A Tile of Mosaic

To brighten up an otherwise slushy day, here are some pops of spring for your fashion inspiration closet! :)

 

 

 

 

Labels seen are: J. Crew, XXI, AT Loft, Retro Scarf, un-labeled beading, and Juicy Couture

xoxo.

 

Volleyball and Unecessaries

My favorites, of course, Misty May Treanor and Kerry Walsh.
Look how ripped these ladies are! C'mon!

Tonight is the start of our spring volleyball season! We are still team "Set to Kill" which has been our title for years now...we are only violent on the court ;) Thus, this is fair warning that posts may include volleyball updates. I believe we play a 6-8 week season with a few weeks of play-offs...I may have to double check that. I am hoping to play intramural vb again (we made it to the finals last semester), but we will see, shew whee, never can have enough volleyball. Wish us luck!

Also, a few days ago I bought a nice scale. It was sharp, included body fat percentage calculation, BMI, and hydration totals. Along with this came Allison weighing herself 3-4 times a day which is anything but healthy.

Like I mentioned before, I have gained about 5-6 lbs. even though my diet and exercise amounts have not changed (give or take a smidge per week). Instead of fretting or obsessing about it I am returning the scale. I will still weigh myself weekly (yes, ONE time per week Allison) at the gym, but I promised Jake that if I got too weird about the scale then we would take it back. Instead, we are going to use that money for an iTunes gift card to get some new music to workout to! Much better idea right? Some people can face the scale all the time and do it like a champ, I am not there yet. I know that I can lose it (my mind I mean) quickly, so I am purging this materialistic view for now and getting myself back into determination mode. I have been sick, and still am getting over it, but that does not mean I should give up completely on my health- so today I vow to get back on that train and chug along.

xoxo

Patience, Procrastination, and Other Things On My Mind

Bear with me.

The dictionary definition of patience is: The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

The dictionary definition of procrastination is: The act of putting off, delaying or deferring an action to a later time.

Both of these nouns require some sort of change to take place right? I mean if nothing in our lives changed then we would not know the feeling of waiting for something to occur...or the sensation of holding off on an action or task until a later time. For instance, in school, if there were not varying assignments or demanding exams then how would we become better students? In the work place...an employee may only grow: 1. If they so desire & 2. If they come upon changes in which they learn from (I.E. more about the company, owner, procedures, tactics).

We cannot know the pleasant, happy, bad, sad, emotional, worrisome, amazing, breathtaking if there is no change. But, sometimes it absolutely positively sucks. stinks. However you would prefer to describe these negative impacts. As stated before though, are they really negative? I will let you in on something personal. Since I got married, and my husband and I have our first place together, I have become somewhat particular about making the house look nice. We both have put a lot of time in fixing the place up and I have taken a huge liking to adding sweet and unique touches to make it our own, warm, and fun! Jake, the husband in this illustration, does not care quite as much. Now, let me be sure to give him credit deserved. He is absolutely wonderful about helping out and doing household favors when needed, but he does not have that same "passion" about making our home look, what I might say, pretty. I enjoy having the pillows on the couch instead of strewn around the room, crumbs (a lot of them of course) not ALL over our kitchen table, and his idea of a nightstand is a plastic bin by his bed with books and receipts all over it. I understand that I am in the wrong at times and probably do not realize it many instances. I know the house does not need to be spotless all the time and chores can be taken one at a time. But, tonight we had a "flitter" when I mentioned that our new nightstands we got were not even visible because he had 'stuff' covering his. Then came a couple snarky comments and not much after that. We are fine, of course, but just because our blood did not boil doesn't mean it didn't get a little warm.

Back to the patience and procrastination. Everyone has issues with both. No, do not raise your hand, you do. Just kidding, but really, impatience and practicing procrastination are too common. Better than many addictions I might add...but even easier to treat. I had to reality check myself and learn I need to be more patient with my husband. This is our FIRST place, it is not going to look like a Pinterest ad campaign. Also, he tends, and I am quoting him here, to procrastinate at a gold level. These two definitions come eerily close to one another. They both contain waiting; both take time; and both are negative and positive. WHAT!? Procrastination can be a positive? Yes, yes it can. When you tend to not give yourself a break (EX: keep working out when you are sick, no "me" time, or nit-picking your home's appearance) then it is time for what I have now deemed: Positively Procrastinating. Yes, readers, another corny title :) You are welcome...or I am sorry.

Thank you for letting me ramble, it is healthy now and then. If you have any thoughts you would like to spew share, please, you are more than welcome to. Just remember, don't be so hard on yourself...and especially those you want to keep around- there are so many more important priorities (get it, another 'P' word)....xoxo

Internship Piece No. 4: Icetip

 Once again a garment, this Icetip labeled jacket, has stumped me. After a few days (on and off of course) of researching I was not able to come up with much in the way of the brand's history. I was disappointed as this piece is so neat and of honest quality. The jacket in the spotlight this week is a chocolate brown, leather, long sleeve, fringe coat with only a small clasp closing (but better left open in my humble opinion). The shape of the jacket is what makes it even more unique. The back cut comes up a smidge, but the sides come to a point, giving what could have been a boxy cut some femininity. As you can see in this first photo, the stitching is thick and meticulous. The braided stitch travels all along the wide collar showcasing the piece's understated yet bold chicness. We have it paired with a coffee and teal tie-dye summer rope halter dress and some ankle booties (or wedges in the summer time) I think it might be fun to keep the jewelry simple, maybe just add a long, single, gold, charm necklace or two or just a statement bag.

 

What I was able to find were jackets of this same label and even more that were very similar. Most are selling for anywhere between $35-$300! Big gap. But, here at Mosaic our garment is wonderfully in fabulous condition, fits a size medium, and is selling for $35.00...also, the dress has never been worn and is priced at $11.00.

 

Stop in and see us soon!

xoxo 

Internship Piece No. 3 Continued: Flashback; 80s Chic?

Can the 1980s really be labeled as chic? Some would argue yes and some would not even consider that more than a bad joke. Personally, yeah I know no one asked, but I used to really "dislike" the 80s fashion, trends, ect. But, I have learned you can find the good in anything, and I have actually come to really appreciate and have fun with some 80s shenanigans (aka off the shoulder please).

The red, gold beaded dress shown before is without label. But, I can tell you by the shoulder padded, inverted pyramid silhouette, and over-beaded extravaganza that this garment is...an 80's baby. This type of shape had overtaken the era, along with teased hair, leggings, Member's Only jackets, and fingerless gloves. Could I see someone rocking with dress with some black, lace, Madonna-esque gloves? Period, yes. 

It takes a brave soul to take on this lady. The piece has a gorgeous, just cut out enough, v-dropped back and long sleeves. It is way more than do-able though. Pair with some half heeled ankle booties, throw up the hair, and maybe a gold bangle or two and strut. Why not play up with red with some bold lips and remember not to forget the extra layer of mascara. If you're gonna do it might as well go all out!

This number is a size medium and is available at Mosaic for $35 :)

xoxo.

Can't Pace This

First, I apologize for the title of this blog, and no, I could not help myself. I am not even sure if it makes a whole lot of sense, but I went with my gut.

This morning I went to the gym ready to have a great 5 mile run. Then I weighed myself. I was up 6 lbs. from my "healthy" weight. Bummer yes? YES! I used to never weigh myself, but now I do here and there just to keep tabs, or something like that. I really have not changed anything about my diet, and I have even added some yoga and interval work into my exercise routines. I had seen a slight gain the past couple of weeks and blamed it on "lady water weight." (You know that one week a month women should not weigh themselves).  Well, 3 weeks later and it went up another pound or two. Disappointed, I decided to run 6 miles and then do my normal lifting and core workout. I am trying not get too upset about it and I will keep an eye on my weight, but I said a prayer this morning that I would not obsess about it. Not to leave out...I went to DQ last night and the portion they gave me was very, very generous, and so not to be rude I of course ate it all. But, it was worth it. I do not indulge there that often and I had a blast with some girlfriends. Just what the crazy doctor ordered.

Another point of this post, I promise there is a real one, is about pacing. I have been trying to increase my speed for a while now and was doing a steady job (PR'ing my 5k race time), but I kinda pooped out. My muscles were getting a little achy and knotted and I even took yesterday off (I had 4 miles scheduled). So, today I went on the treadmill, put up the incline a smidge, and set my pace at 9:13. This is usually a little slower than I start with, but I ended with about a 9 min/mile pace which is fine and I felt good. I was sweating, my heartbeat was up, but my muscles felt stretched. Not every run has to be your hardest intensity, and I am learning that your (my) body responds better when I let it "rest" when it needs to rest, and push myself when I know I need to or can. (PS: I ran the last mile on the track after my upper body and core workouts with about a 9 minute/mile pace again).

I hope your week is going smoothly. And, please, do not be crazy like me and get scale obsessed. I am guessing this is just a phase, and I still stick to my motto that it is more important to FEEL good, be HEALTHY, and COMFORTABLE in your own skin and clothes.

xoxo.

Lift Yourself Up

Developing a Tender Heart


Ezekiel 36:25-28

The Lord wants to give each of us a "heart of flesh" so that we will be pliable and responsive to Him. When touched by the finger of God, a tender heart yields to the pressure and assumes the form He desires, much like a lump of clay that allows the potter to determine the shape of the vessel.

To aid in this process, God has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell each believer and awaken responsiveness in him or her. By yielding to the Spirit's promptings with ready obedience, the heart becomes increasingly tender and sensitive to His leading. The Lord is able to impart greater understanding of His Word to a soft heart because it has faithfully accepted and obeyed previous teachings.

Any resistance to God will result in hardening. But those who are accustomed to intimacy with Christ—which is the result of submission to Him—will be quick to deal with sin and return to the place of obedience and blessing.

People with tender hearts stay closely connected to the body of Christ, seeking to build up and encourage others in their walk of faith. Such individuals are not only receptive to what God wants to tell them; they are also teachable, in that they are willing to listen and be corrected by others.

 

           I hope this gave you a warmth in your heart and even more of a reason to let the Lord into your life.

I had a great, little uncomfortable at times, long run in the snow yesterday. Some moments I was running into the snow and the ice and flakes were hitting my face, smearing all over my eyes, and I am sure I looked glamorous. But, there were other moments, the once I remember best, when I saw the snow falling, my body and muscles moving, and my heart working overtime. It was a hard run, but the kind of hard that makes you feel accomplished and grateful for all that is around you.

 

God Bless your day, xoxo.

Internship Piece No. 3- Preview!

                             

       Here is a sneak peek of the next spotlight piece I did for Mosaic. It follows my pattern of vintage finds and I decided to be brave and take the pictures with me in the garment! And, yes...I did feel a bit uncomfortable, but I tried not to show it (I realize this only semi-worked). Be on the lookout for the description and story to come, xoxo.

PS: (Happy Super Bowling!!!)