Out of the Closet

Okay, I'm coming out of the closet. I have a confession to make.

I have forced Hubby to share this walk-in closet with me for the past year...

(180 degree view from left to right)

Is that ridiculous or what???

I know, I know. I should be ashamed.

Now, don't go criticizing. Just because I'm not "neat" doesn't mean I'm not "organized." I always have stuff strewn all over the place but I know where everything is. So do many other entrepreneurs, salespeople, and creative people. A lot of us are the "out of sight, out of mind" type of people. That's why I like to have little organized piles all over the house.

I decided I would just dive in and start dragging it out into the bathroom & bedroom (on the bed, floors, etc.). I figured this would force me to go through it all before my parents come in town this weekend.

So, I took a trip to Garden Ridge for the baskets and a second dirty clothes hamper. I like to separate my colors from my whites for quicker washing.

And here are the results:


Okay, so I know it's not color coordinated or anything like that but I'm just too busy trying to sell fabric and design paper products to worry with all of that. Hubby's just glad you can actually see the floors and walk-in the closet!

Lastly, what should I do with all of this stuff? The majority of it is NOT junk. It's either too small to wear or not "In Style".

Should I have a yard sale? I've never personally had one but my experience with them is that people expect you to just give it away. If that's the case, I would just as soon donate it to GoodWill.

Do any of you have any experience of selling on E-bay? I've bought on there plenty of times but I've never sold anything. Any tips or suggestions?

Upside-Down Hike

Going from rim to rim in the Grand Canyon, by contrast, is what's called an upside-down hike.

Guess who's going to attempt it?

No, silly, not this Princess! I'll be attending a friend's wedding at the beach.

But those are the plans of my adventurous Hubby & his buddy Greg!

Yep, they just received word from the Canyon District Ranger himself that they have the official permit to hike over the Memorial Day holiday.

In the meantime, Bailey & I'll be seeing that his life insurance policy is in place.

Maxine

You gotta love Maxine. I got the funniest e-mail today. You can check it out here.

By the way, I have plenty of housecleaning to do. I swear I'm going to start cleaning out the master closet today. I may or may not show you pictures when I'm done.

Shampowder

Okay, so confess. How many of you recycle your hair like Clemsongirl?

Any of you tried the baby powder trick? Well, it's never worked for me. It's always left white residual streaks, leaving me looking like a raccoon.

I know my hairdressers (yes, there's more than one. I'm a cheater!) claim that if you color treat your hair, then washing it everyday will make the color fade. And if you blow dry and Chi it too often, then you're drying it out as well. Um, Mollie Walker, I'm referring to you now!

So, I've seen this Stila Hair Refresher in several magazines and I decided to try it.

Let me just say "I love it!"


No matter how dirty and greasy your hair is, this powder will soak up oil, make your hair smell great, and give it WAYYYY more body.

Perfect for times when you're just busy, or to extend a styling/blowout. Just remember to use it a little at a time 'til you know how much to put on! A little powder goes a long way, so the bottle should last a really long time. And if you OD (over dose), all it takes is a good brushing to blend the powder in.

It's also scented so it'll leave a bit of a fragrance behind. Your choices are creme bouquet which is lightly scented with a warm, vanilla-amber floral and Jade Blossom (the one I have) is more garden-esque with a fresh, crisp blend of green tea, cucumber, and verbena.

Okay, enough said. Just go ahead and drop the 28 buckaroos. You'll thank me later for preventing that carpel tunnel due to using the round brush one too many times.

Baggage Claim

Do you believe this?

I just booked my flight to High Point for work in May and found this travel alert.

Be Warned: Airlines are claiming to charge us after the first checked bag!

We were only allowed two 50 lb bags per person in the first place. Do they know how much my toiletries weigh???

I'm so over flying.

Laine & Clint Mitchell's Wedding

Above are the last of the pics from the weekend. Sorry I didn't get any of the reception at the Colonel's Quarters. I was too busy socializing!

By the way, Blogger is being a real booger these days. It won't cooperate with uploading pictures.

Big Truck Theater

We had a blast at Laine & Clint's rehearsal dinner at the Big Truck Theater on Friday night. They offered hours of live music in an old barn, which was performed on the back of a rusty 1960 Ford flatbed truck right in the heart of downtown Taylor. Old Coke crates and antique bottles filled with sunflowers & lemons served as centerpieces, while the place cards were large rocks with our names in calligraphy.

Those included in the pictures above:

Me, Lyndsey Newcomb, Laine Dillingham Mitchell, Sara Beth Stockton, Hubby, Joshua Bryant, Blakley Atkins Fowler, Jay Shipp, Mimi Williams, and Clint Mitchell

Bridesmaids Luncheon

Looking at the pictures above, you would have never known it was raining during the Bridesmaids Luncheon on Friday morning. We had the best time sipping mimosas, wine, & bloody marys and visiting at the City Grocery. Everything was just beautiful! Oxford Floral did a fabulous job with the flowers all weekend. The highlights of the luncheon were smaller versions of Laine's wedding cake for each of the three tables served on an Annieglass cake stand to coordinate with our bridesmaids' gift, an Annieglass heart plate. It was the perfect start to a wonderful wedding weekend with hometown friends.

I'll post the rehearsal dinner and wedding pictures soon!

Tote-ally Works

Anyone love LL Bean's Boat & Tote bags as much as we do?

If so, I've got just the thing for you! It's a soft liner pack that converts your tote into a roomy cooler. And just so you know, I tried mine out last weekend at the beach and it tote-ally works! I have the large size and it held a case of drinks plus the ice. I love a cooler than I can carry to the beach and it won't leak!

If you need a new boat & tote as well, then check out this one that's on sale. It's available in this season's hottest color... yellow.

Aisle Be There

We're off to Oxford for Laine and Clint's Wedding Weekend. I can't wait to hang out with my best friends from high school!

We'll be partying it up in Taylor at the Big Truck Theater tonight and then riding the Double Decker around town and to the Colonel's Quarters tomorrow. I sure hope my camera lasts through the weekend so I can post all of the pictures.

More About Me!

1. What is your occupation?
I’m a upholstery fabric sales rep. 90% of my business is within 60 miles of Tupelo.
2. What color are your socks right now?
I’m not wearing any.
3. What are you listening to right now?
Big Brother Tivo
4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Cheerios
5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Nope but Hubby wants to teach me so I can drive the Jeep.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Green
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
Jennifer, go figure
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
I’ve never met her.
9. Favorite drink?
Non-alcoholic would be water, alcoholic would be a beer or red wine.
10. What is your favorite sport to watch?
SEC Football Go Dawgs!
11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yes, I high-light my hair.
12. Pets?
Bailey, our yellow lab.
13. Favorite food?
Hmmm, everything! Mexican, chocolate, steak and potatoes, sushi
14. Last movie you watched?
Into The Wild
15. Favorite Day of the year?
Christmas and Valentine's/Birthday (both are in February).
16. What do you do to vent anger?
Bite my nails, cry, yell, curse and the list goes on.
17. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Baby Dolls
18. What is your favorite, fall or spring?
Fall- I love everything about it!
19. Hugs or kisses?
Hugs for everyone. Hubby gets both.
20. What kind of pie?
Pecan Pie
21. Living arrangements?
In a house with Hubby & Bailey-Girl.
22. When was the last time you cried?
Oh this is embarrassing- Sunday night when I got home from the beach.
23. What is on the floor of your closet?
Hmm, what isn't?
24. Favorite smell?
Chocolate chip cookies; Philosophy's Amazing Grace; Creed perfume
25. What inspires you?
Magazines & Blogs (creatively); Women who can do it all- work full time and have a family; People who overcome tremendous adversity in their lives
26. What are you afraid of?
Losing someone close to me; Failing; Dissappointing my family & friends
27. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?
Cheese please!
28. Favorite car?
Hmm, I don't really care much about cars.
29. Favorite cat breed?
I’m NOT a cat person.
30. Number of keys on your key ring?
6
31. How many years at your current job?
2 years in June.
32. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday.
33. How many states have you lived in?
1- Mississippi; I'm not counting monthly jaunts to Wyoming, Ohio, etc.
34. How many countries have you been to?
England, Ireland, Wales, Italy

Bachelorette Bash

Invitation by Address to Impress

Jade, Mollie Walker, Kelly, and Hillary

Back L to R: Wurth, Hillary, Liza, Kristin, Anna K., & Amy
Front L to R: Jade, Kelly, Stacey, Kelly, & Mollie Walker

Delicious cookies by Angie at The Painted Cookie

Baytowne

These are the only pictures I have gotten my hands on from the weekend at the beach. I just hate not having my own camera! I'll post more as I receive them.

Camera Update: Hubby engineered that thing last night so it will at least take pictures. That makes me feel a lot better that I don't have to make a rash decision before the weekend. Keep commenting... I'm still open to more camera suggestions!

Greasy Does It

The Bachelorette Bash at the beach this past weekend was great with the exception of the sun poison we got on the first day that left my feet swollen like I was eight months pregnant! I'm finally able to wear something other than flip flops.At Wally World yesterday, I ran across a new Vaseline product while I was in the lotion aisle. It was Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil (whew! that's a mouthful), and I decided to give it a try. I'm a sucker for new products and two of my favorite magazines, Lucky & Allure, had both recommended it for the winter. It smells delicious. (I had wondered if it was going to have a suntan oil smell to it, because of the cocoa butter, but it did not.)

I used it for the first time last night when I started to get the itchies. I love this stuff! It is a bit greasy, but it's not runny because it is in a gel form (note that a little goes a LONG way). My skin is so incredibly soft this morning. I for see an addiction to this, right along with my scrub!

The only downfall I see is that there is no way I could use this body oil/gel as an everyday lotion replacement. It's too heavy for daytime but an excellent moisturizing night treatment.

Oh and if you don't watch out, you'll slide ride off the toilet seat! I'm just saying. Not that I would personally know.

And one more warning: I have been told that it can stain your clothes.

Oh, Snap!

I've got a problem. It's a big one too.I've somehow broken my camera!

Last week during Furniture Market I pulled it out to snap a picture of one of my fabrics and the mode switch next to the top right corner of the LCD that selects between Still Record, Movie, and Playback modes was loose. Ugh!!!

So Hubby has checked with a camera store and they claim I'm better off buying a new one. This will be my 3rd Canon camera in the past 5 years! I'm really aggravated that they only have a life span of about 15-18 months. I use my camera a lot but I'm not that rough with it.

I need your help! Please tell me what kind of camera you have and what you like about it. I would love to have a Digital Rebel but Hubby claims I'm "no professional" and that it wouldn't fit in my purse. Please help me get this camera or a better one by leaving a comment telling me how much I need it. I'll then make him read all of the comments so he'll hopefully buy it for me.

And make it snappy, 'cause I have a best friend's wedding this weekend and I've already missed a lot of good pics from the Bachelorette Bash last weekend.

Gimme Some Sugar

Anyone love this product like me? Yes, it is wonderful but at $65 a jar I just find myself conserving it.

Well, I finally found a product that can compete without breaking the bank. You can actually buy three jars of this stuff by BeautiControl for the price on one by fresh!

Anyone ever tried it and agree?

Also, does anyone sell BeautiControl and want to give me a discount if I buy a couple of jars???

Grandma-quis

This is my rental car. Are you jealous?

Everyone has been hazing me at Market this week because I'm driving this grandma car. Yep, a Grand Marquis! I didn't want to wait in line at Hertz any longer than I had to so I said I'd take the first available. No wonder everyone was waiting 45 minutes for an SUV!

Fabraholic

I'm in High Point at the Furniture Market to check out all of Tietex's upholstery fabric placements for the season. Too bad I don't have any $$$ to re-upholster my sofa.

What would Martha do?

Can anyone figure out what these letters spell?

This is just one of many craft projects and invitations I'm trying to tackle today. I'll post pictures when I'm done!

Step On It

Hurry up! I need some shoe-ggestions.

Man, if I were still in college, I would own these in every color. Ah, those were the days... when it was acceptable to wear them with everything. Wait! Who am I kidding? I still attempt it at times. They're all just 3-5+ years old and without the Swarovski crystals.

Proper Dress Acquired

I plan to wear this dress (as an honorary bridesmaid) for a wedding in two weeks. Now any suggestions on shoes? I have both silver and gold already.

Tag, I'm It

Got tagged. Let me just preface this by saying that I HATE these things (no offense to you, Hai). Sorry, but I do. I'm doing this one and hoping that in the future no one else will ever send me one!

I was tagged by Hailey to play the “Who Are You?” game. So here goes--the rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people, posts their names, and then leaves a comment on their blogs, letting them know they've been tagged. Here goes:

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Hmmm. 10 years ago means I was 17. That means I was a junior in high school. It's lunch time now, so I figure I was flirting with some guy in the cafeteria. Oh, and probably gossiping with Sara Beth, Laine, and Lyndsey about the previous weekend's drama.

5 things on my to-do list for today?
1. Pay & mail the bills
2. Make Stacey's Bachelorette Bash banner & veil
3. Deposit checks at the bank
4. Go to the grocery
5. Make dinner for Hubby

5 snacks I enjoy.
1. Little Debbie's Peanut Butter Crackers
2. Anything chocolate
3. Red wine
4. Banana sandwiches
5. Reduced Fat Nilla Wafers

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire.
1. Pay off the mortgage
2. Travel, Travel, Travel
3. Buy Hubby his ranch in Montana
4. Build my parents their dream home
5. Build a house on the slopes in Jackson Hole

But Hubby would argue that we have to save it all

5 bad habits
1. Biting my finger nails
2. Procrastinating
3. Saying "Really?"
4. Not eating the right things & exercising
5. Buying things I don't need, but may some day

5 places I've lived
1. Corinth, MS
2. Starkville, MS
3. Columbus, OH & out of a suitcase for a year
4. Tupelo, MS
5. Hernando, MS

Very exciting, huh? Not everyone is as fortunate to live in Jackson, WY and hand out condo keys while snow skiing and hiking everyday like Hubby.

5 jobs I've had
1. Babysitting in Corinth
2. Ginger's in Corinth
3. Reed's in Starkville
4. Delta Gamma in Columbus, OH
5. Lane Furniture in Tupelo
6. PeopLoungers & Address to Impress in Tupelo
7. Tietex Interiors & Address to Impress in Hernando

Geez, I deserve to not work!

5 people I want to know more about.
1. Katie
2. Leah
3. Leslie
4. Mollie Walker
5. Ginger

BTW, that really wasn't that bad. Maybe you can send them to me after all and I'll just choose if I want to do it! Love you Hailey!

Sole Searching

Dear Tory,

I'll make this short and sweet. I've been dreaming about ordering a pair of your sandals for the spring & summer. While I adore your preppy-boho look, you are overwhelming me with your selection. Now I know your unmistakable "T" crest is fabulous and all, but you should have saved some of your designs. Why must you offer so many choices for one season?

And one last thing, do you really have to sell them for $300? I liked the $98 Reva price point much better.

Warm thoughts,
Hillary

PS- I'm dying to know who you're dating these days.

life:beautiful

A friend had recommended this new magazine to me but I totally forgot about it until I stumbled upon this post via Pearls and Grace. Thanks for reminding me!

Have any of you checked this magazine out? I can't imagine anything better than holiday ideas & recipes, craft projects, and floral design tips, all along with Bible-based teaching & advice.

“Life:Beautiful recognizes the Christian woman’s desire to live everyday with passion and purpose,” Wanda Ventling, editor Life:Beautiful.

“Faith isn’t just for Sunday mornings—it’s a lifestyle choice that when woven into the fabric of daily life impacts a person’s outlook, plans, purpose, decisions, home, health, relationships, success, and legacy,” Wanda Ventling, editor Life:Beautiful.

“Living a beautiful life is experienced when we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and then find God’s purpose and plan for our lives. Nurturing families and friends, offering hospitality, caring for our bodies, and feeding our spirit is part of the journey,” Wanda Ventling, editor Life:Beautiful.


I only found the following bookstores to carry it in Mississippi:

Barnes & Noble #2961
15246 Crossroads Parkway
Gulfport , MS 39503 Directions

Barnes & Noble #2839
1059 East County Line Rd
Jackson , MS

But if you live near Memphis, you can pick up the last issue here:

Joseph-Beth Bookseller
dba Davis-Kidd Bookseller

Bookstar #1842
Plaza Theatre

Barnes & Noble #2833
6385 Winchester Blvd

Barnes & Noble #2822
2774 N Germantown Parkway

California Dreamin'

I just found out that I'm getting to go to the Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, CA in June! It's located in the heart of the Coachella Valley, home to nearby Palm Springs. I'm so pumped to get an expense paid trip to Delta Gamma's 63rd Biennial Convention. I will be representing the NE Alumnae group while I am there. And the best part of all, I'll get to visit with so many ladies that I haven't seen since I worked for Delta Gamma in 2004.

Meg, I can't believe I'm going to get to see you two months in a row! I haven't seen you since my wedding day. Book our appointments at the spa right away.

Watch out Tracey & Kari, here I come... I'll meet you at the hotel lobby's gondola!