Blog Vacation

I have to be away from my computer this week, so I am taking a blog vacation. I was going to be clever and schedule a few posts, but I ran out of time. :( At the very latest, I will be back on Monday. If I am quick and cunning and have access to a computer, then I may be back sooner! Have a great week! I can't wait to catch up with all of you on Monday or maybe a little sooner!!!

Show Us Your Life-Wedding Dress

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner is hosting a series called Show Us Your Life. Today is wedding dress day! How fun!

I actually have a funny wedding dress story. I ended up with two wedding gowns. I purchased my first wedding gown and freaked out about it. It just ended up not being what I wanted, so my ever loving and patient Mother suggested that I look for another dress. The first dress I tried on after my freak out moment ended up being my wedding dress.

Here's the first dress I bought. This dress was so beautiful on the hanger, but it just never looked quite right on me. See what I mean. It was not a very figure flattering dress. By the way, this is a horrible picture of me. Here is my real wedding dress! It is a golden beige color with slight ruching at the waist that gathers at one side. It also has a corset back. I included several pictures, so you could get a feel of what the dress looks like. The above picture is a posed picture of Michael and I right after the ceremony.

I adore the above picture. It is of Michael and I walking back down the aisle after being pronounced husband and wife. We are grinning like goons.


The above picture is with my bridesmaids. I think this picture gives you a better feel of what the dress looks like.

I promise this is the final picture. The above picture is just of the little detail on my dress. It is where the ruching gathers together at one side. It is accented with a small rhinestone brooch.

I hope you enjoyed looking at pictures of my wedding dress! I can't wait to see pictures of your wedding dress or pictures of wedding dresses that you like if you aren't married yet.

Win A Free Photo Session

My friend, coworker, and sidekick/partner in crime is having a giveaway! She is offering a free photo session! She is an amazing photographer and the genius behind H&M Photography and Design. Just look at this precious picture she took of my sweet Porter and the Christmas card she designed for me.



If you are in the Athens, GA area or willing to travel, enter her giveaway here. If you aren't able to enter the giveaway, you should definitely take a look at her photos by visiting her photography blog here.

The Summer of Makeovers

It has been a long time since I have felt pretty. Do you ever get in those moods? Lately, I have felt as if I didn't have anything to wear, that my make-up didn't look good, and that I just couldn't get my hair to do anything. I hate feeling this way, so I decided that this summer would be my summer of makeovers. I decided that I am not only going to makeover myself, but that I would throw in my car and a few rooms in my house to go along with it. Okay, so with this many things to makeover it may continue into the Fall!

My first step in my summer makeover was to work on my wardrobe. My wardrobe is beginning to look very pitiful, so it is definitely time to spruce it up! Here are a few of the new items I picked up on a recent shopping trip to Ann Taylor Loft.

I think this shirt (above) is perfect with a pair of jeans.

They were out of my size in this skirt, so I ordered it on-line in this color and in black. I am still waiting for it to come in, but I think I am going to pair it with a solid tee.

The dress above actually looks cuter in store. It is dark gray and made from a very thick jersey material. I purchased a pink cardigan to go with it, so I could wear it to work.

The dress above was one I ordered on-line. I am still waiting for it to come in, so I have no idea how it is going to look on me. I hope it is cute. I love dresses and currently have very few that I like to wear.

On top of buying new pieces for my wardrobe, I have also promised myself to stop being lazy when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. I have a bad habit of only wearing outfits that are easy, so I end up wearing the same things week after week. Instead of doing this, I am going to put together my outfit for the day the night before. I am also going to have a back-up outfit in case I decide I don't like the designated outfit. A girl has to have choices! :)

I hope you enjoyed my first post in my summer makeover journey. Stay tuned! Tomorrow night I am going to a class to learn how to better put on eye make-up. Maybe I will learn some fun tips and tricks to share with you!

Monogrammed Give Away!

Tales of A Short Southern Momma is hosting a giveaway! She is giving away a laptop monogram and a cellphone monogram! What a fun way to spruce up your electronic accessories!!!! It is her first giveaway, so help her make it a success. You can enter here.

!!Sale Alert!!

One of my favorite bloggers, Downtown Southern, blogged about the incredible towel sale that J.C. Penney was having right now. In store, you can buy their bath towels for $3.99. Isn't this incredible!!! I went at lunch and stocked up on towels for my bathroom and the guest bathroom. The sale ends on Saturday, July 25th. If you have time today, you should run by and take advantage of this 15% off coupon. The coupon can be found at bradsdeals.com and is only valid through today. Also, don't forget that towels make great gifts! One of my favorite wedding gifts was a beautiful monogrammed towel set!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

I absolutely adore Cargo TexasLash Mascara. It has an over-sized brush that gives my lashes the volume that they need. However at $20 a tube, it is not the most economical choice in mascara. Plus, my closest Sephora is a little over an hour away.

This weekend I found a more economical replacement for my favorite mascara-Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara. This mascara retails for around $8, but there is also a $3 off Neutrogena Make-up coupon floating around that will take the price down to around $5. I have read mixed reviews about this mascara, but personally I love it!

The positives: It makes my lashes look longer and fuller. It conditions my lashes. It doesn't smudge or flake.

The negatives: It does not make my lashes look 400% fuller as promised, but I am satisfied with the results. It does not come off with just soap and water-I have to use eye make-up remover.

The next time I am near a Sephora, I will probably pick up my favorite Cargo TexasLash Mascara, but until then I am completely satisfied with Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara.

Made in China

I have had trillions of thoughts running through my head today about what to post about. However, I have had more than my share of drama queen moments today, so I thought I would keep this post light and fluffy! Here's one of my favorite recent stories!

My nephew recently attended Vacation Bible School at his church. The teacher of his class was explaining that God made the universe. During her explanation she stated "God made everything" to which my nephew replied, "That's not right. Some things are made in China."

I can't help but giggle every time I think of this story! Oh the things kids say!

New Bloggers and a Man Sale!

New Bloggers-
There are two new bloggers that I am honored to introduce you to-Katiebell and Tales of A Short Southern Momma. Make sure to visit their blogs and introduce yourself! I am sure they would love to meet a few new blog friends!!

Katie of Katiebell is a long time friend of mine. We used to work in the same little gift shop in college and were in the same sorority. I even had a hand in setting up her and her husband! We still live in the same town, and enjoy lunch or a girl's night out when we can. I am so blessed to be able to call her a friend!

Angela of Tales of A Short Southern Momma and I became friends through our blogs. We began e-mailing and now are facebook friends. She is such a sweet person. She is absolutely precious. I am still amazed at the wonderful friends you can make even when you have never met them in person!

Man Sale-
Okay, so I couldn't resist calling it a man sale! The title just made me giggle! My husband has to wear a suit to work everyday, so we always keep our ears open for suit sales. While I usually don't blog about men's clothing, I just had to pass this one along to you. Jos. A. Bank is having a wonderful sale right now-buy 1 suit, get 2 free. I think the sale might be in store only. The sale was supposed to end today, but the sales lady told me that it didn't end until Saturday. I went today and purchased Michael three new suits for around $500. This sale includes sport coats. Dress shirts and ties are also buy one get one free. If you have a Jos. A. Bank nearby, you might want to send the man in your life to check it out.

Disclaimer: I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I usually don't pick out Michael's clothes. He is actually really great at picking out his own. However, we thought the sale ended today, and I told him I would run by and get his suits on my lunch break since he had court all day (he's a lawyer) and couldn't make it to the store.

I'm Back!

I'm back from the mart! My mom, oldest sister, and I had a wonderful time! The mart is so much fun, but it can also be very tiring and overwhelming. My favorite part of the mart (besides spending quality time with my mom and sister) is all the fun things you come home with. Exhibitors practically shove samples of things in your hands! I came home with some great samples, and I also came home with some unusual samples.

The most unusual sample I have is a sample of something called Poo-Pourri. Have you heard of it? I almost didn't blog about it because it deals with a not so lady like subject, but I found this product so intriguing that I just couldn't resist. Poo-Pourri is "a blend of natural essential oils that create a barrier to embarrassing bathroom odors". Their slogan is "Spritz the Bowl Before You Go and No One Else will Ever Know." It is sold in bottles like the one below and even in gift sets.

You can even buy this atomizer so it is easy to keep in your purse.


I haven't tried it, and honestly I am not going to tell you if or when I do. I don't think you want to know me that well. :) However if it lives up to its promise, it would be perfect for someone who is shy about bathroom habits or is a guest at someones home. It might even be a nice touch to the guest bathroom in your own home.

What do you think? Is it a neat idea? Is it weird? Is it something you would ever consider buying?

By the way, make sure to come by and visit me tomorrow. I have two new blog friends that I can't wait to introduce you to, and I promise not to talk anymore about bathroom habits!

I'll Be Right Back!

Hello to all my wonderful blog friends. I just wanted to let you know that I am going to be gone for a few days, so please excuse my lack of posts and comments. Hopefully, it won't take me long to catch up when I get back.

I am headed to Atlanta for market. My mom and sister own a little gift shop, and they always invite me to go to the mart with them to help buy for the store. It is so much fun, but it is exhausting. I know some of my blog friends go to market in Atlanta also, so if you are there and want to meet up e-mail me at jenniferthepinkchick@yahoo.com.

Oh, and I finally found Coconut M&Ms! They are very yummy! They taste a lot like Almond Joys. If you are having trouble finding them, check out your local Rite Aide. A big thanks to my friend Jenn for giving me the heads up on Rite Aide.

Well, I'm off to Atlanta! I can't wait to catch up with you when I get back! Have a wonderful day!!!

Flashback!

Work took me to Covington, GA yesterday. My coworkers and I are famous for our detours, so it was no surprise when we detoured from work and found ourselves at a candy shop. Being on a never ending diet, I was not going to purchase any candy. I was satisfied with just looking around at all the neat and yummy treats this quaint little shop held. That is until I came upon these.......

CANDY CIGARETTES

I didn't think they made these any more! Amazing! I used to love candy cigarettes as a kid, and yesterday was the first time I had seen them in twenty years. Of course, I purchased four packs. You can't be stingey when candy cigarettes are involved! You have to have packs to share! Now if I could just find those new Coconut M&MS, my life would be complete! :)

House Guest

Michael and I have had the sweetest little house guest this week. Do you want to meet him? Here he is!
Look at that sweet little face! He doesn't have a name yet because he isn't ours to keep. My brother-in-law wanted a puppy, so I picked this one up for him when I was in South Georgia. He is a Golden Retriever, Border Collie Mix. He is six weeks old* and weighs five pounds. Oh and did I mention that he is absolutely precious! My brother-in-law is coming to pick him up today, and I think he will instantly be in love as soon as he spots this little guy. I am going to miss the little guy, but I won't miss the 5 am puppy alarm clock!

*I don't usually take puppies away from their mom at 6 weeks old, but the mom had run out of milk and the puppies were already weaned.

The Big 6-0!

I am not sure if you noticed, but I have been away for a few days. I took a little trip to my hometown to help my Mom celebrate her birthday! On Monday, my Mom turned 60! Happy Birthday Mom!

If God allowed me to pick my own parents, I couldn't have picked a better pair. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful and loving parents. Growing up my Mom taught me many valuable life lessons. She taught me to be humble. She showed me how to be kind and the importance of being kind to others. She also instilled in me a positive outlook on life.

My Mom is one of my very best friends! We truly have a special bond. I trust her with all of my secrets and tell her all my worries. She is always there to listen and to give great advice. I am so thankful and blessed that we are both mother and daughter and friends.

Of course, I have to share a photo of the birthday girl with you, so here it is! This is a cute snap shot of my Mom and Dad dancing at my wedding. Aren't they the cutest!!!

WINNER!

A huge thanks to chickdowntown.com for partnering with me to host this giveaway! The winner of the Love Quotes scarf is Naturally Caffeinated Family. Congratulations!!! E-mail me at jenniferthepinkchick@yahoo.com with your info. If you didn't win, you can always head over to chickdowntown.com and order your very own Love Quotes scarf! Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway!!!!

(By the way, just in case you were wondering how the winner was picked. I assigned everyone who commented a number (or 2 numbers if you were a follower or 3 numbers if you were a follower and blogged about the giveaway). Then I headed over to the Random Integer Generator, plugged in the information, and it chose a random number.)

The Spontaneous Beach Trip

I am not a very spontaneous person. Oh how I wish I could be, but it is just not in my nature. However, this weekend I ventured into being a little more on the spontaneous side!

It all started Thursday. I was sitting at work daydreaming about the weekend. Not knowing our plans, I texted Michael and asked what we were doing that weekend. He replied that we didn't have any plans and asked me what I wanted to do. I quickly responded that I wanted to go to the beach. We weren't sure if we could really make this happen, but on Friday at noon we were in the car headed for the coast!

Our destination was Jekyll Island. Jekyll Island is a quaint, quiet island off the coast of Georgia. It is definitely not glamorous, but it is one of my favorites. I spent a summer on Jekyll as a 4-H camp counselor and have many fond memories of this wonderful island!!!

Michael and I had a fun, low key weekend! We walked on the beach, played in the ocean, and enjoyed a few fruity drinks. We also visited Millionaires Village and The Jekyll Island Club Hotel where we toured a few of the beautiful historic homes. You can read more about Jekyll Island and Millionaires Village here. It has a very unique history. Below is a picture of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.


We also visited one of my favorite spots on the north end of the island. It is a beach full of dead, gnarled trees. It sounds ugly, but this spot on the beach is absolutely beautiful and amazing. My pictures can't begin to do it justice, but here are a few so you can at least get an idea.


It was a perfect weekend and a much needed break from our adult responsibilities. It was also a lesson in being spontaneous! Maybe I will try it more often!!!

Oh and I have to remind you to enter my giveaway! You could win this gorgeous scarf!! Enter here. Hurry! Today is the last day!