The Perfect Catch

February Birchbox Review

2012-02-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

I jumped on the bandwagon and signed up for a Birchbox subscription. I couldn't resist at $10 a month! (I told myself I would eat out less at lunch to make for this cost)

My first Birchbox arrived yesterday...a nice little Valentine's gift. I also learned that not all Birchbox's each month are the same for every subscriber...there are several versions you can receive. Before I received my Birchbox, I read on The Stylish Housewife's blog about her February box and was excited to receive several of the items she did...specifically the teeth whitener and Dermalogica scrub. My box was totally different...but I was still very happy with my products.

A little happy waiting in your mailbox after a long day at work is so worth $10/month!

My box included:

- colorscience pro Glow and Go Travel Puff
Use these handy, powder-filled puffs to keep your skin shine-free and luminous while you're out on the town. Full size compact, $50

- Eye Rock Designer Liner
Stop wrestling with the liquid liner and achieve a perfect cat eye with these single-use stick-on liner strips. 2 packs of 4, $13

- Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Birchbox Pink
We teamed up with Jouer to create this custom fuchsia shade. Wear one coat for semi-sheer pigment or layer it for a bright pink pucker. Full size, $20 or Mid size, $8

- Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy
This scent will bring out your inner girly girl. Wild berries flirt with mandarin and soft floral notes to create a fragrance that's fun and happy. Full size, $69-$89

- Showstoppers Designer Fashion Tape
Celeb stylists swear by these double-sided tape strips, which will ensure that your attire stays perfectly in place. Full size, $9.99

- Digital Download of 6 free tunes from Green River Ordinance
An indie rock band poised to hit the spotlight.

My favorite item is the lipgloss. The color is beautiful and it isn't sticky at all. It feels more like chapstick or a creamy lipstick. I would purchase this item, especially since you can get the mid-size for $8. The fashion tape is great and will definitely get used on some summer tops and dresses I own. I like that they gave me both nude and black samples. The third favorite item is the Juicy perfume. I wore it today and really like it.

I can't wait to try the eyeliner stickers. Don't worry, I don't plan to rock them in public! Just for silly fun and it should make an excellent blog post.

If you don't know about Birchbox yet, sign up here. For $10/month, you will receive a monthly package that includes 4-5 beauty samples. The samples can be purchased through their website and you can earn points toward those purchases. You don't pay shipping and can cancel anytime.

Valentine's Decorating

2012-02-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

I have no idea why, but I got the decorating itch for Valentine's Day this year. I can't believe this "glass is half empty girl" has red and pink hearts in her living room and kitchen...hell just froze over.

If only that iPod was pink!

I found this free printable in multiple colors and just added a cheap 8x10 frame from Michael's. While I was picking up the frame, I found this "Be Mine" giant clothespin in the dollar bin! Jason and I have been having fun writing messages to each other everyday. I think I will leave this up all year, just not the pink version.

These jars are my favorite! Made by Ribbons & Rick Rack, these black jars can be decorated for any holiday. I have bows for Christmas, Valentine's Fourth of July, Halloween (all made by Ribbons & Rick Rack...the skies the limit! Note to self for next time though: do not fill with M&M's..although very cute and easy, you will eat a handful daily!

Because everyone needs a bowl filled with hearts on the kitchen table...

What are your Valentine's Day Plans?

I Heart Junior Mints

2012-02-12T20:23:00.001-08:00

I'm happy to report the new heart shaped, red filling junior mints taste just like the original. The same can not be said for the pastel Easter edition from last year.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Favorite Things

2012-02-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

I am in love with this mug from Anthropologie that I got for Christmas from Nicole! I'm enjoying a cup of afternoon coffee right now while catching up on blogging...perfect Saturday afternoon.

The Story of Us: Link Up with From Mrs. to Mama

2012-02-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

I'm linking up today with From Mrs. to Mama to answer the cute questions she posted on her blog in honor of Valentine's Day! Enjoy.

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

Jason and I will have been together for 5 years in just a few weeks on February 23. We get two fun days to celebrate in February!

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}
Jason and I met at the Houston Rodeo Cookoff. I was with my friend Sheryl and Jason was with his friends from Corsicana. After seeing each other from across the room, he walked over and introduced himself. We instantly hit it off. There was something about his smile that I immediately trusted and was drawn to. He called me the next day and we went on our first official date just a few days later.

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}
We have been married for 2.5 years. It has flown by!

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?
We were married on May 23, 2009 at Vargo's, a restaurant with the most amazing gardens (and peacocks) in Houston. Although this is a popular place for weddings, it was extra special to us because at the time we were engaged, I lived across the street so we often went for walks in the gardens to visit the peacocks. It was a medium sized wedding and it was everything we wanted: family, friends, good food, dancing, and peacocks!

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!
Besides the usual babe and baby that we often call each other, Jason calls me Beans and I call him Bobby. As I'm sitting here in bed typing this post, I have no idea why we started calling each other these names. Jason can't remember either...how sad is that! I don't care though. I love our silly names. We both love to be silly and can make each other laugh like no one else can!

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
His heart, his humor and his integrity. I could go on and on though.

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?
Jason proposed on the beach in Matagorda where we often go on the weekends in the summer. It was just us, on a walk in the afternoon, my favorite thing to do! Afterwards we celebrated at dinner with my mom and step-dad who were in on it the whole weekend!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?
I'm so spoiled! Jason does it all! He sent me "just because" flowers just the other day. We both do a good job of taking time out of our busy life to celebrate anniversaries and milestones with each other.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?
BOTH! Let's have a sunset dinner on the beach followed by a movie on the couch.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
There are so many things that I hope Jason and I get to do in the future. Although we have already traveled a lot, both together and on our own, I would love to visit Europe with Jason. We have both been there, but not together.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.
Not sure. We will probably splurge on an extra special dinner!

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?
No. Since we are thinking about buying a house and moving soon, that is present enough. We actually don't normally do much in the way of Valentine's gifts. Instead we celebrate our "meeting" anniversary just a week later.

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
Communicate - Communicate - Communicate...and Laugh!

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.
Being able to be your absolute self with your partner. However stupid that is.

Book Giveaway Winner

2012-02-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Ashley! You won a copy of MWF Seeking BFF. I'll send you an email to get your mailing address. Hope you enjoy!

...Thanks to everyone who entered the contest! Hope you are having a great week.

King of the Castle

2012-02-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

Tucker is so spoiled. He even plays with my iPad and watches TV. Pathetic.

Smash

2012-02-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

Who watched Smash last night?

I did and loved it. Add yet another one to my growing DVR list!

Mondays @ 10/9C on NBC if you want to catch it.

Weekend Recap

2012-02-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

Boy did we have a packed weekend! Friends, family and football fun.

Friday
All of the junior league girls and hubbies (minus mine who was working, boo) celebrated Erin's birthday with dinner at The Capitol at St. Germain. The atmosphere was so cool...way too hip for me, and the food was WONDERFUL! Happy Birthday Erin!!! What a fun night.

One of my fave pictures of Birthday Girl Erin at her baby shower a few weeks ago. Looks like a natural mother to me!

Saturday - Round One
My step-sister Nicole is getting married in March, so we hosted a bridal shower for her! We went with a pink and brown theme and ate lots of Crave Cupcakes. The "Celebrity Engagement Ring" game I created was a hit too!

Saturday - Round Two
After getting my second wind and "westerning it up" Jason and I headed to the Houston Farm and Ranch Club for a fundraiser that Jason's hotel was involved with. We were hosting clients, so technically it was a work event, but it was so much fun. We truly enjoyed the company of everyone at our table and who can beat an intimate concert with Pat Green!

Touching the stage!

This puppy was up for auction! I wanted him, but Jason said no. Probably for the best since he ended up going for $8,000!

Sunday
Lots of cleaning and a little bit of resting followed by a Super Bowl Party at a friend's house.

I ate way too much ~~food~~ cake this weekend and need to rehab!
Friday = birthday cake
Saturday = cupcakes at shower and cake balls at fundraiser
Sunday = cake balls at super bowl party

You can start calling me Marie Antoinette...Let Them Eat Cake!

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway HERE (or just scroll to the post below). I'm drawing a winner tomorrow evening!

Book Review + Giveaway

2012-02-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche. The author is a MWF (married white female) who after moving to Chicago with her husband, realizes that she is lacking in the friend department and feels a major void in her otherwise happy life. She isn't some introverted, friendless loser. She has best friends from her hometown in New York plus work and other casual acquaintances, just no one to call on for an afternoon pedicure or go-to shopping buddy.

She challenged herself to go on 52 "girl dates" in one year in hopes of finding a few women to fill this void.

I found the book hilarious...she is very honest and self-deprecating. The book has a great mix of facts about friendship and how it affects the modern day woman, marriage stories (she was in her first year of marriage at the time of this friend experiment, and all the details - the good, the bad and the ugly - of her 52 girl dates. Even though it's non-fiction, the book reads like your favorite fictional chick-lit book.

I could definitely relate at times. Even though I live in the city where I grew up, I've lost touch with childhood friends and don't live close to most of my college friends. It's hard making good girlfriends!

Luckily, I haven't had to go as far as the author Rachel did (at one point she even paid an online matching service for girlfriends and tried girlfriend speed dating). Last year I did a lot of "friending". Going outside of my comfort zone in hopes of making some new connections. I struck gold with the people that I've met along the way and am so appreciative.

In the spirit of making new friends and appreciating our existing girlfriend relationships, I want to giveaway a copy of MWF Seeking BFF. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment saying hi and if you want, add where you have met your closest girlfriends! Don't forget to include your email address so I can contact you if you win! I will pull a winner a week from today on Wednesday, 2/7!

(Your odds of winning should be really good on this little blog, lol)

Friends I've met by getting involved in my sororities local alumni club

Ladies I met while volunteering at the Junior League last year

Ashley, my co-worker turned BFF

Jenni, another ex-co-worker, turned friend (and wife to my husband's BFF)

Lauryn, high school friend turned college roomate, turned long-distance friend, and now back to local friend!

And last but not least, my mom, Shelley, who will always be my BFF and best shopping buddy out there (she also wears the hats of wedding planner, wardrobe consultant, problem solver, and interior decorator just to name a few)

Goodreads Book Challenge

2012-01-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

Last year I challenged myself to read 25 books and I met it (barely) so for 2012 I have set a goal of 35 books! You can follow me and read my reviews on Goodreads and set a goal for yourself too. I only have 3 friends on Goodreads so if you join, friend me...how desperate do I sound?

If you aren't familiar with Goodreads, it's a social networking site for book lovers. Once you join you can track what you have read, share your reviews and find new books to read based on your interests or past book loves.

Next up for me is Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Sale Alert

2012-01-29T21:45:00.000-08:00

Macy's is having a great home sale right now through February 15. Some of the deals that caught my eye are Buy 1 5-Piece Place Setting (certain fine and casual china patterns) and Get 1 Free...plus an extra 15% off using the code BEHOME at checkout.

This is the perfect opportunity to complete your pattern or spice up your kitchen with something new.

Also, certain flatware sets are Buy 3, Get 1 Free and Receive a Free Flatware Storage Box too. (Valued at $85.00).

PLUS, free standard shipping on all orders.

And, if those deals aren't good enough for ya, Ebates offers 6% cash back on purchases from Macys.com. I'm getting a substantial check from Ebates this month from my Macy's home purchase and all of my Christmas purchases! Join Ebates now to earn cash back on all of your online purchases. Deals, deals, deals.

Weekend Recap

2012-01-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

FridayThe Civil Wars with opening act, The Staves, were sooooo wonderful! Besides just flat out being a great show, it was also nice to see them at the Wortham and be able to sit in a cozy seat with a glass of wine. Such a great night!

Saturday
Lazy morning, lots of coffee and reading, and house hunting followed by a long dinner at Coal Vines, a new wine bar and restaurant in Sugar Land (locations also in Austin, Dallas and South Lake). I highly recommend it and if you go, trust me and order the Seafood Risotto Cake for an appetizer.

Sunday
Jason got up way too early, and woke me up in the process, to go duck hunting. I spent the day with the girls visiting Sarah and Baby Owen! Sarah missed the baby shower we threw for her and our other pregger friends because Owen decided to come early, so we brought the shower to her! Crave Cupcakes included.

Happy Wednesday...anyone else as excited about Wednesday nights as I am because it's, as we call it our house, "REVENGE NIGHT"!!!!

Calling all Houston-Area Residents

2012-01-25T09:59:00.000-08:00

Jason and I are starting to look at buying a home (right now we are renting inside the loop) and would love suggestions on where to look! We are considering Sugar Land for proximity to jobs and the city...if you know anything about this area, neighborhood suggestions or areas to avoid would be so helpful and appreciated!
Family-friendly, good schools, and closeness to the city are all requirements. I would love to be in a neighborhood with other people who are our age with young families.

Any other home buying tips would be greatly appreciated too. Stay safe today in this rain if you are getting it!

Excited

2012-01-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

Seeing The Civil Wars Tonight at Cullen Theatre!

Recipe: Sea Scallops and Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

From Peace Meals, by the Junior League of HoustonServes 4

I've made this recipe twice and it's is so good! Jason loves it too. Very impressive for a dinner party, but ridiculously quick and easy.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided (I used way more than that)
- 1 pound sea scallops (about 8 large scallops equals one pound). When I made this for 4 people I bought about 1.5 pounds of scallops, but kept all other ingredients the same.
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 cups cherry, grape or cherub tomatoes, halved
- 2/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh basil chiffonade

Directions:
1. Cook the orzo according to package directions.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high.
3. Sprinkle half of the salt and half of the pepper evenly over the scallops.
4. Add the scallops to the skillet and saute for 3 minutes each side or until done. Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside.
5. Drain excess liquid from the pan and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
6. Add the onions, garlic and red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
7. Stir in the pasta and scallops and continue to cook for 1 minute or until heated through.
8. Remove from heat, season with remaining salt, pepper, and stir in the tomatoes, cheese and basil.

Perfect meal all by itself, in my opinion!

Weekend Recap

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Can't believe it's already Monday again! Why do weekends go by so fast?

Friday
After work, Jason and I met up for dinner at the Galleria. After we ate, we stumbled upon a live auction at a furniture store that was going out of business. It was so fun! We bid on a few things, but didn't win. Free open bar and lots to see. Only about 25 people there so odds were great to get a good deal. I'm talking couches for $100, poker tables for $200, huge rugs for $150, lamps for $25...so many good deals! I had to sit on my hands not to bid on the life size peacocks.

Saturday
I co-hosted a baby shower with my Junior League "Tea Room" gals. Originally, the shower was for three of our expectant mommies, but one of them had her baby early! We had the best time celebrating Baby Olivia and Baby Caroline. Full post coming later this week, but here is a pic of all the hostesses!

After shower prep, showering and clean-up, I was pooped! I came home and finally watched The Help, while Jason watched football. One of the best movies I've seen in a very long time.

Sunday
Jason and I geared up for the Texans game by grocery shopping early. We ate good on Sunday and watched TV all day! For the Texans game, Jason made Quail Nachos, which were amazing (he went quail hunting a few weeks ago) and for the Golden Globes, I made Sea Scallops and Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes. This recipe is so yummy and very easy. I will post this recipe later this week OR if you own Peace Meals by the Junior League Houston, it's on page 134.

Busy week up ahead including re-introducing myself to the gym. Hope Monday treats you well!

Chelsea

Favorite Things

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Since it's a new year, I've been trying to organize everything! My closest, my drawers, my pantry. My bestie, Ashley gave me this CUTE Farmer's Egg Crate from Anthropologie for Christmas. Although I think it so cute to hold eggs in your refrigerator (and may purchase another for that) I needed another organizer for my earrings, so voila...

This makes me happy every time I open my drawer and choose which earrings to wear. Thanks Ashel!!!

Birchbox Anyone?

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Has anyone signed up for Birchbox.com yet? For $10 a month (free shipping), Birchbox sends you 4-5 samples of various beauty products to try. As a member you also earn points which can be used to buy these products and hundreds of others on their site. Membership can be cancelled anytime.

Samples in your monthly box can include nail polish, perfume, lipstick, mascara, brushes, hair products, and luxury chocolates. I'm not a member yet so I can't say if the samples are worth $10, but how fun to anticipate a box of goodies every month!

Hello Dollies

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Easiest recipe ever! This is a family staple during the holidays. Quick, easy and everyone loves it! I made about 6 batches of these throughout December for cookie exchanges, co-worker and client gifts. I found some cute (and VERY cheap) treat boxes from Hobby Lobby (below) that I used for delivering. I also put some in clear bags, with an Erin Condren personalized gift label, and cute ribbon for a nice gift too.

Oh, and we have no idea where the name came from!

Ingredients:

- 1 stick of butter or margarine

- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs

- 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

- 6 oz. butterscotch chips

- 1 cup chopped pecans

- 1 cup shredded coconut

- 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut up margarine in 9 x 13 baking pan and place in oven to melt (or melt butter in microwave and pour into pan). Spread graham cracker crumbs evenly in pan. Layer the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, pecans and coconut. Pour condensed milk over the top. Not necessary to spread, it will melt all together. Bake for 30 minutes until coconut is slightly brown. Cool and cut into bars.

Meet Pete

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

I found Pete the Peacock at a Bucee's Stop on the way to Corsicana. He was a must-have! If you are a loyal blog follower, you know I am obsessed with all things peacock. Pete now resides in my Peacock inspired office!

Giveaway Shout-Out

2012-01-09T18:47:00.000-08:00

Whitney from The Glamorous Life of a Housewife is doing a fun giveaway on her blog! Enter to win these super cute Anthropologie Milk Bottle Measuring Cups. You have until Wednesday. And if you win, you should give it to me...j/k.

P.S. Today was the Monday from hell. Anyone want to try and top it? After spending two hours waiting to film a segment for one of our companies it got rescheduled, then the Houston flooding stranded my car so I was stuck in said TV studio, Jason came to pick me up (highlight) but then when driving me back to my car that afternoon, I broke me pepper spray and it accidentally went off inside the car...burning sensation in lungs!!!

Weekend Recap

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Lazy weekend...woo hoo!
Friday night wasn't lazy for me. I volunteered at the Children's Museum of Houston for an overnight lock-in with 4th grade girls. Not much sleep, but lots of fun. Go team Choo-Choo!

Saturday morning I left the museum around 8am and headed home. After lots of coffee, Jason and I went to the Galleria so I could buy a little splurge for myself with all of the Visa gift cards I got for Christmas. We ate an awesome lunch at Cheesecake Factory and then headed home to get ready for the big Texans game. I don't even like football, but this was the first time ever that the Texans were in a play-off game so I got into it. We all wore our Texans gear, including Tucker and it worked...they won! We stayed in that night and watched a horror movie, our fave!

Go Texans!

Sunday we slept in...my favorite thing ever! We went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to buy new towels with the gift card my mom gave us for Christmas...much needed so thank you mommy!!!!!!! More errands and laundry followed by an early evening movie, The Devil Inside. If you like scary, exorcism movies, this is a good one. It had lots of cringe-worthy scenes.

Soapbox of the day: Jason and I get so ANGRY when we see little kids at movies that are not kid-friendly! Are parents that selfish? Can they not find a different movie or pay a babysitter if they just can't wait? Jason and I are huge horror fans, but sometimes even the movies we see are too much for us. I can't begin to imagine, what it's like to see it through a child's eyes. Shame on the people who think this is okay.

Our "Family of 3" Christmas

2012-01-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

Jason and I celebrated our Christmas with each other the afternoon of Christmas Eve, before all of the Christmas Day craziness began! It was nice to not be rushed and actually enjoy it. We definitely spoiled each other this year with things on our wishlist and fun little surprises!

A few of the things I got Jason:

A new briefcase and new luggage

Jason did so awesome on me! He saw this blog post and got me a Tory Burch bag I wanted, but then he went creative on me and found a Coach bracelet that matched the bag. He picked it out all on his own and I LOVE it!!!!

Tucker was a good boy too and got a Texans tee and treats:

Christmas 2011 Recap

2012-01-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

I meant to do multiple Christmas posts chronicling all of the events that Jason and I attended during December, but since we are already into January, it's going to be one, big photo dump. We had a wonderful December visiting all of our many families! We are so lucky and spoiled!!!

Christmas in Arlington - 12/17/11
We traveled to Arlington for the weekend to celebrate Christmas with Jason's dad and his side of the family. We had a great time seeing everyone, eating turkey and dressing and opening gifts!

Dinner at the Purifoys - 12/21/11
I didn't take any pics from this night, but J and I hosted my Grandma who was in from Arkansas along with my Dad, stepmom, step-sisters, brother and every one's significant others to our place for food and drinks. It was fun and the best part was having my grandma see where we live.

Tacky Sweater & Enchilada Night - 12/23/11
My grandma is famous for her chicken enchiladas so it's a tradition that she make them for everyone each time she visits Houston. All of us "kids" decided to turn "Enchilada Night" into "Tacky Sweater night". Somehow we decided that next year would be Enchilada "Hawaiian" Night Thanks to Jenn, Jason and I ran to Walmart for some tacky turtlenecks...I thought we did pretty good for having only a day's notice. Even Tucker dressed up!

All of the "kids": Me, J, Nicole, Geoffrey, Jessica, Emory, Amanda, Carter

J, Grandma, Me and Tucker

Christmas Eve
It's become a fun tradition the past few years, to attend Christmas Eve mass with my mom and LE at their church, followed by dinner at our fave Chinese food restaurant. It was so much fun and this year we even had a really cold Christmas!

J, Me, Mom, LE

Christmas Day
This year Jason and I celebrated Christmas day in Houston (we rotate between families) so we had a LONG day, but who can complain, when we got to spend it visiting family, eating, and opening gifts.

Dad's House at 9am for Breakfast Pizza and gifts:

J, Me, Karin, Dad, Gradma, Carter

Jessica, Nicole, Me, Carter

Aunt Vicki & Uncle Jack's place for lunch at noon:

LE, Mom, Carter, Me, J

My Grammy, Vic and cousin Jake

Back to Mom and LE's House with LE's side of the family for dinner at 6pm. We ran out of time that day to do gifts with my mom and LE, but no worries, we had a sleep over at their house and continued the present-fun the next morning. I must have been worn out because I didn't take an pictures of these events.

Christmas in Corsicana - 12/31/11
We spent New Year's Eve in Jason's hometown to celebrate Christmas with his mom's side of the family.

Me, Nannie, J, Uncle John

Warrior Dash

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Someone invaded my body in November and signed me and Jason up for Warrior Dash this upcoming March. Warrior Dash is a "mud-crawling, fire-leaping, extreme 5k run from hell. Warriors conquer extreme obstacles, push their limits and celebrate with music, beer and Warrior helmets."

What was I thinking? I know a 5k isn't very far, but I hate running! All kidding aside, I'm actually looking forward it (and a little scared). At least I will have my husband by my side to push me. It's also given me a little extra push at the gym too!

Have I Been Living Under a Rock?

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Why did I just now discover Kendra Scott? As soon as I went to her website, I realized that I've been seeing this jewelry on everyone...friends, bloggers, celebrities. Even some pieces that I just picked up at Francesca's seem to be Kendra Scott knockoffs!

I would have certainly added these puppies to my Christmas List...Valentine's Day/Anniversary in February, Jason?

Kendra Scott "Danielle" earrings in Turquoise

Michelle Trachtenberg sporting these earrings

Anyone else late to discover or are already on the Kendra Scott bandwagon? If so, what's your fave piece?

2011 in Review

2012-01-05T12:22:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful time ringing in the new year. Our weekend was spent in Jason's hometown so we could celebrate Christmas with his mom's side of the family. I'm still behind on posting about our Christmas...maybe I will have all of those posts wrapped up by February.

Last year was our year of change, this year was our year of stability. We both felt more settled in our jobs, home, marriage and just felt happy. Life is certainly not perfect, but 2011 was a great year. Even in our busiest times, we tried to find time for each other and appreciate the little things in life. Does this mean that 2012 will be another year of change??? Guess we will just have to wait and see!

2011 Recap:

# of weddings: 1
# of funerals: 0

# of baby showers: 3 (you can tell what phase of life we are in!)
Jennifer's Shower: January
Cory and Amy's Couples Shower: April
Lindsey's Shower: November

# of Trips: 5 (plus countless weekend trips to Matagorda)
New Orleans: January
Fredericksburg: July and August
Las Vegas: October
San Antonio: October

# of Concerts: 8 (9 if Kings of Leon wouldn't have cancelled!)

Best Concert of the Year: The Avett Brothers at Verizon
Second place goes to the free Kings of Leon show in March (the non-cancelled one) at Discovery Green park for the NCAA Final Four.

# of Books Read: 25

Best Book: The Hunger Games series

Biggest Accomplishments: Jason's two biggest accomplishments in 2011 were finishing up his term as President of MPI and winning the 2011 Sales & Marketing Award for the Travel and Lodging Association. Several big accomplishments this year for me were losing and keeping weight off and completing my provisional year in the Junior League of Houston. We also were able to celebrate Jason's hotel having a successful opening in the spring and a work promotion for me also this past spring.

Looking forward to...
We have tons to look forward to in 2012, but some big things that come to mind are:
- Several baby showers in January
- 5 Year (Dating) Anniversary in February
- Warrior Dash in March
- Nicole's wedding in March
- Trip to New Orleans in April

Happy New Year!!! Thanks for still reading this little blog. Love to everyone!

XOXO,
The Purifoys

Tea Cake Factory

2011-12-29T13:28:00.000-08:00

Do you know what a tea cake is? I had no idea until my mom took me to The Tea Cake Factory in Sugar Land. So wonderful! They are not as sweet and sugary as a cupcake and not as heavy as a cookie.

I had the coconut cake and a cranberry-orange cake. Mom had the orange creamsicle. So yummy and a must-try if you are in the area. Besides tea cakes, they serve cake, cupcakes, pie, sandwiches, and coffee. Their website also says they take orders for wedding cakes.

Tea Cake Factory
2735 Town Center Bouleveard North
Suite N
Sugar Land, TX 77479

Free Sample: New David Yurman Perfume

2011-12-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

Click HERE to learn more about the new Essence Collection by David Yurman and request a sample.

Pre-Christmas Festivities

2011-12-28T08:24:00.000-08:00

December has been such a busy month getting ready for Christmas, shopping, end of year hustle at work, fun celebrations and seeing our family all around Texas. As soon as I stopped a few days ago, my body shut down on me! I was describing to Jason yesterday that I felt majorly hungover...but I hadn't had ANY alcohol the day before. I will call it my Christmas hangover.

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas and still have one more set of family to celebrate with...how lucky are we? Lots of posts coming to document all of our celebrations, but first I want to list all of the pre-Christmas festivities I had so I can remember this whirlwind month.

Dec. 3 & 10 - Shopping day with Jason
So fun to spend the day with Jason, shopping for our family and getting in the Christmas spirit! We even carved out some time to look at houses in the area.

Dec. 4 - Cookie & Ornament Exchange with the Junior League girls
Adrienne was the hostess of the year! She organized this wonderful idea to get all of the "waitresses" together to share our favorite recipes. We had the best ornament exchange too. Love the ornament I won (from Erin) that is a picture of us gals in Fredericksburg from our summer trip. I brought Hello Dollies, a family favorite and so easy. Recipe post coming soon.

Dec. 7 - Pi Beta Phi Alumni Ornament Exchange
Lauren hosted the annual Pi Phi ornament exchange in her beautiful home. Best part was Darcy, our junior group President, bringing her "special" ornament from last year's exchange! Why didn't I take pictures?

Dec. 15 - Christmas Lunch with Ashley
Ash and I accidentally made a new tradition of eating at Pei Wei every Christmas for our gift exchange...gotta love their kids honey seared chicken! So great to see her and catch up. She always gives the most thoughtful gifts...bows to be re-used included!

Dec. 16 - Shopping Day with Mom
Another favorite Christmas Tradition: Lunch and shopping with my mommy! Such a fun day including lunch at Cheesecake Factory and a late afternoon treat at Tea Cake Factory (what was our deal with factories that day?). We even managed to get in come Christmas shopping.

Dec. 21 - Christmas Lunch at work/Dinner with Grandma and fam.
Full day! Lunch at our corporate office from Luby's! That night Jason and I hosted dinner at our place since my Grandma was in town from Arkansas. All of the "Townsend" family was there including Carter's dog, Zeke!

Dec. 23 - Tacky Sweater/Enchilada Night at Dad's
This will get it's own post later this week!

Dec. 24 - Church and Chinese Food with Mom and LE
Full post coming on this one too...

Tory Burch Tuesday

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

This baby is on my Christmas list this year...

Tory Burch Reva Clutch with removable gold chain strap.

Hopefully I'm not on the naughty list and can soon add this to my collection! I really ~~want~~ need a small black bag for nights on the town or running around and don't want a huge carryall.

Card Holder DIY

2011-12-16T21:18:00.000-08:00

I'm not really into DIY projects because I'm not very crafty and my projects never quite turn out the way they were supposed. I'm usually left feeling tired and disappointed.

One project I knew I could handle was a Christmas Card Holder/Display I saw on Pinterest. Pottery Barn had a great Holiday Card Holder, but $50.00 was way too much to spend on something I will only use for one month out of the year. I already had some great ribbon I bought years ago, then I just went to Michaels to buy a bow for the topper (no, I can't even make good bows) and a pack of gold straight pins.

Ta-da! All finished, hanging in the hall by our guest bedroom displaying all of our friends and family!

Total project cost: $10.00

2011 Christmas Card

2011-12-15T08:31:00.000-08:00

Our cards have finally hit the mail so we can post them online. Jason and I started sending out family Christmas cards the year we got engaged in 2008. It's so fun to go back and look at them and even more fun to open up your mailbox this time of year!

This year, I used Minted.com to design our cards. Minted is a little more expensive than my usual Shutterfly cards, but I love the way they turned out and the quality of the paper. The site gives you so many options when designing. We used our pictures from our "Pocket Shots" session with Robyn Arouty, pet photographer extraordinaire!

Front of card:

Back of card:

I'm linking up with Faith's Christmas Card Carousel 2011! Thanks to Faith for hosting this! Your Erin Condren cards are super cute by the way : )

Chelsea Lately

2011-11-30T19:18:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist!

I'm finally back to blogging from a short break of well, needing a break. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Jason and I had a great one. We spent it with his family in his hometown, Corsicana. We ate, slept, shopped a bit and played with Landon, our nine month old nephew who is the cutest! I fell in love with this little guy...made Jason and me get the baby itch a little bit.

The week before we attended the Hospitality on Parade Awards Dinner which honors people in the hospitality industry in Houston. Jason was nominated for the Sales & Marketing award and was a finalist! The winners were announced at the dinner held at the Intercontinental Hotel and.....

Jason WON!!!!!

I am very proud of my hard-working, successful husband! Hope you are having a great week. Who is ready for Christmas? I'm getting there.

XOXO,

Chelsea

Pronouncing Lulu

2011-11-30T18:36:00.000-08:00

We had a debate going on in the family about how to pronounce "Lululemon." I said it was pronounced loo-loo-lemon (just like the fruit). I even asked a sales girl at the store to verify. Jason was convinced that I was pronouncing it wrong and that the correct pronunciation was loo-la-mon.

Leave it to my mom to go directly to the source...the corporate office in Canada! The response she got is below:

"Thanks for reaching out to us with your question. I'm sorry for the delay in our response, the inbox has been swamped lately! Hopefully I can resolve this for you once and for all! Our name is pronounced lu-lu -lemon (like the fruit). There you have it! I hope this wins you a coffee, or something else fun."

Yippee!!! I was right..I think this means that Jason owes me a new Lulu piece!

Weekend Recap

2011-11-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

We had such a great weekend! We were able to spend a lot of family time together which is nice since things are about to get CRAZY with the holidays right around the corner.

Just a reminder that my blog sale is still going on! Both pairs of shoes are sold, but there are lots of great clothes and a bag up for grabs.

Friday

After work, we had a wonderful dinner at Maggiano's and then met up with Lauryn and Rob for drinks. I've known Lauryn since elementary school, but the best time we had together was as college roomies for 3 years!!! We have been through so much together: sorority recruitment, exams, breakups, dorm life, and everything in between...hello, midnight madness! Lauryn and her husband Rob have been living in Michigan for years, but recently moved back to Houston!!! Jason and I love both of them and are looking forward to spending more time together. I'm mad I didn't get any pictures of the evening!

Saturday

We were scheduled to take family photos Saturday evening so I spent the day prepping. Since we were going to a pet photographer and the focus of the pictures was on Tucker, I gave him a bath, brushed his teeth, clipped his nails...he had a full spa day and hated every minute of it!

I decided to get a blowout at the new Do Bar at West Avenue. The Do Bar is a "blowout bar" that only styles hair, no cut or color. I bought a Tidbits Treats (similar to a Groupon) months ago for a blowout at this salon and figured this was the perfect occasion to use it. I highly recommend this place! The staff was super friendly (which you normally don't get in River Oaks) and the salon is just cool! The hair dryers hang from the ceilings and instead of having magazines to browse through, they give you an iPad with magazines already downloaded to browse. Plus, my hair looked great and my stylist was fast!

Our photo session with Robyn Arouty Photography went so well. Fastest 30 minutes of my life! I was so nervous because Tucker does not know even the most basic commands: sit, stay, don't bite people. I had high hopes and low expectations. My goal was just one good photo.

I was blown away, by how awesome Robyn and her staff are. I can't say enough great things. We participated in a day called "Pocket Shots" where you buy a 30 minute session and the sitting fee goes to an animal charity! Saturday's charity was the Texas Alaskan Malamute Foundation...oh the irony of bringing a chihuahua.

Within minutes of arriving, Tucker was posing, looking in the right direction and being cute. We did have one cringe worthy moment when he growled and nipped at the assistant, but was as champ otherwise. We won't have all of the proofs for a few weeks, but Robyn posted these pics online!

I found, both the red bow and Santa Hat at petco.com. So happy I did! And in typical Purifoy fashion, instead of responding to "sit" and "stay" Tucker only responded to "cookie" and "car." We all have our weaknesses.

Finally, we ended the day with sushi at Ra and drinks in Highland Village doing my favorite things: eating, drinking and window shopping. We tried to have a drink at Up, but they were packed and we couldn't even find a space at the bar. Not really our crowd either...we ended up at Smith & Wollensky and the bartender made me one of the best chocolate martinis I've ever had!

Sunday

I finally got a day to catch up on cleaning, laundry, and more closest clean out! I'm trying to prep our guest bedroom and closests for Christmas Chaos. Four Christmases here we come!

Tory Burch Tuesday

2011-11-15T13:01:00.000-08:00

In honor of my sweet, little pup who is the latest PROFILE PIC for Robyn Arouty Photography's Facebook Page...

Today's Tory Burch Tuesday is for the DOGS!!! Check out Tory's collars, leashes and jackets for our four legged friends. Look at this sweet little face.

Nylon Puffer Dog Coat, $95.00

Nautical Baby Shower

2011-11-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

Two weekends ago my mom and I hosted a baby shower for our family member, Lindsey who is having a boy and due in January. Lindsey is decorating the nursery in red, white and blue with a nautical theme, so we decided to use this as inspiration for the shower for Baby Maddox.

Everything turned out great! Since neither my mom or I are very crafty we used a few friends to help us turn our ideas into reality. Please check out our vendor links at the bottom!

Me, the mommy-to-be and my mom, Shelley

Vendor Love:
Diaper Cake - Bear Bottom Diaper Cakes
Flowers & Door Wreaths - Allison of Swish Productions
Invitation - Double U Design
Water Bottle Labels - Ashley from Ribbons & Rick Rack
Cookies - Paulies
Favor Tags - Ashley from Ribbons & Rick Rack
Custom Guest Book - Guestbook Store

Blog Sale

2011-11-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I cleaned out my closest this week and have a handful of things that are in great shape that I just don't wear anymore (or at all) because they don't fit, etc, so I thought I would hold a virtual "garage sale."

Just email me at chelsea {dot} purifoy {at} yahoo {dot} com if you are interested in purchasing or making an offer. I'm happy to answer any questions or send additional pictures. All transactions will take place via paypal. Shipping is flat rate of $5.00.

Happy Shopping!

~~Ugg "Ultimate Short" Boots in Chestnut - Size 9 (Women's): $50.00~~ - SOLD
~~LOVE these boots, but I purchased them one size too big so I never wear them. When I did wear them it was only inside so there is not much wear and tear on these.~~ ~~Regular price is $200.00 on these~~ ~~classic boots. So comfy and warm!~~

~~Coach Brown Flats - Size 8: $30.00~~ - SOLD
~~Worn only one time! In great shape and so cute, but I have another pair of brown flats that I just like more so I don't need these. I could not find these exact shoes on~~ ~~Coach's website~~ ~~(these were purchased about 6 months ago) but I found a similar pair that retail for $148.00. This is a steal!~~

Coach Purse in Signature Fabric and Camel: $40.00
Great shoulder bag with cute orange lining inside. One zip pocket inside. Adjustable strap. The purse is about 6 years old, but has not been used in YEARS. I have way too many purses. Normal wear and tear on bottom corners, but overall in great shape.

BCBG Max Azria Floral Print Dress - S/M: $30.00
Worn twice. The material is stretchy and so cool and comfortable. I would love to keep, but since I've lost weight (mostly up top) it's just too big in the chest area. Gorgeous dress, great neckline, and bra top!

Nicole Miller Collection Print Dress with gold embellishments - Size 8: $30.00
Worn one time only! The tag does not have the size on it. I must have cut it out, but it fits like an 8. Sexy low neckline. So cute with strappy gold sandals.

Maeve Navy Dress via Anthropologie with Lime Green Bow Belt - Size Medium: $25.00
Wore dress one time to baby shower and got so many compliments! Very comfortable too. Belt is not attached to dress so can be worn with or without.

Bigio Collection Animal Print Dress - Size 10: $40.00
Wore twice, both times to weddings. Stunning in person, pictures do not do it justice.

Ann Taylor Cap Sleeve Dress - Size 10: $20.00
Perfect work dress! Pockets, looks great with long pearl strand and cardigan.

Sunner via Anthropologie Print Dress with pockets - Size Medium: $30.00
Worn once. Cute with leggings and belted. Dress has pockets too. Regular price $168.00.

Back

One.September via Anthropologie embroidered fleur tee - Size Medium: $15.00
Worn once. Beautiful detail!

Black Anthropologie knit tee (designer not listed on tag) - Size Small - $15.00
Worn once with jeans, very soft!

Ann Taylor Creme Sweater with pearl embellishment - Size Large: $15.00
Worn once to a Christmas party, the sleeves are off the shoulder, even though it's a large, it runs small and fits more like a medium. Perfect for the holiday season!

Laundry by Shelli Segal print top - Size Small: $15.00
Wore once with black capris

Karen Kane Lace Top - Size Medium: $15.00
Worn once with brown skirt, the straps are really pretty, brown cotton underlay, creme lace

Tory Burch Tuesday

2011-11-08T07:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't make it to Neiman's last Thursday to meet Tory! I was so bummed, but work must come first so I can continue to wear TB. I read on The Home You Make that it was a great time and that Tory was very down to earth and wonderful to meet. They even had "Tory Burch Orange" treats!

Today, I want to share my awesome purchase that I made a few weeks ago, while in Vegas. While the boys watched the Texans game, us girls had a shopping day that included a stop at Tory. We found a few lovelies that we couldn't live without including matching bracelets!

Amanda purchased the Skinny Cuff with Logo Studs in silver metallic and I opted for the black with gold studs. The bracelet also comes in brown and gold metallic on Toryburch.com.

Brown with gold studs

I found the same bracelet in black with black studs and cuoio with gold studs online at Nordstroms. These would look great stacked if you have multiples.

At $95.00 this is a great way to get a Tory Burch accessory for under $100.00! Happy Shopping!

Now That's Love

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Night TV

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

There are two new shows that Jason and I are obsessed with this season and of course they come on same day, same time...thank goodness for DVR! Hands down the best shows on TV right now.

Revenge, ABC - 9pm Central
Pretty basic plot - girl seeking revenge on rich people in the Hamptoms after her father is wrongly accused of a crime. However, you have no idea how evil these people are and never know what's coming next.

American Horror Story, FX - 9pm Central (played again at 10pm Central)

It's FX, so this is NOT a family show. Very risque and creepy about a family who trys to start over in a new house. Too bad it's haunted and their troubled past comes back too! Dylan McDermont looks AMAZING in it. Also stars Connie Britton from Friday Night Lights. I can't believe that the creator of this show is also the creator of Glee!

Tory Burch Tuesday

2011-11-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a new series called "Tory Burch Tuesday" because of my love for this designer. Why do I love Tory so much? It's certainly not for the ridiculous prices! I love her logo design, colors she uses and awesome quality.

This first post will cover my love for my first Tory Burch piece, the "Miller 2" sandals in royal tan. Before you yell at me for spending $200 on a pair of flip flops....STOP! I did not purchase them for myself, my husband did as a birthday gift for me...love him! AND, I literally wore them almost every day this summer. PLUS they are still in great shape so I will continue to wear the heck out of them (it's Houston people) and will wear them for seasons to come. I say they were a good investment.

Did I convince you yet?

You can wear these with jeans, capris, dresses, pants, leggings. I even wear them to and from yoga. Point is they can be dressed up or down and the great camel color goes with everything!

Anyone else love Tory? What is your favorite piece?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

We hope you have a happy and safe Halloween! Tucker decided to be a spider this year! Cutest spider I've ever seen.

Love,

Chelsea, Jason & Tucker

Weekend Recap: Halloween 2011

2011-10-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Friday
Let the Halloween festivities begin! We kicked it off by seeing Paranormal Activity 3. It was really scary and definitely made us jumpy.

Saturday
We wanted to check a few items off our Fall Bucket List but first, my mom and I worked out at Define. Best workout ever! I also think Define needs to start paying me commission. My mom is the fifth person who has joined after I raved about it!

Next we went to Petco to pick out Tucker's costume, bought some pumpkins, got a few fall drinks from Starbucks and went home to get carving!

After enjoying some yummy roasted pumpkins seeds I made, we hit downtown Houston to visit a few of our favorite haunted hot spots: Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner, the Donnellan Crypt, La Carafe for wine and also stopped at Hearsay for dessert (even though I don't think they have a ghost problem). We visited a lot of these spots last year and were eager to say hello to the local spirits again!

Spaghetti Warehouse

Being silly. Jason, aka ghost hunter, thought he was getting orbs in the pictures

Second floor of Spaghetti Warehouse where the ghosts hang out

We took a short walk to visit the Donnellan Crypt under the bridge

La Carafe

Sunday
This was our day of rest. We did a lot of laying around - Jason watched the Texans game and I watched Twilight.

Jason and Tucker hanging out with their matching fleece sweatshirts!

Vegas 2011 - Day Three

2011-10-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

I was dying to try Simon's Pajama Brunch at The Palms. No one recommended it to me, but I read about it online and saw it featured on an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. It wasn't hard to convince everyone else to go. I had Jason at "Bloody Mary Bar" and I had the other's at "Junk Food Plate." They even have a candy bar as you leave, but we were all too full to make a bag.

Simply Heaven and I will eat here every time I come to Vegas!

The "Junk Food Plate" at Simon

The Pigs in a Blanket off of the "White Trash" section of the Simon menu

I had to have some fruit loops and dirt cake with my bottomless mimosa! Breakfast of champions!

Amanda ordered the banana and nutella crepe...so yummy!

The boys decided to spend Sunday betting on football games so we split up. They headed to Caesar's and Amanda and I went shopping! We didn't feel too guilty spending a little money since we knew the boys were spending it gambling on games. At least we knew would be come out with something to show for it. And boy did we...

Tao

We went to lots of stores around Palazzo, Venetian and Planet Hollywood, but spent most of our money at Tory Burch and H&M!

We didn't make it out of the Tory Burch store without buying matching bracelets and a few other goodies!

After shopping all day we needed a little treat at Sugar Factory.

Almond Joy Martini at Sweet Factory

S'mores Martini

Flamingos at Flamingo

After stomping around Vegas some more looking for those darn flamingos (at least we burned a lot of calories), we finally met back up with the boys and played some black jack...trying to win my shopping money back!

I finished the weekend out strong at the Pussycat Lounge!

For dinner, we went to Aureole at Mandalay Bay. Jason has been wanting to try this place for years! They have received lots of awards and are known for their "wine angels stewards" who ascend the four-story wine tower to retrieve the bottles of wine. It was a beautiful restaurant, the wine tower was neat to see, but the food was sub-par, at least the night we were there compared to all of our other meals.

Carter had could really rate the steak by then, because that is what he had all three nights!

Aureole's electronic wine list! You just click on what you want and they bring it out to you.

Awful picture of the four-story wine tower. I tried!

We finished the trip off with a visit to The Fright Dome at Circus Circus. We did a few of the haunted houses including Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween which were really good. This was voted one the scariest haunted houses in the nation.

Another scary thing we saw was Circus Circus itself. Old hotel that is not very nice and in not a great part of town. Unless you are going for Fright Dome, skip this one!

We had a great trip and can't wait for the next one!

Vegas 2011 - Day Two

2011-10-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

We really packed a TON into day two. We started off with brunch at Mesa Grill at Caesar's. This is a Bobby Flay restaurant and another recommendation by Jenni. It was another fantastic meal. We split a breakfast quesadilla appetizer and then each had an entree. Needless to say, we did not eat again until dinner.

Jason's plate, a ranchero breakfast tostada with a side of chorizo

Our next stop was at the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. I really wanted to do this so everyone humored me, but it was really great- so was Mandalay Bay. I want to stay there next trip!

My embarrassing moment of the trip was at the Shark Reef when I leaned over to touch a sting ray and my sunglasses fell in! I didn't want to get in trouble (I'm a dork) so I shot my hand in to retrieve them, scaring the string ray, but mostly me, causing even more of a commotion. Everyone around laughed at me!

I clearly didn't know how to wear this hat

After the Shark Reef we went to New York, New York to ride the roller coaster. I was excited for it, Jason was not, but then roles reversed. Jason loved it, I hated it. I guess my love of roller coasters left me in college. After having my head banged around, I wanted a boot from Coyote Ugly!

So touristy of us I know, but my boot filled with pina colada was great and it got me tons of stares all day!

Amanda opted for the Football filled with blue daiquiri

Also, during the trip, I realized that I love posing with statues:

That night, we headed to Koi for dinner at Planet Hollywood. Jason and I went to Koi during our last trip so we wanted to go back. Carter was a great sport for letting us indulge in sushi that night.

After dinner, we headed to The Mirage to see The Beatles LOVE show which was SO WONDERFUL! I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone!

After the show, we gambled a bit more, but I was losing so we had a "fourth" meal around 1am at California Pizza Kitchen at The Mirage and headed to bed. Jason and I had not seen 1am in a while and even outlasted Carter and Amanda. Proud moment.

Vegas 2011 - Day One

2011-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago Jason and I went to Vegas for three days with my brother Carter and his girlfriend Amanda. We don't get to spend much time with them so we were so excited for the trip and had the BEST time. I came prepared with a list of restaurants we wanted to try (thank you Jenni!) and things to try and see. I think we did a good job packing a lot in. Picture overload coming your way with 2 more posts also!

So excited to get to Vegas!

After we checked into our place, we headed to the Paris Hotel for dinner at Mon Ami Gabi (per Jenni's recommendation). This place was AWESOME! The food was amazing, but the best part was sitting outside, people watching and the great view of the strip and Bellagio Fountains. What a perfect way to kick-off the trip!

And yes Jenni, both Amanda and I ordered your favorite, the Filet Mignon Merlot.

We hit the slots while waiting for our table

Mon Ami Gabi

Brother and Sister!

Bumble Bee from Transformers!

After dinner, we headed to the Bellagio to look around and play!

The Bellagio was decorated for fall. This tree moved and talked and reminded us of Jay Leno!

I won big the first night on a quarter slot!

Master of Disguise

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

In honor of Halloween, I wanted to have a little montage of Tucker's costumes over the years. We will unveil his new costume on Monday!

Turtle - 2010

Bumble Bee - 2009

Dorothy - 2008

Captain Jack Sparrow - 2007

New Series: Tory Burch Tuesday

2011-10-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a new series called "Tory Burch Tuesday" all about my favorite designer! I realize it's not Tuesday silly goose, but I wanted to get this post out there because I just learned that Tory Burch herself will be in Houston this Thursday, November 3 from 2-3 p.m. at Neiman Marcus.

Anyone want to go? Guess that will be my lunch break that day!

To attend, you need to RSVP to rsvphouston {at} neimanmarcus {dot} com

Book Review: Never Knowing

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens. This is the author's second book. Although I LOVED it and recommend picking it up, it's not quite as good as her first novel, Still Missing. Read my review on that one here.

Description: All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara did not have an ideal home life. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and to find closure. But some questions are better left unanswered. After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother---only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: Her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out about her father is him finding out about her.

This book is similar in that instead of chapters, the authors tells the story in the main character's counseling sessions. I feel like the book is a cross between chick-lit and a suspense thriller. Lots of great twists, questions and action with a bit of love and girl drama. I couldn't put the book down especially during the last few "sessions" when I was counting down the minutes to lunchtime so I could finish it!

4 out of 5 stars

Copy Kat

2011-10-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

And by "Kat" I'm referring to Katherine Heigl. My mom and I fell in love with this outfit that Katherine Heigl was sporting while pumping gas. You go girl!

We did a FABULOUS job re-creating this look if I do say so myself! And in a fraction of the price, I'm assuming.

We found this capelet from Talbots (but in camel, see here). This picture does not do it justice. Regularly priced at $180.00, we snagged it for $65.00!

I already have a black pencil skirt (from Ann Taylor Loft) that I will pair the jacket. Black skinny jeans will be great too.

To top it all off, we found animal print booties by Nine West. These were regularly priced at $119.00, on sale for $83.00, but I had $20 worth of rewards bucks so I scored them for $63.00!

Nine West Fessup Booties

Whenever it gets cold enough to wear this outfit, I'll try and remember to take a picture of it...while I'm pumping gas of course!

Weekend Recap - San Antonio!

2011-10-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Even though we were still exhausted from Vegas, we headed to San Antonio last Friday for my company's annual picnic for our San Antonio offices. Jason and I had such a great time, but are also looking forward to a weekend in Houston coming up.

Friday
We left for San Antonio after work. I was excited for the mandatory Bucee's stop! We got in to San Antonio late (for us) but I squeezed in time for a drink and a chat with my mommy who was already at the hotel! We stayed at the Westin La Cantera which was wonderful!!! I highly recommend it.

Saturday
After exploring the beautiful hotel, we headed to Fiesta Texas for the company picnic. No rides for us though. I got my roller coaster fix in while in Vegas.

Me and my beautiful mommy!!

Mom, Jason, LE (my stepdad)

Me and Jack at the company lunch

That afternoon, Jason and LE played golf while mom and I went on a nature hike. Ironically, we saw no nature (besides trees), while the boys saw plenty including wild turkeys, deer, and gators.

We went to a nice dinner on the property with mom and LE and were about to call it a night, when we noticed Speaker of the House John Boehner and his security detail at the hotel bar watching the Ranger's game. We decided to ~~stalk~~ hang out there for a bit too. We ended up seeing Congressman Pete Olson and friends also. I wish I would have taken a picture with them, but I was feeling shy.

Sunday
After lounging around the hotel, we headed home, but took the long way and stopped for lunch in Lockhart for Black's Barbecue. This was our second stop this year and this time we got to take a picture with Matthew McConaughey!!! Just kidding, but I got to take a picture of a picture of him. Missed him by a few months.

I never knew that half price of $8.00 was $6.00!

We were glad to finally be home because we missed Tucker a lot and decided he needed a puppy spa day.

Another Erin Condren Deal

2011-10-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

Plum District is offering another deal of $25.00 for $50.00 worth of goodies on ErinCondren.com. I'm not sure how long the deal will last so get it soon! You can use your credit for a customized Life Planner, holiday cards, labels, etc. They even just released personalized iPhone covers.

Happy Shopping,
Chelsea

Almond Joy Obsession

2011-10-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

I love Almond Joy candy bars and lately they have been everywhere! In my office, in my house (Jason's obsessed too) and everywhere in between.

We just got back from Vegas (numerous trip posts coming soon) where I ~~devoured~~ enjoyed an Almond Joy Martini at Sugar Factory and this morning I tried the new Almond Joy coffee creamer by International Delight, which I highly recommend!

Blog Love

2011-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Check out my friend, Roxy's new blog, And then some. She features great product reviews and fashion updates. Enjoy!

Today is my Friday. TGIT. Have a great weekend everyone!

Heel Liners

2011-10-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

Have I been living under a rock? Last week I fell in love with a great pair of animal print pumps...perfect for my upcoming trip to Vegas...but my narrow heel slipped out of them. So annoying!

What's a girl to do?

My ~~shopping assistant~~ mom told me about heel liners to help with this.

Problem solved! Thanks Mom!!!

Weekend Recap

2011-10-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Friday
What a fun (and interesting) Friday night I had! I had to volunteer at the Children's Museum of Houston through the Junior League for an "Overnight Adventure" with about 200 fourth graders. The kids were so sweet and excited to be spending the night at a museum. This was my first time doing this placement so I was not quite sure how it was go, but I ended up enjoying myself...didn't get much sleep, but that's okay!

Saturday
Lazy day at home since I didn't get much sleep. Once I got back from the museum around 8am, I never left the house! We watched a really interesting movie from our Uverse On Demand called Undocumented. I recommend it, but warning: it is hard to watch. It's categorized as a horror film, but it deals with illegal immigration. The main message being equal rights for all humans.

Sunday

Lazy day #2 because it rained ALL DAY! We did venture out to go see Dream House. Two thumbs up. Great movie and Daniel Craig looks amazing in it!!!

Leg Warmers

2011-10-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

Although I'm not a huge fan of 80's fashion, I'm loving that leg warmers are making a comeback. Not necessarily for daily wear, but great for yoga or weekend wear when it gets chilly with your fave leggings.

Lululemon sold out completely online with their version. I didn't snatch up a pair because I couldn't swallow the $48.00 price tag, but I did notice an almost identical-looking pair at DSW for only $12.95!

I'm officially adding leg warmers to my Christmas list!

Lululemon Movement Legwarmer, $48.00

Weekend Recap

2011-10-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Awesome weekend with awesome weather!

Friday
After work J and I went to see Incubus with my brother and his girlfriend. We had so much fun! What a great show. I finally got to see them and they did not disappoint. Brandon Boyd even took his shirt off for me!

Saturday
We got to sleep in and have a lazy morning followed by some shopping and an early dinner on the patio at one of our favorite spots, Escalantes.

The only bad part of the day was that I accidentally left my all-time, favorite necklace ever in a dressing room at Dillard's. By the time I realized I didn't have it about 30 minutes later, it was GONE! I'm still upset. I've already looked on anthropologie.com and ebay for a replacement. Nothing.

Sunday
Girls day with my mom!!! These are the best and we had a blast. Lunch at Black Walnut Cafe followed by some shopping. Perfect day. And the Texans won so Jason was in a good mood!

Happy Monday!

Happy Friday

2011-09-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Who's happy it's Friday? I'm getting two cavities filled this morning (yuck), but am counting down the hours until tonight because I get to see Incubus!!! Love me some Brandon Boyd!!!

I have wanted to see them since my senior year in high school...and my parents wouldn't let me because it was during finals week. And then my best friend at the time, Rebecca, met them in an elevator and I was really jealous. Finally it's here...and I think we have pretty great seats too!

TGIF,
Chelsea

Weekend Recap

2011-09-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Jason and I had a very low-key weekend to say the least. Jason is coming off of being sick and I seemed to have caught it so we majorly took it easy. We didn't even decorate for fall like I wanted...boo!

Friday
We went to an early evening movie to see Straw Dogs. Very violent, but good. We like the theme of a family protecting their home. Makes me never want to live in a small town though.

Saturday

Sleep - Walk - Read - Nap - Eat - Sleep

That's pretty much how it went. It was nice to be able to take it easy since I was puny. I'm currently reading Sarah's Key, recommended (and bought) by my mom. I'm not quite finished with it, but it's amazing and a must-read!

On another note, Jason and I rented Bridesmaids. Can't believe we hadn't seen it yet, but it's really funny and definitely worth watching. Great to watch such a funny movie with a lead female cast.

Sunday

Pretty much a repeat of Saturday, but I added a trip to the grocery store, cleaning and laundry

Hopefully we will have a more exciting weekend coming up and that I feel better soon. I'm even home sick from work today and about to go back to bed...

Scarf Swappin'

2011-09-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

I participated in Meredith's (from The Tichenor Family) 3rd Annual Scarf Swap! What a great way to kick off the fall season. Everyone loves a new scarf and you don't have to worry about sizes.

I was paired up with Jess from Serendipity! We've been emailing back and forth for the past few weeks to get to know each other. Her family is so precious and just moved into a sweet, new house. Hope you get Internet soon Jess!

I read on her blog that she loves all things teal so that was my scarf mission. I found a super soft and cozy scarf in the teal family at Ann Taylor (I didn't go over the price limit, a coupon was involved) and shipped it off to Pennsylvania (I was also excited to have a reason to use my new Erin Condren label freebie)! By the way, the guy at the post office that I was quite kooky for taking pictures of my package.

Yesterday, after the longest day ever, look what was happily waiting for me in my mailbox! I really needed this little day brightener. Perfect timing to lift my spirits Jess. So cute!

I L-O-V-E the scarf Jess got for me. Red is one of my favorite colors to wear (especially since 75% of my closet is black and white. It has flecks of silver in it and has a great comfy stretch. So perfect!!!!

Tucker felt left out, so I let him model it too...

And this is what I wore today! My great, new scarf with my new Missoni for Target top.

Thank you so much Jess for my new fall wardrobe staple! I'm glad we have had a chance to get to know each other. Also, thank you to Meredith for hosting the swap. She will be hosting a 'Winter Swap" in the next few months so stay tuned.

Happy Friday!

Vegas Recommendations

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Jason and I are going to Vegas in a few weeks with my brother and his girlfriend for 3 nights. J & I have been one time, but were there for a wedding and didn't have much time to branch out.

Please send me recommendations on places to eat, things to do, must-see hotels, shops and good shows or clubs. The only thing we have booked so far is the Beatles LOVE show.

Thanks!

More Arrow Jewelry

2011-09-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

I posted about a piece of arrow jewelry by Stella & Dot that I love a few weeks ago. {Arrows are one of the symbols for my sorority so I kind of have a thing for them} Now arrow jewelry seems to be popping up everywhere!

This week, Gilt Groupe is having a great sale on jewelry by House of Harlow 1960....which includes lots of arrow pieces! Nicole Richie totally gets me - first peacocks, now arrows? Enjoy. Sale ends very soon.

If you need an invitation for Gilt Group, send me an email at chelsea (dot) purifoy (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Happy Fall

2011-09-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Photo from Loves of Life

It's officially time for all things fall. Even though the weather doesn't feel that way in Houston, Starbucks has their pumpkin spice lattes out so in my eyes, it's fall!

Jason and I plan to decorate the house this weekend, but I couldn't wait to get my pumpkin candle going and display this awesome Fall Bucket List I found at Katie's Blog, Loves of Life. Isn't this a great idea! Go download it HERE, then put in an 8x10 frame, and check your items off as you complete them with a dry erarse marker.

At our house!

Painting with Pi Phi

2011-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to a Pi Phi Junior Group Alumni Club outing at Pinot's Palette. Yes, I have now been there three times...I'm becoming a Picasso! I'm the only girl from University of North Texas, where I completed my undergrad, but I'm so thankful to have this network or "sisterhood" to make new friends in Houston.

I'm in Junior League with a few of my fellow Pi Phi alums too! I encourage anyone who was Greek in college to seek out an alumni group in your area to get involved with.

Erin Condren Double Giveaway

2011-09-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

Head on over to Blue-Eyed Bride and According to Nina to enter a giveaway for a $25 ErinCondren.com Gift Certificate. Four winners will be announced Friday afternoon.

Good luck!

Weekend Recap

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Friday
Jason and I decided to celebrate the end of the week by eating out at our new favorite neighborhood restaurant, Frank's Chophouse. For all of you Houstonians, this place is a must try near Highland Village off of Westheimer. We just discovered it a few weeks ago with The Farmers. We can't wait to go on a Sunday night when they offer a special on their famous fried chicken (heaven on earth) and half off all bottles of wine! If you aren't in the mood for fried chicken, my favorite dish is the Shrimp and Grits...and I don't even like grits!

Saturday
Jason was busy all day so I took myself to the movies to see One Day. I just finished the book so I was dying to see the movie even though it got crappy reviews. I enjoyed it, although they cut out so much from the book. I recommend it if you enjoyed the book, but keep your expectations low. If you haven't read it, you may not appreciate it as much. Bring tissues!

After the movie I did a few things for a baby shower that my mom and I are planning. Saturday night, Jason and I met The Bouwers for dinner at Chuy's to celebrate both of their birthdays and their upcoming move to Tyler...sad day for me, but happy for them! All four of us stuffed ourselves with yummy burritos then the boys went home while Ashley and I were just kicking off the evening.

We went to House of Blues to see Foster the People! We paid triple face value for the sold out tickets, but had a great time...so worth it! There were two openers: Reptar was AWESOME! If you like Vampire Weekend, you will love them. Second was Cults. I wanted to like them so badly because the lead singer was a chick, but they were a little sleepy. Foster the People did not disappoint. Great band, with tons of energy. Not that you go to a concert for the visuals, but their light show mixed with pounding drum beats was amazing!

Reptar

Cults

Sunday
After my typical Sunday chores, I headed to my mom's for a family cookout which included wonderful homemade ice cream. Then home for Golden Globes! So far, these six are my faves.

Any other favorites?

Gwyneth Paltrow

Minka Kelly

Jon Hamm & Jennifer Westfeldt

Maria Menounos

Lea Michele

Claire Danes

Erin Condren Life Planner Update

2011-09-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

I have been using my Erin Condren Life Planner for about a month now and I LOVE it! I feel very organized and it's nice to have one item that keeps track of my busy schedule and millions of lists.

My only complaint is that the tabs (which I do appreciate) are not laminated and were starting to bend and come apart. Kristin from The Little Princess Diaries posted a vlog about how she fixed this problem! Watch her vlog for more info, but trust me, the Avery tabs work perfectly! I just added them to my Life Planner this week.

Sidenote: I ordered them HERE from the Avery website because I couldn't find them at my local Office Max or Office Depot.

Monthly tabs after 1 month of wear and tear

$5.85 on Avery Website

BA-NAN-AS

2011-09-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

"I can't even handle it"

"I die"

"Shut it down"

{All said in a major valley girl voice}

What does all of this mean...The Rachel Zoe Project is back on Bravo!

Tuesday nights @ 9pm Central

Missoni for Target Report

2011-09-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to make it to Target today until about noon. I knew pickins' would be slim. Most all of the shelves were completely empty! It was really funny to see everyone running around the store trying to find more items; looking in obscure places for misplaced pieces. I felt like I was on a scavenger hunt. I also scoped out a few women who were buying anything and everything by the cart full.

One lady even offered to give me one of the many blue knit maxi dresses she had in her cart. She herself was definitely a size small and handed me a size large dress that was HUGE. I thought she was trying to be funny, so I sarcastically said thank you and laughed, but she wasn't laughing back. I politely told her no thank you, because I didn't think it would fit me and she took it back and looked at me like I just passed up a million dollars. What's the point if you can't wear it? She's probably planning on putting all of it on Ebay.

Here is what I found at the Sugar Land (Houston) store:

No housewares

No scarves, hats, bags or gloves

Lots of rain boot and pumps, no flats

Poor lonely skirt

So sad

The socks and tights were not a big hit

2 laptop cases, 2 eye-masks and 2 rolling bags (cute, but expensive)

One sad blanket

A few random headbands and hair clips

Besides, what is pictured, there was a lot of stationary, kids and baby clothing available. I had my eyes on the cutest Missoni onesie, but then smacked myself back to reality. I'm not even pregnant, why do I need a baby onesie!

I tried on this sweater in a M and L, but neither looked good on me. It's cut very short. This was one of the only pieces still left.

I was shocked to find so many shoes still available. Every size in rain boots. Very cute, however, I don't need rain boots, I'm in Houston after all. I LOVED these pumps online and was excited to see so many left. They even had my size! Fit was great, comfort okay, but the quality was horrible. Every pair looked worn and dirty. They were in my hand and priced at $40.00, but I just couldn't do it.

This was the one item I walked away with! A little boring, I know, but I think I will get a lot of wear out of it since I wear black and white all the time. Great for work or with jeans.

Little trick...go to the dressing rooms and ask to look through the inventory on their racks. That is how I found almost everything I tried on. The lady working thought I was crazy, but I helped her a hang a few things in return. I may have also stalked a few people who were holding items I wanted to try on. Of course, by now I'm sure everything is GONE!

Did you stop by a Target and/or order online and find anything good?

Warning: Missoni Going FAST

2011-09-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

I'm reading all over the web that Missoni (which debuted in stores this morning at 8am) is almost all gone. Once it's gone, it's gone. No restocking.

Due to a thing called a job, I haven't been able to check out a store yet, but plan to at lunchtime. Will report back!

Oh, and don't think you can purchase online, the debut of Missoni has crashed Target's website! Still down as of 10:00 a.m.

Craziness people! Read this online account of a Target store just 14 minutes after opening!

Missoni for Target Debuts Tomorrow!

2011-09-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else excited for the Missoni collection to debut at Target? I'm not planning on hopping online at midnight or getting to the store at 8am, but I plan to check it out sometime this week.

Does anyone plan to make a shopping trip out of it? If you do, comment and let us know what you bought or thought of the line!

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from their Facebook Look Book:

25 Free Mommy Cards from Minted

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here's another great deal that is floating around the blogosphere. Minted is offering 25 free "Mommy Cards" until 9/23.

What are "Mommy Cards" you ask? They are basically personal business cards. Great for mom's to use when meeting fellow moms on the playground, scheduling playdates, etc. Don't feel left out if you are not a mom...I'm not! I ordered a batch to use when meeting new friends at Junior League, sorority alumni and other social events when I want to give out my personal cell and email rather than my business info.

I ordered this design, but Minted has over a hundred of great designs to choose from.

Order 25 Free Minted Cards Now

Bonus: If you know you will use more than 25, you can order "50 for $35.00", click on the deal for 25 free cards and then only pay $5.00 plus shipping for 50 cards!

If you have any questions on how to place your order, just let me know.

Happy Labor Day!
~Chelsea

Wishlist: Toms

2011-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting a pair of Toms for a LONG time! Now that Fall is approaching (as a Houstonian I realize I'm kidding myself) I feel like it's time for a pair. Especially for upcoming Fall concert season...hello Incubus and Foster the People to name a few.

If you don't know Toms, their slogan is "One for One" because for every pair of shoes that is sold, a pair is donated to a child in need.

Does anyone else own a pair? Are they as comfy as everyone says they are?

I'm torn between the Mutli Dot Slip-On and the Classic Scottish Houndstooth Slip-On.

So Full

2011-09-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

I went to lunch with the fellows from the IT department at work today. They wanted to go to Razoo's and order "The Jaws Seafood Platter." Not wanting to be a girl about it, I went along with the plan...

$52.00 worth of fried goodness...shrimp, hush puppies, catfish, fries, crawfish, oysters, and gator (my first time eating this). Please note that 5 of us shared this. I did not attempt to eat the entire thing by myself, although I still don't think I should eat for the rest of the weekend.

Before

After

Calling all Pi Phis!

2011-09-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Arrow necklaces seem to be the hot item right now so whether you are a new Pi Phi pledge or an old alum like me, sport an arrow around your neck to show your pride for the wine and blue.

Glee's Dianna Agron is wearing one on this month's cover of Cosmo or you can find a more affordable version by Stella & Dot for $49.00. Great gift for your sisters or a little happy for you!

Erin Condren Life Planner Giveaway

2011-09-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Act Fast! First person to email Jessica gets it! Only catch is you will need to get creative with the already customized cover, but everything else is new and awesome and FREE!

Read more here.

Fredericksburg Girls Weekend in Pictures

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, I went to Fredericksburg for a weekend getaway with the wonderful ladies that I met while volunteering in the tea room for the Junior League of Houston. We ate, drank, and laughed...a lot! I'm so thankful to have these girls in my life!

All 9 of us at Becker Vineyards

Sara & Me

My roomie, Sarah and Me

At our beautiful house, The Red Stairs. Best house in Fredericksburg! We will be back. 4 bedroom, 4 bath, huge porch = Heaven!

Silly late at night. I was getting rid of my hiccups by drinking water upside down.

And Shannon was explaining why this works

Our 3 pregnant gals Ashley, Sarah and Erin

Cheers! Can't wait for next year's trip...

In Love with Lulu

2011-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

I made the mistake of checking out my local Lululemon store last week. Big mistake. Big, big mistake because I fell in love with everything! I knew it must be fabulous since it's all anyone wears at my gym despite the crazy price tag for workout clothes.

I always thought my Target workout clothes were wonderful. No. Here are a few of my favorites:

Turbo Tank, $52.00

Spin Me Tank, $52.00

Spin Me Tank

Define Jacket, $99.00
(The salesperson told me this was one of the "must-haves" and most popular Lululemon items)

Wunder Under Crop, $68.00

Acro Crop, $86.00
Peacock feather (love) design actually adds a sticky grip useful for certain Yoga poses

At least now I know what to ask for at Christmas. Lululemon Gift Cards please!

New Cast of Dancing with the Stars Announced

2011-08-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

DWTS 13 Celebs were just announced and include, along with their given descriptive titles...and some of my thoughts in parentheses:

- Chaz Bono "The Most Unexpected" (will he dance with a girl?)
- Nancy Grace "The Courtroom Queen" (I predict she will go home first)
- David Arquette "King of the Big Scream" (Hope he is paired with Lacey. Can't you see it!)
- Ron Artest "The NBA Champion"
- Ricki Lake "Daytime's Darling"
- Chynna Phillips "The Pop Princess (Career comeback)
- Kristin Cavallari "The Reality Sweetheart" (LC wasn't available)
- Carson Kressly "The Fashion Guru (I expect his outfits to be fabulous)
- Rob Kardashian - "Reality's Royalty" (The Token Kardashian - so sick of this family! If one more family member gets cast, the show should be renamed Dancing with the Stars and a Kardashian)
- J.R. Martinez - "Soap's Real-Life Hero" (Who?)
- Hope Solo - "The Soccer Superstar"
- Elisabetta Canalis - "The Italian Beauty" (that girl that Clooney dated)

Weekend Recap

2011-08-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

One word to describe this weekend...HOT!

Therefore, we did everything we could to stay inside and enjoy the AC, aka movies and eating.

Friday

Dinner with The Farmers at Frank's Chop House. So yummy! I had the best plate ever, Shrimps and Grits. I don't even like grits, but these white cheddar ones with a pepper sauce were amazing. The boys fell in love with the fried chicken and pork chops.

Saturday

Jason and I saw not one, but two movies at the theatre which of course included not one, but two meals that consisted of "theatre food." I'm such a good wife.

Our Idiot Brother - Great movie, so funny, love Paul Rudd and Zooey Deschanel so much!

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark - Horrible movie, so stupid, skip! Why can't Katie Holmes do a good movie?

Sunday

I met the girls for a morning workout at Define followed by, what else, food! We had brunch at Epicure Bakery Cafe. This was a new place for me and was wonderful. I recommend the Florentine Omellete. Whatever you get when you go, order a cup of hot tea...trust me!

Hope you have a great week!

Happy Birthday Tucker!

2011-08-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby Tucker!

You are eight years old today and we love you so much!

Summer Reading List

2011-08-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

I love "Beach Reads" often referred to as Chick Lit. I realize this type of reading isn't going to increase my intelligence, but sometimes it's just nice to read something mindless and fun. Here are a few that I have enjoyed this summer:

The First Husband - Laura Dave
Typical chick-lit book. Easy to read and entertaining.
5 out of 5 stars

The Other Woman - Jane Green

I love Jane Green! This one did not disappoint. It's about the relationship a woman has with her mother-in-law and how that can affect a marriage. So glad I do not have a MIL like this one. I felt so much for this character.

4 out of 5 stars

French Lessons - Ellen Sussman

This book is almost like 3 stories. You will enjoy it if you have been to Paris or want to go. Although I liked it and read in just a few days, it left me wanting to know more about the characters. Felt a little unfinished

2 out of 5 stars

A Bad Bride's Tale - Polly Williams

Another fun read with some shocking twists.

4 out of 5 stars

Then Came You - Jennifer Weiner

This is my favorite out of my summer reading. Even though it's chick lit, Weiner tackles some deeper issues like infertility, alcoholism, and homosexuality...just to name a few. Very, very good.

5 out of 5 stars

Another Trip to Pinot's Palette

2011-08-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I spent the evening at Pinot's Palette drinking wine and painting with my step-sisters Jessica and Nicole, step-mom Karin and Jessica's mother-in-law in from Oklahoma, Christi. We had so much fun eating, drinking and painting Monet's Water Lillies (or some easy version of it). Jason humored me and hung my painting up in our house..the laundry room! Maybe I'm getting better from the last time I went?

Christi, Jessica, Karin, Nicole, Me

Erin Condren Life Planner - Part Two

2011-08-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

Read Erin Condren Life Planner - Part One

It's HERE! My Erin Condren Life Planner was delivered on Thursday afternoon. I had an event after work that day so I swung by my place beforehand to pick up the delivery (yes, I was stalking the FedEx online tracker). I was so bummed at 6pm (when the office closes)that the FedEx truck had not arrived. I couldn't take one more day of waiting!

As I was pulling out of my parking garage I saw the FedEx truck! Yes, I pulled over and asked if I could grab my package. Slightly psycho? At least someone else was doing it too..a newlywed wanting his wedding gifts, I learned.

Stalking the FedEx truck

Even the box is cute!

Ta Da! My new Life Planner! Erin Condren is so great. The staff was really great after the hacking incident in notifying me and sending updates. My planner came with so many extra goodies. Personalized gift labels, calling cards and stickers. I even received a coupon for $25.00 off my next purchase as an apology for the delay. So sweet (and smart)...I will definitely be ordering more items soon.

I had a hard time choosing which pattern to go with. All of them are so cheerful. I almost ordered the peacock print since I'm slightly obsessed with all things peacock, but since I do work full-time in a professional, male-dominated setting, I wanted something a little less "cutesy." This one is perfect for me!

You can read all about the new features on the 2011-12 planners online, but some of my favorite features are the monthly tabs, pocket folder, clear zipper pouch and stickers for marking your various events. There are blank stickers for personalization and printed stickers that read things like: Hair Appointment, Vegas, Vacation, Wedding, Baby Shower, etc. All of these are perfect for me!

So happy! Jason still thinks I'm weird for getting so excited for a planner. Oh, and don't judge my appearance! I was just home from an outdoor happy hour in Houston...hello 100 degrees!

Has anyone else ordered an EC Life Planner? For my Teacher friends out there, EC also has a personalized Teacher's Lesson Planner.

I'm linking up with Meredith so everyone can show their Life Planners!

Happy Planning!
~Chels

Bragging

2011-08-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

Jason recently filmed a promo for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitor's Bureau. He's so cute!

The Reader

2011-08-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished the book, The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. It was wonderful. I'm looking forward to watching the movie now. I just requested it on Netflix so I will hopefully get a chance this weekend.

5 out of 5 stars for the book.

Erin Condren Life Planner - Part One

2011-08-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

If you are a regular blogger, blog reader, or tweeter, you have already heard the hoopla over the 2011-12 Erin Condren Life Planners. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Erin Condren is a great company who creates bright and cheery custom planners, calendars, stationary, and more.

Her fabulous team unveiled the new 2011-12 "Life Planner" about a month ago. I jumped on the bandwagon and ordered a planner (using my 50% off Plum District coupon of course), but was unfortunately affected when her site was hacked and hundreds of orders were lost. No worries. I reordered and my planner shipped yesterday! Just a few more days of waiting!!!

My husband thinks I have literally lost it for being this excited over a planner. Last night he said he has never seen me so excited for anything before. I think this is a slight exaggeration, and told him I was slightly more excited when we got engaged and married, but this may take third place...

I will tell you all about the new planner as soon as I get it. Until then, jump on over to the official Erin Condren site to order yours or to Meredith's Life Planner Link-Up Party to see everyone's planner (this also makes me feel less crazy).

Here's to a more organized year! Just a few cute samples...

Weekend Recap

2011-08-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it's already Monday again. This weekend was way too fast.

Friday
An important restaurant to me and Jason is closing in a week so we decided to go have one last meal at Americas on Post Oak (for you Houston folks, the other locations remain). We went with Jenni and Chris since they love this restaurant too. Jason and I had our second date at Americas and Jenni and Chris had their first date there! I also used to work right next door so this was the place to go and unwind after work. We paid tribute right by absolutely stuffing ourselves. We ordered everything from the lobster corn dogs as a starter, to their award-winning steaks, and famous tres leches for dessert. Good thing I worked out like a maniac the week before.

Saturday
We all got our butts up early and headed to Matagorda for the weekend. Jason and Chris fished while Jenni and I shopped and napped. We went down to the beach at sunset and then headed to dinner.

I think the Gods were punishing us for eating too much the previous night, because two hours after arriving at the restaurant, we still didn't have our meal and had lost interest in waiting any longer, so we went home dinner-less. Don't feel too sorry for us though, we brought enough food with us to last for weeks including some amazing tamales.

We hung out on the deck until way past my bedtime playing games. Around midnight we were visited by a few raccoons who were the cutest things ever and enjoyed eating our fishing bait and tostitos! We were dinner-less while the raccoons dined on fish and chips.

Sunday
Typical Sunday after leaving Matagorda, I did my normal chores while Jason rested. I'm almost finished with The Reader - such a great book!

Hope you had a great weekend too despite the unbearable heat!

Sidenote: Last weekend, we saw The Change-Up with Jason Bateman/Ryan Reynolds. Although I thought it dragged some, it was really funny and Jason LOVED it. Great date night movie. Warning though- lots of potty humor, excessive cursing, and some nudity...the family next to us didn't appreciate this and left huffing and puffing halfway through.