Hair Bow Winner!!

Thank you all so much for participating in the Giveaway last week!!! I hope you had fun meeting Katherine and visiting her fabulous Etsy shop and blog.  If you didn't get a chance before, you've got to get yourself over there now!!!!!!  She's awesome and I don't want you to miss out.

The winner of the medium hair bow holder is...

drum roll please...

Carie Austin!!!

Thank you so much for participating y'all!  Enjoy your gift Carie!

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Celebration Time!

Remember when I posted about this Giveaway?!?!

Well guess what!?!?!?!

LWTH has reached 300 followers!!!!!!

So what am I lovin’ today?!

YOU!!!!!

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT ALL OF YOU!!!

I have SO much fun and truly look forward to getting to know all of our readers.  The past few years in blogland have been a blast and I have loved getting to know you all!  So now it’s time to celebrate and give this away! 

I didn’t tell you want it was before, but I’m revealing it now!!! One lucky reader (revealed at the bottom of this post) will be given a professional 5-make up brush.  These brushes are so awesome, and I use them everyday!

It comes with a nice case with a button closure.

Inside there are several pockets for storage and more brushes if you have others.

This kit is from Mary Kay, so if you didn’t win but really want one you can check it out here!

Congratulations to Sarah at Total Basset Case!  Thank you so much for reading our blog!! Please email me with your mailing address so that I can get this to you ASAP.

Thank you ALL so much for following us and I hope you continue to hang around our little piece of blogland!
If you are new around here and want to follow us but don't know how, click here for instructions.

It’s a Sunshiny Day :-)

Are you now humming that song? I am!  My sweet blogging friend, Shatzi, just awarded me with the Sunshine Blog Award!!  I’m so grateful and excited!  Thank you thank you thank you!!! Have you met Shatzi at Loads and Loads of Love and Laundry?  Well get over there! She is awesome and super talented!
So the Sunshine Award is an award given to bloggers “who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere." I am so honored that someone would think of me in that way!!  WOW!  Thank you Shatzi!
For the award, I will answer 10 predetermined questions.  So hopefully with these questions you’ll get to know me better :-)
1. Favorite color- My favorite color is purple, but I call it graple.  Get it? grapes + purple = graple!
2. Favorite animal- My favorite animals are Tomlin and Rooney.  Yes, I’m absolutely biased, but I don’t care.  These 4-legged babies of mine are my world :-)
3. Favorite number- I’m a bit OCD about this: I like all even numbers.  For example, everything has to be in twos.  I only eat 2 M&M’s at a time, I only set the alarm clock on even numbers.  If I have to pick, my two favorite even numbers are 2 and 4.  (Sidebar- rereading this convinces me that I’m a nut!)
4. Favorite Drink- Sweet Tea!  I’m a southern girl through and through!
5. Facebook or Twitter- oooo this is a tough one!  I guess I like them both for different reasons.  I like Facebook for all of the pictures, but I like the status aspect of Twitter.  If you haven't found LWTH on these two social media websites, you can check us out here on Facebook and here on Twitter (Like the personal plug? LOL).
6. Good book or good movie- Book!!! I don’t care for fiction, and memoirs are my favorite books to read.
7. My passion- The Lord!!! I love Jesus and try to live my life in accordance with His will for my life.
8. Giving or getting gifts- Giving! I definitely get more excited about picking out the most perfect gift for each person and then watching their reaction as they unwrap the package.
9. Favorite day- I know this might be weird for some, but I love Mondays.  I feel like it’s a nice new blank slate to tackle another week.
10. Favorite flower-  Tulips are my all time favorite flower, with the hydrangea as a close second.
Thank you so much Shatzi!!!

Summer Reading {Part 2}

Morning folks!  I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to hit the ground running on a new week.  Last Monday I shared a list of books that I had read with you, and today I want to finish that list.  Did anyone get a chance to check out any of these books?

So here we go; let’ finish the book list of reviews today :-)

How to be Hepburn in a Hilton World by Jordan Christy- This was one of the books I read in my book club.  This is a cute book with a strong emphasis on respecting oneself.  I think this is a great book for young single girls who are looking for love.  As the title suggests, the focus of the book is about how to go through life’s journeys with class, respect, and dignity.  I think through the decades these characteristics have been lost, and it is a great reminder of style and grace.  A cute book, and who doesn’t love Audrey?!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett- I think everyone but me read this last year.  As I expected, this was a fantastic book, and I’m so glad that Stockett continued to pursue this novel despite all of her obstacles.  I probably don’t need to say too much about this, because you’ve probably heard all about it a million times lol.  I have been waiting for the movie to come out on HBO so that I can see it.  I can’t wait!  This is a great story and I recommend this book!

The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson- You know that moment when you know before even making the decision that you’re going to kick yourself later?!  Yep this happened!  I was coming home from a business trip and was totally brain fried.  I wanted a book the would be relaxing for the flight, since I had finished my book on the way there.  I picked up this book in the airport.  I picked it based on the cover.  Who doesn’t love a wedding?!  How could I go wrong there?  Oh my goodness, I was soooo wrong lol.  This story was the most anti-climactic fictional story I’ve ever read.  The story line was severely lacking and the writing was terrible.  Yuck!

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell- This was the first book I’ve read by Bushnell.  But you probably know her!!  She is the writer of Sex and the City (the book before the TV show or movie) and Lipstick Jungle (also the book before the show).  Since I liked both of these shows I thought I would probably like this book. I was right!  This book is about all the residents in a single historic and grand apartment building in New York city.  I loved all of the many different characters and how their lives intertwined.  There was also a great blog aspect to this book, so you know I loved that :-)

My Life in France by Julia Child- This is Julia Child’s memoir, and it is fantastic!  I already loved Julia before reading this book, so this book only deepened my adoration for her.  She was the inspiration behind our cookbook club, and yes, I’ve seen the movie Julie & Julia. Love it!  What I loved about this memoir was hearing everything from her perspective: how she grew to love France and French cooking.  It was so romantic how she spoke about her husband Paul, and often made me tear up.  She also includes a lot of home pictures in the book that truly help illustrate her love for Paul, cooking, and France.  This is such a sweet book that I recommend to all foodies :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Did you get a chance to go through the list of books from last Monday? What did you think?

Also, please tell me what you’ve been reading this summer? Do you have any book recommendations for me of something you’ve read lately? Please share with me!!!

Irish Italian Blessings {{GIVEAWAY!}}

I love how blogland brings friends together!!

One of my best bloggy buddies, Katherine at Irish Italian Blessings, just announced the opening of her Etsy shop.

She is so creative and crafty.  Go check out her blog! You wont regret it!

***GIVEAWAY TIME***

To help celebrate her grand opening, Katherine is giving away a medium hair bow holder from her Etsy shop to one lucky LWTH reader!!! How awesome is this?! So if you have daughters or nieces this would be an awesome gift.  OR you could also win this for yourself for your own clips/earrings!!!

You can enter through next Thursday night below. The winner will be announced next Friday (remember to come back to see if you won!)

Also remember to go check out Irish Italians Blessings!!!

In order to enter you must be a follower of Life with the Hawleys AND Irish Italian Blessings.  After that, there are various other ways you could enter using the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Summer Pitchers

Isn't summer the perfect time to sip lemonade and sweet tea?!  It absolutely is, and I love to get a new fresh pitcher for those fantastic summer beverages.  I have been collecting pitchers for a while because I just love them.  Generally I go for a traditional looking pitcher because I'm pretty much a "Plain Jane" (wamp wamp).  Most of my pitchers are clear glass because I like to see the scrumptious beverage inside; I think it's prettier that way.  On occasion I like pitchers with colors, but they tend to come from the cool colors.  My kitchen is white and navy blue and I just like things real matchy-matchy; sometimes I am so predictable lol

Here are some pitchers that I'm liking this summer.

Macy's

Espana Antica Teal Pitcher - The Cellar Pitcher, Silhouettes

Bocca Geo Pitcher - The Cellar Glassware, Column Pitcher

I got the silhouette pitcher when I got married and I love it!

I think I'm really in love with the 2 blue pitchers!!!

Target

Blue Floral Porcelain Pitcher

This would look great in my kitchen!

Crate and Barrel

Raya Pitcher

Great festive colors, don't you think?

Pottery Barn

Solano Pitcher - Casa Recycled Glass Pitcher - Great White Pitcher

I love the uniquely tall Solano pitcher, and the classic look of the Casa Recycled pitcher.

I have the great white pitcher, but I usually use it to put flowers in :-)

Do you have a favorite?  Do you have any recommendations for me?

Sassy Pants

Haha!!! 

I saw this on Pinterest and just had to share it with you.  

I can't see this without giggling lol

Happy Tuesday friends!

Summer Reading {Part 1}

I have read a lot in my lifetime!  But let me be more specific; for the past 26 years I have been reading lots of nerdy stuff for school.  During the summers I get a chance to read for fun, and once I finished my degree I dove right into my stack of books I had reserved for the summer on my bookshelf.  Normally I read nonfiction; I typically only read memoirs because I like real life stories.  So I've read some memoirs but I have also dabbled into some fiction.  Check out what I’ve read so far this summer:

Escape by Caroline Jessop- In January I participated in a book swap (see post here).  Becca sent this book to me because she knows how much I enjoy memoirs.  This book was phenomenal and I couldn’t put it down.  I am NOT exaggerating; I literally could NOT put the book down!  This is a story of a strong woman who escaped her torturous life of polygamy and entered a foreign society.  She uses her past experiences to bring awareness of the polygamist lifestyle through working on the set of HBO’s Big Love.  This is a story filled with raw emotion and courage.  Such an inspiring story!

Bossypants by Tina Fey- My sister let me borrow Tina Fey’s memoir.  I have always enjoyed Fey’s work on SNL, especially the Palin skits, so I was really looking forward to this book.  I read it on an airplane and it was hilarious.  I had to apologize to the people I was sitting next to for cracking up the entire flight :-)  Tina is beyond humble and a wonderful writer!  She is a remarkable woman who believes in women. 

A Place of Yes by Bethenny Frankel-  Speaking of wonderful women, I adore Bethenny Frankel.  Yes, I am guilty of loving reality television; I can’t help it, I just love to watch the ludicrous drama because it’s hilarious!  My DVR is basically set to record every show on Bravo.  LOL.  I love Frankel for being a wonderful role model of hard work, dedication, and following your dreams.  Of her many books, this one is about her “10 rules for getting everything you want out of life”.  It’s not about financial success but about how she found peace, happiness, and fulfillment on her journey using 10 strategies.  It’s a interesting book and I definitely learned more about her character.  Has anyone seen her new talk show?  It hasn’t started airing in Houston yet, but I’m SO excited for her!

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin- I absolutely love Giffin, even though I’m not a fan of fiction.  Not only is she from Virginia (like me wahoo), but she is an impeccable writer.  You have probably heard of her; she wrote Something Borrowed that was recently made into a movie.  She also wrote the sequel, Something Blue.  I have read all of her books and really loved all of them.  Giffin really captivates her readers with her stories, and the pages just keep turning.  This story is about an accident which causes the paths of two women to cross in one of the most unlikely ways.  These two women have to ultimately decide what priorities come first in their lives.  This is a fabulous story.  Aside from this being a great story, I loved getting the rest of the story.  This book is not meant to be a sequel of Something Borrowed or Something Blue, but it completes the story.  The characters in Heart of the Matter are the same supporting characters in the previous books, so you really get the full picture on the previous novels after reading this book.  I loved how Giffin intertwines her characters and builds an awesome story.  I can’t wait for her next book to be released.  I highly recommend all of her books if you want some light but captivating poolside reading :-)

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp- The ladies in my bible study read this book this passed semester.  It’s about a woman, the author, determined to find joy and blessings in her life.  The ladies in my smallgroup and I kept a journal, as Voskamp suggests, of all the blessings in our lives.  Amidst the utter chaos for me last semester I found this list to be such a relief.  While I very much enjoyed the message of the book and recommend it for that purpose, the writing wasn’t my style personally.  She writes very eloquently and it’s very flowery.  Sometimes I found myself getting lost in the metaphors, but I really did enjoy her message about finding joy in our storms.  Voskamp has a great website for the book, as well as free discussion questions (which I found very helpful).

Ok that’s all the books I’m going to throw at you right now; I don’t want to bombard you with reading material ;-)  Part 2 will be next week, so get ready peeps!

Also, please tell me what you’ve been reading this summer? Do you have any book recommendations for me of something you’ve read lately?  Please share with me!!!

Summer Parfait

What is better than fresh fruit in the summer? Almost nothing ;-)  With all of the wonderful fruits in season right now, I love to incorporate them into our meals as much as I can.  This is an easy dessert that we have in our house during the summer.  It’s simple and sweet, not to mention a no-brainer! 

Layer yogurt, granola, and fruit.  I use Dannon, pain, nonfat yogurt and Golden Temple French Almond granola from HEB.  Don’t get scared to get creative with your fruits; in the summer this wont be too hard to do.  In the picture below I put strawberries, blueberries, and peaches.  YUM-O!

Get a spoon & dig in!!!! Enjoy the fruits of the season!!!!

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Festive Fare

I love parties with a continuous theme.  With the 4th of July coming up, I have seen so many festive dishes on pinterest that have me thinking about our own celebration, and I wanted to share some of my favorites with you.

“Sparkler” pretzelsPatriotic cheesecake "shots”Red, white, and blue layered cakeFruit flag skewersCherry & blueberry piePatriotic ice creamDipped strawberriesRice krispy treatsFestive truffleRed, white, & blue cupcakes

Fruit flag waffles

Check out these and many more of my 4th of July inspirations here!

What 4th of July traditions do you have with your family?  What are you planning to cook for the 4th? Are you traveling any where?

Aisle Finder

Have you heard of it?  This is an awesome,

TIME saving,

BRAIN CELL saving,

SANITY saving,

smart phone app that you MUST try!

Have you ever been trying a new recipe but are stumped on where to find a new ingredient that you not only can’t find in the store, but you don’t even know how to spell it?!  This reminds me of the times I felt like I was hunting garam masala and tahini in the grocery store; simply maddening!!!

This has happened to me more times than I can count.  It’s also the reason why is takes Phil bribing me to try a new supermarket because I get comfortable with “my” store and I hate to switch up my routine.  Please tell me this doesn’t sound foreign to you!

If this sounds way too familiar, then I want to introduce you to this FREE app that I just found.  You know I’ve just got to share it with my friends! :-)

You can visit AisleFinder.com and download this free app to your phone so you never have to waste time on a scavenger hunt in the grocery  store again!!!

Please try it out and tell me what you think! 

I was not paid for this review; everything written is of my own opinion.

Pinot’s Palette

Yesterday I got together with some of my favorite Houston bloggers at Pinot’s Palette for a painting class!  This was my third visit to Pinot’s Palette (1st painting & 2nd painting), but my first time painting at their new Galleria location.  I always enjoy these painting classes, so I was really looking forward to this get together.  Once again, Pinot’s Palette did not disappoint & I had a blast with my fellow blogging buddies :-)

We arrived yesterday at 5pm for an hour of mingling and snacks.  Pinot’s Palette is  BYOB and BYOS (bring our own snack) place, so we had tons of scrumptious goodies while we caught up with friends.

At 6pm we sat down to start our paintings.  We were given a paper plate with a few colors on it and we used those colors to mix and create  new colors in various shades.

The painting we selected was called Candied Skies, and the wonderful instructor led us through each step.  To be honest, you do NOT have to be Picasso to have fun creating a masterpiece!

We were given a couple of breaks to get up and check out all the awesome artwork.  I really liked this part because I got a chance to see how everyone interpreted the portrait a little differently.

Here is our gorgeous group all together with our masterpieces at the end.  I’m in the second row on the left :-)  Thanks Megan for the group photo!

This is my interpretation of Candied Skies :-)

I’m thinking I’m going to hang this in my NEW OFFICE- more to come on this little detail soon ;-)

Last night was so much fun!  If you are looking for a fun place to go with friends or for a date night, I highly recommend Pinot’s Palette.  Phil and I went for a date night a couple years ago and had so much fun! You’ve got to check out Pinot’s Palette! I promise you WONT regret it!