Summer protection for your accessories...

One of the most important decisions I made for my wedding wasn't about what I was wearing, it was what to get my girls. They only deserved the best. Now with spring and summer weddings coming up, I heard about this really cool bag called Icy Bag.

IcyBag’s usefulness extends beyond make-up. Think of all the items you’ve almost melted in the heat at one time or another… gum, snacks, liquid medication and especially sun protection products which spend their lives toiling in the summer heat!

I totally love this item! It's less than $15 a piece and comes in a variety of colors. I think it's perfect for your adventurous BMs who would need something like this! It would also be cool for your honeymoon too when you lounging by the pool!

I think I might have to get one of these for my upcoming vacations too! ;)

One year ago today!

Now... this is LOVE!

Dear Steve,

Thank you for making this shoe. Thank you for spending the time weaving all the leathers to give the shoe that extra ummph!! I will overlook you reading my mind about what would be one of my dream shoes. You're a superstar in my book!

Little Miss planner!

GAZEBO

Inspirations Part 24

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Weigh in #6

Last week was a stellar week. I exercised more and ate healthier (except for the weekend...blah!) I'm the biggest loser this week! WOOT! WOOT! But the hubby is gaining on me in points!


Wifey: 9
Hubby: 8


Last week's goal was to run 15 miles and I succeeded and surpassed that goal by logging in 28 miles! Hooray!!! I don't seem to making any major weight loss but it's okay, I just want inches to come off (they are) and want to get healthier! I think this week's goals will be running 25 miles.

Challenge #4

Two nights ago was another challenge in our little competition the hubby and I have been having in order to get into better shape. I decided I wanted to change it up and I created a quiz. For every question, you had to some form of exercise before you were allowed to answer it. It ranged from sprints up and down a football field, skipping 100 yards, lounges, squats, 50 push ups and 150 sit ups. You get a point for every question correct, and one for whoever finishes first.

Let's see if you can answer these questions:

1. How many calories in ONE serving of TGIF's Potato Skins?
2. A deck of cards is how many servings of chicken?
3. To burn calories, what is the optimal % range your heart rate should be at?
4. How many servings are the recommended daily intake for: Veggies? Fruits?
5. What is the most importing drink to have every day?
6. How many egg(s) does it take to fulfill one serving of meat?
7. How many calories would you burn if you play basketball(non-game) for 1 hour?

NO cheating! (on Monday I'll post the answers!)

as for who won? ...the hubby did!

Ann Taylor Loft Dress sale!!!!

Soo many to choose from! I love these:






All found here!!!

Electra's Black Bling

Third time should be the charm for Carmen Electra – as evidenced by the rockstar-sized ring she was sporting Thursday night.

"It's a black diamond, perfect for us," Electra tells PEOPLE. "Different – it's our style."

Celebrating in Austin with her fiancé, guitarist Rob Patterson, 37, while hosting the Dos Equis party to find a new assistant for the Most Interesting Man in the World, Electra was beaming.

Read more here...

What do you think? Love it? Hate it?

Dear Google Reader...

I wanted to first thank you for making my life simpler. You hold all my favorites new entries from all the addicting sites in one little place. You save me surf time and make me feel efficient. But I have to let you know that your "top recommendations" section is very dangerous. When I started using you, you gave me an acceptable amount of blog entries to read a day. Now, if I don't keep on checking it, you leave me HUNDREDS to read. And it is all because of your recommendations.

Now, please stop recommending new sites to me! There is only soo much I can read!!!

Love,

Little miss Planner.

Going Green on your honeymoon...

Here are some beautiful places to go and feel good about being eco-friendly!


St. John, U. S. Virgin Islands, Maho Bay Camps
Bring your own flashlight for nocturnal negotiation of the many hillside steps and walkways that prevent soil erosion and protect the beach and fragile coral. Maho Bay construction was accomplished with recycled building materials such as "plastic lumber," glass tiles and rubber tire rugs. Take note of Maho's creative "Trash to Treasures" program: The resort's trash is recycled into craft items and fine art.


Waikkal, Sri Lanka, Ranweli Holiday Village
The birds really do sound sweet from either your sea-view bungalow or river-view room at this eco-friendly resort, set on a 22-acre peninsula covered with mangrove trees. And with surprisingly inexpensive prices, why not choose the bungalow? Accommodations are air-conditioned, and have ceiling fans, while décor showcases hand-made local fabrics, terracotta pots, brass lamps and artifacts produced by local craftsmen. After taking a guided nature tour, treat your feet to some therapeutic down time in the Ayurvedic Centre.


Mali, West Africa, The Road to Timbuktu
The legendary Timbuktu is a real place, and getting there is a really good trip. This 14-day, small-group cultural adventure winds through Dogon villages, boards a pinasse or local boat for a river ride, and beds you down in a nomadic Tuareg tent in the Sahara. Take hand-washing powder for yourself and bring along medicine for treating malaria to give to the local schools.

Happy Earth Day!!

In all this talk about being green, in one of my many imaginary weddings, I always thought it would be soo cool to have a outdoor reception in the redwoods. As favors, I thought giving seedlings would be the perfect gift! You find find them at Arbor Day foundation.
* Only $3 each.
* Choose Redwoods, Pines, or Spruces.
* Customize your label with quotes, logos, sayings ... your personal message.
* Recyclable tube converts into a birdfeeder after the tree is planted.



How cute is that?!

Weigh in #5

Sorry but I've been a slacker and injured so two weeks ago data will not be posted. For now, I'm posted this morning's up to date point tally!


Wifey: 7
Hubby: 6


Yes, I am ahead in points but it is ONLY because of challenges and temptations. The hubby did awesome this week and lost 2.6% while I lost 0%. :| Oh well. And because of my back, almost 100% of exercise was non-existent. Today I started another challenge with some friends to work out more. My back is getting better and during lunch today, I'll go running with a friend and hopefully I'll feel like my old self soon. I'm going to be a little lax on this week's goal: 15 miles. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to do that.

Another savings...

Shifting through the Sunday ads I came across a coupon for custom printed m&m's. Go to mymms.com/mom4 and you can get a free bonus bag of custom m&m's. Minimum purchase is required and offer expires 7.04.08.
You can pick your party colors and LABEL it with your names!!! :)

Cutes Shoes...

Amazon just opened up another shop and boy am I excited! It's called Endless.com and they offer free overnight shipping!!!

I'm a sucker for color and unique shoes... so why not be naughty and have some color to your feet!


Hale Bob Women's Rosy Pump
Price:$80.47

Guess Women's Pilsner Peep Toe Pump
Price:$69.27

Charles by Charles David Women's Pandora Sandal
Price:$64.97

Guess Women's Pyramid Evening Sandal
Price:$83.97

broken...

hey everyone,

Just wanted to say sorry for not updating as much as I usually do. I hurt my back last weekend doing the Mud Run. :| I hope to be up and running by the end of the week. I have lots to talk about so check back! Until then, enjoy this pretty pretty centerpiece I found for you!

ttfn,

Linda



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ATA bankquarpy = No Hawaii

Because we booked our flights for Memorial day weekend with our Rapid Rewards via Southwest, instead of getting alternate flights like others, we were just refunded our vouchers and got a "Sorry for the inconvenience." :( After we got that email, we scrambled to find another destination that had the two key aspects we wanted, water and sun. So after about 45 minutes on the phone with Southwest, we are now going to:


source of photo

Am I sad I'm not going to Hawaii now? A little, we went there on our 1 year anniversary of being a couple. But I've always wanted to go to Miami and neither of us have been. So in the end, it all works out. Stay tuned to find out where we are staying! :)

it's all about illusions...

When shopping for any sort of clothes you gotta know what looks good on you. I like to believe models are aliens and so therefore they don't exist. So while those aliens can wear anything they want, we have to figure out how types of clothes can give us the illusion to bring out our inner model. For me, I lack a waist. I'm the essence of the stick figure, except instead of a stick, my mid section is more like a tree trunk. Even though my favorite outfit in the world is my hubby's sweatshirts with a pair of lounge shorts, I still drool over fashion mags and own TONS of dresses. When I do pull out a dress from the corner of the closet, I tend to also open up the belt drawer. Nothing like throwing a belt on to create an illusion of a waist! From my shower outfit:



...to even my wedding dress...



I had to find something to make it give the illusion. So now that I gave away my secret... what secrets do you have to help you look your best?

Just a bit of a tomboy...

One of my coworkers sent me the most fantastic link this morning. It was about the local Mud Run going on this weekend at our nearby base!

The race starts at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and will take runners on a 2-mile course that begins at the Naval Construction Training Center Headquarters building at Port Hueneme. It ends with a series of obstacles as well as several 2- and 3-foot-deep mud pits.

Participants are advised to wear old clothes because although the competition will be fair, it's impossible to run a clean race.

Within minutes I was all signed up! I can't wait to get all muddy and participate with the hubby! (plus it will help add a few more miles to my weekly counts!) I've always wanted to do a Muddy Buddy but just haven't found the right one to fit into my already hectic schedule. Have you?

Foot fetish...

I love wedding shoes. I intentionally bought my shoes before my dress. I loved them that much!!! As tribute, here are some fantastic photos honoring our little tootsies!

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Challenge and the Weigh in #3

We neglected to have a temptation last week because the hubby was out on Thursday so no one was rewarded points. On Saturday morning we had our 10k run and decided that the challenge was whoever finished faster won. Since I'm a whopping 8 inches shorter I got a head start... 1 minute per inch! Up and down the hills we went and by mile 4 we were within a few minutes of each other (I'm the slower one...I blame my short stride). By the time I crossed the finish line I knew I was within reach. I finished only 5 minutes behind me, giving me another victory for challenges! HOORAY!!

I have to admit, I was not good about what I ate. I did however log in 18 miles for the week. But the scale doesn't lie... wifey GAINED 0.36% while the hubby LOST 0.34%. Yes, it was a matter of less than 1% both ways but we still have to award the point to someone! So the tally is as follows:


Wifey: 5
Hubby: 3


I missed my last week's goal to run 20 miles but I'm still happy with what I did. This week we have another 10k and this time it's flat! I want to again try to do 20 miles. Let's see if I can do it!

Inspirations 23

If only I could jump through the screen I'd devour each and every one!







All of these cakes were designed by Maisie Fantaisie.

It's like the cherry on the top!

I'm a sucker for cake toppers. There were a few things that the hubby and I put our foot down on and the cake topper was one of them. We wanted something to show off our personalities and so we had these:



I figure if you are going to throw your signature onto this pile of flour, eggs and water, you might as well give it your little twist.

Here's a few others that I just love too:

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Find it here

I love the idea of using part of your theme instead of the cake toppers. Sometimes less is more...

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What are you doing for your cake toppers?

Alternative to the white puffy dress...

If I ever stopped and thought about what all the options out there I know I'd probably still end up with my dress. But here are some that would strongly make me second guess myself...

Badgley Mischka
Pleated Gown
Price: $895.00

Kay Unger New York
Polka-Dot Chiffon Gown
Price: $490.00


Carmen Marc Valvo
Pleated Gown
Price: $1,150.00

Marc Bouwer Glamit!
Beaded Chiffon Gown
Price: $895.00

ohh... I could twirl and twirl in these all night long!!!

My imaginary world...

In my little imaginary world, I'm about 5'10" and have a model's body so I could wear dresses like this everyday.
Kay Unger New York
Paisley-Print Silk Gown
Price: $430.00

Badgley Mischka
Gathered Ombre Halter Gown
Price: $1,295.00

Kay Unger New York
Strapless Tiered Silk Gown
Price: $680.00
Sources of all dresses

Also in my imaginary world I have access to a limitless acount of cash! :) Oh... to dream!

Stranded at the drive in...

Okay, maybe not drive in, but stranded is what we could have been if ATA Airlines filed bankruptcy in the last week of May. We WERE suppose to use them to go to Hawaii for Memorial weekend but to our dismay... they have ceased all flights. We won't find out what's going to happen to our flights until April 7 when we are allowed to call. Until then, I found a good article on "What to do when your airline goes bankrupt
Three tips for getting to your destination anyway."

~~whoever gets the title gets a e-cookie! :)

Do you really belong there?

Over the past year I've been questioning more and more about where my career is headed and if I really want to go there. It seems that in the next few months I'll be hitting a crossroads and need to make some much needed decisions about it all.

So I have a question for you, do you have a job you love or do you have a job that you just have to pay the bills?

I have to admit, I started in the first category but more and more I find myself in the second. We shall see where this little planner ends up! :)

Alternatives to Guest Books

When I think of guest books I think of all the fun little things you can say and the bride and groom read it once before they toss it in a closet. When searching around for different ideas, I found some really cool ones!

First there is the typical 16x20 photo and a matte where guests could sign it and have it hang in your house. I took it a step further and did smaller photos and made it into a series.


Next is a different frame to sign:

Use the pen just as you would a normal ball point ink pen. Only normal pressure is required. It is quite easy to use and guests will find that they are able to sign in the same quality as they would normally with a ink pen. Click here for instructions on using the engraving pen. Our pens are not mechanical and have a specially designed tip that inscribes into the metal when writing. There is no sound made from the pen when engraving. The pen will last through the signing and does not easily wear out.
Find it here

The Wish Tree:


I really liked this idea and wanted to do it but it just didn't get done.
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The puzzle pieces:

I saw this photo and thought how AWESOME it would be to take a photo of the two of you and create a puzzle with it, then have your guests sign the back of the pieces. OH I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!! You can send in your photo and get the puzzle made for you at Portrait Puzzles!