a few things ...

I wanted to share a few things with you all today!

First, how pretty are these daffodils that Rob picked for me? They are now in our bathroom and I think they look so pretty.

Second, a great idea for an old top or something you want to make appropriate for summer. I got this top a while back on sale and it had long sleeves. I took it to a seamstress and made it short sleeved and I couldn't be more pleased! I think it's a good idea to take items you're tired of and alter them for a fresh new look! This pic was taken by Paisley and Pearls in the back room at work ... haha ...


Third, I am obsessed with my new stationary. It's from embossed graphics and it's my initials. You could also do your new initials and use it for wedding gift thank you notes.

Great Weekend

I am just getting back from a GREAT weekend in Kentucky. I always love going home and spending a weekend with my parents. It's so nice to get away and relax. I am truly a homebody when I go back to my hometown. I like to sit around and watch TV with my parents and play with their cat Elvis.

My hometown shower was perfect! It was so nice and I got so many great gifts! The blue LP dress was a hit with the crowd, not so much with me ... I liked it, but it was not good to wear opening presents as I was constantly worrying that I was giving the crowd an underwear shot (the dress was too short). Also, the arms were tight and constraining which made for difficult present opening. Oh well, at least it looked cute, right?

Thank you all so much for your advice with my outfits :) Now that I have discovered how easy Polyvore (the outfit website) is to use, I will be putting up outfit selections ALL the time! watch out!

Since today was Sunday I couldn't exactly boutique shop in Nashville on my way home (Nashville is the midway point b/w Elizabethtown and Memphis and most boutiques aren't open on Sunday), I decided to stop at the Saks Fifth Avenue outlet to see if maybe, just maybe my dream of finding a pair of discount Louboutins would come true. Boy was I wrong. This place is gross. I have never wanted to get out of a store faster than this Saks outlet. There was not ONE thing I even wanted to try on. Just a bunch of gross waaaay old stuff that they were still trying to charge 250 dollars for. They had ONE pair of Tory Burch shoes that just so happened to be the yucky clear reva flat ones that no one wants and they were still trying to charge 169 dollars for them. Do people not realize that you can go out and buy a normal pair of cute revas for just 20 dollars more? I think the Saks outlet is out to rip people off. Yuck ... I decided to get Starbucks and get the heck out of there. I was tempted by the Banana Republic outlet, but I was soon scared off when I started to see too many creepy older men lurking around looking like they were on the next edition of "To Catch a Predator" ... I had to get out of there before I got abducted!

I hope everyone had a great weekend :)

Which Outfit?

My hometown church is throwing me a shower this Saturday.

Which outfit do you all like better for the shower? Just click the arrows to go to the next outfit ...
Find me on Polyvore

I am definitely an early to bed type of girl. On most nights, I am asleep by 9:30 pm. About once or twice a week I will fall asleep at 9 pm. Here lately, I fall asleep at 9 pm and wake up around 2 or 3 am wide awake. Tonight was one of those nights. It is now 3:09 am and I have already been up, made a bowl of cereal, and am now trolling the internet because there is nothing else to do at 3 am. Does this ever happen to anyone else? And don't think I'm going back to sleep ... I will just stay up. I am almost wondering if I need some sort of sleeping medication? This happened on Saturday night, hence the million items that were listed on ebay. Weird.

All the pups got their summer haircuts today. I was very pleased because their hair was getting too long and they were getting hot on their daily walks.

Here is Miss P's new do:

And Apple:

And Georgina:

Music

I have always loved "different" music. I like anything lounge, parisian, latin, chillout, and even techno. One of my favorite artists is "Gotan Project", which I would highly recommend if you like world music.

Today in Zumba our "cool down" song was a great lounge song which reminded me of MC Solaar (again, great artist if you like French music). After class I immediately went up to our teacher and asked what the cool down song was called. Funny because I already have several lounge songs from the same artist, but this song was a compilation piece of this particular artist and another.

Check it out if you like lounge music ... it's got a nice groove:

Ebay Listings!

I hope everyone's Monday is off to a great start!

I am planning on going to Michael's today to start getting the items for my out-of-town guest baskets that will be going in the hotel where I have reserved blocks. I will keep you all posted on my progress.

Okay, so here's the DL on this past weekend. I had a realization (duh!) that I just have WAY too much stuff. I have clothes stuffed in every possible closet, shoes in every possible bin. I really really really need to get rid of some things and make some money in the process. Therefore, I decided to purge my closet this weekend and FINALLY list things on ebay that a)don't even fit, yet I still have them laying around b) I haven't worn but once or twice and I still have sitting around c) that I don't like anymore.

There are some great shoes listed if designer shoes are your thing (i know they are not for everyone ... ppl choose to spend money on different things and I choose purses and shoes). The story with both pairs of shoes is that I just never wore them. I work in a boutique so I can't exactly wear 4 inch heels to work everyday, hence why I am selling them. I realize I paid way too much for these shoes . My loss, your gain! There is also a pair of Tory Burch moccasins that I seriously wore one time to run errands and realized they were too big, yet it was too late to return them.

Please help spread the word about my ebay items. I would love nothing more than for all of these items to sell and go to wonderful owners. There is nothing more depressing than spending the time and money for the fee to list things on ebay and having no one bid on them.

Happy bidding and let me know if you all have ANY questions :)

Just click on the link below to view my listings:

PRETTY IN PINK'S EBAY LISTINGS

Out with the Old ...

Out with the old:


And in with the new!!!:


Okay, I admit it. I am a snacker. I could go all day snacking and eat no meals if I really wanted. I also admit that I am a bad snacker. To me, nothing sounds better to snack on than chocolate chip cookie dough. This has been a habit for a long time. I will buy the little mini cookie dough packets and just pop a couple every so often during the day. If I'm feeling fun I will put some in the oven and actually cook them. I know this is bad.

My motivation to get in shape for the wedding was reinforced today when I saw on my blog wedding countdown that I pretty much have one month left until my wedding. Yes, I have been going to body pump and zumba. No, I have not changed my snack habits.

In an attempt to snack better for a month, I bought some fruit at Target today. I love fruit, but I never buy it because I don't want to take the time to cut it and sort it out to be ready for snacking.

What are some suggestions for healthy snacks? I don't really like vegetables, so I can't do carrots.

Oh, and peeps don't really count as a bad snack, do they? Oops.

Happy Sunday

I am so happy because I got peeps on the weekly Target run this morning! I love peeps!

I spent all weekend purging my closet and picking out things I only wore once or didn't wear at all in over a month. Stay tuned for my EBAY LISTINGS POST tomorrow. I am selling some good stuff including chanel and louboutin shoes!

LOST Junkie

Remember my posts in the fall about how I was too enthralled with the show LOST? Well, it's happening again!

Late one night in August I randomly caught the pilot episode on late night TV. That is all it took- i was hooked. I immediately made Rob download the whole first and second seasons. For a total of three weeks I was glued to the computer watching the episodes. I would sit in bed for hours and hours watching the show and not wanting to go out in civilization. I think once it got to the point where I would go outside to get the mail and it would be completely dark I got worried. Also, everytime I would walk outside I would look around every time I heard a noise like I was in the jungle watching out for the "others". Basically I became so obsessed with watching LOST that I made myself stop watching the show into season two because it was consuming too much of my time.

Well, I'm here to tell you again that it's BACK! I have been watching the show every night this week when I get home from work. I am almost done with season two and I am addicted again! Why does this show have to have so many freakin' episodes per season? I feel as if I will never get caught up with the current season (five).

Does anyone else do this with shows? If so, which ones?

Puppy Love

Monday the 23rd of March celebrates Miss Priscilla Louise's one year birthday :-) We got Miss P when she was just 4 weeks old, so she has really grown attached to us over the first year of her life. She is seriously like my little child. Literally, there is not a moment that she is not laying right on top of me or sitting in my lap. She is so spoiled and pretty much gets whatever she wants. I take her places with me and treat her like a human being. I know dog trainers say to not do this, but oh well ... how can you say no to that adorable face?!

This is her when we first got her last year:





In celebration of her Birthday this Monday we are going to have a doggy (and adult) Birthday cake, as well as some doggie cupcakes for the other pups in attendance. I am ordering the cake from a doggie bakery called "Kool Dog Kafe" ... the cake looks adorable and I am so excited for Miss P to eat it!



She also told me that she wanted the Lilly Pulitzer dog collar for her Birthday, so we'll see if she gets that!

Zumba was great yesterday! The class was packed and it was a lot of fun! There wasn't as much hip hop as last week, but yesterday's teacher did play her fair share of rihanna, so I can't complain :-) It is so funny to see first-timers reactions to the class as it is a little bit like dancing in a rap video or salsa club. Yesterday a couple of older stay-at-home Mom types were in the class and I thought they were going to die when the teacher told us to get low and "pump it". Seriously, you all need to find a local Zumba class near you ... I know you all will love it !!!

I have now been going to body pump three times a week for three weeks and I can really tell a difference. It's amazing how fast you can see results with this class. I have naturally bony arms so I have really been able to tell some muscle definition.

I have an orthodontist appointment today to fix my retainers. As you all know, I am obsessed with wearing my retainers each night because I am paranoid that my teeth are moving. I am a teeth person and will notice the slightest difference in my teeth if they move even the slightest bit. I DO NOT want to have to get braces again because I had them for SIX years when I was younger. Recently, my top retainer won't even fit anymore and pops out in my sleep. I can normally find it in my hair when I wake up in the morning. I once woke up, put my hair in a ponytail, and ran out to door to aerobics only to find my retainer in my ponytail before class started! haha ... I guess I either take it out or it pops out in my sleep and somehow it gets stuck in my rats nest.

Perfect for St. Patty's

Just wanted to share my perfect St. Patty's outfit. I will be sporting this classic green and white Lilly Pulitzer Jacquard Coat with skinny jeans and TB reva flats! I got this jacket a couple of years ago and have always loved the print. What's your green outfit for today?

More wedding updates :)

Well, I thought I'd start off today's post with some wedding updates- I know you all love these!

First off, I picked up my custom-made cocktail napkins and coozies yesterday. I decided to just get them from the stationary store where I got my invitations. I love them! I went elegant with the napkins ... I think they turned out great. At first I had a pink coozie picked out and quickly learned from the owner of the store that pink coozies don't go over too well with male wedding guests. She informed me that the majority of coozie-lovers will be male and they wouldn't be caught dead using a pink coozie again. Therefore, I chose grey and black with a fun font!



Second- M. Ellen has finished my Memphis maps for my out of town guest baskets. They are simply darling and I cannot wait to tie them on to my welcome baskets.



Gosh, I am just so excited about all of these wedding items. I love this kind of fun stuff :)

"Kreative Blogger" award

I have been tagged by Le Petite and Kentucky Katie for the "Kreativ Blogger" award (I am not sure why the ppl who invented this award spell it that way). Thanks girls! I love y'alls blogs and look forward to reading them each day :)

Here are the rules:

The award rules are as follows:
List 7 things that you love, and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love! Be sure to tag them and let them know that they have won. You can copy the picture of the award and paste it on your sideboard letting the whole world know...you are Kreativ!

Seven things I'm lovin' right now:

1. My wonderful parents who are letting me have the wedding of my dreams :) ps- they LOVE reading my blog and others' as well ... ha!
2. Wedding Planning - I think I should make this a career!
3. My sweet puppies (Miss P, Apple, and Georgina)
4. Classic shift dresses
5. Oxygen facials- they are the best! you simply must try ...
6. Aerobics Classes
7. Decorating my house and yard for holidays (aka Easter, st. patty's, etc.)

Now for 7 bloggers that I just LOVE ...
1. GRITS
2. Monograms & Manicures
3. Paisley & Pearls
4. Petunia in Paradise
5. Bergdorf Blondes
6. Just Lovely Katherine
7. Mostly M. Ellen

Stickers

I just had to share the adorable stickers that M. Ellen designed for my guest favors for my wedding.

Aren't they adorable?

Edit: They are being used to stick on our goodie bags we are giving our guests. They will contain derby themed chocolate items since we are getting married on derby day!

Practice-Up do

I had my practice up-do and make-up trial run yesterday. I was at my salon for FOUR hours. Good thing I had the day off from work. As you all know I loved the bride's updo from "Southern Weddings" that can be found above. We weren't sure what her hair looked like in the back, so my stylist just did her own thing. At first I wasn't sure about all the curls in the back, but I really grew to like them the more and more I looked in the mirror. I just don't want it to look too "promish". Remember, I am going for classic elegance all the way with my wedding. I may switch it just to a simple bun, but at least we got to play around and try some different things :) I love the front though, and thought my stylist did a great job!

Cool Giveaway

Super-cute Monograms, Martinis, & Manahattan is hosting a cute giveaway of these adorable "gemvelopes". How cute are they?

Check out her blog:
Monograms, Martinis, and Manhattan

Bridezilla Emerges ...

Okay, so I have yet to have a true "bridezilla" moment until this morning. I started of my day in a great mood; who wouldn't be glad to get 100 invitations in the mail and out of their hands?

To preface this story -- several people have told me to hand meter my envelopes so they are not fed through the electronic postage meter machine that could possibly mess up the calligraphy, the envelope, etc. I knew this would take some time, but I didn't care because I definitely didn't spend hours making my envelopes perfect for them to just get mooshed into some machine.

This morning, I eagerly march into the post office with my huge bag of invitations and kindly ask to use their postage stamper so that I can manually stamp each of my envelopes. News Flash- the post office no longer allows people to do this. Fine, I was okay with that ... errrr, so maybe it took me a minute to get over it, but whatever ...

Next, I ask my friendly post office man to make sure that my one stamp per envelope (it took me forever to stamp all of those envelopes!) is okay for the weight requirement of my envelope. Please keep in mind that I did this procedure with him TWO days before with all of my enclosures and he assured me that one 42 cent stamp was fine. Second news flash- I now needed to add a 17 cent stamp to each of my envelopes that had already been stamped with a beautiful 42 cent heart stamp. Somehow, in the two days since I had my envelope weighed the weight changed (who knew tissue paper weighed anything?!). Okay, so now I was really getting flustered. Post office friend proceeds to tell me that the only 17 cent stamp they offer is one with a lovely bright blue RAM image ... no hearts, no flowers, my only choice was a freakin' RAM. So, after all of this, I had to go back and add an additional RAM stamp to my beautiful envelopes.

Oh well, I'm over it. I realize my invitation envelopes are trivial in the grand scheme of my wedding. I was just angered at the sudden change in the weight of my envelope that led to me needing to add an additional stamp.

Finally, after sitting in the post office lobby for an hour adding my blue rams, I sent out the dang things this afternoon! Off they went into the unknown dirty "mail bin" that was probably gross and filled with dust!

Let this be a lesson to all of you future brides-to-be ... 1) You can no longer hand meter your stamped envelopes, and 2) Make sure to wait until EVERYTHING is on the envelope to have it weighed because apparently it can change ...

Please get a laugh from this :

My perfect heart stamps:


My RAM stamp:

The fun has begun ...

My dining room table has officially turned into "Wedding Headquarters" ... it is filled with forms, contracts, magazine clippings, and the oh-so-fun INVITATIONS!!!! Has anyone ever tried to stuff over a hundred invitations with super-sore biceps from body pump? It is NOT fun. I have been stuffing all afternoon and still have about 50 to go. I have about 10 Crane & Co navy boxes on my table. Is it bad that I am stuffing every envelope myself because I am that much of a control-freak ... I don't trust anyone else to stuff them as good as I can! LOL ...

Zumba Report

I will now be going to every single Zumba class that they offer at my gym ... this class was AWESOME!!! Basically our teacher compared it to going out and dancing with your girlfriends for an aerobic activity. I am telling you, if you like to dance at all, take this class! She said some teachers stick to the more "latin" salsa feel, but our class was a mixture of hip hop and pop songs with some latin thrown in there.

I love love love to dance and I am telling you that this class was so fun, I barely even felt like I was working out. I will say that it was very intense and if you have problems with choreography or putting small routines together, you probably will be confused the first class. I am sure it will only take you one or two classes to get used to it. I have honestly NEVER sweat so much in a class as I did in Zumba ... reportedly, it burns 600-1000 calories a class.

To Zumba or Not to Zumba?!

Okay, so my partner in crime, Kyle (aka Paisley & Pearls), and I have been on a complete workout kick for the past two weeks. We attend body pump almost every single day, except Tuesday mornings. Why you might ask? Because the 8:30 am time slot is filled with ZUMBA ... the dance aerobics class that is a mixture of different ethnic and tribal dances. I am here to report that Kyle and I are trying Zumba tomorrow morning at 8:30 am ... I am not sure how I feel about "ethnic" dancing that early in the morning, but I will definitely let you all know how it goes ! Just for a giggle, I have attached a you tube video of a "basic" Zumba class ... yikes! Please imagine me doing this early in the morning ... hilarious!

Steal of a Deal

On Saturday I worked a shift at the "Repeat Boutique", which is a second-hand store started by the Junior League of Memphis. The Repeat boutique gets donations from local stores and junior league members. One of the stores that donates to the repeat boutique is Babcock's (where I am registered for my wedding). Babcock's has beautiful china and silver. I was ASTONISHED to show up for my shift on Saturday to see my everyday china in a discontinued pink color at the repeat boutique. A whole place setting (including tea cup and saucer) for just FIFTEEN dollars. I was so excited I snatched it right up and set it aside for myself. I know this is not my color, but I thought the pink might be fun to mix in with my white that I am registered for if I ever have a fun tea party or even for Easter. (these items have never been used, they were a display at Babcock's)

Then, much to my amazement I see STERLING SILVER serving platters that normally retail for over 200 dollars and I got them for a whole SEVEN dollars a piece. I was so excited I could hardly stand it. I also found a tea and creamer set that I snatched up as well. A little polishing and this stuff will be as good as new!!!!