Gardening in High Heels

cultivate a beautiful life

Sunday Lately, 98

Sunday Lately is a weekly link up brought to you by the Blogger Tribe. Link up and see what's been happening lately!Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (which is being fearlessly lead by Meghan, Nicole, Katy, and myself). We e-hang out every Sunday, sharing a small glimpse into the last week of life in our own worlds. We’d love if you could join us!
This week’s themes: Creating, Finding, Switching, Forgetting, Craving

Creating

I’m trying my very, very best to create a plan for 2017, or at least the first quarter of 2017. Here’s the thing…I love plans. I love lists. I love knowing what’s going to happen. (In case you’re wondering, I’m not Type A or controlling or anything……..) But I hate mapping things out that far and planning blog posts and such. I know it makes life easier, but I just can’t. It’s such a catch-22 because I know (and preach) the benefits of scheduling and planning, but it feels so limiting for me.

Finding

I am still trying to find my planner for 2017. I guess I have planning on the brain. Hm. Anyway. I have it narrowed down to a few, but I’m so terrified to dive in because in my head, I’m thinking, “What if I pick the wrong one? I want this to be the right one for the whole year. I don’t want to spend a fortune!”

Money is the big one for me. I don’t want to be stuck paying for something if it doesn’t work and I’m worried I can’t make it work if I pick the wrong one. I liked The Happy Planner this year, but a) I felt bad that I didn’t decorate mine as lavishly as you see on Instagram and b) it was just too big to take everywhere. I know I can get a Happy Planner Mini, but I also know that Moleskine worked great for me, but they changed their format. I can always make mine, but I’m not a bullet journal/handlettering artist and I’ll feel bad that mine doesn’t look as pretty (coming full circle to The Happy Planner again). Ugh. Comparison trap like CRAZY.

And then there’s Get to Work Book, Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map Planner (which I really want), the Passion Planner, the Sugar Paper LA planners at Target, Rifle Paper Co, ban.do, and the cute Moleskine Peanuts limited edition one.

And it’s a freakin’ planner. Not something to get worked up about.

Switching

I’ve been trying to switch to a more-meatless diet. I’m trying very hard to clean out the pantry before Thanksgiving, so I’m only using things I already have in the cabinets or freezer and purchasing produce as needed. This lends itself very nicely to meatless meals (no offense, if you store meat in your cabinets, I don’t think we can be friends). I made Emily Levenson’s Buffalo Chickpea Burgers the other night and they were delicious. They won’t replace sinking my teeth into an amazing burger that I’ll undoubtedly have to get a Burgatory now that I’m thinking about it, but they were tasty, filling, and pretty cheap!

Forgetting

I’m trying very hard to forget my planner saga (which seems impossible given how much space I dedicated to it here). I’ll probably end up with three planners this year. Oh well.

Craving

Now all I can think about is the world’ biggest, juiciest, most unhealthy burger and a big pile of fries. Sweet potato preferred, but regular fries with big flakes of salt and pepper would do.

What’s been happening with you lately? Link up with us and share!


Sunday Lately, 97

Sunday Lately is a weekly link up brought to you by the Blogger Tribe. Link up and see what's been happening lately!Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (which is being fearlessly lead by Meghan, Nicole, Katy, and myself). We e-hang out every Sunday, sharing a small glimpse into the last week of life in our own worlds. We’d love if you could join us!
This week’s themes: Doing, Appreciating, Designing, Humming, Expecting

 

Doing

I have been drinking all the coffee, so I’ve been doing all the things. I have a few spray paint projects that I’ve completed and I’m mostly happy with them. I took an old plant stand that was rusty and gave it a fresh coat of paint so I can use it inside this winter. I also gave a plain cork board a layer of paint, though I’m not totally happy with it. I really wanted something over my desk to tack notes and clipboards to, but it doesn’t quite work. We’ll get there.

Plant stand makeover in progress. Spray paint is a miracle worker!

This is the WIP of the plant stand. I’ll share completed pictures of both projects later!

Appreciating

I have really been appreciating the warmer weather this past week. It was so warm, I was sitting outside with short sleeves on and was actually starting to sweat in the sun. I was also able to pull the plants out of the garden and lay down newspaper to keep the weed growth to a minimum when it was sunny. It’s a nice change from doing it in past years in really cold temps. That is perfectly fine for me in November. Anything to keep the Vitamin D flowing and the heating bill low.

Designing

I’m trying to slice up a shirt to wear for this month’s edition of On a Shoestring. The theme is holiday parties and I have a shirt that fits fine, but it has a weird splotch on it, so I’m trying to refashion it into something holiday-worthy without spending anything. I know Amy is going to come up with something so spectacular for this one!

Humming

I’ve plugged my old iPod in my car again and I’ve been jamming out to a friend’s indie band, Mariage Blanc. So I’ve been alternating between them and that annoying Judah and the Lion song I keep hearing every time I have the actual radio on. It’s like Mumford & Sons to the banjo power. Now, this is just my opinion, but it is the most annoying song ever. I don’t think it’s a alt song, but I keep hearing it on the alt station. It’s like a weird bluegrass/rap combo that just doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe the band has other songs that are less banjo-y. Maybe my tastes will change. Who knows.

Expecting

I’m sadly expecting the weather to get a bit cooler and it’s making me sad. Or maybe it’s just Judah and the Lion stuck in my head.

What’s been happening with you lately? Link up with us and share!


Sunday Lately, 95

Sunday Lately is a weekly link up brought to you by the Blogger Tribe. Link up and see what's been happening lately!Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (which is being fearlessly lead by Meghan, Nicole, Katy, and myself). We e-hang out every Sunday, sharing a small glimpse into the last week of life in our own worlds. We’d love if you could join us!
This week’s themes: Completing, Visiting, Repeating, Writing, Scheduling

 

After a few really warm days here in Pittsburgh, I’m finally getting into the fall feel of things. The rain can stop at any time, though…

Fall fashion with Gardening In High Heels

Completing

So the last time I wrote a Sunday Lately post (ahem, wonderful consistency, no?) I mentioned that I was doing a Pilates challenge at Dragonfly Pilates where I was taking 30 classes in 25 days. The official count was 35 classes in 21 days. Next up is a Matwork challenge. People don’t really like Mat, apparently, because there isn’t the help from an apparatus; it’s just you and the mat. It’ll be an awesome challenge.

Visiting

I started to go back to the gym. And I didn’t totally hate it. But it really wasn’t as much fun as a Pilates class nor did the time go by as quickly.

Repeating

It feels like doing the dishes is never-ending. I have a dishwasher, but I tend to just wash everything by hand because it’s usually just a plate and a fork. Or just a spoon if I’m feeling particularly lazy (and I mean, a serving of ice cream is one container, right?)

Writing

I started a new series with Amy from Amy and Angie called On A Shoestring focusing on dressing, decorating, and dining….on a shoestring budget. I’m so excited to get back into writing fashion-y posts. I was hit by a brain wave the other day that just because I don’t want to spend money on new clothing like I see other bloggers doing doesn’t mean that I have to. So I decided to make my own rules. It felt weird to get in front of the camera again, but after a few awkward shots, I’m really happy with this fall look and 3 simple (basically free) things to add to a summer outfit to make it fall-appropriate.

Transition Your Closet To Fall--add dark lipstick.

Scheduling

Some meetings, finally. It feels like I’m finally starting to make some headway with AngelicaRoss.co and I’ve talked to a few great women from the Propelle Rock It group that I belong to. It’s nice to get some collaborations and some brainstorming going again.

What’s been happening with you lately? Link up with us and share!


Sunday Lately, 90

Sunday Lately is a weekly link up brought to you by the Blogger Tribe. Link up and see what's been happening lately!Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (which is being fearlessly lead by Meghan, Nicole, Katy, and myself). We e-hang out every Sunday, sharing a small glimpse into the last week of life in our own worlds. We’d love if you could join us!
This week’s themes: Completing, Visiting, Repeating, Writing, Scheduling

 

I feel like I’m really good at Sunday Lately for a week or two and then I skip a week, then I come back. Bad Blogger Tribe Leader.

Completing

Today I’m completing the NOCC (National Ovarian Cancer Coalition) 5k walk at a park here in Pittsburgh. I’ve done it for the past few years in honor of my grandmother.

Visiting

In an effort not to mention Pilates classes for 3 out of the 5 prompts…. Seriously, though, all I do is drive to Shadyside. I did get to meet up with Amanda from North Ave Candles at The Vandal the other day and that was definitely fun to connect. It’s great when you find someone that has a similar flavor and energy.

Yes, we ate all these fries. And it was glorious.

Amazing fries and mac and cheese at The Vandal in Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, PA

Repeating

Pilates classes. I’m doing a Fall30 Challenge with the studio I go to (Dragonfly Pilates – it’s wonderful!). For 25 days, we’re challenged to attend 30 classes. It runs from September 6 to September 30, though I didn’t start my classes until September 8th. I have everything scheduled out until the end of the month and in my 23 days, I will have attended 35 classes and only missed 3 days. Most days, I’m there for 2 classes (AKA: 2 hours), but the time goes by so fast, you don’t really notice.

I can feel muscles develop, but they’re still being protected by a layer of fat. Of course.

Morning sun coming through the window at Dragonfly Pilates in Shadyside, Pittsburgh, PA

Writing

I’m trying to write some blog posts for my content marketing site, AngelicaRoss.co. I’m definitely falling into the Pinterest trap of “all the topics I want to discuss are already covered.” Does that happen to anyone else? Anyway, I’m thinking short bites that are easy to take action on (not long, verbose posts that take forever + a day to read) that slightly expand on the emails that I’m sending out.

Scheduling

Pilates classes! Ooh a two-fer.

What have you been up to lately? Link up with us and share!


Sunday Lately, 88

Sunday Lately is a weekly link up brought to you by the Blogger Tribe. Link up and see what's been happening lately!Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (which is being fearlessly lead by Meghan, Nicole, Katy, and myself). We e-hang out every Sunday, sharing a small glimpse into the last week of life in our own worlds. We’d love if you could join us!
This week’s themes: Creating, Finding, Switching, Forgetting, Craving

Creating

The other day, I decided to tear my office apart and rearrange it. I call it procrastidecorating. It’s my favorite, after procaffeinating and procrastibaking. So I decided to create new landing places for to-do lists and art prints with some old, ugly-ass clip boards because really, I could not just donate them or throw them away. I mean, not when I had spray paint burning a hole in my garage! (*Not literally. That would be terrifying.)

A little taste of the before and after..

Spray paint is magical. Transform old and dated clipboards into the perfect backing for art prints and to-do lists!

Finding

Finally (finally) I’m finding my groove again. I blame part of it on the medication I’m taking, but I also was in a super-funky, dark mood and it sucked. I have to say, even though working for and by myself has been a challenge (I really do like people–and talking to people–despite my best efforts to fool y’all), I’m so glad I escaped my office job when I did. I was miserable with a capital I Will Cut Your Face Off If You Look At Me The Wrong Way.

Switching

I am switching back to good coffee. I tried coffee from Aldi (it was the dark roast if you’re wondering) and my god. Did. It. Suck. It was made slightly better with the use of a French press, but ain’t nobody got time for that. Gotta wait for water to boil and shit. No. I’m like Lorelai Gilmore. I need it strong, I need it good, I need it now.

Number 4 was basically me when I tried that mud that Aldi packaged and sold for $3.50. Thank you, BuzzFeed, for the Lorelai gifs.

Lorelai Gilmore is my spirit animalThe WB / CW / Via goldenstories.tumblr.com / Buzzfeed

Forgetting

I am a hard-core summer person. I love summer. I claw at it for as long as I can. I wear bright nail polish and sandals way past the fashionally acceptable time. However, we’ve had a few days of cooler weather here (read: not suffocatingly humid) and I forgot how nice it is to stand outside and not begin to sweat immediately. I swear, I have purchased so much deodorant this summer, Dove and Secret need to give me a kick-back. #ItalianProblems

Craving

All. The. Things. Here’s what’s happening. In an effort to save money, I have been trying to work from home without as many frequent trips to coffee shops/bars to work. And every day, the siren song of the Oreos in my cabinet grows louder and louder. Same with the chips. And the chocolate. Basically anything that isn’t healthy (although since I treated my body like a garbage can last weekend, I did eat a salad the size of a mixing bowl in an effort to make my body like me again.) I even went so far as to buy a grapefruit in the hopes that I would eat it and magically want fruit. Guess what? Grapefruit sucks. I’m sorry for anyone that likes it, but blech..!

What have you been up to lately? Link up with us and share!

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