KEEP IT SIMPLE - CLASSY SASSY

EEEEEK, HELLO EVERYONE!!!!!!!

Let me just say that I am SO excited to be back here after a week off!! Thank you all SO SO much for your sweet comments and words of encouragement, I am still working on replying to all of your emails and comments because they meant so much to me!! A lot of you have been curious how my week went without social media and blogging, so today I’ve decided to share with you all how my week was and with what things I filled my time. Today I’m also taking over Book of Leisure and talking about some fun color palette styles I’m crushing on while Elizabeth enjoys time with her new little addition :). Be sure to head on over!

SO, what has Whit been up to this past week and how was her crazy week-long social media fast???

Wellll, I wasn’t completely cut off from social media…I hopped on a couple of times to wish one of my best friends a Happy Birthday, and then to creep on the wedding day of one of my friends (CONGRATS, Preeti!!!)….aaand I may have taken a peek or two at my feed to see what my friends were wearing yesterday…

BUT, for the most part, I was truly on a hiatus and I feel SO refreshed! Day two of my break, I wandered about the apartment after work, feeling like there was something I should be doing but then reminded myself that I had absolutely no blogging to do and no Instagram posts to check.

I sat down wondering what to do with myself, I had not had this much free time in a LONG time, and I was just about giddy! I could literally do anything I wanted, or in my case, nothing at all, and it was such a relief. Oh, I definitely missed talking with all of you, and I will admit that by Saturday morning I was ready to jump headfirst back into things, but I forced myself to wait at least until Tuesday, before I started doing any sort of blogging. I read books, wrote a letter to my grandmother, sat in Starbucks for two hours each day for the first few days of my break, actually had a consistent quiet time with God, and spent each evening utterly relaxed with the hubs and Netflix.striped top: Target (in stores), similar here & here | gingham: Gap | shorts: American Eagle, similar | crossbody bag: Louis Vuitton, love this one | shoes: Keds, similar | hat: Target, similar here & here | flower brooch: ban.do c/o Crystal Feather Boutique | sunglasses: Kate Spade, similar

And there were entire days spent in gym clothes, ponytails, makeup-free. My face and hair needed a hiatus too, and they are certainly looking better for it! 😀 These pics are from the weekend, and it’s definitely a more relaxed outfit compared to my other posts. It was 80 degrees that day, and I didn’t really feel like doing my hair or fussing with my makeup so I let my hair air-dry and only did a teensy bit of eyeliner and mascara. No blush, no lipstick, no nail polish. On my “off” days, meaning when I’m not subbing for a teacher or taking blog pics, I am more than happy to be my natural self! This past week on break really helped me appreciate the “less is more” approach to life, and for awhile, I had gotten caught up in always needing to look “perfect”.

While I am still more than happy to get dressed up for work and church, and even on weekends (I actually like getting dressed up to go to the laundromat!!), it’s good to remind myself to take it easy sometimes! Trade in the wedge sandals for a pair of comfy sneaks. Put down the hair dryer and spend those extra ten or fifteen minutes enjoying the sunrise with a cup of coffee (or SLEEP). Throw on a hat if you feel self-conscious about your hair, you’ll be surprised at how pulled together you actually look! 🙂

So if you’re wondering what the most important thing is that I learned, it is definitely to keep it simple; even in a busy life, there are always ways in which things can be simplified. Instead of spending hours scrolling through my Instagram or Twitter feeds, I could check books off my reading list or work on completing one of my 101 Things in 1001 Days. I even (gasp) forgot to check my Instagram feed every ten minutes to see how many likes my return post received!

And the quality of my day was not influenced by it. I had a wonderful day, the sun was shining, and I had many other more important things that I spent my time on. Don’t misunderstand me, I LOVE LOVE LOVE checking out everyone’s photos and connecting with my special group of friends over Instagram. It is definitely a sunny spot in my day to connect with you all :D, and I absolutely loved catching up on what I had missed these past several days!

And I cannot wait to share with you all what will be coming up!! With less time spent on putting together blog posts and Tweets and Instagrams, I had more time to spend on networking and preparing some fun things for you all to enjoy; I’ve got a couple of fun giveaways that will be coming up over the next couple of weeks, and I can’t wait to share with you all a new blogging opportunity for me! It’s funny how my productivity increases when I decrease my workload. Anyone else feel that way?

And in the midst of all this, I am learning to keep it simple; smaller to-do lists, more time spent doing nothing but relax. I think this past week has been very beneficial, and I feel recharged and ready to hop back into it! I just might make that social media holiday a frequent occurrence….

It is so good to be back, I missed you all!!

Stay Classy!