Thursday, April 24, 2014

Just a Little Damage

So the other day I was scrolling through my Facebook feed as usual and I had noticed one of my friends had liked a boutique that was in our area. I clicked on the page because it was described as a Women's Clothing Store. Of course I had to click. I scrolled through their photos of ALL their cute clothes and accessories and I ended up "liking" the page. Ever since, they have been adding new items to the store and I can't help but like so many of them.

Until one day they posted a photo of the cutest shorts I had ever seen. 


Aren't they the cutest? 

That was the beginning of something terrible, err, magical. 

I have been on their Facebook page EVERY.DAY. liking almost everything their store has. I admit when these shorts popped up on my News Feed, I immediately told them I was on my way to buy them. Gah, I sound like a shopaholic.

Yesterday was another one of those days. I knew exactly what I was gonna do as soon as I got off work. Drive to the store and get that damn skirt I've been eyeballing all damn day. I went. 

This is the damage. 




But look at ALL the pretty colors. Gorgeous! I cannot wait to wear these this season. 

I also have a secret dress I bought but I'm not ready to show it. Soon, though, very soon. I promise, it'll be worth it. 

Check out the website, Ella Bleu or stop by their store in Plano, TX. Everything they have is super cute and they have great accessories too! 

xoxo





Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Confession: I'm Going to ACL

I'm just gonna jump into it because the title basically explained my confession for the week. 

I'm going to ACL!! 


ACL or Austin City Limits is a music festival held in Austin, TX. This will be my very first music festival to go to and since it's in Texas, I thought it would be best to go to this one. I'm stoked because a couple of my favorite artist will be there and I get to experience this with my brother, his girlfriend, and Juan. My brother and his girlfriend went last year and they had a blast. I'm looking forward to listening to great music and having the time of my life. 


The only thing I've been thinking about is if I'll miss home or if I'll want to leave early. Me and large crowds don't go well together because I tend to get tired and I need time alone. I'm so weird, I know. I'm just hoping that doesn't happen and I can enjoy myself for once. 

The festival isn't until October so I have plenty of time to prepare myself. I'm hoping the Texas heat subsides by that time but you never know with Texas bipolar weather. 


Check out the lineup! 



Also, don't forget to enter the $200 Stella and Dot giveaway

Dateless in Dallas


Tuesday, April 22, 2014

{Easy} Protein Pancakes

If you know anything about me, you know that I am a health fanatic and I'm always looking for new recipes to try.

I had been on a hunt for an easy protein pancakes recipe but they all seemed a little complicated and too much work. Both things in which I don't like. I kind of combined some of the recipes I had seen and made my own concoction. I think it's super easy and a great post workout meal/treat.

I like pumpkin pancakes because let's be honest, we want pumpkin year around. If you're not a pumpkin fan, you can substitute it for banana.

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 scoop of whey protein (your choice of flavor, I use Metabolic Nutrition Protizyme Vanilla)
2 egg whites (I use the carton kind & measure 2 tbsp)
1/4 cup of oats
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned)
OR 1/2 a banana (if you don't have pumpkin)
1 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions: 
Put ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I use my Ninja. Let the batter set for 5-7 minutes. Heat the pan on medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Pour the batter onto the pan and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for additional 2-3 minutes.

This makes approximately 2-3 normal sized pancakes. I like mine small so I usually have about 5.

I serve with sugar free syrup or  PB2 and serve with strawberries.



Let me know if you try this! I promise it's so easy and you'll be making them all the time like me :) 

Next recipe post will be cauliflower pizza. Stay tuned! :) 

Enjoy! 




Monday, April 21, 2014

Day Dates & Easter (+ Giveaway)

First let me get to this giveaway which I'm super excited about! I teamed up with Bella and eight fellow ladies for a $200 Stella & Dot gift card. How amazing is that?!!! Be sure to enter below! And good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Oh man! This weekend was definitely what I needed! Spent some much needed time with my boy and relaxed. After a couple of weekends running around and making "plans",  I just needed time to recuperate.

For the first time in a long time, I went straight home on Friday and took a nice nap. When Juan got home, I made myself dinner then headed to my parents house. They were coming back from vacation and brought home some goodies for me. They are so awesome! Always thinking about me.

Sauteed garlic shrimp over Trader Joe's Quinoa with Veggie Melange. Drizzled with my chile verde.  

Some goodies from my parents <3 p="">

I woke up Saturday morning pumped to go to my Team Challenge workout at my gym. Three out of four of us showed up and we all kicked butt! I'm so glad I went! I didn't go to this event last year and I'm not sure why because it was so much fun. 

I made Juan and myself lunch of protein pancakes and strawberries. They were delicious! I'll be posting a recipe here soon so be sure to come check it out! :) 

We decided to head out for an early dinner at on of our favorite restaurants, Uncle Julio's. We hadn't been there in almost a year. I made good decisions and stayed off the chips and salsa and the tortillas. YAY!


Top: Kiki La'Rue; Shorts: Ella Bleu; Sandals: DV Dolce Vita via Marshall's.
We were so full from dinner we had to walk around the mall. Of course we went shopping! But not for me, for Juan! I love going shopping with him because he let's me pick out his outfits and post them on Facebook to take a poll...This time I included instagram! hehe! We sure did take this outfit home along with another button up shirt. He also got some casual blue suede shoes.

He's so cute! 

Easter Sunday was mostly spent lounging around the house. It was nice not having plans. I'm a planner so whenever someone wants to do something, make plans in advance because I love and value my time alone! :) I took three naps throughout the day and watched the SA Spurs beat the Mavs. It was amazing :) Great start to the playoff season. Yes, you'll hear me talking about my Spurs here often. Get used to it ;-)

We also had a late lunch/early dinner at another one of our favorites, Lockhart Smokehouse. If you're looking for some good Texas BBQ, this is the place. It's about an hour away from us but we take special trips to go. It is that good! We had gone to the Plano location which is closer to us but they ran out of meat. 


I'm glad I got to spend some quality time with Juan and some time with my family as they came back from vacation. This upcoming weekend is sure to be another busy one since I'll be traveling to San Antonio with my family for my grandpa's birthday.

Speaking of birthdays, Juan's 28th birthday is next Monday...EEK!! I don't have any plans nor does he say he wants to do anything. I think I'll take him out to Top Golf and dinner. Any ideas?

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Linking up for Dateless in Dallas and Showered With Design.

Dateless in Dallas












Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Time Management

So I'm pretty sure most of us wish there were more hours in the day, right? I know I sure do. 

Here's a quick scenario of what I committed to on Friday...nails done with my friend after work, pickup my moms dogs so she can pack, pick up dinner, and clean up my house before a night in with a couple of girlfriends. I needed all of this done by 6:30pm. I get off of work at 5pm. WTF was I thinking? I was literally rushing to each place because I hate being late. Luckily, my girlies understood and were okay with me running a little late. 

I need to quit putting myself in these kind of situations. It literally stresses me out and I want to pull out my hair. 

Sometimes I wonder when I'll sleep. With all the crap I put on my plate, I need to learn how to manage my time better. Lately, I've felt like I cannot keep up. With work, online classes and the gym it's like I don't have a life or when I do try to have a life I get so overwhelmed. I just want to lay dead on my couch and binge watch crappy TV shows. Poor Juan. I haven't spent quality time with him in a few weeks. I know the time apart has been good but I just miss him. This is also the reason why I don't get on here often and blog. I want to but it's just not important as the other things I have going on. My goal is to make it a priority and fit it into my daily schedule.

What are some tips that help you manage your time? 

I use a planner but mostly to help me keep up with bills and important dates. I'm thinking I need to start using it to plan out my days so whenever someone asks me what I'm doing I can tell them exactly what is going on that day. Is a lazy day at home acceptable to put in the planner? Because I could so use a couple of those. 

My goals this week: 
  • Eat the food I prepped for all week at their designated times. (Yes, I have alarms to remind me to eat during the week)
  • Blog at least four times this week
  • Attend my three training sessions at the gym
  • Wake up on time and get to work on time
  • Spend at least an hour with Juan every night
  • Call my parents and chat
  • Say no to at least one project at work when it becomes too difficult to handle
  • Finish laundry - meaning put that shit away
  • And lastly, live life. Relax. Be Happy. 
How do you manage your time? Any tips are greatly appreciated? 



 

Monday, April 14, 2014

Weekend Recap: Eventful!

Oh Monday, how nice to see you again! But why did you have to bring back old man winter? Go back to your cave please and bring back that beautiful spring weather.

This weekend was quite eventful and so fun! I don't think I've had a weekend quite like this in a very long time. I'm still recovering from it too!

Let's recap, alright?

Friday after work I met my friend Jessica for a mani and pedi. She has become my nail salon partner because we always end up needing our nails done around the same time. I should have known better than to go on Friday after work because it was so packed and they took forever. Not their fault, I know.


Afterwards, I rushed home because my girlies came over for some dinner and we ended up polishing off three bottles of wine. I wanted a last weekend with them since I'll be entering a nutrition and workout challenge with my gym (more on that this week) and I won't be indulging for a while. We had lots of laughs and stayed up until 3am chit chatting about old times and the dudes in our lives. Nothing bad just funny things they say and do.

Saturday, Bella and I went to the Galleria for Beauty Live. I had never been before but it was so cool. I'll definitely plan to go again next year. We also met Courtney Kerr from Courtney Loves Dallas. She is so sweet and beautiful! Wish I could have talked to her a bit more.


Of course we had to stop by one of my favorite stores, H&M. I ended up buying my birthday outfit. Granted by birthday isn't until July but I bought it for motivation for this challenge that I'm on. My goal is to put a crop top on and be feel confident in one. 

Here's the outfit. I love it! The skirt is gold and is a stretchy material so it will definitely accentuate the curves. I'll try it on some time this week so I can track my progress. The top doesn't look like a crop top but it is. 


After the Galleria, Bella and I headed to the Texas Rangers game. It was so awesome! She won tickets at work and invited me. Thankful to her for inviting me :) We had great seats behind first base and the atmosphere was great. Not to mention, the weather was perfect! Great weather for a baseball game.



Sunday morning I met up with Bella for a Diptyque at Nordstrom at the Galleria. You know those chic little candles you see everywhere on the interwebs? We got to learn about the different scents and what they are good for. Very informational. The candles smell amazing! I know I'll have to purchase one soon for my bedroom. They are just so relaxing. 

 
I also got this Alex and Ani bracelet I've been wanting for forever! I didn't know they sold them at Nordstrom so of course I had to purchase. I also got some initial earrings of J&M. They are adorable. Sorry no photo.

I rushed home after the Diptyque event to change and head out to the kickoff event for my gym challenge. They took my weight and measurements and they talked about what the challenge entailed. I'm looking forward to it. 

After the kickoff, I was starving and I wanted to go out with a bang so I ended up calling my friend that lived nearby to go out for an early dinner with me. We ended up at Mellow Mushroom and I grubbed on a delicious small Mighty Meaty pizza. Of course, she had to snap a pic of my shirt. LOL


When I got home, Juan invited me out for frozen yogurt. Of course I couldn't say no. I hadn't seen him all weekend so we made it a small date. Love him! 


I ended the night prepping my meals for the week and catching up on shows that I missed. 

I told you it was eventful! Now I need a weekend to just chill and relax. But it was fun nonetheless. :) 

Hope you all have a great week!



Dateless in Dallas











Tuesday, April 8, 2014

My Plastic Surgery Story [Part 3]

This is the last part of my plastic surgery story. Here is Part 1 and Part 2.

On the morning of June 2, 2010 it felt like an eternity waiting for the doctors to take me back and get me all prepped for surgery. I had arrived around 6am to be sure I was ready and I wasn't rushing around. When they finally called me back, my mom and Juan were by my side. They were more scared and worried than I was. They kept asking me if I was nervous or scared. I really wasn't. I was getting anxious because I wanted to be done and see my new boobies. The doctor came in and marked me up and the anesthesiologist got me all hooked up on meds and I was off to lala land. The surgery itself lasted about 3-4 hours. I was taken to a recovery room where my family was waiting for me. They woke me up and had me use the restroom. After that I was ready to go home.



It was that easy.

I was home in my own bed by 1pm that same day.

My mom and Juan nursed me while I was still groggy and drowsy from the medications I was taking. After the second day I was good on my own just sleepy. Reaching up or lifting things was out of the question for me but I had my family and Juan helping so I didn't hurt myself.

I had my post op appointment later that week where they removed my pain pump and removed some stitches. The rest would dissolve on their own. By the way, the pain pump is the best ever. It only numbs the area and it works great. I highly recommend it. My drains didn't come out until the week after. Those were the only thing that sucked because they were gross and you had to haul them everywhere you went. Two weeks with those and I was over it.


Three days later and I was hauling the drains around in this baggy. I was ready to go shopping. 

When I finally had the drains removed, it was the final piece of this journey. I was relieved and I felt so free. It was during the summer and I was looking forward to wearing strapless/strappy dresses. 


This was after the drains were removed, right after that appointment I had my brother snap this picture of me. I was so excited to have a button up top actually button ALL the way up! LOL What a great feeling! 

Overall, my experience with this plastic surgery was amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better surgeon or recovery experience. Had I known it was going to be that easy, I would have done it years before. The small scars I have from the surgery are well worth it and the confidence I feel is priceless. I'd do it over again if I had to.

I know a lot of people don't believe in plastic surgery and I'll admit I was one of those people. I didn't want the surgery back then and I didn't even think it was an option until I turned 18 and it was something I definitely considered. I now see it was a blessing and I'm thankful that I was able to experience this because it literally was life changing. Whether you want smaller breasts, bigger breasts, a nose jobs, whatever...if it will make you feel more confident and comfortable in your skin I say GO FOR IT! You only live once and you deserve to feel confident and sexy with yourself. But most of all, do it for YOU. No one else but yourself! 

Have you had plastic surgery? Are you considering? Let me know! I'd love to hear from you! 

Email me if you have any questions, I'd love to answer them. I can even recommend an amazing doctor if you're in the DFW area. 

xoxo





 

Monday, April 7, 2014

Weekend Recap

It's Monday already??! Gah! The weekend always passes too fast. Well, just to let you know if you live in Texas or Oklahoma Dunkin Donuts now has free coffee Mondays. If you're not from around here, check your local shop. They may offer it too! Hopefully that will make your Mondays a bit better. :) Had to take a selfie with my delicious coffee this morning.


So Friday was a chill night in with my babe. We ordered pizza, I made chocolate covered strawberries, had some wine and watched a movie. I can't tell you the movie because I already forgot now that I'm really thinking about it. Oh and these chocolate covered strawberries were just AMAZING. I didn't eat them all but I sure as hell wanted to. #willpower And to think I used to hate strawberries. Isn't it weird how our tastebuds change as we get older. Now they're my favorite and I eat them everyday! 


Saturday was busy, busy, busy. Juan and I headed out shopping for the house. We don't do this often but every so often we get the urge to look for some paint and see what house projects we can work on. Juan finally decided on some hardwood floors so a guy came out to take measurements and they will be getting installed in the next two weeks. I'm so excited!! We've been wanting them since the day we moved in back in 2011. I told the guy to hurry up with the paperwork before Juan changed his mind! LOL 
After all the running around and floor guy left, we had dinner at my favorite place, Zoes Kitchen. 
Saturday night also consisted of being a Disney Princess with my favorite Disney movies. What's your favorite Disney movie? 



Sunday  Funday was spent with Bella. We had brunch at Main Street Bistro. Oh it was so yummy! My hazelnut latte was the cherry on top. After brunch we chatted about our upcoming cruise in January. We're rooming together and we cannot wait! Blogcation, here we come! 
The weather was so horrible over here so I stayed in and caught up on my shows and made a quick stop at the grocery store. 


Hope you all had a great and relaxing weekend! :) 

Linking up with Dateless in Dallas and Showered With Design.

Dateless in Dallas










Wednesday, April 2, 2014

I'm not the kinda girl

Happy Humpday, people! Here I am posting all late on Wednesday because I'm a slacker and I wait until the end of the day to do every thing. Sue me.

First off - do you ever window shop online and you see something you absolutely have to have? That has been me ALL week. First it was this KLR dress that I totally had to have as soon as it was posted and then it was these sandals by Jessica Simpson. Like I can't even sleep because all I can think about is that "I need them." Of course I don't really need them but they are so cute and I want all the spring clothes and shoes.


LE SIGH. But for $110 I don't think they'll be coming home with me anytime soon.

So onto my Confession of the week...take a deep breath.

I don't want a wedding.



*GASP*

Well, a BIG wedding.

I know it's every girls dream to have a wedding and I did want one for a small period of time but then after giving it some thought I don't think I want one anymore. I always hear that people get stressed out, in debt, friends/family arguments arise, etc. and I don't want to be dealing with that in preparation of the best day of my life. Plus, it doesn't help I have a giant ass family and it would cost ME (or my daddy) a fortune.

Of course my family wants me to have a wedding because I'm my parents only daughter but I just cannot fathom spending all that money on one day. I'd rather take the money and put it in a savings account or a down payment on our dream home.

I'd be absolutely happy going to Vegas and getting hitched there and having my closest friends and family there. Nothing grand.

And for the record, I'm not even engaged. Woah. Slow down there, Mel.

Dateless in Dallas