I am all for a comfy dress and denim jacket combo because, lets be real, fall is right around the corner and I find dressing for the transition months into fall the hardest of them all. Now, when we wake up, the mornings are crisp but the afternoons take you away with a heat wave. This perfect little layered outfit lets you have the best of both worlds. But, don't let this dress and jacket take away from the real key player here: These DIFF Jessie James Decker Sunglasses  are by far the winner of this outfit for sure. 

I picked these gems up at the boutique, Rough River Sweet River of Woodstock. This boutique is by far the cutest boutique in downtown Woodstock for sure! The best part is that they offer brands that my favorite store Nordstrom would carry; however, instead of supporting a department store I am supporting a local's dream to own a boutique. 

The things I love about these sunglasses? They are HUGE aviators and that is always a win for me. I have tried the trendy sunglasses that are circular and almost retro looking, and for whatever reason my face shape favors classic sunglasses. So when I found these at the boutique near me, I knew I had to have my hands on them. The best thing about DIFF sunglasses to me is that all of their pairs are fun and have vibrant color lenses but they aren't overly loud. 

Another huge benefit about these sunglasses is that they are polarized and are a fraction of the cost of most polarized lenses. Plus, DIFF sunglasses actually makes a difference when you purchase from them. For every pair of sunglasses that you purchase from them or one of their retailers, they donate a pair of glasses to a person in need! How incredibly wonderful is that? 

I've only tried on two pairs of DIFF sunglasses before I fell in love with these, but I will for sure be back to Sweet River Rough River to see if I can snag a couple more pairs. They have most of the styles and colors that are on the DIFF website. So, if you are in the Downtown Woodstock area, go try on some sassy frames. If the sunglasses aren't proof enough to get you to check out this cute shop; Sweet River Rough River is also dog friendly (the more dogs the better). So bring your furry friend and check out their DIFF sunglasses and shop around! 

Why hello there! If you're here for the first time welcome to the newly rebranded Daily Chaos! If you're a returning friend wondering where I've been, welcome back!

For the past year I have been working on rebranding and revitalizing Daily Chaos. Back in 2016 I was struggling with what I wanted Daily Chaos to become; did I want to go strictly lifestyle, or did I want to focus in more on topics I am passionate about. I chose the latter because I want Daily Chaos to be a place where ideas are sparked, positivity is created and I can share the ideas and topics that make me most who I am. 

So you might be wondering what I have been up to for the past year. Well I got married, got two adorable dogs, moved to a super awesome town, and worked on transitioning to married life. 

On June 11th, 2016 I said "I do" to the love of my life, he has been featured here in the past and he is pretty much the bees knees. Over the past year we have learned a ton on marriage, sacrifice, and humility. There is absolutely no one else that I would rather adventure through life with. 

Back in May of 2016, we welcomed Winston the Goldendoodle to the family. He was the baby of our lives. He was incredibly spoiled and training him was one heck of an adventure. When David and I found him we knew we had to have him. He was by far the cutest lil pup in all of the puppy land. But, the puppy adventure did not stop there; in October of 2016 our breeder had another litter of puppies available and when we saw this adorable little apricot doodle we knew we had to have him. Plus, Winston clearly needed a friend to hang out with (being an only dog can't be that fun). Then came Charlie the Goldendoodle. The two have been pretty much inseparable since day one. So there we were two newly weds with two adorable puppies and we wouldn't have had it any other way.

For the majority of 2016 we lived outside of Atlanta in a town called Dunwoody; it had all the hustle and bustle for "city life" and was very close to the city, but, David and I felt like the city no longer had what we wanted for our lifestyle. As crazy as this sounds we wanted to find a town that still had that "city" feel but also had a slower pace of life. When we came across Downtown Woodstock, we fell in love; it was the perfect in between of what we were looking for. We are now walking distance to restaurant's and shops and the majority of the town is incredibly dog friendly for our two doodles! Because lets get real anywhere we can bring our two dogs is a place we will definitely go.  So here we are in our very adorable and fun apartment living the lifestyle we pictured.

So this brings us full circle to where we are now! Daily Chaos has been rebranded and revitalized and is ready now more than ever to be the place you come for good vibes and inspiration. Let's create conversations about the topics that make us happy and lets remember that even though every single day is chaotic we can always find at least one good thing to smile about at the end of the day!

Make today great. 

Why hello there! Long time no see! 

Please pardon the dust and the construction on the site for the next week! Currently re-designing and re-branding. 

A new Daily Chaos is coming soon to a screen near you! 

Spring has Sprung here in Atlanta!! The trees are changing, the pollen is attacking, and the sun dresses can officially come out to play! Away with the blanket scarves and riding boots (for now)! 

(I say this as we have a casual freeze warning here in Atlanta Tonight, but no worries the HIGH is 70 tomorrow. So, whatever emotional rage Georgia weather is going through right now should be over tomorrow) 

Since it's Tuesday, and its arguably the one day of the week where nothing eventful happens. I thought we could obsess over my favorite things as of late. 

1. Kate Spade Live Colorfully Perfume: This is my staple perfume for the warmer months. It is one of those scents that make you feel good in the morning before you head out the door for a day of work or play! I am so in love with the fragrance I even have it in a roller ball. I have never understood roller ball fragrance until now because I love freshening up mid day with my happy scent!

2. Kate Spade Sunglasses: Since bear and I decided on where we will be honeymooning I have been buying things "for the wedding" which really means "for the honeymoon". The two are the same thing in Melissa Land. When I found these sunglasses, I bought them in an instant with absolutely no regrets. The sticker sock, admittedly, was a little real but completely worth the cute frames.

3.  Doughnuts, Doughnuts, Doughnuts: While it is not Weight Watcher approved, my Sunday treat is usually to go to our local doughnut shop {Doughnut Dollies} and indulge in a sugary treat, while inevitably giving myself a sugar coma. I could sit here and talk about doughnuts but lets be real, you'd rather drool at your desk right now as you sit in your florescent little office!

4. These PERFECT Spring Shoes: Another thing that I have used the excuse "it's for the wedding: which actually meant, "these are perfect for my bachelorette". As the great DJ Khaled has said "I promise you they don't want to blame your shopping habits on your wedding. But you can because they don't want you to have these things". Okay, so DJ Khaled might not have said these things but I just typed that whole quote in his voice. Anyways, back to the shoes, I stumbled upon them when I was buying my bridesmaids gifts (of course) and made the executive decision to buy them. They are magically comfortable and go with so much even though they have a bold pattern. 

Look at this perfect basic blogger shot. I feel like it deserves an award. 

That's all I have for you for this terrific Tuesday! What are you obsessing over right now?? 

Why hello there! I hope your Monday is fabulous and that your coffee is extra strong this morning! Don't worry I won't judge you for that extra shot of espresso that you've added to your pumpkin spice latte!

The weather is cooling down, the leaves are changing colors, and this girl is all about rocking a casual fall look. I have been on the hunt for the perfect fall and *winter* wardrobe. I say winter wardrobe as well because I am a firm believer that fall clothing can transfer into winter and we just add more layers as the weather gets cooler! 

Even though the weather has been gloriously gloomy I decided to have a little photo shoot for a perfect fall look. 

Outfit Details: 

Hat: Free People 

Necklace: Kate Spade *similar*

Tunic: Halogen  

Tights: Jcrew 

Shoes: Sam Edelman 

Purse: Kate Spade 

Personally I am obsessed with that Free People hat. Part of me wants to buy it in every color.  Maybe this is just the start of a new hat collection. 

What I love most about the tunic is it can be worn so many ways, so keep your eyes peeled for other posts featuring the oh so cute tunic! 

Keep Calm and Carry On 

xoxo 

Melissa

Hey friends! So, I had to share with you guys some of my great shopping finds. Between the obvious Lilly for Target Collection, I have also found other great finds at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. Seriously, the Rack might as well be my new home and then Nordstrom is like going to see grandma and being spoiled rotten. So, what have I found at these wonderful places? You're about to find out!
So, first off I am obsessed with this Tory Burch bag, I have been going between this one and another one and my first Tory Burch bag was not made very nicely and it really bummed me out. By the seams of the bag it was buckling, I thought it was the one bag so I exchanged it for another and sadly it did the same thing. So, I made a decision to get a different style bag and because of that I also found some other GREAT finds to add to my collection. So let's get the party started!

First off these Kendra Scott Earrings - I have been obsessing over them for a long time and I have now added two pairs to my collection. They are both in the same color family but I have NO shame. Seriously how can you go wrong with what I am calling statement earrings.

Then I found a gorgeous Tory Burch bag. I have another bag that is similar to this one but you can never go wrong with large totes. Plus this one is black and I am telling myself that it is super professional.

I have also found the perfect Tory Burch shoes and they have my heart thumping and bumping. Seriously, they are a great swap for my Jack Rogers and look great with a dark wash skinny jean.

Then I found the bright Nars lipstick and its the PERFECT summer shade. It's bright but not obnoxious and with a little lip gloss can be the perfect accent to a great outfit. *Color* Claudia

The Rebbekah Minkoff bag is now my go to summer bag for when I am on the go. (thanks nordstrom rack for this amazing find). I found it on a super sale in the back of a crossbody section and I nabbed it when we were in chicago and it was the best decision.

While bear was trying stuff on at the Rack I decided to peruse the mens sunglasses for fun and little to my surprise I found a pair that looked super feminine so I tried them on and they felt perfect. So I am constantly rocking a pair of men's sunglasses and I dont even care.

Have you had any good finds recently???

Keep Calm and Carry On
xoxo
Melissa

Did you attend the #lillyfortarget launch? If you did, bless you. And if you didn't, here's what you missed. This launch was unlike anything I have ever seen, think #blackfriday on steroids and rabid white girls attacking everything. When Bear and I arrived at the first target it was 8:08, he dropped me off at the door and THE RACKS WERE CLEARED. First off, the store had only been open for 8 minuets, and all the little Felicias had attacked. It was almost like they trained for the event by clearing practice racks. So Bear and I left, (side note: Bear is the best fiance in all the land because he team worked with me to get some great stuff even though he didn't really understand what was going on he helped grab the right sizes and also acted as a body guard against all the white women attacking *claps for bear*). Once we arrived the second target my Mom called me with an update of other stores it was a mission for anything and everything we could put our paws on.

I should note that women had like little campfires with their karts in a circle and they were trading merchandise that they hadn't even purchased yet. Some women got into a fight over a scarf and then one woman grabbed a bathing suit out of my hands and then walked away. I was completely speechless.

So the question you are most likely thinking is WHAT DID YOU GET? Well I am no fashion blogger but today I decided to give it a try.

This shift dresses are my favorite they have a ton of little accents that make them one of a kind! (also please not my attempted fashion blogger pose. I tried folks!) 

This dress is my favorite dress! *I repeat* This dress is my favorite dress from the collection. I adore the Upstream print and also the pink accent with the zipper is amazing. (not pictured) The upstream jumper I bought as well. It's currently at the dry cleaners. 

This is a Lilly Pulitzer necklace from years ago, and it opens beer bottles, or coke bottles or whatever has a secured top. 

My mom is the real mvp for finding me these plazzo pants. Seriously, you can dress this babies up or dress them down. 

This romper is  HUGE milestone for me, for years I was too heavy and my shape was too "round" to rock a romper but today I stand here confidently rocking this romper and feeling amazing in it too! 

I also got those shorts and that towel. I am pool ready. This summer I plan on basking by the pool while taking four summer classes because what is your last"Summer" as a college student if you don't bask in the sun with a cold iced tea. 

Did you have any luck with the Lilly for Target collection? 

I want to hear all about it! 

Keep Calm and Carry On 

xoxo 

Melissa 

When you first start planning a wedding it can be difficult to find a starting point for planning a wedding. For me personally, I found myself getting excited about EVERYTHING wedding related. The guest list? Lemme make that excel sheet for you. The budget? That's gonna have to happen but I had an idea. I had a stream of consciousness going on allll the time. Eventually it can feel a little overwhelming. When I was talking with my mom she was telling me about this great wedding planner, when she showed me pictures and showed me the video it got me excited ten different ways to Sunday!

Then I watched the intro video to the planner and got goose bumps and even teared up a little bit. I thought that it was just all the new engagement excitment that gave me the teary eyes, but I just watched it again and out came the teary eyes! 

I was stalking the tracking information because I wanted nothing more than for that wedding planner to be in my hands for me to play with and fill up with all of the wedding planning details for the beary bear wedding. 

*note: wedding planner pairs well with a coffee, le pens and a snack! 

The Southern Weddings Planner is so carefully thought out and made with so much love. I personally love the gold embossing with the clean white background! It really has a touch of simplicity that makes it classy. I guess you could say that simplicity and class make up a pretty great southern gal (or northern transplant southern girl). 

When you open the wedding planner this is the first page you see. I loved the beginning note because even though the Southern Weddings team doesn't know you they still want to be just as excited about your big day that you are! 

Again, with the gold embossed type. Seriously, can it get any prettier? I also love that they break down each section for you in the beginning along with tabbed sections. It makes it super easy for you to know what topics are on what page numbers. 

The little details on this check list have me swooning. I love the cute little illustrations with the check list to keep me on track. Missing from action on the check list, we did actually get a caterer, Chipotle will be catering our wedding in all of its glory....I really wish we could have a starbucks barista at our wedding but I have a feeling people would rather have an open bar. But in the coffees bar defense, it too could be open bar, AND you'd never get tired from dancing. Just saying. 

I also love that they have cute little question and answer sections in the book for the bride to be and husband to be. David and I had a blast filling these out, (please don't mind my messy hand writing). It's super fun to get Bear involved because I like to do wedding planning stuff with him (even if it makes him cringe sometimes). 

I simply love my wedding planner and I am so happy its finally in my hands. I honestly have found it a huge help, especially with the budget aspect of wedding planning. It really helps break down the spending you are doing to make sure that you are staying on track for the big day and not spending too much. 

I am so happy Southern Weddings made this great planner! If you want to buy one, you can do so here! If you're engaged and planning a wedding, I would say to buy one ASAP because they are the cats meow. 

Keep Calm and Carry On

xoxo 

Melissa

I am a huge fan of Chipotle, Moes, and Willies. Really, if it is mexican food, you can bet your bottom dollar I will eat LOADS of it. However, the only one who is semi weight watchers friendly for my lifestyle would be Chipotle, and those $8.00 burrito bowls add up quick! So, I decided to figure out a way to make my own burrito bowl with very low points. So here's the burrito bowl that I think makes a great lunch or even great dinner.

* I know it's not the prettiest picture in all the land but it's absolutely delicious 

What you'll need: 

• Brown rice - 1/4 of a cup dry [4 points]
• Chicken cutlets - 4 ounces (or one cutlet) [2 points]
• Cajun seasoning - however much you want  [0 points]
• Garlic salt - however much you want [0 points]
• Black beans - 1/4 of a cup [1 point]
• Zucchini - however much you want [0 points]
• Squash - however much you want [0 points]
• Yellow tomato - however much you want [0 points]
• Any form of hot sauce [0 points]
• Pam olive oil spray [0 points]
•  Reduced fat Kraft cheddar cheese - 1/4 of a cup [2 points]

What you'll do: 

• Cook the serving size of rice in a pot (you can't mess this part up) 
• Cube the zucchini, squash, and tomato and place into the lightly coated pam pan. 
• After browning the vegetables for put the hot sauce on them and finish cooking 
•  Cube up chicken and put cajun seasoning and garlic salt on the chicken and place in pan and cook on each side for 3 mins 
• Measure out your black beans and warm them in the microwave. 
• Assemble the goodness and eat it all with joy and happiness!

Do you have any other fun healthy quick recipes for me to try? 

Keep Calm and Carry On 

xoxo 

Melissa 

So you can chalk it up to the fact that I am a horrible blogger that I am just now writing this post! Let's just say, getting engaged takes you through a whirl wind of events. Second off, the day after you get engaged people automatically assume that you have a date set up...do they think I am super woman or something? Anyways, it was quite possibly the best day of my life. Bear had to try to keep it all a secret because I can be a bit of a snoop and I am also really good at figuring out anything if you give me just one clue (seriously if connecting the dots was an Olympic event, I'd win.)
So, now you're probably wondering how he did it? Well it's time for a story, so take an afternoon break with a cup of coffee and enjoy!

So Bear was very clever he made it so that we went through our daily Saturday motions. We went to Weight Watchers, we weighed in, we went to tin lizzies and then we went to Piedmont Park to play magic. (if you don't know it's a card game bear and I play). So we ate our food and did normal bear things. And then we were getting ready to play and David told me he made me a new deck...but little did I know that he was actually preparing to propose!

While these are digital cards, David actually hand made me my very own proxy (fake) Magic Cards. I had no idea what was going on until he had pulled out the proposal card. Then It was all giggles, tears and "right nows". I was so surprised that all I kept saying is "right now" "really!? right now?!?!". (In case you were wondering this is the order that he presented the cards to me!)

He got down on one knee and presented the ring to me in a gorgeous teal card box with a homemade ring holder! It was absolutely priceless and amazing. I felt like I was on top of the world! 

It was such a surprise because David got a surprise photographer and I had no idea who he was or what he was doing. I honestly thought he was one of those park creepers that took pictures of the grass for fun! (they exist!) 

And of course directly after some photos and hugs, we took to our phones and posted to facebook, because, did your engagement ever happen if you didn't Instagram/Facebook it?!

But seriously, I am the luckiest girl in the world to have found my soul-bear to conquer the world with. I can't put into words how amazing it feels to know that I have someone to tackle life with! 

Keep Calm and Carry On! 

xoxo 

Melissa

With spring right around the corner I am obsessing over tank tops and flip flops. Oh and anything that looks like spring I put on my wish list for later!
March was a pretty relaxed month for me (april is finals and all larger projects due month, so lord save me). Anyways, I want to share with ya'll some of my latest obsessions.

I don't know about you but I adore a cute spring nail color and Essie came out with a rocking spring color (that also goes with my wedding day color pallet). This bastise dry shampoo is also a great addition to my hair regimen, I don't know about you but my hair behaves ten times better when I don't was it every day! Also I joined the Ray Bans club, at first I thought they looked weird on my face however I am now digging them and love the way they look on my face!

Also, because I adore you all so much I made a Spotify playlist (but Spotify is being mean and took away the embedded HTML option so I am sorry but you have to click this link to listen to my latest obsessions.
https://open.spotify.com/user/melissa.rubsam14/playlist/3RWBqrEYCKuX60S5pbPXrB

I am also excited (and nervous) about the Lilly Pulitzer/Target collaboration. I am excited because the bathing suits look absolutely awesome and so do the plazzo pants. I am grabbing both on April 19th when the collection comes out!

What are you currently loving?
Keep Calm and Carry On!
xoxo
Melissa

So Spotify does this thing that I adore on Tuesdays called New Music Tuesday, so today I thought I would do New Music Monday!!
So I want you guys to enjoy my currently listening to playlist. It's a mixture of everything so there are tunes to dance to, tunes to mellow out to, and tunes to be productive to. So put in some ear buds, or blast it in your house! I hope you enjoy!








Do you have any favorites?? Also that Taylor Swift remix is pretty much the bomb.

Keep Calm and Carry On
xoxo
Melissa

Recently there has been so much good stuff going on in my life, along with amazing finds that I just have to share with the entire internet because they are just that awesome.

1. So Bear and I are kind of creatures of habit when it comes to food. No, seriously, we eat at one of four places every week Tin Lizzies, Chipotle, Zaxbys, or Jimmy Johns. Mainly because of #weightwatchers. But we seriously never get sick of any of them. It's a little freaky because usually I can only stand a place for so long and then I don't want it for months. But those four places, forget about it I can eat at any of those places any day of the week. However, the bears adventured out of their caves and found Zoe's Kitchen, we've passed this place many of times and wondered what it was all about and then it just slipped our minds to stop. Finally Satruday during our errands I spotted one and said "lets go try it". We were so impressed by everything regarding our visit, they had three different types of hummus, they had pita sandwiches to die for and their sweet tea was on point! (Thank you faturday for your kindess to allow me to drink sweet tea). Needless to say Zoe's is now on our rotation. 

2. Kate Spade Swimwear: When I heard that Kate Spade was making a swimwear line I about jumped out of my chair and danced. I had a feeling the pieces would be to die for and I was so right. After making a swim suit pros and cons list I found the new bathing suit for the summer.

Is this not the cutest of bathing suits? I gave myself one condition before I bought it, which was that I reach my next 10% goal on weight watchers. Then I will go buy that absolutely stunning top. 

3. This quote: 

I ended up putting it up on my desk so I constantly look at it because when I am doing school work, or even blog posts sometimes I get so bogged down in making them perfect but what I've realized is that good enough really is good enough sometimes. 

4. THIS SONG. Seriously, click play, you will NOT be sad about it. 

5. Also this song:


It's one of those songs that is beautiful and meaningful all at the same time. It's been on repeat for the past week. It might just end up being on repeat for you as well!
Keep Calm and Carry On
xoxo
Melissa

It's no secret that I am on the #healthyliving lifestyle train, but what you don't know is that ClassPass is now in the Atlanta (metro area as well). Not sure what class pass is?? Click here to find out some of the nitty gritty details!

This past Tuesday I took a leap of courage and braved a class at The Bar Method, and it was one of the BEST experiences of a barre class that I've ever had.While the location is right next to a Chipotle (hello temptation). I resisted the urge and had an amazing time.

When I arrived to The Bar Method they made me feel so comfortable, it can be VERY intimidating walking into a workout class where you know no one and you feel like you're going to be the most out of shape person there. But, that wasn't the case, they introduced me to my instructor and gave me a tour of the whole studio. They even made sure to note if I had any injuries or surgeries so that the workout didn't hurt me. It was a very personable experience!!

As I wandered around I noticed they had this adorable bathroom area (no showers) BUT, they had dry shampoo, facial wipes, hair dryers, a straightener a curling iron and so much more. So, after I worked out I had the option to freshen up before I set foot back out into the world. They also had a COFFEE STATION (all caps obviously needed). So, again after you get some shakes and quakes on you can have some coffee, or tea.

So, onto the class, Ashley (the co-owner of The Bar Method) taught the class. Since the class was smaller, she was actually able to help us with our form and she was able to correct almost everyone when she noticed their form was off. Since it was my first time at this class I am pretty sure I heard my name over ten times, but it made me feel like she actually cared if I was doing the workout right, not only so that I would come back, but so that my body got every single benefit out of the class.

What really made this barre class unique is not only that I felt comfortable but that she pushed us to go that extra inch to achieve a better workout. Sure, I shaked a lot, there was a point where my thighs were literally jiggling like jello, and I felt accomplished once I finished the jiggling exercise because I was pushing my body to change and become more toned and awesome.


I think I am becoming slightly obsessed with Barre, it's really rewarding. A little tip if you take a Barre class, eat a banana afterwards, it will help you not be so sore the next day.

Thank you ClassPass for providing me with this membership this month in exchange for this blog posts. Plus I love ClassPass so much I will be posting more, because there are so many places to try!!

Keep Calm and Carry On
xo
Melissa