The Nerd's Wife

Boots and Stripes

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 / By Arena Blake

I am so ready for fall: Chilly days and cool nights, early sunsets and rainy mornings.

Fall is my favorite season.

I’ve recently decided to branch out with my style. I’ve been reading lots of style blogs and have started to try to define my own personal style. This is very hard for me — I grew up a Tomboy who thought that dressing up constituted wearing my hair down and not in a pony tail.

Since having Andrew, it’s difficult for me to wear pants. My c-section scar still hurts when the waist of pants hit it in just the right spot. Does that happen to anyone else? Also? My left leg goes to sleep CONSTANTLY. Like seriously, sometimes I have a hard time standing up on it. These are the things no one tells you about having a baby. Your body is never the same!

This fall, my go-to outfit will be a shift dress, leggings and boots. The dress is flattering with my post-baby belly, the leggings provide some warmth and comfort, and the boots? Well, it’s just not fall without a great pair of boots.

Top it off with some bright lips, and you’re ready to tackle the day.

Dress: Gap, Leggings: J.Crew, Boots: J.Crew, Watch: Michael Kors

Like I said, I can’t wait for fall, y’all.

Categories: Style

Wine and Food Pairings with Mirassou Winery

Monday, September 17, 2012 / By Arena Blake

This weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend Bloggy Bootcamp Dallas with the marvelous SITS Girls. I learned so much and am still processing a lot of it.

On Friday night, I was invited by one of the sponsors, Mirassou Winery, to attend a dinner with a few other bloggers. Of course, I jumped at the chance!

I am not much of a drinker, but I always prefer wine over beer any day. I always go for sweeter wines, like Riesling, and steer far away from red wines. I honestly don’t know much about wines, except that it’s really hard for me to find one that I like.

That changed after dinner with Mirassou. When paired with the right food, each wine brought out different textures and flavors. David Mirassou, the sixth-generation of the wine-making family, shared stories of his family history with us and talked about the different elements that made each wine unique. It was truly an experience I will never forget!

With Amanda from Click the Good News, Chasity from Haute Mommy, David, Melissa from Pineapple Lily, Jennifer from Still Living the Dream, Liz, Emily from 52 Mantels, Aimee from It’s Overflowing, and Holly from June Cleaver Nirvana.

My takeaway from the evening? Wine evokes memories of good times with good friends. A glass of wine makes you remember the time you spent drinking it, and who you were with.

My absolute favorite Mirassou wines? Moscato, Riesling and, surprisingly, Sauvignon Blanc.

Mirassou also have a great Food and Wine Pairing Suggestions tool to help you decide what kind of wine to serve with different meals. Did you know that you can even take a wine personality quiz?

What’s your favorite wine?

Disclaimer: I was provided with dinner and free samples from Mirassou Winery. All opinions and photos are my own.

Categories: Living

Verizon Wireless 4G4Charity in Dallas

Friday, September 14, 2012 / By Arena Blake

Verizon Wireless recently asked four local Dallas celebrities to incorporate a 4G LTE tablet into their everyday lives and share how they did so. The public could vote for their favorite celebrity, and Verizon Wireless would donate $4,000 to the charity of their choice.

Earlier this week, the winner was revealed and as a Verizon Wireless Ambassador, I got to attend the event!

Dress: LOFT (similar), Shoes: Nine West (similar), Earrings: Versona Accessories, Watch: Michael Kors

And the winner is…

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman!

Congrats to her and the American Red Cross, where I know the money will be put to good use!

**Disclaimer** I am a Verizon Wireless Ambassador. I received a wireless device and phone/data plan free of charge to use for review and evaluation of Verizon Wireless products and services. As part of the program, I was asked to share my opinions with others, however, my opinions are my own. Please contact vzw@comblu.com with any questions about the Verizon Wireless Ambassadors’ Program.

Categories: Dallas

Better Blogging Thursday: How to Fix Link Thumbnails for Facebook Posts

Thursday, September 13, 2012 / By Arena Blake

I’ve been blogging now for almost three years and for the past year and a half, I’ve been doing some social media consulting. In that time, I feel like I’ve learned so much and come so far, that I thought I would start a new series on my blog to share my knowledge with you.

Each week, Better Blogging Thursday will feature a tip or trick that I’ve picked up to make my life as a blogger/social media addict easier. I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I thought there might be a FEW things I know a little about that could help someone out there.

For my first BBT post, I thought I’d share something that I just happened to stumble upon.

As I’m sure you know, Facebook is CONSTANTLY changing things, and recently, it’s gotten a little harder to share links on your Facebook page.

For as long as I can remember, when you shared a link in your Facebook post, a lovely thumbnail image showed up to accompany the link preview in your post. Lately, though, more and more of my link previews show up without a thumbnail image.

I’m going to show you how to fix that.

Here is the secret in going from this…

To this…

It’s all about the Facebook Developers Debugger tool. This tool analyzes a website and shares any errors that occur when Facebook tries to scrape the website.

Simply enter the URL of your post into the field:

And a report will appear listing any errors that occur.

Here’s the beauty of this — you don’t actually need to fix any of these errors! (Unless you want to.) In fact, I have absolutely no idea how to fix these errors. But if you enter your link and press “Debug” it will make a thumbnail image appear with your link preview.

Cool, huh?

Do you have something you’d like for me to cover in a Better Blogging Thursday post? Submit your questions below and I’ll try to feature it in a future post!

Happy Thursday, y’all!

Categories: Tutorials

{DFW Mom} Massage Envy Hosts Healing Hands for Arthritis

Wednesday, September 12, 2012 / By Arena Blake

Last night, I had a rare indulgence…Something that I only get the chance to do every once in a while…

No, I didn’t get a massage. (I wish!) I got to take a shower!

Gosh, my standards have really lowered since I had a baby.

But for those of you who can actually get out of the house and away from the poopy diapers, Massage Envy DFW has an awesome opportunity for you!

They are joining forces with the Arthritis Foundation to host Healing Hands for Arthritis,
a one-day national event to build awareness and raise funds to fight arthritis.

On Wednesday, September 19, Massage Envy DFW clinics will donate $10 from every one-hour massage session or facial to the Arthritis Foundation. Last year, this event raised almost $500,000 for the Arthritis Foundation!

One-hour massage sessions cost $49, and one-hour facials cost $59.

To make an appointment for the Healing Hands for Arthritis event, contact one of the 28 Dallas-Fort Worth Massage Envy locations at 214-556-2475. Reservations are being accepted on a first‐come,
first‐served basis.

Do you think they’d have an issue if I brought a screaming baby with two sharp teeth with me?

Yeah, I should probably just stay home.

When was the last time you had a massage?

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post from Massage Envy DFW and I am receiving compensation. All opinions are my own and information was provided by Massage Envy DFW. You can like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

Categories: Dallas

Dallas Heart Walk with Jenny Craig

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 / By Arena Blake

On Saturday, I headed to Downtown Dallas to participate in the Dallas Heart Walk 2012, courtesy of Jenny Craig.

Actress-comedian Nicole Sullivan joined Team Jenny for the walk, and I was so excited to meet her! She signed up for Jenny Craig following the birth of her second son, and reached her goal of losing 35 pounds. Today, she said she’s happier and healthier than ever and loves having the energy to chase after her two young boys.

In support of the American Heart Association, Jenny Craig launched a program to educate the public regarding the significant health risks associated with weight-related diseases, including heart disease and stroke. Through marketing campaigns, PSAs, community programs, education and online activations, Jenny Craig is encouraging the public to eat better, move more and live a healthier life.

Most people don’t realize that weight impacts their heart health. Maintaining a healthy weight can positively impact risk factors including blood pressure and cholesterol management, blood sugar levels and BMI, we were told by the experts at Jenny.

I was ready to get started doing just that by participating in this walk!

I was so excited to meet and chat with Heather from Dallas Single Mom!

I was a little anxious about the walk. I’ll freely admit that I don’t exercise as much as I should (hopefully, that will chance soon!). But I hardly even realized that we were walking. I had a great time chatting with Nicole and Heather and the other ladies on Team Jenny.

We walked around and over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which has such a great view. I hadn’t found an excuse to head out there, but I’m glad I was able to!

Jenny is hosting the Weekend of Weight Loss from Sept. 13-16. During that time, you can visit a participating Jenny Craig Centre and receive 50% off any Jenny Craig weight loss program. Jenny will donate $5 for every program sold during the Weekend of Weight Loss to the American Heart Association’s “My Heart. My Life.” campaign.

**Save 50% off any Jenny Craig program during the Weekend of Weight Loss. Plus the cost of food. Offer valid 9/13-9/16/12 only. Valid at participating Jenny Craig centres and Jenny Craig at Home only. Plus shipping charges, if applicable. No cash value.

I had an amazing time meeting these inspiring women and hearing their weight loss stories! I only hope that mine can be just as good. And maybe, with Jenny Craig, it can be!

Disclaimer: My participation in the Dallas Heart Walk was sponsored by Jenny Craig. I received swag and a free month membership to Jenny Craig for my participation. All opinions are my own and information was supplied by Jenny Craig.

Categories: Living