My new blog layout is inspired (and partially stolen from) In Style’s section of celebrity closets. I do love a good closet and so I thought my blog would look at home inside of one. Here’s a few of those behind the inspiration that were previously featured:
Welcome to the new home for my writing.
Love,
B
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Last week I won 11 and lost 3 of my NFL picks. Sadly, I did not come in first place. BUT I am making a steady comeback. Here are my picks for week 5…
Bal (v. Cinci)
Phi (v. TB)
Buff (v. Cle)
Pit (v. Det)
Wash (v. Car)
Dal (v. KC)
NYG (v. Oak)
Min (v. STL)
ATL (v. SF)
Ari (v. Hous)
NE (v. Den)
Sea (v. Jax)
Indy (v. Ten)
NYJ (v. Mia)
Thoughts?!
Love,
B
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Whether you know me in real life or blogworld you probably know me well enough to have figured out I’m more of a spender than a saver. Some may even term me a professional consumer. I buy what I want, usually at the exact moment I decide I want it. Now, I do maintain a high enough level of self control to keep myself out of trouble – but until recently not enough to ever get ahead.
I am not however content to continue to be subpar. It is not enough to simply survive in the world, I want to conquer. For me success in the world of finances doesn’t mean getting rich, it means being financial stable and secure. Ready even for the unexpected. Above crisis. Prepared. Or to simplify – it means not having to answer the question, ‘if you had a 5,000 dollar crisis where would you get the money’ with a sheepish – ‘Call my Dad and ask to borrow?’.
The course I’m taking teaches to you to live below your means now so that later you can ‘live like no one else’. It is important to me to be a good steward of what God has entrusted to me and I would be lying if I said that I have always cared about that. Honestly, I think for many years (mostly high school and college) I thought that being a ‘good steward of my money’ was directly related to’ being lame and going without everything I wanted’.
Wrong.
As every consumers pet, I like to have the best, the newest, the now. The problem however is not what I want but when I want it. The Dave Ramsey program is teaching me that you don’t have to go without what you want, you have to wait until you can truly afford it. Not afford it in the sense that there’s enough money in your bank account, enough money in the right category. Can I go on a cruise if I want? Absolutely! But it must come from a budget category that holds vacations (ie: entertainment) and the money must be available before I pay for the cruise (not charged and later paid off or borrowed from other categories).
All you shopaholics out there are grimacing right along with me. Waiting. What a horrible, horrible concept. We love the instant gratification of having it before others, when we want it, and to wear or use the very next day! Am I right? So how am I ever going to learn to delay my desires until their budgeted and saved for? Another word we shopaholics hate – discipline!
I must learn to limit my spending to only a pre-determined amount. Stay tuned for updates as I try’n face facts on the catagories that are out of control.
Love,
B
Ps: Check at the bottom of my sidebar for a financial check up and see if you’re on the right track. According to my plan, I could have over 6 million dollars in savings by the time I’m 65 (with the interest included). Don’t you see why I like Dave now?! : ]
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I love me some Gossip Girl fashion so, in honor of having watched a Tivo’d episode of the show this morning while I got ready I’m going to show show you a combo of some of my favorite stylish ‘it’ girls from one of my favorite fashion blog sites…
Blake Lively – ‘Serena Vanderwoodsen’
She has mastered looking naturally put together and beautiful all-the-time! Can I please get to that point?!
Jessica Szohr – ‘Vanessa Abrams’
I really dig her in the second outfit down. So cute.
Leighton Meester – ‘Blaire Waldorf’
She changes up her style. She always has some different stylish look going on. She’s my favorite in the show, so I like to follow her ‘on the street’ style as well.
And since she was this weeks guest star…. Hilary Duff - ‘Olivia’ on GG. I actually like her style on this site better than I thought I would. She’s got some cute looks featured.
Special thanks for Frugal Fashionista’s – one of my favorite websites. Thanks for keeping me up on the trends, and helping me get ‘their looks’ for ‘less’.
Love,
B
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This weeks guilty pleasure? Tivo!
How did I ever live before the days of Tivo? I don’t allow myself to watch TV at night because there are so many other things I wouldn’t get done. I need to read, study, do laundry, clean, pack, etc. So, no TV at night for this girl unless my task of the evening can be done while the tube is on. SO…
I live by Tivo. The only thing I watch real-time anymore is football. Which consumes most of my Sunday’s as it stands.
Tivo is for GG, OTH, Kardashian love, Private Practice, and all my other mindless shows I just can’t get myself to quit watching. I love my Tivo. I would be lost without it.
Plus, it gives me something to be excited about in the mornings when I have to wake up to get ready for work. : ] And I need something to be excited about at 6am, let’s be honest.
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I went out and got a diet coke and did my Financial Peace University homework tonight and two main thoughts jumped out at me. I thought I would share them with you. More on my journey from shopaholic to financial stability coming soon. For tonight I’ll give you 2 great quotes from Dave Ramsey’s book -
‘You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you. If you don’t take action continually on your money, it or the lack of it will take action on you’.
Also, ‘measure your wealth not by the things you have, but by the things for which you would not take money’.
Food for thought.
Love,
B
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My 3rd book arrived while I was gone this weekend from Thomas Nelson publishing for my reviewing pleasure. I wasn’t sure which of the options I was most interested in and finally selected ‘Redefining Beautiful’ by Jenna Lucado (daughter of Max Lucado who will be speaking at my works banquet this year). I figure I will probably meet her Father and possibly even her at the Family First banquet next month so why not show her some support?
I’m not far in but I wanted to share this tidbit from the start of the book, in hopes that it will speak to you as it did me…enjoy.
Some days I like him. Most days I hate him. But I do have to admit, he’s honest. He’ll always tell me if I have food in my teeth or a booger in my nose. He isn’t afraid to let me know if a certain shirt is too tight or if a color doesn’t complement my skin. I appreciate the honesty, but he is deceiving all the same. Deceiving because anytime he tells me, ‘Just get this cute shirt and feel better about yourself’ or ‘Just lose five pounds and be forever happy,’ it doesn’t work. I’m never good enough for him.
I try not to hang out with him too much, or else I can easily fall into his trap of discouragement – ‘Jenna, I see that cellulite back there. Your skin is looking pretty oily these days. Those teeth need some whitening!’ I try to block out his lies that tell me I’m not good enough, that I’m not beautiful, but it’s hard.
I’m sure you’ve met him. He tends to pop up in all sorts of places: bathrooms, cars, department stores, gyms. And I’m sure you’ve felt some of these same insecurities when standing in front of him.
His name?
Mirror.
If this intro catches you the way it did me, speaking into my high school years more than present day but holding true even now…than perhaps you should take this journey to redefining beauty with me. It has become increasingly more difficult to face ourselves. It is no longer ok to be cute or average or even just pretty – we must now be stunning, striking, or breathtaking. The standards are always rising and how we see ourselves is often defined by sources other than us.
I’m two chapters in and already curious as to what truths this book may hold.
Stay tuned.
Love,
B
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This weeks quote of the week is dedicated to Candy Arbuckle – a wonderful friend & soulmate. I love you.
Women don’t just have friends. We have soulmates…and that is powerful compensation for life’s other hardships. – Alarie Tennille
This quote is from the book ‘Friendship is a blessing’.
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I just touched down in Tampa, returning from my weekend in Nashville, Tennessee. It was my first All Pro Dad event on Staff. The weather was perfect. Low 70s, sunny, with a nice breeze off the water beside the practice facility. We couldn’t have picked a better day for an outdoor event. Though, I probably should have though through the polo v-neck tan-line I was going to acquire. Really attractive.
The weekend was great fun and the event went well. A successful first of hopefully many events with the All Pro Dad event team. : ] I even managed to pack in a carryon bag for the first time in my entire life! It wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought, in fact I think I could do it going home for long weekends now that I’ve made myself do it once. I’m joining the world of low maintenance travel!
Sadly, I didn’t get as much reading done on the plane as I hoped. I normally can’t sleep on planes but I didn’t have a bit of trouble this go around. I didn’t read at night since my ‘roomie’ was way more entertaining than my literature.
Sadly, I didn’t find time to use my camera once the entire trip BUT I did manage to snap a few cell phone pictures. Here ya go…
Possibly the most interesting ‘guests’ of this weekends event were the Comcast crew with the Starwars clones and oh yes, Obe.
Since it’s for work I felt like it was ok that I was behind enemy lines. : ] Titans territory. I didn’t get to see my fellow Purdue Alum who plays there but we did get to have a brief chat on the phone. It was funny to see that we had made similar observations about the differences between Nashville people and Indy people.
Here a picture of the participants and the back of our MC for the day, Brent from 104.5 the Zone. In the background you can see the Titan’s practice ‘bubble’. I was a little sad I didn’t get to go inside.Well time for me to get down to business since being gone all weekend means I have laundry and grocery shopping to do for this week.
Love,
B
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Here are my week four picks:
Wash (v. TB)
NE (v. Bal)
Jax (v. Tenn)
Houston (v. Oak)
Cinci (v. Clev)
Indy (v. Seattle)
Giants (v. KC)
Chi (v. Det)
Buf (v. Mia)
NO (v. Jets)
SF (v. STL)
Dal (v. Den)
Pit (v. SD)
GB (v. Minn)
Thoughts?
I’m headed now to Nashville, TN to work my first event on staff, with our Titans spokesmen and the All Pro Dad team (http://www.allprodad.com/). I’m excited for a great weekend of helping Daddies (and maybe some mommies) bond with their kids and build good habits for great relationships! I’m bringing my camera so hopefully there will be pics up after the weekend. Nashville here I come!
Love,
B
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My 3rd book arrived while I was gone this weekend from Thomas Nelson publishing for my reviewing pleasure. I wasn’t sure which of the options I was most interested in and finally selected ‘Redefining Beautiful’ by Jenna Lucado (daughter of Max Lucado who will be speaking at my works banquet this year). I figure I will probably meet her Father and possibly even her at the Family First banquet next month so why not show her some support?
