Newly Engaged + A $25 Target Gift Card Giveaway

***This post is sponsored by Target but all opinions and views are my own*** 

Hello my loves.

Are you all over the winter weather yet?   I think this may very well be the most snow I've seen in the last 10 years.  No exaggeration. I'm completely over it at this point. My lil Peanut and I are going stir crazy in here staring at one another!  That part is quite alright by me though because I'm thoroughly enjoying this quality with him before I head back to work.

I can hardly believe that January is basically over and we're about to embark on February. That means Valentine's Day is almost upon us.Have you began shopping for your significant other yet? If you're in need of some inexpensive and very practical gift ideas check out my last post. 

Valentine's Day has easily become one of my favorite holidays. Not only because of the chocolates, balloons, and cuddly teddy bears but also because on that day 4 years ago my honey and I made our relationship official. Since then we've created tons of great memories-the greatest of them all being the birth of our beautiful baby boy this past December.

The next step from here would be engagement. What better gift could a girl ask for than an engagement ring on Valentine's Day? I already have our wedding plans all figured out. We would register with Target's fabulous Wedding Registry and have a very intimate reception, that would also double as our ceremony, at his parents clubhouse which overlooks the water.

Wait, did I mention how fab Target's Wedding Registry is? It's the absolute BEST destination for newly engaged couples as its products will allow any couple to turn their dreams into reality. I literally can't wait to begin adding things to my list. Since both my honey and I love technology and social media we would most enjoy the Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera to post pictures on our social media and begin our website, the HP All-In-One Printer to print business documents, and the Garmin Nuvi Portable GPS to navigate us to business meetings, etc. These items will help us to expand and grow our hobbies into entrepreneurial powerhouses.

         

 And being that we are choosing to focus more on our honeymoon in terms of how we will make use of our budget,  we could definitely make use of some nice luggage like this SwissGear Upright Luggage Set.

The best part of this post is that Target has agreed to give one of you lovelies a $25 gift card just for visiting their Wedding Registry and coming back here to comment about your most favorite item (you must leave the link to the item) and why you love it. (You may also visit Target's Pinterest board to view more items) A winner will be chosen at 11:59PM EST on Friday,  February 7, 2014-just in time to do some last minute Valentine's Day shopping. Please leave your email address in the comments as your gift card will be emailed directly to you by a Target representative.

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Thank You for reading and best wishes. 

XOXOXOXOXO

Valentine's Day Gift Guide: For Him

Hello and Happy Tuesday my loves.

I know the day is about over but I wanted to post anyways-having a newborn has my schedule all thrown off therefore I just post when I can. Gone are the days when I continuously beat myself up about not posting at a certain time of the day, 3-4 days a week.  It's my blog and I make the rules; which means I'll post when the mood strikes-even if it's past normal business/blogging hours.

I can't believe that Valentine's Day is right around the corner y'all! I mean, didn't the new year just begin!?

Valentine's Day happens to be one of my most favored holidays. I love love and the opportunity to celebrate it. Most of all I love the aspect of giving my special someone, something special. Any opportunity to shop is my kinda day!!!

So what do you get your man this year? Especially when he already has everything. Here are a few practical and inexpensive gifts that any man would enjoy-even if he does have everything-on Cupid's day.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide: For Him by sherockwell on Polyvore

A SWISS ARMY KNIFE will get him out of a jam in a flash. It can open beer and/or wine bottles when he's hanging out with the fellas for All Star night and it's easy accessibility provides convenience for the man on the go.

The TOOL KIT...what man doesn't need a tool kit? This one speaks for itself because it can benefit you as well. Remember that broken hinge on the door? Yeah ladies, this is possibly the best gift on the list.

A UNIVERSAL REMOTE will easily provide comfort and quietness within the home on those days when PMS has gotten the best of you. 

The CHARGING STATION is perfect for the tech savvy guy. He can charge all of his gadgets at once with this and can furthermore stop using the excuse that his phone was dead when you attempted to contact him to remind him of the eggs you needed from the grocery store. 

Lastly, the ELECTRIC SHAVER will keep him looking and feeling his best. Because after all, who wants an unkempt man?

I hope this list provided you with some new and exciting ideas that you hadn't already thought of. I love compiling lists like this because it makes it that much easier for me to shop for gifts. Please come back and visit the blog tomorrow as I will be teaming up with Target again to discuss love and offer one of you a $25 gift card that will help lower the cost of your Valentine's Day shopping bill.

Have anything else to add to list?

Lemme know in the comments below...

My Kind Of Holiday: Black Friday Shopping

***This post is sponsored by Target but all opinions and views are my own***

One of my most favorite parts about the holidays is the shopping that goes along with it. I love gifting and I love giving.
This year's Black Friday was incredibly different because most stores actually opened up on Thursday, which was a complete bummer because those of us who are serious about our Black Friday shopping more than likely left our families early to be able to make it to our store of choice before the lines got too out of hand. 
I had my game plan figured out way in advance. I've been a loyal Target Black Friday shopper for the past 3 years now, this year being no different. 
I had my mind set on a brand new TV, which by visiting their Black Friday ad, I saw they were having a great doorbuster deal on. I even went so far as to map out my exact route once in the store so that I could be in and out and on to my next deal within a decent time frame.

The store wasn't scheduled to open until 8PM on Thursday evening so I figured if I got in line by 5PM I would be fine. Seeing how Thanksgiving dinner began at 3PM, I couldn't fathom leaving my family any earlier than that. 
Being that I am in my 9th month of pregnancy, I made sure to take a lawn chair, blanket, and earmuffs that were able to hook up to my phone so that I could listen to my favorite music and be semi-comfortable while waiting in line. 
When I initially arrived in the parking lot I saw that there weren't many cars nor were there many people standing in line. Awesome!!! I'm gonna be able to get in and out of the store in no time-TV in tow!!!
NEGATIVE!!!!!
About 30 minutes after waiting in the line, an associate came through to notify us that they had handed out all of the tickets for the TVs and that we should no longer waste our time in line because all 24 of them had been accounted for. 
Though I think it was very nice of her to notify us so that we wouldn't stand helplessly in line for hours, I'm very disappointed in Target for not having more of this advertised doorbuster in stock. I mean at least 50 would have been a more reasonable number. So now, not only am I frustrated with the fact that I lost out on valuable family time, I have to get my pregnant self up and search for another TV deal because unlike Walmart, Target did not offer an 'in stock guarantee'.
This Black Friday was a total bust for me-totally NOT #MyKindofHoliday.

My Kind of Holiday: Thanksgiving Traditions

***This post is sponsored by Target but all opinions and views are my own***

 

 

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target.

Hello and Happy Tuesday my loves!!

I hope all of you are off to a great start. I'm sitting at my desk with my feet propped up because as I approach my 9th month of pregnancy they're beginning to look like an opened can of Pillsbury biscuits. LOL

I'm also thinking of macaroni and cheese, daydreaming about candied yams, and craving for some of my Aunties homemade banana pudding in anticipation of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.   I just can't wait!!!   Every year is especially memorable but this year will be particularly different because all of my family will be oogling over my pregnant belly, how much food I have on my plate, and how many trips I make to the serving table-making sure to keep a running tally of the exact numbers so they can tease me about it later.   Thanksgiving is such a special holiday for my family. It's a yearly tradition of ours to begin planning our menu in October. Food + Family (definitely) = #MyKindOfHoliday! I have a total of 4 aunts and uncles so each year they rotate hosting duties.   The women usually set the tables up really nicely-complete with pretty serving trays, napkins, and glasses-and the men....NOT SO MUCH!!!         They're usually more focused on the featured football game of the evening.   At some point during the evening, after eating of course, the men and women go their separate ways. The women hover over the Black Friday sales ads and contemplate their plan of attack while the men continue to hoop and holler over touchdowns and await their Black Friday shopping assignments.   This portion of the holiday is usually accompanied by some type of wine, spirit, and/or other spiked beverage. I'm madly jealous that I can't participate in this particular tradition and that I'm going to have to settle for nonalcoholic daiquiris and Shirley Temples this year!!!     Oh well, at least they're gorgeous to look at!   Besides, I would hate to drink too much and miss out on the slamming 'Doorbuster' deal that Target has on their 50" flat screen TVs this year.  I've been dreaming of this deal all season.   I would love to hear about some of the traditions that you and your family follow for Thanksgiving or any new ideas that you plan to incorporate this season.   I can't wait to hear from you.   Thanks for reading! XOXOXOXO

     

Friday Favorites: Vol #32

Hello and happy Friday my dears.

I hope you all are off to a fabulous start. We have made it to the end of the week and I couldn't be more excited. In an effort to get my home and my shop more organized while I have a few more weeks off of work, I've been totally neglecting my Friday Favorites posts.

NO LONGER will that fly!!

With that being said, here are some of my favorite moments over the past couple of days, weeks, and probably months!!!

THIS...is going down on Monday. I can hardly contain myself!!!

Coupons are my favorite. Seriously they are the equivalent of FREE money. And who doesn't like FREE. I sure as hell do.

Spending time with my goddaughter is so great and it gives me awesome practice in preparation of my little Peanut. She means the world to me! I can't believe how big she has gotten. It seems like only yesterday I was at the hospital swaddling her in a receiving blanket.

This makeshift shoe rack that I found while thrifting. I had been searching all over for something sturdy enough to hold all of the shoes I've acquired for my shop. This was perfect at a price point of $9.

Speaking of thrifting, I was able to visit a ton of Goodwill shops while I was vacationing in South Carolina a few weeks ago. Their selection was amazing too-every piece that I laid my hands on was a popular name brand.

Yummy breakfast-turkey sausage, egg, and cheese wraps with buttery blueberry muffins!!

Some great fireworks that I was able to capture on Fourth of July! They were so beautiful!

Studying style...my current library reads. I'm thee biggest bookworm in America. I have a full home library but still manage to check out books from my local library. There are so many great resources there.

These gorgeous Sam & Libby wedges that I found at Target. Someone had returned them from an online purchase so I was able to score them for 9 bucks. What a steal considering that the line has yet to be marked down. 

I'm patiently awaiting this FEED line at Target to be marked down soon. I'm totally swooning over this denim vest but I just can't fathom paying $30 for it right now. 

Another Target find was these Prabal Gurung sandals that I found when they were marked down. So glad I was able to get them. They are super sexy. I can't wait to post the full outfit for you all. Stay tuned. 

$2 Polo shirts are a MUST. These things retail for above $60!!! Major score.

Last but not least, this AH MAY ZING bubble necklace that I found at Dillards the other day. The deal was that all clearance accessories were an additional 40% for cardholders. The clearance tag read $20 which would make this baby only $12 after my 40%. Quite a deal considering these necklaces run about 30 bucks elsewhere. Well, would you believe that I only ended up paying $8 for it due to a glitch in their computer system. The manager was oh so nice and took an additional, additional 40% off of the $20 due to the inconvenience of me having to wait. SWEET!!

So tell me, what are some of your favorites from this past week (or month)?

I can't wait to hear from you.

Thanks for reading!

XOXOXOXO

4th of July...

Happy 4th of July my loves!!

I haven't done an outfit post in so long that I've almost forgotten how. Finding locations and taking pictures have become somewhat foreign to me. I totally commend those of you lovely bloggers who have the time, patience, and wherewithal to continue with it because blogging just ain't as easy as it appears. 

For a long while, I thought for sure that I had given up blogging but my passion for writing and fashion keeps bringing me back.

In observance of the holiday, I just wanted to share my 'fit with you all.

This shirt definitely makes me want to stand in front of a mirror and say 'The Pledge of Allegiance'.

Shirt-Forever 21

I scored it from Forever 21 on a B1G1 FREE special that they were running. Although I'm still confused as to why the manufacturers would make a long sleeved American Flag tee. I mean my logic is that I would only wear this shirt specifically on 4th of July, maybe Memorial Day. But what do I know, I'm just a girl who loves clothes.

The denim vest was thrifted and altered. It was originally a jacket.

The bottoms were originally straight leg chinos which were cut into shorts. This is the first and probably my last time wearing them because I don't like the tightness in the leg area. 

I honestly could have toned it down on the accessories but....

All in all this outfit served it's main purpose of comfort and functionality.

I wore this to eat lunch with my Goddaughter and my bestie and I loved how we all coordinated.

I love this bright, All American look so I decided to submit it into the DASANI DROPS #flavorfy challenge.

How was your 4th of July holiday?

I can't wait to hear from you.

Thanks for reading. 

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