Midweek Ramblings + Recent Purchases + Current Wishlist.

{End result of the hair trim I had this past weekend! I rarely get my hair done... for the past few years I've gotten a healthy trim about once a year and that's it! Follow me on social media @miss_alk}

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Ramblings: 

• Blog to follow: Do It On a Dime: My latest blog and Youtube obsession is Do It On a Dime! Have y'all heard of Kathryn before? Her blog is focused on easy DIYs and frugal living and shopping habits. I watched one of her videos about organization in a small apartment, and I was hooked! I noticed that she has a tutorial for a DIY SNS (dip) manicure- I'm hoping to try that out for myself soon. 
• Thankful for friends: So... I dealt with something disappointing in my personal life last week. Things have truly been going really, really well for me since I moved to Virginia, but life is also life and will always have its ups and downs. I can't control every situation or have it end in the outcome I want, and anyways last week handed me something that I didn't have much control over that was hard to deal with. Anyways, going through that made me realize how truly blessed I am to have such wonderful friends in my life right now, both those I've made here in Charlottesville, and also friends around the country!  Life sometimes hands you annoying situations, but I sure am glad to be able to have the support of so many amazing friends in my life- it sure is a blessing! I struggled for a lot of my high school years to make good friendships, so thankful to have made some now in early adulthood. 
• Mary Kay giveaway: I am excited about an Instagram giveaway that I'm hosting this evening! I'm partnering with the sweetest girl Megan Macdowall to host it. Megan is from Virginia, and in addition to being a full-time college student, she has a full-time business selling Mary Kay. Talk about a busy girl and boss babe! I met Megan a few weeks ago for a makeover and to learn more about Mary Kay. I had tried a few Mary Kay products over the years, but wasn't familiar with them as of lately. I was very impressed with some of the skincare and makeup product she showed me, and I'm excited that Megan is collaborating with me for a giveaway. There will be multiple winners- hope that you'll check it out this evening on my Instagram! 

Weekend Recaps:

• Last weekend: Started off pretty rough- with a horrible migraine on Friday evening that started while I was still at work! I shared about it on IG Stories and a lot of you DMed me the sweetest suggestions and well wishes- thank y'all for that! I was in so much pain that I fell asleep at 6:30 pm (!!!) - I woke up briefly a few hours later to eat a little something, but then fell back asleep until Saturday morning. I ended up sleeping almost 12 hours! Thankfully- I slept the migraine away and the rest of my weekend was good. I had a very chill day Saturday- I did a lot of cleaning in my apartment, and caught up on some podcasts and TV shows. It dawned on me that I don't think I've had a single chill Saturday at home since I moved here... so different from my year in Vermont where every weekend it seemed like I was hanging out at home! Anyways, I also saw some friends this weekend, went to church Sunday, and did a volunteer opportunity with my church Sunday evening which was a great way to end the weekend. 
• This weekend: Minus church, I don't have any plans set in stone yet!! Although I think a few girlfriends and I might be going out in downtown Charlottesville at some point this weekend, which should be a great time. So far since moving here I've only enjoyed local nightlife just once (#GrandmaStatus most weekends), but I'm excited to have some late night fun this weekend! 

Purchases: 

• Another color in this type of nail polish! So far I like it. 
• After church on Sunday I checked out a consignment shop with some friends. I was so impressed by the high quality items and brand name clothing they had! I bought a gingham button down shirt, a very preppy printed skirt from Vineyard Vines, a striped maxi dress and an embellished houndstooth dress for fall from Zara. (Similar linked for everything). All of this- plus a mug and a book, came to under $50!! I need to shop secondhand more often. 

Wishlist: 

• I've had a soft spot in my heart for Boston Terriers for a few years- in college I nannied for a family that had one! This t-shirt with a cute Boston Terrier on it just makes my heart happy.
• I need to invest in some new cardigans for work soon. I wear a cardigan just about everyday because the AC is always on full blast in my studio. These are some of my favorite cardigans and they come in lots of colors!
• I already own a few casual Lilly Pulitzer dresses in styles similar to this- but this dress is just STUNNING!
• This tote seems to repeatedly get great reviews from bloggers, and I love the colors that it's available in right now! This would be so cute for travel. 
• These statement earrings are so unique and pretty! They are very big... bigger than I think any earrings I own. But I still really like them. 

Recipe of the week: Lemon Poppyseed Protein Bars from Eat Spin Run Repeat. I've been on the hunt lately for healthy and creative breakfast recipes. I decided to make this protein breakfast bars... I have mixed feelings about them. They were pretty easy to make and they were filling to eat! However, one of the main ingredients is vanilla protein powder- I don't think I used a very tasty type, and the bars had a strange after taste. Maybe they would be better with a different type of protein powder!

Song of the week: Write Your Story by Francesca Battistelli. I've been listening to a good amount of Christian music lately! I go through phases with Christian music... sometimes it's all I listen to for a few weeks, and then I don't listen to it again for six months. Anyways, this is an older song by Francesca Battistelli, but I've rediscovered it! It's such an uplifting and positive song- if you're having a rough day the message of the song might put you in a better mood. 

On the blog this week: 

• Chicwish Summer Dresses Try-On Session!
• Tassel T-Shirt Outfit + My Blog's Mission Statement.
• Monticello Wine Trail: Afton Mountain Vineyards   

     God Bless,

     xoxo Annaliese