Recent Acquisitions

So remember when I said I had a ton of stuff to write about? Here it is. Don't you love the professional title? Well lots of things have changed since the wedding that I want to show ya!

We got back from our honeymoon on Sunday night (March 28) late. Too late. Sooo freaking late. And then had a full work day on Monday. Which led to an EARLY bedtime Monday. But then Tuesday night? Gloriousness. We took two gift cards we had from our wedding to Williams-Sonoma and used them for a new Kitchenaid Mixer!

I love her so much. So, so much. We got a fancy schmancy one but it was worth it. It has a splatter guard! SQUEEE! Mr Pug wants to make doughs and other manly things. I'm into the baked goods. Oh and mashed potatoes. We together decided on chrome finish... we both didn't like white or black but couldn't decide on another actual color, since we know our decor will change over the years. Chrome = timeless.

Isn't she gorg??? Love! We relocated our George Foreman grill for it, since we have a real grill now and don't use the Foreman at all.

Sidenote: I used the mixer to make a recipe from scratch today! Oreo cupcakes for Easter!

The recipe can be found here on Tasty Kitchen. It's the best recipe site I've found... you need to check it out if you haven't! The cupcakes were great, I needed to add more milk to the frosting and cook them a minute less but they still were amazing.

Anyways, back to our week. So we did that Tuesday, and then Wednesday went to change our phones. It was a hard decision but we left Verizon. I wanted a phone with email capability, but because my contract with Verizon wasn't up, they wanted $559 for the Droid!! HECK no. We decided to go to AT&T and both get iPhones. We ended up paying $4oo for two iPhones... way less than the cost to get me a Droid, and Mr Pug is happier since he had just an OK phone before. Plus monthly is the same as it would be for me to have a plan for the Droid. Also, my job gets me a percentage off our monthly AT&T bill, which is great. I can already tell the service isn't as good, but we rarely use the phone for calls. It's nice not coming home to 2937483 emails since I can check them at lunch now!

Then Thursday... April Fool's Day. I get a text from Mr P. "My car broke down." (Sidenote: his car has like 175,000 miles on it and he drives 6-10 hours a day in the warm months for his job. It doesn't do well when it's driven that much! And it's broken down many a time before.) I realize it's April Fool's day so I'm all "ha ha ha you almost got me." And he's all... "I'm serious." And I'm all "You're so MEANNNN what a mean joke!" Then he called me and I realized he was serious. Another part to replace, another few hundred dollars. We realized his car wouldn't make it through half the summer with him working his job. Unfortunately, due to a bad dealer and his credit out of college, he's majorly upside down on his Jeep Liberty. So selling isn't an option. That leads me to my baby... Bruce the '99 Corolla. Here I am when my parents drove him home in September 2002 (I had gotten out of the shower right before, thus the towel.)

I paid him off and have just been putting off getting him maintained in the past few months. I put $1,400 into him about a year and a half ago, and got a letter in the past year saying that my Toyota dealership wanted to buy him (I guess people are buying more used cars.) So after much talking, Mr P and I realized that we needed a new car. Selling his upside down car and adding that major debt to another car would be like paying off a credit card with a credit card, so we decided to keep his Jeep and sell Bruce. I'll drive the Jeep (now named Barney, since it's a maroon-y color) into the sunset until it dies or is paid off. And that means we traded in Bruce:

(Yes, I cried. Almost 8 years with him... it was sad! PS they found a can of soup in there, which was awkward.)

We used him towards a new 2010 Camry. We got 0% financing and returning customer loyalty, meaning we have 2 years or 25,000 miles of free maintenance. Since Mr Pug drives 30-35 thousand miles a year it won't last him long, but we'll take what we can get! We got a great deal on the new one, which I have named Finnegan:

It looks black or gray, but he's actually a dark, metallic hunter green. LOVE!

Yea, I'm a little sad that I gave up my car for a worn down Jeep. But it was what we had to do to get out of debt, and since I love my husband, I was willing to use the Jeep for the short 10 to 15 minute drive to work each day for the next two years. I know I hear all the time about how marriage is two people looking out for one another as a unit. Naturally I thought I'd trade in Bruce for a super awesome new car eventually. But US is more important than WE because I love my husband and want US to succeed. It feels good to be on the same team!

Oh and that would be team POOR since we didn't have two car payments in the budget. Ugh. Ramen, here we come!

Gifts, Giveaways & Laziness!

Well now, I am a lazy lazy girl. I have literally a gajillion things - literally! Not hyperbole at all! - that I have received and not posted about!

First up is the lovely Christmas present from my one and only Mom. I had to measure my wrist for it though (luckily the seller remembered my fat neck and had the foresight to ask for my fat wrist measurements - and also sent a necklace extender!) It took me oh 2 weeks to get around to measuring since I'm a lazy girl, so it came late. But isn't it beautiful!

It's by Luxe Deluxe who made my necklace and earrings!

This is the same crystal charm that's on the earrings. I liked that it wasn't too large or bulky.

I also got a gift from my sister M - bareMinerals! It was a few products I already had so after trying to exchange it at Ulta (they don't take back ANYTHING without a receipt, ew) and Sephora (they take back anything, opened or not, receipt or not! ...but not what I had since they don't sell it) I realized that there are actual BareEscentuals stores... and exchanged it there. Yippeee!

I also won some kick-ass giveaways and haven't mentioned my winnings! First up- my honeymoon sandals!

These sandals were the prize from a giveaway on Ashley's blog (Bride on a Budget.) They're from Best Wedding Sites and I love how comfortable they are! They're nice enough that you can wear them with a dress or jeans and look equally as put together.

Another giveway I won from Ashley AGES ago was stationary! It's from Pink Lily Press.

I am amazingly in love with poppies - the red color, the look of them, everything. So I naturally picked this card design.

I got my married name... WEIRD! PS I think by now everyone knows my name is Kelly. But the full name is Kelly Jeanne, Jeanne being the same exact pronunciation as Jean. Which means my name rhymes with Jelly Bean. It's cool... except on Easter. In any case, this just means I'll always be KJ!

Last but not least I won a Uprinting rolled canvas print from my buddy Miss Mojito!

Above is a closeup of the picture we chose. And by we, I mean, the picture I chose.

It's from our engagement pictures. It's one of my favorites because one, it's sepia. Two - look how much fun we're having! Three, it's mostly focused on my favorite part of Indianapolis- the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument. I hate having too many "gahhh look at my face twice the size of real life!" pictures around the house, and this I think represents us well and makes me smile without being too abrasive. I haven't gotten around to framing it yet (are you also getting the lazy vibe?) but I think a polished dark brown - almost metallic/copper - frame would look great, and I assume that will take some searching.

Are you a winner? Have you struck giveaway gold like me, or are you still waiting for your time to shine? If you are, and you are wanting or needing some stickers... check out Katie's blog (Random Reflections of a Perfectionist), Laura's blog (With this ring, I thee blog), and LauraLou's blog (Lucky in Love) for a chance to win 250 stickers from Uprinting! What do you have to lose?! Their blog links take you right to their giveaway pages. They are awesome gal-pals to me and if you haven't checked out their blogs yet (cough::unlikely!::cough) you should!

Merry Christmas to Me!

I got my Christmas present from my sister R aka MOH R today in the mail! (Along with 5 "no" RSVPs... all from my side... yippeee.)

Yep it is a LilaFrances hanger for Paige (my wedding dress, remember?!)

I wish you all could see how truly beautiful it is. I can't wait to hang her up on it! Even Mr P thought this was "pretty cool," so I guess that earns it an A+!

Also, how gorgeous is that shower curtain? It's a pattern from 2006 Pottery Barn, I got it early 2007 on sale, it matches our guest bedroom duvet as well. They would make wonderful colors for a fall wedding!

Tomorrow is a big day... lookout!

My last day as a commoner...

...because tomorrow, I become famous.

Ok, not really. But tomorrow I go to a studio to record my radio commercial for Shane Company Jewelers!!!!

I wrote a comment through their website's "contact us" feature. I had gotten kind of mad about all the Distinctive Diamonds commercials I heard... well, maybe I should back up and tell you my ring shopping stories first.

After a few shorts months with Mr P I already was looking at rings, since for the first time, I was with someone I could see myself marrying! For Christmas 2007, he got me a Promise Ring from Helzberg Diamonds. Whenever I was near there, I'd stop in, get it cleaned, and oogle their rings. When Mr Pug and I started talking seriously about marriage and rings, I asked questions when I was getting it cleaned (in the summer of 2008). The ring I liked was at a set price- and the stone couldn't be changed. You couldn't decide your own diamond? But what if you want a brilliant colorless stone, but don't mind inclusions? Or if you have a gold setting and can go a little more to the warm tones in the color scale? I was turned off by this and moved on.

We looked at a few more places. I was kind of naggy and annoying. After a dinner, I made him go into Distinctive Diamonds. They were very nice and had great diamonds and settings available. I put it out of my mind. Then one day - October 30, 2008 - we were driving somewhere and a Shane Company commercial came on the radio. And I was naggy, and said something like "we need to goooooo!" and Mr P said something like "not today" and I said something like "you always sayyyy thattttt!" And you know what? He turned the car in the direction of Shane Co! And boy am I glad he did - he actually bought the ring that day!

I was deciding between my setting and the setting below. I illustrated it for you with a 2 carat diamond because, why not?

The saleslady asked me which setting I wanted to try with a diamond first. I picked mine to try first and she put away this one- her trickery worked, and helped me pick out my dream setting.

Here it is, with my promise ring peeking out below!

The reason I was so glad we went to Shane Company, and why Mr Pug was happy to put money down that day (besides the great selection and service) was realizing the value we got. You see, we saved over $2,000 compared to a nearly identical setting and diamond at Distinctive Diamonds! Nearly the exact same .9 carat center diamond and halo setting... two grand saved. AND you can say nearly two grand saved if you count the price of my ring and the two bands we purchased. That made a big difference! Plus, Shane Co offers great incentives, like lifetime care, cleaning, fixing, etc., and even allow you to trade in your diamond for the amount you paid for it. So, should I ever want to upgrade in the future, I won't lose money. We were sold!

I heard the Distinctive Diamonds commercials saying they had the BEST value and would NOT be undersold, and got a little angry. I did some shouting at the radio ("LIESSS!") and sent the people at Shane Co my email. A while after I sent that comment I was contacted by a Shane Co representative. In return for taping the radio commercial (it's a "Dear Tom" letter to Tom Shane) they will be sending us a $200 gift card, which will surely help with the cost of Mr Pug's ring (which no, we have not gotten yet... so behind.)

I must be pretty jazzed about tomorrow since I forgot to wear my ring today! That hasn't happened at all since I stopped wearing it at night back in November and got my cool ring giraffe.

Also- a note about something Mr P and I learned while ring shopping. We saved a bunch by doing a .9 carat center stone. It's a big jump in price from .9 to 1 carat... that wasn't worth it for me to be able to say it was one carat. I find it to be the perfect size!

I haven't shared these stories with anyone, really. I don't usually offer the information that we shopped around together. Were you surprised by your ring, or did you shop with your soon-to-be-hubby? Did you both (or did he) shop around or find it on the first try? Any great shopping stories?

I should also add that this is not a compensated post. Yes I am getting a gift card for doing the commercial, but this post was my idea, solely to share my experience with all of you, and has not been compensated.

First Wedding Ornaments

We have the world's saddest Christmas tree.

I always had a huge real tree growing up. When Mr Pug and I got our house, it was 3 days before Christmas and we didn't even try to put up a tree. Last year, we looked at prices for real trees... and promptly bought an artificial one. It's a slim one and kind of sad, but it'll do. The sad part- we only have 4 non-generic ornaments. One's a random dove I got from work last year, one is a pug ornament I bought in New Jersey, and the other two were a gift.

Early last year when we got engaged, my Mom's friend P send us a congratulatory card with these ornaments. Meet Groom Fish...

...and Bride Fish!

I was smart and put them right in the box in our basement that contained our Christmas decor, and completely forgot about them. Putting up our tree on Saturday, I squealed as I re-discovered them! Real ornaments, WEDDING ornaments, #3 and #4 in our collection.

I hope to continue building my collection of ornaments. Maybe our kids will one day make memories of putting them on the tree. And maybe one day I'll have a tiny little tree JUST for pug ornaments? A girl can dream, right?

If you celebrate Christmas, what is your tree like? Do you decorate with specific colors, or any type of ornament that is meaningful? Is your tree pathetically ornament-challenged like ours?

Christmas Cards & Bobbi Brown

Anyone who is getting married next year, take note... we got THE cutest Christmas card today from our friends... you know, the wedding I can't stop talking about? That was so effortlessly breezy and simply elegant? Le sigh. Check out their Christmas card:

Of course you could see their faces but I edited out for privacy. I think the "Married Christmas" is a cute idea!

Speaking of Christmas, my Mom let me know that she's going to a Bobbi Brown 20% off sale on the 25th. I don't know if this is a nationwide thing, or just the Montclair NJ store. You see, we used to live in Upper Montclair, and so did Bobbi Brown. Her kids, Dylan Duke and Dakota, all went to my elementary school (but were much younger than me) where my mom happened to teach kindergarten. Dylan and later Duke were in my Mom's kindergarten class and she also babysat Bobbi's boys occasionally. I met Bobbi a handful of times over these years... once was when she had a few people at her house while she was pregnant with Dakota. No makeup, jelly sandals, looking GORGEOUS and RADIANT. She even gave us her floor tickets to a NJ Nets basketball game once. Christmas and teacher appreciation gifts from Bobbi were clearly amazing- lots of products!

Ever since then, my Mom has used Bobbi Brown products, and when I can afford them, I have too. It's been a long time since I've purchased anything from her line! My Mom wants to get us some Christmas gifts when it's 20% off, and I'm looking for suggestions! These are the items that caught my eye:

I have been needing some better mascara... I need mascara that is both lengthening and volumizing, so this one seemed like a good option.

I have very oily skin, so I was interested in some foundation as well.

I might have to pop by a Bobbi Brown shop in the mall to test colors.

I must also add that I am SO BORING when it comes to eye shadow. I wear the same thing every day. I will always be a fan of a slight shimmer, but I go for the same boring tan color every. single. day. I think wearing a color though would look very 80's. I have blueish-grey eyes... any color suggestions in this shimmer wash shadow?

Hopefully I'll be able to take full advantage of this wonderful gift! I have gotten a few autographed books from Bobbi before... my Mom doesn't think she'll be there on the 25th, but if she is, I instructed my Mom to drop a hint or two about me getting married... and that I love her makeup... hint hint! She told me to get a life and that no, she would do no such thing. LOL!

What cute Christmas cards have been sent to you (or Hanukkah cards?) this season? And have you used Bobbi Brown makeup before- what were your favorite products?

Calming Down my OCD Tendencies!

To prove I can actually DIY some stuff, I waited anxiously all week for my 20% off WHOLE PURCHASE Jo-Ann's coupon start day today. Yes, the elusive craft store full-purchase discount! Mostly I'll be DIY-ing my pugs' Halloween costume. Yes, I realize it's November, but we celebrate at our pug meetup group's November meeting. Yeah... we belong to a pug meetup group. Feel free to judge me.

I'll show off their outfits tomorrow, don't worry! In the meantime, let's rewind. I'm in the car driving to Jo-Ann's and call my mom on the way to thank her for sending me a purse one of her relatives didn't want. She then mentioned her dress for the wedding cautiously. I had previously said something short was fine, preferably black or green. We did some online searching weeks ago, but nothing she liked looked good on her. On the phone tonight, she mentioned that she went to a boutique with a friend from work, and found what she thinks is "the one." She loved it. But... she was worried I wouldn't let her get it since it was a blue-ish purple color.

Normally, I get so wrapped up in little details about everything, that I freak if it's not perfect. Once in grade school I drew a great picture but got a smudge on it... so I ripped it up. When I was younger, I was known to cry if whoever bought bagels didn't get what flavor I wanted. (Please note that NJ bagels are good enough to cry over, I'll give myself that!) I wasn't always easy to deal with, and I have always been overly detail focused. I know my Mom was nervous to mention this dress to me because of the color. How horrible of a daughter would I be if I said, "Nope, sorry! Get a green or black one!" The color will look great with our flowers and next to the black bridesmaid dresses. Maybe I'll even buy her a green pattered pashmina as a gift. I was just so happy to hear her happy about a dress. And she was happy to hear that I thought she should get it. She went ahead and sent me the cell phone picture she took in it. How hot is my mom!?

Yea I severely doubt she'd want her face all over the internet so I put a nice little pug face on there for her. But check out that hot little body! Isn't she adorable? I am so glad she's getting this gorgeous dress that she loves!

While at Jo-Ann's for the pug costume items, I found these totes for my bridesmaids! $6.99 pre-tax, but after the 20% off, that's $5.60 pre-tax. I'll take that!

I had to drop my OCD tendencies for this one too since 1) they didn't have six of each color (and an associate said there weren't more in the warehouse) 2) the green isn't exactly perfect. I sucked it up though, because- let's face it- they won't be in the wedding! I got three of each color and now have the task of figuring out who would like which color more. I will also try to monogram them with a first initial in some way.

Where did you find bridesmaid gifts? Did you randomly bump into them or plan out the purchases? And how did you decide what the mothers in your wedding would wear- did you tell them guidelines, let them pick whatever they wanted, or somewhere in between?

Pet Giraffe!

On Friday, I got a wonderful package in the mail from one of my favorite retailers, RedEnvelope. If anyone hasn't been to RedEnvelope... go. It's a great high-quality but less-pricey gift shop. I got a special email price for an item I really wanted- $10 less (and free gift box, which I turned down) so after Mr Pug agreed it was worth it... I pressed "BUY!"

This baby was sitting on my doorstep after work on Friday!

Most RedEnvelope gifts come with a card that explains the item a little further.

I instantly ripped it apart, pulled out my present to myself, and sighed with happiness. I love giraffes. LOVE THEM! So this giraffe ring holder spoke my language. After losing a stone from my ring (twice), and noticing how it sometimes causes pulls in towels or blankets, I decided to take it off at night and put it on post-shower in the morning. However, I am messy! I knew on my nightstand I would lose it. So my new pet giraffe will sit on my bathroom counter... beautiful and functional.

Pet giraffe ring photoshoot starting... now!

(That other ring is my promise ring, with Mr Pug gave me exactly one year before proposing!)

Mr Giraffie McRingholder has happily acclimated to a life on our crowded bathroom counter, next to my jewelry pouch, candle, and disgusting array of beauty products.

It's only been a few days but it's VERY weird to get used to not wearing my ring 24/7. Besides cleanings and repairs, I've worn my ring 100% of the time since Mr Pug proposed. This will be a change for me!

How do you care for your ring? If you take it off at night or to shower, where do you store it?

I've Got My Philosophy...

Go ahead you can laugh all you want... I got my philosophy... Keeps my feet on the ground, and I trust it like the ground... And thats why my philosophy (my phil-) It keeps me walking when I'm falling down (o-so-phy)....

Yea so I rock a little Ben Folds Five (old school!) when I think of philosophy products. But I had to let you know about the AMAZING gift I got a few weeks ago!

One of my favorite friends- has been since 7th grade, dear Lord!- couldn't make it to our shower, and sent this gift to the Pug house. I actually got it the day before I left so I was able to take some of the goodies to New Jersey with me. Check it out:

It's smaller-sized philosophy products in a gorgeous "bride" hat box! How wonderfully perfect is this? I am OBSESSED with the amazing grace shower gel & bubble bath (the pink bottle) since it is frothy but also smells really light and amazing. Last night I finally remembered to use the hope in a jar before I went to bed, and my face felt positively fresh this morning. Oh and maybe my favorite, the purity made simple one-step facial cleanser leaves my skin lightly moisturized but not at all tight or greasy.

Going into our sparse registry, many people reminded us that we'd be getting crap-shoot gifts. Our registry is a topic for another day when I actually have the energy, but the point is- I love getting gifts that someone thinks would be great for me and Mr Pug. My friends and family never fail to amaze me with their generousity and thoughtfulness. So gifts like this- that I could have never registered for- are always a fun surprise and usually very rewarding- definitely the case with this one! The gift set is also so great for the friend who has everything, because everyone runs out of bath/face products at some point. Plus, these are travel-size! You really can't go wrong with this, especially if your bride friend is like me with the crappiest registry ever. You can find it on the philosophy website, but my friend got it off the Sephora website, which landed me a few freebies (Sephora lets you have 2 or 3 tiny sample size items with shipments. I got a moisturizer and perfume!)

What are some of the best unexpected presents that you have received? What is your "go-to" gift when attending a shower or wedding?

Dyson! And Pug Plug

I finally was able to use my beautiful Dyson Animal last night. It. Was. AWESOME.

For a recap, you can check out my pugs' blog- The Misadventures of Pug(s) & Bugg where I wrote ALL about it- with photos! Not for the faint of heart.

And then, ok, while I'm pluggin' my pugs on here... if you are a dog lover, please feel free to go vote for Dixie (our one and only Bugg) to be the Poster Pooch from this year's Mutt Strutt! The proceeds go to the Indianapolis Humane Society. Read the blog post about it here (it includes the link to vote!)

Thanks guys!