a lovely living

That title alone makes me cringe a bit because I’m not one to be the center of attention, which is ironic since this blog is all about me. My thoughts, my ideas and my advice. I’m working out of my comfort zone here friends! I know my family would beg to differ, but that doesn’t count.

Well, here are the answers to your questions from last week as well as some random info that you may or may not care to know about me. In the end, at least you should have some sense of who I am.

I was asked what some of my fashion don’ts or pet peeves are. What bothers me the most is probably when clothes don’t fit a person correctly. Whether they are too big or too small, they don’t do any justice to the person wearing them as would clothes that fit properly. I’d also throw in this category, wearing too little clothing. We live in a college town and it appears that many college age girls are of the thinking that wearing less is stylish. To me it’s just a lack of effort, where being stylish actually takes a bit of work.

Regarding my morning routine/ fast and easy breakfast ideas: First off, we always end up cuddling in our bed for a few short minutes until the kids pull us out of bed to make breakfast.  — As a quick side note here, we recently visited friends with three young kids who had such a genius plan in place. Each night they prep snack traps filled with cereal and sippy cups with juice. When the kids bombard them in the morning, they hand out the breakfast ‘appetizers’, turn on the TV, and roll on over to conclude their sleep. Amazing.— I’m all about quick in the morning especially dealing with impatient/hungry kids. We mainly shop at Trader Joes, they have frozen french toast and waffles that the kids love. Yogurt or milk and fresh berries complete their breakfast. I keep things simple for myself as well, but I know it’s important to start the day (and your metabolism) with a healthy breakfast. I usually have a cup of tea and a half of a multigrain bagel with peanut butter or oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar and milk. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done ;)

What kickstarted this blog? I’ve always found it very flattering that friends come to me asking for advice on fashion, decorating etc. Especially when they all have such great style senses of their own. I had thrown around the idea of a blog for a long period of time, and it was honestly my husband that gave me the final push and boost of confidence I needed to get this thing rolling. What did I have to lose? As a full time mom (which is my dream), it can be easy to lose yourself catering to your kids all day long. Since starting the blog, I feel like I have a way to express myself. It’s a great outlet at the end of a long day to be able to sit and write about what’s on my mind and hopefully inspiring some readers to try something they otherwise may not have. If you’ve been hesitating on something yourself, I say give it a shot, what do you have to lose? :)

• My mother named me after a clothing line, Marisa Christina. Apparently I was born to love fashion.
• Prior to having children, I was an event coordinator in NYC.
• I love, love, LOVE sleeping on clean sheets. It’s my favorite night of the week.
• Speaking of sheets, thanks to one crazy friend, I am now hooked on ironing my sheets. I know, I know, it doesn’t make much sense, but boy does my bed look good for a day!
• I drink a cup of hot tea every morning and always leave it half full/empty. This frustrates my husband to no end, but I swear I get pulled in one direction or another and it never happens!
• I buy myself a small bouquet of fresh flowers every week to keep our home feeling fresh.
• Brad Pitt and I share the same birthday, just sayin’.
• I’m a beer drinker. Wish I loved wine since it’s much classier, but it typically gives me a headache before I can finish a glass :/
• I love shopping (as if that wasn’t obvious) but I also love returning. It’s my way of making money ;)
• Lost and Friends are my all time my favorite TV shows.
• My FIL, husband and son are all named Jack. We often refer to them as J1, J2, and J3 to avoid confusion.
• My husband and I are high school sweethearts. Our first date was to see Mission Impossible. We have opposite personalities but similar interests. We very much complete each other <3
• I am a Christian and I hope to be able to use the passions and talents that God has given me to inspire or empower others in one way or another.
• I love working out. Yes, I’m “one of them”. This period of life allows for 3-4 gym days/week if I’m lucky. I love to run (two marathons under my belt, and that’s probably it!), but otherwise you can find me in an interval or yoga class.
• I’d love to get married over and over again (to the same guy, of course!) so that I could wear a new gown each time. It’s not fair that you only get to pick one wedding dress!
• Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the temperature, the colors and the way that layering makes creating outfits so much more fun!
• It’s not rare for me to eat dessert before dinner. I don’t enjoy it nearly as much after I’m already full from dinner. Just don’t tell the kids.

Enough about me already!  On to more important things.

Tomorrow I’ll be hosting my very first GIVEAWAY, so make sure you check back!!