Currently

I'm linking up today with Jenn from Perfectly Imperfect, to share what is on my "Currently...." list. (PS - Two more edible gift ideas to come early next week, I promise! I have not been motivated enough to get in the kitchen this week and finish up so I'll have to do it this weekend.)

Current Book

I am actually not reading anything new at the moment. Come to think of it, I haven't even finished The Help yet. I was really into it, but got sidetracked when I traveled home for Jenny's wedding. I will have to try to finish it on the plane when I go home for Christmas!

Current Playlist

Michael Buble's Christmas 

Lady Antebellum's Own the Night

Gym Class Heroes Stereo Hearts

Current Color

We'll go with the color boots I'm wearing today, which would be brown. I haven't had a manicure in who knows how long, but it's definitely on my list of things to do before I go home for Christmas. I'm thinking I'll go with a bright red color for the holidays!

Current Drink

Water. I haven't been visiting Starbucks very often lately, and my wallet thanks me.

Current Food

Trader Joe's Yogurt & Granola.

Current Favorite Show

Homeland is amazeballs. So good.

Current Needs

A vacation. Which I have coming up in 8 days!

Current Triumphs

Deciding on Christmas presents for both Mom & Dad. Woo hoo!

(Don't forget to check out Free Shipping Friday!)

Current Bane (s) of my Existence

My car's front tire has a slow leak. I am dreading the day that it dies altogether. A logical person would buy a replacement tire, but until the money fairy visits, I am unable to do so.

Current Celebrity Crush

Steve McGarrett...oh, I mean Alex O'Loughlin, from Hawaii Five-0.

Current #1 Blessing

Life!

Current Indulgence

All of the sweets & treats that are being brought into work for the holidays!

Cookies, chocolate, candy...

Current Outfit

My go-to during winter here in California - leggings, long sweater, & boots.

Current Excitement

Watching the Patriots/Broncos game this Sunday.

{Pats better not get "tebowed" or else...just sayin'}

Current Mood

Festive!

Current Favorite Holiday Decoration

The little pink tree in my office.

Current #1 Item on my Wishlist

iPad...pretty, pretty, pretty please!

Current New Year's Resolution

I haven't gotten that far...it will probably be the same things as last year - lose weight, take more pictures, and pay off my bills.

Feel free to play along & link up with Jenn!

Christmas Wish List

My sweet friend Mags of The Fancy Pants recently featured my Santa List - the top 5 things I want for Christmas if money were not an issue! I had fun putting my list together and I'd love for you guys to check it out here.

Of course this got me thinking about what I would like to get for Christmas. I'm not expecting anything as my parents have gifted me numerous times throughout the year(s), helping pay my bills, flying me home for my best friend's wedding, and the list goes on & on. Truth be told, I am hard-pressed to think of any material things I'd like to have because the most important thing to me is trying to keep up with my current financial responsibilities and become debt-free in 2012.

However, it's tradition to create a list of wants (definitely not needs) so even though I expect none of these, it's still fun to share! I'd love to hear what is on your Christmas list as well!

iPad 2

Yes, the iPad 2 was also on my other wish list, but that just means I really, really, really want it! I wonder if I really even need an iPad 2, but then the commercials always convince me that I do. I already have an iPhone, and Chris has a lovely MacBook Pro that is fully-functional. Why in the world would we need to add a tablet to the mix??! BECAUSE! I have no real reason to back this up other than the simple fact that iPad's are cool. And portable. And it has a bigger screen than an iPhone so I will be able to see those Angry Birds a lot more easily. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Farmer's Egg Crate

I always pick this up when I walk into Anthropologie, but for some reason I haven't bought it yet. I think it's an adorable & functional way to store eggs in the refrigerator. It definitely has more eye appeal than a cardboard carton!

Nikon 1

I love taking pictures and I love having a real camera, other than the one on my phone. This one looks awesome! I need it.

The Cupcake Diaries

I saw this book recently at Target and it looks so cute! I love their show on TLC so I know that I'd like their book as well. It has all sorts of personal stories alongside numerous recipes. It looks like a good read!


What's on your Christmas wish list?


PS - Don't forget to enter my December giveaway!

Scarf Swap Link Up!

I hope by now that everyone has sent & received a scarf for the Fall Scarf Swap I hosted.

(If you haven't received a scarf from your partner, please let me know! I want to be sure that everyone fully participated. If there were any bloggers that signed up and did not participate, I want to be sure that they are not included in any future swaps.)

I hope that you will link up with me today and share the scarf you received from your partner.

If you have already posted about the swap on your blog, feel free to link that post here today!

I was partnered with Keri over at From Jersey Roots to Cowboy Boots, and let me tell you, she completely spoiled me! She sent me three (YES, THREE!) beautiful scarves and I can't wait to wear each one! I love all of the designs so much! Keri also included a Starbucks gift card that I will be using to get my favorite fall lattes.

Thank you so much, Keri!

Now it's your turn to share!

Link up below!

Favorite Things Swap

I recently participated in a Favorite Things Swap, hosted by my friend Leeann over at Join the Gossip! 

I was partnered with Alyssa from Ten Feet Off Beale and I am glad to have been introduced to her blog through this swap. Please check it out if you haven't already!

Alyssa is a Jersey girl currently living in Memphis. She sent me an awesome package with some of her favorite things: a Burt's Bees sampler pack, an Elvis Presley cd, and a bottle of Corky's BBQ sauce (yum)! I love how she represented Memphis with Elvis and Corky's. I went to Graceland many years ago, and was fascinated by Elvis' life. He was quite the talented man so I'm excited to have one of his cd's with some of his greatest hits! And BBQ sauce is my absolute favorite, I use it on EVERYTHING! I can't wait to try the world famous Corky's!

Thank you Alyssa for my new goodies and to Leeann for hosting such a wonderful (and well organized) swap!

check this out!!

If I were to ever have a twin, it would be A Classic Pearl. We are both adopted, Asian, Southern Belles, and have a love affair with all things preppy, pink, and green!! Not to mention, we both love to eat. She is celebrating her 100th post by hosting a fabulous giveaway and I think we all should enter! Please go visit my friend and show her some love! You won't regret it!

All of this could be yours - a green and white notebook, adorable pink and green coasters, super cute pocket tissues, and a paperweight that would look great on any desk!!

Enter here, and make a new friend while you're at it!

My Encounter with the Stars

My friend Kate shares my love of silver foxes...hehee! I'm not ashamed to admit that I watch NCIS just so I can see Mark Harmon {actually, it's a really great show and he's an added bonus}. Monday night, Kate and I ventured to the Saban Theatre for PaleyFest 2010. The cast of NCIS, along with their producers, writers, and directors, were there to talk about the show, themselves, and anything else the audience wanted to know.

One of the best parts of the evening was getting to see the NCIS episode, Mother's Day, before it aired {last night's episode} and without commercials! The cast really seems to enjoy each other and I love how they are all so appreciative of the show and the fans. I feel that if I were to run into any of them in a public setting, they'd be more than happy to sign an autograph or pose for a picture. They seemed to genuinely love acting!

I had such a great evening, and still can't believe that I was in the same room as some of my favorite celebrities! In fact, I was about 3 feet from Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly when the cast was signing autographs at the end of the show. It was a madhouse at the front, but Kate managed to get both of our tickets signed by the very handsome Michael! It was so amazing and a memory that I'll cherish forever {corny I know, but true}!

{kate's hand in front of Michael!!!}

Things I Noticed/Learned:

• Michael Weatherly is married??! Since when?
• Cote de Pablo is very giggly and cute...like a little girl.
• Now that I've seen "Tony" and "Ziva" together in real life, I really want them to get together on the show! They just seem so comfortable as "Tiva."
• Sean Murray got reaaaaaallllllyyy skinny. His new look had me concerned because he really doesn't look healthy. He also didn't talk very much or seem to be having as good a time as the other actors.
• Rocky Carroll seems like a nice guy! I love to hate him on NCIS because he does a lot of things that make me angry, but in real life, he is very gracious and appreciative.
• Actors are much shorter in real life than they seem on tv {with the exception of Michael}.
• Fans are CRAZY when it comes to the chance at getting an autograph. I got squished, pushed, and stepped on while trying to get close to the stage.

Thank you Kate for inviting me to the show!

PS - Stay tuned for my Las Vegas weekend recap!!

An Apology and A Giveaway

Happy Friday Lovelies!

I want to apologize for being such a blog slacker lately. I guess I'll blame it on being busy at work and focusing on my "get healthy, work out everyday" plan...

I still read all of your blogs faithfully and I thank you for the comments you've left on my posts. As an added note, my brother helped numerous injured people in Haiti during his time there and he is on his way back to the US now. Thank you for keeping him and the medical team he was traveling with in your prayers.

Life is stressful now, but I can't complain because I know we all go through tough times every now and then. While I'm happy, I am finding myself uber-stressed about money, the future, if I'm making the right decisions, etc. etc....BUT I won't bore you with that now, I'll save it for another post...haha!

Let's get to the good stuff, shall we?

Remember a long time ago when I did a follower appreciation post and sent random followers cookies from Sugar & Flour?! Well, I happened to be perusing Etsy the other day and was checking out my favorite sellers. I noticed that Sugar & Flour had these adorable sugar cookies in the shape of conversation hearts!

Aren't they cute?!

I'm giving one person the chance to win 2 dozen decorated cookies to be delivered just in time for Valentine's Day!

If you'd like to be entered to win, just leave a comment on this post. No need to do anything else. If you have plans for Valentine's Day, feel free to share in your comment...I need ideas! I'll draw a winner on Thursday, February 4. The winner will have 24 hours to get their address to me so I can get the cookies ordered and make sure they arrive the week of Valentine's Day!

I truly just want to say thanks to each and every one of you for being so awesome. I keep thinking I'll get back in the swing of things with posting, commenting, and sending snail mail, but the days are just passing by so quickly without me really progressing at all. I'm working on it, and I guess that's the best I can do!

Have a great weekend and be sure to enter the giveaway!

♥

.i.love.danielle.

Not only is Danielle an awesome friend, she's also an amazing blog designer. She was kind enough to update my blog look with one of her fun winter pre-made templates! I love it! I just read on her website that all pre-mades are on sale for $20!!! Go check out her designs to get a festive look of your own!

Busy week, but I'll be back soon with updates!

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!!

It's Already November?!

Wow, time just seems to fly by...whether you're having fun or not! Luckily, I had a wonderful weekend in San Diego! The boyfriend and I are so lucky that his dad and grandparents live in Carlsbad. It's beautiful down there! YoYo was quite excited to be leash-less and able to wander the backyard freely.

On Friday night, we made it into town in time to eat at Pizza Port, which came highly recommended by my foodie co-worker. The pizza and beer were both so delicious and the atmosphere was fun too! It was a nice way to wind down after a day of work and a couple of hours on the freeway!!

On Saturday, we all went to Fashion Valley and I was so happy to finally see the Lilly store there. It was heaven and I could have spent all day there! The Originals Collection is just delightful and I tried on several pieces. When I saw the dresses online, I was sure that this Classic White Not So Crabby dress was my favorite, but my mind was instantly changed when I put on the "Aquamarine in the Slim" pattern in the Worth Shift Lace design. The picture online does not do this dress or pattern justice. I had to have it! So it came home with me in the prettiest green and pink bag that I kept hugging and petting while walking around the rest of the mall. I am a huge dork, but I don't care! I will be certain to post pictures of the dress soon because I want you all to see how beautiful it really is.

Outside the Lilly store with the boyfriend!

YoYo is trying to convince Dad to stay one more day...

On a completely different note, last Thursday Kate and I met for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. It's always fun to meet with her so we had a good time gabbing and eating yummy food. She brought me the cutest cupcake notepad and recipe cards. I'll have to remember to take a picture to show you all.

I hope you all had a great weekend and a good start to the new month! Can you believe it's already almost time for Thanksgiving?! Unbelievable!

scarf awesomeness :)

a big thank you to the lovely mrs. b.e.g. of brown eyed girl for being my scarf swap partner! she sent me the loveliest scarf that will complement many of my fall outfits and as a bonus, nail polish in the most perfect shade of hot pink! it took me all of 5 seconds minutes before i started painting my nails and wearing my new scarf around the house...just ask yoyo, he was there.

so thanks again b.e.g. and katie from loves of life for hosting such a fun swap!

Bloggy Love!

Ooh, I am SO excited! I just found out that I won a super fabulous giveaway for a Boatman Geller melamine plate in my choice of design! I chose the Madison design with a classic monogram in the center. If you are wondering where I entered this giveaway, let me tell you! I have a wonderful blog friend, Bronco Mom over at Powder Puffs n Pearls, whom I "met" a few months back. She was just starting her blog and she asked me for some advice {not that I had anything useful!} on blogging. I started following her right away and since then, she has become quite the blogger! Bronco Mom recently had her blog made over by The Design Girl and it looks tres chic!

I am very excited and honored to have won her giveaway for the plate. I know Bronco Mom has plans for future giveaways soon, so please go visit her and welcome her to the blog world! She is wonderful and she also has an amazing recipe for crockpot Brunswick Stew that she was kind enough to share with me and I will be trying it out this weekend!

Thanks again Bronco Mom!

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Thanks to a couple of lovely ladies who recognized me for awards!

The "Your Blog is Over the Top" Award from the lovely Maria over at Personalized Sketches and Sentiments. I hope you all pay Maria's blog a visit. She is the sweetest blogger and always leaves such nice comments! She is also supremely artistic. I am always blown away by her artwork.

Here are the Rules:

1. You can only use one word to answer the questions!
2. Pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers!
3. Alert them that you have given them this award!
4. Have Fun!

Now, for the Fun Part:

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your hair? straight
3. Your mother? kind
4. Your father? awesome
5. Your favorite food? Mexican
6. Your dream last night? vivid
7. Your favorite drink? water
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. What room are you in? office
10. Your hobby? baking
11. Your fear? worms!
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? alive
13. Where were you last night? couch
14. Something that you aren’t? organized
15. Muffins? cupcakes!
16. Wish list item? Cadillac
17. Where did you grow up? Georgia
18. Last thing you did? lunch
19. What are you wearing? clothes :)
20. Your TV? grande
21. Your pets? sweet
22. Friends? fabulous
23. Your life? busy
24. Your mood? happy
25. Missing someone? family
26. Vehicle? SUV
27. Something you’re not wearing? glasses
28. Your favorite store? JCrew
29. Your favorite color? pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? months
32. Your best friend? far
33. One place that I go to over and over? email
34. One person who emails me regularly? Dad
35. Favorite place to eat? PF Chang's {not one word...oops!}

I tag: Jenny at Lucky in Love, S at Inner Workings of a Real-life Barbie Doll, Gwen at Confessions of a Control Freak, Ashley at Ramirez Family, Katie at Katie's Life Journey, and Amanda at Amanda's Sunshine. If you ladies already have this award, then consider yourself especially loved!

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"Superior Scribbler Award" from Taryn over at Mr. Jones and Me! This was awarded to me some time ago, but I so appreciate it {please don't think my late posting has anything to do with my excitement over receiving the award}! Little Miss Taryn is getting married November 21 and I'm just so excited for her!

Here are the Rules:
1. Each Superior Scribbler (SS) must pass the award on to 5 most-deserving blog buds.

2. Each SS must link to the author and name of blog from whom he/she has received the award.

3. Each SS must display the award on his/her blog and link to this post which fully explains the award.
4. Each blogger who wins, must visit this post and add their name to the Mr. Linky list at the Scholastic-Scribe's blog so we can keep track of all who wins this prestigious award!

5. Each SS must post these rules on their blog.

I tag: Brandi from The Life of a Small Town Girl, Perambulations through Pittsburgh, Katie at The Perks, Stace at Seashells and Sunshine, and Amy at The Un-wife Housewife Life. Again, if you have received the award already, then consider yourself extra loved!

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Thanks for sticking with me through this long post! I have some exciting news this week, but am waiting until it's official to share with you! Hopefully by the end of the week or early next week!!! And I haven't forgotten about my giveaway promise - the announcement is coming soon, I promise!! xoxo

Life Update!

Well, once again it's been a week since I've written. I apologize for my lack of interest lately, not sure what has gotten into me. I do promise that I am interested in all of you though!

Here are some tidbits from the last week or two:

• Kate and I went to lunch last Saturday. She brought me the cutest cupcake cosmetic bag and a book to read, The Devil in the Junior League. Here I am with my new treat, and Kate is posing with her birthday present {anchor notecards, of course}! Don't forget to stop by Kate's blog to enter her birthday giveaway bonanza and wish her a happy birthday too!
  

• On Sunday, we met up for lunch again, but this time with Danielle too! We went to Toast and I still didn't get my celebrity spotting. After lunch, Danielle and I headed to Beverly Drive to do a little window shopping and girl talk...very fun!

• I am loving all the great television lately. I mean, I'm guessing this could be part of the reason I haven't been blogging, I've been glued to my living room couch! Some favorites {both old and new} for me: One Tree Hill, Trauma, NCIS, NCIS: LA, Glee, CSI: NY, Bones...
  

• My dear friend {and favorite blogger} Summer sent me a surprise in the mail! Some very fun and colorful cupcake liners and a rubber stamp in the shape of a stand mixer...so cute! If you are not already reading b is for brown, I only have one question for you, why the heck not?! Summer is awesome with a capital A.
  

I wanted to say a big thank you to all of my new followers! I haven't been posting as frequently recently, so I do wonder how you found me. However it was, thanks for following me and making me feel special :) Leave me a comment and let me know who you are too! Speaking of followers, it's probably about time I do another follower appreciation post...hmm, look for that soon!

In other news, I am in the midst of planning my fall giveaway - so excited for it, but I still need to pick up a few things. Fall is my FAVORITE season so this will be big! The giveaway will be next week sometime, and it has a fun surprise twist to it! Until then, have a great rest of the week and a happy weekend {almost there}!

Thank You!

Have I told you all how much I love the fabulous Jill over at Peeptoe Pumps and Pearls?! She is a wonderful friend and she sent me the sweetest surprise over the weekend. Isn't this the best wrapping paper? I wanted to tear into the box, but I diligently removed all of the tape so I could save the paper to use myself...it's just so cute!

Here's what was inside:

Isn't that the truth?!
Thanks so much to my sweet friend for thinking of me.

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

I was a very lucky girl to receive not one package, but two! Alison from Decadent Designs sent me a thank you gift for hosting the giveaway last week. I was blown away by her generosity and kindness. I received an adorable red and white apron with an "A" on it and two red and white kitchen towels! Thank you so much Alison!

How sweet life is when you have friends like Jill and Alison!

Make a Wish...it's your Birthday!

just a quick shout out...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to my amazing and talented
{{real life}} friend,

Danielle!!

Girl Time

I finally have some time to sit down and tell you all about my fabulous Friday night!

It all started out with dinner and fun with the girls at Villa Blanca! I was so excited about this blog meet up and it definitely did not disappoint!! I had of course already met Danielle and Kate, but also joining us was Jill {Peeptoe Pumps and Pearls} and Jess {The Shiny Penny}. Dinner was wonderful - Villa Blanca is B-E-A-U-tiful and the food was delicious!

Flower arrangement by our table

Kate and Jill

The five of us after dinner!

Jill and I wanted to see a celebrity, but no such luck! I am pretty sure it's my fault {I must bring the no-celeb sighting bad luck curse with me} because I've been here two years and have yet to see anyone worth mentioning. How is that even possible?! Even though we didn't have a celebrity sighting, we did get to enjoy the goodness of Crumbs!

Jill was excited with all the choices!

Jill and I outside of Crumbs

I have to say that Jill is absolutely fantastic. She is every bit as sweet as she seems on her blog. Her southern charm was a welcome relief to my Southern-deprived soul! I loved meeting her and I'm looking forward to the next time we get to hang out. And Jess is great too - she is so funny and outgoing. All in all, we all had such a wonderful evening! I just love how blogging has allowed me to meet so many fabulous people!

Thursday Update!

Typically, Thursdays are my favorite day of the week, but for the next 8 weeks I will be sitting in Strategic Staffing from 6:30 until 10 pm. Not my idea of fun! Ha!

Do any of you watch Toddlers and Tiaras?! I never thought I would be hooked on a show like this, but I love it {most of the time}. I really do think that pageants can give young girls self-esteem and confidence so I can see why parents may want their kids to do them. But there are some parents that are featured on the show that go so overboard and it makes you feel bad for the kids, especially when you can see it on their faces that they know their parents aren't satisfied. I think it was this earlier this season when twin sisters were featured and the mother clearly favored one over the other {I was crying for the poor girl that the mom didn't like, it was so sad} and I really didn't like seeing that. But last night's episode was so cute with the "Sparkle Sisters" and they were so sweet to each other and seemed genuinely happy to be doing pageants together. And their mom was so cute as well and proud of all of them. Any of you watch this series?!

Yesterday I returned home from work to find a BIG box from my Prep for Fall Swap partner, Megs. I had so much fun and Megs was a great swap partner. Look at all the wonderful stuff she sent me - stationery, kitchen towels, soap, a loofah, hot tea, a candle, and the cutest flower ring. And it all came in the best green basket that will look great in front of my fireplace holding the dog's toys.

Thanks again Megs for being a great swap partner and also Hopsy for hosting such a fun swap!

I'm looking forward to the Labor Day holiday! I am mostly excited for Tuesday though because my MOM is coming to visit!! I haven't seen any of my family since my brother's wedding in early May, so this visit is long overdue. I wish my Daddy-o could come too, but someone has to keep an eye on the four {fur}babies they have. Mom's visit has two purposes though: 1) to visit her favorite daughter {duh!} and 2) to help me make 100 regular size and 200 miniature cupcakes for a wedding I'm catering. I don't think I've mentioned on my blog yet that I'm doing this job, but I am excited and nervous for it. Mom and I will be in the kitchen for the first part of her visit, but we'll reward ourselves with a yummy dinner and a trip to the day spa over the weekend!

Well, this is turning into quite the long post! I better stop now before I lose all of you :)

Big Thanks and a Menu Monday

I recently won a giveaway from Kelly over at The Merry Martini! The prize? My choice of Lilly Pulitzer item from the new fall line! I chose the thermal mug in the Private Property pattern {and it is absolutely fabulous}. Be sure to visit Kelly's amazing online boutique, The Merry Martini.
Summer rocks! And I'm not talking about the season either {in fact, I'm so over summer, yet it has reached a sweltering 107 degrees this past week in the Valley}! I'm talking about Summer from b is for brown, of course! Look at this sweet little print she sent me for placing in her blog bake-off. Thanks Summer!!! It looks great hanging up in my new kitchen.


On another note, I have recently gotten into clipping coupons. I never minded using coupons, but was usually too lazy to go through the clipping process. But I've recently joined in on The Grocery Game and last night was my first try at purposely saving money. I'm happy to say that we bought over $110 worth of groceries for only $56. I had so many coupons and it also helps to just be aware of the sales the grocery store is doing. I've even planned out a menu for the week because I was shopping with purpose, not just to buy the things with a coupon. So I'm excited about that. We are having a lot of pasta, but it was only 59 cents a package so I can't really complain.

Here's my tentative menu for the week:

Shrimp Scampi Bake - DONE and Delicious!
Baked Chicken and Perfect Crispy Potatoes - DONE and my first attempt at the potatoes resulted in the fire alarm going off...oops!
Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina
Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream
Grilled Hamburgers - DONE!

I promise to take some pictures of my new place so I can post them this week!