Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays Friends! Can't believe the season is upon us and I for one look forward to decorating my home to get in the holiday spirit. Growing up, my family always waited to get their Christmas tree till after Thanksgiving & I would anxiously await till the first night, walking through the front door and smelling that fresh pine scent that drifts through the house with each swift breeze. My mom would unpack her delicate vintage ornaments with tender loving care and it would be like seeing them for the first time all over again, each one more beautiful than the last. Christmas has always been a big event my family, and the way my Mom would make the house feel is completely irreplicable. I for one have my own place in which isn't exactly as large as my parents home in Newport Beach.  I find that placing small touches of spirit throughout my home is a way to keep things fresh and light without looking like Santa Claus himself came and threw up all over my living room. My Christmas inspiration is found below and I hope it brings spirit and joy into your home as it has mine!

Xoxo,

Jessica Leigh

Those vintage cars & fresh pine wreaths get me every time! 

Love the look of the clear glass bottles with fresh water. So classically fresh!

That wreath & ribbon!

Love the use of vintage pieces here! Stunning bottles & glass ornaments in such a classic space! 

Getting your Z's

Well, Fall is officially here! The clocks have been turned back an hour and everyone is freaking out! I'm totally a culprit too, don't worry! Last night, I couldn't believe how it felt as though I was up way past my bedtime and when glancing at the clock I discovered it was only 9:30 pm. Damn it! I'm becoming such an old lady haha. 

If any of you are like me, I suffer from some serious insomnia when the changing in seasons occurs. Over the years I have found a few good techniques and remedies that really seem to work for me. I used to be the type to just simply pop a few Tylenol and call it a night when in pain or just take a warm bath and that was not always something that worked. 

 

1) Relaxation:  I love drawing a hot bath in the evening right after dinner and before bed. Dim the lights or turn them out all together and light some candles to set the mood. Invest in some essential oils such as lavender and rub them on your bottoms of feet and your temples. I also love purchasing some dried florals to sprinkle in the water and they tend to release some of their botanical elements into the water from the heat. The lavender will allow your senses to relax and really sets the tone before bed time. My favorite essential oils are sold by a company called Doterra which are the purest oils on the market (www.doterra.com). Make sure you sift the petals out of the water before draining as well. Towel dry off and get into bed. Believe me, you will feel like you have been at the spa all day. 

2) Bedtime: Make sure your bedroom is set to a cool temperature with warm blankets set aside. Also, in fall & winter months, it is best to keep your socks on while you sleep to relieve the transition on your skin (this helps keep your heels from cracking).  

3) Dreams: As a kid,  growing up I always watched my Mom get ready for bed and she would pour a big glass of milk into her French working class and take into the bedroom with her while wearing her big plush white robe. As I have grown up, this is something she taught me to do to settle your stomach. It really seems to work for me and if you like, you can heat the milk on the stove top, ads vanilla extract and some cinnamon and you have created a Sweet Dream Smoothie. 

Happy Fall everyone! 

Xoxo, 

Jessie Leigh 

The Fall Flex

Growing up by the beach, we don't experience the true idea of "seasons." Summer heat waves can be crazy, warm summer nights with basic ripped Jean shorts and a white tank are the comfiest of outfits and then one day, you step outside and the crisp air hits you and I can honestly say it is my favorite feeling in the world. I have to run back inside and grab a jacket from the back of my closet and rummage up the jeans that have been at rest the previous three months. I am so excited for the pumpkin soufflé candles, the peacoats and scarves. The moment the orange burnt leaves dance with the wind. So till that day approaches, I will continue to dream of that ironic feeling of warmth found in the crisp cold that feels all to new to me every year. 

Xoxo, 

Jessica Leigh

Welcome Olive + Poppy!

After having the blessing of working alongside a close friend in the wedding industry, I became a Bridal Stylist at BHLDN in Beverly Hills. 5 personal appointments per day, I quickly found that a lot of brides are faced with a tight budget, not allowing them to implement all the small sparkles and pops into one of the biggest events of their lives. With this, I have worked closely with multiple clientele and friends to make this passion of mine a reality. I am happy to say after some serious hard work and of course tons of fun, Olive + Poppy Weddings is officially a reality! Already booked with three clients all within the span of the next three months, I am all about still being able to have someone with you every step of the way in planning and allowing this to be accessible to low budget brides. Day of coordination and initial contacts with vendors can be a real struggle and that is where I get to have the most fun. With the holidays approaching, there are so many questions from Brides as to how they even get started in planning this big hoorah. That being said, below I have listed a basic outline of tips to keep in mind to maintain what may seem like a rather large and daunting to-do list:

*Set aside specific time to do your planning. It may be at the gym on the treadmill, or in bed when everyone is asleep. Do not cram your planning in between meetings and or on your lunch break. Taking the time and separating things can really allow you to focus and accomplish the task at hand. 

*Implement list of those who will be a part of your planning process. Trust those only who will give the positive support and extra encouragement that you will need. The more cooks in the kitchen the more the pot will get stirred. Remember that when inviting your guests for gown shopping or selecting any details for your big day. Remember, you have the final decision. It's your day! 

*Stay organized. Most girls have this part down pat. Allow yourself to have a work space and utilize all your sources. Today, every girl has a Pinterest board, but just remember to capitalize on all your options like magazines, books and online web sources. 

*Remember to have fun! At the end of all this, it's just a big party. Have fun, enjoy the process and live your truth in style of what you want. Be smart and keep perspective on what this day is really all about. When it is all over, he will still be your husband and you won't remember all the little stresses you endured. 

As I embark on this new part of my career, beginning all this before my 26th birthday is so exciting and I cannot wait to share with all of you. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and remember if you have any questions in regards to your upcoming wedding please feel free to email us at oliveandpoppyweddings@gmail.com. 

Xoxo, 

Jessica Leigh 

The "Diet"

I've always been athletic since I was a kid. Biking, swimming, running and volleyball kept me active my whole childhood and even into my twenties playing college volleyball. You are able to eat whatever you want and not have to worry about gaining a pound due to your 3+ hours of practice everyday. Then the clocks turn, time passes and you find yourself at 25 years old, not able to fit in those same short shorts as you once were able. 

I've probably been on 20 different so called diets. No carbs, no sugar, no alcohol. You name it, I have done it. Some have worked better than others and there was always time for me to quit and say, " I'll just start it next week." Well, approaching my 26th birthday has made my wheels in my head start turning. As an adult, I have faced the truth twists and turns of life, bills and most of all enduring stress. I found myself questioning things and trying to control the impossible. I work hard and pay my bills and some months can be more tolerable than others. What I have found is that one thing I really can control is my diet. Eating out when driving home from work and rushing out of the house and just grabbing whatever was going to fill me up just isn't cutting it anymore. 

With that said, I decided it was time to control this aspect of my life. Too many times I have turned to food as a comfort from the daily stresses and was beginning to feel it in my everyday livelihood. My jeans were too tight in the hips, the buttons in my tops of my blouses were busting open and I found myself not liking anything I was wearing. So, it was time to make a change. 

I decided to remove all fast food out of my lifestyle and no longer just grabbing a bite to eat in the moment. I made it a point to map out my meals, track them using the app MyFitnessPal and keeping track of my calories, water intake and daily movements. Limiting my calorie intake to just over 1700 calories daily has allowed me to be mindful and selective in my choices. It has been 6 days and I have lost 8 pounds. I have slept better, my skin has more color to it and not so many pronounced blemishes. I have not noticed any significant differences in my fit in clothing yet but will keep track and keep you updated. 

With this post, I just wanted to allow everyone to know that you aren't alone out their in your endeavor of getting healthy. Whether it is to feel better, lose weight or to even accomplish something, this is no small wall to overcome. I encourage those who keep putting it off, those who may be afraid of failure. Your first step is to begin. It took me awhile as well and it will take even longer to accomplish my goal. Stick to your guns. It will be worth it. 

Xoxo, 

Jessie Leigh

The Adventures of Online Dating

Yup, this is happening. It has been a long time coming and I am sure most people can understand. I have no shame being an online dater now. I have been on Match, Okcupid, Plenty of Fish and Tinder. Success? I wouldn't say no altogether but there are definitely more shitheads than not. Holding up a fish? Flexing your God damn muscles? Really? Yeah ,you may make my ovaries start to pulsate but damnnnn my brain is screaming no and you are getting nowhere real fast.

I'm not perfect and no one obviously is,  but I find it funny how more often than not, we women sit and torture ourselves after a first date from online. "We had such a great time and he really liked me" or " I really like him and he kissed me and laughed all night" and then BAM! The bomb drops and three days later he still hasn't texted you and you start the whole damn cycle over again. 

I've had the opportunity to talk to alot of guys from multiple sites and I have heard the stories of the girl being 3 times the size she led on and had bad hygiene and looked like a hyena. This sets all the good looking honest women up for complete success right? WRONG.

As a method of entertainment and also just to show men how easy it is for you to be a good guy in this sea of assholes, I will be documenting all the dates I go on for the next thirty days. Apologies to those of you ahead of time that may become distraught if I slaughter you in blog world for your bad dating tactics but this is for all the girls out there who are badass and deserve a great guy. We all have to kiss a few (or a shit ton) of frogs to find our Prince Charming right? Well here it goes. 

Xoxo, 

The Salty Julep

The Struggle Is Part Of The Story

Writing this post somehow hits home more so than all my others, maybe because it is more personal and really exposes a side of myself that not alot of people want to have exposed. I have only been single for about 4 months now after a short relationship before that and many more before that one. Call it what you will, "serial dater," "she can't be alone," and I cant even think of all the other possibilities but what I find is that through all my horrible dating experiences, although they have been very rough at times, I am able to share with others out there that I truly believe it happens to the best of us and pushes us to not lose the love for yourself. As a society, we women dream of the fairy tale prince, the one that will sweep us off our feet, the guy that shows up to our work with flowers or surprises us on our doorstep in the rain holding a sign reading "To me you are perfect." To us, our Mr. Darcy could be the man we walk by in the grocery store, an old classmate we never connected with, or even the boy next door.

I am 25 and I have had the blessing (yes, it has truly been a blessing) to have endured more heartbreak and loss than most. The countless tear spells, the sunken pit in the stomach feeling after a breakup, the loss of someone I gave a piece of my heart to. I work with a group of women that most don't and won't ever have the blessing of having, a support system that together could probably write the best book telling our stories of the men of our past, the present and the hopeful ones of our future. And although I may be single, uninvolved and alone for the time being, I know that I grow in this time more so than any other time, growing alone, bettering myself for the person that will come along when the time is right. It hurts at times, finding out the guy is talking to another girl, saying he will call than doesn't, going on your facebook and finding out the guy you were seeing all of sudden has acquired a girlfriend in the 12 hours you weren't talking (yes, this has happened.) Those guys exist more so than not, but one thing I have realized in the most recent of times is that meeting a good man can happen. The ones that make you laugh to put a smile on your face, call you just to check in on you and make sure your day is going alright, or are there to take your mind off of a bad day at any hour.

Through everything I have gone through, I have realized now more than ever that IT IS OK to be alone, to experience life for yourself before adding in a male counterpart, loving yourself in a way that you can only hope someone will do for you at some point in time. The idea of what a woman today finds to be a perfect man has become distorted, not realizing what real romance truly is. We are scared to be alone when really to be honest we sometimes can be more fabulous on your own.

All there really is to say is, " If your feeling frightened about what comes next, don't be. Embrace the uncertainty. Fall in love with yourself, inside and out. Allow it to lead you places. Be brave as it challenges you to exercise both your heart and your mind as you create your own path toward happiness; don't waste time with regret. Spin wildly into your next action. Fall in love every chance you get. Enjoy the present, each moment, as it comes, because you'll never get another one quite like it. And if you should ever look up and find yourself lost, simply take a breath and start over. Retrace your steps and go back to the purest place in your heart . . . where your hope for the good lives. You'll find your way again. And always remember the struggle is part of the story."

Xoxo

Jessica Leigh

The Cashew Wedding

I have been blessed to attend some beautiful weddings thus far in my life and fortunately enough two of them have been those which were my siblings in which I gained a lovely sister and a sarcastic charismatic brother in law. I've attended, participated and assisted in the weddings of my close friends and coworkers and I am especially excited to have been recently asked to help coordinate one of my good friends weddings coming up this summer. Caption you say? Well, when you blend a Jewish groom and a Catholic bride you end up with exactly that - a cashew wedding! Nothing but the best and certainly already know it will be nothing short of entertaining. My friend Hannah always has displayed such grace and charm when carrying herself. Shes the girl that walks into the room, lights it up and people just naturally gravitate towards her. Her smile can stop a train, and her fiance' Tatum is honestly one of the most genuine and down to earth men that I have ever had the experience of knowing. Hannah and I can be goofy at times, well all the time really, consuming too many watermelon spritzers at a birthday party or ordering the XXXL pizza and trying to convince Tatum we will eat it all. We've known each other since our freshman year of college and I can remember the day she met Tatum out at the school track while we were running stadiums. He has been there for both of us in times of need and times of hardship and I cannot express how happy I am to watch these two grow not only in life but in love. Constantly pushing her to be better, Hannah works with the widely known wedding blog website called Style Me Pretty, and has grown into a rare gem of a woman. By her side, Tatum has driven her to follow her creative lifestyle to the end of the road, dream the biggest dreams you can and never ever give up on what you love. Being surrounded by a team of talented women at Style Me Pretty, Hannah decided to simply use her daily inspiration from them and create a wedding on her own, doing all the planning and tedious details with just the help of her coworkers and friends along the way. We had lunch last week, discussed flowers, color palettes and table settings. Laughed a little, cried over our stressful lives and then realized that each day is a new day to move forward and better yourself. Not every wedding needs to cost an arm & a leg, stress you out to the point where you aren't enjoying it and believe it or not she is planning this wedding for 75 all under $15,000. Can she do it? With the help of 3 married women, 2 single gals, and Van her amazingly flaming baker friend that we all cannot seem to ever get enough of, we think and we will make it happen. I have created an inspiration board of what we had put together of what shes looking at for the big day and I cannot wait to see what we come up with for the finished product. Congrats to Hannah & Tatum again! My heart is filled with so much joy for you two and can't wait to see your love blossom & flourish even more so than it already has! Cheers to you two!

Xoxo

Jessica Leigh

To all the Brides who find themselves awake at 2 A.M., Googling birdcage veils and signature cocktail recipes. May this be a place of happy. A celebration that you, my lovely, are getting married. To the one you adore. And the wedding will be spectacular. . . because he'll be standing up there waiting for you to say " I do."

Blush & Gold Tone Place Setting

Flower Crown Alternative

Barn Style Wedding w/ Rustic Feel

Heavy Rose Alter

Porsche Getaway Car = LOVE

Sparkle Cinderella Shoes

Romantic Light Invitations

PostSecret

Happy Tuesday everyone! It already feels like it should be Friday simply based on how bad my feet are hurting from work and we are only halfway through the week! I don't know how many of you out there are big on reading before bed time or are interested in books in general but I thought that this was definitely worth sharing. Growing up, my Mom always was supportive of my reading habit and had no issue taking a trip down to our nearest bookstore and purchasing any series of books I was interested in. I'll never forget her showing up back home with the whole Little House In the Big Woods series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I was ecstatic. It set me up to appreciate and have a drive to read books. I could honestly sit in a bookstore for hours now, flipping through the pages of a novel or marveling over the glossy prints of model homes, travel books that expose my inner bohemian and even the cookbooks filled with confections and treats so yummy looking I could literally eat them from the pages they are contained within. I can sometimes get a little carried away, stacking a pile high and thinking to myself, "Ok, you can pick one." But to get to the point, I was going through my collection and came across some amazing books that I love that are part of a series called "Postsecret." If you have never heard of them, you can access there website at www.postsecret.com and read the full story within their page. All in all, it is a project and online community started by a gentleman by the name of Frank Warren. He began handing postcards out and leaving them in the most public of places, asking for people to share a secret they have never shared with anyone else and to deliver it to him through the mail, anonymously. He created a movement, exposing peoples individual aspirations, fantasies, and frailties, encompassing our "common humanity." With over 180,000 secrets displayed to the public via the website and within the books, it has created an addictive read, allowing people to find themselves within the pages of his books and connecting on a more than intimate level than ever imagined.

I wanted to share this with everyone because I personally have connected with many of these and I only hope that you can too, simply finding an outlet and connecting with a person you don't even know and allowing oneself to understand that everyone in this world is going through something and on their own journey to peace and happiness. Below are a few of my favorites. Some may make you laugh, others will make you cry but I can promise that it will touch your heartstrings like it obviously has touched so many others.

Xoxo

Jessica Leigh

Valentine's Day Craft

I cannot believe that January has already flown by and tomorrow we begin our first day of February!!! Although most people are not big fans, I happen to love Valentine's day, appreciating the celebration of love not only between couples but more so for me with my friends. I have such great memories of elementary school, decorating your shoe box for the day of love. The time would come for us to go deposit our valentines into each others boxes only hoping your cute boy crush would leave you one even though it had the same generic message on it as the other 10 girls in your class. Sad to say, I have never actually celebrated Valentine's day the "correct" way. Ya know, the one with an actual guy? Haha despite this little fact about me, I have compiled a couple cute ideas for anyone and everyone to have a little bit more fun with this upcoming holiday. Whether your a daughter, girlfriend, wife, mom or sister, these are just some fun ways of celebrating and getting in touch with your inner DIYer side. Lots of love to all who are reading this and hope you enjoy. Till tomorrow.

Cupid's Heart Rice Krispies Treats

* Melt 4 cups of mini-marshmallows in a pan with 3 tablespoons of butter

* Add three drops of red food coloring and stir

* Dump in 6 cups of Rice Krispies and stir again

* Press into a greased 9x13 pan, and let cool for two or three minutes

* Flip the pan of treats out onto a cutting board

* Cut out hearts with cookie cutters

* Let cool for about 10-15 minutes and enjoy!

Valentine's Day Craft Night

If you need some really cute Valentine's, I highly suggest purchasing these from Rifle Paper Co. They are such great quality and absolutely adorable. I mailed out a bunch last year and they are a thick cardstock postcard. 

Sending You My Love Valentine - Rifle Paper Co. Set of 10 for $10

Xoxo

Jessica Leigh

Succulent Garden DIY

I've talked a little about how I recently moved and the interior of my apartment is coming along swellingly but I just can't seem to pinpoint what my front step way needs to add some character. Having both a front entrance and a back entrance, I have become more fond of the back due to the fact that I can do more with it in a gardening sense. With no place to really plant into the ground due to it all being concrete, I've been thinking of adopting the hanging succulent planters or even just putting them on both sides of the step to add some fun and character. My mom happens to have a beautiful succulent garden full of every specie you can imagine and while she has hers mostly all planted into the ground, I am not as fortunate. I took to every girls favorite site (aka Pinterest) and found these inspirational photos that I think I will be looking into doing this next week or so. Let me know what you think.

Love the idea of this. Doesn't seem to difficult & just would require a lot of baby buds. 

Love the old patina urn that this Donkey Tail is displayed in. 

Dare to dream but OMG I am in love with this display of shelving. I like the more organic approach though so I would keep the succulents specific to just one color. 

Bucket List

Ah! I didn't post yesterday and I am definitely feeling the guilt. Got a little too caught up in organizing my apartment and unfortunately may have caught the flu in the process. Home sick today from work feeling like death, I've been in bed most of the day and when I came to write my daily post, my internet was out! NOOOOOO! Good news though. They were able to come out and fix it within the hour and obviously now I am back up and running. So here it goes. Today is all about the bucket list. There are so many things I'd love to do and I have had them written down for so long in a notebook and for years I've always been nervous that I may lose them so I am committing them to the blog. I know some of them will definitely make you laugh but they are for real! This list will be forever growing but here is what I have so far. I don't know how many of you guys reading this have your own bucket list but I highly recommend it. Here's my list so far: 

1. Kiss under mistletoe.

2. Be proposed to in a unique way. 

3. Go on a cruise. 

4. Swim with sharks. (Oh sweet jesus, this scares the hell out of me but have to do it.)

5. Run a marathon

6. Be in two places at once. ( I know its so "A Walk to Remember")

7. Ride a horse on the beach. 

8. Own a dreamcatcher. 

9. Have a baby. 

10. Dance with my Dad at my wedding. 

11. Be like my mom. 

12. Watch my children get married. 

13. Be a good parent. 

14. Eat a whole roll of Hubba Bubba bubblegum at one time. 

15. Gamble in Vegas. 

16. See a Broadway play. 

17. Dance in the rain. 

18.  Read the Bible. 

19. Have a marriage more beautiful than my wedding. 

20. Have my dream body. 

21. Spend New Years Eve in Times Square.

22. Spend an entire day cuddling. 

23. Watch baby sea turtles catch.

24. Go to a drive in movie. 

25. Have a baby fall asleep in my arms.

26. Send a message in a bottle. 

27. Visit a vineyard. 

28. Visit all 50 U.S. states. 

29. Make a wish in the Trevi fountain in Rome. 

30. Build a gingerbread house. 

31. Book a ticket and just leave. 

32. See the Fairy Pools in Scotland. 

33. Throw a dart at a map and travel to wherever it lands. 

34. Leave a love note in a library book. 

35. Give a shelter pet a home. 

There are so many more to come but these are some of my existing ones! The list will continue!

XOXO 

Jessica Leigh

Monday Motivation

Ah yes, the day we all know will come but dread each and every week. It's the start of something new, something fresh, a new work load & a hell of a lot of caffeine is always necessary. Since I gave up coffee,  I swapped it out for iced tea and I will have to admit I still add in my sweet & lows, I   do feel like I have made a sacrifice because I don't add creamer.  Monday is the perfect day to set your goals for the week & strive to make it actually mean something. As most have you seen in my posts from last week, I already goaled myself on some things . I have some traditions each and every Monday that allow me to sometimes feel as though it is Friday hehe.

1. Buy fresh flowers. Trader Joes is where I go. $4.99 for a beautiful dozen bunch of flowers that seriously just puts me in a happy mood every time I look at them. I seriously suggest doing this. Also if you add a little sugar to the water & bleach it keeps the flowers alive longer and the water clean. 

2. Laundry....if you have the time. Sometimes I will forget and my laundry can  get a little out of control but I try to do it each Monday so I don't get too overwhelmed and so I don't have to spend all day at the laundromat with my 12 loads of wash. Yes, I have been that girl before haha. 

3. Drink your daily 8 glasses of water. Doing this on a  Monday can seriously jumpstart you for the week ahead. I am making this a challenge each week to focus on the 6 days ahead and drink my daily dose. You should too!

XOXO 

Jessica Leigh

The Infamous Gallery Wall

Moving can be stressful enough on its own. Furniture placement, paint swatches, and organizing cabinetry can give me enough of a headache. Now add in the design side of it and I can have some serious fun, but in todays economy it can cost a lot of money to do up your new place.

Being 25 and basically "ballin' on a budget," I have come to love the ideas that are all over Pinterest for gallery walls. If you haven't ever heard or seen them, your in luck because below there are posts of what these beauties look like and they are quickly becoming almost a necessity in todays fashionable home. I just moved into my new apartment back in November and I have a lot more wall space that needs to be filled. I decided to adopt the gallery wall idea and fill it with all things fun and have some positive inspiration that I look at daily. 

With this, I pulled together some of my favorite ones from online and have included them below with links to where you can find them. These are just my taste, but it is so easy to search through Pinterest, Etsy or even Google and find something that best fits your style. I hope you all enjoy and can't wait to complete mine. I will keep you all updated. 

XOXO

Jessica Leigh

Pineapple Art Print $22-$57

I Love You To The Moon And Back Print $20

Pink Flamingo Print $16-$40

The World Is Your Oyster Print $16

To Do List This Week

Everyone has their goal in the new year of being more organized, staying on top of their priorities & most of all finding time to still have fun. As a way to feel less stressed & not so overwhelmed I am challenging myself to make a list of 5 simple tasks to complete each week in order to give myself a less stressful environment to live in and I think you all should to! Pick things you have been putting off or need to stay on top of (i.e. cleaning out your fridge once a week, working out every morning when your alarm goes off). Little things like this can put a smile on your face because you actually did them and can check them off your to do list one at a time. Ok, so here are mine for the week.

1. Eat breakfast every morning. NO excuses.

2. Workout 5 out of the 7 days for at least 30 minutes.

3. No dairy. (Except Greek Yogurt)

4. No shopping for anything other than groceries.

5. Don't fall asleep with makeup on. Apply brown sugar scrub mask every night.


As you can all see these may not seem to be anything out of the ordinary for most but these can definitely be a struggle for me on a daily basis.

I often am jetting off to work in the morning only to realize half way there that I won't be breaking for lunch for 5 hours and just know my stomach will be turning sooner than later. Eat something! A yogurt, granola, anything with substance & is healthy.

I love the sound of working out and then as soon as I get to the gym there are days where I am just over it. Low on energy and not pumped up about it, I can tend to cut my workout short only to end up at home feeling dissatisfied with my choice to leave. This should be a good challenge for me.

Lately, I have been noticing I haven't been feeling as well when eating anything containing dairy. Cheese, milk, butter, you know basically everything thats delicious, can tend to give me an upset stomach and make me feel exhausted. As a way of cleansing my body I am removing all dairy in hopes it will provide healthy benefits & remove any toxins within my body.

I work in a haven of shoppers. ANTHROPOLOGIE. Everyday a fresh shipment of delicious smelling candles & beautiful delicate cut & sews are pulled from the boxes to make their way to our beautiful displays and find a good home. The worst part is as an employee, we get to see everything first! Its a blessing and a curse but especially since being on my own these days it is learning about having self control and learning to live with less. Make it a challenge. See how much you can save. So that being said, I can look & touch but absolutely, whole heartedly, NO BUYING!

Yes, this is a bad habit I sometimes allow to happen and my skin suffers so badly when I do this. I was blessed with baby porcelain skin from my Mom's side of the family but after wearing makeup for 10 hours a day, your skin can have enough. After a long day at work, sometimes I just come home, play on Pinterest for awhile and end up falling asleep only waking up to realize that I left all my makeup on to eat away at my skin all night long. Now luckily I use really good product that is a lot less harsh on your skin than most but still. I notice a huge difference when my makeup is removed and my skin is allowed to breath throughout the night.

I hope all of you can create a to do list/goal list for your week ahead and it allows to free up some stress in your life. Till tomorrow.

XOXO

Jessica Leigh

Life or Something Like it

So 2015 is here! The champagne has been popped & the confetti has been thrown and everyone is finally beginning to settle into their fresh starts that happen every 364 days. Its a time for change, hopefully in the positive direction for most, rummaging up another resolution to only fail at it a short time after. I have lived through 25 firework shows, 25 ball drops, 25 countdowns & 25 New Years Kisses (btw never have actually had one) and I still have never come out looking back and thinking " Wow that was a great year." Some may say that I am being negative while I know I am simply being realistic. Well, my challenge to myself in 2015 and with the creation of this blog is to find happiness in life by simply loving myself and becoming a better person. I will write everyday, whether it be beauty or fashion, food or craft, happiness or sadness but I will write and you will find me whole heartedly within each word and line. I may not always be in the happiest of spirits and I will have my high highs and my low lows but I will push to find my true self this year and I only hope that I will find a few people to join me along the way. I will pave my future in glitter and stand tall. I don't ever intend on losing myself, but only becoming a newer and improved model. And as Carrie Bradshaw once said, " Maybe you have to let go of who you were to become who you will be."


2015 Goals

1. Find something I am deeply passionate about.

2. Workout 5 days a week (Oh geez!).

3. Run a half marathon.

4. Blog everyday.

5. Spend more time with my Family

6. Love being in my own skin.

7. Be happy & content with life.

XOXO 

Jessica Leigh