CHIT CHAT CATCH UP

I haven't been around the blog much and I wanted to chit chat with y'all about everything that has been going on in our life since my last update in April... wow, I can't believe it has been that long. As usual, the start of Fall is making me feel a little more creative and maybe ready to revisit this space on the internet. Here is a round up of our summer! 

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April wedding of dear friends.

dress sold out/shoes on sale

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Spring bash at the office! 

earrings / sunnies / dress on sale

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Bham visit with my favorites...

coverup (j.crew old)

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Made some progress on my 101 in 1001 list and will do a full updated post soon. 

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Bham for my bestie's baby shower.

earrings/dress/bracelet/heels (old)

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Watched some seriously good flicks on Netflix - The Kissing Booth, Set it Up, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, To all the boys I've loved before... loved them all! Just started the series Call the Midwife. 

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I finally made the switch to a natural deodorant and I am loving it. For so long I was afraid it would not be strong enough, but this one has been great. Would love any other natural deodorant options I should try. 

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Bald Head Island 2018 with the Beard fam! 

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sunnies sold out/button down

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earrings local boutique Hemline/sunnies sold out/top old from Revolve similar here/shorts on sale/bag

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My latest obsession is RX bars.. they are so filling and healthy. My current favorite mid-day snack. You can find them at Costco right now for a great price. 

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I read 12 new books this summer and will be doing a full review of them soon.

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33rd birthday dinner at Shogun with my love! 

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Celebrated our five year anniversary June 8th..... can't believe it has been five years! 

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Charlie ... just because! 

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We have accomplished several home updates, painting etc.  I am always posting the updates on Instagram, which is part of the reason I forget to post on here. I am hoping to do a full home update before the end of the year. 

Thinking about trying these out in my morning smoothie. Has anyone else tried them and noticed a difference in your skin? I have heard amazing reviews! 

2018 MARCH READING

Happy Tuesday y'all - I got my hair trimmed today and I swear it feels ten pounds lighter. Anyone else feel like that adds a little pep in your step? I did not get much reading done in March but the books I did read, I really enjoyed. I have been trying to start My Husband's Wife for two weeks now - really hoping to make a dent in my April reading this weekend. What are you currently reading? Would love any recommendations for my running list. 

-The Child by Fiona Barton - An old house is being demolished in a desolate neighborhood in London and a worker uncovers the body of a small child. Journalist Kate Waters begins to investigate this child and who they were. As a crime from decades before comes to light, she delves deeper into the past. We follow several narratives throughout the book as we piece together how they are involved. You won't see the ending coming - highly recommend! 

-Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng - Shaker Heights is the perfect all American neighborhood. Everything is planned out from the streets to the lives of the families that live on them. The Richardson family is the epitome of the neighborhood. When Mia Warren and her daughter come to town and begin renting at the Richardson's rental home the town is suddenly a very different place and new points of view come into play. Especially surrounding an adoption battle. What are the secrets in Mia's past? This one was slow at first but I loved it once I got into it. Great read. 

-The Fifth Petal by Brumonia Barry - Give me a book about Salem and witches and I am sold. This one did not disappoint. If you loved A Discovery of Witches, read it! A teenage boy dies in a strange incident on Halloween involving the local historian and local looney Rose Whelan. Salem's Chief of Police John Rafferty must investigate and he is linked back to Salem's most publicized cold case " The Goddess Murders." Three women all descended from Salem witches were brutally murdered and all these women had been taken in by Rose. Callie Cahill, the daughter of one of the women and the only survivor besides Rose will come back to town and will try to help prove Rose's innocence. Fun and easy read. 

APRIL LIFE LATELY

Where did the weekend go and why is April so cold? Just a few questions I asked myself this frigid April Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I thought it would be fun to do a little life lately post of what's been going on at the Johnston house since my last post in February.

- Poor Charlie has been having some issues and we had to have him neutered. Before you ask, we thought we might breed him which is why we did not neuter him when he was a puppy. I will say two weeks with a cone and staples was not fun for anyone. He is totally back to normal now - thankfully! 

Earrings | Wrap Dress | Heels super old similar here 

- Easter 2018 

- Our new and improved Breakfast Nook - I will be doing a full before and after post soon. 

Scarf H&M Old similar here | Bag boutique in Seaside obsessed with this one | Sunnies

- Last weekend we had such a fun little getaway with friends to Sandestin

Earrings | Top Hemline in Mobile similar here | Jeans | Espadrilles 

- We ate at The Surfing Deer on 30A Saturday night and I highly recommend - the food and atmosphere were great! 

- I have been working out at least 3-4 times a week since the beginning of March and I am really trying to keep it up. 

I have a new book review coming this week for everything I read in March. For the past week  I haven't wanted to do much reading, but I am trying to dive into a new book this week and get back to the program. I also just watched the first season of The Handmaid's Tale - oh my gosh have y'all watched it? It is definitely very intense but really sucks you in. Let's just talk about Southern Charm as well - the first two episodes.... amazing! If you aren't watching you definitely need to start. 

Have a great week guys and thanks for reading! 

FEBRUARY 2018 READING LIST

 Happy Weekend y'all! I know I know, I have taken another little unintentional break from the blogging world. I really want to get back into it and I am hoping this post will jump start my creative juices - no promises. I have been reading so many great books recently and wanted to share what I read in February. I already have several under my belt for March, but will share those at the end of the month. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. 

- The Thousandth Floor  by Katharine McGee - If you enjoy Gossip Girl you will love this Teen read. It is New York City 100 years in the future and almost the entire city is in a gigantic highrise. Manhattan's Elite lives on the top several floors and we are swept away into their lives and drama that unfolds. There are family secrets bubbling at the surface and a mysterious death! Super easy and fun read! I already picked up the second book - The Dazzling Heights! 

- The Breakdown by B.A. Paris - I really enjoyed Behind Closed Doors so I picked this one up and read it in one sitting. Cass is on her way home late at night in a storm and passes a car stopped on the rural road home. She is a nervous driver and decides not to stop and see if they need help. The next morning on the radio a woman has been found murdered in her car on Cass's route home. The next few weeks she begins to receive mysterious calls and starts to wonder who she can trust or if she is losing it....is the murderer after her? Major twists in this one.  Highly recommend! 

- The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand - Harper and Tabitha are identical twin sisters who have been estranged since their parents divorce right before they left for college. Years later, their father passes away and it forces them to reunite. Their own lives are both in shambles and then their mother breaks her hip. Tabitha takes over for Harper on Martha's Vineyard and Harper heads to Nantucket to help for the summer. Essentially switching roles for the summer and getting to take a break from their own lives. This is a great beach read and I loved every juicy second of it. 

- The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine - Amber Patterson is tired of leading the life of a nobody, she believes she deserves a life of luxury, the life of Daphne Parrish. Amber decides she will insert herself into Daphne's perfect life in order to have it. Will the skeletons of her past catch her before she begins her new life? This one has some MAJOR plot twists and I could not put it down! Definitely a favorite! 

Let me know what you are currently reading! 

Life Lately

Happy Fat Tuesday Friends and sorry for the radio silence on WSLG. I have every intention of picking up blogging again and life just kind of happens, inspiration on the internet is few and far between these days in my opinion. I am just much more inspired going to the library and reading a new book - anyone else? I do want to get back into writing though and I feel like it has been too long. Where to begin - here's what has been going on in our world. 

- We got a new roof and it seriously changes the way our house looks, see the before picture below, ugh. I am kind of obsessed with it. We have been in our house a little over a year and it is still such a work in progress, everything takes so much time and OH SO MUCH MONEY. There are several things I want to accomplish this Spring but I might do a post this week on the current way it looks - be forewarned its a major work in progress. 

- Spent such a fun weekend in Starkville with my girlfriends and husbands just catching up, having cocktails, and shooting some guns. 

Barbour Beadnell Jacket | Hunter Boots

- Rode in my second Mardi Gras parade and it was even more fun than my first. 

Sweater Golden Griffin | Favorite T-Shirt | Jeans  

- My float was Breakfast at Tiffany's - I mean could it be anymore perfect.

- Fun night with friends - although this is probably the most unflattering outfit ever on me. 

- MSS 2018 Henry's Ball - super fun night and we were completely exhausted the rest of the weekend. I did surprise Henry with massages on Friday for Valentine's Day and that was such a treat. 

Dress BCBG Old 

- Spent today by our pool, relaxing and catching up on a new book.

January kind of drug but February has been flying by and I am so excited for Spring! I have been working out again and I am hoping to really kick it into high gear before summer gets here. I laid out today and my summer body is just not there guys. 

I am having a No Buy February and so far it hasn't been that hard. I like the feeling of saving that money and being able to invest in nice purchases down the line. I will say all the Spring/Summer clothing is super tempting. I have read several new books and will be doing a February Reading List soon. I also did a big house deep cleaning and got rid of everything that we don't use or love. Best feeling ever. 

Currently Watching: Summerhouse, Vanderpump, The Magicians, Riverdale, RHOBH, Young Sheldon, Big Bang. Let me know if you have anything good I need to watch! 

What are you guys up to? Talk to you soon! 

JANUARY 2018 READING LIST

- FINAL GIRLS by RILEY SAGER - If you love a thriller and a classic horror film you will really love this book. Ten years ago Quincy Carpenter went to a cabin with her college friends for a fun weekend that quickly turned into a mass murder. She is the only survivor and unwillingly becomes a final girl with girls who have been in similar situations. Ten years later one of them has died in suspicious circumstances and the memories Quincy couldn't remember from that night are coming back to her.

- THE RULES OF MAGIC by ALICE HOFFMAN - I loved Practical Magic so this prequel about the Owens siblings growing up in the sixties and their family legacy will instantly suck you in. The Owens curse and all of the siblings love lives will keep you on your toes. I read this traveling over the holidays and could not put it down. It is magical!

- THE LIGHT WE LOST by JILL SANTOPOLO - Read this book in one sitting. This book is about first love and how people change and stay the same over time. The funny way that things work out. Definitely a tear jerker.

- THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by TAYLOR JENKINS REID - Loved every soapy minute. Aging movie star Evelyn Hugo hires newbie writer Monique Grant to write her biography. What follows is the story of Evelyn's rise to fame and all the men she married and why. Very reminiscent of Elizabeth Taylor. You will tear through this book! 

- PARTY GIRLS DIE IN PEARLS by PLUM SYKES - Such a fun book! I love Plum Sykes - Hello Bergdorf Blondes! This book is set in the 1980s and the elite world of Oxford University. Ursula Flowerbutton is a freshman with her heart set on writing for the school paper, Cherwell. When she discovers one of the poshest girls in school murdered, she will have to solve the murder and write about it. Such a cute read! 

What are you currently reading? I will have another reading list in February - send me your recs! 

2018 GOALS

We are officially two weeks into 2018 and I finally feel like I am getting my sea legs in the new year. After the holidays, it took me a few weeks to get back into our regular schedule. I have lots of blog planning this long weekend and I thought it would be fun to start with my goals for 2018. I love to make lists and making a list of goals that I want to achieve is one of my favorites. I always feel that when you really put things out into the universe, you will achieve them. 

January is one of my least favorite months, but I do love the clean slate of a new year. A lot of these goals are on my list every year, but I have a few smaller ones that I want to achieve. I also go month to month and have a list of smaller goals from my 101 in 1001 that I try to achieve. 

- SAVINGS - Savings is always a big one. We are trying to really budget our money and not spend as much to save for bigger purchases. I am working on our budget and might do a post in a few months to update. 

- EATING AT HOME - This one goes with the savings but we are trying not to eat out as much, it really adds up. I want to do more meal planning, instead of being tired and just lazily picking up food on my way home. 

- FITNESS 3X A WEEK - I started on this goal this week. I worked out on the elliptical Monday, started the first week of BBG free trial, and I went to my first hot yoga class Friday, which was amazing and I might be newly addicted. I have to say that getting back into my fitness routine has already started to feel great, especially after my glutenous holiday. 

- HOME PROJECTS - Henry and I have several things we want to accomplish for our house. The first one is we want to wire a wall for our tv and get quotes for built-ins on that wall. I think this will be an amazing addition to our living room. We also have some big purchases to make like a buffet, art work, and finishing painting some rooms. 

- JOHNSTON FAMILY TRIP - Henry and I are planning a trip this year for the two of us. We don't want to spend too much money so it needs to be somewhere we can drive but also somewhere we haven't been together. We are thinking about Savannah, Charleston, etc. Let me know any suggestions? 

- FINISH WARDROBE BASICS - I have a running list of wardrobe basics I need in my closet. I don't have that many left to add until I feel like my basics arsenal is complete. 

What are your goals for 2018? 

LIfe Lately...

- Thanksgiving 2017 with the fam 

- Made a delicious pecan pie 

- Charlie doing his favorite activity 

- Our biggest Christmas tree and my favorite ever 

- Virginia with family - love this picture of Aunt Cathy, Henry, and me

- In Williamsburg with Aunt Cathy 

- Our new house in Williamsburg ;)

- Henry duck hunting in Arkansas 

- Annual Office Christmas Party at Dauphins 

- Our First Dinner Party 

- 2017 Johnston Christmas Tree - love her 

- Annual Tapia Christmas Eve Eve Party 

- New Years Eve 2017 A Hackney New Year - Such a fun wedding! 

Good Morning Strangers and Happy New Year, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. This week was definitely hard to get back into the swing of things, but it is always nice to get back to a routine. We had such a wonderful end to 2017. Lots of holiday fun and spending time with family. This Thanksgiving and Christmas were probably one of my favorites yet. I have lots of 2018 Goals and will have a post up about them later this weekend. I am planning to start BBG - anyone else tried it - I am hearing really great things. I also have a ton of books to review and maybe a best purchases of 2017 - would anyone be interested in seeing that?  I hope you have a wonderful 2018!