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Our weekend was one for the books! Ok, not really. At all. But I'll tell you about it anyway because I'm a blogger and that's what I do.
Blogging-Giving readers more information than they really needed to know/cared to know about your life.
1. So yesterday morning, we awoke at 7:30 to the sound of weed-eaters and lawn mowers right outside our bedroom window. Our neighbors, who are a young, able-bodied couple that could mow their own 20 feet of lawn, hire out mowers each week. And for the past two weeks, said neighbors have had mowers coming at 7:20 a.m. to have their lawn mowed.
ON A SATURDAY.
1 foot from our bedroom window.
Now before you say, "Well can't you report them to the POA for some noise violation?", let me tell you this: Our neighbor is also the POA President.
So. We are currently plotting really loud and obnoxious ways of getting them back. If you have suggestions, please let me know. I'm all about giving someone a taste of their own medicine. We could maturely ask him to have his mowing squad come a bit later in the a.m., but the guy is also a lawyer and, therefore, incapable of mature discussion ; )
(I kidd. I have nothing against a lawyer. Just the one living next door to us.)
2. I got fresh highlights. See pic below. Fresh highlights= happy girl.
3. We are currently watching Glee seasons on Netflix and watched the Britney Spears-themed episode tonight. We then proceeded to go to YouTube and watch every old-school Britney music video in existence. Let me just say, I really miss the old, hot Britney from back in the day.
1. For my first confession, I’ll just refer y’all over to my
little posty-toasty from today or just see the below pic. Embarrassing.
2. We attended our first POA meeting tonight for our
subdivision. I wanted to gouge my eyes out about 10
minutes into it. That’s how fun and informative it was.
3. I’m getting my hair highlighted Saturday morning. I’d be
lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to indulge in one of the salon’s DELISH
mimosas. It’s okay to imbibe at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday, right? Right??
4. My closet is bloated. I think it may be time for a blog
sale. Although, I have a strangely difficult time letting go of clothes. I
could probably give away a baby easier than I could a pair of shoes. #ClothesHoarder
5. We (yes “we”, as in my husband and I) are nearing the end of
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. I’m sad
about this. I’m not quite ready to let go of Katniss, Peeta and Gale and
District 13.
6. And yes, my husband and I read together. Out loud. Like
elementary school story time style.
7. I have had a coke every single day this week. Shout out to
my girl Kelly – my soda-pop soul sistah.
8. I completely plan to watch Don’t Be
Tardy for the Wedding tonight. As you can see, I have very high
standards when it comes to quality television.
9. My lunch today consisted of Cheese-Its, mini pretzels
and a Salty/Sweet Granola Bar. #BalancedDiet
10. My lunch plans tomorrow include Chipotle. Which is not
calorie-laden and heavy at all. At all.
Don’t stress yo’self, confess
yo’self!
Be blessed, lovelies-
P.S.- PLEASE do not link up if you aren't actually participating in Confessional Friday. (And yep, I do check every link.) Thanks for being considerate, y'all! : )
Add this to the ever-increasing amount of blonde moments I have on a daily basis. Really, y'all - I think the highlighting bleach has started to finally seep into my brain.
I thought I'd be sweet and send Stephen-poo a love note (text) yesterday. Leave it to me to write the words onto the paper in a way that would reflect incorrectly in the pic.
Oops.
Send someone you care about a "U Love I" message today. And if you do, tweet it and show me. @ABlondeAmbition
#HappinessIs...having someone that loves you despite your inability to create successful love texts.
Hold on to your Jimmy Choos, I'm getting all pensive and whatnot today.Okay, not really. I mean this is A Blonde Ambition and we don't take ourselves too seriously around here. But I had a conversation with a friend yesterday that got me to thinking...
I honestly feel like we don't celebrate the happy things in life enough. We all lead busy and stressful lives and it's so easy to get caught up in ourselves and our little "bubble" (at least for me it's easy to get caught up in all that.) In fact, I caught myself griping about the fact that it was taking a while on the phone to get my new debit card activated yesterday. And suddenly I realized, "Wow. I'm a jerk."
I'm lucky to have a debit card that links to a bank account with money in it. Money that pays for our bills and keeps food in our fridge. Money that keeps my feet in cute shoes and yummy pizza on nights when we don't feel like cooking.
So instead of focusing on stuff that irks us or wasting ten minutes venting about minor inconveniences (which I find WAY too many blogs focusing on - but that's for another post entirely), I just wanted to celebrate happiness today.
1. This oh-so-adorable commercial from White House | Black Market featuring the tap dancing model, a.k.a. Coco Rocha. #HappinessIs
2. The wonderful, quiet date night that my husband treated me to this past weekend. I'm lucky to have a guy that remembers special occasions, like 7 month anniversaries. #HappinessIs
3. A boat ride on Sunday that ended up more like a scene out of The Perfect Storm. We packed a book, some great tunes, a blanket and two perfect little monogrammed glasses of iced tea. About five minutes out of the marina, all heck broke loose. Wind started blowing 50 mph, the boat was rocking violently, iced tea spilled everywhere and my perfectly poofed hair was destroyed.
At first we were ticked, but then we just started laughing hysterically at the lovely boat ride gone awry. We had envisioned a blissful, relaxing lake day. Instead, we got....a mess. And it was one of the most fun days we've had in a long time.
Sometimes the best plans are the ones that don't work out at all. #HappinessIs
4. M&M ice cream sandwiches. MARS makes them. You can buy them at Walmart or Kroger. They have made my life exponentially sweeter this week. #HappinessIs
5. Finding a pair of pants online that I didn't have to get hemmed, taken in or altered to kingdom come. #HappinessIs
6. We get to take a mini-vacay to St. Louis to see one of our little nephews for his 1st birthday next month. We're getting a hotel in the downtown area and turning into a romantic getaway/ mini vacation. We decided that after the surgery and all that nonsense, we deserved a weekend out of town.
This. Makes. Me. So. Excited. #HappinessIs
7. Storage Wars, Pawn Stars and Swamp People. If you don't know what these titles mean, then I suggest you start watching more pointless reality TV. #HappinessIs
8. I watched an old man open the car door for his wife at the grocery store the other day. They must have been in their eighties. Nice to know romance can live forever, if we try hard enough. #HappinessIs
9. An ice-cold Coca-Cola. The real kind. Which I enjoy a couple of times a week. #HappinessIs
...............................................
Life isn't always sunshine and petunias, but maybe if we take a sec a few times a week and count our "happys", life could be a little more petunia-filled.
Or chocolate-filled.
Or puppy-filled.
Or whatever makes you happy-filled.
P.S.- If you want to use the hashtag #HappinessIs this week, I'd love to hear what makes you happy on Twitter! I'll be tweeting a few of my own throughout the week, too : )
We had a blast this weekend! "What did you do that was so exciting?", you ask. NOTHING. Nothing at all and it was bliss.
Friday night, we made Cali burgers on our new grill. It's a hamburger topped with pepperjack cheese, avocado, tomato and jalapenos. Delish! I meant to take a pic, but didn't. #BloggerFail
Saturday, I gave myself a candy-colored mani, which was inspired by the lovely Sarah Jessica Parker and her recent pants/top ensemble.
Saturday night was date night at our favorite local haunt, Fred's Hickory Inn. I found the belt below at Old Navy for $14 last week and just knew it would be perfecto with white jeans for a fun, weekend look. I also dared to bare some tummy...whatevs.
Yesterday, Stephen and I took Ari out for a boat ride. As you can see, the little guy (well, okay - the BIG guy) really enjoyed himself, even taking time to pose for a pic for his momma. He understands that I blog and must photograph every single moment of our lives for the camera.
So that was about it. Oh, and we tuned in to the season premiere of Real Housewives of New Jersey. It was as loud and overly dramatic as it was last season, which means it was amazing.
I am SO excited to tell y'all about the new dress line from McAuley's called RubyMac! I was contacted by sweet Erin at McAuley's a few weeks ago about their newest venture - this dress line. Upon seeing all of the precious dresses, I knew I had to have one for this spring and summer's festivities : )
These dresses are custom made and fit like a glove! You can really tell that each dress is made with T.L.C. They come in an array of adorable styles and colors and patterns...which is really what this season's trends are all about - color, color and more color!
My personal favorite element of these dresses is the southern spirit that they embody. Each one is so sweetly feminine, just like a flower plucked from a garden in Savannah. I can just imagine wearing one of these on an anniversary trip to Charleston, S.C. next fall...wink, wink ; )
I urge y'all to check out McAuley's and scoop one of these beauties up for yourself. You can't find prettier frocks for summer anywhere else...pinky swear.
Since I have a special post for you lovely gals tomorrow, I
thought I’d go ahead and put up the Confessional Friday (or in this case,
Confessional Thursday.)
Here are my very deep and complex thoughts for this week:
1. I’m one month without Starbucks as of today! I
never in eleventy thousand years thought this would happen. My waistline has never
been so happy. And trim.
2 2. Not that this is new, but I’ve found myself once
again making lists and putting things on them that I’ve already done, just so
that I can cross the items off. I’m
pretty sure this would fall under the umbrella of OCD.
3 3. Stephen threw his back out doing squats in the
gym this week. I have semi-enjoyed taking care of him and babying him : ) But
don’t tell him that. He’ll go and injure himself again.
4 4. I am BEYOND thrilled with my new skirt, pants
and top from Victoria’s Secret, all of which are perfect for wearing to work.
Many of you may remember that the previous items I ordered didn’t fit. As in,
couldn’t have fit if the best tailor in the world had taken a crack at them.
Well, this batch of goodies not only fit, but also
fit well. #SucessfulShopping
4 5. The NWA Supper Club thing that I devised is
stressing me out. It’s kind of becoming Pen Pal version 2.0.
a)Out of 25 people, barely anyone can meet on the
same night. Which is totally not anyone’s fault, it’s just frustrating for my
Type-A, perfectionist nature. In my mind, everyone was going to send in their
little questionnaires with the exact same dates marked.
Things always go much more smoothly in my head, you see.
b)Then there were special dietary requests, which
is totally fine and I can certainly accommodate that, but MY LANDS, this has
gotten complicated. And now I’m terrified that my selecting the wrong restaurant
could send someone into an allergic reaction.
c)Then, I got an email from someone asking if
another girl had asked to join the Supper Club and, if so, then she herself
could not participate. Apparently they have some kind of beef. And I’m not
talking about hamburger, y’all.
Stephen just laughs and shakes his
head and says, “You do it to yourself.” My reply: “I just wanted to have dinner
with some people!” Maybe we could all just have a Skype dinner together. I’ll
take my MacBook to P.F. Chang’s and we’ll “virtually eat”. That won’t be weird
or awkward at all.
5 6. I had a lady recognize me from the blog in
Walgreen’s the other day as “the little southern blonde girl that writes about
hair poofing!”
Made. My. Day.
7. If I have to be known as any three things
Southern, Blonde and Hair Poofer are three really solid things to be known for,
in my opinion.
8.I got caught up in a roundabout this week and
went round and round three whole times before I could figure out how to get out
of the stupid thing. Whoever designed this head-scratcher of a maze was clearly
insane.
It’s hard for me to put into words exactly how much I enjoy
our little life together. Every day, every week is a new adventure. From eating
ice cream sundaes on the couch at midnight to naming our imaginary Guido
children (Guiseppe Genovese Roman Angelo Sisti), I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every
minute.
Here’s to loving each other with reckless abandon for
months, years and decades to come.
Hello, dolls! We had a relaxing, sleep-filled weekend. We ended up staying home from church yesterday because of the bad, tornado-ish weather and enjoying a batch of pancakes. As much as I hate to say this, it was kinda nice to spend a Sunday morning in our P.J.s : )
So. I have a new favorite accessory. I've already named her: Minnie, because she is the most perfect shade of mint green ever in the history of ever.
I picked her up on Thursday at Maude, which is one of the best local boutiques ever in the history of ever. Not sure if they have any left, but if they do, I'd suggest getting one while you can!
You girls already know how I feel about shopping locally. I'm passionate about supporting our local merchants, (and I rarely use that word, 'passionate', for fear of sounding like a cheese ball). I wanted to show you how you can put together an entire outfit for less than $100 AND do it locally.
Shirt:Belle Boutique (the Rogers location) Necklace:Maude Boutique (duh)
Shorts:Cheap Thrills (a Fayetteville second-hand clothing store) Cami:Mason'ss (Fayetteville-Joyce location...even though you can't really see it) Shoes: Not sure...I've had them for over 3 years now and the label is gonzo.
Anyway, as we're transitioning into a new season, I want to encourage you all to support your local merchants. It's good for the economy of your city and also helps put money BACK into our communities. Plus, boutiques have way more exclusive and unique items than your run-of-the-mill chain stores.
Anywho, food for thought if you're out shopping this week!
It hurts my heart a little bit to write this post, but we're at a stalemate. Some of you may remember last October when Cash, a German Sheppard, was dropped on us. I was leaving for work on a Monday morning and noticed a sopping wet dog, (who I thought was Ari at the time), trotting down our street, looking for a place to take shelter from the rain.
After MUCH looking around for Cash's owner and taking him to the vet to see if he was micro-chipped, we came to the conclusion that he had been dropped.
Let me state for the record, I believe there is a special place in you-know-where for people that abandon animals. If you can't keep a pet, don't have room for a pet or really aren't sure if you want a pet, find said pet a home. BUT DO NOT DROP YOUR PET IN SOME RANDOM PLACE AND HOPE A KIND-HEARTED STRANGER PICKS HIM UP.
Anyway, after much searching for Cash's owner, we decided to take him in and foster him until we could find a good home for him. But so far, we haven't had much luck. We would like to keep him, but the budget for feeding two large dogs is a little out of control. Plus, the yard just isn't big enough for both of them and he really needs a larger place to play.
And we really weren't looking to adopt another huge dog. We just didn't have the heart to take him to an already-overrun local shelter.
Here's where you can help:
If you live in Northwest or even Central Arkansas OR the Tulsa, OK area and are looking to adopt a pet, please email me at askblondeambition@gmail.com
We will give him to a good home free of charge.
Here are some facts about Cash:
-He's smart and even knows simple commands like "sit", "lay down" and "shake".
-He's been around children at some point and is EXTREMELY good with our 3 year old niece.
-We have all of his shots up-to-date and he is neutered. We can provide paperwork for all of this.
-He weighs around 70 pounds and looks to be full-blood German Sheppard
-The vet estimated he was between 2-3 years old and in perfect health
-He is social, laid-back and mild mannered, preferring to lay around rather than play fetch : )
-He is house-trained!
-He rarely barks, so if you live in quiet neighborhood, this is the dog for you!
We refuse to send such a great dog to a shelter, but didn't expect to be keeping him permanently and need to find him a home.
Many thanks in advance for your help, Blonde Ambitioners!
1) We finished Catching Fire, the second book of the Hunger Games series on Wednesday. We seriously don't even want to start the third book yet because we don't want the books to end! How crazy is that? Obsessed, that's what we are.
2) I really, REALLY want to get hair extensions for summer. My hair is long already, but I wouldn't mind having mermaid hair for the summer season. Something like this, perhaps?
3) I said I was taking a break from purchasing statement jewelry, but I caved and bought this beauty from Maude. I mean, hello! How presh for summer is she? In case you're wondering, Maude also has it available in black.
4) I'm craving an ice cream sundae so badly tonight and may just drive my happy tail down to Sonic and get one. #GettingBikiniReady
5) We have a winner of the ExVoto Vintage Giveaway and her name is...
First off, I have to wish two very special people Happy Anniversary! My mom and dad are celebrating 32 years of marriage today. I'm very grateful for the amazing example that they've set for my brother and I and it's so great to see that they're still so in love, more than three decades after they first said "I do".
…………………………….
When spring and summer come, my eating habits change a
little bit. I’m always pretty portion-conscious, but even more so in the warmer
months because…
Dun-Dun-Dun…(cue evil music)
….bikini season is RIGHT around the corner.
Okay, so really wearing the ‘kini (as I like to call my two-piece)
isn’t the only thing that plays into my lighter eating habits. It also just feels better to consume less-heavy foods
when it’s 1,019 degrees outside.
S and I sort of subconsciously switched over to healthier
food lately, which I greatly attribute to the warmer temps. Here are a few of the items on our grocery list right now:
Protein
Turkey
Grilled chicken
Skirt steak
Shirmp
Ahi Tuna
Salmon
Dairy
Non-fat Greek yogurt (we like the Fage brand)
Skim milk (or soy, if you are allergic to dairy)
Low-fat cottage cheese
Goat cheese
Half 'n half (for coffee)
Carbs
Brown rice
Sweet Potatoes
English muffins
Whole wheat bread
Whole wheat pasta
Bagel thins (the raisin and cinnamon are SO good!)
My favorite lunch
right now is the Spinach/Goat Cheese/ Strawberry/Chicken Salad.
2 cups organic spinach
5 large strawberries, quartered
¼ crumbled goat cheese
4 oz. grilled chicken breast strips (we like the pre-bagged
Tyson-ready strips)
2 Tbsp. Newman’s Own Lite Raspberry & Walnut Vinaigrette
salad dressing
Other Tips:
-I’ve GIVEN UP
STARBUCKS.Going on 3 weeks now, for real. I’ve quit. Instead, I’ve reacquainted myself with coffee and how great a simple cup with
half ‘n half can be. I throw in a couple
teaspoons of real sugar, if I’m craving sweetness.
-Stephen and I don't drink anything, eat anything with aspartame or Splenda or
Truvia or any other fake sweetener. This includes diet cola. Again, if you want
a soda…drink a REAL soda.
-We don't avoid having an indulgent meal. In fact, Friday nights are
our pizza nights (one of our favorite foods – thank you Pizza Hut big box!)
Indulging once a week helps keep cravings at bay.
-I always think it's great to buy a swimsuit that you want to wear this summer or a pair of cute little shorts. I like to hang them in my closet and let it serve as my inspiration outfit for eating "clean"in spring.
So that's it...the things that keep us in check during the warmer months. Get swimsuit ready, y'all!
It's been quite a week here in Razorback country. Last week, we discovered that our head coach, Bobby Petrino had made a terrible, stupid and life-altering decision, shaming not only his wife and family, but also the entire Arkansas Athletic Department, football team and the many dedicated fans that tune in each week to watch the Hogs during football season.
The news of his being terminated came as both a shock and a relief to many, including my husband and I. I think S said it best last night, "if it hadn't happened now, it would have come out in the wash eventually", so to speak.
Last night, Athletic Director Jeff Long gave an emotional and heartfelt press conference, confirming the termination of Petrino and encouraging Hog fans to hold our heads high during this tough time.
Jeff Long gave an emotional and riveting presser.
Long was a class act. Many today are even calling him one of the finest, most professional ADs in college football. The manner in which he spoke, the pride with which he stood behind the football program...it was a beautiful thing to watch.
Also notable was the outpouring of support from not only other SEC fans, but football fans around the U.S. I had blog and Twitter friends, long-time dedicated fans of fellow SEC teams like Auburn, Georgia and South Carolina, tweeting their support to the Razorbacks.
What will this next season for our Razorbacks hold? Only God knows. But I'm still proud to be a Razorback. I'm proud of our boys, and especially Jeff Long. Having the guts to make the decision to send him packing, instead of slapping him on the wrist.
Petrino may have won games, but Long is the ultimate winner in all this.
Wedges. There's never been a more classic spring shoe than the wedge. Although they can make walking gracefully a bit difficult without practice, when worn correctly, they're a piece of art.
I love all of the following equally and would gladly welcome any of them into my closet. Here at A Blonde Ambition, we don't discriminate when it comes to shoes.
Here are a few self-learned tips for wearing wedges, if you're a newbie:
1. Make sure they fit correctly. You want them snug. More snug, actually, than your regular heels.
2. When walking in wedges, lean forward slightly in your stride. This keeps you from looking like a mule, plodding along the farm : )
3. Start small, then work your way up. Start with a 2 inch "kitten" wedge. Once you're comfortable with that, take off the training wheels and go for the classic 3-4 incher. You'll be walking sky high in no time.
4. Try them with flare leg jeans for a retro, fun look this summer. Just make sure to pair the look with a simple and fitted top, to look "retro chic" instead of...well...just old.
I'd tell y'all how I feel about them, but I think this post speaks for itself. Big, colorful, insanely high shoes...I'm 5'4", ya'll! These are a God-send!
What say you about the wedge? Classic or cumbersome?
Hi, y'all! I hope every one of you had a faboosh Easter weekend. I'd tell you sentence by sentence about what we did, but that's far more labor-intensive to take in than simple pics and captions, right?
Not that y'all are simple-minded, but I'm aware that it's Monday and this particular weekday requires simplicity. At least for this girl, anyway.
Stephen and I took our first ride on the boat for the 2012 season. This excited us to no end because this year, we broke down and forked over the extra dough for a boat slip in the marina. This means I no longer have to help him haul that stinkin' 4,000 lb. thing on and off a ramp, which usually ends with me getting sweaty and moody before we've even left the dock.
Sidenote: If you've never seen 5'4", 110 lb. blonde guiding a massive truck and boat trailer down a ramp, you've never experienced true comedy.
Thankfully, this year, all we do is start 'er up and back 'er out. Easy peasy.
Boat Slips: Saving marriages one ride at a time.
Stephen was so disappointed to be on the lake for the evening. Can't you tell?
Quite a view, huh? The only thing we were missing was some vino...
Happy and somewhat red-looking (thanks to some weird Instagram filter) girl on the lake!
Easter Sunday, we had some time to piddle around and take pics before church. This rarely happens, us running on time for church, so it needed to be documented. (To be fair, it is usually a fiasco with my hair and it's poofage that renders us being tardy for the Methodist-Church-party.)
Entire outfit via Francesca's Collections. Except for the shoes, which are permanently sewn on to my feet. Those are from Tar-jay.
Stephen winces every time I suggest we should take pics...he knows that by "a few photos", I mean a full-blown photo shoot. But my husband, being the good and patient (patient only with me) man that he is, always obliges and smiles and looks ever so handsome.
And because I was having a good hair day, (those are few and far between and MUST be recorded on the iPhone accordingly).
And finally, I'll leave you with some real cuteness. One of our little nephews, Luke. He lives in St. Louis with Greg and Kelsey, (Stephen's brother and brother's wife), and his smile is infectious. They sent this over via text before church yesterday. He was wearing his Easter pants and goin' to town on his rocking horse.
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