{Happy Birthday to Chateau de Victoria!}

Happy 1st Birthday to Chateau de Victoria...

One year ago, I decided to start a new hobby by combining my love for writing with my love for everything feminine, fun & fabulous! Writing this blog has been a great outlet for me over the past several months and I'm really happy with how it has turned out :-)

Thank you all

for your blog love & support, and for sharing with me in all of the wonderful things life has to offer. So much has happened over the past 12 months; so many blessings, learning experiences and periods of personal growth. God has been so good to me, and I have nothing but high hopes for what the next 12 months will bring :-) In fact, I will be celebrating my own birthday very soon!

Moments like these cause me to reflect. Reflection is a powerful thing. It helps give us perspective on where we once were, where we are now, and what life lessons we've learned along the way. It helps us to realize the kind of person we want to be going forward, the kind of life we want to embody, and what we will choose to leave behind as a part of our story. To me, that's simply what life is all about: we have been given the opportunity to write our own stories. So why not make them as beautiful and as happy as possible? If I've learned anything over the past year, it's that we need to take an active role in defining our own happiness. Sometimes that means being strong and courageous enough to take chances and make life changes...because finding self-fulfillment really isn't up for negotiation in my book!

So cheers to another promising year of fabulousness...

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass.

-Maya Angelou

Images via Pinterest

{Trendy Coats}

Accessorize yourself with...

Trendy Coats

I know I'm not the only girl out there who has a slight major obsession with outerwear. Lately, it seems every time I go out "window shopping" I see a jacket or coat that causes my heart to palpitate. Recently, I decided to spend a gorgeous day off in Old Town Alexandria and found myself in a boutique full of, you guessed it, outerwear. Of course, there was no real reason for me to dish out green on an amazing brown poncho with a fur trimmed hood...but you know what? I totally deserved it. So, in the spirit of celebrating a season obsessed with covering up in style...I share with you some of my favorite looks:

Trendy Coats by Chateau de Victoria

"Our minds want clothes as much as our bodies."

-Samuel Butler

{Weekender: Boston}

Travel Spotlight: Boston

This past weekend, my friend & I went on a ladies trip to Boston!

We had beautiful weather, great accommodations & a lot of fun.

Below are a few snapshots from the trip...

Off the plane & ready to explore the city!

Lovely walk along the water

Sightseeing

Pretty swans

Boston Commons

Sam Adams Brewery Tour!

Harvard

Cheers!

Shopping on Newbury Street

Faneuil Hall

The wharf

Wining & dining in the North End

Homemade canoli!

"And it was from Boston that one in every six American families began their journey into the land of the free."

-Thomas Menino

All images courtesy of © 2011 Chateau de Victoria

{Show Some Leg}

Today, I am loving...

A Great Pair of Legs 

(for Fall)

With the constant flux in temperature recently, I have been quite indecisive about my office attire. Even this morning I went back and forth about whether it would be warm enough to wear a dress, finally settling on pairing one with tights to keep from getting too chilly. Tights are one of those things; they are great to have but they are also a pain in my hineycheeks. You can't get too attached, because the simplest snag can ruin them for good. Which is why I try and pick up my favorite pair at the outlet mall for a cheaper price (because better quality means more $$). I love these tights from Calvin Klein because they are comfortable, move with me & don't dig into my hips:

CK Ultra Fit Micro Tights

Like tights, I also look for leggings that are comfy and don't squeeze me around the middle (and make me feel like a hippopotamus) for cooler days. Awhile ago, I found an adorable jersey knit sweater dress that literally makes me feel like I'm being hugged by a blanket...and paired with leggings it is a fabulous outfit! I've never been one to don leggings often, but I have a feeling that might will change. These ones from Ann Taylor Loft are already my favorite pair to date:

Ponte Leggings

And For A Little Inspiration...

...Add A Pop Of Color!

There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!

-Percy Bysshe Shelley

Images via Pinterest

{Weekender: New York City}

Travel Spotlight: NYC

This past weekend, I took a mini getaway to New York City.
No matter how many times I visit, there is always more to discover!
Below are a few snapshots from the trip...

Pumpkin Spice Latte (for the road)

Times Square

Photo Op

Top of the Rock (NBC Studios)

New York pizza!

Fabulous show :)

Cupcakes for Ty's birthday

We Miss You Brandon!

“One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years”

-Thomas Wolfe

All images courtesy of © 2011 Chateau de Victoria

{Planning Your Life}

Life seems to be getting more cray cray by the day...so I was extremely excited when Sarah from dotmine emailed me and asked if I would like to try out one of their day planners! Cue the hallelujah song. After my initial excitement, I began wondering if I would actually use the planner when my handy dandy iPhone seems to keep my life on track (considering the last time I used a planner was in college). However, I'm officially obsessed.

I'm one of those gals who loves to write things down, plan things out & check things off my to-do list...so I am really loving my day planner. It couldn't come at a nicer time, since I planned a trip this past weekend to NYC, am going to Boston this upcoming weekend and will be traveling to California in the near future. To be able to figure out what is due for work, for travel and for my personal life all in a little book is fabulous.

My Granny Smith Day Planner

I not only love that this company was inspired and brought to life by two women (also full-time wives & mothers), but that they offer a variety of planners to suit your personal lifestyle; they have planners geared towards men, women, students, professionals, families, etc. My planner fell under the headings "hers" and "flirty" and is geared towards both aspects of my life. For every week, there is a column labeled "work" and a column labeled "life" for notes, along with an inspirational quote. I also like that the planner has a list of holiday reminders, a section for documenting my favorite doctor/hairstylist/accountant/etc, and example templates to copy & use for daily/weekly/monthly planning.

If you're interested in a planner, it's your lucky month! In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, dotmine is partnering with the Young Survival Coalition and will be donating 10% of profits and $1 for every new "like" on their Facebook page. They are also offering a 10% discount on their website with code YSC2011. Check out their twitter for more information and/or upcoming deals!

And now I leave you with my planner quote of the week:

"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans."

-John Lennon

Images via Google