pjr.

Season 8 started last night! AHHHHH!

It’s sitting on my DVR waiting till my bestie Julia gets home tomorrow night to watch it with me!

OMG I CAN’T WAIT!

design ditties.

There’s a few design ditties {yes, that’s my new name for them} I’ve been eyeing this week.
Reichel at Copy Cat Chic posted this ‘word rug’
It’s super girly, but I just love the feeling of it! Head over to her blog to see her cheaper find!

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I have completely fallen in love with this grasscloth wallpaper.

Actually this whole room!
Janell @ Isabella and Max has done a fantastic redecorating her house. I love her Style!

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Stripes are just an easy and inexpensive way to add something to a room. If I was having a baby, this design would SERIOUSLY be in the run!

Michelle at Second Street East has such great taste!
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I am L-O-V-ing this canvas! I think I might do this in my living room…

Question is….what do I write?
Thank you High-Heeled Foot in the Door for this inspiration!

new buddy.

This is my new BFF! I picked it up at B3 last week and am IN LOVE.

{Click on the picture for the link to buy it}

It has timers, a magnetic remote control, automatic time sync, radio capabilities, and charges your ipod/phone while it plays!

It’s has provided MUCH motivation to clean and cook around my place!

i die.

The new JCrew catalog landed itself in my mailbox yesterday and to quote the Fabulous Rachel Zoe….

“I DIE”

The pictures I’m about to show you don’t do justice to the catalog itself. Whoever styled the catalog shoot did a FREAKIN-FABULOUS job.

Here’s what I’m drooling over….

 

1. Solid Knit Thandie Blazer  2. Shimmer Tweed Ruby Jacket 3. Calf Hair Belt 4. Bettina Cami 5. Dot Chifffon Betsy Wrap Cami 6. Cashmere Tipped Cardigan

7. Drapey Hammered Silk Skirt 8. Luxe Tweed Ballet Flats 9. Besty Wrap Cami  10. Petal Stream Tank 11. Distressed Denim Belt

12. Cashmere V-neck Cardigan, Vintage Cotton V-neck Tee, Metallic Sequined Bell Skirt, Vintage Military Belt  13. Merino Coquette Sweater

14. Infinity Cardigan, Calista Cami, Crystal Stud Belt, Refined Silk-Cashmere Wrap 15. Sequin Bow Ballet Flats 16. Softspun Sunset Dress

17. Dream V-neck Sweater, Distressed Denim Belt, Metallic Sequined Bell Skirt 18. Silk Scallopa Cami, Metallic Sequined Bell Skirt

Obviously the prices are a out-of-my league, but a girl can lust!

30 years…that’s insane.

This past weekend I threw a party for my parents to celebrate their 30 years of marriage. They are a great example of commitment, obviously they’ve had their hard times but have gotten through them and have had some amazing times also.

I absolutely LOVE planning things. Parties, weddings, my weekly agenda…anything and everything! This was no different!

I had been planning this party for the past 4 months and it was a stressful process {Everything for me is stressful when it involves my parents…we’re just completely different people}. Especially Saturday. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong.  Here’s the run down.

• 9:30am – Left my house 30 minutes late to pick up the cake and cupcakes. The cake was not done correctly, but there wasn’t time to fix it so I just had to take a deep breath and go with the flow. It wasn’t the end of the world. (Don’t use
• 10:15am – This is the time I was supposed to be at the hair salon to have my bangs trimmed
• 10:30am – The time I actually arrived at the hair salon
• 10:58am – Realized I forgot the cupcake stands at home in Norman.
• 11:00am – Arrive at my parents; request a credit card to go to Hobby Lobby for supplies
• 11:40am – Return home only to realize I didn’t get enough black scrapbook paper
• 11:55am – Called brother to pick up scrapbook paper {this also required another 15 min conversation when he arrived at the store trying to explain where scrapbook paper was and that I just wanted PLAIN BLACK PAPER…..oh boys}
• 12:15pm – Mom and Dad decide to turn on the speaker system they just had installed last week while they’re working in the yard. Speakers decide to short out and OF COURSE the Geek Squad wouldn’t come fix it before the party.
• 1:30pm – Finally finish the cupcakes stands and was asked to make up the Pico de Gallo I had promised. {Finely Chopping a large onion, 10 tomatoes, 5 jalapenos, a bundle of cilantro, and squeezing a lime took FOREVER!}
• 1:55pm – Realize I forgot my dress hanging on the back of my front door. {Not so sure my Nike shorts and Tshirt are going to fit in at the party}
• 2:15pm – Start rolling out the tables and placing them in the yard. Make my cousin unfold 80 chairs and put on table clothes.
• 2:45pm – Beg my brother to drive to Norman to get my dress. {he happily obliged because it got him out of the tension filled house} He also picked up my best friend D to come to the party.
• 3:00pm – Start setting up all other aspects of the party, last minute moves of outdoor furniture, etc.
• 4:45pm – Showered
• 4:55pm – Brother arrives home with Ipod player, dress, and D
• 5:00pm – Caterer showed up
• 6:05pm – Finally dressed and ready. Started putting drinks on ice.
• 6:40pm – GIANT STORM CLOUDS ROLL IN. Temperature drops 10 degrees, check the radar and see an enormous line of storms. Major panic attack started now. {The whole party was outside}  Prayed for no rain as we lit all of the candles and set out all of the drinks.
• 7:00pm – We got the party Started!

The weather turned out great! The rain clouds never dropped an ounce of rain and brought the temperature down to the most comfortable degree for an outside party.

The turn out was fabulous! Way more people than my parents even expected!

Pictures of the night

The set up out back

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The Cake

 

There was dancing, kickboxing lessons, and reminiscing.

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The lady in the green dress was my 1st grade teacher. We have been great family friends since then, for 20 years! I still to this day can’t call her anything but Ms. Carr {her name now is Mrs. Wilson}.

This dog showed up when the party started and was still there the next day. We have NO idea who it belongs to, but he decided to catch a little dinner {a possum} and leave it on the front porch during the party. As someone went to scoop it up with a shovel, {because we thought it was dead} it jumped up and ran away as fast as possible. This equaled LOUD shrills throughout the party.

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There was also a slideshow that I made playing on the TV in the house as people walked in. If I can ever get it off my mom’s computer I’ll have to post it. It’s pretty hilarious considering they got married in 1980 and most of the pictures are from me “awkward years” {1996-2002}.

I have to say I’ve never seen my parents have such a great time {like ever}. They were so appreciated and so happy with all the people that came out to celebrate with them. My dad has called me every day since to thank me.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!

ww.

This weekend marked the last eventful weekends of the summer! It was a bitter sweet end to the summer festivities. I’m happy to have nothing else planned, but sad that I won’t see everyone as much.

FRIDAY night we hung out old school style and had a cookout with the Tinsley’s at Mike’s parents house {It was also Courtney’s birthday so we celebrated that too!}. It was so much fun to sit by the pool and have the guys cook/entertain us.

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Lane made all sorts of amazing dips and even some jalapeno poppers. “The Dude” {Evan, pictured above on the far left with Sally} made some great pepper burgers too. The guys were the only ones that swam and the last picture above is of Mike {finally after trying for 2 hours} landing on his back on to the raft. I miss nights like these!

 

SATUDAY was my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary party. I’m waiting on pictures from other people, because I of course didn’t think to take any myself until the very end of the night. I’ll do a full post on it later this week because it turned out better than I could have expected!

Here’s a sneak peak.

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how to.

I decided to be the great daughter that I am and help my mom out a little for the weekend. {she’s having quite a few house guests this weekend because of their 30th anniversary party}

She wanted to feed all of the Saturday helpers with some chips and dips throughout the day so I offered to make some Pico de Gallo…since I’m a pro at it now {ha}.

When D and I made it on Sunday, I cut up the onion. It was quite the mess. I am NOT good with a knife and onions are just always a disaster.

This morning I decided to look up how to cut an onion on Rachel Ray’s “How To” part of her magazine website.

This wonderful lady in red has taught me everything I need to know. I want to share it with you because SURELY I am not the only one who can’t figure out an easy way to cut and onion!

1. Trim the stem end, leaving the root end intact.

2. Stand the onion upright and cut in half, through the center of the root.

3. Peel the papery skin and top layer off each half of the onion.

4. Place the onion flat and, slicing from the cut end toward the root, make several cuts parallel to the counter, stopping just before the root end.  

5. Make thin vertical slices from the root end down. The wider the slice, the larger the chop will be.

6. Make thin slices parallel to the cut stem end, working toward the root; the chopped onion will fall away with each cut.

And just in case that didn’t help you out, the nice people at Everyday with Rachel Ray even have a video for you!

   How to Cut an Onion

I’m ready…..BRING ON THE TEARS!

on second thought.

D is having a garage sale in a few weeks and asked me if I had anything to contribute. I try to lead a “non-packrat” lifestyle, but as I’ve been thinking more about it, I’ve got a few items to throw in the pile.

I was browsing the Real Simple website today and came across this article, “Decorate on the Cheap with Everyday Items”. Here’s a few of the ideas I liked.

When entertaining, serve cocktails on an old picture frame. {You could even change the picture to match whatever party you’re throwing}

If you could find the perfect pattern, dish towels as placemats are a cheap alternative.

If you are like me and have ZERO storage in your bathroom, this is a modern way to store the TP. {Keeps guests from searching your cabinets when the roll runs out}

 

Love this idea! What a great way to add color and different textures to your room. According to David Bromstad your furniture should never be all the same finish; mixing metals with wood or glass or painted furniture makes your home feel lived in….right D?

 

These ideas are making me have second thoughts about what I put in the garage sale!

ikea.

LOVING THESE!

{Click on the picture for the link}

 {Different fabric for sure though}

{Painted too} 

I need a trip to IKEA!

most wanted best friend.

I absolutely LOVE Jeff Lewis.

LIKE LOVE HIM.

He is crazy OCD, neurotic, a MAJOR over-reactor, rude as can blatantly be, gay, and a fabulous dresser.

Basically I want to be his best friend!

And his new season of FLIPPING OUT starts on August 10th!!!!

It’s going to be a good one for sure!

two is through.

I finished Chelsea’s 2nd book much quicker than the first. {Thank you fabulous weather}

It was just as funny and easy to read as the first one. I’m pretty sure I got a few funny looks from neighbors over the last few weekends while reading this at the pool. There might have been a few moments when I burst out into laughter.

I started her last book on Saturday. So far pretty hilarious! I’m looking forward to a few more good laughs over the coming weeks.

I don’t know what I’m going to read after I finish Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. I still have Eat, Pray, Love sitting on my bookshelf. I received it for my birthday and read through about 100 pages before I put it down. I just could not get into it. But now that the movie is coming out {the previews look great}, I might give it a try again.

Any book suggestions for me? I like light-hearted, funny, girly books. I can’t handle the deep thinking, mystery, or hardcore romance novels, they’re just too serious for me and my pool reading.

ww.

What a weekend of celebration!

D got a job offer! We spent our FRIDAY night celebrating on the patio at The Mont, with some swirls and an order of chips and queso….really what is better?!

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As of SATURDAY night Hannah and Chuck are Mr. & Mrs. Morgan! {This marked the end of my wedding season} It was a beautiful ceremony and a fabulous reception filled with good “home cookin” food such as mac ‘n cheese, fried chicken and okra, grilled cheese, and sliders! Oh and can’t forget the candy bar! YUM

We finished the celebration at VZD’s on Western with some old high school friends. It was so good to see everyone and catch up!

{I only took a couple of pictures throughout the night}

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SUNDAY I recuperated by laying on the couch and hanging out with Danae. Cooking has seemed to be our weekend past time of late. We made one of Pioneer Woman’s “16 Minute Recipes” from last week, Beef and Bean Burritos. I’m not so sure we finished this meal in 16 minutes, but none the less it was quick, yummy, and satisfied our Mexican craving!

  We also whipped up some of PW’s Pico de Gallo. I have to say it’s quite fabulous. If you make it, be sure to clean the seeds out of the jalapenos. No matter what PW says, it is just WAY too spicy with them!

{Pictures are all from PW’s website}

last one.

Today is the day.

These two are finally tying the knot!

Hannah and I met in 7th grade and 14 years later we are still friends! Although we went to high school with Chuck and knew who he was, he didn't exactly know who we were seeing as he was 2 years older. They met again about 3 years back and started dating. It's been a fun road to this point and I am excited for the both of them!

Can't wait for tonight! Love ya'll both!

the open.

It’s one of the best weeks in all of golf, The British Open!

I’ve been watching the Open for 7 years now and it STILL completely strange to me to watch it in the morning! However, I love it!

Here’s a tribute to some of my favorites on the PGA tour….

Paul CaseyLuke Donald

Graeme McDowell Geoff Ogilvy

   and my absolute favorite {although he has no drive to actually win a major despite his amazing talent}

ADAM HOTT SCOTT

I’m pulling for Rory McIlroy to win it

He’s only 21 and from Northern Ireland. He shot a 63 yesterday tying the lowest round ever shot at a Major!

Oh I’m just so excited for Sunday!!

16 days.

So my BF Julia has the most adorable niece on the planet. Seriously I hope to have a child that is half as smart, fun, and beautiful as Sage!
Sage visits us at the office often and we always have fun coloring or playing  computer games. Since "{Auntie} Julia is coming home in 16 days we decided to make a chain link countdown! {Did you guys ever make these in school?}
{Sage writing the numbers on the pieces of paper}

The finished product. Before I snapped the pictures she said “This is my funny face”!

Love you Auntie Julia! We are SOOO excited you are coming home early!

fabulous.

In the last 24 hours…

I met Meggi & Joel who are in town from Utah, at The Mont for drinks. Joel had his first taste of Swirls….I’m pretty sure he liked them because he had 3 of them. Wonder how he felt during the movie they saw afterwards……

our trophy….

{always a must} 

I received this little piece of joy {for free too!} at the cake place while ordering a cake for my parents 30th Anniversary party!

{yes that is a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate covered strawberry on top…} 

This is my idea of fabulousness!

ending of an era.

Well, it ended. The Hills finally ended. I knew it would happen sooner than later after Lauren left, but I can't believe it actually happened!

I for sure thought the last episode ever would have been at least an hour! Oh well....

and what about that ending?  Kristen getting out of the car on set with Brody? Does that mean it was all fake?

Move on to the after show....

{btw the hosts are COMPLETELY obnoxious}

• Audrina and Justin Bobby: Hey J-B do you not get paid enough to buy pants that are long enough??  …And is that a gold front tooth?!

• Stephanie Pratt:   I have to say...you have grown so much over the seasons and I kind of ended up liking you.....{only a little}, but your new boyfriend is...woof!
• and woooow.....Roxy?! in Hills episodes? That girl is gettin around! By the way did you know her parents are Holly Harper {Patricia Wettig} and David Caplan {Ken Olin} from Brothers and Sisters?
• Holly Montag:   Oh girl you are a mess!
• Whitney:   You really are fabulous!
• LO:   You have and will always be my favorite!
• How bout that Spiedi montage? It's so crazy to think they were MOST of the drama on The Hills and they weren't there for the end of it. That would have been the BEST surprise ending!
• Kristin & Brody:   Screw Avril...I kind of like Brody and Kristin together.....
• Lauren:    Classy as always.

I can't believe its over......