THANK YOU STEPH

Thank you for the picture of this beauitful sunflower outside of your artment! Sooo pretty. Made my day! :) .....Like I said, hopefully ours on the side of our house will be in bloom very soon!

TODAY'S A NEW DAY

Yesterday afternoon kinda stunk...I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed at work lately & ended up having a mini melt down. Not fun...I feel better of course now that today is a new day & it's FRIDAY! The weekend is just around the corner....no surprise but our schedule is pretty much filled up...

DMV, “Breakfast for Dinner & a Movie” w/ the gang out our house to finally break in the big screen.........(which includes: muffins, toast, eggs, sausage, bacon, French toast, cereal, fruit, smoothies...and then popcorn, pizza rolls, chips & dip & crab toasties <---my mom's infamous of course! *RECIPE HERE*......... vet, photo shoot w/ Kanerko in Providence (our neighbor Nate's band that he manages) & IKEA! YAY for the weekend! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend yourself! What are you up to? Tell me, tell me!

PS: Thanks for all the Brunette vs. Blonde comments! I LOVE comments! I think that's the most comments I've had on one post, minus my blog giveway posts of course! THANK YOU to all my readers & followers!!!

PPS: I'll leave you w/ this country song & video "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry...I sooo can't get it out of my head! A bit morbid I guess, yet sooo pretty.
http://new.music.yahoo.com/The-Band-Perry/videos/view/If-I-Die-Young--218678927

PPSS: NELLY (yes, THE Nelly) has a new song out! I have missed him & have been wondering where the heck he has been! Just heard it on the radio yesterday...LOVE IT. Welcome back Nelly!

DC SAMPLE SALE

http://www.districtsamplesale.com/

Hello my VA/NOVA/DC peeps! The DC Sample Sale is back!!! Thursday, Sept 16th! I went a few years ago w/ Amanda & met up w/ Michelle & Kristy. We had SUCH a great time & found some awesome items! We of course splurged for the VIP tickets which included finger foods, a goody bag & drinks AND getting into the warehouse an hour earlier then everyone else. SO WORTH IT. What is a sample sale might you ask? Pretty much it's a bunch of designer items being sold for super super super cheap-compared to their original price. The one time I went I scored my 1st pair of skinny jeans, sear sucker blue & white striped dress pants, a pink ruffled cropped short sleeve blazer, an orange & blue tie for Steve & a few other goodies/shoes/purses/accessories for myself. How do I remember this? I have no idea...And do I remember the designer names of the items I purchased? No. BUT I do remember I bought all of this for under $150 in cash that I brought w/ me that day. It was a nut house! Girls running around everywhere digging through clothes bins, trunks & racks. If you go, make sure you where flat shoes & leggings! This way you can easily try on something-if need be (over what you are wearing) since there are no dressing rooms! Don't be rude to the other girls but definitely focus and do your thing! I wish I could go this year since I haven’t been since the 1st time I checked this out. Bummer to it being on a Thurs night....hmmm maybe I can work something out... :)

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE NATIONALS

My awesome friend Natalie from home (VA) wrote this blog entry the other day! Fox Sports has added it to their blog roll! This is the 2nd or 3rd time that this has happened! Natalie is SUCH a great writer in general but also a great sports writer! Check out her letter!

It's just a few blog entries down...her profile photo is of her peaking out from in-between her sheets! HA! :)
http://community.foxsports.com/

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE NATIONALS: (Natalie's actual Blog)
http://nataliegracie.wordpress.com/

THE QUESTION IS.....

Can your animal do this???

At first I thought it was crazy cool…then I thought it was just crazy & realized I needed to stop taking phone pics. When Boo eventually got down he made his way to the 4 wheeler that sits in the garage. In slooooooooooooooow motion he jumped from the 4 wheeler to the top of the desk that I was painting black! Yep! Black paw prints all over my "piece of art", not to mention 4 black paws. What a mess! Bad Boo! Gotta love him...

HEAVEN

Remember when I blogged about "Sunflowers for Wishes"? Well if not here is the entry:
http://skv6.blogspot.com/2010/07/sunflowers-for-wishes.html

These are the photos from that day in HEAVEN. Myself, Sue, Crystal & lil Lauren went to check it out...I ended up buying 2 bouquets...1 for myself & 1 for Amy!

And here is my FB album incase you want to view more photos; I of course took a ton!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=185297&id=516028175&l=1ebabd5dfb

Me, Crystal & Sue

CURTAINS & RAIN

When we finished the basement we realized we needed to find a small curtain to cover the basement window in order to block the light coming in when we use the projector screen down there. We could have gone out and bought any old curtain but most curtains out there are sooo boring. Just my opinion. Everywhere you go they have the same print or colors, unless you go to Pier One or Urban Outfitters of course-now they have cool unique curtains! Anyway, I told Steve that back in the day I made small curtains w/ my mom for the house i grew up in when we gave the place a mini makeover. From what I remember it wasn’t too hard....Sooo I went to JoAnn Fabrics in search of a modern/funky/mod/retro brightly colored fabric w/ preferably orange & teal in it to match the 2 main colors we have been using. This is what i found! It was PERFECT!!! So i brought it home the other night & finally tackled this "small" task after work yesterday. After just a "few" (long) hours & a lot of hope & frustration I eventually completed this project! I actually MADE this w/o any sewing! HA! Pretty cool huh? I'm pretty darn proud of myself.

This is the fabric! I will use the leftover pieces to frame in 8x10 & 5x7 photo frames around the room to tie it all in!
TA-DA!!!!! :) Seriously...i swear this was a b*tch to do. HA!

***I took this photo this past weekend when it was storming...I love downpours, I think I captured it well as it came down over our front porch!

BRUNETTE VS BLONDE---BANGS VS NO BANGS

I have always hated my hair… OK I know hate is a harsh word but I have at least semi hated my hair. For the most part I’m never happy with it. I know that this might not just be a ME thing…it might just be a GIRL thing. I think we all want what we don’t have; at least that’s how I feel personally. If I’m happy with my hair it’s only for a short period of time, then I’m over it & need a change or a quick fix to make me think otherwise. I’ve always wanted healthy, shiny, thick, long, voluminous hair…brunette or blonde, usually I want blonde when I’m (naturally) brunette & usually I want brunette when I’m blonde. I try to trim it on a regular basis to keep up w/ my split ends, but every time I trim it people say to me “Did you cut your hair again?” In my head I reply NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!.........I can’t tell you when the last time someone said “WOW, your hair is getting soooooooooooo long!”….I haven’t had long hair in many many many years. Did I say many? I always tell myself I’m going to grow my hair out, but my pacience starts to fade away considering it seems as if my hair grows soooooooooooooo slow. Sometimes to hold me over I cut my bangs to keep me from “cracking”! HA! So I’m curious…now that I’m getting the itch to change my hair up again what’s your opinion?

Brunette w/ bangs ($7 BOX)
Brunette w/o bangs
Blonde w/ bangs ($100 SALON)
Blonde w/o bangs

PS: On a completely different note....in general...i think it is SO RUDE to not respond to an invitation of any sort. Email invitation, snail mail invitation, Evite invitation, wedding/birthday/retirement/baby shower/bridal shower invitation & so on....This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. I don't like to rant & rave or complain much on my blog but from time to time I need to do so. Sometimes blogging is meant for venting. If you can't make an event, NO BIG DEAL, just respond! It's common courtesy! Especially when someone needs time to plan or shop for a certain event, big or small. Be polite people, a Yes, No or even a Maybe will do. Thank you-I feel a lil better. :)

CHARLOTTE RUSSE LOVERS

From Hip2Save.com... (www.CharlotteRusse.com)

*HOT* $1.99 Tees & Tanks*
guess today is the day for online bargains because here is yet another one! Charlotte Russe is currently offering up all of these styles of basic tees and tanks for only $1.99! Just use coupon code BASICTEE at checkout. That is definitely a stock up price for me. Shipping remains $5.99 NO matter how much you order, so I would recommend purchasing at least a few tees and tanks to make shipping worth it. I purchased 10 and my total was only $25.89 shipped. That makes each tee only $2.59!
I would hurry and get in on this deal before they sell out!

BATH & BODY WORKS

You can get ALL of this for $20 with any $30 purchase @ Bath & Body Works! This is over an $88 value! Speaking of B&BW...I went this past weekend while Steve was gone. I had a coupon for a FREE trial size product with any purchase. So I purchased my old school PLUMERIA body spray! Plumeria used to be my favorite until they discontinued it! Well Plumeria lovers, it's baaaaaaaaack! So I got the Plumeria body spray, the Warm Vanilla Sugar body spray & my FREE trial size Plumeria body lotion all for ONLY $5 and change. LOVE FABULOUS DEALS.

PS: The cabinet, the desk & our wedding date came out AWESOME!!! I am so excited with the results! I will post the updated photos soon!

ANOTHER DIY PROJECT

Im having fun w/ these mini projects that save money! This weekend Steve is off to a canoe trip w/ the boys up in Maine. As much as I miss him when we are apart I have to admit it's nice to have some alone time to just do girly stuff & knock things off my personal/anal (HA!) to do list. Tomorrow I will be painting these items to use in our house!

This cabinet was in the house I grew up in. My Dad had it in our basement storage room & used it to store/hold school supplies. He was always able to collect extra supplies since he was/is a teacher. My sister & I used to hate having to rummage through this thing bc we really wanted to just get our supplies @ the store where the supplies were wayyy cooler. But of course my parents were all about saving money. HA! Too funny! I laugh @ it now. And of course this cabinet gives me humorous/good memories looking back. I plan to paint it black & put fabric behind the glass to hide whatever I put on the shelves. Probably clothes-since I have "way too many" as my family has always told me & now Steve tells me. It will be placed in the "Glamour-esque" big guestroom that I am re-decorating!
A lil something we found @ this unfinished wood store in RI. We will put the numbers in our newly finished basement as you come down the stairs. 9-5-09 is our wedding date! YAY! Clever right? I'll paint them white so they POP on the black wall/ceiling.

Last but not least...this desk was given to Steve by his Mom a few years ago-I believe it came from her side of the family. One of the drawers was broken until I realized last night how easy it was to fix. I will paint this black as well, along with adding fun glass vintage looking knobs. Then I'll add a vanity chair in front of it & a vanity mirror above it. This of course will go in the "Glamour-esque" big guestroom as well.

***a weekend to myself= relaxation, mani/pedi, errands, dvr, re-decorating our big guestroom "glamour-esque" style, facial, house chores & lifetime movies. :)

FREE SHIPPING @ FOREVER 21

These 4 items will arrive at my house next week sometime! Free shipping @ Forever 21 online when you use the promo code "Survey"! Act fast ladies!!! :) Don't forget to check the sale section! That's what I did---no surprise there of course!

IF YOU LIVE IN ARIZONA

You have GOT to try out Modern Steak located in Scottsdale! One day I randomly started receiving an email called "Arizona Foothills Magazine". I have no idea how I got signed up for it but it's definitely a nice treat to check out! I ran across this awesomely decorated steak joint! How breathtaking! It looks like a room out of my dream home! ;)


http://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/events/details/1025.html?utm_source=EmailDirect.com&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=About+Town+7.22.10+Campaign

FREE BLOG GIVEAWAY

No, not from me this time around, but from the lovely "JAMMER AT 10 A.M." Check out the beautiful necklace she is giving away! I love reading her blog, she seems like a fun, sweet girl! :)

GROOVESHARK

Thank you to my friend Amanda for sending me this music website! You can't burn anything or download anything but you can play pretty much any song you search! You can also create a play list! Has anyone else heard of this? This is a 1st for me! Let me know what you think!

http://listen.grooveshark.com/

A FUN FIND

Found this fun find on ABCdistributing.com for $25! I plan to use it in the big guestroom! LOVE checking out ABC online as well as receiving their HUGE catalogs in the mail! Besides this, Steve picked out 2 black shot glass wall cube displays for the basement. I believe they were $5 each. SCORE!

RAINBOW CUPCAKES

Check out these awesome RAINBOW cupcakes by "Spearmint Baby"! I can't wait to try these out one day! How pretty!
http://www.spearmintbaby.com/2010/07/rainbow-cupcakes.html

CAT HELP NEEDED

Does anyone else’s cat keep them up at night? Boo has been very “talkative” & hyper while we are in bed! Meowing like crazy, jumping onto our bedroom dressers, knocking things over…He woke me up a bunch of times last night….. Yes, he had plenty of food & water. HOLY TIRED. Help..... :)

Yes...this is the photo of Boo a few hrs before he knocked off the fish bowl. My no name fish went up to Heaven a few days later... At the time this image seemed so cute, so we let him be...

DATE NIGHT OVERDUE

So a lil while back I blogged (http://skv6.blogspot.com/2010/05/6-things.html) about my hubby & I having a date night @ Bella's Bistro in Putnam, CT using our $25 Restaraunt.com gift certificate. Unf THAT never happened due to life being just TOO busy. This week is a bit less busy for us so we are checking out the quaint Italian place after work! Can't wait...I love date nights...I love making a point of them & having a special evening w/ Steve-just the two of us. :)

IF YOU REALLY KNEW ME

Breaking boundaries one High School @ a Time.....I have been looking forward to watching this for quite a while! MTV's "If You Really Knew Me"...Oprah did a special episode on something similar. Heartwarming tear-jerker. It airs tonight @ 11pm-pretty much my bedtime so I will probably be DVRing it...watch the touching video...

http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/528617/if-you-really-knew-me-trailer.jhtml

STRUT IT

You go girl! (even though I hate that saying!) Strut it Katie Holmes!

US MAP: LICENSE PLATE STYLE

I'm super excited! We just ordered this US license plate map by Aaron Foster through http://www.allposters.com/ for the basement! I have always wanted this print! I have always thought it was super cool. Can't wait to share our updated basement photos! It's really coming along w/ all the furniture & decorating!

CORONA COMMERCIAL

Has anyone seen this? It cracks me up! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQxTNjQe0Xs

SUNFLOWERS FOR WISHES

Ahhh! Sue called and asked if I wanted to go to the Sunflowers for Wishes event @ Buttonwoods Ice Cream on Saturday! Of course I said YES!!! I love sunflowers, this cutsie place & Sue! We will be taking a hayride through the sunflower field shown below, eating ice cream & taking photos! All of the donations from the sunflower bouquets go towards the "Make A Wish Foundation"!

JULY 17th: VIP Sunflower Celebration to kick off our Suflowers for Wishes 5th season and to welcome our return of the Sunflowers for Wishes Hayride.

JULY 19-27: Sunflowers for Wishes benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut. Come view more than 10 acres of sunflowers in bloom, enjoy a hayride, and contribute to a wonderful cause. Don't forget to try the sunflower ice cream- available only during this event.

As far as of rest of mine & Steve's weekend here is our plan...

SAT: our neighborhood cul-de-sac cookout! SUN: lunch & swimming @ Amy & Jacob’s new house!.......I am excited about the next few days! :)

GLAMOUR-ESQUE

I told myself after we finished the basement we would lay low on any big household projects. Guess I lied to myself a lil. My next "small" project is to tackle our oversized rectangular 2nd guest room located on the top level of our house. I will be incorporating a few items that we already have as well as using the below colors & decoration ideas below for my inspiration & of course a few old & new items...***Don't hold me to all of these photos, I will absolutely be working on a budget! And of course paint will have to come later on down the road...

The 1st new item we purchased last night @ Kohl's! This glamour mirror! How fun are the jewels! We got this for roughly $25. On sale-coupon-Kohl's charge! (Don't worry Mom & Dad-we pay this off every month-we just use it for the discount!)

A quick self portrait of me before leaving the house this morning (casual Friday's @ work)---check out my John Lennon & Yoko Ono t-shirt I picked up @ Rugged Wearhouse for $3 in NC!