Currently // February 2016

Reading: Scarlet, Bridget Jones's Diary, and The Heir. 

All very good!! Scarlet was riveting, so much more invested in Cinder etc. now! Bridget Jones's Diary was just hilarious and delightful! Tore through The Heir and liked it more than expected based on what I had heard about it! :) (Look for full February reading recaps coming in early March). Up Next: Dumplin', Cress, and Me Before You.


Watching: iZombie, Jane the Virgin, and Gilmore Girls.

KC and I finished season 1 of iZombie on Netflix. I will maintain that while the name is awful, and the plot sounds kinda lame... THIS SHOW IS ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD! It's by the same writer as Veronica Mars. It's SO clever, and quite a bit darker than I expected... I LOVE it! I really wish I could start season 2 now... but alas... I must wait... I do promise in all of this... that I am not typically "into zombies" as well.

We are currently working to finishing season 1 of Jane the Virgin on Netflix as well. It's so funny. This show is so AMAZINGLY funny. We're very close to the end, and yet I kind of want to start over when we finish! It really makes me want to visit Miami! :) 

We are also having Gilmore Girls nights every other week with some good friends. The host/hostess make dinner, we bring a cake from the "Cake Magic" book I reviewed recently. Then we watch Gilmore Girls. We're still in season 1... but the nights are quite successful so far, and it's great to see friends more! :)


Listening to: Vance Joy & Elle King

We went to Vance Joy's Fire and the Flood tour in KCMO the other night. Elle King opened (how could we even pass those tickets up right?!). Both of them were INCREDIBLE! Finally seeing Vance Joy for a full set was great, Elle King knocked it out of the park. She is delightful and mega talented. I was blown away by her voice! Jamie Lawson was a notable opener, he is the first artist under Ed Sheeran's label. :)


Working On: Lots of fun things for Simply Alexandra Stationery!

1 set of wedding invitations + RSVP cards, 3 sets of save the dates, 3 custom stamps, 1 set of business labels, substitute teacher sheets, and some hand addressed envelopes! + a few very fun quote prints! Playing around with my watercolor skills! Follow along with my stationery page, here.


Headed to: Houston + Galveston! A much needed getaway!

Our last few trips (Alaska, Florida, Arizona) were work or family based more-so than for the sake of traveling. They had their fun parts, but we are really looking forward to a "just for fun, just for travel" trip for just the two of us. :) Still in the early-ish planning stages for this trip... but I'm super excited to getaway and see something new. Houston has a great Museum of Fine Arts, a cool food truck scene, and lots of new things to see. Galveston is warm and beachy. All of the above will be a great change of pace for us! :)

Have you been? I would love your recommendations!


Buying: .... #allthethings .... 

I've been purchasing bras, as goal for the year. And I LOVE some of the ones I've found!! Also, some new pairs of Hanky Pankies. 

I also made two trips to TJMaxx. I bought some L.L. Bean-style lace up winter boots (debating returning... it's so warm.... but next winter they would be great... and were not expensive....?) and a great navy jacket on my first trip. My second trip, I got two pairs of black 7 Jeans skinnies in my size on clearance for $20 each(!), A striped boatneck tee, a new utility vest (mine has always been a little smaller than I'd like), A navy tee with flowy panel on the back, some ADORABLE brown sandals with fringe. Very excited for consistent warm weather so I can wear these all. the. time.

I also bought a lot of little things this month.... for example.... St. Patrick's Day cocktail napkins, LOTS of magazines, a copy of The Siren by Kiera Cass, two pairs of LuLaRoe leggings, a candle with my Honest bundle, a "Good Vibes Only" banner for my office, a used copy of an American Girl book I didn't have.... you get the picture... lots of spending. (but pretty darn conscious spending all things considered!) - okay, maybe not the magazines....


Around the House: MAJOR DECLUTTERING!

Thank you to Lisa, for sharing her decluttering progress this month! Last weekend I finally had time to make some progress in this area as well! I bagged up my donate pile, sorted through my "I thrifted too much" cabinet and re-evaluated it's contents, cleaned out a few bags and boxes of miscellany, sorted through some piles of paperwork, got the Xmas stuff back into storage, and tried on EVERY shirt/jacket/sweater in my closet!!! That's really pretty good progress!! I also dug through my PJs, workout clothes, camisoles, tights, socks, bras, undies, etc. Up next: I need to try on my dresses, skirts, and jeans this week, as well as sort through the kitchen cupboards, and coat closet! (we'll see how much we can fit in before we leave on our trip! This may be a March task as well! - which is totally fine with me!) :) 


Planning: San Francisco, Budgeting, KC's Bday, and Date Nights

March is always a pretty busy time. KC's bday is at the beginning of the month. I always try to stretch it out into a continual week-long sort of celebration. I've got some thoughts on this year, I'm pretty excited! We aren't technically traveling in March, but we are planning a trip to San Francisco in April! So we need to get on that... :P In addition to travel budgeting, we are trying to bolster our (previously-non-existent) savings account. Good for emergencies and future larger purchases. We've been trying to do a better job at saving, and I think we are still on track (despite magazines, see above). I also hope to plan some date nights... but they may be in conjunction with travel and/or KC's bday. :) We'll see!

Surprised By: KC Bought me a Gift!

KC is just about as thoughtful as they come, but this fella doesn't typically show his love via material gifts. It's just not his thing. He's much more of an "acts of service" and "quality time" type of guy. (which I love!) Well, recently he decided he wanted to get me a material gift, these pretty floral Kate Spade keds. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I've worn them a few times already, and I keep putting them back into the box to avoid any unfortunate cat situations. The best thing perhaps, is that they came on a day when I was feeling really crummy. It was a very good reminder to choose joy, and that when things seems kinda off, everything will turn just fine! Plus, the best thing of all, I've still got KC. :) 

What are you guys up to? 

What have you been loving lately?

XO,

Alexandra