the First on TNT is a show about two homicide detectives who find a common thread between two murders they are investigating. The show follows them and their team through the both trials. Let's be honest. It's Taye Diggs. I'll watch anything with Taye Diggs. Aside from that, Tom Felton is great and Kathleen Robertson is too. And I love a good murder/mystery/cop drama as much as the next girl.

Ok. So Witches of East End isn't going to win any awards. It's no Scandal or Grey's Anatomy, BUT I love it. Basically it's a family of witches and warlocks that lives in East End (somewhere in New England) in the present day, navigating life, love, scandal, the whole nine. Drama, mystery, some suspense and pretty people. Yup. I'm hooked.

Mistresses is on ABC, so it actually has a decent plot. It's essentially the story of four friends in California living their lives of scandal. One character cheats on her Aussie husband, who sticks around and goes into business with her sister. One's a therapist who's lover died and is trying to find normalcy again. One finds out her boyfriend is married and deals with how to move on. One is an event planner dating a plastic surgeon. I mean, it's California and a bit cliche, but it's scandalous, dramatic, sometimes tender-hearted and sappy, and all around a great show.

Running Wild with Bear Grylls is a brand new show where Bear takes celebrities on a 48 hour survival adventure. So far the first episode was with Zac Efron, who is very adventurous and fit anyways, so he was able to really keep up. It's Bear Grylls, therefore it's amazing. Plus it's cool to see celebrities out of their element and how they respond.

I'm going to be honest. Devious Maids is not quality television. It's basically an American telenovela. The actresses are all authentically hispanic, which is refreshing, but all of their accents are definitely not. Everything is exaggerated and outlandish but there's scandal, mystery, love and comedy thrown in so it definitely is entertaining. It's one of the shows I forget to go back and re-watch, but when I remember can't just let it go. Oh, well.









TV can be like a good book: it doesn't have to have the best plot or best storytelling, it has to be able to get my attention and help me decompress. Obviously, quality is better, but sometimes a good soap opera is just what I need. That said, I don't know how people watch The Bachelor and Bachelorette or any of those Real World-like shows on MTV. To each his own!

"I don't know a perfect person. I only know flawed people who are still worth loving."

- john green

[small haul]

I was going through some cabin fever and had the craving to go out and buy new things. I'm aware this is normal for most women, but for me this only happens every few months. So this weekend, I did just that - I went out and bought new things. Here's a look at my fabulous finds!

These three books were all in the Bargain Priced section at Barnes & Noble. Being from authors I like, I had to buy them! 

[report sandals][leopard sneakers][similar phone case][similar necklace1][similar necklace2]

[similar necklace3][desirable residence][spring fever][last summer]

The black sandals are so comfy and versatile, I couldn't not get them! The leopard sneakers...oh those sneakers. They have teased me since they came out. I couldn't pay the original price for them, so when I saw them for $40 at Nordstrom Rack I just couldn't resist. [Note: you can't find them at Nordstrom Rack online but there were at least 2 pair in every size at my local store. Otherwise, follow the link above to get them at Macy's.] Jewelry is a love of mine and I love expanding my collection, so the gold one from 14th & Union was a keeper and the two from Aldo were 2 for 1! How could I not?

Hope you all have a great week!

"today is a multiple cups of coffee kind of day."

- anonymous

[DIY: flavored water]

Part of clean eating is clean drinking too. While I love water, it can sometimes get a bit dull and I sometimes crave something with more flavor to it. Enter in flavored waters! No, not the store bought kind, the homemade kind! Basically what happened was I bought way too much fruit one day and realized it was going to go bad before I had a chance to eat it, so I used it to make water!

Here are two different flavors I made with what I had in my fridge: mint, lime and pineapple water and peach and pineapple water. All you do is cut the fruits and herbs, put in the jar and then add water! Then I let them steep at least a day to really get as much flavor in as I can.

Much better than soda and since I don't like tea, it works for me!!!

"came from a plant, eat it; was made from a plant, don't."

- michael pollan

[heels in the real world]

I love shoes. I love shoe shopping. One of the perks of growing up and getting a 'real job,' I thought, would be wearing awesome clothes and beautiful shoes. Of course, that dream was shattered when I realized how uncomfortable walking about a mile every day in high heels really can be. So suddenly, shoe shopping became difficult. You try finding comfortable shoes with more than a kitten heel that actually look decently cute! Not the easiest task. So, while I'd rather buy those gorgeous stilettos I saw at the store, I'm really wearing 'comfort' heels. Here are some suggestions on comfortable, work appropriate, and pretty heels that'll pull you through.

I own these and they're pretty comfortable and walkable! And they also come in nude, navy and red!

 I own these too! They are super comfortable (Life Stride is a comfort brand) and also come in black.

A coworker of mine has these and finds these very comfortable. They're a bit out of my price range and run a bit narrow for my foot, but still worth a try!

Another coworker of mine has these. She really likes them and they also come in black! 

[first pair][second][third][fourth]

There's something incredibly powerful about wearing heels versus flats in the workplace, so I try not to sacrifice that for more comfort. But i'm also reasonable in knowing that I walk about a mile in my heels daily and my feet are not made of the gel material in insoles. So, I have to try a bit harder to find the right shoes.

Hope these helped!

Have a wonderful week!

"I did everything he did, but backwards and in high heels."

- ginger rogers

[weekend recap: Mr. & Mrs. Finch]

Happy Monday everyone! Last week sped by as I was preparing to head back home (to Knoxville) for one of my best friends' weddings. I worked Friday, drove to Miami International Airport, and flew to Knoxville. Friday night was mostly catching up with the rest of the bridal party and the bride, touching up our nails, and going over last minute details. She had to practice the song she was going to sing for her husband!!!

Saturday began by Victoria waking us all up (because of course she couldn't sleep), and a pancake and mimosa breakfast! We all went and got our hair and makeup done, drove back home for a quick lunch and then to the venue, Dara's Garden! If you've never been or seen it and are considering getting married in the Knoxville / Maryville area, you definitely need to check out these photos and their website. The place is the perfect combination of country, chic, intimate and quaint. The wedding party lounged in their respective suites (bridal suite and groom's suite) before pictures and the ceremony. The night was spent taking pictures, crying and laughing at a beautiful ceremony, and eating, drinking and dancing at the reception.

Victoria & I waiting to take pictures.

All our dresses!

Our button - ups!

Their first dance!

Best friends of the bride...sneaking a selfie!

Unfortunately Sunday was basically me waking up, showering, seeing the bride and groom for about an hour and then going to the airport. It was a long weekend but I had tons of fun seeing everyone. Here's a photo recap!

I hope you all have a great week!

"if you pressed me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I."
- michel de montaigne

[on my radar: tanks]

I am loving tanks right now. Maybe it's the heat, but anything loose fitting and sleeveless is right up my alley. Sometimes that means a muscle tank with distressed boyfriend jeans, or a nicer, studded tank with a leather skater skirt for nighttime. Day or night, tanks are my thing right now. Here a few that popped on my radar recently (from really odd places, I might add.)

[1] [2] [3] [4] 

Have a great Friday and happy weekend!

"it takes courage to grow up and be who you really are."

- e.e. cummings

[healthy summer snacks]

In my quest to be healthy and still enjoy my life, I've been really trying to eat better lately. It's hard though, considering I don't have much time / patience for meal prep and my schedule is incredibly irregular. I also get really bored eating the same things over and over again, so coming up with fun new ideas is very hard. Here are a few snacks I've been choosing lately, as part of my snacking through the days instead of bigger meals.

I love hummus, so I eat it with tomatoes and carrots. 

I love Bolthouse Farms smoothies and protein shakes. I typically have them as a mid-morning snack to help break up the day. It's really more of a meal but it's always an on-the-go thing.

I also like to throw in some kind of trail mix every once in a while, but I've been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables lately. So far it's been a few days that I've been refocused and I definitely feel a bit better. And my digestive system is back to normal!

Everyone have a happy fourth!

"no great thing is suddenly created."

- epictetus

[beach bags]

So it's a gross day outside today and I find myself hoping for pretty days when I can actually go to the beach. So what do I do? Online shopping. Today, I'm looking for a fun beach bag for the summer. Here's what I've come up with:

[seaside striped tote] [canvas leaf tote] [navy chevron canvas tote]

I like that they're all easy to maintain but still colorful and big enough to carry my summer essentials: a book, my phone and headphones, a towel and sunscreen. 

What do you carry in your summer carry-all?

"life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

- helen keller