Sunday Social: Days of Summer

The end of summer is always a happy-sad time for me.     On one hand, summer-fun is over... :(    On the other, it's back to school time.    I can't believe school starts in TWO days! And I'm going back as a TEACHER this time!! Wweee! I'm super excited! :)     The past four days {has it really only been four days??} have been CRAZY... I've been trying to catch up on the PD I missed, trying to get familiar with some of the curriculum, setting up my classroom, and attending meetings. I spent almost my entire Saturday at school working... and I dragged some family in to help. Today I have to do laundry {like, really bad} and some other things at home, and tomorrow it's back to the school building with the hubby to finish up.   Anyway, I'm taking a break from my to-do list to link up with Ashley for a summer edition of Sunday Social.
      

1. What was your favorite trip/vacation/activity this summer?
Shoot, this is really hard! I had a really fun summer this year, much better than last... last summer J was going through the fire academy, so we basically didn't do much of anything.

Anyway, I think my favorite trip would be camping up north with Justin! The couple time was so nice, and we had so much fun together!

A very close second would be taking my niece out for her first boat ride. She LOVED it! And she loved playing in the lake, too. Super fun. :)

2. What was your favorite outfit look of the summer/clothing item?
The lace-detailed tops! Love it!




And the bright, neon colors. Those were fun, too.

3. What is one thing you wish you had gotten to do this summer?
Visit my grandparents up north... my sister and I kept saying we'd go together with our families, but then we never did. :(

4. What was your favorite song of the summer?
Haha. I was in teeny-bopper mode most of the summer... Not all summer, but a lot of it. Here are some of my jams...

Some Nights by Fun
Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson
What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction
Give Your Heart a Break by Demi Lovato (She looks so old now!)
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift








This is such a fun car-dancing song... even though the story is actually a little sad for the majority of it.

5. What was your favorite movie/tv show of the summer?
The Dark Night Rises
The Amazing Spiderman
I also watched a lot of Friends & The Office reruns. :)

Sunday Social: The Internets

 Linking up with Ashley and Neeley for Sunday Social!      This week's Sunday Social is all about fun times on the Internet! 1. What is the first website you log into each day? Usually I start with Facebook, check my email, and then visit Pinterest or Blogger.
2. Give us some funny websites that you visit that we need to know about. Suri's Burn Book ~ A blog written by Allie Hagan as the one and only A-List Princess: Suri Cruise. It's full of tabloid-mocking and celeb gossip... written from the perspective of a well-read and snobby almost 7-year-old. Allie's actually got a real book coming out soon, which I am very excited to read.
Hyperbole and a Half ~ She hasn't posted in a a year or so (due to some personal struggles, she is taking a break from blog-land) but it is well worth it to scroll through every one of her past posts. She's absolutely hilarious!
3. Pinterest or Facebook? Why? This is hard!! I like them both for different reasons. I like Facebook for the following reasons: 1) Stalking Keeping in touch with family/friends/acquaintances. 2) Procrastinating / distracting myself / wasting time.   I like Pinterest for these reasons: 1) Finding cool ideas for my future classroom... if I ever get to have one... grrr...  2) Finding ideas for crafts and home decor. 3) Fantasizing about how cute my kids' rooms / closets / pictures / faces will be. 4) Finding cool housewifey, beauty, and organization tips. 5) Finding recipes. 6) Laughing at funny ecards and quotes 7) Saying, "Aww" or "Ugh, that's so true," about various inspirational quotes 8) Teasing myself by looking at pictures of gorgeous homes that I'll never be able to afford because of the lack of my own classroom... aka... a real teaching job. 9) Putting together a dream-closet 10) Trying to get myself motivated to exercise more.   Ok, so maybe I vote for Pinterest, mostly because it's easier to justify lost hours spent online...
4. Twitter or Instagram? Why? Instagram. Coming up with something interesting to say on Twitter is a pretty daunting task. And taking pictures is way more fun. :)
5. Favorite YouTube video. Post it!  I'm actually not a huge you-tuber. But I still can't pick just one!! Here are a few of my faves... :)    This one is super cool... my hubby was totally obsessed with this for a while. Lol.
These girls are so talented!! I'm wondering why they weren't on America's Got Talent... or were they? I dunno... I don't watch it. Or maybe they're not from America? Lol.


 Hellogiggles made up some pretty funny youtube videos...   

Jenna Marbles is always funny... even though she's also always innapropriate....
These two are actually the first parts of some fan-fiction musicals written & performed by a group called Starkid... if you love Harry Potter and musicals, you will love these videos.    A Very Potter Musical
 
A Very Potter Sequel

Yes, I realize the last 2 videos make me a mega nerd...

        6. Biggest online pet peeve? This one's easy! 1) Facebook wall / blog comment wars 2) Pop-up ads 3) Spam-mail

Sunday Social: Fall Loving

I'm hosting my first giveaway!! Click here to enter: Hooray! It's a 75 follower giveaway!

Or scroll down to the post before this one. :)

Time to link up with Ashley and Neely!

1. What is your favorite fall activity?

My favorite thing is going to the apple orchard, because.... a) I love the whole picking apples part, b) I love cider and c) I love fresh cider-mill doughnuts.... YUM!

I also love camping, bonfires and the whole "back-to-school" thing. :)

2. Do you follow a football team? If so which one and why?

Um, no. Sure, I have fun watching a live game with friends and tailgating is fun too... but I most definitely wouldn't call myself a football fan. I honestly couldn't care less...

I am mildly interested in baseball (Go Tigers!) and hockey (Go Red Wings!)... but not enough to feel the need to watch all of every single game.

3. What is something fun about fall in your area?

Probably the beautiful color-changing leaves. Or the plethora of haunted houses and corn mazes.

4. What are your favorite fall outfit staples?

Cardigans, zip-up hoodies, layers, a good pair of jeans, knee-length skirts w/ tights, and cute fall boots.

5. What things are you looking forward to most about this coming fall season?

 Nothing out of the ordinary... apple picking; cider & doughnuts; fall clothes; back-to-school... hopefully in my own classroom!

6. What is your favorite fall holiday? Traditions?

I love, both, Halloween & Thanksgiving. When I was younger, we would go to my gram's house on Halloween, eat chili for dinner, then get dressed up and go trick-or-treating. These days I don't do much, except maybe a costume party or two, though, with not having kids or trick-or-treaters coming to my house. My niece will be almost two, though, so I'm thinking this year we'll have something to do.

Thanksgiving is hard. Between the two of us, J and I have six sides of family to spend time with over the holiday season... so we usually have at least two Thanksgiving dinners, and then 3-4 Christmas celebrations. Between those two holidays we're usually able to hit every side, some twice.  Since
we're newly married, we're still figuring out the sharing holidays thing, even though we've been sharing for a while. Without kids, it's easier to be flexible, but I can only imagine how difficult it could be with them.

Sunday Socializing

Link. it. up.

1. What is your dream job?

Teaching 5th grade, all subjects. Or 4th grade. Or 6th grade. Whatever grade is the top of the elementary school. I love upper-elementary... love it!

It depends on my phase in life, though... like, if I were a parent, I'd ideally want to job share or be part time, if I could afford it, so I could spend more time with my family.

2. If you had just won the lottery and didn't need to work for money, what would you do with your time?

I'd read, travel, spend time with family and friends. I'd like to learn to cook and bake more things, decorate my house, make crafty things and become one of those DIY people who have stores on Etsy.

I think I might teach part time.... or work as a para. Definitely not full time, though.

3. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

The realistic job? A teacher. Fantasy job? An actress or singer. Typical girl... you know. lol.

4. What piece of career advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field?

Shoot. I dunno... Do your best in the classroom and get to know your co-workers and administrators. This is really hard for me... I'm a very awkward person and I suck at small-talk.





5. Biggest Pet Peeves either in life or in blogging or at work

Hmmm... people who lack common courtesy. People who let others do all the work.



6. Biggest Fears

Never getting a job. Losing loved ones. Spiders. Needles. Drowning. I'm afraid of a lot of things...

Sunday Social: Handbag Edition

Head on over to Ashley or Neely's page and link-up, folks!

1. What is your favorite handbag you've ever owned?

I have two favorites... 

my mid-size plum Coach bag with brown leather shoulder strap, which I'm currently using

&

my large black Leather Coach bag... it looks very professional and holds so much stuff inside. I have used it for field trips to hold my teacher folders, and it's great to use if you're carrying around a book to read. Plus, it still has that delicious leather smell!

2. What is your dream handbag you lust over?

Ugh... what handbag do I not lust over!? I love purses, but I have been trying really hard not to spend so much money lately, so I haven't been paying so much attention to fashion, etc. I did peruse the handbags at Macy's recently and pretty much everything by Coach catches my eye. :)

It's pretty, and the hardware and leather hold up so well, even after a couple years of use.

3. What are the daily essentials in your purse or work bag?

Burt's Bees Lip Balm. Phone. Wallet. Keys.

4. What's in your purse (with pictures)?

Love this bag by Coach! It holds a lot more than you think...

A view of the inside...

My checkbook, Dooney & Bourke wristlet, Fossil wallet, & keys

Inside the D&B wristlet: my Panasonic Lumix camera. We got such a good deal on it at Best Buy... it has an amazing zoom (16x!) and some awesome auto settings, as well as a manual setting. Probably the best point and shoot camera I've ever used... 

Hanging out on the bottom: lhand otion, hand sanitizer (yes, they're both apple... yes, it's a coincidence), Mary Kay Lash Love Mascera (awesome!), a mini-size of Daisy by Marc Jacobs (my fave!), Burt's Bees (true love on your lips), Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour (adds a nice, subtle touch of color without sticky gloss or the feel of lipstick), and a comb with some hair ties

And this is everything that I found in the pockets: bobby pins, nail clippers, tiny safety pins, tampons, eye drops, a tiny flashlight, my 'mint' tin that I use for Tylenol & things, a nail file, my iPod touch, Mary Kay Oil Blotters (the best!!! also, a good price!), and two band-aids.

Wait... where's my phone? I think my phone might be on my nightstand... either way, it's not noteworthy. Thank goodness I'm due for an upgrade! I'm debating on getting the iPhone 4 for $100, the 4s for $200, or waiting until the iPhone 5 comes out so I can get the 4s for $100.... So far, I've decided that I'll just wait until my phone is broken or until the 5 comes out. J's Droid is great, but it's just a little too complex when it doesn't need to be.

Anyway, that's my purse.:)

Sunday Social: TV Talk!

Now it's time to link up with Ashley for Sunday Social... this week's topic is TV!

What is your favorite TV show of the past?

My fave old TV shows are... I Love Lucy, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie, and Dick Van Dyke. I was a Nick-a-Night kid in the 90s... lol.

If you’re talking more recent TV shows of the past, I love Gilmore Girls & Friends.

What is your current favorite TV show?

I can’t pick favorites, so here are my top 3: Parenthood, Modern Family & New Girl!

Which reality show would you NEVER do?

Fear Factor!! I can’t even WATCH that stuff… Yuck!!

Which reality show would you LOVE to do?

I don't know that I'd love to be on any reality show, but it'd have to be something not scary or gross, and I wouldn't want to do a dating show, partly because I'm married and partly because I think those are hilarious to watch. So I guess maybe Minute to Win It or Big Brother... I don't think I'd make it very far, but it'd be fun I guess.

What is the TV personality/character that you feel is most like you?

Hhmmm... That's tough! I honestly don't know...  all I can think of are characters with blonde hair, haha. I think I will ask some friends, becuase my best guess is a little bit of Jess from New Girl with the quirkyness and a little bit of Lorelai & Rory Gilmore with the crazy and the obsession with school & books...

Which TV character would you want to date?

Hmm… This is a tough one! Probably Logan Huntzberger from Gilmore Girls or Jim Halpert from The Office... maybe Luke Danes (Gilmore Girls) if I was older… lol.

Weedend Recap & Sunday Social: Style Edition

We got back from up north a couple hours ago, and I'm taking a break from the unpacking and putting away before I make some dinner. :)

Our trip was super fun!! Except for the monsterous migrane I got Saturday afternoon...

IT. WAS. AWFUL.

I'm pretty sure it was a combo of too much sun, too little sleep, contacts that aren't technically my true perscription any more, and not enough water. I got sick several times, and ended up laying down to rest/sleep in our tent for like 6 hours. It was funny, because I woke up and was suddenly better. And starving. J happened to come back to check on me, and I was like, "Hey babe, I'm better now! What time is it? I'm starving..." Luckily, everyone was still up and we hung out for a few more hours by the fire. :)

Besides the whole migrane issue, the weekend was fun. We stayed with two other couples in the middle of nowhere at our friend Miguel's parent's cabin. It's an old-school hunting cabin... with no electricity or running water. There was a toilet though. You just had to turn on a spicket to fill up the tank so it would flush. The sleeping area is a little cramped and spooky so we slept in our tent.

I'm pretty proud of myself for roughing it. :)

 J, our friend Heather, and I had a fun drive up Friday night. We had fun times around the campfire just hanging out and making s'mores. On Saturday, we took a trip to the next town and went on a lazy river ride. It was such a fun experience! Everyone got their own tube, and we also had a tube for our cooler. :) And we just floated down the river. We stopped a few times to stretch and hang out, so the trip took us around 4 or 5 hours.

Following the tubing adventure came the migrane. J was so sweet and he took very good care of me. I feel like I owe him because he rubbed my back for so long.. haha. But we did have a nice morning today just hanging around while we cleaned up. I got to read a lot, too, so that was great. Catching Fire is soooo good!! :)

*******************

Now it's time to link up with Ashley for a fashion & style edition of Sunday Social...

  What is your favorite store to shop at? I love shopping pretty much anywhere and for pretty much everything... but for clothes, I usually go to H&M, Forever 21, American Eagle, Target and Old Navy. DSW, Target, Aldo, and department stores for shoes. I love Born, Jessica Simpson and Coach shoes. Mary Kay & Sephora for makeup.  
If you could afford anything and everything, which designer brand would you covet?  I try not to tempt myself, so, honestly, I try not to look at things I would never be able to afford... lol. Because I honestly don't know, and I'm not one to be brand-crazy, I'm going to say that I'd shop anywhere everywhere for things that are cute and flattering. I do know my answer for handbags though... I love Coach! Hands down, my favorite designer for handbags. :)     Must have closet staple?  A great pair of dark colored jeans, a classic feminine top, and a fitted cardi. Paired with a cute pair of flats and some fun, classy jewelry.     Favorite kind of shoes? (brand or type) I prefer flats... Babydoll, round toe, square toe, pointy toe, strappy sandles. As long as they're cute and don't hurt my feet after wearing them for a few hours. :)  This is mostly because my hubby is short (haha), but also because I've never owned a pair of heels that I've not hated wearing because they made my feet miserable. While I love the look of heels, I'm waayyy to whiny and picky about how comfortable my shoes are.
  Best clothing deal you've ever gotten? (sale or amazing find) My strapless black dress from H&M. It was only $25, fits perfectly, and came with a cute leopard print belt that it can be worn with or without.   My pair of Coach Cecile flats. They're the signature brown cloth, with a patent leather toe & heel. Super cute AND comfortable. They were priced around $130, and were on sale for about $65. The department store was also doing a special promo where all shoes were an additional 20% off if you bought 1 pair. So, they cost me a grand total of around $53. And I had a gift card. :)  

Style you'd love to try? I'd like to try the hippie-chic look, or just something more bold and unique. I love both looks on others and on the hanger, but I never feel like I can pull them off!

Musical Sunday Social

1. What is your all-time favorite song?

This changes all the time depending on my mood and what I'm doing at the time.
But here are some of my all-time faves...

Everything by Michael Buble
Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners
I'm Yours by Jason Mraz
PYT (Pretty Young Thing) by Michael Jackson
Bold As Love by John Mayer
Shake It Out & Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine
Swallowed in the Sea by Coldplay
Hey, Soul Sister by Train

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner by Fall Out Boy

2. What is your favorite singer/band?

 Michael Buble
John Mayer

 The Beatles
Justin Timberlake
Train
I also love listening to soundtracks from musicals,
like Wicked, Chicago, RENT, and Mamma Mia.

3. What is your theme song/song that best describes your life?

Oh, It is Love by Hellogoodbye

4. What songs put you in a good mood? 

Making Memories of Us by Keith Urban... it's Justin's and my song. :)

And a lot of the catchy and upbeat teeny-bopper stuff... like Call Me Maybe or What Makes You Beautiful haha.

Oh, and also, two of my favorite songs as a kid... 
Another Night by The Real McCoy
(yeah, you know this one... "In the night, in my dreams, I'm in love with you cause' you talk to me like lovers do...")
and
Centerfold by J Giles Band
(yeah, I didn't know what this song was really about at the time ... I was only a child!)

5. What is your favorite roadtrip music?

 I prefer to make a mixed CD or playlist for roadtrips... stuff I can sing along and car-dance to, some oldies, some country, some rock, some mellow and relaxing.

6. What song are you embarrassed to admit you love?

Haha! My guilty pleasures are almost all the 90s/early 2000s girl/boy band pop music from my childhood/teen years...
Don't Turn Out The Lights by NKOTBSB (New Kids & Backstreet)
 I actually saw them in concert last summer with my friend Heather... they were awesome!
Wannabe by Spicegirls
It's Gonna Be Me by NSYNC
Baby One More Time by Britney Spears

Laugh if you want... I don't even care. :)

Sunday Social

It's time for Sunday Social with Ashley @ Ashley's Carnival Ride!!

This week's questions are all movie themeds... Here they are:

1. Favorite movie of all time?

Meet Me In St. Louis & Singing In The Rain

I love musicals, and classic, old movies.

And Gene Kelly & Judy Garland.

2. Favorite movie quote?

This is tough!! I have a lot, so I'll narrow it down to just a couple...

Here's one from Easy A:

Dill (Olive's dad) - [To his adopted son] Where are you from originally?

and Never Been Kissed:

Josie Geller - "That thing, that moment, when you kiss someone and everything around becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is you and this person and you realize that that person is the only person that you're supposed to kiss for the rest of your life, and for one moment you get this amazing gift and you want to laugh and you want to cry because you feel so lucky that you found it and so scared that that it will go away all at the same time."

This one isn't from a movie, but I love it... It's from Gilmore Girls (Season 5)...

Logan - "Because you're special."
Rory - "Special? Like 'stop eating the paste' special?"

3. Best movie to watch for a girls night in?

Mean Girls, Baby Mama, Easy A!!

Funny & girly, with a touch of romance.

4. Best breakup movie?

John Tucker Must Die. 

Or Chicago.

"He had it comin'..."

5. Favorite celeb eye candy?

Ryan Gosling, Rupert Grint, John Krasinski, Ryan Reynolds, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Channing Tatum, Matt Damon... I guess you could say that like em' funny, semi-rugged & manly... preferably with biceps.

6. Which movie star's closet would you want to raid?

Reece Witherspoon or Emma Stone... I like a blend of trendy, fun, and classic.

Sunday Social {Semi-Belated}

I'm linking up with Ashley @ Ashley's Carnival Ride for Sunday Social!

Here are this week's questions...

1. How did you come up with your blog name?

To keep it short... I really like the whole "Live Laugh Love" motto, and I'm also a teacher, so I decided to throw that in as well. :)

2. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Finding new teaching resources, crafts, recipes and fashion/beauty tips. I also just like to read about peoples' stories and experiences.

3. What is one thing you have discovered because of blogging and now can't live without?

My 2 favorite Home made mac & cheese recipes.

(previously mentioned in this post)

4. Facebook or Twitter? And why?

Facebook... because more of my friends are on it. Also, I feel a lot of pressure to come up with something good to say on my Twitter... lol!

5. If one celeb read your blog, who would you want it to be?

Emma Stone. Love her!

6. What is something you want people to know about your blog?

Hmmmm... That's a tough one because I'm still trying to find my niche. I dunno!