Spicing Things Up in the Bedroom

So what do you think this post is about??
.....
If you thought 'decor' you are right?
...
You didn't? What were you thinking?
.....................
Dirty mind!


Anyway- I'm so over the decor in our bedroom. Like really over it. I would like new curtains and perhaps some new throw pillows as well. The first thing I really want to tackle, however, is the art over our bed.

Last year I created the above masterpiece before we moved in. I need something to fill the space, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money. They did their job for a year.

But now my taste has changed I see how dull they are ( I am a Lizzie in Progress, after all). Here are some of my inspirations.

First and foremost, I love love love the idea of having our initials over our headboard, ala John and Sherry from Young House Love

Ours would have to be on a much bigger scale because we have nearly 7 feet from the top of our headboard to the ceiling.

The Youngsters also have this great collage in their living room that I thought JEGs and I could incorporate over the bed instead..

I also found this great Beatles lyric from Rockett St. George

I think this could be an easy DIY project with some scrap wood, paint and a little polyurethane. We wouldn't have to use the same lyrics either- we could personalize a little more for ourselves!

I also really love Dusty's "I-Don't-Get-It" Guest Room:

She collected a bunch of mismatched frames, spray painted them, and hung them above the bed. This would be great, as I will be yard-sale scouting this weekend. Hm....

I'm also a fan of FC's sunburst

I'm sure a good trip to Home Goods would score me something very similar- but I'm not sure if it would be in my price range.

Finally, I really love this idea of painting swirls on the back wall that I found on HGTV

However, that's probably going to be a crapton of work, and this is only an apartment. I don't plan on being here next year.

So.. thoughts? Anything pop out at you as the perfect solution? Any ideas of your own?

Always & Forever (changing things up),

ME

six. seven. fourty-seven

Today is Mommacita's birthday.

Thank you for everything you do- for your support and love, for being there when I just need someone to vent to, for packing my lunch, helping me plan this wedding, paying for this wedding (he he), and for just being the best mother a girl could possibly have.

Happy birthday to my shopping buddy, my confidant, and most of all, my friend. I love you so much Momma.

Always & Forever,
Your LizzieBean

Fashion: WF ISO LBD

My friend Justin and his loooovely fiance Shannon, are getting married in July at Mulberry Art Studio on July 4th of this year. Adding that wedding in with the 758 other wedding we have to attend in the up coming year, I've decided to upgrade my Little Black Dress.

The first one I found was at David's Bridal (of all places):


I love how sleek, and modern it is, but it still has a little personality with the one shoulder neckline and bow detail. I thought it would look great with some simple diamond earrings and these fabulous shoes I found at Kohl's:

With both the shoes and the dress on sale, the entire outfit would come in just over $100.
The only problem is, the only size they have left is a 26. I wear a 6, that math is not going to add up.

So my search continued.

I started to scour ebay and found a couple good looks:


This dress is verrrry similar to the original dress and is only another $5 more. According to the website it is black, but it appears more of a gunmetal grey to me. Either way, I think I might be in lust.
The next dress is a little different

Still has the one shoulder look, but it's a little softer with the chiffon and the ruffles. I don't know if I could pull of hot pink shoes with this though-- those ruffles are kind of intense. I think this is a black pump and a statement bracelet kind of dress.

Finally, this little number is definitely gun metal grey
I love the fact that it isn't black and I really love the modified sweetheart neckline. I think the ruching is very interesting, but I wonder: can it stand the test of time like the first two dresses- or is this just a one trick pony?

What do we think? Dead ringer dress? Ruffle Explosion? Or Sassy Greek Goddess?
If you are feeling crazy, feel free to throw some other ideas my way!
Always & Forever,
ME

You Know You've Wedding Planning Too Long When...

...you have a 20 minute conversation with your mother about escort cards.
(right now the unmarried are going "what's an escort card?")

45 more days, folks!

Always & Forever,
ME

Resolutions: June Update

Can you believe it's time for the June 1st already? We are almost half way through the year!!

Anyway, it's time to update you all on my resolutions from the beginning of the year. In March I gave myself a C, so let's see how I did this month:

1. Get Married- still looking good. In fact, we picked up our marriage license last Friday!

2. Be On Time- I am actually really proud of myself because I have gotten a lot better. I had set the clock on my cell phone 15 minutes ahead to help keeps myself on time. Recently, I had to change it back because I was starting to arrive nearly 20 minutes early to everything! Don't get me wrong, I still have my slip ups now and then, but I have become much more responsible about my time management, and not leaving things till the last minute.

3. Weight Loss- For a while, I couldn't get past 123 pounds- no matter how much I tried! Finally, this past week, I broke through and hit 119! I feel really good, I'm eating better and I'm drinking A LOT more water. Now I just want to start toning up on my problem areas, namely the jiggly bits under my arms!

4. Make Money, Get PAYYYED- JEGs and I started our joint account in April. We had a little rough period- some bills were paid from the wrong account- but I think everything is on track. We have started a little savings, and (hopefully) when my car is paid off in August, we can add more to that savings!

5. My Pursuit of Happiness- I think what it really comes down to is that I haven't had any hobbies for a while. In the past I've had dance lessons, or cheerleading, or multiple jobs-- basically I'm someone that needs to be kept busy at all times. I think after the madness wedding is over, I am going to start taking a class of some sort.

I'm feeling pretty confident about giving myself a solid B in my progress report. I've still got a little room for improvement, but I'm doing much better since March.

So, how about you? Have you kept your resolutions? Or have they fallen by the wayside?

Always & Forever,
Moi.

Fabulous May

Another month has come and gone, so it's time to take a hot second to look back one what made it worth the 31 days we put into it...

L O S T: The Final Season.

I'm not sure if this falls under the category of "fabulous" but I think it's worth mentioning. I'm still on the fence about how I feel about the finale. I still have so many questions like: Where is Christian Shepherd's body? Why can't woman on the island have babies? Why was it so important that Claire raise Aaron? Who built that huge statue? Who was that in the cabin with Christian Shepherd? What was up with the pendulum, and how did it predict the island's movements? Wasn't Nadia Sayid's soul mate, not Shannon? Who was that black dude with the bald head working for? Who was shooting at Sawyer and the crew while they were time traveling in the row boat? How did Daniel leave the Island in the 70s? Why wasn't half the cast in the church at the end? Who finished the frozen wheel? Where did Jacob and the Smoke Monster's mother come from? Where did Jacob and the Smoke Monsters OTHER mother come from? How can it be purgatory, after the writers kept saying it wasn't purgatory? What a cop out!

*pant pant*

I get very exasperated just thinking about it. But something I DO know-- the Smoke Monster's name was Samuel. I'm sure you'll sleep better tonight.

Fresh Cut Grass

This is one of the BEST smells in the world and mmmmm.... it just makes me think of summer!

Philadelphia Flyers

I don't like hockey, and I'm not even going to pretend like I'm a fan of the Flyers. However, I am a fan of this fair city, and anytime the city gets pumped about something, that just makes me happy. Besides, you have to give it to those guys; they were huge underdogs when they entered the finals against the Boston Bruins- but baby, look at them now!

My Blogiversary

I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of my little blog. I have 46 followers, over 10,000 views, and according to my traffic report, over 70 people a day stop by for a peek. That's a heck of a jump from the 5 visits a week when I first started this! Hopefully, you'll all stick around-- I think there are even more exciting things coming in the next year!

Birthdays

Holy crap do we have a lot of birthdays this month. I've mentioned this before but between my family and friends and JEGs' family and friends (and a few co-workers), we have about 10 birthdays in the month of May. I like birthdays because it gives me a reason to drink , um... I love to celebrate the lives of other people, oh who are we kidding? I like a reason to drink.

Rock and roll, May. Thanks for producing some fabulous moments. We'll see you next year!

Always & Forever,

ME

Momma G's Fruit Salsa

With the holiday weekend on our hands, a lot of people will be attending BBQs and picnics galore. If you are one of those people and are stuck with what you are going to bring, fear not! I have the answer--Fruit Salsa.

Ingredients

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves (any flavor, but I really love orange marmalade)

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

Directions
1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (which is 175C for all you metric lovin' fools out there)
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.

4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.




5. Listen as people sing your praises and thank you for allowing them to experience heaven on their palette.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Always & Forever,
ME