Month: July 2011

Categories
Photography

Project 365 Week 29

Day 204: Saturday dress shopping before the shower. Ignore my funny faces. Y’all like the dress on the right better than the other ones, yes? Davids Bridal Bridesmaid Dresses

Day 205: We drove home Sunday {I read Catching Fire the whole way} then grabbed dinner together at our favorite Mexican restaurant. No photo taken.

Day 206: I was wearing a cute outfit Monday & planned to take photo of it when I got home. Instead it POURED as I ran down the hill of our parking lot in three inch wedges & looked like I’d been in a wet t-shirt contest when I got home. No photo.

Day 207: Tuesday night neither of us felt like cooking so off we went to Jason’s Deli. Can’t beat the free froyo!

Day 208: Wednesday morning was O day which meant I was in a lot of pain. Moe & I staying in bed until 10:30a & even then he wasn’t ready to get up. Moe kitty

Day 209: Thursday night I went last minute with free tickets to the Amy Grant/Michael W Smith concert with two friends from Bible Study. I knew I wouldn’t know the majority of the songs but knew the three of us would have fun catching up. I ended up knowing & enjoying it even more than I was expecting. Not my typical style of music, but it was so very inspiring & uplifting being in beautiful place surrounded by so many Christians.

Day 210: After seeing friends tweet all day about receiving their BlogHer badges, I quickly picked up dry cleaning & a new library book after work then ran to our mailbox! I was in luck ~ look what arrived! BlogHer Badge

Which ones your favorite?

Categories
Family/Travel

Showering with Love

Last weekend Jason & I traveled up to VA for the weekend. The occasion? My brother & his fiance’s first wedding couples shower thrown by some my parents’ oldest local friends.

First though, Saturday morning, mom, Nana, my aunt Sue & I met Beth, her SIL Emily & her MoH Lauren at David’s Bridal for bridesmaids dresses. I found two dresses I liked but didn’t order anything. Beth is letting us pick our dresses as long as they are “latte” colored. She’s also suggested a couple of Nordstorm dresses so Mom & our group headed there. The first {& only dress} I tried on was this Adrianna Pappel one {but in brown which I can no longer find online}. Beth had actually emailed us suggesting this one too. I bought it on the spot. $138 & no alterations!

On to the shower! We arrived at 6:30p & appetizers were already out & friends were beginning to arrive. Beth & Steven quickly gave the fabulous hostesses candles as thank-you gifts. Lots of catching up with old friends, meeting new people & hearing more wedding details.

Even though it was around 100 degrees, this back yard had such pretty views {& beer} that people still gathered on the porch. It was wonderful to have both families together. Of course I realize now that while we took photos of the families separately, we don’t have one of all the families together {next time!}.

The dinner that followed included bbq, potato salad, cole slaw, cold vegetable salad, baked beans & mixed fruit. Yummy dessert was strawberries & brownies with chocolate fondue.

Steven & Beth opened a ton of great gifts & the open second floor walkway worked great for photos!

Once gifts were opened & things had cooled down a little more outside, we all went out back for attempted golf shots into the lake, corn hole games & lots of chatting.

Looking forward to gathering again to continue the pre-wedding celebrations with another couples shower honoring the happy couple in Sept.

Categories
Travel

BlogHer packing

I just couldn’t help doing one more BlogHer post. My first post was becoming a book, so I split it up. Since it’s just five days away {eeek!}, this is what I can’t stop thinking about, so I thought I’d share. Maybe someone else is having packing issues?!

Like I said before, I don’t feel nervous about clothes. I’m sticking with what I know & love & probably too much of it. But a girl {especially a sweaty one like myself} needs options. I’m planning for khaki &jean skirts as well as casual dresses {like my pink Loft & RueLaLa Janet Lilly ones} for day sessions & exploring SD Thurs & the flight home. Then I’ll change to fancier/more fun/yet still comfortable dresses for the night time parties. I’m thinking a beaded Lilly one & a Target LBD glammed up with jewelry for sparklecorn.

I’ve read over & over about not wasting your time {or suitcase space} with super tall, uncomfortable shoes. I’d planned on two or three pairs of shoes max: gold “gladiatorish” flats & short wedge heeled Jack Rogers in gold. Since I just couldn’t resist them, I’ll also be Miranda’s shoeicorn twin with my brown Target wedges.

For accessories, I’m sticking with gold jewelry along with 25 Design & Gussy Sews headbands &  my two Allora Handmade necklaces {& my Allora Handmade rose from her giveaway if it arrives in time!}.

Add in makeup, hair drier, pjs, laptop & Gussy laptop bag, my business cards & case, notebook & pens in case laptop becomes too big/annoying for sessions & I’m fully loaded. I’m packing all this in my biggest suitcase & putting a Vera Bradley duffle in a pocket for swag for the way home.

Speaking of coming home, I promise to share stories when I get back about the location, the people, the fun times, the parties & the swag {maybe even try a vlog about it all}.

But I’m also planning on returning inspired by the awesome bloggers I meet & connect with, by the companies I network with, & especially by the speakers who’s tips I will hopefully asbsorb. There might even be a few changes to Suz’s Treats upon my return. Less fluff & deeper posts maybe? Vlogging? Better product reviews? More correct use of sentence structure, tenses & spelling?! I guess we’ll see!

Please leave a comment & your twitter name if you’ll be in San Diego next week. I’m compiling a list of everyone I hope to me & want to make sure you’re on it!

Categories
Travel

Going to BlogHer part 6 {guest post}

I’m finishing the Going to BlogHer, now what? guest post series today. Thanks to the posts by Suzanne, Suzanne, Alena, & Miranda, I’m feeling pretty good & prepared. BlogHer must have thought we’ve had good advice because they linked back here in their Nine Tips for BlogHer newbies post!

Today, I’m so happy to welcome my third roomie, Diana from Hormonal Imbalances, for her take on our upcoming trip. With just ONE WEEK until BlogHer, as usual she has great advice to give for those of us going through last minute packing rushes.

BlogHer on a budget

When I think of BlogHer this year, I think of SHINY. I think of new and things that smell new and light up and make everyone around me ooh and aah over what latest piece of technology I have. I think of people saying, “ZOMG look what an amazing (fill in the blank) she has.”

Sure. Fill that blank in with “rack”. I’m ok with that too.

Because I am a mom in a one income household on a budget, wanting all the latest everything is a very unrealistic, often dangerous, little dream.

So many times these past months I’ve had to talk myself off the shopping spree cliff. Would I like to have a new laptop to take to BlogHer? Yes. Do I need one? Yes No.

Would it be great to have name brand dresses and clothes to pack? Yes. In a Louis Vuitton suitcase? Yes. With a small white poodle?

No.

But the point is, these things aren’t necessary for why I’m going. I’m going to learn. To create. To be inspired and to come back a better writer. A Kate Spade bag might look KILLER next to my chair at the sessions, but it will only serve as a reminder of what I need to pay off once I come home. And it won’t make me any smarter or a better blogger. Because if it did? I would own them all.

Then I stress about what to wear. I will be buying a few new things, because as a SAHM I own lots of jeans and t-shirts. And sandals. So I need to do some upgrading. From snotty to hottie. (Ya like that?)

I did allow myself a few fun things – my birthday is right before BlogHer so everything nice I bought had the birthday excuse attached to it. I bought a Gussy bag. A pair of killer sparkly heels for Sparklecorn.

What is important to remember is this: 3,000 of us? Feel the same way as you. We all want to look nice. We want to wear designer clothes and carry show stopping bags and have perfect hair and makeup. We want to make sure that we hug everyone just tight enough to say, “Oh, you’re the best” but not “OMG I JUST ATE A PIECE OF YOUR HAIR SO I CAN HAVE A PART OF YOU WITH ME FOREVER.”

But we’re going to be so worried about us, we won’t notice that your top is one you wore on a blog pic. We won’t smirk because those shoes are so last year. We won’t care. And if someone does, that’s their problem. If they give you the evil sad eye because your hair isn’t done by a stylist from your private hotel room, they aren’t worth idolizing anyway.

Thank you Diana! Remind me of this as I’m pulling on shopped-from-my-closet outfits, k?! Can’t wait to give you an IRL hug next week! Read more from Diana at her blog, Hormonal Imbalances, & follow along with Diana’s BlogHer weekend on twitter as @LifeasaSAHM.

Don’t think this is my last BlogHer post. 😛 I’ve got one more up my sleeve as I do final preparations before next week. Did you stick with your budget? How’s your packing & schedule coming together?!

Categories
Everything Else Reading

The Hunger Games

Different friends & family have been recommending The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins to be for years. You know I love Suzannes {:)} & enjoy a young adult series {hello, I’m looking at you Twilight & Harry Potter}. I’d requested & received it from the library a couple times & then wish listed & received it from paperbackswap {I got tired of paying the library overdue fees for it}. But the premise for The Hunger Games kept holding me back. Futuristic North America that’s a dictatorship other country. That this dictatorship punishes the 12 districts every year by forcing them to send in two teenagers in a fight-to-the-death match televised nationwide then celebrate the one of murdered/outlasted everyone else? Sounded too much for me.

I needed a break though from thought-filled book club books & TTC stress, so a couple weeks ago I took off to the pool by myself on a sunny Sunday.  Four hours & almost 200 pages later, I was hooked. Suzanne does such a great job with the story & characters that Katniss felt like a friend. I’d suspended all my disbeliefs and felt like I was part of Penam feeling the struggle & the highs along with Prim & Gale & Peeta & Haymitch.

You might’ve seen my FB message asking for the second in the series, Catching Fire. I finished The Hunger Games by Tuesday night & wanted needed to know what happens next. Thankfully my brother & sister-in-law-to-be own all three & brought the book to my parents’ house so that it was waiting for me when I arrived Friday night. Yep, you guessed it. I’m already 150 pages in & you’ll get a Catching Fire review soon. Put aside your doubts & go read The Hunger Games now.