Favorites for Friday

Ah, this week has been rough- doctors visit for pink eye on Monday for BB, home bound on Tuesday, double Easter Egg Hunt crazies on Wednesday, general struggles on Thursday and capped off with a mega-meldown during a play date at the mall today.  I've missed blogging but didn't have much to bring to the table. 

I do have a few products I've really been loving recently, so I thought I'd share them with y'all.  

I picked up this gloss at Target (you can find it here.)  Back on my trying-to-look-like-I-tried kick, I have been trying to do my eye makeup better.  In turn I wanted to try more of a nude lip.  Since my lips are on the pink side I'm lining & filling with a nude liner and then using this gloss.  I like the look and the gloss isn't sticky.

Spring brings the hair frizzies!  This Garnier Fructis Blow Dry Perfector Straightening Balm is REALLY cheap and works wonders on my wavy/frizzy prone hair.

Iced coffees in the afternoons have been delicious with this Cafe Mocha creamer!

And I saved the best for last! 

We are all obsessed with Angie's Classic Kettle Corn.  A hostess served it at a recent Junior League meeting and I couldn't stop eating it!  I really thought it was something homemade, so I asked her for the recipe.  She gave me the tip that it was Angie's and she buys it at Costco. 

If I'm having a bowl BB always asks to have some and then proceeds to shove as much in his mouth as he can.  We basically sit there and race to see who gets the last piece.  LB isn't too happy to be left out of the popcorn eating, so I will carefully pull off tiny pieces with no hull on it.  So yummy!

Any new products you've been loving? 

Tagged by The View From Five Two for a Q&A

Melissa at The View From Five Two tagged me for a little Q&A.  If you haven't read her blog you must go check it out.  She does the best and funniest vlogs, including this one from Black Friday shopping that I still laugh at when I think about it.  

Here are the rules:
•You must post the rules.
•Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you; then create 11 questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
•Tag 11 people and link them in your post.
•Let them know you have tagged them

Here are the questions Melissa tagged me for:

1. If you could live anywhere in the world for one year, with all of your expenses paid, where would you live?
I'm with Melissa on this one- hands down NYC. Y'all know I LOVE THAT CITY.

2. What is your favorite musical? Or do you not like musicals?
My favorite musical (though I've never seen it on stage) is My Fair Lady.  Obsessed with the movie version and the Audrey perfection. 

3. Are you better at singing or dancing?
Neither.  BB often tells me "Stop that" when I attempt either.  I really do wish I could sing though.

4. If you had the choice of getting dressed up and going out on the town or staying home in your PJ's on the couch, which would you choose?
These days I long to get dressed up and go out.  Any excuse to get out of my PJs/mom-uniform.

5. If you could win an Olympic gold medal in any sport, what would it be?
Is shopping a sport? No?  This is funny because I'm not athletic in the slightest. Ummmmm, how about rowing.  Not too many injuries in that, right?


6. What is your weirdest or most annoying habit?
Good gracious, do I really have to tell?  I do this throat clearing thing.  I try not to do it around people I don't live with.

7. Tell us about your first best friend.
My first best friend was probably my friend Olivia (hi, Liv!) She wrote me the sweetest note on Facebook the other day.  We lived near each other for only 5 years growing up.  I vividly remember her teaching me about U2-she was a lil Bono obsessed.  She moved several times across the country and we tried to keep in touch.  I tracked her down to invite her to our wedding and she came to NC from Arizona!  She is the main reason I need to get to So Cal soon!

8. What is your favorite show on TV right now?
Eeks, that's tough!  I'm really, shamelessly loving GCB.

9. What is your favorite show from the "old school" TGIF or Nick at Nite days?
Full House. I have two sisters, so we loved those Tanner girls. 

10. What is your favorite season of the year, and why?
Fall.  The colors, the weather.  Just love it.  It is generally a more laid back time of year, but still fun with activities like visiting the pumpkin patch.

11. Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names and what kind of animal(s) are they?

We have a very fat dachshund, Sammy.  He's made a few appearances around here.  He has quite an attitude, but he loves the boys.

I'm tagging
Laurie at Lulu & Daisy
Natalie at Two Preps in a Pod
Luv Red and White
Emily at Being Mrs. Gentry
EAS at Who's Excited
Ally at Copacetic in Carolina
Melissa at I Pick Pretty

Rebecca at Life in the O-zone
Megan at Perfectly Imperfect
Kelli at Southern Blessed Life
Amy at Your Southern Peach

(I mixed in a few recycled questions because I was trying to wrap up quickly! Others are just completely random.)

1. Did you fill out an NCAA tournament bracket?

2. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

3. What is your favorite color? (BB's favorite question right now)

4. Are you a mac or a pc?

5. What kind of car do you drive?

6. Do you prefer to call or email/text?

7. Which side of the bed do you sleep on?

8. What's your favorite family tradition?

9. If you could choose your last meal, what would it be?

10.  What's for dinner tonight?

11.  What's the last thing you purchased?

My answers:
1. Yep, but I don't put money on it nor do I care if I win.  It's just for fun.

2. Early bird!

3. Pink! (and BB's is "grey, like my [new balance] shoes.")

4.  PC, but I am slowly being lured by the *evil* mac.  I plan on getting one of those fancy iPhone things when I'm due for an upgrade.

5. Honda Pilot.  I love it!

6. Email or text.  It better be important if you need to call me, ha.

7. I sleep on the right. When we first got married I slept on the left and about 6 months in Mr. decided he wanted the left.  Random, but I guess it worked out.

8. Having Christmas at our home is very important to me. It's one thing we had to stand up and say we were doing.

9. Chicken fingers, fries, chocolate chip cookies and coke zero.  I'm such a health nut.

10. Paninis and sweet potato fries.

11. More of these sweaters from Old Navy.

The Faux Side Swept Bang Problem

Of the many talents I don't possess, "doing hair" is right up there.  It's taken me nearly 30 years to understand that most things in life don't just happen. (I must have missed that day of school.)  Nope, sadly it takes a lot of work to do anything well. 

It was nice to finally realize that I wasn't the only one that didn't have God-given glowing skin or gorgeous, frizz-free hair.  I have always gone with the less is more approach for day-to-day, mostly because I thought if I always pulled out my best tricks then I wouldn't have anything new to whip out for special occasions. (Insert "that's what she said" here if you like.) 

I've since wised up that there are tons of fun ways to change up your look, though learning new techniques takes practice and hours of watching You Tube videos.  These days I struggle to keep up with the dishes and laundry enough that no one runs out of forks or socks so I don't have a ton of time/money/energy to revamp everything at once.  But slowly I am taking the steps to do things differently and generally better when it comes to my hair and makeup. 

Today was an odd morning where I actually showered and "did" my hair, since I was taking BB to the doctor (yuck, pink eye.)  I thought I might try to see if I could manage my hair into a deeper side-sweep-faux-bang-thingie.

I've always been jealous of the ladies that pull this off...and word on the street is it makes you look a little younger.  Momma could use a tiny bit o' that with THE birthday looming.  After I messed with it and got used to the comb-over feeling on my forehead it was all good for a minute....

And then it all fell apart.  Later in the day I had time to Google and watch some videos.  Apparently I was missing 2 key ingredients- dirty hair and hairspray.

Then it was back to my normal tucked behind the ear look that I've been sporting for the better part of 17 years.  Until we meet again faux side swept bangs. 

What do you think of the side swept bangs?  Any hair trend you've been wanting to try?

It Takes Two To {Tangerine} Tango

Spring is officially here and that has me seeing pink!

Gorgeous azaleas in my backyard that I can take no credit for

But you may also be seeing a lot of orange mixed in the fashion world this year.  The Pantone color of the year is Tangerine Tango.

Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed. ~Elle Woods

I've been known to buy an orange piece here or there; orange is the color of Mr. Banker's alma mater after all.  But I have been happily drawn to pieces that mix my beloved pink and trendy orange in a style that feels like me.  I thought I would share these fun, bright pieces for spring with you today!

 
I tweeted these shoes (I found them at Steinmart) the other day to get some input (Little Bear didn't seem to have much of an opinion on them) and received rave reviews.  I hope to pair them with a white dress or skinny crop pants.

Another tweeted pic of a dress I picked up at Francesca's- orange and pink stripes that I had to have!

I sought out a few more pink and orange looks and found these to share-

More preppy orange and pink stripes at Forever 21

Source: forever21.com via Amy on Pinterest

An awesome, bright tunic

Source: lastcall.com via Amy on Pinterest

And a chic, ladylike dress

Source: asos.com via Amy on Pinterest

What do you think of the orange + pink trend?

How I Broke Up With Google Reader

Thanks for all of your sweet comments on Monday's post.  I didn't want y'all to think I had abandoned posting...it's been a busy week.  And truthfully going two days without posting drives me a little crazy.  All this pollen has made my morning wake-ups difficult, so rather than writing I've been catching up on emails or blog reading and commenting.

There has been a lot of talk around the blog world about finding a better balance among all of the social media outlets that seem to pull us in many different directions- Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, blogging and blog commenting.  My prettiest blogger pal Melissa posted on this topic a few weeks back and I was determined to get my own habits in check. 

My biggest pitfall is reading and commenting on blogs.  I LOVE reading what others post, but my Google Reader is constantly overwhelming.  When I find a new blog that looks like something I would enjoy I quickly hit "follow" through Google Friend Connect and then all posts automatically post in my Reader.  And they add up quickly.  As in right now I have 136 unread posts.

What I started to realize was that the "best," "most popular," and "consistent" bloggers (in my mind) put their blog first.  So I set out to change my mindset about blog reading and commenting. 

Subscribe by email
I went through my list of favorite blogs (to which I need to add a few more) to see if they had the option to subscribe by email.  It is much easier for me to have the posts delivered to my inbox.  I can read it quickly and keep it in my inbox if I want to comment or if not I just delete it.  I have this option on my sidebar if that's something you'd be interested in.  **Side note- the emails arrive roughly 6 hours after a post is posted.  This kind of bothered me at first, but I've changed my thoughts on commenting too, so I don't have to be first in line anymore.

The Old Fashioned Way
Do you ever just type in a web address?  Yeah, me either.  But I have started visiting blogs directly, mostly by clicking through my favorites list and also visiting sites of bloggers that have left me comments.  Most bloggers tweet when they put up a post, so I can click from there too.  If there is a life changing post out there it will get re-tweeted or referenced by other blogs, so I won't be "missing out."  That's really what spawns most of my issues in this area (blogging as therapy moment coming up)--I hate to feel like I'm out of the loop.  But I'm realizing that I need to focus more on my real-life loop and not my internet-stranger friends; though I still really like y'all.

Skimming Google Reader
Now that I've found other ways to keep up with my favorite blogs I still visit Google Reader a few times a week.  I focus less on how many posts there are to read and really skim the post titles.  Some I've already read thanks to emails or tweets and others just don't appeal to me.  Posts on maternity fashion or princess themed children's parties sound delightful, but those are two topics I don't need any education about.  Then I do the unthinkable....I hit "mark as read" on a massive amount of posts. And I breathe easier because they are not taunting me anymore.

Commenting
I used to think I needed to comment on lots of posts to help me get more traffic to my blog.  Not that I would say things I didn't mean, but just that I needed to spend tons of time "connecting" with other bloggers.  Then I wised up.  There are plenty of blogs I've commented on a TON and I'm fairly certain they have never visited my blog.  And that's fine.  Then I also realized that there are people who do read my blog and never comment (you know who you are, haha.)  A few of these readers reached out to me after Monday's post and I was really happy they did.  A little boost to my ego that lots of people read blogs without commenting, and it has little to do with the writer.

Now I approach commenting differently.  If I want to say something I leave a comment.  It doesn't matter if it's the 80th comment or if it's weeks after the blog was posted.  I value my time and energy and I need to use that where it's most beneficial to me (oy, that sounds self-serving.)  Hopefully you get what I'm saying.  I'm not leaving a bunch of comments that don't result in any kind of connection because that's what a lot of blogging is to me.  I value the comments I get so much and I want y'all to know that. 



Clearly I've changed my mindset on posting too-another wordy post with no pictures!  Anyway, I'd love to get your input on how you approach blog reading and commenting.  I'm sure I still have a ton to learn about finding the right balance.

More Confessions: This Isn't My First Go Round

It seems that Lent has me thinking more introspectively and feeling the need to confess some things (of little importance.)  But today I'm going to let y'all in on a bigger secret...one that I actually had to tell Mr. Banker and Bestie about before writing this because even they didn't know (and they know everything!)

This isn't my first attempt at blogging.

Back in 2008 I was at a tough place.  I was "treading water" before we were going to start trying for a baby.  Bestie had just had her son and wasn't around as much for our daily chats.  I was feeling really lonely.

I had been reading blogs for several months and decided that starting my own might help me feel a little more "connected" socially.  A few of y'all know me from back in the day (Nautical by Nature, Mrs. Preppy & Luv Red and White.)  Aside from the fun toddler stories, I think it was pretty similar to my blog today.  


It was a good outlet at the time, but I didn't really feel connected in the way I had wanted.  When I had BB I wanted to focus on him more.  Then Bestie was going through a very sudden divorce that really rocked my way of thinking and I decided to stop blogging to focus on my real life relationships.

No one really talks about how much easier it is to make friends when you have kids.  I'm not sure why, but that's the way it was for me.  Truthfully it's even harder to stay close to your friends that don't have kids...it's just a whole different way of selfless living, which many people don't understand.  That said I try to be open to friendships with women that don't have kids.  I don't want them to feel the same way I did during that phase of life. 

Thinking back on it I realized my blog was just another thing I quit when it wasn't fulfilling my needs any longer.  When I'm committed to something I'm all in, but I'm also very quick to be done with something when I'm "over it."  I want to be more mindful of this and work on powering through any rough patches that may come along. 

Right now I'm in a great place.  I have more friendships than I could have hoped for.  I'm also in a great place with this blog.

When I decided to jump back in I (naively) thought that the blog world hadn't changed that much.  I thought I would be able to plug in and grow readership easily and quickly.  Obviously since I'm a mom now I should have lots more blog friends, just like it was easier to make friends in real life.

But blogging is much more complicated now--followers and ad space and giveaways; it's very different from the Wordless Wednesdays and other memes I was used to.  At first it was discouraging that my follower count stalled out just below 60, that I never received one of those free hair dryers to review, and that at times I felt ignored by other bloggers. 

It was only recently that I have had a real peace about blogging.  That sounds stupid, but it's true.  I don't freak out if I don't get any comments.  I don't put expectations on myself for how many posts I should have a week.  I'm not blogging for other people...I'm doing it for me.    

Whew, so there's my BIG secret!  Feel free to leave comments of how much you would miss me if I quit again...but I won't get depressed if you don't.

Going Green

**This is not a sponsored post...just me talking about stuff I've purchased. Again.**

St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow so I had green on my mind, but more about being green environmentally than leprechauns and pinching.

Right now my sink area looks like a Mrs. Meyers display.  A few weeks ago I grabbed this soap on a whim at Target.  It smells amazing so I went back to see what other products were available.  I was wanting to try a new counter top spray because I am constantly wiping up the fun messes that the boys make.  The bleachy smell a lot of the sprays have was starting to bother me and I wanted a product that is more environmentally friendly.  The Mrs. Meyers products are not tested on animals, for the most part are biodegradable and doesn't contain any of these harsh chemicals- ammonia, chlorine, glycol solvents, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, artificial colorants, phosphates or petroleum distillates.

After reading this article I've made a few changes in some of the foods we buy.  I'm now on the organic train for milk, apples and potatoes.  These are some of the foods we eat most in our house and I couldn't ignore the facts about the chemicals and pesticides any longer.  I was also surprised by the fact that BPA is released in canned tomatoes, so now I buy the brand that is sold in a box if I need some for a recipe. 

I can't leave you without a lovely green goodie

I still haven't been able to bite the bullet on a quality bag, but I have been wanting a new one badly.  This one made it home with me from Francesca's last week.  Mr. Banker called it a grandma bag, but what does he know.

Cheers to a safe & happy St. Patrick's Day! 

The Hardest Phase Thus Far

I never thought life with two little boys would be easy, but truthfully the last few weeks have been tough.  A three year old who is now talking a ton ("Why not?" "Why not?") and an almost completely mobile 15 month old who is starting to get frustrated with his own inability to communicate keeps me constantly moving and answering cries and questions. 

It started with Big Bear not napping.  All of a sudden he was just done.  Nap time is better suited for arranging your animals.

I finally realized that he will *maybe* settle down for a nap if I wait until 2:30 or 3.  This is the answer my selfish side didn't want.  LB is transitioning to one nap, which happens to be from 11:30-2:30/3.  Yep, there went my coordinated nap time (i.e. shower time.)  I'm soooooo glad I had started my morning routine of blogging and tv.  It keeps me slightly more sane.  Sometimes.

The majority of my day is spent keeping everyone safe.  I'm learning that this means I have to make sure everything is on lockdown and I can't turn my back.  Ever.

I left the boys for a minute one day while they were eating lunch or a snack (surprised that I can't remember?)  I came back and realized that BB had been feeding LB his peanuts.  I clear out a mouthful of nuts and try to explain to BB that he's not supposed to share those.  

Another morning I was getting ready for the gym.  BB came in my bathroom, grabbed a necklace and then went and put it around LB's neck--to wear, not to choke him...thankfully.

But the most common thing I hear? "Help, I'm stuck!"

A lot of this frustration is my own fault for getting comfortable with the way things were.  I know this season will pass, but it's going to take a lot of hard work and patience.

Any toddler-whisperers out there with some tips for me?

I'll Never Be The Family Photographer

Taking pictures is a huge part of life to a family with small children.  It's especially important to us because we don't see our families often; they count on seeing pictures and videos of the boys.  I thought I would chat a little bit about how we "do" photography in our house.

First of all Mr. Banker takes the reins on most everything in this arena.  He was a staff photographer for his college where he photographed anything from portraits to sports events.  For friends and family he has shot weddings, maternity pictures, newborn pictures and he'll always grab the camera when a photo-worthy moment arises.  

Gear-  He just expanded our "camera suite" with a new point and shoot, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. It has all the extra settings that I never do anything with, but so far he likes it.  I have another Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5 that I use to take everyday pictures and videos.  We also have a Nikon D80 with all kinds of lenses, flashes & accessories.  We also recently got a big flash kit with the umbrellas and all that jazz to set up a DIY photobooth for my birthday party.  Super excited about that and that we'll be able to use in the future to *try* to take some portraits of the boys! 


Shooting-  Of course, Mr. is the go-to guy for this!  I think I can get some good composition (basically the only things I remember from my high school photography class) but my brain just can't compute the aperture, shutter speed, yada, yada, yada when I'm chasing around two toddlers.  I'm also lazy since I know Mr. can do all of that without thinking.  He is kind enough to leave the camera on the settings that make for better shots. (Here's the part where I get to show off my cuties!)

A new favorite!

But many come out like this-

I follow the "take a ton of pictures and maybe I'll get one" approach.
 
Archiving-  I'm in charge of making sure all of our shots get off the memory cards.  We store all of our photos and videos on SmugMug.  Our families can access our albums, but there are also options for private and password protected albums.  It is great because you can always download the high-res images and you can also order prints through the site.  We can also move pictures and videos from our iPod/iPad to SmugMug using the PhotoSync app.  This is a great app that makes it really easy to get these files off of your i-device.


Presentation-  This is really the hardest part for us.  We have a ton of frames I bought (cough, two years ago, cough) to make some gallery arrangements that have yet to find a home on a wall or pictures to fill them.  When we start to try to narrow down ones we may want to use Mr. wants to edit them which seems to never happen (sorry, hun, sad but true.)  I recently remembered I still need to make our beach vacation photo book from last year.  I'm thinking one day I will have time to get prints to make albums for the boys.  Maybe when they start school, ha!

Portraits- For a long time we were very DIY about pictures.  You really shouldn't underestimate the importance of a professional photographer.  With BB we didn't get newborn pictures taken because we thought we could figure it out.  Much easier said than done.  Though we have been able to find some work arounds.  For beach pictures we use a tripod and a remote self timer.  It can be a little frustrating, but if we get one good picture we saved several hundred dollars.  I hope to get family portraits done this Fall and I need to take the boys to get their 1 year and 3 year pictures taken.  I like Portrait Innovations for those traditional studio shots. 


This is how we do it!  I'd love to hear any secrets y'all have to offer!

My Big Bear is Three!

My sweet Big Bear turns three tomorrow!  We kicked off birthday week with a party for him last Saturday at a local "jumpy place" (that's what I call them...you know those places with the inflatable things.)

He loved it and we all had a great time!  When I tried to ask him what kind of party he wanted all he would say was "cupcakes!"  Only recently did he come to understand the whole birthday concept.  He will proudly announce "I'm three!" and hold up his three little fingers.  This started conversations about other people's "count."  I was impressed that he seemed to understand the concept that older people were higher numbers.  Originally he thought Daddy was 6.  I corrected him saying "Nope, Daddy's 30.  How old do you think Mommy is?" BB: "30!"  Not yet, buddy!

I know this year will hold a lot for both of us.  It will likely be challenging as we tackle things like potty training (yikes!) and discipline issues but also exciting firsts like starting sports and continuing to learn new things.

Now I get to throw a few ton of my favorite pictures at you...because until now I've been excited about my big boy's birthday but these pictures make me a little teary.  I love my smiley, loving, fearless blue-eyed boy!

I Have Retail Phobia: Part Two

**this is not a sponsored post...I just like to shop and write about it.**

Thanks for all of the comments I received on yesterdays post...glad to know I'm not alone!

After writing it I was pretty darn annoyed about the whole bathing suit issue and decided to start searching out (from the comfort of my couch) some new options.

If you follow Helen at Monograms and Manicures you have probably heard her talk about her new found love for JC Penney.  I hopped on her corduroy pants-loving train back in the fall and have been checking back there for any needed items since.  I got an email that Ebates was doing double cash back at JC Penney, so I started there.

They have some really cute color options in styles I thought might work, so I stared loading up my cart.  And then every piece was showing up as backordered.  Sadz. 

About this time LB was refusing nap.  We had been up together at 3am and I never got back to sleep.  This was obviously causing some delirium on my part, because I decided to pack him up and head to the mall to try on bathing suits.

You have likely heard about JC Penney's new three-tier pricing strategy.  It's a welcome change for this recovering sale-a-holic, but shopping in the store yesterday I overheard the take of some other shoppers.  "All this change, I don't like it!"  "I really like Macy's better." and "See, I just looked for the sign to see if it was on sale." 

I retreated from this scene to try on the suits and a really cute skirt I had grabbed.

I did find a standard boring black suit that I went ahead and bought because I wear sizes that are hard to find (read as: sizes they don't make many of because you probably shouldn't be wearing a two piece if you need that size.  My vain still-in-my-twenties-for-two-months self isn't ready to let go of this dream just yet.) 

My attempt at fighting my retail phobia went well, until I got home and realized that skirt actually WAS on sale.  Seems as though my subconscious is working against me on this one.

I hope y'all will try JC Penney as a safe haven from (most) sales.

I Have Retail Phobia

Yesterday Bestie and I booked our 30th Birthday Cruise!  Yay!  Another item checked off my Before 30 list!

I decided to go ahead and order the bathing suit I talked about a while back.  I had been waiting for it to hopefully go on sale, but I was ready to bite the bullet if it wasn't.

Well, J Crew is having a swim sale...and now the suit I wanted is sold out in my size. Awesome.

This is what happens sometimes when you have Retail Phobia.

Seriously, if something costs more than about $50 I don't want to pay full price for it.  I could probably name every single thing in my closet (or really in my house for that matter) above that price point that I paid full price for-not on sale or consignment, not at TJ Maxx, an outlet or sale site.

I clearly remember one of the first things I bought and barely glanced at the price.

 (sorry you're cropped out, Bestie.  This was the only copy I could find at 5am on 4 hours of sleep)

In 2007 (yep, that's almost 5 years ago...geez) we were planning a Cinco de Mayo/Kentucky Derby party because they fell on the same day.  {P.S. That happens again this year, so if you're looking for a reason to party, there it is!}  The spring J Crew catalog came and this Mexican inspired top was on the back cover.  I HAD to have it for the party.  There is no greater reason to forget all about your Retail Phobia than for party attire. 

I shelled out the $98 for my perfect party top and was glad I did because within weeks it was sold out. 

I'm slowly learning that if I find something I need and it is perfect I need to forget about getting a "deal," because it may not come.  I'm also trying to resist settling or buying something that is just okay because it is on sale.  A massive clean out of my closet last week proved that I had a lot of junk I probably shouldn't have bought in the first place.  My post-baby body shape is helping me with this because it's just not as easy to find flattering clothes.  Being a little more "daring" and trying new styles is also something I'm working on.  Though I still can't figure out the belt over the cardigan thing...

All of this is not to say that you shouldn't be a smart consumer.  I am all about using Ebates and knowing where to save (t shirts) and where to splurge (quality staples like dress pants;) that Old Navy puts out a coupon code every 5 days and Kohl's marks their stuff down every other week.  My clothes budget is not one that allows me to walk in a store and pick out whatever I want either.  I'll take that $98,000 Neiman Marcus gift card from GCB any day.  For now I'm working on trying to fill the gaps in my wardrobe with quality pieces and will use the cheaper/sale items for adding in trends.  

Are any of my friends out there recovering from Retail Phobia?  Any tips to share?

Club Furniture & The Best Customer Service Experience

**Pinky swear this in not in any way a compensated or sponsored post.  We bought the couch with our own cash money and the amazing customer service we received had nothing to do with this little ole blog of mine.  I just wanted to share a company that is doing things right!**

In November I shared the reveal of our living room, including our new leather couch from Club Furniture.

Mr. Banker did all of the research on this North Carolina based furniture company.  He tells me that the ordering process was easy and everyone that I communicated with regarding the delivery was wonderful.

Right before Christmas one of the button covers on the tufting popped off.  It wasn't glaring or obvious, but we knew it needed to be fixed.  After the holidays Mr. Banker finally remembered to call (things on our to-do lists around here seem to stick around for months at a time) to see what Club Furniture recommended.   

On Presidents Day one of their technicians drove from Charlotte to take a look at our couch.  That's about 3 hours, y'all.  The sweet man replaced the broken button, checked the rest of the buttons and apologized several times that this had happened.  I felt so bad that he had come all that way for 20 minutes of work!  He left me with 10 replacement buttons if one should ever come off again.  

That is the kind of service that I want to receive!  I'm fairly certain that chain stores with similar furniture at higher prices (ahem, PB, RH, etc...) would not have anywhere near this level of customer service.  Overall the quality of the couch is impeccable and the button issue was simply a small quality control issue--the tech tried hard to make any of the other buttons pop off to no avail. 

If you are in the market for a piece of furniture I hope you will consider Club Furniture.  Now to peruse their inventory and see what I want to add to my wish list!

Show Off Your Bling- Hosting My First Link Up

Happy Friday, friends!  It's time to Show Off Your Bling!

While it is always fun to see some sparkly, pretty things, in writing this post I realized that the items I'm going to share with you are so much more than that.  They are constant reminders of wonderful times in my life, people I love and how I will forever be connected to them.  So without further adieu, here is my bling!

Mr. Banker popped the question on August 11, 2002.  Even though I was only 20, we had been dating for almost four years and I was getting impatient.  We wouldn't get married until after graduation, but I wanted a ring before starting my Junior year.  I was ready to be engaged and to start wedding planning!  I felt like he kept me hanging all Summer.  I wasn't even completely sure it was going to happen when we started off on our camping trip to Linville Gorge, NC.  Obviously I said yes, but I'm going to spare you any of those engagement day pictures- second day hair after camping in August is not the prettiest sight.
 
We hadn't shopped for rings together.  I was expecting a simple round solitaire--the shape I had told him I liked best.  Like the smart man he is, he listened.  But after picking the stone that fit his standards, he chose this setting with baguettes on the sides, because he thought it looked like me.  He was right!  I adore it and have never wanted to change anything about my ring.  I love it as much as I did the day he gave it to me!

There is one other precious ring in my life, and it reminds me of the four amazing years I spent at Meredith College.  
 

I received my "Meredith Ring," as most people call them, in October of my Junior Year.  This Onyx ring is a BIG deal.  

The ring design was introduced in 1953 and has been the same since.  You can spot a Meredith girl by her ring.  With oak leaves on the sides to represent the City of Raleigh and the college seal engraved on top, it is timeless and classic.

"Ring Week" on campus is an exciting time.  The rings arrive on Monday for pickup in the student center.  You get to try it on one time to make sure it fits and then you're not supposed to put it on again until Friday night at your class Ring Dinner. (But everyone knows you sneak into the bathroom to try it on just one more time while your roommate is in class.)

The week is filled with fun events like car raids, theme days and other fun sisterhood-type stuff (where you take eighty million pictures.)

At Ring Dinner you get to finally to put on your rings as a class, celebrate your new bling with your Besties, and take as many different pictures as you can arrange with your hands posed.

Then after just *one more* picture, you hear something behind you...

like an ice sculpture melting and about to hit you in the back of the head.  Y'all, I'm not sure I have ever laughed so hard as when Bestie and I had to catch that thing.  Notice the paparazzi in the background....everyone had to have a picture of this too!

At graduation you turn your ring around from the seal pointing to you to instead pointing out to the world.  When your friends get married you take pictures with your rings at their weddings.  When you spot someone wearing one you just walk right up and talk to them. It's unique to a special group of women and it always makes me smile thinking of those amazing memories.

I enjoyed reminiscing and sharing these special stories about my bling.  I hope many of you will do the same and link up below!