**I have a new disclaimer, please read**

Hey-o for Friday! I am ready for the weekend, it is another busy one but I am excited. It has been a hectic week around here and one of the exciting things I teased about a couple of weeks ago started this week. So let's get started!



1. HEALTHY EATING
I have been trying to desperately improve my diet, but this summer has been rough. I am not always in the same place everyday so I can't guarantee it will stay cool. In that effort I am trying to make the snacks I make more healthy. I bought a huge thing of raspberries and mixed in blueberries and almonds. It was pretty good. Although I shot all that in the foot Thursday night when I insisted we order pizza. Le sigh.




2. HEAT WAVE
This week was crazy town hot. Early in the week it was pretty warm and sticky, but by Wednesday and Thursday we were in the 90s with the heat index in the 110s. For those of not from here, maybe that's not as bad by you but it was basically like being in a sauna on the surface of the sun. As soon as you stepped outside everything fogged up. I am just praying for rain to take the heat and humidity away.


3. WORKOUT
On Wednesday I had to sneak in a quick work out. I did not have time to run to the gym so I whipped out my good ol' P90X cardio, which is good in a pinch. They are building a new apartment complex literally on the other side of the parking lot to my gym and I worry I will be relying more on my dvds soon. Does anyone else do at home work outs? What works for you?


4. BABY COTTONTAIL
On Sunday night we discovered a nest of baby bunnies in our yard. Riggs was intently staring at a hole and then we discovered it was little baby bunnies. Sunday night we laid some sticks over the top so we could test in momma bunny came back. The result was not definitive. I put out a call to friends to see if they had any ideas. I got a number for a local wildlife rehab and called them. They told us to grab one of the bunnies and pull the skin back between their shoulders, if it snaps back then they are hydrated and cared for.  D put on some gloves, we tried a couple of times and decided they were hydrated, whew! Now we just have to wait for them to grow up and move out.


A little blurry, but little guy would not stop moving



5. PHOTO SHOOT
The most exciting thing this week was doing a photo shoot with local boutique Apricot Lane.  I met the manager of the Maple Grove location about a year or so ago when I did a girls night at another boutique.  A couple of months ago I went into the store to get something. After I left  she reached out to me saying they were working on launching a website and needed one more model. I was super surprised but of course I said  yes. This past Monday was the official day. I arrived at the West End location  and met the other models in addition the the store manager of Mendota Heights and the owner. Also, sidenote: I have to say I use the term 'model' to describe myself very loosely. Yes they used me to take photos but I don't fancy myself a model in the true sense, just felt like I needed to clarify that. 

We started by taking taking photos of individual clothes to be sold on the site. They had racks of clothes assigned to each of us. I have to admit I was a bit self-conscious as the other two girls are in better shape than me, and so were the other store managers. One of the models is a hair stylist and cosmetologist. She is built like a gymnast, and super funny. The other is a student, with a partial sleeve tattoo and a funky haircut. She is way cooler than me. Both managers were clearly funky girls with boss personalities, as evidenced by tattoos, great style and getting sh*t done. I was definitely in good company. Then I remembered that they know what I look like and wanted me there anyway and it wouldn't do anyone any good to be self-conscious all day. After a few outfits everyone was so nice and complimentary of each other that it got easier. The owner provided coffee and bagels, which was much needed and kind as we were compensated for our time anyway. It was kind of fun too because we also got to see a sneak peek at some of the Fall clothes.  I was the happiest girl in the world.






I went back for a couple of hours on Tuesday before I had to head back to work  and we did some group shots for the website and social media use. This was the most fun. We did a bunch of shots where we came bursting out of the front door like we had just shopped there. It felt super strange to have three girls walk out of the door at once and talk like "shopping is so fun, this is so hilarious." Our photographer, Sammy Slater, told us to use the word 'watermelon' as it looks like you are saying different things. It quickly took on a life of its own and the laughs started rolling. I was worried the pictures would look strange with us laughing so hard but they turned out great. Sammy was fantastic to work with and had some creative ideas about things to do to make the shots look killer. She edited them quick too so I can show you a few of my favorites. 




Photo Credit: Sammy Slater 

Overall, I had a great time. It was unbelievably fun and glad I got to be a part of it. Going forward I will be periodically going in to model clothes to put on the site so you can buy them. Be sure to check it out when it's up!


That's it for my week. How was yours? Leave me a comment below I would love to hear from you!


Also be sure to follow me on : Snapchat:mcainmoss |  Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Always, linking up with these lovelies!
H54F - A weekly link up, hosted by Cup of Tea, Bright on a Budget, Coffee with Caitlin & Della Devoted