Any tips???

I've been having a slight issue with the dryer at our rental. Every once in a while I'll pull my clothes out to fold and there are black marks on them, in random places (translation: the front!!).  It doesn't matter what setting the dryer is on, be it high, medium (as it was in this case), or delicate.  It's super frustrating.  They look like burn marks or something like grease.  They stain so badly.  Any tips on getting them out, what to do with this shirt that p.s. I JUST bought Friday 1/27. Sheesh! I really like the top, and went against my usual tech nique and paid full price for it, so I can't return it. (Ya, although I'm the princess of returns, I can't do this honestly.)
Help! Suggestions welcome!

Late night ombre? Why not?!?

Okay, so I've tried to post this blog now going on 3 times, and I finally got it to post... I do most of my blogging mobile, and I think there as a glitch.  So......... let's hope the third time's a charm!

I've seen this ombre polish color scheme for a while, on pinterest, etc.  and I decided to give it a go.  If you had seen the time stamp of when I was to originally post, it was 1:11 a.m.  That was no joke.  Why I decided to do this little project so late in the evening, I'm not sure. But I did.  And yes, I had to work today.  I was watching the style network (one of my faves!), and the show was, "How Do I Look?"  Have you seen it?  It's kinda like TLC's "What not to wear," which is pretty much my favorite show.  Anyway, I couldn't get away from it, and I'm watching the clock get closer to midnight, thinking, I better get started!  So around midnight, I set up camp in my bathroom, to get started on this lovely project. I have gel on my nails right now, one of OPI's light/nude colors - "passion."  I do like the way they keep my cuticles in check, but I like the lighter colors so that I can polish over. You know I'm addicted to polish... why commit to one color?!? So I filed them down, buffed and laid out my colors.  I was excited to have a nice blend, corals to pinks.  Colors are listed below, thumb to pinky:
essie - too too hot
essie - peach daiquiri
essie - mod squad
revlon (speed dry) - candy
essie - poppy art pink
essie - good to go 30 sec quick dry top coat.  I don't do any mani's w/out this top coat.  If you don't already have it, I suggest you go spend the $10 and fall in love w/this quick dry like I did.  I'm talking no sheet marks on your nails when you do your polish late at night like I do... I'm fancy, and I approve this message.

Note to self: when you mention that your stomach isn't feeling right to your husband, even if it's a couple of hours prior to your bathroom-turned nail salon polish fest, don't be surprised when he hollers at you from the bed, "you okay in there?!  I thought you fell in..."  Because he will. I totally thought he was asleep, and was holed up in my bathroom for about 30 min when I heard that.  It scared me, and I quickly jumped off my perch and flashed him my brights, assuring him that I was okay.  LOL.

I would like to try this in grays or taupes to nudes, so that may be my next project.  And you know, that may require some new polish purchases... I'm just sayin'.  Have any of you tried this ombre polish?

xoxo

"so put-together"

I figured I would knock two of my advertised topics out at the same time - girly AND inspirational! ;)
Just the other day, two people told me that I was so "put-together." On the same day!! I beamed when they told me, so proud! I had on my "uniform" which consisted of boot cut jeans (old navy, diva cut, $20), a white cami/tank, a tan heather open cardi w/dolman sleeves (target, $20), an olive green/purple/grass green striped scarf (world market, $12?), and my tan suede peep toe heels (with little bows, rack room $24). Almost forgot the best parts!  Essie armed and ready on my nails and carrying an olive colored long champ inspired canvas tote (old navy, $15 on sale!) First off, I shop sales and bargains.  No, I don't shop at tjmaxx or ross or marshall's for clothing, I've got zero patience for that. Maybe for shoes and purses though.  I'm talking old navy, target, forever 21, and stein mart - that's where I shop to get my basics and then scarf or accessorize these looks to make them mine.  (P.s., scarves @ stein mart, $9.99! Why wouldn't you get a pashmina'ish scarf?!?!)  If you have some staples, you're good to go.  I am definitely a blue jeans girl.  They are a staple in my wardrobe. I bought about 5 pairs when old navy had them on sale for $20, last year. And I bought them online, too! I know, risky. I lucked out and only had to return one pair because they were too long. So, with the denim in check, I go to my top half.  I pretty much layer all the time, it's just easier here in Florida and it makes it comfortable when going from hot to cooler temps. So it's usually a tank or blouse (print or solid), and a cardigan - button up or open. I particularly like the cardi's bc they conceal things... be it unshaven armpits (don't judge!), rolls, lumps, whatever.  I rely heavily on my spanx to take control of my midsection's imperfections, too.  I strongly support spanx and recommend them for all sizes!  They're wonderful!  And then as y'all know I'm a big supporter of scarves, so they're worn a few times a week. (Tip: it's the easiest way to dress up a plain top, or one you may have a spot on, or a logo/embellishment you may not like.  Put a scarf on it!)
I figured that I couldn't exhaust my style, so I've found and have purchased a few tees from old navy and forever 21.  I love the silky tops, short sleeves, and for fun, hey, you guessed it, throw a scarf over it! ;) 
Oh gosh, come to think of it, I've got too many purses and handbags , and I only carry about 4!  (Colors: tan, olive, navy and black. I sure would like a gray one...) Time to streamline and let go of some dated ones, but sheesh, that's a whole 'nother day. 
I kinda got off track, but I wanted y'all to know what I'm working with.  My point (that I didn't make sooner) is that you too can look put-together, on a daily basis, and more importantly - on a budget!!  With a little creativity, mixing colors you may not normally, pairing a cardi with a blouse you may already own, throwing some pearls on, wearing your fancy shoes with your jeans, getting a pretty scarf - you've got it!   It's pretty easy.  No need to go overboard when you're trying to pull of a polished, classic look.  I'll touch base with more accessorizing & makeup later... but for now, go have fun , smile and wear your outfit knowing you are so put-together, too!
xoxo

P.S. - I made this!

I stumbled upon the cutest video a few months ago on pinterest while looking at scarves, and loved it! It was "P.S. I made this..." and it was a ton of d.i.y. projects for fashion.   I tried out one tonight, the scarf with fringe.  I'm going to try this out on some different tshirts, but this will do for now! It's a lite coral/pink and white.   And it's suggested to leave some for my furry baby Coco.
How do you feel about fringe??

Armed & ready.

Thought I would share a pic of my newest nail polish purchase/mani. I picked up essie's "armed and ready" the other day. I had seen it a couple of times and loved it but wasn't sure. It's a pretty dark olive greenish gray, with a golden shimmer (in the lights). Very pretty neutral. Love it!

gotta have faith...

I've started reading the book of Matthew this month.  Our church has a "guide" of daily readings, and this month is 1 chapter each day - in Matthew and in Proverbs.  I'm a little behind so I've only read Matthew.  One chapter that really got me thinking was chapter 8.  No verse in particular, but really just the whole thing is about miracles that Jesus is performing.  Leprosy, paralysis, fevers, demon-possession, just to name a few.  What was so amazing about it was that the people that were healed - all they did was believe in Jesus' power. They had faith.   They believed.  So it got me thinking, what would I do if Jesus was standing right here in front of me?  Right here where I could see Him.  Would I ask Him to heal my sick relatives? To bring someone back to life? To heal my friends' families? (To clone Coco and give me 2 more?)  What would you do?  Would you be able to just throw all the doubt out of your mind, and believe 110% that whatever He said He would fix/heal/correct/resurrect, He would do just that?  Have you ever stopped to think about it?  I can read and listen to the bible, and the miraculous details of the works Jesus did {specifically while on earth}. And I know I've been witness to things He's done here in my life. But in this day and age, it's weird to think that someone could touch a lame person, and make them get up and walk.  Or put some mud on a blind man's eyes, wipe it off, and they can see.  Jesus performed so many miracles in His short life on earth, and how amazing would it have been to witness them, first hand?  I don't want you to think that  I don't believe, by my questioning.  I'm afraid to even hint at disbelief, but it's just different, I think, in the present, technological time.  (I won't go into all that, but I do think that we are sometimes in a world that strays from any kind of spiritual guidance, and we're more dependent on other things... my mind isn't letting me go there right now, b/c I'm trying to stay focused... lol!)
Anyway, I think that if Jesus walked into this room I am sitting in right now, and sat down next to me, I would totally throw all of my doubt or questions or whatever guilt-inducing feelings  out  the window, and never look back.  So what good would that do if I didn't have faith?  We really need to have faith, "trust or confidence in a person or entity."  In this case, to be confident in Jesus' power. Our faith plays such a major role in our walk with God.  How willing are we, on a daily basis, to fully and completely have faith in God's healing powers? Does it matter how I feel, depending on my level or degree of faith? To a point, yes.  I believe that God/Jesus is capable of performing miracles, when He sees fit. I know that all things are on His time, not mine or yours.  When I pray for someone, and ask for His healing hand, I also pray that He does so according to His will/that His will be done.  Maybe because my human mind is telling me the outcome may go either way - positive or [seemingly] negative.  I do think logically, and sometimes I fear that may control my prayers, rather than my faith.  But I know, deep down, that I have faith.  God is so good, and He has done wonders for my life, my family, my marriage.  I feel His presence daily and even when I kinda wished I didn't. It's comforting to have that faith.  Faith is all about throwing caution to the wind; it's about setting aside all the doubt and believing - blindly.  As for the moving mountains, I'm still working on that faith.  But I'm excited to get my mind and heart thinking about this. I believe that the whole reason I know that God has put this in my path for some reason - and I'm ready to dive deeper into faith and believing, whole heartedly, in my God and His powers.  
Matthew 9:28-30 "'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' 'Yes Lord,' they replied.  Then He touched their eyes and said, 'According to your faith will it be done to you.' and their sight was restored." 

little ham.....

Coco got the bone from my Christmas ham & I had to share it with y'all.

Don gave it to her and she took it out to the middle of the yard and went to town.  She worked on that thing for quite a while!  Afterwards, it was nap time for her! Thank goodness this little doggie has a stomach of steel!  (only had one mishap w/her, but we think it was a parasite or something.) Bon appetit!

Game on! (this is a lengthy one, but from the heart.)

I hope that y'all had a very nice  Christmas and New Year's.  I still can't believe that it's 2012. zoinks! We had a great time w/family & friends on Christmas eve!  On NYE, Don & I decided to stay in for once, and it was so nice.  We listened to neighbors' fireworks for oh.. 4 hours.  Poor Coco did not like that - she was stuck to one of us like velcro. But it was nice to be home. We toasted the new year w/one glass of champagne, and then climbed into bed around 1.  Woke up the next morning feeling great and bonus!! made it to church on time!  May do a repeat next year...
Something that Don & I have been going thru lately is trying for a baby.  It's been a long and not so difficult road, in that we've not been in a hurry to get pregnant.  We've enjoyed our time being married, spending time together as husband and wife, working out our kinks (b/c believe me, there were a few!), and working on making our relationship strong.  Enter Coco, our fur baby, and we've loved having her every minute - especially when we could leave her @ home for a few hours while we went out to dinner, hung out w/friends, games, etc.  My grandmother always told me to enjoy the time w/my husband as much as I can for a few years, and then get started.  So I stayed on the pill for the first 2 years of our marriage. I went off almost 2 years ago, and we just haven't been successful.  I didn't know to track my ovulation, for one. But mainly, we were stressed to the max with the condo short sale-turned-foreclosure, work slowing down for Don, and a few other things.  Stress certainly plays a big role in baby-making.  For starters, it can mess up my cycle.  And let's be honest here, who wants to get in the sack when you can't sleep, have anxiety and are stressed out?  It's been said to be a great stress reliever, but in real people talk, it ruins your motivation.  So... needless to say, we weren't proactive about it at all.  I've since educated myself to track my ovulation, finding out the ideal time to practice , and I get it now.  We were so off!  Anyway, some time has passed, and at the end of September, we got a positive! I took 6 tests one weekend, and sent a picture to my friend each time (of the result) and she laughed at me, saying... duh!  that I was pregnant.  I quickly made an appt w/my doctor, and they confirmed it also.  We were in such disbelief and were so happy!  No wonder I was craving so much spicy food, and Coco was glued to me all weekend.  (That's so weird, how dogs know something's up. She was helping incubate my baby!)  Not a few days later we told my mom, and then Don's mom.
Too soon after the rejoicing had begun, it would have to come to an end. Another week went by, and I started spotting.  I read that it was fairly common for some light spotting the first trimester, and didn't want to scare myself the first day.  After it continued the second day, my friend - the same one I had shown all my results to - had said I should call the OB.  That very next morning, the spotting turned into more, and I knew something was wrong.  I called in for an appt that morning, and went in to discover what I was convinced I already knew had happened.  I called my mom on the way in and had her head over to the hospital.  Had some tests run, an ultrasound and heard what I didn't want to hear - that I was no longer pregnant.  They call it a "spontaneous abortion."  Just seeing that word on the computer screen when I was talking to the assistant gave me the heebie jeebies.  The ultrasound had shown that there was nothing inside my uterus, and that just shocked me.  The dr. told me that 20% of pregnancies end this way, and to not worry about it for the future.  All I said was, "so I''m not even pregnant at all?"  I unsuccessfully held back the tears as I asked how long I had to wait to try again, and he told me a full cycle.  Not  1, but 2 .'s.  (oy!) As I was leaving the exam room & going out to pay for my visit, mom walked in the waiting room. The look on her face brings tears to my eyes just remembering, but made me love her so much.  I knew that she immediately took on my pain, and I was so grateful to have her.   We went out to the parking lot, where she asked how I was so calm about it, and it was then that I broke down.  I was just so sad that I had lost the baby, the one thing that I had so longed for. As quickly as I had broken down, a calm came over me, as if God had His arm around me, comforting me, letting me know that all is well & my time will come again.  I told mom that I didn't dare question why God had let it happen, b/c I knew it could've been worse.  I wasn't far along at all, thankfully.  I was so sad, but (after a dear friend pointed out to me) I realized that I can get pregnant.  It is possible, it just wasn't the right time for us. I'm okay with that, and my faith tells me that it will happen again.  I don't know when, but it will. Don and I cried about it, prayed about it and have moved on together.  I have the best support system in my husband and love him more than anything. 
I was hesitant to share this with anyone, even my very best girlfriends, but now I'm past the pain - for the most part - and am excited to get back in the game.  I have since had my "full cycle" and next weekend... game on!  We're praying that God will bless us w/a healthy little baby in 2012.  Already have my girl's name picked out, and working on the boy's.  Ya, I'm that ready. ;) 
xoxo

Why do I hang on to all of this?!?!

Trying to go through all of my jewelry, to organize it, sort out the keepers and give-aways... this is not fun, nor is it easy!  My gracious! I have too much and can't seem to let most of it go. Why is that?  Usually, my rule for clothing is that if I've not worn it in a year, ditch it. Gotta give it a full cycle of seasons before giving it away. (Which in Florida means summer and cooler summer.) So why not the accessories? Well, I've been in my bedroom for over an hour attempting to sort. I had to take a mental break.  Said break is now over, sweet tea coming with me and I'm gonna buckle down and make some decisions. Wish me luck! :)