Manic Monday

Hello there,

First of all, thank you so much for your sweet comments on our pictures. I truly appreciated all of you commenting - I mean you have all read about my planning and process - ya need to see the pics!

We had a nice and busy weekend. We hosted my in-laws and sister in law for a football game and tailgating. Lots of food, mimosas and Oreos were consumed. It was fun but like anytime guests come, you enjoy the quiet when they leave. We still don't have internet (curses!!) which is especially aggravating when I can't check my blogs, cough, I mean check emails from my students. Anyway, hopefully this is on the way to being fixed, since we have now switched companies.
We have another busy week ahead. I'm driving with the Mr. for a job interview about 4 hours away - It's going to be a long day and a long interview, so I want to be able to help him drive and check out the area. I think he is also going to be gone next weekend for an interview. I'm excited about moving, stressed about jobs, houses and moving away from our families. It is down to a several places and I'll be blogging when it comes down to the final decision. Of course, he had an interview with a company in a city with which we weren't familiar. And then after researching the area, potential jobs for me and potential houses - we became enamored with that place. And haven't heard from them since. Arggh. But, such is life and we will get thru!

We've also realized that December is going to be Hectic. With a capitol H. I have a thesis defense, graduation, at least 2 holiday/graduation parties, a wedding - oh yeah and packing/moving to an unknown destination! That being the case - I felt that a quality LBD was in order, instead of my previous post on the $30.00 LBD. I loved all your comments (and still am thinking about them as a fun purchase) but soon realized that I needed a quality piece I could use for the next 2 months. I'm looking at Banana Republic and their dress selection.

You ever have those days where you are in a Heinous (again, with a capitol H) mood and you let everyone know it. And your poor spouse/significant other takes the brunt. And you feel horribly guilty later that day when you stop and think about what a butt you've been. Ooh, I had one of those days Friday. I hate those days. But moving on...

I have a guilty pleasure obsession with QVC. That's right, QVC. For some reason, the utter cheesiness of the hosts and absolute randomness of the products always stops me when I roll through. Sometimes, they convince me that Diamonique is really a great buy and no one will ever know. Sometimes, the Mr. and I have an entire conversation about who in the hell buys this ____ item? If I ever become super wealthy, I'd probably just have a QVC card to buy the random stuff. Anyway, the channel never ceases to amaze and crack me up.

That's it for now. More later.

Finally!

Pics from our wedding..just a few of the Hundreds!! We have a print of every pictures and I haven't had the time to attempt to put them in albums or pick out which ones we want printed larger (because I love each one, really). The pictures of the bouquet was also my something old because the ivy was from the original ivy in my mother's wedding bouquet. My grandmother kept the ivy and has been growing it all these years!

Busy Week

Hello all,

Busy week here - I'll fill you in later. Meanwhile, I've got a rehearsal dinner to dress for in a few weeks. I don't really have time or money - but I do need something appropriate for a November evening - somewhat dressy. These are all around $30.00 (sweet price) and black - I figure even if I wear it once or twice, I won't be disappointed. I'm partial to the last two and they have good reviews from Target. Opinions?







I'm thinking the middle one might be the most figure friendly since I seem to be chowing down on mini-Snickers and cereal lately. I told my husband the other day, "It kind of bothers me that I can take down a box of Family Size Honey Bunches of Oats in one week!" I have a Seinfeld-esque obsession with cereal. When I was growing up, cereal was a consistent snack in our house. My mother, while she was a creative, full-time working, fabulous mom, was not a cook. Thus, a box of cereal and milk were always (and the only) snacks available and I still eat it all the time.
Anyway, maybe next time I'll tell ya about my obsession with QVC. Oh, and post my butternut squash soup recipe I made last night!

Pumpkins on the brain

Autumn is my second favorite season (the first being Christmas - not technically a season but much so in my book!) and I'm thrilled that fallish weather is finally upon us. I love waking up to brisk weather. In fact, I've been wearing a couple of vests (I'm a vest girl) over the past couple of days because I've been so excited.
I've also:
Picked out another pumpkin for our house at a farmer's market (still haven't gotten the carving pumpkin yet)
Bought a 'pumpkin' scented candle (actually it has cardamon spice in it and creates the best aroma in the house)
Picked up the Pumpkin Spice creamer for morning coffee
Baked butternut squash for soup
Bought a bag of mini-Snickers to set out on the coffee table (for our guests? no, for us. Bad idea!)

Overkill on the Autumn pumpkin spice excitement this year? Perhaps, but our house smells delicious!

In other news, we have been uber busy this week. Mr. TP has been going on quite a few interviews and will be doing the same next week - so, I've been helping him prepare for all those and get all of his dry-cleaning ready. What is about a guy in a suit? I just think he looks so great in one! I digress. On that note, we will be making some big moving decisions in the next two weeks, and I'm sure I will have a plethora of questions for everyone. We have it narrowed down pretty much to 3 places. It is an exciting and crazy time and I'll be blogging about it all.
Have a lovely weekend!

Tuesday Ramblings

I was very excited to find this website, Sugarboo Designs, because I love their photoboxes. I've seen them in boutiques in several cities and I can't wait to buy one for one of our wedding photos. They have special quotes written on wooden frames and I love how you can customize the color and quote.

We had a busy and fun-filled weekend. Friday - I just cleaned up the house, did some work and got ready for a weekend of guests. Saturday - we got up early and I did some mid-term grading. My brother and mom came over with a tailgate spread - fried chicken, potato salad, sushi (random but good) and other goodies. We had some friends from Charlotte drive down and we hadn't seen them since the wedding so it was fun catching up. K has an English Pug and the antics of he and Ralph were hilarious.
Then we did some power tailgating and made the rounds. Again, we got to see and visit with people we hadn't seen since the wedding so it was fun. And hot - fall weather for football please?? I didn't have a ticket but Mr.TP's friends had a great seat for him, so I told him to go on to the game. Ralph and I were exhausted and came back to the house to crash and watch the game (horrible VT vs. Clemson! Oy!) in air conditioning. Our friends left early Sunday morning and we puttered around the house cleaning up and making breakfast. Mr.TP's parents came up Sunday afternoon to drop off some furniture. They lived in Germany for 5 years and are in the looong process of unpacking several storage sheds. They have a few things that they don't need anymore but want to stay in the family. They gave us a "Cushman Colonial" bedroom set with dresser, nightstand and bed frame. I'd never heard of it but it is a beautiful wooden set. We all went out for Mexican, complete with cheese dip, after organizing and moving. And then Sunday night/yesterday found me very sick either with food poisoning or a nasty stomach flu. Needless to say, I was out of commission and just laid around yesterday. I can say I probably won't be eating Monterray's anytime soon. :(

We have a busy week here but nothing planned this weekend which is long because of our fall break. Where is the time going?

Shopping Distractions

Hey there - I rarely check my blogger email ( I have a work/personal one) but I was happy today when I did!

Here are some great websites to get you started on your holiday shopping or a little gift to yourself!

Lovely Stitches offers a fabulous selection of monogrammed and adorable items for adults and children. I love the idea of design your own headband (for $7.00!) - would make for great gifts.


Lulu's Labels is offering a "A Very Preppy Christmas" which excites me to no end! I can't wait to order cards for the Mr. and I to send out! The gift tags and address labels are adorable and affordable. I'm a Christmas fanatic, so get ready for some holiday posts!

Target TGIF

I love Target. I love this commercial (there are 2 versions) and I really love the smiling dog at the end. I rewind just to see him.

Have a great weekend! We are looking forward to weekend of visiting, tailgating and meeting up with folks we haven't seen awhile.