cheers to sponsors

i figured it was about time to offer sponsor opportunities at the blog.

my blog is still growing, so i'm making spots cheap & affordable.

i know the first of the month is tomorrow, which doesnt give you alot of time.

so for november, i am offering half month space pricing. thats right 50% off!

i will post your ads November 15 (just in time for holiday shopping chaos!)

they will remain up until december 1.

for more information

such as pricing

& what your spot comes with

visit here.



spooktacular work party 2K11

1 - 2 - 3

the ladies i work with and i are always finding a reason to bring food to work. sometimes we just call it the monthly "snack day." other times we conveniently find a fun holiday to use as our excuse. and halloween is no exception.

here are some of the snack that we made this year.  1 & 3 are items i contributed and that brew is mighty tasty.  i'm not a big fan of boiled eggs, so the husband was very excited when i had a few not so perfect boiled eggs that he got to enjoy last night.

i must say all the food including blood sauce, swamp slime, crunchy skin, eye balls in sauce, & dragon claws were a huge hit among everyone. anyone want to guess which items were which?  we also had a few pumpkin treats which were welcomed with open arms.

i hope everyone is having a very spooktacular monday full of spooks, treats and fun!  i cant wait to see all your post halloween posts about what you wore, who you spooked and more.

p.s. i'm only 13 followers from the fun surprise.  are you one of them?

p.p.s have you signed up for the blogger secret santa?? we would love to have you!

Friday's Fancies #3

its friday again and that means its time for Friday Fancies with {av}.  and since halloween is monday, what better theme than halloween dress up?!!

i'm never been the kind of person whos into haunted houses or scary costumes, but i still like to have fun when it comes to picking out my garb for Halloween.  so i thought and i thought this year, plus saw a few photos and came to this decision.

mary. poppins.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8

she's fun. she's hip. and she's gives out spoonfuls of sugar to help the medicine go down. plus the fact that i totally loved her as a child.

you can check out all my other friday fancies here.

thursday's things #1

with me getting back into "hardcore" blogging, i've decided i need to have a few regular series that i have over at the blog. i already participate in Friday Fancies & Little Notes,  but i need to share more of what i want to do, things to make, places to visit, etc - so i'm titling it thursday's things.  it might be a couple things or a million, but its going to be a new regular around here and i hope you enjoy it.

and here's my first edition.

macaroon

macaroons.  i want to make them.  they are so cute and petite and everything french.  and i have this small fondness of france and really want to go there one day.  so bad, its on my bucket list.  but with the economy being totally crappy & the hubs and i saving for big things, like a house, france is going to have to wait.  so why not bring alittle of it to me. 

with christmas & all the festive activities just around the corner, i think it would be the perfect time to add macaroons to the list. the great cook-a-palooza needs a new addition & think this one would be perfect!





snow



snow.  and lots of snow.  taza made a comment on twitter yesterday about parts of dc possibly seeing snow.  i'm jealous. lots jealous at that.  last winter, it snowed.  alot. & i loved it.  every moment of it.  even if it meant trudging to work via carpool because my car was slightly buried & my nose was frozen.  i loved it! the scarves, the coats, the boots, the snowball fights, the smoke billowing out of chimneys, the hot chocolate with marshmellows, having to shovel pathways, the footprints left behind. 

EVERYTHING!

 and i want mother nature to bless us again this year with so more, because this texas girl loves the winter and the snow. 

This is also going to my first link up that I'm doing, which I plan to make a regular on my "series" posts, so anyone else can participate.

So here's your chance.. 

ah may zing!

...

i'm close to 100 followers.

and when that happens,

something fun & exciting  is going to happen.

here!

tell your friends. your family. your pets.

blog it. tweet it. facebook it.

its gonna be

 ah may (wait for it) zing!

hint: she may have some little part in it.

my texas! my rangers!

1  -  2  -  3  -  4  -  5

to add a smile to your afternoon

here are a few photos from this past weekend. 

they make me smile. and i hope they make you smile too.

enjoy.

kitty kisses

                                                emilee and her attempts of the lemon peel smile

blogger secret santa 2011

on my drive home last night from work, i kept thinking about this secret santa thing.  i came to the conclusion that this would be a terrific way for people to "give" a little something to someone that don't know quite that well as well as sharing alittle of bit of where they are from with someone else.

so it was decided.  blogger secret santa 2011 is taking place. and i would love for people near and far to be apart of this.  tell your friends. blog about it.  tweet it like crazy. facebook it. whatever you do.

i decided i need to get on the ball if this is going to work out, so if you are interested (which i hope you are, because i think its going to be alot of fun!), send me an email: sugarbearbear {at} live {dot} com with the following information:

name:
address:
email address:

this way i can start getting a list together of people who really want to participate.  the deadline to join the blogger secret santa event is Friday November 11, 2011.  thats LOTS of time to blog, tweet and tell your friends to join us.  once i have received information on all the participants, i will send out a form for everyone to fill out so your "secret santa" can have a little guidance on your gift.  

i do have a few requirements in order to participate.. its nothing crazy, but its to insure fair play and communication can be maintained with everyone who wants to take part.  they are:

a.) must be a follower of my blog - this way all blog updates about the event will show up in your google reader so you can stay in the know.
b.) be willing to spend 15 USD dollars on the person you receive to buy for.  (its only fair everyone spends the same amount)
c. be able to have your gift purchased and shipped to your person by december 15.  (that gives USPS 10 days to get them their present)
c.) must be willing to have fun (of course!)


once everyone has received their gifts, i will host a linky party, so you can link up and show up what your secret santa got you. 

if you have any questions or concerns, let me know.
thanks again!

blogger secret santa??

ehh i'm all giddy thinking about christmas already!

so i know its only october 24 and christmas is a mere 2 months away (thats right friends, better start making lists and finding those sales!), but i had an idea. yes my head is filled with lots and lots of ideas.  i'm scared to know what my brain would look like if someone tried to examine it all.

what about a blogger friend secret santa?  totally organized with the hows and whats and whens.  but i thought this could be a fun new tradition.

anyone, anywhere could participate.  dollar limit would be set.  a list of questions to help the person pick something out for you would be filled out and exchanged. 

totally random. totally out there.
let me know what you think.

welcome back to the grind.

welcome back to monday my fabulous blogging friends.   i took a much need vacation thursday and friday to get some much needed things accomplished.  mainly just the dreaded social security office and dmv office for the name change from {s} to {g}.  totally legit now.  it feels good. i hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.  heres a little of what we (or i in some cases) did.


had lunch on friday with this lady who runs this totally awesome store. 


caught up on most of our tv shows while chowing down on some yummy treats from here.  total guilty pleasure.


celebrated my mothers birthday at this restaurant.  i actually ate here friday too. but its just soo yummy!


put a little fall into our lives at the pumpkin patch.


watched too much of this.  but it is october. and it is the world series. and the texas rangers are playing.


and enjoyed some much needed r&r.

What fun things did you (and your loved ones) do this weekend?

Friday Fancies #2

I got the idea for this week's Friday Fancies theme basically because its October.  And besides October being all about Halloween, its Breast Cancer Awareness month.  At my work, I've been apart of our Komen Race team every year and know what kind of impact Komen has on breast cancer awareness, prevention and finding a cure for this horrible illness.

Plus if the NFL are secure enough in their manhoods to wear pink on game day, why not throw the idea out there that a Friday Fancies can show their support as well. I didn't want my outfit to scream or vomit pink everywhere, but this outfit is very appropriate to show my support.  Enjoy!

1. Like I said before, its all about the shoes.  The Yves Saint Laurent 80 peep toe pumps made this outfit definitely ideal for October. 
2. Even though these to die for earrings are way beyond my means of living, I would have no problem adding them to my wardrobe for a knock your socks off look.
3. The black blouse may not say much, but it can pair well into any outfit selection.  If you know me, I'm all about being able to make pieces work in several different scenarios.   It has some ruffle, which pumps it up from being a boring black top, to being something more.
4. I really love this skirt by ALICE.  I think it may be my favorite piece of this collection.  It has pops of pink throughout, but remains subtle for a professional work day piece or a girls night out.
5. For some reason, when I think PINK, I always think of nail polish! Essie does a fantastic job of having every shade out there, and this hue, definitely could find its place in my nail polish collection anytime!

target is such a tease...

i wish i may.

the husband & i made a quick run for a few essentials to target last night and i of course had to zoom through the shoe department finding anything that might attract my shoe addicted eyes.

if you know, i've got a small hankering for a pair of riding boots. so i have kept my eyes peeled near and far for a pair that a.) suits what i want & b.) matches what my frugal shopping self will spend on a pair.

and i must admit target does do a pretty fair job when it comes to the latest fashions in shoes.  and i did find a pair of riding boots there.  but i'm not totally sold.  close, but no sale just yet. want to keep my options open and browse a little while longer. 

anyway back from my wild tanget into riding boot world. i happened upon a pair of these totally cute and totally sweet moccasins! and i'm not one to jump onto the mocassin train, and i never have been.  but these beauties, look great and feel even better on my little feet.   the frugal personliaty of mine even agreed with these things.

sadly, they didnt have my size.  everything but.  i could either have cut my toes off to fit in a six or stuffed tissues in the toes to wear a nine.  it was kind of sad.  not even kind of sad.  it was REALLY sad. they didnt even have my size in purple. and i'm not one to wear purple shoes. in fact, i dont recall ever owning purple shoes.  but if they would have had a 7 1/2 or 8 in purple, i would have made them work until i found a black pair.

so unfortunately, i am now on the hunt for the mocassins and riding boots. the shoe list just keeps getting longer. the husband will be thrilled.

4/30/2011. our day. entrance and food.

the ceremony was now over and it was time to party!

the NOW husband and i decided we wanted to have fun with our entrance. 

so we had our wedding party enter to the Ghostbusters theme song. 

insert random fact here: Ghostbusters is the mister's like all time favorite movie. he knows the words. and dressed up as one as kid once.

the entrance was quite memorable.

no one was expecting ghostbusters. not even our wedding party.

it was fantastic. we loved it.

can you tell how surprised i was by the look on my face?

i had not seen ANYTHING in the reception hall that day.

so decor, set-up, everything was a total surprise.

it was great and i loved it!

the food.

oh my goodness!
the food!

we had everything! well just about.

pasta salad (somehow i missed this one)

chicken breasts

fresh fruits and veggies

meatballs in the oh so yummy sauce that i absolutely LOVE.

cold cuts for small sammies.

and more. sadly i cant remember it all.

if people went home hungry, it was their fault.

seriously!

we had so much food. and from what i hear there were plenty of leftovers!

up next.. dancing. dancing. and lots of partying at the reception!

4/30/2011. our day. the ceremony

the ceremony has finally arrived.  its time to get seated and the show to begin.

it seemed like forever for everyone to get seated so i could come out of the bride's lair.  lol



while my dad and i waited to make our grand entrance, we killed time by telling jokes - see bottom right picture.  people still ask me what was so funny... sadly i have no idea.

it was time for the girls (& boy) to make their ways down the aisle.  everyone was ready.. or so we thought.  emilee, our flower girl, had been talking about her role since she found out she got to wear a pretty dress and throw flowers.  that was until those doors opened and it was her turn.

it took some slight coaxing from my mother & the event coordinator, but she eventually made it down.  she was so nervous, she forgot to throw the petals.  and poor thing, stumbled up the alter stairs in front of everyone.  luckily enough, she only had a bruised ego for a few minutes and continued being our happy flower girl.

here's some of my favorite shots from the ceremony itself.  this was the first time i was going to see the now husband in almost 2 days.  ugh!  and if anyone knows us, we are never apart, except for work.  so the long wait was terrible!

once the doors opened, i felt the largest weight come off my shoulders.  the hugest relief in my life seeing him, waiting for me just a few yards away.   lots of tears were shed - i felt like a blubbering idiot, but i know everyone feels that way at that moment.

funny story... dad and i get down the aisle.. my dad gives me over to the mister.  i proceed to try and kiss the mister..  ALREADY! the minister was like wait wait wait.  i'm telling you, i missed him!  i always kiss him first thing in the evenings when i see him and first thing when we wake up.  bad habit maybe?  lol i dont know, but it sure eased the pressure and gave everyone a good laugh during the ceremony. 

after the vows were said, rings were exchanged and a prayer about a loving and happy marriage for all, we were MARRIED!

walking out of the chapel, married, hand in hand, pure elation and happiness consumed my whole body..  i couldn't stop smiling.

up next..  the reception begins... first up.. the entrance & dinner!

4/30/2011. our day. our parties

after getting ready, both parties made their ways to the chapel and outside to have their group shots taken. me being the lucky bride was restricted to chapel photos only, while the boys had their fun outside.

being in dresses, you can tell the ladies' photo session was more "formal" and "structured," while the men threw their texas rangers fan spirit into the photos.  i think those photos are some of my favorites.

i was still nervous like crazy during these photos.  i even forgot my earrings for these.  oops. 

at this point all the guests were arriving, so all eyes were focusing on me at that point, which made the nerves even worse. 

i was definitely ready to get the show on the road. 

these were some of my favorite guy shots. they knew exactly how to be themselves.

up next... the cermony!   (eeps! so excited!)

it may be 50, but i've seen 12

visited 12 states (24%)
(texas, oklahoma, arkansas, lousiana, alabama, mississippi, tennessee, florida, north carolina, south carolina, new jersey, new york)


Create your own visited map of The United States or jurisdische veraling duits?

i find it crazy that after all the "traveling" i've done in my life, this all i've got to show for it. map wise that is.  24% seems pretty dismal if you ask me. 

 

and how in the world have i skipped missed georgia? 

apparently my life has not had a plan for me to end up there yet.

 it is now a goal of mine to fill in all the states.

some how some way.

husband in tow of course!

what would your visited states map look like?

4/30/2011. our day. getting ready.

i'm a little jealous in the time difference it took the mister compared to me to get ready for our day.  between hair, makeup and getting that monstrosity of a wedding dress on i was beat.   thank goodness we had a run through beforehand so we knew exactly how much time we needed to get ready. 

my bridesmaid showed up ready and my MOH got ready in no time flat, so it made our room less chaotic than it could have been. 

i'm not sure exactly how long it took mister to get ready, but based on all the "fun" the boys had, plus all the goofing off they did before they got ready, i'm thinking it wasn't very much time.  :)

luckily they had the dads there to help with cuff links and getting the ring bearer ready, because it sounded like they needed all the help they could get in those departments.

after all the party members were fancied, it was time for group shots with them.
without the bride and groom getting a peek of each other.
those are up next!

and we become one..

so we FINALLY got our wedding disc with all our wedding photos. 

be prepared for wedding picture overload the next several days. and years.

i will do several posts capturing our wonderful day.
i hope you stick around and enjoy them.

4/30/2011.  our day.

Friday's Fancies #1

i've decided its time that i start participating in {av's} friday fancies.  and what better way to kick off the party than with fall inspiration?!  i love the colors of fall! from bronzes to rusts to espresso browns to coppers.  

living in texas, fall is a hard one to predict.  you dont know if it will be a 100 degress or 50.  so this outfit i put together can fit well into both categories.  if hot, remove the cardigan, if chilly put it on. simple!

1.) I must say I love, love, love this cardigan. Everything about it screams my name. The color, the length and its ties with a belt.  And who would have though it was from H&M! I think I may have to run over there really soon and swipe one up for the cooler months.

2.) This dress by Vivienne Westwood is so gorg! The dress is perfect for work or play.  And the silk fabric makes even that more enticing.

3.) Apparently I'm a sucker for Dorothy Perkins jewelry, because #3 & #4 both come from her. Maybe its her prices?!  The long chain necklace is perfect from dress up or casual wear and pairs nicely with any color combo. 

4.) Like I said, these bangle braclets are also Dorothy Perkins and I love the playfulness and colors of these bangles.  Totally perfect for fall wear.

5.) The shoes! Its all about the shoes after all isn't it? I must say my eyes glistened when I saw these.  Super fun, super fall!

6. Leather handbag. For all your essential carrying needs.

its no steak & potato, but it is the postseason

some nights, my eating habits are like that of a five year old.  spaghettios, velvetta mac & cheese or something close to that texture and consistency.  other nights, its steak, grilled shrimp & a potato.

nights of ALCS baseball, its simple meals like this.  pasta and sauce (with olives, of course!) garlic bread happily accompanied our quick meal & we washed it down with fresh baked oatmeal scotties for dessert.  

theres nothing fancy at all about this meal, mainly because of the fact, that the wacky mac was not highly stocked in our pantry like i thought, so poor plain spaghetti noodles had to be a fill in for what wasn't there.  thats okay though.  throw on some homeade sauce and it all tastes the same.  and what you have is a quick hot meal that can be enjoyed at the coffee table, while rooting on your favorite MLB team.

who knows what might be for dinner tonight.  mexican chicken foil pouches?  quesadillas? who knows. after all, we do have more baseball tonight and hopefully, the @Rangers will advance to the World Series tonight in game 5 of the ALCS against the Tigers.  kudos last night again to Nelson Cruz for smashing the ball once again and taking us to another win in the #postseason.

i can hear the ground singing

hallelujah.

i awoke this morning (well, it was more like 3am) to the sound of rain falling.  it was a welcoming sound.  a sound we havent heard in quite some time.  it rained some on saturday, but not like i was hearing this early morning.   it was heavy.  the gutter couldn't keep up. it made me want to snuggle closer to the husband and stay in bed all day, catching up on the DVR and senseless reality tv that my mind doesnt need but has a guilty desire for.

texas hasnt seen any rain in quite some time & our dear landscapes are really in dire need of it.  so im sure right now their little inner voices are singing sounds of praise for this much needed drink of water.  they are thanking the clouds above. as well are all of us here in texas.

we happily put on our rain gear, pulled out our dusty umbrellas and ventured out on morning commutes. the sound of our dried out wipers scratched across the windshield trying to keep up. they quickly found their niche. i think drivers were stunned by the sudden downpour; driving like there was a sheet of ice on the roads, trying not to hydroplane to their destinations.  i don't think my honda ever hit the speed limit.  but thats okay, because rain was falling.

rain, you are more than welcome to stick around for awhile. 
texas won't mind. or atleast the husband and i wont.

lets go riding.

since the weather has gotten cooler out, i've been having this huge obsession with riding boots.  i see them everywhere and have decided that i must get me a pair soon, so i can start sporting them with my jeans on fridays and weekend. perfect for a stroll downtown or just out and about with friends.

here are a few of the boots i'm particularly loving, whether my pocketbook can afford them is a different question.  number 5 is one of my favorites & are affordable, but those red ones, yum yum, those are cute too!



1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

 

soon enough i will have a pair and hope to post a picture or two of their adventures. 

maybe these little "fashion" posts will become a regular... we will see how popular they are.

til next time.

these smells are welcome and familar.. hello autumn!

the husband and i galavanted at the greatest fair on Earth, yesterday. 

the rain didnt stop us.

welcomed by Big Tex saying "Howdy Folks," I knew exactly Autumn had arrived.

i got my fix of a corn dog and funnel cake.  i passed on the fried oreos this time, but the funnel cake didnt make me miss them any less.

we feed a few babies at the petting zoo.

 have i mentioned i want a baby goat yet? because i do!

we scoped out a few cars that we may be getting next.

we ate lots of yummy samples.

and we even visited a texas history museum.

shopping my bank account (and husband) agrees with..

a few months ago, i got introduced to beso.  

you pick and click your favorite items.

who wouldn't love this?

i plan on adding more and more to my favorites everyday.

and my mind changes like the time, so check back often.

do you have a beso account that you would like to share?

walk a mile, see a million things

finally... pretty much the last "stop" on our honeymoon.  it was the walking tour.  seeing, learning, and just taking it all in. 

we started off here.  several different building dating back to when the germans settled here first. it was pretty interesting.  we actually managed to run into some of the ladies staying at the same B&B and a gentleman who was giving a little "private" tour.  he grew up living the way the germans did.  his family was some of the first to settle in Fredericksburg and his sweet little wife worked the front register at the museum.

after that we decided to roam the city and look at all the buildings on our own little self guided tour.  it was pretty awesome seeing the sites and learning so much in within one little city.

and something else... Fredericksburg has its very own Bed and Brew - the brewing company owns it!  Totally adding this one to my list.. I mean food, brew and sleep.  How better can a vacation get?! Speaking of Brewing Company - you must visit this place if you are around the area! They brew 5 different brews at a time and thats it.  Thats all your choices.  Nothing whimpy like bud or coors are hanging out in this place.  Just what they currently offer.  and when its gone, its gone.  :)  Happy Drinking I tell ya.  And the food is pretty awesome too!
Thats it for the honeymoon.  I may throw in another post of just the B&B we stayed at here soon. 

searching is half the fun



excuse the red eye.  i promise shes not demonic evil. :)



i spent saturday with these cute kids.

husband and their parents tagged along too.

we jumped. we played.

we scavenger hunted!

thank goodness autumn has arrived.

please dont go anywhere soon.

*ps. the husband and i, after much procrastination (see a pattern?!), finally purchased our copyright disk of our wedding photos!  should have it this week, and trust me, post-wedding recap overload is on its way.  be prepared! ♥