I have such sweet friends {long post ahead}!!

My blog friends have been too kind! I have recently been awarded with a number of accolades, and I'm so excited about it. I have been meaning to post for quite awhile now, but I just keep getting pulled away from blogging to do other things, like papers and group projects {why, oh why??!}. This is way more fun though! Although my current paper on gender differences in the workplace and the effect it has on promotion rates really is very interesting.

Moving on, thanks to all of these ladies for thinking of me for these awards. It really is very sweet and makes me feel oh so good!

The lovely Ashley from The Ramirez Family gave me the One Lovely Blog Award! Please check out Ashley's blog - she is so darling! Her and her husband just got the most adorable little puppy too! I'm going to give this award to any of my followers that don't have it!! Thanks again Ashley!

One of my very favorite bloggers ever, The Luckiest Mrs., just reached her 101st post and created an award to go along with it! Don't you love it? It's the Happy 101 Award!!! Along with the award I have to list 10 things that make me happy and 10 bloggers that brighten my day, so here goes!

10 things that make me happy: sleeping in, tv, family, my pup, my significant other, good movies, food!, the holidays, friends, and pay day! and 10 bloggers that brighten my day: Kate {you better post this, I know where you live :)}, Jill, Gwen, Jules, Summer, Bronco Mom, Danielle, Britt, Phoenix, and Jenn!

The Luckiest Mrs. has a pretty awesome Mom too - Maria of Personalized Sketches & Sentiments! She awarded me with The Icing on the Cake Award! It's so fun that I want to give it to all of my followers that don't have it yet!! You all deserve it :)

Lastly, Emily, Leigh, Elle and Wendy all gave me the Sugar Doll Award! Thanks ladies! I am supposed to come up with 10 facts about myself, but I'm really not that interesting...sadly! Ha! I've seen this going around the blogworld, so if you haven't gotten it yet, please take it!!

And that's it folks! I've got an assignment to work on now so I'm off! I'm so glad it's almost Friday! I have school two nights a week this term and both of my professors like to keep us there until the clock strikes 10 pm {that's late after a full day of work}! Needless to say, it's a good night for some wine and catching up on my shows!!

Just a Reminder!

Don't forget to enter my Christmas Giveaway by tomorrow {lets say evening-ish time}!

All of this could be yours,
all yours!

monogrammed plate, festive labels, smell-good lotions...

Enter before it's too late!

On another quick note, I am ecstatic to have reached 600 followers this week! Thank you all so much for being my blog friends - I'm so lucky to have all of you! I will be doing a fun follower appreciation post next week (like this one!), so be sure to keep an eye out for your name to appear randomly on one of my posts! xoxo

PS - Don't forget to check out the other giveaways I have listed on my sidebar: Seashells and Sunshine is giving away a Christmas scented Yankee Candle {the deadline has been extended to Saturday so go enter now!!!}, the adorable Headbands & Handbags is doing a holiday giveaway every week until the beginning of December, and Ashley is having a 100 follower surprise giveaway {love these!}...go check them out and make a new friend while doing so!!! Win win!!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Good morning BEAUTIFUL blogging friends! I am thrilled to announce that I have an amazing Christmas Giveaway to get you all in the holiday spirit! I have teamed up with Bronco Mom from Powder Puffs n Pearls to offer you the main attraction of this giveaway!

Oh, how we all adore TARTAN! This Boatman Geller melamine plate will be personalized with your choice of monogram or name AND shipped directly to you, just in time for the holiday season parties! Then it can be used to set those cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve!

This plate comes from Bronco Mom's Paper Concierge store. She has many other darling items on the site and is available to help you select that perfect product for all of your needs! With Christmas shopping fast approaching, wouldn't it be nice to have a little help in the gifts department?!

In addition to this wonderful plate, I have added a couple of items to make it an all around fabulous Christmas giveaway!

From Etsy store Little Bean Boutique, a set of 20 glossy stickers that can be used for so many different things during the holiday season!From Bath and Body Works (a very favorite of mine!), a trio of festive Holiday Traditions body lotions, that include Vanilla Bean Noel, Winter Candy Apple, and Festive Vanilla Fig!

This is exciting, huh?! I know that we still have Thanksgiving ahead of us, but Bronco Mom and I wanted to make sure that the plate has plenty of time to reach the winner before Christmas arrives!

If you'd like to enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post with your favorite thing about the Christmas season! For a second entry, follow me! And for 5 extra entries, simply follow Bronco Mom at Powder Puffs n Pearls!

There's a total of 7 entries for this giveaway, and you can leave one comment or separate ones on this post. Enter by this Thursday, November 19, for your chance to win. I will pick a winner on Friday!

Cupcakes...again!

I made cupcakes for my co-workers today! I went with the basic chocolate cake and tried a new peanut butter icing recipe. From what I hear, it was the best I've ever made! I thought I would share the recipe for the icing since it got such rave reviews.

Taken from Beantown Baker: Adventures in a Boston Kitchen {she's amazing!}, which she got from Mermaid Sweets, which she got from Food Network...or something like that...wherever it came from, it's a keeper for sure!

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

I doubled the recipe for 24 cupcakes and had a little bit left over. Then I cut up little Reese's and put them on top! Let me know if you try this recipe out!

I hope you all have a great weekend! We don't really have any plans, but it will definitely be nice to just relax :)

CMA Awards

I have never been that into award shows or the fashion that comes with it. But last night I got hooked on the CMA Awards. Did any of you watch it?

Wow! I'd just like to say that the transformation of Carrie Underwood has truly been incredible. I can't believe she is the same person who won American Idol only a few years ago. She has become such a popular singer and she definitely has the voice to back it up! I have loved all of her music and I am especially hooked on Cowboy Casanova right now.

Carrie then:

Carrie now:

Not everyone was quite so hot though! Kellie Pickler is now a redhead. Wynonna and Naomi Judd, I have absolutely no words. How in the world are you two related to Ashley?! Their time on stage presenting Best New Artist was also quite awkward. And Leann Rimes, you shouldn't be talking about how hot the male country singers are because everyone is afraid you are going to steal their man! Did you notice how no one laughed at her jokes???

Ooh, and I just loved Tim McGraw's performance. He's a favorite of mine from way back! I am very excited about seeing The Blind Side next weekend, but I didn't even realize that Tim was in it. I'm even more excited now! I also really enjoyed Martina McBride's performance. And Taylor Swift was the big winner, even taking home Entertainer of the Year!

If you watched, what were your favorite parts?
Who is on your Best and Worst Dressed Lists?