Fabulous Find Friday!

Once again I am thanking my lucky stars that it's Friday!! Another week bites the dust and now it's time for the weekend!

As I mentioned yesterday, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! And I have to tell you guys, I was never much of a pink girl. I was straight up tomboy. Playing in the dirt, into sports (although I was a hard core cheerleader), my BFF was the boy next door, I didn't play with dolls...EVER, and I wasn't much of a dress girl. But let me tell you what....pink is now my signature color! I'm so glad that pink symbolizes hope, strength, support, and the quest for a CURE!

It is for this reason that I have found a slew of phenomenal products for you today! And to see them, please go to www.oursolepurpose.blogspot.com . I really, really want the HOPE necklace, the Lacoste shirt and I may or may not have asked Dave for the Snuggie yesterday....

I hope you find something fabulous for yourself and I ask you to support these vendors and retailers that are joining the fight against breast cancer! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I ask you to Think Pink!!

*And for those wanting an update on my walking....last weekend was our longest walk to date and I walked 17 miles on Saturday. I survived but only because I had visions of Patrick Swayze and Rebecca Bloomwood in my head. :) I downloaded Dirty Dancing, Confessions of a Shopaholic and the "Showmance" episode from Glee to entertain me for my 5 hours. It was wonderful!! I'm trying to decide what I want to watch this weekend. :)

Happy Fall Y'all!

It's October! And I couldn't be happier about it. Cooler weather, the holiday's begin, decorations come out, football games start getting better and meaning more, it's breast cancer awareness month (!!!) and most importantly, It's my dad's birthday today!! So, in honor and celebration of my dad, here are just a few of his most endearing qualities:

This video makes me happy...
You can kill a skunk in one shot...you sharp shooter, you.
You are so generous!
It is so fun to watch you enjoy Taylor's baseball. I know you love the game and you are so proud of Taylor's accomplishments and you're his biggest fan. (arguably, but I'll give it to you since it's your birthday...)
You love your family so much and you always put our needs first.
You have always encouraged us in our dreams, careers, relationships, and told each one of us how proud you are of us and how much you want us to be happy.
You give, and give, and give.

Thank you, love you, and happiest of birthdays!!

The Biggest Hill in the City of Dancing...

Holy smokes....I'm almost embarrassed to admit this to you but I sold my life to the television last night. I would like to note that I got a solid A in multi-tasking in college and my skills have only been polished and refined since 2002 so I'm not a complete waste of space. I will admit that I know who got kicked off of Dancing with the Stars (without having to look it up on the Internet), I successfully watched the entire 2 hours of the Biggest Loser, watched The Hills and made my conscious decision that it is now dead to me, watched the City and decided that it has made a powerful comeback in season 2, and enjoyed another entertaining episode of Flipping out...I just couldn't figure out how to fit the name in my blog title without making it sound stupid...because my current title isn't stupid at all.

Anywho...so we'll start with the Biggest Loser. I would like to point out that while watching the Biggest Loser I also managed to bathe the dog and make dinner all the while flipping to DWTS during commercial breaks in hopes that Debi Mazar or Aaron Carter would be the ones to get the boot this week. No such luck...nonetheless we consumed our tacos and guacamole while watching Tracey who, let's call a spade a spade, has a little crazy in 'er, screw over her sweet partner Coach Mo and all of her "friends". But y'all know I totally cried when Coach Mo was the last one to head up the ramp with his weight and all of his peers walked with him up that ramp to cross the finish line with him. Oh man...I think I might have a serious hormonal imbalance. And then, I was so sad to see Antoine and Sean go. You know I cried for the second time when they were so self sacrificing and asked the others to vote to send them home so Shay could stay at the ranch.

After all the waterworks I flipped over just in time to see Kathi Ireland go home on DWTS. Kind of a shock if you ask me. Next on the list was the Hills. Oh gosh...here we go. I have been faithful since the beginning. I was a Laguna Beach fan, then I was all Team LC and loved watching her grow into her own and mature from LC to Lauren in her quest for fashion fame. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of Kristin Cavallari and Speidi makes me nauseous. I don't dislike Audrina but at the same token she is fairly un-entertaining, so I think I might be done with the Hills. Now the City...ok, last year when the City started I didn't think it was that great. I watched the entire season, but thought it was kind of lackluster. I think season 2 is coming on pretty strong. I like that Olivia is going to be working for Elle now and might get taken down a notch and I love the professional relationship between Kelly Cutrone and Whitney. I'm so glad Whitney has Kelly on her side and it will be interesting to see what happens with her designs.

The final show in my insane Tuesday night arsenal was Flipping out on Bravo. Oh Jeff...Jeff, Jeff, Jeff. How do you sleep at night? That guy cracks me up. He is unlike anything I've ever seen. And I think that's why we keep watching it. Dave loves it too....it's just a fact.

I would say that I need to get my Tuesday night's in check, but I think with bathing the dog, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, showering/washing my hair/drying my hair, and putting out my new pumpkins I was pretty effective at multi-tasking. And we all know I'll gain 30 minutes of my life back from 9:00-9:30 next Tuesday night. If the going gets tough good thing the tough's got TiVo!

Copy Cat...

I was listening to the radio the other day and the all too familiar sound of Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" hit the airwaves....only it was no Imogene and this was no "Hide and Seek". Instead, Jason Derulo has used the popular chorus "mmm whatcha say?" as the hook for his increasingly popular song imaginatively titled "Whatcha Say". So, it got me thinking about remakes and some of my favorites, some I'd like to forget ever happened, and some that made me download the old and the new because I love them both so. And, at the risk of sounding arrogant, but just trying to be fair, the Loj and I do a pretty mean version of "Elephant Love Song Medley". But because it has never been recorded and released in wide release I hate to put it on the list.

So here goes...here are a few of my favorites that I could think of, and they've made this list because I like the original but in most of these cases I like the remake better.

Title/original artist/remake artist:

All Along the Watchtower (obvi!): Bob Dylan/Jimi Hendrix/Dave Matthews Band
Sailing: Christopher Cross/Nsync (Nsync killed this remake! It's awesome!)
Come on Eileen: Dexy's midnight Runners/Save Ferris
Heard it Through the Grapevine: Glady's Night and the Pips/Creedence Clearwater Revival (Most of y'all know that CCR can do no wrong in my book, so pretty much anything they remade I liked better!)
Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder/Red Hot Chili Peppers
Landslide: Fleetwood Mac/Dixie Chicks
Nothing Compares to U: Prince/Sinead O'Connor
Proud Mary: CCR/Ike and Tina Turner (Love both versions!)
Red Red Wine: Neil Diamond/UB40
Respect: Otis Redding/Aretha Franklin
Crazy: Gnarls Barkley/Ray LaMontagne
Ain't no Sunshine When she's Gone: First of all, I love this song. Period. Bill Withers was the original artist of the song, but Van Morrison sings my favorite version. Kris Allen did an amazing version on AI last year, so he's up there with Van Morrison, but he's my second fave. And on that note....I leave you with this...


On this next list are a few songs I can think of that should have never been remade! Why would you even try to mess with the original??

Drift Away: Doby Gray/Uncle Kracker (My dislike for UK could have something to do with this...)
Sweet Home Alabama: Lynard Skynard/Kid Rock (Again, it could have something to do with the artist)
I Will Survive: Gloria Gaynor/Cake
Pretty Woman: Roy Orbison/Van Halen
Tuesday's Gone: Lynard Skynard/Metallica
Wonderwall: Oasis/Ryan Adams

Your turn! I know there are a million I couldn't think of, so do share your faves!! I need some new downloads. :)

I kid you not....

I was driving home from work the other day on a very busy (albeit completely gridlocked...) highway and the middle-aged man in the car next to me was doing bicep curls. He had a dumbbell in his left hand and was driving with the right hand and was doing curls as he drove. He was wearing a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I immediately started laughing and then cursed the fact that I don't have an iPhone to photograph and then immediately Twitter/e-mail about such idiosyncrasies.

It would have been pretty awkward if I had dug through my purse for my camera and then rolled down my widow to get a tint-free photo of him in all of his glory. But have no fear, Google Images came through so you aren't left with a boring post with no photo...

So do you guys have any "athletic activities" you engage in during your commute?

Fabulous Find Friday!

Y'all I still don't think I'm over Grey's from last night! I can hardly think straight. Izzy and Alex...Mc.Dreamy and Meredith.....I think I'm back on the GA bandwagon.

Moving on to fashion and such...I received a couple of e-mails this week about great deals this week and I am going to share one of them with you today. I will share the other in due time my friends. I'm helping you hone patience...it's a virtue. :)

Have y'all ever shopped at Swoozie's before? It's pretty much fantastic. All things monogrammed, personalized, imprinted, embellished....yes please! Right now they are offering 30% off of all online orders and I'm not kidding when I say this is a great deal! Do some early Christmas shopping or indulge in something you've been eyeing for a while. Baby gifts, address stamps, birthday presents, just for fun, koozies for a party....Here few of my favorites!

Cozie baseball, Monogrammed bib, Initial cutting board, fun personalized wine glasses, even amazing stationary and invitations!

Because it would not let me use the images I have linked to many fun products. Use the shopping code celebrate30 when you check out to enjoy 30% savings! Happy saving!!

MY.HEART.WOULD.STOP.BEATING.

If you have been reading this blog for even a little while you know my deep, real FEAR of crickets. And if you know me in real life you absolutely know that I am truly terrified of them. And all of you don't get it. You have told me so. You say, "They can't hurt you!" "They don't bite!" "Why are you so afraid?" To that I say, I have no idea. I know they don't bite. But y'all, I am truly terrified. They jump high, they fly, you can think you are just "steering clear" of them and the next thing you know they are flying like a dive bomber at your head.

When we were juniors (maybe seniors??) in college we had a date party at Minute Maid park to watch an Astro's game. For those of you that have ever been there, a lot of times (maybe all the time?) they will keep the roof closed until around the 7th inning and then they open it up to the nights' sky. Well, there we were, an entire sorority and all of their dates sitting in the upper deck cheap seats and enjoying the game when the roof starts opening....y'all, I'm not even exaggerating it was an invasion of crickets! They were coming in near the lights and they were flying and landing and jumping and....I had a panic attack. I was on the inside of a row and they were hitting my shoulders and I was truly doing everything I could to get out of there and get air in my lungs. IT.WAS.AWFUL. And it was terribly embarrassing.

SO, you can imagine my horror when Dave sent me a link yesterday with the title, "Do you want to go to a game?" I saw that the link was for something Aggie related so I was thinking he finally wanted to go to an Aggie football game! I clicked on the link and it was an entire forum post about how the Aggies have a problem.....A.BIG.FREAKING.PROBLEM.

Those are crickets.

So are those. (I think I just threw up a little in my mouth...)

Dave's comment: "I don't even want to think about the scene you would have caused."

Neither do I.

I'm asking you...

To pray with me today for this sweet family in mourning. My friend Emily sent out a message to our bible study girls explaining that her Young Life leader passed away yesterday after giving birth to a baby girl 2 weeks ago. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and found out she was pregnant in February and has been undergoing treatment. For more of the story you can read their blog below.

http://bandssullivan.blogspot.com

Please pray with me.

Mini-Makeover...

I've got a long list of to-do's when it comes to our house. We moved in a year ago and we decided at that point that we now have permanent weekend plans! Between the yard, cleaning, a laundry list of honey-do's and a mile long wish list I think it's safe to say there will always be something to do.

When we moved, we had a mod-podge of furniture from our days of singledom that certainly didn't match, but we really had no other option at the time. We are slowly trying to update, upgrade, or reinvent items to help the rooms come together. One of the things I have really wanted to take care of are the bedside tables in our bedroom. We both need a bedside table. I need a place for my chapstick and Dave needs a place for all of his "stuff". I'm not kidding y'all, you wouldn't believe what he accumulates over there. Wallet, keys, CHANGE, receipts, cell phone, glasses, books, gift cards...you name it and it's on his bedside table. I can assure you that our current bedside madness is a complete eyesore. Until last night we had an off white bed, my bedside table was brown and Dave's was black. It was pretty neat-o. We were just trying to channel the college dormitory days. *This "before" picture isn't that great. I forgot to take an actual "before" picture, so this is a photo I had, but you can kind of see the mismatched furniture on either side of the bed.
Dave's grandfather is very talented and has made a ton of fabulous furniture. The table I have been using for quite some time was made by him. Well, I noticed the last time I was at my in-laws that they had another table just like the one I was using in their storage room ready for a good home. So I decided that maybe we could finally have a matching set! This weekend, Dave went hunting and would be passing through his hometown so I sent him with the duty of picking up our new furniture. Yesterday, armed with 4 cans of spray paint I went to work....

The finished product is a set of matching night stands....finally!!! I'm not finished, but it is a great start. I want to get another lamp like the one on my side for Dave's side, and since there are no drawers I am thinking of getting a basket to put on the bottom shelf so that books and things can be put in the basket without all of the clutter showing. I also need to figure out a method of hiding the cords hanging down. But it's a start! Any other ideas for me to help fancy up my new tables??

And here is the finished product....

Fabulous Find Friday!

I told you guys about 2 months ago how I went back to my 10 year High School reunion. It was so funny because my friends and I looked through tons of old pictures because we love reminiscing about overalls, denim jumpers, feathered bangs, Aqua net hairspray and MIA sandals. We blamed a lot of our apparel misfortunes on our "awkward stage" and I soon realized that I lived about 15 years of my life in an "awkward stage". Bless my heart.

Sometimes the awkward stage can be difficult to maneuver through and I feel like I'm in one right now. You see, it is currently Fall. But I live in Texas. So it is still 85-95 degrees daily with high humidity. But, it can most certainly be 90 degrees when you head out to that Friday night football game but in the mid 70's come time for nachos and a halftime show. You can see the predicament. So I have found a few items to help with this awkward stage where it's too hot for a coat but too cool for spaghetti straps. And my friends know my creed: If it's warm enough for a mini-skirt it's not cold enough for UGGs! I'm sure it's just me, but that's not my favorite "trend". It's like my mom always said, "Just because the girls in High School Musical can get away with it....."

I digress. One of my favorite things is to be able to take a shrug or lightweight cardigan and have it on hand in case I need a little something if I get cool. I have found a few great items that can be dressed up for work or church or dressed down for tomorrow night when Texas beats Tech. :)

I'm pretty sure I will own this before the weekend is over. It's Gianni Bini from Dillard's.

I'm telling you what...this photo does this shrug/cardigan no justice. It is super cute. It's not heavy, it is very lightweight and I think it adds more to the outfit than it adds to the warmth. I have debated between black or white for myself...

This Cableknit shrug from Banana Republic comes in brown or grey and I say, "Yes please!"

I just love, love this Cocoon Shrug Sweater also from Banana.

And finally, these wrap cardigans are inexpensive, they come in great colors to add some fun to your Fall wardrobe, and I like that they tie in what just so happens to be my problem area! Can I get an amen??

Gut Check...

Last night began my two-hour love affair with my TV on Tuesday nights. I have been a Biggest Loser fan since season 1 and last night was the season premier where I got to meet all the new contestants and see their starting point. It always baffles me that the contestants are so big and I always think about the fact that you don't get to that point overnight. If I don't keep myself in check I could easily be standing there, 5 years down the road in terrible shape and severely overweight. It's a huge reality check. But the biggest reality check came when the contestants were talking about their lives and some of the adversity they have faced. The tears came....

Like most of America I was most brought to my knees by Abby. Abby is 35 years old with a starting weight of 245 lbs. She is also a Texas girl! I love her already! What I learned about Abby last night is that in October of 2006 she lost her husband, her 5 1/2 year old daughter and her 2 1/2 week old son in a car accident. They were hit by a driver going over 100 miles an hour and in an instant her life changed. She said, "In an instant I lost every role that was important to me." I thought to myself, oh my gosh....wife, mother, best friend...in an instant those roles are gone forever for her. I listened to her talk about her tragedy but what I heard in her voice was hope and her spark for life. She was the only person in her family not in that car and she point blank said, "There is a reason I'm still here. I have a lot left to do, and although I don't know what exactly that is, I do know I ran a mile today." And a huge, contagious smile spread across her face. Now that is inspiration. As she stepped on the scale at the end of their first week she could celebrate the fact that she lost 15 pounds!! Her journey had begun. And while all the other contestants had exclaimed that their weight loss was for their wife, or their husband, or their children, for the chance to watch them grow...she said, "I don't have anyone else to do this for but for me. And that's enough. I have to wake up every morning and choose to get up and take steps. I'm not afraid of death. Death would be much easier. But I choose life and I choose to live it to the fullest."

And in that moment, not kidding I had alligator tears streaming down my face, I thanked God for each and every blessing and each and every day He gives me with them. And I thanked Him for showing me so clearly a moment of living beyond the end of my nose. Abby, I don't even know you, but I appreciate you and your heart. My word what you've been through. But last night, you taught me more than calories burned must be higher than calories taken in to achieve weight loss. You taught me to choose joy. I heard it last week in bible study, but you showed it to me. Go green team! (*For the record I LOVE Coach Mo too!!)

Quote of the Day...

When I get home from happy hour, or any time spent with friends, Dave always asks, "So what do you guys talk about?" I always like to inform him that we most definitely have meaningful, deep, heartwarming discussion like who the new Bachelor might be, who is going to drive to SYTYCD in 3 weeks and who will room with who at Hyatt Lost Pines. This is one of my favorites from last night.

Background: Bradley had just informed us that she has a list of things she wants to accomplish here in the next year or so. These accomplishments include learning calligraphy, taking a photography course, taking a photoshop course, and of course cake decorating which she can check off her list. To which Angie replied with the QOTD:

"I will do a calligraphy class with you. I don't need photoshop. I can certainly add myself into a ski vacation."

And that, my friends, is an evening well spent with girlfriends.

Ch-Ch-Ch-CHIA....

My sister and I have a lot in common. We are the best of friends, we share similar interests, we have similar viewpoints and opinions about things. We also have an incredible common bond of having out of control hair. It's the kind that grows when it rains or when you walk into a really humid place. I can eat dinner at a restaurant with a wacky temperature and my hair will curl and kink and grow throughout the meal. It doesn't even matter that I chi-ed it to perfect straightness only an hour before.

So, this weekend we FINALLY got a ton of rain. Y'all, we were in a serious drought. I'm not even sure we're out of it yet, but I think the 10 or so inches we got this weekend helped immensely. We have been on water restrictions, all public boat ramps at Lake Travis have been closed, the restaurants aren't allowed to bring you water unless you ask for it...I mean, it's been serious. So, we have been praising the Lord for some much needed showers. However, when it rains I might as well call it a day as far as my hair goes. We left for church yesterday morning and I had straightened my hair and was all set to go. Before we even entered the church I had probably grown a 1/4 of an inch in height and width from the neck up. By the time we left for lunch go ahead and give me 1/2 an inch. And we were inside! After lunch, mom and I decided to run a few errands. Right when we were walking into the mall....the rain came....I got a bit wet, but a little dab will do ya! Game over. I was a curly/frizzy/big/hot mess. By the time I got home I looked like you know who...

Kristen, I suppose it's our cross to bear. Well, that and bushy eyebrows and big thighs....ahhhh, gene pools.

Celebrate, Celebrate, Dance to the Music!

The favorite child comes through again! My family has much to celebrate!! I'll let my Mom do the honors...

Fabulous Find Friday!

I told y'all earlier this week that I did a little bit of damage at ULTA last weekend. That's why Dave says I can't work, (well, that and the electric bill...) because I spend money when I'm off work! I just think they were all needed items. I need to add color to my cheeks. I need to have fabulous lashes, and you all know I need my chapstick!

The reality is that although I spent close to $50 I got a LOT of bang for my buck. I honestly felt like ULTA was paying ME to get fabulous products! Well, maybe not quite, but it was still pretty awesome. So it is my duty to share the fabulousness with you.

Some of this I own and some of this I would like to own...

Talk about value! With this Smashbox Complexion Perfection kit you're getting primer, foundation, concealer and powder! My friend Courtney loves this photo finish. These are "sample sizes", but they are not tiny...they will go a long way!

For those looking for a little color, you can try the Smashbox Runway Glam kit. This is the deal of the day! We're talking eye shadow, cream liner palette, duo blush, double ended lip gloss, photo finish, and a great brush! At $47 we would label you a bargain shopper!

This is what mom got. (Among other things...let's be honest!) This Two-Faced Safari Sexy kit comes with a full size mascara(!!), bronzer, brush, full size eye liner, full size lip gloss, full size eyeshadow duo...and I might be leaving something else out. Bottom line, it's a $34 winner.

This is what I got...$20 worth of goodness....The Lorac Press Release kit comes with a cheek stamp (which I LOVE), a full size liquid eyeliner, lip gloss, and mascara. The cheek stamp is my new BFF because I am very pale naturally. I can throw it in my purse and just stamp it on my cheeks for a color jolt throughout the day.

These last 2 items are a-la-carte but well worth it! My mom has used lip stain for awhile now and while she was looking for her favorite name brand the specialist at ULTA informed us that Cover Girl uses almost the same formula and that their product is fab at a fraction of the price! So guess who tried it out? We did! And it's a winner. We (me, mom and Kristen) all liked the color Cinnamon Stick the best. Right now all CG products are buy one get one 50% off, so you might want this next item too...

How I love thee, let me count the ways....Y'all, I am completely addicted to chapstick. And while the Lipslicks will not replace my beloved Burt's Bees it has become a staple. I do not hold any natural color in my lips, so once my red lips wear off from my morning makeup I can look a bit...boring. My new Lipslick gives me the moisture I need from a chapstick but a bit of color as well. It also has a nice gloss! For $3.99 you're in business!

And right now, for your buying pleasure, ULTA is running free shipping on orders over $50 as well as a $3.50 off your purchase online. Happy Shopping! And do share some of your Fall faves!