Stella & Dot

I’m so excited to announce that I’m a new stylist for Stella & Dot! I’ve always admired their jewelry and decided that this would be perfect as something to do on the side. I love jewelry and think that their pieces are gorgeous.

I promise not to turn this blog into an advertisement for this new venture, but I wanted to let you know in case you’re interested in taking a look. Here is the link to my personal site: http://www.stelladot.com/sites/julesc

My favorite pieces right now:

Boca Necklace w/Bee Brooch

This is from the Palm Beach collection. I love the colors and that the necklace can be worn many different ways. The brooch is also detachable.

Soiree Pearl Pave Bracelet in Ivory

Classic and comes in other colors

Starfish Earrings

This is also from the Palm Beach collection. These are so fun and just put me in the mood for summer!

Cortez Turquoise & Suede Necklace

From the Sayulita Mexico collection. This necklace would make quite the statment and they're calling this the color for spring 2010.

Signature Dot Necklace

Great for everyday or for layering

Bloom Flower Ring in Ivory

This comes in a few different styles and colors. I think it's really pretty.

2 Cents Tuesday – The Bachelor recap

I just made up the two cents Tuesday part, but I’d like to make this a weekly installment where I give my opinion on current events, shows, pop culture, etc. If the antics on The Bachelor keep up – that may be what I give my two cents about for the next few weeks.

I wasn’t even going to watch this season and thought that I was over The Bachelor, until they started running the previews and got me completely sucked in just like the marketing geniuses at ABC wanted, although I could have done without the cheesy “On the Wings of Love” part. Jake has definitely grown on me and I can honestly say that I hope he finds happiness in the end of all this. It is a reality dating show after all, but my hopes are still high.


Bye ladies

On last night’s episode, Jake pulled a shocker and sent 4 ladies packing, when really only 2 needed to go. He felt in his heart that he couldn’t see any of these ladies ending up as his future wife and thought it best to cut his ties with them now, rather than dragging it out. I give him respect for that, but I do feel bad for Kathryn because I don’t think they got to spend enough time getting to know each other (at least not on camera). I was sad to see Ella go and not really shocked or surprised to see Ashleigh and Jessie go.


What are we going to do with you, Vienna?

I don’t think that Vienna is a good fit for Jake, but also think the other ladies are focusing entirely too much on the fact that they don’t like her and the drama surrounding it all. She brought a lot of it on herself, but they’ve become like vultures. It is essentially a game and every woman for herself. I’m just hoping they get back to worrying more about Jake. Right now, Tenley is my favorite and I think she could be the one.


I can see Tenley and Jake together at the end of this

Weekend recap

There isn’t too much to report from this past weekend, since I ended up working most of the time. Nothing like another 60 hour week to make me feel good (hopefully you sense the sarcasm here).

Friday – work, work, work
Saturday – skating, Bed, Bath & Beyond, got a pink Snuggie, Subway run, work and watched the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships
Sunday – slept in late, work, watched football, work



I’m happy to report that Mirai Nagasu and Rachael Flatt have earned a spot and will be representing the ladies at the 2010 Winter Olympics and that my favorite ice dance pair, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto won the silver and are also be headed to the Vancouver Winter Games next month. They skate so beautifully together and actually train about a half hour from where I live. I love watching all of the figure skating events during the Winter Games. What is your favorite sport to watch during the Olympics?


Mirai Nagasu won the silver and Rachael Flatt with the gold


Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto won the silver at the 2010 Nationals

Bergdorf Blondes

My sweet friend, Lis sent me a few books last summer and I finally finished one of them! I know I’m horrible and it took me forever. As a side note, I have a goal to read a lot more this year. Work has been getting in the way of a lot of things since last May and I partially blame that on the reason why it took so long.

Back to the point. Bergdorf Blondes was funny and entertaining. This has been out for awhile, so I may be one of the last people to read it, but I’m really glad I did. It started out a little slow and I didn’t know if I would be able to get into it, but after the 2nd chapter I was hooked. The book primarily takes place in NYC and focuses on the life of a group of shallow, self-absorbed Manhattan socialites. The thing about them though is that the ladies were charming and there was a likable quality to the two main characters (Julie Bergdorf and the unnamed narrator). It was a light read and very tongue-in-cheek. One of my favorite conversations in the book was when the main character said, “Actually, I call it my Homicide Dress because it’s so dangerous, thank god for Azzedine Alaia”. After that, a conversation went on about the scene with Cher in Clueless in her Alaia dress. There were just a lot of cute and witty references throughout the book that brought a smile to my face.

One of the other things I loved about the book would be when something semi-serious was happening, such as a crying session and the thought of how much Bobbi Brown eyeliner had been wasted on that crying and then the main character would digress and say how that particular eyeliner is “the best for smoky eyes”.

The end became somewhat predictable (in my opinion) towards the middle and that was fine, especially since this isn’t a James Patterson mystery or anything like that. It’s a perfect beach read or something to cozy up with on the couch on a lazy day.

Award time and 300 post milestone

A big thank you goes out to The Pink Polka Dot for the Glamorous Blog Award! Miss Paris Pink is so sweet and has an adorable blog. Head on over and say “Hello”.



The only rule for this award is that I am to pass it along to 10 more glamorous blogs:

1. dot…dot…dot
2. BonBon Rose
3. Savvy Mode
4. Classy in Philadelphia
5. Mrs in Training
6. Saving The Best For Last…(fingers crossed)
7. Love, Marriage, and (Someday) A Baby Carriage
8. The Engineer in Heels and Pearls
9. Chapters of our life
10. Full Circle

I was also given the Best Blog Award from Southern Cinderella. This is such a fun blog that I recently discovered and appreciate her thinking of me with this award!

The rules of this award are as follows:
1. To accept the award, you must post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted you the award, and a link to their blog.
2. Pass the award on to approximately 15 other blogs that you recently discovered, and think are great!
3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

1. Raindrops on Roses
2. All Things Southern & Preppy
3. Mrs. Southern Belle
4, The Cobia Family
5. Sweet, Sassy and oh so Classy
6. Brown Girl Blogs
7. Everything is Better Pink
8. Brown Eyed Belle
9. For the Love of Stilettos
10. Positively Preppy in Pink
11. Deals, Steals and Heels
12. The Seattle Smith’s
13. Maryland Pink and Green
14. The Perks
15. Peace.Love.Lipgloss.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have also reached 300 posts! Another big milestone and I cannot believe it. I have a “Favorite Things” giveaway planned; I just need to get a few extra goodies. I hope to have this ready within the next week.

Thank you all for reading my blog and for your sweet comments. I read and appreciate each one. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I never thought that this would amount to anything and didn’t realize that anyone would actually read about my life and random thoughts/ramblings. I’ve made some great friendships along the way and look forward to making many more.

Last, but not least…today is the last day to enter to win a $25 Best Buy Gift Card on Geof’s blog.

Whiteflash

I was contacted by Whiteflash.com to promote their jewelry and loose diamonds website. Please note that this is a sponsored post. I only choose to accept posts such as this from reputable companies.

With that said, Whiteflash.com has the largest in-stock inventory on the internet. They were crowned “Lord of the Online Rings” by Kiplinger’s magazine. Their representatives have the knowledge and expertise to help customers make the right decision and feel confident about their purchase. You can “Live Chat” with a customer service representative on the site with any questions you might have. You know that you’re also buying with confidence because Whiteflash.com offers free shipping, no hidden charges, a 10-day money back guarantee and lifetime trade-up on purchases. These are just a few of the things that you can come to expect from them.



One of the features that I really liked was the ability to search loose diamonds by the 4C’s (Carat, Color, Clarity and Cut/Shape). This makes it incredibly easy to find just what you’re looking for in building the perfect diamond engagement ring or cocktail ring. They also specialize in super ideal cut diamonds called, Whiteflash ACA (A Cut Above) Hearts & Arrows diamonds. These diamonds are cut with ultimate precision and reflect extreme brilliance.



With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, why not take a peek?

Weekend recap

Friday was really chill. It’s been a long week and I needed a night of peace and quiet. I worked pretty late and then Geof and I just stayed in and relaxed.

Saturday, I taught skating and then Geof and I ran to Macy’s so I could take a peek at the new Lilly Pulitzer line at MAC. I looked at the colors online and heard great things about the Pearlmatte Face Powder. I think it will be a nice color for the rest of winter and will give me a nice glow. I also ended up getting the Lipgelée in Resort Life. It’s kind of nude with a light pink pearl shimmer. After Macy’s, we went to Planet Fitness and signed up. They seem to be popping up all over the place around us. We finally came home and had another relaxing night. My mom stopped over and Geof made burgers for us on the Foreman. Later I caught up on Grey’s Anatomy and Jersey Shore. Is it just me or is Grey’s getting a little boring?


New MAC goodies

Sunday, Geof and I went to Qdoba for lunch and then to the movies to see Daybreakers. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I really liked it. It’s definitely not anything like Twilight. Think of it more as a horror vamp movie. After the movie we came home and watched the Jets/Chargers game and then the Golden Globes.

Golden Globes 2010

Award show season is here in full force and it kicked off tonight at the Golden Globes. I was really happy that Michael C. Hall won for Dexter and now have to see, Up in The Air. I’ve been hearing nothing but great things about that movie. I was also really glad that The Hangover won for Best Comedy. That was probably my favorite movie last year.

Here are some of my favorite looks of the night:


Julie Bowen & Zoe Saldana


Jenna Fischer & Amy Poehler

Kristen Bell & Courteney Cox Arquette

Toni Collette, Sandra Bullock and Penélope Cruz

Who were your favorites?

Some things that brightened my day

I had my regular job today and had to teach skating in the afternoon. One of my 6-year old students made this for me. It made my day.



Then I had a package waiting for me when I got home. I wasn’t expecting anything and it turns out that customer service sent me this to make up for the whole North Face jacket fiasco. It came with a nice apology letter and I actually like the watch. Classic and it will go with everything.



Last, but not least, Geof came home from work and surprised me with cupcakes from my favorite place.



I also caught up on American Idol tonight and this guy completely cracked me up with his original song, “Pants on the Ground”.

I’m with the band

Just kidding, but seriously though. I went to the Safetysuit/Parachute concert last night at World Café Live and it was amazing. The venue is such a cool spot and makes the show feel so much more personal and intimate. We had seats, which were really at a table in the bar/loge area. It was nice to get some cocktails and appetizers and enjoy the opening act, Cheap Seats. They weren’t bad at all and had 2 songs that I liked.

Next up was Safetysuit and they were incredible. I’ve talked about this band before and when I feel passionate about a group with so much talent, I’m going to sing their praises. Their songs are beautifully written and have good melodies. The band has such great chemistry and they’ve been friends from the beginning. You can tell that they’re comfortable and confident and that the stage is right where they belong.


The lead singer Doug and me. He was SO sweet!

They sounded fantastic and performed some of my favorite songs off their freshman album, Life Left to Go. My favorite song is "Stay" (they did this next to last), with "What If" at a close second (they didn’t do this song). They did perform some more of my favorites such as, "Someone Like You" and "Annie" (their new single). This is one of those albums that you put in on repeat and listen to the entire thing. I got this back in the summer and still find myself playing it over and over again.


Safetysuit doing it live!

After Safetysuit, Parachute came on. The only song that I really knew from them going in was, "She is Love". I thought I wouldn’t like them, but they were actually good. The lead singer was very talented switching from singing and playing guitar to singing and playing the keyboard.

We went into the lobby area before Parachute finished to meet Safetysuit. We were about 6th in line and I could not believe how down to earth they were and so gracious. We talked to all the guys in the band and got pictures. I was beyond excited and it made my night. They were so nice and deserve all the success that is to come their way.


Geof with the band

If you’re into this genre or good music in general, I urge you to check them out. You may quickly become a fan like I did. Here is the video for “Stay”.

Weekend recap

Friday, our friends Jess and Dan came over. We ordered some ISOPS (inside out pizzas) from Double Decker, caught up on life and relaxed. Jess and I watched The Ugly Truth and it was cute. I giggled a few times and thought it was a good chick flick. It’s definitely one I’m glad that I waited for DVD to see. Going to the movies is so expensive these days and it just seems like a smarter choice to wait sometimes.



Saturday was our first day back at skating since the holidays and it was busy. We started a new session and had a lot of new kids. Everything went well though. After skating, Geof and I ran to Pet Smart and Target and then came home to watch the Eagles game. My mom came over to visit and we had a nice quiet night at home.

Sunday I wasn’t feeling too hot, so we stayed in and relaxed. I was able to catch up on Jersey Shore (what a mess) and Biggest Loser (I think this season is going to be good). It was also beyond freezing all weekend and just nice to stay in and keep warm. I’m ready to start the countdown for spring!

5 things tag & thank you!

First, I wanted to thank everyone for their sweet comments and for cheering me up yesterday. This is just another reason why I love blogging. So much support, even on an overall lousy day. I appreciate each and every one of you more that I can say. And for those that are interested, you won’t believe this, but the North Face jacket finally came today and in the right size. I love it!

I was tagged awhile back by April at dot…dot…dot… and I’m finally getting around to it now that the holiday hustle and bustle is over. She is such a sweetheart and has 2 adorable little boys. You must check her blog out if you haven’t already.

Here are the rules
1. Answer 5 questions with 5 answers
2. Tag 5 other bloggers

Question #1 – What were you doing 10 years ago?
1. I would have been 21, so I was probably out and exploring the bar scene.
2. I was in the middle of 3-year relationship with an ex.
3. I went to Cancun, Mexico for the first time with my best friend.
4. I was ringing in the millennium and remember what a big deal everyone made out of it. Remember Y2K?
5. Loving the Backstreet Boys



Question #2 – What are 5 things on your To-Do list today (it’s late now, so this will be my night To-Do list)
1. Take the dogs out
2. Visit blogs, read and comment (I'll be catching up a lot more in the morning)
3. Brush my teeth
4. Change into PJ’s
5. Go to bed

Question #3 – What 5 snacks do you enjoy?
1. Hummus and pita bread
2. Diet Coke
3. Pretzels
4. Turtle Chex Mix
5. Jell-O 100 Calorie Pudding Snacks

Question #4 – Where are 5 places that you have lived?
1. This can be answered in line. Pennsylvania and that’s it. My dad’s side of the family is from Maryland and I spent a lot of time there growing up, but I've never technically lived anywhere besides PA.


Question #5 – What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1. Pay off all debt
2. Donate to children’s, cancer and pet charities
3. Invest
4. Buy property in all of my favorite vacation spots (Hawaii, Florida and Mexico)
5. Shop ‘til I drop. I would probably buy all of my lust list handbags, shoes, jewelry and sunglasses.



I now tag:
Gwen @ Confessions of a Control Freak
Lis @ Lis Loves
Angela @ Sweet Tea Diaries
Jill @ Peeptoe Pumps and Pearls
Kathie @ My Net Finds

Tired

Usually I keep everything pretty upbeat, but after two days of long meetings at work and an unexpected car repair, I’m out of it. I’ve also had so much trouble getting back on a normal sleeping schedule since the holidays and it’s really wearing me down. Another thing that’s irking me is that Geof and I were supposed to go back to Vegas in February for a work trip that he had planned and it got cancelled, so no trip for us…boo.

I also need to rant about a recent customer service situation that I’m still dealing with. I ordered a North Face jacket in mid-December from an award that I received at work that was from awhile ago. The box came and I was so excited to get my “prize”. I opened it and it was the wrong size. To make a long story short, I went through a whole debacle to get it sent back and they sent out another one and guess what…it was the wrong size AGAIN! Talk about a complete breakdown in customer service. I’m not so patiently waiting on the 3rd attempt to get this right.


Oh warm jacket, why won't you come in the right size!?!?

I know in the grand scheme of things that it’s not that bad, but I’m just having one of those days. Just writing this made me feel a little better. Thank you for listening and I promise to get caught up on all your blogs this week.

Weekend recap

Friday was New Year’s Day and Geof and I decided to have a date day. It was freezing outside, so what did we do? We went to Putt Putt and played miniature golf, air hockey and video games. I know we’re crazy for being outside, but we had the course to ourselves and it was a blast. My score overall wasn’t so hot, but I did have 3 hole-in-ones (which never happens). After Putt Putt, we went to Pinocchio’s for dinner and had some delicious pizza. Once we got home, we continued trying to catch up on Dexter.

The course. Cold and empty.

One of my holes-in-one. My ball was pink of course!

Geof knocking it in. He beat me!

Saturday, I took down the Christmas decorations and Geof and I did some organizing. We’re ready to take a whole load to Goodwill. I can’t wait to get it out of my house. We had dinner at Outback and left so stuffed. We really need to get back to cooking at home more often. After dinner, we made a quick run to Target and then came home and relaxed.

Sunday was more cleaning and organizing and then Dexter. My mom came over to visit and she even got into it. She kept saying one more episode, until there were none left. I cannot believe that we watched 4 entire seasons in about a week. The show is addicting and now I have to wait like everyone else until next fall for season 5. It really is such a clever show and we love it. Danielle even named her new kitten after Dexter Morgan!

This show is so good

I kind of have a crush on him