How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World

Just finished the first book in the Cover2Cover Book Club hosted by Ashley and Crystal. 

The first book in the book club was "How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World" by Jordan Christy

1. What do you think is the most important piece of advice that Jordan Christy gave in this book?

I think the best advice that Jordan Christy gave in her book was about relationships. I loved how she said we need to surround ourselves with positive people. It doesn't mean you have to go out and find new friends, it basically means you need to seek out others who will encourage you when your having a bad day and even more importantly when your have a great day. 

2. What do you think is the most obnoxious “Stupid Girl” characteristic?

When girls use the word "like" all the time. I didn't notice it as much until after I read the book. It makes girls sound so dumb. 

3. There were SO many great quotes in this book. Do you have a favorite?

My favorite quote came from the relationship chapter. "A good friendship is built on the mutual sharing of ideas, dreams, concerns and fears."

4. What do you hate most about how our modern day media portrays women? Which celebrity do you dislike the most?

Honestly the one thing I hate the most about how the media portrays women has to be that they are all perfect. Everywhere a girl looks all she sees is airbrushed images of perfect bodies. This not only is deceiving but also harmful. Girls think that this is the only way to be considered "pretty" is by having a skinny perfect body. With this mind set a lot of young girls are left to think that starving themselves is the best way to achieve the perfect body. It really upsets me. 

The celebrity that I dislike the most is Lindsay Lohan. She started out as a young role model for young girls  and now look where she is. It's such a shame. A good talent wasted by drugs, alcohol and partying. 

 5. Jordan Christy said that one of the best ways to cultivate a healthy self-image is by celebrating your positive and unique qualities. Did you discover anything new about yourself? Which type are you? Which traits do you feel are most representative of you?

I have taken this test before and agree whole-heartedly with the results. I have a three-way tie between 2, 7, and 9. Type 2 is the Helper which is someone who is sincere and warm-hearted. I love helping others and putting people before myself. Type 7 is the Enthusiast which is the busy, productive type. I love being busy and getting tasks done. And finally Type 9 is the Peacemaker. This type is easy-going, self-effacing type. This type is trusting and stable. I think out of the three types, type 9 describes me the closest. I am a creative person. I don't like to deal with conflict and would like problems solved simply. 

 6. What are the top 5 things on your Smart Girl list? (goals to become a more articulate, knowledgeable, and well-rounded person.. see Jordan’s list on page 62)

1. Play word games online or with friends 

2. Read more on what's going on in our government. 
3. Read more non-fiction literature 

4. Learn a new word once a week to broaden my vocabulary

5. Brush up on my Spanish

 7. One of Jordan’s suggestions for staying out of a rut with your group of friends is to travel together to your “signature cities.” What’s your signature city? Have you ever been there? Do you ever see yourself visiting your signature city in the future? Would you ever consider traveling to your signature city with your group of friends?

My signature city is Savannah. I have never been to Savannah and it sounds like a place I would love to visit. I love southern charm. If I found the time a road trip with my friends would be amazing. 

 8. Overall, what did you think about the book? What was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite?

 Overall I felt this book was an extremely easy read. Jordan's sassy wit made it fun to read and I even laughed out loud to some of her quotes. I loved the little quizzes throughout the book. It made it very interactive read. My least favorite part was the chapter about finding the right man. Since I'm engaged I felt this chapter did not speak to me quite as much as some of the other chapters. I feel this book is great for all ages. 

Top 5 Memories of 2011

I can't believe in just 2 days we will be ringing in another year. 2012 will be a year full of new adventures!

But before I look in the future I wanted to highlight the top 5 things that happened in 2011. 

{ONE}

On June 22, 2011 my world changed. Paul popped the question. Ever since that day we have been busy planning the wedding and looking towards all the fun things we will experience as a married couple. 

{TWO}

Just before January 2011 we found out that Paul's 92 year old grandpa had lung cancer. To this day I can remember how we both felt. The news hit us like a ton of bricks. It didn't seem real at first because he acted so normal. Christmas of 2010 was very sentimental, since we all knew it would be his last. Paul and I made sure to spend lots of time with him and soak up the memories we had while we still had the chance. On March 11, they put him on hospice. March 18, he took a nose dive and we knew that he wouldn't make it through the weekend. We watched as he slipped away. The next day we were woken up at 6 am by a phone call from Paul's mom saying it wouldn't be long. Luckily for us we were both able to be there when he passed. Even though he wasn't my biological grandpa I still miss him like crazy. This year wasn't the same without him at Christmas. 

{THREE}

My sister Kayla and the rest of the Wahoo Softball Team became back to back state champions. At the beginning of the season we thought that for sure they would make it to state but winning would probably be a long shot. The amazing thing is they proved us all wrong. I took the week off to be with my family and cheer her on. I'm so proud of her and her accomplishments. 

{FOUR}

My best friend Lindsay had her first baby on September 12. We have been friends since we were 4 and as long as I can remember we have been talking and planning what our futures would look like. I'm so happy for her and I'm in love her lil' man to pieces. Can't wait till we both have kids running around together. 

{FIVE}

Paul and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary and my 26th birthday on August 24. Time has flown by and every day I am reminded how lucky I am to have him in my life. I can't wait to spend the next 50 plus years with him creating memories. 

I wish you all a happy new year filled with peace, love and hope! 

Oh How Pinteresting

One of our Christmas presents was inspired by Pinterest. I asked my mom and grandma for some plain glass canisters. I wanted to give my old canisters the boot. Here are my ugly old canisters. 

So ugly right?!?! And the worst part is I couldn't keep them looking clean.
Since they were black they showed the flour, sugar, and dust. 

Here is my Pinterest inspired canister design. 

Source:  scissorsandspatulas.com via  Ashlee on Pinterest

Grandma did an amazing job and found the canisters.
Here they are in our kitchen. 

What do you think? I love how they turned out! The labels I scored from Groopdealz a couple months ago. 

Christmas Break

Sorry for the lack of blogging the last couple of days. I will be back in full swing tomorrow with a post. Today I'm spending a relaxing day with the fiancé. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! 

XOXO

Wishing You a...

Book Bandwagon

Let me start out by telling you that I never enjoyed reading books. 

Even as a kid I would hate sitting around reading chapter books. Playing outside or hanging out with the neighborhood kids sounded way more fun then picking up a book and reading it. 

Now that I'm out of college my perspective on reading has been altered. 

For instance... I joined Ashley and Crystal's blog book club Cover2Cover.

I just wrapped up this book and will have a blog post about it next week...

Before I dig into my next read for the Cover2Cover Book Club, which by the way is this.

I ended up caving and got on the book bandwagon. 

After hearing and reading tons of comments from my friends and twitter/facebook feeds I felt like I should see what this craze is all about. After spending over an hour reading I made a significant dent in the book and I'm now addicted. I want to stay home and curl up in a blanket and read. 

Here are a couple of other bandwagons I joined...

and...

Have you joined the Hunger Games craze??? 

What do/did you think of them?

Is This For Real?

Have you seen this video?

I am still trying to figure out if this is a fake or not.
What do you all think?

Sometimes and Always #1

Linking up with Megan for Sometimes And Always

Sometimes I tell myself that I'm going to work extremely hard at keeping the apartment clean.

But I Always end up being lazy and let it get messy. 

Sometimes I tell myself that tomorrow I'm going to start kicking my behind in gear and start working out for the wedding. 

But I Always end up sitting on the couch and thinking "tomorrow" I will start. 

Sometimes I think to myself drive right on by the coffee shop you don't need it. 

But I Always turn into the drive through. 

Sometimes I think about deleting my Facebook. 

But I Always end up going back and checking it almost every hour. 

Fun with Our Phones Monday!

Linking up with Savanah and Erin for another week of Fun with Our Phones Monday. 

 My first Secret Santa gift at work. Only my favorite candy of all time. 

Saving money one homemade Peppermint Mocha at a time.  aka - saving money by not buying Starbucks.

Friday was a good day for packages. I got my $10 watch, our Save the Dates and one of my giveaway wins.

Speaking of which here is my Kenneth Cole $95 watch that I got for $9.99.

Coffee run with the fiancé. 

My BFF...friends since we were 2! 

Clark Griswold Christmas mug. 

Only the most AMAZING store in the whole entire world. This has to be my new favorite store. 

My new scarf from Charming Charlie. 

Can you say HEAT WAVE in Nebraska. 

Happy Monday! 

Disappointing Santa

Growing up as a kid did you ever have something that you REALLY wanted Santa to bring you and you never got it??? If so, your not alone! 

Growing up as a kid I wanted a puppy! Every year I asked Santa for one. My sister and I even did extra chores to show that we were responsible enough to have one. We talked about how we would take turns walking him, feeding him, and giving him baths. 

Source:  jesskakakakaka.tumblr.com  on Pinterest

The unfortunate thing was my mom didn't want a dog in the house, because she was scared they would do something to this nature...

via

So Erica and I even thought of places to put the puppy so he wouldn't make messes. 

But every year we would get a handwritten letter from dear ol' Santa saying things like:

1. I didn't have enough room in the sleigh to bring one this year.

2. We didn't have enough puppies for everyone to get one this year. 

3. He must have fallen out of the sleigh.

HOW DISAPPOINTING!!!

Do you think that stopped us...? NOPE we still asked every year. Needless to say I never got a puppy for Christmas but now the funny thing is my parents have this guy living with them...

Gizzmo is KING of the house and gets to do all sorts of fun things. Spoiled much?!?! I think so. 

Have an amazing weekend!

P.S. If you're not doing it already go follow Michelle @ The Vintage Apple.
She has an amazing heart and a bonus she is sharing her beautiful wedding pictures.

and while we are on the subject Jenn @ Perfectly Imperfect needs your vote!
She is in "Top 10 Contest: Beautiful Bridesmaid Dresses" If she wins she gets $100 to spend on her registry. So help some her out and go and vote. Click here to vote. 

Currently...

Last night I was complaining about not having anything to blog about and today I have two posts. I had forgotten the Jenn was having another edition of her link up Currently...! I participated in August when she had it and had a lot of fun.

{Current Books}

I'm currently reading this book as a part of Ashley and Crystal's Cover2Cover Book Club.

{Current Playlist}

{Current Color}

O.P.I Koala Beary

{Current Drink}

H2O or Coffee with a hint of Peppermint Mocha

{Current Food}

Christmas cookies of all sorts! 

{Current Favorite Show}

Once Upon A Time - ABC's new hit. Let's just say I'm a little addicted. 

{Current Needs}

To be a little more organized at home. I feel like my wedding stuff is all over the apartment. And to get some wedding plans finalized. I will be a little more relaxed when some more wedding stuff gets checked off the list. Oh and did I mention that I need some helpers to help me address Save the Date cards which will be here on Friday!

{Current Triumph}

Keeping the apartment clean for more then 2 days! Paul and I deep cleaned on Sunday and the apartment is still looking really good! 

{Current Bane(s) of my Existence}

Dealing with family during the holidays. Never fun on my part. 

{Current Celebrity Crush}

 It's still Darren Criss from Glee...

{Current #1 Blessing}

To have a job and be blessed with a bonus this year. 

Many people are not as fortunate and I feel like this is a huge blessing! 

{Current Indulgence}

Scooter's coffee - White Mocha yes please!

{Current Excitement}

All the the fun holiday parties this weekend and next week! Love this season. 

{Current Mood}

So tired. I haven't been sleeping well at night and I feel like the bags under my eyes are REALLY bad!!

{Current Favorite Holiday Decoration}

{Current #1 Wishlist Item}

{Current New Year's Resolution}

To really work hard at making working out a daily habit. 

I try and then get unmotivated and I hope this year that it actually sticks!

It's Ok

Linking up with Amber and Neely for It's Ok Thursday!

It's Ok...

...that I tried to do a vlog and chickened out. Maybe someday I'll get up enough courage to try. 

...that I kind of like Paul being gone. I enjoy a little alone time every now and then. 

...that I ordered a little Christmas present for myself yesterday. See for yourself. Oh and I forgot to mention this is a $95 watch that I got for $9.99 thanks to Erin who tweeted about this awesome deal. 

...that I haven't hit the gym for over a week and a half and the wedding is 5 months away on Sunday. 

...that I think I'm not going to hit the gym till after Christmas. 

...that I still jam out to NSYNC Christmas CD in the car even though I got the CD in middle school.

...that I have purchased a coffee from Scooter's every day this week. If I get a Keurig for Christmas I think my trips to Scooter's will stop. Thank goodness there is not a Starbucks by work. 

...that I haven't tweeted much this week and feel really out of the loop.

...that I'm disgusted by my ex's Facebook statuses. Great I'm glad your finally going to be a dad, now let's move on!

...I'm not excited about the busy weekend we are going to have. I really would rather be lazy.

...and finally it's ok that I waited to the very end to get my Christmas shopping done. 

What are you ok with this week? 

Save the Date Christmas Card

This is Paul and I's first Christmas card together! So excited to send this out to family and friends and also to get the word out about our upcoming wedding. I loved the designs from Tiny Prints and decided that this one was a good fit for us. Plus I even got Paul to like it which is HUGE!

Courtesy of Tiny Prints

Reindeer Droppings Printable

Linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for another round of Oh How Pinteresting!

Our office is doing a Secret Santa and I have been searching all over Pinterest to find ideas. 

One thing my Secret Santa loves is dark chocolate covered almonds.
I thought it would be fun to make up a bag of "Reindeer Droppings".
Thanks to Pinterest I have found some cute printable ideas. 

Here are a few I love...

Source:  littlespaceofmyown.blogspot.com via pinmarklet on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via pinmarklet on Pinterest

Source: forums.moneysavingexpert.com via pinmarklet on Pinterest

Thanks to Pinterest I got an idea for mine. Here is what I came up with.

I love how it turned out and want to share it. 

You can download this image by clicking on the picture and saving it. 

Happy Pinning! 

Christmas Cheer

It finally feels like Christmas! I got my first Christmas mail last night. 

I would have never thought in a million years that this blog would become what it is today. I have met so many amazing gals through blogging and now I am receiving Christmas cards from them too. 

The fabulous Mrs. Monologues sent me this...

The card is so cute and on the backside she wrote me a little note...btw she has GREAT handwriting. 

If you have not taken the time to check out her blog you are truly missing out! She has 15 days of giveaways going on, which you will not want to miss out on. And her blogging is highly sarcastic and funny. You'll love her personality. 

The second card I received came from Ashley @ Every Day AEM

This is what she sent me...

She made the bookmarks! How cute are they?!?! I can't wait to use it when I start my second book in the Cover2Cover book club that her and Crystal started up. Oh and did I mention that Ashley also has a 12 days of giveaways going on at her blog too? She has some amazing monogrammed stuff that she is giving away. 

I have really enjoyed getting to know all of the gals I have been following on Twitter and blogging. 

It's so much fun finding a community of gals that have similar interests.

Finally I received part of my Christmas present in the mail yesterday...

If you haven't guessed it by now I got a subscription from Grandma to Taste of Home magazine. 

Every year I get subscribed to a new magazine. In some ways I'm excited to see what this one has in store.

Who knows I might even get some great recipes in which you all will win because I'll share them with my bloggy friends!

Getting Christmas mail is one of the best things about Christmas. I love sending and receiving Christmas cards. It's so much fun to see where and what people did in the previous year and get excited about the year to come. 

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday! 

Fun With Our Phones Monday

Linking up with Savanah and Erin for Fun with Our Phones Monday. 

Possible kitty Christmas presents?!?! Think Bella and Khloe will like them?

Last week we got some more snow! So pretty but it was horrible to drive in. 

Looking to move to warmer climate.

Loved Glee last week! This song has been on repeat all week. 

Both kitties love to cuddle in my coat. 

LaMar's donuts are heavenly. The Sour Cream old fashion are absolutely amazing!

I'm loving this new Essie color I got - Ballet Slippers

Paul and I went to Oscar's in Omaha and had Char-Buff wings. They are so yummy! 

I saw the new Essie line in Walgreens yesterday and LOVE it! 

Can't wait to go back and get a couple of bottles. 

Happy Monday!