Weekend Wrap-Up

This past weekend I was a single lady! Some friends of my parents rented a beach house for the week @ St. George and invited my parents, as well as extended the invitation to us. Since I’m in my new job & just took a week off for Disney, I’m pretty much out of leave and I couldn’t go:( But I told David to go and have fun and that I would be just fine on my own. It ended up being him, my brother & my mom that headed to the beach. I happen to love being by myself so I was looking forward to a little “me time”! He left Thursday after work & came back Sunday. So it was just me and Remi at the house and I got a lot of things done. I finally got the printer hooked up (love it!), tried out my new tile vacuum (love it!) Cleaned off the back porch and bought this cute little table at Target to complement the Adirondack chairs we already had.
I also got a hook rack for the foyer which I’ve been wanting, and got it hung.

Oh and found this little birdie at Kirkland’s for cheap-cheap! I couldn’t wait to stick it on the shelves.

Randomly decided to paint the black “J” hanging on our brown bedroom walls, white. Don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner but I LOVE it and now it actually shows up on the wall. (I used leftover paint from the jewelry frame) Love giving it the distressed look too.

I also bought some new shoes! They weren’t cheap but I love them and I honestly haven’t bought a pair of nice tennishoes in a looong time so I decided I was due. BUT I decided I needed a half size smaller so I exchanged them at lunch. BUT they didn't have my size in the store so they had to order them...always something!

Saturday morning I took my car in to get it’s first oil change since we’ve hit over 4,000 miles. I was there at 7:40 a.m. to try and be first since they open at 8. I was second there but as soon as they opened at 8 they took it right back. By 8:30 it was done and I was on my way. Or so I thought…I pulled out of the dealership and the car felt a little funny, kind of “rinkety”. I’m driving further away from GMC and then realize the car won’t hardly accelerate…and then comes the smoke. I am at about CRMC by this time. Crap!! I barely pull a U-ey & am sitting in the median sputtering and then finally get a break to pull out and that’s when it just gets worse. The car will barely go, the engine is clinking & there is so much smoke coming out of the exhaust that I can’t see out of my back window. And this is not an exaggeration. I am freaking out, breaking down (which I’ve never had to experience so far in my life) & so I pull over (still in the road, but to the shoulder) and I’m shaking, trying to call the darn service # that is on the sticker they just put on my windshield. Great, it gives a busy signal. So here I am, brand new car that’s smoking/sputtering/clinking that was running just perfect before I took it to the place to get a dang routine oil change. So now what do I do..?! I had to be home no later than 10 for prior engagements & it is now pushing 9:15. I didn’t want to just stop and let it completely break down and have to get towed when I am in a hurry and could nearly see the dealership. So I push on…all the while annihilating the road behind me with all the smoke and finally make it back to GMC. By now I’m really upset, worried that the car is now seriously damaged, David’s out of town, & I have 45 minutes til I have to be at my house to leave in time for my next outing. I pull back up and the technician and other customer that were outside are staring at the smoke lingering in the parking lot from where I just was, with a puzzled look and I say”It’s coming from THIS!!” as I jump out of the car. Which I was fearing at this point might just EXPLODE! I think about all this now and it’s actually pretty darn funny, but at the time it WAS NOT. Back to the story. They took it right back and long story short, turns out the computer system that programs how much oil to put in the cars was broken and they didn’t know it. Apparently my car holds 5.5 quarts and the machine put 8 quarts in. SO, the oil had of course gone everywhere/spilled/ what-have-you and was burning off as the smoke. Holy. Cow. They fixed it, cleaned it up and did a thorough check to make sure nothing was messed up because of what had happened. Thankfully *knock on wood* my car is running like a champ, (like before!) and you would never know anything happened. Not exactly what you want happening to a 3 month old vehicle…GRRR.

Onward.

Now to where I had to be that day after the “incident”. I got an invite in the mail for a brunch to be thrown by my good friend Lindsay who got engaged earlier this year. Now it was brunch day but there was no specifics on why she was having a brunch. Everybody knows that in Tallahassee people just don’t have brunches for no reason. We ain’t fancy like that ‘round here! I had a hunch that it was possibly a bridesmaid reveal brunch but didn’t want to think that & then very well couldn’t have even been a consideration for the role so I kept that only to my fam. Anywho, long story short it was a bridesmaid brunch and I am SO honored that Lindsay asked me to be in her wedding! First we mingled and it was good catching up with old friends. Then we were told we had presents and everyone was given a framed picture of themselves with the Bride-to-be, a card, & cute little wine glass tags with the appropriate title on each! And on the back of the frames were the appropriate questions for each girl, “Will you be my…?” Such a cute idea! The food was delicious & pretty and the company was great. I absolutely can’t wait for the Sunday Wedding, coming Fall 2011!! Lindsay is going to be a stunning bride, let the festivities begin!



A few more randoms for this post- my bathinsuit never did show up. I’ve been given two case numbers from USPS & have talked to them at least 7 times. And then a credit showed up to my bank account for the bathingsuit:( Guess it got sent back. So now what to do…I don’t want to order from the site because I don’t know if they even have my size left. I’m so bummed…
Also, on a recent Wal-Mart trip I got this cool little tumbler. I absolutely LOVE my tervis tumblers, which this is not, but it’s still an insulated, reusable cup…with a screw on lid and straw! I’m so excited about it. I just enjoy cups with tops and straws, and not to mention this one looks like a disposable but it’s not. It’s also not as big as the tervis cups with straws so I won’t drink as much of whatever most likely unhealthy beverage I am drinking! Can’t wait to put something in it!

Lastly, I’ll leave you with some pics of the photoshoot I conducted of Remington on Sunday. Nothing better to do and I like it that way!

Totally Awesome Tuesday!

So today ended up being a rather pampering/fun day for me. I ate my usual chic-fil-a for my Tuesday lunch and then finished out the rest of the day at work. Got a call mid-afternoon that my mom was getting her nails done after work and David suggested that I should go. Um, okay! I opted for a pedicure instead because my toes needed some serious TLC. Other than the chair being broken and kneading my back in the same spot for a half hour (it wouldn't turn off or do anything different), i thoroughly enjoyed the first pedicure I've had since the wedding.
Then I met up with David, my brother and his gf Valerie for a little bowling at Seminole Bowl. David won the first game and I won the second. We had fun, it'd been a while since we went bowling!



After bowling it was time for dinner & David said he wanted CFA, well okay again! Although I had it for lunch, anyone who knows David knows that we don't eat out much (although we have been more lately) and so if he is suggesting we eat out, I'm gonna agree to whatever! I opted for a salad this eve instead of my regular #1 and it was so yummy! Yay for a totally awesome Tuesday:)

Two Words: DEEE-LICIOUS!

And that’s exactly what last night’s dinner was! We ate at my parent’s house on Sunday and we were fed a deee-licious meal of fried french fries w/ onions, fried grouper, and broiled lobster. Can we say Yum-O?? Take all that and dip it in lemon-butter sauce and oh dear, soo good! No wonder I have high-cholesterol. Oops :o) As it was approaching time to start cooking, wouldn’t ya know the power went out…for the second day in a row. So, we pulled out Yahtzee to pass the time! Which by the way I lost. All 3 games- sheesh you’d think I’d be the best with my dice-rollin’ bunko background! I forgot to get pictures of the gaming, but did manage to take quite a few of the food once the power was restored and my Dad finished all the cooking. It was definitely a 5 star worthy dinner. I wish I had it in front of me right now! Here, eat your heart out and be prepared to get hungry! Thanks for the yummy dinner Dad! (And for sharing your lobster with us:)

This & That

1. This weekend I made a super cute earring display hanger thing-a-ma-bob. Another one of the blogs I read gave a tutorial on an earring display and I LOVED the idea since I currently have all my dangly earrings in a Ziploc bag- not the best way to store them or see them if I’m trying to pick a pair. This is what Amanda’s looks like: And click here for a tutorial from her on how to make this very inexpensive easy little project.

And here's the process of mine being made:




It doesn’t look as cute as hers, but that’s because she has cuter earrings and I just love that wall color:) I'm still happy with the outcome though!

2. I am in need of a hair trim and I was thinking of going with a long bob. Like this:

HAHA! KIDDING! But more like this, just longer-


I don’t know if I’ll go through with it, and not that it’ll be a drastic change, but cutting 2-3 inches off of my hair right now = several months of growing and since I am really missing my long locks, I’m trying so hard to grow it as fast as possible. Since there’s so many different lengths in it right now a bit would need to come off to even it up:/ So I dunno, we’ll see.

3. P90X. We are thinking about trying it. I know right now I can big talk and think that we can do it, but I know come time to adapt to the diet and exercise program, it’s gonna be tough. But, somethings gotta change. David is in great shape, it would just fill him out and give him more muscle, but for me, I don’t necessarily want to lose a lot of weight, but just tone up. A lot. My baggy jeans are now my tight jeans and I have ONE pair of shorts that aren’t workout shorts that actually fit comfortably. I could always go out and buy new clothes to fit but I’d rather get into my old ones knowing that they’re smaller... Or buy new clothes in SMALLER sizes!!

4. We got a new printer, and it’s wireless! I am probably way more excited than I should be, but that fact that I can sit on the couch and print something just makes me giddy. Oh and it has a scanner/copier, which I have always wanted. Sometimes you just want to scan something and I always have to go somewhere and hunt down a scanner. But not anymore! I’m going to hook it up soon, can’t wait to give it a whirl! Oh and in case you’re wondering, it’s from Best Buy, was a reasonable price, and is called the Epson Stylus NX420.

The Rumor is True...

…about State Workers & food! Okay so there may be several rumors about state workers, but the one I’m referring to is that there’s always food around. Since I’ve been working for the state, for a year in September, I have seen more food come through the office than comes through my own kitchen! When I was in my old position, every Wednesday a sweet retired lady, Mrs. Sharp would bake something fresh every morning and bring it in for our section to snack on. It ranged from cookies to brownies, cakes and pies, but my FAVORITE was when she made her pound cake. Oh. My. Goodness…SO GOOD! I’m telling ya when she got here every Wednesday morning, there was a buzz around the office that went something like, “cookies today- better get em fast!” or “pound cake is here, get it now or never!” And believe me, I always got my share haha!

I have to admit one of the biggest bummers about leaving my old position is that I no longer get to have Mrs. Sharp’s Wednesday treats:( But what I do get, is my new boss’s treats! Probably at least twice a month if not more, my boss treats us to ice cream, goodies from Panera, cupcakes, etc. She often just shows up with an armful and says “pick one!” In case ya didn’t know, July is National Ice Cream month as well. Well, our Bureau has now had two ice cream days and the most recent was a help yourself to a freezer full of it! I chose a Reese’s Klondike Bar- yumm:)

Today after my boss got back from an appointment, she spruced up the 2:30 afternoon lull with cupcakes! And these were no skimpy cupcakes, I’m talking The Cake Shop cupcakes. There was a box full of flavors but I went for the Snicker’s one, mmm delicious!




I really enjoy all the treats around the office but goodness knows I shouldn’t be eating them! Whenever I do get my lazy self into some healthy eating habits, it’s going to be tough to come here and face the goods!

Young House Love Shelves- They're Up :)

SIDENOTE: My bathingsuit is STILL NOT HERE! I have been tracking it online and it’s now on it’s third trip to Jacksonville…why?! Every time I call I get someone who says “Oh the tracking shows here it’s in Jacksonville and it’s on its way, you should get it soon!” Puh-lease. I am beyond frustrated with this dang thing & can’t seem to talk to someone who knows why it’s doing what it’s doing!! Almost a whole month has gone by since I ordered it…maybe one of these days it will make it here:/

I’ve already posted pictures of the completed shelves on FB & spoiled the fun, but here they are again with start to finish pictures. I really love the way they turned out. I may rearrange here and there with the stuff on the shelves, but for now, this is what they look like. If you want instructions for these bad boys, you can find them here at younghouselove.

*Special thanks to both Dads for their handyman skills & help* Ya'll rock!

I would have had a picture of the building process but somebody (Big David!) got a head start on them:)





My Dad & I hard at work. Well he was working, I was pretending to work;)



I hadn’t gone shopping yet for knick knacks for the shelves, but after scrounging the house and boxes of useless stuff, I gathered enough to pull them together in a presentably decorated fashion. Nevermind that I stole stuff off the cabinets which now look bare or that I stole a jar from my 3 piece jar set on the dining room table. I needed stuff and I found stuff! I think one of my favorite things is the books. I have never really liked hardback books for reading purposes because I like the flexibility of a paper back, but when it came to decorating the shelves, I was scrounging for as many of my hardbacks I could find! A little tip I learned from Young House Love is using books to decorate, but be sure to take the cover off. They are so much prettier and simpler without those glossy unattractive covers on them. I will probably keep my eye out at garage sales/goodwill for cheap hardbacks just so I can use them for decoration.



I also really like the DIY artwork that I made from an empty frame and scrapbook paper. I took some “thoughts” as well from my Real Simple magazines and framed those which gives it a “don’t take life too serious” theme:)





I can’t wait for Christmas to come around so I can change up the theme. One thing I have to figure out now is where our tree is going to go since I just took up the big wall I was planning to put it against! Oh well- I still have a little while to figure that out:)

We're Baacckk:/

Well, after 9 glorious days off, it was back to work today. Boo! We had a wonderful time at Disney but boy was it hot and crowded! We probably will not be visiting again in July since it is just so much more pleasant at other times of the year. Each day was fun-filled with parks and lots of food! We usually hit two parks a day, but maybe more if we were up for it. It was the third time we stayed at our resort, the Caribbean Beach Resort. We love it! Afternoons were usually broken up by pool time before heading to the next park. We also went to Islands of Adventure one day to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter...VERY COOL! We really enjoyed ourselves and here's a few pictures of our trip:)







Oh and we went to the outlet malls one night and my momma bought me some new shoes:) I love them and now I feel all trendy in my "gladiators" :o)

07.14.10

Not a lot to blog about today. I gave blood after work, it was uneventful and I always feel good for the deed after I'm done.

Saw a sign on the way home for a Found Dog that said "Found Pug. A face that only a mother could love. Call..." haha! It's the little things that get me through life.

Umm, my bathingsuit still isn't here. I'm starting to get really bummed that it may not be here before we go on vacay, and i ordered it the end of June:( Fingers crossed it gets here before soon!

Oh and I forgot to mention, but we are going to do the "Keys to the Kingdom" behind the scenes tour while we're at Disney! It's about a 4 hour walking tour and I absolutely can't wait!!

Until we go, this is what I'll be thinking about:



To wrap it up I leave you with a beautiful picture of yours truly, :-)

Summer Reading

Fair Warning; Book post ahead, may be boring to some!

In the last couple months, I have been reading like a mad-woman. Since I got my new position and now have an hour lunch break, I had to find something to do to occupy my time. I have always loved to read but it’s usually only specific authors that I love and will only read when their newest book comes out. Nowadays I always have a thick book weighing down my purse and one waiting in the wings so that when I finish, I don’t go a moment without a new one. I love the thought and keepsake of buying a book because I often re-read them, but when you go through one a week like I have been doing lately, that can get pricey. In comes my favorite new place, the library! Not only can you rent books, but 7 DVDs at a time! Granted, they are not the newest releases, but there’s always some oldies but goodies to be found. Like Weekend at Bernie’s & A League of Their Own to name some that I’ve surely picked up before. Recently I got the Aviator and the Reader. Never got around to the Aviator but hey, it was rented for free so it didn’t really matter!

I have my favorite authors and then I have ones I just blindly go to the library and pull off the shelf to see if it’d be a good read. I own all the Nicholas Sparks’ books, and Emily Giffin just came out with a new one, The Heart of the Matter, that I’m dying to read but have to at least wait til it’s on paperback to buy (which I like better than hardback anyway). I’ll admit I don’t read anything life-changing or intellectually challenging, but I do read for pleasure and if that includes Chick-Lit romance novels so be it. I was starting to run out of material so I was looking online for suggestions and came across Nora Roberts. She is a romance novelist but her books also have some sort of suspenseful plot and mystery involved. The woman has written well over 100 books and I am hooked, so it looks like I’ll have something to read for a looong time. I just read Black Hills & I’m currently reading Northern Lights, both which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.


Northern Lights was made into a Lifetime movie with Leann Rimes so somehow I want to find the movie to watch when I’m done with the book. I honestly don’t even know where to start since there’s no longer movie rental stores:(

Today I picked up two more books to make sure I have plenty for the Disney trip!

What’s on your reading list? I’d love to hear suggestions!