Tuesday Treasure

Since today is Tuesday and I love me some alliteration, I decided to showcase something I treasure...my wedding invitation shadow box! It's home is our bedroom wall -

As you can see, we went completely out of the box for our invitations. I know white invitations are traditional but nothing about our wedding was traditional and I wanted to showcase that from the very first impression that people got of our wedding. The top card is the reception card. On one side it had all the reception info and of the other side it had this quote-

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times,
always with the same person."

The middle card was the ceremony card -

And on the back of the ceremony card was this quote - 

"To get the full value of joy
you must have someone to divide it with."

Our response cards were double sided as well. On one side it had your meal options and then on the other side it had a space for you to give the married couple to be (us) some marriage advice. One of these days I will dig those out of  my wedding bins and do something crafty with them. My favorite piece of advice? "Never go to bed angry or with someone else." 

Our invitation suite was purchased off of Etsy.

Musings {Reality TV Edition}

Real Housewives of Atlanta - For those of you that watch the Atlanta Housewives, you all know that the second episode of the reunion (there are three) just aired last night. It was a doozy. Just like the whole season has been. As far as the whole Kenya and Porsha situation goes..I have to say that I am on Porsha's "side." While I DO NOT condone any sort of violence, I do think P was provoked and that Andy should have taken Kenya's props away. He mentioned the fact that he should have taken the props away on WWHL last night and I couldn't agree more. I think the whole situation could have been avoided had Kenya NOT put the scepter in Porsha's face...it was definitely hard to watch. As far as the whole Kandi/Mama Joyce situation goes...I am obviously on Kandi's side. Mama Joyce is cringe worthy at times and seems like she could use some "time off." Mama can't seem to keep her story straight and I feel so bad for Kandi and Todd..Luckily their wedding already happened (two weeks after the reunion was filmed) and hopefully they can live happily ever after without Mama Joyce in their ears. I am interested to watch next weeks third and final Atlanta reunion installment as this is the episode where Apollo talks about the charges against him. I am very curious to see what he says! And to keep things simple in the Nene/Cynthia debate...I am on Cynthia's side..I do love me some Lennethia Leaks...but, I just think Nene needs to take a step back and take some responsibility for her actions.

Funny or Die's - Billy on the Street (technically a game show, not a reality show) - I am obsessed with this show. I first heard of Billy Eichner when he was a guest on WWHL. He is hysterical and shocking and the perfect person to run around and scream in unsuspecting (and jaded) New Yorkers faces. Amy Poehler was on the last episode. During the episode, Billy and Amy played my new favorite game...It's not Pitbull..it's Amy Poehler! You can watch here.

The Real Housewives of Orange County - The OG's of the Housewife franchise started their new season recently and I can already tell it's going to be a good one! I am really happy that Gretchen and Alexis are not on the cast anymore..I liked G at first but lost interest when she made her last ditch attempt for a story line (aka proposing to Slade and not inviting the other ladies to come to the party). Although Tamera and Vicki are giving Heather a hard time, I do not think she is THAT condescending. I've just always thought Heather WAS better than everyone on the show..so the fact that she sometimes talks down to Tamera and Vicki doesn't really bother me. I mean...could you imagine spending that much time with them? I would talk down to them too. Don't get me wrong..I love me some Tamera..just in small doses...speaking of T...tell me you all remember the time that Tamera and Andy made out (in front of Eddy) on the WWHL New Years special?! Fun Fact - WWHL has never had another New Years Eve show after that lip lock!

Press

I was Googling myself a few weeks ago (as you do) and discovered that one of my blogs had been "published" in a sense.

All Star Vacation Homes which is the company that rents out luxury vacation homes near Disney put my Ballin' Out {Disney Style} blog post on their "News and Releases" page!

This was so exciting to me A - because it's Disney related. And B - it's my first time ever being recognized by one of the companies I write about! As a blogger that is first starting out, any of these tiny victories are always super encouraging!

One of these days I am really going to have to rent one of these homes so I can review it for real! Hear that Mister?!

Summer Centerpieces

 I whipped these little pretties up today..

They will be gracing an adorable tablescape that I will be doing this weekend. More on that in the days to come. For now, here's my best shot at a picture tutorial..Enjoy!

Supplies -

*Floral grass not pictured | All supplies were purchased at the $1 store except for the butterflies.

1. Hot glue three wooden skewers together.

2. Place foam blocks inside tin pots.

3. Tightly wrap ribbon around the glued together wooden skewer. Adding a bead of glue every few inches to secure.

4. Hot glue your floral accent to the top of your wooden skewer.

5. Assemble by sticking your wooden skewers into the foam blocks. Add floral grass to hide foam. Hot glue butterflies where you see fit and...ENJOY!

Musings

Since I ran my first timed 5K I have been dealing with an injury. Achilles Tendinitis to be exact. I didn't get it diagnosed right away as with any pain I have, I just figure it will go away. It didn't and now I am stuck on a limited work out schedule and on a daily stretching routine. I have never been injured before. Pretty much because I have never been as active as I have been in the past year(ish) so it's really frustrating. Especially because summer is on it's way and all I want to do is run and spin and jump. I am very impatient so I am hoping for a speedy recovery so I can get back to my 6 hours a week of workouts. UGH!

The Southern Charm season finale was the other night and it was obviously the greatest thing I have ever seen. I can not believe that T.Rav and Kathryn had a baby! Andy Cohen said the other day that they are doing a reunion show so that usually means there will be a second season! Yay for that! After watching the whole season I am pretty convinced I want to live in Charleston, SC. As a trust fund kid, obv.

I have been participating in an April photo contest on Instagram for a local salon/boutique Luniac Glamour. It has been so much fun thinking of different pictures to post every day. Here are some highlights -

Day 4 - A word that best describes you -

Day 8 - Man Crush - 

#MyMan

Day 14 - Something someone made for you -

All of the bouquets and boutineers for our wedding were handmade out of feathers (Etsy). AND I had the Minnie Mouse bouquet charm handmade as well (Etsy). It gave the perfect little touch because our fur baby couldn't be with us on the actual wedding day. 

To end this musings post...I found this on Instagram the other day and literally laughed for 5 mins straight...it's the little things..

#CarryOn

Top Ten Questions {Andy Cohen}

I was watching Watch What Happens Live the other night and Lindsay Lohan was a guest. It got me thinking how many people have come in and out of the Bravo Clubhouse and it also made me think of all of the questions I have for Andy Cohen, WWHL's adorable host. To spare you the wall of words, I am narrowing it down to ten.

1. What is Lindsay Lohan like?
2. Which Housewife can you absolutely not stand?
3. What is it like to be pushed by Theresa Giudice?
4. Can I come hang out with you in the Hamptons?
5. Can I hang out with you and Anderson Cooper...(and SJP)..(and Kelly Ripa)...please?
6. Can I be a bartender in the clubhouse one night?
7. Is Billy Eichner really that cray in real life?
8. Do you ever see Jill Zarin out at social events? Is it awk?
9. Do you think Nene Leakes throws shade at you every time she sees you? (My answer - YES!)
10. When is the last time you've texted Mama Elsa?

Zimbio.com

#Curious

#OOTD

#OOTD - Shirt | Sheinside.com | Shorts | Nordstrom Rack | Shoes | Forever 21 | Legs | Spin @ The Edge

Thursday Confession

Okay guys and gals, I have a confession to make...

I am a hotel/amenities snob. It's not entirely my fault...You see, The Mister travels rather extensively for work and always has since we met. In turn, he accumulates all these hotel points that allow us free stays in many hotels. It's one of the only good things about him traveling so much. With all of that being said, it has made my traveling demands rather high maintenance. (And, if he is being honest with himself, The Mister's travel demands are high maintenance as well. Hear that Mr. "I get kind of mad if I don't get upgraded to first class with my Delta Gold Status?")

My Grandma just purchased a camper down south for her own use and for family to use as well. The price to stay on the campsite is definitely on the cheaper side of things. And while this is a nice area and campground...I am not quite sure if I am ready to rough it. And by rough it I mean stay somewhere without room service, a fitness center and/or an indoor pool. I know..this is soo obnoxious. I am blaming The Mister though, he has turned me into a hotel snob! Although I will say that whenever my mom would book hotels for family getaways when I was younger I always had two requests - 1. It had to have "indoor hallways" aka - no motels. And 2. There had to be a baseball team staying there. (HAH! teenage girls are so funny.)

So there is my confession...I know this is filled with #firstworldproblems and people are going to roll their eyes at this. But put it like this...you know how some people don't think Disney World is a "vacation?" Well, I don't think staying in a camper for a week without room service is a vacation...So judge me...I can't help it, it's just how I feel!

Redeeming quality - I would definitely consider a few days in the camper...not the whole week though!

What's your Thursday confession?

Product Junkie {Hair & Skin}

I did a few product junkie posts a while back when I first started blogging again. But, as all of you product junkies know, I am constantly looking for the next best thing. So I have a few new favorites to share with you all today.

Palmers Firming Butter

I have used SO many firming products over the years and I can say with confidence that this is one of the best ones. And it smells great! I don't think I have ever used a Palmers product that I didn't like. 

This acne treatment is RX only. I used to be totally against RX'ed acne products...Until I started using this one in the beginning of March. It works like a charm and does not leave my skin flaky and prone to sun damage.

Yes To Grapefruit Moisturizer w/ SPF 15

I am a big fan of any and all "Yes To.." products. Since my regular moisturizer didn't have an SPF in it, I needed one. I have only been using this for a few days but so far so good. If you are looking for natural skin products with no parabens and close to no chemicals in them, "Yes to.." is your brand!

Maybelline Eye Makeup Remover

I usually use make up removing wipes for removing my face. But this time around I tried something a little different. You need a cotton square to help with the removal process (obv). But a few swipes and this works great! Also, I was getting sick of digging at my eyes to get off the mascara (a big no no) so I YouTubed how I should properly be removing make up (you think I would know since I went to school for it in a past life) and realized that you have to let the cotton square with the make up remover on it, soak in for a few seconds...Here is the YouTube video I referenced. 

Origins GinZing Eye Cream

This eye cream is something I forgot to reference in my last product junkie post. I have been using it for a while and LOVE it. It brightens up your eyes and goes perfectly under make up. Great for the summer!! I have never met an Origins product I didn't like.

Fat Hair Amplifying Mousse

Garnier Anti Humidity Smoothing Milk

These two hair products were impulse buys. Over the weekend, my straightener stopped working. Good thing I brought my curling iron with me because it saved my life/hair. The only two problems I have ever had with curling my hair was getting it to not frizz (I am not great with the blow dryer). And having enough body in it so the curls don't fall flat. Well, these two products worked like a charm! FTR - I applied the mousse before the blow dry and the smoothing milk after curling. In hindsight, I could have done both products before the blow dry. Next time I will do that for sure! This was the final result.

#BigHairDontCare

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, the city of Boston and the United States were rocked by the Boston Marathon bombings. I remember right where I was when I found out about the explosions. And I pretty much remember every minute of the week following Marathon Monday.

It was a week filled with emotion, fear and anger. Boston is "right around the corner" (in New England terms) and I have visited more times than I can count so the whole thing was extremely unsettling.

I was glued to CNN the whole week and with every new finding came more fear. Which boiled over that fateful Friday the whole city of Boston and surrounding areas went on lock down. What a surreal feeling. Even though I am well over an hour away from The Bean I still felt as though I could not leave the house either. I was just watching CNN all day and refreshing my Twitter feed. And for it to end the way it did..was even more surreal.

So today I wanted to dedicate this blog post to all the lives affected by this awful tragedy. I would also like to wish all of the marathon runners luck for this coming Marathon Monday. It's so nice to see that this did not break the city of Boston but rather made it stronger.

On a personal note - After the bombings, I had an epiphany. Around this time last year I had been working out hardcore for just about 4 months at that point. And about a week before the marathon I had a break down about my body. It just wasn't bouncing back after baby as quickly as I thought it would. Well, when the bombings happened and people lost legs and other limbs I had a moment of clarity. I was complaining about my two working legs..and there were people that lost their legs that were finding the silver lining in the whole awful situation AND planning on running the marathon the following year. It made me realize that from that time on if my legs and body works the way God intended it to...if I had all of my limbs and they worked...I would never complain about my body again just because it had a few extra pounds on it from making a tiny human. I still call upon that inspiration today when I am working out and especially when I am running and want to stop. I can't tell you how much further loving my body has gotten me than hating it. That was my silver lining in this tragedy.

My mantra will now always be "I have two working legs, so use them." I will be cheering all the runners on from home on Monday...good luck to all of you.

#BostonStrong

Musings

Hello my lovelies! You will have to excuse the hiatus, The Mister and I were in Upstate NY for the weekend catching up with his family and watching Cy make memories with his cousins. We got so lucky for amazing weather and a great weekend!

#OOTD -

Deets - Shirt | Sheinside.com | Leggings | Charlotte Russe | Shoes | ShoeDazzle | Ring | Forever 21

#Selfies4Days

There were two items that saved my life this weekend and those were my Fast Flats and Revive Vitamin Water. My flats saved my feet after I rocked those ShoeDazzle wedges for like 6 hours and the Vitamin Water helped the next morning after too many martinis. It's always been my hangover remedy and always works like a charm. 

I was going through my craft room the other day and came across this fashion sketch coloring book that I HAD to have a few years back. I have only really colored in it a few times but I still love it. Such a fun idea. I have no clue where I got it from. It was an online impulse purchase.

When The Mister and I finally settled down after a long weekend, we had a full DVR to catch up on. One of our shows to watch was Community. We have watched The Soup and have been big Joel McHale fans for a while now. I know the show has had it's ups and downs but I truly think it's a brilliant show. And last Thursday's was one of the best of this season!

Disney Dining posted a blog post the other day about a monorail crawl. Many people have heard of drinking their way around the world in Epcot but I had never heard of doing the monorail crawl and I think it's a great idea! You stop at the Contemporary Resort, the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. Disney Dining has drink/bar/food recommendations for all the resorts in their blog post!

Throw Back Thursday {A Very Disney Christmas}

I was perusing my external hard drive the other day and came across pictures from a Christmas party we had in 2012 with The Mister's family. I had never posted any pictures or deets so I thought I would do that today for #tbt. Enjoy!

This was the invitation..

I like to either make my own invitations or order them off Etsy or Shutterfly. I just love me a printed invitation!

Here was the tablescape...

Since we do not have a dining room table, we rented the tables, chairs, linens and napkins. All the dishware is from Crate and Barrel. I made the Mickey head centerpiece out of three foam balls painted black and a wooden skewer. 

I made the favors out of mini Chinese take out boxes purchased at iParty and the buttons I got at WalMart. White Mickeys on one side and black on the other. There were Hershey Kisses inside the boxes.

I always have to have fresh flowers on any of my party tables...fake flowers make me cringe. 

Candy cane seating assignments made out of mini candy canes, scrap book paper and clear labels. 

The pop of color of the black and white party; the kids/princess table for the three princesses of the family (our three nieces).

And no Christmas party would be complete without a dessert/hot chocolate bar! I make my hot chocolate in the crock pot. You can find the recipe here. I personally like to add a little (or a lot) of caramel vodka to my hot coco after I pour it into my mug. Just for an added kick!

#PartyPlanner4Hire