What I'm Obsessed with (Wednesday)...

Ahhh... Another Wednesday is here... and I've got to think about my latest obsessions... Hmmm, I'd like to say it gets hard at times coming up with things, but I'm a girl who likes STUFF! ;-)

So here's my OBSESSIONS for this week...

1. Victoria's Secret-

I've never met a female (or male for that matter) that doesn't like Victoria's Secret! I REFUSE to by my underthings from anywhere else, but what some people may not know is how FREAKIN' AWESOME their clothes are!... and some very reasonable prices too!

More times than not, I will be wearing clothing I bought online at Victoria's Secret... and this time of year is when some of my favorite things come out! They have THE BEST fall/winter sweaters, in my opinion! My closet is over stocked with their stuff & I wouldn't have it any other way... :-)

This little silk & cashmere number is one of my ESSENTIAL cold weather basics...

Silk & Cashmere Tunic Sweater- $60

I probably shouldn't share this with the world, but between the turtle neck version, cardigan version, & crew neck version, I'm pretty sure I own every color it comes in... and multiples in the black & grey colors!! :-)

I LIVE in these sweaters all winter long! They look fabulous with dress pants or jeans... under a collared shirt... or with a pretty scarf! THESE sweaters are the BOMB!!!... And now it comes in this version...

And this...
And this...

You better believe they are all on my wish list ;)

My other current Victoria's Secret obsession is this...

VS PINK Yoga half-zip $40

Victoria's Secret PINK collection is my go-to in lounge wear! And this cozy little number is a little piece of heaven!

2. Coupons

So I have been using coupons since before it was cool! LOL :-) Coupons + Publix= my happy place :)

I am by no means an extreme couponer! But it does make my belly hurt just thinking about paying full price for certain things like toothpaste, dish detergent, cereal, shampoo, conditioner, and all those other laundry list of things you can get at rock bottom prices or basically for free just by using coupons!

My SIL, just got on the coupon bandwagon & I must say she is KICKING BUTT & TAKING NAMES AT THE GROCERY FOLKS! I am so proud! And don't you know, if you're a "couponer" and someone you know is venturing over to your world, nothing makes you happier!... When she was texting me about the deals she got & how much she saved, I got all giddy & happy, like I was the one who saved that money, but coupons are infectious! They make everybody smile! (unless your the lady standing behind me at the check-out who doesn't use coupons, then you're cursing every single one the cashier has to scan!) HA! :)

P.S. Speaking of coupons & Publix... Do you remember this post about this obsession of mine...

Well Publix has this hairspray on sale this week for $12.99! I'm headed there tonight with my $3 off manufacturer coupon & $1 off Target coupon in hand! This bad boy is only gonna cost me $8.99! SWEET!

3. Chocolate milk

So I've been on a chocolate milk kick lately! I just can't get enough of it!... There's a glass sitting in front of me right now :)... but one thing I didn't know until today when I was trying to finding a picture to put on this post, is that it's good to drink chocolate milk after a workout. The article I read said, drinking something that contains carbohydrates & protein (like chocolate milk) is nearly 40% more effective than drinking something with protein alone at helping muscles repair themselves and grow after a workout... who knew?!... not me! :)

In my case, I was actually blogging & drinking chocolate milk INSTEAD of working out!... Hmmm, wonder if that helps anything?! ;-)

So if you read my last post, you know how much I hate my camera... and if you are my husband, you know ALL TOO WELL how much my current camera pisses me off, because you have to hear my wrath!... So it's no surprise, this is an obsession...

5. A NEW CAMERA!!!!!!

UGH!!!!!! I am in desperate need of a new camera! I'm not saying this is the one I need or the one I'm gonna get (I don't know a lot about the differences between cameras... I have yet to do my research)... All I know is I NEED ONE PRONTO!... One that will actually take pictures FAST (while I'm trying to capture a moving toddler fast!), NOT BLURRY, EASY TO USE & DOESN'T GIVE EVERYBODY RED EYES!... So if anybody out there in blog land has any suggestions, please send them my way! I am SO SICK of cursing my camera every time I try to capture a memorable moment!... it totally ruins the joy of what I'm doing and that is SO UPSETTING! :(

Lakehouse Weekend Wrap-up

Hi friends... It is Tuesday night and I am finally starting to get back in the swing of things...

This past weekend, my sweet husband and good friend Stephanie planned a weekend getaway for several of our friends to our family lake house in Kentucky. We left Thursday morning and didn't get back until dinner time Sunday night. It was a BLAST!... We didn't do anything but spend all day on the lake Friday and Saturday, ate a TON of food, and laughed A LOT. It was a great time!... It was the last of my 30th Birthday celebrations! LOL :-)

I really wish I had some great pictures to share with you, but my camera BLOWS!!!! It drives me crazy EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I use it! I could literally throw it against the wall some days because I feel like I miss out on capturing SO MANY wonderful memories because it doesn't take pictures worth a crap... so I have basically nothing to show for my wonderful weekend except a bunch of blurry photos with red eyes... :-( {tear}

The FEW pics that DID manage to turn out, I'll post so I can share SOME of the highlights... :)

Yes... it was a friendship bracelet making extravaganza! LOL ;-)

My husband & Stephanie's husband tried to escape by float at one point... LOL ;-)

Since my husband had been drinking on the boat all day Saturday & refused to build me the bonfire I wanted... I had to take matters into my own hands and ended up making Smores Nachos in the oven!... (You can find the recipe here ... I used regular marshmallows & omitted the caramel sauce)... It was DIVINE!

It took 7 adults and 30 minutes researching on the Internet to find out how to play beer pong! LOL ... Yes most of us went to college, but I guess we slipped through the beer pong cracks because I don't think any of us had played before!... I opted for water instead of beer, but still had a BLAST playing! I put my bottled water in my "My tiara is giving me a headache" koozie ;-) ... My sweet husband on the other hand, took one for the team & played with beer... needless to say, he is still recovering!

On a different note, did y'all watch the VMAs Sunday night?... So I think I was a bit old to still be watching this show, by 5 years, but I was blown away when I saw this...

I LOVED the way Beyonce announced her pregnancy!! She sang her song, rocked it like she normally does, then at the end, unbuttons her jacket & shows the world her baby bump! YOU GO GIRL! That was awesome! :-)

And finally, just want to send my prayers with everyone that was affected by Hurricane Irene this weekend! God Bless you all!

Check back tomorrow for this week's "What I'm Obsessed with (Wednesday)" :)

Nite, nite!

What I'm Obsessed with (Wednesday)...

Sorry I missed last week's "What I'm Obsessed With"... it was my Birthday & I was having a quiet dinner at home with my mom, husband, and sweet baby girl, remember... I'm 30 now! :-)

But back to the business of the day... my latest obsessions...

1. Grapefruit spoon- $4.99 for a set of 4 at Bed Bath and Beyond OR $3.95 for one at Crate and Barrel, if you wanna get fancy :)

So I have been on a big grapefruit kick lately... (it comes and goes with the seasons & right now, they've been really good so I've been eating a ton of it)... Anyhoo, this nifty, little kitchen gadget has been a God send!... Whoever invented this thing is brilliant! This is a SO "why didn't I think of that" kinda thing, but if you like grapefruit & don't have one of these, RUN, don't walk and get yourself some!

*I've also heard it's a good strawberry huller, but have yet to try it...

2. Bachelor Pad- Monday nights on ABC

Boy oh boy! I am a little obsessed with this show (guess that's why it made the list!)... I have been a loyal Bachelor & Bachelorette watcher since the beginning- even the Lorenzo season! LOL ;-) ...

Did anybody watch that season besides me?! Ha :)

But ABC's spin off has been my newest guilty pleasure!

Did y'all see this game they played?!... THAT was brutal!... I felt really bad for little miss Erika! :(


And I'm SO irritated with these idiots!... I'm ready for them to get voted off! PRONTO!

And this girl, I love! *Team Gia* I really hope she's the new bachlorette!!! She seems like she has a good heart! And I'm so proud of her for taking herself out of the game when she saw how ugly it was getting!

3. Oxy Clean Stain Remover- $6

So I have to admit, even though I'm a mommy to a toddler, I am not the best at stain removal- nor do I try to be!... I'll throw a stained piece of clothing in the laundry basket & leave it for days without trying to get it off or pre-treating it... So this magic potion has saved me from throwing A LOT of clothes out! Most times, I can just spray it on a stain, let it sit for a minute or two... and bye, bye stubborn stain! My daughter's white shorts are saved yet again! :)

Well, that's all I have for tonight my friends... Come back next week! :)

The celebration continues...

Hi bloggie friends! Sorry long time no blog!...

My mom has been in town since last week and she just left this afternoon & I haven't spent a lot of time on the computer... (other than an occasional pin on Pinterest! ;-)

So let me wrap up how my Birthday weekend went...

On Friday night, my sweet hubby tells me he's taking me out to a surprise birthday lunch the next day! (I was VERY skeptical because my dear husband is NOT a planner when it comes to special occasions... He's a "wait-til-the-last-possible-minute" kinda guy... :-( so I was EXTREMELY curious about what he had up his sleeve!)... Throughout the night and even the next day before we left, I kept shouting out ideas about where he might be taking me or what we could possibly be doing... My guesses started off pretty simple (a few of our favorite places to eat)... and over time, as the wheels in my head started turning, became MUCH more extravagant (i.e. taking me to pick out a brand new washer & dryer... a new Louis Vuitton *remember this surprise a couple years back- THAT WAS A GOOD ONE!)... but no such luck... his lip was zipped... and when we were in the car & passed the on ramp to the interstate, my shiny, new Louis dreams were a little crushed... :-(

Then, we reached our surprise destination!...

He had planned a picnic lunch & wine tasting at Arrington Vineyard! SO SWEET!! :-) We had never been there together before and had been dying to go with him... (me & some of my girlfriends went there last year & since then I couldn't wait to go back with my hubby)

How cute is he???...

I had to take this picture of him, because I think it is JUST PRECIOUS that he packed our picnic backpack & even had a blanket! (Just thinking about how thoughtful this was of him makes me a tad misty eyed!... All I ever want from him is to know he thinks about me, loves me, & puts effort into doing special things for me... and this sweet, little lunch date was enough to fill my heart with joy for a while! *sigh*)

... Don't get me wrong... if this sweet man would have pulled a new Louis out of that picnic back pack, I would have peed! =)

Anyhoo, here's some more pics from our wonderful lunch date...

I'm not a huge fan of sweet wine, but this raspberry dessert wine is THE BOMB!... Doubt I could drink more than one glass, but it sure is yummy with those raspberry chocolate truffles!!!

After our tasting, we settled on this yummy white wine and found a nice table in the shade & talked, ate & drank... CHILD FREE! It was a dreamy afternoon! :-)

CHEERS!

*Seriously, how cute is he!?... I'm a lucky lady! ;-)

Then after lunch, we headed back home & got cleaned up to meet some of our friends for a dinner my hubby & friend Jana had plan at Sambuca...

I had spent weeks planning my outfit around these beauties my sweet girlfriends bought me for my Birthday...

And I am DEVASTATED I didn't get a picture of my head to toe ensemble! :( I wore this black corset dress with a slightly full skirt, my blue shoes & carried my fierce new leopard clutch... Oh well... On the bright side, I did remember to get a group picture of girls after we ate... :) MINUS our hot blonde, Christal, who left early :(

My friend Jana, got me YUMMY cupcakes from IVEY Cake... who I have been DYING to try ever since I saw her on Cupcake Wars...

I am happy to report they were DELICIOUS & SO PRETTY!

On a different note, I HAVE to share these pictures of my sweet baby girl...

I was in a desperate search for sparkly bracelets to go with my outfit for Saturday night so me, my mom & baby girl were shopping at this jewelry store in the mall & I turn around for 1 minute and my "accessory-obsessed" daughter is up to her elbow in sparkly bracelets! LOL!!!...


She's pretty proud of herself in this picture... and I must say, I am too! HA ;)

AAAANNNNDDDD... she kept going with the purses...
... and the rings... :-)
I eventually had to cut the poor girl off with the accessorizing... and it wasn't pretty!!! :(

Anyhoo... the 30th Birthday celebration is still going on!... My hubby and friend Stephanie have planned ANOTHER outing this weekend... Don't want to give too much away, but I'll blog more about that & post pictures next week! :)

Happy Birhtday to me... :)

Well... it's official... I'M 30!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to say, it's not so bad up here! ;-)

My mom came in town the other day, so for once in a long, long, long time, I got to celebrate my birthday with my mommy, and that made me happy! :)

On my actual birthday, me, baby girl, and my mom drove to the mall after breakfast for a little Birthday retail therapy... Nothing too crazy... I was just looking for some bracelets to go with a dress I'm wearing on Saturday night for a MUCH-NEEDED child-free night out on the town with my hubby & favorite girls, but my bracelet hunt was a BIG FAT FAIL! :( Seriously, how hard is it to find a pretty sparkly thing that doesn't cost a fortune... well apparently, very hard... However, I did stumble upon these beauties at Macy's while on the way out...

Seriously!... I don't know what it is about me & this color, but I AM A LITTLE OBSESSED!... to say the least! I think it is G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S & these bad boys HAD to come home with me! PERIOD! I was SUPER STOKED!... I had been wanting a pair of blue flats forever & I LOVE the studs on the back & patent leather toe! And to make it even sweeter, I had a Macy's gift card that has been living in my wallet for a year for about THE EXACT amount, so I know it was completely meant to be... PS. they were only $35!!! Really! (Sarah Jacobi- you need a pair of these too!)

Later that evening, my sweet hubby came home from work early & we had a nice, quite dinner at home. He grilled yummy steaks & I made roasted asparagus & white truffle mashed potatoes to go with it...

(PS. I LOVE asparagus! They have been on sale the last couple weeks at Publix so we have been making tons of it!... This is THE BEST way to roast them, in my humble opinion...)

Roasted Asparagus...
Preheat oven 350. Spread trimmed asparagus on baking sheet & drizzle with olive oil, coarse salt, cracked black pepper, lemon zest & lemon juice. Toss. Bake for about 10-15min depending on thickness...

For the white truffle mashed potatoes...
Peel and dice Yukon Gold potatoes. Put in pot, fill with water, add lots of coarse salt & big dollop of olive oil. Stir. Cook until tender. Drain. Add butter, sour cream, half & half, salt, & white pepper to taste. Whip with electric hand mixer. Then stir in white truffle oil to taste. Top with chopped, fresh chives and...

Viola! YUM-O!

This little one was ALL ABOUT some truffle mashed potatoes!... :)



And finally, yummy lemon bars for dessert... :)

Happy Birthday to me!... ;-)


It was the perfect night at home with my wonderful family! :)

If I could go on a Birthday shopping spree...

And while we're at it... maybe my Fairy God Mother could throw in a stomach that looks like this... :)

LOL... that was fun! BOY, do I sure know how to spend an imaginary forture or what! Ha :)