Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

Chapstick/Lip Balm is a necessity for me. I am addicted. I have to have it! However, the summer heat is definitely an enemy for anyone who keeps chapstick in their purse or car. Trust me! I have ended up with many gooey messes that were formerly tubes of my favorite chapstick. That's why one of my favorite summer essentials is lip oil!


Aquafina created a great lip oil that is also reasonably priced (cheap)! It provides wonderful moisture for your lips, but you never have to worry about it melting! Aquafina lip oil can be a little hard to find, but I have had the best luck locating it at Wal-Greens. Trade in your melting tubes of chapstick and give lip oil a try! It is perfect for your purse, car, and beach bag!!

*Don't forget to enter my giveaway! You have until Wednesday! You can enter here!

My Arch Nemesis

Wow! This post was supposed to be about Wal-Mart. However, I googled the words "My arch nemesis" trying to find a fun picture to include in my post when one of the search results caught my eye. My search brought up this lovely jewel-an ad from craigslist (featured in the best of craigslist).

Date: 2008-05-07, 2:49PM PDT
I've been trying to think of ways to spice up my life. I'm 35 years old, happily married with two kids and I have a good job in insurance. But somethings missing. I feel like I'm old before my time. I need to inject some excitement into my daily routine through my arm before its too late. I need a challenge, something to get the adrenaline pumping again. An addiction would be nice, but, in short, I need a nemesis. I'm willing to pay $350 up front for you services as an arch enemy over the next six months. Nothing crazy. Steal my parking space, knock my coffee over, trip me when Im running to catch the BART and occasionaly whisper in my ear, "Ahha, we meet again". That kind of thing. Just keep me on my toes. Complacency will be the death of me. You need to have an evil streak and be blessed with innate guile and cunning. You should also be adept at inconsicuous pursuit. Evil laugh preferred. Send me a photo and a brief explanation why you would be a good nemesis. British accent preferred.

I have no words to even begin to comment. It's funny, but at the same time it is really creepy. Although, being a professional arch nemesis would be a rather cool job. In these hard economic times, maybe it is worth a shot. It would look great on a resume! :)

P.S.-Don't forget about my giveaway! Enter here!

The Pink Chick and Chick Downtown Giveaway

Exciting news! Chickdowntown.com contacted me yesterday and asked me if I was interested in hosting a giveaway. After browsing their web-site, I was positive that I wanted to host a giveaway with them. This is not only exciting, but just in time to help me celebrate one year of blogging!

Chickdowntown.com has a great selections of clothing and accessories including BB Dakota clothes and Rachel Leigh. You can also find them on Twitter and Facebook. Amy, the owner, announces a lot of sales and discounts via Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to check them out!

For the giveaway item, I picked a Love Quotes Scarf (pictured below).


Love Quotes scarves are a favorite among celebrities. Who has been seen wearing one?


Here's how to enter:
*One Entry-Leave a comment. Make sure to include your e-mail address.
*Two Entries-Leave a comment and be a follower.
*Three Entries-Leave a comment. Be a follower. Post about the giveaway it on your blog.

**You must be in the U.S. Sorry! Chickdowntown.com can not ship outside of the U.S.

The giveaway officially ends on Wednesday, July 1st at 11:59 pm (EST). Good Luck!

Almost Back to Normal

Saturday was the big day-my biggest work event of the year! Much to my relief, it went very well, and I have marked it off my list until next year! Things are almost back to normal. Thank you for being patient with my sporadic blogging during these busy few weeks!

I have an awesome giveaway planned for tomorrow, so make sure to check back with me! I am so excited! I think you are going to love it!!!! I have to go now, but come back and see me tomorrow!!!!

Oh, and just so this post is actually worth reading. Here is the easiest party food recipe ever! It is unbelievably yummy too!

Pretzel Dip:

You will need:
*a block of cream cheese
*Spicy mustard
*your favorite pretzels or pretzel crisps

Instructions:
*Let cream cheese soften. I just leave it out on the counter for a little while. It softens too much if the microwave is used.
*Put cream cheese in a bowl and add around 2 teaspoons of spicy mustard. Mix together.
*Keep adding spicy mustard until you have received the desired taste. I usually end up with around 1 tablespoon to 1.5 tablespoons of spicy mustard in my dip.
*Serve with pretzels or pretzel crisps!

A big thanks to my sweet friend, Katie, for this recipe. I have made it for my last two parties, and it has been a hit!!! So yummy and so easy!!!

A Summer Favorite: Bake Vidalia Onions

I am not a huge fan of regular onions, but I adore sweet onions. There is no better sweet onion than a Vidalia Onion-which also happens to be Georgia's State Vegetable. The Vidalia Onion has a unique history. In 1931, A farmer discovered that a hot onion from Texas was sweet when grown in Georgia soil. Of course, this little discovery was made in Vidalia, GA-birthplace of the Vidalia Onion. You can read the complete history of the Vidalia Onion here.


A great way to prepare a Vidalia Onion is to bake it with butter and a beef bouillon cube. It is delicious! Here's how to make a yummy baked onion...

You will need: Vidalia Onions, Butter, and Beef Bouillon

Directions:
*Peel and Core your onions
*Fill cored onion with butter and place bouillon cube in the center.
*Place onions in baking dish, you may want to add a little water to the bottom of your baking dish for added moisture.
*Cover tightly and back at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
*Onions should be soft and ready to enjoy!

It's Not Easy Being Green!

As I mentioned in my prior post, I spent the weekend in South Georgia visiting my family. I was also in South Georgia to attend the wedding of a precious friend.

On Saturday, my niece and nephew came over. They begged Michael and I to go swimming with them, so of course we gave in and spent the afternoon swimming. We had such a fun time swimming and spending quality time with my niece and nephew. At 3:45 pm, I had to end our swimming fun because I had to start getting ready for the wedding.

I got out of the pool and immediately took a shower. After my shower, I went through my normal getting ready routine. I moisturized my face, applied mascara, dried my hair, and...discovered my hair had turned green. That's right! Green! Oscar the Grouch Green!

Having blonde hair, my hair has definitely turned green before. It turned green when I was ten years old and from then on I learned to wash my hair immediately after exiting the pool. Never have I ever had my hair turn green during one swim in the pool.

I was determined to make it to the wedding, so I tried twisting my hair in an up-do. It only made it look greener. I tried a low pony tail. It looked even greener. Holy crap!

My Nanny (grandmother) was really enjoying the show. She couldn't quit giggling at me. My mother, who had just had shoulder surgery the day before, was still on pain pills, and she was confident that my hair was not green. It was the drugs talking. My hair was definitely green.

Michael and I decided to turn to a few home remedies. We poured lemon juice and vinegar in my hair. It was such a funny picture. I was leaning over the kitchen sink with Michael pouring vinegar in my hair and gagging. He couldn't take the strong smell of the vinegar. I couldn't help but laugh hysterically.

The vinegar and lemon juice cut most of the green out of my hair. I was not able to get dressed in time to attend the wedding, but I was able to attend the reception with mostly blonde hair and one green curl.

Thank goodness my hair dresser is also one of my best friends. Upon arrival back in Athens on Sunday night, I immediately drove to her house for a degreenification. I am fully back to blonde and my only regret is not taking any pictures of my neon mane!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I spent the weekend visiting my parents and attending a wedding in South Georgia. I have a very funny story to tell you about my weekend, so make sure to come back tomorrow for that one!

Also, I didn't get to blog much last week, so I still owe you a few posts that I promised. I should be back to normal blogging next week. My big work event will be over Saturday! Yipeee! But for now, here's my favorite things!

Everyone knows that a cute beach bag is a summer essential, but what are the favorites that go in your beach bag? While I haven't picked my beach bag for the summer, I stay stocked with my favorites that go inside it!

These are my beach bag must haves...

• Spray on sunscreen-Sunscreen is definitely a must for me! I always hated applying sunscreen until I found the spray on variety! I love spray on sunscreen. It is clean and easy to apply. My favorite is Coppertone Sport.
  

• Leave In Conditioner-When I visit the beach, I don't spend much time in the sand. All my time is spent playing in the ocean which can be pretty tough on my hair. I love using leave in conditioner to protect my hair and keep it moisturized during a day of play in the ocean.
• A great chick read-Some of my favorite authors are Emily Giffin, Sophia Kinsella, Jennifer Cruise, Carly Phillips, and Nora Roberts.
• A great magazine or even better a great celebrity trash magazine!
• A fun pair of sunglasses
• A bottle of water
• A fluffy beach towel
• MP3 player

What are your favorite beach bag essentials?

The Coupon Queen

Lately, I have turned into the Coupon Queen. I love clipping coupons and using them to get great deals! I know, I am such a little old lady!

I usually don't blog about my couponing because I am not sure how my readers would like it. However, I could not let Bath and Body Works Semi-Annual Sale pass without letting all my blog friends know.

There are great deals from Bath and Body Works on-line. Many of the discontinued scents have been brought back and have a drastically reduced price tag. Also, if you spend $40 you can get $10 off using the code 9523 at check out (found the code on bradsdeals.com).

However, I found the best deals in store. I had a $10 off a $30 purchase coupon from participating in a Bath and Body Works survey. This coupon can only be used in store, so I popped in to take advantage of my coupon and the low prices.

I use body splash in the summer instead of perfume because I enjoy the lighter scent. I found one of my favorite summer scents (Wild Honeysuckle) on sale for $2.75 instead of $10.50. I also found several other yummy summer scents for the same price. I ended up buying 12 body splashes (some were priced at $2.75 and some at $5) for $25. (Original sale total $35-$10 coupon=$25) It ended up being a savings of $101!

Other great savings that I didn't take advantage of were robes and pj pants that were 50% off. Select wall flowers were marked down to $4. Of course, they always have a great saving on their hand soap during the semi-annual sale.

Many of the bargain basement prices are due to B&BW changing the packaging on many of the products. Products in old packaging are extra on sale! Now is the time to stop by Bath and Body Works-especially if you have coupons! Don't forget that it is also a great time to pick up a few gifts! The sale ends Sunday.

One Year Milestone!

This weekend my blog turned one year old! That's right! It's my blog-versary!

I had no idea I began my blog on June 6th of last year. It makes me laugh to think of the timing. I started my blog during the busiest time of the year as far as work it concerned. What was I thinking?

Well, my timing may have been a little off with the beginning of my blog, but I am so happy I followed that crazy little idea in my head and began blogging! I have been so blessed to meet such wonderful people through blogging and to develop amazing friendships with people that I have never met. I do hope that I will get to meet some of you one day!

Thank you so much for your warm welcome into the world of blogging. Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for your comments, and thank you so much for your friendship!

I wish I could send you all a yummy cupcake to celebrate. However, since I can't do that I will be hosting a giveaway soon! I am not sure what the giveaway will be yet, but I will let you know as soon as I figure it out!

I have a lot of work to do today, but I also have a lot of things to tell you about. Since I don't have time to get to it all today, here's what you can look forward to this week on The Pink Chick:

*More of my summer favorites!
*A re-cap of the Luau we hosted this weekend!
*The recipe for the easiest party food ever!
*And a funny story or two if I have time-if not I will save those for next week!

And just for fun-here is one of my favorite pictures! Michael and I happened upon this beast while we were visiting some friends in Mississippi. Of course, I had to have my picture made with him! If you are wondering, I am doing my best impression of t-rex arms!

A Couple Of Pink Plastic Visitors

Two pink plastic flamingo beauties (very similar to the ones pictured) arrived at my door step yesterday. I am sure you are asking why I am the proud owner of two plastic flamingos. Did my tendency to be a little tacky finally take over? Did I move to South Florida? Do I like my yard just a little on the trashy side? Well, the answer is no to all those questions! Michael and I are hosting a luau on Saturday, and everyone knows you can't have a luau without a few flamingos!!!! We are looking forward to an evening filled with close friends, grilled meat, tiki torches, and of course fruity umbrella drinks!!!!! I promise to take lots of pictures and share party details with you later. Have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Where Have I Been?

I just realized I have only posted once this week-On Monday. It is currently Thursday. Where have I been?

Have I been here?

Nope! I haven't been there this week.

What about here?

Unfortunately, I haven't been there this week either.

Do you give up? Where have I really been all week? I have been ....

HERE. That's right! I have been in my office all week. Of course, this isn't a picture of my office. I'll give you an office tour one day, but it is a little too messy to photograph right now. The biggest event that I plan each year for work is right around the corner, so I have been a very busy bee. Sorry for the lack of posts and comments. I will be back to normal as soon as my event is done! Wish me luck!

For My Curvy Girls!

As you know, I am a curvy girl! Being a curvy girl, I often have issues with the fit of clothing. For example, a shirt with buttons is not found in my wardrobe. I find many cute shirts that have buttons, but buttons do not work well on me.

Anyway in my great clothing search, I found a really cute shirt at Target (on-line). I don't know what made me order it. It looks rather plain in the picture, and I would not normally be attracted to the shirt. I guess the fashion gods were smiling on me because when I received the shirt in the mail and tried it on----it was perfect! It is the perfect shirt! It is hugs where it needs to hug and doesn't hug where it shouldn't! I can pair it with jeans or dress pants. My favorite is to pair it with jeans and a cute pair of floral print wedge sandals that I have!

I love my shirt so much that I had to share with all of my curvy friends out there! You can find the shirt here. It is made from a light weight sweater material. It comes in black, brown, pink, white, and green. I have the black one and have the pink on order. It's $24.99. Not a great price for Target, but not too bad either!