What's Up Wednesday

Linking up with Mel @ The Larson Lingo for What's Up Wednesday & Andrea for TBB Fall Fashion Frenzy!

What I'm eating this week...

I'm finishing up my remaining Burrito Pie Casserole leftovers as well as cooking up some meals from Home Chef.  I don't regularly subscribe to any meal subscription boxes, but when I see a good deal I try them out.  If you click the link above we will each get $30 credit.  Getting 3 meals for 2 people is normally $60, which is the option I chose.  I live alone so 6 meals for $25 was a great deal to me.  I did the same thing with Hello Fresh back in March.  The 3 Home Chef Meals I chose were:

-Pork Chops w/Pine Nut & Parmesan Butter w/Garlic Swiss Chard

-Barbacoa Steak Tacos w/Queso Fresco & Pickled Vegetables

-One Sheet Pretzel Crusted Chicken w/Roasted Broccoli & Honey Mustard

What I'm reminiscing about...

The freedom of summer.  The kids have been back for 6 weeks, I've been back since the end of July, & I'm still not completely over the loss of my freedom.

What I'm loving...

That highs are no longer in the 90s or above on a regular basis.

What I've been up to...

September could pretty much be summed up as: at work, with Nash, or with The Boyfriend.

What I'm dreading...

I honestly can't think of anything.  This month, which has been less than stellar, is almost over, birthday month is coming, then it's short work months because of Thanksgiving & Christmas which also mean family.

What I'm working on...

I am forever lesson planning & grading.

What I'm excited about...

Two weekends away in October.  One to a fancy resort & one to a cabin for my birthday!

What I'm watching/reading...

I'm binge watching Heartland on Netflix.

What I'm listening to...

Spotify always

What I'm wearing...

Fall means plain/flannel & I am all about that!

More flannel/plaid inspiration:

What I'm doing this weekend...

I'm not doing a whole lot.  I'm hoping to go to a pumpkin patch on Sunday but that's about it.

What I'm looking forward to next month...

My birthday month!!

I'll be turning 30 at the end of next month & because it's a milestone birthday a few of my friends are coming along to help me celebrate.  Rather than do something really big, I oped to do a weekend at a cabin in Arkansas.  Paperless Post has some really cute invitations for just the occasion!

They have really fun invitations for all types of events as well as cards to send to your loved ones!

What else is new...

For those of you who have missed the very casual mention in my posts recently, I started seeing a guy at the beginning of this month.  AKA The Boyfriend, who someday may or may not get a more creative nickname for the blog.

Look As Good As You Feel, Feel As Good As You Look

Back in October I was contacted by Eshakti about working with them.  I had worked with them back in July 2014 so I immediately knew I wanted to do so again.

When I started searching through the pieces I knew I wanted three things to be true.
1. I wanted a dress
2. It HAD to have pockets
3. It needed to be long enough that I could wear it to work.

There were 2 or 3 dresses I really liked but ultimately chose the one that screamed fall/winter to me the most knowing that it would be late October before I got the dress

I once again chose to go with the custom measurements rather than standard sizes because if you're going to order something that has the option of being customized, customize it.  Am I right?

To my surprise & delight my measurements were the exact same has they had been 3 years ago.

The dress came in on October 30 which was perfect.  I got it just in time to wear to our first volleyball playoff game the following day.

Sadly for you, unlike last time I didn't have a photographer to do some crazy fun photo shoot for me so there's no outtakes & weird faces this time around.

I am so in love with this dress.  When I wore it to school & the game I put a white cami on underneath it because cleavage.  However, it has the perfect amount of cleavage for if I wanted to wear it out on a date or to a wedding.

The brown leather buckles on the black actually played a big role in my deciding to purchase it.  The dress is the perfect length to wear with flats, heels, or boots, and I have A LOT of brown boots.  The detailing helps pull that all together.

And of course, pockets.  I would have pockets on every piece of clothing I own if I could.

If you haven't heard of Eshakti before you need to check them out!  They have more than just dresses & you can't beat the fact that you can completely customize the dress right down to your measurements, sleeves, length, neckline, pockets/no pockets.  Seriously, it's pretty much designing your own clothes!  You can head right to their website or check them out on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, & Twitter.

They currently are also having a 40% off sale with some really cute pieces that would be perfect for the holidays!

**This post is sponsored by Eshakti but all opinions are my own**

Linking up with:

Jo-Lynne for Fashion Friday

Rachel for Passion For Fashion

Cheryl for Style Wise

Baby It's Cold Outside

The official day of winter is just 3 days away!  Let's be honest though, it's been here for awhile.  No matter where in the country you are, you've had at least a few cold days, even if that cold is relative.  Don't forget that just a month ago every single state hit below freezing at least somewhere in the state.  Tomorrow I leave the 50s & 60s behind for two weeks of 20s & 30s.  I've been asked the question before by people who have only ever really lived in warm weather states how I stay warm & cozy in below freezing temps so here y'all have it, my essentials to keeping warm & cozy.

Hot Chocolate/Coffee

Now granted I'm the weirdo that will drink hot chocolate even in the middle of summer just because I want something chocolaty, but I drink it a lot more in the winter.  I almost always have something warm to drink in my hands whether it's coffee in the morning or hot chocolate (preferably mint and/or with lots of marshmallows) the rest of the day.

Layers

Layers are essential.  This is even more true when you're going from house, to car, to store, to store, to store...or wherever you're going.  Even when I'm sitting in the house though I usually have a hoodie on over what ever top I'm wearing for the day.

A Good Blanket

Preferably fleece.  I love blankets & will not sit on the couch without one.  Not only does it keep me extra warm it just makes me feel all comfy & cozy too.

Warm Socks/Slippers

I can have pretty crappy circulation so my feet get cold so easily.  I love wearing my wool socks to keep my feet warm.  If I'm just wearing a regular pair of socks I'll have to put on a pair of slippers...and of course curl up under the blanket.

Fake Fire

My parents don't have a fire place (neither do I actually) but every year when that burning fire would come on TV (you know the one I'm talking about) we would put it on the TV while we did stuff around the house.  It started out as a joke & then just sort of kept happening every year.

Comfy Bed

I love making coffee in the morning & then laying in bed with a good book.  Parachute Home bedding looks great and they have everything you need from pillow cases to duvets to blankets.

Sometimes I Can Be A Lady Thanks To eShakti

Back on July 7th I got an email asking if I would review a product.  The product was clothing so I obviously said yes!  I was equally excited about it because just 2 days earlier Amanda had reviewed a dress from them that she looked amazing in.

I looked through the numerous options I had to choose from & fell in love with a dress on one of the first pages that I just kept coming back to.  Knowing that I had a wedding coming up I knew it would be perfect so I submitted my measurements & hit send.

The measurements was by far my favorite part of the experience.  You have the option to order in standard sizes if you wish or you can completely customize it.  I have a weird body.  First of all, I have major #TallGirlProblems.  Secondly, I have average boobs, a little waist, & big hips.  That makes for awkward clothing fits sometimes.

My only complaint was my own fault.  Sometimes the straps would slip but that was because I measured wrong.  #MyBad  Other than that I had 0 complaints.  I got so many compliments on the dress, both at the wedding by family & the block party (that I was way over dressed for) by strangers.  I luckily ordered in long enough that I can even wear it to work from time to time!

Before I get to the part you're all waiting for, what the dress looks like, you need to check them out!  They have more than just dresses & you can't beat the fact that you can completely customize the dress right down to your measurements, sleeves, length, neckline, pockets/no pockets.  Seriously, it's pretty much designing your own clothes!  You can head right to their website linked above or check them out on Facebook, Pinterest, & Twitter.

And for your enjoyment...outtakes that show just how awkward I can be as well as how bored I get with photo shoots.  How you fashion bloggers do it I don't know!  My cousin got a few cute pictures before I had had enough & just started making faces.

**This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own**

**All photos were taken by Kickass Cousin**