FRIDAY = I don't want to work!

FAVORITE THINGS FRIDAY!!!!!

In lieu of the cold front comnig in this weekend...I wanted to show off some fun, warm weather things! I love being all warm and cozy when it's cold outside!! I do NOT enjoy being cold! I hope you enjoy the items!!!!

First off....my favorite store Francesca's has this SUPER cute turtleneck shirt available! It's called the Bees Knees Turtle Neck (even the name is cute!) and it's actually on sale for $30.40 right now! It would be so cute with jeans, flats, and fun jewelry! I bet that you could easily dress it up or down!

Another one from Francesca's is this long gray sweater (i promise that I really DO wear color)! It's called the Pratt Cardigan and it's on sale for $43.20 right now! I would love to get this and wear it with leggings and flats! So comfy and warm! YAY!


Next on my list of things to have for winter are these AMAZING La Crosse Goose Down comforters from Company Store! I have two of these twin sized ones that I used when I was in college. Now that I don't have a twin sized dorm room bed anymore, I pull one out every night and snuggle up on the couch with it! They are pretty light and they create warmth when you are cold but at the same time they don't make you too hot and are comfy anytime! I absolutely LOVE mine! They are worth the money and will last a long time!

I am in LOVE with these slippers and I think that I REALLLLLLLLLLY need some! These are from Company Store as well! They are made of wool and are so super cute! They remind me of my pups! I love having house shoes! I know that sounds so old lady of me...but I have a pair of blue mocasins that I put on every morning when I get out of bed. I do not like having cold feet! :)

You HAVE to have candles or a fire going when it's cold outside....right??? These super cute candles are from Pottery Barn! They would make such super cute gifts too! I just love monogramed things and these are so classic looking! They also have delicious amber vanilla wax in them! They are $25 each on the website!

Another Pottery Barn love of mine... these Faux Fur Throws!!! How yummy are they?! They come in four different colors. My personal favorite is the Frosted Taupe one. I bet they are soooo stinking warm! The prives vary on these... so beware! I just want to go home and cuddle up right now...


Pottery Barn also has these great Chunky Hand Knit Throws! A good friend of mine directed me to these the other day! How snuggly do THOSE look?! It's like having a huge comfy sweater on! Hmmm...I think I would have to get the chocolate brown or the red. SO cute!

Okay...you know how I LOVE houndstooth? Well...Forever21 has THIS jacket in stock and I am a huge fan! It's ONLY $37.80!!!! I just think that knee-length, tie-around-the-waist coats are so flattering too! This would be a great little piece to have....it could go with anything! You can definitely dress it up or dress it down!!

And you know me...I HAD to just throw this in the mix becuase I just thought it was so stinking cute! I know it's REALLY random looking...but I think it would be a great bag to have! I love the shape of it! Short handles are my fave! This is another one from Francesca's! Gosh...I love that store!

This is my all time favorite winter MUST HAVE! Alpine Spiced Cider! Delish!!! I am drinking some right now as I sit at my desk! Go get some!!!

I hope that you enjoyed it all! Keep warm this weekend and have lots of fun! I promise to get a picture of the new dresser up soon! I think it turned out really cool looking!! But, you all will have to be the judge of that!!

XOXO

Hilary

PROJECT!!!!

I just bought THIS on Craigslist and I am making it my official project of the weekend!!! I am planning on painting it black, possibly putting on new hardware, and using it as an entry table!! I am sooooooo excited! I have been looking everywhere for a cool entry table or dresser to use as one and really didn't want to spend a TON of money on it! I got this one for $40!! Casey is picking it up this afternoon for me!!! YAY!!!! I am a little worried that it might be HUGE...but oh well!!! I will try to remember to post pics of the finished product!!

LAST NIGHT...

I'm not going to lie...I cried. I mean, I didn't flat our BAWL....but I shed a few tears for our country. And let me just say...they were not happy tears.....

I am hoping for the best...but I know that the BEST didn't get voted in...

SORRY SORRY SORRY!!

Hi everyone!! I am soooooo sorry that life has been INCREDIBLY hectic lately!! I have been so busy at work and have not had a chance to blog much! And now THIS week we relocated our offices...so that has been crazy in itself! I thought I would do a new "I WANT" day! Hopefully I won't be SO crazy this next week and can fill you in on more fun things!!

For starters...I love this necklace!! My mother-in-law's best friend has an amazing jewelry company called Sterling Grace. She is an amazing woman with such a serving heart. She designs all of her jewelry herself and most of her jewelry is religiously inspired and has a meaning behind it! I was at her store not too long ago and saw this particular necklace and fell in love! It's only $58! I want! I want! Go on her website, read her story, and browse her collections!

I found these candles on Delight.com! They are black and have great ornate designs on them! They would look so cute throughout my house or up on my mantle! They are called Transforming Candles because the heat from the flame allows the ornate designs to show through! They come in all different scents and are $26.50!

Thanks to my good friend Cara Beth...I am a little obsessed with this picture now! I have searched through Etsy and there are SO many of these in SO many different colors! I need to figure out a good place in my house for this! I found this particular one on sfgirlbybay's Esty shop! Only $25!! In England, during the World War II era, this poster was on display urging British citizens to "Keep Calm and Carry On". You can read more about the history here!

I found this chair at Pier 1 Imports ...I love it!! It's such a clssy little chair! I would love to have two of these to put into the sitting area that I am trying to create in my dining room! They are sellilng them for $350! It's such a great neutral chair...and I am sure that a cute pillow would also make it stand out alot more!! LOVE!
Okay...so you know how I LOVE Ballard Designs right?? Well, I LOVE this new tote bag that they have!! IT's only $20!!! What a great Christmas present!! They made this and two other styles for their 25th Anniversary...well the other two styles have sold out!!! So you better grab this one fast!! But not TOO many...I need a few!!!! :) SO super cute!!!

I hope that this blog will "feed the beast" for a little bit! Enjoy and go buy something fun!!! And PLEASE let me know if you do buy any of these things that I showcase! I would love to hear what you think about them! I have a friend that bought the Soggy Dog towel and said it was GREAT! I love to know that people are reading and really do enjoy these products! LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY FUN FAVORITE THINGS THAT I MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT!!

XOXO,

Hilary

MY FAVES!

Today I am going to do things a little bit differently! I am going to share with you my favorite things that I love to use during my daily regiment! Hopefully you will find that they will be some of your favorite things too! I am such a product AND makeup junkie! I get in trouble lots of times for having WAY too much! I was looking under my sink this morning ( I was packing for a trip this weekend) and noticed that I have two bags of make-up that I am not using! I ted to keep make-up for a long time and continuall switch it all out! Also, I used to get in trouble, because I would always have three different bottles of shampoos or shower gels in the shower at all times! I just love to switch it up!!

ANYWAYS....here are my faves!!

For starters...I LOVE this concealer! It's Clinique's Advanced Concealer. I really don't wear very much Clinique...their lipsticks and stuff just don't look good on me! But I love this stuff! It has awesome coverage! I have worn this since I was a Sopohomore in college...I specifically remember when I first bought it. I was at Dillard's with Katie and she was looking for new concealer...the woman told us that this stuff was so good, that it would even cover up a black eye! SOLD to the tall blonde and the short brunette! It's a very small bottle...but a little bit goes a long ways! I think the tube that I have right now, I bought about 4 or 5 months ago!

Next thing on my list...Clinique Super Fit Makeup! This stuff is very light on your face and you don't feel like you have a ton of make-up caked on! But it still gives good coverage as well. I love the way it makes your face fel once you have put it on...it's this odd silky/soft feeling! I love this stuff!
Mac Cosmetics are one of my most favorite lines of makeup! They always have new and fun stuff to try and the colors are ENDLESS! I have tons of their eyeshadows...but I particularly LOVE their bronzer!! I am a bronzer fanatic! I don't do powder at ALL... I just go straight for the bronze baby! But I am not one of those girls that wears so much that her face is orange and completely unnatural! You just have to watch yourself and really blend it! I wear this in both Golder or Matte Bronze. It seems a little sparkly when you first get a new compact...but really it's not as bad as it looks!

Rimmel is a great line if you are looking into not spending very much at all! If you haven't heard of it, it's a drugstore line and pretty dang cheap! I know this sounds bad...but I LOVE thick almost clumpy mascara! I dn't like to feel like I have nothing on my lashes...that is for sissies! Plus, my lashes tend to be kind of straight, so I need something to help them hold the little bit of curl from my eyelash curler! I use the Rimmel Volume Flash Mascara in black! I think that eyes are the most attractive thing that a girl has....why not make then stand out!?

Ya'll.....I love lipgloss! No, like, I REALLY love lipgloss! And, like my mascara, I really like it kind of thick! But not TERRIBLY thick to where the wind blows and all of your hair is then stuck to your face! I LOVE Mac's lipglass (yes...glass...I don't have a spelling problem!) in PRRR. This color honestly looks great on everybody! It's a pretty subtle pearly pink color! Go try some!

Moving on....my best friend Liz got me hooked on Bumble and Bumble Creme De Coco shampoo and conditioner! This stuff smells great and it makes your hair SUPER soft too! The great thing about this product line is that it used to only really be sold in salons and specialty stores....now Target carries it too! YAY!

I have really thick, long hair...so I use Aussie 3 Minute Miracle alot of the time! I will use it by itself or even mix a little bit in with other conditioner. I really like a THICK conditioner. I feel like it makes my hair fix so much better! This stuff is awesome and super cheap too! A little goes a long way with this...so it will last you a while!

Now...onto every girls (or at least it seems like it!) best friend! I could not look like a decent person without the love, care, and support of my Chi Straightener! This thing is THE straightener! I just love it! My hair is super thick and tends to have a little bit of a wave to it... even if I don't dry my hair and let it go wavy...this bad boy can straighten that out! They tend to be around $100-ish but they have a waranty on them and they are VERY wrth the money! Think of haw many $25 straighteners you have had to buy! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

I just love Aussie products! They are so super cheap and work really great! YES...I am a southern girl...and YES I tend to give my hair a little extra "oomph" by teasing it a little bit! Not like joking/teasing...like "here is my professional teasing comb and my hardcore hairspray" teasing... you should ask my sorority sisters... we are obsessed! This hairspray is AWESOME! Aussie Instant Freeze hairspray...go get some! I love hairspray that you can kind of feel in your hair and know that it is doing its job! This stuff is it!

Last, but not least, this is the best smelling lotion EVER! It's Crabtree and Evelyn Naturals Line in Mage Butter and Grapefruit. It's called Body Butter because it's a much thicker lotion than normal. It is so moisturizing! I love it big time! Go get you some!

Well...there you have it folks! That is my list for today!! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you found some fun and great things for you to try yourself!! I would LOVE to know what some of your personal faves are! I am always looking for new things to try! Let me know!!!!

I am leaving work early to travel to Arkansas for the weekend...I am super excited! I haven't been back since this time last year! Plus, I get to see most all of my old friends! YAY! I hope you all have a perfect weekend and stay super safe! Safety NEVER takes a vacation...even though you may! :)

XOXO,

Hilary

DELICIOUSNESS!

If you like Chicken Salad...make this! It's another easy one! Obviously...I have to have easy recipes when we both work all day and we are worn out by the time we get home! The last thing I want to do is make a big hard meal! But sometimes I will get motivated to do so! My mom gave me this recipe and I am not sure where she got it...but this one and my mother-in law's chicken salad are my favorites!

TERRI'S CHICKEN SALAD

(clearly we kind of wing-it on this recipe..so judge the measurements to your liking!)

TWO cans of cooked chicken (or you can cook your own!)

Light Mayo

Purple Grapes Sliced in Half

Celery - Chopped

Carrot - Shaved

A Pinch or Two of Dill

Mix all of this together and VOILA! It's great on croissants and a super easy and filling meal!

Yes...I am having this for lunch today...so I was inspired to share!! Enjoy!!! :)

XOXO,

Hilary

Aunt Hil and Uncle Case!

I am VERY proud to introduce to you Miss Blair Elizabeth!! She is our precious precious SUPER cute niece!!! She was born on Saturday, October 11 at 6:24 pm. She weighed 8 pounds and 1 ounce and she is THE cutest baby alive!

Proud Mama and Papa! The love her so much already! I cannot even to begin to imagine the emotion of it all!

Me and Meredith discussing everything that went on in the delivery room....we are SUCH sisters! I don't know what I would do without having her loving heart around!

Me and little Blair Bear! She sure does love her Aunt Hil! Gosh...she is going to be SOOOOOO spoiled! I can tell already!

Just look at that proud Uncle!! He could not WAIT to meet little Blair! He was super excited about being an Uncle! It was the cutest thing in the world!

AWWWWW..... He kept saying..." I just love the way she smells!!"

We were SO excited to get the phone call on Saturday afternoon that Meredith was going into labor! The girl had been sitting at home all morning kind of waiting her contractions out!! By the time she decided to go to the hospital...she was already dialated to a SIX! We had gone to buy wood floors for our house and we literally left our cart and ran out of the store! We had to haul butt and get home to pack our stuff upfor the night! It took us about 4 hours to get to the hospital. Meredith ended up having her about an hour before we got there! Did I mention that Mere had her ALL NATURAL!?! She was planning on having the epidural but ended up waiting too long! She is SOOOOOOO proud of herself though for going without! We were sad that we weren't there when it happened...but we are so happy that she is healthy and finally HERE!

She was also a big surprise because Meredith and Christian didn't want to find out if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl! So, everyone was anticipating the birth THAT much more! We could not possibly love her anymore and we cannot wait to watch her grow up before our eyes! I cant wait to see her again in about a month! Casey will sadly have to wait until December to see her again!

The whole way home, we kept talking about having kids and all of that! It is so fun to think about it all and we WOULD like to have kids relatively close to their kids' ages. Blair is the first and I bet they end up having 3 or 4 kids. Casey and I never really had cousins that we were close in age with that we were close to! We want that for our kids...but I still think it will be a couple of years before we start thinking about jumping over THAT hurdle!

By the way...if you are looking for a REALLY super sweet gift to give someone that is having a baby, buy this! I found it about a week before Blair Elizabeth came along and EVERYONE was gushing over how sweet this book was! I found it at Barnes and Noble!

XOXO,

Hilary

FYI....

The Secret Is In The Sauce is hosting a blog-a-thon with lots of free giveaways!! Go look...but dont enter in the giveaways....I want to win it all!! :)

I will be back later on to write a little more!!

Favorite Things FRIDAY!!!

So...I guess that this is going to become a tradition! I got to work this morning and started piddling around...then remembered that I had not done my research for today's favorite things! So....I started winging it and scouring websites for some fun things! Maybe it will inspire you to buy or help you find something that YOU were looking for!!

Go to Delight.com! This is a new website for me and they have some SUPER cute things!! The first thing that I found was the 12 Days of Christmas Keepsake Plate Set! It's such a cute, whimsical, and colorful take on the 12 Days of Christmas! It comes with 12 (obviously) porcelain appetizer plates in a super cute box! These are $95....I would LOVE to have them but we really go out of town for Christmas...so it might be a waste!

Second on my list is something that I actually already have! When I graduated college, my aunt bought me one of these and I used it all the time! I would take it on interviews and write all kinds of notes in it! But, I loved it so much, that I always made sure that I had good handwriting when I wrote in it! I didn't want scribbles messing up my beautiful notebook! It came from Red Envelope...if you have never visited their website or seen their catalog...you are missing out! They have LOTS of good gifts! Anyways...I have the red Croc-Embossed notebook...and mine has my name on it too! I DO love personalized gifts! I wish that I had every single one of these! I love all of the colors and they are SO precious!

Another one from Delight.com....SOGGY DOG! Now, I don't know about you...but when I give my dogs a bath, it's a mess! I always do it at night...so I DON'T do it outside! Therefore...the dogs are running around our bathroom all wet b/c they wont let me dry them off good! Soggy Dog is the FIRST Dog-Only Drying Towel! How cool is THAT?! Clearly...we always just use our people towels... See if the green mit looking parts of the towel in the pic? Well...you just slip your hands in those and go to town drying your pup off! I think this is such a cool thing to have! It's $27.50...not TOO bad...since you will be using it alot and all!

Please Please PLEASE tell me that you have had a Sprinkles Cupcake before!!!! If not...HOLY COW!!! You should be SO mad at yourself! These are the best and most rich cupcakes that I have ever had! If you know me...you know that I LOVE cupcakes! Who doesn't like a smaller, cuter, less messy version of cake?! These take the cake (oh LORD....)!! They only have bakeries in a few prime locations including: Dallas, Houston, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Pheonix, and San Francisco. If you are near any of these areas.....make a stop! The one is Dallas ALWAYS has a line inside! Everytime I go, I buy a box of 4. 2 for me, 2 for Casey. The Red Velvet is my fave and he likes the Black and White (Chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and chocolate sprinkles). I have seen people order these for various showers and they are super cute! They even have DOGGIE CUPCAKES!!!! Casey and I were in Williams Sonoma not too long ago and saw that they are actually selling the Sprinkles mixes! Who knew?! We HAD to buy some! But, I am not going to lie......they were not NEAR as good! Can you tell how passionate I am?! My mouth is watering now...........dang it!


Target....need I say more? I can't talk about my favorite things without throwing in some sort of clothing item AND I cannot help but go to Target and just SEE what new things they have gotten in every week! We were walking around Target a couple of night ago and I saw this Isaac Mizrahi coat! How CUTE is that?! It has 3/4 sleeves and herringbone print! If someone were to ask me what my favorite prints are, I would tell them: Damask, Houndstooth, and HERRINGBONE! This is super cute, very chic, could be put with jeans if needed, and not too expensive!! It's running for $89.99 right now...but I am sure we will see that price drop! Keep your eyes on it! But don't buy an extra small...that one's mine!

I can't think of anything else to add to my list right now! Don't you love the fact that people keep asking me what I want for Christmas...and I cannot think of a thing that I want...and then I go and write this every Friday! I should print off business cards with my blog on it, so that when someone asks me what I want...they can just be sent on to the site!

What are some of YOUR favorite things?! Let me know....I love to hear about cool things that I haven't come across yet! Inspire me!! Clearly, it can be anything...food, clothes, decorative items, dog stuff, etc!

Well...the baby still has not come yet! We are all thinking that it will be here this weekend. If my sister-in-law doesn't have it by Tuesday, then they will induce her. She had a few contractions Wednesday night, went to the doctor on Thursday and they didn't see much change. But the doctor even told her that she thought it would be this weekend! I bought a special little surprise for our new niece or nephew yesterday....it's super sweet and I cant wait to give it! But...I won't say what it is yet, just in case my sister is reading this!! I mean she IS at home just waiting around...she might be bored and decide to see what I am up to when I should be working!

Also...we might have had a prayer answered last night! Casey (as you know) is a big hunter! He is on the Ducks Unlimited committee in our area and we had to atten the DU annual banquet last night. Like I have mentioned before, we have really been struggling to find a new church home in our area. We love our old church so much, but it's about an hour from us now! So, it's really hard to make that drive on Sunday mornings! Also, it is very hard for us to be involved during the week being so far away. It has been stressing us out a little bit. Anyways, Casey and the president (i guess that is what you would call him) of this particular DU chapter were talking at the banquet last night. We were really there to promote Casey's sister and brother-in-law's camo company that they are forming. It's a faith based company and he was explaining that to David (the president). He said that for some reason, David just got a smile on his face and said "You and your wife need to come visit our church one weekend!" The church that they go to is actually one not too far from our house and one that I had been wanting to visit! We were so excited about it! He was SUPER nice....they wanted us to go with them to dinner after church (they have a Saturday service which we were thrilled about too!). Then he turned to me and said..."Do you eat deer or any wild game?" Well...I actually LOVE deer! Don't be mad...but it's so good! So he told us to gather up some of our friends and we could all have a big cookout at their house! What a great way to get to know people! The best thing about this is... Casey already has someone within this church that he can relate to and grow with. He loves to fellowship with people...but sometimes it is so hard for him to find other guys that he can relate to and that don't annoy him! :) Anyways...David was super nice and we are SO excited to get to know them and hopefully find a new church home where we can get really involved!

I hope you all have a very blessed weekend! Don't forget to tell me your favorites!

XOXO,

Hilary

!!!

This is just one of those days where I am PRAYING that I come home and Casey says, "Hilary...have you considered just being a housewife and being around the house all day? Lots of things need to be done around here and I think it would be great if you took charge of it all and just quit working!" If only I could do that and we wouldn't be broke!

Keep dreaming Hilary...keep dreaming... I am just bored out of my MIND today and I have a headache AND I still have three and a half hours to go! GEEZ!

Sorry! I don't mean to be so gripey! I hope I didn't bring you down!

Random questions of the day...

1. Does anyone know how to make a cool diaper cake?? I am on a mission to teach myself how to make one!

2. Have you done a good devotional or Bible study lately?? I need to find a new one to get into! Church has been a bit of an issue with us lately and I need to get in my God-time somehow! It has been a big struggle for us because our church that we LOVE is now about 45 min to an hour from our house...it's HARD to make it there on Sundays (when we ARE in town!). We have tried other churches closer to us...but we have become VERY picky! We have such a yearning to be involved and we just really need to find our place!

3. Will someone run to Starbucks and bring me a white chocolate mocha with vanilla? PLEASE? AND some Excedrin Migraine?

XOXO!

Hilary

Tense Tuesday!

Well...everyone in my office is a little tense right now. I'm not going to lie...it's starting to wear on my nerves little bit! I work for a publishing company and I sell advertising for two of our publications. It IS a fun job and I enjoy what I do! I have only worked here since July... so I am still learning the ropes some! Anyways... our little locally owned company was bought out about a month ago by a bigger company out of Cleveland. Everyone here was on edge for a while because we all knew that they would be laying some people off...luckily...ALL of the sales team stayed! The new company is making alot of changes that I think WILL be beneficial in the long run... but with the economy the way it is right now... I really don't see the ad sales picking up a WHOLE lot in 2009! I just feel like I am in a frustrating situation right now...should I stay here and stick it out? They changed our payment structure some...so it's very up and down and NOT incredibly stable...their motto is "you eat what you kill"....I just feel like I need something more stable than that! I am a pretty driven person and I know that I am more than capable to sell...but GOSH! What are we supposed to think right now?! Long story short...everyone is STRESSED!

Soooooo.....with being tense and all and not having much to do right now... the day was DRAGGING on this morning! I wasn't hungry for lunch... so I decided to head out of the office for a bit and go down to the closest Barnes & Noble.........

Grab a White Chocolate Mocha with Vanilla from the Starbucks inside.....

And just walk around through all of the books... Why is Barnes and Noble such a calming place to me?! I guess because it's all just BOOKS...you know? It's not like a clothing store where there is jewelry to look at, purses to throw on my arm, clothes to be tried on, etc! Just book after book after book! I don't even have to look at them all....I mean yeah...they are all on different topics...but they are all just BOOKS! I literally just walked through aisle after aisle and maybe looked at about three books per aisle.... I really enjoyed it. I didn't even buy anything....except my drink...of course! AND...isn't it funny how there are so many books on getting out of debt...but you actually have to SPEND money on them? I just found it humorous!

I had a little time to spare when I left there...so I decided to run into Pottery Barn next door and look at my stockings that I want to order. Of course...they didn't have them in the store yet... but I think I am going to order them online tomorrow anyways. The weather was alot cooler today and felt amazing...it is breezy and sunny! We had rain all day yesterday...so it just made it feel like a real Fall day today! Fall is my most favorite season of the year! I just love the changing of the leaves and the crispness in the air! Plus...the warm smells that fall brings...like the smell of apple cider or of pumpkin spice candles...

GOD BLESS THE FALL!

Say a little prayer today is you think about it... My Sister-In-Law's baby is due today and there are no signs of contractions or anything yet. The doctor told her that they will only wait a week to induce her...but I can tell that she is REALLY ready for it all to be over with! She is feeling really worn out and they are ready to meet their new family member! They haven't even found out what the baby will be...they want it to be a big surprise! They are such special people and I know that God has and will bless them in so many ways. They actually found out in February that she was pregnant...but knowing that our wedding was in May...they didn't want to tell anyone until after the wedding so that they wouldn't steal our thunder in any way! It was such a sweet and humble guesture and we were all SO surprised to find out! She was a bridesmaid and NOBODY could tell that she was pregnant at all!!!

I hope that you all have an amazing day and pray that mine goes by faster!! I would MUCH rather be out in the glorious weather!

XOXO

Hilary