Tuesday, May 21, 2013

oklahoma

Not sure where to start.
So much has happened since my last blog post.
I launched a business. I had a birthday.
Lee is home. He's safe, healthy and we're more in love than ever.
We had a national disaster 6 miles from our home yesterday afternoon and today that trumps all the details of anything else.
I've received several calls and texts asking for ways to help those effected by yesterday's tornado:
-Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross and/or Text FOOD to 32333 to immediately donate $10 to Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. (funds withdrawn from phone bill)
-Blood Needed! Drives setup today at Riverwind, Lucky Star & Sugar Creek Casinos.
-Animal Resource Center in OKC is taking in misplaced pets. Donations needed.

Love you all. xo

Click HERE to follow my new blog for daily posts to see what I've been scheming while Lee has been away. I'll share more later but right now just prayers for my home state, sweet Oklahoma. 

Friday, May 10, 2013

graduation pix

Some pictures from my cousin's graduation last weekend. Finally got them uploaded!
    {Me, Mom, Brandi & Dad}

Have a great weekend, y'all! I'm leaving the office soon for a mtg and to get my hair done before heading to the lake house for Mother's Day weekend! Don't ya know I gotta get my hair-did before Lee comes home? xo

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

RH obsessed

I really want THIS table lamp from Restoration Hardware for our entry table but I'm kinda on the prowl for a look alike with a better price but somehow I doubt I find one that I love as much.
I basically don't want a lamp with a shade since the overhead pendant in the entry has a shade. I also don't want to commit to buying anything right now either since we're going to build and I'm likely to completely change my mind down the road. Ha! Now you know why I'm only kinda on the prowl.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

good news+

Last night I ran to Hobby Lobby and Pier 1 to get a couple things. I'm trying to finish styling a few spaces for pictures. I'm having a hard time finding a stopping place because I'm not finding exactly what I want.

I can hardly focus this week because we should be learning Lee's homecoming date any day now! Crazy, right?! There's a really good chance he might be home sometime next week but where and when I have no idea. However, that means a huge homecoming party is right around the corner too! I'm super excited to celebrate Lee, this past year's accomplishments and what's to come. AND my birthday is next week too! Holy smokes. Best birthday present ever.

And we're getting a HomeGoods. Yay! Construction is in progress now.

I'm going to the lake house for Mother's day and we're ordering shrimp from our favorite vacay spot to be overnighted for a yummy shrimp boil. How fun is that?!

Now let's chat about my favorite celebrity "dress up" event, the Met Ball. I want to go badly! Or at least attend the red carpet and gawk at the edgy designs. Ha! From what I have seen, Cara Delevingne and Ivanka Trump top my list this time. Surprise contenders, huh? There were a lot of knockouts but my wins are always decided based upon what I would wear only.

Cara's plunging neckline and studded detail had me at 1st glance. This Burberry dress is perfect for the night's punk to couture theme. She looks stunning. Makeup and hair are perfect and this dress even looks slinky like it would be comfty for a fun night with friends.
The supermodel looks to have had a blast in the dress too! Sienna Miller must have said something funny about their resembling ensembles.
I was somewhat surprised to see Mrs. Trump hit the nail on the head with a punk theme. I love the navy and green together. She too looks stunning but in a Juan Carlos Obando gown. She even did some color streaks in her hair for the evening. I feel like she gets prettier and prettier, no? 

Monday, May 6, 2013

poke graduate

My sweet cousin whom I love dearly and like a sister graduated college on Saturday. The whole family (minus Lee) caravanned to see her accept that expensive and hard-earned piece of paper.
We got there early to sit together and took up an entire row.
Isn't she precious?! Love her. I wore THIS floral skirt.
I brought cupcakes to the celebration. For a Cowboy Poke as a mascot, I thought the flavors were fitting. Campfire Goo, Vanilla Howdy and Caramel Two-Step:

I picked up the dessert the night before and being that OSU is my alama mater's rival I'm sure the cakes almost burned upon entrance into our home. Happy to report that they did not and they were delicious but...Boomer Sooner anyway.

Friday, May 3, 2013

ketchup friday

I attended my third yoga class last night and sweat so much. I was gross wet. I then went across the parking lot to my tanning place (Gotta get some sun for our upcoming vacay!) and soon realized that tanning and then putting wet clothes back on isn't a fun idea. I'm normally not a big "sweater" when I workout but warm yoga makes me sweat buckets because it's so hot in there! I still need to post about my final Insanity results! I had a great experience with it. I'm about to start Insanity again and do it on my yoga "off" days.

Still want a dang juju hat. I ran across a good source for them I want a blue or red one! I'm looking at you, Lee. HERE. Ha! Here's a little juju eye candy with out color of the year in mind.

Here's few images from Chelsie's bridal brunch!
 Take-home honey for guests.


The menu I was excited to have served:
Stuffed french toast
Sausage, cheese, onions, bell peppers and egg cupcakes
Rosemary potatoes
Bacon
Fruit w/ a cream based sauce
Mimosa, tea and water station


And of course we had dessert:

 You may or may not have noticed that Chelsie's favorite color is purple.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

angel wings & USPS appeal

Remember THESE angel wings that I painted and glazed? I finally hung them! I know. Took me long enough, huh?
This is the pink guest room. I need to style and edit this room for pictures so I'll have better images to share soon.

Did I tell you I shipped an ipad to Lee's APO for Christmas? Even shipped it November 5th to ensure it could be received beforehand due to packages getting bottle-necked during busy season. Did I tell you it was never delivered, wasn't returned and they denied my insurance claim? I'll be sure to indulge more and even share my appeal letter with you after I receive feedback from it. I was just able to submit our appeal today. This has proven to be the most ridiculous process. Even more poor has been the customer service but with the exception of a few kind individuals along the way.  A military spouse doesn't need to stress about a package not getting to her Soldier. I'm hoping USPS makes good on this. To be cont'd.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

may day may day

In honor of May being my BIRTHDAY month, I have made a list of all things Erin.
It's not rocket science to know that the only thing I want is Lee.
Things I'd like to have or like and want more of: 
  1. Hermes Blanket (dark grey)
  2. Fiddle Fig Leaf Tree
  3. It's A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin, 10 fl oz
  4. Wide Angle Lens, THIS one
  5. Cupcake Carrier
  6. LV Eva Clutch (damier canvas)
  7. Pedicure

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

bruises, recipes & sneak peek

Pole dancing bruises:

Thought I'd share my dip recipes that I whipped up for snacks while Chelsie opened her lingerie gifts.
Creamy Salsa
Mix & Serve w/ Frito Scoops
1 cup real mayo
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup chopped green onions (mostly for the chives)
1 can of fiesta corn (drained)
2 cups shredded cheese
1 can of rotel (drained)

Fruit Dip
Whipped Cream Cheese
Honey (I like a lot of honey...)

Cheese Ball
Mix & Serve w/ Cracker Preference...I like Wheat Thins
1 pkg of cream cheese
1 pkg of Hidden Valley Ranch mix
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 cup of chopped pecan
*This is fun to make in various shapes for parties. Turkey for Thanksgiving, gingerbread man for Christmas, boy or girl shape for baby shower...

Last night I snapped a few pictures for a project I'm doing and sharing with you soon.
Can't get anymore typical than this. Normal night at our house. Me resting my head on Coop's booty while he sleeps and I read my House Beautiful magazines.

Monday, April 29, 2013

weekend deets

I hosted Chelsie's bachelorette party on Saturday. Taylor picked up Cooper after her hot yoga class Saturday morning so I wouldn't have to worry about him that evening. Such a relief to have good friends that take good care of your fur babies. It does my heart a world of good to know that Cooper will be loved on and cuddled when he's not at home. I'm a nervous ninny when I have to leave him at the kennel and after my last experience with the kennel I was eternally grateful that Taylor and Jake were available to keep Coop. Coop loves playing with their goldens. He thinks he's a big as they are and they are like gentle giants and let him rough house all day long. Tay sends me playful pictures for reassurance too. LOVE that.
I picked up cupcakes for the shower and check into the hotel to get everything setup for after our class. Our pole dancing class...
Ha! It was so hard and I was (and still am) incredibly sore the next day. Holy cow. It was different and fun. Such a workout. We twirled, learned to go upside down on the pole and danced with chairs. It was a great idea for a bachelorette party and I may have had selfish intentions to prep for Lee's homecoming too... 
We scurried back to the hotel afterwards and snacked while Chelsie opened lingerie gifts and we got gussied-up for dinner.
Nothing too fancy because I knew we would be going to dinner but I assumed everyone would be hungry after our workout. I figured we would want something to munch on while we got ready and opened gifts. Our suite had a fridge so I was able to prepare a variety:
French Onion Dip & Ruffles
Honey Mustard "tie the knot" Pretzels
Cheese Ball & Wheat Thins
Cupcakes
Fruit & Dip
Creamy Salsa & Frito's
Ice Chest Full of Drinks
I'm glad I had thought of snacks because it was almost 10pm when we left the hotel for dinner.
The music festival was happening outside our restaurant so it was def a fun scene for the evening.
Dinner was really great. I'm already thinking about when I get to have shrimp shriracha again.

Oh! I got our travel documents in the mail! I cannot wait for Lee to get home. I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with him on white sandy beaches. I liked the presentation in which the documents were delivered.
Back to yoga. Taylor talked so highly about her hot yoga class. She had discovered the new place near my house by seeing their Groupon online so she thought she would try it out. She talked so highly about it that I bought the Groupon too! I went to my first yoga class ever yesterday. I did a "warm" class though. I plan on trying the hot class but thought I would step before I leap, ya know? I REALLY liked the class and I'm looking forward to my next one. I got a month of unlimited classes but I don't think I'm going back today. I'll go Tuesday for sure. I'm almost too sore to pull my pants up right now. Ha! I think I'm going to give myself a break after the weekend I had.

Friday, April 26, 2013

new old mirror hung

I hung one of my thrift finds finally. I posted about it HERE.
I removed the tiny mirror that was attached to the vanity and replaced it with this heavy beauty. Now I need to style it!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

something fun

I'm feeling very uninspired. Honestly? I just want my husband home now. It's hard to readjust over the phone but I'm thankful that we at least have the phone as an option now.
I put the letters in the neighbor's mailboxes last night to give them a heads up about my plans to decorate our street. I hope no one has any issues with it.
Today I'm focusing on our trip this Summer and what type of things I plan to take with us. Something fun to think about instead of thinking about the weeks I still have left to welcome him home.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

humongous news

Lee is stateside.
Can you believe it? We did it!
Excited does not begin to describe how I am feeling right now. I slept like a rock for the first time in months last night. I felt so much more at ease knowing my hubby is out of a combat zone.
    (Deployment Ceremony 2012)

I haven't been able to tell too many people that he's been traveling for security reasons and it has been eating me alive. Seriously. I've been like the cat that swallowed the canary at work. I brought cupcakes to work on Monday and just told everyone that it's going to be a really good week. They didn't think twice about it because I randomly bring baked goods to work but this week I was screaming with good news in my head.  
This good news is also another reason why I have been somewhat distant from blog world as of late. He was supposed to leave Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago and then the departure date was postponed. I have done so well by not getting my hopes up because I now know that with the Army nothing is set in stone until it happens. And it's happening!!!
Fingers crossed demobilization goes super fast so we can welcome him home sooner than later!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

more updates

More phenomenal stuff to tell you...

I killed my 1st wasp. Ha!
I left the door open to the back patio to get some fresh air while Coop did his business in the backyard and a wasp buzzed into the house! I hate bugs and this wasp was no exception. I know I looked ridiculous squishing him 500 times just in case he might still be moving:)
A birdie made a nest in one of the new hanging baskets on the front porch!
I met Jacob, Taylor, Nick, Dave & Kristie for dinner downtown the other night. The Art Council has fun stuff going on the 2nd Friday of every month and our favorite food truck participated. So we did too...
I met Kimberly and Kristin for dinner recently too. Kristin accepted an amazing job opportunity a few states away so we celebrated that one more time before she left. She took off down the interstate with her Uhaul this past Saturday! I see a road trip in my future!
I'm putting letters in our neighbors' mailboxes to prepare them for my street decorating soon. Can you believe we've come this far?!

Monday, April 22, 2013

new week

Where do I start?

I dodged a tornado and spent a little time in the closet hiding out last week. The sirens went off and I had no time to take shelter in a safer place. We were only under a watch and the news wasn't saying anything about a storm in my pathway anytime soon! I had my rain boots on and my "tornado bag" (that includes a bowl and water bottle for Coop, of course) packed to drive to a shelter ready for the word so I was completely caught off guard when the sirens suddenly went off.
 Luckily the severity of storm wasn't in my backyard when the sirens started screaming. Apparently this is a shell cloud that someone captured from in their car that night! Scary!
Coop and I were wired full of energy but when we finally crawled in bed he stayed close. He tucked himself behind my pillow so I could be in his view and even kept one paw on me just in case. Cutie patootie.
I've been doing some major crafting for Chelsie's bridal shower. I'll have better pix for you from the shower but here's what I took from my phone because it was handy.
A tissue backdrop that took 3 hours to make!
 Super easy tassel banner:
 Pendant:
Her wedding colorsI made some super cute guest favors too but I'll share those with you when I show you the shower pictures. I changed the labels since taking the phone pic of them. I spelt the groom's last name incorrectly (oops) and I didn't like the way I cut them out.

See you back here soon!

Friday, April 19, 2013

checking in

Just letting you know that I'm OK. I haven't blogged in awhile. I've been too busy at work to debug the firewall they put up against blogger in my office, too busy at home to blog in the evenings and I've missed typing and staring at my screen. A lot!

I have a lot to share that I haven't yet. From crafting to Lee but for today it seems more appropriate to focus on what today is.
If you're ever in OKC you really should take a peek at our Memorial. Seeing all the chairs representing the lives lost in the Oklahoma City bombing is a sobering feeling.

I hope and pray for those in and linked to Boston as well. My heart aches for everyone involved. I hope this manhunt ends in our favor soon.

Have a good weekend, friends. I'll be back on Monday with lots to share.
xoxo

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

phone home

Can you believe it's already Wednesday?
Last Friday Kristin and Kimberly came over to celebrate Kristin's new job. She's moving states, y'all! OMG. She was offered a great opportunity that she can't resist but we're going to miss that redhead so much. Kimberly spent the night too. That's gotta make 1,023,638,498+ slumber parties for us since 3rd grade. 
Saturday morning my mom, grandma, MIL and niece arrived to help me spiff up the flowerbeds for spring. We worked our tails off and earned a frozen custard break. Once we got our sugar fixed we went back to work in the yard until dark and then ordered takeout from Chili's. The work continued early Sunday morning too! Needless to say I went to bed early that evening.

I ordered a new phone cover from Bando and I'm obsessed.
Lee and I are finally to the point of getting serious about finding land to build a house. Wahoo! This is our latest image we're pouring over ever since learning of the new development. I know there are about 25 lots still available...I just don't know which ones until the realtor gets back to me! And then we will decide to snag it or not. Can you imagine me buying land without Lee home to see it first?! Baffles me. I don't know if I want to literally LOL at the thought or shy away from the idea and risk losing it waiting for him to get home. What would you do?!

Friday, April 5, 2013

room to bloom


I'd love to have a room in the house inspired by this one:
 And this one:
One day I hope to have a studio type room. One I can leave backdrops up for photography that's full of natural light. I want a large countertop for wrapping presents, sewing projects and crafting. And of course a comfty space for blogging and inspiration.

I've got fun plans this weekend to get dirty in the yard and enjoy the sunshine. It's game time to get the yard looking great for Lee's return home! Yay! I dream of lush front yards like this:
HAPPY FRIDAY!