number 95

i'm an idiot and deleted this post by accident

number 94

there’s a site that has recently gone viral on the interwebs that features several hilarious animated gifs. i seriously find myself laughing uncontrollably out loud at my desk (which defeats the purpose of me appearing to do work when in reality i'm surfing the net – so rare!) i wanted to share:
for example:

HOW I ALWAYS FEEL AFTER BRUNCH

and many more. ENJOY! <—click here!
and they already have a hokie copycat. so, i thought i'd take my own stab at it.

WHEN MY FRIENDS ARE COMING TO VISIT

I’m like…

EVERY DAY AROUND 2 O’CLOCK

I’m like…

ok ok. so maybe i shouldn’t quit my day job! hope everyone’s having a great day!

what’s your favorite internet sensation?

number 93

last night’s tv had my dvr bursting at the seams! first up, at 8 was the ACM awards with country music’s finest. this was quickly replaced by hbo’s season premier of game of thrones at 9 and followed up with a new episode of mad men at 10!

i got the most important part of the acm’s anyway – it led off with carrie underwood performing her new single, good girl. which was less than stellar. i rarely say this about a carrie performance, but honestly, other than her bangin’ outfit, i just wasn’t blown away.

however, in catching up with the photos and list of winners from last night, there were a few that definitely stood out for me:

1  |  2 

i've never been a huge taylor fan, but lately she seems to be really growing up and doing her ‘hands over mouth – i can’t believe i won’ gesture a little less. i've always liked her with straight hair which really polished off her mod glam look last night! she gets bessed dressed in my book. followed by jennifer nettles from sugarland as her runner-up. i LOVE this dress! can you believe i found this in a worst dressed slideshow on one site? crazy, i tell ya!

 3  |  4

i'm not going to say much about these two – you have a stylist for a reason, no? gross.

who were your hits and misses?

number 92

woo hoo! a full work week just makes the last day of it SO much sweeter. i've had a fabulous week, so i've decided to link up with lauren over at "from my grey desk" for her weekly high five for friday link partay!

1 | i'm starting to play golf (and i think i'm pretty good!) i grew up with my brother -- who played at the college level for a bit -- trying to teach me proper golf techniques only to find that i would spend the entirety of our lesson 'whiffing' the ball or to have it dribble a few feet in front of me. i purchased a $30 set of women's clubs last year at a yard sale with the intention of mastering the sport of a decent drive and maybe, if i'm lucky, be good at 1 sport in my entire life. the point of all this is that last saturday, andrew and i went to the driving range, for the first time with my yard sale clubs, and i was AWESOME! i was hitting drives longer than i ever have before! so tomorrow, we're taking my new found talent to the golf course. don't get excited - just 9 holes. i get cranky after 7...

2 | my brother (mentioned above) is moving to charlotte!!! i could not be more excited! he recently accepted a job in uptown charlotte, and i could not be more excited for him! i may or may not have been sending him obnoxious emails filled with craigslist apartment ads every day. what kind of big sister would i be if i didn't make sure he was taken care of? mom would be so proud!

3 | midwood smokehouse for dinner tonight!

4 | Easter is next weekend! i'm more excited than usual about this holiday because i gave up diet coke for lent. you can guess what beverage i'll be ordering for lunch after church!

5 | i start full time hours at my web design job on monday! since last may, i've been straddling 2 part-time jobs (and some singing on the weekends), and even though i'm sad to leave 1 behind, i'll be so happy to have a normal 9-5 schedule. plus, i love my job - which is so rare in these days!

head on over to lauren's blog and check out her sister, kate's, as well. both adorable gals!

happy weekend!

number 91

the past couple of months, andrew and i have been throwing around the idea of buying a house. more than that…we’ve been scouring the market every day, and our very patient realtor has been so sweet to show us any home we like! it’s been a really fun experience so far – not so fun when you see the asking price on some of these perfect homes, but that comes with the territory. here are a few of our “must haves” for home shopping. now, we’re well aware that we’ll have to compromise in one [or more] department, but just let me live my newly renovated bungalow dream for a little longer...

1  |   2  |  3  |  4  |  5

charlotte is bursting with quaint neighborhoods filled with cute houses and fun restaurants. we’ve gotten to know the areas pretty well and have narrowed down where we’d like our future home to lie. our current favorites: plaza midwood, dilworth, and chantilly. currently, we rent a condo in myers park – but for now, we just can’t hang with the half-mil price tag that comes along with a myers park home. when we find “the one” you can bet the news will be here first [or, lets be real…5th].

any advice for first-time home buyers?

number 90

you know when you read a great book, and the movie never lives up to your expectations? this is not one of those stories. i saw ‘the hunger games’ last night, and was pleasantly surprised! i feel like they stayed very true to the story that suzanne collins created. and they did an excellent job at showing just how twisted the capitol is – pictured perfectly in ceasar flickerman’s (stanley tucci’s) face above.
one thing is certain, it beats the hell out of twilight.

number 89

i didn’t really become a girly-girl until about 5 years ago. i wore makeup and did my hair (on occasion) in college, but pretty much stuck to my 3 pairs of american eagle jeans and oxford button-up polos. only lately have i developed an interest for accessories, designer apparel, and what i fondly refer to as “fancy” makeup. moving to charlotte and having instant access to a sephora or nordstrom could have been a fiscal nightmare (for andrew), but over the past year, i've slowly built up my makeup collection using quality brands, and believe it or not, my complexion is much better as a result! here are the items i use on a daily-weekly basis:

1  |  benefit – stay don’t stray – eyeshadow primer – i really like that a little of this goes a long way!

2  |  benefit – boi-ing – concealer

3  |  laura mercier – tinted moisturizer* – not too heavy for every day wear! and you can layer it if you want more coverage! love!

4  |  laura mercier – silk crème foundation – peach ivory – this is a new addition to my collection, much more coverage than the #3, i'm liking it so far!

5  |  bobbi brown – pressed powder – warm natural**


6  |  bobbi brown – sheer finish loose powder**


7  |  cover girl  - classic color blush – soft mink – oldie but a goodie!

8  |  urban decay -  naked eyeshadow palette* – perfection!

9  |  bobbi brown – long wear gel eyeliner – black

10  |  loreal – voluminous million lashes mascara – blackest black – this is just okay. I might step up my game and get a MAC mascara next time. any suggestions? i have tree stumps for eyelashes – the goal is LENGTH!

11  |  NYC – eyeliner pencil  - black – at $1 each, you can’t beat it!

12  |  bare escentuals – buxom lips – leslie*


*have to have, can’t live life without it! if you don’t have a naked palette, RUN and get one now! it’s the only eyeshadow i use, and i get compliments all.the.time.

**footnote: i don’t use pressed powder and loose powder in the same day. the compact is usually thrown in my purse!

i'm not going to waste my time putting up a makeup tutorial, because there are already so many awesome ones out there. sorry, i know you’re really looking forward to my smokey eye (because it’s awesome!) BUT, just wanted to let y’all know that i really love all of these products, and if you’re on the fence about building your “fancy” makeup collection – go for it! i wear most of these products every single day – and that’s more than can be said about the “designer” jeans that have replaced those old faithful AE’s!

number 88

y’all may remember my raves about these avocado grilled cheese sandwiches a while back. we've eaten them twice in the past week – with a few edits to the original:

the new (and improved) avocado grilled cheese is now combined with your traditional BLT sandwich. layer the following ingredients and toast on your panini press for a delish din:

your favorite bread (we had a french loaf on hand)
avacado
tomato
provolone cheese
bacon
pesto (optional)

SO quick and hardly any cleanup – which wins in my book! i served our sammies with a mixed green salad and some trader joe’s greek goddess dressing!

enjoy eating!

number 87

march madness has begun! i don't consider myself a real fan of any team, really, but when asked to join the bracket pool at work yesterday, i couldn't be the only one not picking! right? i had about 30 minutes to do some last-minute research before making my very important decisions in order to make this "winning" thing happen. now, at least i know that it's not about your favorite teams or who you want to win - it's all about odds and how to guess better than everyone else in the office. i think i'm on the right track. after the first day of games were played yesterday, i was in first place. unfortunately, since then, i've fallen to 5th. let's hope i can tread water for the rest of the night! what? you wanna see my picks? ok! (click the pic to enlarge)

i made several enemies in the office by picking kansas to win it all (kentucky and unc alum). oh well. must be tha money?

what do y'all think? am i way off?

number 86

to celebrate my return to the blogosphere [for the moment], i'm tagging along to participate in one of my favorite linky parties - what i’m loving wednesday.

i’ve been pretty sour this week because i’ve been home from work – sick with the sore throat/hacking cough/clogged up congestion crap, but i can still pick some good stuff out: my short but sweet list.

1  |  it’s no secret that i love my kitties. today, i love them extra. despite my recent illness, i made sure the kitties were at their annual checkup today, and both of them got A+ reports from the vet. annie loved on all the nurses and bangs…well, bangs hid in the corner. they meowed and howled all the way to the vet, but it’s worth it to make sure they’re healthy - considering they’re the only babies we’ll be having for a while.

2  |  spring has sprung in charlotte! i think the temp hit 88 degrees today. no joke [apparently summer is the new spring?] i can’t complain! i love that everything is in bloom – especially the tulip trees! picture via

3  |  i really love eyeliner. and lately, for a dramatic flair, i've been using the gel eyeliner. just the cheap kind, though – to make sure i like it. recently i bought the double set from bobbi brown, and i'm really excited to try out my new fancy makeup!

4  |  like everyone else, i'm loving that the premier of the hunger games was this week! although it won’t hit charlotte theatres until next friday, i very much enjoyed oohing and ahhing over jennifer lawrence and her gorgeous dress in pictures of premier that’s all over the interwebs! if you haven’t read the trilogy yet – go out and get it! it’s not groundbreaking literature, but it’s a quick and easy read you won’t regret later. picture via

and, as always, i'm loving my husband because he’s awesome!

number 85

so carrie released a new video last night, and i'm celebrating by getting back on the blogging bandwagon. i love how my blog looks right now, and want to make good use of it!
the first song off her 4th album (coming in may!), good girl is a fun, catchy tune that's played in my car at least 5 times everyday. i'm hoping to have an acoustic version for the sulkes band setlist in the next couple of weeks! click any of the images below to watch the new vid and enjoy carrie’s 7 wardrobe changes! that’s a lot of clothes for 3 minutes and 30 seconds, but girlfriend pulls it off perfectly.
my personal favorite is one i've dubbed “the girl next door”. it’s the most natural look, and one i think is the most “carrie”.

what's your favorite?

number 84

it’s saturday, you know what that means…

the best entrance in college football

enjoy! GO HOKIES!

number 83

COMING SOON:
christmas post! yay! preview: