Black and White

Simple, clean and classic. You might not believe that at one point in my life {I was 14} every square inch of my room was painted a different color. My drapes, bed spread, book shelves and art work looked kin to a circus clown. I had an obsession with Kandinsky, specifically Composition VIII, and my drapes that I mentioned...well they matched  his squares and concentric circles painting perfectly. I kid you not. 

Now, here's nothing wrong with color, I do love it so, but sometimes the simplicity of black and white is perfection.

xoxo bd

{Photo Credits: Pinterest & Tumblr //edited}

Influenster Sugar 'n Spice VoxBox: Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel OilControlling Towelettes and Colgate Optic White

If you know me at all you know that I am quite the beauty junkie and product fiend! A couple of months ago I received an email stating that once again I had been chosen to take part in another VoxBox!
If you would like to read about my first experience with Influenster and VoxBox, click here.

Influenster.com is an online based community where you can share your thoughts about all kinds of products and companies. You can earn badges that pertain to your hobbies and interests to gain more of an "influence". If chosen, you will be sent a box full of items to test out and review through social media. Above is a photo of the products I was given complimentary of Influenster. Yeah, that's right, it was free :)
You too can sign up and turn your social influence into rewards!

Today I wanted to share with you a couple of the products that I enjoyed most from this box:

The first is a 3-in-1:Colgate Optic White
I received the toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash all of which I have been able to try for 3 weeks and really enjoy! I had previously purchased the toothbrush and loved how clean it made my teeth feel so I was excited to try it again. Both the mouthwash and toothpaste go hand in hand in creating a bright white smile without having to spend major money on trays or strips. Another bonus: no sensitivity! Cold drinks/food do not hurt my teeth after I have just brushed.

The second product is the Dickinson's Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes:

Never having heard about this product or product line, I was eager to try something new. If you tend to use blotting tissues to control the oil on your T-Zone then consider this its more refreshing counterpart. The towelettes come in individual pre-moistened packs which you can easily throw in your purse, car, briefcase or desk drawer. I have found myself using these in the afternoons at work when 2o'clock rolls around and my face looks like a shiny ball. I lightly press these towelettes all over my face and neck to absorb any excess oil or sweat. The scent is slightly off putting, but as stated in the name, they have witch hazel in them. FYI: Dickinson's has been around since the 1860's! Witch Hazel is an astringent which helps with inflammation, calms rashes, helps to control those pesky blemishes from growing and it is even said to help reduce the appearance of bruises. I love a multi-tasker :)

Both product lines can be purchased at your local drugstore if you fancy giving any of these bad boys a try! 

If you are interested in checking out more of what Dickinson's is about, click HERE and for more on Colgate Optic White, click HERE

xoxo bd

FTC:  I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Weekend Update

If you watch SNL {Saturday Night Live} I'm sure you are familiar with Weekend Update with Seth Meyers. By far, that is my favorite segment. I'm not sure why exactly, but I never stop laughing when it comes on...not  to mention when Stefon is on. The Mother's Day Ideas segment is my absolute favorite. Hands down.  I literally cackle every time I watch it. 

Oh and if you haven’t seen this past week’s episode where Melissa McCarthy hosted, well you best watch that right about now.

Saturday Adam said he quite a craving for sushi so we set out for one of our local favorites, ‘Peters’, only to find out they were closed. Insert sad face. I recalled another sushi joint in town that I hadn't been to in years so off we went! We headed to Bodeli Sushi in Cool Springs/Franklin and found that they had an all you can eat special. Now, if it were 'all you can eat chicken fried steak' or 'all you can eat hashbrown casserole', we would have passed…but all you can eat sushi?! Yes, please!

Can you believe the damage we made at the end of the meal? In case you are curious there are typically 3 pieces of sushi per plate.

In the middle of the restaurant is the “kitchen” or prep space where the sushi chef prepares all of the rolls and then places them on small plates that go around on a conveyor belt. Each plate has a colored ring around it that indicates the price of the sushi/item.  They had everything from simple Philly Rolls to sea weed to dumplings to cabbage rolls to tempura rolls. See something you like? Grab it! It gives new meaning to instant gratification, you know? We were in heaven. I made a little video on Vine HERE to see it in action!

Sunday we took the day off of our normal commitments as Adam had planned to work with his boss but it turned into another date day for us. 

I like him a lot…I really really like hanging out with him. I still have a school girl crush on that man. 

We got groceries for the week and later spent the evening cleaning our home. Every window was open bringing in the sunshine and a light breeze. Here’s an instagram of what we did:

We changed all of our winter bedding out, cleaned the master bathroom, vacuumed all of the floors and wiped the baseboards, organized our closets, did loads and loads of laundry, dishes, and took out the trash literally 3 times. By the end of the night we cooked some vegan pizza for dinner and conked out.  We felt very accomplished! 

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready to start the week! I'll talk to you soon...

xoxo bd

Friday Favorites: Dreaming of Kitchens

Its Friday! 

{I’m sure you’re well aware of the days of the week, I’m guessing that was no surprise to you}

Friday in my heart and at my office is always looked forward to.

 No. 1: It’s casual day. No need to think of which heels to wear, just throw on my jeans, flats and a cute top. 

No.2 I get to sleep in the next day. I enjoy sleep so much! I know many say, “You’ll sleep when you’re dead” but gosh, I love sleeping now! Waking up without an alarm is glorious. Friday makes me hopeful of sleep to come!

Being that it’s Friday I thought it fitting to share my Friday Favorites! *Don’t you just love alliteration?!*

Like I have mentioned many-a-time before, I’m obsessed with Tumblr. It’s like Pinterest but without categorizing or a magazine of all your favorite images without those pesky sentences! This must make me sound terribly lazy. Ah, well, I guess so!

I have been attracted to interiors and home exteriors lately. I feel you can find your true taste by what you repin or repost. You can sort of hone in on what colors, shapes and styles you are attracted to.

Above are some kitchen photos that I have salivated over. Straight up, face to the computer screen, mouth wide open, wishfully thinking of the day I can have a kitchen like one of them.

The weather this weekend is supposed to be ridonculous… like 71 and sunny. I’m planning on wearing flip flops and maybe pulling out one of my maxi dresses!

Have a fantastic weekend; I’ll talk to you soon!!

Xoxo bd

Let's Go Predators!

{Please excuse the less than stellar quality of these photos, they were all taken with my phone}

This past Tuesday night we were given the opportunity, through Adam's job, to use some VIP tickets for the Predators game. 

Do you see the very tippity top row up there? Yeah, that's where we normally sit. Granted, there's not really a bad seat in the house but with these tickets we had access to a lower level, full bar and buffet. 

We felt like fancy pants. Like big kids, you know?

We were given 4 tickets and thought it would be a great idea to take Josh and Amber for a double date. Neither of them had been to a hockey game before so we knew it would be a fun experience. We screamed, shouted, danced and laughed a lot. 

...and for your viewing pleasure, we made some funny faces. 

....and then we had to get serious because hockey games are intense....

Adam tends to yell things like "Ah man!" and  "c'mon!!" and "oooooh!" and you know, all of those serious hockey reactions that hockey lovers yell. 

By the end of the night we could barely talk for all of the screaming we did but it was worth it because the Preds won 3-1! I can't wait to go back for another game!

I hope you are having a bright and shinyThursday, it has not stopped raining here. boo.

Talk to you soon... xoxo bd

Easter 2013 & Charlotte's First Easter

A few days before Easter I received an email from my Mom asking for help in decorating the table for our big lunch. I must first brag on my Mamma as with any get together, be it a big holiday or a small Sunday brunch, she always has a spread of fresh fruits, different cheeses, chips, hummus, crackers, wine, beer- I mean this woman knows how to throw a party. She is always making sure everyone has a little something to nibble on and a comfy place to sit. There she is below, looking gorgeous as always:

This year she said she wanted to go all out with our table and make this a very special occasion as it was Charlotte's first Easter. 

{If by chance you didn't know, Charlotte is my niece and the first grandchild for my side of the family.}

We came up with a color palette and my mom had a beautiful silver candelabra from Gramma, her Mom, that she wanted as the center piece. With that in mind, we began styling it up.

I had so much fun gathering fabric and ribbon, placing the real silver about the table and arranging fresh flowers from my mom's garden.  Why not make an effort to enjoy time with your family? 

*I think it helps that we all get along really well.*

Please note Charlotte's place setting, she had her very own baby sized silver ware and plate. 

Fresh tulips from the garden cut the night before and opening up beautifully!

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite picture of her the whole day...

In the bottom right photo I just picture C saying, "Uh, Mamma, this is my photo shoot, back it up!"

You may notice that we didn't get one single picture of our family. I read another bloggers post where she stated,

  "I should have titled this, "Easter: Grandparents' Edition" because every single photo includes their beloved grandson (and, really, has very little to do with Easter)." 

  I must agree, maybe next year?

I sure hope you don't mind the photo dump. This one is for the scrapbook :)

Talk to you soon! xoxo bd

Happy April

Happy April! I can't believe it, this year is really flying by. Next thing you know we will be celebrating 4th of July. I wish I had some clever joke or prank to pull but I lost all of my ideas when I was 10. Today at work we even talked about pulling an office prank for April Fools- we laughed and then walked away from each other.

Yeah, that was it. End of April Fools story. Moving on!

We had a wonderful Easter yesterday with family and I will share some of the photos tomorrow.  Be forewarned we went a bit overboard on taking photos of the little one in the bunch. Truthfully, we spent 95% of our time focused on our little niece, Charlotte. I can't imagine the love I will have for our own child as I am head over heels for that little lady.

I hope you enjoy your Monday evening, I will now head up to our bedroom for a rinse off and The Following. I may even paint my nails, we'll see how crazy this night gets. 

I'll talk to you soon... xoxo bd