First Giveaway...yay!

As promised, I have finally finalized the items for my First Giveaway for reaching 100 followers! I'm super excited to host this (and a little nervous as well!) and share some of my guilty pleasures with you all since that's my theme for the giveaway!

My guilty pleasures are very simple--If I need to spoil myself, it's going to be baking something yummy, reading something frivolous, cozying up with a good cup of "coffee" (have I told y'all I call hot cocoa coffee!?), buying a new accessory, or trying a new beauty product! And I've gathered up some of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures to share with you all!

So, without further ado...

All the loot...not including the canister of sugar or spice rack in the background...those are mine!

Cake Mix, Cupcake wrappers, Cupcake Book, & a journal (just because it's so darn cute!)

Ulta lip gloss, OPI nail polish, &  Bath & Body Works travel size lotion & body wash!

Antropologie mug (don't worry, this one is mine, the winner can tell me the initial they'd like!) Best mug ever! I checked their store this weekend and they have TONS of these mugs left in every letter (except for U...we'll cross that bridge if we come to it!)

Limited Earrings...my favorite place for jewelry!

My 2 favorite magazines, Glamour & Self, and a notepad, just for the heck of it!

Anyways, just a few simple steps to follow to enter this giveaway...

1. Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

2. Blog about this Giveaway (3 entries)

3. Leave a comment telling me 1 thing you'd like me to blog about (2 entries)

Please Leave 1 Comment for ALL of the possible entries! 

This Giveaway ends on Friday, and I'll announce the winner on Saturday! 

Have a great night, y'all!

Guest Post & Other Randomness!

Happy Monday folks! Before I get to what I'm really supposed to be posting about, I have to say, teaching doesn't pay jack squat much, but it certainly has some perks, like the fact that I got to wear my pj's to school today in honor of our school nurse who is retiring! Sooooo comfy and cozy!

And, I've been working on my giveaway for you lovelies, but you'll have to be patient for just one more day! Super excited about it!

You can find me guest posting today over at the adorable Aileen's Happy Little Southern Nest on my top 4 trends for Spring! Aileen is super cute, and you should definitely check out her blog!

Andddd I'm SO excited for the Bachelor tonight! I know some of y'all have given up on Ben, and I can't say that he's my favorite, but I love Kacie B. and him, so I can't give up just yet!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Hey Girl...for all my fellow teachers out there!

This post is dedicated to all of my teacher-bloggers out there! My friend, Amy, sent this link to me in the middle of grad class this past week, and it was definitely motivating...to say the least! Make sure you check out HeyGirlTeacher to get some more encouragement from sex-ay Mr. Gosling! Here are just a few of my favorites...

Happy sighhhhhhhhhh....

It's OK Thursday!

Can I just say thank goodness it's Thursday aka almost Friday!? It has been one of the LONGEST weeks of my life, and I need it to be the weekend ASAP!

Love me some Thursdays because I get to play along with Amber and Neely's "It's OK Thursday!"

It's OK that I yesterday I turned right to dash over to the mall for The Limited's 50% off 3-hour special when I should have been turning left to go return my overdue books to the library...what's another day late!?

It's OK that I have 6 Sunday newspapers still sitting untouched on our bar stools because I was supposed to start couponing...whoops!

It's OK that I took some nice chicken and veggies for lunch one day this week but decided to get Doritos from the snack machine instead...don't even ask!

It's OK that I already purchased Kyle's valentines, birthday, and anniversary card, as well as cards to cover Mother's and Father's Day, my parents' birthdays, and the weddings I'll be going to this year...it's called advance planning, peeps! More on the AWESOME website I used in another post!

It's OK that I suck at life and still haven't finished my book club book even though I've had it since December...I can't even get all my grad school stuff read, let alone a book I actually want to read!

It's OK that I'm now going to watch American Idol now that my waiter tonight told us he auditioned and "things looked good" for him! Like I needed another show to watch!

It's OK that I tried to make the bed before putting my contacts in this morning, and I thought it looked good through my blurry vision, and it really looked like a hot mess! Kyle totally laughed at it when he got home...apparently it's a task you need 20/20 vision for!

It's OK that I've already thought about which 10 people I'd take to the Super Bowl in case I win the Visa contest! Positive thinking, positive thinking!

It's OK that the back of my car looks like my closet exploded in it...who needs those extra 3-seats anyways! And, you never know, I might just need to wear 4 jackets one day!

Happy Thursday, friends!

I'm Just a Tad Bit Excited!

Oh.my.word. I am so excited! Take a look at this pic, and see if you just might be able to tell why....

100 followers! That is a BIG deal in my book, and I'm so excited to reach this blogging milestone! Like all of the other fabulous bloggers out there, I really put my heart and soul into this blog! Blogging has been such an amazing outlet for me, and I've connected with so many awesome girls!

In honor of reaching 100 followers, I'd like to share 100 reasons why I love blogging! Just playin y'all! Trust me, this brain is way too fried to even attempt that! How about if I just give y'all something instead!? I know a giveaway seems to be the "thing" to do when you reach some sort of milestone with your blog, and who am I to break that trend!? I've been wanting to host a giveaway for a while but wanted to wait for a special time to do it! So, stay tuned because this girl is going to be scheming up some goodies to share VERY soon! I'm thinking maybe a pink theme!? Or maybe "my favorite things"? Perhaps a "pamper yourself" theme...who knows!

And, I just want to say a HUGE thank you to all of my followers for all of your blog love and support! You girls are the best!

Small Town Wedding

Kyle and I had such an amazing time at the wedding of our friends, Stephen and Abigail, in good ole' Tarboro, NC this weekend! I've never been much of a "small town" person, but there is something to be said about the friendliness of the people and the genuine hospitality, so it was a nice getaway!

Abigail and Stephen! So cute!

 Stephen is the assistant priest for Kyle's dad (Episcopalian) and is like a 3rd son in their family! He's super cute and younger, and I think he's probably the reason for the increase in single ladies at their church! But, he found himself the sweetest girl ever, Abigail, and is no longer on the market after last night! Kyle and I have double-dated with them a few times and just love being with them! It was so special to get to share in their big day!

The Happy Couple! Don't even ask about the Gnome...it made it's way into a lot of pics last night!

They had the most amazing band from Atlanta play, so we definitely got our dance on! The food was delicious, the cake was gorgeous, and the venue was perfect! I just love weddings, and we had the best time with Kyle's family and their Wilmington friends!

Kyle & Me! Must Learn how to do my hair "fancy" for weddings!

Kyle & his fam!

We woke up this morning and had breakfast at a cute little place called Abrams' that was famous for their cheese biscuits! It was SO yummy, and the total bill for all 5 of us was $12...can't beat that!

Nom, nom, nom!!!

I'm SO not ready for the weekend to be over! Can't we just go to weddings every day instead of going to work!?

Yay for my first Guest Posting stint today! You can find me over at the super sweet dWa's blog, Prep in Your Step blogging about all the things I wish I'd known back in high school! Go check it out!

Happy Saturday, friends!

Finally Friday!

Whoa! This week has been super busy, and I can't seem to figure out why considering I had Monday off and a teacher-work day on Tuesday! I'll blame it on grad-school and the fact that it is taking over my life and making me one grouchy girl. Luckily, some teacher friends and I went out for "milk and cookies" (read: Adult Beverages) after school today, and it was just what the doctor ordered! And, the best part was that a parent of a former student of mine was at the same place and secretly slipped our waitress $20 to cover our drinks....how sweet is that!? I'm super excited for this weekend because Kyle and I have a wedding to go to Saturday night! And, big news...I'm doing my first ever guest post for dWa over at Prep in Your Step tomorrow! I'll definitely post a link! Happy Friday, y'all!

Sometimes, Always

Totally following Sarah and Crystal and jumping on the "Sometimes and Always" link-up train with Megan over at Mackey Madness!

Sometimes I think I have time to watch a little TV while I eat breakfast in the morning because I got ready quicker than I planned


Always I end up running way late!


Sometimes I tell myself I'm going to become a "domestic goddess" by learning to cook, iron, etc!


Always I convince myself there are better uses of my time!


Sometimes I wish I made as much money as some of my friends


Always I know deep down money can't buy happiness...look at The Real Housewives!



Sometimes I'll put veggies on my plate at a party to look like I'm eating healthy


Always I never eat them...ever! Must.stop.being.wasteful.


Sometimes I question the amount of TV shows I watch.


Always I find another to add to the list!


Sometimes I make a list that I vow to stick to when I go to Target


Always I end up buying random stuff from the dollar section that is not on said list!


Sometimes try to give myself a manicure


Always it ends up all over the place and looks 12 times worse than when I started!


Sometimes I ask Kyle for a quick back rub!


Always I beg for more time!


Sometimes I wish Tuesdays were really Fridays (like today!)


Always I remember I don't want to wish any day away!

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Where are we now, and where are we going?

On this Martin Luther King Day, I thought I'd take to my blog to share a few things that have been on my heart this week centering around this day. Can I just start by saying that hands down Dr. King is one of my top 5- most inspiration people, and I get chills (and massive amounts of tears) every time I listen to his "I Have a Dream" speech...this happens yearly because my students always break apart his speech and put it into "Kid-friendly" language!

This whole past week my students and I have been having some amazing conversations centering around Dr. King, the civil rights movement, race, and where we are today. I'm lucky to be in a profession that is so dedicated to equity and embracing diversity. I'm lucky to be in a profession where I am constantly exploring having those often uncomfortable but totally powerful conversations. I swear it's my favorite part of teaching. And, I love having those conversations with my students, too.  My students have such innocent hearts when it comes to all of this, but they also have some real questions that blow me away.  They're questions that they think about and wonder but are afraid to ask sometimes. I think it's SO important to talk about race directly with children so that they don't get the idea that race is taboo.

One of my favorite questions they ask is if racism still exists. They obviously know that we've come a long way since we all go to school together and can choose our seats on the bus. They know we have our first Black president. And I think on the surface, it seems like we're doing pretty good. Especially in their eyes. But, I also hear some of the things that they say that they've obviously picked up from their parents or family members, and it's the perfect reminder that we still have a long ways to go. And it's not just a Black-White thing, either. I hear some of the comments made about Hispanics and other races, sometimes from people I respect, and it breaks my heart. I think about my students that I teach and just want to shield them from this world that can be so cruel sometimes. I want my Jansens, Maritzas, Nias, and Adrians to grow up in a world that sees the beauty in difference...that knows we can't let one bad experience we've had with a person of a particular race define that whole race.

And what do I say to them when they ask me how it will ever stop. I say it takes bravery. It takes bravery to stop the close-minded attitudes from being passed down to the next generation. I say it takes people willing to realize that even the people they love and respect the most can be ignorant. It takes people willing to recognize when an attitude is wrong and not pass it down to their own children.

I say this to them, and I secretly pray that they will listen and take it to heart. After all, they are the future.

When You Turn Off the Light

Small as a peanut,
Big as a giant,
We're all the same size
When we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,
Poor as a mite,
We're all worth the same
When we turn off the light.

Red, black or orange
Yellow or white,
We all look the same
When we turn off the light.

So maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!

-- Shel Silverstein

3 Day Weekend...Yes, Please!

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone had an amazing weekend! Our weekend got off to a great start on Friday night with dinner and games with 3 other couples! Kyle and I have been trying to find some good "couples" friends for a while (we both have great sets of friends, just not a real "mixed" group of girls and guys), and we finally feel like we have that...such a blessing!

We snuck off to Wilmington on Saturday morning to help my brother celebrate his 27th birthday! His girlfriend, Kelly, and he had gone home for the weekend, and we were excited to join them for the festivities.  We had such an amazingly Southern birthday meal, complete with every kind of casserole you can imagine...delicious! Bryan enjoyed his gifts, and we had a great time playing games. I got to go to my old church on Sunday, which is always nice, and I had a great lunch with my old small group leader, Ms. Amanda at Flaming Amy's! It was such a nice weekend with loved ones!

The Birthday Boy! 

Dad's giving me the "I'm Watching You" signal! Silly man!

Proof that I got Bryan a present this year! He tried to claim I didn't last year and therefore, almost refused to get me one this year...we finally remembered that I did, in fact, get him a nice large NC State tumbler last year!

The Hubster & Me!

Bryan & Kelly! So cute!

And, of course, we had to be home in time for the Giants vs. Packers game because Kyle is a HUGE Giants fan. Luckily, they pulled off a nice win so that we could all enjoy a peaceful evening. Let's just all say a prayer now that they continue to win for the sanity of this household!

I am in a fabulous mood today, and it probably has to do with the fact that school is out tomorrow in honor of Martin Luther King day, AND there's a Teacher Workday on Tuesday. Having an extra day in the weekend really makes it SO much better! Now why haven't they considered that we'd probably all be in much better moods and much more productive if we could have a 3-day weekend every weekend!?

Hope it was a great one for y'all, too!

Tagged!

I've been seeing this whole "tagged" thingy all over the blog world this past week and got tagged by a few lovely ladies myself, so why not play along!? It's Friday, right...this girl has absolutely zero energy to think of anything great to write anyways!

So, thank you Tamara, Emma, Mackenzie, Cori, and anyone else who may have tagged me that I missed!

The Blogger Game:

The Rules

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4. Tag eleven people and link them on your post

5. Let them know you've tagged them!

11 Fun Facts!

1. I have never really been sledding in my entire life! I grew up on the coast and hardly ever saw snow...and if we got snow, you sure as heck can believe we didn't have a hill to sled down. But...I did get to go "fake" sledding at our school districts big Walk for Ed celebration!

2. The only time I've gotten pulled over by a cop was when I accidentally drove over a curb driving the mini-van for the kids I babysat! It was mortifying! I cried to the police officer...and to their mom! Luckily, I didn't get a ticket!

3. I met Kyle in middle school when he moved to Wilmington, and some girlfriends and I accidentally started a funny rumor about him that made his first few weeks there a little awkward! I swear there were no mean intentions...we weren't those girls. But I still feel bad about it!

4. I sometimes wish I had a sister (you know, to have someone to share clothes with and stuff!) but would never trade in the relationship I have with my mom because of the fact that it was just us 2 girls in the fam! We are SO close, and she's one of my best friends!

5. In college I totally sucked it up big time in Spanish! I accidentally told my professor (who was young and male) that I preferred to bathe him in front of the whole class!  The worst part was that he put the same question on our test and put a little smiley-wink face next to my correct answer!

6. I was a lil' rebel in 1st grade-- that was the year I snuck into class in the morning before school and erased my name from the board so I didn't have to have silent lunch, AND I sold a baseball that I had had my mom sign as Babe Ruth to a kid for $10!

7.  I have never died my hair or done anything to it at a salon other than get it cut and styled! But, I think about it all the time! I'd love to try going blonder or darker but get so scared!

8. I didn't grow up with a dog or pet of any kind. But, I've gotten way better with dogs over time, and even have talked with Kyle about getting one one day! I already know I want to name my first dog Enzo after the dog in The Art of Racing in the Rain!

9. I've been 5'2" since I was in 4th grade! I had 1 major growth spurt and just stopped. I went from being SO tall from 4-7th grade to being SO short!

10. I hate to stay home alone at night! I don't think I've done it at all since we moved into our house! You can call me a wimp...I'll back ya on that one!

11. I almost lost my bathing suit bottoms in the Charleston fountain (I was in high school, not really sure what we were thinking!)...it was a close call! Apparently when you cover one of the fountain water spitters, it causes more water pressure in the others...yikes!

Now,  I'm going to answer a few questions from each of these girls

Emma asked:

1. Where's your favorite place to shop?
*Hands down, 100% has to be Loft...I worked there all throughout college! It's perfect for teacher clothes and other fun clothes. They have great sales and good coupons! I'm a Loft girl at heart! Gap, Banana, and JCrew follow closely behind, and Anthropologie and Nordstroms would be on my list if I could afford them!

2. What's the first thing you notice about people?
*Their outfits! I'm always looking for ideas and inspiration!

3. What's your favorite color?
*Pink, apple green, and aqua!


Mackenzie asked:

4. Do you have your future children's names picked out?
*Yup! Pretty much been thinking about that since I was in high school! It's changed a bit, but I know I love the name Emerson for a girl!

5. What's your favorite part about where you live?
*It's within 10 minutes of 3 great cities! So many great restaurants and shops and great night lives!

6. What is your best memory?
*Driving away after our wedding reception! Kyle and I were just overcome with joy by all of the love that was shared that day!

Tamara asked:

7. Salty or sweet?
*Sweet, sweet, sweet! Love chocolate...it is my downfall!

8. Where is the furthest place you've been from home?
*France & Italy on our honeymoon! Can I go back right now, please!?

9. What is your proudest moment?
*I found out that I got 2 scholarships to college on the exact same day...it was such a great feeling because I worked my booty off in high school and wanted them so badly!

Cori asked:

10. Which is better, Facebook or Twitter?
*I guess I'd have to say FB but only because I don't use twitter personally! But I am totally about to start a Twitter account for my class so we can Tweet about what we're learning...so excited!

11. What is the one thing you do to de-stress?
*Cuddle with Kyle! Works like a charm!

And, I'm going to take the easy way out and "tag" anyone else who wants to do this! Why would I deny this pleasure from anyone!?

Happy Friday, folks!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Happy Hump Day Y'all! After this looooooonggg half of a week of teaching and starting back to grad school, I need to channel some positive energy, so I'm linking up with Jamie at This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I am loving...that we have a 3-day weekend coming up PLUS a teacher workday next Tuesday! My home and school lives are both hot messes right now, so I definitely can use a little mini-break already!

I am loving...that my sweet hubby made me brownies for when I got home from class last night! The boy can take a hint! And if you haven't tried the Trader Joe mix you totally should...delish!

I am loving...that The Bachelor is delivering its promised ridiculous drama and embarrassing girls (please don't judge NC based only on Blakely!).  It's cah-razy, but I love it! And how adorable is Kacie! I am totally rooting for her!

I am loving...that I won Amanda's giveaway from A Sweet Simple Southern Life for a My Memories digital scrap-booking software download! Super excited to try this!

I am loving...that it's finally time to really start planning all of my college bff, Beebs', wedding events! Her MOH is totally on it, and I can't wait till the first shower in March and Bachelorette weekend in May!

All the bridesmaids at the Engagement Party! Such a fun group of girls!

I am loving...how much neater our bedroom looks now that we've finally started making the bed! We both operated on the "what's the point in making the bed if we're just going to mess it up again that night"...until we actually tried it! It makes a huge difference!

I am loving...that TOMS is introducing their ballet flats for Spring! The TOMS I got for X-mas (and by got I mean received a picture of!) ended up being "oversold," so I'm just going to hold off for these cuties!

Friday is just two days away! We SO got this!

Birchbox & Blog Award

I was super excited to get my year-long subscription to Birchbox for Christmas! Kyle and I have started our stricter budget, so the thought of getting my little box of beauty goodies each month REALLY helps when I get that little temptation to go pick up a new lipgloss or try out a new lotion.

In case you're not familiar with Birchbox, how it works is like this:

1. You sign up for a subscription...you can do month-to-month, 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month!

2. You get your box each month with samples of different beauty/health products so you can try them out before breaking the bank on a product that you may or may not love. I also love that it comes with a little card that describes each product and what you'd use it for, AND Birchbox.com saves all the information about the boxes you've received for you to refer back to.

Adorable Pink Box!

All the goodies!

So excited to get a dry-shampoo...I've been wanting to try!

Always looking for a good eye-liner!

Love this lipgloss! Perfect for when you go out because it's so teeny and easily fits into your clutch!

Perfume!

dress tape...totally saving these for Beeb's wedding!

And, a lil' extra this month...energy boost drink mix!

3. If you want to purchase full-size portion after you've tried the sample, then you can buy through Birchbox, or just go to Sephora, Ulta, etc and pick it up yourself!

I got my first box in the beginning of January and loved it! I know that it's kind of a gamble each month to see if the products you get will be ones that you'll enjoy, but I'm thinking it will totally be worth it, especially after seeing this month's box!

Definitely worth checking out!

And, a big thanks to Monica over at Monica's Notebook for nominating my blog for the Liebster Blog Award!

This award is for bloggers who have less than 200 followers and are newer to the world of blogging and have a FANTABULOUS blog that needs a little noticing!!

Here is how to participate in this nomination/award giving fun!

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog

2. Link back to the blogger who awarded/nominated you

3. Copy and paste the blog award to your blog 

4. Reveal your top 5 blog picks!!

5. Drop by your top 5 picks and let them know you chose them by commenting on their blog!

Now it's my turn to nominate! I definitely wanted to highlight some blogs that I haven't received this award yet, or maybe they're like me and just forget to post the award buttons on their sidebars...either way, love, love, love these blogs!

1. Tamara from Ttimes3
Love her blog, read it daily...we have so much in common, including being NC girls and marrying our high school sweet-hearts!

2. Emma from Emma Lately
This is a newer blog I've found that I absolutely love! Super cute girl, super fun blog! 


3. Brianna from Adventures of the Southern Wife
Love my fellow-teacher blogs! Brianna is super sweet and also an NC blogger! Love!


4. Katy from Brown Eyed Girl
Katy was my Secret Santa from the Holly Jolly Xmas swap! Been a big fan of her blog ever since!


5. Brittney from Diary of a Southern Brunette
Just stumbled upon this blog and love it already! Gotta support my fellow Southern girls!


Ok, so what are you waiting for! Go check out these blogs! Happy Monday, friends!