We Pulled a Switch-a-roo and Love Sam Steele Ponder Too!

I've come to the conclusion, that upon first glance, my Thursday posts titles will NEVER make sense and I'm okay with that! With that being said, I'm ridiculously stoked about my guest today!!! I know I've shared that I've made many blogging buddies through Instagram, but this gal and I share a unique IG friendship! We met through Samantha {then Steele} now Ponder. Don't know who she is?! Well, she has my dream job and is an ESPN broadcaster! She also married Christian Ponder, the Minnesota Vikings QB on my birthday this past year! If you want to know the rest of the story, you'll have to wait till the end of the post because I'm dying to introduce Taylor to you!!!! Enjoy this girly girl! She's a fashionista who shares my love for classic pieces, her furrbaby, Princess Kate and a cute pair of Hunter Wellies too! 

*********************

Hi friends!

I’m Taylor from The Taylor Diary! I am a non-profit fundraiser during the day and am fashion and beauty obsessed by night…well, during the day too! I am a newlywed and a dog mom….a really obnoxious dog mom. I was a Fashion major in college and after graduation I worked as a shoe buyer in St. Louis, Missouri for a large online shoe retailer called shoes.com. It was a wonderful job but being from Kansas City originally, I decided to head home and be a little adventurous. Okay, A LOT adventurous. I opened my own boutique in downtown Kansas City and worked…and worked…and worked for three years straight. Overworked. Needless to say, that is why I am doing what I do now. (non-profit fundraising and event planning)

I decided to start my own blog after I got married (who doesn’t these days?!?) just to keep my creative juices flowing. My job is so much business during the day that I needed a little bit of fun and flirty on the side. When you visit my blog, you will see my ramblings, your typical outfit of the day posts, and lots and lots of beauty reviews. I’m serious. I love trying new beauty products and am always dying to share the latest and greatest with my readers.

However, now that spring is here and the days are longer (and much warmer) there will be a lot more fashion and a little less gabbing. Kansas City had one of the worst winters in a long time and it is really hard taking outfit photos in 24 inches of snow. You wouldn’t have been able to see the shoes! And those are sometimes the most important! Right?!?

I love new Instagram friends. (Just ask Lauran. It is how we met!) So stop by and follow me @THETAYLORDIARY.

I decided to put together a fun, spring outfit for y’all today. I love a girlie lace top, printed pants and statement extras because they make for a totally unique mix of pattern and texture, coincidentally one of spring’s hottest trends.

What I’m wearing:

Lace top: Karlie

Printed pants: asos.com (Vila Clothes)

Shoes: Emilio Pucci

Clutch: Sondra Roberts

necklace: Anthropologie

Lipstick: MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Sunny Seoul 

I want to give a huge thanks to Lauran for letting me take over her blog. It has been a blast being an honorary Real Young Housewife correspondent today! Head on over to my blog and see what Lauran has to say. We swapped! 

Xoxo,

**********************************

Is she not super adorable?! I know without a doubt if we lived closer we would be the bestest of friends!! I definitely could use her help in the fashion department, that's for sure! I've even used some of her IG posts as inspiration for my own outfits {I'm still working on finding my inner fashionista}! You really have to pay her blog a visit now, especially, to find out more about our initial meeting!!! It'll give you a chance to check out some cheaper cosmetic alternatives that I've come across recently too!!! Head on over and pay me a visit! 

Hope you darlings are having a bright and happy Thursday! Almost to the weekend! 

XoXo,

Crafts on the To Do List!

Thanks to Pinterest, I am forever adding crafts to my To Do list! Have I done any of them?! I'm pretty sure I haven't, but let's be real for a moment. The point of Pinterest is to inspire us and give us ideas on new meals to cook, new outfit combinations to try, new home decorations to create, and do-it-yourself gifts and projects to make. There really is an unlimited  amount of ideas you can pin and draw inspiration from!

Since I haven't really followed through with any of my DIY crafts or home decor pins, I'm making it a point to, hopefully, in the coming months work on creating some pieces I've added to my boards! I don't want to set myself up for failure so I'm not going to try anything that will be too intense or expensive {I'm on a super severe spending freeze at the moment}. Those big projects will have to wait, however, the ones that are easy on the pocket and time are what I'm hoping to accomplish! 

Via

I really would like a new front door, however to extend the life of the one we have for a wee bit longer I think painting it may be a better alternative! I love this mint color and think it would look great with our contrasting black shutters! I may just paint it black though, as to keep it all cohesive!

Via

These are burlap covered canvases with the initials drawn on with a black sharpie marker!  

Via 

I am dying to make this Acrylic Tray!!! And I think with how inexpensive it is, I may have to make one for every room!!!

Via

I would love to do this with me, the hubby, and Baby Reef and hang them as a part of our gallery wall I am planning to put up in our hallway!

Via

I definitely would like to do this with one of our home keys as a part of the gallery wall as well! 

These are all pretty simplistic, wouldn't y'all agree?! I'm looking forward to accomplishing some of these sooner than later! There is A LOT going on in our home right now! I may even "bare it all" to you soon and share how imperfect the inside of our home is! Lots of projects going on at once and never enough time to finish them! 

Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend!! We had snow yesterday! Yes, snow at the end of March! Where is Spring?!?! I hope it's closer than it appears!!! Have a lovely Monday my darling's and don't forget to enter my Give Away here!! It ends on Friday! XoXo!

Spring is Near & March 2013 Mini Goals are Here!

March is always an exciting and LUCKY month to me because it means Spring is right around the corner!! Warmer days will be here before we know it {at least in my area of the world} and I'll be able to enjoy driving around with the sunroof open and the warmish breeze in me hair! Ohhh it's so close I can almost reach out and touch it! As usual, with a new month comes new goals and new sponsors, so be sure to check out the side bar {if you are interested in sponsoring I am currently booking for April and May for FREE}! I really excelled last month and have to say I'm proud of what I was able to accomplish! Some goals were carried over in hopes to continue improving upon them! I hope March is just as stellar and productive as February.

Via

1. Continue to purge and organize the house, one room at a time and donate all to Goodwill. As I've said since January, this is a continuous task throughout our home! I hope to pack up a car load and drop off quite a few things to Goodwill Thursday evening! Our dinning room is a bit junkie since I have a HUGE donation pile building in there! I'd like to have my dinning room table and room back to normal!

2. Finish reconstructing my resume. This should really be a top priority to me and I hope to finalize it as much as possible, but also, to design it so that I can easily change information to fit specific career applications. I know once I finish this, I'll be more eager to search and apply to job opportunities that fit what I would like to do for the rest of my life!

3. Arrive on time to work, every morning! This will be continuous until I learn to get up on time, get myself moving and out the door and to work on time! I'll be honest, it has turned into a joke at my office but I enjoy going out for my hour lunch break and when I'm late for work I usually don't take that hour to leave. I'd like to power walk more during the week on my break or even sit in my car and read a book just to regroup and get out of the office for some personal time.

4. Stay off of the phone and computer on evenings we are both home. It is so easy to be distracted with the computer and our cell phones when we are sitting down and relaxing in the evenings together. I really want us to give one another 100% of our attention in the evenings when we are talking about our day's events, our schedule for the upcoming week, or plans for the weekend! It gives us time to unwind and connect daily without outside distractions. We can use cell phones and computers all we want when the other person is not home, is sleeping, or is not in the same room, however, when we are sitting together, talking in the same room, technology is off limits!

5. Update our iPhones. To say we are techno- illiterate is an understatement! I try to keep up, teach myself, and learn the ins and outs of the technology products we use regularly, however, for the most part it's all completely over my head! We both have had our iPhones for over a year and a half and while I did update mine once, about a year ago, the hubby has not updated his, AT ALL! He can't even access the Twitter App on his phone because it needs to be updated! I've been apprehensive to do the updates because I hear people always complaining about losing their contacts! That makes me more paranoid than it probably should! Seriously, if anyone knows how to update the iPhone without losing contacts, I'm going to need you to give me a play by play on how to perform the update! Please and Thankyou!

6. Keep a better track of our expenses. I used to be really good about keeping up with my bank account and account register but then I started using online banking and realized I could have my balance at my fingertips. When I started utilizing the online banking {and opened joint checking with the hubby}, I slowing stopped using my register, therefore I stopped keeping track of all the money I was spending. I'd like to get back to writing it all down and keeping track of it, penny for penny. It may sound a bit particular, but it'll give me a better idea on how much is going out, on what it's going out to, and what we may could cut back on to save more! I hope we can save all our receipts and I can log what we have spent daily. By the end of March we should be able to tell more about our spending habits and how to control the frivolous unneeded purchases!

7. Work on my own reactions when others are rude to me. I don't know about you but it seems here lately we've run into really rude people. People who push through doorways when you are trying to walk through the same door {and they don't say excuse me}, people who don't hold doors open for you when your hands are full or you are a few feet behind them, people who bump into you and don't say excuse me, folks who are blatantly rude and sarcastic in emails or other forms of communication, folks who cut you off in traffic and don't get the thankyou wave and when people are rude when first meeting you to the point that my husband even makes a comment at how rude the person was. Yes, the last one was definitely personal. If my husband says something about the rudeness of the person... well then... you're freaking rude! Normally when I feel I've been slighted or disrespected I am quick to make a sarcastic comment like "Really? There are 5 other doors and you want to walk through the one I am walking through?" very loudly so I know the person hears me. It's not totally nice on my part, however I think it should be brought to the attention of the person that they are, in fact, being rude! Because I know my reactions aren't always nice, I am working on not reacting and keeping a smile on my face! It keeps me from sweating the small stuff, like the person's rudeness. I do believe today will welcome my first test, wish me luck!

8. Find a cobbler/shoe repair shop to spruce up some of my damaged heels and to put life back into my Tory Burch's. For some reason I am extremely hard on my shoes. I plan to show y'all this in a post all it's own of how damaged the majority of my shoes are! My TB's are no exception. I've had them a little over a year and it looks as though they are ten years old! The leather is worn off on the toes, on the sides and on the heels, the insoles are starting to lift, and I have a tear on the inside heel of one shoe! I've loved them and worn them to death! Considering the price tag they come with it's not an option to just to go buy a new pair so I'm hoping to have them repaired and looking like new sooner rather than later! Hopefully some of my shoes aren't too far gone and they can be saved including my Tory's.

9. Keep writing honest and true posts for my readers! Last month I noticed a lot of bloggers posting about how they needed to get back to posting "real.honest.true-to-themselves-posts". While, I feel I haven't strayed from this, I do feel the need to share more of these kinds of posts! From the ones I have written and shared I have received some great feedback and support and I have made some great connections because of it! I want to continue those connections, those friendships and the support! It is inspiring to me and I hope my honest posts and ramblings are inspiring to others too!

10. Try to arrange at least one family lunch/dinner. Our family is huge! As I've shared before we both come from divorced parents where everyone has been remarried. Therefore, instead of four immediate families, we have close to eight! To have Sunday family dinner's is not something I could host, but I would love to have at least one or two families over a few times a month for dinner or afternoon lunch, starting this month! We aren't promised tomorrow and that is becoming more and more evident to me every day! I want us to spend as much time with our families as possible for we never know what the future will bring and how much time we have left with all of them!

I am really excited to have added some new goals to my list this month! I hope I haven't set myself up to fail as some of these are a bit harder than others, but I feel with my persistence and determination I can really accomplish these! Positive thoughts lead to positive results right?!

Hope you darlings are having a fantastic start to the week {I'm not going to say the dreaded "M" word}  and if you have goals for the month of March, please feel free to share!!! I'd love to form a little cheerleading group for one another!!  I am finalizing details on my Favorite Things give-away! It will be occurring this month so stay tuned! XoXo!

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! 

Four Favorites - Link Up!

I'm linking up today with Let it be Beautiful and Fancy Things for the four things I am obsessing over this week! It's a random mix of awesomeness that I think y'all will be obsessing over too! Allow me to just cut to the chase!

Macaroon Ring Box*Jennifer Lawrence*Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pastry Crisps*Fascinators

1. This Macaroon Ring Box! How flipping precious is this?!?! And what a fun gift they would make for your gal pals! I'm simply dying over their cuteness! Ordering one is definitely on my agenda. Now, if only I could decided on what color to choose?!

2. Jennifer Lawrence is most definitely my girl crush! She's actually been a girl crush of mine since I watched her in The Hunger Games back in October! She is so laid back and humble! I love love love her Hollywood innocence! She really has no idea how huge of a star she is and I believe her fabulous gold man won't even allow her to realize that she's made it to the big leagues! Love the girl! She can do no wrong in my book! And falling while walking up stairs?! It makes me love her even more! She's real and honest and flawed and she's not afraid to admit it! She is genuine to the bone. What's not to love about her?!

3. Kellog's Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pastry Crisps. I am a huge fan of Pop-Tarts but they are not the most healthiest treat to eat! My most favorite flavor is Brown Sugar Cinnamon and I literally jumped for joy in the middle of Harris Teeter when I found this box of Pastry Crisps next to the Chocolate flavored ones I was looking for! I feel like I've hit the jack pot! Brown Sugar Cinnamon 100 calorie pastry treats that taste JUST LIKE POPTARTS!? Talk about guilt free!!! Pick your own up at your local grocery store!

4. I've always loved the English. The accents, the Monarchy, and the hats! I would love nothing more than for American women to start wearing hats and fascinators to formal events and not just the Kentucky Derby! I'm starting the trend or at least trying too by wearing one to the YAAA! event on Saturday! I can't wait! If you love fascinators and hats as much as I do, you should start wearing them as well! Take photos, lets blog about wearing them, and start the American trend!!!!

Have a fantastic Hump Day my dears!!! Just think, half the week is already finished and we have half to go until the weekend! Wooohooo! XoXo!

If you missed my post yesterday please take a read of 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! 

Weekend Recap!

Happy Monday, Darlings! I sincerely hope you all had a wonderful weekend! As I mentioned on Friday here, we didn't have any huge plans which was more than welcoming considering we have some jammed packed weekends coming up! It was nice to sleep in, lay around, and just soak in the laziness for a bit!

Friday evening we attended a beer tasting at Bon Vivant Market, a wine and beer shop, in nearby Smithfield {home of Gwaltney bacon}. Now, this was our first beer tasting and visit to this location. Bon Vivant also has a location in nearby Suffolk, which is closer but they weren't having any activities for the evening! As I had made a priority here, I've really wanted the hubby and I to have more adventurous-outside-of-the-box date nights and stray away from the typical dinner dates we are known to have! I thought the beer tasting would be a great first outside-of-the-box date, especially since the guest speaker was Kevin O'Connor from the local O'Connor Brewing Company, which the hubby's employer distributes and to which I just picked up a six pack of, for the hubby, at the beginning of last week! Coincidence? I think not!

Our beer glasses! 

The hubby was on board for the tasting so I made the final decision to attend. I was home by six {the wine tasting started at seven and the location was thirty minutes away}but of course I had to change clothes, touch up my makeup, and tend to the dog. We left the house at 6:30 and made it to Bon Vivant at 7:10 {ten minutes late} and from there I knew why they said arrive promptly at seven. The parking lot was full and this store looked smaller than my old 700 square foot apartment. We walked in to about 25 people staring at us in a area we could barely squeeze through! We were given our complimentary glasses and a pour and stood cramped and close as we listened to Kevin O'Connor explain his different beers, the types of hops used in each one, and how he immensely enjoys his beer craft. We also learned the story of how IPA got it's name! If you don't know definitely check it out here!! It's very interesting and being that Im not a huge beer drinker, I enjoyed learning something new! After some more tastings and Q&A, we picked out some beers to purchase and headed out! We ate dinner at a Thai/Asian Fusion restaurant close by and continued on home! Once home we headed to bed as the hubby had the sniffles and wasn't feeling well, not to mention he was exhausted from his work week! Waking up at 3 a.m. every morning, working till 1 p.m., and then coaching baseball the rest of the afternoon until 6 p.m. can wear a man out! To say I worry about him getting enough sleep is an understatement!

Saturday we spent much of the day catching up on sleep and relaxation! We woke up/ rolled out bed at... noon... yes, call us pathetic, but it was raining and we didn't have plans! What else was there to really do?! Once we were out of bed, we plopped our tushies down on the couch and recliner for more laziness! I did give myself my weekly manicure and the hubby ended up napping some more! After a few more hours of all that laziness we had to get ready for dinner with his family. The hubby's Uncle and Aunt had some slight renovations done on their home and wanted to show us as well as have the family all together for a nice meal and conversation. His Aunt made chicken curry which was heavenly and apparently his grandmother's recipe, which I am going to need to add to my recipe book and so we can continue to pass it down through the family! The wine was flowing, the conversation going, and the food spectacular! It really was an incredibly fun evening! While enjoying the fire after dinner, I noticed that Pippa, one of the house kitties was enjoying staring into the smoldering fire. I HAD to snap a photo of her just sitting there, so sweet and still, just staring!

Sweet kitty Pippa staring into the fire!  

I felt like taking a selfie! 

Yesterday, we slept in a bit and then enjoyed cinnamon rolls for breakfast. The hubby had baseball practice at noon so after he headed out I decided I would get myself together and venture out on an area rug hunt! I've been looking for an area rug for the office/library since I began redecorating and haven't had much luck! I knew I wanted a lighter colored rug to offset the dark browns of the furniture, the curtains, and the floors but I hadn't been able to find one within my budget or taste. At the recommendation of Todd's Uncle and Aunt at dinner the night before, I decided to check out Ollie's Bargain Outlet, which is on the same spectrum as Big Lots, but BIGGER! I had never been but, after they told me of their massive area rug selection, I decided I didn't have much to lose! I am beyond glad I went, because I found a rug! I actually found five and had to make a decision on just one! The best part?! It was under $100!!! I'm unsure if I am going to keep this one as I think a few of the others that I picked out would look better but regardless I now know where to go when I need an area rug or runner!

Please don't mind the quality of the majority of the photos as some are Iphone photos! And don't mind the mess of this room either! It's still in the works! 

Laying out the new rug! 

View from the front door. 

When I left to head out to Ollie's I noticed the owners of the town home next to us were cleaning it out and had a few pieces of furniture sitting by the side of the road. One piece was a really great looking antique hunter green upholstered chair and the other was a a light mintish green velvet tufted bench! I immediately fell in love with the bench but noticed it was stained in some areas and needed some tlc. So, I did what any blogger would do... I snapped a photo on Instagram and asked my followers if I should snag it up! I had fourteen YES comments and twenty-one "likes" and considering I couldn't get the bench out of my head as I was looking for the rug, I knew I had to have it! I came home praying it would still be there {you'd be surprised at how quickly things go when they are on the side of the road} and when I saw that it was, I quickly scooped it up and carried it into the house! After rolling out the rug and having my neighbor Catherine's opinion, I set the bench up as a coffee table and displayed a few books and other decorative pieces on it! I have to say I love it! I need to work on cleaning the stains but for now it doesn't look terribly bad!

Bench and Chair being trashed! 

Now it has a perfect place in our home!

Close up. 

Details

Top view

So honestly, what do you think of the new additions?! I'm digging the bench 100% but I'm still unsure on the rug. I have 30 days to return it so I may give it a week OR I may even go purchase the other two , bring them home, and see which one looks best! No harm in that right?!

Any of you do any home decorating or serious sleeping this weekend?! Enjoy your Monday! If you stayed up late watching the Oscars like myself, you're probably walking around half awake today!! I've got to give myself a legit bed time!! XoXo!

Meet Real Young Housewife Brandi!

I am beyond excited for you to meet my guest sponsor today!! For the second week in a row I've been able to introduce an "IRL" friend!! Brandi and I have known each other for almost 4 years now! I've literally watched her grow into one fabulous wife and mother! She is no doubt a Real Young Housewife and it's been wonderful getting her advice and views on how to juggle it all! It also helps that she is a Southern Soul herself!! She has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know and would do absolutely anything for you! Genuine and Kind is an understatement of a description for her for this girl loves with her whole heart! Enjoy getting to know her!! 

Hi y'all! I'm so excited to be here for Miss Lauran today, I'm super lucky in that I get to call her a great friend in real life {though I definitely need to see her more *cough cough*} I'm Brandi and I blog over at Brooklyn State of Mind. My blog is all things life + love + crazy {mis}adventures.

I'm here today to talk you about being a lady, well being a good southern lady anyways. Here below the Mason Dixon Line there are a few things that I think all good southern ladies use as a key to the good life.

1) Manners Will Get You Far - We still say yes ma'am & no sir, we hold the door for others, we give the elderly our seat, and we teach our babies the same thing. Now I hope my northern friends don't take this the wrong way, I'm sure plenty of y'all value your manners, I just think they pull a little more weight down here.

2) Flowers Are A Girl's Best Friend -You will almost always find fresh flowers in our homes. And if you've been invited over for dinner I'd say that's more like a 99% chance. Now roses are nice, but you're more likely to find something like peonies or sunflowers. We prefer things big!

3) Sweet Tea & Water. -We drink sweet tea by the gallon pitcher. We also know how to make the good stuff at home, and we all have our own secret ingredient. Plus, we serve it in mason jars.
 

4) Good Food Truly Is The Way To The Heart -Not everyone here is an amazing chef, but we certainly know how to fake it. Whether we cater the meal or enlist help. My secret is that most of my baked goods aren't really mine. Shhh!

5) Kill Them With Kindness - With lots of small towns (or even in big ones) where every one knows every one & their business, there is bound to be some drama. So plaster that smile on your face, be sweet as pie, and take out your frustration in the gym.

What are your life rules?

I hope you enjoyed my little post today! Come on by the blog and say hello!

Oh Hey Now, Mrs. Brandi just offered y'all some great southern advice, don't y'all think?! I have to agree with the whole list! However, even now-a-days it seems as though manners are being discarded out the window! It's a dern shame when you go to walk out a door and someone coming in can't step aside to let you out and really has to try to squeeze through the doorway as you are walking through it as well... and YES this happened to me... this weekend to be exact! The gal didn't even say excuse me! Talk about killing them with kindness?! Whew, I wanted to tell her off, but I just said excuse me and kept going, plus my husband took care of my thoughts with a sarcastic overly loud comment about the general rudeness of others! Gotta love him! I am so glad y'all met Brandi today! Now head on over and pay her a lovely visit and make sure ya come back, ya hear?! XoXo! 

Also, be sure to head over to A Crazy Walk on the Safe Side, where I am guest posting today!! I'm discussing decorating personalities in honor of Lori and her new fabulous home! Need to know your own home decor style?! Head on over and find out what appeals to you! 

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I love short work weeks because Wednesday is always upon us before we know it which, in turn, means we are closer to Friday! I enjoy the half-way day of the week! Here is what I've been loving so far this week!!

1. My Nanna being Okay! I know many of you were curious as to why I needed serious prayers for my family! Sunday evening we received a phone call notifying us that my Nanna was at the hospital! She had suffered a mini stroke but I didn't want to divulge too much information publicly until we knew exactly what we were dealing with! Because of your prayers and countless others, Nanna is fine! They kept her in the hospital for two nights and ran numerous tests on her only to find nothing! It very well could have been a small amount of plaque passing through that caused the stroke. Regardless of what it was, I am beyond relieved that she is okay! Honestly, I'm not prepared for her to leave anytime soon! She is a HUGE part of my life and I can't ever imagine her not being there! I know we have to prepare ourselves for the days when the ones we love will no longer be with us, but I would much prefer the whole "ignorance is bliss" when it pertains to my Nanna! I can't thank y'all enough for the prayers, the texts, the private messages, and the comments! I am a firm believer in the power of prayer and I know everyone rallying behind our family was what allowed her to heal perfectly!

2. These shoes I ordered yesterday! I just happened to be checking out Julianna Hough for Sole Society on the Nordstrom website and ran across these beauties for sale - IN MY SIZE {which NEVER happens}!! The plus side?! Free shipping too! You may now find me sitting at the front door waiting for their arrival!

Via

3. The Cardio Dance class I attended last night! As I've stated before, I normally attend Zumba at the gym on Monday nights. With this Monday being a holiday I was preoccupied doing some things around the house and didn't make it. I decided I would go to the Cardio Dance class last night so I could have my beginning of the week work out and boy am I glad I went! The instructor kicks our booty non-stop for an entire hour! I left the gym literally soaked! I'm pretty sure I am going to start attending this class on Tuesdays when my Zumba instructor starts a Thursday class in March! That way I can be sure to get two workouts during the week! I am also entertaining the idea of a personal trainer, but I'm thinking I'll revisit that option in the coming months!

4. The 3rd Annual YAAA! for a Cure Black Tie Bowling Event being held on March 2nd! I am so excited to be a member of YAAA! {Young Adults for Alzheimer's Awareness} and to help out with this amazing event! There will be tons of bowling, a silent auction, prizes, food, flowing beverages, and FUN FUN FUN!!! If you are local to my area and would like more information on attending let me know! The event sells out EVERY year so you'll want to act fast if you would like to attend! 

5. Jackson Rathbone on last nights episode of White Collar! It's no surprise that I am a Twilight fan and it's no surprise to you that I am a White Collar fan! Put the two together and I'm a happy camper for sure!!! It was really fun seeing Jackson play a character outside of Jasper! He pulled the Bonnie and Clyde esque couple very well!! I still prefer him as Jasper but this character was different and I enjoyed watching it. 

What are you loving this week?! Make sure you stop by tomorrow to meet a very special guest of mine!  Have a fantastic Hump Day my darlings!!! XoXo! 

My Lovely Lil Valentine, Kelly - Sponsor Style!

Holy Mother of everything Pink, Red, and Girly today!!! It most definitely is Valentine's Day and I have a lovely little bit of sweetness for y'all today!!! Kelly happens to be a close friend of mine and former roomie and co-worker!  She also happens to be a fabulous wife, mommy, and fashionista which you will get to see today! Kelly is most definitely one of those friends in my life I can go weeks without talking to and years without seeing {she still lives in NOVA while I'm back in SOVA} but we pick up right where we left off without skipping a  beat! I hold her dearly to my heart as she is one person who has literally seen me at my worse in a time when life wasn't so beautiful! I hope you enjoy meeting her because I am extremely excited to be sharing her with all of you!!! 

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

My name is Kelly, and I blog over at Mrs in Training.  I’m a working mama, full-time student, lover of beer Diet Coke, and a wannabe fashionista.  I'm also Lauran's former roommate, so it shouldn't be any surprise that I would beg her to let me come visit for the day ;)

My motto is that I never quite got over playing dress up.   I love occasions for getting all dolled up and going out somewhere special, and so anniversaries, weddings and Valentine’s Day are some of my favorite times of the year!  There is something so wonderful about putting on a pretty dress and spending the evening with people you love.

But then, the night is over, and you have to pack your pretty cocktail dress in the back of your closet, knowing you might wear it maybe once more, but by the time the next occasion rolls around you’re dying for something new.  Right?!

Well, stop it.  I am a big fan of maximizing my closet to its biggest potential and making as many outfits and options with the clothes I have.  I don’t believe that anything should be tucked away for sporadic use and I try to pull out my favorite pieces as much as possible.  So today I wanted to show the four ways that I take a cocktail dress and make it daytime fabulous!

1.      Wear it as a shirt.

This is one of my favorite little black dresses, and its perfect for nice dinners with my husband.  But when I add a circle skirt over the dress, it gives a fun strapless top look.  Add some sandals and you’re all set for a Sunday brunch with your girlfriends!  (Tip: The black dress was longer than the yellow skirt, so I just folded it up!)

2.  Add casual accessories.

This peach lace dress is one of my favorites with gold accessories to wear to night weddings or work events.  But when you add a denim jacket, sandals, and a hat, it is perfect for a day of shopping.

3. Layer underneath.

The layered look is "in" in a big way right now, and its very easy to create tons more outfit combinations from your closet.  This could also be worn to the office with heels, but I love this for other events - a baby shower, a baptism, or even Easter dinner.

4.      Wear it as a skirt.

Remember #1, wear it as a shirt? Try it the other way around!  Add a blouse and a blazer and wear it as a skirt.  I’ve done this several times when a pencil skirt I wanted to wear wasn’t ironed, and this is a great way to expand your work wardrobe.  Just make sure the skirt is an appropriate length for your office environment!

The easiest ways to dress it down:

•         Swap tiny clutches for large tote bags.  Bigger bags definitely bring a dress out of “wedding wear” realm.
•         Lower your heels.  4” stilettos are perfect for the dance floor, but flat sandals really help a dress become practical for daytime.
•         Swap out jewelry.  Sparkle and glitter are great for evenings, but when it comes to accessories for casual events, think chunky wooden necklaces, longer length strands, lots of bracelets and stud earrings. 
•         Add accessories.  Belts, hats and scarves are all awesome ways to bring it down a notch.  Even sunglasses say “sunshine” (unless, of course, you wear your sunglasses at night). ((Sidenote: OMG Lauran, how many millions of times did I play this song on the jukebox back in our bartending days?  It now will forever remind me of BWU days!))

So I hope all you lucky gals with a special Valentine have a wonderful time tonight in your party dresses, and I hope you find ways to wear them more often!  I’d love to know if you have any other ideas for stretching your wardrobe – leave Lauran a comment below!

Seriously, how adorable is she?! She is definitely one gal pal that I look up to in the name of fashion! She has a way of pairing things together that I would never ever think to combine. Now if only we could live together again and I could have her daily "what to wear" advice! I hope you visit Kelly and fall in love with her spunky self! She puts it all on the table and never leaves you guessing! Be sure to stop by her page and leave her some love on this sweet lovie day!