Thursday, February 28, 2013

Weddings and the Single Girl (Not a Pity Post, I promise!)

Yesterday, I posted my recent Pinterest "for the home" favorites.  I mentioned that lately, I've been a pinning freak.  Anything and everything that strikes my fancy.  What I failed to mention was that my favorite board of all time is the one I've titled Saving For the Future.  If you've been around here for a while, you may have read my post about my thoughts on singleness.  If not, feel free to check it out here.  Despite the fact that I'm single and currently lacking prospects, that doesn't mean that I'm not emotionally, spiritually, and aesthetically (aesthetically, does that work??) preparing for my future wedding.  My Pinterest board is proof.  Well, at least in regard to the aesthetics.

The other day, while mindlessly searching around, I found a video that completely stopped me in my tracks.  This is probably my favorite pin of all time.  If you have a spare 4 minutes, check it out.  Take my word for it, it's totally worth it.








Good, right?  Talk about priorities!  This couple sought to honor Christ as the foundation of their relationship and wove such beautiful elements into their ceremony as a way to honor Him.  Wouldn't you just love to have been sitting in the audience for this?  I can't watch it without getting choked up in my pajamas at home.  I cannot even imagine what a blubbering mess I would have been if I were there.

Plus, how cute was it that the groomsmen and bridesmaids were barefoot for the ceremony.  I don't know if I could ever pull that off, but it sure worked for them!



Happy Thursday, friends!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Pinterest Around the House

Pinterest has become my best friend again, especially during my 25 minute lunch break.  I feel like I'm plenty sociable with my coworkers, but, during my brief lunch, I just need a bit of uninterrupted quiet time.  Which, of course, means that I scarf down a Lean Cuisine at my desk while perusing Pinterest for *must pin* items.

Lately, I've been pinning tons of "For the Home" ideas.  My hope this year is to actually purchase my first house.  Hope, not goal.  But, hope.  I'm praying like a mad woman about this huge decision.  It may work out.  It may not.  We shall see.  I'm planning to start getting serious when things settle down in the summer.  Until then, I'm pinning like crazy, anything and everything that gets my attention.  I would love to purchase a fixer-upper in an old, Spanish moss draped neighborhood, that I can make my own.  Basically, I will be renovating on a seriously fixed teacher's income, and I know a lot of this is probably out of the question.  Some of it , though, I might be able to modify and fix up in my own way. 

My ideas...






                                                                        Source: thehouseofsmiths.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                    Source: weekendattire.tumblr.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                               Source: tumblr.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                    Source: agentlewoman.tumblr.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                     Source: a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                               Source: houzz.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                          Source: thewillowshomeandgarden.blogspot.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                                Source: houzz.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                       Source: softsurroundings.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                  Source: sunshineandpearls.tumblr.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                     Source: alifesdesign.blogspot.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                         Source: washingtonlife.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                        Source: sweetpeachblog.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                   Source: hautemamasfaves.tumblr.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                       Source: fabuloushomeblog.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




                                                                              Source: google.com via Suzanne on Pinterest




I'd love to have you join me on Pinterest!  Happy Wednesday, friends!






Monday, February 25, 2013

Oysters & BB Guns (With Video)

My, oh my, what a weekend!  So much fun...

When a Saturday night unexpectedly ends like this, you know something has gone right.



I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, though.

On Friday, I got to see Warm Bodies with two of my favorite people.  I really had zero expectations going into the theater.  My sister saw it weeks ago and loved it, but we have totally different tastes in movies, so that opinion didn't hold much water.  I was so pleasantly surprised.  It was, hands down, one of the wittiest movies I've seen in a while.  Highly recommended!












On Saturday, my parents invited a few people over for an Oyster Roast. Growing up on the Gulf Coast, folks wait around all year for oyster season. My dad has always loved oysters, but my mom was never a fan, so I just didn't grow up eating them all the time. A few years ago at a Sunday School party, I tried my first oyster and was hooked. So, so good! I had literally been counting down the hours all last week until we got to Saturday. What was supposed to be a seafood dinner turned into an afternoon/evening oyster "graze." It was rainy and humid but perfect for a lazy day. Here are A LOT of images I snapped along the way. Get comfy...





















Again, this was just our afternoon.  For dinner, we had fried oysters, fried shrimp, jambalaya, and sides.  I'm still drooling over it!












After a few interesting dinner conversations/Youtube videos, we decided to head back to the porch, bake a few more oysters, and, of course, practice target shooting with Coke cans. In the dark.



 













And, dessert...


Yes, that's a Fruity Pebbles "rice krispy" treat



I'll leave you with this gem. Enjoy! ;)











I'm so excited to be linking up with Leeann for the first time for Monday Morning Gossip!



Thursday, February 21, 2013

Liebster Award

I got a surprise when I checked my comments on Tuesday.  Hannah from the awesome blog Han-Spirations nominated me for a Liebster Award!  Thanks again, girl!

The rules are pretty straight forward....

1.  List 11 facts about yourself.
2.  Answer the 11 questions given to you.
3.  Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.
4.  Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate.
5.  Go to each bloggers place to let them know about the award.
6.  Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.

Fun!


Ok, eleven facts....

1.  My name was supposed to be Samantha, not Suzanne.  My parents made a last minute change when they panicked over whether or not their daughter would want the nickname "Sam" (wouldn't have bothered me one bit).  So...they compromised, changed my first name to Suzanne, and made my initials SAM.

2.  I'm a floss freak.  It is one of my favorite routines.

3.  I'm addicted to white chocolate lattes from Starbucks.  Get them every single time.

I want a bedazzled cup.  What about you??


4.  I take my computer to my vanity every morning and watch Hulu while I get ready.

5.  I don't get the appeal of Twitter.  Can someone help a girl out??

6.  As a kid, I was allergic to apple juice.  Now, I eat an apple every morning for breakfast. :)

7.  I'm a people-pleaser.  Always have been.  If something happens between a friend and me, I feel the need to fix it ASAP, which often means I apologize (even if it isn't my fault).

8.  A lot of times it is my fault...

9.  I used to do gymnastics/cheerleading stunts with my sister in the yard (when my parents weren't looking), and I once dropped her from a standing position on my shoulders.  Completely knocked the breath out of her, and I thought I broke her.  Not a bone, but her.  Scariest two minutes of my life.

10.  I'm obsessed with using baskets for organization.  I'm looking around as I type this, and they're seriously everywhere.

11.  I have severe eye allergies to certain products, and, when I use them, I'll wake up with my eyes swollen shut.  Attractive...


Yes, those were completely random and unrelated, but those are the first things that popped in my head.  I probably should go to sleep...


Hannah's Questions...

1.  What is your worst habit?

Staying up too late every night.  Like right now (see above)...  I honestly wake up every morning and realize it was a bad idea...only to repeat again that night.

2.  What is your go-to store for clothes?

This is sorta lame, but my honest-to-goodness favorite store is The Loft.  I have friends that call it the "old lady store."  It was also given that oh-so-pleasant title in a recent movie, but I just don't care!  I love it. I also love boutiques, but I get almost all my clothes from The Loft.  They have some seriously great sales that go on throughout the year.  Sign up for the emails -- that's where it's at!

Loving this blue blazer!

3.  What is your favorite thing to have monogrammed?

Umm, everything!  I would monogram my dog, if it were legal.  My next planned monogram purchase will probably be bed sheets.  Why?  Because I can.

Some Christmas presents from friends and fam.

4.  What was your first job?

I guess I would have to say babysitting.  I started babysitting in the 7th grade (I think), and it pretty much consumed my life, right up through college.  Like EVERY weekend.  My dad also owns his own business, and I worked for him as a "gopher" in high school.

5.  Would you rather go out with friends or have a nice/calm night in?

Night in!  I'm such a homebody.  I go to the movies and/or dinner with friends just about every weekend, but my favorite thing to do is to stay home and bake in my pjs.  

6.  How long does it take you to get ready in the mornings?

Shower, breakfast, hair, and putting my face on- about an hour.  Just make-up and hair- about 25-30 minutes.  

7.  If you won a free trip for you and one other person, where would you go and who would you invite?

I would take my best friend, Nicole, to Charleston! 


8.  What do you do to relax?

I'm a bath person.  Love them.  Have you ever heard of LUSH?  It's this amazing bath/soap company, and I hoard their stuff whenever I can get my hands on it.  I know that Atlanta has several locations, and I just love them.



9.  If you have a smart phone then what is your favorite app?

Does Instagram count?  Either that or Words with Friends.  I know these aren't anything new, but I'm not a huge app person.  Most of my space is taken up by music.

10.  Beer, liquor, or wine?

Sweet tea, ha!  I'm really just not a drinker.

11.  What is your most prized possession?

In the last few years of my Granny's life, she decided to make afghan quilts for everyone she cared about the most.  I don't think I really understood how precious my blanket was when she gave it to me, but it means so much now.  If my house were on fire, it's the first material thing I'd reach for.


My Questions...

1.  Do you like scary movies?  If so, what's your favorite?
2.  Which do you prefer to read, fiction or nonfiction?
3.  Did you play any sports growing up?
4.  What's the best concert you've ever been to?
5.  Why did you decide to start blogging?
6.  Are you working in the job you thought you would be when you were in high school?
7.  Who is your favorite celebrity?
8.  Are you a good public speaker?
9.  What is your favorite place to vacation?
10.  What do you think is your biggest character flaw?
11.  What is your favorite recipe to make at home?


Nominations...

Ashley Nicole @ Horseshoes & Pearls
Tasha @ A Lott to Love

These ladies are wonderful and have excellent blogs!  Check them out!!


Wednesday, February 20, 2013

What I'm Loving



I have been great at keeping up with everyone else's blogs lately, but mine?  Not so much.  I've been feeling a bit under the weather since the end of last week, which has turned into a full-blown cold/sinus infection.  Something along those lines.  One of those not-bad-enough-to-take-off-work-but-miserable-enough-to-not-want-to-do-anything-when-I-get-home kinda colds.  Ya know...


Despite how I've been feeling, there are a few things I've been loving...


  • I've been loving the sweet V-Day gifts I got from precious 2nd graders.





  • LOVING:  The Southern Shirt Company- I have been drooling over this line for a while now and finally made an order at the beginning of this month.  Excellent, prompt delivery.  I loved everything so very much that I'm expecting order number two to arrive tomorrow afternoon. :)  (I'll show you what I picked up once I have it all in!)



  • Love that my best friend is getting an apartment of her own next week.  I couldn't be more happy for her!  I seriously can't wait to help decorate...






  • I'm loving that I finally got my Pinterest boards a bit more organized over the weekend.  Should I really be proud of this?




  • I'm crushing over every single pair of earrings that Kate Spade makes.  Case in point:




(I found all of these via Pinterest but couldn't find any on the Kate Spade website.  Guess they were from a different season.  Outlet, maybe??)

  • I'm also loving that the scale says I'm down 16 lbs. in 7 weeks.  Plenty more to go before I get to my goal, but it's a great start!

Happy Wednesday, friends!