Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Typical.

And excerpt from our e-mail convo yesterday. Why must he toy with my emotions?
________________________________________
From: Tiffany
To: David

What in the world…. http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2010/05/24/texas-rangers-declare-bankruptcy-set-sell-team/?test=latestnews

Like, will they move out of Texas? Or will someone buy them and keep them where they are?


From: David
To: Tiffany

The plan is for them to move the team to Puerto Rico to broaden the MLB’s exposure to the Caribbean/Latin America.

From: Tiffany
To: David

No it is not. Are you being serious?

From: David
To: Tiffany

This sale has been in the works for quite a while. This is the sale that involves Nolan Ryan as becoming one of the new owners which sparked the rumor that the Express might become a Ranger affiliate.

From: Tiffany
To: David

I know about all that, but I never dreamed they would move out of Texas. Are you being serious that they would move to Puerto Rico??

From: David
To: Tiffany

Do you think Nolan Ryan wants to move to Puerto Rico? They aren’t going anywhere.

Obviously. Dave-1 Me-0

Monday, May 24, 2010

Down and DIRTY!

I spent about 16 of the 48 hours of my weekend completely filthy! I played in the dirt, trimmed trees, and loaded my fair share of mulch. I'm very happy that next weekend's to-do list calls for no yard work! :)

Saturday, we got up and headed up to the church. Our Young Adults Sunday School Class had a work day to serve one of the widowed and home bound women of our church. She had some planting and yard work she wanted done. It sounded like a simple task, but when we got there we noticed there was much more we could do to help her. I can't take any of the credit outside of a couple of newly planted hibiscus, but the guys really dug in and did some series yard work! At one point, the lady we were helping said, "Is someone on my roof??" Sure enough, someone was up on the roof with the leaf blower cleaning out all of her gutters! Next thing we knew we heard a chainsaw and the guys were literally cutting down a HUGE dead branch that was hanging over her house! I'm sure she didn't even know it was there because she is in a wheelchair and might not have even been over on that side of her house in quite a while! I offered to order pizza for the group if they wanted to move the party to our house, but alas, they turned down my offer. Boo!
Off we were to do it ourselves! We have a local recycling center where you can take and dump all of your brush for free. In turn, they mulch it and you can haul off mulch for free! We were really excited because we probably need 100 bags of mulch to do our entire yard...and no, I'm not kidding! It was a great idea in theory (and in reality, we just need a few days for our soreness to wear off and then we can appreciate the cost effectiveness) but we had to SHOVEL the mulch off of the pile and load it in the truck. Unloading and laying it was the easy part (again, I can't take any credit for laying the mulch...Dave did that. But in my defense I trimmed TONS of our trees and bushes!) it was shoveling the mulch that was the hard part. Dave was considering slipping the guy with the bobcat a $20 just to put a scoop full in the truck! ha.

Thank goodness we had this guy around to help when we needed it! Talk about lazy bones! He just walked around panting and terrorizing the neighborhood! I turned my head for about 30 seconds and looked up and he was gone....I heard my neighbor saying, "Rookie, come here!" HE WENT IN THEIR HOUSE! Ha! They had the garage door open and he walked right into their house through the garage! Iy-yi-yi!

If my mother-in-law read my blog, this is the part she would be most proud of! I love rosemary and basil, and I pay $3 every time I want fresh basil at the grocery store, so I decided to try my hand at growing my own! I bought the rosemary already started at Lowe's for $5, and then I just bought basil seeds. It says 5-7 days for them to start growing, so we'll see how it works out! Do any of you grow your own herbs? If so, share your tricks!

Finally, I have been wanting a flag outside! I just love driving around and seeing the American Flag flying! Just in time for Memorial Day and honoring all of the men and women who have served our country and lost their lives defending our freedom.

While we're at it, this has nothing to do with yard work and I didn't do this this weekend, but I did do it recently....this is a small wall in my living room and it has been so boring to me! I wanted to display some pictures because there is not a lot of room in our living room for anything "personal". I decided to do a picture wall. I debated on all matching frames, but in the end, I decided I wanted to pull in all of the colors in my living/dining room and have it be a little less "perfect". This is the end result...

Now I need a weekend to relax from my weekend! What did you do, relax or work??

Friday, May 21, 2010

Fabulous Find Friday! Guest Blogger Edition!

I am SO excited about this Fabulous Find Friday because I get to play too! I have been in the market for new products and I have wanted to "spruce up" my arsenal for Summer. I bought new face wash, I'm trying a new powder, and I told y'all a few weeks ago that I have a new summer scent. It's Lilly Pulitzer, Beachy, and I'm loving it so far! There are so many great products out there and it's hard to know what to choose, so I knew just the person to ask for my "must haves"! My friend Emily is literally a genius when it comes to all things "product". I'm not even going to put her in a box and say makeup...because we're talking makeup, haircare, skincare...you name it, she's got the details! She agreed to guest blog today and I'm so excited to see the items she has chosen. I'm even more excited that every.one. of these products comes straight from her bathroom! She is using them too which means they are tried and true! Emily has her own blog, Makeup Maven, dedicated to all things beauty related, so check her out and feel free to ask her questions!

As one quick side note, if y'all haven't checked in on the happiness pictures, you just have to! Y'all sent really fabulous pictures! I loved looking at all of them, so thank you! I'll stop now...Without further ado...what you really came here for...here are your summer must-haves....THANKS EM!

When making my list of "must-haves" for this summer, so many products, ideas and trends came to mind. So I thought I would let you know just some of my favorites that I'm using right now.

I know many people have their "signature scent" that they have worn for 15 years, but I like to change it up and tend to trade out my heavy winter scents for a lighter scent for spring/summer. My favorite perfume for this season is the
Jo Malone "Honeysuckle & Jasmine" cologne. It smells so fresh and light, and I honestly get compliments on it all the time. It's not overpowering and most people that try it tend to love it. If you have ever worn Jo Malone perfumes before, you know how well they stay on. So this is my pick for a spring/summer scent.

My next pick would be my favorite face lotion with SPF for summer. It's La Roche-Posay's Anthelios SX with SPF 15. I'm guessing none of you out there have ever even heard of this brand, and they don't sell it in any stores yet in the Austin area. BUT - I think it is worth it It's not too expensive and the bottle has lasted me well over 6 months and I used it every day. It was on Allure magazine's must have list, so I thought I would try it, and I was not disappointed. I tend to have sensitive skin when I wear sunscreen on my face and layout, and this product did not make my skin burn or itch the way some moisturizers do. Their website always has free shipping deals going on, so it doesn't cost you anymore than it would if you could buy it in a store, and you get the convenience of it being delivered. So it's a win-win situation :)

Another moisturizer that is very nourishing is Neutrogena's Ageless Essentials - Continuous Hydration - Night. After a long day in the sun, this stuff makes your skin feel so soft and smooth and you wake up with your skin NOT feeling tight or stretched out. (Is it just me, or does a day in the sun affect my face SO much more than it used to???) I use it every night and have noticed a difference in my skin's hydration. And it's never too early to start taking proper care of your skin!!! ESPECIALLY in the summer when you are outside so much more often.

Speaking of being outside, my new favorite deodorant is Secret's Clinical Strength - Waterproof. It's always been a pet-peeve of mine when I layout or am spending a day at the beach or lake, and feel like I smell like I'm a 15 year old boy who just got out of football practice. I love this stuff. It stays on all day and really works.

One product that 15 year old football players might actually like that I love is Neutrogena's Acne Stress Control Body Wash. Let's admit it. We all sweat more during the summer. Whether it's running on Town Lake, doing yard work, or simply laying out by the pool. We sweat, which causes our pores to clog and some people tend to have breakouts on their back and chests. This stuff is the only stuff (besides prescription products) that really works. Plus, it smells good.

While on the subject of beaches... I LOVE beach hair. The closest thing I've found to get that effect is Bumble & Bumble's Surf Spray. If you spray this stuff on mildly damp hair and either let your hair air dry or use a diffuser, this stuff works great. I have very fine hair, and it doesn't curl that easily, but this stuff actually brings out the curl, and it totally smells like the beach. So it's basically like a beach in a bottle.

This spring and summer, the color that seems to be the "it" color for eyes is purple, and personally, I'm loving it. I know some people are a little intimidated by it, but it's all about finding the right purples for you. I've shown a picture of my purple pallet I made a month ago from Bobbi Brown. The colors (from the left) are eggplant, lilac and petal. I know these colors will not work on all, but adding a little splash of purple is a must this season. (even if it's on your nails by wearing OPI's new "Lucky Lucky Lavender")

Using a bronzer is a great way to give you an extra glow when your not able to spend everyday by the pool. Your bronzer should never actually be noticeable, just a subtle way to enhance your complexion. I would recommend getting someone to show you how to apply your bronzer if you aren't sure how. I would also get someone to match you to a color, b/c having a bronzer that it too dark can look muddy or orange, and we all know we don't want that to happen!! The color I love is from Bobbi Brown and it's Aruba. But once again, not everyone will use the same color, so make sure your bronzer goes well with your skin tone.

The last product I want to show you is my all-time favorite summer lotion. It's the only one I have found that truly makes sunburned skin feel better, and can transform parched, dry skin into the softest skin. It's Korres Guava Body Butter. It's found at Sephora and the smell is what you think summer should smell like. It's also my favorite lotion to put on after I shave. I have terribly dry skin, and this stuff has helped my skin not to flake and not get razor burn. It's almost a miracle cream. Anyone that has ever tried it, LOVES it. I bring it on every beach or lake trip, and it's always a hit.

I know there are so many other products and ideas I could talk to you about, but these are some of my summer staples. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! And please let me know what your favorite summer staples are!!

Happy summer everyone!

Emily

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Y'all are so happy and joyful too!

I love the pictures I have gotten so far!

These are from Kristen at Kristen & Co. (She is also my sister. :)

Yes, this is my brother and sister....Kristen said, "halloween - taylor and i w/ our botched party trick. Kid's an animal..."

Our precious nana on a girls' shopping trip...

Kristen said, "Alyssa and I during our 'farewell New York' photo shoot." I love this!!

And finally, Kristen and Robbie talking about who knows what!

The next 2 are from, Katie! Ps...y'all click the link for Katie...she had the most DARLING idea for dinner club and her invitations are amazing!

Here is what she had to say about her photos: "One is self-explanatory. The one of the little boy is when we delivered Christmas stockings to my students one year. This was a brother of one of my students."


I LOVE IT!!

The next one is from Rachel. Rachel said, "This is from our wedding on May 26, 2007 (almost 3 years ago!). The photographer, Steven Myers, was trying to take serious pictures of us after the ceremony & in true form, we were trying to make each other laugh. This is one of my favorites of the hundreds we have from our wonderful wedding day." ~ What a stunning bride! And happy 3rd anniversary!

These were submitted by my mom!

Y'all are SO great! Keep 'em coming!!!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

I'm taking a page out of Pioneer Woman's book today...I choose happiness! Her current photography assignment is "Happiness" and you can click here to see the amazing, stunning, fabulous photos people have submitted that show joy! I teared up looking at them! It makes me want a baby, want to go home and kiss my dog, want to go jump in the lake...it just makes me happy!

So I've selected a few photos that show joy and happiness to me. And while we're on the topic, I'll give you a little glimpse into my life....I HAVE joy. I have joy because I'm saved by grace. Praise the Lord! I find joy in Jesus and I know that no matter my circumstance, He is my salvation and my peace and my joy! Happiness...happiness is a feeling. It is great to be happy! So today, I CHOOSE happiness. And these pictures make me happy. :)


If you guys want to, e-mail me your happy pictures! I'll add them to this post!! lifeisglamandfab@gmail.com It'll be fun!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Writer's block...

I don't have much to say...

No, I don't have a fever. I'm not sick. I'm just kind of boring right now! And I kinda like it! I finally had a bit of a down time this weekend and it was simply glorious! Glorious in a "I only put 30 miles on my car this weekend" kind of way. So, I don't have much to report except for the following:
  • The Loj's Italian Wedding Soup is so stinkin' good and I made it for dinner Friday night. I have leftovers so I just might have it again tonight!
  • Dave was out of town for his annual "Guys Golf Weekend"...which means 3 rounds of golf, lots of chest beating, poker, red meat, whiskey and considering a dip in the Frio River your daily shower. I would like to point out there was a DETAILED food spreadsheet put together by my husband. It outlined each meal and the items needed to fulfill said meals, snacks, and additional items such as charcoal and lighter fluid, and toothpicks. He left no stone unturned. I went with him and his spreadsheet to HEB and as the cart began filling up I noticed multiple packages of Nutter Butters and Oreo cookies, a box of Goldfish that would feed a small army, steaks, fajitas...the list goes on, but the list didn't include One.Single.Vegetable or fruit item. Do you think that was an oversight or purposeful omission?
  • I went to see "Letters to Juliet" with my dad, mom and grandmother. I had been looking forward to seeing it since I saw the preview during New Moon. And if I lost all credibility with New Moon then you didn't have a prayer at liking L2J!! Back to Saturday night...so we talked dad into date night with 3 of his best girls (we missed you, sister) and he was a good sport by agreeing to see Letters to Juliet. About 15 minutes in I knew this was a big mistake. I'm not going to say the movie was horrible, but it was definitely slow and could have been a lot better. I really like Amanda Seyfried, and she is an amazing cryer, so I'll give her that much. But catch this one on DVD....
  • Miss USA...did you watch? Ay-yi-yi...Is it getting worse or am I getting older? Miss Michigan was my least favorite of the top 5....She had some crazy hip action going on when she was strutting her stuff. The evening gowns were gorgeous!! Miss California ROCKED it with the evening gown....and Miss Maine's was a little bit "safe" but I thought it was stunning!!
  • And finally....get excited for Fabulous Find Friday because we're going to have a guest blogger! She's a product guru and has great ideas and "must have" items for the Summer! I can't wait to find out what I need to have in my arsenal this season!

Happy Monday!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Fabulous Find Friday!

I've been on a "sofa search" for what feels like my lifetime. In reality, it has been about 6 months. We moved into our house about a year and a half ago and progress has been slow in the decorating department. Most of our furniture is a collection of goodies from parents, grandparents, our lives before two-became-one, and one piece collected from a neighbor's garage sale the weekend we moved into our house. If that's not perfect timing I don't know what is...

I have an entire list of things I want to do in the house. At the top of the list is our living room. It is the room we spend the most time in in our house and it is where guests hang out when they come over because it is basically one large room attached to the kitchen. I have so much fun looking for ideas online and I have recently just fallen in L-O-V-E with some of these rooms...it's gotten my wheels turning. And who knows, maybe you're looking for a few weekend projects this summer?

Below are several photos I really like. They are not all my style, but I think they are all gorgeous! All of the photos below are from Lonny Mag. You'll have so much fun seeing the ideas this site has to offer! But if you really want your head to spin with tons of great ideas head over to RedCover.com.
I can't even articulate my deep love for bookshelves...the first one literally makes my mouth water for a glass of Tazo iced black tea and a good book...Please and thank you.
PS...does anyone else struggle with their style?? MAN, I feel like I like styles that really contrast. Which is why I have a hard time knowing where to start. Which is your style?

PPS...If you want to see what my house really looks like (which is nothing like these gorgeous pictures/styles...hence the conflict of styles going on in my head...) you can click here and here.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

I'm refining him one pita chip at a time...

Dave: "This tastes kinda like bean dip. (Pauses...) Man, I used to eat bean dip all the time before you. Bean dip and fritos....mmm (reflecting). Now it's hummus and pita chips. It's like you're trying to refine me."

If only hummus and pita chips alone would do the trick...

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Oooo Baby-Baby, B-Baby-Baby!

Have I already used that title before? If so, forgive me. I was in junior high when Salt and Peppa were cool...they were formative years.

This weekend I had the privilege to host, along with great friends, a baby shower for Bradley. (For those of you that are new around here, when my girlfriends and I are together we sound like a guy's locker room because of the nicknames we use. I refer to them on this blog by their nicknames because, let's be honest, I probably don't even remember their real names. Using their real names is like wearing a bathing suit in the bathtub...it just feels awkward...) I digress...

The baby shower. The baby shower was wonderful and fun and I hope it was special for Bradley and baby Avery. I know it was special for James because he got to play golf, avoid women cackling and touching Bradley's belly while squealing in high pitched voices, yet he still got to come home to gifts. That's what I call a win-win!

Avery is so loved already and we are anxiously awaiting her arrival with lots of pink and lots of monogrammed attire!

Dave, patiently, let me save the branches from my Christmas card tree so we could do a blessing branch. Now that we've made it to May I might as well keep them for next Christmas, right?? Everyone wrote a note of encouragement, a prayer, a piece of advice, whatever blessing they wanted to leave for James, Allison and Avery.

Lots of great food, strawberry lemonade and petifores!

Avery Marion Lee...Love seeing her monogram!

The Loj put together a fun game where you had to match the different types of Candy with a baby term. For example: College Tuition = 100 Grand, Your Baby's Cheeks- Kissables

The hostesses all brought a book for Avery's library. We wrote her little notes inside :)

Girl stuff is seriously the CUTEST! Bradley is due on July 4th and I thought this outfit was just darling!

We had a candy bar set up for guests to take some goodies home with them.

And it wouldn't be a party without Reams figuring out the bill! Our trusty accountant always figures out our totals but this time, she hit an all-time low! I was finishing up in the kitchen and she was going through receipts at the table when I heard her say, "This will be much easier if I just put it in a spreadsheet!" and she gets up and marches upstairs and comes down with a 10-key calculator and a laptop! I mean, that is just stuff you travel with?? I usually take my chi, my toothbrush and a few changes of underwear! I got out my camera and she said, "Do not put this on the blog!" :) I love you cookies! You can all rest assured the calculations were perfect!

I hope you all had a great weekend! And Bradley, I hope you loved being showered!!