Divine Intervention!

In college, I had a huge, huge crush on one of my guy friends. It is actually embarrassing how big of a crush I had on him. We never dated, but there always seemed to be some type of friend-dating tension between us.

My crush ended when I met Michael. I instantly fell in love with Michael and we began dating (and of course got married and lived happily ever after). My former crush graduated, moved, and began dating a girl that he later married. I haven't seen my crush in almost 10 years-that is until this week.

This week my company sponsored a luncheon. The morning of the luncheon I woke up very late. I have a bad habit of being a little late for work, but I was determined I was going to be on time. My first thought was to pull my hair back and not worry with make-up. However, I just had a feeling that this was not a good idea, so I decided to slow down and get dressed normally. Thankfully my hair, make-up, and outfit all turned out great, and I was only 5 minutes late to work. No one even noticed!

Later that day as I was helping with the luncheon, I heard someone call my name. I looked up and saw my old college crush. It was so great to see him and to catch up on the years that had passed between us. However, it was even better that I had my hair fixed and make-up on!

Don't get me wrong! I have absolutely no feelings for this guy (other than being a friend), but the last thing I would ever want to do is see him for the first time in almost ten years and not have my hair fixed and make-up on! Thank goodness for small miracles!

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

I apologize for my absence from the blogging world lately. I have had three major work events back to back, so I haven't had much time for anything except work. Thankfully I found a few spare minutes to share with you one of my very favorite finds.

With just a little over a month until Christmas (eeek!), I have been on the look out for cute and affordable Christmas gifts. On a recent visit to Kohl's I found the perfect gift for the little ones in my life. Kohl's is offering hard back books by Laura Numeroff, author of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. The books are $5. Along with the books, you can purchase a plush animal of the main character of the story for $5. Here's a picture of one of my favorites-the plush pig and the book, If You Give a Pig a Party.For $10 you can get a precious gift for the children on your Christmas list. These books and plush toys also make great baby shower gifts! The best part is that all the proceeds from the sale of these items also go to the Kohl's Cares for Kids Charity. Kohl's currently has the pig, the moose, the mouse, and the cat and the corresponding books. I love them so much I actually bought the moose and pig (and the books) for my future children. Not sure when Michael and I will actually have kids, but when we do they will have books and cute plush toys! :)

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

It's no secret that I love clothes, shoes, and accessories! I especially love clothes, shoes, and accessories that have an added feminine touch like bows or ruffles. This type of feminine detailing is one clothing trend that I hope sticks around.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces in stores right now.


The above bangle bracelet is accented with bows on each side. The bracelet is available in both silver and gold at Ann Taylor Loft and Ann Taylor Loft Online.

This ruffle front tank from Old Navy makes a wonderful layering piece. It would look great under a plain cardigan sweater or cute jacket. Gap Outlet also has a similar piece that is a ruffled, sleeveless tee. I purchased it in three different colors (gray, black, purple). I couldn't find a picture on-line (and have no talent for taking pictures myself), but be sure to check it out if you have a Gap Outlet near you.

Old Navy also has this ruffle front cardigan. I think it would look great with jeans or dress pants. What a great way to add a few feminine touches to your casual or work wardrobe.


One of my favorite accessories for this time of year is a scarf. This woven scarf with ruffle trim is absolutely beautiful. This scarf is available in store and on-line at Ann Taylor Loft. Follow this link to see how cute it can look in your wardrobe.


There are so many cute feminine flats out right now. It is definitely a shoe lovers paradise! I, being a cheap shoe lover, added these precious bow flats from Target to my collection.

I hope you have enjoyed a few of my feminine wardrobe favorites! What are your current favorites?

P.S.-I have a big work event this week, so I might not be in the blog world that much. However, as a way to ask for forgiveness I will be hosting a giveaway soon!

Also, I will try to get some decent pictures of the ruffle tee I mentioned earlier in this post to share. There are also a few items that I recently added to my wardrobe that I will try to get some pictures of. I have recently found some really great items, but unfortunately I can't find pictures of them on-line to share.

Thanks Oprah!

Because I am part of the blogging world and because I have so many wonderful blog friends, I heard about Oprah's 50% off offer at Payless. As soon as I read all the posts about it, I immediately texted "Oprah" to get my coupon.

I have been trying very hard to cut my spending lately. However, I have also been in desperate need of a pair of metallic shoes. After work on Friday, I headed to Payless with my coupon and found these little beauties!

I love a ruffle, but I have to admit that I was unsure about the ruffles on this shoe. That is-until I tried them on. This shoe is much cuter on than it is off. I was able to purchase this shoe (tax and everything) for under $10. I love when I get a cute pair of shoes cheap!

Don't worry if you missed the Oprah coupon, Payless now has a buy one get one half off special. Check it out if you have a tight budget but crave a pair of new shoes!

A Bow in Her Hair

I meant to post about this earlier, but Halloween came and went so fast that I didn't have a chance. I had planned on taking Scout to the Halloween Festival before it was canceled, so of course I wanted her to look cute. I purchased a bee costume for her (that is hilarious), but I was worried she would get hot and not want to wear it the entire time.

I thought that instead of her having to wear the costume the entire time that at some point I could take off her costume and replace it with a cute bow or hair decoration. I think I have probably told you this before, but Scout hates bows. The first time she was groomed they put bows in her hair and she definitely wasn't happy. Thankfully I was able to capture her disgust at this on film (see pic below). This picture still makes me giggle!


I decided to think outside the box, and I created this collar for her. All it took was a cheap collar, some hot glue, and a little ribbon.


She was more than happy to wear this type of bow, and it looked so cute on her. Here is a picture of her wearing her bow collar. I'm sorry you can't see her little face. She was busy playing with favorite toy.

Even though this was a Halloween collar, you can make this collar for your dog for any occasion-all you have to do is change the color of the ribbon. I am going to make her a red bow collar next, so she can help cheer on the "dawgs" during the next game day. The bow collar is a fun and cheap accessory for your pooch. Oh, and it is easy to make!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

I recently won a giveaway hosted by Gleatie at Windowboxes and Weissbier. I won two reusable bags from Emma's Closet. I have to admit that I absolutely adore reusable bags, and these are no exception. They are so precious and can even be embroidered!

I chose the houndstooth pattern with a red monogram. I'm not an Alabama fan (I do cheer for them if they are not playing Georgia), but I am crazy about houndstooth! Here's how my bags turned out.


The reusable bags come in a variety of patterns and sizes. They are reasonably priced, and I think they make a perfect gift for any girl on your Christmas list! I am a true believer that a girl can never have too many totes! Make sure to check out all of the bag selections at Emma's closet! Also, a big thank you to Gleatie and Emma's Closet for the wonderful giveaway!!!

Halloween Craftiness

This Halloween has been a particularly crafty one for me. Not only have I helped decorate hay bales, but I have also spent some time making a Halloween Treat Tree. Heather suggested that we make the Halloween Treat Tree, and I was more than happy to join in the fun!

The tree was originally made for the Halloween Festival that we were participating in. However, the festival was canceled due to rain, and the tree ended up in my office. It is rather large due to the fact that it was originally designed to be outside, but I have to admit it still looks cute as an office decoration.

I should have had Heather take the pictures of the tree because my photography skills definitely leave something to be desired. These pictures don't show how cute the tree really is, but at least you can get an idea of how it turned out!

Here are a couple of full tree photos. The base of the tree is a clay pot spray painted black. The tree itself is a branch spray painted black. The branch is held in place with oasis (used in flower arrangements). We stacked the green blocks of oasis in the pot and secured the branch by poking it through the oasis. We then covered the top of the pot with a piece of cardboard cut to size and placed black stones on top of the cardboard. If you are making a smaller tree, it would be better to use plaster of paris to secure the branch. Since our tree was so big, we didn't use plaster of paris because it would make the tree too heavy and hard to transport.


Here is a close-up of the tree. I love the spooky black branches and the precious treat bags!


And of course-a picture of one of the treat bags! We found the small white sacks at Hobby Lobby. We stuffed the bags with candy, folded over the top, and used a hole puncher to punch the hole. We then tied a cute orange ribbon on them and hung them on our tree.

My coworkers have really enjoyed the tree being in my office! They think the tree is so cute, and their eyes light up just a little when I tell them they can pick a treat bag off the tree!