Betsy's Great Advice for Y'all Daydreaming of Summer!

I'll be honest, I have no idea how this sweet little lady and I became blogging buddies! Isn't it funny how some people enter your life and you simply can't recall how or when? Yep, that's pretty much how it rolls with Betsy and myself! I'm crazy excited to share her and her post with you today, as I have no doubt the majority of us are daydreaming on the regular of the warmer months that lie ahead! Sit back, sip on a pina colada {or pretend to} and enjoy this southern gals advice and be sure to visit her and say hi! She's currently planning her wedding and trying to juggle life while doing so! 

Hello everyone! I'm Betsy and I blog over at Simply Southern! I'm so happy to be over here in Mrs. Lauran’s corner of the world today.

 

Today I am going to talk about summer…I am so ready for it to be here, now!

We are going on vacation {to the beach!!} in about two months and I can barely stand the wait.

I am going to show you some of my must haves while at the beach.

First up is Burt’s Bees Chap stick – I love this stuff. I have it on me at all times, especially when out in the sun.  It does the lip wonders.

Next is a hat. Now not just any hat, you need the cute floppy one. There are all different styles and colors to choose from when picking out a hat. Here are some examples that I like…

Then of course, you can’t forget the monogram ;)

If you’re like me, you bring a lot of stuff with you to the beach, and you don’t want to be lugging all that around in your arms, so you need a beach bag, a cute beach bag. I found these two on Etsy {love that place!}

Large Chevron Beach Bag

Love the color of this one too.

Canvas Beach Tote Bags

I also carry this little thing with me too.

ID Case

It is easier than carrying a whole purse along too. And it has enough room for your ID, your debit/credit card, and some cash too. 

Then of course you need something to lay on…and you don’t want some measly old towel that you have had for forever. You need something that will withstand all that sun bathing you will be doing, ha!

I love this color combo and size of this towel from Target.

I found this website that will monogram just about anything on their website for only $5. And yes, that includes beach towels.

{ See a theme here? What can I say, I am a southern girl, and we southern girls like our monograms! }

Now wouldn’t this one go perfect with that chevron beach bag? I’m just sayin’.

Here is another must have in my book…a cooler.

Beach Cooler

You will need something to keep your snacks and water beverages cold while you are out having fun on the beach.

You might also want a pair of sunglasses to shield your eyes from all the…hotness. 

I have a pair similar to this by Steve Madden, and I love them! I have had them a few years now and they are still my favorite pair.

Now when I head to the beach, I will also have my Nook in tow with me, as well as some magazines and anything else that I will need to keep me entertained as well as WJ too. He is so not a beach person, but loves me so much that we are getting to vacation there! 

Now I know I probably got your hopes up with this post and you are probably ready for summer as much as I am not. Sorry not sorry. C’mon summer!!!

Thanks for having me Lauran, I really appreciate it and ladies feel free to stop by anytime! :)

  Isn't she just a doll?! I'm pretty much obsessed with everything she posted especially the floppy hats and the monogrammed beach bags! As she stated, monograms are a must for any southern gal but you other nationwide gals can and should join in the monogram fun too! What are your must haves for the beach, pool, lake, or river?! I pretty sure Miss Betsy covered it all except one thing!! Don't y'all forget that sunscreen ;) Keep that skin safe and beautiful! Be sure to visit Betsy's blog, she has a fabulous give-a-way going on with all of her favorite things! You will definitely want to enter to win it!  XoXo! 
If you missed my post Tuesday, please take a a moment to read it here! We are still accepting donations and would love for you to assist in helping us raise money to help find a cure for Alzheimer's! Follow this link and just click on the green donate button!  Every little bit helps! Even if it's $1.00! 

Friday's Letters!

Well, Well, Well, Heeeeellllllllllooooooo Friday! How fabulous it is to see you! It's nuts how short work weeks end up feeling like the longest work weeks of my life! I think I would prefer to work the normal five days than have a holiday because it just means I am going to come in on Tuesday to twice as much work and then have to play catch up all week! Regardless, Friday is here, the week is over, and I'm pretty excited to not have a loaded weekend staring me in the face! I think a beer tasting may be in the works tonight for a fun little date night for the hubby and I! Y'all know I am trying to be more creative with our date nights so we shall see! For now though, I just have some Friday Letters for ya! Enjoy my rambling thoughts!

Via

Dear Forever Young, Has anyone seen the advertisements for this? Probably not since most folks my age don't watch TV Land! Anywho, they put young twenty something-year-olds in a house with elderly folks and they learn to live and have fun together for a certain length of time! I think it looks pretty entertaining!!! I really believe we young bucks could learn some valuable lessons from the old and wise and I think the old and wise could learn to have more fun from us young bucks! I'm pretty sure that's the direction of this new show! I am quite curious to see how the two age groups handle one another! Dear U.S. Department of State, Do I really need to renew my passport if all of my IDs and my Social Security number are in my married name but my passport is in my maiden name? I am highly annoyed with myself that I've just realized this "problem" and I am supposed to be booking our Jamaican trip today! If the travel agent needs the "names as they appear on our passports" in order to book the flights, than does it really matter?! Ugh and to think I may have to pay the renewal fee too?! Hopefully, if I do have to renew it, it won't take the full twelve weeks to get it back! Dear YAAA!, I was really excited to join your organization and represent a group of young adults doing something insanely awesome for a great cause. Now,  I am even more excited to officially be serving you as your Social Media and Press Chairperson! This is an unbelievable opportunity for me and I can't wait to hit the ground running!! Dear Groopdealz, It is quite possible that I am addicted to you and your fun deals, especially when it comes to all of the costume bracelets and jewelry!!! I need my pay-pal account to disappear so it's not as easy to feed my new obsession! Dear Followers, I promise, promise, promise that I am still doing my favorite things give-a-way soon! I slowly keep picking up goodies and I am unsure of when to stop! I will tell you this, there are some fun items included and I can't wait to kick it off! I'm thinking early March, so be on the lookout!!!

Hope all of you pretties are having a fabulous week and that you have an even more stellar weekend!!! See you Monday!!! XoXo!

Our Colonial Williamsburg Weekend Get-A-Way!

I shared with you in my Friday Letter's that the hubby was whisking me away to a weekend get-a-way and if you follow along with my daily adventures on Instagram, you know that he took me to Colonial Williamsburg! I have a slight love affair with this historic place and have so, since I was probably eight years old! I will never regret falling madly in love with my American Girl Doll, Felicity, who was from Williamsburg in 1774 and the books that shared her life with me! This weekend was so special as it allowed me to experience a very nostalgic place with the person who means the absolute world to me!

The hubby made reservations for us at The Fife & Drum Inn, which is an adorable bed and breakfast right in the heart of downtown Williamsburg! We were adjacent to the shops and restaurants in Merchant's Square and right across the street from William and Mary. It was insanely convenient for everything we wanted to to do!

Inside, the inn was extremely quaint and the decor was that of the 18th Century. Breakfast both mornings was simple but delightful and pretty darn southern. Blueberry french toast casserole, egg and herb frittata, fruit, ham biscuits, bacon, biscuits and jam, milk, orange juice, coffee, and tea! Sharing it with you all now is making my mouth water! The main dinning room of the inn hosted the buffet style breakfast and we were able to join the other guests for simple dining.


Main entrance



Foyer

Entering the Dining Room

Another view!

Our room was a sweet suite consisting of a beautiful four poster bed, pine floors, and access to the back porch, where we got to watch the snow fall! The bedding was simplistic but insanely comfortable with the right amount of warmth and softness! It was one of those beds that was really hard to get out of!

First room with a twin bed.

Looking into the bathroom.

 

Gorgeous and heavenly four poster bed!

Another view of sink and shower!

Another view of that oh-so-comfy bed!

We arrived to the Inn Friday evening around eight! After getting settled we decided to grab a bite to eat at the Dog Street Pub! This pub is best known for it's casual cuisine with an English accent! The hubby dug into, what appeared to be a pretty fabulous Dog Street Burger. I, on the other hand, feasted on Chickpea Hummus with toasted croutons as well as Welsh Rarebit and we shared an Iceberg Salad topped with the best homemade bleu cheese dressing I've ever had! I'm pretty sure the food was fantastic, though I was so hungry, dirt may have been fantastic at that point! After dinner we made our way back to the inn and headed to bed!

Saturday we woke up early, 7:30 to be exact! We had breakfast, came back to our room to get ready, layered on clothes to prepare ourselves for the wintery mix of weather coming our way and then headed out to explore! Merchant's Square has amazing shops and stores including Williamsburg Home,  Binns, and The Silver Vault Ltd. All kinds of goodies to accommodate everyone! I did pass up a faux fur vest at a steal of a price at Binns, which I could kick myself for now! Sometimes I hate that I am not an impulsive shopper {I have to over analyze every purchase}!

Merchant's Square!

After visiting many of the shops in the square we headed down Duke of Gloucester to my favorite part of Williamsburg! We strolled under our umbrella, awkwardly trying not to trip each other up or poke one another's eye out with the umbrella tips, and popped into a few general stores! I'm quite sure one of my most favorite "smells" is that of the stores in Colonial Williamsburg! It's a mixture of the wood floors, rosemary lavendar soaps, and allspice! I need to work on creating this smell in my own home!

Literally my favorite place on Earth!

The Gentleman's Garden

Wouldn't be a trip without the Governor's Palace!

Colorful ribboned straw hats

Tavern's and general stores!

We hope to build a home with the same colonial architecture elements as many seen here!

 

When the rain really started to kick in and the temperatures began to drop we decided to grab lunch at the cutest but busiest sandwich shop I've been in! The amount of people in The Cheese Shop rivaled that of a deli in Times Square! We ordered simple smoked turkey sandwiches, with our choice of cheese {me: Havarti; the hubby: provolone} on french bread, chips and a beverage! A pretty basic lunch but it was delicious! After downing our meals and washing them down with our drinks we decided, with the yucky weather, to take a nap. Never in our thoughts did we think that little nap would turn into a 4.5 hour nap! I would like to assume that it was because we were so beyond relaxed we just couldn't wake up!

 

Once we woke from hibernating we got spiffy for our dinner date at Berret's Seafood Restaurant! Before heading to dinner we stopped into Aromas, a local coffee shop to have a drink! Maddie over at Tinge of Whimsy recommended that I try the Wine Smoothies, so that I did! It was so refreshing even with the snow outside! After enjoying our pregame beverages we headed on to Berret's where we really indulged ourselves! Talk about mouthwatering dishes! We had bacon wrapped shrimp stuffed with Gouda for a starter, I had salmon stuffed with lobster and crab meat, served over white cheddar mashed potatoes, and a vegetable medley while the hubby had a seafood trio of dolphin, shrimp, and a crab and crawfish cake served over dirty rice with a creole sauce! We then finished dinner off with a s'more dessert made of a rich chocolate ganache, graham crackers, and marshmallow cream! After filling our tummies to max capacity we headed out {in the snow} and made our trek back to the inn! Walking in heels on cobblestone streets, in a snowstorm, with a hubby who can't control an umbrella in the wind is quite entertaining to say the least! Luckily we made it safely to our destination unscathed!    

We clean up pretty well!

Close up - bad lighting - self timer - still learning my new camera!

Snow view from the Inn!

A little game of checkers?! The hubby kicked my booty at this game!

Sunday morning we had breakfast and really got moving as we wanted to visit the Williamsburg Outlet Mall on our way home! We perused the outlets and purchased a few items including some Underarmor work-out gear and head bands for me, the Oakley's the hubby has been coveting for, for baseball season, and a Kate Spade surprise for my blogging give-a-way! Once we were worn out from our shopping adventures we headed home to sweet Baby Reef and were greeted with lots of tail wagging and sloppy kisses!!!

We, honestly, really needed this weekend to distance ourselves from all our activities and responsibilities and just reconnect with each other! I think it is extremely important for couples to do this at least once a year, if not more! Get away from the job, the kids, the chores, the house, the normal everyday responsibilities and focus 100% on one another! Without reconnecting you eventually lose yourselves in all your other activities and that can do serious damage down the road. Taking some significant time for the two of you is crucial to your relationship and growth and I am beyond thankful I am able to spend time strengthening our marriage with trips like this! If you are ever looking to visit Colonial Williamsburg I would highly recommend The Fife & Drum Inn for your accomodations!!



Iphone Photos - Clockwise: The Blue Talon {an adorable French Restaurant}; The Restoration {Our Room}; Raspberry Flavored Macaroon from Aromas; Strolling the streets of Colonial Williamsburg; My Kate Spade gold bow ring and surprise for my blog give-way; New Underarmor head bands; a Peach Pizazz Wine Smoothie from Aroma's; The hallway of the Inn; An entire display of Macaroons; The view of the James River on the way home; Us waiting for our table at The Dog Street Pub!

Thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers! I hope to update you soon on what is going on!! We still do not have many answers but are hopeful that all is well and it was am incident that hopefully did not cause more severe underlying issues! Please just continue to keep my family in your prayers... I know without a doubt they are working! Happy Tuesday or Work day Monday {if you had yesterday off! XoXo!



Friday's Letters!

I trust that all of you had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday! Some of you were popped a very important question that was accompanied but a shiny diamond, some of you were traveling to far away adventures, others of you were being pampered and spoiled by your one and onlys {thank you Instagram for allowing me to take peeks inside so many worlds}! We had a very quiet heart day that included cards for each other and a sweet little gift for Reef, dinner, and the hubby coaching his last basketball game of the season {now it's on to baseball season}! No roses, no candy, no bubble baths, no wine or bubbly, no fuss... only because the hubby {he planned this all on his very own} is whisking me away this weekend for some rest and relaxation at a Bed & Breakfast! I can't wait to recap you all on our trip Monday! For now though, enjoy my Friday Letters!

Via

Dear Weekend Get-A-way, I am beyond excited to spend some quality time with the hubby this weekend without sport practices, the furrbaby, or other obligations that ask for our undivided attention! I know you will provide us with some romance but please provide us with some decent weather too! I hear shopping will be involved on this trip as well! Alone with the hubby surrounded by romance and limitless shopping?! Sounds like a perfect Valentine celebration in my book! Dear Family, Friends, Fans, and Fellow Bloggers, I really enjoyed seeing all of your Heart Day gifts yesterday through Facebook, Twitter, Blog Posts, Instagram, and Vine! Your sweethearts sure did do you all right with the bountiful amounts of flowers, candy, dinner dates -both home and out, sweet gestures, and cards! I love that all of you were spoiled as you should be and that you all spoiled your significant other just as much!  Dear Monday the 18th, I am beyond excited that you are a holiday and I don't have to go into work! I foresee sleeping in past 8, more purging, organizing, and donating, a few errands, and the gym! Nothing crazy to say the least but the perfect time to get things done! Dear Health Insurance Company, I am really going to need you to get your act together. I don't see how my doctor moving to another practice is rocket science. I also don't understand how I was told 2 weeks ago that my information was updated yet when I called yesterday you informed me that no record of the request was in the system! Grrrr! Get it right Anthem, get it right!  Dear Brain, I am going to need you to either slow down OR start remembering EVERYTHING I think of!! There are moments when I have brilliant ideas and I fail to write them down and then I FORGET them! This is unacceptable! If I do not have a pen and pad available or my phone, please please please allow me to remember the genius idea I thought of! I'm pretty sure I've missed out on some fantastic opportunities because I just couldn't flipping remember!!

Happy Friday, Happy Weekend, and Happy President's Day!!!! XoXo!

New Month = New Goals - February 2013 Mini Goals

 With a new month comes a new set of goals! Some are repeated from the previous month, especially if I did not do well at accomplishing certain ones. Listing these out 10 at a time are much easier for me to work through and putting them in print allows my readers to hold me accountable! Who wants to fail at 10 goals? Not me! Check out what I am hoping to accomplish this LOVELY month of February!

Via

1. Purge and Organize the house, one room at a time. Donate all to Goodwill. This is a repeat of last month! Our home is in serious need of purging and organization! I am almost willing to take photos of our disaster of a home and show you just how bad it really is, if I could ever get over the embarrassment!

2. Finish reconstructing resume. I would like to have this accomplished by the end of the month so I can really start applying to new careers! I have some serious career goals and I want to reach them within the next year, if possible! Without the reconstructed resume I don't see myself moving anytime soon!

3. Schedule actual planned date nights with the hubby! I hate saying "schedule" since it sounds like we have to fit in time or dates with each other! When I say schedule I mean, just plan fun date nights whether it's ice skating, or bowling, or even a picnic on the living room floor! Just make date nights different and not the typical dinner and a movie date!

4. Book our June trip to Jamaica. This is a MUST! I mean there are no if, ands, or buts about it! I hope to accomplish this, this week!

5. Have at least one girls night with any or all of my gal pals. I could probably count on one hand how many trustworthy girlfriends I have. However, the majority of the gals on that one hand live about 30 minutes away! Some have children which takes up much of their time! I also lead a hectic life too so getting together is more difficult than I would like it to be! These gals are important to me and I really want to make an effort to spend more time with them! I am a firm believer that family comes first {the reason why I do spend so much time with Todd and our families} but friends are important in ones life too and I need to make sure they know they are important to me.

6. Arrive on time to work, every morning! This is something that needs continual work! Out of 20 days in January I made it on time nine of those days! That is REALLY good for me if you know my track record with getting to work on time!

7. Save my bonus and then some to purchase a long coveted luxury item I have been eyeing for a few years! I will be receiving a bonus this month that I've known about it for a few weeks now. Because I have known about it I've been thinking about what to do with it! I could save it yes, but I could also treat myself to a rewarding gift. I've planned to put it to the side and save a bit more and hopefully splurge on an item I've been eyeing for a few years! If/when I purchase it, I have no doubt I will share it with you! Until then... mum is the word.

8. Stop expecting so much out of others. I know that if I stop expecting so much from others I would save myself a lot of disappointment. I'm at the point in my life where I can tell who is there and who is not. If I don't expect anything from you I can no longer be upset by your actions or lack there of! Once I accept that some people are a waste of my time and energy, the better off I will be.

9. Stay off the phone and computer on evenings we are both home. As great as technology can be, it can also be a huge distraction in relationships! How can you connect with one another when you're constantly looking at your phone or scrolling away on the computer! It really does inhibit communication when you can't put it to the side or turn it off for a few hours! I know our relationship will thank us for it! Time to unplug and truly focus on conversation with one another. Now if only I could get us away from dinner in front of the television!

10. Leave more "honey do" lists to relieve myself of some responsibilities. I am SO bad at putting everything on my plate and not delegating tasks for the hubby to handle. I have the mindset that I can do it all, when in reality, I NEED help! I have to learn that my husband is here to help me, however he can't help me if he doesn't know what I need help with! He can't read my mind as much as I wish he could! ha! I need to try harder at giving him more responsibilities with things around the house whether it's, chores, upkeep, finances, etc. When kids are thrown into the mix, I know, no matter how hard I try, I won't be able to "do it all" so I might as well help myself now to avoid a mess in the future!

What do y'all think of monthly goals?! Are any of you striving to accomplish some things this month?! You know I'm always eager to hear what y'all are up too!!! I do also hope you all are recovering well from a fantastic Super Bowl Sunday!! Come back tomorrow if you'd like to see my favorite Game Day commercials! XoXo!

Visit Me!

Hello Hello Hello! I have a little surprise for y'all today! I am guest posting over at Hot Mess Mommie! So, head over and see what Southern VA has to offer its visitors!! If you've never been to the Southeastern part of Virginia you will definitely want to read this post and take notes on some great spots to check out!

I've also, finally, created a Facebook Page for The Real Housewife of Southern VA! Be sure to 'Like' it  to get blog updates via the Facebook world!

Happy Tuesday my darlings - and remember to be inspired today! XoXo!

Via

2012 ~ A Year in Review!

I feel like it was just yesterday we were celebrating the New Year for 2012 and now here we are staring 2013 in the face! Can time slow down please?! 2012 was a fabulous year in the Harrell household and I am more than excited to see what 2013 has in store for us!

In January, we threw my mom a HUGE 50th Birthday party!!! It was a success and she was beyond thrilled to celebrate such a milestone with her friends and family!

In February, we celebrated our 6th Valentines day together and 2 years of being engaged!

In March, I began blogging regularly which has opened lots of opportunities for future endeavors!

In April, our wedding day was featured on Heart Love Weddings!

In May, we made our modeling debut in a local magazine publication, Suffolk Living Magazine! It was beyond fun and surreal to see ourselves in a printed publication! The hubby was also promoted at work!

In June, we celebrated our first year Wedding Anniversary with a Annimoon trip to Charleston, South Carolina. This city quickly became my favorite place in the states! We documented our trip with a photo shoot by the fantastic Dana Cubbage Photography! I was also promoted at my place of employment!

Our wedding day shoes, our toasting flutes, and our wedding video! 

In July, we celebrated the hubby's 26th birthday with a weekend trip to D.C. to see his team, the Braves, play the Nationals! We also celebrated Baby Reef's 1st birthday with a pool party at his brother's house!

In August, we joined my in-laws in Emerald Isle for their yearly family summer vacation! My best friend also came down to visit for a weekend and we celebrated the engagement of two dear friends!

In September, we bought a new car!

In October, we traveled to the hubby's Alma Mater, Hampden-Sydney College for our third annual Homecoming weekend, with his baseball buddies and their wives!

In November, I cooked my first Thanksgiving Day turkey and pumpkin cheesecake which both turned out to be delicious! We also attended our first black tie event!

In December, we celebrated my 28th birthday and our 2nd married Christmas together!

I can already see 2013 being a fantastic year for us and I truly hope 2013 brings millions of blessings to all of you! Thank-you for making this past year so much sweeter - see you lovely fans next year ;) !!!!

"For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, We'll take a cup o'kindess yet, for auld lang syne!"