Winner of the 16th Blog Giveaway and Cravings

Congratulations to Brynne Poore for winning the $50 Modcloth Gift Card! I am so excited for you. I cannot wait to hear what you get. : ). And thank you to everyone who entered! I really appreciate it. When I thought of the silly question about honey, I wondered what people would say. There were so many interesting responses. It ended up being my favorite question and answer for a giveaway and each answer made my day. I especially loved Sarah’s answer. It made me smile.

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On Tuesday I visited my daddy’s bee farm. It was such a relaxing and fun day. The kids rode on his ATV and shot their bb guns that he bought them for Christmas. We made Honey Vanilla Ice Cream. I made Beef Stroganoff for dinner so he would have plenty of leftovers for the next few nights. And the night before we were going, I woke up giddy. I told my husband, “Honey! I could do some outfit photos there!” And we did! A lot of them. I cannot wait to post them, but I am behind. As always.

The only bad part of the day was that I discovered I am a terrible shot.

I told my husband on the ride home, “Honey, I’ve always had that. I always knew that I am not a tough chick, but I could shoot a gun.” Don’t ask me why I thought this, because I had never shot a gun before. But I was convinced that I would be amazing at it.

He laughed.

But now that dream is crushed. And I am seriously more worried in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

For my birthday, I received so many Anthropologie Gift Cards (which is awesome!). I also received a Free People gift card but I promptly used it on this and this. I am hoarding the Anthropologie ones for a good sale price on most things. But that does not prevent me from lusting after a few pretties. Here are my cravings for July:

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Anthropologie’s Daisy Dot Dress. It is a great silhouette. I wish there were reviews on it, but as of this writing, I do not see any.

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If Anthropologie’s Solana Dress had sleeves, I would consider it a full priced purchase, but alas, it does not. I love the pink color and the shape of this.

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After Tuesday’s post, I have been searching for some decent slips with pretty hems. I love Modcloth’s Can’t Stop Dancing Half Slip.

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And Modcloth’s Give Me Gracefulness Full Slip in grey. I don’t think you can have too many slips. I love this tulle.

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Finally, I had a dream that I owned the Midland Button Cuff. I think that is a sign. Do you think David Beckham would like it?

What are you craving this month? Have you all ready splurged? Please share!

*this post contains affiliate links. Clicking on a link may result in a small commission for this blog.

Winner Of The Floral Necklace Giveaway and Stuff

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Congratulations to Liana! She won the beautiful floral necklace courtesy of The Peacock Fairy. I think it is so gorgeous. Enjoy! I am so happy for her. Liana is such a sweet girl. You can get to know her better at The Frock and the Hound.

Thank you to all who entered. Heather and I appreciate it. So much.

This is the time of the month where I usually list my cravings, but I have a problem.

I am kind of over “stuff” this month. What I am really craving this month is more organization. Especially with summer sneaking up on me. I do not want to be overwhelmed with clutter.

But I am the least organized person I know.

And I love clutter.

So I’m in a bit of a rut.

I thought I would share some things I have all ready purchased in the last two months. Unfortunately everything I had wanted for months hit sale (Frangipani Top) or became available after a long wait. This means that I have not even been looking at shopping sites this week. I have been lovin’ on my current closet additions plus restyling some oldies. I also have a pile of clothes to dry clean and sell soon. My style has changed a bit since I first lost the weight, so I want to just keep what reflects the current “me.”

That counts as organizing, right?

My Spring Clothing Purchases:

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I was finally able to snag the Free People Mix Print Tunic. It is everything I hoped it would be. I love this top.

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Forever 21 Floral Kimono. I plan on wearing this over my Free People peach maxi slip and also over all of my sleeveless white dresses this summer. This is sold out online. It was also sold out in our store. But if you have it in a store near you, I highly recommend it. Especially as it is less than $20.

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This Vintage Skirt from Etsy. It is a Mexican Blanket Skirt. So rad. I have worn it with it with a silver cuff, silver coin necklace, silver sandals, and day drifter denim tee.

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A simple tee from Forever 21. I can also wear this with the above skirt. Although, I will probably pair it with my Duggar Skirt. And tons of bohemian jewelry.

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A wooden ring. I know I am breaking the rules, because this is not clothing. But since I made the rules, I think I can let it slide. I love this! I waited for it to go on sale and happily purchased it when it did. I have realized that almost all of the jewelry I am drawn to on Anthropologie is made by the artist, Pam Hiran.

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Anthropologie Savant Dress (squee! It finally hit sale!). I waited months and months for this dress to go on sale. And I am so glad I did. It looks so cute with my vintage boots, the ring mentioned above, and the necklace The Peacock Fairy gifted me.

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Modcloth Sea the Light Skirt (I’ve worn it over my green Colima Skirt. It is so good! Modcloth has a similar skirt to the Colima Maxi here). This skirt is almost sold out. All of the reviews say it runs big, but I took a medium and it fit fine.

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I love this dress I recently purchased with a gift card from my sweet mom. It is really incredibly short but I am working that out. Because I love the overall fit and tiny details.

Thank you Mom!

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My family gifted me these Tall Gladiator Sandals for Mother’s Day (we got them 20% off). I really needed a new laptop, but practicality has never been my strong suit. So, I shall continue to type these posts one handed.

Totally worth it. ; )

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They also gifted me these. Um, what do you think these gifts ssshhhhhaaaAy about me?

Do you have any cravings you want to share? Has anything caught your eye this month?

*Images used here are from the retailer’s site and are not my own.

*This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on or purchasing from select links will result in a small commission for contents in a flask this site.

The Winner Of The Giveaway, Cravings and Blog News

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First, I want to apologize that my website has been wonky the past few days. It is the server and I am being told they are working on it. Fingers crossed it gets resolved soon! Again, I apologize!

The winner of the moon necklace is Jessica Wilhite! Congratulations! I really, really like this necklace. I hope you do, too! Enjoy! I am so happy for you!

My husband told me I should change the format of my giveaways to those easy ones. Those number-generated-generic-sterile ones. But I refused. I said, “But then I won’t get to read their cool stories!” Insert big pouty lower lip here. And I am so glad I didn’t, because you guys shared the coolest things this month! I love reading about your lives. Your beliefs. Your travels. Your loves. It honestly enriches my life so much, and I cannot thank you enough for that. But I will try.

Thank you! : )

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There are a few new things going on on this blog that I wanted to share. I think there is always room for growth. And I always want to be my own blog. And not like others. So, I recently added in Past Cards and will be doing those once a month. The above picture is a peek at the next post coming up soon. : )

I am also going to be introducing my sister onto this blog. She lives seven miles from me and I love her to pieces. Plus, I am tired of just pictures of only me. Since I will not post pictures of my children and my husband does not want to be on the blog (which is smart of him because I have an underwear post of his coming up soon. I cannot imagine why he doesn’t want his picture on this blog). I figured I would pimp out put up my nearest relative. I think this will be a fun feature we can do together once in awhile. She has a completely different style than I do, so it will be nice to share a different look on this blog. However. And this is a biggie. She is younger, taller and prettier, so I am not going to allow her on here too often, though. Just kidding!…But seriously.

In other revelations:

I am shy.

Painfully shy if I don’t know you.

Shocking, right?

And it takes me awhile to come out of my shell. I feel like this last year, I have slowly been sharing myself. But I finally feel safe enough to share all of me. Or as much as the majority of the public can handle. I have made so many friends here, I feeI like I can just be myself. If you look at my old outfit photos, I look terrified. I was even scared to smile. But all of that is changing.

Kind of.

I am sick of pictures of me always in the same spot in my outfit posts. I went through my blog looking for ways to improve it and that is one of them. And I was ashamed of how bad some of my pictures are. Bad me! So from now on, I vow to try to take better pictures. This truly, truly hurts my lazy heart. But I am excited about a change. I still might resort to the fireplace if we are really in a hurry. However, the majority of the pictures will be different this month. Please let me know which ones work and which ones don’t (nicely. Please don’t make me cry. I hate spending money on tissues). This is going to be a series of experimenting. I pretty much have no idea how to pose.

But you can’t fly if you never jump. Off an imaginary building. Built from words. And pictures. Into a cloud. That I still do not understand.

All right. I think that is it on updates. Let’s move on to the stuff I am craving this month. Oh. The cravings. They hurt:

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I want/need/can’t-afford-at-full-price the Vine Beaded Maxi Dress by one of my favorite designers, Vaneet Bahl. It is from Anthropologie. I am just hoping to get it on sale. So, save one in a small for me, would ya?

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These whale-tale measuring cups.

Oh.

Just oh.

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Um. Um. Um. Do I dare share these Concha Garden Planters? These will be at the top of my budget list for May. Again try to save me one… Or two… Or ten.

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Seriously, how close to Otomi could these be?

Must.

Have.

Them.

All.

Nowhere. To. Put. Them.

Sigh.

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Why? Why is the Plevna Top only available in petite sizing? My shirt is wet from the tears in my heart. And also, does anyone know what pants the model is wearing? They look great!

Needlework it Out Dress from ModCloth

And last, but not least, the Needlework it Out Dress from Modcloth. This dress is so awesome. The price is perfect. The color is perfect. Again, my budget is gone for thirteen more days. And the dress sold out. However, I have clicked their “I NEED IT” button in my size. They will notify me if it gets reordered. I have never seen them not reorder if an item is popular and they can.

What are your cravings this month? Do you think I should do a monthly video on this blog ? Yes. I am also thinking of doing a video blog monthly or posting a video here or some sort of recording device/contraption… Whatever those youngsters are calling the talking pictures these days. Whatcha think?

Winner Of The Giveaway, A Small Announcement, & Cravings

The winner of the blog giveaway is Kel! Congratulations! I am thrilled for you. : )

I loved reading everyone’s birthday memories. Many of them made we want some do-overs for my own. And quite a few brought back beautiful nostalgic memories. I also liked that some of your favorite birthday memories are not your own. So selfless! I love learning more about each of you each month. That comment section of my blog during my giveaways is not only my favorite part, because I get to know you better. But a friend of mine recently told me it is hers, too. Thank you so much for sharing and entering!

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An Announcement:

I am nervous about the announcement I am making right now. I couldn’t sleep last night. I have vowed to always be honest on this blog. I think it is important to keep it real here. After having this blog for one year, I have come to the realization that it is costing my family approximately $65 a month to keep it going. I love giveaways. I do not want to stop doing them. They are my favorite part of the blog. Giving back. To all of you. But my favorite part of life is being a wife and mother, so I must also think of my family. So, to offset some of the costs, I am going to be adding affiliate links to my posts. You probably will not even notice them. All this means is that when you click on a link such as an Anthropologie top, it will generate a very small commission for this blog. I will not be adding any more links than I normally would. I will never add links to a product I would not or have not purchased for myself. And there is always the option of just not clicking on a link. : )

I have added them to this post as a test run. All of these links in this post are affiliate links. I have also added a small Modcloth banner to my home page, because I love Modcloth! And I am happy to be working with the company.

Who knows? Maybe I could generate enough income for better giveaways. That would be a fun goal. And so, so cool!

Thank you for being understanding.

And now onto the monthly fun:

Everything in my craving list will have to wait until sale. That is just the way I like to shop. Unfortunately, I doubt we will see much in terms of big sales in April. March seems to have seen the deeply discounted winter sales.

I am not craving much. And I have a post coming up in the next week detailing my purchases for March. But twist my arm and I will reveal items I think are cool right now.

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This Anthropologie Farmer’s Market Peasant Top looks so pretty in the close up shot. The pattern looks very detailed and interesting. I love this. I cannot decide if it is because of the name of it more than the shirt itself. I hope it makes it to second cuts for me.

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I think these Selah Booties from Anthropologie are rad. I have no idea what I would wear them with. They would need to be under $50 for me to consider them.

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I love the color of these Ankle Zip Charlie Trousers. I think they are fun.

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And I NEED this Raja Wall Bust. Except, why couldn’t it be a dragon? I might be on the hunt for that instead.

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This $9.99 Ear the Call of the Wild Ring from ModCloth is neat.

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One more. I MUST snag at least one color of these Tassel Bloom Hoops from Anthropologie when they hit sale. They are my favorite things on their site right now.

Congratulations to Kel! I am so happy for you. There will be a new giveaway beginning April 10th.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

What are you craving? Anything on your wishlist I showed here?

P.S. Trying to claim a blog lovin’ account. Please ignore. Follow my blog with Bloglovin