June Favorites: Books, Movies, & TV

We're halfway through June and you know what time it is....okay, well maybe you don't. But I am going to tell you so never fear! It's time for Emilie's June Favorites: otherwise known as a list of random things that I've really liked during this month. Cheers.

1. Movie...

Wonder Woman: let's just get this obvious favorite over with. OBSESSED. I have always been a sucker for a good Girl Power storyline (Spice Girls represent) and this movie was one, big, epic, MFing girl power moment. I thought Gal Gadot did a wonderful job (pun intended) and that her portrayal of Diana was amazing. She made Diana relatable, real, and still an ass-kicking warrior princess. Wonder Woman is goals for all of us; she does what she wants, stands up for those who can't fight for themselves, doesn't let anyone tell her what to do, and is unapologetic about her femininity.

2. Book(s)...

I am not capable of reading only one book at a time. I get bored and end up taking forever to finish it, unless of course it's Harry Potter. Right now I am really enjoying:

*White Trash: The 400 Year Untold History of Class in America (Nancy Isenberg)
*The Secret History of Wonder Woman (Jill Lepore)
*A Breath of Snow and Ashes: Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
*Outliers: The Story of Success (Malcolm Gladwell)

I highly recommend all of these books especially if you like history or historical fiction.

3. Television...

When I say 'television' I mean Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon because I am cheap and we don't do cable unless its basketball season. But! Here are my favorite shows currently...

*American Gods - This show has incredible camera shots and the storyline is insane, I can't wait to read the book! Unfortunately I messed up my longtime pact of reading books before seeing the show on this one but if the book is anything like the show, it's going to be great. Neil Gaiman is an artist.

*The Handmaid's Tale - This show makes me angry & upset but it is relevant and I love it. I'm a little confused about why they decided to drag it out into more than one season, but excited to see where they go with it. Elizabeth Moss is insanely great as June and I love that she is also a producer on the show.

What are you reading, listening to, and watching right now??

Happy Monday...

Em

April Favorites: Podcast, Book, Show

Every once in a while I remember to jot down a quick post of my favorite shows, podcasts, books, products etc... for the month. And it just so happens that I remembered today, lucky you!

Let's jump right in, shall we?

1. Show:
Black Sails. BLACK EFFING SAILS. Black. Sails. Sails of Black. Errrmahhgerddddd.

I honestly don't even know where to begin. This show is 4 seasons of piratey, swashbuckly, perfection! It is a pre-curser to Treasure Island and is loosely historical. The actors were so dynamic and well-cast, and the show even won a GLAAD award for Best Drama. Let me put it this way, if we were close friends and you couldn't get into this show, we would have to re-evaluate our friendship. Watch it!

2. Podcast:
I've been on a pretty big podcast kick recently, especially while at the gym. I also started getting depressed listening to news every morning so I alternate podcasts in so I don't suffer rage blackouts. My favorite NEW podcast is From The Heart: Conversations with Yoga Girl.

I have been following Rachel for a while now and when she said she was starting a podcast i was really excited but a little bit skeptical. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised because her podcasts are just as authentic and heartfelt as I hoped they would be. If you are interested in yoga, entrepreneurship, meditation, and healthy living you should check her out!

3. Book:
I haven't had too much time for 'fun' reading since I've been so swamped with required reading for my yoga teacher training but I have been really enjoying one of our yoga books a lot. I would honestly recommend it to anyone who is trying to learn more about yoga spirituality and incorporating breathing techniques and mediation into their life. The book is called Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann. It also goes into detailed explanations and benefits of many poses which has been very helpful.

What have you been reading, watching, and listening to this month?

Em

Some Fall Wardrobe Favorites

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful book recommendations after my last post!! One of my life long goals has been to start a book club that doesn't immediately fail due to lack of organization and time haha so thanks for helping me keep the dream alive!!

One of my biggest chores of the week, in preparation for our move, has been to go through all of my clothes and shoes so I can get rid of all of the things I don't wear anymore. After being in Florida this long I definitely feel like my work wardrobe has dwindled down to flip flops and sundresses, which we all know will not cut it in a NC winter.

So, out come the three organizational piles! The donate pile. The keep pile. And the trash-it-before-anyone-sees-it pile. My favorite part about the changing of the seasons is being able to switch up my wardrobe. As someone who is constantly trying to focus on the NOW but who is always thinking way too far ahead, I get sick of the seasonal fashion trends really quick. After like 3 weeks of bikinis and short shorts, all I can think about are sweaters and jeans. After a month of so of hoodies and tights, I am ready for flip flops and rompers.

It's really hard work being this basic.

With all of that being said, I have been gearing up for fall by creating a list of my fall fashion staples. My favorite part about fall fashion is the juxtaposition of all of the textures and patterns. I love mixing a huge, chunky knit sweater over opaque black tights, with some Frye boots. And seeing all of the rich, jewel tones people mix in with their work blazer through scarves and accessories. Everything is so comfy but so interesting to look at. In my opinion, a perfect, oversized, knit sweater is the equivalent of your favorite blanket you curl up in on your couch. Except the sweater is not frowned upon when you wear it in public.

Speaking as someone who is obsessed with always making everything as cozy as possible, the fall is my absolute favorite time of the year for fashion.

Must Haves:
Black Tights: they go with everything.

Boots: ankle, over the knee, etc...all of the boots!

Nice Jeans: I prefer dark wash, but a nice pair of bf jeans are amazing for a more casual look.

  

Flannel Shirt: the fitted flannels from Madewell and J-Crew are perfection. They are very flexible and can be tucked into a skirt or worn over jeans to a tailgate.

 

Blazer: a fitted, fresh blazer is perfect for going from the office to dinner.

Sweaters: I love a chunky, off the shoulder knit that can be layered or worn in its own.

Flats: A dressy pair of flats can be worn with jeans or a dress and they always look good

There are so many awesome fall outfits to try and so little time to try them all. You could always turn the A/C down and completely jump the gun like I did this morning! What are some of your fall wardrobe necessities?? 

Weekend Favorites 4/22-4/24

Wow. I have been terrible about blogging recently, and really there is no excuse other than life. We are currently playing that oh-so-fun marine corps game of 'hurry up and wait' to see what platform J will be assigned for flight school and where that will send us in the coming months. Because of this, I have been cautiously tempering my inflow of work in case we will not be here in a few months. Thankfully the wait will be over next week and then we can make a game plan! Honestly, it's not the moving around and last minute orders that are the most frustrating, it's the waiting! But then again, patience is not a quality that I possess in any graceful fashion so that doesn't help my case...

In the meantime, while we wait PATIENTLY, here are my weekend favorites. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Favorite Shoes: Just ordered these beauties from the J-Crew New Balance collection. They are so pretty and when I realized last week that I had managed to puncture a hole in my nice sneakers I decided to take the plunge and buy them 

Favorite Podcast: This talk by Liz Gilbert (author of Eat Pray Love) knocked my socks off. I have felt this way my whole life and hearing her talk about following your curiosity instead of forcing a passion was so incredibly moving for me. Hummingbirds Unite!

http://www.supersoul.tv/supersoul-sessions/elizabeth-gilbert-flight-hummingbird-curiosity/

Favorite Movie: This weekend J and I watched the Princess Bride which was so much fun because it was a childhood favorite for both of us. Every time I watch this movie it gets funnier, and I have so many good memories associated with it :)

Favorite Book (currently): I am STILL reading Brian Greene's book The Fabric of the Cosmos, which is shocking because I'm normally an incredibly fast reader. But this damn book is taking me forever because I have absolutely no background in physics and I have to read every single paragraph multiple times and then put it down and think about how I know absolutely nothing (Jon Snow...) about the world around me. It's awesome though. I think I'm starting to get it...maybe..youtube videos help. 

On a separate "book note" I just ordered Elizabeth Gilbert's new book Big Magic and the first book in the Outlander series so I can't wait to get my hands on those!

Favorite Recipe: This weekend I have made the homemade Bean Burger recipe from Thug Kitchen twice and we are still not sick of it. Even if you are not vegetarian or vegan you NEED this cookbook. The flavors are amazing, the recipes are easy, and they are cruelty free...reduce your carbon footprint...blah blah blah...you know, IMPORTANT THINGS. 

  

On that note, hope you all had an amazing weekend. What were some of your weekend favs??

Em

My Favorite Things This Week: Click the Links to Explore!

A list of my weekly favs...Enjoy xo

1. Favorite Blog: The Daily Tay (So hilarious, and true, and hilarious)

2. Favorite Workout Site: BodyBuilding.com (Much cooler than it sounds...you can even find a plan that matches your health goals!)

3. Favorite Pandora Playlist: Bob Marley (So ready for summer!)

4. Favorite App: Boomerang (Perfect for capturing awkward moments, and repeating them over and over and over...)

5. Favorite Instagram Feed: mamawatters (She always posts such inspirational posts and lovely photos)

6. Essential Oils: We are loving peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus right now! So refreshing on these hot days!

7. Favorite Show: House of Cards!!! (Obvi, we are taking it a little slower than some of you dedicated binge watchers!

8. Favorite Food: Fresh strawberries from Bailey's Market!

9. Favorite Swimwear: Victoria's Secret Swim (They always have the cutest suits!) But also, I love a good Target swimsuit if I can catch them early on before the good ones are gone ;)

10. Favorite Recipe: We are all about some smoothies for breakfast these days, and huge fresh salads with lettuce straight from our garden!

...E

What are your favorites???