It's About That Time

As of tomorrow evening I will be a changed woman. 

I will probably be a pound lighter and looking a bit more refreshed. 

Tomorrow evening, I am CHOPPING my hair off! 

YIKES!

 The more I think about it the more nervous I get. I have been growing out my hair since before my wedding. If I'm doing the math correctly, that's about 3 years I have been working on growing it long and pretty. It takes so long to grow it out and a split second to chop it off.

I do love my hair long, but it's to the point where I can't do anything with it so I'm always throwing it in a pony or a high sock bun. (Of course, after I scheduled my hair appointment, the next 3 days were awesome hair days. It never fails) But I've realized, it's time for something different and it will always grow back. 

My inspiration:

Initial thought was to do a long angled bob with some long bangs. As I searched instagram and pinterest, this is what I came up with. 

I love the layers and the body of Selena's cut.

If I could pull off short bangs, this style is so sleek.

I love the length of Tyra's hair and her chunky bang. It's short but not too short.

I like Sandra's cut, it similar to Tyra's but maybe more of a bob in the back.

This will probably be what I'll show my stylist though. I like that she has it angled and long (I might want mine a tad bit longer) but with enough layers, and she has it cut so she can wear it with a middle part or to the side. 

This is my color inspiration. 

Black to brown. 

I never use to be a fan of ombre, but if it's done right it looks so pretty! 

Wish me luck! 

I hope I leave without shedding any tears. 

Which inspiration pic was your favorite?

Recipe: Cayenne Crackers

Yesterday I posted about a delicious frozen bloody mary that would be perfect for a tailgate, and today I have the perfect snack to go along with it. When CT and I went to the Chiefs vs. Cowboys game a friend of mine brought some:

Cayenne Crackers

1 1/4 cup canola oil

2 tbsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1 box of club crackers

2 gallon zip lock bags

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

- in a mixing bowl, combine the oil, spices, and ranch dressing

- stir well

- put 1/2 box of club crackers in a gallon ziplock bag with half the oil mixture

- put the remaining 1/2 box of crackers and oil in the other zip lock bag

- seal bags with air

-toss crackers and let sit for ten minutes

- continue to toss crackers every 10 minutes for 40 minutes

Serve and enjoy!

This is such a simple appetizer and would go well dipped in ranch or hummus. It has the perfect amount of salt and heat. 

A Tailgate Necessity

Unfortunately, I have been extremely busy with my new job and with football season in full swing, I haven't had time to make up my own version of this, but I stumbled across it on Pinterest and knew it would make the perfect tailgating drink! And if you aren't a tailgater, whip it up at home for some Sunday night football. It looks too delicious to pass up.

Frozen Bloody Mary

from A Beautiful Mess

According to Elsie, the night before you will need to freeze a tray or two of bloody mary mix. My personal favorite is Zing Zang which can easily be found at any grocery store. It's the perfect mix of spices and tomato juice. 

2 ounces vodka

Bloody Mary mix, frozen into ice cubes

Worcestershire sauce to taste

Tabasco to taste

Fresh lemon juice 

Liquid Smoke

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. You may need to add a little extra bloody mary mix to make it blend better. One tray of ice cube will make one drink, so if you are having a party, freeze a lot! 

Serve with a rimmed salt glass, a stalk of celery, and enjoy.

How delicious and easy! You may not be able to bring your blender to the football field, but don't let that stop you from making some at home to take with you. For my version, I would probably skip the tabasco. I'm not a fan of too much heat and the Zing Zang comes really well seasoned.

 You can never go wrong with a bloody mary! 

Women Crush . . . Thursday

So I know it's 'Women Crush Wednesday' and that I'm a day late and a dollar short with this post BUT my days are crazy busy and there seriously aren't enough hours in the day. That's unless I want to wake up at 430a or go to sleep at midnight, neither which are happening.

So I've made today women crush Thursday! 

Sergeant Theresa Vail

A beauty queen. 

A hunter.

A sergeant in the US Army. 

And the picture talked about around the world, a lover of the Lord and tattoos! 

From looking at the photos above, this woman looks as though she's the complete package. Someone who will die for their country, someone who loves the Lord, and someone who has a wide variety of hobbies. Why didn't she win Miss USA the other night? Was it because she was tatted up? Was it because she kills animals in the woods? Was it because she dresses like a boy sometimes in a uniform? Her platform is empowering women to overcome all stereotypes and to break boundaries, and she definitely breaks the stereotypical 'Miss USA' type of candidate. I think it's time we started getting real people in the pageant. Women that most of us can relate to and women that we as other women look up to. 

She definitely is that type of a contestant! 

And she's from Kansas so I like her even more. =) 

Who was your favorite contestant? 

I Need a Boost

I have come to the realization that I am a super unhealthy person and no longer feel good about what I see in the mirror without clothes on. 

I grew up with people calling me anorexic, I had the fastest metabolism in high school, and I have been an athlete my whole life so I have never had to work at keeping or staying in shape. It just came natural.

After graduating college, and no longer playing volleyball I have slowly but steadily seen the pounds creep on. My muscle is no longer there and now in it's place is a layer of fat. Yuck! 

Today got me thinking:

Why is buying healthy food so dang expensive?

Why does Dr. Pepper taste far more superior than water?

Why can't I turn down cookies or brownies when CT offers to make them?

Why does a gym membership have to be so expensive?

 Why aren't there enough hours in a day to use that membership? 

Why do I HATE running when it's probably one of the best things for you?

As much as I hate to admit it, I no longer am able to put no effort into my health and fitness. I need to be proactive and really start putting effort into my body. We only get one of them, and we need to take care of it and treat it the best way possible.

Like Nike says: Just Do It. 

Since we no longer have our gym membership, I'm going to need to improvise. Thankfully we have some dumbbells at home as well as the p90x videos and pinterest. I have stumbled across some great at home workouts from there. Hopefully those will be enough to get me jump started on this change of lifestyle. 

Check out some workouts I came across via Pinterest:

These are quick workouts that don't need a lot of fancy equipment.

I think I should be able to manage. 

What motivates you? 

What are your favorite at home workouts?

Football Filled Weekend

So, I'm just going to tell you this now - if you don't like football or sports in general, you should probably stop reading now and come back around May. With being and athlete, marrying an athlete, and having a husband that teaches and coaches our lives are jam packed with sports activities and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This weekend CT had his second football game of the year where they were unsuccessful in beating Benedictine College.  After his 6pm game, we busted it to KC in order to get plenty of beauty sleep for the following Sunday football game, Chiefs vs. Cowboys. 

This was the first time CT and I have really had a trip or vacation with our family since being married. We always go home and we get together for the holidays but we don't really do much outside of that. This was nice. 

You can tell from my outfit that I went the comfy casual look. It rained a bit while we were tailgating and at the beginning of the game so I'm glad I wore a light jacket. Also, knowing beforehand that those chiefs fans were intense, I didn't rep the navy star this weekend. CT got hackled enough for the both of us, but I still was in the color scheme: navy, white, and silver. 

We really had a good time besides the fact that we lost by a point. =(( 

Tony Romo sealed the deal with me yesterday. I'm really no longer a fan of his. His performance was extremely disappointing. You make 100 million dollars dude, show us why. 

Did your team have better luck then my team did yesterday? 

Linking up with Sami Shenanigans. 

Football Fashion Friday - [Part 2]

While looking through my closets which are two fully packed closets I realized that I don't really have anything 'cute' fall football related. Ya I have some boots and ya I have some scarfs, but I can never pull together looks like I find on pinterest. 

I just don't have it! 

all via Pinterest

The top picture is something I would totes wear to a cold weather Cowboy's game. And the bottom picture - I have pieces, but I don't really have that many great pieces. Like the jacket = a great piece. So versatile and so in trend.

At the end of last week, I teamed up with Katie at Studious Style to talk about all things fall fashion related. I spoke on football fashion and about what I am going to wear to this weekends Cowboy's vs. Chiefs game. This week I'm teaming up with Erin and Erin to co-host Football Friday and to talk about all things football related. I figured since I talked last Friday about a lack of football related fall fashion, that I would dream a bit and show you a few pieces I wish I could add to my closet.

I stumbled across The Mint Julep Boutique and Monicas Closet Essentials via pinterest, and after window shopping I realized they have super cute and super affordable clothes. I have been drooling over some of these game day inspired pieces. 

Cowboys inspired dress that I would love to wear this weekend!

KU inspired outfit.

all via The Mint Julep Boutique

I don't have any team that I support that have these colors, but I sure love it this top! Maybe if I was a bengals fan {*cough* Erin} you might find this in my closet.

You could get a lot of wear out of this dress at many different athletic events. 

It would be super cute fall-a-fied (like this new word I just made up?) with a colorful cardigan, black leggings, and black boots.  

If I was a Denver Bronco's fan, I would totally rock this sweater. Comfy casual and you can't go wrong with chevron!

all via Monicas Closet Essentials

Oh how I wish I had this for this weekend! It would go perfect with my outfit and what a cool way to represent your team! 

What I've come to realize is that:

1. I need better pieces added to my wardrobe.

2. I need to learn to layer more, because ultimately that's what fall fashion is all about!

3. You don't have to wear a tee-shirt or jersey to represent your team. You can still look cute while showing your team spirit. 

I hope you are linking up with us today for Football Friday!

PS- Check out my first football friday post about CT and I's history with football. 

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<a href="http://www.lovefunandfootball.com/" title="Love, Fun & Fotball"><img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/2cnw7jd.png" alt="Love, Fun & Fotball" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Outfits - WIWW

While I was back home this past weekend, my generous mama took my shopping for some new 'work' clothes. Upon my return home, I had to go to the store for additional hangers because I was completely out and then attempt to do some fall closet cleaning because I had no more room left in my closet! YIKES! 

With that being said, here are a few outfits I pulled together from my new clothes.

Dress // Kohls {on sale for $8 from $78 = score!}

Flats // Target

Bubble Neckalace // Groupdealz

Smaller necklace // gifted 

Bracelets // home shows 

 Don't mind how my skin, background, and dress all are the same color. I hadn't even noticed until it was to late to take the picture! 

Shirt // hand me down 

(I love when your co-workers lose weight and then give you their clothes)

Gold Sparkle Toms // PinkSaloon

Colored Denim // Target

Scarf // American Eagle 

I'm loving this casual look and this infinity scarf is now my favorite I own. It will be able to go with some many different outfits. 

Happy hump day!

Linking up with the pleated poppy and style elixir.

I think I'll go back

So yesterday was my first day in the corporate world. Like grown woman status, totes a big girl job. It was exciting and nerve racking all at the same time. I really think this is going to be a fun job, with lots of interesting projects so I'm excited to see what's in store for me. For now . . . I'll go back! 

It's funny, because I use to tell my mom all the time that I wanted to work in a tall office building carrying a brief case. Well, I'm working in a tall office building and if I wanted to carry a brief case I could. It's crazy how the Lord know the wants and desires of our hearts and does everything in His power to get us where we want to be. I totally know this is exactly where I am suppose to be!

PS- I have found a few good book series that I was obsessed with over the weekend. I had a weekend full of reading!!

I started the Surrender Series by Melody Anne. 

The fourth and final book of this series comes out in November. 
Can't wait!

And then I also started the Captive Series by Erica Stevens. 

If you have checked out my currently reading page, you would know that these types of books are my favorite. Passion, romance, and a great story line! 

PSS - I'm co-hosting a link up with Erin and Erin this Friday. We did one back in August about all things football related and we are keeping it going. Check out my August post about CT and my football journey. Football is a huge part of our lives and will continue to be until the day we die! 

10 great things about living in Kansas

Contrary to what people may think, Kansas is more then just a fly over state. 
It really does have a lot to offer! 

1. On almost any given week, we get the pleasure of experiencing almost all the seasons. It can be raining one day, 90 degrees the next day, snowing the following day after that, and all days the wind will be blowing 40 miles per hour. 

2. With this luxury, it gives us the ability to own multiple styles of clothes. Everything from vests, car harts, and itty bitty tiny weeny yellow polka dot bikinis, to uggs, sandals, and cowboy boots. We have four closets in our apartment and they aren't near big enough to hold all of CT and my clothes and shoes.

3. Kansas is home to Kansas University and the KU Jayhawks! 
Winter time and basketball season is a great time to be a Kansas fan. 

4. Every night you can go outside, look up and see an abundance of pretty stars. 

5. In the same breath, we have the prettiest sunsets and sunrises. 

6. We have the #1 {Cargill} and #2 {Koch Industries} largest privately owned businesses in the United States in Wichita, Ks. This means lots of good jobs that pay well.
One of them being mine, which I start today! 

7. We are housed in the middle of the USA. That means we are about equal distances to each coast, north south east and west. This also means that if a terrorist was going to drop a massive bomb, they may start by dropping it over Kansas to see how much they could wipe out. 
(That's not so much a great thing about Kansas.) 

8. Cost of living here is awesome. You can get a super nice 3-4 bedroom house with 2-3 bathrooms, a basement, a yard, and a double car garage for $150,000. 

9. We grow home grown sweet corn and lots of it. 
I can't wait for the day where I can have my own garden like the one below and grow asparagus, onions, peppers, jalapeños, pumpkins, tomatoes, and corn! 

10. Even though we are a fly over state, we are such a pretty fly over state. 

all images via google
It's always nice to go away, but it's always so great to come back home. . .
to Kansas! 



What do you love about your state?

Football Fashion

TGIF! 

Well, for me I've had about a week of Fridays and I'm really enjoying this week off between jobs. It's super refreshing and nice to get caught up on everything. 

Anyways, today I am collaborating with Katie over at Studious Style over all things Fall Fashion related. She is doing a series on Fridays about all things fall fashion related. Check her out! She started blogging at the beginning of August and talks about all things fashion related, beauty related, and has the best sense of style! I wish I could raid that girls dresses. 

Since we here in the Trotter household are sports fanatics, I'm going to be talking about Football Fashion. Since tonight is the first SE Buffs football game {CT teaches at this school}, tomorrow is the first Friends University football game {CT coaches at this school}, and next week we are going to our first NFL game of the year {Cowboys vs Chiefs} I thought it was only appropriate to talk about football fashion. 

But first, let me start out by saying I am a simple girl.

 I like plain shirts that I can dress up with a scarf or a fun necklace, and in my closet you will find most things in black, white, or grey. With that being said, I have realized I need to spend a little less money at Hobby Lobby and a focus some of those dollars to help out my wardrobe!! 

In preparation for next weeks Cowboys game, I have already started thinking about what I am going to wear. It's a noon game in the middle of September, so unfortunately it's a no go on boots and jackets. 

Outfit choice #1:

Navy Sperry's // Nordstrom Rack 

Navy Shirt // Gordmans

Corduroy Shorts // American Eagle

Multi Colored Scarf // America Eagle

This look would be a little more comfy casual. 

Outfit Choice #2:

Gold Shirt // Gifted

Navy Shorts // American Eagle

 Gianni Bini Sandals // Dillard's 

This outfit is a little more fun and festive and will probably be the route I go. 

I can't forget the new NFL purse rule. 

Hopefully this one passes inspection! 

Just enough room for my phone, chapstick, id, and debit card. 

I also got my bi-weekly manicure to coordinate with the upcoming events. 

Navy + Glitter screams Cowboys & Fall

Linking up with Well Shut the Front Door, Venus Trapped, and Style Elixir.