Wednesday, March 31, 2010

goodness gracious, cake balls of fire!

Last night I attempted my very first batch of cake balls for my spring lunch at work (apparently you can't say Easter lunch these days...being pc is so annoying). They aren't very pretty but they tasted good. I made strawberry cake with strawberry icing and white chocolate on top. I originally bought this combo for a baby shower (it's a girl!) but didn't have time to make them since we happened to be moving the weekend before.


before the chocolate


melty, melty


told you...not pretty


the presentation made them look a little less...sloppy

Luckily they were a hit at work, even if "cake balls" is a funny name in a fifth grade kinda way.

Outfit of the day:


jacket - Ann Taylor (2009)
pink top - Gap (2009)
jeans - Banana Republic (2010)
shoes - Tribeca Now & Ten via zappos.com (2009)

Those shoes have become my favorites. I wear them all. the. time and now the soles are starting to peel away from the tops. You can't tell too much since they're all black. Either way I'm on the hunt for some more flats. They need to have the elastic sides so they'll stay on my poor lopsided feet. Suggestions?

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

take me back tuesday: cheerleading


Way back when (6th grade maybe?) I was a cheerleader...for one season. Our school didn't have a lot of money for the program so we teamed up with other schools in the area and still didn't have a lot of money. The uniform consisted of skirts from the 1980s and football jerseys that had "Cheerleader" on the back. Classy. I had always dreamed of being a cheerleader but there were some things that I hadn't taken into account:

1) I wasn't loud - at all
2) I couldn't tumble, heck I couldn't do a cartwheel (still can't)
3) football season in Massachusetts is cold


I'm pretty sure I fussed the whole season that it was cold and the teacher kept yelling at me to be loud and I could have sworn I was being loud! Like I said, I lasted one season and went back to only doing dance class.

I really like today's outfit, but I'm noticing the pants are not helping conceal my thunder thighs even though they have vertical stripes. More incentive to start walking around the neighborhood (as soon as I finish making the house look pretty), Also, yay for pretty hair!


jean jacket - Gap (2005)
white top - Banana Republic (2009)
navy tee - Target (2008)
striped pants - Gap (2009)
shoes - Naturalizer via Zappos.com (2008)
bracelet - gift from hubs via Tiffany's (2010)

Last night I finished organizing all of my craft things. I really wanted to start scrapbooking right then and there. I'm definitely resisting since I have other priorities (such as cleaning the rest of the house), but as soon as the party is over you bet your butt I'll be in that room catching up on all of my projects.

Tonight I will be taking a break from house stuff and instead attempting to bake my very first batch of cake balls! Wish me luck! I'll post pictures if they look decent enough.

Monday, March 29, 2010

holy productive weekend batman!

This weekend was jam packed with lots of "doing" and it felt great to get so much done! Before I get into all that though, I present my outfit of the day. I had totally planned on straightening my hair this morning, but I was so tired I couldn't force myself out of bed before 7:45 and I have to leave the house by 8:15, so my apologies for the lack of fancy-pants hair.

wrap cardigan - Old Navy (2009)
purple long sleeve top - Gap (2010)
jeans - Gap (2010)
necklace - store in Atlanta (??)

Back to this past weekend. Friday night we went to see Jeff Dunham. He was hilarious. I had such a good time and laughed so hard. Although, at the beginning he seemed a little off to me...almost drunk or high or something. Both hubs and mom said they didn't notice anything so I guess it was just me.

We had decided to ride the bike since it was nice out. No problem getting there, problem trying to get home. The bike wouldn't start and after repeated attempts of rolling it downhill to start, we called our friend Jeremy to come to the rescue. A new battery was ordered the very next day.

Saturday and Sunday were spent working on the house. Things we accomplished:

  • Hubs cleaned the pool and got the filter working.
  • I finished painting my craft room! I set up the day bed and put the dresser where I want it. We have to go to my parents' house to take back one of the tables we had stored there. I started organizing all my crafting supplies, but haven't finished quite yet.
  • Hubs finished putting all the wires for the tv and such in their place. He still has to rerun cable and internet.
  • We moved the yard sale pile into the attic for the time being.
  • We demo-ed the old tv stand once we realized how crappy it looked and no one would want to pay money for it.
  • Hubs took all of the paintings and pictures out of the boxes so we can start hanging them on the walls.
  • Hubs finished painting another bookcase black and put it under the tv shelves. I loaded it with the rest of the movies and video games.
  • We put the green rug that used to be in our old living room under the dining room table. It looks nice and will help protect the wood floors from scratches.
  • I did laundry AND put it away. (I'm famous for doing laundry and then waiting another week before it gets folded.)
  • Hubs put another bookcase we had in the guest room and I loaded it with all of our books.
  • I broke down all of the empty boxes and hubs took them to work to recycle.
We're down to two weekends before the party and this weekend coming up is a three-day one. The house is definitely coming together and I'm getting very excited about showing it off!

Friday, March 26, 2010

I think my grandmother had a blouse just like that...

So because I had one person (thanks Kimber Doll!) say they like my OOTD post and I should do it again, I'm doing it again. The hubs likes to refer to this top as the "grandma blouse" because he thinks it looks like something his grandmother wore way back when. I don't care what he says. I like it.


top - Belk (2008)
jeans - Gap (2009)

Tonight we're going to go see Jeff Dunham. I'm pretty darn excited. I need some good belly laughs. Work has been pretty draining on my energy. I need a refill and I think some comedy will do just the trick.

The plans for this weekend are to finish painting my craft room and get everything set up and organized in there. Once that is done a lot of other things can move into place. I've been making a yard sale pile but with the timing on everything the yard sale is going to happen after the house warming party. Everything will be stashed in the attic until then.

Danny brought home a small bookcase from his parents' house. I measured it and it will fit perfectly in our living room. We're painting it black to match everything else. It'll be perfect storage in a little nook in the room. We also need to finish getting the tv and all the wires put up. Hopefully that will be accomplished this weekend as well. Only 3 weekends left to finish everything before our party!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

outfit of the day

I've never posted an OOTD before, but I've always admired those who do. I love seeing others sense of style and how they pair pieces together. Kate at ITPitB always has great outfits and she has inspired my outfit today. While it's not a Lands' End Canvas cardigan, it's still a cardigan.

I also feel super skinny today. Normally these type shirts work against me and I look prego, but somehow today is different...well maybe there's a smidge of a pooch.

pink cardigan - Express (2005)
top - New York & Co. (2004)
pants - Gap (2009)

Everything is "last season" because I have been a good girl and haven't revamped my waredrobe in awhile. I wait for sales and coupons! What's your fashion inspiration?

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

take me back tuesday: orange overalls


It's still tuesday so this totally counts. Although I feel it's a bit of a cop-out because it's not a very old photo. I wanted to keep theme with Meredith's TMBT, but I was not in a sorority. Tiger Guard was the closest thing I was in and orange overall were like my letters. That being said I present to you this little lovely.


If you're a Clemson fan in any way, you understand. If not then feel free to make fun. Just know that I totally rock orange overalls. I still have them. And I just might still wear them to games...maybe. Don't judge.

Monday, March 22, 2010

house update

The hubs and I have been busy little beavers working on putting together our house. This weekend we got a lot accomplished!

Living room:
Danny working on putting the sound system in. All of the wires were run and the speakers were installed. Next step is to bring power closer to the shelves with all the stuff on it (i.e. dvd player, cable box, sound system receiver, wii, and play station) so we can tuck all the wires away and hide them.

I finished painting the dvd rack black and put all the dvds in it. It looks so much better black versus the fake brown wood grain that it was before

Kitchen/Dining room:
Danny switched the dining room lights and put up the brushed nickel ones we like.

The kitchen is all organized except for the bar counter top. It's still covered in a hot mess. My mom is giving us two counter top height chairs for our bar. Just need to go pick them up!

Craft room:
I have the first coat of paint on all the walls and I love it. It's pink! Two walls are a very light tan/pink and the other two walls are a dusty rose. I can't wait to set up all of my craft stuff in this room. It will be my very own sanctuary.

Guest room:
The guest room is pretty much done except for wall hangings. It looks really plain right now, but I'm sure some pictures will spruce things up.

Master bedroom:
Ugh this room hasn't changed much. We decided not to use the cubby hole piece of furniture. I have no other name for this piece. It's literally 9 cubby holes that I had baskets in. There's built in shelves in the room and the baskets fit perfectly in there, so we're giving the cubby hole frame to my mom. She's going to use it to display pieces in her antique shop.

The cable needs to be fixed and the wall paint needs to be touched up. The previous owners had a tv mounted in the corner of the room. The cable connection comes out of a hole at the top corner of the room and when they took the mount down it peeled off all the paint.

Bathrooms:
The curtain rod needs to be installed in the hall bath because it's a curved rod that is mounted to the wall. The other bath has been taken over by the animals. I decided to put the over the toilet shelves in the big bath and load it up with all of the animal goodies - shampoo, treats, toys, medicine, etc. The litter boxes are in this bath and Ella's crate is in the shower. I know this seems really odd but it's a huge walk in shower and Ella kept tinkling in her crate. If she has an oops we just have to spray it off and it goes right down the shower drain. Luckily she hasn't had an accident in awhile. I'm hoping she's almost broken of this bad habit.

I think that's about it for what we've got going on. There is still plenty to be done and time is ticking away until our house warming party!

Friday, March 19, 2010

vera bradley galore

I decided to try my hand at my very first blog sale. I feel like I still might not have enough followers to do this, but it couldn't hurt to try. Right? I've decided it's time to let go of my lovely Vera collection. The hubs has pointed out that it just sits in the bottom of my closet in a rubbermaid. He has also declared that if I want more purses I've got to give some up.

Shipping on each item is $5 but I'll work with you if you purchase more than one piece at a time. If you're interested or have questions feel free to leave comments but make sure you leave an email address so I can respond back to you.

Apple Green Large Duffel

Original price: $80
Excellent like new condition
Sell price: $64

Apple Green Small Duffel

Original price: $69
Excellent like new condition
Sell price: $55

Apple Green Ditty Bag

Original price: $25
Outside: excellent like new condition
Inside: lining has about a 2" tear in it
Sell price: $12

Apple Green Travel Cosmetic

Original price: $48
Excellent like new condition
Sell price: $38

Apple Green Jewelry Case - retired design

Original price: $35
Excellent like new condition
Sell price: $28

Apple Green Brush & Pencil

Original price: $18
Excellent like new condition
Sell price: $14

Apple Green Tote

Original price: $46
Good condition
Sell price: $30

Apple Green Little Betsy

Original price: $59
Good condition
Sell price: $38

Apple Green Zip-Around Wallet

Original price: $38
Good condition
Slightly dirty on outside of wallet - could probably be sponged off
Sell price: $19

Apple Green Check Book Cover

Original price: $19
Excellent like new condition
Sell price: $15

Apple Green Messenger Bag - retired design






Original price: $125
Outside: wear on bottom corners and straps
Inside: excellent like new condition
Sell price: $25

Peacock Zip ID Case
Original price: $10
Excellent like new condition
Sell price: $8

Peacock Clip Zip ID
Original price: $10
Excellent like new condition
Sell price: $8

Peacock Bowler



Original price: $72
Excellent like new condition
Sell price: $57

Red Bandana Ditty Bag

Original price: $25
Outside: good condition
Inside: plastic lining removed
Sell price: $5

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

take me back tuesday: denim hair bows


Ok, ok so I clearly am not very good at this whole take me back tuesday must be on tuesday thing. I did happen to find a pretty fantastic picture that follows Meredith's denim theme though. Does that make up for it? Just a bit? No? Oh well...

I'd like to point out all the awesomeness here:
1) denim hair bow
2) rocking the hair bump
3) denim jacket
4) with lace
5) and pink roses

Sunday, March 14, 2010

here comes the bride

This weekend our friends Robin and Matt came for a visit. Normally I wouldn't let anyone stay the weekend in our house in this condition (extremely messy!), but 1) they don't really mind and 2) Robin asked me to go wedding dress shopping with her! How could I say no to such a request?

Saturday morning Robin and I headed over to David's Bridal for our appointment. Unfortunately it was not the memorable experience I had hoped for her. The consultant was not there to help us and cater to her needs. She was there to get the biggest commission she could possibly get. Robin had informed her of her wants and price point and she brought out dresses nearly $200 over her budget. At one point she even left us to tend to another girl. I was tired of dealing with her mess so I went to the dress racks myself. I ended up pulling the dress that Robin wanted. it was even $100 under her budget!

Next were the bridesmaids' dresses. Robin again told the consultant her criteria and again she didn't listen. I noticed her slip a dress into the pile that we had not picked out and of course it was the most expensive one of them all. Either way we ended up with this little number:


The color is horizon and I'm pretty excited about it. It fit me perfectly and could actually be worn again. I definitely didn't have that kind of luck with the last bridesmaid dress I had to purchase. It's currently at a consignment shop now and I'm hoping it will be sold as a prom dress.

We brought lunch back for the boys from Rush's (yummmm). They has been working hard on the pool. That's definitely something we now have that we know nothing about. Figuring out the pool will certainly be interested. The cover is off and the water is surprisingly clear. We'll see how it goes from there.

All of us took a trip to the home show at the fair grounds downtown. It was much larger than the last one Danny and I went to. We found some roofers to give us quotes and a place that builds chimneys so we can change out the lovely brass (gag) gate on the fireplace. 

Danny and Matt decided to mount the tv and the shelves for the electronics that night starting around, oh, 10 o'clock. Danny is the most productive once the sun goes down. Sometimes it can be extremely annoying, but since he had Matt to help, I could just sit on the couch and say, "a little to the left." I feel like I'm at the movie theater in my own living room now because the tv is so high. It's going to take a little getting used to, but I like it.

Today was extremely productive even though I woke up feeling the opposite. With the time change I felt like I was wasting the day somehow. Danny, Robin, and Matt went to the old rental house to pick up two air compressors we had accidently left in the pump house and drop off the rugs we had in the hallway there. Since the new house is all carpet we didn't need them and were just going to throw them away, so we offered them to Tim and Lynn. They just fit so perfectly in the hallway and cover the sander marks where they went against the grain of the wood.

I cleaned up the craft room and got it ready for painting. The ugly green and grey blocks on the wall will soon be gone! We also moved all of the boxes stacked in the shop up into the attic where they belong. I did decide to put all over our tailgating/camping items in the storage room where the ice chest is to give us easier access to it all. It ended up fitting in there quite nicely. This way when football season approaches we can keep everything close by without having it clutter up the house.

To end the day Danny picked up chinese food and plugged in the new blue ray player. I wasn't happy about him buying the blue ray at first because I just didn't see the point, but I have to say the clarity is just phenomenal. I really didn't think I would notice a difference, but I really did.

If you've made it to the end of this post without wanting to scream at me for being so boring - congrats!! Give yourself a cookie.