June Favorites

I can't believe June is almost over! This summer is flying. I am almost finished with my internship, our vacation is coming up very soon and I just had to order my casebooks for fall semester... But I am making the most of the summer while it lasts! Below I have outlined a few of my favorite things from through this June.

1. Lemon Water in the AM
I started putting a few lemon slices in my water- game changer! Not only does my water taste better and I drink more of it, lemon is SO good for you. It aids in digestion, it provides vitamin C, it helps the body to produce collagen which makes for clear and radiant skin and it helps you to lose weight thanks to the pectin in the lemons. I also feel that it gives me great all day energy. I have been loving it! Also, this makes me so basic but lemons in water just look so pretty in a cute mason jar glass.

A post shared by Brandy- The Legal Duchess (@thelegalduchess) on Jun 29, 2017 at 2:49pm PDT

2. Planet Fitness Membership
My husband and I recently got a Planet Fitness membership and I have finally been getting back into a workout groove. I have been utilizing a "couch to 5K" app on my phone to aid in my workouts as well as the PF 12 Minute Abs each time. I have been sore but it is a good sore. I love feeling my body get back in shape and knowing that I am improving.

Running is hard.... but I'm tired of getting out of breath after one flight of stairs so here we go! pic.twitter.com/KmwgCsSCN9

— Brandy (@Legal_Duchess) June 29, 2017

3. Book Review: Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
I have been reading this on and off throughout the month. It is a historical fiction novel set in World War II London. It follows four young people throughout their war experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is a little slow to start but it gets good after that. It is a lovely account of a fascinating time in history.

4. Caribou Iced Coffee
I loveeeee me some coffee. Like Lorelai Gilmore style, just give me an IV. However, in the summer heat, sometimes I just can't do the hot drink. I love iced coffee but it is so hard to make at home and I am too cheap to stop and buy it every day. I came across Caribou Iced Coffee at the grocery and I am obsessed! It comes ready made, cream and sugar added and the price is super fair. I just pour it over some ice and go on my merry way, iced nectar of the gods in hand.

5. Podcast- Sworn
I am late to the world of Podcasts but I am obsessed. I have been listening on my way to and from work. I most recently listened to Sworn- an examination of the Lake Oconee Murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond. The victims were both in their 80's and he was beheaded (the head has never been found) and she was found in a nearby lake weighed down with concrete blocks. The murders happened in 2014 and yet remain unsolved. Who would kill a couple in their 80's, known to be active in their church and well liked by all? and why?

6. The Great British Baking Show 
I am not sure why I just now found this on Netflix but I am obsessed. First, I adore British people. The accent, the phrases, and the food also looks amazing. Second, Mary Berry is just fantastic. Third, it makes me want to bake, bake, bake all day and my husband has been loving all the baked goods floating around the house as a result. If you haven't watched this show, you should. It is a gem.

I've been watching the Great British Baking Show all evening and it got me inspired so I whipped up some homemade double chocolate chip muffins for breakfast tomorrow. Anyone else obsessed with this show?!? 🇬🇧🍪🍰 #ilovebaking #ineedsugar #imnotontheirlevel #notveryprettypresentation

A post shared by Brandy- The Legal Duchess (@thelegalduchess) on Jun 28, 2017 at 6:26pm PDT

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend full of family, friends, and America!

How to Buy 1L Books on a Budget

Welcome to law school... if tuition doesn't make you broke, the textbooks will! Law school casebooks are big, heavy monsters that update constantly. You often have to buy brand new because the law is ever changing and older editions may no longer be relevant. It makes for a very expensive process when they range from $150-300 per piece and that's not counting supplements. My first year of law school books cost around $1500 total. Now that I am a rising 2L, I have a pretty good system for finding books on a budget, which my sweet husband is very appreciative of. Here are my top tips!

Blue Gingham and other Fun 4th of July Dress Picks

It's almost Independence day!!! As a proud American, I adore this holiday. As a history nerd, I love the surrounding history of it. As a basic white girl, I love picking out a dress to wear for the event. I also love sparklers... and the only appropriate holiday is Independence day.

6 Wedding Gifts Millennials Will Love

It's wedding season!!! I have already been to two this year! All this has me thinking about my own wedding and I can't believe it has been almost a full year since my wedding.... time flies when you're married to your best friend! Looking back at our wedding, I can't help but remember all the wonderful gifts we received from our family and friends. The outpouring of love was amazing. As time passes, I have taken note of some particularly useful gifts that have really become staples of our millennial lives. So here are 6 wedding gifts millennials will love.

1. Cash
Good old fashioned cash... you can never go wrong. We got married right out of college and right after we bought our first house. Any cash we received helped us immensely to allow for honeymoon splurges or to buy curtains for our new house. Any young couple starting out can always use a little extra cash if you don't know what else to get.

2. Kitchen Aid Mixer
My Kitchen Aid is my favorite item in my entire kitchen. This is a great gift to maybe buy with a group of fellow friends to help out with the cost but to get the bride and groom an item they will use for the rest of their lives. It is a kitchen staple for a reason- you can use it for anything and everything and it just looks so darn cute sitting there. Mine is a soft turquoise and I am completely obsessed with it. This is a gift that you can't go wrong with!

3. A Keurig
Millenials seems to be a synonym for coffee obsessed. I don't know many couples who wouldn't be ecstatic to receive a Keurig as a wedding gift. I personally use ours every single day. It;s another pricey gift but one which will be loved and appreciated for years to come.

4. A Themed Gift
This is not a gift I received but it is my favorite type of gift to give at weddings. I look at the registry and pick a theme: baking, casseroles, coffee, etc. Once I have that, I pick out a handful of items related to the theme to purchase from the registry. Then I box everything up with a recipe or two for that theme. This could be my favorite baked goods recipes or my easy lasagna recipe or whatever fits the theme. I get so many texts from the couples thanking me for the recipes most of all. It is always fun to make a gift that is unique and slightly outside of the box. Any millennial would love it.

5. Something Personal
Something we received as a wedding gift was a framed copy of our wedding invitation. I will forever have that hanging on our wall to remember our special day. Personal gifts like that are so special and so appreciated. A little thought and creativity can go a long way.

6. "Mr. and Mrs. ___" Gifts
One of our favorite gifts was a set of custom wine glasses that said Mr. and Mrs. Brown. As newlyweds, you get such a kick out of having the same last name and any gifts that highlight that are so fun and so special.


Happy wedding season!

How I am Using Poshmark to Build my Legal Wardrobe

Welcome to the legal profession ladies... you have signed your life away to days in patent leather heels and pencil skirts. Personally, I love getting dressed up. I grew up on a farm so there a part of me that still gets downright giddy to get dressed up in something other than jeans. Now I get dressed up every day... I am interning in the courthouse for the summer so it's blazers and heels for me day in day out. Fun right? Yes. Expensive? Also yes.

I have been stocking up on "lawyer" clothes for a long time. I worked at TJ Maxx all through college and I shopped the sale racks like it was my job for dressy pieces to put into my lawyer wardrobe. The last two Christmases I have asked for shopping trips with my momma for legal clothes. Yet, I still was running out of clothing options by week two of my internship. I am working unpaid this summer and getting class credit. My husband and I are saving up for a vacation and have plenty of bills to pay. There was no spare money for me to go drop a few hundred dollars on fancy dress clothes... it was time to get creative. I have always been a resourceful shopper- I have no qualms about thrifting for quality pieces or picking up a cute shirt at Walmart. I wear what I like and I find cute no matter the brand. Now I am a typical girl and I like to wear good brands but I have never had the budget to buy everything brand new and the top brand. I will never forget desperately wanting a Vera Bradley purse for my freshman year of high school... my mom said it wasn't in the budget to buy the one I wanted brand new since they were putting my older sister through college that year. She gave me a $20 budget for a new purse. I was determined to get a Vera so I got resourceful- I found the purse I wanted in the pattern I wanted on Ebay for $15 with a matching wallet and with shipping in came in right about $20. I got to waltz into my first day of school with my precious Vera and I learned a valuable lesson about budgeting and making the most of a little bit of money and still having quality. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box!

That's a lesson I have never forgotten and something I do to this day. Whenever people compliment my clothes, I love to surprise them by saying this was $5 at Walmart or I found in at Goodwill for $3. Sometimes I buy items with small rips or missing a button- I know how to sew and can fix those things easily and quickly with a needle and thread. I once got a $600 Juicy Couture Dress for $20 because it was missing a button... $0.99 button from Hobby Lobby and 5 minutes of sewing left me with the most gorgeous dress at a steal of a price. That is not to say I never splurge- I adore my Michael Kors purse that I bought with my first paycheck from TJ Maxx. I have a weakness for J. Crew and Vineyard Vines and I will always pay the prices just for the name.

A few months ago someone had mentioned Poshmark to me as a way to sell off an old pair of Jack Rogers sandals that no longer fit. I had downloaded the app and sold my sandals but I never thought anything more about it until I was struggling to find clothes to wear for this summer in the courthouse.

I decided to open the app back up and take a look at some of the dress clothes. I know my sizes pretty well in a variety of brands so I figured why not. GAME CHANGER!

I started searching on Poshmark and I found so many GREAT items.

Here is my $10 Banana Republic Suit in lovely condition.

Here is a Maggie London Sheath Dress I picked up for $18.

Issa? As in the brand Kate Middleton wore for her engagement? In my favorite color green? $23.

Kasper Blazer for $5? Yes please. Pair it with a $10 Banana Repulic Skirt? Gorgeous!

Navy Banana Republic Blazer and Harve Benard Skirt for $16?

Two simple cardigans for the chilly office? $12? Did I mention the brands were Banana Republic and Ann Taylor Loft? No complaints here!

Not for work but for a wedding- Lilly Pulitzer Dress for $50

Can you believe those deals??? And everything has been excellent quality! I feel like I have spent so little money for the quality and quantity of items I am finding! Buying is so easy. Link a paypal account and when you find something you want, you can buy outright or offer a lower price and negotiate back and forth with the seller. You do have to pay for shipping but it is not expensive and sometimes there are even shipping deals. Also, if you find a seller that had a lot of items you like, you can bundle them all together and most sellers offer a discount % on bundles as well as you only pay one shipping fee. It's fantastic!

Additionally, I am selling some of my older clothes I don't wear anymore here to offset the cost. Selling on Poshmark is so simple- take pictures, list it and once it is purchased, they send you a prepaid shipping label to tape onto a box and drop at the post office. Just that simple! Also, if anything you buy doesn't fit or isn't what you want, just resell it right back on poshmark!

Seriously- all you legal ladies on a budget, this app is so worth the download and a little bit of search time. Someday we will be rockstar lady lawyers who can walk in any store and buy whatever we want but that day is not today. Today, we need to look like those future lawyers without blowing every cent in our bank accounts. Poshmark is helping me do that!

Want to sign up and receive $5 to spend right away in your posh-wallet? Sign up with my code: UQNBO!

Happy Poshing ladies!