Favorite Holiday Movie of All Times -- Christmas Vacation

My favorite holiday movie of all times is Christmas Vacation.

I think I have seen this movie about 100 times, and every year I watch it over and over again, because I love it! It's funny because I don't typically remember movie quotes, but I remember so many lines from this movie.

My all time favorite part of the movie is where Clark is going on a rant about his boss after finding out he is not getting his holiday bonus, and starts going on and on about his boss. At the end he says

"Hallelujah! Holy s&*#! Where's the Tylenol?"

I think many people can relate to that part of the quote especially around the holidays.

Another favorite part is when Clark is at work, and all these upper level managers pass by and he starts telling everyone Merry Christmas at first and then goes on to say:

"Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, kiss my a$$, kiss his a$$, kiss your a$$, happy Hanukkah."

Oh and who can forget Eddie, his family, his RV (aka tenament on wheels), and of course snot.

Eddie's was famous for his quote "Merry Christmas. Shitter's full."

And who can forget dear Aunt Bethenny and her poor cat, who used up all it's 9 lives after eating the christmas lights.

Oh how I will need to go and watch this movie again. I believe I have it on both VHS and DVD.

What's your favorite holiday movie?

Linking up to Beverly's Pink Saturday post.

Pink Saturday - 8/14/10 - Glamping

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! Our family is attempting to have a garage sale this weekend, so hopefully we can sell some of our junk (or treasure to some!)

Last week, when my boyfriend and I were sitting by the pool on vacation, I was reading the Aug 2010 issue of Southern Living Magazine and came accross this article about Glamping. I turned to my boyfriend and said, "Wow! I might actually consider camping if it was like this!" He turned to me and said "Jen, that is not camping"

Glamping is a form of upscale camping using tents with plumbing (including hot water and toilets), natural cooling and furnished with European antiques and luxurious bedding. According to The Martyn House website (the company featured in the magazine), glamorous tents have been around since 200 AD when the Ottomans used these tents for cultural or royal ceremonies. A form of Glamping immerged again in the early 1900’s in Africa to cater to the needs of wealthy, demanding American and European travelers who sought adventure in the wild.

According to the article in Southern Living, prices start at around $180 per night for a min 2 night stay. I am not sure though if this is per person, or per tent, but it looks really cool! My aunt stayed in something similar to this in Africa when she went on a safari, and she said it was awesome!

If anyone has ever stayed in one of these, please share your experience/thoughts on it. I don't know if this is something I'll do in the near future, but maybe someday!

Thanks for stopping by, and check out Beverly's blog for more info on Pink Saturday and to see the list of participants.

Pink Saturday - 8/7/10 (Pink Workout Gear)

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! I am still on my birthday roadtrip, but thought I would schedule a post sharing some fun pink workout gear in follow up to my Work Out Motivation Tips post from the other day. Pink workout gear can get anyone motivated to work out!

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And be sure to check out Beverly's blog for more Pink Saturday participants.

Pink Saturday - 7/31/10 (Love of Cardigans)

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! Can you believe it's the last day in July?!? Where did the summer go?

So for this week's Pink Saturday, I wanted to share with everyone my love of cardigans. So much that I am going to share with you my collection, in my closet!!

This is my collection, and my goal is to have one in every color. I am getting there. Since it's Pink Saturday, can you spot the pink ones??

Right now these are my favorites. I just received the pinkish/red one on the bottom right from Lands End Canvas this week. It's the Heritage Cardigan which I have been hearing so much about. It was on sale over the weekend for $20!!

The dark purple one and the gray one on the left are both from Loft, and the purple/blue/yellow swirly one I got at Macy's a few months ago.

I would love to pick up an orange cardigan for the fall, and I would really like to find a nice emerald green one, and maybe a fun yellow one. I also love cardigans with sparkles, or ruffles or flowers on them, so anytime I see one I typically pick it up if it's a good price.

For more info on Pink Saturday, check out Beverly's blog.

And the blog I wanted to feature this week that I visted last week was Anne-Marie with a dash. Last week she featured her childhood memories of ballet, and it brought back so many memories of my days of dance.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Pink Saturday 7/24/10 (Pink Kitchen Tools)

The other day I was reading the May/June issue of Cooking with Paula Deen (I'm a little behind on my magazine reading) and there was an article that had a bunch of fun pink kitchen tools. I have a pink spatula from Williams Sonoma, but didn't realize all of the other fun pink kitchen tools and gadgets out there. Here are some of my favorites that I would love to have:

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Too bad I already have a red KitchenAid mixer, or else I would totally buy this pink one!

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I am in the need of a new blender, so who knows, maybe I'll have to get this one!

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I do have this pink apron and a pink oven mit from William's Sonoma, which goes great with my spatula!

And for more Pink Saturday, check out Beverly's blog.

And check out this Pink Saturday participant, The Tablescaper. I just love her pink and green tablescape.

Pink Saturday - 7/17/10 (My Fair Lazy Book Review)

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! I have been reading a ton of books lately (especially by the pool), so I have a ton of book reviews to share with everyone.

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I recently just finished the book My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster. I have read all of her books, she has 5 total, and I love them all. She is very fun, and very sarcastic. All of Lancaster’s books are memoirs, so they are supposed to be reflective of her life. I am sure there is some embellishment thrown in, but they are hilarious and you can only imagine some of this stuff happening to someone.

If you love reality tv, you will especially love the book My Fair Lazy. To give you a little background, in the first book Bitter is the New Black, Lancaster loses her dot.com job, and is unemployed for a very long time (maybe 1.5 years or something like that). Anyway, she ends up writing her first memoir about losing her job, and so now she is a successful writer, with a few books under her belt. Because she is now self-employed and likes to spend the majority of her time watching reality tv with her dogs and cats, she has found that she is having trouble socializing with people. She actually thinks that she has never been very good at this, but was successful enough in her past job (due to hard work, not her personality) that she never really noticed. She is finding that she is unable to carry meaningful conversations at dinner parties because she knows nothing about history, culture, politics, or really anything other than reality tv.

In order to overcome this, Lancaster starts on a journey of "Jenaissance" where she "attempts" to be more cultured (emphasis on attempts). While on her book tours, she again “attempts” to go to museums and try out different types of restaurants and sometimes she makes it, and sometimes things happen like good reality tv that keeps her in the hotel room (hey you can't always teach an old dog new tricks...not that I am saying she is an old dog...lol). She also starts attending dinner parties and operas with one of her good friends, which she finds out is a Chicago socialite and gets into tons of parties and gets free tickets all the time.

Of course this journey is full of mishaps, lots of sarcasm, with maybe just a little bit of bitterness thrown in. It’s a great book, but I highly suggest starting with the first book Bitter is the New Black and read them in order because each of the books do reference previous books. You could start with any of them, you won’t get lost, but to get the full effect, it’s best to read in order.

And if you want a daily dose of Lancaster, check out her blog Jennsylvania. You can get a taste of her writing style as well as a daily laugh fest.

For more info on Pink Saturday, please check out our lovely host Beverly.

Pink Saturday - 7/3/10

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! And Happy 4th of July!!

So I have a question for everyone...does anyone know anything about growing hydrangeas in a container? I found out last week that you can grow them in a container, and therefore immediatly went out and purchased one. I LOVE them, they are my favorite flower, and I have been bummed that I don't have a garden to grow them in. When I found out they could be grown in a container, I thought this will be great, and then when I do get a place where I can plant them, I'll just transport them.

From what I have heard, they actually do better up north in a container because then you can take them into an unheated garage or basement during the winter so they don't freeze.

I just love these hydrangeas! I thought this plant had really unique petals...kind of like little flowers all bunched together. Anway, if anyone has any tips, please share them.

Also, last weekend at the Easton Arts Festival, I came across this cutie, and just had to get it! It's a little hound dog.

Hope everyone has a great 4th of July! Enjoy the fireworks!

Also, please check out Beverly's blog for more Pink Saturday.

Pink Saturday - 6/19/10

Hi everyone and happy Pink Saturday! I wanted to share a few fun things with you today.

I purchased this necklace on vacation in Hilton Head last month, and I have had so many compliments on it. My boyfriend even complimented on it twice, and even my boss, who is a guy, said "wow that's a pretty necklace." Anyway, the brand is VivaBeads, and I was shocked at how inexpensive it was. I think it was under $40. They are clay beads, with a variety of flower patterns. This one is called Southern Pink. I really would like to order a few more off their website in a couple of other colors. It's very classic like pearls, but a little funky and fun because of the pattern.

I also wanted to share some updates on my flowers. They are really starting to take off, and I just love having flowers all over my patio. It is so much fun to sit outside on my patio with colorful flowers surrounding me.

Pink geraniums -- which I love and remind me of my Grandmother's garden.

Gerber daisy -- which again is another favorite of mine. They just look so happy!

This is a little tiered pot of flowers. I got this idea from one of the Martha Stewart Living magazines (March or April I think).

One of my hanging baskets -- Begonias

I loved these double impatients. They look like little pink roses to me.

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. I will be going to a BBQ/Pool party later today and I am hoping for sunny weather. Right now it looks a little gloomy, but no rain yet!!

For more info on Pink Saturday, please check out our lovely host Beverly.

Kentucky Derby Bridal Shower (Pink Saturday 6/5/10)

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! First off, I wanted to let everyone know this is my 100th post! I can't believe I have had 100 things to talk about!!

So on Friday we had a bridal shower for one of my good friends at work. She is from Kentucky, and is getting married in Kentucky, so we decided to have a Kentucky Derby themed shower for her. I was in charge of the decorations, and I also made a very special drink.

I don't know if I would necessarily say this was a complete Kentucky Derby themed party. Since the Derby is over, it was hard to find decorations in that theme, but I just ended up making up my own version of the Kentucky Derby.

Above you will find the table centerpieces. I actually mocked them up the night before to see how they would look. My friend LOVES peonies, and she is actually having white peonies for her wedding. I found some cute pink ones and used them for the centerpiece. I used silver continers because I thought they kind of reminded me of silver mint julip cups.

I also made some fun hats for the ladies to wear. These are just a few, but the large one will be for the bride-to-be.

I also made a fun mock-mint julip. I know it's not a traditional mint julip, but like I said, I wanted to put a twist on it. Everyone loved this drink. I actually doubled the recipe, and it was gone very quickly (and we only had about 15 people)!

Mock-Mint Julip

For 24 servings:

-- 3 cups of water

-- 3 cups of white sugar

-- 3/4 cups chopped fresh mint leaves

-- 24 cups crushed ice

-- 12 cups prepared lemonade (I used pink)

-- Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar and chopped mint leaves. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook unti sugar has dissolved, then remove from heat and set aside. After about an hour, strain out mint leaves and mix with prepared lemonade. Pour into cup with crushed ice and garnish with mint sprig. Enjoy!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and be sure to check out Beverly's blog for more Pink Saturday.

Pink Saturday -- 5/22/10

Happy Pink Saturday everyone!

Last weekend I was finally able to plant flowers, so I spent part of Saturday cleaning off my patio, setting it up for summer and planting flowers. I wanted to share some pictures of how it looks so far. We haven't had much sun this week, and it's been a little chilly, so I am hoping that in the next few weeks or so, things will really start to take off.

Here is my patio. I purchased the chair and pillows about 3 years ago at Pier 1, and got the wooden table the same year at Target. The hanging baskets and hooks I got on clearance at Walmart about 2 or 3 years ago also, and it's great because you can just keep filling them up every year. As you can see, on the table I am attempting to grow strawberries. This is my first year trying to grow them, so we will see if I am successful.

This is an idea that I got from one of the Martha Stewart magazines (March maybe??). There was a 2 tier container garden featured, but was for an herb garden. I thought about making another one for my herb garden, but I am still trying to get the seedlings going.

I have Angelonia growing in the top pot, and Salvia (white flowers) and something else growing in the bottom pot (I can't remember what the little green plants are).

Every year I plant geraniums because them remind me of my Grandmother and my Mom. I love pink ones, and one time I even found some that were white with hot pink accents. They were my all time favorite, but I haven't been able to find them since.

I purchased this Yucca Cane tree because 1. it kind of reminded me of palm trees on vacation and 2. I thought I could bring this indoors next fall and keep it year after year.

These double impatients are growing in one of my hanging baskets. I thought they reminded me of little mini roses. And I love the hot pink color.

The other hanging basket has begonias in it (which also remind me of my Grandmother), but they have yet to bloom, so I'll have to get a picture of them when they are in full bloom.

Hope you enjoyed my garden. I'll have to post another update in a month or so when things really get going. Plus I am sure I will continue to add things as the season comes along.

For more Pink Saturday, please visit Beverly's blog.

Pink Saturday - 5/15/10

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! I had to take a couple of weeks off from Pink Saturday becuase of vacation, but now I am back! Hope everyone's weekend is off to a great start!

So for this week I wanted to share my latest obsession. I found out this week that I am receiving a little spot bonus for meeting my Q1 numbers. I busted my behind in March (working 60 hour weeks), so I thought I deserved a little something fun, and then the rest would go to pay off bills/put into savings. So right now I am debating on this:

I have not bought a new purse in 1.5 years (I keep rotating out my purses), and I LOVE Coach purses (at one point in time I kind of had a problem). The other day I went shopping for purses (and went into like 6 stores), and so far this one I keep coming back to. The only drawback is it is a little big, more of a tote than a purse. I decided I needed a few days to sleep on it, so we will see what I end up doing.

                                    

I also liked one similar to this, but in a lavendar instead, but it was a little more money, so who knows what I will end up with. I really want a fun colorful bright pink one, so if anyone knows of any fun pink purses, let me know. I typically prefer leather purses, but this silky fabric seemed like fun. I asked the sales associate if it would pull, and she claimed that so far she hasn't had any complaints, but if I did have problems I could take it back anytime and they would fix/replace for free. I love that about coach!

Don't forget to check out Beverly's blog for more Pink Saturday.

Pink Saturday - 4/24/10

“It's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes -- that's why you sometimes need really special shoes!” – Carrie SATC

That is probably one of my favorite quotes from Sex and the City! And I thought it was very appropriate to share today since I am having a SATC DVD party tonight with my girls. We are going to watch our favorite episodes of SATC.

And of course I am totally excited about the SATC movie coming up in a few weeks. We are all planning on getting together for a girls night to go see it. This will actually be our 2 year anniversary of our group because our group's first meeting was 2 years ago at the first SATC movie premier. I hadn't joined the group yet, but we did have a SATC movie DVD launch party later that year, so I did get to watch the movie with the girls then.

Hope everyone has a great Pink Saturday! Check out Beverly's blog for more info on Pink Saturday and to find other Pink Saturday participants.

The blog that I choose to visit this week was Le monde d' Erika. Erika is from Europe, and she has a bunch of fun crafty things on her blog and some great photographs. I am loving the pink dress created in cross stitch in her blog header!

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Pink Saturday - 4/17/10

Happy Pink Saturday!

I am really enjoying all of the flowering trees this spring. I don't know if it is because we had snow on the ground for 3 months, and I am just totally ready for spring, or what, but I am really starting to notice all of the flowers and buds on all of the trees and they are just beautiful and seem to be everywhere!

This pink tree is outside of my building at work. Everyday I walk past this tree and the other day it just all of the sudden bloomed with these beautiful pink flowers. My boss's office actually over looks this tree, and the other day we were telling him how jealous we were of his view.

Last weekend I took some more pictures of some trees and flowers around my neighborhood, so feel free to check them out here.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far! Check out Beverly's blog for more info on Pink Saturday.

And the blog that I checked out this week was Happier Than a Pig In Mud. I admit, I just loved the name of this blog!

Pink Saturday -- 4/10/10

For this week's Pink Saturday, I wanted to focus on decorating. And I need your help!

I have been looking for centerpiece/decorations for my dining room table and my living room coffee table for some time now, and can't seem to figure out what I want to do.

This is a fun pink/purple orchid (faux, because I would probably kill a real one in a matter of days) I found for my dining room table, but I am not sure I am 100% happy with it. I left the tag on it, so let's see if it makes it through the weekend. I have paired it with a cute green table runner (with cute butterflies and fireflies) and my crystal candle holders with sage green candles.

At first I was looking to either buy or make a topiary, but I already have 2 in my house, so I was trying to find something a little different, and I think orchids are very pretty.

I have 2 options so far for my coffee table.

This has been on my coffee table for a couple of years now. The base is from Southern Living at Home, and I filled with some ivy and then the glass hurricane is from Pier 1. I like it, but I am just kind of bored with it since I have been looking at it every day for a few years (I just keep changing out the candle and the ivy depending on the season).

I had this on my coffee table about 6 years ago. The tray is also from Southern Living at Home, and I weaved some ivy in the little holes on the side of the tray. It's a little big for my coffee table, and I can't seem to figure out what I want to put in the tray. Right now I have one of my crystal vases (matches my candle holders) and a Southern Living at Home planter with a candle. I like the tray, but am not 100% happy with what's in it. (I also think I need to straighten out that ivy...it's the same ivy I had from way back when I used this tray...ha!)

I am open to ideas that can either improve my options or even some new options as well. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy Pink Saturday. To find out more about Pink Saturday, check out Beverly's blog.

The Pink Saturday participant that I visited this week was Mary Beth at live. laugh. make something. I just loved her "Peep Show" post from last week! Check out her blog.

Pink Saturday -- 4/3/10

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! And Happy Easter!

Easter is one of my favorite holidays, really mostly for the meaning of Easter. Typically we go to church and then have a nice lunch with the family.

One of our Easter traditions is that we have to wear a new outfit for Easter. I have had a new outfit I believe every year (except one year I remember it snowed, so my spring dress wasn't going to keep me warm, so I had to break out a pair of dress pants). The tradition is if you don't wear a new outfit, a bird will poop on your head!! My Mother claims that happened one time to her Grandmother, so it is a must to have something new!

This is my Easter dress from last year

This is me and my nephew Jackson. Isn't he adorable. I got this dress last year from Ann Taylor Loft and just absolutly loved the blue in this dress!

This is my Easter dress I am planning on wearing this year:

This is a Lilly Pulitzer dress that I got off of Ebay a few months ago. I had been looking at Lilly dresses for some time, but couldn't bring myself to paying full price for one. When I found this dress on Ebay for $39.99 (including shipping), I immediatly placed a bid. I figured I would be outbid, but no one else placed a bid, so in a few short days, it was all mine. I was so excited when I got the dress, because it fit perfectly!

I also got these sandals last weekend at DSW. They are wedges, and they look very cute with the dress. I am so excited that it will be in the 70's this weekend so that I can actually wear my dress and sandals and will still be comfortable.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and is having great weather as well! And please check out Beverly's blog for even more Pink Saturday!

Pink Saturday -- 3/27/10

For this week's Pink Saturday, I wanted to share one of my favorite pieces of furniture. This is actually my childhood bed. I can't remember exactly, but I think that I got this bed when I was in grade school. I was so excited because it was pink, and as I got older I thought it was cool because it reminded me of a couch. I always had a bunch of pillows and pretended that my room was a cool hangout spot as opposed to a bedroom.

My mom finally allowed me to take the bed with me once I had a bigger place (with an extra bedroom) and when she finally decided to turn my bedroom at home into an office. I was excited to have the bed because, well it was my childhood bed, and I always wanted to have my daughter grow up with this bed. It currently is in my guest bedroom and is great because it has a trundle bed under it, so you can sleep 2 people in my guest room.

I painted my guest room a blue/purple color, and sewed the curtains from a fun fabric I found at JoAnns. I would like to make some fun pillows, but of course that is on my long list of things I am hoping to accomplish =)

I hope everyone is having a great Pink Saturday. Please visit Beverly's blog for more information on Pink Saturday.

And the Pink Saturday participant blog that I visited this week is Le Chateau des fleurs. I love all of her little parties she throws for her 3 kids, especially the Alice in Wonderland party.

Pink Saturday - 3/20/10

Happy Spring everyone! And happy Pink Saturday.

Because today is the first day of spring, I can't help but think that sandal season is just around the corner (actually yesterday it was almost 70 degrees and there were people wearing flip flops to work!).

In honor of the upcoming sandal season, I wanted to share some of my favorite pink OPI nail colors (all images from Google):

Grand Central Carnation

Koala Berry

Pompeii Purple

Bubble Bath

Dim Sum Plum (my newest addition)

And for more information on Pink Saturday, please check out Beverly's blog.