Thoughts on Thinning

As I am writing this, I am sitting in my living room in sweaty gym clothes. I almost did not make it to the gym today (Monday) and even though I was there, I did my worst mile run yet. I just finished eating a protein bar and my iPod is still set to my workout mix.

About a week ago, I entered a contest on Instagram to win a Fabletics giftcard and I recently found out that I was chosen as a runner up. The picture I posted was one my trainer took while I squated 155 pounds, which is my heaviest to date. 

Two days ago, my trainer and I hit a wall because he wanted me to do box jumps that I know physically I could, but mentally I psyched myself out of doing. He wouldn't let me leave until I did one. I barely made that one and only did so after about 15 minutes of pouting. 

A year ago, I bought the shirt I'm wearing in these pictures and I wrote this blog post about being a fat girl. Then, I didn't realize how strong I would become in just a little under a year later. Not just physically, but mentally. You see, then I thought the stronger thing to do was be confident in the fact that I was a fat girl and being okay with it. Don't get me wrong, I honestly love myself at any size. If you know me, you know I'm obnoxiously confident. But now I'm completely different and I'm not even at the size I want to be at yet. 

This shirt was created by Tess Munster. You have probably heard of her recently because she has within the last year shot to fame by becoming the largest plus-size model to be signed to a modeling agency. I've followed Tess around the web for quite a few years now so I was genuinely happy for her, but her signing came about at the same time I had lost my first 20 pounds and had no plans of stopping. 

When I bought this shirt from her, it didn't fit. I double checked the measurements and what the size chart said and I even ordered a size up like instructed because I love the saying and the movement in general and wanted to be able to flaunt this shirt. But it didn't fit. And to be honest, it still is a little bit too small for my personal preference. This shirt is a large. 

Since mid-January when I joined Snap Fitness and really started to take my health seriously, which is the reason I started in the first place, I have lost 35 pounds. I was wearing a size 22 when this all began. By June, I have no doubt that I will be in a 12.

At this point of this post I feel like I'm rambling because at this point in my fitness journey, I feel like I'm scatterbrained. I love the results. I love feeling better and actually feeling healthy. I love seeing that I can lift heavier and heavier. And that, even though today's mile run sucked, I can run. But it is such hard work. You have to be so disciplined. And it sometimes really just sucks.

When I posted my first progress picture on social media, a lot of friends reached out asking about how I lost so much so quickly. When I told them what I have changed my diet to and that I mostly just lift, no one really believed that's what it took to have these results. But that really is what it takes to get these results. I'm not joking and I highly doubt there is any other way to do it. Your nutrition is the most important and while I always thought I was eating healthy, because I ate what I was "supposed" to; I can easily tell the difference in how I feel now.

I'm not trying to tell you to start working out and eat differently. I was very happy how I lived before, but I am happier now. And if it's possible, I have even more confidence now. I'm also not trying to distance myself from the former plus-size fashion blogger I once was. I love that girl and I love that community of bloggers. It's just that now #effyourbeautystandards plays a role differently to me then when I bought this shirt. I'm still plus-sized and my curves are here to stay. Trust me, squats make a bigger booty so my curves are not going anywhere. I've still got some chub and I'm still all about rocking a crop top or bikini anyway. My brain (and heart) will always be plus-size. I know that struggle all to well, without ever realizing what a struggle it actually was. (That confidence bug, I tell ya, she's a good one!)

Now, I just want to be able to be seen as fit. I'm not aiming for skinny. Too much of me is still very much proud to be a bigger girl and know I'm beautiful even though I'm not the "ideal" size. I don't think that will ever change about me. I'm just anxious to see what I will be like when I look back on this post in a year from now.

Fashion Forward Fridays: Spring Shoes

Since I've been bartending so much, I have been wearing a lot of flats and sneakers recently. Which has led me to fall back in love with my KANDALS and want to order something similar but bolder. My decision would already be made if KANDALS created a shoe with some sort of pattern on it, but alas!

one: ModCloth | two: Target | three: UnionJack Boots | four: Blowfish Shoes

I've narrowed down my options to these four and really like them all for a different reason. At the bar, the other girls and I all wear the same t-shirt and jeans so really our shoes are the only part of our outfits that make us look different. Because of this, I have found a new love for flats and sneakers, which is mind blowing to me more than anything. Coming from the girl who wore heels everywhere for the past five years, this is a major step.

Which of these do you like best?

Chels Wears: Something Simple

Shoes, Shirt, Jeans: WalMart | Headband: Gabe's

You guys. I have a lot to talk about. Like, I've made lists. I realize that I've taken a lot of random blogging breaks recently and I am certain that it is because so much is changing in my life right now and I didn't feel like my blog was making that change with me. So if there is some different content around these parts, don't be alarmed. I am literally the happiest I have ever been right now in my life and I'm sure some of the topics I discuss will help you understand where I'm coming from. There will still be fashion related posts, because that makes sense to me always. But stay tuned, I'm excited.

In other news, yes this outfit is super simple but it was perfect for a little Sunday funday action with MJ this past weekend. We went out to lunch and got to eat on the patio! (Yay, nice weather!) And then we went for a walk around a nearby park. Since I haven't really been blogging recently, I don't plan to go out to take outfit photos, so I'm pretty happy with how easy these were and love the look of them. Seriously, I could go on little nature walks everyday and never be bored. How awesome is this little area? When we came up to this little clearing I just stopped MJ and asked, "doesn't this look great right here?" And of course that led to these pictures. I like when he plays along with my need to see myself in pictures, ha!

Chels Wears: Puffer Vest

Cardigan: Target | Vest: Peebles | Jeans, Scarf, Boots, Headband, Shirt: Walmart

Oh man have I been awful at blogging recently! My apologizes. I actually took these photos almost three weeks ago and just never felt inspired enough to post them. To be honest, my mind has just been pre-occupied, but real life has to trump blogging at some point and every time I would go to blog, I just didn't want to. I know some people will say to write through a writer's block, but I hate seeing bloggers who clearly don't care about what they're writing. I don't think that's fair for blogger or reader, so I don't do it.

Since these pictures have been taken, a lot has changed with me personally. I no longer work for Family Video, which is allowing me to focus on my business, and has put me back to bartending a few nights a week. I actually really like being behind the bar and cannot say that I mind this change. It was just very much time for me to move on from Family Video. After two years and constantly trying to out-do myself for overall company sales rankings, I had enough and needed a breather. I'm now focusing on custom projects from clients (mostly wedding invites!!) and looking for where my next move is career-wise. I feel like a big move is on the horizon and I'm excited/nervous about that but letting God lead in me figuring that out.

I have also lost about 10 pounds since these pictures were taken, 25 total since the beginning of the year. I have basically been living at the gym and really focusing on what I eat, pretty much to the point of obsession. I don't think that I look different, you'll be able to judge for yourself with tomorrow's outfit photos that were taken on Sunday, but I feel so much better. As you guys know, I am a very confident person so my weight has never really been an issue, I know I'm a big girl and I'm fine with it. But I just really felt like garbage which is why I knew I needed to change what I was doing and I will never go back at this point. It's a lot of work and pre-planning, but I cannot imagine going back to how I was eating. Plus now I can do squats like a beast, so there's that.

What have you been up to!?

Learn to Love Me: Part II

Moving right along with the "36 Questions That Lead to Love" here is part two. I'm sure you guys are just head over heels for me by now, haha!



If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?
I often think I'd like to know who I'll end up with, or what my career will be, how many kids (if any) I'll have, etc. but to be honest, I'd rather not know. I think it would take the fun out of life. Sure the stress would be gone too, but what would be the point of living?

Is there something that you've dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven't you done it?
Have kids. I'm only 25, I've got things to do first.

What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?
Earning my Masters, starting my own business, I really do have a lot to be proud of even though I don't always give myself the proper credit.

What do you value most in a friendship?
Honesty.

What is your most treasured memory?
The week leading up to graduation at Seton Hill. SHU was really great about planning the school year to allow for a week to be between senior finals and graduation. Meaning there is a week that the seniors are on campus for no other reason but to hang out with each other. We certainly made the most of that week and I cherish every moment.

What is your most terrible memory?
Finding out my grandma died.

If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?
Stop working and travel. To far away places I've never been and to visit friends and family. And tell everyone how I feel about them all the time until they are sick of hearing it.

What does friendship mean to you?
My friends are my life.

What roles do love and affection play in your life?
Everything. Without love, we are all nothing and while I am not one to show affection in typical ways, I know how important that is as well.

Share five positive characteristics of your partner.
MJ always sees the best in people. He is blatantly honest and loyal to a fault. He has the biggest heart of anyone I know and gives love so easily.

How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people?
I'd say we're pretty close. However, I wish that I was closer with my cousins, I am always so jealous of how close MJ is with his cousins. I would say that my childhood was pretty awesome, so yes, I was probably happier than most people and I do not take that for granted.

How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?
My mom is my heart. I don't love anyone more than I love her.

Read Part I here.

And stay tuned for the final part, next week!

Learn to Love Me: Part I

There has been a string of bloggers recently filling out "The 36 Questions That Lead to Love" and I thought I would follow along so you all can get to know me even more. Sometimes I like to keep my life private but as a blogger, I feel like the more open I am, the more people realize there is a real person behind the screen. These questions come from the study that says if you answer these questions with another person, you can fall in love with anyone. The questions are in three parts and then the fourth part is that you're supposed to stare into the other person's eyes for four whole minutes! Intense! 

Obviously we cannot do the fourth part but over the next week or so, I'll be breaking up the questions for posts. When I worked at Jumonville, we did a similar exercise during staff training and I have to say that the partners I had still hold a special place in my heart, because of the closeness this activity really makes you feel. So let's dive in! 

Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

My Seton Hill girls. I've been missing them so much lately and I would give anything to be sitting around a huge circle table in Lowe Dining Hall with all of them again.

Would you like to be famous? In what way?

I don't like how much we pry into the lives of famous people, so no, not really. But I wouldn't mind being remembered for my writing and/or designing. 

Before making a telephone call, do you rehearse what you are going to say? Why?

Sometimes, depending on who I'm about to talk to or what needs to be said. Most definitely with phone interviews but not if it's just a casual conversation.

What would constitute the "perfect" day for you?

Oh, man. My favorite kind of days are the ones that I can truly enjoy because I don't have to do anything the next day, so I can just relax and not stress out about what needs done soon. So I guess I need a perfect weekend haha! But the perfect day right now would be one that involves warm weather! Preferably on a boat just lazy river style, with a good book and/or great company.

When did you last sing to yourself? To anyone else?

Myself? All the time. I sing while getting ready, while cooking, when I'm bored, always. To other people? Sort of by accident in a boot camp class last week. Sometimes the music just moves you!

If you were to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you chose?

This probably sounds conceited and shallow, but body. I like the maturity and wit that comes with age, so I'd be okay with being a bit more forgetful but I hate that an aging body slows down even the feistiest people. 

Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?

Not really. But I (unfortunately) feel like it will be untimely. Hopefully that's just because I'm paranoid.

Name three things you and your partner have in common.

(I'm assuming this means the partner of the activity, but we'll say they mean life partner.) MJ and I are both fiercely independent, introverted-extroverts (yeah, that's a thing) and great judges of character. 

For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

My education. I'm especially grateful that my mom worked for a college for so long that it allowed me to go to undergrad basically for free, which allowed me to go right into grad school. I wouldn't trade those six years of higher education for anything in the world.

If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

Honestly, nothing. When I was younger, I used to wish that Eric and I had more siblings, but now that we're grown up, I wouldn't change a thing. I think other kids in the family would have kept us from being as close as we were which would be sad.

Tell your life story in as much detail as possible, in four sentences.

I was born and raised in a small town outside of Pittsburgh and led a very active life. I went off to college at Seton Hill University where I earned my BA in New Media Journalism and Communication and where I met my boyfriend, MJ, whom I've been with since 2009. After graduation, I continued my education at Point Park University where I earned my Masters in Public Relations and Advertising, also during that time I was living right in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh and started this blog! In 2014 I started my own greeting card business, Marion Claire Stationery, which has always been a lifelong goal and is named after my grandmothers. (Queen of the run-on sentence right here.)

If you could wake up tomorrow with one quality or ability, what would it be?

Patience with myself. I honestly am so patient with other people (seriously, I'm told almost every day how patient I am), but I wish I could give myself that same patience. I'll give other people way more time than they deserve but then expect me to get results and get things done, like, right now. 

Stay tuned for part two!

Fill out these questions yourself in the comments - I'd love to read them!

Workin' On My Fitness Playlist

MJ and I have decided this year we are getting our shit together! We have both put on those "relationship pounds" and now that we are both out of grad school and have pretty normal routines, we have no excuses. We both joined gyms, are drinking more water (I gave up pop completely) and are paying attention to what we eat. I would never say to lose weight for a man, but if your man is going to be losing weight...you better be beating him at that game. So, MJ...try to keep up ;) Here's a list of my favorite work out songs and some new ones I've fallen in love with. Hoping they motivate you and get you moving too!

Old Favorites

Electric Feel - MGMT

Third Eye - Kellee Maize

Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera

Work Hard, Play Hard - Wiz Khalifa

Get Me Bodied - Beyonce

Remember The Name - Fort Minor

Where Have You Been - Rihanna

Fire It Up - Thousand Foot Krutch

Go Getta - Young Jeezy

Super Bass - Nicki Minaj

Motivation - Kelly Rowland

Stronger - Kanye West

Maneater - Nelly Furtado

Promise - Ciara

New Loves

Bang Bang - Jessie J

Lips Are Movin - Meghan Trainor

No Mediocre - T.I.

Shake It Off - Taylor Swift

Come & Get It - Selena Gomez

Dark Horse - Katy Perry

Black Widow - Iggy Azalea

Beg For It - Iggy Azalea

7/11 - Beyonce

What songs get you moving?

Chelsea Lately: So This Is The New Year

I really dropped the ball on blogging in December and I'm trying not to let that roll into the new year, so let's get all caught up! I have a lot of big plans for my business and this blog this year and there is no time like the present, right?

Listening: 1000 forms of fear by Sia on vinyl! Because my brother is awesome and got it for me for Christmas!

Eating: Leftovers. Yuck, I'm over having leftovers from the holidays in our fridge. Someone please come over and eat the rest of this ham.

Wanting to buy: At the moment, I'm all shopped out. Holidays do that to you!

Reading: Nothing at the moment, which is weird, but I've just been in a funk recently with getting into books. Recommend me a good one so I can get back in the grove!

Watching: The Walking Dead. I am obsessed. I said that I would never watch this show because I'm not a fan of zombies but so many friends have talked me into watching it. Around Thanksgiving I started (thanks to Family Video having seasons 1-4 on DVD) and just finished up watching the first half of season five online so I am all caught up and pumped for it to be back on TV in February. I have a total crush on Daryl Dixon (mostly because I love Norman Reedus already) he's such a badass and if he even gets killed off, I quit.

Drinking: No pop! (Or soda for those of you who are reading from somewhere other than Pittsburgh.) Eric and I gave up drinking pop and we've been doing pretty good at it since the beginning of November.

Wearing: Christmas presents! I love getting gift cards for presents. I know a lot of people hate it because they think it's a cop-out gift, but there is no greater gift to me than a shopping trip.

Losing Sleep Over: What my next step needs to be. I've been in Erie for a year now and I feel like it's time to either strive for something really great here or move again (which I actually don't feel like doing just yet). But I've been trying to leave it up to God, not stress about it and just roll with the opportunities in front of me. We'll see what happens!

Loving: Life. Even when it's not ideal.

Excited About: The possibilities that 2015 brings.

Thankful For: Memories of a sweet friend. Wishing she knew how precious she was.

What have you been up to recently?

A Prayer Journal

We're going to get a little personal today. For the November Blogathon, today's prompt is to talk about your prayer life, if you have one. As I have mentioned on this blog before, I am a Christian and while I'm a little more liberal with my beliefs about what the church should be doing in the world today, prayer is at the center of it.

When I was younger, growing up in the church, prayer to me was very much just a "Dear God, please keep my friends and family safe and don't let anything bad happen in the world. Amen." Pretty great, right? Since then, I have grown a lot and my relationship with God is completely different.

Until I was a teenager, God was just an idea, not a real person. To be honest, around the time I was fourteen, I remember being at a summer camp and having the most amazing day and then praying that night, like I always did but feeling like God didn't hear me. Like he didn't care about what I had to say and honestly, wasn't even there. That feeling scared me and followed me for the next four years. I didn't believe in God at all. I still went to church every Sunday, I still went to summer camps, but I just didn't feel it anymore.

However, when I went to college, I knew something was missing. Then, when I went to the summer camp I grew up at as a camp counselor, I realized what it was. But it was hard to get back into a relationship with someone I had tried to avoid for the past five years. That's when a fellow staff member introduced the idea of a prayer journal. I thought she was brilliant (I still do, actually). It made perfect sense to me though! As a writer, it was easy to just write everything I was feeling and thinking and hoping for and leaving it all on the page for God. Since then, that's mostly how my prayer life has been. Prayer journals have been filled and replaced over the years but the relationship with God has only grown because of them.

I also am a big fan of the "thought prayer" idea and practice that more often than not. I know that a lot of people don't consider this "active praying" and that it's not the proper way to come to God but this isn't their relationship to judge. God knows what's between me and Him and for now, the thoughts and the journal is how we do it. I recently bought a copy of A Prayer Journal by Flannery O'Connor (one of my favorite writers) and it's made me realize how beautiful these little letters to God are. How our relationship is growing, how it has changed and how it is fine the way it is. I might miss a day or two, but God is like one of those friends you can just pick up with where you last left off without missing a beat. And when I miss a day, that's where the thought prayers pick up for the in-between times.

What's your prayer life like?

What do you think of a prayer journal?

Chelsea Lately: November Blogathon Update

Hello, everyone! I missed yesterday's November Blogathon prompt because I just, honestly, didn't have much to say about it. It was to talk about your hometown and there's really not a lot I have to say about Ellwood City. There are a couple new little restaurants that I like but besides that, not a whole lot is going on that I felt the need to comment on here. Now that I haven't lived there for a while, I appreciate the town way more than I did while growing up there, but I was not created for small town life. So moving on today's prompt...a currently post.

I really love doing these because sometimes bloggers focus a lot on what they want to write about and forget to mention what's going on in their lives. These kind of posts are my favorite to catch up with bloggers and so you all can see what I've really been up to outside of this little space.

Brunch for Eric's birthday | Flowers from MJ for our anniversary | Lots of snow in Erie | My cat, as a record

Remembering: College. MJ and I recently celebrated our five year dating anniversary and it has really made me stop and remember who I was five years ago. I was in my junior year of college, had just been crowned Homecoming Queen and was at the top of my game academically and falling head over heels in love. Seton Hill has such a huge part of my heart and I miss it more than I ever could have imagined.

Giggling About: My crazy cat. My brother, Eric, and I have recently started our own meme-like text messages to each other about her. Pretty much whenever we find her in weird places around the house, we send a picture to each other with the phrase, "don't mind me, I'm just a (fill in the blank)." Recent things she's been: shoes, guitar amp, record, burrito.

Planning: A Thanksgiving dinner! Eek! Family Video and one of my brother's churches have decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner for some local people who don't have a place to go for the holiday and it's tonight! Family Video (like every single one in the nation) always donates turkeys to local families in need but since our store is so small, we decided to just host a dinner instead and Eric was more than willing to allow us to use the church basement for the space. But since I'm the "middle-person" between Family Video and the church, a lot of the planning has been on me. Which is fine, but I hope everything turns out alright!

Anxiously Awaiting: Upcoming craft shows for Marion Claire Stationery. I'm heading to Edinboro for one on Saturday and then doing two more in Shady Side on November 29th and December 13th. I'm hoping that these ones will do really well with Christmas coming up and my holiday cards being ready to go. Also, because the Shady Side shows will be the first two that are really in my "market" I'm hoping they will become a more regular kind of event and open me up to more "hipster-friendly" shows. Because to be honest, I'm a little hit-or-miss at smaller craft shows since they tend to draw an older crowd that doesn't always approve of my cheeky sayings.

Baking: Everything! (See: Planning) haha

Keeping a Secret: Eric's Christmas present! It came in the mail last week and I had to hide it with some other people's presents that I already bought (I'm ahead of schedule this year). But I'm reallllllly excited for what I got him. I saw it online thinking he'd like it but didn't buy it because I wasn't totally sure, then he sent me his Birthday/Christmas list and it was on there...so I swiftly purchased it.

DIYing: Some Christmas crafts for the house! Eric is allowing me to take over for decorating the house for Christmas and I've been Pinteresting a little too much lately. I've found some cute and easy crafts that I cannot wait to show off soon! I have a strict rule about not decorating until after Thanksgiving, but I'm allowed to prepare! This house was seriously designed just to decorate for Christmas, so I've got to do it justice.

What have you been up to recently?

My 2015 Blogging Goals

Firstly, I just want to give a shout out to all the veterans. This day is too often overlooked and I am not about that. I could never imagine being a solider and I greatly appreciate those who have and are serving our country and hope that they feel appreciated today and throughout the year. Regardless of where you stand in politics, you should be supportive of those who willingly suit up and fight for us, while we don't even realize what they are doing. So to those of you who are veterans, who are currently in the military or who are a family member or friend of a military member, thank you for your willingness to serve.

Moving right along with the November Blogathon, today's prompt is to talk about three blogging goals. And while I never really "set in stone" how I want my blog to grow, I think this prompt gave me just enough of a push to think about what I really want with this space, especially within the next year.

Gain engaged followers.
This is probably on a lot of blogger's goals list but it makes sense. I really like the community I've been building through this blog, through reaching out to other bloggers on my own, link-ups and becoming a more active member of the Northeast Bloggers Network. Now I just feel like I need to maximize on that community so I can add followers to my social media sites. This past year I have noticed a pretty big leap in followers and I don't feel like I tried really hard for that to happen, so let's see what trying brings to this blog, shall we?

Figure out if I need to rebrand and do it, if so.
Since moving out of Pittsburgh and then creating Marion Claire Stationery, I have felt the need to rebrand this blog to be more cohesive to everything I'm dipped into and that really just means, my name alone. I'd ideally like to (personally) find some roots in the next year, so that will determine whether or not I'd like to keep "the City" but I'm sure that in the next few years, my name will also change. So I have to figure out whether to wait until the name change or to go for it now. But I feel like the upcoming changes in my personal and professional life will tell me whether or not that rebrand is needed, it's just a process that I'd like to narrow down in the next year.

Write more here and there.
I'd really like to up my game in the next year. I started this year off with a bang and was posting really consistently, but when I started Marion Claire Stationery, I really let myself focus on other things. At the time, that was great, obviously I started a business and have made it into something worth noting during that time. However, now that Marion Claire is up and running and has her shit together, it's time to promote that girl. I want to write more on my blog and do a lot of guest posting for other blogs either for Marion Claire or just guest posts in general. I love writing and connecting with new readers, so if you want a guest post, hit me up!

What are your blogging goals for 2015?

Thanksgiving Traditions with the Olivers

If you were here yesterday, then you know that I'm following along with Kristen's blog, the MRS and the MOMMA, and her November Blogathon posts this month. Since I'll be posting a Chels Wears post tomorrow, I decided to jump ahead and use tomorrow's prompt for today instead. Today's prompt was to write about your favorite fall recipe and I don't really have one, so I'm skipping it. However, Wednesdays prompt is to write about your fall holiday traditions.

Thanksgiving 2013 with my brother, Eric, at our uncle's house.

For as long as I can remember, we have always had Thanksgiving dinner with my dad's siblings, which I really look forward to every year. My uncle is a great cook and gets everything together for dinner and since building his beautiful log cabin home, has hosted Thanksgiving. We always joke around that I will inherit the log cabin so I always like to think of how I would decorate or host these dinners many, many, many years from now.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because of the fall season, football and the food, but I really like getting to spend the time with my family, laughing and playing board games after dinner. Eric and I will be heading back home this year for Thanksgiving and since this is the first year in a long time that I do not have to work on Black Friday, we will be heading out to support some local Pittsburgh record stores for their Black Friday Record Store Day sales. And on Saturday this year I'll be selling my greeting cards at a local "I Made It! Market" in Shadyside. So this year, I'm especially excited for old and new traditions to happen!

What do you do for Thanksgiving?

November Blogathon: 30 Things About Me

If you haven't noticed, I have been in a bit of a blogging funk. So to remedy that, I'm joining in on the November Blogathon Blog Challenge, hosted by Kristen of the MRS. & the MOMMA. She has set up prompts for every weekday of November and while I won't be using all of them (because I want to still continue with Chels Wears and Fashion Forward Fridays) for the most part, I will be following along!

Her first prompt is: There are 30 days in November, share 30 facts about yourself!

I really like this prompt because I always like to know more about who the person behind the blog is,

so here's some things about me that you might not know!

Photo by Maddie B. Photography

1. While typing this, I'm watching the Steelers game and it's really hard to pay attention to things about me, but I'll try my best.

2. Everyone says I have the wine taste of a 90 year old woman. I like the super dry stuff.

3. Three is my favorite number.

4. That is only significant because I really only like numbers that end in 0 or 5 because I have OCD.

5. Marion Claire Stationery is my pride and joy and seriously a dream come true.

6. I remember specific moments of my life by what I was wearing while they happened.

7. Pinterest has really made me start to enjoy cooking and I wish I didn't work so many nights so I could cook more.

8. I have been to Consol so many times since it opened and yet, not one of those times has been to see the Penguins play. #badyinzer

9. Every time I hear Wannabe by the Spice Girls, I think about my friend Katie from elementary school and dancing around her basement after school to that song.

10. I still have the Gettysburg Address memorized from when we had to recite it for credit in 7th grade.

11. I wish I lived closer to Seton Hill just so I could have an excuse to drive up that beautiful hill in the fall more often.

12. Anytime someone tells me they are not a feminist I feel like they really just need to be told what the word means. Equality. That's it. Not a battle of the sexes.

13. I'm a huge fan of indie movies. So much so that my Family Video staff calls single-title new releases "Chelsea movies" when explaining them to customers. (I have good taste, this usually creates a sale.)

14. MJ and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary on the 14th of this month.

15. I love roller coasters and have ever since I hit the height requirement.

16. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Let the countdown begin!

17. I started my first blog when I was 13.

18. I actually really like bartending but I wish the general public knew how to properly treat and tip anyone in the service industry.

19. My favorite part of Christmas is wrapping the presents.

20. I love wrapping presents so much that every year I consider starting a babysitting business that allows parents to drop off their kids with me to go shopping and then when they're done, drop off their presents with me and take their kids while I wrap their gifts for them. (I'll do this for people I know but if anyone steals this idea for a real business, please hire me.)

21. I tried on four outfits this morning (Sunday) before deciding on wearing the first thing I put on.

22. Facetious is my favorite word.

23. I always give a children's book with baby shower gifts.

24. I want few things more than I want to see the Pirates win the World Series.

25. Just realized I mentioned all three Pittsburgh sports teams in this.

26. I miss being a camp counselor, but could probably never live like that for a whole summer again.

27. I'm really proud of the students in Blogging Basics class and cannot wait to see how their blogs grow now that they're all ready and set up. Our last class meeting is this Thursday.

28. I almost hate to admit how much I like rap music.

29. To be fair, I love all kinds of music, I just think rap is such an art. People talk/singing really fast is impressive.

30. I hate how many of these sentences I started with I.

Guest Room Makeover

This little makeover might seem a little plain, but hear me out. Since moving in with my brother in January, the guest room has been such an eyesore to me. Eric's house is connected to the church where he is the pastor and they, 1) don't really want us to paint, and 2) left us with awful curtains, so just getting those out of the room would have been good enough for me.

I don't think I can explain how annoying these curtains were. Like a weird purple-pink color with little rhinestones pasted on in random floral designs. Not to mention, Eric and I have had a bad habit of just throwing our leftover comforters on the bed in that room and there was nothing on the walls, so it was just bad. Nothing went together and we usually left the door closed so we weren't looking at the space. Now, it looks like this. (And the door stays open.)

The bed frame and vanity were already in the room, thanks to the church donating them to the house.

I painted this little pot to match the frames and added an old alarm clock for good measure.

Pinterest told me that having a wifi picture would be helpful for guests and I thought that was brilliant.
But I don't know if our neighbors read my blog, so no close ups of the picture I made for our network & password.

This chair and a desk were bought at a yard sale for $5 - the desk is in my room acting as an over sized nightstand and
is holding my records and record player so the chair needed a home. Perfect little thing for holding towels.

Found this set of frames at a thrift shop and was going to paint them all white, but really like how they turned out.

This page is actually from a book that Eric gave me as a joke for my birthday last year called, The Art of Entertaining.
This was the only page in the book about guests and I thought it was cute to add to the room.

I've been planning to do a room makeover for awhile and since a friend of mine is coming up this weekend, I figured no better time than right now. And since my experience in other peoples guest rooms has not always been the most comfortable, I wanted our space to be different. I always feel like people put too much of themselves in a guest room. This isn't an addition to your personal bedroom, it's a room that anyone should be able to walk into and feel at home. I hope that's what this room is like to our guests.

So, who wants to come visit?

Chelsea Lately: Fall Edition

I have really been awful at blogging lately and I hate to claim "busy" as an excuse, but that's all I got. I miss this community though, so I'm doing my best to prioritize and squeeze back in here. But, of course, it would help if you all knew what I've been up to since my last post. That's fair! If you're not following along with me on Instagram, get on it. It's my favorite app since becoming a smart phone user and best describes my day to day. Lots of greeting cards, lots of coffee, lots of my cat. Pretty much sums it all up. But here are some more fun things in between.

A lot of custom projects have come across my desk lately and I couldn't be more thrilled. The cards above have to be my most recent favorite though. They were made for a sweet couple and their little guy who is soon to turn one! I love this family and was honored to make these invitations for them for little Joshua's first birthday and baptism party. I like when clients have ideas and plans but also really enjoy when they give me free reign and that's what these guys did. For custom work, I always provide three different design drafts and then they pick a favorite and we make any necessary changes. So the final invitation really was a collaboration and I love how they turned out.

Besides custom work, I've been working a lot on my expanding greeting card line for Marion Claire Stationery. I recently realized eight new designs, four of which were these ones for the fall holidays. I'm almost ready to release my winter line, but want to hold off until November 1st if possible. I know that puts me behind in a typical retail sense but I really hate skipping over the fall holidays. Even though Christmas is really important, I wish we could give them all their proper amount of time.

I also recently started teaching a blogging class up here near Erie. It's really exciting to see blogging through the eyes of a newbie again. I have such a long history with blogging that I sometimes forget how exciting and interesting the whole concept is and it's fun to be able to teach a new skill to people who are all older than me. We've only had two classes so far but I've really enjoyed it so far and am thrilled to have been asked to lead this class!

And honestly besides that, I've been serving a lot of beer to people and renting out movies. I've been working so much lately and while it's good for the money, it really is tiring while trying to get my own business off the ground. There has been some good times with thrift shopping, and going to weddings too this fall so I can't say that it's been all busyness that's kept me away from blogging, but now that I'm teaching it to other people I feel like I should get back in the game!

What have you guys been up to?

End of 2014 Reading List

I have been slacking on my reading this year. I recently got the app, My Book Tracker, to obviously, keep track of the books I'm reading and it's kind of depressing me with the low amount of books I've gone through in 2014. So I'm making this list to keep myself on track, let you guys know what my reading plans are, and hopefully we can discuss some of these if any of you have read them! I'm pretty excited for this list and am going to do my best to stick to it.

The first two are from the library, which is why I'm reading them first. And most of the descriptions below are from Amazon. 

The Opposite of Loneliness - Marina Keegan

An affecting and hope-filled posthumous collection of essays and stories from the talented young Yale graduate whose title essay captured the world’s attention in 2012 and turned her into an icon for her generation. Marina Keegan’s star was on the rise when she graduated magna cum laude from Yale in May 2012. She had a play that was to be produced at the New York International Fringe Festival and a job waiting for her at the New Yorker. Tragically, five days after graduation, Marina died in a car crash.

The Girl's Guide to Homelessness - Brianna Karp

Brianna Karp entered the workforce at age ten, supporting her mother and sister throughout her teen years in Southern California. Although her young life was scarred by violence and abuse, Karp stayed focused on her dream of a steady job and a home of her own. By age twenty-two her dream became reality. Karp loved her job as an executive assistant and signed the lease on a tiny cottage near the beach. And then the Great Recession hit. Karp, like millions of others, lost her job. In the six months between the day she was laid off and the day she was forced out onto the street, Karp scrambled for temp work and filed hundreds of job applications, only to find all doors closed. When she inherited a thirty-foot travel trailer after her father's suicide, Karp parked it in a Walmart parking lot and began to blog about her search for work and a way back.

Everything is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer

With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man - also named Jonathan Safran Foer - sets out to find the woman who may or may not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war; an amorous dog named Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior; and the unforgettable Alex, a young Ukrainian translator who speaks in a sublimely butchered English, Jonathan is led on a quixotic journey over a devastated landscape and into an unexpected past.

A Prayer Journal - Flannery O'Connor

A copy of the prayer journal written by one of my favorite authors!? Hello. I'm all about writing down prayers and have a prayer journal of my own, but as I skimmed the pages of Flannery's I realized that she is a true writer. Wow. I cannot wait to read through this because of her elegant writing.

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

“A deeply soulful novel that comprehends love and cruelty, and separates the big people from the small of heart, without ever losing sympathy for those unfortunates who don’t know how to live properly.” —Zadie Smith

Say You're One of Them - Uwem Akpan

Each story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances. 

By Nightfall -  Michael Cunningham

I bought this while I was in grad school, so I'm long overdo for reading it. This poetic and compelling masterpiece is a heartbreaking look at a marriage and the way we now live. Full of shocks and aftershocks, By Nightfall is a novel about the uses and meaning of beauty, and the place of love in our lives.

I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai

I got this for Christmas last year, so I figured that a year on my shelf is too long for this story. I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons. I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

Have you read any of these books? What's on your end of the year reading list?