Tag Archives: 2013

Family Reunion at the Lake

Lake D'ArbonneThe past several days have flown by, while also feeling incredibly long…the sun will do that to you. Our Independence Day weekend surrounded a family reunion for Matthew’s side of our family. We spent three days at the family lake house on Lake D’Arbonne doing all of the usual lake activities…boat riding, swimming, riding the tube, eating, and a very serious horseshoe tournament. (I’m not kidding when I say this horseshoe tournament was a big deal!)

Piper and RileyWe had hamburgers and delicious catfish catered from one of our favorite restaurants, Catfish Charlie’s. The lake house was buzzing with people of all ages, happy to see one another and eager to catch up and reminisce. Children ran and played and meltdowns were few and far between. Our sweet nephew, Riley, rode the tube for the first time and is now hooked. He wasn’t very happy when his final ride of the weekend came to an end. He also got a kick out of refusing to share his chips with me. Luckily, I wasn’t depending on Riley for my sustenance this weekend, or I would have starved!

Riley looks at the boatMe and RileyAs always, I should have taken more pictures, but I was too focused on chatting the days away, not to mention that I was afraid of dropping my phone into the lake. Nonetheless, my first family reunion on Matthew’s side of the family was a huge success, and we more than enjoyed a few days of relaxing in the sun with our family.

Matt getting suppliesMatthew and IWe had to come back to the real world on Sunday, as we both headed back to work. I worked on listing my second house and showed a total of eight homes to clients on Sunday afternoon. Needless to say, I’m exhausted! Matt went to work and then came home to study for a nursing exam. There’s nothing like finishing a blissful weekend with a large dose of reality! Nonetheless, we enjoyed a wonderful weekend together with family. Here’s to a busy week ahead!

the pier at Lake D'ArbonneI also spent a lot of my weekend snapping photos for the Phone Photography Project. I’ll tell you more about that soon!

Read about our last busy weekend here.

What I Wore: To Work

The transition from one career to another has been a fun ride. In addition to the millions of other things that I’m learning to do differently, I’ve also had to make some adjustments to my personal style. I’m still experimenting with what the real estate look is going to look like for me, but here’s what I’ve learned so far.

  1. I don’t want a stuffy, strictly-business look.
  2. I want to show my edgy/fashionable/fun side while still looking professional.
  3. I’m enjoying mixing dressy and casual elements to create looks that provide a dressy/casual vibe that’s a nice middle ground.
  4. Dresses are my outfit of choice as this Louisiana weather gets warmer and warmer.

For this outfit, I chose a burnt orange, sleeveless dress. This dress has a great, flattering fit and is nice and breezy for these hot, summer days.

orange dressThe dress came with a camel-colored belt, but I really wanted to add a different color to make it look a little brighter for summertime. My first choice was to pair it with a new, magenta belt, but the belt was too big for the waistline of the dress. Instead, I settled for this creamy white option. Adding the lighter colored belt still gave me the brighter, more summery look that I was going for. Plus, this braided belt added a slightly more casual element to help me achieve that middle ground I’m going for right now.

braided beltTo coordinate with the white belt, I added these cream & gold earrings (my new favorites) and layered my orange Lenny & Eva leather cuff with a white Lenny & Eva beaded bracelet. (There are just so many options with Lenny & Eva!) I added a pair of nude sandals, and I was good to go.

gold & cream earringsLenny & Eva braceletsThis outfit gave me the professional, yet casual look that I’ve been gravitating to lately. My personal style will continue to transform over the next few months, but I like where its headed. When I first started this new career, I quickly realized that my style had become very casual while working at Salt & Pepper (a far stretch from my business suit days as a marketing director).  Don’t get me wrong, I loved my tattered, vintage, boho style…but it’s just not what I want for this career. I also liked my business suit style from working at the Monroe-West Monroe Convention & Visitors Bureau. However, I’m very excited to develop a new style that’s somewhat of a combination of the two. Here’s to a new look!

The dress, all jewelry, and belt are from Salt & Pepper.

More on my personal style here and here.

Puzzles & Pajamas

I wrote this post several months ago (as you’ll be able to tell by the fuzzy pajama pants), but I never got around to posting it. However, after a slight mental breakdown on Sunday night, I decided this message was relevant again. I suddenly realized that I haven’t taken a day or even a few hours off, since I started this new real estate career. I was both mentally and physically exhausted, and I didn’t even see it coming. Finally, I realized that I have to be just as diligent in giving myself a break as I was when I was running Salt & Pepper. Therefore, I decided to come back to this unpublished post. It’s as much as a reminder for me as it is to share with you guys. So here it goes…

Puzzles in pajamasI have a habit of putting off things that I want to do in an attempt to accomplish more of what I have to do. Problem is, I’ll never finish everything on that must-do list, which means I’ll never feel like I can let myself have a little fun.In this post, I mentioned several little things that I wanted to do (like this blog) and said I was going to make a better effort to actually let myself do some of them. And I have!

One of those little things was wanting to put together a puzzle. My mom and I did puzzles all the time as a kid, and I loved them! I bought a puzzle probably 3 years ago and haven’t given myself the go ahead to do it at any point over the past 3 years. How sad is that?!

Soooo…I finally decided that life was too short to keep putting things off and made a goal to put my puzzle together. Turns out my BFF also enjoys doing puzzles! (We’ve been friends for almost 8 years. I can’t believe I didn’t know this already.) The puzzle I had was of a man and little boy propped up against a tractor in a field….not very exciting. Needless to say, we ended up with a whole lot of green pieces that all looked the same. Ultimately, I decided that “life is too short to waste time on miscellaneous greenery” and bought a new puzzle. (Amanda will appreciate this because it’s the exact text I sent her when I decided to give up on puzzle #1.)

Matt & I stumbled upon a cool Las Vegas puzzle, and it was perfect because Amanda and I had just returned from Vegas. We needed a good place to start the puzzle (other than my dining room table like before) and we didn’t have a big box or any of the other puzzle tricks, so Amanda jokingly suggested rolling up the living room rug and then rolling it back over the puzzle when we are done for the day. It was one of those moments where we all laughed and then simultaneously looked at each other because it was a great idea!

puzzle piecesfinished productWhile this puzzle story seems a little useless and trivial, it was actually a big turning point for me. A point where I decided that in order to stay sane and enjoy this ole life of mine, I’m going to have to sprinkle in things that I enjoy among the things life requires. Rather than puzzles waiting, clean baseboards can wait. Laundry can wait. It can all wait…and give me the opportunity to have a little fun. I already have my next puzzle lined out, and I will make a diligent effort to begin working on it as soon as possible.

Andy Warhol puzzleAre there any fun things you’ve been putting off? You’ll be amazed at the refreshing feeling that comes after you make a little time to enjoy yourself. What sort of fun activities have you been putting off? Leave a comment!

I’m Thankful: My Backyard

I want to start a series of posts about things that I’m thankful for. These won’t be things that I go around and look for. Instead, it will be more like me choosing to elaborate on things that I suddenly realize. All too often, we overlook and disregard the little (and sometimes big) things in our lives that we should be grateful for. This series is my attempt to celebrate my own gratefulness and maybe inspire others to see and acknowledge things to be thankful for in their own lives.

That being said, today I am thankful for my backyard. The past few months have been a tad stressful, and I often find solace in sitting on our patio and listening to the sounds around me. I’m learning that I really love to be outdoors and get an astonishing amount of peace and relaxation from it.

I’ve noticed over the past several years, that when I get upset, stressed, or even angry, I immediately want to go for a walk. I never put much thought into that tendency until recently. Turns out, just being outside in the sunshine for a few minutes each day has a dramatic improvement on my mood and mental state.

flowersflowersSo why I am thankful for my backyard? It’s certainly not the tidiest, largest, or nicest yard in town. As a matter of fact, my husband cringes at the greenery overload that came from neglect over the years. (We are renting, and the owner of the home hasn’t focused much on landscaping.) However, there’s something that I can’t help but love about the privacy the overgrown greenery adds. Regardless of the state of the landscaping, I’m thankful for this space because it’s the first time in years that I’ve had an outdoor space to revert to. It’s a nice, private area where my neighbors aren’t in clear sight. We have comfy patio furniture with new cushions that I love. The patio area is easily accessible, and I can walk out in my (or Matt’s) slippers. Even if some of the trees are covered in vines…everything is green, vibrant, and inspiring.

Matt's slipperspretty cushionsOur backyard is a place where I can go and wind down. A place where I can sit and write or read. A place where I did a lot of studying for my real estate exam. It’s a place where I can relax and think about who I want to be and what I want to become.

So today, I am thankful for this space….our perfectly imperfect backyard.

my backyardIf you have an outdoor space, I encourage you to get out and enjoy it. Multiple studies show that spending time outdoors can dramatically improve not only your mental state, but your physical health as well. Let’s all enjoy this beautiful world around us!

What do you have to be thankful for? Leave me a comment and let me know!

What’s Going On…Real Estate

La Real Estate Commission

Man, it has been an exciting day! It’s as if everything that I’ve been working towards for months culminated suddenly today.

I took my real estate exams this morning….and PASSED! I feel very excited to have passed both the state and national portions on the first attempt. I feel even more excited that this huge step is behind me, and I’m one step closer to beginning this new adventure.

Real Estate ExamNot only did I accomplish my last big hurdle before becoming a licensed real estate agent, I also finished up some important paperwork for the big switch over at Salt & Pepper. It’s amazing that both of these huge events unfolded today, within hours of each other.

People have been shocked that I am leaving Salt & Pepper and constantly want to know how that makes me feel. That’s a tough question! Of course, I am sad to bid farewell to such an important and huge part of my life. However, closing this one door is opening such an exciting new chapter, that it’s impossible for me to be sad for long. I’ve dreamed of trying real estate from the sidelines for years, and I am so very grateful that the opportunity arose.

As with any new adventure, I’m a tad nervous about conquering this new territory, but there’s something about it that feels right. I have a ton to learn and trainings galore in my future, but I can’t wait to take it all in. The tough part is behind me, and now I’m ready for the fun stuff!

Paperwork galoreI should be officially licensed as early as Monday, and I’ll be ready to start selling stuff! If you are considering buying or selling a house, hit me up! Even if you don’t live in this area, I can still hook you up with a fabulous agent in your town. Also, please tell your friends about me! If you’ve ever worked with me on anything before, you know that I always tell it like it is and will never, ever sell something that I don’t believe in. (Pardon the sales pitch…I have to find clients somewhere! My father-in-law always says, “If you can’t sell things to your friends and family, then who do you think you can sell to?” He has a point.)

La Real Estate CommissionAs I sit here and reflect on these past few weeks and the excitement of today, I can’t help but feel completely and utterly blessed. I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities already in my life, and I’m lucky to get to continue learning and growing. I have an AMAZING support system that stands behind and encourages me every single time I tackle something new. You guys are awesome!

That reminds me…thank you all for reading this blog (yet another project of mine). I started it as a creative outlet for myself, but it means the world to me that you all care enough to read along. So, THANK YOU!

Little Changes, Big Differences: Scarf Organization

This post is the beginning of a series of posts called “Little Changes, Big Differences” where I’ll show how tweaking small things in your home can make a big difference.

My first project for this series is tackling my scarf storage. Owning a boutique where we’re known for our scarf selection means one thing: I have a ton of scarves. One of the main questions we get in the store (after how to tie scarves), is how to store them. Here’s how I’m currently storing mine, beginning with a before picture.

Bad scarf storageI mentioned before that I turned a spare bedroom into a giant closet. This project is still a work in progress, so it’s not exactly the fashion oasis that I’m hoping for, but we’re getting there. As you can see, my scarves are hanging on rods on the wall. I like to hang them so everything can easily be seen. I love seeing how pretty they all are, and I like the color it adds to the room. Even if you don’t have a closet room like I do, you can still hang scarves with a rod on the back of a closet door or back or side wall of your closet.

To hang these scarves, I used silver bars from Ikea. As you can see from the picture, the system wasn’t working. The problem was that the bar wasn’t far enough off of the wall for me to be able to easily hang the scarves. The thicker scarves barely fit through there, and when I was in a hurry (always), I wouldn’t have time to fight with them. In turn, the scarf wall ended up look like this crazy mess. Not good.

If a system or storage function isn’t working in your home, CHANGE IT. Spend a few minutes thinking about what the problem is and usually a small amount of effort and/or money can remedy your problem and makes things work more smoothly for you.

Since I determined that the bars were too close to the wall, I decided to replace them with actual curtain rods. We’ve used curtain rods on a wall at Salt & Pepper before, and it worked wonderfully. I already had these rods so this update didn’t cost me anything, but you can get similar ones at Ross for under $5. These were $3.99! After installing the new curtain rods, I have more room to slide the scarves in, making it much more feasible for me to keep it tidy.

(Shopping tip: I actually get most of my curtain rods from Ross, because they have really nice ones for amazingly cheap prices. Obviously, the ones that I’m using for this wall aren’t the “really nice ones,” but I needed smaller ones with a yellow tint for a different project, and they’re coming in handy for this project too.)

New scarf storagenew scarf storageAgain, making a small change, such as this one, can sometimes make a big difference in the overall function of a space. If you’re looking to make your home less cluttered and more functional, be on the lookout for areas like this where you can make a small adjustment and in turn create a better environment.

Do you have any areas that aren’t working for you in your home? Tell me about them…I might can help!

See more from my closet room here!

 

What I Wore: Memorial Day

When I started this blog, I figured that I’d eventually get around to sharing outfit posts. I always get a ton of comments about my attire and would like to share details. However, to be completely honest, I secretly hate taking photos of myself, and I hate sharing them even more! Even though I’ve planned several outfit posts since I created this blog, I always talk myself out of posting them. However, at the encouragement of my wonderful husband, I finally decided to take the plunge. (If you’ll haven’t noticed, he thinks I’m great at everything….thankfully.)

I will preface this post with saying that this is not, in any way, one of my best outfits. However, it was festive and a happy occasion, so I thought I’d go ahead and share. Besides, if I didn’t go ahead and start, I’d just keep putting the outfit posts off until eternity. So here it goes…

Pamela & Taylor at partyThis Memorial Day was a happy one! It was the birthday of one of the kindest, most beautiful (inside and out), and talented young ladies that I know. Not only was it her birthday, but she got ENGAGED! Her parents and now fiancé set up a surprise celebration to commemorate this exciting time, and I was happy to be there to congratulate them. (Drew, I’m warning you here on the world wide web that you better take amazing care of that girl! She deserves a prince charming like no other!) My advice to you both is to always put each other first. Never, ever criticize each other in front of other people, and always avoid hurtful words…even in the heat of the moment. Enjoy every second of this special time!

Now, back to my outfit post. When I’m choosing what to wear each day, I often pick one item that I know I want to wear and then pull the rest together from there. I may change the other pieces a hundred times, but I typically stick with whatever initial item I gravitate to.

Memorial Day OutfitToday, it was white jeans. When deciding what to wear to the event, I knew that I wanted to wear these particular white jeans and wedges. After trying on a few different shirts, I decided on this navy and white patterned top. I really like its rope straps. To be honest, I hardly ever wear it though. I probably haven’t worn this top in well over a year! Today was its lucky day.

At the start, I was wearing these yellow wedges with the outfit, but then suddenly remembered it was Memorial Day! I’m not one to typically wear red, white, and blue together, so I used this opportunity to take advantage of the holiday. I switched the yellow wedges for red ones, and sprinkled in some red jewelry.red bamboo bracelets

red bracelets and feather earringsOne of the most frequent pieces of fashion advice that I give is to not overdo it on matching accessories. I tied in the red shoes by adding the red, bamboo bracelets, but I didn’t add red earrings so that I wouldn’t be too “matchy-matchy.” Instead, I wore the cream and turquoise feather earrings with a splash of red in them (currently available at Salt & Pepper!). They had just enough of the colors from the outfit, but added another element too. As I post more outfits, you’ll notice that I do not like being overly matched and will sometimes try to not match at all! It’s kind of my thing.

Memorial Day OutfitSo here you have it! My very first “What I Wore” post! Again, I’m hoping that by forcing myself to share this, I will become a little more courageous in sharing my personal style with you. Let me know your thoughts!

Outfit details: top and pants – Banana Republic; shoes – Gianni Bini (Dillards); bracelet & earrings – Salt & Pepper

My Favorites: Pinks & Patterns

This season has brought with it lots of new favorites for me. It’s almost like I have become a brand new person as the season changed. Some of my new favorites are completely atypical of me.

me wearing a pink scarfpink scarf & jewelrymy pink pursePink: I have never, ever been fond of the color pink…not even when I was a little girl. As a matter of a fact, I sort of despise it. Prior to this spring, you wouldn’t have found a stitch of pink anywhere in my closet or home. (Other than nail polish, of course. Everybody likes pink nail polish.)

pink nail polishThis season, though, I’m finding myself being drawn to more pink things. Don’t get too excited…it’s mainly the neon or almost coral shades of pink that I’m gravitating to. Everything is ok in moderation right??

Note: My new pink scarves, jewelry, & purse are all from Salt & Pepper, of course! bold patterns

pretty patterned dressBold prints: The next thing that I’m absolutely in love with right now is bold, bright prints. I have always been more fond of solids and earth tones. If you look through my clothes, you will see very few bright colors and even less patterns. My signature was solid, neutral clothing with bold accessories. However, this season has brought some of the wildest patterns and brightest colors we’ve seen in a while…and I’m LOVING it! I just can’t get enough of the neons and crazy, wild patterns. I’m not planning to empty out my collection of browns and grays anytime soon, but I’m certainly adding a fair share of colors and prints to my wardrobe lately.

Note: The photo of the patterned clothing was taken at a vendor’s booth at market, and the patterned dress is available at Salt & Pepper.

Maybe you should try something new this season too! Are you feeling drawn to things outside of your comfort zone? If so, go for it with me! Tell me about new things you’re excited about. What about spring trends? What sorts of things can’t you get enough of? I’d love to hear about it all! And as always, if you’re feeling stuck in a rut, swing by and see me at Salt & Pepper, and I’ll be happy to help you find some new things to excite you.

Let’s Talk about Shoes.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have quite a large shoe collection. My sister always jokes that she’ll never help me move again because I have too many shoes. (I hope that’s a joke anyway.) Let’s begin by talking about why I have so many shoes:

  1. I’m a girl. Need I say more?
  2. I’m a girl that works in and loves the fashion industry. Again, self explanatory.
  3. And the big one…I have the world’s smallest foot. Seriously, I wear a woman’s size 4 1/2. There’s a saying that goes, “If the shoe fits, buy it in every color.” This isn’t just an excuse to buy shoes. For me, it’s a way of life. If I come across a shoe that fits my tiny, little foot, you better believe I’m buying it!

fabulous shoes!Over the years, I’ve collected my fair share of shoes in all styles and colors. Because I have so many, I can’t have them all out at once. To save space, I store my off season shoes and display only the ones I can wear during the current season. Prior to this week, I’ve stored the out of season shoes in their original boxes. This means that I have over 100 shoe boxes stored in the tops of various closets. This also means that at any point during the year, at least half of the boxes are empty while their corresponding shoes are on the shoe shelf.

I know what you’re thinking. That’s insane. I could have easily just kept half of the boxes and let winter and summer shoes share the same ones. However, I liked being able to quickly and easily grab a pair that was stored if needed. I could easily do so because they were in their original boxes, and I knew which was which. This was especially important during transition periods, because I may need a pair of sandals before I’d unpacked all of the summer shoes and vice versa. Here are what the tops of two of our closets looked like. As you can see, it’s rather messy looking because the boxes are all different, and since they’re all different sizes, it’s impossible to stack them neatly. A few boxes are missing from me pulling them out as the weather warmed up, an example of why I liked having them in their original boxes. (I apologize that the pictures aren’t very good…it’s very difficult to photograph the top of a closet!) Shoes in storageshoes in storageThe past few months, I’ve been making a focused effort to simplify my home life and get a handle on clutter. (Combining two full households provides for a bunch of extra stuff!) I’ll be posting more about changing systems that don’t work next week. It suddenly hit me that I needed to create a new system for my shoe storage, and that’s what I did. I decided that purchasing clear shoe storage boxes would tremendously improve my shoe organization system and free up a ton of storage in our home. By using the clear boxes, I will no longer be storing empty shoe boxes, as I can use the same 50 boxes to store both summer and winter shoes as necessary. Plus, since they’re clear, I’ll be able to find a certain pair if needed, even more easily than I was before. I’m estimating that I have approximately 150 pairs of shoes…and this doesn’t include things like Old Navy flip flops! I threw away almost 100 boxes when I started this project! Here they are lined up in the living room. That’s a ton of boxes and storage space that was being wasted! 100 shoe boxes to throw awayObviously, I didn’t purchase a box for every shoe that I own, because I’ll use the same boxes for both summer and winter shoes. Plus, some shoes like sneakers and certain flats and heels, can be worn year round, so they stay out on my shoe shelf. I also stored 2 pairs of flats in some boxes and will do the same with sandals. In this case, I just made sure to store similar shoes together. For example, one box contains 2 pairs of similar black moccasins. Another holds ballet flats that I have in 2 different colors. At first, I thought I’d have to come up with a different option for my tall boot storage, but it turned out that most of them fit in the regular boxes if folded a certain way. Anyone with a normal sized foot probably wouldn’t be so lucky. This project cost me around $60, because I bought 55 boxes at just under $1 each. When you look at the benefits versus the cost, it was well worth it. If you’re considering investing in clear shoe storage, I highly recommend getting these exact Sterlite containers. I’ve used several other brands for various projects and these stack better and have better lids. You certainly don’t want lids that won’t attach properly or won’t withstand the weight of stacking. I purchased mine at Walmart. Sterlite clear shoe boxesCheck out the difference that the clear storage containers made! I went from shoe boxes in 2 closets, to barely filling one. And it looks MUCH better.

new shoe boxes in storageTo continue the shoe storage discussion, here’s how I store my in-season shoes. They’re housed on cheap, Target shoe racks that you can build yourself. I’ve had these shelves since college, have moved with them 5+ times, and have been surprised at how well they’ve held up. They’re certainly not the most attractive things, but they’ll do until I have time to come up with a new option. As you can see, my shoes are shelved by color. You’ll notice that everything in my closet is sorted according to color. It’s my number one organization rule! (Of course this isn’t all of my spring shoes…I robbed this photo from Instagram from the night I switched out my shoes. The shelf actually stands approximately 6 feet tall, and is currently holding 81 pairs of shoes.)

shoe shelfMore to come from my closet room soon!

Our Wild Weekend.

This weekend was a busy one. We spent Friday night hanging out at the new River & Rail Cantina with Amanda. The outing originated from an excuse to wear new shoes, but we camouflaged it as an early birthday celebration for Matt. We sat out on the patio next to the fire pits, overlooking the Ouachita River and had the best time laughing the night away. The atmosphere at R&R is superb. (Pardon the water on Matt’s shirt. I couldn’t crop it out or only my head would be left..short girl probs.)

Amanda & I ready to go to R&RThe beautiful Ouachita RiverThe handsome hubby and I at R&RBest Friends Forever!Saturday brought upon a very special day in the Petrus household…Matt’s birthday! Poor thing had to go help with athletic physicals at 7 am (nursing school probs), but this gave me time to wrap presents and tie up loose ends for his big day. I decorated the house as if we were having a big party. Birthdays were always a big deal when I was growing up. My mom always did perfectly themed parties or special birthday activities, so I feel like you absolutely have to make a big deal of the day.

Happy Birthday, MattThe Birthday BoyBirthday decorSuch a handsome birthday boyEven though Matt wanted a quiet night at home, I just couldn’t help decorating the place so that he’d have something exciting to come home too. He grilled some of the most delicious steaks, and Amanda came over to play some board games. I hope he felt extra special on this day.

Blow out those candles!Me with the birthday boySunday was Mother’s Day, and we invited my family over for lunch. I offered to host the gathering, because I’m the only one in my family who’s not a mommy yet. Matt grilled burgers, which were delicious as usual. We all sat around a chatted for a bit. Of course, I forgot to take many pics, but I was excited about this get together, because it was our first family gathering for Matt and I to host at our home! (Again, the firsts are always special!) I did catch a picture of Dana (my oldest sister) with “check yes or no” written in the background. The girls lost a ball under the house, and I couldn’t resist a picture of their attempt to fish it out. (They taped a rake to the end of a 10′ pole!) We may have lost a piece of siding during the process, but that’s ok. Memories were made, and I have a handy husband who can fix it in no time. We enjoyed the chance to spend some time with my side of our family and are looking forward to visiting with Matt’s side of the family soon.

Me and my mommyMom's other presentMe with my oldest sisterMuddy girlsI hope everyone had as wonderful of a weekend as we did! We especially hope all of the Moms have a fantastic time (especially our moms/grandmothers…we love you all!). Now we’re off to another busy week!

You can read about some of our others “firsts” here.