Trendy Tuesday - Laughing Cow

This weekend at Sam's, the husband and I were there scoping out the free samples. We came across a sweet lady passing out cheese and crackers. We sampled both kinds of cheese. I thought they were ok, and the husband made one of these looks:

The lady just looked at him. I think she really wanted to roll her eyes.

But behind her there was a cheese display, and a 3 pack of these...

Although we didn't get to sample them, Husband had full confidence in them, so I threw them in the cart. I was thinking to myself..."this is going to be a waste of money. You'd have to eat like 3 wedges to get anything out of it." Oh, how I was wrong.

I am in love. With cheese. With Laughing Cow cheese. I obsess over when I can get another wedge, pull back the foil top and dip my naked crackers into this lucious, creamy, filling 35 calorie treat. Don't judge me for licking the wrapper...

Seriously, go get you a round. You'll thank me :)

monday mayhem - back pains back

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

As for me, I spent a majority of mine here: (but ours is actually leather)

Being the wife of a health nut, I somehow got pulled into working out with the husband on Saturday afternoon. I walked briskly for about 30 min, and figured I'd do some toning with the big work out ball. I've recently been taking a toning class and we usually warm up by holding the ball and making circular movements from our torso, using all ab and back muscles.

Well, I started doing them, and about 10 circles into it..."snap!" I heard it and felt it in my lower back.

Now, if you're an avid reader of my blog, you'll recognize this exact same picture from last summer, when i REALLY threw my back out. I could.not.move. At all. This time its not as severe, but it hurts pretty bad.

So I spent the rest of Saturday afternoon, evening and allllll day and evening Sunday staying off my back. It was nice to relax and have Hubby do all the regular mrs. chores, but a girl can get bored after awhile!

I checked out Hulu...not having cable I was able to watch lots of shows I never get to see!

I've been at work about a half hour now...and the pain is already kicking in. Curious to see how things go today...

FGF: Earrings

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Congrats to Entry #3...Elizabeth!

Thanks to all who participated! We are needing more donations for giveaways, so if you know of anyone who makes fabulous things that would like to be featured, please email me!

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Thank goodness its FRIDAY!

And even better, FREE GIVEAWAY FRIDAY!

This week's awesome, beautiful giveaway has been donated by Helen from Helen's Dreams! She makes handcrafted jewelry inspired by nature. And what's even more incredible is that she will donate $1.00 of every sale to www.bloodwatermission.com in Africa which is a missionary trying to get clean water wells and health supplies to severe poverty areas.

You can also learn more about Helen and become a follower of hers at her personal blog, http://helenesdreams.blogspot.com

Her pieces are so beautiful!! I have already selected a few favorites of my own :)

Here's how to win: (PLEASE COMMENT EACH ENTRY SEPERATELY!)

1) Go to Helen's Dreams and come back here and post a comment telling me which piece is your favorite.

2) Become a follower! Or let me know if you already are one!

3) Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave me a comment letting me know!

4) Winner will be selected by random.org on Monday morning.

Thoughtful Thursdays - What are you thinking?

I had so much fun reading your thoughts last week, I think I'm going to do it again this week...

My current thoughts...

-I CAN'T believe I messed up the simple egg omlete for the office birthday party. How could I be so dumb as to put a whole pint of heavy whipping cream in instead of 1 1/4 cups? Well...at least people still ate it.

-Why didn't I wear my awesome rain boots today? Clearly, its raining!

-DWTS clearly made the right choice ditching Denise. She was horrible.

-Don't forget to do the homework assignment before class tonight! I'll put a post-it on my desk right now...

-My happy thought for the day...Zack doesn't have to go to work today...BUT there are about 3 huge-normous stacks of plates, cookware and cups from our party last night and my chaotic omlete and muffin making this morning that HE gets to clean :)

What are YOU thinking about today?

Hilarities - Olympic Bloopers

Happy Wednesday!

Trendy Tuesday: Lips

I always have to have something on my lips...chapstick, lip gloss, or lip stick. I can't leave the house without it on. I even have a little zip up bag full of selections that never leaves my purse.

InStyle has named the MAC Lipglass one of their best beauty buys for 2009. After I run out of all the ones I already have, this will be my next selection.

The only thing I'm super stingy about with lip gloss is the sticky factor. I HATE lip glosses that your hair gets stuck in when the wind blows, or your husband makes a sour face when he tries to kiss you and has to wipe the sticky goop off his own lips. Once that happens, I throw out the tube.

That's why I love Sephora's new lip gloss. I got three trial tubes for a birthday gift from Sephora and LOVE THEM. They are three different shades, each with a light flavor and no stickiness. My most fav is the Bronzed Beauty.

Now if I'm not dressing up, or feeling really laid back for the day, I'll just wear my most favorite chapstick, SoftLips vanilla. My second favorite flavor is cherry :) But hands down this is the best chapstick. Its sleek, the flavors are delicious and it gives your lips a bit of a tingle when you apply it!

And finally, if I'm feeling very fashionable or dressy, my most favorite lip stick is Clinique's Butter Surge Color Shine Lipstick in Perfect Plum. Its the best color for my skin tone and goes with pretty much any outfit I have on. I love it!

So, what is your favorite lip gloss/stick? What can you not leave the house without? Maybe you can sway my preference :)

Monday Mayhem - Retro Bowl

We had a fabulous weekend! Friday night we ran some errands together, and ate a lovely chinese dinner at the mall. I'm always craving their bourbon chicken and sweet and sour chicken with fried rice! Saturday we joined Sam's Club (I think it was a great decision for us!) and went to some great friend's house for a wonderful evening of food and fellowship.

Sunday we hit up our local Good Will stores in search for the perfect Retro Attire for our college Retro Bowl last night. Oh, we hit the jackpot. Here are a few pictures from our outting last night! We ate dinner at Taco Bueno and bowled a few $2 games!

PS...GO CARDS! The Louisville Cardinals are doing awesome :)

FGF: Personalized Puzzle

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Congrats to Entry #2...Todd, Ariana, and Caylah from Welcome to the Neighborhood!

Thanks for all who entered to win, and be sure to check back again this Friday for another fantastic giveaway and a chance to win again!

It's time for another fantastic giveaway!

I LOVE Free Giveaway Fridays!

This week's super unique gift is being donated by my new bloggy friend, Megan! She happens to be good friends with my bro-in-law, and I'm so glad we met!


Megan's Etsy Page is The Blue Barn, and she just started it with these super cute products. This week's giveaway is going to be your very own personalized cube puzzle! It makes a fabulous coffee table item!

The puzzle consists of six 2" cubes. Each cube has 1/6th of each picture on it. When you put them together you will have one complete 4x6 photograph. All cubes are sealed with a gloss glaze so that photos do not peel off of the cubes.Once you have made your purchase (or win) Megan will send you instructions regarding how to submit your photos. You can include pictures of anything you wish, such as your child (or children), other family or friends.

Wanna Win?

1) Go to Megan's The Blue Barn and look around. Then leave me a comment here and tell me what picture you'd have put on your custom cube puzzle!

2) For a second, separate entry, follow my blog! Or let me know you are already a follower!

3) For a third, and seperate entry, blog about my giveaway on your blog and link it to my site!

4) Winner will be selected on Monday morning by random.org

Thoughtful Thursdays - What in the world are you thinking?

My head is full of thoughts today...

-Is it going to hold off on the rain until I need to go outside?

-What should I make for dinner?

-I hope my husband is staying dry at his moving job today.

-I hope Fez isn't throwing up all over our bed (last night we went for a walk down to McD's and back...during our journey, Fez ate three sandwich crackers, half of a burger bun, a jelly bean, a few bites of Zack's ice cream, and then some surprise stuff in the back yard...)

-My cheerios taste stale this morning...do they have cereal in the cafe?

-Did I switch the laundry over? Or will I be re-washing that last load...

-Why are apartments so close together? Why aren't they called "closements" or "stackments"?

Hope you enjoyed your journey through my brain full of thoughts on this Thursday.

What are YOU thinking about today?

Hilarities - Snickers

This is my little sister, Kendall, and her fiance, Luke.

We are totally convinced that he plays the Pilgrim in this Snickers commercial. He looks and sounds EXACTLY like him...



This "Luke Pilgrim" stars in many versions of these Snickers commercials, but this is my most favorite one, hands down:



***Note...do not take a big swig of coffee right before you watch the second one...I knew what was coming and I still did it...

Trendy Tuesday: spring dresses

I haven't been to the mall in ages. But Hubby and I ended up there this weekend to run a few errands, and I saw these dresses in every store!!! I absolutely L-O-V-E them.

I must say...I'm not a huge fan of the super low cut, spaghetti strap tops, but that's nothing a cute little sweater can't cover up!

I love how these dresses drape to the floor. I actually saw a girl at church on sunday wearing one of these, and it just flowed with her as she walked along. Ohhhh....I think I could buy like 10 of these things!!! Here are my favorites I scoped out...

Old Navy Jersey Maxi Dress $34.50

Old Navy Jersey Maxi Dress - Red $29.50

Target Surplus Dress - Sea Breeze $24.99

Charlotte Russe Crochet Maxi Dress - Brown $29.99

Charlotte Russe Tribal Floral Dress $28.99

Forever 21 Akela Strapless Maxi $22.80

Monday Mayhem - Sam's Club

Are any of you members at Sam's Club? The Hubby and I were discussing this weekend if we felt it would be a good investment of $30 a year. Of course items are cheaper there, but we have never really bought anything in bulk.



Of course, my most favorite reason for wanting to join Sam's is the free samples :) Who doesn't love getting a buffet of goodies that fills you up like an entire meal? But I have to put all the economical reasons in there for the hubby's sake :)

What are your thoughts? If you're a member, are you glad you are? What is the best thing to buy there? And most importantly, what days do they have all the free samples?!?

FGF: Soap

We have a winner!

Congrats to comment #25, Ruby Red Slippers!

Come back this Friday for another chance to win a fabulous prize!!!

Free Giveaway Friday is back!!!

And this week its smelling so fresh and so clean :)

I am super excited to feature my friend Sara, and her Etsy page, RB Soap Company!

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Here's a little interesting info about the company: "The letters RB stand for the original spelling of the Hebrew word BAR, meaning "pure" or "clean." We are a Christian-based company from Louisiana specializing in using things found in God's creation to make soap!

Our soaps contain absolutely no artificial colorings/dyes, synthetic fragrances, or preservatives and are environmentally safe. Each soap is scented with Cybilla Essential Oils, which are derived from nuts, berries, spices, herbs, flowers, and other sources found in nature. Our soaps are safe for even the most sensitive skin and are ultra moisterizing (goat's milk in every bar!). "

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This week's super lucky winner will receive TWO delicious bars of soap!!!! They will get:

Lavender Vanilla Soap

and

Japanese Yuzu Soap (a citrus smell, similar to grapefruit and orange)

Here's how to enter to win...***PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING...

1) Head over to RB Soap Company etsy page and tell me what your favorite fragrance is

2) Become a follower of The Pink Potpourri! If you are already one, let me know!

3) Post about this giveaway, with a link, on your blog!

4) Winner will be selected Monday morning by random.org

Thoughtful Thursdays - Sad Time

Over the past week, many horrific events have happened. It's almost too overwhelming to fathom. The evilness of the world has taken a swing this week, and its a very sad time. Here are a few of the events I'm sure you all have already heard about this week. (click on each title for the news article)

Pastor Killed, 2 Hurt in Illinois Church Shooting

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Gunman in Alabama Killed 11

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Teen Gunman Kills 15 in Rampage Before Turning Weapon on Self

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Man's Suicide Note Leads to Body of Former Missing Tennessee Model

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Also, this past week the close neighbors of my sister and her husband committed suicide. He was a wonderful husband, father and friend.

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And a few days ago, this murder and fire occured in the neighborhood my parents used to live in.

I am posting these for Thoughtful Thursday not to bring everyone down, but to remind each of us what a blessing every day of life is. Please take a few moments today to think of and pray for these families who are enduring the loss of their innocent loved ones this week.

Hilarities - Dry Retreiver

My mom sent me this video the other day. It cracks me up because it reminds me of our dog, Fez. Everytime we go fishing, or he has his doggy pool out, he loves to try to get floating objects to come to him the same way as this dog! He thinks his little puppy paw is going to be strong enough to get the fishies to come to him!

On the other hand, I'm a bit curious abou this video. Who has a square foam board conveniently laying in their pool like that???

Trendy Tuesday: Spring is springing

It's going to be a high of 81 degrees here today!!!

Oh, I am sooo excited! I am soaking up every moment of it that I can today, as the high tomorrow will be only 43 :(

Anyways, back to today...So I am always a bit flustered this time of year, because warmer weather reaquaints itself with us during this month, but on the other hand, my poor little legs haven't seen a ray of direct sunlight since last October.

So the question is...when is it safe to wear a skirt with bare legs? I was going to wear this really cute dress today, but I did not want to expose my pastey whites.

But on the other hand, who wears leather boots on an 80 degree day?


So this time of year, what is best to do? I opted out completely and went with another pair of dress pants :( But they're pink, so that's springy!

monday mayhem - fez fur

Is Monday seriously here already? Is it just me or did I blink and the weekend was over???

We had a fantastic time on Friday evening with our friends. Our city has a trolley hop the first Friday of the month where restaurants and stores stay open late and you can take a free trolley up and down the street to shop and eat. We check out some fantastic stores, got our pictures taken in a photo booth and watched a glass blowing demonstration!

Saturday was house maintenance day! We picked up TONS of sticks and limbs covering our back yard, cleaned the car, did some re-planting and gave Fez his annual spring hair cut. I'm not sure if these pictures do any justice, but everytime we do this, he gets his neck back and loses about ten pounds :) Here are the befores...

And afters! Can you see the smile on his face? He feels so free and light...

Can you tell how much he loves getting his picture taken? He knows how to pose for the camera. We tell him all his lady dog friends will be looking at these, so that's why he makes these poses :)

FGF: MIA

Bad news here at The Pink Potpourri HQ...we had a donator set up to be featured this weekend and donate an awesome giveaway, but she did not deliver. The date was set but I never heard back from her this week as planned, so I post here empty handed.

No worries, though, NEXT friday we have a terrific giveaway that has already been confirmed :) I am so excited! The winner will smell terrific....oh, I've said too much :)

But you can still enter for a giveaway this weekend! My great friend, Megan, and Wandering DC is giving away a really cool t-shirt!!! So go enter to win!


PS...I need your HELP! My parents 32nd anniversary is coming up next week, and according to the "traditional gifts" for that year, its an automobile! Um....are you kidding me? Here's a new car, Mom and Dad! Happy Anniversary! HA! As much as I'd love to do that, I need some "automobile themed" gift ideas, or maybe even just a neat anniversary gift idea with any sort of theme. Any suggestions??? Thanks!

Hilarities - Sleep Running

I've watched this over and over and crack up every time :) Our family dog, Daisy, used to run in her sleep, but nothing like this! She would just move her little paws back and forth and make noises! We think she was chasing bunny rabbits...or maybe a life-sized dog bone :)

Trendy Tuesday: Polka Dots

Polka Dots are everywhere for the Spring! I think they are so cute and girlie, and I am thrilled to see them bursting out all over the place! Here are some of my favorite finds...

Polka-Dot Dessert Plates Set of 6
$29.99
http://www.target.com/

Betsey Johnson Polka Dot Trench

$138.00

http://www.nordstroms.com/

Jessica Simpson "Polka Dot" Double Handle Tote
$62.00

http://www.macys.com/

Polka-Dot Boy-Short Bikinis

$17.50

http://www.oldnavy.com/

Hollywood Ending wedges by BC Footwear

$50

www.nordstroms.com