Congratulations, Kate and Will!

 I'm so in love with Kate's dress!!

Weekend Activities & thoughts

I literally just looked at my calendar in shock. It's Friday again? already?!? This week flew by for me. The next few weeks are pretty mapped out, so I'm sure they will fly by as well. What are your plans for the weekend? My Friday will consist of: celebrating my fiance and my SECOND year anniversary(!), watching the Royal Wedding, indulging my fiance's mother with her mother's day gift :), and just plain relaxing. Of course, Saturday will have some working in it ( but it's fun to try to leave that part off).

                                              isn't Kate the cutest?!?! She's going to look amaze on her wedding day!

                                  I'm so excited to celebrate tomorrow!! Next week B's schedule is wack so we're spending some time together this week. I have the sweetest man on earth! eeeeee! I can't wait 'til we're married away!!!

                                   I'm so thrilled that my summer vacation is on it's way! I've already started planning out all I want to do: priority 1) RELAX! Funny thing is that I will most likely do another Staycation this year, just like last year. Traveling is fun, but expensive. It is bad that I never give up work long enough to take a vacay? Dont worry, the day will come someday that I will. Just not now.

Hope you have a lovely weekend,

xoxo

                        

What I'm loving Wednesday:

                           I'm loving Francesca's Collections. I stopped in yesterday and browsed through the racks for a minute. Every thing in the store is so unique and unlike department stores. I'm also LOVING that the online store is having FREE SHIPPING all week long!!!

For our engagement pictures:

                             I'm so in love with this Forever 21 dress!

                                     this skirt is so cute & feminine! Considering it for one of my engagement shoot options.

                          I know the picture is teensy-tiny but it's $15.00 at old navy!! I really want to go try it on before buying. . .

I'm loving that my room smells like Seaside Escape ( from Bath and Body Works). It reminds me of summer time and really puts me in a pleasant mood.

I'm loving that my sister, Grace, got home from her Senior trip today! She had a blast and I've had such a fun time learning about everything she experienced. 

I hope you are having a lovely week. I need to go clean up and get ready for bed, so it appears that this post will be a little bit short. :/. 

I'm really enjoying a lot of new apps i've downloaded recently and I can't wait to share my thoughts about them! Most of the ones i like are free or .99 cents at the itunes app store. :) more on that soon.

xoxo

New Hair-do

Reading everyone's easter posts is making me so sad that I had to work on Easter again :/. I keep reminding myself that this is the last one ( I hope!).

I've been contemplating darkening my hair for quite some time now. I actually dyed it 2-3 years ago and it came out black. Let me assure you: it was horrible. Then I went blonde. Now I'm natural again. Bart loves dark hair and so do I, so I thought I'd surprise him by going a shade or two darker. I've scheduled to have my hair done tomorrow bright and early! I'm praying it turns out alright. . . .I'll be sure to post a picture or two of my new 'do.

Meanwhile, while my anticipation shoots through the roof, I'll give you a little tour of my hair through the years :

                                       I have convinced myself that I was born with bangs. Not really, but ever since I can remember I've always had bangs! From age 5- 15 I kept that mop in front of my forehead. Luckily, at age 16 I finally got gutsy and grew my hair out. I felt like a whole new person!

Summer 2007: hair finally grown out, dyed with a little Sun-in. My children will never even comprehend what Sun-in is if it's left up to me. ugh. 

                                    By 2008 I had let it get a little bit longer, but kept it my natural color.

                                   By 2009 prom my hair was really long! I curled it for the prom and miraculously it turned out pretty well!! My hair was extremely thick at this point, so I had about 1 gallon of hair spray holding it all down!

                                   Winter 2010 I did something really dumb. I went to  a new stylist and asked her to shorter my hair. She did in fact shorter it. My hair was so short that it almost could have been buzzed in the back! yikes ;/. ( it was tooooo horrible to post a picture of that again). The picture above is from Summer 2010. My hair had grown out a little and wasn't so boyish.

Finally, this is what my hair looks like now. Past the shoulders, light brown natural color. I'm hoping for just a couple of shades darker than my natural color... we will see how it turns out! Wish me luck!

xoxox

Almost done!

I'm so excited that my hubby-to-be is almost finished with school for the year! He will be a Junior in the Fall ( so close to graduation!). I am so proud of all his hard work and diligence throughout the semester. He's had the toughest work schedule. Trying to juggle work, school and me if a difficult task ;). I'm so thankful for him and his hard working. I love you, dear!!

Product Review: Spring Nail color:

I mentioned earlier that I was trying out some Spring shades and that I would share the results with you guys.

I bought Sally Hansen's Mint Sorbet because I've seen the color all over as being a really big hit this Spring ( and it was a nice 50% off). Honestly, I think the key issue for me was the name of the polish. Is that strange? Well, my fiance is constantly renaming the colors in my wardrobe. Such as: smurf blue, grandma pink and toothpaste green. The first thoughts to my mind when I glanced at my finger nails were eeek. toothpaste greeen. I wore the polish for 2-3 days (trying to let the natural reaction wear off), but I just couldn't stand it! Perhaps I will feel differently with it on my toes?! The application was easy enough, but only because of my beloved new topcoat by Finger Paints ( no, they didn't pay me to say that). Sally is naturally a little glooby, so I typically start with a base when using her polish. Overall, I'd say if you are looking for a mint, toothpaste green polish- this is your color. If not, keep looking.

Another shade I bought this week: Black Star by Revlon. I must admit that I was about to totally ban Revlon from my polish collection. After the Gel Hardener and Glossy top coat both being failures, I had almost given up hope. Turns out, Revlon can actually produce a color polish worth buying. I took yet another risk and bought the Top Speed ( has a reputation with me about drying out far too quickly). Surprisingly, I was very satisfied with the results! The color went on very smoothly, and the color was nice and even. The color was already pretty glossy, but I added a nice shiny top coat just for perks. I love this shade because it is a black, but it is not the blackest black you've ever seen. At least not until you put a top coat on. I like that it's sorta gray in the light- not too goth as my fiance would say. I know it's not really a Spring color- but I really love that it's a nice deviation from my rainbow of pinks that I've been wearing.

Next up: I'm dying to try Shatter by Katy Perry (OPI). It's such a cool design! I've been searching the stores, but it's strangely hard to find and super limited ( at least where I live!). I've heard that Ulta carries it, so I may try to sneak over there and grab it this week :).


have a nice Monday!

xox

Happy Easter!

I'm so thankful to have a live, RISEN savior!!! I'm also very grateful that He made the ultimate sacrifice- of His son- for my life and yours too!! Let us use this day ( and the rest of our lives)  to glorify Him for all He has done for us!

Happy Easter!

Spring Break 2011

Blogging friends, I am so sorry that it has been 1 week since my last post! This week my work hours changed from the norm and I couldn't find time to blog. I will definitely be revamping my schedule before Summer time.. I can't let the blog die! ;). here is an explanation in pictures of what we did this week:

The Kool-Aid stand:

                              

We had such a blast :). We ended up selling 3 cups, but we had a super fun time doing it! 

The rest of the week consisted of visiting Build-A-Bear multiple times, and painting our paint-by-numbers all week.

How often to wash each clothing item.

I recently came across an article in Real Simple magazine that was extremely useful. It goes through each item of clothing and gives you an estimate of how many times you should wear it before washing ( extend the life of your clothes!).

Pajamas: swap out your p.j.s twice as often as you change your sheets. Unless you shower at night. If you shower nightly before bed then you can wait a tad longer.

Skirts: refresh non-silk fabrics with a 10 minute spin in the dryer with a dryer sheet. A-line skirts are pretty lenient, but white skirts should be cleaned every wear.

swimsuits: after every wash since the chlorine is so damaging to the fabric. Let air dry.

tops/ dresses: after 1-3 wears. Too much deodorant can also stain the fabric. Whites and silks need cleaning after every wear.

tees/ tanks/ camis: after every wear because they are worn so closely to your skin.

Hope this handy little guide was helpful!

xo

photo source

What I'm loving Wednesday:

I'm loving the pair of Pink Duchess Poppy sandals I bought last week for $10.00 I am very proud. They are so versatile. Since my wardrobe is primarily more formal/ businessy attire ( for a college student), these go perfectly with all my black options ( which just happens to be 75% of my closet.)

I am totally in love with this amazing Forever 21 skirt. I keep contemplating using it for our engagement shoot since it's so airy and pretty. I'm just not sure if it will look on me the way it looks on the model above. hmmmm..

Revlon had me at Just Bitten. After I experimented with Passion, I just knew that I wanted to play with more Revlon lip color. After admiring Revlon's newest line : Color Burst for a few weeks, I took a chance and bought Hot Pink Rose. Eh it's pink! It's a nice, dollish pink though and I love how the color pops against my skin-tone ( on days when my self-tanner is working properly). What about you? How often do you venture out with you lip color?

I've read about this sea foamy color all over, so I decided to give it a try. In fact, I'm glossing my nails as I type this. I must say that I would probably not be naturally inclined to purchase a nail color entitled Mint Sorbet, had I not heard so many positive comments about it. I'll post later about how I like it :).

I'm thrilled that Glee actually had a new episode tonight. Shocked. I almost forgot all the characters by now! Okay, that was a lie, but you get the point. It's been about 6 weeks since the last one?!? I think it's hilarious how I have satellite yet dvR the episodes and watch them at another time.

Hope you are having a fantastic week!!

xoxo

Weekend :

Tonight we headed to the Azalea Festival in downtown Pickens, an annual event held on Main street. My dad participated in the car show, so my sister and our guys stopped in to show some support :).

My sister, Grace and her boyfriend, Jared.

My gorgeous fiance and me!

my dad's lovely 1972 Duster

a little detailing ( sorry, the camera was shaking!)

I managed to find a store at the Azalea Festival that was having a 40% off Vera Bradley sale! Of course, I found something. I got this adorable curling iron/ straightener protector for only $9! So excited :). It will be perfect for college. I'm thinking of using this one for the curling iron, and purchasing another one at tj maxx for my straightening iron ( since they have cute ones for only $5!)

Overall a very successful night!

Random Chatter.

I realize that some people all probably getting sick of my gluten posts, so I'll be sure to have some other ones soon. Honestly, this diet change has been a huge part of my life recently, and I can't help but talk about it. Here's a little taste of what's been happening lately:

Gluten Free Meals:

this stir fry consisted of: provolone, tomatoes, black olives, asparagus and black pepper. It turned out to be a really yummy, wholesome dish!

I've been starting each morning off with soft boiled eggs. I love the squidgy center and soft shell! I add a little black pepper and salt and I stay full for hours!

lately I've really been wearing out Publix's yogurt shelves. I'd tried almost every flavor of their yogurt! I just stocked up with twenty.. that should last me a few weeks.

I am totally obsessed with think thin bars. they are so, so delicious and gluten free! My favorite so far is the chunky peanut butter, but the fudge is a close second place. I get them at Whole Foods market, and they are only about 1.50 each. Almost the same price as a candy bar- much better trade off!

You probably remember all my chatter about wanting to start the Fit in your Jeans by Friday workout dvd.. Well, I found the app today ! I was so anxious to try it as soon as I bought it. I was slightly disappointed when I realized it is STEP, meaning I need a stepping block. Whoops. So currently I'm trying to find an alternative "step block" that will do the job. Maybe I can find a cheap one at Walmart. hmmmm....

This week I did the unthinkable. I dusted off the sneakers and started running again!! If I'm going to be honest, it's been about 3 months since I've really, really exercised and broken a sweat. I didn't really gain much weight because I lost about 20 pounds during recovery from surgery.. so I basically just got back to my normal weight. Anyhow, on Sunday I randomly became motivated to go for a little jog. I went for about thirty minutes before church and I felt great! Monday I didn't get up early enough, so I just ended up playing Just Dance for the Wii to get some cardio in. Yesterday morning I went for another run around the neighborhood, and this morning I did again. I can honestly say that I am So proud of myself! I'm so happy that I'm living a healthier lifestyle: eating gluten-free to help my stomach be healthier, and now exercising regularly to keep the rest of my body healthy. I'm trying to keep up the speed and not slow down! Will keep you posted as I work up the time/ miles. ( I'm not exactly sure how many I run... I just go to a certain spot in the neighborhood. I'll have to borrow my sister's pedometer soon!). The hilarious part about my neighborhood is that it's just a bunch of really steep hills. I'll take some pictures to post soon. It's more like going on a daily hike than a daily run! Better for the leg muscles I guess . . .

I finally got my over-due pedi this week and I love the pearly champagne color I ended up with! It's really neutral and perfect for Spring. I didn't get the chance to read the label, but I know it's made by OPI.

Speaking of nails, I just bought Pink Imagination by Finger Paints. It's the perfect princess pink! I absolutely love the way it looks on :). Actually considering it for a wedding polish!

My newest obsession: Tuesday Morning. They have almost everything! Amazing, cheap cooking supplies, house decor, even spanx! I found a much needed new comforter for only $20.00! It's down, so it's very, very warm and cozy. It's very soft and versatile, and it will fit the bed in my dorm room! Very practical and cute. I was satisfied with my purchase!

I am also in the process of looking at all things wedding. I'll post pictures of my runners-up dresses, and then post the actual decorations and details we are going to use. ( I refuse to post my dress in the off chance that my sweet fiance gets a peek ;).

Have a fabulous rest of the week!

p.s. the weekend is almost here :)

xoxo