Tuesday Treats: This Article Right Here

Ya'll. This article right here.

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Ya know how sometimes you're thankful for those older siblings/tough love best friend believers/ motivating mentors who give you the swift kick in the behind that you've subconcioulsy been longing for?
Well, consider this article it for your week.
And you're welcome.

Daily gratitude: good news and kicks in the behind.
xoxo

Tuesday Treats: Fiesta-Worthy

For some reason, I really love Cinco de Mayo. I think it's because I equate it with summer-- sitting on a patio somewhere with friends, sipping margaritas and dipping into fresh salsa in the sunny weather. Sounds like a dream.
It also makes me want to order some cheese dip right now.

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Last year, bad beach weather literally put a damper on my Cinco de Mayo plans. So I'm pretty pumped to be traveling to Memphis for a music festival this weekend where the forecast is calling for sunny skies, which means I may just get to sip that margarita on a patio after all.
Despite the fact that I'm not throwing my own fiesta, here are a few little tips to take with you whatever your Cinco de Mayo plans may be!

• While I love a reason to celebrate a holiday, I don't love undoing all the work I've done during the week at the gym and making healthy choices in the kitchen. These are a few great tips on not breaking the calorie bank while you're getting your fiesta on-- or just leaving extra room for cheese dip and margaritas!
• Speaking of cheese dip, if you're staying in to celebrate, this recipe for queso blanco upstood my critical Mexican cheese dip taste buds when we gave it a whirl.
• What would Cinco de Mayo be without a margarita? Yeah, I'm not sure either. Which is why I hope to try at least one of these four flavored skinny margarita recipes featured here.
• And of course, what to wear, what to wear? I've linked to this dress I'm dying over before, but it seems pretty perfect for a Mexican-inspired fete. Or, this cute cotton frock (for quite the steal) is fiesta-worthy, tool. Whatever it may be, finish it all off with a coat of OPI's Strawberry Margarita.

What else do you do to celebrate a casual Cinco de Mayo on the fly?
Daily gratitude: New beginnings and reasons to celebrate.
xoxo

Tuesday Treats: Summer Inspiration

Y'all. April is almost over. Almost. Over. How does this happen so quickly?
I've noticed that I've been pinning lots of summery things these days with no general intention in mind. One thing I love most about Pinterest is that you can literally look back and see your moods from any given week. And it seems as if lately I've been in a summer state of mind. Suntans. Bright skies. Easy living. And I thought I'd share that state of mind with you today for your Tuesday Treats:

Come see me at the beach.
Daily gratitude: Bright eyes, bright skies, bright hearts-- my favorite things.
xoxo

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Tuesday Treats: A Smathering of Interesting

Tuesday has f-l-o-w-n by. After a quick morning workout, a lovely encounter with a sympathetic cop, and an afternoon spent trying on and shooting suits at Ophelia, I realized I hadn't had my morning coffee—at 4 p.m.. But since I already had my Tuesday Treats all geared up to share with you of things I've find oh so Pinteresting, let's just go ahead and proceed, shall we?

• I've been on quite the foodie kick lately. Which would explain why the top of my recently pinned page are this breakfast grilled cheese, this adorable spaghetti dinner prep housewarming gift, and this drool-worthy Mexican grilled corn, lightened up. Too bad I'm still learning to cook...
• When brushing on the powder this morning, I noticed just how bad the ole brushes need a good cleaning. Luckily, I found this tutorial on a simple and inexpensive way to clean your brushes. Hello, my Tuesday night plans. I'm cool, I know.
• Since I'm constantly updating my space (as I've mentioned, compulsive self-improvement junkie here), I was delighted to find this super simple tutorial on how to decorate a small space. It seems the carriage house may soon be getting a few improvements. 
• Ever heard of Gimp? Me either, until I was introduced to the Photoshop-like copycat program. I talked to a few others who have tried using the free program to see if they'd like to invest in Photoshop (precisely what I intend to do), so I decided to give it a go and download. So far, so good (especially with beginner tutorial such as this and this). Stay tuned for an update to the ole blog.
• It being bikini season and all, I added these foods to this week's grocery list to see if they do make any difference for a flatter stomach. Stay tuned with an update on any results (fingers crossed!!). And to additionally rev up that metabolism, I've found that many of these foods do work. 
• This wouldn't be an Ainsley list without one single article of clothing, so all I have to say is—where was this coat this Fall? Could I wear it as a bathing suit cover up? Ok, maybe not...

Daily gratitude: an early morning workout this morning to make me appreciate a strong, working body.
xoxo