New Purse

Y'all I accidentally bought a purse I love.  Accidentally, because I was not purse shopping.  I was just killing time in the airport and I always enjoy a good Brighton Store so I popped in.  I ended up buying this little guy

The Brighton Pretty Tough Jojo Organizer Bag


It is a crossbody, fairly small

• Width: 9"
• Height: 7"
• Depth: 3 1/2"

And has some serious organization.  Here is a little peek inside

And another view inside



It unzips completely on each side which helps me find everything I need quickly.

Truly a normal person could possibly do without a wallet  with all the zipper pockets and credit card slots.  I am not totally normal, so I still do a small wallet with it.  Plus it has two outside pockets perfect for the cell phones I carry on a regular basis.

There are several color choices on the Brighton website. The color choices are Black, Black Croco, Lipstick (Red), Cobblestone, Midnight, Pewter, Toffee, White and Zinc Pearl.

I got mine in the Cobblestone color.  I also got a better price than what is listed online.  I don't know why the airport location had a clearance price, but they did and I am not complaining.

Apparently, the airport stores of all kinds have really seen sales increase.  I just saw a news story reporting that people are spending a lot more time in airports so the stores are really working on capitalizing on that presence.  Well they got me and I am glad they did.  So far I am really loving my new little purse.

Check out a Brighton store near you or at an airport when you are passing through.

It's a Wrap

Normally every July 25th we spend the day pulling out our Christmas stash and wrap everything in preparation for the Christmas holidays.  Because of schedule conflicts we couldn't swing the 25th this year, but we set aside Saturday and did our thing.

First things first...make if feel like Christmas

Our house is just a colder house so when we crank the air down.....it really does feel like winter.

Next we got the Bath and Body Balsam candle going

Then it was time to focus on food.

Kelsey got up and made Joanna Gaines' orange cinnamon rolls and they were delicious.

While she was working on breakfast I got lunch started.  That's two pounds of red beans with garlic, green bell pepper, onion, a smoked turkey leg, smoked sausage and lots of good seasonings.  Knowing we had red beans and rice coming for lunch gave us something to look forward to.

Of course, we had to pull out some other snacks because grazing and wrapping go hand in hand......those are one of the most underrated snacks - Bugles, our go to Chessman cookies and a Smores mix I found in the grocery store

If you like the graham cracker, marshmallow, chocolate combination.....give these a try

Here's a close up of the package

I found it at Kroger on the peanut/popcorn aisle.

We pulled out everything and wrapped until around 5:30.  We watched 3 Christmas movies, a little food network and a smidge of QVC.  

It was a great festive day.  Look, I know it is a lot to start thinking of Christmas this early, but come October/November  when everything starts getting hectic we will be super glad everything is wrapped and ready.

Here's a look at some of the finished product

Jansyn once again graced our packages with her beautiful hand lettering 

Every year I try to get smarter.  So this year I got special paper for the gifts that are leaving my house.  I always do the brown craft paper for our presents. Now with the other paper it will just make it quicker to sort things when the time comes.  I also did a pink sticky note for each gift to remind me of its contents.  

I keep everything I buy listed in a little notebook from May Designs.  But when it comes time to actually give the gifts I sometimes like to tie a couple together and make little bundles so it will help to remember what is in every exact box.

We had a great day and felt like we got a good start on this Holiday season, it is never too early to start getting ready!

Make it a great week and start Christmas shopping.

Movies to enjoy

I saw a news story where Netflix was trying to figure out why their business was declining.  Well, Netflix, maybe it is because you hardly have any movies anymore.  I just don't get it.  The reason I click over to Netflix is to watch a good movie.  But when I get there and they have a bunch of TV shows for me to choose from, I just don't get it.  What happened to Netflix being a movie service.  Maybe this is why your business is declining.....I am just saying.....stay in your lane.  Show movies!

Well my sleep cycle has been a little wacky lately so I may have watched a few movies in the wee hours of the night. You see, Netflix, this is when I need you to be on your A game.  Anyway, I have watched a few good movies lately

First I watched


I am a huge Reese fan.  I loved her in this one too.  It is just a cute and fun little movie.  She's separated from her husband and allows three very young guys to move into her guest house.  Of course, she makes a few questionable decisions, but it is very entertaining.  A feel good movie.

Then I found


This one has a very familiar plot.  A young lady off to a family wedding hires a date.  You can guess from there what happens.  It is fun, light and entertaining.

Later I watched


This one is from 2002 but I gotta tell you I enjoyed it all the same.  I hadn't seen it in years.  I enjoy both Hugh and Sandra.....and apparently I am on a first name basis with them.  If you run across this one give it another go.  It is cute and enjoyable throughout.

Apparently, lots of Hugh Grant movies run late at night because I also watched




It is a good one from 2007.  Drew Barrymore is like a size double zero in this one.  I honestly don't even remember her being this skinny.  But once I got pass that shock the movie was entertaining and sweet.

All of these are just good movies to watch if you can't sleep or while folding laundry.

If you have watched anything good lately, let me know.  Correction- if you have watched a good movie lately, let me know.  I do not want to start season 1 of any TV show.  It is a good chance if I didn't watch it while it was airing on normal TV, I am probably not interested in watching 20 hours of it now.

Movies, Netflix, bring us more movies!

Wishing you a great weekend!

Bucket list - update

Remember when I posted about my summer bucket list.....it is ok if you don't.  I don't remember some of the things I talk about either.  If you need a refresher the whole post can be found here.  But no need because in a nutshell here is what I put on my summer bucket list

1) Take a chalk painting class


I've done a little with chalk paint.  I own chalk paint.  I am going to figure out some fun things to do with it.....and officially take the class.


2) Work on my hand lettering


I took a class in this.  It did not come natural to me.  But I feel like with some practice I just might be able to master it or at least be decent at it.

3) Get my closet life together (flooring, reorganizing, purging)

Not my actual closet but a good inspirational picture.  We bought new flooring for our closets a year ago.  Correct...ONE....YEAR....AGO....it is time for some installation to happen.

4) Get my storage container life together ( y'all this one cabinet - OUT OF CONTROL!!!)

Not my actual cabinet.....but close....super close.  Are plastic containers rapid procreators....what happens when I close that cabinet door?  I don't know, but some of them are going to have to go.  And the next person at my house who washes out a sour cream container to keep is going into timeout.

5) Learn how to use my serger.  Half of you are wondering what this is?  Just a magical seam finishing sewing machine.  I plan on serging some stuff this summer.


Any idea how many napkins I can make with a functioning serger.....tons....and then some.


6) I hate to even say this but - exercise


Now here is my update:

1) My friend, Jennifer, said she is going to teach me to chalk paint so no need for me to take a formal class....well ok then.....now we just have to find time to do it.

2) Yesterday's post shows you how I am trying to practice my hand lettering.

3) I am making some serious progress on the closet front.  I have had four vendors come out and measure and price some custom built ins......the designs are looking good.  The cost, well that's another story.  But I have narrowed it down to two that are very close in cost so I just have to make the decision and get on their schedule......stay tuned.  I doubt I will get it all done before summer is officially over but I am happy with the promise of what's to come.

4) I am declaring my storage container life back in order.  The cabinet is orderly and most importantly has been in order for at least a month now.  I think that is the real test.  If we can pull things in and out, load and unload the dishwasher and the cabinet stay orderly.....we have the right pieces doing the right things.  Declaring this one DONE!

5) Ok, me and my serger were stressing each other out.  Oh my!  It probably would have helped if I had any idea at all what I was doing.  I literally guessed at my fabric and thread.  I then watched a series of YouTube videos to figure out how to thread the thing and get all the tensions set correctly.  Honestly, I worked on it over 4 hours one afternoon and got NOTHING accomplished.  So I took a little break....like a week and a half and tried again.  This time was successful.  I made napkins for a baby shower I was helping host for our sweet friend Katy.

They turned out so cute.  I am counting my serging DONE!

The last thing I had on my list was 

6) Exercising - I have two words for this one.  I Quit!  Wait....that's not right because I didn't even start.  So let's just say this one is not going to happen.  Maybe I can move this to my Winter bucket list.  Yes, that is a good idea.  I am sure I will feel more like working out in the Winter.

What are you doing this summer?

Whatever it is......just enjoy!

A Class with Friends

My younger daughter can do some beautiful lettering.  We are always asking her to write on this card or present for us.  She can just knock it out in no time.  I took a class about a year ago, but really didn't practice very much.  It didn't come super easy to me and so I kind of didn't stick with it.  Well a group of us always ooh and ahh about her stuff so she agreed to give us a little tutorial.

She wrote each of our names to give us a little inspiration.  And she set us up with this starter kit.  We had her recommeded pens, a pencil, a sample alphabet and lined paper.  

She always uses these pens

PaperMate Flair 

They really aren't very expensive and they allow you to write your letter with a pretty fine tip then tilt the pen more on its side to make the thicker strokes.

We were so focused......hanging on her every word.

And then we went to work writing our alphabet

Some of us may have been doing more chatting than practicing

but we really did try to follow her instructions

when she was satisfied we had done enough practicing, she gave us two note cards to create and take home with us

She is so talented and what makes her even more special is that she is willing to share with others and help them learn too.

Thanks, Jansyn, for teaching us the basics of hand lettering.

If you have a talent or know how to do something fun, invite a few friends over and share with them.  We had a great night just hanging out and trying something new.

I don't have many talents, but if anyone ever wants to get together and group shop......call me!!!!

Have a wonderful week.  I'll meet you back here on Wednesday,

A New Place to me - Cafe 153

Cafe 153 has been at Bridgestreet a long time.  I always thought of it as more of a coffee shop....and I am not a coffee drinker so was never really drawn to it.  My daughter met a friend there for lunch and reported back that her turkey panini was quite tasty.

So we went and tried breakfast there.

I think the waffles might be the winning ticket

The top picture is their caramel cinnamon pecan waffle and the bottom picture is their strawberry waffle.

I had the bacon egg and cheese burrito which I failed to get a picture of but it was good too.

They have several different waffle options, breakfast sandwich options and pastries.

For lunch they had lots of different sandwich options.

Of course, they make really pretty coffee drinks of all descriptions and even have teas and smoothies.

I am very pleased that I finally tried this place out.  It is a cute little place with a very laid back atmosphere.  You order at the counter, they call you up to get your food and you return your dishes to the counter when you are done.  

The food and service were both good. 

If you are local and have never given them a try, now is a good time to explore something new.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale - Gifts to Give

Ok, now that we have our closets refilled and a few fall fashions for ourselves, let's take a look at a few things that you might want to pick up for gifts

Do not miss these throws that were linked in our first Nordstrom post. It comes in several color options and is ridicously soft!

plush throw

Jo Malone is a splurge gift.  At the anniversary sale you can get a set of small bottles.  If you have a couple of girlfriends this would be perfect to split between them or as stocking stuffers

Jo Malone mini set

If you have dinner with some of your girls around the holidays this is the perfect little thing to put every place setting.  There are 5 great little candles in this set.

Diptyque travel candles

And for the guys....this backpack was so cute. Perfect so the guys in your life can stop asking you to put their things in your purse....

Champion Backpack

And it is always a fun time to grab the guys some Kiehls

Kiehls Soap

Nike also has some good guy gift giving stuff....

No show Socks

Zip Hoodie

Jewelry also has some go to gift items like these classic diamond studs.

Stud Earrings

and these Kendra Scott Earrings

Kendra Scott ER

I know it is 1000 degrees outside and super hard to think of Christmas.....but you will be so glad you did.  Get out your list and check some things off.  Now it our time, girls!


The sale opens this Friday to everyone so if you don't have a Nordstrom card, you can start shopping on Friday. 

I will see you back here then.

Nordstrom -- Anniversary Sale Part II

I told you all to stay tuned, so here we go! I have a few more things I have to show you from the Anniversary Sale!

Let's start with these Adidas sneakers. They are perfect for working out or an "athleisure" look.

Now these shoes are the dream child of converse and Nike! They are hightops, have a fun zipper, and are super versitile. 

Gold hoops are timeless and have been very trendy this season. Definitely add these hoops to your cart. They are chunky, but not too big. In fact, I put them on about 7:30 Saturday morning and wore them all day.  They are so light weight I forgot I was even wearing them.

Another fun trend to hop onto is the belt bag trend. This one from Rebecca Minkoff will be great for any time you want to be hands free. And if this "bouji fanny pack" is too much for you, you can remove the pouch and just wear it as a belt.

You have to try this fun belt. Because it is leapord print, it has neautral colors so you can style it easily.

Let's look at some dressing room pics!

How fun is this wrap top!

And this top looks great with the pants linked in my last Nordstrom post. This top also comes in 3 other fun patterns.

Here's another cute leapoard look in a trenchcoat! Work it, Denise!

This is a fun, casual top that is great for layering or just on its own. It comes in 2 other fun prints as well!

Halogen also has this great blouse in the sale. It comes in 5 other prints/patterns. I am totally thinking about grabbing one.....or two.

And this Free People Tunic was a big hit.  The color Jennifer is wearing is sold out, but it is still available in yellow.

As you can see things are starting to sell out and the sale is not even open to the public yet.  It is still card holders only.

Grab what you are interested in.....

I will be back on Wednesday with some things you might want to grab for gifts.