11 Random Lessons

I am one that always likes to try new things. I get bored easily so I like to switch it up. Here is a list of different lessons or classes I have taken over the years.

1. Ballet Lessons -- I didn't have a figure for ballet..I am just being honest
2. Jazz Lessons --Loved my teacher Louise --he would always say with is accent "and around and around "
3. Tennis Lessons -- I am no Serena Williams but I do know how to play
4. Golf Lessons -- which I still play and love,my golf clubs are pink..so cute
5. Guitar Lessons ( my sister got married earlier this year and I had this brain storm idea to take guitar lessons and learn how to play there wedding song " ribbon in the sky" by Stevie Wonder and I took lessons for about 6 months thinking I would be a rock star at the wedding and I realized I needed more time ! ) Needless to say I am not taking guitar lessons anymore..lol
6. Card Classes --I love making greeting cards so from time to time I will take a card lesson and learn a new technique
7. Voice Over Classes -- I think I have a nice voice and I thought it would be cool to take a voice over class and be one of those voice over artist that work for Discovery Channel. That would be really cool. However, my teacher discouraged me and said it was a male dominated field and if you think about it, when you are watching TV and you hear a commercial for a new movie it's always a males voice !!
8. Ski Lessons --I grew up in Pa. and it was cold enough where we would go skiing all the time and I loved taking my ski lessons ! Now my ski's are collecting dust since I live down south and it's too warm to ski..boo !!
9. Scrapbook Crops -- Sometimes I take a class and learn a new technique but most of the time I go to a scrapbooking crop once a month on a Friday. I go to my scrapbooking consultants house and crop from 7pm to midnight ! (yes I really do have a scrapbooking consultant ..Don't judge !! )
10. Art Lessons -- I took private art lessons as a child and I loved it and did really well when I was being taught how to draw but now I can only do abstract and would love to take art lessons if I can find the time again !
11. Swimming Lessons -- My mom took swimming lessons with me when I was 6 months and I took them all the way up until I was 12 years old so I swim like a fish. I went on to get my life guard and cpr license.

Next on my list of random lessons would be fencing. That would be kick ass if I learned how to fence !!
What sort of random lessons or classes have you taken ?

Fun Times For The Holiday

Hello All !! I'm back and I enjoyed my time with family over the holidays. Christmas Eve we usually have a nice dinner. This year my sister had Christmas Eve dinner at her house. For dinner we had lobster tail and filet mignon with a side of baked potatoes and asparagus ! I personally do not like any kind of seafood so my sister was kind enough to order me pizza !! I know, I know....I am a picky eater...what can I say ?

                                            It looks yummy...Doesn't it ?

My pizza looks even yummier Doesn't it ?

My sister and brother and I had fun playing around and my sisters friends little boy jumped in the picture too..He is so cute!

Then came Christmas day at my parents' house...

Santa was so good to us this year ! It was so much fun opening up all of our gifts Christmas morning!

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as I did!

My Company Christmas Party

My company Christmas party was a night to remember ! I walked in looking fabulous and I was nervous because I was by myself. I wish I didn't have to go by myself but my boyfriend Mr. C and I are in a long distance relationship so I had to go solo. I asked my sister to come with me but she flaked out on me so it was me, myself and I. I was nervous walking in because everyone was staring at me and my usual crew that I chill with at work wasn't there yet. The atmosphere was nice and everyone looked very pretty ! I sat there and talked to a few people and then my crew walked in and that is when the party really started. Here are a few pictures of everyone before the alcohol started flowing.

Don't we all look so pretty and innocent ?!?! Well we were on our best behavior at the party **wink,wink ** Of course there was some whispering and some dancing and some well I can't reveal it all because what happened at the Christmas party will stay at the Christmas party. I have to work with these people and I have developed a friendship with a few and there friendship means more to me then a blog story !! However I do have some photo's from after the alcohol started flowing ! Everyone started dancing and having fun, we really had a nice time even though it was a company Christmas party my crew and I know how to make the best of it !

She was working her dress..It was HOT !

Another Hot dress !

That's me in the striped dress and I was really feeling the juice I was drinking *wink*

So then there was the after party at the hotel !! Let me just say that I haven't stayed out that late in a long time. We were trying to be quiet as we entered the hotel and when we made it to the room it was partaaaay time !! The juice started flowing, lol and the music started blaring and somehow we ended up at the Waffle House ! The Waffle House sounded so yummy at 1:30 in the morning so this is what happened at the Waffle House....

If you noticed there is a section in the video where I zoomed in on this random lady at the Waffle House because she started singing with us and even the cook started singing..funny !

Christmas Goody Giveaway Winner !!

Hello All ! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. My mom is awesome and she announced the winner of the Christmas Goody Giveaway,thanks Mom !! Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway ! The next giveaway will be in February and it will be some of my favorite things including lots of gift cards !! Congratulations to the winner !

Freestyle Friday : Special Message

Hello all ! It's Freestyle Friday time, for all my new followers Freestyle Friday is my thing I do on Fridays. It is whatever comes to mind, freestyle it. I invite you all to play along just link back to this post.

A few things on the agenda for today. I have my company Christmas party tonight. That should be very interesting to say the least. I will be taking pictures and maybe I will Flip it too. Don't forget tomorrow one lucky winner will be announced for the Christmas Goody Giveaway. I also wanted to leave you all with a Special Message from me today ! Click Here and Happy Friday !

Christmas gift must haves

I decided to do a list of the Christmas gift must haves for all you last minutes shoppers ! They are some hot items this season.

Christmas Gift Ideas :

A Coach swingpack ! These little coach bags are so cute and this is a new one with the new C's on it. Santa actually let me pick it out myself and I know it will be wrapped under the tree this year. Great gift and a coach bag is a must have in any ladies closet !

The Flip Ultra HD or the new Flip Mino -- I got the Flip Ultra for my birthday last month and I absolutely love it !! It shoots up to 2 hrs of video and you can make some of the footage into still shots. The Flip Software that comes with it is really easy to use and anyone can make a video !

The iPhone -- Okay,who doesn't have the iPhone ? Doesn't everybody ? You can get the phone for as cheap as $99 isn't that something ? It burns me up, because I paid $600 for it when it first came out. I have the original iPhone. People think they are getting a deal because they are so cheap now but they get you on your bill. They charge more for the internet packages on the new ones. Anyway all the apps for the phone are the best..I love my iphone and if you don't have one you minds well get one because everyone else has one...lol

I have a short but sweet list and I happen to have everything on the list..there really is nothing else that I must have. Well it would be nice to trade in my new mustang for a Range Rover ..hehehe ! Anyway enjoy your holiday folks and if you can have anything for Christmas and I mean anything what would it be ? Mine would be a Range Rover !!

Roasted Pecans Part II

Last week I posted the recipe to some yummy roasted pecan candy that I sent along with my recipe holiday cards. I finally finished them and packaged them all pretty and sent them to my friends. I hope they like it. Here is the picture of the pecans. I wrapped them up with some green tissue paper and put them in a small package and sent them on there way.

I sent my recipe holiday card along with the pecans...super cute !

Christmas Goody Giveaway

The time has arrived for another great giveaway ! My best friend is so creative and she was gracious enough to make a couple of fabulous Peppermint and Candy Cane Pillows ! She is still working on her collection and asked if I would feature them in my etsy shop.
The giveaway runs from today 12/14/09 to Friday 12/18/09. The giveaway ends at 7pm ( eastern time) on 12/18/09

You will receive two pillows a Peppermint Pillow and a Candy Cane pillow ! They would make great gifts and as promised I bought a little something back for my followers when I went to NYC last month. I can finally tell you what it is !! I got a fabulous hand blown glass starfish necklace. The total giveaway package is a $36 value !

The rules are simple :

• You must be a follower of this blog
• Leave a comment with a current e-mail address
• For an extra entry follow me on Twitter and Tweet about the giveaway linking back to this post and when you leave a comment leave your Twitter User name with e-mail

One lucky winner will be announced on Saturday 12/19/09. You will have 48 hrs to respond to the e-mail so please make sure you check your e-mail. Tell all of your friends and have a great week !

A Fight For Life

Today I am taking part in Mama Kat's Writers Workshop ! I chose to write my prompt on a poem about a fight you or someone you love has struggled to win.

My mom has Lupus and she struggled for her life

2 years ago. She has had Lupus for at least 10 years

now and she has done very well and never got sick

until one day she wasn't feeling well. She went

to the doctors and they misdiagnosed her and

said she had the flu. She fought throught it.

She was sick for weeks and when she would sleep
she struggled for every breath. I knew something
wasn't right. When I came home one day I asked her
if she took her medicine. She talked in third person
and said. " I don't think she took her medicine
today " I called the ambulance & when we
got to the hospital they put her in ICU and said
this is serious and they didn't know if she will come
out of this.

I was heart broken and completely lost it.
I didn't know what to do and I was scared and
my mom was laying in ICU confused and not
really there and not eating. How did this happen ?
I blamed myself for not knowing what symptoms
to look for. My mom was in and out of the hospital
several times in one year. She would repeat herself
every 5 minutes ,she could barely walk, her feet were
so swollen that the skin was bursting and she
could only wear sleepers. She fought through it.

The weeks following were the hardest and my Dad
was the rock and a solider, my sister was in and out
and I was lost but trying to be there for my mom
she had developed diabetes from the medicine
and had to give herself shots. She fought through it.

When I say God is good he is in every since of the word
he allowed my Mom the strength to fight through
this disease. Everyone would call to see how
she was and would put her up in prayer and there is
no words that can express the gratitude for there
prayers and positive thoughts. She fought
through it.

Here we are 2 years later and my mom doesn't have diabetes
anymore and her Lupus is in remission. I am so grateful
for my Mom's good health. She can walk and she eat and
keep her food down. God is amazing and powerful ! The
power he gave her is inspiring ! She fought through it !

Got Started On The Pecans

Yesterday I pulled myself out of the holiday funk I was in and started on my Christmas project ! I roasted some pecans to send along with my holiday cards ! The recipe is fairly simple and I just did one batch and I will finish the rest tonight. I just wanted to see how they would turn out.

First I spread the pecans on a pan to bake

After you take the pecans out of the oven you mix them in a saucepan with all the ingredients

They actually came out quite tasty ! I am so proud of myself. If you like snacking on pecans or any sort of nuts this is a great recipe for the holidays and it's easy enough for anyone to make themselves. Tonight I am going to make the second batch and package them in little clear bags and make my holiday recipe card to go along with it. I will do a part II so you can see the finished product ! Let me leave you with the recipe.

Roasted Pecan Candy :

• Roast 2 cups of pecans at 350 degrees for approximately 12 minutes or until very slightly toasted
• Mix Together in sauce pan the following ingredients
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of Pet milk
• 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
• Dash of salt
• 1tsp. of white Karo syrup
• Cook to a soft ball stage (to test, drop a few drops in a cup of cool water until it forms a soft ball that can be picked up ) After reaching a soft ball stage. remove from heat and add
• 1 tsp. of vanilla

Mix in roasted pecans and spread on wax paper . When cool break apart

The recipe is provided by cooks.com

My holiday to do list

My holiday to do list :

1. Finish Christmas shopping & just deal with the crowds
2. Find a dress for my company holiday party which happens to be next weekend
3. I must make my Christmas cards and this year I am sending roasted pecans with the Christmas cards !! I am excited about that but I must get started on the pecans
4. Buy new wrapping paper ! I love wrapping paper and I wish I had time to make my own
5. Figure out what I am going to get Mr. C for Christmas...any suggestions ? My boyfriend is very tech savvy but super hard to buy for...I am lost on this one.

My list may seem short but it's a lot that needs to be done. Dealing with the Christmas crowd is enough with in itself ! Every single year I say I am going to get my shopping done early but for some reason I end up last minute shopping !! I like to shop in the middle of the week so that is what I am going to do today is get some more shopping done. Wish me luck !!

Freestyle Friday

Okay so I am sitting in here at work and I am so bored so I asked my neighbor B..what should I blog about today ? B said, " freestyle it, whatever comes to your mind " I said, " oh my goodness you are right I should freestyle it " From now on that will be my thing "Freestyle Friday" ! Everyone has there own little thing they do at least once a week and this will be mine. Thanks B for the idea ! By the way he was my very first follower ! I welcome all my followers to join in on the fun and just link back to me for your own twist on Freestyle Friday !

Today I am going to write an open letter to the Universe and maybe I will get a little something in return. You know they say you speak things into existence !

Dear Universe,

Why did I just turn 30 last week and feel a tad bit of anxiety about being 40 in 10 years. ( Yeah seriously ?) I also feel like everyone else in the world is married and has kids or at least has a boyfriend in the same state. Long Distance relationships just suck and they are hard and I just want to live in the same state. I know he is moving next year but next year seems so far away. I also feel like the older I get the less I feel the urge to have a big fancy wedding, maybe if I was like 24 but now that I am like 30 and he still hasn't put a ring on it, I mines well say screw it ! At this point I don't care if anyone shows up if I ever get married. Every since I was 16 yrs old I always wanted to get married on an island. Everyone knows that island weddings are small because people just can't afford to come and I have a solution for that..I will have my island wedding web streamed and they can watch the video while I am still on my honeymoon !


I really want to get married some place far like Fiji where I know that no one would show up and it would just be him & I . If Mr. C puts a ring on it sometime in this life time then he would like to have a small wedding in the states but it's not really up to him so I think I will win on that one !
I have another question for you Universe ? Why don't I have the paparazzi following me around and snapping pictures of me with my fabulous handbags and big sunglasses ? I am a star too and I need to shine ! Maybe it would help if I had my own reality show...I wish MTV would listen to my pitch..I promise it would be way better then The Hills !
Thank you Universe for listening to me freestyle it today I feel much better now !

Peace,
Ashley

Celebrating The Holidays My Way

Today I am taking part in Mama Kat's Writers Workshop. I chose to write my prompt on how I would celebrate the holidays my way if money was not a factor !

If money was no object and I had no budget I would do so many things. First and foremost I would give money to my favorite charity the Lupus Foundation ! That would be amazing if they found a cure ! Then I would plan a wonderful vacation to an exotic island for the holidays on a private jet ! Of course I would have to have a stylish collection of Louis Vuitton luggage. ( I only have a few pieces ) but my dream collection would look a little like this...(fabulous isn't it !)

The island of choice would be Bora, Bora Tahiti ! That island is paradise, how dreamy ! ( One day when I get engaged, that is where I want to go on my honeymoon ! ) I just have to show you how pretty it is. Look at the huts over the clear water !

The pictures are enough to drift off and dream ! All I have to do now is make my dreams a reality and that's what I have the book The Secret for ! Happy Dreaming folks !

Interview with Pinky

I have a friend that I call Pinky and she dates a celebrity and from time to time I give updates on Pinky and the adventures she has with her celebrity boyfriend. Her stories are usually really juicy and full of drama ! This video is an update on what she has been up to and she has a big announcement !! The video is a little long but if you have the time to watch it, I would because it's a must see ! If you want a little background on Pinky check out my other post on her !

P.S If you have any questions you always wanted to ask someone that dates a celebrity, then let me know and leave a comment and I will ask Pinky for the next update interview !

Pampered Chef Party

I had a fun adventure a few weeks ago ! I went to a Pampered Chef party at a friends house! My friend lives in the country and it took me about an hour to get there. I wish I had my flip camera a few weeks ago because driving there was an adventure with in itself ! I saw a lot of trees and cows and stuff. My friend R lives in a small town and the only thing they have is a general store with a gas station hooked on to it. It was such a cute little store...so I had to take a picture of it ! I should have taken the picture when I was on my way there when it was day time but I took it on the way back. I hope you can see it.

Isn't it cute ! Once I got there it was so pretty and peaceful. She lives in a beautiful home and she has dogs, a few wild cats and some goats ! I was going to get a picture of the goats but I was scared to step outside with the dogs ( they are pretty big..lol )

The Pampered Chef Lady Candy is so sweet she had everything all set up and she needed an assistant to help her make a barbeque chicken roll and of course I didn't raise my hand..why ? because I don't cook but I got volunteered to do so and I had fun..I was pretending I had my own cook show..lol !

This is proof I was in the kitchen..because all that know me would have to see it to believe it !

The final product !! Yummy !!

Popped Bottles, Ate Cake & Got Gifts

I am still reporting to you from Destin and I am really enjoying myself. The weather is great and the beach is beautiful. The water is so clear and the sand is so white ! My actual birthday was on Monday but my sister and her husband didn't arrive until Tuesday night so everyone sang Happy Birthday to me last night. ! We cut some cake , which was yummy .. and popped some bottles !

My parents are the best ! They got me exactly what I asked for.. a flip camera for my birthday !! They are so sweet and they spoil me all the time. I am so grateful for them. I got the Ultra HD Flip Camera ! Now I can make more video's and upload them for you all. I was charging the camera up today and I can't wait to play with it and record a video.

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving !! I am grateful for my family and friends health and well being ! What are you grateful for on this special day !

Precious

The movie Precious is a must see ! You have to be mentally prepared to see this movie because it will give you a roller coaster of emotions. It's about a teenager that is mentally and physically abused by her father and mother. She is doesn't know how to read and can barely write. She ended up having a few children by her father. She had to go to a special needs school and becomes inspired by a teacher that helps her learn how to read and write. I heard the novel goes into more detail then the movie, but the movie definitely gets the point across. Check out the trailer !

What's in my closet

I wanted to compile a list of my favorite things for fall ! This is what is in my closet for fall and are my current favorite things :

1. Love these Rain Boots ! I was looking every where for a pair that fit really nice. When I went to NYC last week I found the perfect pair at Laila Rowe !
   

Love my leggings which is perfect to wear with a long sweater and the rain boots ! VS has all different kinds of leggings !

3. I love a nice long sweater & my sweater is very similar to this but I found one that looks the same at Old Navy

I'm Surviving

Destin is so beautiful ! The sand is nice and white and the water is so clear and still fairly warm. I am surviving and it's not as bad as I thought. We haven't done much yet but a little shopping and walking on the beach. I had to go out and buy some capri's because all I packed was jeans and t-shirts. I knew it would be warm but I didn't think it would be this warm !
Tomorrow is my actual birthday, the big three to the O ! I think I am ready and I am looking forward to what the future has in store for me ! I will post some pretty pictures tomorrow from the beach or I will do a vblog, till then good night !

Thanksgiving in Destin, Florida

Every year my family likes to go to different destinations for Thanksgiving ! Last year we did Thanksgiving in Hilton Head and this year it's Florida. My parents rented a huge beach house & we are leaving tomorrow and this time I will be bringing my laptop. I wish my boyfriend was able to come. He just started a new job and his training was all of this week and next week so I will be stuck with my family all week long.. OH JOY ! Let me break it down for you. It will be my parents, my sister and her husband and his parents, and my Aunt & Uncle. If you haven't noticed all couples and then there is me. I will definitely be locking myself in a room and renting movies on itunes to watch on my laptop with a side of wine and some Tylenol 8 hour !

By midweek I am sure you will be getting some drunk post from yours truly or I will post a Vlog asking for a prayer circle so I can survive the week ! My sister and her husband just got married earlier this year and they are still in there honeymoon phase, every time I see them they are always hugging, kissing and all, oh I love you so ! Which is nice and all but you don't have to rub it in ! They are the only married couple in there world.I still love them though. My parents will be slaving me around, I already know ! I will be missing my ride on the pumpkin and I will be Asharella. My sisters husbands parents are cute and his mom will have random conversations with me out of the blue and showing me the worlds smallest greetings cards and I am sure I will love them ! My Aunt, well what can I say about my Aunt. She has been with the same man for the past 40 years and they never got married and have no kids, so she has a lot of time on her hands !

I know my parents do not read my blog and neither does my Aunt because she just learned how to use a computer and the internet a few months ago. My sister has a blog but she is to busy in her married life and work to blog that often so she only reads my blog from time to time. She said when she see's long post, she doesn't have time to read it, so I know she won't be reading this and her husband won't be either ! His mom may try and read this, if she finds out I have a blog, so if you see this post magically disappear then you know why. If I disappear in Florida then you know I didn't survive the week. I may even try to make my own raft and sail to Bora, Bora..oh how peaceful that would be ! *** Okay I am back *** Sorry I was day dreaming and typing at the same time. Wish me luck folks as I set out on this venture with my lovely family !

P.S I love my family and family is all you have ! Enjoy your time with your family !

Details On My Birthday Trip

I had the best time visiting with friends and family for my birthday trip up North ! It wasn't as cold as I thought it was going to be in Pa. The first thing I did when I got off the plane was go to Abe's Hot dogs, it's a little mom/pop place that I grew up eating at ! The same man still owns the place and get this.. he still remembered me ! How sweet ! Every time I go home it's always something that brings me back to memory lane. I got a chance to drive by my old house I grew up in and the shopping center right down the street from where I grew up at is so different now. It's always so weird when you go back to a place you grew up at and everything is the same but yet so different !

The best part of my trip was being able to spend time with my love Mr. C ! I missed him so much and he had to work a few days while I was there so it feels like I didn't get to spend all my time with him because I had to split my time between him, my bff L. & my family. It never really feels like a vacation when I go up there, it's more like work only because one family member finds out you are up there and then all of sudden they all find out and I was finding myself stopping by family members houses visiting with them. I spent a good portion of my time doing that. It was nice to catch up with everyone especially my little cousins that are not so little anymore !

The greatest day was shopping in NYC ! It was cold and kind of raining on and off the day we went so everyone was all bundled up in the chicest coats ! I love the city of New York it's always so alive and full of life. Everyone is always so stylish in NYC so I loved all the street fashion. It made me feel good that I am not behind on any major fashion trends ! ( I try to keep up on my style ) My bff and I definitely did some hard core shopping. I got handbags, perfume, boots, clothes you name it and I got it...plus as promised I brought my followers something back !! I can't tell you what it is because it is a surprise but I love it and I know you all will too. I must say I didn't take a ton of pictures like I should have only because that would be more that I would need to scrap ( for those of you that don't scrap..that is short for scrapbooking..lol ) I am only about 4 years behind on my scrapbooking which I hope to get caught up soon. Enjoy the slide show !

Happy 101 Award

I am so excited to announce that I received my second blog award from one of my favorite bloggers the lovely Luckiest Mrs. ! She is so kind and the cutest little southern belle ! Thank You Luckiest Mrs. for such a sweet award !

The rules are :

• List 10 things that make you happy


• Try to do at least one of them today !


• Tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day


• Make sure to link back to the person that tagged you

10 things that make me happy :

1. Making greeting cards for friends and family
2. Love to make scrapbooks of all my memories


3. Shopping makes me and any girl happy I am sure


4. Reading a really good inspirational book


5. Beach Vacations & the sound of the ocean


6. Pizza my favorite comfort food


7. People that give you a sincere smile when you walk by


8. Spending time with my closest friends and my lovely boyfriend


9. To know that I am unconditionally loved no matter what


10. Taking fantastic pictures and creating art from it

Now the fun part passing it along to 10 other bloggers but I don't have 10 to pass it to so I will pass it along to my top 7 blogs that make me happy :

• My lovely sister My Life with all the fufula -- She has the cutest post about all different things it's fun to read and it always makes me smile or laugh !


• Ms. Alpha Button Pusher .. She started following me when I had less then 10 followers and she always left the nicest comments ! Her blog is very interesting , she always writes the prettiest poems and post the prettiest pictures !


• I have to pass this award over to my girl in Purple -- I love her pictures of shoes and how she writes letters to co-workers and really tells them how she feels, so funny and she is one of my favorites !


• I am going to pass this over to the lovely Sassy Chica -- Her posts are so alive and I love that..she lives life to the fullest and always has a good time !
• Just Another Day in Paradise This young lady and her husband are so cute..she is a lawyer and he just got out of the Army and they purchased there first home together and it's fun to read about there ventures together !
• Ms. Kathy from My net finds gave me my very first blog award ! I was so excited and grateful to her for that. She finds all the latest little finds on the net and I love coming to her site to see what she has found !
• Best Posts of the Week -- I am so glad that I found this site awhile back ! It gives people a platform to send in what they feel is there best post of the week. I love it and I sent in a post a while back and made it..I was so excited !

I'm Back....

Hi Everyone !! I hope all is well !! I missed you all so much !! I really went through blogger withdraw ! Next time I travel which will be this weekend I am going away for another week..I will be bringing my laptop. I was going to do a small post while I was away because there was a computer in the hotel lobby...but then my OCD starting kicking in and I started thinking of all the germs on the keyboard and the swine flu not good...so I stayed away. I should have set up the mobile blogging so I can blog from my phone but that is hard core. I am determined to find a app. for my iPhone for blogger !! ( Am I rambling ? ) I think I am but I have so much to say..but I will post everything about my trip tomorrow including pictures. !!


I hope everyone was keeping up with my twitter updates and tweet pics, lol ! I had to remove the twitter updates from the sidebar because it just stopped working. Isn't that weird ? So enough about me, how are all of you ? What are you plans for thanksgiving next week ? I can't wait to hear from you all. I am going to spend some time now catching up on all of your blogs, when I really should be working...hehehe !!

Smooches,
xoxo

Taking a short hiatus for my Birthday !

The time has finally arrived and I leave tomorrow for my East Coast Sweep Birthday !! This celebration will be so much fun !! Hip Hip Hooray !! I still have so much to do and so little time. I must go home and finish packing !! I really try not to pack the day before I leave but things have been so busy for me that I kept putting it off. I have my clothes in my luggage but I need to fold them so they can fit !! I also need to try not to over pack because I know I will be shopping while I am up North and I need to keep room for things I will be bringing back !!

If you can't get enough of my day to day drama !! Follow me on Twitter ! I added twitter updates to the sidebar under the twitter icon so you can see what I am doing and look at all my tweet pics !! Other then that I will be back early next week !! I may even surprise you all and do a quick update while I am gone ! I will miss you all but I will be back..

Smooches,

xoxo

Winner Of The Greeting Card Giveaway

Thank You to all that participated in the Handmade Greeting Card Giveaway ! All the names plus the extra entries were put together in a basket and was picked by my lovely mom ! You will hear me laughing on the recording because my mom didn't say anything she was suppose to !! It was funny because she was nervous and you can clearly see that on the recording !

Barbie Has Everything

Do you remember the good old days when all you had to worry about was coming home from school to find out your little sister was playing with your Barbie dolls ? I was a very girly little girl ! (you probably can't tell ) ;) My number one favorite toy as a child was Barbie. I love Barbie and I had everything for her. What made me think about Barbie and all of her glory was because I went into my attack and found all of my barbies and my old school Barbie Winnebago ! Boy that brought back memories. I don't even know how many Barbie dolls I have but I have a lot ! I played with all white Barbie dolls and I only had maybe 2 or 3 black ones. The reason why is because back in the 80's all the black Barbie dolls looked the same to me and I wanted them to be different !

What a modern Barbie on a Vespa !

Anything Barbie didn't have she has today. I had so many idea's for Barbie. I would always tell my mom the different things Barbie needed. If she would have listened to me we would have been millionaires because all of my ideas, they came out with over time. Nowadays I don't know to many little girls that are obsessed with Barbie the way I was. I always said if I did happen to meet a little girl that loved her as much as I did, I would ask her what she thought Barbie needed so I can write Mattel ! ( hey don't judge.. I want a childhood dream to come true ) That's right I want to be able to say I came up with that idea !! Anyway I finally met a little girl this past weekend that absolutely positively loves all things Barbie !! She is 4 years old and as cute as a button. She has like 5 Barbie cars and hundreds of Barbies literally hundreds, so being the smart business woman I am, I asked her " What sort of things do you think Barbie needs that she doesn't already have ?" She looked at me with her big bright eyes and said " Nothing, Barbie has everything ! " I wanted to cry and scream at the same time. I finally came to accept from the voice of a 4 year old child that has it all and would know what Barbie needs that Barbie has it all. Why me is what I want to know, Why ???? There goes my life long dream designing something for Mattel that Barbie needs. I don't want to bore you any longer about my deflated dream so enjoy your Tuesday ! By the way, what was your favorite toy as a child ? I think I will post something a little racy about toys pretty soon..so put your thinking caps on ..hehehe !

Happy Birthday Mr.C

Today is my boyfriend Mr. C's birthday !! He is a Scorpio and is very true to his signs description ! There is several reasons why I love him so here is 20 reasons why !

1. I love him because he is passionate in every since of the word
2. I love him because he is understanding
3. I love him because he is funny and is always making me laugh
4. I love him because he is faithful
5. I love him because he is a role model to his family, friends and to me
6. I love him because he has been apart of my life since I was 14 years old
7. I love him because he loves me for all that I am
8. I love him because my family loves him
9. I love him because he is in incredible shape
10. I love him because he is dedicated to his job
11. I love him because he loves to work out and that motivates me
12. I love him because I get butterflies when I see him
13. I love him because he still manages to make me feel young at heart
14. I love him because he spoils me
15. I love him because he treats his mother with the up most respect
16. I love him because he will take the shirt off his back for a stranger
17. I love him because of his sweet kisses
18. I love him because of the way he hugs me
19. I love him because he is easy going and gets along with everyone
20. I love him because he is simply amazing

Happy Birthday Mr. C

I love this picture of my mom and my love it's just so cute...plus I wanted to give you a sneak peak at my lovely mom because she will be announcing the winner of the handmade greeting card giveaway Wednesday..so stay tuned !

Old School Movie Friday

Do you ever watch a show or you are out some place and it suddenly brings you back to when you saw a movie as a child that you loved ? Everyone has a movie that makes them feel all warm and fuzzy and 5 years old all over again !! I decided to dedicate this Friday to an old school movie ! My movie of choice is The Goonies ! Here is a short clip to bring you back to 1985. What is your favorite old school movie ? Happy Friday !

Counting Down The Days

The Countdown is on for my fabulous East Coast Sweep Birthday Bash !! This birthday will be the big three to the O and I think I am ready !! I am so excited ! I am really excited because I finally get to see my boyfriend Mr. C ! He is so cute and I miss him so much, it's been a few months since the last time we saw each other so it's going to be nice to celebrate my birthday early with him. His birthday is next week and mine is in 2 weeks so we are meeting in the middle and will celebrate next week ! I also get to spend time with my bff and she will be my shopping partner while we are in NYC ! I will bring you all a little something back and do a giveaway. I will make sure it is very New York whatever I decide to bring back.

I can't believe I will be 30 ??!! I heard from some wise friends that it takes forever to get to 30 and once you get there time flies so I am prepared to hold on tight and keep my memories close to my heart ! Happy Hump Day people..just a few more days until the weekend, Praise Him !!

Handmade Greeting Card Giveaway

As promised I am doing my very first giveaway this week. The giveaway runs all week from 11/2-11/8/09. The giveaway ends at 6pm ( eastern time ) on 11/8/09

With no further ado the giveaway is a set of handmade hand stamped birthday cards and thank you cards ! I am celebrating my birthday this month so you will recieve a set of 4 flat note A2 penguin birthday cards with polka dot envelopes ! To thank all my followers I am giving away a set of 4 flat note A2 thank you cards with authentic handmade map envelopes ! The total package is a $20 value ! You can visit my etsy shop to see the cards !

The Rules are simple :

• You must be a follower of this blog
• Leave a comment with a current e-mail address
• For an extra entry follow me on Twitter and Tweet about the giveaway linking back to this post and when you leave a comment leave your Twitter User name with e-mail

One lucky winner will be announced on Sunday evening and I am not sure how I will announce it but I am sure it will be fabulous !! Tell all of your friends and have a great week !!

If I Only Caught It On Video

I am taking part in the writers workshop from over at Mama Kat's spot ! This week I chose to write about a Halloween moment that I wish I had on video ! A friend of mine over 5 years ago + used to throw the best Halloween Parties every single year ! If I only could have caught them on video..it would have been even better ! I just have the memories in my scrapbook which I like to revisit from time to time and all the fun times come flooding back !

It was an incredibly fun night !! I was dressed up as a rock star with the colorful streaks in my hair and my friend with the pink bunny suit wore a fake booty pad ..haha ! Those where the good old party days !! It is fun to reminisce from time to time !! Happy Halloween people !!

Creepy Crawly Greeting Cards

I am participating in the Creepy Crawly Carnival from over at Mayhem & Moxie .
I really enjoy making greeting cards and this year I made some really cute Halloween cards & invitations that I wanted to share with you all.

I love this card but I didn't send any out this year to any of my friends !

This is the card with the envelope..I heart these envelopes .. so cute !

And the last one is an invitation I made !! Sorry about the pictures being a little blurry I took them with my iphone. I have a few more cards in my etsy shop they are really cute too !

A Complete Random...

I had a lot going on this weekend ! I met up with my friend Sonam for some cocktails over the weekend and we were setting there catching up having a good conversation and out of the blue this complete random chic walks up to us and says..

Random : Can I sit here with you guys ? I am waiting on a friend to arrive and I don't want to sit at the bar by myself !

Us : Um..Okay

Random : Hi, my name is Meridith, Whats your name ?

Us : Ashley and Sonam

Random : Sorry, you guys can continue talking.

Us: " looking at each other ..like, why us ?"

Side Note : My cheese sticks arrived at the table and I said to Sonam and the random " please help me eat these I am not going to eat all of them. "

Random : Shaking her head as she blows smoke right on the cheese sticks and in Sonam's face.

Me : Sooooo... Sonam what else is going on ?

Sonam : (Trying not to laugh) Umm nothing.

Sonam : (talking to random ) So is your friend going to come ?

Random : Umm, I don't know I just moved here and I used to work with her and I haven't seen her in a year.

Sonam : Wow, So you haven't seen her in one year ?

Random : No, as she looks at her phone and says, I don't think she is going to come.

Me : OK, So how is everything Sonam ?

Random : She starts eating the cheese sticks...just eating them and blowing smoke out of her mouth at the same time.

Side Note : She didn't even ask if she can have any she just started eating it.

Then all of sudden she gets up with out saying hey thanks for letting me sit her. She just got up and walks across to the bar to this random looking dirty guy. She looks back at us and says, " Do you guys even remember my name..and I said "Meridith ?" Sonam looked at me and said " I was going to say Melody ! " Then she turned around and rolled her eyes and looks right back and says he doesn't believe I just met you guys ?! Sonam and I said "Okay ?"

Then we finished are drinks and noticed she was having a grand old time with this random dirty guy at the bar. Needless to say her friend never showed up. We got up and bolted out of that place !

Is it me or was that twilightish !!

One Last Side Note : We never figured out if her name was Meridith or Melody ! LOL

TweetMic -- Message for Best Blog Award Winners

TweetMic Publish Your Audio on Twitter AMJ29's audio tweet

Hey please click on the link above to listen to my special thank you to the blogs I am passing the Best Blog Award to !

I Got My First Blog Award !

I am so excited to announce I got my first blog award ! I am so gracious to Kathie from my net finds ! I just recently discovered her blog and I love it, so thank you Kathie for this award !

The The Best Blog Award rules are:

• To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.

• Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have recently discovered and think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I don't have 15 blogs to give this to so I am going to revise my award to my Top 5 and they are in no particular order :

1. My little sister...who I like to call little J ...My Life with all the fufula ( She just got married earlier this year and has posted pictures from her wedding & is planning there one year anniversary to France...and has a cute little thing called France Friday's..stop by and say hi..even though she hasn't posted in 4 weeks she is still there and is planning on posting soon. I love you little J !)



2. My Life in Purple ... I am so glad I discovered the young lady from my life in purple..because I love her blog ...and it's so cute how she calls her boo.."Mr. Big " Love that !


3. Sassy Chica ...is all things fabulous ! I love her sassiness and just the way she is able to catch her audience in her posts is amazing ! Thank you for all your uplifting and inspiring posts !


4. The Luckiest Mrs. .. is all things girly and southern ! Mrs. and Mr. are so adorable ! When I discovered her blog I sat down over a few days and read the whole thing ! Her story is just too adorable and I absolutely love her blog !


5. Mama's Kat's Losin It .. Mama Kat is like a web celeb. Love her..she is funny and she puts a smile on my face from day to day ! Thank you Mama Kat !

P.S...Please listen to the post listed above titled TweetMic...I have a special message for you all

I am sorry I do not have more blogs to pass this forward to but these 5 blogs are the ones I look at first when I log on every day, so thank you and I hope you all pass this forward !

I do have one more award from the lovely Kathie at Net Finds to pass forward to all my followers and that is ...

This award goes out to all my followers I appreciate you all so much and I would like to thank you all for all your comment love and support..your the best ! So grab this Icing On The Cake Award and pass it along to all your followers !!

Smooches,

xoxo

Why I Live My Life With Passion

I am participating in this weeks writers workshop created by the lovely Mama Kat . I chose to write my prompt on, what makes you want to live a life with passion ?

I believe everyone goes through there trials and tribulations in life that makes them want to live a life full of love and passion. I had a wonderful and happy childhood and I am so grateful for that. My parents have taught me well and they are constant inspirations in my life to live a happy and healthy life full of passion. I started from a very young age encouraged by my beloved Nana to create things and I am forever grateful to her for that, it makes me want to strive on ! I feel so accomplished when I am designing a new greeting card or making a scrapbook. I feel inspired when I discover a new artist creating beauty ! The most beautiful pictures inspire me ! People inspire me, just watching people and the good things they do for others and the way they interact with each other all makes me want to live more passionately for some believe you only have one chance to get it right !

There is without a shadow of a doubt that people who have a hobby have a passion for something, whatever that something may be they are passionate and I truly believe that. I always tell people that don't have a hobby to get one and they would be so much happier.

I will end with some powerful quotes that will make you ponder on passion and life !!

"There is no greatness without a passion to be great, whether it's the aspiration of an athlete or an artist, a scientist, a parent, or a businessperson." --- Anthony Robbins

"If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins." --- Benjamin Franklin

My Top 5 Favorite TV Shows

OK So my list used to be longer...but to me this season of TV shows are sort of boring so I am sticking with a few favorites I have had for years.

1. Grey's Anatomy --I have stuck with them through all of there drama on and off set over the years and I still like the show, I just hope they up the drama before the end of the year. I heard from a little birdie that Mark and Lexie will have a little drama going on so we shall see.


2. Ugly Betty -- The show is hilarious and I love it. I don't know what happened and why it comes on now on Friday nights. Everyone knows what that means it must be on it's way out. They have had some really strange story lines lately and some of the major characters have left but it is still set on my tivo for every Friday night !


3. Millionaire MatchMaker -- Absolutely love that show, I have learned quite a bit from watching Patti ! She keeps it real and I follower her on Twitter and she tweeted they are currently taping season 3 now ! Hooray ! Now if I can only find a millionaire ?!?!!

Ok so really I just have a top 3 list and the others are just shows I watch and I still have seasons of shows on my tivo I haven't really watched yet..so I can only say that I watched a show here and there ! So let me give you the last two that I have watched a few episodes of and the they would be....

• Kathy Griffin My Life On The D List ..Her show is funny ! She cracks me up each episode I have watched so far but this season I wasn't really that invested.
• Miami Social... Good show I have the whole season on Tivo and I still have to catch up on it but really it's just a bunch of 30 somethings acting like they are 20 something but the drama is funny !

Goodies Are Coming

I can't wait to let you guys know about the details of my very first giveaway. I can tell you all that it will run the first week in November ! It's gonna be a couple of my favorite things and hopefully by then my new fancy blog design will be done with a tool bar and all !! I can't wait ! I will also give you a hint for an extra entry...tweet, tweet,tweet !! Follow me on Twitter !

Happy Monday People

Oh Lazy Sunday

I have had such a lazy weekend which I am grateful for. These next few weekends are going to be really busy with up and coming parties. I tried to do some shopping this weekend to prepare for my East Coast Sweep but I had no luck finding anything cute. :( I will have to continue to look and I will do that during the middle of the week to avoid the crowds on the weekend. I can't stand a crowded mall !

I also got a chance to catch up with my friend Pinky over the weekend. If you have been following my blog for awhile...you will know that I give updates on my friend Pinky from time to time. She only dates people that are in the "industry" When I say in the industry..I mean football players,basketball players and musicians. The story line is quite juicy if I must say so myself. If you haven't caught up on those stories you must do so. She actually has a big announcement that she would like to share and I will be doing a Vblog about that soon. Stay tuned because it's juicy ! I am going to go back to enjoying my lazy Sunday.

Smooches,
xoxo

Office Breakdown

Ever feel like you are having one of these days ...

My Favorite Fall Indulgence

Today's Tuesdays tribute from over at mayhem and moxie is about your favorite fall indulgence ! My favorite fall indulgence is pea coats and hot chocolate. I love dressing for colder weather, even though I live down south and the color of the leaves don't quite turn all the different pretty colors like they do up north, I still love the change of the seasons and the stylish coats that go along with it. It's sort of a fashion obsession/indulgence/love I have for all of my pea coats, I currently have 3 pea coats and I usually get one every season. I think people dress there best in fall and winter time, all dressed up in pea coats and gloves so chic !

I heart this deep plum color ..which is next on my list !

I have to have my hot chocolate in the fall..so yummy !

And last but certainly not least..my burberry scarf always matches my colorful collection of pea coats !