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a slice of life

a slice of life

walmart Free Assembly launch favorites try-on | part two

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Walmart.  As always, all words and opinions are honest and my own. This is part two of the try-on I shared last week from the new Free Assembly launch from Walmart.  You can find that try-on HERE if you missed it and are looking for some cute and very affordable dresses that look flattering on a midsized body.  I ordered a bunch of clothes to try, so I split the try-on into two parts so the post wasn’t ridiculously long!  There were just so many clothes that caught my eye and the prices were so good that I kept adding more to my cart.  (Click on the graphics to shop these Walmart finds and more on the LTK app.) Lee’s Slimming Straight-Leg Jeans | Levi’s High Rise Skinny Jeans | Levi’s Signature Skinny Pull-on Jeans | Lee’s High Rise Utility Pants | Silky Bow-Neck

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a slice of life

say yes to the invite

Remember the small business I highlighted a few weeks ago?  Meanwhile Back on the Farm?  If you missed that post, you can check it out HERE. Well, the owner of the business, Heather, mentioned in a direct message that we should get together sometime when she’s visiting her mom in PA.  While her mom lives in a different state than I do, we’re only about 15 minutes apart.  Heather did something rare in this day and age and followed up on that offer just a few weeks after she extended it.  She would be visiting her mom in a few days and invited me to lunch at the farm where she grew up.  I’ll admit to having some hesitation in accepting the invitation this week.  I have a lot of work on my plate, the boys are still out of school and we still need to get our back-to-school shopping

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a slice of life

Free Assembly midsize dress try on

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Walmart.  As always, all words and opinions shared are honest and my own. There are times when I’ll do one of these fashion posts for Walmart and I’ll find a few things that would be fun to add to my wardrobe, but when I looked at the new Free Assembly launch, I found so many things I loved.  I mean, the number of boxes coming to the house was pretty comical.  I had to tell Jeff it was for a partnership so he didn’t give me a sideways glance.  I loved the colors, the fabrics, the silhouettes, and the classic styling.  I decided to try on a bunch of things so I could show them to you and give them an honest review.   Since I got so many things, I’m breaking up the reviews into two posts.  In this one, I’m sharing a line-up

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Food & Fitness

easy vegetable-forward meals | part one

As I shared in THIS POST, I have been eating whole foods and walking at least three miles daily to improve my overall health. So far, I’ve lost just shy of 30 lbs, but as I also shared, I am striving for a goal lifestyle, not a goal weight.  The process is the goal and the results will be whatever they are. As I’ve shared some snapshots of what I’ve been eating (because people asked), I decided to share some of my favorite veggie-forward meals that are in my normal rotation.  I don’t do meal planning, but I do make big batches of things that we can eat off of during the week.  Here are some typical staple items I make weekly… Chicken patties (recipe HERE.)  I make these because they don’t dry out like chicken breasts and they are a protein that reheats well.  Jeff gets a little tired

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a slice of life

how I’ve lost 30 lbs

I shared in a blog post and a few times on Instagram that I’ve been working on my health and fitness behind the scenes.  A bunch of people have asked if I would share what changes I’ve made, so here are the details… If you’ve followed my blog for a few years, you know I’ve shared things I’ve done along the way to lose weight and get/stay in shape.  I’ve done P90x, Insanity, Whole30, and WW to name a few.  I’ve been a yo-yo dieter since I was 15 years old and it’s done some damage to my self-esteem and how I view myself.  I dieted when I didn’t need to diet, saw myself as fat when I wasn’t fat, deprived myself of food, and abused myself with exercise. I was at a pretty balanced and healthy place at the end of 2019 and then my eating and exercise went

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a slice of life

small business spotlight | meanwhile back on the farm

Disclosure: Meanwhile Back on the Farm sent me a few of their products to share on social media, but I really love their brand and story and wanted to write a blog post featuring their family-owned small business.  Both my mom and I have shopped from them as customers as well.  There’s a coupon code for 15% off at the bottom of the post, so don’t miss that! Since I’ve moved back to the East Coast, it’s become a regular thing for my mom and me to go to the Lucketts Market in the Fall and Spring.  It’s our special girl’s day out.  The fall of 2022 was our first time attending and, before I went to the event, a woman from my church told me, “You have to visit Meanwhile Back on the Farm.  They’ll be there as vendors and I know the owner. Say hi for me!”  So,

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a slice of life

a personal project, hungryroot review & discount code

Disclosure: I have partnered with Hungryroot to review their products on my Instagram grid and Stories.  This post is not a part of that partnership, but I wanted to share it with my blog audience as well.  Use code MISSMUSTARDSEED40 to get 40% off your first Hungryroot order, which is the biggest discount currently available! There is a personal project I’ve been working on behind the scenes for a few months.  In January, I went to my primary care physician for a yearly check-up and to follow up on a few lingering issues.  The issue at the top of my list was my heart.  I had been experiencing arrhythmia for a couple of years, but it was becoming more noticeable and intense at times.  My heart rate was often pretty high and racing at unusual times.  After brushing it off for a couple of years, it was time to look

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a slice of life

when plans change

As you might conclude from over 4,000 blog posts, in addition to books and articles, I don’t usually struggle with writer’s block.  But, every once in a while, I sit down to write a blog post, and, even though I have drafts ready, a healthy list of potential blog post ideas, and photos waiting to be used, it just doesn’t happen.  The drafts aren’t what I want to share on that particular day, the post ideas require too much lead time, and the photos aren’t inspiring.  Sometimes I can push out a post on those days because I buckle down and do the job, but on a few rare days, I realize I need to let it go and work on other things.  So, that’s what I did on Wednesday.  I worked on some other writing projects, finished an oil painting, cleaned up my e-mail inbox, and took some pictures

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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