Good Morning and Happy Monday! Here we are, the second week of April and Easter is this coming Sunday. I found the cutest dress at Loft. And it was on sale 50% off - woohoo! I love a good bargain. This last week was a doozy - so busy that this is a pretty short life lately post as we both had a crazy work week.
I picked this up last week and I am LOVING it. This is the Becca Undereye Brightening Corrector. You just dab a little on under your eye before you put on concealer. It just makes you look more awake and more refreshed. I love it. You could also let it double as a highlighter as well.
Monday was a sick day. I was just nauseous and feeling blech. I took up residence on the couch and slept for most of the day.
hammered hoops | claudia stackable rings
This work week was a doozy. Phillip worked a 60 hour week, I had a jam packed week of meetings. You can tell by my eyes that I was just tired.
This one was tired too. I love how she drapes her paws over the front of the couch. I love my sweet, daffy girl.
My new favorite beverage. Premier Protein, caramel flavor + 4oz cold brew concentrate = delicious, protein packed coffee. Way fewer WW smartpoints than anything from Starbucks. So so tasty.
top (similar) | jeans | shoes | poppy necklace | hammered hoop earrings | melody bracelet | love bangle | watch
Who is ready for summer??? I know I am and I was definitely feeling it on Friday. I had no meetings, so it was a great day for dressed up jeans and an even better reason to break out my new Poppy necklace. I just love the bright pops of color. This necklace will be on repeat all summer. #pinkyswear
top (similar) | kendra scott earrings | engravable necklace
I had weigh in on Saturday at my Weight Watchers meeting and I was down 2.4 pounds! Woohoo! I am now 18 pounds away from goal. I can't tell you how motivating it is to have a good week. It makes you want to push through and keep doing better. I've already meal planned for the week and am off to a good start. I am determined to have another good week this week. I have some travel coming up this summer and I want to look and feel my best.
top | jeans | shoes | engravable necklace | melody bracelet | isabelle wrap bracelet
We had a birthday party Saturday night and I was aiming for casual and comfy. I think I hit the mark with this outfit. How cute is this J.Crew Factory dalmatian tee? I thought it was just adorable. And right now it' $21.50! Go get yourself one!
So who were we celebrating? This lady right here (in the middle). That's Billie-Jo, bridesmaid extraordinaire and amazing friend. She and my cousin Jim moved to Texas in 2012 and I am so glad that we are sharing this crazy Texas adventure together. She loves living here just as much as I do (which is to say a whole lot)! She just turned 40 and we went and celebrated with her Saturday night. Yummy Mexican food, adult beverages, birthday cake, and good company. There was no better way to celebrate.
Sunday is baking day and this week I made Mix and Match Mama's S'mores Bundt Cake. I cannot wait to take this one in to work tomorrow. I think it's going to be a hit.
Sunday was a gorgeous day. Warm and sunny and Jack and Kate took the opportunity to relax on the patio. It is seriously their favorite spot.
For the month of April, Stella & Dot is donating all proceeds from the sales of these four bracelets to the HollyRod Foundation which provides support for those with Autism. At $19 each they make great gifts and are a sweet way to show your support for a great cause.
For every 10 bracelets sold, I am doing a giveaway. A few more bracelets to go and I will be giving this away super cute 'good vibes' pouch to one lucky winner. Help me help the HollyRod Foundation!
That's what we've been up to this week! Make it a great week everyone, I'll see you all back here for tomorrow's Stella & Dot Style.
xoxoxoxoxo
A few months ago, I wrote about my weight loss struggles and journey. I think about my weight loss, nutrition, and fitness every day. Every. Day. I will never be the person who doesn't have to think about what they're eating. I think about every forkful, every bite. I will be a member of Weight Watchers forever. Part of how I work at maintaining (and still trying to lose a few more pounds) is to be physically active. To be honest, I am in the best shape of my life and that include the years I spent as a dancer.
When I first had my weight loss surgery I started running. I didn't do any type of Couch to 5K program or anything like that, I just started running on the treadmill for as along as I could. I worked at building up my time and distance. I loved it. I liked being active.
When I moved back to Texas in 2013 I started running 5Ks. I run about 4-5 a year and over the last 4 years I have gotten my time down from 38 minutes to 31 minutes. It feels so good to finish a race.
I also joined the gym and started taking Zumba class three nights a week. I LOVED Zumba class. It was such a great workout and my instructor Lily was amazing. So much energy! I would walk out drained and exhilarated at the same time. After I had been back in Texas for year, I started dating Phillip.
Shortly before I met him, he had started running too. We would run together. I'd meet him at his place after work or he'd come to my place and we'd go for a run and then we'd make dinner. In the last year he has surpassed me (most of the time) in race times. I am so proud of him for the progress he has made. And I love that we both have goals and that we work together on them. We push each other to be better and to stay on track. As a couple, being active and healthy is important to us.
His weekly routine is slightly different than mine as he does not go to barre. I've spoken of my deep and abiding love for barre here on the blog before. I great big puffy heart love it.
I do not even mind getting up at 4:40am in order to go to barre class. I go to barre four times a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5:15am and then on Sunday at 8:30am. I go in and look forward to 55 minutes of working hard and focusing on nothing more than being in class.
And leaving, I feel amazing. Even after a super hard class (I'm looking at you Megan!) I still feel great. There have been occasions where I've gone into Target or another store after class and my legs feel like jelly. And I go back again for another class.
Tuesdays and Thursday, Phillip and I got to the gym and run on the treadmill. It's pretty dark so we don't run outside that early in the morning. On Saturdays, I get up at 6am and run on the treadmill before Weight Watchers. Some Saturdays Phillip joins me and others he really wants to run outside, so he'll wait a bit and go for a run around the lake when the sun comes up. He'll also go for a run on Sunday when I'm at barre.
We try to fit in workouts when we travel too. When we were at my sister's house for Christmas, we made it out to go running twice. I wish we could have gotten in one more but two was better than none! When we were in Vegas the previous year we walked everywhere but we also got in two workouts at the hotel gym.
I'll also squeeze in an extra workout where I can. If I get home early or Phillip is working late, I'll go for a walk around the lake in the evening. It's about 3 miles around. I put on a podcast, put my earbuds in and start walking. I love being out in the fresh air and talking that walk around the lake.
It's hard and some days it's a struggle and yes, some days I stay in bed instead of hitting the gym. I feel it's a good week though if I can get a workout in at least 5 out of 7 days.
The year leading up to my weightloss surgery, I hardly ever worked out. I had a long commute and it was so draining. The last thing I wanted to do was get up even earlier to work out and I definitely didn't feel like it after I got home. When I made the decision to have the surgery though, I made the decision to completely change my life and that meant despite leaving the house at 6am and walking in the door at 7pm, I was going to change and get out and go to the gym or go for a walk. I needed to be moving. That movement started to increase and almost 4 years post surgery I am the most active I have ever been and never imagined that I would be.
Words of advise - you have to do what works for you. I need to be a morning workout person. If I don't workout in the morning, odds are it won't happen otherwise. I will occasionally sign up for an evening barre class but that's the exception for me, not the rule. I love barre and I love running. You may hate it. You need to find what you are motivated to do. For some people that's CrossFit or Yoga or Biking or Swimming. For others it's gym classes or 21 Day Fix or P90X. Find what it is that you like to do. If you hate it, you'll find reasons not to do it. And then stick with it.
I have always been open about my weight loss surgery, so if any of you have questions about my procedure or anything related to that, please don't hesitate to email. You can find me at nichole@themrsfisher.com and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.
I'll be back Friday with Friday Favorites. I'll be highlighting some of my favorite transition pieces for as we slide into Spring in the coming weeks.
xoxoxoxo
I know I haven't done a Life Lately post in awhile, so this recap might be slightly longer than usual... #buckleup #lotsofbarrepics #ofcourse
I went out for a fancy date night with this handsome fella. We had a yummy dinner at Pyramid Restaurant at the Fairmont in Dallas.
I am in LOVE with these Burt's Bees lip balms. The one on the left is the Lip Shimmer in Fig. The one on the right is the Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahlia. They are the perfect amount of color if you aren't a huge lipstick fan. I like to throw the Tinted Lip Balm on when I'm running out to barre. It gives me a hint of color and my lips are so smooth.
I went to barre.
A few times.
Post workout selfie! These classes can be intense.
I take the 5:15am class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and the 8:30 class on Sunday. Mondays, Niki usually teaches. Wednesdays is usually Kelly, and then Friday it could be either of them or one of the other instructors. Well...Kelly had been on vacation and Friday was her first class back teaching. Let me tell you, there is nothing like an instructor who has just come back from vacation. She worked us hard! And now I'm away for a bit and won't get back until Friday. Ugh. That one is going to be rough.
I chopped my hair. It's a little shorter in the back than I wanted, it's not really long enough to wear curly yet. If I let it curl, it sticks straight up. #poodle
I'll wear it natural more when the shorter layers grow in a bit. Otherwise, the length in the front is exactly what I have been wanting.
My new favorite lunch. I LOVE Trader Joe's. Don't they have the best stuff? 1/4 of the chicken salad container and 8 of the pumpernickel pretzel sticks make for a Weight Watchers point friendly lunch for me. It's something I'm able to nibble on. Phillip loves the chicken salad too. It is so tasty.
We menu plan every week. Every week. We do this for several reasons.
Another new favorite. I saw this on a fellow WW Instagrammer's account. Lorissa's Kitchen jerky. Oh. My. Stars. This stuff is delicious! Super points friendly and it helps me satisfy my cravings for something salty in the afternoon.
Anyone up for a run? It felt good to get a run in. We had been slacking a bit getting up on Tuesdays and Thursdays to hit the gym for some cardio, but we have been much better at it the last few weeks. The warm weather has helped. Speaking of which...
I had a meeting in Arlington last Wednesday. That means I got home a little earlier than usual as the traffic was not bad and I shaved about 20 minutes off my normal nightly commute (it can be rough getting out of downtown Fort Worth some nights). I used that extra time to take a walk around the lake. It was such a gorgeous night.
Three miles around the lake, it felt good to be home.
New product alert! This was an instant favorite. It's the ELF gel lip stain. I found it at Target. It was $4. $4!!! Pick it up. Try it out. You will love it. I promise.
dress (similar) | sweater | bag | shoes | necklace
It's been hard to know how to dress lately. The weather in Dallas is all over the place. It was in the 80s one day, the 60s the next. Do I dress for Summer? For Winter? It feels weird to wear boots and a scarf when it's 80 out. But it's February. Sigh. My solution has been to dress in layers.
I had a facial at my favorite spa last Saturday - Hidden Door Medspa in Southlake. I got there a little early and popped into Banana Republic. Specifically, I wanted to try on this dress. It fit, but I only liked it, didn't love it. The belt would not stay tightened. And for the price, I would need to LOVE it. So back it went. What I did fall in love with was this top:
How sweet are those bell sleeves? I'm not usually into that particular look, but because the top is a lighter sweater material, they hold their shape and aren't floppy. I've worn it twice already. Love it.
While I was at Southlake Town Square, I wandered past Gap on my way to the spa and saw this display. How adorable is this Dumbo collection? Too sweet.
top | jeans | boots | Lindsay necklace | knot hoops | watch
I was traveling out of town for work on Saturday, so we had Date Night on Friday night. We went to one of our local favorites, The Ranch. Phillip had been dreaming of their grilled chipotle meatloaf and I had been wanting the fried green tomatoes. We were not disappointed. How pretty is this Lindsay necklace? I'm going to cover it more tomorrow in my Stella & Dot post.
And then it was off to Tampa! I got in Saturday and had time to drive down to Venice to see family. The weather has been gorgeous! What's better than gorgeous weather and the ocean? I miss being close to the beach.
Hammered hoops | Rebel pendant | watch
Fortunately there's a Dunkin Donuts near my aunt's house so I was able to grab one for the road before I drove back up to Clearwater for my meeting. How pretty are these hammered hoops? I've showcased the gold ones before. These are the mini silver ones. I love how delicate they are.
And that's a peek into our life lately! Come back tomorrow for this week's edition of Stella & Dot Style!
xoxoxoxo
