Monday Edition: My Favorite Things!

Edit: If you click on the pictures of the brooches, it will take you to the etsy store that is selling that particular brooch. Unfortunately, these brooches are a little more expensive than the $10 brooch that I found and purchased. Sorry! I really wasn't looking at price when I went hunting for pictures! I still think two of them are very reasonably priced though! One is a little more than I would pay, but I would certainly buy it if I wanted to splurge a little! :) I will try to find a few $10 brooches to add to the post!

Here are a few links to some precious $10.00 and under brooches!

• Lady Bug Brooch
• Vintage Rhinestone Flower Broach
• Vintage Pink and Green Flower Brooch
• Vintage Snowflake
• Glitzy Rhinestone Brooch
• Black Glass Broach
• Silver Filigree Flower
• Silver Plated Metal Daisy Brooch
  

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend! My weekend was great! It was absolutely beautiful here in Georgia, so I spent the majority of my weekend outside! I had so much fun walking with my dogs, visiting a local zoo, and playing basketball with Michael. Okay, so I really don't "play" basketball. I just throw the ball at the hoop and laugh when I don't make it!

As far as my favorite things go, I am excited to share with you a new discovery. Many of you probably already know how much I love brooches. Brooches aren't just for little old ladies! They have become a popular accessory-much like the scarf! I have always loved wearing brooches to add just the right touch to a plain jacket, sweater, or blazer. In fact, if you look at the picture in this post you will notice that I dressed up a plain black dress and jacket with a brooch that I purchased at Ann Taylor Loft.

On occasion, I purchase newly made broaches, but I adore buying vintage brooches. This weekend, I discovered that Elsy has a huge selection of vintage brooches at low prices! Most of the brooches I found were selling for only $10. How amazing is that! Here's a sneak peek at the beautiful brooches your can find!

eBay Virgin!

Hi all! I had so many wonderful party supplies left over from my Mardi Gras party that I decided to sell them on eBay! This is my first eBay seller experience, and I know I have a lot to learn. If you are interested in hosting a Mardi Gras party or know someone who is interested, please direct them to my sidebar where you will see my ebay listings.

A Sneak Peek into my E-mail and Give Away Reminder

I just had to share this with you! The other day my office was freezing cold, so I wrote this e-mail to Heather (my coworker, friend, sidekick, etc...). Oh, and we had just talked about cold weather safety tips in a safety meeting we had to attend.

Dear Heather,
It is so cold in my office! I fear that I will not be able to make it much longer! Frost bite and hypothermia have set in. If I don’t make it, please let my family know that I love them. My only hope is if I can get a camp fire started. If I can manage this one life saving task, do you want to come over and roast marshmallows?

P.S.-Do you think Dan (Dan is in charge of the buildings and grounds.) will get mad at me for starting a camp fire? Do you think he will forgive me if I tell it was a life saving measure?

This is the e-mail I received back from Heather.

Dear Jennifer,

Are you experiencing the signs of hypothermia? If you make it, I definitely want to be invited to the marshmallow roast. If you don't make it, can I have your shoe collection?

P.S. I think Dan will only be mad if we don't make him any s'mores.

I love my job! We have so much fun! I could do without the very cold office though! :)

On another note, don't forget about my give away! I am not sure what I am giving away yet. I think I might stick with a gift card since it kind of goes along with the theme. Make sure you leave your money saving tip here to enter the giveaway and to help out your fellow bloggers. Also, please spread the word about the giveaway so we can get a lot of great budget saving advice!

Cutting Corners!

In the midst of a bad economy, many of our blogging friends (including me) are having to find ways to cut back on the amount of money we spend. I thought it might be nice if we worked together to share the ways we are cutting back. What do you do differently to help save money?

Some examples:

• Have you started using drug store make-up to help save money? If so, let us know what brands you like.
• Have you found a coupon site that you love?
• Do you have a tip or trick that helps you spend less money on things that aren't necessary?
• Do you have a budgeting tool that you love to use?

Any tips, tricks, and tools are welcome! Share with us! I will host a give away for everyone who shares a tip. I'm not sure what I will give away yet, but I am sure it will be fabulous! :) Do you have more than one tip? Share multiple tips and be entered multiple times.

Tagged!

I have been so bad about keeping up with blog awards and tags lately! I apologize if you have tagged me or given me a blog award and I haven't responded yet! I really appreciate all the awards and tags I receive, and I promise I will catch up on them soon!

Recently, Tara at The Watermelon Tree tagged me. Here's how it works!

1. Go to your pics, pick the 6th folder and the 6th pic.
2. Tell who and what.
3. Pick 6 people

I have two main computers, so here is the picture from my home computer.

The picture above is from when I was a middle school teacher, and it was taken in my classroom. I think this picture was probably taken in 2006. It is me and my classroom bunny, Buttons. I had many classroom pets including a rat, a few mice, guinea pigs, and a hamster.

Here's the picture from my work computer.

Above: This picture makes me giggle. For work, we are asked to volunteer to answer phones during a membership drive for Georgia Public Television. Our sister companies also volunteer. This picture was supposed to be a picture of the volunteers from one of our sister companies. However, look closely in the background. To the left of the picture, you can see me. What am I doing? Laughing hysterically. The person beside me with her head on the table would be Heather. She is also laughing hysterically. We're trouble! This was taken last year. Our opportunity to volunteer again is coming up in March! Volunteering in the phone bank seems like it would be lame, but it really is a lot of fun!

I tag whoever would like to participate! Please participate! I love it when you share pictures!

Monday Edition on a Tuesday-My Favorite Things!

I know I am getting old, but I promise I didn't forget about My Favorite Things post yesterday. :) I was just so excited about the pictures from my party that I didn't have time to do my usual Monday post. I do have a new product to share with you! I have to make this a quick post though. I have a seminar that I am helping host for work, and I have to leave for it in a few minutes! I am being sneaky and getting a few blog minutes in! :)

I bought a new mascara just last week that I am absolutely in love with! It is by Cargo, and it is called Texas Lash! Don't you just love the name! I purchased the mascara at Sephora. It received some mixed reviews on their website, but the sales person at Sephora said it was their top seller. I adore it! It makes my tiny blond lashes look amazing! You should definitely try it out, and if you decide you don't like it Sephora will exchange it for something you do like!

On another note, many of you asked to see pictures of the wedding that I attended at the Georgia Aquarium a few weekends ago. Well, I don't have pictures of the actual wedding, but I do have a picture of me and the hubs at the wedding. I will try to find a few pictures of the wedding decor and post them. I am sure I can steal a few pics from my friends on facebook!

Party Pictures

The party on Saturday was wonderful! We had about 35 people in attendance, which was more than I thought would be able to come! A good time was had by all! Here are a few pictures from the big event!Above: These are my favorite pictures! A friend made his very own Mardi Gras float and had a mini parade at my birthday party-complete with throwing beads to party guests! What a great birthday present!
Above: A picture of me and the hubs enjoying the party! This is a very horrible picture of me, but it is the only one I have of me and Michael. In fact, all of the pictures I that were taken of me that night were very horrible. My face was so puffy. Not sure why! My face is definitely not this puffy in real life.

Above: This is the food table. I decorated it with candelabras draped with Mardi Gras beads.

Above: Michael, his brother, and his brother's girl friend! Aren't they the cutest!

Above: A few of my sweet friends enjoying the party!

Above: My sweet little girl, Scout, enjoyed wearing her Mardi Gras beads too! She does look a little sad in this picture, but I promise she enjoyed wearing them. She got upset with me when I took them off.