What I'm Loving Wednesday 11.16.11

Okay, so far so good this week... I've blogged every day! And here are my loves lately:

1. Family Time. This is really that I am loving the anticipation of family time. We are headed to Little Rock on Friday for Ray's 30th birthday party, the UofA vs. Miss State game, Peeples' Thanksgiving and Haley's baby shower. I am SO excited about all of those things that my head might explode thinking of all of them in one weekend. Excitement. Overload. So, then I head back to Nashville for three days of work (insert Debbie Downer sound effect) and then it's back to the Rock for Thanksgiving weekend extravaganza. Church with Pop & Carol (I love our tradition of going to church on Thanksgiving!), supper and fireside in Sheridan, Friday night dinner with Grandmamma and then Sarah Williams' wedding on Saturday. Whew! I cannot wait for the next week and a half of intense family time!

2. Still an Awkward Turtle. If anyone is worried that I have gotten my act together since my Awkward Turtle Post from several months ago then take a deep breath. I have not. I continue to be a super awkward turtle. I was tagged in this photo on Facebook today:

Yep

 3. The Weather. You can all complain as much as you want to that it's 70+ degrees in November. I will take EVERY warm day that is thrown at me. Every. Single. One. 

4. Find My Animal. This is my dad's company. It's a super cool concept and the even better part is that it works! You register your pet online, get a tag and an ID number and if your dog or cat or horse or whatever runs away then you report it as lost and they automatically send flyers with your pet's info to all local shelters, kennels, vets, etc. There is even an iPhone app so that you can report your pet missing from wherever you are. This week someone in Arkansas had five horses stolen from their land. So far four of them have already been located! For more info on the company go here. To sign your pet up (it's only $10 per YEAR for crying out loud) go here. 

Dexter's flyer and the tag you get from the FMA website!

 That's all for this week. Go register your pet. Happy Wednesday! 

 

To Tell The Truth Tuesday 11.15.11

So... we're going to try this out. I saw on another blog (yes, I'm a major blog stalker) something similar to this and since the theme of my blog is "random word vomit" picking one day to tell random truths seemed like an obvious choice. So, without further ado... here we go. 

1. I hate drying my hair. Usually in some capacity I map out my week trying to figure out when my hair needs to look good and when I can get away without washing it. Lately I've been going with the washing it at night model and loving it. Sometimes I'll let it dry on its own, sometimes I seriously put it in a wet bun and dry it the next morning. Yes, my hair hates to dry so much that I can wash it at night and dry it in the morning. Fascinating stuff, right?

2. I am WAY too excited about Breaking Dawn. First of all, I know that I am 25 and that Twilight is completely ridiculous. I know that phrases like "vampire baby" and "werewolf imprinting" are beyond absurd. Here's the thing... I don't care. Wizards and Storm Troupers and Hobbits are all silly and fake, too. But sometimes, it's just really fun to get all worked up and excited about fictional people (or non-people) for the sake of entertainment. And I am super pumped to go see Breaking Dawn on Thursday at midnight. Judge away.


3. If I could eliminate two things from Earth they would be mosquitoes and pimples. I am aware that I should say nuclear bombs and world hunger. But I'm just not an overachiever like that. I believe that the quality of life for a LOT of people would be increased if we could just get rid of mosquitoes and pimples. 


4. It's not even Thanksgiving yet. You have zero excuse for already decorating for Christmas. I don't care who you are.


5. No name alliteration for my kids. This is beyond random so prepare yourselves. I think that names with alliteration are really cool. I also read somewhere that people whose first and last name start with the same letter are more successful because their names are easier to remember. This sounds crazy but it also kind of makes sense. Maybe Gordon Gekko made all his money because people remembered him - not because he was greedy. Well, my kids are just going to have to be successful off merit alone because there are no names that start with P and go with Peeples. No kidding. Peter Peeples? Paul Peeples? Penelope Peeples?!?! No, no, big no. Also, this is not a hint that there is a Peter Peeples on the way. Just wanted that to be clear. ;-)


These are my incredibly random truths this week. Happy Tuesday!

Memory Monday 11.14.11

Let's play dress up! Ever since I was a little girl I have LOVED to play dress up. I had dresses and gloves and faux fur shawls (true story) and wigs, the whole nine yards. And I loved it. Growing up I loved Halloween and I always wanted to take my costumes to the extreme. Then I got to college... being in a sorority in college is like the Mecca of getting to dress up. We had 5+ costume functions (we called them functions at AR, some people call them mixers or parties or whatever - we called them functions) every year. Heaven. 

This past Friday night my friends and I in Nashville decided to bring back the costume "function" and threw a surprise birthday party for our friend Edie... 80's style. Dressing up like the 80's is probably my FAVORITE costume theme, too. I usually go with the Flashdance/Let's Get Physical look but this time I went Madonna Lucky Star and it was awesome.

So, in honor of dressing up this past weekend here is a walk down memory lane and some of my favorite costumes...

I started at a young age - this was my favorite "glam dress" growing up. And the drawn on beauty mark was a MUST. It was the era of Cindy Crawford, after all.

Alice in Wonderland - Sophomore Year. BTW, Haley (tool girl from Home Improvement in the front) is having a baby in a month. Love it.

I was the bad witch for Kappa Rush Junior year.

I was an Indian (not PC at all) senior year. Also, you can tell its college because Brit and I are rocking crop tops. Ah... the good ole' days.

Fred and Wilma - first Halloween as a married couple. So we decided to dress up like one from the stone ages. Har har.

Cat scan. Get it? Cat scan. And the wig has nothing to do with it. Promise.

This is from Edie's party this past weekend. Ignore my face.

*I had intentions of going back to look for older costume pictures but forgot. This post is now a day late and a dollar (read: a few photos) short. Oh well. At least it's here.

Happy Monday (er, Tuesday)!

Ketchup

It's time to play catch-up. I typed out "Catch Up" as the title of the post and it didn't seem very interesting. So I changed it to "Ketchup." Let's just chalk it up to being rusty in the blogosphere and being in a weird mood. So... I don't have any valid or exciting excuses for being MIA for three weeks. Every time I thought "I should definitely blog today" I just didn't. Simple as that. But here's what's been going on in the life of Caroline Bridges Peeples since we last chatted:

• Mom came to town. We went and saw an awesome 70's and 80's cover band. Check them out here. And, if they come to a town near you then definitely check them out. They were amazing. We had a blast. And then we did a LOT of laying around on Saturday. I had a list of about three-days-worth of things that I wanted to do that Saturday with her and we did exactly zero of them. It was a great day, though - just hanging out with my mom is one of the most fun things I can think of doing. We had a great weekend all around.

Fuzzy pic. But you can still tell that my mom is such a babe.

• The next weekend was the AR vs. Vandy game.  Our house was at capacity+ (11 people slept there including Will and me) and it could not have been more fun having the house that full! We had a blast showing off our fabulous city and spending some QT with friends. The Hogs' performance on the other hand... 

• Last weekend we did almost nothing and it was the PERFECT weekend. Friday night Will cooked steaks and we hung out at the house. Saturday morning Will coached his 8 year old Ensworth basketball team. I have to say, watching him coach is surreal and really fulfilling. I am so proud of him. Then I raked our back yard (ugh) and finished some house projects. We watched the football games and built a shelf for the house that night. Church and lunch and lazing about (for me - not Will - he studied) and Sunday was over. Time for another week to begin. 
  
  
  
  
  

  

  He looks like he's yelling at this kid but I promise he's not.

  

  Before.

  

  After. Only good part of yard work - seeing the results.

And here we are. We've had friends get engaged, Will's mom in town and Will has set off for Durham - all so far this week. It has been busy but fun. So, if you have ESPNU and no plans tomorrow night - watch Belmont take on the Duke Blue Devils. If you have plans, good for you but you should be watching the Duke/Belmont game instead. Just saying. 

In blog news - I have over 7500 views now so I should probably step my game up. Here's a breakdown of my day-by-day plan that I will TRY to adhere to going forward:
Memory Monday
To Tell The Truth Tuesday (this is new and will be random things that I feel like I need to "come clean about" - like not feeling guilty for loving Twilight, HATING drying my hair, being really good at six degrees of Kevin Bacon because I have no life, you know... things like that)
What I'm Loving Wednesday
Theater Thursday 
TGIF (just randoms of what's going on in life)
Here's hoping I actually do any of this next week.
Happy Thursday!

What I'm Loving Wednesday 10.19.11

This is going to be quick and dirty. But what would anyone's week be without knowing what I am loving on Wednesdays... Don't answer that. 

1. Parenthood. Best show on TV. I laugh. I cry. I laugh and cry at the same time. Ugh. It's so good. Also, I love Lauren Graham and Peter Krause so much. I only love them more because they're together in real life. I also love Monica Potter. Okay, I'll just start listing the whole cast if I keep going. I love it. 

2. SLEEP. Man, sleep is underrated. I have started going to bed earlier (closer to 9 than 11) and I feel like a whole new person! Those two (usually really just 1.5) more hours make the biggest difference. 

 3. Kathleen. Shout out to Kathleen this week. I love her so much and cannot begin to say how much I LOVE that we live in the same town. It is so great to have one of those friends that has known you for so long, knows all of your stories and drama and just loves you with so much history behind that love. She's just the best. 

4. Mom's coming! My mom is coming to town for the weekend! Cannot wait for some quality time. AND I am hoping that we might maybe, possibly paint my front door! But I really just can't wait to hang out, eat yummy Nashville food and keep her dog out of the dirt in my backyard. 

Happy Wednesday!

What I'm Loving Wednesday 10.12.11

I haven't done a Wednesday post in a while. So, I guess these loves better be good today! 

1. New shutters on our house! This past weekend Will and Robbie put new shutters on our house. The old ones were in fine shape but they were dark green and drove me a little crazy. Here is the progress from the weekend. This weekend's project is the front step - mums, pumpkins, etc. Then next weekend my mom is coming and we'll pick a color and possibly paint the front door!

Before - Green Shutters. I wish I'd taken this without all the shadows...

During - No Shutters. Naked house!

After - Brown Shutters!

2. Open Window Nights. I have made it clear that I hate cold weather. But I do love this in between time when the weather is really mild and we can sleep with the windows open. Fresh air is the best. Makes me realize why people live in California. I could deal with this weather year-round for sure. 

3. Planning for the Arkansas vs. Vandy game weekend. So... we are having a lot of people to our house the weekend that the Hogs play the Commodores at the end of the month. And I cannot wait. It's going to be so fun to have a big group of Arkansans in our city! I've already emailed the group twice in the last week. Yeah... I'm excited. 

4. Cutting out some TV. So, I have been weeding out shows that I'm recording. I need to quit sitting in front of the TV so much so I am cutting out the shows that I record but don't really care to watch the night they're on. So far I've deleted Revenge, Dancing with the Stars (yes,  I am aware that I never should have recorded this in the first place), Mike and Molly, Gossip Girl (which I wasn't watching anymore but for some reason was still recording?) and Grey's Anatomy. I'm giving Up All Night one last chance tonight. The sad part is that I still record at least two shows per night. Ugh!

5. Famous Dave's Pickles. On one of his many trips to Costco Will discovered Famous Dave's Pickles. They are sweet, spicy and super delicious. We keep a huge jar of them in our fridge and usually have to replace it every month or so. I usually eat a couple when I get home from work. Totally random but I love them so I thought I'd share in case anyone else loves pickles as much as we do! (Robbie looked in our fridge the other day and said, "Y'all have a lot of pickles.")

 That's all for today. Happy Wednesday!

Memory Monday - Happy Birthday, Gigi!

Yesterday was my Gigi's birthday! Here are some photos and fun Gigi memories...

At one of my wedding parties. This is one of my favorite Gigi pics!

Silly

With all their grandkids!

My Gigi rock - she gave me this when I didn't want to leave her house one time when I was little. I still have it.

The first time mom and Gigi came to visit me in Nashville! Can't believe this was three years ago!

Video chatting with mom, Gigi and Mimi a couple of years ago. We miss you so much, Mimi.

Girls trip to the beach - one of the best times I have ever had!

• One of the first sentences I ever said was, "I God's gift to Gigi."
• I called Gigi in the middle of the night one night and freaked her out... because I was three. And already knew her phone number.
• Gigi has a rather large big toe, which mom and I inherited. But it gets smaller with each generation. Really random fact but I think it's a funny thing to pass down. 
• Something else she may or may not have passed down my way: bladder control. Or lack thereof. Anyway...
• Every time I went to visit when I was little I slept in the bed with she and Papa.
• She gave me a warm chocolate milk bottle at her house until I was WAY too old for it. I typed my age and then deleted it. Some things should just remain between family. ;-)
• If you are friends with her on Facebook she WILL comment on most of your pictures. Especially if your name is Rebekah Boone. Haha.
• She loves her sister, my Auntie Al, more than anyone else in the world and has been a great, great sister to her. 
• She has had every shade of red hair that there is in the world. Including purple and orange.
• I love her so much and don't know what I'd do without her!

 Happy, happy birthday Geeg!!!

And we're back!

The title of the blog should be read in Jimmy Fallon's voice from his Z105 SNL sketch. Just wanted to make that clear. Okay, I have been missing in action... but Will and I have had a lot going on the last two weeks! 

Two weeks ago our friend Robbie moved in with us for the month of October. We were excited to have him and almost half-way through the house guestness (not a word) things are going great. Robbie is loving Will's cooking (as he should), he dog sat Dexter for us while we were in Baltimore (penance for free rent) and we have another Arkansan to watch the Hog game with this weekend! WPS!

Last weekend we went to Baltimore to visit Mary Helen and Ben. I built the trip up a lot because I've been so excited to see MH and to visit a new place. Well, the trip totally lived up to all my expectations. We ate really great food, spent some awesome quality time with Mary and Ben, visited a really cool city and got our first bit of cold weather for the season (not really a positive but at least the initial shock is over).  Here are some pictures from the trip:

The bay about five blocks from Mary and Ben's. Gorgeous at sunset!

At dinner on Friday. So excited to be there!

Love this guy. He made me laugh the whole weekend.

On a WWII Navy ship in the harbor - really interesting tour. Can you tell I'm cold, though?

At a sports bar watching the end of the Hogs game!! WPS!!!

I swear Will and I have a picture like this from every trip we take.

Crabs at Jimmy Cantler's - DELICIOUS!

Will working on his crabs...

Mary getting after it with her mallet.

Table when we were finished with it. Full stomachs. Happy stomachs.

Walking around the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Again... cold.

The Bay Bridge. My worst nightmare. So Mary drove us over it. And back over it.

On our early flight Monday morning Will read the Southwest magazine and created this lovely dollar origami ring for me. And then he wanted his dollar back. The nerve.

All-in-all we had a super fabulous trip and I already can't wait to go back! Thanks MH and Ben for being such great hosts!

Also in the last two weeks I went on my shopping day! It was really fun. I ended up finding a fabulous pair of boots that look nothing like the ones that I showed on my preshopping post but I don't care. Because, if a pair of boots can be beautiful... these are:

Yes, those are angels singing.

So, the fabulous boots cut down my clothes budget a bit. BUT, I was also able to get a pair of pants, a long skirt, four tops and a necklace. Not bad for my budget! Thank you TJ Maxx, Target, Blush and my fairy godmother who made the whole thing possible. That sounded like an Oscar acceptance speech. Anyway, photos of all outfits will follow in a post next week.

Happy Friday everyone! If you're in NWA for the Razorback game this weekend then have a beer and yell at some War Eagles for me! Go Hogs!!!