Samantha K Schmidt

I spend way too much of my free time browsing Tumblr . I always love the faded rustic images. I'm no photographer, but I like recreating some of my inspirations when I get the chance. This weekend I decided to do a bit of hipster hopping around town. I picked out some well known "hipster" hangouts in Orlando and snapped a few shots while enjoying the ambiance of these great locations. You'll have to excuse my stereotyping. I considered calling them urban independent businesses, but that name was too long. If you like rustic decor set in an urban setting around people that have (or at least enjoy talking about) tattoos, these are the places for you. If you are ever in the area be sure to check them out yourself. Zacch's Barbershop Normally, going with your boyfriend to get a haircut seems mundane, but this barbershop was worth the visit. Zacch runs a one man shop in Mt. Dora. The place has great appeal, and the haircut is under $15. Now if only a lad...

Hello Luxers! I have missed you. This year has been an absolute whirlwind. My full-time job had me in tears for the first month, I went to Israel, and started dating a pretty amazing guy. All of which has kept me very busy. As a full-time teacher it is hard to find time to devote to my passion, but summer makes it a little easier. With that said, Morning Lux is back and in full swing. Call it Summer Lux if you'd like ;) Keep your eyes open for the newest trends in fashion, decor, technology, and more! Tell me what you are most looking forward to this summer in the comments below.  Can't wait to hear from you.

Hello Luxers, I hope this post finds you well. I wanted to take some time today to get personal. My goal when creating this blog was to add a personal touch without making it about myself, but I feel the need to explain my absence. As many of you know I am a full-time teacher and school started back for me 3 weeks ago. This year has been a huge change for me professionally and emotionally. I went from a classroom of 11 to a classroom of 22 with 2 diagnosed ADHD students, 1 diagnosed ODD student, and immeasurable emotional, psychological, and behavioral problems. On top of all this I work for a small private school with minimal facilities for these kinds of students. But I have nothing to complain about, I'm blessed and these kids are where they belong in many ways. Anyone else would lose their patience and give up. Nonetheless, I have found it nearly impossible to keep Morning Lux fresh. This summer was such a fun time for me beginning this process. I have found such joy in writing...

Summer is almost over, but don't fret fall is right around the corner. To celebrate my friend and I decided to go ahead and break out the pumpkin. We decided to make pumpkin rice krispie treats. I forgot to take pictures of the process, but here is the original recipe from  Pinterest . I spent a lot of the weekend preparing to go back to work by expanding my dress collection. Here is a preview of the haul. Be on the lookout for a more detailed post. Saturdays are for sangria! I also couldn't resist trying these cappuccino flavored potato chips. I'm a sucker for good advertising and Lays does it every time with their wild flavors. I was pleasantly surprised by this flavor. The sweet flavor is best in moderation though. Hope you guys had a fabulous weekend. Monday's posts may start to look different now that I'm back at work, but I'm going to try to continue to post at least 3 times a week. If you are headed back to school this week good luck luxe...

Macaroon Date Flavors: coffee, mint, lavender, and rose. I do not recommend the mint. School Supply Loot Poppin Haul If you read my Poppin Review , you know I'm a bit obsessed. I ended up getting the letter tray, pencil holder, bobbits tray, and pens. Walmart Finds Okay on a typical day I loathe Walmart, but every now and then you find some cute stuff. I fell in love with these T-shirts. They reminded me of my old sorority shirts.  Song Obsession I've been listening to this song on repeat all weekend.

I spent a portion of my weekend with a bug, but I was determined to make the most of it. So here are the highlights. Saturday I managed to get a Fastpass to see Anna and Elsa at Magic Kingdom. Fastpasses were out days in advance since the day the sisters arrived in the park and the line was known to get up to 5 hours long! So I really lucked out. My Maltese Marilyn has ridiculous allergies and needs grooming constantly. To save on cost I thought I'd give it a go myself so here's our first at home grooming. Ended the weekend with some much deserved Italian Ice from the best place in Central Florida, Jeremiahs. I sampled the sea salted caramel and found it delightfully salty. Then I paired it with caffe latte. Excellent combo.

Non-Profit Coffee Met up with a friend Friday afternoon for coffee at a place called Credo. Turns out this hip coffee house is actually a non-profit. You choose the price that is fair. I was surprised a place like this survived, but it seemed to have a serious following. Dinner with Sisaundra Lewis I've been seeing the woman with the golden lungs everywhere. I guess she's the only "celebrity" we have here in Orlando right now. Other than Carrot Top, I see him every now and then. Cupacake Break Stopped by B Cupcakes for these beauties. I'm a real snob when it comes to dessert, but this as close as it gets to gourmet in my hometown. I had the chocolate peanut butter and mom had the Elvis. They were both delicious, but so rich. All Play, No Work Tried to get some work done, but this guy wasn't having it.  See daily updates by following me on Instagram

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July weekend. If you read Friday's post you know my weekend consisted of the 48 hour cleanse . I will say that overall the cleanse was successful, but dreadful. Friday we went to Fresh Market and prepared all of the weekend meals. Here is a breakdown of what we ate. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are the same for the 2 days. Breakfast: Quinoa with Prunes *this wasn't as dreadful as it could've been, but by day two I was not having those prunes. Lunch: Blueberry Smoothie *probably the most delicious of the cleanse meals Dinner: Vegetable Broth *plain tasting, but not terrible (except for the cabbage smell seeping through your pores afterward) Snack: Kale Smoothie, Pineapple/Pomegranate Drink, and Vegetables *our ninja didn't cut it for blending the kale it was grainy and gross, pineapple drink was okay, and I couldn't eat enough carrots to get full The cleanse does it's job. It cleanses your liver, kidney, and...

Friday Fault in Our Stars:  I finally saw this movie after finishing the book last week. Many times when a book is made into a film fans have a lot of complaints, but I seriously have none . This adaptation was done so well. Of course they added in a few things to make the movie flow better, but everything was done with meaning and without taking away from the structure of the story. Seriously so fabulous! Bravo John Greene. Saturday Burgerfi:  After a morning run and a visit with my bestie's new baby boy I headed over to Burgerfi for my favorite burger. As far as veggie burgers go this thing is the best! If you'd like to try making your own, try this recipe:  Simple Homemade Veggie Burgers Sunday Trader Joe's:  Central Florida has it's first Trader Joe's and the place is poppin'. The store was smaller than I expected, but had a lot of great offerings. My only complaint was the people. It always amazes me how people give up all social convention...

Let's try to start a new series shall we. I do enjoy snapping pictures of my weekend adventures, and it would be a shame for them to just sit on my phone without being shared. So here is this weekend in review. Saturday Brunch at Keke' s: I have to admit the first time I ever went to Keke's I was disturbed by their unhealthy menu options and unnecessarily large portions. The majority of American's don't know how to eat properly and restaurants tend to perpetuate this problem. (Sorry, rant over.) On Saturday I gave Keke's another chance and tried to pick out some healthy options. So I went with the Eggs Florentine, nixed the potatoes, and added this delicious breakfast salad with yogurt, granola, honey, and fruit. Healthy and delicious. Shopping : Then my mom and I headed over to the mall. The goal was to find her a dress for an event later that evening, but we ended up at Bath and Body Works for their semi-annual sale. I've been supe...

The weather has been extremely bi-polar here in Florida, so I didn't get to enjoy the usual Spring Break beachside. However, I thought I would share some of my cloudy day adventures with you.  Had a delicious Vegan dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Their chocolate chip cookies are my favorite.  Went antiquing and saw this. Meow. Spent some time at Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival. I waited 10 minutes to get the monorail shot. This was the only chance I got to wear shorts. Sampled some Florida Beer.  Went to St. Augustine with my mom. Flagler College is one of my favorite historical buildings. It was first known as the Ponce de Leon Hotel built by Henry Flagler. Now students actually live in the unique rooms that he created.  I finally bought one of these journals. I have no artistic ability, but it's fun to be creative. Saw the cast of The Middle filming at Magic Kingdom. En...