Perfect Outfit

You know how putting on the perfect outfit can make you feel totally great? That's how I felt today.

I have this darling black and white dress that I put a black patent leather belt over, matching black heels, a wristful of pearl bracelets, and a 3/4 sleeve black peacoat on top (it was chilly this morning), and the first person I saw at work said, "You look glamorous."

Delighted gasp!

What a great way to start your day! And then I continued to get compliments throughout the whole rest of the day which made it even better. The funny part was it didn't take much effort to put it together but I knew I felt great when I walked out of the house.

Don't you just love it when that happens???

Meaningful Mondays: Help When You Need It

I know it's Tuesday but I was SWAMPED yesterday and didn't have time to even check my personal e-mail, let alone write this post. So, a day late, here it is. :)

"A friend is one who walks in when others walk out"

-Walter Winchell

I chose this quote because of how much it applies to me right now. I am leaving next week for my President's Club trip (yippee!) and I really need help with something while I was gone. My mother-in-law promised over 3 months ago that she would help me but then bailed 2 weeks before I was set to leave because she had plane tickets that were going to expire and she really wanted to use them, so instead of keeping her promise she's going on vacation.

I won't say what it involves but it is a really big deal and not something just anyone can do (it's not like I asked her to water my plants). Needless to say I was really unhappy with M-I-L and I ended up calling a friend that lives 50 minutes away out of desperation. Bless her heart, she promised to do it without a moment of hesitation.

She came over tonight so I could walk her through everything and show her exactly what needed to be done and how. Wanting to do everything perfect, she even had a notepad and was scrawling notes the entire time so as not to forget anything (it was a lot of information).

Even though I usually don't get to see this friend more than a few times a year and we don't talk nearly as often as we should, as soon as I called her needing help she was more than willing to step in. So yes, I have to agree with Walter Winchell. A true friend is one who walks in when others walk out.

Ever have something like this happen to you?

Progress

I can't believe my Half-Marathon is almost here... it's a week from tomorrow! And silly me, I actually thought I'd be able to start running again 2 days after my surgery. Uh, no. My doctor put the kybosh on that and said I have to wait until next Tuesday. Ugh. But, she did say that I can go "walking at a moderate pace" on Saturday so I will at least do that.

I still think I should be okay for the race. Last weekend I did 10 miles - I am so proud of myself! I can't believe I actually went that far. And I did it much faster than I was expecting. A whole thirty minutes faster!

Fortunately I am recovering well from the surgery and the walking tomorrow will be good for me. Other than that I am planning to relax, drink tea, read, and put my feet up the rest of weekend.

This is what I'm currently reading.

Anyone else read it? Seen the movie? I have the movie recorded on my DVR but I don't want to watch it until I've finished the book. I actually love the book, so far. I like the author's writing style and it is a very intriguing story. I can't wait to see how similar, or different, the movie is. I'm sure there will be a lot of things left out of the movie because the book is actually quite long and a lot of things happen. I'm only a quarter of the way through it but I'm definitely enjoying it.

So I plan to get a little further in my book this weekend. :)

Have a great weekend!!!!!!!!

All Is Well

Happy Wednesday!!

Just wanted to let you all know that everything went really well yesterday. The doctor did a great and job and was successful and I also handled the anesthesia pretty well (no sickness this time!).

Today I feel great, but I just have to take it easy for a bit and no exercise for a week (boo!).

I'm so happy it went so great!

SURGERY TODAY

Hey girls!

Yes, I am having surgery this afternoon - shouldn't be too big of a deal but for those of you who believe in God and prayer would you mind just saying a quick little prayer? Thanks a million!

I'll probably be pretty out of it tonight because I usually don't do too well with anesthesia but I'll try and do a quick update tomorrow. :)

Meaningful Mondays: Embarrassment

What was your most embarrassing moment?

"It's only embarrassing if you care what other people think."
~Anonymous

If you think about that for a second you quickly realize just how true that is. 'Embarrass' is defined as: to cause shame to; make uncomfortably self-conscious. I guess no one can make you feel self-conscious if you don't care about their opinion, right?

So I'm going to add to my question... What was your most embarrassing moment, and describe a time when you would have normally been embarrassed but you weren't? (And why weren't you??)

Cakes, Cakes, Cakes

I love making cakes, especially doing creative frostings from scratch. This one I did about a month ago (which is why it's on the ugly travel cake plate and not my pretty glass cake stand). It's cherry chip cake with cream cheese frosting. Yum! Okay, so cream cheese frosting isn't exactly unusual, but of course, I had to decorate the top with cherries to make it a little more festive.

(Very tasty). :)

And this one I did last night for my sister's birthday. I can't wait to dig into it tonight! I call it Peanut Butter Cup Cake. It's chocolate fudge cake that I baked peanut butter chips into, then make peanut butter frosting. Yes, that is right, I made peanut butter frosting!! I'm sure there are some bakeries out there that do this but I honestly have never even heard of it, let alone had it before. I just came up with the idea one morning when eating peanut butter toast and, viola! It's absolutely delicious!

Oh, and those are Reeses Pieces on top. ;)

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups are my sister's absolute favorite candy so I just know she's going to love this. Ever since I came up with the idea I've been dying to tell her but I've managed to keep it a secret so I can surprise her when she comes over tonight. What fun!

Who Ever Thought I'd Like Antiquing??

Last weekend after my run my friend and I decided to stop in a couple of cute little antique shops on our way back to our car. Back in the day I always thought that kind of thing was totally boring and I just wasn't into it. But now I LOVE it! It's amazing the kind of interesting and unique treasures you can find in an antique shop.

And it's so fun to think of the story that must be related to whatever it is you're looking at. Who it once belonged to, how much they must have treasured it. Or maybe it was a wedding gift they couldn't stand and were glad to finally be rid of. :) Whatever the case, there are much more interesting and unusual things you can find compared to a regular store that has all brand new stuff.

Don't get me wrong, brand new has it's place. But I also don't like having a bunch of things that everyone else has. It makes me think of that Friends episode where Phoebe declares how much she hates Pottery Barn because so many people shop there and all of their houses look the same. Not to knock Pottery Barn or their stuff (I actually like a lot of it), but I think I like Phoebe's way of thinking.

So needless to say, when I went antiquing last weekend I had a lot of fun looking through the stores. Once of them had a lot of beautiful china pieces. Since I am now collecting tea cups I just fell in love with this one and had to have it.

I was so excited with my purchase I came right home, washed it, and used it. :) You should try it sometime... you never know what you might find!

Party a Success!

I have to say that my Couture party was such a success! I had so much fun! My entire front room was converted into a store with racks and racks of beautiful clothes everywhere so as soon as people walked in they saw all the clothes and were greeted with a gentleman holding a tray of champagne. Talk about VIP!!

Before everyone arrived I tried on a bunch of stuff and just fell in love with two pairs of jeans. I was only planning on buying one pair but when the hubby said to go for it I ended up buying both. ;)

The first is a classy, more dressy trouser style by Paige Premium Denim that I wasn't too sure about when I pulled them off the rack, but when I put them on they not only fit perfectly, the denim was so soft I could do all of my workout stretches in them as if I was in althetic pants. And they look great! Especially with a cute cap-sleeved blouse tucked in.

Yes, I was hesitant on the high-rise, too, which honestly doesn't look right on everyone, but I just love them. Oh, and the legs on mine are a bit wider and more trouser-like (I couldn't find the exact photo on their website).

And the second pair are WHITE! Um, me in white jeans?? Never! Well... I guess now I do! I didn't think I'd like them at all but when I put on the Miss Me jeans below they fit so perfect and the pockets are just darling.

Can you see that the crosses are sparkly crystals?? Love them! Oh, and I actually wore them with black stilettos, too (although I didn't see this pic until now!). :)

It was SO great to see the girls and have some fun shopping in my own home. What a great night!!!

Meaningful Mondays: Special Days

“Never save something for a special occasion. Every day of your life is a special occasion.”
~Anonymous

Wear your “good” perfume any day you feel like it. Burn your pretty candles because you want to, you can always buy more. Get dressed up any time you please, even if no one else is. Use your good plates and crystal stemware. Wear your sexy lingerie. Open that $100 bottle of wine. Use the sparkly new eye-shadow you’ve been saving for a party. Have the girls over just because it’s Friday. Drink champagne!

I've decided to follow this advice. I have a beautiful china cabinet full of all of my china and crystal that I never use. So I've decided that I'm going to have some small, intimate dinner parties with a couple of friends where we will actually sit at our formal dining table that looks so pretty but, in the 3 1/2 years we've owned it, has never really been used. We will use my china and crystal and burn those pretty candles. For Easter I even pulled out my pretty cake stand that has been in it's box in the garage for who-knows-how-long.

I can't believe I never used it before! That travel cake thing I always used is functional but pretty much an eyesore on the kitchen counter. From now on, it's my fancy glass cake stand!

Time is precious; don’t waste it waiting for “someday”.

Any day is special if you make it so!

Couture Party Tonight!

I am so excited, my party is finally here! And there will be about 15 awesome girls coming so it will be good. Just the right number of people - not too many to where I can't spend quality time with each of them.

The house is cleaned and ready to go, now all I have to do is chill the champagne! Oh, and figure out what I'm going to wear, of course. Actually, I just need to figure out my top half. Once my friend arrives with all of the clothes for her business I'm going to try on a bunch of jeans and the ones I decide to buy I'll wear tonight as a sort of walking advertisement. I'm super excited!

And I'm such a bone-head that when I planned this I didn't even realize I scheduled it for Good Friday. Guess that means I won't be going to Good Friday service this year. Oh well, I much prefer Easter morning service, anyway. :)

We did our "formal family dinner" last Sunday so for Easter Sunday we're having a casual BBQ at our house for friends that don't have any family in the area. It will be small and fun. The weather is supposed to be sunny at 72 so it will be perfect! I'm really looking forward to that, too! I think we'll even have to throw in an Easter egg hunt for us "kids". ;) Great, great weekend coming up here. :)

Think about the wonderful thing that God did for us that we are celebrating this weekend and have a HAPPY EASTER!!

To Dawdle or Not to Dawdle....

After my workout this morning I sat at my computer before making my way into the bedroom to jump into the shower. Not knowing how much time had gone by I did a little work... a little more work... glanced at the clock and realized with horror that I was supposed to be leaving the house in only THIRTY MINUTES! Gasp! As I sat staring at the clock hardly daring to believe that what it was telling me was true, it suddenly hit me - I am a dawdler!

Not always, mind you, but it seems that when I'm getting ready in the morning it really takes me a while. As in, an hour and half to two hours to walk out the door from the time I get in the shower. Yes, you read that right. It's not that I'm particularly slow moving it's just that I have so many things to do.

I like a nice shower to do all the necessary scrubbing, shaving, cleansing, etc. Then out to the fireplace in the bedroom to warm my cold, wet, self up while I towel dry my hair. Then, when I'm comfortably warmed, I can make my way back into the bathroom to start applying moisturizer to my face, running my comb through my hair, adding hair products to damp hair, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, and on and on and on until all is finished.

Mind you, I'm often going back and forth between my computer and the bathroom so I can send off e-mails to clients as I remember to, so my weekend "get ready routine" is much quicker. And trying to decide what to wear can also eat up a large chunk of time. Especially if I have to try different things on and experiment with different combinations. If I'm able to choose my outfit the night before then things the next morning are a lot smoother.

And, yes, I can go much faster if I really need to. Like this morning. It only took me 60 minutes instead of 90-120. Still, I think in general I could probably get ready a little faster than I do. Oh, and fortunately traffic was light so I wasn't even late. :)

P.S. I don't really know what's up with that picture - they just kind of looked like dawdlers to me. :)

President's Club

So, I'm on the sales team at my company and they have this thing called "President's Club" that takes place every May. Basically, if you meet or exceed your annual goals then the following May you are cordially invited by the President of the company to attend President's Club - a posh getaway full of relaxation, great food, spa treatments, you name it. All the fantastic things you could wish for.

So I exceeded my goals for 2008 so next month I'm going to President's Club!!!! Yippee!!!!!!! And the best part is all of my friends that I work also are going so we get to hang out together! Every year it's someplace different (last year they took us to Cabo - WAY fun!) and this year it's in sunny San Diego at an uber-fancy resort right on the beach! (I'm not saying which so none of you follow me). ;)

I already have my spa treatments booked and I am sooo excited that it's in a beautiful location, so of course I'll be bringing my big camera with me. Now I have to go shopping for at least one new bikini (maybe two), and figure out what cute sundresses I want to bring with me. Oh yeah, and party clothes, since we'll be going out probably every night!

Wine Tasting Passport Weekend

Saturday, April 4th

7:00am: Get up, throw on workout clothes, head to the gym.

8:30am: Get home, take off sweaty clothes, jump in shower.

10:00am: Hair is done, makeup on, supercute outfit all picked out.

10:30am: Get into car with hubby and head "up the hill".

11:15am: Arrive at first winery. Very hungry.

11:25am: (It's 12:00 somewhere, right?) Wine is good, as is the swiss cheese fondue. Roast beef not my favorite, especially since there is no sauce. And small portions = still very hungry.

12:00pm: Arrive at second winery. Very crowded (this is a good sign). LOTS of food! Thai Beef on Wontons w/ chili sauce, Butternut Squash Soup, Some Yummy Beef Thing, Braised Pork & Mushroom, many cheeses, sweet brownies. Mmmm! The wine and food pairings are excellent!

1:15pm: Arrive and third winery. Less crowded. Delicious salmon dish, tri-tip a little dry, SCRUMPTIOUS wild mushroom soup.

1:30pm: Go back for seconds on the soup.

1:45pm: Buy a case of futures (uh-oh, what have we done?? It is wonderful wine, though!).

2:00pm: Arrive at fourth winery. Proscuitto wrapped melon an odd combination but surprisingly tasty. Much bigger fan of the stuffed mushroom caps.

2:25pm: Wow, the jalapeno olive oil is just delicious and not a lot of heat! Thanks to hubby, must purchase!

2:45pm: Arrive at fifth winery. Whew, starting to get a little tired.

2:55pm: They have personal pot pies?! Must get one!

3:00pm: Eating delicious Thai Chicken pot pie outside in the sunshine.

3:45pm: Back at home.

4:00pm: On the couch asleep.

Needless to say it was a superfun day! After a revival from my little nap we did popcorn and movie night on our oh-so-comfy couches. *sigh* It was a perfect day. :)

Meaningful Mondays: Who are you?

"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do."
~Henry Ford

So do something, be someone! Many are big talkers saying they are going to do this or they're going to do that. Who you are is your choice, based on what you do and how you do it. And I think this quote is referring not just to the reputation of your character but also the reputation of your work.

So what does your reputation say about you? Does it say what you want it to say? Can you change it if it's not what you want???

Daffodil Hill

I know it was last weekend that I went here but I just now had a chance to write about it and add some pictures. My sister and I went to place about an hour from us called Daffodil Hill - it's a private property of about 4 acres of daffodils. So pretty! I got some fun pictures (nothing too exciting) and then after we'd walked through the entire property and I said, "That's it?" my sister and I decided it wasn't necessary to go there again for about 10 years. Yes, it was nice and I'm glad that we went but it was an awful long drive just for that. No, thank you. There are other places much closer that I'd rather go to.

At any rate, here are some pictures from the day:

I'm super excited because tomorrow my husband and I are going on a "Passport Weekend" wine tasting tour. A bunch of wineries in our area are participating and you pay one fee, get a glass and wristband, and then you get to go to all the wineries that are doing this. Normally wine tasting around here is free so, why pay for this weekend? Well for starters, each place is serving FOOD! All different kinds of yummy foods that I can't wait to try! You also get special discounts, tasting of their special reserve wines, etc. I don't care as much about that stuff as I do the food.

Our plan is to get to the first winery by 12:00, 12:30 so we can have "lunch", of course eat at every other place we go to in the afternoon, and then at our last stop, around 5:00, we'll have "dinner". So we're basically planning to eat, drink, and be merry all day long. Sounds great to me!!