I have a lot of marvelous to share! I did a great job this weekend of balancing me-time with friend-time. I gave myself permission to celebrate my accomplishments and felt lots of love and gratitude for the people in my life who made them all possible. I’m continuing to de-grandma on weekends and stay out having a good time, and I’m determined to keep up that trend as long as the (slowly getting there) warm weather keeps giving me energy to stay up later and go go go! But I also spent plenty of time staying put put put, at the house on Saturday during the day and Sunday in the evening.

Thanks for hosting the marvelous party, Katie!

Marvelous is…FINISHING GRAD SCHOOL! Yes, I got A’s in both of my last semester courses and completed my MBA at University of Hartford with a 3.94 cumulative GPA. It feels so good to be done but it won’t really hit me until a few more weekends/lunch breaks without homework I think…or until I get my diploma in the mail. No I am not walking in the ceremony because really, ain’t nobody got time for that.

Marvelous is…Chobani sending me a crapload of their Bites and Flips for me to sample! I asked Community Coordinator Amy for the Flips and one flavor of the Bites when I visited their NYC office, but she outdid herself and sent along much more than I ever expected! My friends and co-workers have certainly benefited already and I’ll be tweeting/Instagramming my opinions I’m sure.

Holy Chobani!

Marvelous is…a Friday night of barhopping in Glastonbury with so many different friends! I just love introducing people to each other and watching them click! And any night in which I get to visit FOUR RESTAURANTS is a great night in my book.

Olivia, Chris, me, Rachel (blog namer), and her boyfriend Steve (Quest Bar sampler).

My beloved Barrel-Aged Manhattan at J. Gilbert’s happy hour.

Ginger Campari Cocktail (Bricco Trattoria in Glastonbury, CT) – Domaine de Canton Ginger Liquer, Campari, Sweet Vermouth, Bubbles (would have been way better drink without those).

Delicious Crown Royal Honey, Frangelico, milk, cinnamon shots (by Andres of course) at Rooftop 120!

Marvelous is…throwing caution to the wind and splitting Plan B‘s special PB&J burger with Olivia. Foursquare told us (oh the wonders of social media) that our friend Kevin (who Olivia had yet to meet outside of Twitter) was feasting on the epic special at the nearby restaurant, and the two of us immediately decided to go a) meet up with him and b) split that burger. I’ve heard about the special before and have been wanting to try it, but have honestly been wary of doing so. Beef burgers are not something I order in restaurants not just because I’d usually rather have something else, but also because they are something I’m afraid to order. But the foodie in me wanted to try such a unique burger so dammit I did. Splitting it (and fries!) with Olivia was the perfect way to balance trying the burger and not going home uncomfortably full. Oh, and it was FAN FREAKING TASTIC! What a fabulous flavor combo! Now I know PB is great not only on wings and pizza but on a burger too.

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Marvelous is…the fact that my only workout Friday was morning yoga and I still was able to go out and enjoy the evening to its fullest. Because rest and low-impact days are important. Cardio does not always have to be part of a workout. Slowly I’m learning. And I woke up on Saturday feeling extra fresh and fabulous for Group Step and some upper body weights, which brings me to…

Matched my BAMR band!

Marvelous is…rocking at the gym Saturday morning the Lululemon skirt I found on sale in Boston. I received so many compliments and it was ridiculously comfortable. I love that the bottom of the spandex shorts portion is lined with the same gel lining found on strapless bras, to keep the spandex from riding up my legs.

Marvelous spring polish change!

Marvelous is…splitting a scorpion with my friend Jill at her grad party on Saturday night! She just graduated with her Masters from UHart too, and we love doing weird food things together. She was so excited when I brought a bottle of mezcal with a scorpion on the bottom! She was brave and chose the stinger. Mr. Scorpion was crunchy and full of mezcal. He was also a bit hard to get down.

Before…

Cheers to the grads!

Jeff did a great job of taking pics that perfectly captured our reactions.

Wondering why I’m so adventurous..

Marvelous is…laughing at myself for being so bad at drinking games. I have never been successful at flip cup, which was busted out at Jill’s party, but I decided to take a shot at it. Since I didn’t want to chug beer I decided to chug champagne. BAD IDEA. My stomach hurt for awhile after that. It was best that I back away from the table.

I think I’ll just stick to posing by the table.

Marvelous is…finding pumpkin wine in the liquor store?! Obviously I bought it but have no idea when I’ll try it – probably when I attend my next summer party, because it’s supposed to be served well chilled. I’ll let you all know what I think. So far people I know who’ve tried it weren’t fans but I still just need to taste for myself.

Marvelous is…taking a free hula-hooping class on Sunday morning with my friend Kim! Lucy Activewear and River Rock Yoga partnered to offer the class outdoors in West Hartford’s Blueback Square. I was pretty darn chilly in the dreary weather (WHY does does it not feel like May yet, or even April?) but the hooping warmed me right up and the activity was quite a release! Lucy offers free outdoor workout classes at 10:15am every Sunday, and River Rock teaches hula hooping at their Wethersfield studio (Kaitlin and I did partner yoga there in February) a couple of times a month. I learned a couple of fun tricks!

Rocking my newest Blogilates tank! Too bad the weather made me keep it covered up.

Marvelous is…hitting up my first farmers’ market of the season at Beckett Farms in South Glastonbury! Kim and I met up with my good friend Kat and her younger sister Helen, as well as the famous baby Penelope. We purchased local goods, visited a couple of food trucks, and watched sheep being sheared!

Coffee from So G warmed us right up!

My friend Leah’s family owns Beckett Farms! Can’t wait to see her again at Lobsterfest!

Sheep shearing is seriously done with power tools! An epic once-a-year haircut.

I’m creepin the sheep.

Kat and I took cupcakes from Nora’s Cupcake truck to go! I picked out Honey Bee made with a cider cupcake and fresh local honey. Can’t wait to have it!

The Ella (prosciutto, fig jam, brie) with added over-easy egg – from the Whey Station food truck. I WAS LEFT SPEECHLESS.

Saved the best for last…Kat’s daughter and my precious girl Penelope!!!

What was the most marvelous part of YOUR weekend?

Would you eat a scorpion – or any other bugs?

Are you a pro hula-hooper, totally inept, or somewhere in between?

Have you visited any farmers’ markets and/or food trucks recently?

The post MIMM: School’s Out, Let’s Celebrate! appeared first on Cait Plus Ate.

What’s HealthyChic?

Marni of HealthyChic contacted me awhile back to introduce me to the website, which I would call RueLaLa for fitness! Some websites claim to offer deals from premium brands – and then customers never see those premium brands come around. But I myself have seen Lululemon and Lucy activewear offered on HealthyChic, at QUITE the discount. Alas, I saw too late and my favorite pieces already were sold out in my size. But HealthyChic doesn’t just offer active wear – I died over these adorable Yummy Yogi cookie cutters!

Source

Once users create a HealthyChic account, they receive periodic (not overwhelming at all) emails with the latest deals, just like on RueLaLa (except way less emails). Along with clothes and cookie cutters, you’ll find swimsuits, yoga DVDs and accessories, hats and jewelry, vitamins/supplements and food, home goods, and beauty products.

These Precise Portions plates disguise portioning guides as pretty designs! Source

The best part about HealthyChic is their 1 Makes 1 program. For every purchase, a meal is donated to a hungry child via credible charities like the United Nations World Food Programme and Project Angelfood, among others.

My Experience

Let’s get back on topic and discuss fit fashion! Marni sent me a $25 credit so I could try the service out for myself. I kept an eye out in the HealthyChic emails for a deal I wanted to take advantage of and jumped at this fun Gymdoll tank!

Source

The top is $26 on Gymdoll’s website, but was $18.99 on HealthyChic. That may not seem like a huge discount dollar-wise, but it is a little over 25% off! Discounts always appear to be more significant on higher priced items, like the Lululemon offerings; they are more significant dollar-wise, but comparable percentage-wise.

Paired my tank with a yellow sports bra (matchy-matchy) and had a great spin class!

I have to admit that I HATE paying shipping when I shop online and HealthyChic doesn’t offer free shipping until one spends at least $75. I was not able to spend that much over my credit so I purposefully looked for something I could buy that would be around $25 once shipping was applied (well, I would have bought that awesome Lululemon and Lucy stuff, but no size = no go).

The colors of the shirt were also well-timed for a workout the Tuesday after the Boston bombings – I don’t root for the Bruins but I can’t lie the Bostonians who were on my mind do love them!

My order arrived promptly and even came packaged as if it was straight from Gymdoll, with a fun sticker included that is going on a notebook!

Aw I feel the love, HealthyChic.

Luckily the top fit perfectly, but if it hadn’t I knew I had the option of free returns!

Check out the little fun touch I noticed on the tank’s interior!

I just love a) the fact that the tank has no annoying tag and b) the message about every drop of sweat!

Giveaway!

Marni has offered to let me share the HealthyChic experience with a Cait Plus Ate reader! One giveaway winner will receive his or her own $25 online shopping credit. The giveaway is open until Tuesday 4/30 at 11:59PM EST for US readers only. Please make sure you leave a separate comment for each form of entry or multiples will NOT count. Entry methods include:

1. Visit HealthyChic, browse the offerings, and comment with the link to an item you’d use the credit toward if you won! (mandatory)
2. Follow @HealthyChicInc on Twitter and comment here saying you did.
3. Follow @CaitPlusAte on Twitter and comment here saying you did.
4. Tweet “I entered to win $25 to @HealthyChicInc from @CaitPlusAte! http://caitplusate.com/?p=8726″ and comment here with the link to the tweet.
5. Visit HealthyChic on Pinterest, repin something, and comment here with the link to the repin.

If you don’t win the giveaway, you can always sign up through my invite link and use the discount code FRIENDS15 to get 15% off your first order! Good luck to all!

I received $25 to use on HealthyChic for the purpose of trying the service and writing this review, and will receive a $20 credit for each person I invite that places an order. However I was not/will not be compensated beyond this and all opinions of my experience are truthful and my own.

The post Fashion Friday: HealthyChic Giveaway! appeared first on Cait Plus Ate.

The dress I selected for the wedding – by BCBG MAXAZRIA!

The concept of Lendperk may be familiar to you if you’ve heard of services like Rent the Runway (which I was thanks to Carrots N Cake). For those not familiar with it, Star calls Lendperk the “Netflix for dresses”. Here’s how it works:

1. Choose a monthly plan that works for your budget and anticipated frequency of use: 1 dress for $20/month, 2 dresses for $34/month, or no limit for $49/month (for you socialites out there!)
2. Pick out a dress from Lendperk’s extensive and varied selection of looks from designers and higher-end stores like Anthropologie, J. Crew, and French Connection.
3. Receive your dress and wear it! (le duh)
4. Send the dress back in a prepaid USPS envelope that came with the dress – no shipping for you!

Upon signing up for your plan, you’ll get access to a free 9-day trial during which you can rent one dress. Once the 9 days are up, your card will be charged for your first month. If at any time during the trial you decide you don’t want the plan you’d signed up for you can cancel free of charge!

And my dress came with CANDY!

After I saw Budget Babe‘s Instagram of herself in a beautiful dress, I commented on her photo and asked where she got it and she told mea bout Lendperk! Star saw the comment and emailed me about trying Lendperk and doing a review/giveaway for you guys as I was choosing the dress I was going to wear to my childhood friend Megan’s wedding. I planned to rock the good old Vineyard Vines orange and white dress that I wear whenever I can, but this was the PERFECT chance to wear something new without having to spend money on a dress that, in all honesty, I really don’t need.

Who else finds she looks awkward when clutching a clutch?

Star was great to work with – once my dress was selected, it was shipped and arrived very promptly. My first choice dress was unfortunately still “checked out” in my size, but I was on the fence between that one and this BCBG selection anyway so it all worked out. And to be honest, the dresses are so cute that I had plenty of backup choices ready to go.

My sister’s wedding look was adorable too – a J. Crew dress, and nude pumps, which I covet. Too bad she has baby feet!

Some dresses on Lendperk are from brands who work with small/medium/large sizing, and some work with numerical sizing. BCBG works with numbers so I was concerned because I felt I had a bigger chance of the dress NOT fitting since the sizing was probably more “precise”, but luckily I chose well. I like that many choices do simply offer small/medium/large, for those patrons wary of picking out a dress that won’t fit.

I kept telling my mom her Ann Taylor dress was SO Michelle Obama! What do you think?

Charlotte has been unseasonably chilly so I had to wear a cover-up at the ceremony itself, but was able to show off the dress in its entirety during the indoor reception! I got many compliments and people were intrigued when I told them about Lendperk. Many had not heard of dress rentals before.

I also TOTALLY loved my friend Amanda’s bright green/pink preppy color combo. This wedding was a fashion show!

I hoped to wear the dress again in Florida before returning it, but I’d packed many others so I decided to send it on its way. There’s a post office right by our condo so popping it in the prepaid envelope was a breeze! I did not return the candy bar. Sorry, Star. My brother says thanks.

Please disregard the sketchy Paint-job censoring.

Other LendPERKS (ha right?) include:

• Free shipping and free returns (see above prepaid envelope)
• Options to cancel/restart at any time (sounds perfect – one can easily activate a membership for wedding season only, for example)
• Rentals roll over, so if you pay for a month and don’t end up needing a dress, you can do two rentals another month!

Though I don’t know when my next fancy event will be, I do know that I would DEFINITELY consider using Lendperk again on an every-now-and then basis depending on what my schedule of occasions looks like. I know I may have more chances to rent fancy dresses if my crazy friends keep getting engaged

Giveaway!

One reader will not have to consider whether or not she wants to try Lendperk since someone is going to win a free two week dress rental! Heck, maybe you will like it enough to make it your first rental of many! Remember, those who do not win can still sign up for a monthly plan and cancel it during the trial period! If you have any questions at all that I didn’t answer, check out the informative FAQ page and if the answer isn’t there then let me know and I can forward your question to Star!

The giveaway will run until Monday 4/8 at 11:59PM EST and is open to continental US entrants only (sorry guys, currently Lendperk only ships there, both incoming and outgoing dresses). See entry instructions below and separate entries must be separate comments or they don’t count:

1. Comment on this post and tell me which Lendperk dress you’d pick out if you won! (mandatory)
2. Follow @CaitPlusAte on Twitter and comment saying you did.
3. Follow @LendPerk on Twitter and comment saying you did.
4. Tweet “I entered to win a free @Lendperk dress rental from @CaitPlusAte! http://caitplusate.com/?p=8358” and comment with the link to the tweet.

You can also like Lendperk on Facebook, but this does not count as an entry. Good luck guys!

I received a dress rental free of charge from Lendperk, but all opinions of my experience are my own. This is not a compensated post.

The post Fashion Friday: Lendperk Giveaway! appeared first on Cait Plus Ate.

Megan’s mom and my mom have been best friends since 3rd grade, and Megan and I were lucky enough to grow up in the same neighborhood when we lived in Florida as kids. Her parents were like my second parents.

Me and Megan’s parents – Janet and Mike!

The dress I’m wearing above is actually from a new-to-me dress rental company called Lendperk, and I will be doing a full review and giveaway for their services on this blog for an upcoming Fashion Friday! The dress is BCBG Maxazria and that’s all the detail you’ll get for now, but stay tuned…

…back to the ceremony. It rained all morning but thankfully stopped around mid-afternoon, so Megan and Zach didn’t have to move the wedding inside. The wedding was held at a country club and Megan’s dad was sure to have astro-turf ready so for the “aisle” so her heels wouldn’t sink into the wet grass!

Upon approaching the entrance to the Firethorne Country Club we were greeted by some very cute touches like an old-fashioned box for the cards, and a lovely table set up with a guest book, engagement photos, and photos of the bride and groom’s parents on their wedding days.

Here come the “Pinteresty” pics.

Alas, those gel pens didn’t write very well on the guest book’s pages!

My sister, Hannah, signing the guest book.

We were seated with some other long-time family friends and had a pretty good view. I browsed the program while we waited for the ceremony to begin. It looked to be and did end up being short, sweet, and heartfelt. The wedding party rolled in, and then violins started to play Christina Perry’s “A Thousand Years”. Cue the waterworks.

Watching Megan come down the stairs and approach her dad was a beautiful moment.

She looked stunning!

As each year passes I turn more and more into a huge sap, and the second that Christina Perry song started playing my eyes filled with tears. I could barely stop crying throughout the ceremony and had to choke back some big old sobs!

Love the wood and the flowers together!

Walking back up the aisle as husband and wife.

Saber salute!

Meg hasn’t seen “Star Wars”, while Zach loves it and really wants her to see it. So, the theme played as they walked under the sabers! So cute.

After the wedding itself, we all strolled right inside for a cocktail hour with passed appetizers, followed by a full dinner and reception! Megan and Zach created a four-drink cocktail menu (though it was open bar so anything was available including an impressive selection of wines) based on something old, new, borrowed, and BLUE!

Why look at the first one on the list!

Sangria and the infamous blue drank.

Of course I ordered the Manhattan (served up), and of course some bid bumped into me and spilled half of it after I took the below photo – oh well!

Love the napkins!!!

One of my favorite parts of the post-wedding fun had to be the photobooth! I had such a blast with the one at HLS and this one was way fun too – my mom even got in on the action.

This one’s for you, Amy.

Somehow the couple found time to get a photo strip done!

I call this my Helga unibrow look.

Little bunny foo foo…

Favorite.

Before we sat for dinner, I made some laps to be sure I snagged pictures of the little touches that make any wedding “Pinterest-worthy”.

Easy way to find seating!

The look of each table.

Obviously where the bride & groom would sit!

Their engagement photos were definitely adorable enough to be blown up like this!

Present table (early in the night).

Love the wine cork name cards! And my Pinot Noir.

My friend Amanda and I turned the faucets back on while Megan danced with her dad to “What A Wonderful World”, especially as Megan herself started crying.

We certainly didn’t cry over the dinner, which was quite tasty (I promise, I was too busy enjoying it to take pics). The table may or may not have ordered a plate of chicken nuggets and french fries for the only kid seated at our table, just so we could all share said kid food. Mmmm, chicken nuggets.

OK, this is a better look for Amanda and I.

The DJ had Megan and Zach play an adorable game after dinner, during which they sat back to back and each held a bride’s shoe in one hand and groom’s shoe in the other. The DJ asked them questions and Megan and Zach raised the hand holding “which shoe fit” that question’s answer the best. This made for some pretty classic moments, such as each immediately raising his or her own shoe when asked, “Who’s the better driver?” Has anyone ever seen this game played at a wedding? I’d never heard of it BUT I am so doing it at mine!

Then it was time for a champagne toast and cutting the cake! It looked lovely and tasted lovelier. Zach and Megan were both nice to each other and didn’t smear cake everywhere on the other’s face, but they did take simultaneous first bites!

This white cake had a perfectly subtle touch of lemon flavor and I picked out a piece with max icing!

Liftin’ that heavy cake!

I feel like it must be hard to enjoy your own wedding with all the people pulling you in a thousand different directions for photo opps and hugs. That did not stop me from being one of those people and bugging Megan and Zach for a photo before they took their first bites of dinner.

My favorite pic of the night!

The look on Zach’s face says, “Please go away!”

I also stole a shot with Megan’s little sister Sam, AKA the maid of honor. She was happy to be (mostly) done with her duties and joined my friend Sarah in downing a blue drink or two!

She wrote the sweetest poem for Megan and Zach and read it (through tears) during her speech!

Along with cake, each place setting got a sweet addition…the below chocolate chip butterscotch cookies were to DIE for and the milk in the champagne flutes was an adorable touch! I had a cookie…then after staring at some extras, had another.

Come on, so Pinterest.

Finally the DJ busted out the tunes and though they were initially too old for my tastes, eventually “Thriftshop” was playing and I was in the zone.

Yes that is my mom on the right with her hand in the air!

Instead of throwing rice, we all lined up in the dark outside the country club and made an aisle of sparklers! Megan and Zach rode off into the night in their limo…unfortunately they both will be deployed within the next year (Zach has already done one tour of Afghanistan) so they are waiting until after that to take a honeymoon. Just one sacrifice among the MANY they have made and will make for our country.

Commemorative matchbooks for sparkler lighting!

Off she goes!

Donezo sparklers.

Bye Megan and Zach!

Oh what a night! This was only my second wedding ever and my first as a 21 year old…and my first during which I sobbed like a baby! OK, now more of my friends need to get married. And…GO!

What’s the most fun wedding you’ve ever been to?

Have you seen any ideas on Pinterest and/or at other weddings that you definitely need to steal for yours?

The post It’s WEDnesday! appeared first on Cait Plus Ate.

$10 scarf, $20 purse, $10 shoes.

Sometimes I have no success at the Urban Outfitters sale section and sometimes I come out loaded with ten new tops. This trip produced a happy medium! The scarf is such a pretty spring color. I’m loving my new purse (I needed a change) and I’ve already rocked the shoes this week!

Plenty of gold accessories to match.

The below top was another Urban sale rack find and it reminds me of a hip bowling shirt – Alley Cats Strike anyone?! Can’t wait to rock this with a rose gold watch.

LOFT was (and still is) having a fabulous sale…30% off already-reduced prices. Had to let my fellow LOFT-lova Christina know during my Foursquare check-in.

The Pleated Neck Colorblock Cocoon Shell (left) reminds me of Megan from Mad Men – she’s a style icon of mine. I told Kaitlin the Floral Inlay Tee (right) was made for a single girl because the zipper on the back has a little ribbon on it that makes it easy to self-zip!

The Striped Cotton Structured Knit Top (left) has the so-in-right-now exposed zipper in the back and I love it. It’s hard to tell in pic but the striped top on the right has a sequin hem – I LOVE that little touch of flashy color pop.

I walked away with more than the finds pictured above…Kaitlin also gifted me some of her tops that she doesn’t find herself wearing anymore. I wore the white shirt below to work yesterday and got several compliments. Sometimes all you need is a white top, tall brown boots, and the right jewelry!

Work bathroom selfies FTW.

Work is cray-cray today and my lunch break is over so off I go. Lots of fun planned for the blog next week including a recap of the Argentinian wine dinner I attended at Barcelona in West Hartford on Wednesday night, and a giveaway for tickets to see a certain Food Network celeb live in Hartford! Have a great weekend everyone! I know I”m ready for it.

Which of my finds is your favorite?

What are you most excited for about the weekend?

The post Fashion Friday: Westport Buys appeared first on Cait Plus Ate.

Got those TOMS on SALE at Urban Outfitters in Boston! Yes, it’s possible to find them on sale!

I’m also excited to share my experience with the She3 barre class called the She3 Fit Method. I’ve done a couple barre classes at Physique57 and was excited to do barre again for the first time in awhile. Kaitlin was completely new to barre and we both appreciated a chance to try a new workout that while not necessarily our “typical” intense HIIT or heavy lifting, would still put us out of our comfort zones and test our strength!

She3 is absolutely gorgeous! The decor makes it such a peaceful, serene, accepting environment. That studio carpet was spotless and I have no clue how the owner and Chief Health Officer, Benay Rubin, keeps it that way.

Sunday morning sun streams in!

The instructor, Nora, taught our mixed level class in a manner true to its name. Our fellow students were both beginners like us and super-experienced (a kind, helpful woman next to me was in teacher training!) which gave me something to aspire to for sure! Nora also performed the exercises with us and took walks around the room to adjust each student. At one point when I was lying on my back with my legs crossed indian-style in the air (like an elevated pretzel) she came by and pushed on my legs, opening up my hips and inner thighs. I would definitely hire someone to just do that for an hour. The stretch was incredible!

Front desk area complete with snacks! In love with that wooden bowl!

I typically take a cardio-heavy spin class on Sunday mornings so doing a barre class instead, and not “making up for it” later by going to the gym, was a big step for me! I felt satisfied with the workout Nora gave me – it may not be standard cardio, but barre is HARD. I could not even make it through the entirety of some thigh exercises and had to stop and take breaks. I enjoyed the nice, long stretches we got to take between each body-group’s working portion and liked being able to re-center myself after working hard.

This place is seriously so Pinterest.

She3 (the SHE stands for Strength, Health, Empowerment) also offers health coaching and monthly empowerment workshops. The first strength class is FREE and it’s super easy to sign up online (no credit card needs to be given at all) so if you live in the area, I highly encourage you to stop by and try it off! I already have a gym membership so even if I lived in the area I probably wouldn’t buy a membership to She3 just because I’m cheap, but they do offer college student discounts and discounts for those who purchase higher quantities or unlimited classes.

Love the little cubbies for storage in the lobby!

Now you know how I performed in the barre class, but how did Ellie perform? I’m really excited to say that the answer is fabulously. Now, I must say the performance of the company prior to my receipt of the February outfit was NOT as fabulous. I sent the affiliate manager, Hope, my outfit choice on 1/28 and it did not ship until 2/21. I guess one of the items I picked was out of stock, but I was never notified of this until the outfit shipped. Hope did provide a tracking number which was helpful, but the sparkly pink package didn’t arrive until 3/7. For standard shipping, that seems long to me. Luckily I was not holding out to get the outfit by a certain date; Ellie was hoping for a review by 3/10, but after the delay Hope immediately gave me an extension to post any time in March – that is, if I wanted to post and be able to receive a free March outfit (this month’s collection is all black). Please note that Ellie does NOT require a positive review to get a free March outfit – just a review! My negative experience ends with this paragraph.

Kaitlin is wearing her Ellie My New Obsession leggings!

Now for the positive – to say I’m obsessed with the outfit I got MAY be an understatement. I chose the most unique (in my opinion) top of the February collection, the Peek-A-Boo tank. Its design reminded me of something I’d see at Lululemon but for $34.95, is certainly more affordable. Love that I can wear it with a cute sports bra…sometimes I hesitate to buy adorably printed sports bras because I wonder, who will even see this? The Peek-A-Boo tank solves that #fitfluentialproblem. It did come with an annoying long white tag, but I cut that off and the tag “stub” did not irritate my skin.

PSYCHED about this tank. And the fact that my BAMR band matches my leggings!

The bright Electric Love Capri leggings didn’t ride up or down during the class and felt extremely comfortable. They’re made of such a soft material and I kept them on from 9am until 3:30pm, after I was home and finally had a chance to shower. Just like the last pair of leggings I got from pvBody, I will definitely be rocking these post-gym at Daybreak Coffee Roasters on the weekends.

Workout Barrebie (hardee har)

Now I will be honest and say the $54.95 price of the leggings is probably more than I’d actually pay for workout bottoms. It’s hard to ignore cheaper, readily-available options like the brand names offered at TJMaxx and Marshall’s. But the Electric Love Capri leggings performed extremely well and the color is perfect for my personality!

Post-barre!

The chance to take another barre class meant a chance to once again use the official Physique57 socks I received during my BlogHer NYC trip in August…and they matched my Ellie outfit PERFECTLY! Matchy-matchy FTW.

Love the Buddha in the She3 lobby!

I’m thankful to both She3 and Ellie for providing a fabulous Sunday morning workout experience! I have full confidence that the outfit is going to keep pulling through for me during my future fitness endeavors. Since I’m a member of Ellie’s affiliate program, I have a personal sign-up link you can use to get 20% off your first Ellie order! Let me know if you have ANY questions at all about my experience with the company.

Have you ever done a barre workout?

What’s your take on the Ellie “drama” circulating throughout the blog world?

I received my Ellie outfit free of charge but was not compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions about the experience and my outfit are my own. I am a member of Ellie’s affiliate program and the link provided above for 20% off is my referral link.

The post Meeting Ellie and She3 appeared first on Cait Plus Ate.

I’m not going to say the s word. I’m not. All I’m going to say is I’m currently trapped in my house because it’s just Mom and me at home (not counting the sleeping brother) so we have a guy coming to plow our driveway and we have no clue when he’ll arrive. Hopefully soon so I can get to work because I have a crapload to do there. OK no more winter talk.

So happy Fashion Friday and I am excited, after a couple weeks of reviews/giveaways (and no post last week), to get back to a more traditional Fashion Friday format today…with a slight twist, because I like to switch it up a little bit (after all, I rarely order the same dish/drink twice)! So read on for a couple of my outfits plus an outfit from a special guest! Oh yes, I went the whole make-you-wait route. But you could always treat this blog post like your DVR, and fast-forward. Not that I’m advocating such a thing.

Dressed Up

Wore this outfit to my fave spot Rooftop120! This was awhile back – see the green on the trees behind me?

Top: Forever 21

Jeggings: American Eagle

Heels: DSW

Chipped nail polish arm party!

Ring: Forever 21

Bracelets: Francesca’s Collections

Watch: Michael Kors

Gotta love a seemingly simple shirt with a surprise party in the back! Thanks Kaitlin for turning me on to that phrase the other day…who can name the song it’s from?

Dressed Down

The badge is a dead giveaway that this is a work ensemble.

Jacket: Abercrombie Kids (in XL, a middle school purchase that I can still “rock”)

Top: ideeli (J’s Everyday Fashion had me on a mad hunt for a mustard top)

Took off the work badge for this one, ha!

Pants: Urban Outfitters  (sadly they’ve since been ruined in the wash…I need to replace them ASAP, they’re a standard)

Wedges: Francesca’s Collections (still can’t get over their super-sale price of less than $20, I definitely get plenty of use out of them and they were even part of Wednesday’s outfit)

And The Special Guest Is…

You know you love her! It’s Mama Plus Ate!

Top: Petite Sophisticates (out of business!)

Scarf: J. Crew

Belt: American Eagle

Corduroys: J. Crew

Shoes: Ralph Lauren Factory Outlet (Mom went crazy at the Orlando Premium Outlets too!)

Yay Mom! This photo was actually taken back on Thanksgiving but I hadn’t posted it til now. I was struck by my mom’s fashionable cute ensemble and said, “OMG MOM! Fashion Friday potential! Pose!” Man, she posed quickly! She must’ve known she was lookin’ good!

Another scarf – AND WINE – sighting!

The funny thing about my mom is she only recently discovered scarves this past fall, and LOVES them, but gets nervous about knowing how to tie them. She often wears them tied in the style of the scarf in the photo above, but when she buys them they’re either already tied like that or she asks someone at the store to do it for her. Then she NEVER unties it and just puts it on/takes it off by pulling it over her head. Kaitlin can attest to this because when she visited, she slept in our guest room and that’s where my mom’s pre-tied scarf collection is hanging. It actually decorates the room nicely!

Oh, Mom. As my sister would say: “What a kook!” Oh and I tied this one for her before we left the house! Which explains the different way she’s wearing it.

Ahh, so pleased it’s Friday. I’m going out with my parents tonight for a low-key dinner, and am off to Fairfield tomorrow afternoon to spend the night with Kaitlin! I’ve certainly been makin’ the rounds in the 203 as of late!

What do you personally prefer – dressing up or dressing down?

Does your mom have any funny quirks  you’d like to share?

Scarves – like ‘em? Love ‘em? Leave ‘em? Leave some scarf wearing tips here for my mom!

The post Special Fashion Friday Guest Appearance! appeared first on Cait Plus Ate.

My dear blend (and in-person friend!) Rachel of Healthy Chicks featured me as the 7th Healthy Chick in the Community on her blog’s series. I just adore the title she picked for the post too..be sure to check it out! Thanks for featuring me Rachel! This girl is a beautiful friend both inside and out

First I want to give myself a high five on High Five Friday for having a guest post published today on the second healthy living blog I EVER found several years ago…MizFit Online! Carla wrote a cool post yesterday about why she DOESN’T consider herself a foodie, and I am following up with a “rebuttal” of sorts – though not really because I love all my friends, foodie or not! If you’d told me when I first found Carla’s blog that I’d one day have a post published on it (and meet her, which I did at the Fitness Meet & Tweet), I’d have laughed at you. But here I am, published on her amazing blog, and already getting some great feedback on the post! Thanks to my #fishfriend Meg for inspiring me to give myself props every day – not just Friday!

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Now, on to the main event. Happy Fashion Friday everyone! We’re getting Fitfluential again this week with another review and giveaway that I know many of you are going to be VERY interested in.

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I’m the last girl who needs workout clothes. When Kaitlin was visiting last weekend, I showed her the drawer where I keep them – it cannot close. My parents wanted to get me a new dresser because they thought the drawer was broken, but actually it just can’t close because it’s so stuffed. Okay there are some PJ’s in there too. You may hate me after reading the last few sentences. But it’s true, I don’t need any more workout clothes.

That does not stop me from coveting them, especially the ones that are not like any I already own. Number one example? THUMBHOLES. I don’t own any long-sleeve workout tops because I don’t get the point of wearing long sleeves and overheating myself, but I think thumbholes are so stinkin’ cute and have been loving the long-sleeve tops I’ve seen with them from brands like Lululemon and Reebok.

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Kate of Albion contacted me about reviewing one of their women’s fitness and swimwear, and at first I was hesitant as to whether or not I really needed any more workout clothing. But then she sent me my options – which included the Go Long Crew, complete with thumbholes. YES PLEASE!

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I selected the above Rust color, but it also comes in Black, Grape, Heather Grey, and Ivory. The top arrived promptly and I was surprised by how soft it felt. It’s very thin too and I don’t know if I’d recommend it for really sweaty exercise because there’s no wicking at all, but I also think that’s part of the reasoning behind the lower $24 price tag. This isn’t one of those “technology-infused” workout tops, it’s just a simple, cute, comfy tee to work out in.

Classic gym locker room selfie – about to take Group Power!

I immediately knew I wanted to try the top out during a strength training workout since I get less sweaty during Group Power class and even start out a bit chilly since my gym is overly air-conditioned at times. The thumbholes didn’t get in the way when I lifted with the bar and the top kept me at a perfect temperature throughout the class! I felt nice and intense-sweaty during the hardest exercises, and comfortably warm between songs and during the warm-up and cool-down. I also like how long the top is – no worries about anything riding up when I laid down for chest/tricep presses or pushed my bum back in those squats.

At home after the workout – happy customer.

I was sure to wash the tee this past weekend so I could wear it again to Group Power on Monday. Yes folks, I do believe I’ve found my favorite strength training workout top!

This thumbhole here may or may not be partially behind that…

I also have been spending time browsing the rest of the site and coveting the following items…yes they sell swimsuits too! A lot of the stuff is not as affordable as the tee I reviewed, but it also seems to be of higher quality.

Love this unique Blousy Suit! Alas the top alone is $78, so this will remain wishful thinking.

Give me this Match Point Pleat Skirt immediately! Perfect for Group Step!

Adore the mesh on this Draw Cord Top! Never seen that on a workout top before.

Promo Code

Albion is offering Cait Plus Ate readers $15 off any purchase of $50 or more (and PS – shipping for everyone right now is free over $100). Enter code caitplusate15 at checkout until 3/1/2013 to take advantage of the $15 off! In case anyone wants to know for your own shopping purposes with the code, I orderd a size Small in the Go Long Crew and it was the perfect loose fit for me.

Giveaway

And of course, one lucky Cait Plus Ate reader will receive a Go Long Crew in the color of her choice! The giveaway is open to continental US readers only and will run until Monday 2/25/13 at 11:59PM EST. There are several ways to enter, and leave a separate comment for each or extra entries do not count:

1. Visit the Albion website and comment telling me which item you love most! (mandatory)
2. Follow @AlbionFit on Twitter and comment here saying you did.
3. Follow @CaitPlusAte on Twitter and comment here saying you did.
4. Tweet “I entered to win the @AlbionFit Go Long Crew from @CaitPlusAte! http://caitplusate.com/?p=7671” and comment here with the link to the tweet.
5. Re-pin something from Albion Fit on Pinterest and comment here with the link to the re-pin.

You can also like Albion Fit on Facebook! Good luck my Fitfluential Fashion Friday friends! You can double your luck too by entering fellow Fitfluential Ambassador Katie’s giveaway for the same top! I received this top free from Albion to review. This is not a compensated post. All opinions of the product are genuine and my own.

General Giveaway Rules: No Purchase Necessary. The email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner and will never be given out to anyone nor sold. The winner will be randomly chosen and contacted via email. The winner will have 72 hours to respond. Please make sure you check your junk mail folder. In the event that the desired color is unavailable in your size, the winner will be asked to choose a different color.

The post Fitness Fashion Friday: Albion Giveaway! appeared first on Cait Plus Ate.

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Now for Fashion Friday – with a fit twist. I love the Sweaty Bands headband I got from Heather after the Fitness Magazine Meet & Tweet (she got two in her swag bag and I didn’t get any, so she was kind enough to give me one). But I also am a self-proclaimed cheapo. They don’t call me Coupon Caitlin for nothin’. While I do love my Sweaty Bands headband, I got it for free and would feel a little pain paying the $15 + shipping (unless there’s a free shipping deal going on) for another one. So I’m psyched to spread the word about BAMR Bands, the $10 7/8 inch non-slip headbands hand-made by fellow Fitfluential Ambassador (and blend!) Katie Heddleston. Oh yeah, and did I mention shipping is free?!

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Yes, BAMR stands for Bad-Ass Mother Runner, because that’s what Katie is (in fact, her little man is 11 months old today!). But I am not a mother, nor am I a runner. Nor am I a badass in fact.

No, this isn’t a badass.

But I must be something special because Katie approached me and asked if she could send me a BAMR band in the color of my choice for me to review and do a giveaway. YES PLEASE! I picked out blue tiger (which she informed me was blue zebra, oops!) and it arrived promptly with a sweet note. You know I love handwritten notes.

Those who purchase a BAMR band can also get excited about the fact that at least $1 from each headband’s proceeds goes to Every Mother Counts, a campaign devoted to ending preventable deaths around the world caused by pregnancy and childbirth.

Had to match.

I decided to put my BAMR band to the test during one of my longer Saturday morning workouts! I did 20 minutes of speed intervals on the StepMill, followed by a Group Power class. The headband did not need adjusting ONCE! I proceeded to wear it for the remainder of the afternoon when I went to Daybreak to study and hang out with some blends. I was wearing it for a total of 8 hours that Saturday and it never gave me a headache and I never felt it slide. These things are JUST as legit as Sweaty Bands – if not more, because they are CHEAPER!

The beautiful fellow Gbury girl Rachel and I on our blend date!

I love that I was able to go to Daybreak right after the gym and not worry at all about my hair. I usually throw it up in a bun but to be able to spice up the hoodie/yoga pant ensemble with an adorable printed headband was pretty sweet!

CHEVRON!!! Source

I honestly can’t recommend these headbands enough so if you want to order one of your own for just $10 + free shipping, you can visit the BAMR Bands Facebook page to message Katie or write on the timeline, or you can email her at BAMRbands@gmail.com!  The Facebook page also has plenty of photos of available prints.

Giveaway

Katie is offering three lucky Cait Plus Ate readers each your own BAMR band in a print of your choice (subject to availability). The giveaway is open to both US and Canadian readers and will run until Sunday, 2/17/13 at 11:59PM EST. You have two ways to enter:

1. Comment on this post after visiting the BAMR Bands Facebook page’s photo stream and tell me which print you’d want most! (mandatory)
2. Tweet “I entered to win @BAMRBands from @CaitPlusAte! #fitfluential http://caitplusate.com/?p=7601” and comment here with the link to the tweet! This must be a separate comment or it will not count as an additional entry.

General Giveaway Rules: No Purchase Necessary. The email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winners and will never be given out to anyone nor sold. The winners will be randomly chosen and contacted via email. The winners will have 72 hours to respond. Please make sure you check your junk mail folder. In the event that the desired color is unavailable, winner will be asked to choose a different color.

Good luck to all who enter and Happy Fashion Friday, friends!!!

The post Fashion Friday: BAMR Bands Giveaway! appeared first on Cait Plus Ate.

I’m not gonna lie, it’s been pretty tough to stay positive ever since I heard about the impending doom of Winter Storm Charlotte.

Or is it Nemo?

Whether the snowstorm is named Nemo, Charlotte, or something else equally random, it still means that I will be spending tonight drinking a bottle of 2fly I’ve been saving and hanging out with my parents and the DVR. Honestly, that doesn’t seem so bad. What I dislike is when snow interferes with my plans! The gym is closing early so I’ll be working out at home today – bah. Daybreak has already announced they’ll be closed tomorrow, so no weekend morning cafe trip – double bah.

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But it’s not Fuck-It Friday (okay it is, but Maria has that under control). It’s Fashion Friday and it’s WINNING!

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The Houston fashion bloggers behind House of Alice Rose encouraged me last Friday to enter their #FashionFriday Instagram photo contest! So I went for it and tagged @house_alicerose when I posted my #ootd:

The floral blazer has been featured on the first Fashion Friday! And so freaking weird, I just realized I’m wearing a cardigan today that I featured in that post.

And what do you know, I WON!

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I received my House of Alice Rose tote bag prize in the mail very quickly after said WINNING took place!

Cute wrapping!

I am honestly just excited to have won a contest that is anything fashion related! Does this make Fashion Friday legit?!

The tote bag came with a kind hand-written note!

I sure hope so because I have a few outfits to share with you today!

Fell in love with this Reebok jacket after seeing it in blue during the Fitness Mag Meet & Tweet fashion show! Was psyched to find it on sale with free shipping too.

Jacket: Reebok

Belt/Jeans: American Eagle

Shoes: Vans

Off to work!

Top, Pants: Urban Outfitters

Watch: Fossil

Shoes: Ideeli

Fortunately I work at a place where I can dress like this!

Cardigan: American Eagle

Top: Delia’s (ohhh yeah)

Jeggings: American Eagle

Watch: Fossil

Ring: Forever 21

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Alright folks, I’m off to get that DVR watching on that I mentioned earlier. Stay safe if you are stuck in Winter Storm Nemo-Charlotte!

Have you ever won a contest? What was your prize?

Do you have blizzard plans (or lack thereof)?

Which outfit is your favorite?

The post WINNING Fashion Friday! appeared first on Cait Plus Ate.