i wanna sparkle

So...I'm almost positive this Dining Out shindig is cocktail dress attire. Unfortunately "almost" isn't good enough for me to proceed with an online purchase. Instead, I'll be checking out some local dress haunts for my attire. However, I'm kinda loving this dress if only I had time to order it before the event...boo hiss.

You might recognize this dress. It's Jovani worn by Miranda Lambert. Here she is in it doing her hair and makeup similar to what I would do too. I know a local shop that sells this brand but they overprice their stuff big time and I know it would be less expensive online. Too bad we're not buddies. I mean she IS an Oklahoma gal. Maybe Miranda would have let me borrow it?

Here's a decent pic of Lee and myself after I just pinned on his gold bars (still on stage) at his Commissioning Ceremony. Do I look different? I'm an officer wife now. haha

The safe side of me may pick out something more like this from JCREW:

army bleh

I had my very 1st date night with other (and also new) officer wives this past weekend. I learned a lot of information about our upcoming...agenda...that I unfortunately can't share with you yet. I promise though...as soon as it's made public information-you get my honest 1st impression and feelings about everything.
It was incredibly nice to meet and chat with other Army wives. YOU have no idea how refreshing it is to hear that I'm not crazy for feeling the way I feel or thinking the way I do. This experience is an emotional ride that I have never been on, never asked for, and I'm not sure how fast I want to go. I'm quickly discovering that things move just as slow as they do fast in the Army. It's like we went from 0 to 90 overnight. Prayers please. You could say I had a  minor meltdown the other night. I'm laughing now, but don't kid yourself. I'm nothing but a sarcastic front right now. God bless my adorable and patient husband. It's true, opposites attract. I'm not so adorable when I crack and he is so incredibly warm and understanding when I feel like my world as I know it is falling a part.
Anywho...I have my first Dining Out event in a couple of weeks. I'm still figuring out the difference of Dining In and Dining Out because the things my source from the other night said contradicts my findings via Google so I'm waiting for Hubby to get more direct info. Nonetheless, my priority is...wardrobe. Google came through and showed me WHAT NOT TO WEAR. See skank below:

work clothes

Last night I stopped by the mall after work to get a few things for my trip next week. I wanted to get a LBD (little black dress) to replace the peplum coral thang I didn't wear to Lee's graduation and finally returned this week. I also needed a suit. I lucked out and found both.
I got the Giani Bini "Ester" dress:

And here's the Antonio Melani suit and blouse I got. The skirt has a cute pleat in the back instead of a slit. I'm not digging the shoes I grabbed from my closet for the pic. Tay says I need more of a heel and she is totally right. I 1st had on a smaller jacket in the dressing room but the sleeves weren't quite long enough:

I did like how the smaller jacket was more fitted in the waist and wonder if this other jacket can be tailored?

Did I mention that I found the black dress only on my way to the Lingerie Department? I had completely overlooked the Giani Bini section at Dillards. What did I get in the Lingerie Department? A black slip. I couldn't find one at home for the last minute dress I wore to Lee's graduation so I improvised and wore a long stretchy black cami as a skirt. Silly, I know. BUT it worked! Yes, I was a Girl Scout.

replaced a mailbox

I really wish I would have taken picture of it but take my word for it-our mailbox needed to be replaced over a year ago. It had these wooden panels that I tried to paint black to conceal the already rotting armor it had to conceal the already rusted box underneath. Ugly. Horrible. Knowing we were having company last weekend, I decided that it was time to do something about this mole of a mailbox. Lee was obviously busy so I took it upon myself to replace the mailbox!
I went to Lowe's and selected a classic black mailbox.
Came home and grabbed my pink Philips screwdriver and removed the old box from the post.
Placed the new box onto the post
Then screamed for Lee's help to locate longer screws. Ha! The old ones were too short.
And ta-da! New mailbox on post.

Like Nala

I am always honored when Lee asks me to pin him at his graduations. It's a REALLY big, heart swells with pride, huge kinda moment and probably the highlight of me being an Army wife (so far). Nothing significantly physical unless you count mowing when your soldier is away but the emotional and mental state of an Army wife's heart and mind is worked tenfold and in training daily. In some small fraction of a way, we feel like we're graduating something too during a pinning ceremony. Anyway, after I pinned his last bar on his shoulder Sunday, I remember quoting Young Nala from the Lion King in my head. "Pinned ya! Pinned ya again!" I think you can see it (oops) in my expression in this pic Taylor took:

commissioned

Lee commissioned yesterday!!! It was a great celebration and Lee had an overwhelming amount of support roll out to witness his pinning yesterday! I get goosies (goosebumps) just thinking about it. Lee got the Achievement Award too! It was really neat that the guest speaker touched on the importance of family and friends while in the Army. It was evident in the numbers sitting around me that we are truly blessed.
O...and about THIS dress...I didn't end up wearing it. However much I do love the dress, when it came down to it, I didn't feel comfortable in it the morning of the event. It was fitted and my tummy was a ball of nerves. Also, when I would sit down, the dress then appeared to be in need of an iron when I would stand. With as much sitting as we were going to be doing at the ceremony, I didn't want to be a wrinkly mess for all of our photo ops, ya know? Luckily, I still have the tags, etc and I will be sending it back. I impromptu with a black dress and pearls. Boring, I know. I was pretty bummed because I hate last minute changes and I was really looking forward to wearing my new dress. However, the material of the black dress was perfect for sitting and the looseness of the chiffon was more comfortable.

frame hanging fool

I got them all up! Now, I'm finding and blowing up pix to fill the empty frames. This is a sorry iphone pic. I'll bust out the bad boy Nikon for you when I get the frames filled.

While we were eating dinner with our BFFs at Benvenuti's last night, it occurred to me that we have a ton of quilts, blankets, etc. This wasn't just an epiphany. Tay and I had actually been talking about storage and that led to my many blankets. You get the point...I hope. Anyway, Taylor suggested I get a trunk! And I love this idea! You know my first instinct was drool worthy Louis Vuitton:

I've always obsessed over Restoration Hardware's collection too:

But I'm afraid my budget isn't in awe of a trunk that pricey. I'd rather spend my mula on big shiny mirrors and stuff. I remembered seeing some Restoration look alikes at Hobby Lobby so I scrolled my 1,000+ images on my phone and found this:

I'll need a larger one than what you see on that bottom shelf, but maybe they have something similar but in the scale I need...

So...BIG weekend is approaching! I'm getting to secure Lee's gold bars on him during his graduation ceremony to make it official on Sunday! Woot Woot!!! He's going to have quite the fan club there too. We are so excited to be surrounded by much love and support for this very proud moment. Lee has worked extremely hard during his training. Putting up with his cadre during drill and emotional me at home has completely exhausted him at times I'm sure. I know it's going to be really neat to see this long haul come full circle when I hear 2nd Lieutenant in front of our last name on Sunday. Yay!

eat your heart out

THIS collar came in the mail! It was shipped super quick and the service was spectacular! Silly Buddy will def be getting future orders from me. I loved their confirmation emails, their sincerity and their genuine concern about getting a good custom fit for Cooper! My first time using Etsy was a huge success.

not under par quite yet

I spent the day golfing HERE today. A-mazing. Even more A-mazing? Tomorrow is business trip DAY 9 and I'm going home! Yee-haaaaaw!

DAY 7

When my trade show concluded Thursday, I headed to WV and spent the night in Clarksburg, WV. That place was...interesting? The best I could do for dinner was Applebees and I am not kidding you it is a karaoke bar on Thursday nights. Disco ball and all. Standing room only around the bar area. People in that town roll out to the Applebee on Thursday in their Sunday best. I munched on my oriental salad in the distance and found myself completely entertained.
On Friday, my office was on the golf course. At Stonewall to be exact. When the tournament banquet was over, I headed back to Pitt with my coworkers. I then parted ways for the wknd and took off towards Philly to see my beloved friends that moved there recently! It was a late and a long drive, but totally worth it. I had a blast seeing THIS kid and taught her to say, "Erin." Well, she says, "E" because saying, "Erin" isn't so easy. I got to hear her sound like a monkey all day yelling, "E, E, E!" I absolutely loved it! We went shopping, had a cookout, baked cookies and lounged around in sweat pants while catching up on girl talk. I drove back to Pitt today and I'm gearing up for another work-golf tournament tomorrow.
I'm exhausted and anxious. I am very much looking forward to getting back home to the hubby. It's his graduation week! Yay!

count them

Count your blessings. Yesterday, Lee attended the funeral of an unborn baby that a mother miscarried. The baby was the child of another OCS solider in Lee's class. The mother lost the baby while Lee's class was away completing their training recently. I can't imagine being that mother & wife going through a tragedy like that while your hubby is gone. Count your blessings.
Today, Lee attended a funeral of another solider killed in action during deployment. He was a local guy and even trained with Lee briefly during their early phases of OCS. They eventually parted ways as the young man that was killed chose the advance OCS course while Lee chose the extended one. (Advance is completed soon whereas the extended spreads the course out and most of your training is done 1 wknd a month during your normal drill time.)  Anyway, this particular advance class is the class before Lee's graduating class. Lee assisted with the graduation festivities. They haven't been deployed too long. This admirable soldier was killed by an IED. Man. This story hits close too close to home. This all becomes very real today. Ya know? Count your blessings.

bag it

The great thing about today is that I got a new laptop bag. I had a shoulder bag, but found it to be a nuisance to lug around in the airport coupled with my purse. Plus, I can stuff this new bag with more stuff if I need to pack a change of clothes should lose my bag again.
I was tossing around the idea of getting a nice rolling laptop bag but I don't see myself carrying that to the office and didn't see the need in buying two bags just for work. Sheesh. Anyway, I feel like a cool kid now. Image is taken at my feet behind my table at the trad show today:

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

I got it! I've been talking about this Cat Studio Oklahoma pillow for a couple years now so I bit the bullet and just bought it. Sheesh. And I looooves it. I put it in the guestroom that hosts the new red dresser. I love the embroidery work on this thing.

he's back

G.I. Joe is finally home!!!! Yay! I picked him up yesterday...and he took me to the airport today. At least we crossed paths. I have a business trip that's taking me away. Boo hiss. I'm sure my leaving will give him some time to energize. Get this-he said he is in desperate need of one my mani/pedis that I always get. Ewe. No telling what kinda of nastiness he had to endure during training. Ha!

Confession

I miss my hubby like a mad woman. I want him home. Now. This week has been a chaotic blur of happy and frustrating times from a new baby in the family high to car trouble low. I'm not going to list everything because I know it sounds like silly dumb things but I will share that this week would have been a lot better if Lee had been home. Don't get me wrong-I'm doing really well considering how I was when we 1st started this Army thing but I think I had forgotten how hard it was to NOT be able to bounce ideas, vent my woes or simply have another car in the driveway. I miss the lump that sleeps next to me in bed so much. I'm really hoping he calls today. I can't wait to hear him tell me to breathe because he says I talk too fast.

Speaking of baby...here's a few shots I took as we welcomed my cousin Matt's new baby into the world on Wednesday! I love being home-home in the middle of the week!

how to talk to little girls

I read an interesting article recently and would like to share it with you. Many girls, teenagers, and women are a lot alike in their desire to present themselves how others think they should appear, etc. This is encouraged at a young age and author, Lisa Bloom, has a quick read to share her point of view. I think her ideas need to be encouraged but still, I think building up a young girl's self esteem by complimenting them is good too. I would think it would do more harm in not telling a young girl how beautiful she is. Yes, Bloom listed statistics but we need to determined if the cases she mentioned where people have cosmetic surgery overload and suffer from bulimia, etc-Were they not told how beautiful they are at a young age? Anyway, good thoughts and interesting read. Check it out, HERE!

Wednesday

I got THIS dress in the mail! Bergdorf Norman rushed it for free. I was pleasantly surprised when it landed on my porch so soon. I actually got it last Saturday! I really love it. I'm pairing my grey shoes with it and my keep it simple and just wear my diamond studs. (9 out 10 times, I have studs in my ears)
I started thinking about how much I love dresses. They're so easy to wear and easily chic. Here's only some of my favs (safe to say, I heart solids) right now at ASOS:

Today, I am exuberantly excited to be with my family waiting the arrival for a very special baby boy. My brother cousin's bundle of lovey dove will be here today!  Soooo baby Gunner will be my nephew 2nd cousin, no? I feel so blessed to have such a close knit family that lives close enough to share these big memories.



say no to too many nail holes

I'm creating a gallery wall in our hallway! I'm really excited.

I've been wanting to do this for a loooong time now. I've started to buy a frame each time I go to Target (when they are in stock). I want to hang 3 columns. The top and bottom rows will be 5x7 frames. The middle row will be 8x10 frames. I still have 4 frames to buy to be completely done but I went ahead and placed the ones I do have up onto the wall to see it start to come together. I used foil to reduce the number of holes in the walls. Easy peasy!

1. Create your frame layout and then place foil over it. Use tape to create one giant piece.

2. Then use a pencil to punch a hole where your hook hangs on the nail. I'm doing mine 1" apart.

3. Finally, place the hole punched foil onto the wall. Tape it and hammer nails into the holes.

4. Rip the foil off the wall and ta-da! Hang yo pics! (iphone = bad lighting)

i love lamp

This weekend I was obsessing a bit over this lamp I spotted in old Black & Spiro archives. This style has me all over it and then some. I think I might add a lookalike lamp to the the guest room hosting the new dresser. I'm thinking about doing a red vase to match the dresser and locating some black/white checkered fabric to make my own...possibly. I don't know.

 

Coop and I paid the bills this wknd. He has this new cute habit of snuggling into my arm and resting his head on my lap to get a good view of the computer. I guess he wants to makes sure everything is on point.