I am here...barely

I apologize profusely for my lack of posts lately, but I am still here.  Work has been terribly insane which is great at making the week days fly by, but the weekends are just twice as busy.  I feel like my life is a blur and promise to get back to you all next week.  I have 2 posts started and for one I need your help, but more about that next week.

We are off for a long weekend trip with all of my immediate family (my parents, 2 sisters and brother and their families) to a cottage for the weekend.  Should be interesting and loads of fun.

Have a great weekend!

T2T - Favorite Summer Recipes

It's Tuesday which means it's Top 2 Tuesday over at Taylor's and this week it's your Favorite Summer Recipes.

I love food and even more, I love summer foods.  It's so easy to throw together salads or dips and they are perfect eats for a hot and sticky day.

1.  Mango Salsa with Blue Corn Chips

Ingredients:
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
red onions diced (your preference how much)
fresh cilantro chopped (your preference how much)
1 tbsp lime juice (or more if desired)

Mix and serve with Blue Corn Chips...delicious!

2.  Chili Dip

1 package of cream cheese softened
1 can Stagg Homestyle Chili
1/2 c (or more if desired) shredded cheese

Spread cream cheese on pie plate, top with chili and cover with cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes (or until golden and bubbly) and serve with corn chips.

I can't wait to head on over to Taylor's to check out some fun summer recipes, link up and play along!

Music Questions and Would You Rather?

Andrea over at Life In Dawleywood tagged everyone in this fun 'beauty' quiz that she completed and why not.  As you might be able to tell, I love random facts and all of sorts of quizzes/questionnaires.  Hope you will all play along.

1.Would you rather go out with messy hair and nice make-up or nice hair and no make-up?
- I would have to choose the nice hair with no make-up.  If my hair isn't styled it is limp and stringy and has a million fly aways (not that it's even close to perfect when done), I'd rather go a day sans make-up.  I can always pinch my cheeks and wear a cute lip gloss (that doesn't count as make-up I hope?!)


2.Would you rather shave your eyebrows or have your eyelashes fall out?
- I have to 100% agree with Andrea - Definitely my lashes falling out. I could always wear fake lashes, but drawn on eyebrows look awful!


3.Would you rather be forced to shop at only MAC or Sephora for the rest of your life?
- As per many of my previous posts, I wouldn't mind being forced to shop only at MAC for the rest of my life...I'm a MAC addict.


4.Would you rather wear lip gloss/lip liner look or 80's perm?
- I would rather lip gloss/lip liner look than an 80's perm...the 80's were not good to me.  Haha!


5.Would you rather leave the house with an obvious foundation line or overdone blush?
- Definitely the overdone blush, I can't stand the line...frig!


6.Would you rather wear MC Hammer pants or biker shorts in public?
- Bike shorts HANDS.DOWN.


7.Would you rather have a bad orange-y spray tan or really weird tan lines that can't be covered?
- Weird tan lines, I have them now...ha!


8.Would you rather have a bad haircut or bad hair color?
- Bad hair color...haven't we all had a bad haircut?!  It takes forever to grow out and just looks terrible.


9.Would you rather have YouTube or twitter taken away forever?
- YouTube, I'm not really much of a fan


10. Would you rather give up using makeup brushes or mascara?
- Makeup brushes for sure, you can always find something else to do the trick.


Join the fun and fill me in on what you would rather...

Just updating my iPod and am looking for any song suggestions you might have.  Songs that will get me motivated to get my ass back in gear and shape.  What's your favorite work out song?

10 Random Things About Me

Star tagged all of her readers to share 10 random things about themselves and seeing as I am sitting on the couch sick with a flu bug which my lovely husband passed on to me and I love to participate in these things, why not?!

1.  I watched 'New Moon' for the first time today (Star, I know this will please you)

2.  My favorite foods are anything Mexican and Chicken Shawarmas

3.  I almost always have a bottle of water, my cell phone, lip gloss and my camera

4.  I love white wine

5.  I am planning on becoming 'crafty' some day soon

6.  I love grocery shopping and do it several times a week

7.  I am a Jimmie Johnson fan

8.  I don't own a watch

9.  Flip flops are one of my favorite things

10.  I took 1.5 years of nursing in college

I love random facts so share yours!

Have a great Saturday night!

Damn the Man

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!
I am a pretty random blogger, that, I am aware of.  I think the reason being that some days I just have nothing to write about.  While I could chat the ear off of a brass monkey, I cannot for the life of me find something interesting to write about.  Am I really that dull?!

I don't have anything overly exciting going on right now.  The wedding and honeymoon have come and gone and I am happy to be married and happy to relax for the summer.  You see, last summer we had a total of 10 weddings/receptions to go to.  Yes, you read that right - 10, ten, 1-0, dix.  That means that there were showers, stags, bachelor/bachelorette parties (R was in one wedding and I was in another) dress fittings, rehearsals, etc.  Needless to say, last summer was unbelievably busy.  We were booked solid from mid-April to the last weekend in October with the exception of one weekend.  One weekend that we were at home and were able to get things done around our house.  We have a list of things that we would like to get done around the house, however, we have not yet set dates and organized anything we might need to get said things accomplished.  I was talking to my sisters today about a baby shower that we are planning for a cousin of ours and when trying to decide on a date I realized that we are slowly but surely getting all booked up.  We have 1 free weekend in August, the month of September is gone and we are starting to book into October.  It is pure craziness!  I don't know if or when we will get the work done to the house that we want to do.  For the most part what we want to do is purely cosmetic but it's high time that it is started as we have been living in our house for 3 years and have done very little to it. 

I guess it's time to make the list in order of things to get done, set dates for each project, buy supplies and get to it.  Any suggestions on where to start? 

Plans for this weekend include supper at my in-laws this evening, relaxing and doing small things around the house tomorrow and then up for a visit with my parents.  There is a golf tournament up home to raise money for Heart and Stroke and some of my friends are playing.  While I was asked to participate, I knew it would be ANOTHER day away from home.  I will be meeting the girls in the evening tomorrow night I hope so that way I can get stuff done around the house and get my girl time too.

What are your plans for this weekend?

Ohhh, also...our wedding pictures are available.  Here is a sneak peak at a few...

The boys

My Dad & I <3

My Mom & I <3

C (and us with out nieces and nephews on my side)

The girls

My favorite picture...haha...R loves when I do this to him (as you can clearly see by his facial expression)

True love rocks

Have a great weekend!

Follow Back Friday

It's Friday (finally!) and NYC Island Gal is having a 'blog hop' so head on over to her blog and join in the fun.  I absolutely love her blog, she always has something interesting to write about.

For the blog hop you are to give some random facts about yourself, so here goes.

1.  I strongly dislike when people are not polite and make it known

2.  I snort when I laugh really hard

3.  I love tequila

4.  I have a son who is the love of my life

5.  My favorite scent is vanilla

6.  I am a tea junkie

7.  I hate to iron, I burn myself EVERY time

8.  I love milk chocolate and chocolate milk

9.  I wish Derek & Meredith were a real-life couple

10.  I love Isla Fisher

11.  As of Saturday I will have been married for 3 weeks

There are some random facts about me, now link up and play along.

Have a great weekend!

Blog Design/Header

I have been playing with my blog design (as you can probably tell), although, apart from downloading a free background I haven't really done much.  I am not talented when it comes to all things computer like, heck, who am I kidding, I am not talented in a lot of things.  Possibly only eating and drinking...is that a bad thing?!

I am looking to create a new header/banner/watchyamacallit and would love any ideas, suggestions, etc.  Oh and maybe a signature too, if that's not asking too much.

Even if you have nothing pop in to say hi, I love the comments.

Top 2 Tuesday & Weekend Recap

It's (almost) Top 2 Tuesday over at Taylor's blog and this week is your top 2 reality t.v. shows.  This is definitely an easy one as I am a reality t.v. junkie.  Who doesn't love to watch a little bit of drama every night now and then?!

Number 1 - BIG BROTHER...this is definitely one of my favs!  I could not turn the channel or miss an episode when Evil Dick and Danielle were on the show.  Then there was Jeff and Jordan - how cute are they?!?!

Number 2 - THE HILLS...now I know that this isn't a 'reality' show, just a bunch of drama but for some reason I still have to watch it.  And every single time after it's over I ask myself why I still watch it...again, please do not judge.  Haha...

Since Lauren left it's just not the same...

I also love the Bachelorette/Bachelor, America's Next Top Model and The Biggest Loser...but I am just supposed to pick 2. :)

Head on over to Taylor's to link up and join the fun.  All of these girls have me curious about The Real Housewives shows, which I have never seen.

Okay, on to weekend recap.  Friday night I hung out with C and got some housework done and then Saturday was an early start.  I met Jamie and Katie for breakfast and we headed to the Fire Fighter Games for the day.  Erin came out for the day and we had a great visit, it turned out to be a beautiful day.  Here is a picture of all the fire wives/girlfriends and our shirts for the year, we are the only ladies who do it and there were a lot of comments on our shirts this year.

The men gearing up for the games to start.

Friday night I came home to C with a new hair cut!  We figured that with it being so warm outside we should get his hair trimmed, also he's been constantly pushing it out of his eyes.  We decided it is time he has a little boy hair cut and it started out that way, but then he got a little excited and apparently he started flailing around in the chair and well, it's a little butchered.  While we still aren't used to it we will have to wait it out and see, but we both prefer his 'surfer/hockey hair'.  Regardless, he's still damn adorable and hilarious!  Here he is with my dad on Father's Day.  We went to visit my parents yesterday afternoon with all of my siblings and it was nice to see everyone.

Hope every one's week is going well so far!

Friday Five and Blog Help

This week over at Just Me and My Life, Beth is hosting Friday Five and it's your 5 favorite songs ever.  This is my first time participating in Friday Five, not quite sure why it's taken me so long as I love Beth's blog and read it often.

So, here we go:

1.  Radar - Britney Spears

I am a little bit of a Britney addict, she, along with reality TV, are my 'guilty pleasures'.  I mean who doesn't love themselves some Britney, she's one hot mess.

2. Chasing Pavements - Adele

I love this song and I don't know why, it's been one of my favorites for some time now.

3 - Britney Spears

Once again, how can you not love this girl?!

4 - Don't Stop Believin' - Journey

I grew up listening to this music thanks to my sisters and my brother, it's a classic and a fantastic one at that.

5 - If You Seek Amy - Britney

I'm sure this comes as no surprise, so please don't judge.

There you have it, my top 5.  I could go on and on with songs I like, but these are 5 that I just love to dance/sing along to on my drive to work.  Yes, I'm that girl...

I am looking at getting a blog 'makeover' as the current design isn't very 'me'.  Any suggestions, tips or tricks?  All are appreciated!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Mrs. Johnston Is Back!

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

That is the only way to sum up the past week and a half of my life.  Our wedding and honeymoon have both come and gone and I do not have one single complaint.  It was one of the most wonderful days from what I can remember.  Has anyone else found that the day just flies by and it all seems to be a blur?  All went well, no problems at all, the weather was perfect, everyone had a blast and I really couldn't have imagined a better day with almost everyone that means so much to us.

This is a picture of our wedding party that someone snapped when we were doing our pictures after the ceremony.  From left to right (ladies) Christy (my brother's wife), Meegan (my sister), Shannon (Ryan's sister), Moi, Erin (MOH - my bestest) and Melissa (my sister)...(men) Robert (my brother), Chris (friend of Ryan), Mark (friend of Ryan), my HUSBAND, Lee (BM - Ryan's Brother-in-Law).  By this time C was running wild and was so tired of being what told what to do that we just let him be.  He was sooo well behaved all weekend considering nap time was non-existent.  Here are a few more pictures take by guests, I can't wait to see the ones from the photographer.

My Dad and I. I just love him so much. We did a little grove before heading down the aisle when the music started. He cracks me up!

My immediate family, this picture is golden as I cannot even remember the last time we all got a picture together, possibly 2 years ago at my brother's wedding.  L-R.  My brother, his wife and 2 girls, Ryan, Mom, Dad and I, my sister and her husband, my other sister, her husband, 2 boys and C.  It's such a great picture even though not all of the kids are smiling and looking in the same direction, it's so us.

Another fun wedding party shot

Our drive away from the ceremony (R's a volunteer firefighter)

Our first dance and Mr & Mrs (I Want To Grow Old With You - Adam Sandler, R's pick)

The crazy twins and C (who looks less than thrilled) love this picture!

Awwwwwww

On to the honeymoon...ahhhh...refreshing, beautiful, amazing.  Sailing, snorkeling, starfish, dolphin, sea turtles, sting rays, barracudas, drinks, great food, bright blue water and hot white sand.  Need I go on?  Here is R and I on a sailing trip we took one afternoon to 'Iguana Island'.

And here is me ready for a night out, please ignore my hair as it was very unruly in the humidity.

Well that's all for tonight, just wanted to say hi and I'm back.

Ashley xo

T-3 Sleeps!

I know I have been a terrible, terrible blogger but I really have been doing nothing but running around lately and finalizing everything, therefore, all thoughts in my mind have been a blur and you don't want to read that mess - really!

So, just a quick note to say 'Hi!', 'Bye!' and 'I am getting married this weekend!' Wow...

I am super excited and not at all stressed - yet.

Also, my sweet, sweet husband to be ended up booking us a honeymoon to Turks and Caicos...we leave Monday.  Please be very jealous while I am gone and I promise to fill you in after.

Can't wait to read up on your happenings upon my return!

Opinions Needed

I spoke to the hairdresser that will be doing my hair the day of the wedding (along with all 5 bridesmaids and 2 mothers) and she informed me that the other lady whom she works with is off sick and won't be able to do some of the hair.  Then she told me that she has someone coming in to replace her while she is off and when I asked if she does updos I was told, 'she said she does' and then when asked if she is good at styling short hair (my MIL) I was told 'I think so'.   I am really not sure that I feel confident with those answers.  I am not picky, but I want everyone to be happy with their hair and to feel their best that day.  That being said, do I want to 'chance' it? 
The replacement does not work Saturdays, but has offered to on that day, but one of my girlfriends K has offered to step up and help out and even offered to rent the chair for the day.  I feel like I should give my hairdresser's co-worker the chance but at the same time, this isn't just a routine hair cut or style, it's a wedding.

I am looking forward to your suggestions - please help!!!!

Chubby Bunny Bridezilla

I am such a terrible, random blogger...there is no consistency, I look at my blog every day and tell myself that I will post something new today and...I don't.  It's not that I don't have the time to write something quick and witty, because I find the time to read all of your fabulous ramblings and God knows that I am witty (note the sarcasm).

There are just under three weeks left until the big day.  I know, I know, you will be glad when this wedding is over so you can stop hearing about it, truth is - me too!  I think about it day and night, especially at night.  My dreams are all focused on wedding junk and are really twisted, causing me to wake up panicked about something new everyday.  The biggest panic being that I am not nearly stressed enough for a bride-to-be with such little time left, so I decide to stress myself out.  I haven't pulled out the bridezilla card just yet, which in reality may be odd for me and I'm sure some of my close friends and family agree.  I never really planned on getting married.  I wasn't a girl who dreamed about her wedding or knew what color her girls would wear, or heck, who I would choose to stand for me.  Some girls are so organized and dream of this day from the time they were children, not that there is anything wrong with that, in fact...that might have helped me out a little.  When Ryan asked me to marry him, I (obviously) said yes.  That was big...then we moved on to choosing who we would like to stand for us.  I have 2 sisters that are so fantastic and are so important to me (M&M), a sister-in-law to whom I am very close with (C), Ryan's sister (amazingly, sweet-as-pie chicka S) and my best friend E (THE best and most entertaining, off-the-wall girl I know), so that was easy.  Next on to a dress...I went shopping with E one day because she made me just for fun to find a dress I might like.  I expected this to be the best part of it all...nope, not really.  No one tells you that almost all of the dresses come in sizes 6, 8 or maybe if you are lucky 10 and when you are in a size 14 it's really not so much fun.  So the hunt continued...we found a dress at some random little spot one day and I bought it off the rack (it was discontinued) in a size 8 and joined Weight Watchers soon there after.  Thankfully (and 30 pounds later) my dress fits perfectly and I absolutely love it and can not wait to wear it on the big most expensive and tiring day.  On to the girls dresses, now that was fun!  The girls (minus C who was sick with the flu) went to Sinders (a popular bridal house in the area) and took up a room with their ten dresses each and got to trying them on.   The poor consultant...I was standing back watching dresses randomly fly from one room to the next over the top of the stalls, one girl would run out with a dress, everyone else's heads would poke out and the opinions would fly.  So after about 30 minutes (yes that is all), the girls picked a dress and then I asked them to decide on a color...yup, you read that right...I let my bridesmaids pick my color scheme.  I then met with the decorator and she does amazing work.  I have worked with her on numerous occasions as my Father owns a catering company and she goes above and beyond and I never really realized it until I booked her for my own wedding.  She is a decorator, a wedding planner, my right hand woman and my decision maker...as you might be able to tell, I am SUPER indecisive.  She asked what our theme was, what ideas we had or any styles that might interest us.  I told her to do what she does best and decorate the hall and basically that I would see it on the day of the wedding.  I don't decorate, I don't have an artistic bone in my body and VERY little fashion sense (sad but true) so really, when our cake maker (D - she is the SWEETEST thing!) asked what I wanted I was prepared, I gave her a picture and then said...if you think you can do it, great...if not do whatever.  Seriously, what is wrong with me?!?  The one thing I keep saying over and over again to people is that 'It doesn't matter, it will look great no matter what and heck, if something goes wrong, who will know?'  OBVIOUSLY not me!  My point being...three weeks to go and meh...no big deal (right?).

I had my bachelorette on Saturday night and what a blast.  My girlfriends are fantastic.  We partied it up at a hotel and then headed out to a bar for the night.  It was just such a great night out, until we got out of the bar.  Some of the girls had left a little earlier to go back to the hotel and apparently we had been kicked out of the hotel (at 2 a.m.!!!), needless to say, 15 girls squealing in the lobby of a hotel can be cause enough for the cops to show up (who were both mighty fine and thought the situation was ridiculous).  Apparently you are not allowed to smoke on the balcony of your room?!?!  WTH?  And apparently the 20 of us who started the night out were a little loud...not shocking at all.  Oh well, all in all it was a great night and a big thank you to everyone who came and for all of the hard work they put into it.  Pictures to come shortly.

R should be home any moment from his weekend-long bachelor party.  Some of the boys from the fire department (and his best man/brother-in-law L) took him to Dover Delaware for the Nascar race this weekend and by the sounds of it, they had a blast.  They are all raspy voiced, so much so that I didn't know who I was talking to when R called yesterday to say goodnight to us and I am pretty sure that C didn't know it was his Daddy.  I am excited to hear all about it and see what kind of Jimmie gear he bought for me (love #48).

I am feeling super chubby lately and this is a slight worry as of course I want to look my best on 'the big day' and to be quite honest (with myself) I quit working out a while ago and just haven't been able to get back into it.  I just don't have the drive and you think our wedding would be drive enough.  What motivates you to get you butt back in gear?

1 Month To Go, Give Away & Cinco de Mayo...mmmm

Let panic mode begin!  Our wedding is exactly 1 month away, oh my goodness.  Reality sunk in yesterday and I got into full planning mode again (like I haven't been for the past 5 months?) and started to finalize all of the little things.  There seems to be several little things left to do, but overall, we are ready.  I can't believe in a month I will be Mrs. Johnston...sounds so strange.

Head on over to Taylor's and check out the fabulous giveaway she is having from Paisley Pineapple, they definitely have some super cute things.  I am absolutely smitten with the Mocca Reversible Maddox Tote Diaper Bag - so adorable!

Today is Cinco de Mayo and I had a delicious celebratory lunch let me tell you.  There is this place called Mucho Burrito near my work so I ran over to get a burrito for lunch for me and my co-worker (they are delicious) and the line up was out the door.  Totally worth the wait though.  How did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  I am heading out for supper tonight with 2 of my favorite girls, Lisa and Erin.  Can't wait to see them!

Sorry for being all over the place today...I'm just a little excited I guess. :)

HELP!!!!

Please take a moment to check out Beth's post  concerning the flooding that is destroying parts of Nashville and ruining thousand's of people's lives.  As Beth mentions, there is very little word of this in the media and this is something that needs to be addressed as there are people who need help.  If you have a minute to spare please repost Beth's post or twitter about it to your local media outlets, if it helps at all what do you have to lose?

Top 2 Splurges

It's Top 2 Tuesday over at  The Undomestic Momma  and this week it is your favorite splurges, so head on over and link up!

1.   As mentioned in almost all Top 2 Tuesdays that I have participated in so far, I LOVE me some MAC!   I don't mind splurging for MAC cover-up and foundation, totally worth it.

2.  Clothes, shoes and accessories for C.  I love when my little man looks stylish, there is nothing cuter than a well dressed, trendy child.  Although the older he gets, the harder it is to find plain (no crazy pictures) clothes/shirts for him, but he's so damn cute it really doesn't matter. 

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh, I just love them so much. :)

I can't believe it's only a month (on the 5th) until we are getting married, C.R.A.Z.I.N.E.S.S.

MIA

I have been totally MIA with blogging the past week due to all of the craziness going on in my life.  First off, work has been ridiculously insane, but definitely in a good way.  I love my job and with so much to do the days are just flying by, which can be a good thing, but in this case it might be a bad thing.  A bad thing because the days flying by means that our wedding is JUST around the corner.  Now don't get me wrong, I am extremely excited about our big day and all that is to come, but I don't think I am ready for it just yet.  Where did the last 4 months go?!?!  I remember back in January saying 'Okay, the holidays are over so now it's full-fledged wedding mode'.  And that it has been, but I still don't feel 100% prepared, but really will I ever?  I took last Friday off work to finalize some things for the wedding and drop off some cheques and thank you cards so that was a relief for me.  Rye was away fishing for the weekend so C and I just hung out at my parents for the weekend.  Friday night my girlfriend Sheri held a 'kitchen' shower for me and it was such an absolute blast.  What a crazy group of girls, especially the twins (see below).  They never cease to amaze me and they come out with some of the wildest things.  What a blast.

The company was great, the food delicious, the wine and tequila amazing, the games fun and the laughter non-stop.  I am so blessed to have such terrific friends.  Thanks so much Sheri and everyone for the great night and all of the fantastic kitchen stuff (I will not name the unmentionable that was in that gift!!).

Saturday morning off we were to another shower, this time at my mom's friend's VT's.  It was so great to see all of the ladies and the weather was so gorgeous we ended up sitting outside for the entire afternoon after the shower had ended.  I can't get over how sweet and generous all of these ladies are, we got a large amount in a gift card from Home Depot (yay paint for the house or wood for the retaining wall!) and I can't wait to put Ryan to work.  Now, let me talk about the food...OH.MY.GOODNESS. it was freaking scrumptious, every last bit of it.  Carol and V served brunch and wowzers, did I over do it.  I have a feeling I might have gained a pound or two this week, guess we'll find out at my weigh in this afternoon.  After the shower we decided that we had better do some wine tasting to decide on what kinds to get for the tables at the wedding.  Needless to say, it was a great evening! :)  Thank you to all of the fantastic ladies and to VT and Carol for the great day.

Sunday was a quiet day, we too Cole out to see the horses at the track with Dad and then I went for a jog/walk (I am terribly out of shape) and then we spent the rest of the day outside playing in the sandbox.  What a great weekend spent with family and friends.  Oh and yes, Ryan caught some fish and brought them home to clean them.  Cole spent a good 30 minutes at the sink with Ryan 'cleaning' the fish...I have pictures that I will share soon enough.

Monday night I went to meet Erin and Lisa for a pedicure after work, talk about Heavenly.  It felt so great and my feet are sandal worthy.  I ended up doing a little shopping after and bought quite a bit of stuff.  3 skirts, a pair of capris, 2 dresses, more MAC makeup and drum roll...WEDDING SHOES!  Wooohooo!  I needed them in a bigger size and they were out so they will be shipping them to me...actually JUST received them 2 minutes ago and I love them.  So plain but so comfortable.  I got them in white but have just decided to order them in black too!  Haha...yay!  Another thing off the list.

Now just to finalize a few more things and organize the catering staff and we are all ready...until I realize the other 100 things I have left to do...seating chart, table numbers, making appointments for pedicures/manicures, the rehearsal...need I go on?

Top 2 Tuesday - Items Under $15

It's Top 2 Tuesday over at Taylor's The Undomestic Momma and this week is your top 2 favorite items under $15.








Today's Top 2 Tuesday is your favorite items under $15.

1. Bath and Body Works Mentha Lip Buffer

  This lip buffer/lip scrub is fantastic!  It's refreshingly minty and really works.  It's a quick fix to chapped lips and an easy way to prevent them.
 2.  Tim Hortons' Tea  

  I am a huge tea addict and there are few things I would take over a Tim Hortons' tea.  Head on over to 'Taylor's and link up to join the fun.

Top 2 Beauty Secrets

It's Tuesday which means it's time for Taylor's Top 2 Tuesday and this week is Top 2 Beauty Secrets.
 
I really don't have any beauty secrets that I live by, but below are a few things that I can not live without.
 

Schwarzkopf OSIS Dust It Volumizing Powder

My hair is long + fine which = no volume at all, even when I cut layers into it.  Thankfully due to Schwarzkopf OSIS Dust It Volumizing Powder I have a little more volume some days.  This also works great if your hair tends to get greasy quickly, just sprinkle a little bit on your roots and they will absorb the powder. 
 

MAC Cover-Up

 

MAC Cover-Up is no different than any MAC product which is nothing short of fabulous.  It actually works to cover up the dark bags under my eyes and some of the 'age' spots on my face and it lasts.  MAC is definitely my favorite make-up brand whether it be foundation, cover-up, eye shadow, perfume or brushes (there brushes are fantastic!!!) MAC never disappoints.

 

There you have it, what are your two favorite beauty secrets?  Go on over to Taylor's and link up to join the fun!

Pendant Workshop

Last night Last week (so I'm a terribly slow blogger) one of my friends Katie and I took part in a pendant making workshop at Blackbird in Almonte.  The store is so cute and is full of adorable and unique gift ideas.  I forgot to bring my camera but if you check out the website you will see a few of the great items that Emily sells there.  I have never taken part in a workshop as I am not the least bit creative, nor do I have any artistic talent whatsoever, so I went there a little unsure of what my pendants might turn out like.  I didn't bring anything with me (pictures, material, ideas, etc.) but Emily and Colleen had the tables stocked with pieces of material, loads of scrapbooking paper and some really cute little cards to help us out (along with some delicious wine).  In total I made 3 necklaces and 2 fridge magnets and I had an absolute blast.  I took some pictures of my pendants when I got home, however, they didn't turn out so great, but here they are. 

From L to R:  Ladybug scrabble tile, gobble gobble pendant (who doesn't need a Thanksgiving necklace), my favorite Love tile.
Bottom:  Fridge magnets

A close up of the love pendant, although my camera doesn't show the colors at all.

This workshop was so much fun and I can not wait to do another one.  Emily and Colleen were fantastic hostesses and are so very talented (we even made cute little paper boxes!).  When you get a chance check out Emily's website and see all of the great items she has at the store.

Tonight Cole and I were playing and the poor boy smashed his head right on the corner of the coffee table.  I was sure it was his eye, but thankfully it was his forehead.  He has a huge bruise and kept saying 'take a picture of the bruise mama?' goodness my boy is cute and entertaining. 

On top of his bruised forehead he is sick with a cold and getting his two year old molars...my poor little guy.  I just love him so much...he is just soooo adorable and funny.

Here is a picture of Cole and his cousin D reading together this weekend, he loves his cousins so much.

What's New with Mrs. T's Giveaway

I just came across a really cute blog, What's New with Mrs. T and this blog is definitely one of my new favorites. You most definitely need to check out her giveaway which closes tomorrow.  Everything in it is adorable, especially the cake lifter!  I think I love it and if I don't win I will find one to add to our wedding registry (I know Ryan would just die for one...haha!).

Top 2 Tuesday - Favorite Magazines

The Undomestic Momma is hosting the Top 2 Tuesday as always and this week is your favorite magazines.

I am ashamed (who am I kidding?!) to say that I love trashy, gossipy celeb magazines and that my 2 favorite magazines fall under this category. 

I love People magazine (and Jennifer Aniston as per the cover).

In Touch is always juicy read and full of celeb photos and gossip (again the Jen/Brad/Angelina drama - love it!)

There you have it...head on over to The Undomestic Momma and link up to join in the fun.

Today is my first day back to work since Thursday as we had Friday and Monday off for Easter.  It was such a great weekend!  The weather was absolutely beautiful and we spent the entire weekend with friends and family outside.  Friday we took Cole to see a movie, he had such a great time.  The mixed shower hosted by my brother and sister-in-law on Friday night was great, it was so nice to see everyone and have a chance to catch up.  Saturday Cole and I spent the day outside at my parents, I raked the lawn while Cole played in the sandbox and trucked all around.  Sunday Ryan's family came over for Easter brunch and the kids had an Easter egg hunt and we all sat out in the sun.  We couldn't have asked for a better weekend!