Officially Old!

I am 30 years old, but I have never felt a day over 23. However, I am beginning to think that I have turned officially old! Here are my clues:

• The first class of middle schoolers that ever walked into my classroom are graduating from high school on Saturday. This makes me feel old! However, I am honored to be attending the graduation party of one of my former students. She was always my favorite, but don't tell! The others might get jealous!
• My hair stylist found my first gray hair at my last appointment! We immediately decided to color it blond!
• I have a corn on my pinky toe. What? My grandma has a corn. I shouldn't have one. I officially freaked out when my mother told me I had a corn on my toe. Calling it a callus makes me feel much better. :)

I guess I can be thankful that things aren't sagging yet, and that my hair has not turned a lovely shade of blue! Ha ha ha!!!!

Have a great weekend! I am off to do a little shopping in preparation for a graduation party on Saturday and Heather's garden party on Saturday! Yippeee!

I Won!

I really think I should start playing the lottery! I have been so lucky lately! Jillian, Inc, a blogger that I adore, hosted a fabulous giveaways. In fact, she hosted a whole week of giveaways! I won one of the giveaways, and guess what arrived at my door yesterday! This absolutely beautiful Coach wristlet! Isn't it the cutest!!! I'm in love!

I just want to send Jillian a huge thank you for such an awesome and generous giveaway! Be sure to visit her blog! You won't be disappointed! Her blog is fantastic, and she has the prettiest family ever! Thanks again Jillian!!!

Officially Jealous!

Heather (my friend, coworker, and PIC (Partner in Crime)) and I were talking in her office this morning when she pulled up her blog. On her blog, I saw a picture of the cutest kitchen ever. I asked her where she found the picture, and she told me that it was her kitchen. I haven't been to Heather's house since they redid the kitchen-I mean it was already cute, but this is too much! I am so jealous! I think I am moving in! Look how cute!


On a not so cute note and totally unrelated to Heather's blog, last year I posted this picture.

It's a picture of the messiest office that I have ever seen. You can read about it here. Well, yesterday work took me back to the same location. After a year, I thought surely it would be better. Nope! It was worse. I wanted to take a picture, but the person who belonged to the mess would not leave her office. I stalked around hoping that she would leave-come on a coffee break, restroom break, a run to the store to get matches so you could just light the office on fire and put it our of its misery-go anywhere-it doesn't matter-just leave. All I wanted to do was snap a quick picture to show my blog friends. Much to my dismay, she never left. Sorry to disappoint you, but I promise it was even worse! Can you imagine working in that? Eeek!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all the service men and women out there (past and present) who have given (and are giving) so much to protect us and our freedom! It is important to remember our heroes not only today, but every day!

Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer! Last week, I began dedicating my Monday Edition to my favorite summer essentials. This week's summer essential is sure not to disappoint. Whether you have a rockin' bikini body or you tend to dread putting on a bathing suit (like me), a cute cover-up is definitely a necessity!

Here are a few of my favorites! I did a little shopping around for cover-ups, but all my favorites (except one) happen to be at Old Navy this year.

This tube dress is perfect at around $15. It's cheap, easy, cute, and comfortable! I purchased a similar one from Wal-Mart last year. I love it and even wear it around the house when I am getting dressed. Old Navy offers this one in a variety of beautiful colors!


This next cover-up is a recent purchase of mine! I found it on oldnavy.com, and I ordered it immediately. One of the beaches we like to frequent has several yummy restaurants right there at the beach. We usually play at the beach in the mornings, and then head to one of the restaurants for lunch. How perfect is this dress/cover-up for making the transition from beach to lunch dining!



When you are looking for an inexpensive cover-up, don't forget that fun summer knit dresses make great cover-ups. I would never be comfortable wearing this precious knit dress as a dress(I don't have the figure to pull it off.), but it is perfect as a cover-up.

Another favorite of mine, but at a little higher price is the cover-up below. The one pictured is by Ralph Lauren, but I have seen similar ones at the Tommy Hilfiger outlet. This cover-up is cute and extremely flattering to all body shapes.

Happy Birthday Michael!

Today the person that I love most in this world is turning another year older! That's right! Today is my sweet husband's birthday! I would love to make this post an ode to how much I love him, but he does read my blog on occasion and it probably would embarrass him. However, just in case you were wondering, I love him so much! Words can not even begin to describe the love I feel for him. Michael makes every one of my days better! Whoops! I got a little mushy! Sorry honey! Below is a picture of the birthday boy! It was taken on our honeymoon in St. Lucia. He is drinking the yummy island beer, Piton beer.




To celebrate, we are heading to dinner with friends and then going downtown for a couple of drinks. In a few weekends, we will be hosting a luau in honor of Michael and all of our friends who have Spring and Summer birthdays. I hope that Michael has a birthday that is as special and as wonderful as he is! I also hope that all my blog friends have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!!!

Birds and Babies!

I love this time of year! It's the time of year when the sweet mommy bird and daddy bird build a nest on the top of one of my front porch columns. I love watching the birds fly in and out, listening to them chatter and I love it when the baby birds hatch and grow large enough to peek their little heads over the nest.

It is hard to get a picture of the birds. They haven't figured out that I am a friend! However, I was able to snap this shot of the female bird in her nest! She has already hatched one clutch of eggs, and she is currently sitting on another!


Michael and I always name them baby birds. The last clutch consisted of Lucille, Fluffkins, and my favorite, Pimento! Who knows what names we will come up with next!

And since I have to admit that this post about my birds is a little boring, I will share with you who I am going to see this afternoon. I am going to visit my friend Katie and her new little boy, Lane. I also get to see Lane's beautiful big sister, Kara! Here's a picture of Lane that Heather (my friend/coworker/sidekick) took. You can go here to see more of her pictures! She is an amazing photographer!

Okay, so I lied! Here are two pictures of Lane! Isn't he precious!!!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

For the next few Mondays, I will be revealing my favorite summer essentials! My first essential is my new favorite toothpaste! Toothpaste? Yes, I said toothpaste!!! While toothpaste is an everyday essential, a bright white smile is a great summer accessory!


Colgate MaxWhite Toothpaste hit the shelves in April. At the time, I was trying to find a new toothpaste, so I thought why not give it a try. I mean, I really love my Colgate Wisps, so why not try a new Colgate Toothpaste! Oh, and I had a coupon! I was not disappointed!

Colgate MaxWhite is a whitening toothpaste with a great minty taste! It leaves my mouth feeling so clean and fresh after every brush! I also love the fact that it whitens my teeth at the same time! My husband likes it too! We used to use two separate toothpastes (we are a little high maintenance when it comes to our teeth), but since I discovered Colgate MaxWhite we are able to use the same toothpaste.

Here's what Colgate has to say about its new product:
Colgate MaxWhite toothpaste recharges the natural whiteness of your teeth with hundreds of Mini Bright Strips that dissolve in your mouth-- delivering an intense rush of icy breath refreshment with extra whitening power.

Remember when you were a "Colgate Kid"? Be a Colgate Kid again and give Colgate MaxWhite toothpaste a try!

Fridays are Good for the Soul!

Yipeee! It's Friday! I love Fridays! They are still work days, but they hold the promise of the weekend!

I don't have a lot of time today. My to-do list is growing by the seconds, but I did want to pop in and apologize for not being able to comment and post like I normally do. I have also received some awards from some of my favorite bloggers that I haven't had time to post. I haven't forgot about all my fabulous blog friends, and I will be back to normal blogging standards very soon! I promise!

Before I forget, my blog friend and friend in real life, Amanda over at The Sweet Life, is hosting a giveaway and a swap! Pop on over there when you have time and sign up for both!

Speaking of Amanda, we have been friends for a very long time. She has been having fun with her scanner and posted this picture of me at my senior prom on facebook. I thought I would share. It makes me giggle!


One of my best friends, Timmy, took me to prom that year! We had so much fun! We laughed the entire night! I can't get over my hair in this picture. I was so proud of it that night because I went to the hair dresser to have it done. I thought it looked so beautiful, but it looks horrible. I was an odd looking kid with zero fashion sense. Thank goodness we grow and learn, and thank goodness for friends like Amanda and Timmy who were friends with me then and still precious friends now! Happy Friday!

Boy Was My Face Red....

....But I don't thing he was looking at my face. Okay, I have a confession. I don't have blinds in my bedroom. Those who have read my blog for a while know that I didn't have blinds in my living room because I was saving up for plantation shutters, but I don't have blinds in my bedroom because I don't want them. Our bedroom is in the back of the house and both windows face wooded, non-inhabited lots. Who needs blinds or even wants blinds when you have such a pretty view? Well as of this morning, I do!

Getting dressed this morning, I was standing in front of the closet grabbing the pants I was going to wear for the day when I heard the dogs barking and saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I was in front of the window, so I turned my head away from the closet to look out the window. The movement I saw was a man. Yep that's right! A man was in the lot next to our house, and he had a great view of me in nothing but my panties. Eeeek!

I proceeded to grab my pants, use them to cover myself, and run into the hallway. I put on my pants in the hall, and then crawled through the bedroom on my hands and knees to get my shirt. I put my shirt on and stood up and acted like nothing happened.

Still a little mortified I text messaged my husband and told him the whole story. His reply, "I didn't realize you were an exhibitionist." I guess I did give the guy a good show. The next time I expect dollars! :)

P.S.-The guy was not a creepy peeping tom. I think he is working on developing the lot.

Hamburger Pie

Last night I made a dish that reminds me of my childhood. My mom always made hamburger pie, and we loved it! Technically, I think it is a quiche, but my mom was smart enough to call it pie. A kid will eat something called pie ten times faster than something called quiche! :)

This recipe is super easy. Like I have said before, if I can make it anyone can! You should give it a try!

You will need:
*a frozen pie shell
*1/2 cup of milk
*1/2 pound of ground beef
*1.5 cups of cheddar cheese
*onion
*bell pepper
*2 eggs
*salt
*pepper

Directions:
*Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
*Brown your ground beef
*Dice desired amount of onion and bell pepper (for one pie I use 1/4 onion and 1/2 bell pepper)
*Sautee onion and bell pepper
*Grate cheese if not already shredded
*Mix ground beef, cheese, eggs, milk, onion, and bell pepper together in a bowl.
*Add salt and pepper as desired.
*Pour mixture into pie shell
*Bake for 35 minutes

Side note: This is one dish that makes incredible left overs! I usually double the recipe and make two "pies". When I make two pies, I usually use 1/2 of an onion and one whole bell pepper.

Weight Watcher Note: You can make this recipe a little more WW friendly by using fat free or skim milk, lean ground beef, and a low fat cheese. Oh, and I guess you could use egg substitute, but I am not sure how that would taste. Live a little-use real eggs! :)

True Story Tuesday

When Michael and I purchased our first home, we were very anxious to move in. We began sleeping at our new house before the cable was installed and way before we had moved all of our things in. The only source of entertainment we had was wireless internet (the signal came from a neighbor) and our laptop computer and of course our imagination.

Seeing the wide open space of our living room and being in a silly mood, I began singing a Michael Jackson song and imitating a few of his moves. (This happens more than it really should!) This led to Michael (my husband not Jackson) and I having a full blown conversation about what a great dancer Michael Jackson is--which also led to us looking up YouTube videos of MJ. From the YouTube videos, Michael and I taught ourselves how to moon walk right there in our living room. Not having blinds and having a very nosey/creepy neighbor (click here to learn more about creepy neighbor), I am sure someone got a great show that night! So what happens when there is no horrible television programming available at my house?-we learn to moon walk......and juggle!

Manic Monday

Hi Friends! I just wanted to check in with you and let you know that I am still around! My Monday was a great one, but it was really busy. I will be back tomorrow! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and an even better Monday!!!

Give Away!

I am so excited about this giveaway that I just had to tell you! Niki over at Niki's Neverending Adventure is hosting a give away for her 100th post! She is giving away your choice of three workout DVDs. I really, really want the 30 Day Shred! You can enter her give away here. Also while your entering the give away, be sure to check out her blog! She is absolutely precious!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

I received a very special package in the mail today-a c.d. with all of my wedding photos and a letter releasing the copyright to me! Yippeee! This option was not available when we were married, but my photographer recently decided to clean out her databases and offered to sell us all of our photos (digitally). I couldn't be more excited! Michael and I were married almost three years ago, but I still treasure our wedding photographs like our wedding was yesterday (and I am sure it will be the same 60 years from now).

Browsing through all the sweet memories of our wedding led me to my favorite thing for today-my wedding shoes! I totally can't take credit for this idea, but it is such a wonderful idea that I just have to share. If you are looking for "something blue" for your wedding consider having your shoes dyed a baby blue. My bridal shop gave me the idea, and I immediately fell in love. They dyed my wedding shoes blue, and they were the cutest thing ever! My shoes were cute and fun and the perfect "something blue".



P.S.-Please excuse my ugly feet. I don't usually post pictures of my feet, but it was all in the name of shoes! :)

The Pirate Veterinarian

I have such a cute story to share with you! Today a coworker and I were presenters at Career Day for a local elementary school. We talked to several classes of second graders. All the students were dressed as what they wanted to be when they grew up. There were kids dressed as policemen, nurses, firemen, etc... We even had a few rock stars!

In one of the classes, I notice a little girl dressed like a pirate. She had on a white peasant blouse with long black velvet sleeves. She also was wearing a long black velvet skirt and a large red belt. You could definitely tell she was a pirate. Her outfit looked like a Halloween costume you would buy at Party City.

Curious about her costume, I told her how pretty she looked and asked her what she was dressed like. She told me that she was dressed like a veterinarian. I guess she saw the puzzled look on my face because she proceeded to hold out her arm and pet the velvet sleeve and say "This is soft like a puppy. I'm a veterinarian.".

She was so cute! I had to hold in my laughter! She was also quite creative to make the jump from pirate to veterinarian! However, I do have to admit that if I had to dress up for Career Day I might have worn a princess costume!