Greetings!

That's all I've got time for now...hope everyone had a great weekend!

Stay Classy San Diego...

Cuz Ima coming to see you!!! Maybe I'll run into our favorite anchorman Will Ferrell?!?! That's right, I'm headed to Cali for a long Labor Day weekend. One of my best friends from college lives out there so another one of my friends and I are flying out to see her. We try to do an annual girls trip. Last year was Las Vegas...decidedly un-classy. Hopefully SD will be a little more my pace. Any of you kind readers ever been? Better yet, any of you from San Diego? What's fun to do/see???

Jason Mraz

I'm not usually a Jason Mraz fan, but I heard his song "I'm Yours" on the radio and had to download it. It's so fun, I love it. I downloaded another song of his too, "Lucky" with Colby Caillat. I keep listening to it over and over and thinking what a sweet wedding song it would be. Barf. These songs have probably been out for a while, but I'm always a little late catching on to trends...haha. Come to think of it, I saw Jason Mraz a few years ago in Atlanta at Music Midtown. (Along with the more memorable performances of Ludacris, Jessica Simpson, and Offspring.)

A Few Things

B and I spent the weekend in SC. His friends from home were throwing a surprise birthday party on Friday night for another of their friends. The people hosting the party had bought a total of 18 bottles of Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka (which we just got on the liquor store shelves in NC on Friday!!!) and combined it with Simply Lemonade in this lovely beverage dispenser (from Costco, which took me about an hour to track down a picture of...) It took party punch to a whole new level. Good times!
On Saturday we spent the day on his parents' farm. B's got an old CJ-7 jeep that he got running and we tore up the back roads for a good two hours. (Til we ran out of gas...) Then we cooled off in the pool. Here's a pic of B showing off for his mama on the diving board. The arbor you see in the back ground is what B's dad built for his mom for their 35th wedding anniversary this year. Awww.
Saturday night B and his friend fished in a bass tournament (they won!) so I hung out with his friend's wife. We ended up going to another birthday party and drinking more sweet tea vodka. I swear, I think that's all South Carolians do, not that I blame them...Sunday morning we repented for all the drinking at church with B's parents. Nothing like Southern Baptists to make you feel extra guilty for being a little hungover! We got back late Sunday night. The doggies slept the whole way, exhausted from their fun weekend on the farm.Monday I had to get up early and head to Boone for work. I accidentally stopped at the Coach outlet store on the way back and bought two fun new bags and a wallet. Initially I wasn't a fan of the color of the wallet, but then I realized that it matched the sunglasses case I had in my bag that I'd bought the last time I was there. I also wasn't sure about the white bag, but it was on sale and I figured it will be nice for Spring. The tweed material bag is much prettier in person. I almost can't wait for Fall so I can carry it! I also picked up some flops on sale at J. Crew for $5. I took my purchases to my parents' house to hide from B. I'm leaving for San Diego this Thursday and he thinks I'm saving money so I'll have some to spend while I'm out there...Must. Stop. Buying. Handbags.

Favorites

There are several beauty products that I am currently obsessed with! Thought I'd share...

Smashbox O-Gloss
This goes on so smooth and isn't sticky like a lot of tube glosses are. The cool thing about this gloss is that it goes on clear, then reacts to your body chemistry to change into your own personalized shade of pink. Very cool.


Philosophy Never Let Them See You Shine face wash
This is one of the few "shine free" cleansers I've tried that actually works. It leaves my face feeling so clean and matte. Philosophy The Supernatural makeup
I keep this in my purse at all times! I've used Bare Minerals in the past and this is the same idea, just not as messy to apply. This truly does give your skin an "airbrushed" look.
Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum
This makes blow drying and flat ironing my hair SO much easier. I use the shampoo and conditioner too. It really does make my hair skinnier. I've been rubbing it on my butt too, sadly no sign of improvement yet...

5 Words...

Just noticed my fun tag from the marvelous Muffy Martini! Here are my 5 least favorite words...

1) Yeast--for some reason this word just conjures up nasty images for me.
2) Menstruation--who likes this word? It always makes me think of Judy Blume's Are You There God, It's Me Margaret
3) Anticlimactic--this is actually a great descriptive word, but I always feel like I'm adding too many syllables when I say it. Also, I always catch people misusing it, saying "anticlimatic" instead.
4) The F-Bomb--whether it's being used as a verb, adjective, or expletive, I just think it's the crudest, most foul-mouthed thing you can say.
5) Colonel--it drives me crazy that this word is pronounced so differently than the way it's spelled. No wonder English is so hard for non-native speakers. "Ker-nel"...really.

Now I'm supposed to tag five people...How about, Adventures of a Southern Newlywed, Just Random..., Magnolia Belle's Musings, Red and White Preppy, and Why, Hello Darling.

I am an Imposter

I have two confessions to make. Please don't judge me...

1) I have fake toenails. Oh, you didn't realize they make fake toenails? I didn't either until recently. I was at a wedding and one of the girls there had the most beautiful french pedicure. By contrast, I had chipped pink nail polish with green polka dots on my short stubby toes. After my third glass of wine, I finally got my nerve out to blurt "You have the most gorgeous toes!" She just laughed and said, "Honey, I paid $5 for them at Walmart." Hmm...So I went and bought some. They weren't the easiest things to glue on--a pinky toenail ended up superglued to my pointer finger in the process--but the finished product looks pretty darn good. I've quizzed all my friends about them and no one can tell they're fake. What do y'all think?

2) I bought a fake Prada bag. Remember that Sex and the City episode where the girls go to L.A. and Samantha and Carrie go to buy fake Pradas out of the trunk of that guy's car? That's how I felt. My friend had a Purse Party on Tuesday night. She invited this sketchy dude who gets the bags from NYC and he displayed his wares in the clubhouse of her condo complex. Oh, and she had carrot sticks and veggie dip, yay. This is the second purse party she's had; the first time I refused to buy anything. I can't stand knockoffs; especially overpriced knockoffs. I've found that you can get better prices on the real deal at TJ Maxx (great for Coach and Dooney & Bourke), factory outlets, and Off 5th (the former home of my beloved pink Marc Jacobs) than you can for some of the fake stuff. But, I decided to be a good sport this time (hell, I may need her to buy Avon or something from me someday) so I purchased one. Yes, it's blatantly faux, but it's a good size and I like the metallic "gunmetal" color. What I don't like is that I paid $70 for it...oh, the injustice!

In other news, Sweet B surprised me and made dinner last night--crab legs with grilled asparagus and squash. Yummm! Also, I saw this painting at the restaurant where we ate on Friday. It made me think of fellow fab blogger Muffy Martini.

Polos & Pearls

I need an invite to your blog too!

Invite Please!

Southern Preppy, please invite me to read your blog! Thanks!
ghettocowgirl13@yahoo.com

Marital Rating Scale, Yikes!

Um, I scored a NEGATIVE 21...no one will ever marry me!

Lake James

As promised, here are the pics from my weekend at Lake James. B and I were invited to a very casual lake wedding this past weekend. The groom is one of B's good friend's older brother. I'd never met the bride, and had only met the groom twice becuase he and B had fished in some bass tournaments together. The plan was to attend the wedding, booze up at the reception, then camp across the lake with 4 other couples we're friends with. Everyone met at the groom's parents' lake house and was shuttled over to an island by pontoon for the ceremony. The island was beautiful and the ceremony started at sunset. Then everyone was shuttled back to the house for the reception. Think bbq, sweet tea, and muskadine wine. We'd gotten there early and set up camp at a lot across the lake. Rather than bringing a tent like our friends did, B thought it would be better to sleep on an air mattress in the bed of his truck. I actually slept pretty well, could have been the wine...The next day we had Sunday Funday on Lake James. This lake is absolutely beautiful, it's actually where they filmed the movie Last of the Mohicans. The water was so clear and blue, pics don't really do it justice...B and I neglected to coordinate our outfits when packing, this is why he's in pink and I'm in red. I'm ticked that the photographer didn't capture my matching Coach sandals, I think they really set off the outfit. Oh, and I'm not really 6 months pregnant as the dress would have you believe...gross.This was the view behind where the couple got married. Gorgeous! The flower girl was precious. She was shy and had to be carried down the isle...halfway through the ceremony she got her nerve up and dumped the whole basket of rose petals out.B cooked breakfast for everyone over the campfire...Our romantic bedMe trying to look like the sea turtleThe view!

Kate Spade Sale, part 2

I couldn't resist...Hurry ladies, quantities are limited!

Kate Spade Sale!

Got this in my email this morning and thought I'd share...additional 25% off all sale merchandise!

http://katespade.rsys1.net/servlet/cc6?sHlLQSWUQYVtpgKkHPJxloLoHjKOhhKJhuiHgPQJhuVaVR

That's all I've got time to post now, super busy at work. But I'll post some pics from our weekend at Lake James when I get a chance.

Lake Pics

Here're some pics from Sunday Funday on the lake...

Coming Out Of The Closet

No, not me...but a good bit of my clothes that have been hiding there. On Friday night, B was in a limo headed for Charlotte for a bachelor party, so I decided that at least one of us needed to be a responsible dog-parent and have a tame night. After dinner with some of my girl friends, I packed up the doggies and headed to my parents' house. I was in for the night by 9:30...which hasn't happened in a long time. After eating way too much of my mom's blackberry pie and watching my dogs bully my parents' dog, I headed upstairs for some playtime in my closet. One of the things I love most about my parents' house is my walk-in closet; it's huge and I never know what I'll find in there. One of the things I hate about "shacking up" with B (as my dad calls it) is being 15 minutes across town from said closet. I've got most of my work clothes and swim suits over at B's, and that's really all I've needed this summer. Sadly, there are still gobs of clothes at home that I've totally neglected and/or forgotten about. The pictures below show just some of the clothes that I've been missing out on all summer. In the back of my closet I found like 8 Lilly dresses, skirts, tank tops, jeans, and shoes that I had totally forgotten I had, hiding behind dreary winter clothes. Half of the stuff still had price tags attached! Granted some of the Lilly prints are oo-ooo-oooooldies but goodies, but I brought them out anyway. I'm seriously pissed that I didn't find this stuff until August! I feel cheated that I only have less than a month to wear it all...I have a thing about not wearing Lilly after Labor Day. As for the jeans I found...um, so, maybe they didn't all fit anymore. I'm actually devasted because I paid well over $100 per pair for each of them and they are coated in dust and 2 sizes too small. It's scary to think that in the past 2 years, that much weight has snuck up on me! I'm not a candidate for Gastric Bypass or anything, but I've chubbed up a bit I'd say. Still, why won't my old jeans fit up over my thighs!?!? Project Skinny is starting today. I might even start going to the gym again. Needless to say, Friday night was sort of emotional...

Fun Stuff

Ok, I just ordered my monogram decal! I actually ordered two, a white one and a pink one, both in the fancy script. I ended up finding a seller on eBay, she was a little cheaper than some I'd seen so I figured I'd give her a try. I'm thinking I'll put one on my car, one on my cooler. But...I might end up getting creative, you never know...something fun like a flower pot...

Other exciting news--my best friend from high school came over to tell me she got engaged...and bought a house!!! Her ring is gorgeous, a diamond and sapphire number. We went to see the house and it's an adorable brick ranch with a fantastic screened-in porch! Her fiance is wonderful too, I've known him almost as long as I've known her. Congrats Em and J!!!

B is headed to a bachelor party tonight, so wish me luck not worrying. I'm going to dinner with some friends, then hopefully home to relax. These wild crazy weekends of partying are starting to take their toll...Hope everyone has a great one!

P.S. Holy Crap, it's AUGUST!!!

Catch Up (not to be confused with Ketchup)

Sorry I've been a slack blogger lately. I've been uberbusy! The lady who does my job but out of our Charlotte office retired, so I've been doing my job plus hers...grrr. Anywho, here's a quick rundown of the things you've missed in my absence: ;-)

1) I got burned by a stranger's cigarrette on my arm...not on purpose I hope, but yet another reason why smoking is bad. (see pic below)2) My beloved Tiffany Onyx bracelet (see pic above) went for a swim in a public toliet (yes, that I had just peed in...) The toggle closure decided to un-toggle itself as I went to flush the toliet in an Exxon bathroom. Like any good mother, I didn't hesitate to reach right in and scoop her back up. Gross. Luckily they had handsoap and I had hand sanitizer in my purse.

3) I rescued a cat who had a cup stuck on his head. (Don't ask, see pic...)4) I painted my toenails pink with green dots...a refreshing change from the purple, I think.5) I finished the book, The Sleeping Beauty Proposal by Sarah Strohmeyer. LOVED IT! It's the second book I've read by her this summer and it was fabulous, fun, and chicky.6) I survived a "double date" with B and his parents.

7) I had the best sushi of my life on Sunday night, and I don't even like sushi.

8)My new Jacks came in the mail! I ordered them in Fuchsia/Lime to replace my Fuchsia/Light Pink ones that are about 6 years old. I'm a little disappointed though, they're a lot brighter than I expected...9) Received a mysterious text from an ex on Saturday night (well, Sunday morning) at 3:30 am that said "What's up Hottie?"...

10) Aforementioned ex just so happened to be two boats down at the sandbar when we were on the lake Sunday afternoon....B was not happy. (Nor was I happy, who wants an ex to see them in a bikini?!?! I was having a fat day...)

11) Thanks to all the positive feedback to my previous post, I've decided to go ahead and order a monogram decal for my car. If it's too big, I'll just put it on my pink cooler.12) I was trying really hard to think of a 12th significant list item for you, I have a thing about even numbers...but, oh well, I'm boring...

Ok, time to start catching up on my blog reading!

Monogram Decals

Hey girls, wanted to get your opinions on this...

Monogram Car Decal
I've been wanting to order one from Monogram Me for a while. I've got a black Jeep Cherokee and I think a white monogram would look fun on my back window. However, is this going to blow any shot I have of maintaining vehicular anonymity? Like, what if some girl sees my parked car, recognizes the initials, and thinks, "Isn't that the tramp who stole my boyfriend in the 7th grade?" Next thing we know, Blackie is getting keyed. Stranger things have happened...

But I definitely want to order one for my pink cooler...

Thank You Notes

Because my sweet mother instilled in me the value of a heartfelt and prompt "thank you" note, I've got some to send out today. Please imagine that they are neatly handwritten (ha!) on fabulous pink monogrammed stationary.

1) Dear Lauren (at Adventures of a Southern Newlywed),

Thank you so much for sending me the link to the Carolee website. Without it I would never have purchased this lovely pearl and diamante bow necklace as I did this morning. While I wasn't initially thrilled about the toggle closure, I now realize that this necklace is still a superb substitute for the Vera Wang after which it was modeled. My new $22 Carolee pearls will suit me just fine until my boyfriend gets it through his thick head that I NEED the Veras for Christmas.

Thanks again for your fantastic and thrifty find,

Miss Lili

2) Dear Air Conditioner In My Car,

Thank you so much for deciding to stop working yesterday afternoon. I must commend you on your timing; it's like you knew that it was 97 degrees outside and would be approximately 103 degrees inside my BLACK car without you. In your absence, I'm sure I will have a delightful time driving 78 miles tomorrow afternoon to meet a customer. I feel confident that two extra clicks of Secret Clinical and an extra spritz of D&G Light Blue will be all I need to combat any heat-induced body odor that may result from your little hiatus. Also, I thank you in advance for being quick, easy, and inexpensive to repair, as I'm SURE you will be.

Cordially,

Miss Lili

Music Meme

I've been tagged to do this lil music meme by the fabulous Red and White Preppy. Here are the rules:

*Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
*Share 5 songs you are embarrassed to admit to others that you like and tell why.
*Tag 7 random people at the end of post.

Ok, here goes: (and be sure to click the song name, I wasted the time to link the you tube video of each song for your viewing pleasure...)

1) "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" (not sure who this little gem is by...)--I like to sing this in my most annoying voice at Christmas time, just because it really gets on my sister's nerves...
2) "Africa" by Toto - My roomie in college and I used to stand on our desk chairs and sing this at the top of our lungs into our hairbrush microphones. Not on a regular basis, just when we were, um, under the influence or super delirious from late night studying.
3) "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" by The Four Tops--This was my favorite song when I was little. My parents have a video of me at age 5 singing and interpretive dancing along to it. They still like to show the video at family gatherings. This song was actually my cell ringtone until very recently.
4) "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Celine Dion--I went through this Celine phase in high school after my best friend got me her Greatest Hits CD for my birthday. I used to ride around with the sunroof open and belt out this song until I got light-headed, seriously.
5) "Thug Luv" by Bone Thugs N Harmony (ft Tupac)--I know every word to this...Um, all I can say is I went through a brief gangsta phase after my Celine phase. "Until they stop me, bury, murder me, or drop me, I got THUG LUV for my nationwide posse. Feel me!"

I now tag: Just Random..., Preppy Money Penny, Muffy Martini, Magnolias & Juleps, Etiquettely Correct, Monograms and Manicures, and Pearls Are a Girl's Best Friend.

Have Fun!!!

My Love Affair With Jewelry

I'm a huge fan of coffee table books. One day, I'm going to have my very own fabulous living room, with an equally fabulous coffee table, displaying several even more fabulous coffee table books. But for now, my books are crammed in a book shelf left over from college dorm days, sigh. Anywho, one of my favorite c.t. books is Elizabeth Taylor's My Love Affair With Jewelry. I was flipping through it last night, and it inspired me to share some of my most coveted jewelry pieces. (Pieces that I covet, not to be confused with pieces I own that others covet, again, sigh.) I like to keep a folder of pictures on my puter of the things I would buy if I had Elizabeth Taylor's bank roll. Here are my favs:

Vera Wang Pearl Necklace with Diamond Bow
And of course I wouldn't turn down the matching earrings...
SJP's Necklace, it will be perfect for all the galas I attendThis Slane & Slane Necklace, for gold daysVintage Tiffany Diamond Ring I came across on eBay (but sadly didn't win, go figure)And last but not least, here is the Tacori ring with which B is going to propose to me...he just doesn't know it yet...
Ok, back to reality...