And Update on my Obsession

Thank you, Vera Bradley Email Message, for reminding me I am obsessed with this pattern. And yes, I added the two items circled above to my collection (along with the laptop case, not pictured.) I must take a break for a few weeks though because my wallet has to spend money on the 3 weddings and a camping trip excursion coming up quickly on my social calendar. And those, my blog readers, are some posts you should be looking forward to. Just a hint: 3 weddings, only 2 couples. It's gonna be fun!

Fave Friday Five - TV Shows I'm Missing

If you stopped by the blog this week you saw me mention that I wanted to start something new this Friday. I'm not sure how long I can keep this up, but I thought it would be something do for a few weeks. On Fridays I'm goign to pick a category and give you 5 things that fit into it. No order necessarily, just five items on Friday. I'm going to start out this week with 5 TV shows I am missing now that EVERYTHING I watch is in summer hiatus.

1. Gossip Girl -- Let me tell you how happy this season made me. Well, at least the storyline with Blair and Chuck. The first episode of the season Blair tried to get Chuck to say "3 little words." All season we watched them battle back and forth and the season ended in the greatest way. I know this means that next sesaon will be all kinds of difficult, but I'm pulling for those two like I pulled for Joey and Pacey all those years ago.

2. NCIS -- My love for this show could be summed up in one word: Jethro. However, I'll give you more. The chemistry the actors on this show have with one another and the storylines keep me coming back week after week. From the quirkiness of Abby and Duckey to the underlying chemistry between Tony and Ziva this show is constantly putting more mystery in the storyline while keeping the interest level high.

3. Ugly Betty -- I love this show. I love that although they are making fun of the ugly duckling, that the character perseveres and does not let the rude comments get her down. Throw in the humor of Mark and Amanda, and the neverending adventures of Daniel and the scheming of Wilhelmina and it never gets dull.

4. How I Met Your Mother -- This show has some of the greatest one liners. Some of the funniest episodes of this show include the time Lily moved into Barney's apartment, the introduction of Robin Sparkles, and the episode where Ted tricked Barney and Marshall into thinking he had a crush on one of them. I look forward to when we find out exactly who the mother is, but in the interim it is fun to watch the group live and love in NYC.

5. LOST -- Only one season left. And honestly I think that is the only reason I miss it. I feel like I have invested too much of my life into this show to quit it, so I miss it because I want the next season to get here so it can be over. I know that sounds lame, but I'm team Sawyer and the time travel gets on my last nerve.

So, there you go. I can't promise the list will always be this long, but I'm going to try it for a few weeks. Have a great (and safe) weekend!

I <3 Fresh Veggies

One of the coolest things that I have had the opportunity to participate in since moving to my cool little community is a Community Support Agriculture (CSA) share with my neighbors. They actually signed up and were looking for someone to split the weekly vegetable box with them as it is a lot of food for 2 people. I was happy to have the opportunity. So for around $14 a week I get almost 1/2 a bushel of fresh, local vegetables. I'll admit some of the green, leafy vegetables are not my favorite but check out what I got this week:

I have already eaten each of these from earlier boxes and look forward to eating the newest delivery. I will pickle the beets, peel the carrots (yummy on their own or with hummus) and the squash will be grilled, fried, or sauteed. It is such a great feeling to be able to eat food that is good for me while supporting a local farm in their quest to provide fresh vegetables to the community. Especially since my dad's garden is 5 hours away and my sweet potatoes will not be ready for a couple of more months. (A big shoutout here to my dad who only planted the sweet potatoes because I like them. He loves me!) But until then, I am enjoying the early growing season the Charleston allows and the wonderfulness of the food I am eating.

Works for Me Wednesday

I have no idea where I'm supposed to put the link to this post. And unfortunately my internet is acting up (stupid local cable provider) so I cannot search for it. But I want to share with you one of the greatest time savers ever:

Seriously, if you are not using Magic Erasers to clean in your home, well, then shame. on. you. In my newest house I have a glass shower door and as someone who is anti-housework I did not know how I would ever keep it clean. But alas, I am smarter than the average not-so-smart person and came up with an idea. I keep a Magic Eraser in my shower. That way I can just wipe down the shower walls and the glass while I am in the shower and it keeps the soap scum at bay. Such a time saver to clean the shower while you are in it. Brilliant, I know.

Market Totes

One thing this blogosphere has provided to me is a friendship (if I may call it that) with Kerri of Living with a Labradoodle. I'm pretty sure the reason I read her blog the first time is because I wanted a Labradoodle, but I kept coming back because she reminded me so much of myself. It's almost eerie sometimes how similar we are, though I know we also have our differences. Recently I checked out Kerri's other website Designed by Kerri. I had been wanting a market basket and was excited when I found out she sold them as well as monogramming them! My roomie had a birthday and I needed an upcoming wedding gift. SOLD! I also ordered one for me. As soon as I get the energy to dig out the camera I'll take a picture for all 2 readers. I can't wait to use mine and know that it will come in so handy for so many different uses. And I can't wait to put the wedding gift together and show you what it is. The bride/groom don't read my blog (because that would increase the readers to 4) so I can show you the gift before I go home for the wedding in a few weeks.

Oh, and I have a new idea for Fridays so come back then for something I hope to try for the next several weeks.

Hope Garden

I have never been huge on name brands and material things.  However, I am willing to pay full price for an outfit in a name brand store because to me time is money and if I can buy the outfit and be done in 10 minutes it is more cost effective to me than spending 4 hours looking for that great dress that is 60-80% off on the sale rack.  With those 4 hours I could read a book, lay in my  hammock, read a book laying in my hammock, or go to the beach.  That said, I have a new addiction to something that costs money.  It's the new Hope Garden collection from Vera Bradley.  Up until 3 years ago I had never even owned a Vera Bradley purse because I didn't see the point in spending that much money on something I would rarely carry.  However, I splurged on a purse in this pattern before Shanle's wedding because I loved the pattern and it matched our bridesmaid dresses.  And matching just seemed like a good idea.  That was 3 years ago.  That bag and I have been through a lot together.  A couple of months ago I decided I needed a new purse and stumbled across this one:

And that leads me to my new obsession.  I want everything in this pattern.  Ok, not everything because I really don't need 14 different purses.  However, I would like to have some more pieces of this collection.  So, don't be surprised in the next few weeks if you see me sporting some additional items in the lovely Hope Garden pattern.  It's my new obsession. 

Today's Thoughts Brought to You By Leslie

Leslie said it so much more eloquently than I ever could.  Click here.