Under the Tree for Me!

Here are a few things that I'm hoping Santa brings me this Christmas!

A monogrammed necklace to adorn my neck!


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All past seasons of White Collar {So I can watch Mr. Bomer anytime I want}!

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The Remington Large Curling Wand! I tried the mini one and it works wonders, however for my long hair I think the large one would be easier!

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 A glass engraved jewelry box with my married monogram! There is something so classic about this and I know it would look beautiful on my dresser!

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Two of these Bergère chairs for our home office!

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I haven't asked Santa for much this year but hope he comes through with a few of these items!

Happy Thursday loves! XOXO! 

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Hey Hey Wednesday! So good to see you!! Only means Friday is that much closer!!! Curious to know what I'm loving today? Welp, you've come to the right place!

1. My dad's birthday today! Yep, the old man is another year older! 51 to be exact! Last year we had a little surprise party for him and from what my brother said last night, Dad has decided to take it easy and not do anything this year! Lord knows he needs some relaxation! I mean being the Captain for the Fire Department and in charge of training a bunch of young bucks has got to be exhausting! Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!!

My Stepmom, Sister, Dad and Brother with me during our Wedding Reception! 

2. The fact that I know of two people who I've gotten hooked on White Collar! Yes my dear loves, Kelly and Brandi have become addicted to the show! Brandi even texted me last night informing me that she almost freaked on her hubby because he almost deleted the taping of the summer finale!! I will say this... if she hadn't figured it out already, Mrs. Brandi is in for a shocking surprise when she watches it!! I'm just bummed I've got to wait to January to have my Tuesday night dates with Mr. Bomer!

3. Seeing the first drafts and workings of my new blog design!! Oh how excited I am! The title looks freaking fabulous and I can't wait to see what my designer has in store for the rest! Ashlyn and I are hoping to kick it off on Novemeber 1st! So be on the look out! Gaaaaah! I seriously can't wait to reveal it to all of you!

4. Going dark for Fall! Yep Yep Yep... I'm officially going dark, dark hair that is for the Fall and hopefully for eternity! I've decided the blonde/dirty blonde just isn't my thing anymore and I definitely prefer my brunette locks over bleached ones! It's easier to maintain, looks richer and healthier, and is honestly, my true natural hair color! I'm all about excepting myself, natural color and all!

5. Fall Candles! I've been burning them like crazy in the house and I love how our home smells! So very cozy and full of scents like, pumpkin, apple cider, cinnamon and spice, vanilla, and pecan pralines! I actually plan on stocking up on more scents tonight when I head to good ole Wally World to pick up a few items! Their large jar candles {think Yankee size} are actually fabulous smelling AND way cheaper than Yankee! I'm still trying to figure out why I only burn candles in the Fall and Winter though!! Not a huge candle burner in the warm months!

Hope y'all are having an awesome week so far and that if you were in the wake of those crazy storms on the East coast yesterday that you all are safe and sound! Happy Wednesday my loves!

Lastly, if you follow me on Instagram and happened to like my dinner last night, come back tomorrow as I'll be posting the easy peasy recipe!

XoXo,

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Why does it seem that Wednesday's always creep up on me?! Not that I am complaining! I just feel like I did last week's What I'm Loving Wednesday post yesterday!!! What am I loving this week?! Take a look!

1. Not having bought my lunch in over two weeks! Yes, I am proud of this! One because I am not eating bad fast food or junk food. Two because I know I'm saving some money! Maybe I'll actually be able to put some money into savings since I'm not spending it eating out!!

Currently what my lunches consist of and left overs too!

2. Virginia Tech winning their season opening game Monday night against Georgia Tech! I was avoiding watching the game there for a bit, but our Hokie boys did us right and won the game in over time! Poor hubby fell asleep during the game, but no, not I! I stayed up watching it, quietly yelling at the TV, throwing my hands up and literally almost jumping out of the bed at points! College football is serious in our house, especially Hokie football!

3. Organix Moroccan Argan Oil. I've been using this on my hair for about two weeks now and can definitely tell a difference! My hair is softer, not as frizzy, and seems to cooperate a bit better! I don't know if it's really fixing my split ends, as I believe they are so far beyond repair, but I like the silkiness that it's giving my tresses!

4. Hearing my favorite songs on the radio during morning rush hour traffic! There is just something about hearing some of your favorite songs while in the car! It makes for better travels when you're stuck in traffic! It relaxes me and always makes the commute a more pleasurable experience!

5. A sweet text from my neighbor! My neighbor is much more than a neighbor! She is a friend and I have greatly enjoyed getting to know her over the last 3 years! She texted me this morning thanking me for a few things I helped her out with this past weekend! It wasn't just the text that made my day, it was warm fuzzy feeling I had knowing I helped someone who needed it!

Hope y'all are having spectacular Wednesdays!!!!

XoXo,

Weekend Recap!

As many of you are experiencing, the temperatures have been a scorcher which makes me want to do nothing but stay indoors in the air conditioning. That's pretty much what we did this weekend!

Friday evening we did join the hubby's grandmother, mom, aunt, uncle and cousin for dinner. It was nice to be with all of them and catch up. The best part was when Grand was scrolling through photos on my IPhone {she was looking at Baby Reef} and came across a photo of me without ANY makeup on. Her response to said photo "WHOA that is not a good photo of you"! Hahaha if this had been any other person I very well would have been offended, but I've always appreciated Grand's honesty and "say it like it is" attitude. All I really could do was laugh and agree with her as it was a pretty heinous photo!

Saturday, we literally did nothing! Napped for a lot of the day. I mean it was just too hot to do anything but! I mean I guess I could have cleaned a bit but let's be real... who wants to do that?! Not me! That evening we did head out for some sushi and froyo! Saturday evenings are really starting to turn into stellar little date nights! I like it!

Yesterday, we were actually a bit productive! We FINALLY bought the bed frame for our mattress, finally bought a bed skirt, and even bought new sheets and pillows! Yay for sleeping!! I love how the bed is lifted and the room looks more like a Master bedroom and not a college frat house bedroom! We also made a little stop at Pet Smart as Baby Reef has quite an irritating "hot spot" in his private region! The poor pup has licked it raw! We can tell he is ridiculously uncomfortable and I feel beyond bad for him! We picked up some treatment gel for it and I've been cleaning it twice a day and trying to prevent him from messing with it {I'm thinking we are going to have to put an Elizabethan collar on him for a few days}. We also have been giving him Benedryl to help with the itching and irritation! I wish so badly I could be at home with him today! He is such a little cuddle bug when he isn't feeling well and this morning was no exception! It was difficult for me to get up with him curled up next to me!

Havent seen this made in some time!

Comfort! Now we just need a headboard!

No Longer on the Floor!!!!

I've been contemplating going back brunette for the last few weeks now! I like the blonde but it is sooo high maintenance. My roots grow out in two weeks and to me it just begins to look bad after that! Being my natural color is much less work and it has actually grown on me a lot the last few years... maybe that's why I wanted to go back?! Anywho I stopped and picked up a box of color {my stepmother is going to kill me - Love you Wendy!} and got to work last night! I left it on for about an hour and it came out a dirty blondish/brown color! It is lighter than I expected BUT I think it may work well for the summer! I'm sure it will fade in another week so I may be redoing it next week! I have no doubt I'll go much darker once fall arrives, but so far I like it! Now if the hubby would just approve. He likes me blonde! Maybe because I was Barbie blonde when we first met, who knows!

Old Color - Blonde

New Color - Light Brown!

For the Fall!

I'd say we had a pretty uneventful weekend, but I seriously LOVE those kinds of weekends. Hope you lovebugs had an amazing weekend and are having a Happy Monday!!!

XoXo,

Our Wedding Day - Getting Ready!

Happy Tuesday love bugs! I am so excited this morning as today's post is all about the "getting ready" process of our wedding day!

All of my bridesmaids, myself, and my mom headed out to Remedies Salon and Spa bright and early on the morning of the wedding! My stepmother is a lead stylist there and graciously offered for the salon to host a light brunch for us and to do ALL of our hair! Once we left the salon we ventured back to the wedding site {also my childhood home} to continue getting ready! I was lucky enough to have a bridesmaid who is also a stellar makeup artist {check out Sarah from Kiss and Makeup here}. She made me feel absolutely beautiful and I can't thank her enough for sharing her talent with me! The boys spent the day swimming and lounging out at my mom's best friend's house, which happened to be a mile down the road! Needless to say they had a less stressful getting ready process than us gals! Guys have it sooooo easy!!

Vendors showcased in this post:
Wedding Gown: David's Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Maya Couture ~ Alfred Sung of The Dessy Group
Groomsmen suits: Maya Couture 
Groomsmen ties: The Dessy Group
Hair: Remedies Salon and Spa
Makeup: Sarah Smith with Kiss & Makeup
Photographer: Dana Duncan Photography

Make sure you stop by tomorrow to see the ceremony!!! Have a terrific Tuesday!!! Don't forget to enter the Target Gift Card Give Away!

XoXo,

My Hair Routine - Straight Biz!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend and took a few moments to really reflect on why we have such a weekend!

I get asked a lot about what products I use on my hair, especially when I straighten it! I figured I would share my straightening hair routine with yall on this lovely Tuesday!!

To start, I wash my hair with Head and Shoulders Smooth and Silky 2 +1 Shampoo and Conditioner. I don’t use this for “flakes” I just find that it keeps my scalp healthy and my products from building up!

I then condition my hair with Suave Keratin Infusion Smoothing Conditioner. I really am not picky about my conditioner. I usually pick up one that hydrates, smoothes, or both.

Once I’m out of the shower, I towel dry my hair, brush through it and spray Aussie Aussome Volume Spray Gel onto my roots. Then I spray TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray all over from root to ends.

When blow drying I usually flip my head over until it is pretty much dry and once it is about 95% done I flip back over and use a large paddle brush to smooth it out. After that I just section my hair and run my flat iron through each piece until straight.

This whole process takes about 30 – 45 minutes {One of the BIGGEST reasons why I only wash my hair twice a week}. Regardless of the time I’m really glad I have finally found hair products {that are inexpensive} that allow me to style my hair the way I want. I really believe a huge part of it is the shampoo! It helps the smoothing and straightening of my hair when blow drying and keeps it from becoming frizzy!

Hope you darlings are having a lovely 4 day week so far!! Come visit tomorrow for What I'm Loving Wednesday!!

Xoxo,

Dry Shampoo Review

For those of you who may not realize it, I have thick long naturally curly hair. Of course, like most, we always want what we can't have, so I spend A LOT of time flat ironing it to make it slick straight! This process probably takes about 30 minutes and when you include the time of washing my hair and blow drying it, my “getting ready hair routine” totals about a full hour! That’s a lot of time, which does not include makeup and getting dressed! When all is said in done, it takes about an hour and a half to two hours for me to get ready from start to finish! This being said, I don’t wash my hair everyday. I’ve actually gotten it to the point that I can wash it twice a week! Some may say “Eww gross” others may say “WOW, that’s awesome”, either way, dry shampoo has been a life saver and extends my unwashed hair to day four without looking dirty or greasy!

About a year and a half ago I started hearing and seeing advertisements for Dry Shampoo. I had heard of this in years prior, but it seemed that Salon brands, like Bumble & Bumble were the only lines that sold it. Not to mention I had a hard time hunting it down AND paying $30.00 or more for a small bottle. Then Tresemme came out with a Dry Shampoo line! I immediately hit up my local Wally World {a.k.a. Wal Mart} and bought a can. At $5.99 you really can’t go wrong! If it didn’t work, I wasn’t losing out on it! To much of my surprised it worked super well! It had refreshing smell and kept my hair from looking like I stepped out of The Outsiders movie! It was definitely a time saver {I mean hello, I need all the extra time I can get}.

First Runner Up!

After reading some blog reviews on another brand of dry shampoo, I decided to give it a whirl. In comes, Salon Graffix and it is actually a tad bit cheaper than Tresemme ringing in at a whopping $3.99! However, I was less than impressed with this one! It has a horrible smell and I felt it didn’t give me coverage. At least with Tresemme, I could see the powdery substance settle on my roots before brushing it through. Salon Graffix, not so much! After using it, I decided this was not the dry shampoo for me, and I would be switching back to Tresemme as soon as my SG bottle was empty.

Third Place

Much to my surprise, I have not switched back to Tresemme, because {duhn, duhn, duhn} I found Suave Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo. Holy heck, I’ve finally found my bowl of “just right porridge” only in dry shampoo form! This one is the cheapest of the three and totals around $3.50 a bottle. I can see the coverage before I brush it through my hair and it smells absolutely amazing!!! I’ve only been using it for a week and a half but I know I won’t be switching back or trying anything else! This is the one for me! Perfect fit!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! 

If you are looking for a dry shampoo to get you an extra day or two of not having to wash your hair I would definitely recommend Suave and Tresemme! They are both budget friendly and absolutely work! Side Note, if you have darker hair I would stick with Suave as the Tresemme has a white residue that tends to show up more on you brunette beauties! Either way, I don’t think you can go wrong with either of the two!

I wanted to thank Nikki again from The Pink Growl, for stopping by and guest blogging yesterday!! Thank you also to the gorgeous gals who left their sweet comments for Nikki!! Hope you all are having a fabulous Friday!!! Enjoy your weekend and I'll see you on Monday!!!

XoXo,

*** In no way shape or form am I paid or compensated by Suave, Tresemme, Salon Graffix, or Bumble&Bumble for my dry shampoo reviews. This post was based on my own experience and opinion of the products mentioned above. ***