Sleepy Monday

So I had planned to post about my exciting weekend but I didn't get home last night until 1:30am. Needless to say, I am pounding down coffee and trying to stay awake at work.....Zzzz
Since my weekend breakdown post is postponed until later, enjoy some pics from the playoff game I went to last night!!

To Be Continued...

                                                        Small Girl in a Big World

Pumpkin Picking Outfit

Pumpkin Picking Outfit by smallgrlbigworld featuring madewell

Madewell / Fat Face , $73 / Bootcut jeans, $125 / Buckle boots / MICHAEL Michael Kors michael kor / Kate Spade jewelry / Madewell

More fall/ October outfit favorites! If only my my paycheck was big enough to afford all of this good stuff. Go to Polyvore and create your favorite fall looks and send them to me!

High Five for Friday!

Friday is here again people.... thank goodness!

1. This Sunday is my moms birthday so I will most likely have my family over for a home cooked meal made by yours truly. 
2. Got 2 magazines to help motivate me to exercise.. so far soo good this week, hopefully I can keep it up. Workout tip blog coming soon!
3. My boyfriend finally made time to put my pinterest project up in our bedroom. I would like it better I think if it wasn't against a white wall, but that's apartment living for you.
4. I recently found some pretty cool apps for my iphone after the big upgrade. 
• Spending is an app where you plug in all of your expenses and incomes and it divides everything up into categories to show you where most of your money is going. This is a great app for people who are trying to keep a budget and work on their finances.
• Credit Karma shows you your credit score for free! I saw a commercial for it so I convinced myself it was trustworthy and downloaded it. It shows all the money I owe on my car and student loans and it even gives me an updated credit score every month.
• PicFrame is the app I use to make my HFFF posts. It has tons of frames to choose from that can hold up to 9 pictures. Definitely the best collage app I have found so far.
• Running uses a GPS signal in your phone to time and track your runs. It records all my runs so I am able to see if you are improving or not. You can hook this app up to your facebook and you can actually hear cheers when your friends "like" your status. This app is one of my favorites.
• Thankfulfor is an app that acts as a journal in a way. All you do is write one thing you are thankful for when never you want and it can either be made public or private. I try to write something every night before bed to help me appreciate what I have and work on my positive thinking.
5. This is a picture I took on the trail I run on. It it so beautiful and serene I had to stop and take a picture before the sun went down. Probably one of my favorite place..

This is also my first time linking up with Lauren from FMGD and Lindsey from The Bargain blonde! Click on the picture below and check out Lauren's and Lindsey's Friday Favorites. Enjoy :)

What I love About Fall

Fall Favorites by smallgrlbigworld featuring michael kors handbags

Levi's levi s, $69 / Cable knit cardigan, $265 / Cable cardigan / IRO motorcycle jacket / Slim jeans, $125 / Rachel Roy glitter shoes / Nude shoes, $37 / High heels / High heels / BCBG Max Azria wedge shoes / Madewell ballet flat / MICHAEL Michael Kors michael kors handbag / LOFT crystal jewelry / LOFT flower jewelry / LOFT statement necklace / Gold jewelry / Sterling silver jewelry / John Lewis , $48 / Polka dot scarve / Oasis leopard scarve, $32

Here are some of my favorite fall trends.As you can tell I like fairly neutral tones with a pop of color!

What do you like about Fall?? 

Knickknacks

So although I have placed myself on a 60 day shopping hold, I am still able to browse and look at things I want, right?? I recently discovered a website called ThreadSence that has the cutest knickknacks for your home.

I love love loveeeee these chalkboard mugs! They are so handy when you have people over and you can even add a fun saying to spruce up your morning at work. The business card clip is definitely a great addition to any home office if you want a place to stash your cards in a decorative way. I have been obsessed with colors and patterns lately so the coasters and notebook caught my eye immediately.ThreadSence doesn't just limit themselves to home decor, they also sell some really awesome clothes and accessories. So while your eating your breakfast and sipping on your morning coffee, take a second and browse through. You wont be disappointed!

Favorite Products

I am constantly looking for skin products that don't dry out my skin or cause unwanted breakouts. After years of trial and error and unfortunate proactive memories that I choose to repress, I can finally say I have found some incredible products. All of these can be found at ULTA or Sephora.

1. Clear by Philosophy- I used to use Purity by Philosophy as my primary face wash but after a while I feel like my skin gets immune to the cleansers I use, so I switched to Clear. Philosophy is a trusted brand and has numerous amounts of products that are designed to help every type of skin issue. It's a light weight oil free cleanser that leaves your skin soft and clear (wonder how long it took them to come up with the name huh??). I definitely recommend this product to anyone who has mild breakouts and/or has dry skin.
2. Mineral Mudd Masque by Purminerals- I love mudd masks, and this one is by far my favorite. You can feel it working the second it hits your face. I usually try to use it on my whole face once or twice a month or do some spot treatments if I am having some problem areas.  It doesn't over dry and leaves your face feeling tingly and smooth after you rinse it off. If you are looking for a new mask that wont dry your face, Mineral Mudd is the way to go. I bought mine 2.5 years ago and I still have plenty left.
3. Hope in a Jar by Philosophy- I'd say this moisturizer is pretty popular.. if you are reading this you have already probably heard of or bought Hope in a Jar. It's great for those winter dry skin days; you just lather up at night and you are as smooth as a baby's booty in the morning. For me personally, I can only use this at night. The creme is definitely too thick to be a "before the makeup" face lotion to me. Dry skin sistas, you gotta try this out.. esp with the cold weather right around the corner.
4. Smooth Indulgence Concealer by Dermablend- You ever wake up with a huge family of pimps on your chin? I have. This little devil saved me having to call out of work, skip class, or cancel a date... pimples are embarrassing!! You put a dab of this concealer on top of any problem area and it instantly covers the redness. This is an oil-free product, along with all of the others listed. This concealer can be worn under both liquid foundation or powder. I'm telling you people, it works! This may seem like a small tube for $22 but you barely need to squeeze it to get the amount you need so it lasts a while. I would only recommend this for a spot treatment cover up, not whole face concealer.
5. Oil Control Mattifier by Murad- this is the lotion I use after I wash my face in the morning and before I put on my makeup. It gives a great base for makeup and it protects you from looking shiny later in the day. This lotion does a really good job of giving just the right amount of moisture to fix the dryness without being too greasy. 
6. HD Foundation by Makeup Forever- My all time favorite foundation ever! I have been searching for a foundation that will cover my imperfections without having to cake on a thick layer that gives me "makeup face".. (makeup face is where someone cakes on foundation so much that you can see the ring around their chin where the makeup stops... me circa 2006) This foundation is light and gets the job done. Hands down awesome product.
7. ClearCalm 3 Replenishing Night Serum by Ren- I use this every night before bed to re-hydrate my skin. Its super light and really helps clear up blemishes overnight. If my skin is feeling more dried out than usual, I'll leave a small layer on the serum on my skin without rubbing it in completely and its all good to go in the morning. 
8. Cleansing Facial Wipes by Simple- I like to use these wipes to take my makeup off before I wash my face. They are oil-free and leave your face feeling refreshed and clean. I usually buy the big pack that comes with 25 wipes and cut each of them in half because I never need a full wipe all at once. If you are interested in trying this product, here are a few coupons!

Let me know about your favorite products!

60 Day Challange

So every year I try to set some goals for myself; some of them are reached and others sadly just remain another unchecked line in my notebook. I decided that I want to put the BS excuses aside and really put my mind to the things I want for myself and I'm starting today!

Okay so here is my 60 day challenge:

1. Only spend money on necessities
2. No eating out..at all. Ill allow myself 1 night a week for a possible date night to spend money on a meal but besides that- no froyo, no red robs, no chipotle, no subway, nothing..tears just fell on my keyboard.. no joke. 
3. Eat healthy home cooked meals
4. Lose 10 lbs
5. Exercise 3-4 days a week
6. Absolutely NO buying clothes or accessories... gahhh this is going to be tough
7. Use coupons to buy groceries and toilet trees to try to bring costs down as best as I can 
8. Read 2 books- I have yet to finish the second hunger games book and i'm ready to know what happens already!

After examining my credit card and debit card statements over the past month I realized I have been spending so much money on clothes and food and clothes and clothes. As much as I love clothes and only buy stuff on sale, I still need to be aware of the money I spend. The amounts that showed up on my calculator after I plugged in my monthly spending over the month of September was shocking to me. I spent a total of $ 121.82 on eating out (not including groceries which totaled to be around $179.70) and dun dun dun.... $299.02 on clothes and jewelry. Hi, my name is Sam and I am a shopaholic. To some, $300 is not a lot to spend on clothes but its a huge dent in the ole wallet to someone who has student loans, a car payment, rent, and 3 weddings next summer. Thus, why I am on a mission to cut back and learn to be satisfied with what I have.

Saving money on eating out will also help me with a little issue I like to call love handles and thunder thighs. Before we got my pup in April I was in such a good place with my eating and exercising; I went to the gym, ran outside, used a calorie tracker, and I actually saw results. Unfortunately, my motivation took a turn for the worse when all I could think about when I came home from work was playing with this adorable puppy. How can you resist this face???       

Anyway, long story short, I am dedicated to getting in shape and feeling good again... Ill keep you posted with my progress.

I hereby start my 60 day Challenge on October 1st 2012. Wish me luck!!!

Feel free to share any goals you are currently challenging yourself to accomplish :)