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December 28, 2014

2015 Goals

So it's a little obvious I have abandoned blogging since around Thanksgiving. Things were so crazy busy and life just seemed to happen. Right after Thanksgiving Josh, Lilly, and I all got sick at the same time and it took us about two weeks to get better. Thankfully none of us had the flu, but between viruses and infections, the Holiday season did not start off too great. There were so many things we wanted to do and some we did but couldn't enjoy 100% due to us still not feeling too well. But once we were all better we were able to enjoy some family time and some of the holiday activities we wanted to do around town. We had a really great Christmas and Lilly enjoyed seeing all of her family and getting totally spoiled by everyone. 

So anyways, 2015 is quickly approaching and it's time I start tackling some things on my major life-to-do list. Instead of just making resolutions that will probably not stick, I'm taking a different approach to the New Year and setting life goals to work on throughout the year.


2015 Goals

2015 Goals by nataliemorelliwaters on Polyvore

1. First on my list is making health a priority from making Dr. appointments, eating well, and being active on a regular basis and ultimately becoming my best fit self. I have decided that I am going to tackle the Bikini Body Mommy Challenge in it's entirety (Challenge 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0...90 days each). I had tried doing this before and of course life got in the way and after about 2 weeks I didn't keep with it. The goal is to not give up, don't stop, and keep at it, I'm even forcing my husband to hold me accountable everyday to make sure I get the challenge in. This challenge that she has created is easy to follow and is made for women, specifically moms that struggle to fit fitness in to their daily lives. I have looked at a lot of different things and this one has still stuck out to me in that is beginner friendly and so easy to follow, you just follow the meal plan, play the daily youtube video, do it and your done.

2. Learning how to sew has been something that I have wanted to do for years now and now since Josh got me a sewing machine for Christmas this year, it looks like I'm going to have everything I need to get started. Just need to take some classes and hopefully I'll be sewing up a storm.

3. We have not been on an actual "vacation" since our honeymoon almost 3 years ago, which was ruined by a hurricane. Besides the little weekend adventures to some of our favorite places, this year I would like for us to make it a priority to go somewhere and experience some place we've never been before, nothing fancy, but somewhere different. We'll see.

4. Something else that we are definitely making a priority is a weekly or monthly date night, just the two of us.

5. And last but probably the most important is getting more serious about our finances by spending less and saving more for things we need/want.

What are some of your goals/ambitions for the New Year?



December 1, 2014

Let's Be Thankful Swap Reveal



So I participated in a Thanksgiving, let's be thankful swap this year and was paired with Kayla. She and I got to know each other really well through numerous emails back and forth and she sent me the perfect gift from our conversations. She sent me this learn to sew book called "1-2-3 Sew: Build Your Skills with 33 Simple Projects." I have been talking about learning how to sew for the past couple of years now and next year I am bound and determined to get started. My husband has gotten me a sewing machine for Christmas this year and now with this book, I have the ability to embark on this new venture. She was so thoughtful and really took into account our conversations to pick this out. I'm so thankful to have met a new friend and I look forward to keeping in touch with her. 


November 25, 2014

CVS Haul 11/25/14


So lately I have been really trying to research sales and coupon every week. From the weekly adds that come in the newspaper to coupons.com and receiving coupons when you shop, I am making it my mission to save my family as much money as possible. Two of the best places that I have started with are Target and CVS. There are a ton of ways to save at both and today I saved about $26 on my purchase at CVS and got back almost half of what I spent out of pocket in rewards to use on my next purchase! 

So here is everything I got broken down:

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese .99 and got .99 extra care buck back = FREE
Tide Simply Clean and Fresh sale $2.94 (usually about $8 or more)
Vitamin Water $1.50 and got $1.50 extra care buck back = FREE
Green Giant Canned Veggies .99 and got .99 extra care buck back = FREE
Starbucks Double Shot on sale $1.50 and got $1.50 back = FREE
Folgers Gourmet Coffee on sale $7.99(usually about $10-$11) and got $1 back = $6.99
Robutussin on sale $1.50 and got $1.50 back = FREE
Hershey's and Mars Single Chocolates are on sale .79 and got .79 back = FREE
Select 5 Gum flavors on sale $1 and got $1 back = FREE
Advil travel size on sale .99 and got .99 back = FREE

Original retail total before sales was about $46
After using CVS card $25
$2.00 extra care buck coupon brought entire total to $23 out of pocket
Earned about $11 in extra care bucks back to use so it was really like paying $12 for everything!
How amazing is that ?!?

Leave me a comment if you'd like to see more of my couponing and money saving adventures :)


November 24, 2014

Must Have Monday: Monogrammed Gifts

With the Holidays quickly approaching, one of the best gift ideas out there for anyone on your list is something personalized just for them. Monogrammed gifts are the perfect option for the holidays or anytime of year really. One company that specializes in a fabulous assortment of personalized gifts I have grown to love is Marley Lilly. From bags, to clothing, to jewelry, to accessories and even shoes, Marley Lilly has a great variety of fashionable products that are sure to be a great option for you and everyone on your gift list!


A couple of my favorite items from Marley Lilly is the Monogrammed Tassel Bracelet and the Luxe Cross Body Clutch. The bracelet is the perfect accessory for any outfit and comes in a variety of different tassel colors so you can choose the best color to match your style. I personally love the tan tassel because it goes with everything! The clutch is so classic in its shape with a removable chain strap and comes in a variety of different colors as well and even a couple of fabrications. Every item with Marley Lilly can be personalized with different monogramming styles to choose from for each piece.


This year for Black Friday Marley Lilly is giving a FREE Christmas Plaid Blanket Scarf (pictured on me below) with every $100 order starting on Wednesday! So head over this week and get some of the gifts checked off your list for this Holiday season!
Happy shopping :)  

This scarf is so comfy! I am probably going to wear it everyday that it is cold here :) It is truly a must have this year!

November 20, 2014

Fall Capsule Wardrobe Outfits Week 2

Ok so I only have 3 outfits to show you this week. I did a lot of house cleaning and organizing last week so there were only a few days I actually got out of the house and got dressed. So here is what I wore:
 Obsessed with my little black sweatshirt from Banana Republic! It is so comfortable and I love how it looks with a white button down underneath it.


So this weekend was so cold here and I got to actually bundle up a couple of times. The lighting is horrible in this pic but it was night time and I wanted to show you all the outfit. 
Scarf Old Navy(last year) / Navy Sweater Loft / Jeans Old Navy / Steve Madden Boots (2 years ago)

This is the outfit I wore to do a little shopping after we had a yard sale this past Saturday. It was possible the coldest morning ever here and yes we had a yard sale...and on top of that we made $100! I couldn't believe it, so we went to a couple of shops and got some necessities and Christmas presents with our earnings. 
Jacket, Sweater Old Navy / Leggings Gap Outlet (last year) / Boots Rack Room / Scarf Target



November 19, 2014

My Holiday Wishlist

My Holiday Wishlist

My Holiday Wishlist by nataliemorelliwaters featuring J.Crew

Tis' the season for gift guides and wishlists flooding the internet. So in order to take part, here's a little peak at some of the things on my Christmas wishlist this year. Some beauty related items I'm wishing for are some essential oils, anything cake/cupcake flavored, a foot spa, and any cute little makeup samples to try out. In books and music I'm really wanting Grace Potter's book of photographs of her and her band from the past 10 years performing and behind the scenes (it's also signed by her!), a few of the Pioneer Woman's cookbooks (I love her and watch her show any chance I get and use a ton of her recipes), and I'm also really enjoying Florida Georgia Line this year so I would love to have their CD's to listen to in my car. In fashion related items I'm wishing for a black and brown reversible market tote, a new phone case (really love the leather stripe from JCrew), would love a Ted Baker large bow cosmetic pouch (frankly I'm just obsessed with bows right now so anything with a bow I'll love), and I have a plaid scarf pictured but I already have 2, but I love scarves in general so they make a great gift.

So that's pretty much everything on my wishlist this year....what's on your list? Would love to see your wishlists and/or gift guides so link them in the comments :)

November 17, 2014

Must Have Monday: Mad About Plaid

Must Have Monday: Mad About Plaid

Must Have Monday: Mad About Plaid by nataliemorelliwaters featuring tartan plaid shoes

It wouldn't be fall without plaid! And plaid is definitely having a huge moment right now compared to the past few seasons. From buffalo plaid, to plaid pants, to plaid in accessories, to plaid outerwear, and even plaid in our home decor...one thing is certain that everyone is "mad about plaid" this season. I'm definitely lusting over the plaid pant trend, however, I'm not too certain I could pull them off personally, but I love seeing them. Even in baby and kids wear, there are plaid pants and coats and cute shirts right now. So if you try anything new this season, or just want to add some fun to your fall looks, try out some different plaids in different pieces of clothing and accessories and just have fun with it!

I'd love to see some of your plaid looks or some of your favorite plaid pieces this season :)

November 13, 2014

Fall Capsule Wardrobe Outfits Week 1

Only in South Carolina will you experience all 4 seasons in a matter of a few days. We went from having a winter over one weekend and then to 80 degrees within a few days. So with the schizophrenic weather, here are my outfits from last week :)

T-shirt Old Navy / Vest LOFT / Jeans Walmart / Boots Steve Madden / Scarf Walmart


Jacket and T-shirt Old Navy / Black Pants and Sandals Walmart / Backpack Steve Madden / Sunglasses LOFT

Oversized T-shirt Old Navy / Scarf Walmart / Jeans Walmart / Bag Marshalls / Booties Burkes Outlet

Shirt Walmart/ Scarf Old Navy / Jeans Walmart / Booties TJMaxx
Scarf Walmart / Stripe T Banana Republic / Leggings Banana Republic / Open Cardigan Target / Boots Steve Madden

November 12, 2014

Living Simply: A Cleaning Schedule that Actually Works!

Haha NOT! Image from Google Images :)

Being a successful homemaker means making everything happen from cleaning, managing finances, taking care of and nurturing your children, and being a wife to your husband. For me and a lot of other mom and housewives out there, I know I always put cleaning on the back burner to focus on something else that is more of a priority in our household. However, from looking through other mom's cleaning schedules on Pinterest and such, I have come up with a successful cleaning schedule that I can actually manage and keep up with every day. And most of my daily cleaning happens during Lilly's nap which makes knocking it out super easy. 

So here it is:

Cleaning Schedule
Takes about 1.5 hours to complete everyday

Daily
Make bed
Dishes
Organize/tidy up something for 10 minutes before bed
Laundry- one load a day wash, dry, fold, put away

Monday
Master Bedroom and Bathrooms
Vacuum
Swiffer floors
Dust
Change bed sheets
Wipe off counters and sinks
Clean toilets
Clean showers
Tidy up towels
Organize cabinets-this doesn't happen every week
Sweep floor and mop
 Take out trash


Tuesday
Kitchen & Laundry Room
Wipe down counters and cabinets
Clean out fridge
Wipe down microwave and oven
Clean off, tidy up, organize coffee bar
Sweep and mop floors
Wipe down washer and dryer
Tidy up storage baskets above washer and dryer

Wednesday
Living Rooms
Vacuum
Swiffer floors
Dust
Tidy up Lilly's toys and put anything laying around away

Thursday
Lilly's Room and Guest Room
Tidy up both rooms
Swiffer
Vacuum
Dust

Friday
(No cleaning besides daily work because this is the day 
Lilly and I are usually out of the house for a majority of the day)

Saturday
Clean out car
Clean and tidy up carport
Yard Work- Josh
Any Outdoor or Indoor Home projects

Sunday
Meal Plan and Grocery Shop
Rest

This schedule honestly works for me and I am able to do it every day and feel good even if my house isn't 100% spotless, at least it's hygienic haha :) I hope this helps you if you are struggling to figure out how to get it all done. Whatever you do, don't try and squeeze all your cleaning work into 1 day, you'll drive yourself crazy and I guarantee you won't finish everything you wanted to clean in that 1 day. And I'll be honest, some weeks we are so busy or distracted that this doesn't happen every week, but when it's time for me to really get back to it I always come back to this schedule I have created and keep in my life planner. 

Do you have a cleaning schedule that really works for you and your family? I'd love to know :)

November 11, 2014

Trendy Tot Tuesday


So lately I have been finding the cutest and most adorable little girl outfits for Lilly. Marshall's, TJMaxx, Target and Kohls have so many cute outfit sets right now and I couldn't help but stock up on some a few weeks ago. Lilly is growing so much that even 18 month stuff is getting tight in some brands (she's only 15 months!) 
I love this little pink and grey stripe sweater jacket with her little jeans and faux Ugg boots :) What you can't really see that well is that the sweater has little grey velvet bows on the pockets and gold buttons...so adorable! 

This sweater and jeans outfit set I found at TjMaxx. Boots are Target :)

November 8, 2014

Must Have Monday: Copper and Rose Gold

Must Have Monday: Copper and Rose Gold

Must Have Monday: Copper and Rose Gold by nataliemorelliwaters featuring a serrated spoon

Completely obsessed with everything copper and rose gold! From kitchen utensils and gadgets, to home decor, to fashion and accessories...copper and rose gold is everywhere right now. I love it so much I want to get rid of all my kitchen stuff and get all new copper pots and pans and utensils, same with my jewelry and rose gold :) These will make great gift ideas this holiday season for the hostess with the mostess, the foodie, the techie, the fashionista, even the men and little ones in your life, there's something different and unique for everyone that they wouldn't necessarily expect.

What do you think about copper and rose gold? Are you just as obsessed as I am?!

Rose gold shoes
freshlypicked.com


Birkenstock leather shoes
$16 - asos.com


Ted Baker charm jewelry
$42 - theiconic.com.au


Oversized watch
target.com




Copper mug
target.com



Snowflake cookie cutter
williams-sonoma.com