7.29.2011

Preppy Cards

Happy Friday!

This weekend, Bryce is headed to the beach with his family for a week.  I'm definitely going to miss him, but have a fun weekend planned!  Tomorrow I am going fishing with my dad, cousin, and uncle and am so excited!  Sunday I'm also getting some much needed girl time in with one of my best friends, ALG.  She has been very, very busy with the start of Physical Therapy school this summer, so any and all time with her is cherished.

Dinner with Bryce's friends Wednesday night went really well!  I got off babysitting about an hour later than usual, but lucky for me, Bryce didn't mind.  When I got there he poured me a glass of wine and let me get ready while he took care of all the cooking by himself.  We also, finally managed to get a few pictures together.  This one is my favorite:

Bryce & Allie

Finally, I wanted to apologize for the slump over here at Sundresses & Smiles.  I honestly feel like I've lost some steam and my posts aren't as interesting as they used to be.  I'm working to get back into the groove of things and also am trying hard to keep up with all of your blogs.  

Now onto today's post.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the Preppy Cards Blog.  After reading their email I have been meaning to check out their site and am so glad I finally did.

I have quite the collection of stationery and think there is something so special about giving and receiving handwritten notes.  Preppy Cards has anything and everything you need to correspond in style!

After checking out their website, here are a few of my favorite things:

These are perfect for quick, casual notes!

These would make gift wrapping a snap!

Birthday Calendar
Never forget a birthday again!

And now for my very favorite product....

GLASS PAPERWEIGHT!
This would be oh so fabulous on my future teacher desk!

To check them out, see their website (here), blog (here), or Facebook page (here)!

Do you like stationery as much as me?  Are you a fan of handwritten notes or are you more tech-savvy and prefer email?

Have a great weekend!

7.28.2011

Recently Guest Post

Happy Thursday, friends!  


Today I wanted to introduce you to one of my favorite blog friends, Emily.  On her blog Recently, she shares tidbits of her life as well as things that inspire her.  Emily is someone that I know I could just sit down and talk with for hours and her sweet, cool personality always brings a smile to my face.  Because I've been so busy lately, I thought it might be fun to have some guest posts on hand, so without further adieu, here's Emily!  (If you'd be interested in guest posting, please let me know in the comments section or by shooting me an email at sundressesandsmiles@gmail.com).  


Hello Sundresses and Smiles friends!  I'm Emily from Recently and I'm so happy to be here guest posting for Allie today.
First, can I give a huge shout-out to the lovely, kind and talented Allie? 
I adore tuning in to her posts every day and catching up on her life and all of the awesome tidbits she has to share with us.
  I knew I had to think of something great for Allie's readers, so I decided to do a little smorgasbord of glorious tutorials from around the internet.  I found all of these to be super fun and fabulous and I hope you will too!
courtesy of Ruffled
I think these DIY paper wheels from Ruffled would be so festive as party decorations or even in a child's room!
courtesy of Made By Rae
I absolutely couldn't pass up these precious baby stockings!  I can't sew, nor do I have any daughters, but this tutorial from Made By Rae has me wishing for both.
These fabric flowers from Cherry Street Cottage are easy enough for anyone to make.  I've seen them all over lately, from headbands to shirts, and the possibilities are limitless!  So cute.
courtesy of Henry Happened
Have you boarded the bracelet bandwagon?  I've always been a fan of wrist bling, so the new slew of handmade friendship and wrap bracelets out there is just right for me.  I love this simple and cheap bracelet DIY from Henry Happened.  I'll be trying it asap!
 
courtesy of A Cup of Jo
I couldn't leave you without a hair tutorial, and what better one for the heat laden days we've been having lately than this three bun how-to from A Cup of Jo.  It's so easy and a fun step up from the average ponytail! PS- I found all of these on Pinterest and there's tons more where they came from.  Just type "tutorial" in the search box and enjoy!
Allie, thank you so much for having me today!  I hope you all found something you might like!  


Have a great day!

7.27.2011

Summer Bucket List

Happy Hump Day!

Today I am guest posting over at Simply Southern sharing my Summer Bucket List.

I wrote this post at the beginning of the month and one of the items has already been checked off...any guesses as to what it might be!?

I'll give you some hints...

  1. I posted about it last week
  2. It involved Bellaire Market
  3. It also involved wildlife

Need a visual hint?


Hop on over to the guest post here and see if your guess is right!  

In other news, tonight I am meeting some of Bryce's friends for the first time!  We are grilling out and having two couples over that Bryce is close friends with.  On the menu is steak, baked potatoes, asparagus, salad, and brownies for dessert.  I'm a little nervous, but also excited!

Finally, I'd like to thank bAs from Preppy Wife Preppy Life and Hannah from The Pink and Green Prep for the Lovely Blog Award.  Both of these ladies gave me the award AGES ago, and I have just been a very bad blogger and haven't acknowledged it.  I received this award a while back, so to see my 7 random facts and the bloggers I awarded, click here!

Have a wonderful day!

7.26.2011

The Swan House


Hello my friends!

After another late date night last night, I'm feeling like I could do this today:

Cutie B always claims he's not asleep, rather he's just "resting his eyes!"

Now in between my yawns, onto today's post!  I wanted to share a fabulous book with you:  The Swan House by Elizabeth Musser.  If you liked The Help, (which I posted about here), you will LOVE this book.


The Swan House is a coming of age story that takes place in Atlanta in the 1960s. Mary Swan Middleton's life is turned upside down when her mentally-ill, artist mother dies in the Orly Plane Crash of 1962.  

During her grief, her family's loyal maid, Ella Mae, decides to take Mary Swan to Grant Park, the inner city of Atlanta.  Ella Mae hopes that exposing Mary Swan to the poverty and sorrows of others and helping them through service will help Mary Swan's grief process.  Working in the inner-city exposes Mary Swan to a way of living she never knew existed and makes her begin to question ideas such as civil rights.  Mary Swan also forms a close friendship with Carl, a fellow teenager from the inner-city, and the two, with Mary Swan's best friend Rachel, embark on an adventure to discover who Sheila Middleton, Mary Swan's mother, really was.  In this story, as Mary Swan seeks to learn more about her mother, she in turn finds more about herself and cultivates relationships that will change her life forever.

Musser

I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially those of you who enjoy Southern literature.  I finished the book in just a few days (which was quite the feat considering how busy and exhausted I've been this summer).  It is told from the point of view of 16 year old Mary Swan and is a quick read that also really makes you think.  

Have you ever read this book?  If so, what'd you think?  What has been your favorite summer read so far?

7.25.2011

John Deere Shower

Happy Monday!

Did y'all have good weekends?

Mine was one of the best of the summer!

Saturday, was our John Deere themed baby shower for my cousin RLE and his lovely fiancee KLB.

Friday night we were working up a storm to get all the final preparations done.

I made these marshmallow treats that Laur, from Sweets & Treats, posted about here.

Didn't they turn out pretty?

The shower started at 2 pm, so we got there around 12:30 to set up.

Mommy and Allie
The Hostesses of the Day

Side table with Snacks

Marshmallow Treats--doesn't it kind of look like a bucket of flowers?

Main Table
Our menu consisted of ham biscuits, pasta salad, and chicken salad with croissants and crackers.

The cake table!

We ordered the cake from a Richmond favorite, Westhampton Bakery
It was delicious!  We did a layer of chocolate and a layer of yellow cake.

With the Momma to Be!

We only played one game,  called the "Crazy Baby Advice Game," which can be found here.  Then we followed with food, presents, and cake with lots of mingling and chit-chatting added into the day.

KLB received a lot of great gifts.  

I love her smile in this picture!


In addition, we requested that everyone bring a favorite children's book for the new baby, which thrilled the teacher in me!  

All in all, the shower was a huge success and a lot of fun!

In other news, Bryce got home from Canada late Saturday night.  Yesterday morning I headed over to his house and we cooked breakfast together.  After that we spent the entire day together and even took a trip to Belle Isle an area on the James River in Richmond to go for a swim and lay out on the rocks!  We're getting together again tonight and I am so glad he is back!

What did you do this weekend?

7.22.2011

Mango Chicken Kabobs

Happy Friday y'all!!  This week has dragged by SO SLOWLY and I am jumping for joy that Friday is here AND that Bryce will be back in the country tomorrow night!

Photobucket

Today I'm guest posting over at Flip Flops & Pearls, one of my favorite blogs, sharing the recipe for the Mango-Chicken Kabobs AMF and I made at the lake for Memorial Day weekend!

Remember these?
Don't they look tasty?

Hop on over to Daphne's blog (here), link up, and enjoy my recipe!

Have a wonderful weekend!

7.21.2011

Beat the Heat

Happy Thursday!

Today's post is a short one, because, I was very exhausted last night--please forgive me.

Here in Virginia, it gets HOT in the summertime.  Heat and humidity are a natural part of life for a Southerner.

For example, last week I snapped this picture of the thermometer in my car:  102!!


Well, the 100s are back and with a vengeance.  We are under a heat advisory starting today and going through Saturday.  Temperatures are supposed to be around 100 for the next 3 days, but the heat index is supposed to be between 105-115!  

When it's this hot, the Cuties, and I spend the day inside.  Sometimes we'll cook, other days we'll have a movie day, game day, or even go bowling or to a museum.

My question for you today, readers, is how do you beat the heat?  What fun indoor activities do you do on hot days like these?  Any moms out there have suggestions of fun, creative things the Cuties and I could do inside?

Have a cool day!

7.20.2011

Anthem LemonAid

Happy Hump Day!  This week has been dragging by, so I'm hoping that the last half of the week will go by fast.

Last night I had a horrible migraine, so aside from writing this post, I didn't do much else, however, tonight I am hoping to get some blog reading time in and see what's going on in all of your lives!

Every summer, the Cuties and I have talked about having a lemonade stand.  Last year, we heard about Anthem LemonAid, a program in which people sign up to host lemonade stands as a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network.  We decided that would really make our lemonade stand meaningful, but missed the deadline.  This year, we were sure to sign up in time and had our stand last Friday.

Anthem provides you with all of the supplies needed--lemonade, a pitcher, poster, balloons, stickers, and even a lemon hat.



We set up around noon.

Getting the balloons ready!

Cutie B is ready to attract customers in his lemon hat.

All set up!

The suggested donation for a glass of lemonade was $1.  The start of the day was slow and I started worrying we weren't going to sell anything.  That all changed quickly, though, and many people gave more than a dollar.  Our peak selling time was from about 12:30-1 pm, but we stayed out until 3 pm!

Cutie B decided to dance, sing, and shake maraccas to attract customers!
He even at one point started exclaiming "It will make your taste buds smooth" as a sales pitch!

Cutie A's turn in the hat
And I even had a turn...

All of us together!

We ended up making $84.80 total!  I donated an extra 20 cents to make it an even $85.  We're going to write the check together tomorrow and put it in the mail to Anthem!

To see when Anthem LemonAid is being held in your area, click here.

Have you ever had a lemonade stand?

7.19.2011

South Moon Under

Happy Tuesday readers!

Remember last Monday I posted about this dress LPC and I found for her to wear to a deb party?


We found it at South Moon Under.  In the past I haven't been the hugest fan of SMU:  They've always had pretty cute stuff, but I've felt like a lot of the clothes were overpriced for their quality.  When I was shopping with LPC, though, I saw A LOT of things I really liked.  I've been working really hard to cut back on spending this summer, so I decided if I was still thinking about the things I saw a week later I would go back.  Well, my friends...Friday I went back.

I got this top:

I LOVE IT!  It is so flattering and actually a little darker/more of an emerald green in person.  I also put it on hold in red and am thinking I might have to go back..they say if you love something, to buy it in every color!

I also bought this clutch:

Turquoise and Bamboo...what more could you want?

If I had an unlimited budget, I also would have bought all of these...






They even have the best section with gifts and cute things for your home!  I could do a whole post just on this section, so here's just a little preview!









Are you dying to go to South Moon Under yet?  Are there any stores that have grown on you over time?

PS:  Have you checked out my Sundresses & Smiles Facebook page yet?  If not, click here and like it!

Have a fabulous day!