Monday, February 28, 2011

Smartly Dressed

bow necklace in seafoam by Uncommon - $15
My brother is turning 30 in a couple of weeks and he bought a bowtie for the party. What a way to stand out at your birthday party! :) Today, I came across this fabulous necklace from Uncommon and fell for it instantly. Isn't it the perfect way for us ladies to accessorize "smartly" without losing our femininity? I think it's adorable! I love the contrast of the bright seafoam color against the bronze metal too. Super cute. My birthday is Wednesday, so I know it's too late to get it here by then, but maybe for next year! Maybe my brother will let me steal his "birthday bowtie" idea!

Uncommon also makes gorgeous home accessories and furniture. I adore the intricately cut birch chandeliers and scallop-edged mirrors. Their shop is full of color and whimsy. There's a great old-fashioned, yet still modern look to their pieces that's really wonderful. Everything is really reasonably-priced too!

If you love this necklace, definitely check out the rest of the shop. You will probably love it all as much as I do!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Wishing for Spring

Emerald Eyes Necklace - Two Little Doves - $22
Isn't this a lovely shade of green? It makes me long for Spring...


Thursday, February 3, 2011

Pear Tree Greetings Valentines Winner!




The winner of the Pear Tree Greetings Giveaway is....  

Misty! 

Congrats Misty! I'll be contacting you by email shortly!!
Thanks to everyone who entered!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Meat-free Month -- I Did It!

Today is February 1st! I did it. I followed a meat-free diet for 1 month. I still ate eggs, cheese and milk, so I did not go vegan, but I didn't eat any meat or fish. (When I say meat, I mean it to include red meat, pork, poultry, fish and shellfish -- all meats, but some people don't, so I'm being specific.) I feel ok today. I don't feel exceptional, but I am at the end of my cold and still dragging a bit. I've heard people say how great they feel after only a week or 2 of vegetarian diets, but I'm pretty sure most of those people went vegan, not just vegetarian. My experience was a mixed one. I had both positive and negative reactions to my meatless month.

Ok, positives first. I'm proud of myself for doing it - I'm impressed that I didn't cave halfway through the month and eat bacon. (There was a time there where I thought I might.) I learned about a lot of new, delicious foods and found some great restaurants. I lost about 9 lbs. (I wasn't trying to, but I didn't mind seeing that new number show up on the scale!) I got to share the experience with my boyfriend. We proved with both could do it. Planning meals without meat is cheaper than with!

I did have some negatives too, however. It was very easy (too easy, really) to eat badly this way. On more than one occasion I resorted to appetizers for dinner when we went out to eat. I ate mozzarella sticks more this month than I have in 6 months. I think I also should have done some research on the right foods to incorporate. I ate a lot of spinach, but I don't know if there was something else I should have been eating instead. I also ate a lot of cheese, which messed up my system some. Many restaurants are offering meat-free options now, but there are still a lot of places only offering grilled cheese and garden salads. And cheese hoagies. And restaurants that are labeled vegetarian or vege-friendly are typically expensive. We're on a budget, so we weren't willing to break the bank for our experiment.

Looking at my paragraphs, it looks like there were more negatives than positives, but I definitely don't think that's true. I am really happy that I did this and I plan to definitely incorporate more vegetarian meals into my weekly diet. My boyfriend and I decided we'd continue meat-free til Saturday and break our "fast" together :) I'm thinkin a 5 Guys burger, but not sure yet! I have also decided to only have 3 meat meals a week to start. I may change that after a few weeks, but I don't want to shock my system with a ton of meat right away. And I know how healthy a vegetarian diet can be (if you plan for it!) I will be researching it and finding my own happy middle ground to be healthier.