beyond the aisle

Sunday, February 9

sunday simplicity: trust

Bouquet Wedding Flower

"Trust is... the beginning place,

the foundation upon which more

can be built. Where trust is,

love can flourish."

- Barbara Smith

Friday, February 7

1. Simple Truth Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds from Kroger - My favorite snack in the whole world. When I hit the dreaded 4:00 energy slump, I munch on a handful of these. Almonds are a good source of protein, dark chocolate contains antioxidants, and these things are like a healthier, classier version of peanut M&Ms.

2. Green smoothies - I've finally hopped on board the green smoothie train and learned to use my blender properly to make them (liquid and greens, THEN frozen fruit). My favorite recipe so far is Minimalist Baker's 5 Ingredient Detox Smoothie.

3. Lia Sophia Sugar Dusted earrings - They're modern, they're sparkly, and they go with everything.

4. Mossimo lace front sweater from Target - This sweater is super soft and comfy, the lace makes it feminine while still maintaining the "fancy sweatshirt" style, and it's pretty enough to wear to work. THE PERFECT SWEATER.

5. Threshold pleated comforter set - When we upgraded to our king sized bed, I wanted to find bedding with a similar color scheme to what we already have so that we wouldn't have to redecorate our whole bedroom. This set from Target reminded me of more expensive sets from West Elm and I love the deep plum color.

6. Thomas O'Brien sheet set - We found some of these super-soft sheets in a fun tribal print that looked really cool with our plum comforter. I kind of feel like I live in a design magazine now.

7. Memoirs - I've finally caught the nonfiction bug. Funny, essay-style memoirs of living people are a lot more fun than the stuffy biographies we had to read in school. You can read my reviews of Bossypants, A Year of Biblical Womanhood, and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me in my January entertainment post.

8. O.P.I. "Lucky Lucky Lavender" nail polish - I love anything purple, and this shade is a slightly muted version of 2014's Pantone Color of the Year, Radiant Orchid. I will be rocking this lavender in every season of the year.

What are you loving this month?

Thursday, February 6

goal setting: what i learned from 2013

If you've been following along with my goal setting posts this year, you know that I've been really grateful for Lara Casey's helpful series and questions. Recently, Lara encouraged readers following along with her series to reflect on what worked and what didn't work in 2013 and to draw some lessons from those experiences. Here's what I've realized:

What I learned from what worked:

My coworkers might as well be family at this point, and I am so blessed to be part of a supportive team. I am respected and loved at work and my co-workers know my strengths and weaknesses. The eighth grade team worked hard this year to welcome a group that had a reputation for being difficult students, and they've become one of our favorite groups ever.

My 4-H friends (former camp coworkers, current staff members, fellow adult volunteers, and teen leaders) inspire me with their energy and compassion for youth. The people I was on camp staff with know me so well - they were there for me through one of the most difficult periods in my life. When you think someone has changed, they may have just grown.

What I learned from what didn't work:

Even though I don't always feel it, the administrators at my school do have a lot of confidence me as a teacher. I can make suggestions and ask questions without feeling like they are going to judge me or get irritated.

I need to consciously make time for the things that matter to me - writing, exercise, cooking real food, spending time with friends and family.

I need to stop comparing my life to other people's - bloggers with beautiful wardrobes and houses, friends with babies, college classmates with more glamorous careers. Mr. Q and I are in a really awesome phase of our lives right now and I need to just stop and appreciate being one half of a happy, young married couple. And my goals, be they small (cleaning the guest room) or large (buying a house), are always going to be a lot more achievable when I share them with the other member of this team.

What did you learn from 2013?

Wednesday, February 5

Valentine's Day Party Ideas

To celebrate my freshly cleaned and organized townhouse (a result of following along with Apartment Therapy's January Cure), I hosted a little get together with some of my favorite girlfriends last weekend . I figured it was close enough to Valentine's Day to make that my theme. It was a fairly low maintenance gathering, so I wanted to share some of the simple ways I decorated and the recipes I used (all from amazing blogs)!

This "Believe in Love" print from Target was a gift at my bridal shower and I've always loved its color scheme. The metal easel was part of our wedding decor.

I kept decor really stress-free by picking up cute plates, napkins and cups at a big box store. I'm sure I could have spent time rubber-stamping kraft paper cutlery or something, but honestly? It's a paper plate. It's going to end up in the trash can.

I have decided that striped straws are an entertaining essential from here on out. They put a smile on everyone's face, especially when paired with my other favorite party trick, the old faithful Mason jar. I found these straws in the $1 bin at Michael's.

Here's a peek at the spread - I went for kind of a sweet shop theme since the best part of Valentine's Day is the CHOCOLATE! Not pictured: veggies and fruit (they were there, I promise!).

True lazy party planning confessions: I had a Rubbermaid container full of the frozen base for the punch I made for Breeze's bridal shower. All I had to add was a bottle of Sprite and the pink punch looked pretty adorable and Valentine's-appropriate.

Oh, these cookies. I made these using a recipe from Averie Cooks. The secret is using pudding instead of cornstarch - soft, chewy, soft-baked goodness. I doubled the M&M's instead of adding chocolate chips.

The other dessert I made were these marshmallow-topped brownie bites from A Pumpkin and a Princess. I had a little bit of trouble getting the brownies out of the mini muffin pan, so if I make these again I will use cupcake liners. Because it took me so long to get the dang things out of the pan, my marshmallows did not magically melt onto the brownies.

But guess what? Melted white chocolate chips make EXCELLENT glue for marshmallows.

The heart shaped marshmallows also look pretty adorable in your

hot chocolate when the party's over. Just FYI.

What are you up to this week? How will you celebrate

Valentine's Day this year?

Linking Up With:

Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

The Inspiration Exchange at City Farmhouse

Share It at The Winthrop Chronicles

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

The Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush

Be Inspired at Common Ground

Eat. Create. Party at Endless Inspired

Foodies and Crafties at A Peek Into My Paradise

Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest

Spotlight Saturdays at Classy Clutter

Party Time at Three Mango Seeds

Tuesday, February 4

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I always like to add a little pop of red to my outfit. Here are some of my favorite poppy and cherry red picks for the 14th, with a little bling thrown in for good measure!

View this set on Polyvore

1. Old Navy striped crewneck sweater (Similar: 1, 2, 3)
2. Dailylook leather polka dot iPhone case 3. Bath and Body Works Forever Red Eau de Parfum
4. Jeffrey Campbell heart flats from ModCloth 5. Merona cardigan from Target
7. Aeropostale love bracelets 8.ModCloth Refine Mint dress
9. Dior nail lacquer in "Rouge" from Sephora 10. Merona handbag from Target

Linking Up With:
Style Sessions at Style Elixir
Wednesday Style Connection at Unpredictable and Chic
What I'm Loving Fridays at Simply Lulu Style

Monday, February 3

clicks of note: someone like you...

get your week off to a colorful start...

LISTEN.

As much as I like Kings of Leon, Boyce Avenue and Hannah Trigwell give "Use Somebody" a whole new tone and meaning in their cover. I'm linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.