Mandii's Muse

Today I am linking up with Andrea for Friday Favorites! I have a few from this week that I want to share! Enjoy! 1. Two hour delays are my FAVORITE! Especially on a Monday! Luckily, I was able to go back to sleep for a little bit! 2. Coach K getting his 1000th win was another FAVORITE! My parent's and I had a little get together, and we made cupcakes to celebrate! It was a great game, and the team showed a lot of grit, to get the W. 3. My new iPhone is a FAVORITE! Anything would have been better than my old phone, but this new phone is just the bees knees! Look for more Instagram posts, and more pictures in general!! Those were a few of my Favorites for the week. Let me know what your favorites were! *There will be more pictures in the coming weeks. FYI!.

I absolutely love New York City. My love affair started when I watched the movie Serendipity. I first went to the city for my 16th birthday. I went to Radio City, Empire State Building, Central Park, and Serendipity to name a few! A few years after that, I went again. This time I stopped at Carnegie Deli, John's Pizza, Serendipity (again), Top of the Rock and the Statue of Liberty. Even though I am a country girl, I love spending a weekend in a big city like New York. The item of clothing I am going to talk about today is a purple jacket that I wore to NYC! Brooklyn Bridge!! In this jacket, I ate my first Nathan's hot dog. I got to see the Brooklyn Bridge, and Chelsea Piers. I remember riding in the bus trying to get to Chinatown in this jacket. I remember going to the Winter Garden, and looking at the construction of the Freedom Tower wearing this jacket. This is just a simple jacket that I bought from JC Penney. How can it hold so many memories? I can't wait t...

I finally found the leopard print shirt I was looking for! I was randomly shopping one day, and decided to pop into Macy's. I had a $25 gift card to use that I have had since I was student teaching. #hoarder Keep in mind, that I student taught over 4 years ago! So into Macy's I go, and the first place I always look is the sale rack. I was browsing around and spotted leopard. I immediately perked up, and pulled this shirt out. Lo and behold, the Heaven's parted, angels were singing, and I held in my hands the leopard shirt I have always wanted. Pairing my outfit to this shirt was simple! I paired it with black dressy skinny pants, brown boots, and a brown headband. Outfit Details: Shirt: Macy's Pants: JC Penney Boots: Mark Fisher (QVC) Headband: Wal-Mart Accessories: Bronzo Italia I have so many ideas on how I want to style this leopard print shirt. So, don't be surprised if you see this shirt popping up in future posts! It is Wednesday, so I l...

Time for another edition of Makeup Mail Call! This time, I wanted to share with you my January Ipsy bag! This bag had lots of goodies, and I want to share with you what I received! Eco-Beauty|Good Day. Day Moisturizer: In these cold winter months, my skin can get dry. Dry skin, and makeup just don't look good together. So on my dry days, I will try this moisturizer to give my skin some extra moisture, and to have my makeup look fabulous! Pacifica|Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow: This eye shadow is infused with coconut to give it a velvety finish. This color is a shimmery bronze color, and will look great with a matte crease and highlight shade. Malin + Goetz|Mojito Lip Balm: First of all, I love mojitos. Second, I love any product that has to do with the lips. I can't wait to try this out! Manna Kadar|Shimmer Glo: I use a lot of matte makeup, so I love to add a subtle glow. This will be great to highlight my cheekbones, or mix in with liquid foundation to give me...

I feel like after Christmas, and all the presents have been opened I feel a little bit sad. But not to fear, my January Birchbox is here! I say this all the time, but receiving makeup products in the mail is just the best! Here is what was in my box this month! The theme was Let's Do This! I love this, because I am still staying on track with my New Year's Resolutions! Dr. Jart+|Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45: I love this for days where I have a few errands to run, and am having a bad skin day. All I'll need is some blush and eye makeup and I'll be out the door. Essentiel Elements|Wake Up Rosemary Body Lotion: I received the shower gel a few boxes ago, and I loved how this smelled. I haven't used the gel yet, so I like having a gel and lotion to go hand in hand with one another. Mirenesse|Mattfinity Cream Lip Stain: You know how much I love lip products. This color will be great to wear to school because it is a stain and I don't have to keep reapplying! ...

One thing you should know about me, when I love something, I LOVE something. I become all consumed, and must know everything about it. I can't help it, I've been this way my entire life. So today's edition of Memories Behind my Clothes is about the day I met one of my favorite baseball players. This was taken 6 years ago!! Time flies! Ryan Garko was a first baseman for the Cleveland Indians. He was adorable, and talented, and seemed like a really nice guy off the field. Plus, he was from Pittsburgh! So because of those reasons, I became a fan. I went to a lot of games, (before they broke my heart!) and even had a special shirt made because you couldn't find his in the team shop. Every year, the Indians host a caravan where several players and coaches come to a location and sign autographs and have a Q&A session. (I've went to several of these with my parents when I was younger, and met a lot of players that way.) So I found out that Ryan was coming to th...

Sometimes it is hard to come up with different outfits for work. I'm a teacher, so business casual is my typical wardrobe. I do enjoy getting dressed up, but nothing beats my comfy clothes. Can I get an amen?  Here is an outfit that I wore recently, it was comfortable, and still appropriate for work. Since it is Wednesday, I am linking up with the Pleated Poppy ! Blouse: Style & Co (Macy's) Pants: Worthington (JC Penney's) Jewelry: Premier Designs Shoes: Very old (Macy's) Don't forget to link up with me tomorrow for Memories Behind my Clothes! I can't wait to read all of your stories!

It's Tuesday, and that means another edition of Show and Tell with Andrea ! Today, we are sharing our best Organizational Tips and Tricks! I will admit that I am not the most organized person. However, I'm trying to get my act together! Haha! This summer, I completed some projects, and it made a world of difference! You can read about them here ! Here is a look at last week! I wanted to share with you a few of my tips and tricks that I have developed, and have helped me immensely! *The lighting on my pictures are terrible! I'm sorry about that!  First, having a planner has really helped me! In my planner, I have an area where I can write down all of my substitute work days. Then there is a week at a glance section where I can write down my TV shows, Duke games, appointments, etc. I tried to make my planner colorful, and color coordinate things. Pink is for blog posts, Blue is for Duke games, Green for TV shows. Having, and using my planner has helped me sta...

Image When I first read this quote by Rick Warren, I knew I had to include this in a Motivation Monday post. How absolutely true is this? Sand doesn't turn into pearls overnight, It takes time. Just because he didn't answer it right away, doesn't mean he didn't hear it, or isn't going to answer!!! God's timing is the right time. He is working on us to become our best self. We aren't perfect. We may have to endure trials and tribulations, but those only help us become stronger. A pearl is formed when an oyster is trying to protect itself from a foreign object.  A beautiful pearl forms out of the nicks and scratches the oyster endures. Wouldn't it be great if we could emerge more beautiful through our trials, how ever hard they may be? I am going to trust that God isn't finished working on me. He needs to mold me from a hard piece of coal, to a beautiful diamond. I know it isn't going to happen immediately, but I will emerge more b...

I'm in Cameron! Everything has a story, right? I think so, and I think clothes tell stories too. I think most people have an item of clothing that they just can't get rid of because it holds a special memory. I have several, and I want to share them with you! I am going to start a new Thursday series on my blog that deals with just that! So if you have one too, link up with me! Let's share stories! The first item of clothing that I have a significant memory of is this royal blue ruffled t-shirt. This shirt has such great memories. I bought this shirt at Wal-Mart, once I found out I was going to my first Duke game in 2010! After four long years of waiting to go to a game, I wanted something that had Duke colors, but still looked nice. (Just in case I met any players walking around campus!)  Plus, it was comfortable, lightweight, and perfect for a Durham, NC February day! One of the reasons I am a Duke fan today Well, this shirt didn't disappoint. I will al...

First, I just want to say that I have absolutely no pictures from Christmas. I'm terrible, I know. In my defense, I was sick all through Christmas and just wasn't feeling "it." I do however, have pictures of some of the gifts I received and New Year's. Christmas Eve dinner was hosted by my parents and I. We had lasagna, wedding soup, salad, bread, and Italian butter. I made a homemade alfredo sauce to go along with the lasagna. I also made the Italian butter, and attempted to make my homemade French bread. This year, the bread did not turn out. For dessert, I made white chocolate raspberry shooters. They were SO good! I will do a recipe on those when I make them again! After everything was cleaned up, we honestly just relaxed. I would have liked to have gone to Christmas Eve service at our church, but I was coughing, clearing my throat every 5 minutes, and blowing my nose every 10. I was a hot mess. My grandparents came back out to our house after church and w...

I struggle with my self confidence a lot. It is something that I am trying to work on every single day. There are many times when I just don't feel "enough." Not pretty enough, or not skinny enough, In God's eyes, I have no flaws. My scars, under eye circles, or any other flaw I see, is beautiful in God's eyes.  How wonderful would it be to wake up and look at yourself through God's eyes? That weight you have been trying to lose, those flabby arms you have, God doesn't even see it. He wants to know what is in your heart. I'm going to begin to see myself as God sees me. Any time I have a negative thought about myself, I am going to erase that negative thought. The scripture says that there is "no flaw in  you." No flaw.  I'm incorporating this into my life, are you?

Today we are throwing it way back. All the way back to before Christmas. I had taken a picture of this outfit in the faculty restroom, and never got around to posting it. So today, I'm sharing it with you! Since it is Wednesday, I'm linking up with the Pleated Poppy ! I love the added pop of color to my pants. These are a turquoise color, and are so soft! These came from Fashion Bug, a year ago. My shirt is a chiffon blouse from Sam's Club. I have a simple black tank on underneath it. My shoes are as old as dirt, but are still mildly comfortable and have a chunky heel to them. My necklace was also from Fashion Bug, and had blue, green, and turquoise beads on them to round out the look! This outfit was definitely a winner in my book! I'd love to see your outfits! Leave me a comment and let me see them!

Image Today I am going to share my New Year's Resolutions with you! I am linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals! On Tuesday's she is hosting a Show and Tell," we can blog about the topic that she gives us, and others can gain ideas and also get to know one another more! Such a great idea, right?! Last year, I broke my resolutions into four categories: Environment, Health, Beauty, and Blogging. This year, I will do the same, but first, let's take a look back at last year and see how I did! Environment: Last Year: Take shorter showers How I did: Eh, this one I did ok at. On the days I showered and didn't wash my hair, I definitely took shorter showers. Sometimes though, a long hot shower is just what you need at the end of a long day. This year's environment resolution is for me to try and buy items locally. Not only will it help small businesses, I will also know where the item came from. Especially food items! Health: Last Year: Drop some...

Image When I found this prayer on Pinterest, it really resonated with me. I need to start my day with this prayer every day. This prayer reminds me that I'm not walking through my life alone. Even when I feel like I am all alone, God is right beside me. He may put obstacles in my path, but he will guide me through them.  This week, I am going to incorporate this into my morning routine. I plan on printing it out and sticking it somewhere where I can easily see it. Not only will it give me added comfort, but it will also remind me that I am on the Lord's side, and he is directing my path.