iTUNESday Tuesday

You know what today is! Time to celebrate the music I am enjoying this week!

I love Shane & Shane. They are a christian group and their music is so encouraging,

uplifting, and draws you closer to God. If you haven't ever listened to their music and you

enjoy Christian music I encourage you to download some of their stuff!

If you need encouragement this week just remember Our God is Greater! I have found

myself whispering prayers to God throughout the day saying.. "God you are greater...God

you are bigger and better than my plans... You have plans for my life and I place my

trust and confidence in you and you alone."

Saying we trust God and actually living a life where we depend on the Lord with our lives

and the things out of our control are two different things. It is so easy as a Christian to say

I trust God. Living that life can be much more challenging when we walk through hard times.

One of the biggest fears among people is not public speaking, but the loss of control

in our lives. Control bring us security... or so we think. Leave all your fears at the feet of Jesus. He will comfort you and give you peace. There are over 365 "Fear Not" in the Bible. That is one

for every day of the year!! God does not want us to live in fear, but place our trust in Him with our lives and struggles we walk through every day!

If you didn't need this reminder I DID!! I am reminding myself of this every single day.

I hope God richly blesses your day and you feel His presence.

My Style Monday

Today is my my first My Style Monday! My friend Rachel at Running Backwards in High Heels

features this on her blog. The founder of My Style Mondays belongs to Lindsey

at Running Down a Dream. Basically, you just share what you are wearing and

accessorizingwith!

So, this is what I am currently wearing to my job in a non profit field.

Outfit details:

Dress: Long black cotton dress from TJ Maxx by Bjewel

Vest: TJ Maxx by California Blue

Bracelet: Muted gold from Banana Republic outlet

Shoes: Kelly & Katie flats from DSW last summer

Toenails: Essie Turquoise and Caicos

Nails: Essie Chinchilly.

Yes, I know they look rough. Don't be hatin!

Happy Day!

Weekend Rewind. What's in my Bag?

Hey Loves. I hope you all have had a spectacular weekend and are ready to punch a new week in the face! Sorry I have been a little MIA lately on my blog posts. Lots of craziness right now in

my world and blogging has just been kind of far from my mind. But, I need the distraction

now more than ever so here we go.

Friday night my friend Alison and I took G to the dollar theater to see Kung Fu Panda 2.

For a two year old little boy this guy does amazing in the big theatre. Give him some popcorn,

and a sprite and he is good to go. Totally captivated by the big screen. We opted out a little

early b/c we were pretty tired, but he did great. Alison and I apparently don't watch kiddie

movies enough b/c everyone around us seemed to think this movie was HILARIOUS...

we were struggling a little to say the least. Ha.

Oh my goodness girls... if you have not seen The Help yet please grab your mom, grandmothers,

best friends and RUN to the theatre. Make sure to bring your tissues b/c it is a tear jerker in

several parts. This is such an inspirational movie that just makes you want to find a way

to make a difference in this crazy world! Emma Stone does a superb job in her role in this movie. Love that girl.

Great chick movie that will leave you feeling courageous and proud to be a woman!

This is one to buy when it comes out!

Why yes, Why yes I did eat some spicy chicken nuggets this weekend.

And they were DELICIOUS! : )

My friend, Alison brought this robe with us last weekend to the beach. I LOVED it. It's an

above the knee waffle weave comfy robe. She got it at KOHL'S. Soooooo, of course

I decided I needed one too. I have worn this thing ever day this past week and literally when

I put it on I feel relaxed, homy, comfortable and just all around good. Crazy that a robe

could make you feel all that, right? It's got pockets too! Love that.

Here is the link if your interested.

Yay for one beauty item this weekend. This is Revlon matte lipstick in the shade

"Smoked Peach." This was used in a youtube tutorial I watched and thought it was a pretty

peach/coral that would transition nicely into fall.

Nothing terribly exciting this weekend in terms of beauty products, but hope you enjoyed

this addition and you have a great week.

iTUNESday Tuesday

Weekend Rewind. What's in my Bag?

It's that time again... for another edition of Weekend Rewind. I was lucky enough

to travel to the Gulf Coast of Destin, FL this past weekend with the parentals and

my friend Alison and her 2 year old Gabe. We had SO MUCH FUN!! Were not ready to come back to Alabama last night! :(

So, on the way down Thursday afternoon we stopped by Durbin Farms in Clanton to pick up

some fresh produce and I ran across some really cute clothes on clearance in their little

boutique shop. This romper was marked down and I love the print. I feel like you could even

wear it into the fall with tights, boots, and a cute jacket.

Up close view. The ruffles on top are so cute!

Sporting the Romper in Baytown Wharf with Al.

While in Baytown we popped in this cute boutique shop called Coco's. They mostly

had jewelry, handbags, and a few accessories. I grabbed this headband. Lovin it.

If you like oysters and are in Destin do yourself a favor and go to Acme Oyster House

in Baytown Wharf. I don't do raw oysters.... YUCK... can't get over the texture and slim, but

these are chargrilled and have a parmesan topping. This is the third time I have had these

oysters and I think they just get better and better! So yummy.

Posing with my oyster! :) And my romper!

On the beach!! It was such a gorgeous weekend. Perfect weather, water, food, and company!

Sportin my fedora hat that I got in Daytona last month.

So, while I was in the boutique shop, Coco's, I ran across this bag. It's by Tano... you may

have heard of them before. They are mostly sold at boutique shops. It's an Italian leather

bag that is kind of known for the glaze they put on the purses. I debated on getting this purse.

Even went back the following day to look at it one more time. I LOVE the charcoal gray color.

LOVE the edgy look and the hardware on the strap, but wasn't sold on the size. Tano

bags are larger bags. Very deep. Just felt like it looked a little too big on me. I'm still not

convinced that I won't end up ordering it online. I have been wanting a gray bag for over a

year now.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?! I NEED YOUR OPINION!! DO YOU LIKE?!

PLEASE COMMENT BELOW AND GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!

Have a great week!

iTUNESday Tuesday

I had a new idea this week. I love music... music that is fun, music that elicits emotion,

music that you just want to drive around with windows down, music that you

want to get down and dirty to!!

I love christian,r&b, soul, rap, hip hop, folk. Well, you get the point. The only music

I don't really like is country. eeek. Sorry country people!

So, I want to start sharing with you the songs that I am loving for a segment called

iTUNESday Tuesday! Every Tuesday I will feature a song or two that I am loving!

This week's song is Cee-Lo Green "Cry Baby."

Want to hear my funny story about this song. So, I was in Victoria Secret last night

getting another free pantie and ended up trying on a bra... so, I'm in the dressing room...

this song comes on... and I'm loving it. So, to give you the whole picture I am standing

in my bra and pantie dancing in the mirror... hands up in the air... hips moving...

sexy dance in FULL swing!! haha! So, thank you Cee-Lo for making my day!

Learning to Say Yes

Something I struggle with are choices. I hate making decisions about a lot of things

in my life. I find myself getting overwhelmed, stressed and anxiety ridden at times

over small and big decisions.

So, the movie Yes Man with Jim Carrey was on tv Sunday night and every time

I see this movie it gets me thinkin. What if we lived our lives like this? For

those of you that haven't seen this movie here is what IMDB says:

"Carl Allen is at a standstill. No future... Until the day he enrolls into a personal development program based on a very simple idea: say yes to everything! Carl discovers with amazement the magical power of "Yes", and sees his professional and romantic life turned upside down overnight: an unexpected promotion and a new girlfriend. But he'll soon discover that better can be good's enemy, and that all opportunities shouldn't be taken."

So, in the movie Jim Carrey says "yes" to everything in his life. Anytime an

opportunity presents itself he feels compelled to say yes and take advantage of the opportunity

before him. Obviously, for most of us there are major moral and ethical obligations

in saying yes to everything, but just think about the so called "good" "moral"

"ethical" choices we could say yes to. How many times do we tell ourselves we are

too busy, or don't have enough money to do something for someone else or for ourselves. Or,

how often does fear of the unknown in a choice paralyze us into not moving forward with a "yes." Insert whatever issue or choices you may be faced with.... just think about how your

life could be different if you began to say "yes" to more opportunities. How would

your life change if you quit making excuses and just said "yes."

Random thoughts I know. It's just an interesting concept to think on. My challenge for myself

and you is to learn to say "yes" more often and let's see how it changes our lives!

Weekend Rewind-What's in my Bag?

It's that time again!! Time for what you say? For my second addition of

WEEKEND REWIND... WHAT'S IN MY BAG!! Duh!

Ok, so let me start my saying I am really sad b/c I recorded my own little video for

you guys to showcase all my new stuff... I thought it would be more exciting and change

things up, but it won't upload! : ( I'm going to have to take my computer to the Apple

store pronto. Something seems to be wrong lately.

Ok, so enough of that... here are the products I picked up this week/weekend.

Clinique has a new cream shadow called Lid Smoothie. They are an 8 hour water resistant

shadow that dries to more of a powder finish! I bought one of these in the color

gingerly. If you look at the picture below gingerly is the neutral champagne honey

color. It's a gorgeous nude color that you can pair with a matte brown in your crease!

If you have tried the Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow it is similar to that, but different. I used the color, "rock violet" a lot last year. I personally like the new, lid smoothie better

b/c it dries to more of a powder finish. They have a taupe color in this line called sassy-fras

that is soooo pretty that I would love to try as well.

BLUSH!! I've really been feeling cheek products lately. So, I have been on the hunt

for a while for a great light pink/rose colored blush. I have corals, hot pink, and other

shades, but nothing in a pink/neutral. So, I originally bought the Maybelline FitMe

blush in the color "Medium pink." I tried it one day and was so disappointed... it was

so sheer you couldn't even see it on my skin. So, I returned it to Ulta and picked up this Lorac

blush in the color "Velvet Rope." I have been eyeballing this blush for a month or so.

It's a baked matte blush and it's pigmentation is incredible! It takes just a light

dab of this on your brush for it to go a LONG way! When I was exchanging the Maybelline

for Lorac the girl at the counter was like... oh, you are going to be so much happier with this blush! And yes, yes I am!

Another Clinique purchase. Belk has their gift going. This eye duo is called "spruced up."

I will say... I believe this is my favorite purchase of the week! I have been wanting an

olive green color for fall. You know what made me decide that? Did you watch this past

season of The Bachelorette? Well, Ashley had green on her eyes quite often and it made

her brown eyes look GORGEOUS!! So, I was happy to find this duo. I have used it for

the past few days and LOVE it! I really feel like these colors made brown eyes really pop!

Picked up this Sonia Kashuk eyeshadow brush at Target Circles on clearance.

It was $12.99 and was marked down to $3.84. Actually using this for concealer.

Another cheek product! Told you I was into cheeks! This is by Jemma Kidd and it's called

"Dewy glow all over radiance cream" in the color "rose gold." I learned about

this product on youtube from my girls, Pixiwoo. It's a great summer product for

highlighting your cheekbones to give you that dewy fresh glow to your skin!

Target started selling her line this spring, but you can't find this product there. I bought

mine from a company called www.b-glowing.com. I think this product could

last you a lifetime b/c it only requires a bit of this to get the look you want!

Whaaaaa? Another nail polish! Yes, oh yes! So, I am going to Destin, FL this weekend

with family and a best friend and her little boy. I wanted a color that said tropical and

this one does it. It's by Essie and it's called "Turquoise and Caicos." I think I bought

this shade as much for the name as the color. ha. Yes, I wanted a blue color b/c it is

a bit more out of my comfort zone, but the name makes me happy. I have been planning

a Caribbean vacation for the girls in my life.. mom and nana... and we actually looked into

visiting Turks and Caicos! We ended up picking Mexico instead, but maybe another time

I will get to visit the real Turks other than on my nails!

So, there you go. Hope you enjoyed this week's edition of What's in my Bag!

Zoya Polish

So, I feel like I have been doing a lot of posts on nail polish lately.

But, alas I have yet another to share!!

This is what is currently on my nails at the moment.

Zoya Polish in the color "Caitlin."

It's a smokey purple with a hint of gray.

One of my girlfriends in Birmingham told me I needed to try Zoya b/c she loved their

polishes. So, I picked up this shade several weeks ago at Ulta while shopping with my friend Alison. This is the only Zoya polish I own, but I really like it. It glides on super

creamy and easy to apply. Great polish. Definitely a repurchase!

Click here for purchase

Ole Henriksen

I recently was asked what I used as my daily moisturizer for day and night.

I have been using these Ole Henriksen products called "three little wonders" since this

past spring and really like them! My mom and I had a mother/daughter day at Sephora

and when the lady was cleaning my face she recommended this line to me. I had never

heard anything about it. I told her I get a bit oily in my T zone. These products are oil

free and feel SO lightweight!

So, you get three products in this set or you can buy them individually as well.

The truth serum (orange bottle) is a collagen booster with vitamin C complex that promotes brightening your skin.

The invigorating night gel (green bottle) is a super lightweight gel that gives you younger

firmer complexion and is infused with vitamins. LOVE THIS STUFF!

The sheer transformation (blue bottle) is amazing! So lightweight, silky, and creamy. Feels

divine! This little wonder just glides perfectly into your skin. It is anti-aging and skin

perfecting. Great day time moisturizer before applying make-up.

I use the night gel and moisturizer pretty much every day. I can't say that I have been

using the truth serum very often, but I want to get in a habit of using it. I don't find it

very conducive to use in the mornings b/c it is a bit sticky and don't want it under my foundation.

However, I think it would work well at night paired with the night gel.

So, there you have my current routine when it comes to moisturizing. I am very

happy with these products and would definitely repurchase.

Let me know what you currently are using and how you like it.

For more info on these products click here

Weekend Rewind. What's in my Bag?

Hey Guys! I hope you all had a great weekend. I thought I would start doing a segment

called... Weekend Rewind, What's in my Bag and tell you about the treasures or finds

I pick up on the weekends!

I can pretty much guarantee you I will always find myself in a Target or mall at some

point through the course of a weekend and why not share with you what I buy!

So, you ready?! Weekend Rewind....

Friday I traveled to my hometown Cullman, AL where my besties from high school

had a cookout/celebration for my friends Rebecca and Robbie that are having

their second baby girl next month! Congrats for them. Since Rebecca already has

a precious little girl... "Taylor Brooke" named after me, or at least that's what

I tell myself :) ... I wasn't sure what she really needed/wanted. I have heard other girls

talk about Sophie the Giraffe chew toy for babies and everyone seems to rave about how

great they are. So, I went to Buy Buy Baby in Birmingham Friday afternoon and picked

one of these up. Rachel seemed to think it was "creepy," but I thought it was super

cute! If you have a baby or need to find a little something for a gift then read up on

Sophie! Seems to be a nice gift.

Saturday I went to BridgeStreet Mall in Huntsville with a one of my friends and

picked up the Body by Victoria Demi Bra. I had a coupon for a free pair of panties and those

coupons always have $10 off a bra. I NEVER EVER EVER buy new bras! I wear the same

boring beige Calvin Klein bra ALL THE TIME!! I'm just not very exciting in that dept of

my life. It's not that I don't like pretty bras it's just not what I choose to spend my money

on! $50 bucks on something that no one EVER sees... I'm good. But, my friend Alison

is trying her best to persuade me to buy pretty bras!

So, being that is was tax free weekend and all here in Bama I decided I could use a new bra.

This Demi bra has memory fit that conforms to your body. It feels like those memory

foam beds.... mmmm it's so soft and I can't even tell I'm wearing a bra. SCORE! With the

discount it ended up being $32.00! Yay. For ole Vicky that is pretty cheap.

This is the bra, but I got the color berrylicious.

Click here for more info

Then off to my favorite place on earth Target Circles!! I picked up a couple Essie polishes.

This was my first Essie purchase. I have picked out their shades at the Nail

Salon before, but have never purchased. I LOVE these colors.

One thing you should know about me is that I DO NOT care for fall. Unlike

most of you out there that long for the cooler weather, football season, cute scarves,

and jackets I dread the dark nights and cold weather!

However, with that being said one thing I love about fall is dark finger nail polish.

This shade is called "Over the Edge."

Essie describes it as a "dramatic midnight silver."

To me it's a gorgeous charcoal with shimmer.

LOVE THIS COLOR!!

This color is called "Chinchilly."

Doesn't that name kind of remind you of fall?

Essie describes this shade as a "sleek granite gray."

Gray over the last year or two has become my favorite color. So, I cannot wait to

try this shade out. It's such a pretty neutral.

So, there you have my first Weekend Rewind. I hope you enjoyed!

Have a fabulous week!

Mary-Kay

I went a little Mary-Kay happy this summer by trying some of their skincare products.

I have a friend that lives in Jasper, AL that just recently became a Rep for them.

Can I just do a quick shout out for women starting a home based business?! I think it's such

a great thing! Gives women the opportunity to have income, flexibility, and for those

that are mommies the ability to stay at home! Of course not everyone that sells Mary-Kay or

any other home based business are stay at home moms... for some this is extra income to

make ends meet, but regardless of the circumstance I think it's great and I

encourage you all to support women doing this!

If you have resources and funds to help someone out that is starting a new business...

DO IT!! It's hard work and they could use your help! Ok. End of spiel.

If your like me I have never been super interested in Mary-Kay products. They kind of

have this stereotype of being dated, uncool, and un-accessible. You don't read or see

a ton of Editorial write ups about their products and you don't see all the latest celebrities

promoting their stuff. BUT, that doesn't mean they don't have great products. Mary-Kay

has really done a lot to rebrand and repackage. I must say... they have come a LONG

way in their packaging. It looks great.

So, the products I have bought and am currently using are as follows:

TimeWise Eye Firming Cream (Best-seller)

TimeWise Matte Wear Liquid Foundation (spring 2011 award for O Magazine)

TimeWise Even Complexion Mask

Oil Free Eye Make Up Remover (Best-seller)

TimeWise 3 in 1 cleanser (Best-seller)

TimeWise Age Fighting Moisturizer (Best-seller)

The products I have been most impressed with so far are the matte wear foundation,

even complexion mask, and eye firming cream. My eyes can be somewhat sensitive

after removing make up and I have been so impressed that the eye cream does not burn

at all when applying after removing eye make up. The foundation is great! It gives a little

more coverage than a tinted moisturizer, but with more oil control.

I'm not as impressed with Eye Make-up remover as I was hoping I would be. I had heard

great things about it and it's good don't get me wrong, but I feel like the cheap over the

counter stuff works just as good. I have been using the Neutrogena stuff for long time and

love.

So, there you have my two cents about Mary Kay. If you know someone in your area that is a Rep try out some of their stuff and help them at the same time! If you don't know anyone

I will be more than happy to refer you to someone who can help!

BLOG GIVE AWAY WINNER!!!!!

So, today is the day to announce the Winner of the:

$25 Gift card to Sephora and an OPI Nail Polish Shade!!!

Just for your knowledge I generated this winner on the random.org website so I

did not personally select the winner or anything!

The Winner is......

REBECCA LANEY!!!!!

Congrats girlfriend... I hope this is a start to all that new make-up you are wanting to try!

Hope you all have a great day... I will hopefully do more give-aways in the future

so stay tuned for more.

Harley Cat Loves Clean Sheets

For those of you that haven't had the PRIVILEGE of meeting my sweet angel

Harley cat, here is your introduction!

Harley LOVES clean sheets... I don't know what it is about them, but when I or my roommate

are putting clean sheets on our bed she goes crazy.

Not sure if it is the smell or tightness of fresh sheets...

Anyway... you will see!

Good Concealer

Since Fall is around the corner I wanted to share a good concealer that I have used

in the past to cover blemishes. I don't know how your skin operates, but mine tends

to break out more in the colder months. If you are on the hunt for a good concealer to

cover up problem areas MAC Studio Finish is great for that.

I haven't used this stuff in a while, but got introduced to it in college when I was having

regular break outs. The lady at the MAC corner dabbed some of this Magic on my bumps

and I was sold! It is water resistant and is designed to cover blemishes, discolorations,

tattoos, and dark circles. It also has an ingredient that helps absorb your skin's oil.

For more info click here

I have been using Estee' Lauder Double Wear Concealer for under my eyes, but I

have also heard great things about Clinique line smoothing concealer as well.

Have a happy Monday!