JANUARY ROUNDUP

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Wow..slow month.  I'm blaming it on the blizzard.

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CASHMERE PONCHO

poncho:  White + Warren \\ shirt:  Equipment \\ jeans:  Joe's (on sale, less than $70!) \\ boots:  Steve Madden \\ bag:  Tory Burch (similar) \\ sunglasses:  Celine (similar) // bracelets:  David Yurman

Well, y'all..we made it.  Wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be, but we did get a heck of a lot of snow.  Enter:  cashmere.  Not only is cashmere probably my favorite material because of how soft it is, it truly keeps you warm..really warm.  I am in love with my cashmere poncho and even use it as a scarf every now and then.  Definitely the perfect investment piece.

photography by Sarah

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WHAT TO DO IN A BLIZZARD

pic via

Let me just start this off by saying I HATE SNOW.  Snow is the worst.  As a kid, snow was the best, right?  No school, playing all day with friends, no biggie.  As an adult (which is also the worst), you have to deal with traffic and figure out how to get to work.  You have to make sure you have enough food to feed yourself in case you get stuck inside.  You have to take your dog out in 50 mph wind gusts (personal problem, I know).  However, if you do get stuck at home you can make the most of the situation by planning out some fun things to do.  My list for this weekend includes:

1)  Cleaning out my closet

2)  Blogging (duh)

3)  Finding a new show on Netflix to binge-watch

4)  Make cookies

5)  Organize all my important paper work and start on my taxes

6)  Try out a new drink recipe with all my new bar cart items

7)  Study for school (ugh)

Here's to hoping for only two-three days of being stuck..after that, I'm out of ideas..

D.C./Northeast readers:  What do you have planned?

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#TGIF

image via pinterest

Woke up this morning feeling a little cold coming on (#tgif?).  Not the best feeling, especially since I have all the plans this weekend.  This long weekend.  Tonight I had planned to clean my apt.  Like deep clean.  Oh and clean out my closet (part of my post here).  I'm headed to NYC in a month and need to plan some outfits and with my closet in its current state, it's nearly impossible.  I am also getting in a shipment of accessories for my bar cart this afternoon and was planning to style it up.  Well, that may all be dependent on how I'm feeling around 5pm.  For the rest of the weekend, I had planned on a SoulCycle sesh, coffee date, meetings and photos..oh and a trip to the new Atlantic Plumbing Cinema.  Fingers crossed I can buy some O.J. at lunch and knock this sucker out.

What plans do y'all have?

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WINDOW PANE

blazer:  Madewell (similar)\\ scarf:  ASOS \\ jeans:  J. Crew (similar for $70!) \\ boots:  Steve Madden

This scarf is everything and I'm honestly thinking of using it as a throw for my couch as well as a scarf.

Oh and for all you ladies in the DMV area, make sure to come out the Kendra Scott on Bethesda tonight from 6:30pm-8:30pm to hang out with me and two other D.C. bloggers for some sips, sweets, and shopping for a cause!

photography by Rosa

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FROM THE FARMER

DC people:  Have y'all heard of From the Farmer yet?  If not, I'm hear to tell you how awesome it is.  From the Farmer is a CSA-ish delivery service where you can pick and choose what produce you receive from local farms.  You can also customize the size of the bags you receive and the timing of which they're delivered (weekly or biweekly).  This service is perfect for someone who wants to eat healthy, but is super busy and doesn't have time every Sunday to hit up the farmer's market (cough, cough). 

All the produce they deliver is from family owned farms.  A fun bonus is there is an option to add-on specialty, local items to your bag.  You can choose from local coffee, breads, meats, cheeses, etc.  Lord knows I can't live off of just fruits and veggies.

From the Farmer has also come up with the best delivery system.  They currently deliver to the DMV and Baltimore metro area and you can check their website to see if your zip code is included.  Your produce is delivered to you on a specified day, but it's delivered overnight, so in the morning you just have to pick up the bag from your doorstep or doorman and transfer everything to the fridge/counter.  With a typical CSA, you have to either go to the farm or a pre-set location and who has time for that?  

My experience with From the Farmer has been amazing.  The sign-up process was very simple and customizing my bag was actually really fun.  I opted to add extra green beans and apples than receive any carrots (not my fave) and decided to add potatoes from the add-on items.

In addition to how easy and fun the sign-up process was, the best part was actually receiving the bag (duh).  I picked it up from my doorman after walking my dog in the morning.  I got upstairs and immediately went through everything and although I put away most of it, I threw an apple and pear into my purse to bring to work.  The produce was so pretty and extremely fresh.  

Side note:  doesn't the picture above look like a painting?  That's seriously how beautiful all the produce looks when it's delivered.

One week later, most of the produce is still really fresh and I've been able to use a lot.  I bring the fruit to work each day for snacks and I even made a kale smoothie last weekend.  I'm planning to make a green bean casserole or salad and a pear crumble this week with everything that's left.  

If you haven't tried From the Farmer yet, I highly recommend it.  When you sign up, make sure to use the code: "theblackblazer2016" to receive 20% off your first four deliveries!  That's up to $40 off..worth it.

If you do end up trying it out, I would love to hear about your experience; let me know what you think!

Thank you to From the Farmer for partnering on this post!

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KS BETHESDA ROW EVENT

I remember picking out my first pair of Kendra Scott earrings about three or four years ago.  You know the style.  The Danielle's?  They were (and still are) everywhere.  She then introduced the smaller style, "Elle" and went even further and created the "Dani" and "Lee" styles.  There are now hundreds of different styles of earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces..it's wild.  I also remember when there were only about 10 different colors.  You think 10 sounds like a lot?  Try 35.  I now have a mixed bag of different colors and styles to choose from and a lot of that can be credited to the new-ish Kendra Scott store on Bethesda Row in Maryland.  Have you been?

I will be co-hosting an event next Wednesday the 13th from 6:30pm-8:30pm alongside Kristyn from Primp & Proper and Jennifer from Southern Anchors.  So, whether you've never been to the store or you've been a million times, I would love for y'all to come out and join us!  And really, what's better than sips, sweets, and shopping?

We are so excited to host this event as 20% of all proceeds go towards Taste of the South which is an annual event that raises money for a different charity each year.  This year, the event will raise money for the non-profit Camp Koinonia or "Camp K".  Kristyn wrote a little about the program on her blog: "Camp K is a week long camp hosted by University of Tennessee students and is for children with multiple disabilities. The camp provides these campers with the opportunity to escape the hardships of their day-to-day routines and have fun for a week."

The details are listed below; hope to see y'all there!

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2016

image via pinterest (#goals)

I know, I know..everyone is doing a post on organization for the new year.  I get it.  Rightly so, we all want to make sure everything is in order to start a new year on the right foot.  Tying up loose ends is what I like to do.  You know?  All of those things that aren't technically on your day-to-day "to-do" list, but they're always in the back of your mind.

First up:  my closet.  In the past few places I've lived, my closet has always been my favorite space.  However, I can't seem to get it right in my new apartment.  I just ordered a clothing rack from IKEA and I think it may do the trick.  The one I have right now could collapse at any second and it gives me so much anxiety.  It has got to go.

Next up, I just decided to purchase a new console table for the little hallway when you walk in.  Currently, when I walk in to my apartment, I have to set my purse in the kitchen or on my couch.  There isn't a specific place for it to go and everything needs its own spot.  I love this one; what do you think?

Thirdly, my new bar cart.  Finally, y'all.  I'll be adding marble contact paper to the shelf to match the above console table and need to purchase a few accessories.  Oh and the booze.  Thinking of starting small since I'm not a big liquor drinker.  Vodka, Whiskey, Tequila?  To complete this whole bar-cart process, I have to lower the print I have on the wall above the cart.  It's just slightly too high and it's bugging me like no other.

Last couple steps: A1)  Remove the rug under my bed.  It keeps shedding, so in turn, I keep having to clean up said shed.  Every day. (Side note: say "said shed" five times fast :)  B2)  Organize my important paper work.  So fun, right?  C3)  Purchase new items for Mollie.  She needs a new blanket, food/water bowls, and a new leash, harness, and collar.  Oh my.

I'm giving myself until mid-Feb to have this all completed or as my dad on his last day of work texted, "fini".

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DECEMBER ROUNDUP

shop the posts:  1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

Hey, y'all!  Long time, no post.  To be honest, it was really nice.  I had two weeks off of everything and it was so relaxing.  I am back in D.C. and dreading getting back to real life.  To really rub it in, my dad retired as of 12/31/15..so proud and so jealous.

Above is a little roundup of my posts from December; some of my favorites yet.

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed my blog break, I am really excited to start writing again in 2016..hope y'all keep following along!

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