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December 31, 2012

r&s // December 2012

he had to fly the first two weekends
she decorated the house for Christmas
they started cooking healthy meals together
she had her Bridal Shower
he lost his voice during the SEC Championship game
they started receiving lovely wedding gifts
she had her final dress fitting
he got out the tux
they embraced their last month together engaged
he took her to see Les Miserables and she fell in love
she danced all night at her Bachelorette party
they packed for their trip to Italy

December 28, 2012

One Little Word 2013 : Commitment


I'm jumping on the bandwagon with Ali E. and Elise this year. So if you are confused by One Little Word, start here.

It's only fitting I guess that I ended up choosing 'commitment'. Fitting because 2013 will start with one huge commitment, marriage. The biggest commitment I'll have in my life until we add someone else into our family.

Commitment is also something I struggle with, my plans to exercise, eat healthy and even in my business. I've felt like I started strong in 2012 and then lost momentum and didn't stay committed. So this year I want to commit and see all my commitments through. No more losing drive or finding excuses.

So here we go 2013, let's do this, I'm committed.

- I commit to healthy meals 5x a week and becoming efficient in the kitchen.
- I commit myself to my marriage. Everyday. Good. Bad. In-between.
- I commit to taking my business further
- I commit to a new exercise plan
- I commit to enjoying little moments and not wishing the days away


"It's little choices everyday that lead us to the final results we are striving for" Jason Bartels


December 27, 2012

Thank You : A Minibook


I wanted to do something very special for my mom this Christmas. It was my last Christmas where we still shared a last name, and before she gave me away I wanted her to know how thankful I was.



I came up with the idea for a thank you book. I used thank you notes I had on hand (from the hundreds of wedding notes) and came up with this book. I should have taken photos of the inside, but I forgot. I used Love Elsie number stickers to count all 24 thank you's (years I've been alive). Some of them were simple like "Thank you for naming me Samantha" and others documented more personal stories between us.

My mom loved it and ended up taking it with her to Italy. It meant so much to be able to let her know how much I appreciate everything she's done to get me to where I am. I'm so thankful for her and Rob.

**front thank you card is from Target.

December 26, 2012

Merry & Bright


I hope your Christmas holiday was everything you had hoped it would be. I was so grateful for a low key holiday with my family and my new family. We spent Christmas eve with my mom and grandparents, had our traditional red beans and rice. It was fabulous. Then we did stockings and presents, we all spoiled each other.


Christmas day we ate brunch at my mom's house and then drove her to the airport to leave for Italy! I can't believe the next time I see her will be in Italy, to get married. The realness of this wedding is starting to hit. I'm so ready for the big day.


Rob and I went and saw Les Miserables during the day, which was so worth the ridiculous price of movies these days. I want to see it a million times, also bring kleenex. After the movie we had dinner with his family and exchanged gifts. I felt like I'd eaten enough for the next few weeks, haha. It was such a wonderful holiday that ended with a great skype chat with Rob's sister and her husband out in L.A.

Just a few more days till Rob & I leave for Italy!

December 19, 2012

New Instagram Profile


I decided to get Indie & Chic it's own instagram! I'm giving free shipping coupons to the first 20 people who follow us, yay! We will also repost any photos you tag us in showing off your purchases, so drop by and give us a like or two. Username // indieandchic

We will be using Instagram in 2013 to give special discounts and advertise daily deals. We have so many exciting things to share with you in 2013!!!


December 14, 2012

Anyone Can Run // How to Train for a 10k in 4 weeks


Awhile ago I ran my first 10k. I signed up with only 4 weeks to train and I created this schedule to get ready. You could follow this schedule just to push yourself to the next level of distance running.

Strength days: So important to add strength in your training. I would do these after running on the days I needed to do both. I listed examples of squats, lunges, calve raises, running hills, intervals, wall sits and abs. I gave myself lots of options, so I wouldn't get bored. I saved running strength for days I didn't need to run a certain distance. I'll break these down further.

  • Squats / Lunges/ Calves/ Wall Sits - I tried to do at least these on days after I ran. Give yourself a number to do and just do it. Don't make excuses, take breaks, but get them done.
  • Hills - Either find one in your neighborhood or hit the treadmill. Outside run the hill as fast as you can at least 4x. Give yourself 2-5minutes of recovery in between. On a treadmill, crank the incline up to the highest one and run it for 45 seconds, fast. Just stand on the sides during your recovery. 
  • Intervals - I LOVE Interval days. It breaks up the running and you can compete with yourself. I would do 1k repeats or 1 mile. Doing 1k repeats on the treadmill were my favorite. I'd warmup, run the .62 miles at 15 seconds faster than a normal race mile. So 7:45 pace if you run a normal 8minute mile. Then I'd walk until I'd hit a mile. And repeat. I did at least 4 intervals and on the last one I'd try to go faster. 
  • Abs - I use Nike Training Club app on my iPod. I love the 15 minute Ab Burner one. 
Cross training days : Meant to give your legs a rest. I love the elliptical or bike. Sometimes I'd do a Jillian Michaels DVD to change things up. 

Let me know if you try this out! Have an amazing weekend. 

December 12, 2012

An Italian Wedding // Bridal Shower

 My Bridal Shower was a few weekends ago and it was so much fun. The hosts really thought of everything and made it so personal. The shower was "Italy" themed, including Italian sodas, a countdown flag, marriage recipes, and amazing food. I'm pretty sure the wooden spoons guests wrote on will be a treasure for many years. I'm so amazed by how generous people are during a wedding celebration, I'm feeling very blessed.
**Only 1 more month to go!!!**

December 10, 2012

Home Updates // Dressed up the Dresser

I've been in this house for a month now, crazy. I feel like I haven't gotten very much accomplished, but I'm taking it a project at a time. I had been wanting to change the knobs on this dresser since Rob brought it over, they lacked any personality. Rob asked me not to make it look girly, so I decided glass knobs would be our best option.


I looked online for weeks, but wasn't spending $8 a knob when we need 14. I happened to spot them in Hobby Lobby the other day 50% off, so I grabbed them for $2.50 each. SCORE. They were extremely easy to put on, maybe a 30 minute project.

Then I decided I need to get out of the habit of covering the dresser in clothing and other odds and ends. So I started from scratch and added some art pieces I love and a few of Rob's as well. I gave us each a milk glass dish to empty his pockets and my jewelry/watches into. I really like how it looks. I CANNOT WAIT to get the room painted, the gold is bring me down. I also brought in a chair I grabbed for free at a closing furniture place and added a temporary laundry basket. We still haven't picked a theme for the room so this will all probably change, minus the knobs.


I'll try to share more of the house as we get it put together. Rob has worked the last 3 weekends, so I've been solo on all the house projects. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

December 8, 2012

The WINNER Is...

Wow! You guys have some great ideas, I'll be doing more of these in the future. It was pretty hard to chose one design I loved the most. I wrote down all the possibilities and rated them, there are a lot I'd still like to try out. But the winner is....

***Kelsey M.  with #29 large w/ #9 small. Lime green with a bright blue. Please e-mail me :)

Runners up // I still want to use your combinations, so I'm sending you 50% off coupons for the necklaces, e-mail me as well.
- Erin #8 large w/ #19 small. Bright Pink with Neon Green.
- Kristin  #7 large w/ #23 small Bubble gum Pink and Yellow


It was very apparent, you all want BRIGHTS! The 10 colors I have currently are very soft and muted, so I'm excited to try out some more vibrant combinations. Thanks to everyone that played along!

December 5, 2012

Necklace Contest - 2 More Days!


You only have one more day to enter the necklace contest. Just leave a comment with a new color combination and be entered to win the new design. I'll be picking a winner Friday night :)
Ex: Large #10 w/ Small #13

I've loved the ideas so far :) Keep them coming!

December 3, 2012

Anyone Can Run // How to Train for a 5k

How to Train for a 5k // for beginning runners

No matter your starting point, the goal is the same, run a 5k. When I ran my first 5k, after a running hiatus of 4 years, I had no goal but to finish. I didn't have a goal time or any thoughts of placing. I just signed up and ran. You can read about that race here. I became very addicted to races and made a goal to run one race a month for the year 2012.

So how did I go from not running to finishing a 5k in under 30 minutes. CARDIO. CARDIO. CARDIO. I started with the elliptical. I worked up to higher resistances and longer workouts. Really anything over an hour is a waste and you want to put in the most effort at the beginning of your workout. I like picking 'Rolling Hills' or anything that keeps the incline and resistance changing. Once I could workout pretty easily on an elliptical without getting winded I moved over to a treadmill. I was currently living in a hotel for work and running outside at night wasn't an option.

Here was my treadmill workout, the first time I tried I couldn't finish it. Give it about two days or adjust the incline.

HIIT Workout - Treadmill

I do this when I want to work my legs, but also burn a lot of calories.
 No Incline, 5 min. , 3.5 mph
 8% Incline, 2 min. , 6.0 mph
15% Incline, 3 min. , 4.0 mph
 6% Incline, 2 min. , 6.5 mph
12% Incline, 3 min. , 4.0 mph
 4% Incline, 2 min. , 7.0 mph
9% Incline, 3 min. , 4.0 mph
2% Incline, 2 min. , 7.5 mph
6% Incline, 3 min. , 4.0 mph
Finish with 9 min walk going from 6%-15% with each minute.
Cool Down 3 min @ 3.5 mph no incline.
Takes about 38 minutes and burns about 400 calories or more.

As long as you are doing cardio at least 4x a week for 30 minutes you can run a 5k. Just don't cheat yourself doing light cardio, you want to be sweating. TIP: If your stomach feels cold to the touch while you are working out, you are working hard. It also means those ab muscles are burning fat. 

The BEST way to get ready for a 5k, is to sign up for one. Nothing motivates you like investing $20 and your pride. Go for it and try something out of your comfort zone. You can use this website to find races near you.

December 1, 2012

r&s // November 2012


she moved into their new house
he came over every morning for breakfast
they were thrown an amazing engagement party
they also had their first joint family Thanksgiving
she had her first wedding dress fitting
he has no idea what it looks like
they bought wedding bands
they painted two rooms together
she got really good at packing lunches and grocery shopping
he started his new job and loves it
they had a special date night back at the restaurant where it all began

November 30, 2012

The Necklace Factory + A Contest


A few weeks ago I had a deal on VeryJane.com. I had an explosion of necklace sales, and now I'm aiming to get them all out by next Friday! Having an office again has helped tremendously and I plan on asking Mr. &, i.e. Rob, to help as well (he is an excellent necklace assembler).

Thought I'd share a peak of the new office, even though it's far from finished. Rob has half the room as his study and I get the other half for my shop. Although he did get both windows out the deal, I did get the most wall space and a closet ;)

The cubby space on the wall was made by my uncle back in 2002. I first used it to display my beanie baby collection and then it evolved into my CD collection. It's one of the best things I've ever been given and I'm hoping it lasts till I'm 90.


The last little thing I wanted to mention was a CONTEST! I want you guys to help me pick a new color combination for my double flower necklace design. In one week, December 7th, I will chose my favorite new combination and the winner will receive the brand new necklace design. Please share the contest with your friends, the more the merrier, and who knows maybe a few people will win ;) To view the 10 colors already available look here. Good luck!

November 29, 2012

Anyone Can Run // Setting Up for Success

So now you've decided what your goals are (start here if you missed the first post). Setting a goal is the easy part, now you have to execute.

Setting a Goal // Where I go wrong with setting goals, is making a goal with no wiggle room. Let's say I make a goal to run every weekday. Well Thursday comes along and something comes up, now I'm four days in and in my mind I've already failed. Where I really failed is not having a backup plan. Maybe I establish that if I miss a day of running that I make it up on a weekend. Whatever your goal is, have a backup plan for missing a day.

Rewards // I've seen so many great ideas for rewards, DO NOT REWARD yourself with food. Why? Because we are not dogs... and food should never be a reward for exercise. Rewarding yourself with guilty food only allows for bad food relationships to develop. (personal opinion, but I've personally felt the negative effects). I like to reward myself with feel good things. Like new running clothes or new shoes. I'm also a very visual person when it comes to goals. I make a calendar and cross off each day I accomplished my goal. I've seen some people put a dollar in a jar after every workout or a marble. Once you reach 'x' amount you reward yourself.

Running is about mindset. Once you remove all the negative thoughts and feelings towards running, you will get so much more out of it. For new runners, I recommend having a goal to walk 30 minutes 3x a week. Add more days as you progress, or add incline. Each week add a new variable that will challenge you, but also keep things interesting.

Holding Yourself Accountable // In reality, only you can hold yourself accountable. However, making things public sure adds some accountability. Maybe state your goal on Facebook, twitter or your blog. I know Elise Joy is doing a #mileaday instagram post. She takes a picture everyday on her run. This is a great way for people to cheer you on and hold yourself accountable. I plan to join Elise in aiming to run a mile a day, no excuses.

Homework// Post your goal here, on your refrigerator, on your blog, wherever. Establish some goal wiggle room. I'm allowing myself to miss one day a week, but only for real excuses. Create a fun playlist for the first week.

November 28, 2012

Anyone Can Run // How to Start Running



Background: I was NEVER athletic. I basically willed myself into running and running became the place I went to when I needed to escape it all. When I first began running I was horrible, I couldn't run very far without my lungs feeling like they might explode. I kept at it and started to compete with myself. The key to running or any exercise, you must allow yourself to enjoy the process. If every day it was easy to get your running shoes on and sprint three miles there would be no reward. The days I drag myself out the door and force one foot in front of the other, are the times I get the most out of running.

Over the next few weeks leading up to 2013, I want to share with you my running secrets, downfalls and moments where running was all I had. I want to help you train for your next 5k, develop a schedule, prepare for longer races like a 10k or half marathon and allow you to ask questions. I'd love for you to introduce yourselves and where you are with running. I've had multiple e-mails requesting running tips and training schedules, so here we go. I'm going to prove that 'Anyone Can Run'.

Homework: Decide what you would like to get out of running. Establish a goal, be realistic. We start running on December 1st. Whether it's once a week or 5x a week. So figure out what you can stick with for 4 weeks and get your gear ready.


November 27, 2012

Currently

I am so busy that I don't even know where to start. I've had a half-marathon, an engagement party, two dress fittings, Thanksgiving and trying to put the house together. To say I'm overwhelmed is an understatement. Yesterday I finally got all 200 announcements out the door, I hand addressed each one... brutal.
my future SIL and I getting ready for the engagement party
The house needs a lot of love, and Rob and I only have evenings and the occasional weekend to dive in. The past two weeks we've been working on painting the living room and what will be our offices. Back in early November I ripped up the carpet and this past weekend my Uncle helped us lay new wood flooring down. He did an amazing job and we can't thank him enough. Rob finished the second coat of paint in the office two nights ago, now we just need to clean up our painting mess and move the furniture back in. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have my own space for the business, I probably won't believe it till I'm all settled in.
new flooring
old flooring
Other than that we've been trying to eat healthy and workout. We cook most nights and try to only eat out once a week, which is a drastic change to our typical routine. I love living in the house and having a place of my own. I'll be even more in love once Rob officially moves in after the wedding. I hate sleeping here alone, but at least I have the dogs.


Parker and Molly

That's about it over here. I'll try to take some photos of the house and give a tour, that way we can compare the before to hopefully a few months from now. I'm sorry the blog has been bare. Don't worry because its not permanent and I have a lot of new things planned for 2013.


November 13, 2012

Engagement Photos


I cannot even explain what these photos mean to me and Rob. They capture a time in our lives that will never be repeated. They represent the beginning of "us" and it is just icing on the cake that Rob's sister, Amelia, was our photographer. Amelia and her business partner Graham met us at Alys Beach, Florida a few weekends ago. Even though Rob and I have to be the most awkward people to take photos of they managed to get some amazing images. If you need an amazing wedding photographer Bound By is the place to check out, plus they are hilarious to be around.

November 12, 2012

Around Here

I feel like I've totally abandoned this blog, don't worry it's not permanent. Last weekend I moved into a house, YES! a house! The home belongs to Rob's brother-in-law, and was built by Rob's great grandfather. It's an amazing home and we've been cleaning and moving for the last week. We still have a lot to do, and I plan on sharing all my progress on the blog.

As for wedding plans, it's all coming together pretty well. The legal side of trying to get married in Italy is hard work and costly, but we are determined to do this the way we want and end up legally married in Italy. I ordered my engagement announcements Friday and I'm hoping to mail them out this coming weekend. The dress shop called me and my dress is ready for it's first fitting. I'm going to have to wait till next week to go try it on, but that also gives me about 10 more days to get serious about working out. I didn't need to lose much, really any, but I ordered down a size to motivate myself. I think I was slightly crazy for doing so.

Speaking of fitness, Sunday I ran my 2nd half marathon. I'll do a full post on it soon, but wow! I am so out of running shape. My knees just hate running now. Not sure what else to do about my IT bands, but they were in screaming pain the last 6 miles... I had to run/walk, but mostly walk the last 2 miles. I've never felt anything like it, kinda felt like someone was drilling into the sides of my knee caps. BUT, I finished. I was really proud for not giving up or just walking once I had pain. My whole body really hurts today, lots of baths in my future. The really bright spot of the race was getting to see my friend Walker who lives out in L.A., she flew in and we stayed at her families beach home. It was so nice to get away for two days and laugh with a girlfriend.

This month I'm hoping to put out some posts on training for any distance, how to start running, home makeover projects and how to decorate a Thanksgiving themed table. Ya'll hold me accountable :)

October 29, 2012

r&s // October 2012

she had her first big jewelry show
he had a very big interview
they were each others biggest fans
he popped the question
she said "yes, of course"
they told everyone about Italy
he turned 28
she and he went to The Avett Brothers
they found a house
he bought a chiminea
they flew to Alys beach for engagement photos

October was the best month of my life! our lives!


October 22, 2012

Back on Track

So I can't believe I've been missing from the blog for two weeks. It's been a crazy two weeks. We went from trying to keep our Italian wedding a secret, to finally telling everyone that we've been planning to get married in Italy since September.

The date will be 1/12/13 in Pisa, Italy. I AM BEYOND EXCITED!! Overwhelmed, but very happy. Everyone has been extremely happy for us and I'm feeling very blessed. Earlier this week I got to go visit my best friend down in Auburn and all we did was talk about weddings and newlywed life. I even picked up one of the tops I want to wear for my engagement photos this coming weekend.

Life is going very well. I keep waiting for my little bubble to bust. Until then I'll be acting all crazy getting everything ready for our wedding! Any wedding tips or advice I should know about???