Stella & Dot Jewelry

I'm trying for La Dolce Vita's giveaway to win these gorgeous earrings by Stella & Dot:

Amazing right?! Simple enough to wear to work, but still has enough sparkle to make ya feel special! Here are some more of my favorites:

LOVE this Delilah Necklace, looks entirely different on Debra than just by itself!

I can't pull off big, chunky bracelets, but this Grace Pearl Bauble Bracelet is delicate enough to look good on my wrist and is classy to boot!

This Bloom Flower Ring would bring sunshine to anyone's day... I love how the center is a ladybug! Too cute.

On a completely unrelated topic, this video makes smile. So excited for the latest and greatest tonight!

Birthday Celebrations :: Round Four

LAST BIRTHDAY RECAP! Yay!

So, for my last birthday I spent the evening in Annapolis with my college roommate Patti and her cute puppy (you can scroll down for pictures and then scroll back up, I won't be offended), Remi. All around it was a great night and it was so good to catch up with Patti. She and Jared (the bartender in pic below) are the cutest couple ever. Like a married couple that's still happy but knows each other so well it's hilarious to the third party.


Okay, if you are going to Annapolis and like sushi, wine and other yummy appetizers, I suggest you venture to Real Seafood Co. - Annapolis. Let's put it this way, I got a california roll with REAL MARYLAND BLUE CRAB for (I believe it was) $5. My salmon and avocado roll was quite delicious as well.

Plus, who doesn't want this awesome color block wall somewhere in their home?

I'd take the cute puppy too :)

Birthday Celebrations :: Round Three

Almost done with these recaps. I think I am going to do two posts tonight, so I can round out these birthday posts before October :). Sorry, time got away from me!

So, birthday number three, included three college friends, tapas at Jaleo, and drinks/dancing at Lucky Bar. In other words, my favorite things about D.C.: friends, food and fun.

Such a good night! Last birthday recap coming up next!

I Heart Kelly Wearstler

So, as some of you may remember, I'm (still) trying to find the fabric to cover this lady:


My favorite fabric is this linen print by Kelly Wearstler, called "Imperial Trellis." Now, the important part: what color? Help! Which one do you think I should use?

Option One: Parchment / Midnight

Option Two: Natural / Coffee

Option Three: Citrine / Ivory


Or, Last but certainly not least... Option Four: Treillage / Ivory


Favorites? Better ideas? I'm all ears!!! I just want a pretty chair with a gorgeous, bold print!

B-E-A-UTIFUL

Some beautiful rooms for you to enjoy... be back soon! Preparing for Momma!

(All House Beautiful Images)

Birthday Celebrations :: Round Two

The second birthday is a Wifey Outing to the Kings of Leon concert -- aka a fantastic evening filled with Chipotle, a Lover and lots of fantasies about this man:

YUM! He has a very rocker-esque appeal to him. Just trust me on this one. He is also one heck of a singer and I love the way he talks (he's from Tennessee). He's proof that I am still very much attracted to the hipster, "I wear whatever is in front of me when I wake up," but still believe in Jesus and know my manners because that's how I was raised type of guy. What? You've never heard of this type? Hmm, maybe its my created type, but there is just something hot about tight jeans, lead singers and men who know how to play the guitar. It feeds my fantasy - although I'm not sure if these brothers wear chucks, add dirty, classic chucks and continue - yep, good stuff.

Wow, talk about a tangent! I digress...

I just love the sound of their music -- it's glorious, sample: (and in case this disappears just look up "Be Somebody," "17," "Fans," "I Want You," "Charmer" ... okay just freakin' look up everything!)

Because my camera lacks auto-focus when the flash is off, these are the only decent photos from the evening:

(fun sidenote: this beer was free, probably unknown to the staff)

Two more recaps... sheesh you'd think this was a milestone birthday or something! Although, I'm a bit obsessed with symmetry, so this is by default a fantastic age :)

Free Music?

Oh my goodness, I have been on the go today! Farmers market in Ithaca, vacuuming the house (just upstairs ... downstairs tomorrow), laundry (with more to come tomorrow as well), cooking a delicious dinner (Cheese Tortellini with Spinach, Roasted Cauliflower & Vodka Blush Sauce ... highly recommended!!!) and now the Emmy Awards!

All in preparation for my Mom, who is coming up on Friday to stay for a week. So excited! We are going to go to the local apple festivals together, plus this little girl, Bijou (she is a Papillon) will be making her first trip up North!


Now, down to business (as it is officially a commercial break), I have a $10 iTunes gift card and I need some help. With so many awesome songs out there, what are the top TEN I should purchase (if I don't already have them on my iPod)? This is stretching across decades and genres, I'm a fan of all music. So, help me out here people, what songs are the best and are a must have?!

Birthday Celebrations :: Round One

I felt it was only appropriate to kick off my birthday recaps on the day of my sister's birthday with our family celebration! Happy Birthday again Jess, I love you so much and I am so thankful to have my sister be my best friend. Looking forward to seeing you again on your turf :D

The highlight of this celebration, besides the obvious of being around my family, was the fantabulous food! Now, I grew up in Southern Maryland where seafood is plentiful and old bay is right by it's side. The quote from Wedding Crashers that rings so very true is "Crab cakes and football. That's what Maryland does!"

While we didn't have crab CAKES, we kept in theme...


This is also where my sister and I learned why my Mom doesn't like picking crabs: she is scarred from picking so many for Jess when she was little! Wow, didn't see that coming. To make sure Momma had plenty to eat while we were grubbing, we also had these bad boys...

YUM!

We also had the best salad ever and Mommas delicious macaroni salad, but the ending note was our version of "birthday cake," which transformed into "birthday PIE." Homemade peach pie to be specific...

Let me tell you, this meal was one for the memory box! Good stuff indeed! (Have you noticed that I'm a big fan of food?)

Choco-Lata!

So one of my coworkers is gearing up for his WEDDING next Saturday and I am so excited for them both!

(So freaking adorable, right?! The photographer is Tania Lezak, amazing!)

While I may not be too excited that my partner in crime will be out for three weeks, these two are sickeningly sweet together (in the best way that doesn't actually cause physical discomfort). So, I felt it was only appropriate that I bring in some yummy treats in for his last day at work as a single man (tomorrow):

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

While I didn't give them this name, they really are de-lish! Hopefully everyone at the office loves them too! Okay, off to bed... after all that sugar, mmm healthy!

Pics and recap of D.C. and Annapolis birthday festivities to come! :)

I'm Alive!

I know, I know... I fell into my horrible pattern of random disappearances again. I will do my best to keep it to a minimum now that I will be home for the next couple of weekends (YAY! I get to sleep in!).

So, where on earth was I and what was I doing? Well, I've been driving the 5+ hours each weekend (one-way folks) to visit my lovely sister, who was in MD visiting. And we both happen to have birthdays in the month of September, so I've been having some fabulous celebrations :)

More on the celebrations later, for now, let's talk about what I currently need to keep me moving: COFFEE (duh, did ya read the name of my blog?)



Okay, so I totally want a French Press. I had coffee from this magic-maker while staying with a friend in DC over Memorial Day Weekend and I was sold. Do I need to mention that we also had beignets during this fantastic meal? Yeah, I still think about that amazing brunch.

But anyways, back to the magic-maker, I'm trying to figure out the size I want/need, I'm thinking the 12 cup, just because it's the easiest. I never have to worry about not having enough brewed at one time for my future guests that will hopefully come visit this fall (hint hint). And, of course my husband is a fan of amazing coffee, so this will certainly come in handy. (Disclaimer: This statement is very much ironic and is meant to be humorous. I'm not even dating someone. Oh, well now I just sound pathetic... or empoweringly independent?)

What do you think? Good investment? I currently have a Gevalia coffeemaker. Do any of you have one? Reviews please!

So you think you can...

I absolutely love this show and I'm ecstatic that I don't have to wait a whole year! Admittedly I didn't really get addicted until this past season (so glad Jeanine won!), but it is seriously one of my favorite shows. It's made me laugh and cry, and is guaranteed to entertain me through and through!

Season Five was filled with some of the most amazing dancers, here are some of my favorite routines:

And from other seasons:

Agree, disagree?