More amazing royal style!

I just can't get enough of the royal wedding coverage. 

The newly titled Duchess of Cambridge changed into another Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress for the evening dinner reception.

She can do no wrong when it comes to style.

Dreams do come true

It's been the most anticipated wedding of my lifetime...when a "common girl" marries British royalty.  There is certainly nothing normal about the lovely Kate Middleton who is now the Duchess of Cambridge.  She looked every part of a modern day princess in a stunning Alexander McQueen (by Sarah Burton) wedding gown.  Every girl's dream came true today as we watched Kate marry her prince.

I only caught bits and pieces of the coverage and can't wait to watch every minute of it this evening.  I highly enjoyed seeing the wedding guest's fashions as well-the hats, oh the hats!  They are beyond.

I have no doubt that William and Harry's beloved mother is smiling in heaven watching her first born son marry the love of his life.  Congratulations to the happy couple!  See ladies, dreams do come true.

Sweet home Alabama

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of yesterday's violent storms that ripped through the South causing massive destruction.  Hundreds of people died and catastrophic damage ensued.  


To my fellow Southerners: We love you and are here to help however we can.


To donate to this cause, go to: http://abcnews.go.com/US/alabama-tornado-2011-storm-victims/story?id=13477481.

I'm walking in a spiderweb, so leave a message, & I'll call you back

My first big/real concert was No Doubt, and it was awesome.  I've loved Gwen Stefani ever since then and have always envied her unique, pop princess/grunge style.  While she's had some very unusual hair styles over the years, lately, she has looked very elegant while still remaining true to herself.


I am determined to figure out a way to style my hair into the ultra chic, HUGE ballerina bun at the top.  Any tips?  Her signature red lips are also to die for.  Rock on Gwen!

Freecycling

I hope all of you had a very lovely Good Friday, Earth Day, and Easter weekend.

As we gear up for summer, many of us will spend time doing some spring cleaning.  Another option to getting rid of your unwanted items is to join your local Freecycle group.  This is a free service where you post what you have, and someone contacts you to come pick it up.  It's that easy! 

There are rules and Freecycle etiquette guidelines, so make sure to follow them.  I really like this concept because it doesn't involve any money.  If you need it, you take it.  If you have it, you give it.  What a great and easy way to go green.

Have any of you used Freecycle before?  If so, what was your experience?  Happy freecycling!

He is not here; he has risen!

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said..."

(Matthew 28:6)

I hope you have a wonderful day spent with loved ones 

celebrating our Savior's resurrection.

Happy Easter!

Happy Good Friday, Happy Earth Day, & Happy Birthday to Georgia!

Today is a very special day for me.  It's Good Friday, Earth Day, and Georgia's birthday.  Wow! 

I want to briefly talk about this amazing trifecta of events. 

Good Friday is the day Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  On Easter Sunday, we will celebrate His resurrection.  For Christians, this is the most significant holiday of the year.  I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father who made the ultimate sacrifice, so we can live at peace with Him one day.

Earth Day is something I celebrate every day.  For as long as I can remember, protecting our beautiful planet has been near and dear to my heart.  I often laugh when I think about the day I learned about recycling and environmental protection in elementary school.  I came home that day and attempted to throw out all of our cleaning products and aerosol cans.  My mother was less than thrilled.  I love our earth and all of the beautiful people, animals, and plants on it.  Let's unite together to maintain and protect our amazing planet.  This year, I've made a pledge to use my car less and am buying a bike.  What will you do to help protect our planet?

Five years ago today, I adopted my sweet dog Georgia.  I had never had a dog before and didn't really know what to do.  I'd like to thank my wonderful friend Pam for going with me to adopt Georgia and showing me everything I needed to get take care of her.  Adopting Georgia was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  She loves me unconditionally and provides me with more love than I could ever hope for.  Happy Birthday Georgia!  I love you more than you will ever know.

I hope all of you have a very blessed day and weekend spent outside with loved ones.  Happy Good Friday, Happy Earth Day, and Happy Birthday to Georgia!

I heart my Kindle!

Hey friends! Remember this post I did about Kindles awhile back?

Check out the video below I made about how much I love my new Kindle.

It. Is. Amazing.

Seriously, I love it so much and can't believe it took me this long to finally get one. I realize that there are all sorts of debates about if it's eco friendly or not. If you are an avid reader like me (I read at least one book every 10 days or so), then I think you should invest in one. If not, traditional books are probably the best bet for you.

What Kindle accessories do I need other than a cover? Happy reading!

Obsessed!

(photo by Signe Vilstrup for ELLE Denmark)

I am completely obsessed with this photo: her outfit, the scenery, and most of all HER HAIR.

If any of you have tips on styling my type of hair (long, thick, naturally curly Medusa-like hair) like hers, do tell.  Happy Wednesday!

Happy Earth Day week!

Happy Earth Day week friends! In honor of Earth Week, I want to encourage all of you to commit to taking small, easy steps to greener living.  Take a look back at my previous go green blogs and see what you can do to help make this world a cleaner, better, and healthier place.  It is our responsibility to take care of the beautiful planet on which we live.  Let's stop abusing it. 

In case you need a reminder, here you go:

1) Walk or bike to work if you can
2) Carpool with friends when you are all going to the same place
3) Use compact fluorescent light bulbs
4) Think of creative ways to use leftover food instead of throwing it away
5) Donate old books to the library
6) Swap magazines with friends
7) Open windows and doors instead of turning on the air conditioner
8) Put plants in every room of your house to remove toxins in the air
9) Support local farmers and restaurants who buy from them
10) Adopt a pet from your local animal shelter instead of buying one from a breeder
11) Use a BPA free water bottle in lieu of buying bottled water
12) Check out vintage stores for clothing, books, and other items
13) Buy natural products (that don't contain polluting chemicals) from brands such as Method and Tom's of Maine
14) Do all your errands in one trip and map your route accordingly
15) Eat less meat and more fresh fruits and vegetables
16) Carry reusable bags instead of plastic bags
17) Bring a coffee mug to your favorite coffee shop
18) Better yet, make your coffee at home

Fortunately, this list could go on and on.  Please send me your favorite green living tips and ideas.

Most importantly, remember this:

Reduce, Reuse, THEN Recycle.

Rising up

(Ralph Waldo Emerson-print by Lisa Congdon)

It's ok to fall and to fail because that means you tried. 

The most important thing is to get back up.  Never, ever give up.

Looking nerdy has never been so cool

Is it just me, or is nerdy chic the new cool?  As a longtime lover of nerds and all things nerdy, I love that larger, somewhat nerdier glasses are now quite chic. 

I first heard about Warby Parker a few years ago and was quite intrigued by their unique program.  E! featured them last week, and I went back to their site.  All of their glasses (including Rx lenses) are only $95!  You heard me right, you can get a stylish pair of glasses for only $95.  Don't believe me, check out their site: www.warbyparker.com. 

The neatest part of their program is their Buy A Pair, Give A Pair initiative.  For every pair of glasses you buy, they donate a pair to someone in need.  According to WP's site, "glasses increase one's income by 20%."  With over one billion people living without glasses worldwide, that means that 15% of the world's population can't work and learn effectively. 

WP has another interesting program where you can try on their glasses at home for free.  You pick out up to five pairs online, and they send them to you for free.  You have five days to try them on, and then you send them back using the pre-paid mailing labels and the original packing.  I received my glasses yesterday and need your help deciding which pair to order. 

The Roosevelt: I like the color of these glasses better.

The Crosby: I like the style of these frames better. 

They didn't have a sample of the color I would order,

so they are darker than what I would get.

Which ones do you prefer?  The Roosevelt or the Crosby?  I like both pairs but am leaning towards the Crosby lenses.  Go big, or go home right? 

For more information on WP's Buy A Pair, Give A Pair program go to: http://www.warbyparker.com/Buy-A-Pair-Give-A-Pair.

Bag it up people!

While this is definitely not the most glamorous topic, I do think it's worth mentioning.  A great way to go green is to reuse bags (that you would otherwise throw away) as doggie waste bags.  Examples of this are the plastic bags that hold a large bunch of apples, bags that chips come in, or other bags of this nature.

Instead of throwing them away, use them to pick up Fluffy's waste.  And please, do pick it up.  Animal waste easily pollutes our ecosystem.  Plus, it's just disgusting when you step in it.  Happy reusing!

I get by with a little help from my friends

"A friend loves at all times..."

(Proverbs 17:17)

Check out my latest video on friendship:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsxqdOaokFs

As we get older, our friendships start to change. Quality becomes infinitely more important than quantity. To all of my true friends, I will love you forever!

Courage

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."

(John Wayne)

Au naturale

Rain, rain go away!  Actually, as much as I LOVE sunshine, I don't mind some rain because it washes the pollen away.  With all of the rain that happens this time of year, think about putting your hair dryer away.  Why fight the humidity when you can go green and go au naturale?  You'll save time, energy, and sleep by not fighting your hair's natural tendency.

As someone with naturally curly hair, this is probably easier for me to do than it is for others.  If you usually straighten your hair, try going curly/wavy for a few days.  With so many amazing hair products on the market, you just might love your new, natural do.  I would love to see photos of your naturally styled hair in addition to hearing all about how amazing it was to get some extra sleep.

First ever video blog!

Hello friends! I just made my first ever video blog.  I've been toying around with doing so for awhile now and finally decided to make it happen.  I would like to start doing a weekly video blog to spice things up a bit ;)


Check out my video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0EIhoCcq9s

Like I say in the video, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I have a blast writing it and hope you enjoy reading it.


Have a wonderful weekend and a very Happy April!