Tucker Blair Headband Winner!

Ladies - I have hit 200 followers! Thank you so much to everyone who has signed up to follow, signed up for my giveaways, put my button on your blog, left a comment, etc. etc. I could have never imagined such a warm and welcoming blogging world out there and I'm so very grateful that I am now a part of it! These giveaways are for you all and I wish that everyone could win, I truly do!

But I know all of you are eager to find out the winner of the very preppy needlepoint headband from Tucker Blair...

So without further ado, I will draw a name from my trusty container where I put everyone's entries. I had to label it because I have so many giveaways going on this week!

And the winner is:

Always Organizing

Congratulations! Please contact me at sweetteadiaries {at} gmail {dot} com with your choice of headband and your shipping address! I will forward the email to the lovely Taylor at Tucker Blair. And thanks again Taylor for allowing me to host this giveaway!

I'm sorry if you didn't win, but please consider heading over to Tucker Blair to purchase your very own preppy fabulous headband! It's a wise investment for the upcoming spring and summer months!

Stay tuned for the continuation of my Birthday Bonanza! I'm not sure about you, but I think this has been a great start!

Just a Few Things Worth Mentioning...

Hi sweet readers!

Well another weekend is gone...isn't it crazy how a 5 day work week can crawl by, but 2 days goes by so quickly?! I really think we should have 4 day work weeks and 3 day weekends, don't you?

I had a good weekend! My bon voyage party went well, but I completely forgot to take any pictures of the food or friends! Silly me! Also, my cupcake baking was intense, but I had a sucessful tasting so it was all worth it :)

On to the good things - Jane at In the Waiting Line was my swap partner for the Martini Swap that Ashley hosted. Let me just say that I got incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful partner! Not only did she send me a beautiful martini glass from Huephoria, but she also sent a 7 piece barware set, a potholder and kitchen towel in a fun drink print, a set of green polka-dotted coasters, and pomegranate rimming sugar! Thank you so much Jane. I love it all! You ladies better hope you get paired with her for a swap!

All of my goodies! Isn't the cosmo note card too cute?!

My tres chic martini glass...preppy fabulous!

Also, Juliana from Chic & Pink also sent me a very sweet surprise! She sent the nicest notecard with a basket full of candies, a pink kitchen towel, Victoria's Secret lip gloss, and a green croc journal! Thank you so much Jules for your act of kindness - it definitely made my day!

I have the best blog friends! Thank you to everyone who has entered my giveaways! Remember you have until tonight at 8 pm PST to enter the Tucker Blair Preppy Headband Giveaway. This is a great opportunity to win an adorable headband, just in time for summer! Plus if you have given up spending money and or shopping for Lent and you win, you'll be saving $40!

The last day to enter for The Blog Fairy's head to toe makeover is Tuesday night at 8 pm PST.

Oh and please go check out Lou Lou in Lilly's first giveaway! She is going to make the winner of the giveaway a beautiful monogrammed frame with their choice of fabric and thread! Head over to enter by Wednesday, April 1st.

I just got to work so I better act productive...

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Happy Friday!

Hey lovelies!

I just thought I'd post a quick note to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has entered my giveaways! I'm so excited about all the participation and am absolutely thrilled that everyone seems to like the first birthday bonanza giveaway! I can't believe that I'm having 3 giveaways at once, but it's so fun and I can't wait to make 3 people super happy :)

I had a bad dream last night that everyone was going to get so annoyed with all of my giveaways though! I hope that you guys don't mind entering each time! I have a feeling it will get pretty redundant with "I'm a follower", "I blogged about it", "I added your button", etc. etc. But you will have the chance to win some great prizes so I guess it makes it worthwhile!

As a side note, can I just make a request? I actually don't use a random generator when choosing a winner so it would make it so much easier if everyone could leave just one comment stating how many entries they are eligible for! I think I'm just being picky, but it would make my day if everyone could do this from here on out!! Most everyone does anyway, but it's just a friendly reminder! Thank you so much!

Anyway, I am so happy today was payday! I'm throwing a bon voyage party tomorrow night for my friends that are moving to Seattle and I just decided on a menu today! I also have to make the 4 varieties of cupcakes for a tasting on Sunday. Needless to say I will be hitting up the grocery store tonight after work. Food = expensive and I'd much rather spend my money on clothes, shoes, crafting supplies, purses...you get the idea!

There are so many great giveaways going on in the blog world right now! You should check these out:

MRM's Tucker Blair Key Fob Giveaway - ending Monday, April 6
MRM's Miller Ribbons Key Fob Giveaway (5 winners for this one) - ending Wed, April 8
Nautical by Nature's Jewelry without Jewels Giveaway - ending Tuesday, March 31
Miss Monogram's Tucker Blair Key Fob Giveaway - ending Wed, April 1

Plus all the ones listed to the right of this post! Start entering, visiting, and following these blogs! They're all great!

By the way can I just give a shout out to ole Mizzou?! I don't really keep up with basketball, but I picked them on my bracket so I am super excited that they won! Not so excited that Nova won because I totally picked Duke!

That's it for now! Hope all of you ladies have a lovely and relaxing weekend!

The Birthday Celebration Begins - Giveaway #1

I have been waiting and waiting and waiting to get this birthday celebration started! I have planned every single giveaway and I can't wait to reveal each one to you as the weeks get closer to my birthday!

Each giveaway will begin on Monday morning, end on Fridays at 8 pm PST and a winner will be announced on Saturdays. Get excited - I'm happy to be sharing my birthday with all of you :)

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This first giveaway is perfect for all the spring and summer get-togethers you may already be planning! What says spring better than Lilly, cocktails, and parties? Not much in my opinion!

One winner will receive 2 Williams Sonoma martini glasses that have been expertly covered in Lilly Pulitzer fabric. The maker of these glasses uses non-toxic materials so not only are they USABLE and oh so chic, but you will never get your glass confused with someone else's again!

I'm also including the book, Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining. Now you will be able to throw all of your parties in swanky Lilly style!

And the winner will also receive these:

(Lilly Pulitzer Coasters in your choice of Cabanarama, Haven a Coctel or Juice Bar)

Enter by Friday, April 3 at 8 pm PST to have a chance of winning!

Remember:

1 entry for commenting
2 for following
3 for blogging about giveaway (you can simply add the link to the giveaway on your sidebar)
4 for adding my blog button to your blog (since I am hosting a month long of giveaways, simply add the button now and let me know for each giveaway you enter that the button is on your blog - if you have it up, you will get 4 extra entries for each giveaway you enter!)

So there is a possibility of 10 entries. You don't have to do each one and you don't have to enter each giveaway, but just be sure to let me know how many entries you are entitled to in ONE comment. I'm serious - please please please don't leave multiple comments! Since I don't use a random generator and rely on my hands to do the writing, it just makes it so much easier for me if you leave only one comment.

Good luck!

And don't forget that you can still enter to win the free head to toe blog makeover! Enter here by Tuesday night at 8 pm PST for your chance to win!

You also can enter my Tucker Blair Very Preppy Headband Giveaway on the post right below this one. Enter by Monday night at 8 pm PST.

Tucker Blair Preppy Headband Giveaway

Seriously I must be crazy for giveaways!

But honestly, I couldn't resist this one!

The super sweet Taylor over at Tucker Blair has so graciously offered my readers the opportunity to win one very preppy, tres chic, needlepoint headband!

All you have to do to win a Tucker Blair headband is:

1. Visit the TB website, look around and come back to leave me a comment telling me your favorite TB headband. (All entries that don't tell me this will be eliminated!)
   
2. For another entry, add me as a follower (don't forget to let me know if you are already one or if you signed up to be one in your comment).
3. For three entries, blog about the giveaway or post a link on your blog sidebar.
4. Please leave only one comment telling me how many entries you are eligible for!

Be sure to also check out TB's blog here. I for one, can not wait for these!

And if you are on Twitter, you can also find Tucker Blair there! Follow her for updates :)

All entries must be received by Monday March 30th at 8 pm PST.

I'll announce the winner shortly after the deadline.

On another note, tomorrow is the first giveaway in my month long birthday bonanza! Hint - it involves Lilly!

an update: fried ice cream ice cream

A few of you were asking about the ice cream I mentioned in my last post...keep reading!

(I don't know this man. I found this picture on Flickr and it's the only one I could find on the entire internet with the picture of the ice cream container!)

I feel it is my duty to inform all of my friends, family, blog readers, and basically the world of the tasty goodness of a product I like to call fried ice cream ice cream. Technically it's just called fried ice cream, but this doesn't properly inform the reader that it's actually ice cream that tastes like the Mexican dessert, fried ice cream. Got it?

Anyway, I am normally not an ice cream kind of girl. I don't like how it melts and gets your hands all sticky. I don't like the puddle it leaves at the bottom of a bowl. If I eat ice cream I usually choose an ice cream sandwich (Skinny Cow's are amazing and WW friendly) or one of those cone things with chocolate and nuts.

But when bf and I went grocery shopping last Sunday night I made the mistake of going with a hungry belly. And I had just worked out so I was doubly hungry. The bf looooves ice cream so we always have to make a stop in the very cold frozen food aisle. My eyes landed on some girl scouts samoa ice cream and I almost grabbed it because I love girl scout cookies and, well did I mention I was hungry? But it was a big container and we have a small freezer so I resisted. Then I saw this little pint of ice cream on the top shelf. It was the perfect size for me and the title was intriguing, "fried ice cream" (made by Private Selection).

I made my decision to take that baby home with me and when I took off the lid, I was greeted with a very sweet sight. Cinnamon and caramel flavored ice cream with a ribbon of honey - caramel swirls and chunks of cinnamon sugar fried tostada pieces...all just waiting to be eaten. And eat I did. Seriously, I finished off that pint in less than 3 days. The ice cream is so good and the ribbons of caramel are a sweet surprise. But when you get a chunk of sugared tostada pieces, that's when it gets amazing. It's kinda stale-like but so good. I can't really describe it.

And now after writing this, I'm craving more. An endless cycle!

I implore all of my readers to please go out and buy this ice cream. Give it a try. Let me know what you think. That is, if you can peel your hands off the ice cream container long enough to type.


PS - Private Selection is the generic brand that can be found at Kroger / Ralph's / Smith's grocery stores across the country.

So what if this is my third post today??!?

So I'm going a little overboard on the posting today, but it's Wishlist Wednesday, Weight Watchers Wednesday, and Big Birthday Reveal so I'm totally allowed the extra postings!

First things first - enter my blog makeover giveaway by clicking here and leaving a comment by March 31 at 8 pm PST.

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

This is what's on my wishlist this week:

(chic sewtique)

(ll bean)

I CAN NOT find a picture of my third want, but I'm going to tell you about it anyway. Private Selection (Kroger / Ralph's Brand) FRIED ICE CREAM ICE CREAM. Delicious. And that's all I have to say about that.

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

WWW -

This is another one of my favorite go-to WW recipes. It's very easy to make and yummy.

Chicken Teriyaki with Broccoli
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 13 minutes
POINTS Value: 5

Ingredients:
1 spray cooking spray
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 medium scallions, chopped
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
2 T. teriyaki sauce
2 cups cooked brown rice
4 cups broccoli

Instructions:
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add garlic; cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add chicken; cook until golden brown on all sides, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Add scallions; cook until soft, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add broth and teriyaki sauce; simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.

Spoon 1/2 cup of cooked rice into each of 4 shallow bowls; spoon about 1 cup of chicken mixture and 1/2 cup of broccoli over each serving.

* I use frozen broccoli florets and a pack of 10 minute boil in a bag brown rice. I usually don't even add scallions because I never have them fresh on hand...it's still an excellent meal!

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

And just some random tidbits:

~ I am so excited about going home for Easter! Less than 2 weeks until I leave :)

~ I am working on more french memo boards. I'm thinking about selling them on Etsy...I've got two going on right now with LILLY fabric! They're turning out cute - more on that later.

~ Payday is Friday - phew!

~ I'm having a bon voyage party at my apartment on Saturday to say goodbye to my friends that are moving to Seattle. I still haven't decided on a menu! But I know we'll me making mojitos as the cocktail!

~ I have a cupcake tasting on Sunday afternoon. I will be busy making coconut, strawberry, banana, and mint chocolate chip this weekend. Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures to show you all!

~ Class tonight = LAME

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

That's it for today (I think)!

Big Birthday Reveal!

Join me for a month long of celebrating! That's right - it's now one month until my 25th birthday! While I'm not excited about turning a quarter of a century this year, I'm still super excited to be celebrating ME! Haha, I'm not really *this* conceited or self-centered, but I do love me some good birthday fun. Since this is such a big year for me, I'd like to share the love and include all of my bloggy friends in the celebration!

You know what this means - GIVEAWAYS GALORE!

I've thought long and hard about what I want to do and give away, and if I do say so myself, the prizes are pretty spectacular!

Here's how it will work. I'll start the first giveaway this Friday (March 27) and it will run until April 3 at midnight PST. I'll draw the winner Saturday!

Then each of the next 3 (that's right, 3!) giveaways will begin on Mondays, run thru Fridays, and the winner(s) will be announced on Saturdays.

General announcements for each giveaway:

1. All giveaways will end on Friday at 8 pm PST (which is 11 pm EST for all my East Coast friends).

2. Winners will have 3 days to contact me with their shipping information. If I'm not contacted, I will draw a new winner. Contact me via email - sweetteadiaires {at} gmail {dot} com.

3. The same goes for each giveaway:

1 entry for commenting
2 for following
3 for blogging about giveaway
4 for adding my new blog button to your blog!

So there is a possibility of 10 entries. You don't have to do each one and you don't have to enter each giveaway, but just be sure to let me know how many entries you are entitled to in ONE comment. I'm serious - please please please don't leave multiple comments! Since I don't use a random generator and rely on my hands to do the writing, it just makes it so much easier for me if you leave only one comment.

It's that simple friends!

I hope you all are very excited about the giveaways...I know I am!

See you back on Friday when I announce Giveaway #1!

And don't forget to enter my *impromptu* blog makeover giveaway here. You have until Tuesday night at 8 pm PST for that one!

Want to win a Blog Makeover?

I'm giving one reader the chance to win a free head to toe, custom makeover for their blog!!

Read my post here to find out how to win a blog makeover with Emily from The Blog Fairy (valued at $65)! Enter by March 31st for your chance to win!!

Blog Makeover GIVEAWAY!

Okay okay so the big birthday announcement is SOON...I've literally been squirming in my chair all week because I'm so excited about it! But that's not what I'm writing about.

As you can imagine, I was definitely one of those kids (and adults) that CANNOT keep a secret for the life of me!

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I have been lucky enough to win two giveaways in my short time of blogging! So I've decided to host an *impromptu* giveaway for my lovely readers in order to pass the luck around!

As you all know, my blog recently underwent a makeover by the wonderful Emily over at The Blog Fairy. I may be biased, but I think it looks great :)

I want to let someone in on the fun! I'm offering one reader a chance to work with Emily in creating your own custom head to toe blog makeover! How exciting! The makeover will include:

Custom Header
Custom Background
5 Navigational Links or Sidebar Tags
Template Alterations & Installation!

We all spend A LOT of time on here and our space should reflect who we are! Plus I know for me, I am a complete ditz when it comes to anything computer related...I couldn't read an HTML code to save my life! It took all my brains just to figure out how to make my blog 3 columns instead of 2! There's no way I could do any design stuff on my own so I am very grateful for designers like Emily who help us out!

Anyway, take a look at her website here and you'll quickly see how talented she is!

Here are some examples of her work:

So there you have it ladies! If you've been thinking about changing your look but don't want to spend the money then sign up here for your chance to win it for free!

Enter by next Tuesday, March 31st at 8 pm PST (that's 11 pm for you East Coasters).

I'll pick a winner Wednesday, April 1st (that's no April fool's joke either...oh man, I am too funny...)

One entry per person!

Get 4 extra entries for doing one of the following (you can do more than one, but you'll only get 4 extras):

adding my button to your blog,
posting about the giveaway,
linking in your sidebar,
OR
adding me to your blogroll!

Let me know what you've done in ONE comment!

Good luck lovelies!

I Feel So Lucky!

I sort of have a confession. I didn't go to weigh in last week because I didn't want to face the music. I NEVER thought I would be one of those WW's that was too scared to weigh in! Anyway, I had a rough two weeks eating wise because I had just reached the 10% goal and I have so little to my desired weight that I kind of decided it would be okay to indulge in pizza...french fries...margaritas...less fruit and veggies...more take out...you get the picture. So I skipped last week and I knew I had to go last night. So I did and just like every other time before, I told the lady at the desk to not tell me my results. It's too painful to hear out loud that I've gained (this hasn't happened yet, but I can imagine that it would not be fun). She surprised me by letting me know that I had maintained my weight from 2 weeks ago. No gain. No loss. Thank goodness!

Now I'm re-re-recommitted to losing the last 4 pounds before I go home for Easter. I think this is totally do-able! I have a lot of people to see that haven't seen me since pre-WW and I want to knock their socks off (corny I know). More gym time less couch time! If the people on Biggest Loser can work out for 10 hours straight then I can manage to get my butt into the gym for an hour. I usually work out 3 times a week for at least half an hour, but I'm upping the ante...starting tonight!

Ok so anyway, last night I found out that I won KAG's giveaway! I couldn't believe it...I scooted right over to Cassie Adams Designs and picked out what I wanted. The Sassy Lady personalized flat note in Cosmopolitan! I added my monogram to the top in midnight blue! So cute and I'm so grateful to KAG for hosting such a lovely giveaway.

I feel so lucky...hence the title of the post! Lucky to not have gained the weight I really probably should have and lucky to have won another awesome giveaway! And lucky to have all my lovely blog friends :)

I'll be announcing something big soon so stay tuned!

A Lot of Catching Up to Do!

Hello lovely ladies! Happy Monday! I have a lot of catching up to do today! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Mine was very low key. The bf and I went shopping on Saturday and out for our friend's graduation that night. He moved to NY yesterday - so jealous! Then on Sunday we went to BJ's Brewery to watch some games and get in on the happy hour specials. And I got to take an afternoon nap, which is always nice.

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Do you all like the new blog look? I was going for a west coast beach feel with a preppy twist! Ha ha, I think it turned out great and I have Emily from The Blog Fairy to thank! She worked on my last header and was so nice that I had to go back. Right now Emily is running a March Makeover Madness sale where you can get a head to toe blog makeover for $45. She has a very fast turnaround time, no waiting list, and she charges a very reasonable fee. If you are looking for a new blog look, I would definitely recommend her. Isn't the pink whale post divider too cute?

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This weekend, I was on my google reader, but was too tired to post or comment! But I read everything that passed through and loved every minute of it! I did notice that two awesome ladies awarded me with the Friends Award. Jen from A Daily Dose of Davis and Carie from The Life of Carie both have great blogs that I enjoy reading. You should also check them out if you haven't already! Thank you both for the Friends Award - I have a feeling we'd be friends in real life too!

Rules do accompany this honor:
"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I award this Friends Award to the following blogs because we'd definitely be friends if we were to ever meet!

1. Katie from My First Year as a Wallace
2. The Polka Dotted Owl from The Magic Risotto Diaries
3. Pretty Face from Not Just a Pretty Face
4. Miss Pretty from Pretty Woman...and Classy too!
5. Mrs. Southern Belle
6. Quotes from the Queen
7. Jane from In the Waiting Line
8. LIla Flowers from Pink Palm Trees

If you haven't seen these ladies blogs you should definitely check them out!

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Today I checked my mail and my Stationery Swap package came! Yay! Thank you so much to Belle on Heels for some great goodies! I hope Belle on Heels is as happy as I was when she gets her package! And thank you Lou Lou in Lilly for hosting such a fun swap!

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I also wanted to mention that a lot of you have signed up for my snail mail and I greatly appreciate it! I am a few people behind so if you haven't received anything from me yet, don't panic! I have you in mind and will definitely get something to you in the near future! If any of you ever want to contact me, I set up a new email account because my yahoo account was getting too crowded and confusing. My new email for my blog is sweetteadiaries {at} gmail {dot} com.

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I guess that is all for now (about time, huh?!).

Have a nice morning, or afternoon, for my East Coast friends! One good thing about Mondays is catching up with all of you again!

Oops!

So I was working on some posts for something big I have planned for my birthday month and I accidentally may have published one before it was supposed to be! I was trying to do the scheduled postings, but messed up! I quickly deleted it, but it may still show up on your reader. If you see a random birthday post, PLEASE ignore it!

Now that I was dumb enough to spill the beans (but hopefully not), stay tuned for a fun birthday announcement next Wednesday!

Thanks for all your comments on my last post! You all are too sweet and really have brightened my day!

Stupid Friday...I mean Awesome Friday!

Last night I went to Marshall's and hit Lilly jackpot! Seriously, there were so many styles of dresses and luckily a few of them were in my size! I really wanted these two, but my funds don't allow it at the time [insert sad face here]:

(Ebay)

(Ebay)

So I was still super excited from my finds, and I was trying to figure out a way to be able to budget at least one of them into my wardrobe, but couldn't make it happen. Then I checked my bank account this morning and guess what?! My tax return had been deposited! I started out the morning thinking I'd head over to Marshall's on my lunch break and buy one of the dresses.

Then it happened.

Mr. Swee"tea" called me and said his car had been broken into. What?! Yes - he parks on the street at night because we only have one parking spot for our apartment and I usually get home first. He was going to his car this morning to drive to the park for his daily run and he saw that his stereo, GPS and IPod had all been taken! I will never understand the human being that can steal, lie, cheat, or kill. And for what? A few electronics? And why him? My boyfriend is one of the most kind and considerate people you could ever meet. He has never raised his voice at anyone and he always has the time to listen to anyone's problems. He makes friends easily and he makes people feel comfortable. For this to happen to him makes me especially sad because he just didn't deserve it. And when he should have been furious and angry, he simply said that it must have been an extremely desperate person to have done this and while he's upset, maybe the person that did it was in such a bad situation that he/she had no other choice. Of course, that's probably not true, but it was a nice thought to think instead of being filled with animosity.

Needless to say, I can now no longer extravagantly spend money on a material item since this has happened. My boyfriend is currently in school full time and while he receives school loans for living expenses, I am the one who basically supports both of us for the time being. And that's really hard to do on a meager salary in the second most expensive city in the country!

Anyway, I'm upset because I missed out on a great deal and I'm upset because my boyfriend's car was broken into.

But really, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I am trying to tell myself that I have a great apartment, food to eat, a dog and cat and boyfriend that all love me, an amazing family and a tolerable job. All of these things are a lot more than some people have at the moment. Instead of getting caught up in my own melodrama, I should count these blessings!

So bloggy friends, I'm going to turn this frown upside down and make this day great!

Oh and another blessing: I'm in an office competition for March Madness, and I'm currently in 3rd place (out of like 20)! I've only missed 4 so far...not bad for someone who has no interest in basketball!

Wishlist Wednesday - Cardigans

The cardigan was named after James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British military commander, following his service in the Crimean War (source: Wikipedia).

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I'm going to admit something.

I'm addicted to cardigans.

I.LOVE.THEM.

I think I have over 40 (!) in my closet right now.

Here are some I'm lusting over at the moment...

(j crew)

(lilly pulitzer)

(tory burch)

(merona)

I'm off to take YoYo to the dog park ...don't tell anyone but I'm skipping class tonight! I just can't take it!

Have a great night friends!

UPDATE - The green striped cardigan from Target does come in regular, but the petite was the only one I could find online. It's super cute on! And only $29.99 - I'm thinking this is a splurge I can handle!

My First Weight Watchers Wednesday Post

Hi love-lies!

I decided to join the band wagon and make Weight Watchers Wednesdays a weekly post! I have tried so many great WW recipes that are delicious and healthy and this is a great way to share those with fellow weight watchers. But keep in mind that my Swee"tea" is not on WW and enjoys these recipes as well. Since I work full time and I'm in grad school, I like recipes that will be ready in 30 minutes or less. So if you are looking for something quick, easy and healthy then the recipes I've tried will fit the bill.

Now that I'm getting closer to my goal it's harder for me to resist the things I used to love eating (i.e., pizza, Mexican, french fries, chicken tenders), but if I want to be at goal I know I have to! I think for me it's just accepting the fact that I WILL struggle with my weight for my entire life and WW is not a short term solution. Simply put, if I want to be happy I have to make WW my permanent way of life.

I'm sharing my very favorite WW recipe with you today. This is pretty basic, and I find that I "tweak" it differently each time I make it. It's so simple it's ridiculous. Also, it's very light tasting and won't weigh you down so it's great for lunch.

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(source)

Sauteed Shrimp
Serves 4, 3 oz. per serving
Prep time of 10 minutes
Cook time of 5 minutes
POINTS value of 3 per serving

Ingredients:
1 spray olive oil cooking spray
2 tsp. olive oil
1 pound shrimp - large, peeled, deveined
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon herb seasoning
1/4 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add oil and heat.
Add shrimp and saute for one minute.
Add lemon juice, seasoning, salt and pepper; stir to coat shrimp.
Saute until shrimp are bright pink and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes.

**I serve the shrimp tossed with brown rice. I also add garlic to the oil before adding the shrimp for more flavor. Oh and I use the frozen uncooked shrimp. Just run under hot water, peel, and add to the hot oil. This is such a great meal and I usually have it at least once a week.

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I hope everyone is having a great day! I will be back later with my Wishlist Wednesday!

What a Deal!

Lauren Nicole Gifts has a great deal going on right now for 30% off of monogrammed cosmetic bags! Hurry over though because the deal ends March 19 at midnight.

So cute!

Victory is Mine!!!

HAPPY

ST.

PATRICK'S

DAY!

This pretty little thing was waiting in my mailbox when I came home from work last night!

I won it on ebay a couple of weeks ago for less than $30.

Perfect little summer dress :)

I hope you all are having a *bright* and *cheery* day!

T - 4 hours (on the West Coast)

In 4 hours, I will at last be reunited with my besties from the UES.

I CAN. NOT. WAIT.

These pics are from the best website out there for GG fans...click here.

Any other ladies excited about tonight's new episode??!!?

My Weekend!

Wow, I had such a great shopping day on Saturday! The J Crew at the outlet mall was having such a great sale I couldn't resist. Plus, I received a 15% discount off my total purchase because of my student ID! I wasn't sure if I could get the discount at the outlet location, but they accepted it! Here are just a few of my finds:

For some reason this picture will not upload in the correct position...stupid computer!

Love these shorts - so perfect for summer!

Cute flip flops!

Lilly dress - my Easter outfit :)

I love this cardigan from J Crew. The ruffles are so delicate and pretty!

Saturday was also one of my bestie's (Lilly) birthday so we all went out that night. After a great German meal we went to one of our favorite hangouts and had a few drinks and cupcakes! Lilly and Devlin (her bf) are moving to Seattle at the end of the month...so sad! I guess that is one of the last times we will hang out with them for awhile! But I know we will visit them in Seattle at some point so I'm excited about that.

They're not even paying attention!

Devlin, me, and the bf

Lastly, I received one of my goodies from my stationery swap partner, Belle on Heels! Check it out - I'm so excited!

USC Emily - please don't forget to send me your information for the memo board!

And the Winner Is...

USC Emily

Thanks to everyone who entered to win my silly memo board! So many of you said really sweet things and I thank you for boosting my confidence for the day :)

USC Emily, please email me your initials and shipping address at scandrettangela {at} yahoo {dot} com. I will make your board this week.

I'm in a hurry right now, but will update later about my weekend!
Have a great relaxing Sunday!

Me? Cute?? And my giveaway!

Enter my short running giveaway for a PINK and GREEN {Lilly inspired} framed memo board! See the post below for the deadlines and to leave a comment!

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Kristen, over at Kristen's Palace, thinks that I'm cute! Ha!

I have to list 10 "not so cute" things about myself:

1. I hate taking showers. I mean, I do it anyway, but it's not my favorite.
2. I'm not wearing any deodorant right now because I ran out. I have to go to Target after work and buy some more.
3. I talk a lot during movies. In the theater. People give me some dirty looks.
4. I bite my nails. But only if they don't have any polish on them.
5. Bedhead. Not attractive.
6. I spend too much money.
7. I obsess over every little detail of everything...I'll probably read this sentence 15 times to make sure it sounds right.
8. I'm a meticulous speller and will call people out when they've misspelled something.
9. I get sweaty palms when I'm nervous.
10. I let my dog give me puppy kisses. People are very disgusted by this.

Hmm I want to hear some not so cute things about some of my blogger friends:

1. Jen at A Daily Dose of Davis
2. Quotes from the Queen
3. Amylp85
4. Meagan at the Life of Me
5. Erin at The Prep-E Girl

and anyone else who wants to share some not so cute facts about themselves!

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Also, I forgot to mention that my package arrived from The View from my Shoes giveaway and it is just as fabulous as I thought it would be! Aliya, thank you so much for including all the goodies with the bag! I ♥ everything in it!

Pink & Green Giveaway!

Happy Thursday everyone!
Only one day until the weekend!

Last night after class I went home and immediately turned on the Martha - Lilly show! It was absolutely wonderful! Everyone looked so adorable in their Lilly outfits and what lucky girls (and a few men I saw) to get all of those free goodies! I have loved reading all of my blogger friends' updates, seeing pictures, putting faces with names, etc. Isn't it cool how the design team creates a Lilly print??!

Anyway, I was finishing up my craft project while watching the show. It turned out very Lilly inspired, haha! I used pink, green, flamingos, and palm trees! It's cute and now it is a bright attraction on my desk at work! Finally something other than drab beige and neutral tones.

My completed board full of pink and green!

I added my initials to the bottom!

A glittery palm tree glued to a hot pink button!

A flamingo glued to a lime green button!

Using my new memo board - tres chic!

So what do you think?

In honor of Lilly mania, I'd like to make one of my readers their very own custom framed, personalized, Lilly-inspired French memo board!

Just leave a comment on this post by Friday (3/13) night at midnight pacific standard time to be entered to win!

Good luck and have a great rest of the day!