Lending a Helping Hand

I was asked by a fellow blogger, Catrina at The Delima Dilemma, to check out her most recent post on her blog. I went over and found a heart-wrenching story about the tragic loss of two teenagers, one of whom she knew really well. Please go over and read the story in full (click here). The families of these two teenagers, along with the community, are planning a benefit called Miracles Await, to be held on July 12.

The reason I am telling you this is because Catrina is trying to get donated items to make up some gift baskets for the raffles at the benefit. I should also mention that all money raised at the benefit will be split 50/50 and used to create scholarships for the wrestling program and the arts department at the high school these two teenagers went to (both programs that the kids were active in).

Catrina has the right idea in asking the blogging community for help and support. I have been amazed at how blogging has impacted my life, and even though we may not know each other, we are all friends. We are there for each other, in good times and bad.

If you can, please consider donating some items for a gift basket. It doesn't have to be enough for a whole basket, any contribution is welcome. You can e-mail Catrina at ckliesh@hotmail.com with a message titled "Miracles Await" to find out more information or let her know you want to help out!!

Also, visit Catrina's blog to find out more.

Thanks for reading lovelies. I really do believe we can all help each other out and this is a truly worthy cause in helping to get the word out on the dangers associated with drugs.

My Day at Disneyland {and other stuff too}

Good morning lovelies! I have had a busy weekend and definitely did not get enough sleep last night, but it's okay because today is the start of a short work week and holiday weekend. I'm so excited about the 4th of July because we are having friends over for a pool party and bbq...should be lots of fun!

So let's talk about my weekend, shall we?! It basically started on Thursday night when the bf and I went to Hollywood to see some bands play at Hotel Cafe. We were hanging out with one of our good friends who is moving back to Sweden in a couple of weeks. We're sad to see her go, but I think she'll be coming back for a job in October.

On Friday night the bf got off really late from work so we only had time to eat dinner before sleepy-ness overtook us! Of course we went to our standby favorite, PF Chang's. I think I'm addicted.

On Saturday I did a little shopping and went to the eye doctor for a check up. My vision has gotten worse since last year, but luckily my eyes are still healthy. It is GREAT being able to see more clearly. Plus I got new contacts so no more itchy, irritated eyes for me!! I'm really excited about this because my old contacts had been giving me so many problems.

Saturday night, the bf and I went to eat dinner at another favorite place, BJ's Brewery. I was seriously craving a hamburger, but I wouldn't recommend one from this place. They are weird and come out on a french roll...strange. Needless to say, my hamburger craving is not settled, and I see myself binging at Fuddruckers soon! After dinner, we decided to go look at flat panel televisions. The bf and I still have {I should say had} a huge tube tv that weighs a ton and takes up so much space. We decided to buy a 46" flat panel! It's awesomely huge. I'll take a picture of it for you all to see. I can't wait to play Wii on it :)

Sunday was a big day for me because we went to Disneyland! I have never been before so I'm glad I finally got to go. It's definitely not as large as Disneyworld, but it was still so much fun. We decided to go later in the afternoon and stay late (they were open until midnight). I'm glad we waited because it was a HOT day while the sun was shining.

Without further ado, a selection of the 10000000 photos I took yesterday...HA!

Who is this dork wearing the Disneyland shirt?? Oh, that's my bf...HA!

a Mickey shaped pretzel - adorable!

the teacup is spinning so fast, action shots!

getting kinda bored on the Autopia

So sad to see my Disney day come to an end :(

Now it's time to catch up on my Google Reader...lots of posts to read!

How was your weekend?

Fabulous Friday - Frozen Yogurt!

I've got NO time today, but wanted to do a quick post for FABULOUS FRIDAY! This week's theme is frozen yogurt...since moving to Los Angeles, I've noticed the biggest trend in frozen yogurt joints - the original Pinkberry and all other imaginable variations such as Yogurtland, Menchies, Red Mango, and Froyolife. Personally, I think they're all about the same, but I tried Menchies a couple of weeks ago, and thought it was pretty tasty.

Their yogurt flavors are endless, but I like to stick to the original tart. As for toppings, I go for strawberry, kiwi and CHEESECAKE BITS! Those things are delicious!

I have never seen this kind of yogurt sold on the East Coast. Maybe I was just missing out, but I didn't hear of it until I moved to California. I took two of my best friends from Georgia to Pinkberry when they came to visit, but they really didn't like it. I think they couldn't get over the tart flavor.

Tell me my East Coast friends,
have you seen this frozen yogurt trend
in your neighborhood?

If you've tried it, do you like it?!

Okay, I've really got to go - my boss is breathing down my neck to get all of my work done before the weekend starts...I thought Friday was supposed to be a lazy day. I guess my boss didn't get the memo! :)

If you participate in Fabulous Friday, don't forget to link it to Danielle's blog (click here).

A Tag, Award & Giveaway

*hApPy ThUrSdAy*

June is flying by so quickly - I can't believe that next week is a 3 day holiday! Yippee!

I thought I'd use this post to combine several items so please disregard the hodge podge of information - I hope you'll stick around because there is a giveaway announcement at the end of all this rambling!

First up, the lovely Danielle at Well, That's Just Fabulous, awarded me with the Honest Scrap Award. Thanks friend! I'm supposed to tell you 10 things about me you may not know that are true. So here goes: 1) I am hopelessly addicted to NCIS. 2) I am an obsessive e-mail checker, probably 3o times a day. 3) I hate conflict and will do anything to avoid it. 4) I have to try very hard to keep eye contact with people. 5) Sometimes I forget to feed my dog {don't call animal control on me, the bf always remembers!} 6) I can't style my own hair to save my life. 7) I am a compulsive nail biter. The only way to keep my hands out of my mouth is to have nail polish on my nails. 8) I don't answer the phone and I never return missed calls. But I promise I can be a good friend! 9) I haven't told the management at my apartment that I have a dog. Oops. 10) I am a maniac behind the wheel. It's the only time I let a foul word slip out of my mouth.

Bitsy from Bitsy and Olive also tagged me to tell you 10 things about myself, but I think it may be the same thing as above. I'm afraid I'm really not that interesting and think I would have trouble coming up with 10 more facts about myself. Instead, go visit Bitsy's blog - it's darrrrrrrrrrling!

Mel at Over the Rainbow...At Last, awarded me the Funky Blog award! Many thanks Mel! I'm sorry it took me so long to post, and I'm very grateful you included my blog to receive this fun award! I am going to bestow the Funky Blog award to all my followers. Put it up on your blog because you are all fantastic and deserving!

Thanks for the tags and awards Danielle, Bitsy and Mel!

♥

Now I have a fun giveaway announcement to share with you! I hope you aren't growing tired of giveaways...HA! This week I have teamed up with a familiar face, Barbara from Finders Keepers Jewelry! There were so many of you interested in the last FK giveaway that Barbara has asked for me to host a giveaway for another wonderful item, the John Hardy inspired Cobblestone Cuff.One winner will receive this gorgeous cuff! Won't it look perfect with many of your summer outfits?! If you'd like to be entered to win, simply 1) leave a comment on this post and 2) be a follower of my blog. Leave your entry by Tuesday, June 30 at 12 pm EST. Also, don't forget to enter Finders Keepers 30 Days of Giveaways. You can enter once per day!

♥

Lastly, don't forget to check out my Ebay listings. Most of my auctions are ending this Saturday around 10:30 am PST (so 1:30 pm for my East Coast friends). I am planning on listing a couple more of my Lilly dresses {it's still undecided if I can bear to part with them} in the next couple of days. I'll let you all know when they are posted.

Blog Bake Off Entry!

I am participating in Summer and Becky's Blog Bake Off contest. I knew I wanted to make a cupcake of some sort, but was lacking in the ideas department. I turned to a fun cupcake book I had gotten at Christmas called Hello, Cupcake! I'm sure you've all seen it! There are some really cute ideas in the book.

Here is my interpretation of the popcorn - yellow and white mini marshmallows atop mini funfetti cupcakes! Next to a stack of my favorite movies it almost looks like a real box of popcorn!!

I also made the corn on the cob cupcakes. I used pale yellow and white after dinner mints to represent the kernels and a pat of "starburst" butter. Sprinkle on some "salt" and "pepper" (colored sugar crystals), and this summer staple looks good enough to eat!

So there's my entry...be sure to submit your baking creations by this Saturday!!

The Lucky Apron Winner is...

Thanks to all who entered the apron giveaway! Annie is absolutely wonderful to work with and I hope you consider purchasing your own apron from her! She is always adding new items to her website so check often.

Without further ado, the winner of the apron is:

Brittany

from

ASAP

Congratulations Brittany! Please e-mail me and I will make sure you get in touch with Annie.

Thanks again to everyone who entered. I am hosting yet another giveaway this week so be sure to check back tomorrow.

Summer Swap Goodies!

I'm so excited to be finally sharing my summer swap goodies with you! Donna was an amazing swap partner and she sent the cutest things! Everything was wrapped so beautifully too! As you can see from the picture below, I had already started tearing into the presents before I remembered to take a picture of the wrapping!! HA!

Look at all of my goodies! The package included a Gap tank top with brooch, 2 nail polishes (1 OPI and 1 Essie), mints, "Shopaholic" pills, note cards, and a bracelet and earrings set!!


Thank you so much Donna!

Now I want to see all of your summer swap goodies! Many of you have already posted, but if you would be so kind as to submit the link to this Mr. Linky, I would greatly appreciate it! Be sure to show off your summer swap packages today!!!

Is it Monday already?!

Whew - a lot to catch up on today! I didn't get on the computer ONCE this entire weekend and have been spending the morning catching up on my Google reader items!

Last Wednesday was the bf's birthday and I never showed you the banner I made for him! I didn't really have any place to hang the silly thing so it ended up going over our picture of New York. I thought it turned out cute!


Since the bf had to work on his actual birthday and I had a final (we didn't even see each other), I took him out to eat Saturday night. We went to The Odyssey in Granada Hills. The restaurant has magnificent views and delicious food. They even brought out a slice of birthday cheesecake!


We also saw The Hangover on Saturday afternoon. I'm sorry that I was ever skeptical about this film. It was so funny and had me laughing the entire time! Definitely go see it :)

We had a relaxed Sunday that consisted of getting new cell phones (E71x - very cool), ordering fiber optic cable and super fast internet service, taking YoYo to the dog park, ordering pizza, and watching a couple of movies (Bottleshock and Role Models).

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and I was sad to see it end!

----------------------------------------------------

Some random tidbits:

• I have new items posted on Ebay so go check them out. I listed everything at a very low starting price and of course, all of my items come with free shipping!
  
• I have baked and photographed my entry for Summer and Becky's Blog Bake Off! Don't forget to get your entry posted by June 27.

• The apron giveaway has been closed for new entries. I will announce the lucky winner tomorrow!

Happy Father's Day!

June 21st marks Father's Day!

Last year I was home for a friend's wedding and Father's Day happened to fall on that same weekend. It was great because I got to celebrate with the most wonderful man in the world! This year I will be in Los Angeles, but thinking of my dad on his special day.

Really EVERY day should be spent celebrating our mothers and fathers because without them, we would most likely not be where we are today. I only wish I had realized my parent's love when I was younger but I was too busy pouting about not getting my way and arguing for the sake of arguing.

But they were my parents then.

Now...now they're my friends and mentors.

I miss my mom and dad, but am hoping that this time next year I will be wishing I lived on the other side of the country and could get away from their nagging! HA!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!

Fabulous Friday - Favorite Photos! Plus other stuff too!

It's that time again!

Time for Fabulous Friday!

My friend Danielle created this fun little tradition and I want all of you to join in! If you want, post today with your FAVORITE PHOTOS and do the Mr. Linky on her post (click here) so we can all check it out! I told her last week that we would get 20 participants today...so please help me make it happen :)

Without further ado, some of my favorite photos:

family

With Bobby and Jamie Deen

College neighbors!

With my brothers

Alton Brown

In Azerbaijan with some co-workers

Sorority fundraiser

Graduation day!

College roommates and best friends

Easter

In Larnaca, Cyprus

before a Braves game

Graceland

At a wedding rehearsal dinner for my best friend

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In other news, I wanted to mention one of my favorite bloggers is co-hosting a Blog Bake-Off and there is going to be a grand prize awarded to the best entry!! How fun! You can enter any kind of cake, cupcake, bundt cake...the possibilities are endless. So think of your best creation, whip it up, take some photos, and submit it by June 27 here. I'm going to participate too, but I have to think of what to make first!

And a big thank you to Donna for my summer swap package! I received it today and she sent so many great things! I'm a lucky girl! I will post the photos on June 23 when I set up the post with the Mr. Linky so we can all visit each other and see the many fun goodies received.

Don't forget to enter my apron giveaway by Monday!

Now I want to see some of your favorite photos! Don't forget to link it back to Danielle's post here.

♥ at first sight...with a shoe!

I saw these darling flip flops on Always a Northerner's blog - the lucky girl got them for her birthday! Anyway, I went to the website and now I want to get them for myself!

SwitchFlops are by Lindsay Phillips and are such an amazing creation! Her idea evolved when she realized that by using Velcro she could create one shoe with many straps–unlimited choices with minimal effort (read more about Lindsay and the company here). How true and her slogan now is "Change your look, not your sole!"

Here are just a few favorite looks I came up with when visiting the website:

Lulu flip flop in brown with Johanna strap

Lulu flip flop in tan with McKenzie strap

Lulu flip flop in navy lp with Catherine strap

Lulu flip flop in black with Andrea strap
(all pictures taken from Lindsay Phillips SwitchFlops website)

The flip flops range from $35 - 49 and the straps range from $12 - 15. Just imagine how many looks you can get! You can order online by clicking here or even check out the locations and see if they're sold at a store near you.

I was excited to see there is a retail location very close to me. Looks like I'll be heading there as soon as I get a free moment!

Head to the website and see what fun combos you can come up with.
What's your favorite combo?!

I ♥ Aprons!

One of the many great reasons to have a blog is to be given the opportunity to discover wonderful vendors on the internet. I was approached by Annie G. to see if I would visit her website and perhaps host a giveaway. Once I saw her work I knew it would be something that many of you would be interested in! Annie creates beautiful vintage-style aprons and would like to offer my readers a chance to win an apron of your choice!

I love to bake and I know many of you are avid cooks and bakers as well. Wouldn't it be lovely to have an apron to protect you from the messes that are bound to happen?! Annie has so many wonderful choices for aprons - not only in style, but also in fabrics!

Here are a few of my favorites:

(all pictures taken from Annie G's website)

Aren't these aprons fabulous?! If you'd like to have a chance at wining one, just do the following:

• Visit Annie G's apron website by clicking here. Browse her beautiful selection and leave a comment letting me know your favorite apron.
  
• Follow me!
  
• 2 entries for this giveaway, please leave ONE comment.
• Enter by June 22 at 12 pm EST for your chance to win.

Remember that Annie also creates many other products like tote bags, little girl's aprons, and laundry bags. Be sure to explore her entire website!

Good luck!