Argyle Love

Sunday Social

2013-05-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

What is your favorite kind of surprise?

I'm not a huge fan of big surprises. I like surprise gifts for no reason and birthday and Christmas gifts I didn't have to pick out for myself.

Flowers or chocolate?

Um, both? I like both, but prefer chocolates. I certainly wouldn't say no to a bouquet of peonies though!

What is your favorite summertime activity?

Going to the local zoos and the flea market.

Do you have any vacations planned this summer?

My summer job starts the week after school gets out and goes for six weeks, so most of summer will be busy. I'd like to make a trip up to Minnesota, but that won't be able to happen until early August and that depends on the full-time job situation.

Favorite summer holiday?

The 4th of July - I love cookouts and fireworks and being patriotic.

What is your dream vacation?

Right now - a cruise to Alaska or a trip to the UK.

Sherlock - Squeal!

2013-05-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Sherlock topic is a moment that made you squeal.

Well, I frequently do little squeals and sighs when watching anything involving Benedict Cumberbatch. Especially when it's the first episode of a new series of Sherlock and Sherlock appears for the first time. However, I did remember one specific scene that definitely called for both squealing and sighing.

Shirtless Sherlock is always a treat!

Week In Review

2013-05-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

Monday

I'm only the sub, but I'm ready for school to be over with for the summer. I can only imagine how the everyday teachers feel. I taught kindergarten on Monday and it wasn't the greatest day ever, but it didn't totally suck either. We used a lot of music and the Smart Board, so that was fun.

After work, I went on a hunt for plants. I was pricing hydrangeas and trying to find a couple plants to replace some that didn't make it through last year's drought and heat wave. I ended up finding my double impatient and a pretty dahlia at Meijer.

Tuesday

I only had to work in the afternoon which is great because I get to sleep in and get some more time to get ready. I taught second grade for a good class.

That night I decided I really needed to bake brownies which was a good idea because they tasted really good. I managed to not eat the whole pan in one night, but it was close.

Wednesday

My husband made me eggs and bacon for breakfast for work. It was great other than discovering our fridge was broken again. Luckily, the freezer still worked this time. Another afternoon job, another second grade class. This time for a class I've had several times this year already. Did the weekly trip to the library after work.

Thursday

I didn't work which was a good thing because I stayed up way too late watching The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. I couldn't stop because I wanted to see Lizzie and Darcy get together. I'm such a sucker for Pride & Prejudice. I also took advantage of the broken fridge and deep cleaned the inside of it while the food was all out.

Friday

I had to teach fourth grade which isn't my favorite. After work, I did my weekly trip to Target and what seems to be a weekly trip to my husband's store. I'm really excited about Target's new Cartwheel program. I love that they're making it easier to get even more savings.

Saturday

I celebrated Mother's Day with my mom and grandma. We went out for lunch at Olive Garden and then went plant shopping. And I ended up buying more plants. Did I need them? No. Do I have pots for them? No. But I liked them and they were good prices, so they came home with me. I've got some big ideas for our porch now.

We celebrated Mother's Day with M's mom after Mass. I got her a Super Tote at the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale and she really liked it. We also watched Doctor Who. I'm really excited for next week's episode after seeing the previews.

Sunday

We had a lazy day at home. I had to bring in all plants from outside for the night because apparently Mother Nature didn't get the memo about it being spring and there was a freeze warning. But since this is crazy Indiana, it will be 80 degrees again by Wednesday.

How was your week?

Sunday Social - Past & Future

2013-05-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

1 year ago I was doing...

Pretty much exactly what I was doing now, except also stressing about what I was going to do about a summer job.

5 years ago I was doing...

Getting tired of subbing and starting to work my retail job more and more. I had also started dating M.

Please ignore M's awful hair. I convinced him to cut that very quickly.

Also went to several weddings that summer.

10 years ago I was doing...

Finishing up my junior year of college, planning a trip to see Trish in Florida, starting my thesis project, and getting excited about my student teaching placement.

I would insert pictures here, but that was before I had a digital camera.

1 year from now I'll be doing...

God willing, celebrating my first mother's day either as a new mom or a pregnant woman.

5 years from now I'll be doing...

Raising multiple children, teaching full time or being a stay-at-home mom.

10 years from now I'll be doing...

Same as above, but hopefully living in a bigger house in an actual neighborhood in a better school district just in case our kids go to public school after elementary school. (Our Catholic school currently only goes up to 6th grade. The other parish in town goes to 8th grade. There are no Catholic high schools in our county.)

Sherlock - New Season

2013-05-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Sherlock topic is something I'd like to see in the new season (or series as the Brits say.)

Easy!

When Sherlock returns and reveals to John that he's not really dead, I'd like John to punch him in the face and then maybe do a little more punching. Sherlock deserves it. Especially if they stick to canon and it's been three years.

I know in the original story, John faints, but I think this modern John Watson is made of sterner stuff and won't faint. I'd like to see him channel a little rage at Sherlock.

What do you want to see in the new season?

Week In Review

2013-05-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Monday

I didn't work and I didn't leave the house, so I'm sure many exciting things happened.

Tuesday

I had to teach second grade in the afternoon. I had recess duty, but luckily the weather was beautiful and I enjoyed some sunshine while the kids ran around.

I also got to the do the new Vera Bradley survey. Exciting!

Wednesday

I had to teach third grade in the afternoon which led to me watching them take a session of the state mandated test for an hour. Easy, but so boring.

After work, we took our weekly trip to the library. Instead of going to the main branch downtown like we usually do though, we went to a different, smaller branch. Although their DVD selection was much smaller, I was able to score some newer DVDs that are always out at the main branch. Might have to make the trip over there more often.

Thursday

Another day off. Again, I'm sure amazing things happened. I just can't remember any of them. Oh, I know! We weeded the side flower bed. See, exciting!

Friday

I taught first grade for the class of a girl I went to high school with. She left me a note on the lesson plans and called me Jenny. I forget that people outside my family called me that once upon a time. It was a good class and we had a good day.

Saturday

M had to work overnight and I didn't get to watch Doctor Who. We did go to mass and I had to resist the urge to ask the teenager in front of me to sit still for 2 minutes and keep his hands above his waist, if you know what I mean. I asked for hand sanitizer after the sign of peace.

I spent the evening watching/reading The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. I can't believe I just now discovered this!

Sunday

We got to make our somewhat monthly trip to Sam's Club. It was very exciting. We always seem to have a cart full of not so healthy things and then I throw a 10lb bag of oranges in the cart in the end and that makes it OK. To be fair, this time we did get a few non-food items like a mop and razor blades. We like to live on the edge.

I also got to watch Doctor Who. I loved the episode! By far, the best one of the second part of the season. Of course, I'd gladly watch a Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax spin-off any day!

How was your week?

Sunday Social - 4s

2013-05-05T02:19:00.002-04:00

4 favorite things to do on a weekend

Sleep in
Shopping
Do something with my husband
Sleep in

4 favorite things about your best friends

Only 4?
They both have a great sense of humor.
They are both super nice and caring.
They put up with me when I was going insane from wedding planning
We always have a great time when we get together (something I wish we could do more of!)

4 things you would do with $100,000

Pay off some debts
Take a cruse to Alaska
Fix some things around the house
Invest the rest

Sorry, I'm one of those boring responsible adult persons.

4 favorite books you've ever read

Pride & Prejudice
Ella Enchanted
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Can you tell I teach elementary school?)

4 favorite snack foods

Ritz Toasted Chips in Dairyland Cheddar
Chocolate - especially Kit Kats or anything dark chocolate
String Cheese
Pistachios

4 things that you must do daily

Brush my teeth
Check e-mail, Facebook, etc.
Love on the cats
Drink water

Sherlock - Least Favorite Character

2013-04-30T21:48:00.001-04:00

Today's Sherlock topic is a picture of your least favorite character.

This was an easy topic for me because I definitely have a character I strongly dislike.

Source: sherlock--confessions.tumblr.com via Abigail on Pinterest

I absolutely cannot stand Sally because the way she treats Sherlock. Especially what happened in the last episode. I don't think I've every been so angry with a fictional character before.

Who is your least favorite Sherlock character?

Week In Review

2013-04-29T15:22:00.002-04:00

Another week down! Since school is so close to being done, it feels like a countdown is on to the end. I'm looking forward to this summer because of my new summer job. I can't wait to learn more about it.

Monday

I wasn't scheduled to work and due to some poor sleep over the weekend, I was looking forward to sleeping in and having a lazy day at home. That all chanced when the phone rang at 6 am. In my sleep deprived stupor, I agreed to the job offered and ended up teaching the kindergarten class I had had the previous week. Luckily for me, they have the world's best para and despite the challenges of the day, it was pretty good.

After work, I convinced my husband that we needed to get Chick-fil-a for dinner and then since we were in the area, go to Old Navy. I'm on the hunt for cute green shirts for spring since I can wear green and jeans on Friday to work. (Green and white are the school colors.) I don't understand why if emerald green is the "color of the year" I can't find more green shirts that are work appropriate. Old Navy let me down.

Tuesday

Again, I wasn't scheduled and again, the phone rang at 6 am. This time I agreed to teach the second grade class I had had the previous week. We had an interesting day.

Wednesday

I was actually scheduled. I taught kindergarten. They get a snack in the morning and the kids have a scheduled day to provide a healthy snack for the class. Wednesday's student brought in Cosmic Brownies. So yes, we had chocolate at 10:30 in the morning. And then it was a student's birthday, so we had cake pops right before lunch. And it was snowing/raining, so we had to stay inside for recess. I think we were all ready for the day to be over right about then.

Thursday

I only had to work in the morning and I taught first grade. It was the second time this school year I've watched the classic animated Lorax. I love when the sub plans include watching a movie.

Friday

I wasn't scheduled to work and I didn't get a call. Sleeping beyond 6am was glorious! I discovered quite by accident that it was National Pretzel Day and a local soft pretzel place was giving out free pretzels. Since I had some errands to run anyway, I stopped by the mall and got my free pretzel and bought one to take to M at work since I was going there anyway. It was delicious!

Saturday

Again, I was eager to get the front landscaping started, so we went to look for bushes. There were more bushes than last time we looked, but still no hydrangeas. I did get prices on some bushes I was interested in and bought an English Daisy for our back flower bed. It's supposed to be a perennial, but I haven't had much luck getting plants to come back in that bed. I'm hopeful for this one and I think it's pretty.

Sunday

I finally got to watch Doctor Who. I think this episode was better than others this season. Afterwards, we had a quiet day at home, doing laundry and watching TV.

How was your week?

Sunday Social - Childhood

2013-04-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

Did you sleepwalk as a child?

Oh man, I do all kinds of weird things in my sleep. I'm sure I never walked around the house or anything, but my mom says she once saw me get up and go to the bathroom and I had no recollection of doing it.

In college, I often woke up wearing sweatshirts that were hanging in my closet when I went to bed. I guess I got cold!

Did you ever try to run away or sneak out of your house?

Nope, I knew I had it pretty good even if I was angry with my family and I never would've gotten very far anyway.

Did you have any imaginary friends?

When I was very little I did.

Did you ever go toilet papering?

I plead the fifth!

Did you ever sneak TV shows you weren't allowed to watch?

A. We never had cable.
B. The only TVs were in common areas.
C. My parents never told us there were any shows we couldn't watch. Anything we wouldn't have been allowed to watch would have been on after our bedtime.

Wife to Wife - The Ring

2013-04-24T20:46:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Sara at Ms. Sunshine, I found a new link-up to join! This one is a monthly one, so these posts will only appear on the last Wednesday of every month. Now I just hope I remember to do it each month!

This month is about the rings. I've previously shared the store of how we got my engagement ring on the blog, but I'll do a quick summary for this post. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of ring shopping for the whole story.

The short story is, I picked out my own engagement ring and was with my husband when he bought it several months before we got engaged.

A local jewelry store was closing and it was the store we had previously browsed at, so we went to their big closing sale. I tried a couple different rings and eventually decided on my ring.

Prior to our shopping trip, all I really knew was that I wanted a princess cut diamond and a white gold band I didn't want a solitaire and I liked unique rings. I love my engagement ring!

For our wedding rings, we went to another local store. I wanted a band that was thin like the middle part of my ring and this store was able to order me one. And bonus, it was actually less expensive than I thought it would be.

I love my rings and love to wear them!

Sherlock - Favorite Character

2013-04-23T21:33:00.001-04:00

Today's Sherlock topic is a photo of my favorite character.

I decided to go with a new picture from season three filming. Don't worry, no spoilers!

Source: ben-addict.tumblr.com via Jenn on Pinterest

It's no secret my favorite character is Sherlock.

I love those cheekbones! And do I spy a certain purple shirt?

Who is your favorite Sherlock character?

Week In Review

2013-04-22T17:25:00.000-04:00

Last week really flew by!

Monday

I didn't have to work, so I stayed home and thought I would be productive, but that never actually seems to happen.

Tuesday

I taught fourth grade. I'm not usually a fan of the older kids, but this class was pretty good. It's always hit or miss with that age, but none of them had attitude and we got along pretty well. The highlight of my day was teaching math using a PowerPoint presentation. I walked around the room clicking through slides like I was presenting a new proposal to Donald Trump or something.

Wednesday

I taught second grade which is my favorite grade to teach.

Thursday

I taught kindergarten, which I enjoy, although I know it's not everybody's cup of tea. I had the world's awesome-est para and despite the challenges of the day, it went really well and I had fun.

After school, I went to Target which was a big deal because I hadn't been there in a couple weeks and I normally go every week. I actually managed to only spend about $10 and not buy anything I didn't actually need. I might be sick.

The really big deal of the day was that my new social security card was in the mail. Less than a week after I requested it! They told me at the SS office it would be two weeks. I was really impressed.

Friday

I had to teach first grade in the morning. After school, I went to my summer job and they made copies of my stuff. I'm really excited for my new job.

Saturday

I slept in super late, but since I don't work weekends anymore, I highly enjoyed it. I did manage to be productive enough to do a load of laundry and make some hard cooked eggs.

Earlier in the week, M and I had been at my mother-in-law's house and while going through some boxes, we found some genealogy papers someone had given her. She let me take them since I've been working on our family trees. I thought the info would be old news to me, but I sat down Saturday and decided to go through them. The papers actually turned out to be very useful and contain new stuff. I got sucked back into work on our family trees again.

Sunday

Something came over me and I actually voluntarily deep cleaned the kitchen. I have no idea what possessed me, but I'm really proud of how good it looks. Every time I walk in there, I just stop and smile. Now, to see if we can keep it up!

How was your week?

Sunday Social

2013-04-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

What is your shopping weakness?

Clearance nail polish, cute socks, cardigans, underwear from Aerie, anything Argyle, and cheap clearance baby clothes. And of course, Vera Bradley!

What is your food weakness?

Anything chocolate and all the food at the county fair

What is your go to movie to watch when nothing is on?

I actually rarely watch the actual TV programming, so I usually watch stuff on Netflix Instant Watch. I usually have a couple TV shows that I'm watching on there and if there's nothing I'm in the mood to watch, then I usually put on an episode of Sherlock (usually The Great Game.)

What is your go to breakfast food?

Cereal or frozen breakfast sandwiches. If I'm in a rush, it's Pop-Tarts or cereal bars in the car. Sometimes I get a muffin at the grocery store or a doughnut.

Do you drink coffee? If so, how do you take it?

I don't drink coffee. I don't even like the smell of it.

Sherlock - LOL

2013-04-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Sherlock topic a photo that makes you laugh out loud.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jenn on Pinterest

I can't explain why this makes me laugh but every time I see it, I laugh.

Week in Review

2013-04-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Despite some setbacks, last week was actually a pretty great week.

Monday

I knew I wouldn't work because it was the first day back to school after spring break. I hadn't seen my social security card lately and I knew if I got a summer job I'd need it. So, I decided to use my day off to clean up the office and my desk because I was sure it was there. No luck. In fact M and I tore apart the whole office and a good portion of the house, but we never found my social security card.

Tuesday

I was supposed to work, but ended up having to call off thanks to some illness. It was the first day of the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale, so while I rested and tried to feel better, I stalked updates on Twitter and Instagram.

Wednesday

I finally got the call that I got the summer job I interviewed for. I am very excited about the job! I can't wait to tell you more about it later. Of course, I still hadn't found my social security card and now I really did need it.

Thursday

In the morning, I discovered that I got third place on The Pioneer Woman's Geography Quiz that week. I've been entering her giveaways and quizzes for awhile, so I was super excited to finally win something. I know her website is super popular. I knew winning the geography bee in the sixth grade would come in handy sometime!

Of course, Thursday was also the day I shopped at the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale. You can read about my experience in the post I wrote last week.

Friday

Since I still hadn't found my social security card, I needed to go to the social security office and get a new one. And since they have stupid hours (9-3, seriously) which also happen to be the same hours school is in session, I couldn't work.

The office was busy and I had to wait about 30-40 minutes. While I was waiting, I got to observe some really interesting slices of humanity. My favorite was the middle aged woman that actually expected a government office that deals with something vitally important to your identity to be able to help her without a photo ID. It is 2013. What adult doesn't have a photo ID? My 84 year old grandma has a photo ID and she's never driven. The Amish people that were there that day had ID. You need a photo ID to do just about anything in this country. Heck, I had to show photo ID to buy anything at the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale!

Luckily, once they called my number, it took 3 minutes for me to answer some questions and swear that I had answered truthfully and then I was done. My new card will be here in about two weeks. Hopefully sooner.

I spent my afternoon designing a new About page for the blog. Check it out! I'm pretty proud of myself for figuring out how to make it and get it up there all by myself.

Saturday

Trish and her awesome baby were still in town, so I spent the day with them. First, we went to the brand new Whole Foods and checked it out. It was very crowded as expected, but I saw a lot of cool stuff and I'm sure I'll be back.

Later, I got to hold and play with that cute baby. I really need to get one of those for myself.

Sunday

I've been jumping at the bit to start landscaping the front of our house. Since the weather was nice-ish, I wanted to go look at bushes. It turns out though that I am too early and nobody had the bushes I wanted yet. Later, we decided to take advantage of the weather and go visit the local botanic garden. There weren't many flowers yet, but we did see some ducks and geese and several dogs out for walks as well.

How was your week?

Sunday Social - Twitter

2013-04-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

When did you join twitter?

February 2009

Who is your favorite non-celeb to follow?

Hmm, I really don't think about having favorites...probably my friends and some of the Weddingbee tweeps.

What Kate Wore is great for Duchess of Cambridge news as it happens.

Who is your favorite celeb to follow?

I like following the people who work on Doctor Who & Sherlock b/c sometimes I get to witness some really funny conversations.

The Bloggess is also good to follow.

Also, Alton Brown is awesome. He answers questions and gives cooking advice.

Have you ever had a celeb respond to a tweet?

Not a celeb, but Vera Bradley and Weddingbee have retweeted me.

What is your favorite store/brand to follow?

I like following Vera Bradley to get info on new products and I've been lucky enough to win a Twitter giveaway from them.

Give us three tweeps we should be following.

Well, me, obviously - @Jenn1682

My best friend, Tricia - @Trish1981

Alton Brown - @altonbrown

The Bloggess - @TheBloggess

My Experience at the 2013 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale

2013-04-12T17:02:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was finally my day to shop at the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale. Let the countdown begin for next year!

I wanted to share with you a few notes about my experience and some pictures I took along the way. I shopped with my best friend Tricia and our moms. We are all veteran VBOS shoppers although I have the most sales under my belt.

We got to the coliseum about an hour before our 11:00 sale session began. There was already quite a line, but we ended up being on the first floor which was a first for us. Once we found the end of the line, we sat down and began making our battle plans on our maps. The wait really didn't seem very long and once the sale started, the line moved quickly.

We were on the sales floor very shortly after the doors opened. Having a plan of where to go first definitely helped. I grabbed a lot of stuff and shoved it into my bag. I was trying to find a new style of purse, so I just grabbed any I thought I might like.

Once I found my group again and we started sorting our stuff, I ended up narrowing it down to one style after much debate. I ended up putting back quite a few things I had grabbed. Once we made our decisions and made last visits to the tables we wanted to see again, we headed to the checkouts. We pretty much breezed right through the checkouts. I was very surprised that we did not have to wait in a long line. We checked out around 1:00 or so. We were walking to the car at 1:20.

Things I Liked This Year

Our tickets were scanned as we got in line. This worked much better than last year when our tickets were scanned at the door to the sale. This made is possible for us to walk straight into the sale.
The maps were detailed. Last year's map was vague and made it impossible to find things quickly
Lots of patterns available especially newer patterns. I was surprised to see a lot of Ribbons, Go Wild, Dogwood, and English Rose.

Things I Didn't Like This Year

Strollers! I saw lots of strollers this year including some double strollers. It was crowded on the sales floor and I sometimes had a hard time getting through by myself. It must have been very hard for strollers to navigate through the crowd.
Lack of markdowns. Since it was the third day of the sale, I expected more markdowns. There were several silver star balloons around the sale marking the markdowns, but they weren't on anything I bought. Some of the prices also weren't the best deals. I did buy something that was not marked down very much, but because it was an older pattern that's not regularly available, I got it anyway.

So, let's look at what I did buy...

Glenna in Island Blooms
Turn Lock Wallet in Ribbons
Mini Hipster in Watercolor (This is for my mother-in-law)
Mini Notebook in Blue Lagoon
Headband Duo in Dogwood

I also bought a few other things, but they are gifts, so I can't post them here. I did not get flip flops because there were only a few large left and they were not in patterns I liked. They did not have any Sweetheart Coin Purses or Clip Lights. I will probably make a trip to the outlet store this summer when I hear of a good sale.

I did consider a Turn Lock Wallet in Go Wild, but decided that since it was newer, I could probably get it next year if I still want it. I also considered a Towel Set in Paisley Meets Plaid, but decided it wasn't really worth $20.

I did not get a Stephanie because I was not in love with any of the colors available. I did grab one in Summer Cottage but decided that with the amount of white in the pattern, I'd have to wash it a lot. I'm going to be extra careful with my Glenna and probably only use it during the summer. Luckily, most Vera Bradley bags are easy to wash if needed.

The Mini Notebooks took me awhile to find and they were only available in two colors: Blue Lagoon and Barcelona. My mom wanted some Binder Clips, but when we went to the table before checkout, all they had left were the Jumbo Binder Clips. Might have to look for them at the Outlet Store.

I have to admit I did spot a few things in Night Owl, and every time I saw one, I picked it up and considered it, but it was never something I really needed.

After the sale, we had lunch at Cheddar's. It was very good and I really enjoyed it. The portions were generous and the price was great. We just got one in our area and I can't wait to try it with my husband.

After lunch, we went over to Jefferson Pointe to check out the Vera Bradley store. They had all the new summer stuff out. The sea animals on the different items are really cute. Trish and I also checked out the baby stuff. The packaging on those items is super cute. I also got to check out the Kiss 'n Snap Wallet. It's cute, but I'll stick with my Turn Lock Wallets.

I was disappointed to see Old Navy was no longer at Jefferson Pointe. It seemed like there were more empty storefronts there this year.

We had a great day of shopping and I can't wait for next year's sale!

Have any questions about the Outlet Sale or Vera Bradley? Feel free to ask them in the comments or over on the Argyle Love Facebook page.

What did you get at the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale?

Sherlock - Sad Photo

2013-04-09T17:26:00.003-04:00

Today's Sherlock topic is a photo that makes you sad.

The first thing that came to mind was The Reichenbach Fall. It was a very good episode, but I cannot bring myself to watch it again due to the end.

So, it should come as no surprise that I chose a photo from the end of that episode. I actually chose two photos because they both make me sad for different reasons.

Source: anothermindpalace.tumblr.com via Jenn on Pinterest

Source: twotwoonebee.tumblr.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I cannot wait for season three to see how they resolve this cliffhanger!

Week in Review

2013-04-08T16:22:00.001-04:00

Last week was my spring break and sadly, it flew right by. Even though I just stayed home, I'm pretty proud of what I accomplished during the week. It wasn't everything I wanted to do since I am a procrastinator, but I'm happy with what did get done.

Monday

My big accomplishment on Monday was getting our living room closet organized. I wish I had taken before and after pictures because it was quite the difference. The closet had become a dumping ground for random stuff and now it's clearly defined what exactly belongs in there and the stuff that didn't belong is out of the there. Never mind that some of it is now sitting on the dining room table, it'll find a home soon. After living in this house for three years, our DVDs are finally out of their moving boxes and we can actually find them when we want now.

Tuesday

I did the grocery shopping for the week and went to the library for the week. I consider it a major accomplishment that I didn't kill anybody while out of the house. Every time I go the library I encounter the oddest people and the grocery store is never a picnic.

Wednesday

I had a summer job interview! It went really well and I'm hoping to hear back this week that I go the job. If I do get the job, I'll tell you more about it then. I really want this job because it sounds fun and it's right up my alley.

Thursday

I don't remember what I did on Thursday, but I'm sure great things were accomplished. Oh, I did get on M to clean up his side of the bedroom. He started, but still hasn't finished. Must get on him to finish that!

Friday

Again, I don't remember what I did, but I'm sure it was something great. M and I started marathoning Grimm season 1. I'm not sure I'm supposed to find the show so funny, but there have been several times we've laughed hard.

Saturday

I washed my make-up brushes. This was a big deal because I've never done it before. I know, yuck. They are super clean and soft now and I'm vowing I'll do it more often now that I know how easy it is to do.

Due to M's work schedule, we didn't watch Doctor Who, which was pretty much torture. I did however spend some time in the evening swooning over Mr. Darcy.

Source: google.com via Jenn on Pinterest

Sunday

We were going to watch Doctor Who, but it didn't happen because we didn't feel like leaving the house. Again, torture. Mostly because it means I have to be very active in avoiding spoilers, which means steering clear of Tumblr.

How was your week?

I'm super excited for this week because Thursday I'm going to the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale!

Sunday Social - Pinterest

2013-04-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Sunday Social is all about Pinterest which is just perfect for me because I love Pinterest. You can find all my boards if you follow the link on the right side, there.

What is your favorite outfit pin?

I pin a lot of clothes that I'd like to own and outfits that I'd like to emulate on My Style board.

My current favorite outfit pin is one of my recent pins..

Source: outfitposts.blogspot.com via Jenn on Pinterest

The Outfit Posts blog is a great source of outfit inspiration. I love polka dots right now and cardigans are always my favorite. I'm on the hunt for a great, affordable, polka dot blouse.

What is your favorite food pin?

I pin a lot of recipes. Seriously, I had to sort my food pins into separate categories just to keep them organized. Pinterest is my number one source of new recipes.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I love the Pioneer Woman and I used her recipe for 3 Cheese Stuffed Shells for the inspiration for my Three Cheese Pepperoni Pasta Bake.

What is your favorite wedding pin?

Even though I was already married by the time I got into Pinterest, that hasn't stopped me from pinning lots of wedding stuff. I like cakes, flowers, dresses, and just weddings in general. And of course, I've pinned my own wedding.

I have to pick a pin from my own wedding for this one..

Source: amandafales.blogspot.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I loved my all peony bouquet!

What is your favorite DIY/craft pin?

I tend to pin things I'd like to make, but I'm not super crafty, so I rarely do them. But this is one pin I actually did and it turned out well..

Source: christyrobbins.blogspot.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I had extra invites from our wedding, so I first made for our tree and it looked great. It was super easy to do too. I then made one for my brother and his wife using their wedding invitation and gave it to them for Christmas.

What is your favorite quote/verse/lyric pin?

I mostly just pin funny some e-cards and Doctor Who and Sherlock quotes.

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I love anything that can combine my love of Pride & Prejudice and Doctor Who.

Share one more random pin you love.

This wouldn't be a proper Pinterest post without sharing my love of Benedict Cumberbatch. I do love pinning him!

Source: buzzfeed.com via Jenn on Pinterest

And I can't resist sharing my love of some e-cards.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jenn on Pinterest

Tips for the 2013 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale

2013-04-03T12:19:00.001-04:00

The Vera Bradley event of the year is next week and I cannot wait! The Annual Vera Bradley Outlet sale is held every year in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It's an arena full of handbags and accessories all at a discount price. For me, it's just as good as Christmas!

Basically, once you enter, you grab a big plastic bag and a price sheet and then it's time to shop! My plan is to grab anything I think I might want and stuff it in my bag. Then, when I've browsed everything, I find a spot and sort through what's in my bag. Rejected items are placed in nearby boxes and carts to be restocked by Vera workers.

After making my decisions and any final sweeps around the arena, it's time to pay! There are always tons of registers and the lines move pretty quickly.

To prepare for the sale, I try to make a list of styles I want to look at the most. These are the items that I will head to first before taking some time to mosey through the rest of the sale. This year I want a new handbag and a new Turn Lock Wallet. Want to see my wishlist? Check it out on Pinterest!

Just about every current and retired style of bags and accessories will be at the sale. What's unknown is exactly which patterns will be available. Based on what I've seen at previous years' sales, I can usually make a pretty good prediction of what I'll see. I try to identify which patterns I would most like prior to the sale. This is especially helpful if you are attending the sale with a group. Your friends can help by grabbing things in the pattern you want if you want to split up to shop and then meet back up to sort. (Of course, you'll help out your friends by grabbing what they want.)

I've found that the patterns are mostly ones that have been retired since the previous year's sale as well as some that are going to be retired after the sale. These are often the colors listed as "sale" on the Vera Bradley website

So, what colors do I expect to see at the Sale? I'd say it's a good bet we'll see plenty of the patterns that have been retired since the last sale.

Starting with the colors most recently retired..


Priscilla Pink

Doodle Daisy

Ellie Blue

Camellia

Then, those retired last November...

Rhythm & Blues

Floral Nightingale

Mocha Rouge

Very Berry Paisley

Rosy Posies

And the patterns that were retired last September...

Tea Garden

Happy Snails

Boysenberry

And I'm sure we'll see some of the colors that were retired just after last year's sale...

Plum Petals

Safari Sunset

Deco Daisy

Watercolor

Viva la Vera

As in previous years, there will also be older patterns available in select styles, but it's tough to predict just what exactly will be available. For example, I've been seeing Night Owl every year since 2010. Your best bet is to look over the Sale section of the Vera Bradley website to get an idea.

I'm sure we'll also see the next patterns to be retired. Here are my predictions...

Summer Cottage

Island Blooms

Baroque

Limes Up

There's also a chance that these might be retiring soon...

Paisley Meets Plaid

Portobello Road

Retired styles are usually available in all patterns that they were made. Theoretically, you could find a bag in a Winter 2012 or Sping 2012 pattern, but I've found that anything that new tends to disappear fast. Your best bet of scoring those will happen in the first few sessions on Tuesday. I'd love to snag something in Go Wild!

So, what about prices? Exact prices won't be known until the sale opens, but looking at previous years' prices can give you an idea of what to expect. Keep in mind, that beginning the second day of the sale, prices start dropping. Just a few on the second day, then more as the sale goes on. I used to go on the second day of the sale and find good deals. This year, Thursday is the third day of the sale, so I'm hoping to find even better deals. Just keep in mind, the later in the sale you go, the less selection you may have to choose from. I value selection over price, so the second day worked well for me. I'm hoping the third day will still be a good day for both selection and value this year.

Here are some links to previous years' prices thanks to the great website Discount Fabric Handbags.
2011 Prices
2010 Prices
2009 Prices

This will be my sixth Vera Bradley Outlet Sale and I've picked up a few tips along the way.

Use a crossbody handbag or a smaller purse. It gets crowded in the arena as you can see from the pictures and believe me, you'll want your hands free to shop!
Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. You're going to be on your feet the whole time. Don't wear flip flops or you risk having your foot stepped on.
Bring your registration and your ID. There are usually computers set up to print off your registration, but you'll have to wait in line. Save time and do it before you arrive. You will not be able to purchase anything without your ID, so make sure you have it!
Please don't bring children! There is no way I'd bring a kid to the sale. It's crowded and you won't enjoy yourself if you have to worry about keeping your child with you at all times. I'm going with my best friend, Tricia, and she is leaving her adorable baby at home. He's a great shopper, but she knows that the Outlet Sale is no place for a baby. I'm so glad I have responsible friends who value the safety of their children.

This is not the mall, do not bring a stroller! You will only annoy everyone else and your baby really doesn't belong. If I couldn't get a babysitter, I wouldn't go to the sale.

Don't forget to like the Argyle Love Facebook page and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I'll try to tweet from the sale and hopefully share some pictures too.

And finally, remember to have fun! Score some great deals and enjoy being in the company of other Vera Bradley lovers.

Are you going to this year's sale? Any questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments for me or on the Argyle Love Facebook page!

Sherlock - A Picture That Make Me Smile

2013-04-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Sherlock topic is simply, a picture that makes you smile.

It's not hard to find a picture that makes me smile since Benedict Cumberbatch frequently makes me smile and giggle like a schoolgirl. It is hard however to narrow it down to just one.

However, I am going to go with a gif that makes me smile because Benedict, and therefore, Sherlock's smile is just fabulous.

Sigh.

Week in Review

2013-04-01T18:24:00.004-04:00

Last week was not a great week in regards to my health.

Monday

I had to go to the cornea specialist. Luckily for me, my mother-in-law took me because the doctor was the next county over by a major hospital and I was not familiar with the area at all. I had no idea where the office was, but fortunately we pretty much stumbled upon it without even trying.

He took a look at my eyes, poked them(!), and even flipped my eyelid. So, a lot of fun. Basically, it's genetic and my corneas aren't great. There are options to try to fix them and they involve things I didn't want to get into since he said my eye was healing nicely again. I really liked the option that involved laser surgery, but I don't think my insurance will like that one. He recommended I continue using my drops for the week and give him a call if it flares up again and we can try the treatment that involves scratching my cornea some more.

Tuesday

Thanks to various appointments and a short school week, Tuesday was the only day I worked last week. I taught 4th grade in the morning. It went OK. Afterwards, I went over the store my husband works at and shopped because they were having special shopping days with an extra discount and that combined with an ongoing store discount added up to some awesome deals. I ended up getting some stuff off the clearance racks for dirt cheap.

Wednesday

I decided to Google about having my wisdom teeth out, which was probably not a great idea, because anytime you Google something health related, the Internet convinces you that you're dying of some weird disease. But I was lucky to find good stories about how easy it was for people and I actually felt a little better. But only a little.

Thursday

Thursday was the day I'd been dreading for a couple months. It was finally time to get my last two wisdom teeth pulled. They were fully erupted, so it was really just a matter of numbing me up and pulling them. My dentist has TVs, so I turned on Rachael Ray and Ellen and tried to focus on those.

The numbing was the worst part and he had to do it several times because the first time wasn't enough. I think my mouth bruised from one of the shots. Of course it did, I bruise easily everywhere else, why not my mouth too? The pain wasn't too terrible and was gone by Saturday afternoon. I did enjoy having milkshakes for a couple days and I discovered how to make a pretty tasty one.

Friday

I recovered from the tooth removal on the couch for most of the day. My husband had to run to the store for something he forgot, so I went with him because the pain was minimal. I was very surprised by how good I felt.

Saturday

The most important thing about Saturday was that Doctor Who was back!! It was a good episode!

Sunday

Easter! I was planning on wearing an old dress, but with those great deals I go earlier in the week, I got a new dress and some fun new tights, all for under $10! The dress was originally $64. Score!

We went to Mass and then had dinner and family time at M's sister's house. It was a fun day and I was really happy I could eat normal food. So happy, I ate like six chocolate chip cookies. Oops! I also got to have my precious Coke again. I was happy, but it didn't taste amazing or anything. I'm going to keep up not drinking it at home and it will only be a when we go out special drink.

How was your week?

Sunday Social

2013-03-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

Source: akadesign.ca via Jenn on Pinterest

Happy Easter!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Favorite type of work out to do?

Uh, does lifting a spoonful of ice cream to my mouth count?

I'm really not a workout kind of girl, so when I do actually do something, I want something that doesn't feel like working out. I like to do Just Dance on the Wii. Sometimes I feel like doing Yoga and I have a DVD for that. Occasionally, I feel like punishing myself and do the 30 Day Shred. I might get inspired and join in on doing the 30 Day Shred everyday in April.

Favorite guilty pleasure candy or sweet?

Just about anything chocolate is good. I've been on a Kit Kat kick lately.

What is one thing you continuously forget to do?

A lot of things! Unless it's in front of my face, I often forget to do things. I constantly forget about my laundry and it sits in the washer for a couple hours.

Posts its or phone reminders? Why?

Post-Its all the way. Again, they have to be in my face for me to remember things and I can stick Post-Its where I'm sure to see them.

Favorite picture currently on your phone that always makes you smile

I don't have kids, so I'm the crazy cat lady who is constantly taking pictures of her cats doing cute things. But when it's these two cuties, how can I resist? Their love of boxes is pretty amusing.