Wishful Wednesday: Style

Today's wishful Wednesday is all about shopping and style. I'll be the first to admit that I am not so stylish, or I feel like I'm not anyway. I'm a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl but I do like to enjoy a day shopping when I have the time and/or money for it.

Sooo....... 'I wish' .... I had H&M as my personal closet and could shop from it daily.

I've only been a few times when I was in NYC, but I loved H&M. They have cute everything, and they are reasonably priced, I thought, which is always a perk.

Go on over to the Seattle Smith's to link up with your pick! :)

The Best Day

Yesterday was an awesome day for a few reasons.

Number 1: Eclipse. Hubs and I went to Columbia to go see a midnight showing with my best friend. The movie was amazing! The best yet. For films like Twilight that are based on books, it is sometimes hard to keep certain parts from being... "stupid" (for lack of a better word). Its like those really awkward scenes where the whole Twilight world kind of falls apart for a moment because of a stupid line, bad acting, or weird visual that makes you go "I'm a little embarrassed to be watching this right now." That being said, Eclipse lacked a lot of these stupid scenes, which is awesome and hard for filmmakers to accomplish with the fantasy subject matter. The film flowed brilliantly. The acting was much improved, although I think that Kristen Stewart still can't act (although she has improved) and is totally wrong for the role, but thats a different story. I felt it wasn't a far cry from the book, which is always good. And I basically just had a great time watching it and I really can't wait to see it again.

Number 2: USC won the college world series! We watched the game from 7:30 last night up until we had to leave for the theater at 11. We were sitting in the theater waiting for the movie to start when someone yelled "We won!" So exciting. I wish we could have seen the end of the game, but its always cool to be sitting in a room with a bunch of Gamecock fans and hearing you just won the national title in baseball. We've been waiting for this day for a long time and it feels awesome.

Number 3: Beezers. Haven't heard of Beezers? They make the most amazing sandwiches that are the staple of a college student's diet. Its amazingly tasty, its cheap, its better for you than pizza, they're open until 4am and they deliver. What could be better for a college student? I went there several times a week when I was at USC and since we were in Columbia last night we were able to go. Twice. Once for supper, once for a 3am snack after the movie. Beezers tastes like college, and I guess that's why I love it so much. It reminds me of the best years of my life and I only wish there was a shop closer to my house. Clearly, I'm obsessed.

It was a wonderful day.

Top Two Tuesday: Deserted Island!

Undomestic Momma's Top Two Tuesday topic this week is two things you would take with you to a deserted island. This was tough. One item came to me easily, the other not so much.

1. Good Books

 Ok, ok. So I realize that I can only take two things, but I fly through good books so fast, that one books would surely not keep me busy for long. I love reading and its a good way to pass the time no matter where you are. Maybe I need to invest in the Kindle that everyone is talking about, then I wouldn't be lugging all my books around the island!

2. My iTouch

So I didn't want to bring a cell phone, because that seems just too easy. My iTouch can basically do everything my crackberry can do, besides making calls. I would have good music, games, and heck, I could even blog for help if need be.

I can't wait to see all of the top two picks across blogland this week! 

P.S.- I'm giving away a Scentsy warmer and two scents at Undomestic Momma. Only one day left to enter for the giveaway! Check out my Scentsy website here. I would love to talk you about Scentsy, whether you would like to buy or sell! If you would like some more info, send me an email via my Scentsy website and I will mail you a free catalog. Thanks for all of your support so far! :)

Its Your Lucky Day!

Taylor at Undomestic Momma was kind enough to host a giveaway from me on her blog. You can enter to win a Scentsy warmer and two scents of your choosing! Just go on over to her blog to enter.

If you have any questions about the wonderful Scentsy line of products or becoming a Scentsy consultant, email me at scentsationaloakes@gmail.com

Two Peas in a Pod

Captain and Chloe are officially best friends. Since my last post about our two weenie babies, they have grown so attached to one another. They love to play so much that I have to hold Captain when we go outside so Chloe will actually remember to go potty. They will cry if either one is alone, but just play and play when they are together. Last night I found them in the cutest way ever:

Aw they love each other. We couldn't have made a better choice then to adopt a friend for Captain. If he could he would thank us, I'm sure.

Top Two Tuesday: Reality Shows You Would Love to Be On

I have to admit, I'm really not a fan of shows like Bachelor/ette, Survivor (or any show you get voted off of, really). I'm more into the Kardashians (hence last week's Top Two Tuesday) and reality shows with families and such. So here we go!

1. Kate Plus 8!

Let me clarify right away, I do NOT want eight children, or even 6 at one time. But I would love to have twins or maybe even triplets. But then again no one would watch, because lots of people have twins/triplets. And I don't want all of the marriage drama either. I guess what I would want in a show would just be the kind of show that focuses on everyday family life. I think shows like that are the most intriguing. Its always fascinating to see someone else's life lived on screen- which is why reality TV is so popular these days anyways, right?

2. Ace of Cakes!

I would so love to be on any kind of cake/food reality show, especially Ace of Cakes. I saw Chef Duff talk when I was at USC. He is so cool and funny and seems like he would be so much fun to work with. No, I don't have any cake decorating skills, but I'd learn if they let me be on the show! :)


What are your Top Two?

Fill In the Blank Friday

Over at The Little Things We Do, its Fill In the Blank Friday! Its my first one, and it just might be fun. Lets see!

This week has a school theme. When I say "school" I really mean "college" because I don't want to think about high school. Gag.

1.  The best thing about being in school was going home to my best friends every day and living on my own. We had some awesome times. Oh and how could I forget, the other best thing was free football tickets!!!

2.  The worst thing about being in school was papers and homework.

3.  My favorite subject in school was my Health and Society class my last semester. The greatest class I took, hands down.

4.  One subject I wish I could have mastered was Spanish. It would be awesome to speak two languages, but I wasn't so into the studying aspect of it. I guess that was my problem.

5.  I could never get tired of studying- well I didn't really study much of anything but I did enjoy my psychology classes.

6.  The most memorable teacher I had was my public health teacher. I can't remember her name, which is odd, considering she was my favorite teacher. She held classes in such a way that they were never boring, we never had to sit through any lectures, and we were able to speak our minds and our viewpoints without judgment. I wish I had discovered her classes earlier because I wish I could have had more than one class with her.

7.  If I could choose between going to school for the rest of my life or working for the rest of my life, I'd choose school. Absolutely. You go to classes for like 3 hours a day and then don't have to do anything else. College was heaven and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Your turn!

Save the TaTa's

So this week was the first time that I ever had a doctor's appointment that stressed me out, made me cry, and kept me awake in the nights leading up to it. I visited my lady doctor last week for a routine checkup. For the past year or so I've had a small cyst in one of my breasts. I had it looked at once when I was still in school (Thank the Lord for the free student health center) and received a recommendation to have it looked at again once I was on my husband's health insurance. So I went to my doctor last week and explained to her about my small cyst. During my exam she told me that it wasn't in fact, a small cyst at all. She said in her opinion it was actually rather large and I needed to have a mammogram as soon as possible to rule out anything dangerous. I was like, excuse me, a mammogram? I'm 21 years old. I was told before I would need an ultrasound of it, but not a mammogram. I always think of mammograms as the thing you do when you turn 40.

Hubs went with me to the appointment and waited with me in the waiting room. I was checked in and went back with the nurse. I felt foolish and childish as I asked her if it would hurt. After the procedure, I waited in a room until the radiologist looked at my scans. The nurse came back into the room and explained that the doctor wanted to get another scan from a different angle. This scared me more than anything. I asked if there was something the doctor was concerned about and she replied "she just wants to get a different angle." No "yes" or "no." After the second scan, I went in for my ultrasound where they got a good picture of the cyst and took the measurements of it. And after all of this the doctor came in and explained that I have a benign fibrous tumor (something like that? or a combination of those words). Benign is the best type to have. She said its not pre-cancerous and I shouldn't worry in that regard but I should consider having it removed if I felt like it was going to continue to worry me. Whew. It was a very stressful few hours and I'm hoping I don't have to do it again anytime soon. Now I just need to decide if I will get the surgery done to remove it.

I only write all this to encourage young women and all women for that matter to do regular breast exams and to tell their doctor if you are worried about anything. Many times it may be nothing, but wouldn't you want to know that now instead of worrying for a whole year like I did?

Prevention is the best medicine of all, so stay healthy everyone. :)

Top Two Tuesday: Guilty Pleasures

This is one Top Tuesday topic that I thought was so much fun, although you may not believe my answers!

1. The Kardashians

I am in love with any show that involves the Kardashians. Their lifestyle is a little ridiculous,  and they have a Paris Hilton-esque fame (a.k.a. why exactly are you famous again?) but I LOVE watching Keeping up with the Kardashians and Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami (and I even loved their True Hollywood Story). I felt so bad for Kim as her past sex tape was dragged up again and again, gasped with everyone when Khloe married the guy she knew for 3 weeks, and cried when Kourtney had her baby (which they replayed again today, and I cried all over again). Its all sad, but true.

2. Sweet Tea

Probably for the past 6 years or so, I've sworn off any drinks that have calories or sugar. Let's face it, Diet Dr Pepper got me through college. But recently, I am in love with sweet tea. I've always loved it, but never let myself drink it. Now I get in a few glasses a week. I'm trying not to overdo it, but this stuff is so stinking good!

Head over to Undomestic Momma to share your top two!

Lake Day

We spent the day at Lake Greenwood today with some close friends at their lake house. I loved just relaxing and cruising around the lake with nowhere to go and nothing to do. We had some great food and just a great time in general hanging out. Brian and I did a little fishing off of the dock and caught about 10 little fish.

I wish I had taken some pics from the day but my mom borrowed my camera for a trip to Ireland and I haven't gotten it back from her yet. Cell phone pics don't make for the best viewing, although my phone does have a good camera as far as cell phone cameras go. I am interested in getting a DSLR camera, but knowing not the first thing about them, I need one for a beginner. I've looked on craigslist but haven't found anything that I'm willing to spend that much money on, being that I may not like it, or figure out how to use it. Anyone with a dslr camera out there that would know what kind I should get for a beginner? I really would love to get into photography and learn how to take great pictures, but I need a better camera for sure. Any tips would be sooo appreciated.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

From 2 hours to 7 hours

So thanks to a lovely, random thunderstorm last night around 5 (which lasted for about 15 mins) a tree in the neighborhood fell and took a power pole and power lines down with it! This seems to be a trend. With all of the beautiful old oaks around here, we never have a shortage of branches and trees knocked down all over the place whenever a storm comes. CPW man said that the power would be back on at 7, then 9, then 11. Frustrating!

It took all I had to entertain a 6 and 3 year old. I guess I never thought before how much we rely on electricity (cliche as it is to realize you never knew how great something was until its gone) and how much it entertains the kids. Whether its the television, computer games, guitar hero, etc, etc. We finally all ended up on the front porch because it was cooler outside than in. The boys had a lot of fun chasing fireflies and putting them in their bug catcher. Once again, fireflies are amazing, as I've stated before. They were the entertainment for a good while until it was too dark to see much of anything besides the lightning bugs.

We talked and laughed by candlelight until finally everyone was ready for bed. We made a bed on the living room floor so the boys could stay in there with us and before long they were fast asleep. It was nice having a little bit of a break from all the distractions that keep us so busy during the day. Also very glad to have the power back on too.

 Chloe was clearly very unconcerned about all of this.

Will the amazing giveaways ever end?!

Once again over at Undomestic Momma, there is another giveaway I am dying to win. A whole new blog design courtesy of Dumplin Design Studio. That would be awesome!

Father's Day Giveaway

Gourmet Gift Baskets is giving away a father's day basket over at Undomestic Momma this week! What a great looking basket for a lucky dad out there :)

I can't wait until Father's Day. I've got something special in mind for Hubs, hope I can get my hands on what I'm thinking of. He deserves something special for being an amazing daddy.

Go look!

Top Two Tuesday

This week for Top Two Tuesday over at Undomestic Momma is Top 2 favorite books.

This one is TOUGH! I love so so many books but there are two that definitely stick out and ones that I re-read often.

1. Pride and Prejudice- this classic love story of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy gets me every time. I love the movie with Kiera Knightly as well as the BBC mini-series. Jane Austen hit the nail on the head with this one! If you haven't seen Becoming Jane, the story of Jane Austen, its a great one as well! I love all things Jane Austen.

2.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- hey, don't judge. And even if you did, I wouldn't care. I LOVE the HP books and this is my favorite from the series. Yes, Harry Potter beat out all of the classics from my library collection, but I got into the series at a young age and I have fallen in love with the characters and was so sad to read the final installment. I'm still a big kid at heart anyway :)

Go join in the fun:

Weekend Recap

• The boys were here this weekend. Our fun outing was to see Shrek 4. I definitely liked it. It was better than some of the other sequels, I thought. We all had fun going to the drug store to pick out candy and drinks before hand. We also had fun wearing our 3-D glasses during the movie. What was not fun? The additional $3 we had to pay for the glasses (or so the guy at the box office told me) and then they ask that we recycle the glasses in one of their bins after the movies. Heck no! I paid for these things and I'm keeping 'em! When all the other 3-D movies come out this summer and I bring my own glasses and ask them to waive the $3 fee because I already have some, you can imagine what the theater will say: "No." But all that aside, it was a great movie and something we all really enjoyed doing together.
  

• The garden is finally bearing veggies. We picked some squash and sauteed it up for supper this weekend. I've never seen a child cry because they didn't want to eat something before. Oh, but it happened. I was excited because I thought that since he helped daddy pick it from the garden he would want to try some. Wrong. It hurt my feelings more than anything I think. Putting dinner together that kids actually like is harder than it seems and it stinks when they don't like something you prepared one bit. I'll just have to hide it in the sauce next time I guess... 

• I'm excited that my sisters are coming to visit tomorrow! Brian is too. They're staying a week or so. Its always nice to have company around the house. We have a few fun meals planned this week. I can't wait for fajita night! and Guitar Hero!!!!!!

• It has been BUSY at work. Buy one get one free milkshakes are kicking our butt. Not to mention 99 cent sundaes after 8pm. Phew, glad its over for tonight.

Hope its been a wonderful weekend for everyone. :)

Giveaways!

Head on over to the Undomestic Momma for her HuePhoria giveaway! Their line of products is so cute and makes great gifts!

This Little Light of Mine

I was just outside walking Captain, and I caught the first glimpse of something that made me smile and think "summer is really here." Lightning bugs. I remember being a child and I was so enamored by them but I was scared to actually catch them in my hands. I also remember the time when I became brave enough to do so. I would peek through my fingers to see the small bug inside illuminate every few moments, and then watch as they would fly away.

I think that fireflies are one of God's coolest creations. I got to wondering about them and googled them. It turns out (I hope my info is correct here) that the females don't actually light up at night. It is the males who illuminate to attract a mate. Its like a beautiful dance. It brings to mind how I think about Brian. I am daily amazed by him. His smile and his attitude. He looks at the world in such a positive way, that I can't help but be enamored by the light he brings to my life.


It also makes me think of the light that we are all supposed to be.  In Matthew chapter 5 verse 16 we are commanded to "let our light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven." We are the "light of the world." Light guides us in the dark and and leads the way. Light almost always refers to something good, and often something holy. Its easy for our lights to waver and to be blown out by the storms of this world. Its a good reminder to see the tiny, flying lights that come back year after year.


All these thoughts from a few little bugs.
 

The Newest Oakes

 The newest addition to our family came yesterday. She is an adorable black and tan, long-haired miniature dachshund. We are obviously big fans of the weenie dog. I absolutely love, love, love Captain, as hardheaded as he is, and we thought his energy and playfulness would be best suited for a companion. So far that is just what he has needed. One day in and nothing has been chewed up. Its amazing. I know it seems silly, but its true. I haven't had to vacuum the living room floor today because he miraculously has not looked for a piece of paper to shred. He is too busy playing with our new little girl. She doesn't welcome it some of the time, he is very rough and a lot bigger than her, but she can hold her own and isn't afraid to nip right back at him.

I've read about how longhaired and smooth coat dachshunds are different and its amazing how true it is. Dapple dachshunds (Captain) are stubborn and hard to train (Captain, again). Our little miss is already using a puppy pad with no accidents in the house at ten weeks old. This is amazing. We are hoping Captain will catch on, so far no luck. 

Needless to say, we are so happy with our little girl.