february, captured #4.

photos: 

iphone

link-ups: 

instagram mondays on a {little} dash of ash

february photo-a-day on fat mum slim

best of instagram on story of my life

jackson bound.

today i am headed to jackson, mississippi, & there are quite a few things i plan to do on this excursion.

first off, i plan to jam in my car to a pretty badass mix tape cd. 

secondly, i plan to stop in my college town - both on the way there & on the way back - because i feel like this is the last time i'll be going there for a long while... & i need to soak it up, remember all the feelings i felt in that charming little place, & remind myself that that town is one of the big reasons i am who i am today.

thirdly, i plan to eat some chili. 

fourthly, i plan to see my sister. and where she has been living for the past few weeks. and sit in her room & pretend to be her for a little while. you know, still in college. still having fun every single day. i also plan to remind her to never take college for granted. i am one of those people who miss college. a lot.

fifthly, i plan to finally visit the very-much-discussed coffee shop, cups. 

i also plan to take a lot of pictures, which i, in turn, plan to post on this little ole blog.

have a most lovely saturday!

photo: iphone, circa 2010

friday's fancies #22: oscars.

friday's fancies #22: oscars. by siddathornton featuring an empire dress

in a perfect world, i'd be attending a fancy oscars viewing party with my friends.

in a perfect world, i'd be wearing this ann louise roswald dress. i love the color.

in a perfect world, i'd be rocking a smoky eye, featuring nars lhasa eye shadow.

in a perfect world, i'd be pulling these gucci heels on over a fresh pedicure.

if you're wondering why it's nars' lhasa eye shadow in particular that i'm craving for my smoky eye look, it's all due to fleurdeforce's nars products video. as a fellow nars lover, i really enjoyed hearing about her favorite products, as well as products she doesn't like. even if you don't love nars, check her out!

since i left my job, i have barely been blogging at all, & to be honest, i've really been missing it. i hate it when people apologize for not blogging - after all, blogging is a choice, not a responsibility - but i just thought i'd mention that i have missed blogging regularly & plan on getting back into it shortly.

with that being said, i always told myself that around the 10,000 page view mark, i'd redesign my blog. i really love my header, but i think it's time for a fresh look. i do believe that joelle, from something charming, is hosting a blog design giveaway - time to go check that one out!

link-up: friday's fancies on {long distance loving}

february, captured #3.

photos: iphone

friday's fancies #21 + GIVEAWAY WINNER.

friday's fancies #21: let's fly away! by siddathornton featuring navy blue flat sandals

since justin & i are going to the virgin islands for our honeymoon, i thought i'd create a look i'd like to wear for dinner on the beach. as always, i'm linking up with {av} over on {long distance loving} - the theme this week is let's fly away! if i were you, i'd go check out all the other inspired looks this week.

i'd also like to go ahead & announce the winner of the my memories giveaway!

it's melissa from 53blonde! congratulations! you have won a copy of the my memories scrapbooking software, which i used to create this post, this post, & this post!  i will be emailing you shortly. 

thank you to everyone who entered the my memories giveaway - i appreciate your support!

and don't forget: even if you didn't win the giveaway, use STMMMS98555 for $10 off your purchase of the my memories suite scrapbook software, as well as a $10 coupon to the my memories store!

happy weekend!

link-up: friday's fancies on {long distance loving}

currents: one sentence per line.

reading absolutely nothing.

i need a good book.

i'm going to do research today & go pick one up soon.

writing up the plans for a couple of blog series.

i'm excited about what's in store!

i'm about to start enfusing even more of myself on here.

more of my actual writing. 

i hate it when my passion for writing starts to fade.

i feel like part of myself is missing.

listening to 'we are young,' by fun.

my anthem.

thinking about what i want to read & write.

and about all the things i need to do on this second-to-last day of work in the neurosurgery department.

smelling my birthday perfume, my house or yours gina.

i doused myself before walking out the door.

because sometimes perfume just makes everything better (so does lipstick).

wishing for an end to misunderstandings.

hoping i don't let anything fall through.

i am balancing a lot of projects right now, & i hope none of them come crashing down right onto my head, like it sometimes feels they will.

wearing my mom's cardigan.

my beat-up skinny jeans.

my well-worn-in boots whose zippers don't always cooperate.

my long black shirt that is always comfortable.

my engagement ring.

and my glasses.

loving the fact that lindsey & i got to the theater an entire hour early last night, & spent the extra time sitting in the lobby, talking & people-watching.

after our talk, i felt the 'after yoga' feeling - you know what i'm talking about.

you walk a little taller, breathe a little deeper.

feel a little bit more like yourself.

wanting to go shopping.

to still be under the covers.

to be in the depths of a book that i can't stop reading.

to be in kinston, north carolina.

needing to find a turning point.

to find another light at the end of the tunnel.

to get excited about life again.

to pull myself out of this rut.

to find hope.

to be the happy person i know that i am.

p.s. this year, for valentine's day,

justin sent me my favorite flower -

orange roses - with a flower i'd never

received before - white roses.

brand new favorite? maybe.

love them? absolutely.

thank you, justin.

photos: iphone

february, captured #2.

link-ups:

instagram mondays on a {little} dash of ash

february photo-a-day on fat mum slim

best of instagram on story of my life

want to win a copy of my memories software? 

enter my giveaway!

starbucks sunday: currents + giveaway.

today's drink of choice = tall nonfat caramel macchiato


reading if you have to cry go outside, by kelly cutrone. i am really enjoying it - i think she's inspiring, entertaining, & funny. our book club meets in a couple of weeks & i'm excited to discuss it with everyone. being in a book club is such an awesome way to be introduced to books i never would have read otherwise - i'm a big fan.

writing final to-do lists: my last day at my current job is this thursday! i'm feeling a huge rush of emotions: excitement, sadness, a small touch of anxiety, & lots of hope for the future.

listening to my mom talk to mollie jean, abilene, & hun bun about having 'a little bitta chicken.' we are talk-to-our-dogs people.

thinking you should enter my givewaway! seriously, guys! i never thought hosting a giveaway would be so hard, but no one has entered mine yet. it would mean a lot to me if you'd enter. the software is really great, & since not a lot of people have entered, you'll have a better chance of winning :) the difficulty i've had with this has made me think i may not be cut out to host these things, so i probably won't for a while after this one.

smelling like i just got done working out. it's shower time after i finish writing this post, because in a little while, it's off to church.

wishing for a productive last week of work in the neurosurgery department. also, that i will be super productive in my last few weeks in shreveport before the big move to kinston. also, for safe travels for justin in the coming weeks! and that our road trip east is a lot of fun.

hoping to make some progress on my wedding to-do list this week. i'll have a week of super productivity, then i'll have a week where not much gets done. i'm ready for a productive week!

wearing workout clothes... ready to change that. i got a chic black dress & a sweet little navy cardigan from banana republic yesterday, & i have a unique print dress & black pencil skirt coming for me in the mail. i'm trying to build up my work wardrobe. next project = build up of flats collection.

loving my wedding dress! we're going to pick it up on tuesday. lindsey is coming with us! and yes, it's a different dress than the one i thought was the one. after an unpleasant experience with a well-know bridal chain, we went for a local bridal boutique. words cannot possibly describe how happy i am with that choice. everything happens for a reason, people. i should also say, i'm loving seeing results from my diet efforts. like, really loving it.

wanting cookies & biscuits. but i'm not going to eat them. i'm going to continue busting sugar, thank you very much.

needing to really center & focus myself this week. getting in the proper mindset is the key to productivity. at least in this camp.

photos: iphone, designed with my memories

want to win a copy of my memories? enter my giveaway!

my memories: a gift for one of my readers.

a couple weeks ago, i was contacted by my memories, a company that provides digital scrapbooking software. and don't worry... i know what y'all may be thinking as i say this:

scrapbooking... that is sooooo... 1998...

but you can do so much more than scrapbook with the my memories suite, such as the following:

i'm kinda in love with the fun photo templates (there are so. many.), as well as all the fun shapes & text manipulation available. the options feel limitless, & that definitely inspires my creativity! and let's face it, sometimes i need a little bit of help in the creativity department. especially if i haven't had my coffee.

but flowery, involved designs are only a tiny spectrum of what this scrapbook software allows you to create. for bloggers with a more classic, simple taste, there are design options like the following:

as a blogger on an i'm-getting-married-in-a-few-months budget, i was floored when i saw the price of this suite. i'm not gonna lie - i've been toying with the idea of buying cs5 for MONTHS now. i just haven't yet been able to justify the steep purchase. you can imagine the sheer, creative joy i experienced when i discovered this little nugget. of course i still have the beloved cs5 on my wish list - but i think my memories will be able to tide me over a LOT longer than if i not been given this opportunity.

so if, like me, you're a blogger on a budget, i would definitely recommend the my memories suite - creative results, an affordable price, & options for miles. it really is fun to play around with. 

luckily, i've been given a copy of this software to give away to one of my lovely, creative readers!

here's all you have to do:

1. follow siddathornton via google friend connect, visit the my memories website, & tell me your favorite feature in the comments below.

for extra entries:

1. follow siddathornton on twitter.

2. follow the my memories blog.

3. 'like' my memories on facebook.

4. follow my memories on twitter.

5. tweet about this giveaway (include @siddathornton!)

leave a separate comment for each.

my memories have also extended a discount to all readers of siddathornton. for $10 off your purchase of the my memories suite scrapbook software, as well as a $10 coupon to the my memories store, use the code, STMMMS98555. i think it's a pretty awesome deal.

good luck & happy creating!

this giveaway will close friday, february 17.

friday's fancies #20: red & pink.

friday's fancies #20: red & pink. by siddathornton featuring a silk chiffon dress

happy valentine's day!

i want to give one of my readers a valentine: check out my my memories giveaway!

link-up: friday's fancies on {long distance loving}

my experience: wedding diet & exercise.

lots of women want to lose weight for their wedding, & i have to admit, i'm definitely one of those. ever since this ring hit my finger, i've had diets on the mind. and while i've had my share of 'ok, my diet starts tomorrow' diatribes, i feel like i've finally settled on the one.

my dad experienced excellent results with sugar busters - so that is what i have decided to do. granted, i am only on day two... so i better not get ahead of myself. but i am feeling a lot better, & i'm feeling like i'm going to make progress.

basically, sugar busters places a lot of emphasis on cutting carbs - something we all know results in weight loss. this is definitely going to be a challenge for me - i LOVE pasta, bread, potatos, etc. but something i've  been telling myself, is that if i can make this sacrifice for a little while, it will be so much better when i am finally able to indulge.

and let's not forget the exercise... i have a love/hate relationship with exercise, which is why it's so important for me to find the appropriate balance. the pattern i find myself in most frequently is one of working out eight days in a row, hard core... then not working out for two weeks solid. this is not conducive to weight loss or a healthy lifestyle. thus, i've challenged myself to do small things every day: go to a yoga class, do 30 minutes on the elliptical after work, go on a run in the neighborhood now that it's staying light outside longer. don't get me wrong... as the wedding draws nearer, i am absolutely certain i will up the ante & clock more gym hours. but for right now, i am focusing on a healthy diet & consistency with workouts.

with a past of yo-yo dieting, binge eating, & calorie restriction, i have to be careful about how far i go with diets & exercise. i know that if i get too into it, i could get out of control & slip back into the unhealthy zone. that's why i want to write about my experience with wedding diet & exercise every step of the way... & beyond.

the goal here is to get healthy & get results... here we go!

married girls, what did you do to get in shape for your wedding?

single girls, what do you plan to do?

photo: source