Let's talk jewelry.

We all have our favorite things we love. Like most women, I LOVE bags, scarves, shoes, coats and JEWELRY! Today I just wanted to share a little bit about my top three jewelry companies. I am not getting paid to do this nor did anyone ask me. I just really love their jewelry!

So...let's get started, shall we?

Accessory Dash: 

Lately I have been a bit obsessed with a new business that one of my dear college friends runs through Facebook called Accessory Dash. A.D. is a fun new company allowing women to be fun and trendy without spending a bundle. The jewelry is completely affordable and is rarely over $25 a piece. To me, the best part about this company is it's online presence. Every Wednesday night at 8pm, there is an auction. It's so fun! You should try it! These are just a few of the pieces that I bid on AND WON this week. 

 Stella & Dot 

I remember when I first heard of this company through a friend who was hosting a party, I just couldn't get enough. Their jewelry is so colorful and cheerful! When I get the catalog in the mail, I find myself drooling and immediately making a mental wish list. There are statement pieces that are truly a work of art and there are classic pieces that should be in every woman's jewelry box. Their jewelry is good quality and very sturdy pieces. Stella & Dot have plenty of pieces under $50 to choose from if you're trying to stay on a budget. However, if you feel the urge for a splurge, Stella & Dot is the place to do it with plenty of amazing statement pieces to choose from.

Silpada

I was introduced to Silpada jewelry through my sister in law, Nicole, who sells this jewelry. Silpada is known for their sterling silver. They are good quality pieces and mostly are classic items that never go out of style. Silpada tends to vier away from the super trendy which is why, I believe, it's worth it to spend a little more. Their pieces hardly ever go out of style and will last a lifetime. I encourage you to look around on their website. If you're like me, you'll love their pearl and leather pieces as well. 

                       

I hope you enjoyed this talk about jewelry today. What are some of your favorite jewelry companies? I always love finding new businesses. Thanks for stopping by!

Me, Myself and I

My blog buddy, Tricia Nae, posted this yesterday so I decided to copy. Since today is my birthday, I thought it was a perfect day to post a little bit about ME! Go join up with Me, Myself and I linky party. Who cares if we're a few days late, right? Better late than never! 

1. What is your biggest phobia? 

I am not a big fan of HUGE social events or a place with lots of people (like Riverfest or SixFlags or Disney World). I also hate confined spaces; I have a little bit of claustrophobia. Now that I'm writing this down, I realize that they are both sort of similar in the sense that they make me feel trapped. I hate that feeling. So, the short answer would be that I have a fear of being trapped somewhere.

2. If you could relive any day of your life, what would it be and why? 
July 5th, 2008. The day I married my husband, Brent Buie. I loved everything about that day, except for the fact that it didn't last long enough. I wish I could have sat down with each one of the guests and just really soak in the day.

3. If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be? 

I would probably say... 22, my senior year of college - 2005.  My last semester of college was so fun! This was also the year I met Buie.  I could still run a few miles without passing out. I also could still eat gluten (of course it was making me sick so that wasn't too fun).  I don't know, it was just a fun year. 

4. Which celebrity do you get mistaken for? 

This is a funny question to me. I have honestly never been "mistaken" for anyone other than well... ME! And I'm totally okay with that. 

5. What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life?
If I had to choose just one it would be "Small Town" by John Cougar Mellencamp because it reminds me of my home town. I love being from a small town... and yes, I'll probably want to die in a small town.
Watch & Listen on YouTube

Thanks for reading and learning a little bit about ME! 

Last week.

Last week and weekend was big for our family. Let's see, to remember it all I'll just go day by day:

Tuesday, July 3rd: Buie & I grilled out with our friends, Alicia & Brian. I didn't take any pictures for some reason but we always have a good time over at their house. We celebrated the 4th the night before because B had to work on the night of the 4th.

Wednesday, July 4th: This has always been my favorite holiday. Even when I was young I remember being in awwe of fireworks and no three colors go better together than RED, WHITE & BLUE. :) Since Buie was working, I celebrated by hitting up the 4th of July sales at all of the local flea markets and antique stores. :)

I found this great vintage needlepoint rug for our guest bathroom. I love it. Conner was too sure about it, though.

Thursday, July 5th: Happy Anniversary to us. We had a lot to do around the house and spent the day doing normal things like laundry and cleaning. We're so exciting, huh? We had decided to drive into Minden the NEXT day instead of on our actual anniversary so we went to a super "fancy" dinner. ha. We had gluten free pizza at US Pizza, then went across the street to a gas station and had gas station icecream. SUPER FANCY! :)

Friday, July 6th: We had the bright idea to get up at 5:30 in the morning and drive to Louisiana (instead of driving the night before). You see we had a doctor's appointment at 10am in Ruston we HAD to make. So, did we make it in time? Why yes we did! After dropping off the dogs in Minden at 9:20ish, we might have sped just a little - but we made it! Buie & I both are seeing the doctor now. Hopefully he'll make us nice and healthy, so we can make nice & healthy babies one day. :) 

Friday afternoon we got to meet our new little niece, Hannah Elizabeth! I snapped a few newborn pics that I'll share later with you.

 Saturday morning was party day. We started out celebrating Landon's second birthday with a Mickey Mouse pool party. Our family ended the day by celebrating mom's 60th with close friends and family.

What a crazy week! I wanted to document it all mainly so I wouldn't forget. I hope y'all had a great 4th of July week!

Magic Buie and a little thing called RESPECT.

Since the movie Magic Mike has taken America by storm, Buie and I have had several conversations about how sad it is that a movie has such popularity among MARRIED women. The same holds true for the book series: 50 Shades of Grey. My husband, who works as a manager of a large corporate chain bookstore, he has been astounded at the number of women coming in to buy these books - women of all ages. As someone who is on the internet, social media and connected with blogs, I, too, have been shocked by the amount of married women talking about the popular Magic Mike movie. Do I think you are wrong for watching and/or reading these books? No. This is not a post to put down, criticize or blame anyone. In fact my intentions are quite the opposite. I simply wanted to share what's on my heart when it comes to the word RESPECT.

As a hard headed and stubborn woman, I can very easily forget the importance of respect. I know exactly what it means but I often forget to put it into practice.  I sometimes think that it's my mission in life to have the last word or to always be right. But then I remember my true mission as a wife. As a Christian wife it is my responsibility to love & respect my husband in every way possible. I guess the thing that I have a problem with when it comes to movies and books such as these, is the lack of respect. How much respect is shown to my husband if I spend a couple hours of my evening watching a lust-filled movie? It's safe to say, none. Ladies, how would we feel if our husband had a guys night and decided to go see a movie showing half naked women dancing around on a stage? Um...it's safe to say we would have more than a few words to say about it. So why does this book and this movie bother me so much? It's all about respect for your man. Don't you think your husband wants YOU to gush over him just as women are doing about Channing Tatum? But even more than that, don't you honestly think that your husband is more of a MAN than the dancers in that movie? If your husband is anything like mine, then of course he is. My husband is a real man and I'm saddened to see that the world apparently thinks that a "real" man must have a six pack and dance around on a stage in a thong. Respect your husband, ladies. Adore the things he does for your family. Remind him how much HE means to you, not some silly movie. When was the last time we all got excited about how awesome our husbands are?  I have my very own Magic Buie living in my house. He is awesome. He is a man of his word. He is loyal, committed, steadfast. He is my rock. He cooks for me and takes care of me when I'm sick and when he's feeling good he might even turn on Pandora and dance around in the kitchen while he's cooking. ha! (He might kill me for saying that! ) But seriously, who needs Magic Mike when I've got Magic Buie? ;)

It's all about respect.

Buie and I had this very talk just last night about this movie and all day it has been weighing on my mind. Today I randomly came across this blog post that puts wonderfully into words exactly what I feel. I encourage you to read it.

The point of my post is not really about some dumb movie or a popular book that's flying off the bookshelves. And it is certainly not my intention to make you feel bad if you have seen it or read the book. If you've seen it, ok. It really doesn't matter but what DOES matter is the real man in your life. So go tell him what he means to you. If you haven't seen it, then I encourage you NOT to see it and instead, go take your man out for a nice steak dinner and tell him how proud you are of him.

Please understand that this is my opinion. I understand that many, if not MOST, people do not agree with me. This is my blog and I'm entitled to my opinion, though. :)

Update on our zoo

If you follow me on twitter (cbbuie) then you know that JoJo, our sweet foster dog, has found a forever home! This little Aussie has meant so much to us over the past few months. In the last year and a half of his life, we had him in our home about 8 to 10 of those months off and on. He has gone to one home after another and without fail, he always ended up back at our house. For whatever reasons, it never seemed to work out with those other families. But FINALLY the little bundle of joy has found a home! After getting word that they are signing adoption papers, it makes this process all worth it! Some days I wanted to keep him (let's be honest... MOST days I wanted to keep him) and then there were some days I wanted to strangle him. Remember this? Yeah this was one of those days. But it was all worth it in the end because JoJo has a forever home who will love him unconditionally, take him on walks and fill his belly with lots of treats! It makes my heart happy! :)

JoJo at about 6 to 8 months old & JoJo right before he left our home - about 1.5 yrs. or so. 

Just when our house is getting back to normal (and by normal I mean only 2 cats, 2 dogs and 2 humans), this little gal wanders up. Yesterday we were getting our new sectional delivered and I was holding the door open for the movers when I hear a little kitty cry. I thought maybe Charlie or Hazel had escaped in the chaos of the couch being moved in. But then I realized it was too young of a cry to be my cats. This little cry sounded so pitiful, I had to find the source. Then this cute little girl came (literally) running to me as soon as she saw me.

After evaluating the situation, asking neighbors, etc. we came to the conclusion that this little kitty is, in fact, homeless. So once again, the Buie's Zoo is back up to 5 animals for the moment but we can not keep her. If you know of anyone that wants an adorable sweet and loving kitty, please get in touch with me.   

When we met...

I thought I'd take the time to reflect for our anniversary. Four years ago today, I married Brent Marks Buie. We met at our college Alma mater, Ouachita Baptist University in 2005. I remember the exact moment I thought in my head that I wanted to get to know this guy better. I was sitting on the top step at my friend's house and Buie came in the front door and stood at the bottom of the stairs. He was hot and sweaty from working out. It was May in Arkansas which meant it was already probably 90 degrees outside too. He wasn't wearing anything special -  just work out clothes - but I think that's why I was instantly attracted to him. If he looked this good after having just worked out, I imagined he cleaned up really nice too. ;) As he looked up at me and smiled, I immediately was aware of how uncute I looked and I was mad at myself for not fixing myself up that morning.

We had a mutual friend (Andrea) which I quickly found out would be the key to getting this whole relationship started. As soon as he left Andrea's house that day, I'm pretty sure I attacked her and said something along the lines of "Hook me up"or "Where have you been hiding him?" haha. Nice and subtle, huh. After Andrea put a bug in his ear, I think we handled the rest ourselves. I do remember the first time Buie came over to my apartment he brought his roommate with him. While confused at first, I look back and giggle because I think it's cute how even big college football guys need backup every now and then. The next time he came over sans roommate with dinner and a movie in hand. Looking back, we never really had a big let's get all dressed up and go to a fancy restaurant first date...but then again, we aren't really those kind of people. Our first date is exactly what we prefer to do now, order take in and watch a movie on the couch. So in reality, our first date was perfect.... except for maybe the choice of movie but that's another story. ;)

This picture is very special to me because it is the first picture we ever took together. This was taken just after my college graduation and he came to see me graduate. We had only been seeing each other for about 2 week at this point. The very next day I left for Montreal for two weeks but we talked on the phone every day! :) This pic is framed in our house and each time I look at it, it reminds me of several things: a) where we came from b) how far we've come and c) how much weight we've both gained! ha! Gotta love being married to a guy who can cook!

Happy Anniversary to my love.

July.

Let's just talk about July for a minute. The month of July holds a special place in my heart. This is the month in which I was born so naturally it's the best month. :) Buie & I were married in July. Our nation won its independence in the month of July. Many of my family members were also born in this month, including my mother and my nephew. My brother, Craig, married Nicole in this month. Now that we have established that there are a lot of anniversaries and birthdays in this month, let's discuss briefly what else makes this month special. Here are just a few:

• Family bar-b-q's. & well, just family time in general. 
• Time in or around a body of water.  Let's face it, it's just too darn hot too NOT be by the pool, on the lake or at the beach this summer
• WATERMELON.  When God invented watermelons, He had the Fourth of July in mind, I'm sure of it. 
• Fireworks. Enough said. 

There is something about summertime that just makes me crave snow cones, family time and secretly makes me want to run through the sprinklers like when I was little. (I may or may not have done this just yesterday)  

So from one summer lovin' soul to another, HAPPY JULY! Go soak up some sun! 

Oh, and Happy FOURTH! :)