massmusings

Ever wonder what bloggers do when they're not attending events or taking photos of themselves? I've shared with you my weekend attire but here is a brief glimpse into a typical night with friends - a picnic on the floor of course!

Details: Tapestry- Urban Outfitters ; Jeans- H&M; Shirt- J.Crew; Sweater- J.Crew; Necklace-South Moon Under; Shoes- J.Crew

Tilden's blog started as an online portfolio where she would occasionally feature personal style posts. Over time these posts gained more notoriety and she claims that this helped steer her blog in a different direction. Now she blogs mostly about fashion and "the occasional lifestyle post". I love that Tilden shares my affinity for connecting with other bloggers and learning form their success. "[My] favorite thing is the opportunity to create partnerships and friendships with others that are genuinely passionate about the blogging industry". 

One of the things that Tilden and I found that we have in common is a love of laid back style and connecting with nature. Hence, our guest posting feature in honor of Earth Day! We have both featured earth tone inspired looks to honor the day and lead into our awesome and charitable giveaway. 

{scroll to the bottom for a special giveaway!} 

OOTD: Shirt- Asos; Jeans- J.Crew; Jacket- J.Crew; Sunglasses- Urban Outfitters ; Booties- H&M; Necklace- South Moon Under; Earrings- Haven; Bracelets- Kate Spade and Boutikey 

Make sure you check out Tilden's Earth Day inspired look too! 

Oh yeah... and about that giveaway!

Because we love Mother Nature and want everybody to love everybody we have chosen to collaborate with Serengetee and Pura Vida on a fantastic content. Serengetee offers an entire collection of products, each featuring a custom design that is connected to a cause. Pura Vida donates portions of their profits to help artisans in Costa Rica obtain jobs. Both organizations are doing their part to better and support the planet so naturally, we wanted in too!

We are giving away an amazing Serengetee backpack and Pura Vida bracelet! Gain entries by completing the tasks listed below. The winner of the giveaway will be announced on both MassMusings and ToBeBright on Tuesday, April 29th. Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! 

Like what you saw in my last OOTD featuring Kensie jeans? Well guess what?? Now you can enter for a chance to win Kensie item of your choice! The giveaway starts Monday, February 17th at 12AM and runs until Friday, February 21st at 12AM. Make sure you're on top of your game and use all of your chances to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a fantastic weekend and remember to tell the people you love just how much you love them today!

P.S. Splurge, Save, Steal will be returning next week on a new day! Now you can look forward to Thursdays for all of your thrifty tips and tricks :) 

P.S. If you're feeling kind of blah about Valentine's Day, please refer to my post last year. Also entertaining if you want to see how amateur my blog was when I first started. 

I don't know about you, but the snow in Boston is really coming down and the forecast says it's not going to stop anytime soon. What do I do on snow days? Well I used to pray for them every night and go through the typical rituals of course. You know, spoon under your pillow, pajamas on inside-out, and your boots under your bed. Now that I'm a working adult, snow days aren't as exciting, but working at home can have it's perks! Regardless of your situation, follow these tips for a successful snow day:

If you're going to be outside:

* Wear hats and mittens - I can't tell you how frustrating it is when I see people without these items. Hats are so crucial to keeping body heat and if your excuse for mittens is because you can't use your phone then you have been living under a rock. They make finger-less gloves and gloves with special tips for texting.

* Scarves - Scarves are such a cute way to layer and accessorize a winter outfit. I'm still crushing on infinity scarves because they look effortless and you don't have to worry about figuring out how to tie them. A definite must for any outdoor snow day activities.

If you're going to be inside:

* Find a cozy blanket - There is nothing better on a snow day than curling up in front of the TV or fireplace and relaxing. Make sure you have a great blanket to keep you warm and cuddly. I find that the softer the better on cold days. The softer it feels the more luxurious your day off is right?

* Mugs - While you're at it, you should invest in a quality mug. I'm talking something really well-made and decorative. Hot coco, tea and coffee have never tasted better. 

*Books- It doesn't matter if you're reading a book or writing in one, you should always have one for a snow day. Movies are great but for big storms, you'll want to stimulate your brain. Get creative and write a poem, or get lost in a book full of great characters. Either way you're sure to be entertained. 

I'd love to hear what you all like to do on snow days! Post your favorite stories in the comments section below and as always, thanks for reading!

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE! I've been leveled out with the flu this whole week but I'm still glad it's Friday so I can sleep without missing work. Looking forward to brunch on Sunday with some fabulous bloggers! Have a great weekend everyone and get excited for the return of the photo challenge tomorrow and Sunday! 

THIS may be of interest to my Boston followers specifically, I hope the rest of you read it too!

P.S. I have a serious thing for eyebrows. You need to take care of them, plain and simple. 

First of all, I need to say Thank You! Thank you to all of my followers, my fellow bloggers, my friends, and my family for making 2013 such a great year for me. I successfully moved to Boston, completed one year at my first job and then got a new one (I start this Wednesday!), celebrated some mile-stone anniversaries and moved into a fabulous new apartment in East Boston. I also was so fortunate to learn more about the blogging world and grow massmusings exponentially. Without the support and love of everyone around me (that's all of you too!) most of these things would not have been possible. So, again, I say thank you. Thank You!

To kick off 2014, I have decided to make "The List." The List, as many other bloggers have called it, is a compilation of things that I want to accomplish in a certain period of time. I'm going to give myself 4 years to finish everything on the list. My reasoning for 4 years is that I want to make sure that I allow myself enough to time to actually complete all of the items. There's nothing worse than running out of time, especially in regards to something like this. So here it goes! 

- Skydive

- Travel to Spain

- Travel to Greece

- Tour Europe with Drew

- Double my blog followers

- Inspire someone to try something new

- Have my apartment featured on a major blog or online magazine

- Buy a new computer

- Actually purge my closet of all items that I no longer wear

- Host a blogger event

- Send out Christmas cards

- Host a family dinner or holiday at my apartment 

- Learn at least 6 more recipes and cook them often

- Learn to surf

- Attend the Boston Ballet

- Go to a Bruins game

- Be photographed by HONY

- Have a tea party
- Get my second tattoo
- Go hiking

- Learn to ski

- Swim/ compete in an alumni swim meet

- Buy a tent from L.L. Bean

- Adopt a puppy/dog

- Run four 5k's

- Go to four more Lucky FABB conferences 

- Add more to this list :)

P.S. I may be adding more to the list so keep checking back! 

Last night I met up with Dariel for a quick Holiday Photo-shoot before heading over to Warehouse for the Boston Blogger Holiday Party! We had so much fun shooting and even more fun eating (obviously) and socializing with all of the fabulous bloggers in Boston. 

OOTD: Shoes: Marshall's; Pants: American Eagle; Shirt: Nordstrom Rack; Vest: Forever 21; Necklace: South Moon Under; Watch: Anne Klein; Earrings: Mom's closet

I want to give a special thank you to Kate and Alison for hosting such a great event. After ruthlessly stalking many of them on Instagram, I was able to meet so many great bloggers in person.

Keep an eye out for more OOTD posts, recipes, 195 Webster posts, and Holiday inspired outfits and gifts! Happy Humpday!

As many of you know, I swam all throughout high school and college (Go Bullets!). It was the best way to stay in shape, I loved my team, and there was nothing sweeter than beating our rivals at conferences. However, now that I am not required to be swimming between the hours of 4 and 6 every day, I've been struggling to stay motivated while working out. 

I recently made the switch from the YMCA to the BSC here in Boston. I love the Y and definitely feel a sense of loyalty to it as I grew up swimming in those pools, but the BSC offers me more classes and better equipment to train on. A couple of weeks ago, I added to my regular gym routine by joining the UXF ripped program. Let me tell you, it's like field hockey preseason and dry land rolled into one hour of pain. But... it's totally addicting and worth it. 

I will say though, I miss the pool a lot. It has been frustrating getting in the pool and only having the motivation to swim 1200 yards. "Come on Kayte, you used to be able to swim at least triple this, easily, in college!" Truth. My endurance was much better and I was stronger than I am now. I suppose there are pros and cons to not swimming as much: no more man shoulders, no extra layer of insulation to worry about... but then again I also have to watch what I eat and can't house an entire bag of goldfish without thinking twice. So there's that. 

So, in honor of missing swimming and the feeling it gives me, I will be spending my morning watching the Natalie Coughlin race videos that used to pump me up before meets. If you used to swim, I think you will appreciate this.

Have an amazing Friday and a great weekend and if you're going to the Hunt, see you there!

xoxo

This past weekend I ventured back to my home town, Cumberland, Maine, for the Cumberland Fair. "Always the last week in September," the fair brings people from around the state together to enjoy barn yard animals, 4H projects, harness racing, and of course some good old Carnival rides. My great uncle Don is actually one of the most recognized harness racers in Maine, so it is always a treat to see his barns and witness him and his friends competing on the track. Not bad for a man in his early 80s if you ask me!

This is my new Alpaca friend

 So happy to be back in Maine :)

 I hate heights... I don't know why I keep going on this thing.

 How cute are these piggies?!

 Yum.

 Double Yum!

Harness racing!

 Stacks of "old time" photos of different towns in Maine.

 Friends of the family advertised their apple orchard at the fair.

Intricate details of a crafter in the exhibition hall. 

Overall it was incredible to be back at my old stomping grounds. It really is special to be able to come home and appreciate all of the things that are no longer right at your finger tips. I also love fairs and craft shows so this weekend was perfect! 

xoxo