Lilly Inspired Tuesday

This Fall's Lilly Pulitzer collection has finally hit their new and updated website.

Sadly I missed out on the Summer Blow Out Sale last week and I cannot believe what amazing deals I let pass me by. Did any summer must-haves make their way into your shopping cart last week?

The first thing about the Lilly Fall collection that caught my eye was this fabulous print, "Break a Leg." And to my dismay it only comes in Little Lillys!?! I'm in love with this print and am crossing my fingers that it will find its way onto a women's dress so that I can get my hands on it!

Other new prints that I am dying to add to my wardrobe are Thrill of the Chaise, Dress Rehearsal, and Standing Ovation. Not only have I fallen in love with these prints, Lilly has a few looks that I just have to have this fall. Instead of my usual Fall blouse and trouser routine at work, I'm hoping to switch it up every once in a while with a stunning shirt dress or shirt and skirt combos. 

Love Love Love the pop of color with the shoes!

Must have this Christy Shirt Dress!

24th Celebrations

Once again I fell off the face of the blogger world for a week. But don't you worry; I'm back. Last weekend was my birthday and celebrations proved to take everything out of me. One year older, with new adventures right in front of my eyes, I know that 24 is bound to be another fabulous year. Celebrating with friends and family a week ago was beyond perfect, but was surely short lived when work started back in full force the following Monday.

For my birthday, the girls and I went to dinner at PFChangs where we managed to order enough food to feed a small village.

But of course we still managed to find room for dessert and I cannot wait to see if my birthday wish comes true!

After dinner, we met up with the guys and others at my new house for a  few drinks before heading downtown. Another successful birthday under my belt and who better to spend it with than the best friends a girl could ask for!

Wrong Side of the Bed

To say that today was "just not my day" would be an understatement. Let's just say I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. This week has been nothing short of stressful. If I had made a list of the things that I didn't wanted to do on my final week of summer vacation then I would be very close to checking all of those things off... everything from 4 hour meetings and doctor's appointments to locking myself out of my house (for the second time... and in my pj's.)

So after a few hours of crying through reruns of Grey's Anatomy... thank you Lifetime for having the saddest episodes of the show's existence on today... I started trying to think of things that had actually gone right this week to attempt to cheer myself up.

1. My order from Marley Lilly finally arrived yesterday! I'm loving my new monogrammed croakies and wristlet! The color of the wristlet turned out better than I could ever have expected. I'm usually not a fan of purple but this "longchamp" inspired wristlet is perfect for a day of shopping or night out.

2. My classroom is finally complete! Yesterday, I was determined to not leave the school until everything was done. Now I can actually try to relax a little bit tomorrow on our first Teacher Workday instead of pulling my hair out. Pandora and Cheerwine have replaced bulletin boards and lesson plans on my agenda.

3. Mom and I stopped in Raleigh to do some shopping on our way to pick up M (our foreign exchange student) from the airport. After hours... literally hours... of indecisiveness, I finally chose what new bag I wanted for my birthday. It was a close battle between Longchamp and JPK but I couldn't sway from my loyal Longchamp.

4. I finally sold my paper wreath on Etsy! I've actually sold quite a few paper wreaths this summer by word of mouth but I wanted so badly to actually sell the one that I've had listed on Etsy dot com. I wish you would've heard me scream when I got the email about the purchase while sitting at a stop light today. The guy beside me may have thought I was little more than crazy dancing around in my car

5. Birthday plans are finally made. I'm so excited about celebrating my birthday this weekend and cannot wait for it to finally get here. It's been too long since I've gone out with all of the girls and dinner at PFChangs is just what I need to finish off a week like this. Daydreams of Skinnygirl Margaritas are hopefully going to get me through tomorrow's work day!

Sweep Me Away

If you had asked me in June what I was most excited about for this summer, I would've told you that all I wanted to do was finally have time to sit down and finish a book. I made a trip to the book store the week that school got out and bought 8 new books and even ordered one on Amazon... now the sad fact is that I've yet to finish one of those books in the past 3 months!?!

Summer was everything shy of relaxing and almost as hectic as the school year. Packing, moving, redecorating, appointments, meetings, you name it and it took up my free time. Isn't it sad that when you plan to relax, life throws you a curve. But I'm not complaining about have summers off so please don't start cursing me under your breathe. I'm just saying that even when you have free time, most of your time isn't truly "free."

Now instead of looking forward to a break from work; I'm actually looking forward to the normalcy and routine of work. I cannot wait to know that I will be off work at 2:45 and be able to relax and hopefully pick up a book every afternoon.

Here are just a few books at the top of my "MUST READ ASAP" list:

1.

2.

3.

4. 

5. 

 6. 

 Have you read any of these book? What did you think?


I'll be sure to share my reviews as soon as I find a comfy chair in the corner to settle into and a cup of coffee by my side as I get swept away for hours of reading!

Weekend Whereabouts

This past weekend was a much needed get-away before the "real world" hits me head on this week. It is hard to believe that the school year is almost here. I went in to work today to get most of my classroom set up so that I can avoid the migraines and knots in my stomach on Friday (our 1st teacher work day.) After suffering through hours in a classroom with no air conditioning, my classroom is finally put together (minus a few touches here or there.)

Here are a few quick pictures of my classroom for those of you who don't follow my teacher blog:

Door without the lily pads with students' names on them.

Now back to this past weekend... On Friday, mom and I went to get long overdue manicures. Not only was this a treat because I needed some relaxation, but I officially found my new favorite polish color. Usually I stick with Esse polishes because of their vibrant colors and they stay on forever. But on this trip, I planned to switch it up and try out OPI's Bubble Bath. I'd seen the color on several of my friends and even saw it mentioned in a few blogs that I follow. Needless to say, I stumble upon a color that I ended up loving even more than Bubble Bath and its name is so fitting....... Mimosas for Mr. and Mrs.!!!

Mimosas for Mr and Mrs

Later Friday night, I went to have dinner and drinks with some amazing friends where I spontaneously decided to join said friends at the Panthers game the next night. What's better than a weekend of friends, football and tailgating? Exactly... nothing.

We road tripped to Charlotte Saturday morning and the festivities began. Despite the horribly hot and humid weather, we managed to trek a few miles to the tailgate. Needless to say jerseys might not be the best thing to wear in 90 degree humidity. No sooner had we stopped complaining about the heat that it started pouring rain. Rain and tailgating don't quite mix... unless you find the brilliant iPhone app iDeck!!

Who needs corn hole when everyone can play F* the Dealer with your phone. Let the tailgating continue! All in all the game was great... a little wet but well worth it. And I finally went to a game that the Panthers won... maybe my bad luck streak is over (crossing my fingers.)

Concerts and Cocktails

As summer is coming to such a quick end, I am trying to get in my last few weeks of relaxation before the real world steps back into my life... welcomed or unwelcome. What better way to spend a Thursday night than at a summer concert?! And that is just what's on my agenda tonight. I've been so busy this summer with buy the house and getting settled that I almost went the whole summer without going to a concert! What was I thinking?

But luckily my amazing little not so little brother is letting me tag along to the Tim McGraw concert tonight. He's playing with The Band Perry (who I am in love with!) and Luke Bryan. What better than a little brother/sister time.

As we are all trying to soak up the last weeks of summer, I figured I would leave you with a great cocktail recipe to try on this Thirsty Thursday. A Bethenny Frankel inspired delightful drink with a kick... oh and it's skinny (of course.) Let me know what you think!

Skinny Girl Black Eye

What you need:

3 tablespoons clear rum

3 tablespoons club soda

1 tablespoon citrus liquor

1 tablespoon pineapple juice

1 tablespoon orange juice

Mix all the ingredients together over a glass of ice (on the rocks people) and enjoy a summer drink with a kick!

Hello Birth-Month!

Who only celebrates the actual date that they were born anymore? Why not celebrate the whole month!? August is finally here and with it comes gorgeous weather, last weeks of summer and MY BIRTHDAY! With MY day quickly approaching, I've been trying to figure out what exactly I want for my birthday this year. The older I get, the harder it is to think of things to ask for... probably because neccessity starts to out weigh want. But here are a few things that are on my wish list so far:

1.

14ct gold Monogram Necklace

2.

Navy Longchamp... mine is now 5 years old!?

3.

Jack Rogers Ballet Flats

What would be on your birthday wish list right now?

In the Mail...

This past week, I stumbled upon a fabulous new store online that is now my go to shop spot for gifts and a little something for myself. If you know me well, then you know that I get weak in the knees when it comes to anything monogrammed. And take my word for it... anything can be monogrammed!

Marley Lilly is the perfect place to find anything monogrammed from jewelry and clothing to bags and floppy hats. If only I had known about Marley Lilly before Carolina Cup this past year...but you better believe I am getting a new hat from them for next year's Cup.

This week I decided to treat myself to some new monogrammed pieces for my birth-month.

I am in desperate need of new croakies so they of course were my first purchase. Not only are these croakies perfect because they are monogrammed; but the price is better than great. The last store that I looked at for croakies had them priced at $16 and this didn't include any personal touches. Marley Lilly has a wide selection of colors in strap and tread and they are only $12.99!
I finally decided on navy with white monogramming.

The other item that found its way into my shopping cart was this gorgeous wristlet. Fashioned to mimic a Longchamp bag, this wristlet is the perfect addition to a night out. It is the perfect size and also comes in stunning colors. Being extremely indecisive, this choice took me quite a while but I finally made up my mind and ordered the purple wristlet with tan monogramming in Victor font. I cannot wait for this gem to arrive!

I have a feeling that if I love this clutch as much as I think I'm going to, then the black, grey and tan wristlets might make their way into my closet before Christmas!

Just Call Me Martha

Martha Stewart that is... 

Now that I'm in my new house and have free rein over what color the walls are, where I can place a nail and how loud I play my music... I'm in heaven!

Who knew that there would be such a difference in renting and owning a place. I mean, my apartment was virtually mine but there was still this lurking thought in the back of my mind that the space that I called "mine" was actually not mine at all. It was borrowed space that I couldn't make my own.

Now, I am making up for lost time and transforming my house into my very own perfect space. The walls are painted, pictures are hung, and furniture is precisely placed. I'm starting to wonder if there is a line between feng shui and OCD. And if there is, I'm pretty sure it's darn thin and I've already crossed it.

Over the past week, I've learned a few things about myself:

1. I hate moving with a passion and moving in 100 degree heat doesn't help. I believe that everything should be done quickly... why wait til later? As a result, I had my whole house unpacked and decorated within 48 hours. OCD... probably!

Boxes. Boxes. and more Boxes!

Goodbye downtown!

2. I absolutely do not have a green thumb and quite possibly have the kiss of death when it comes to plants. Oh and did I mention that I inherited a garden with the new house. I'm sure you can see how this is going to end.

Ivy plant from one of my students... didn't go so well!

3. All technology frustrates me, as well as the lack there of. I thought being without Internet and cable was bad enough but I hit my breaking point when they were both finally installed and my Internet still didn't work for 2 days. Needless to say, a bottle of wine and a little venting helped.

4. Shopping with my mother leads to me throwing all my cares out the window and filling up the cart. Oh and eating everything that I shouldn't... ie. an entire box of Dunkin Donut Munchkins

 5. I need to start working out... not out of want but out of need. My excessive eating-out and ice cream before bed over the past few months is starting to catch up with me. Starting tomorrow a morning run routine is going into affect! (text me at 7am and see how that's going... or just to see if I'm actually out of bed!)

Back to Civilization...

Who knew it would be this hard to go without cable or Internet for a week?!? For those of you who don't already know, I am officially a new home owner as of last Friday! Moving was anything but a breeze with temperatures hitting 100 degrees but I am officially living in my new house... without cable and Internet that it. Time Warner first told me that it would be 2 weeks before they could make it out to install my much needed connection to the world but I finagled my way and they are now coming out this Friday.

For those of you who read my blog daily, which is probably a measly one person... and also probably my mother, I apologize for the lack of ranting and raving over the past week. I'm going to try and squeeze in a few posts while I'm at my parent's house waiting to for my hair appointment. So you will not be deprived of my banter for much longer.

Thank goodness for my iPhone to keep me connected with email, Facebook and Twitter over the past week. Still, my iPhone couldn't help much with the lack of cable. But don't you worry...redbox to the rescue! I've watched more movies in the past 3 days than I would usually watch in a month so I thought I'd share my redbox reviews.
*sidebar: redbox is running a special- rent one movie for $1 and get a second rental for 50 cent

No Strings Attached- I might be a little bias here because I love both Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman so I surprisingly liked this movie. Now I would have to say that this isn't a movie that I would watch with my mother;  but I'm a sucker for tragically painful love stories and this one was nothing short of painful. I wouldn't quite place the movie in the romantic comedy genre because it wasn't all that funny but somehow the characters seemed to suck me in and I didn't want the movie to end. Definitely a chick flick movie night.




I Am Number Four- Truthfully the only reason that I rented this movie was because I couldn't find anything else that I hadn't already seen in my redbox, but I'm glad I stumble upon this number. Is it just me or does every movie today surround the concept of aliens? This movie however didn't fit the cliche of every other alien movie. Not only was the lead character a hot guy, the story was action pack and had me on the edge of my seat. No all that predictable and had a decent ending that looks like it will lead to a sequel. Overall a great movie for a date night because your guy is sure to like it.



Beastly- First of all, who is this Alex Pettyfer guy? He was the lead role in I Am Number Four and Beastly... how did I manage to get to see him two movies in a row... but I'm not complaining! Although this movie is nothing short of a Disney channel replay, it was a great flick. Borderline predictable and a little sappy teenage love story but I loved it.Definitely a "chick-flick" and get for a night in with nothing but a huge bowl of popcorn and king size Reese's (yes I went there last night.)

For those of you who are the type to want to read the book before the movie, this is supposedly one of those movies. But I've not read the book so I'm not one to talk.


Source Code- Before I say anything else, GREAT MOVIE! I love action packed movies with flashbacks and this is definitely one of them. The story line is very unpredictable and keeps you wanting more until the very last second. I would recommend this movie to anyone without a doubt that they would love it. It has a great ending that leaves you feeling like the movie was a success. Just when you think the movie is about to end, the writers take it to a whole nother level and leave you in a brilliant state of shock.




Aside from my redbox overload, I also went to see a movie in theaters.
Cowboys and Indians- I'll come right out and say that I hated it. Even though I laughed quite a bit at the outrageously overdone acting and horrible created "aliens," I would've asked for my money back. First of all, who comes up with this stuff and second of all who actually likes these movies?!