You know what I really hate???

Andy Rooney had a segment on 60 minutes called, "You know what I really hate"? I think he should of called it, "You know what really grinds my gears"? In this segment he would talk about things that really irritated him. I don't want this post to be about my opinion of the recent Clipper drama, but it did stir up some thoughts. Most rooted in sadness and disgust. It had me thinking...you know what I really hate?...disrespect!

 When I think about racism, I am not naive to think that it is something of the past. It does seem archaic of a thought. I would hope we have learned from the past and have... grown up, for lack of better words. But, the sad reality is that it is still around. The comments made by the Clippers owner, were a huge slap of reality, that people are still racist. I think the bigger picture is that there is so much disrespect between us humans. Respect has been a common topic that I write about on my blog. It is so sad to see each generation show less and less of it. If we had more respect for others racism wouldn't exist. If we showed more respect for human life, abortion wouldn't exist. If we showed more respect for ourselves prostitution wouldn't exist.

Many of these issues like: racism, abortion and prostitution may not be issues that you have to deal with, but I am sure you know someone who was bullied or a female who has no respect for herself or other women and dresses to attract the wrong attention. Or maybe that is you. You are bullied or you don't have respect for yourself. Our world is in a sad place right now. I can pick apart what I know of Mr. Sterlings' life. I won't list them here, but I am sure you know the kind of life he leads. This man has issues. What I also wrestled with in my brain is that what is going on in your heart flows through your lips. I am going to guess Mr. Sterling isn't living a life that is focused on pleasing God. But, it did make me think about what flows from my own lips.

Psalms 141:3 states: "Set a guard over my mouth, Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips". If Mr. Sterling had lived a life that was pleasing to God the recording might not exist or more importantly he would be less likely to have those thoughts. There are things I have said that I would never want to be broadcast on TV or the internet. Have I said hurtful things about others, yes. Anything like Mr. Sterling, no, but hurtful none the less. It is a great reminder that our words are powerful: "Reckless words pierce like a sword. But the tongue of the wise brings healing" Proverbs 12:18. My prayer is that my heart is pure and my words are uplifting. If we can learn anything about this man's foolish words is that we all need to show a little more R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Summer Lovin: Friday Favorites

I can't believe is is Friday again!!! This week I am sharing with you items I have actual purchased and am loving. Enjoy!

1-Loreal Sleek It Stand Smoother Serum-Spray  Best stuff for frizzy hair. It feels like a light oil without the greasiness
2-Crosley Palm Harbor 4 Piece Resin Wicker Set from Wayfair We were in need of a more modern patio set. We are loving this one!
3-Beach Babe Tone It Up DVD Love these girls!!! Great videos for toning and I never get tied of doing these routines.
4-Mint Merona Emily Sandals Got these pretties at Target and am loving the color!
5-Bath and Body Works Caribbean Escape 3 wick Candle  ohhhhhhh this smells like a tropical vaca
6-Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-on Eyeliner Fabulous liner. I am not a fan of their original 24/7 Glide on eyeliner but this velvet one is amazing. Stays on all day.

Living Room Design Ideas

Recently, I had the opportunity to give some design advice to a few friends. If you know me, this is my favorite thing to do. It takes me awhile to envision the space. I do not have the gift of seeing a plan right away, but with some time I can put together something that isn't too bad. I love the design site Olioboard. You can upload your own photos or use participating retailers items to plan out any space you have. My friend recently bought an amazing home and it was a blank canvas. She had The Hubs and I over and asked for our advice on their Living Room. The home has beautiful wood ceilings and beams. The room also has a wall of windows and sliding glass doors that open up to the most spectacular view. We went on a shopping trip to Z Gallerie. How fun is that? Her and her husband found a sofa they loved and I worked that into one of my designs. Here is what I came up with for their open living room:




This is not the correct layout but just a basic design direction. I love the pops of green, as they play well with the outside. The rug and artwork are my favorites. The great thing about Olioboard is it shows you where you can purchase everything and for how much. If I were a fancy schmancy designer this would have cost my clients around 10,000 but luckily you can find many of these items for a lot less. 



This design is with another couch and also shows some different chair options. The rug is a little more playful in this design. I chose to switch out the green from the previous design and show them what it looks like with yellow and blue. This also mixes different textures and metals which add a lot of warmth to a room.

They haven't started designing yet but I am looking for some items for them and hopefully I can help make their already fabulous home even more fab! If anyone else needs some help with decorating a space in your place:) just let me know. I do not charge... yet...I just love it. I am not a professional but I need to put all this info floating around in my brain to work. I love working with what people already have as well. Sometimes new eyes on a room can bring new light to it. 

Summer Lovin: Friday Favorites

I wanted to share some Easter finds with you, that I saw while browsing the web this week. I love all the pastels that are out this time of year. Easter is not just about flowers and bunnies...but those are two of my favorite things! Jesus does top my favorites list...many might think it is donuts after last weeks Friday Favorites...but donuts would be second...hahaha! Happy Easter!

1. Easy Burlap Easter Bunnies

2. ModCloth Sandals

3..Anthropologie Floral Top

4. He is Risen Watercolor Free Printable

5. Easter Oreo Bark

6. Kohls Dress by Chaps

Party Planning: Vintage Baseball Theme

My little man will be 5 soon! So, of course I am hard at work trying to plan his party. This year we decided on a baseball theme. Let's take a minute to talk about choosing themes. When Shane turned one he had no care as to what theme of party he had. He couldn't say much and it was pretty awesome. By that I mean he couldn't knock down my ideas! He always wants a character party. I hate character parties! I always want to do something creative. I can't be too creative with Power Rangers...I just can't! So, I "suggested" maybe a Cowboys/Indian party...Nope. A Robot party...No. A camping party??? Uh Uh. Baseball???? YES! Home run! I don't watch baseball but, Shane has developed a love for it and  could work with that theme.

I was thinking Hot Dog stand, cracker jacks, The Bambino, The Sultan of Swat(totally reminds me of The Sandlot). I pictured more of a Vintage Baseball feel, well because I'm a weirdo. I went to work as soon as I got the go ahead from the bday boy. Now, with only a few weeks left, I am scrambling to get everything together. I tend to plan early on and then weeks go by of no planning and near the end I have so much to do. I am part planner... part procrastinator...strange??!!

Here are a few of my favorite places to go for party supplies:

Antique/Thrift stores:
The hardest part for me, as a penny pincher, is buying things I know I will never use again. I was at the Flea Market on Sunday(found nothing I was looking for BTW) and there were vintage baseball mitts and balls. They were awesome, but what would I do with them afterwards? Shane's room is a superhero room(no characters..just my version of industrial meets superhero...my poor child). However, I did go to an antique store and found an old baseball plastic hat thing(seriously...don't know baseball). I also found an old bat, which I know is used to hit the ball:). They were both reasonably priced and could be used as decor at the party. The bat will be used for the guests to autograph and for Shane to keep as a "souvenir".

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Oriental Trading:
I am not always impressed with the quality of items found on Oriental Trading. Reviews are your best friend on this site. I like to order goodie bag items here. They usually come in large quantities, which will come in handy as we invited 115 people. Yes, I just wrote 115. Moving along....Oriental trading also has customizable items. I ordered some bubbles and some labels that say "Thanks for Swinging By". They were affordable and a cute thank you for our guests.

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Party Planning Sites:
Pinterest is an obvious place to get inspiration. I have a few other sites though, that I always check out once I have a theme, for unique ideas. Hostess with the Mostess is a great site that offers party ideas and also allows people to upload their own parties they have done. Kara's Party Ideas is another great site. She has many free printables and is always up on new party planning trends. Last, but not least, is hands down my favorite place to check out for invites. This lady is amazing! Her name is Loralee Lewis. She is a wonderful artist and throws the most adorable parties. She makes the most beautiful invitations and stationary. She has a vintage feel to her work. You must check out her site (after you are done reading this post) :)

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Etsy:
I may be a bit biased, as my sister and I have our own Etsy shop, leeleeandsumsum. I truly love Etsy though. I am all about handmade items. Handmade invites are so unique and add a bit more character than invites from the store. My sister was on still on Maternity leave when I needed Shane's invites so I went to Etsy for some help. I did feel like I was cheating, but it was nice to support another shop. Etsy is great if you are in a time crunch. You can instantly download so many items from invites to food labels. It is a wonderful source. If you are looking for anything unique it is the place to check out.

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Can't wait to share the big day with you all!

Summer Lovin: Friday Favorites

Happy Friday Y'all! I am so ready for the weekend. As promised I am sharing some of my favorites from this week.

 This might be a little premature to add something to my favorites that I have actually never tried or been to....but how can you go wrong with a place called the Donut Bar !!?? Has anyone gone? They have a location in Orange County and one in San Diego(my two favorite places). Each day they open at 7am (8am on weekends) and are open until they sell out. They feature so many unique flavors like Creme Brulee and Brad Fritter! I can't wait to make a trip out to one of the locations. Donuts are my all time favorites of favorites!

I first spotted these incredibly cute sandals in another print a few months ago and they are long gone but... Victoria's Secret currently has this leopard print and also has it in black. They are a bit pricey... but look super comfy!

I am so happy Nate Berkus is back on TV. I miss The Nate Berkus Show! His new show is an Interior Designer competition show. Each Sunday at 8pm on NBC the contestants get a new challenge to complete. So far, they have had to completely design a home inside and out. One week it was a Spanish home, another a Mid Century Modern and then a Cabin in the Woods. They are all so talented. Definitely a new favorite  If you love it too...come over on Sundays...it can be our thing and we can eat donuts:). Oh, did I mention I am not eating carbs?...yeah.

This color screams Spring. It is a peachy pink. I have never tried the Insta-Dri formula by Sally Hansen, so I thought I would give it a try. I hate waiting for my nails to dry and always end up messing them up. This really did dry fast. It is more of a matte finish, but I applied a clear glossy top coat. It definitely needed two coats as the first one was streaky....but I really like it so far. The color is really just gorgeous. I highly recommend it and it was under 5.00!

Have a wonderful weekend! I am going to the Flea Market on Sunday. Hoping to share my finds with you next week!

Conceal, don't feel....don't let them know

I have dark circles....well now you knowwwwww! Let it go, let it go! Haha...I love the Frozen soundtrack! It was very fitting for my concealer find that I wanted to share and couldn't resist! 

My dark circles are out of control. I have tried everything to try to conceal them. From high end to low end and everything in between. Nothing worked! I bought every shade imaginable. I bought every formula imaginable. I have bought it in stick form, in cream form and in liquid form. NOTHING concealed my circles like I wanted. I recently bought an expensive concealer claiming that it was a full coverage dark circle eraser...nope...not even close. It was actually a little grey in color, which was very counter productive. So, there I stood in the light of day... as the circles raged on. Then I read about something that seemed a little weird but, I was desperate. It was a green concealer. Like avocado green. I was at Ulta with my mom and sister last night...so I knew they had to have something. Sure enough Physicians Formula made one. Hallelujah! 

I was so anxious to try it on this morning. I put it on and immediately thought of guacamole. I blended it out and it totally cancelled out the blueish gray going on under my eyes. Then, there is a lighter flesh tone shade that you apply over it, to get rid of the green color. It was a great formula too. No creasing so far. I am super excited about this new find. If you suffer from dark circles...Let them go, Let them go and get some of this below:

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Can I Use a Life Line? : Seeking God

I loved the game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". I am a total game show junkie. I loved this game show because you didn't have to rely on your own smarts. You could use a life line and ask for help from a variety of different people. In the original show you had three life lines: 50/50- this option would take away two of the wrong answers (leaving the right answer and one wrong), then there was the "Ask the Audience"-the audience was polled and you were given the stats. Finally, there was "Phone a Friend"- if you used this life line you could phone a friend that may know about the question at hand. 

Many of us play this game in our own lives. Although, we aren't playing for the chance to win a million dollars, we are playing the game in hopes to find answers to big decision.   When faced with a big decision it is easy to cut out a few options, but then we are faced with some options that are difficult to decide on. This is when we reach out to our friends for advice or ask a group of people what they think or what they would do. These are all great ways to eventually get to your "final answer" but there is one life line that matters most. It is the one that will guide you to the best answer. This life line is the top dog of all your phone a friends....do you need another hint? This life line is always there. You can call on this life line 24/7. You can use this life line more than once. This life line is GOD...did you get it? Ding ding ding! You win! 

This is a super cheesy way to think about turning to God when seeking wisdom about a big decision, but it is something I think about often. He is my life line. Advice from Godly counsel is great too, but listening to the Holy Spirit is the way to go. It is hard sometimes though. You hear the chatter from the outside and that starts to influence your decision. It is easy to get distracted. But, when you are in communication with God and you are seeking Him first the answer will be a little more clear. Is it always black and white? No, I think God wants us to not lean on our own understanding but to take that leap of faith. It is hard, for me personally, to do this. Sometimes I have a hard time discerning if it is God's leading or my own. My flesh can get in the way. Fear gets in the way. 

I currently have to make a huge life decision. One that will effect my family. Ultimately, it will be a great decision, but it is a scary one to make. This is when I wish I could call God directly and hear his voice. But, I know He wants me to use this as a time to trust Him. He wants me to grow. If every question you had in life was answered immediately, you would never grow. Without faith there is a lack of love and trust. 

I was searching for verses on seeking God. As you can imagine, there are quite a few! One that caught my heart was: 

Psalm 27:14
          14 Wait for the Lord;Be strong and let your heart take courage;Yes, wait for the Lord.

Waiting...ahhhh yes...not my strong suit. Dr. Charles Stanley says it best when he wrote: 

 Waiting. God promises that He acts on our behalf when we wait for Him (Is. 64:4). If we run ahead of Him and try to fix things on our own or manipulate circumstances, we will most certainly be disappointed. However, if we wait on the Lord, then our sovereign, divine, omnipotent God will act on our behalf. It’s our choice.

So, in the end seeking God in my decisions will lead to the best answer...the final answer. I need to remember to be free of anything that will hold me back from seeking God. I need to remember to pray, seeking Him daily. Also, I need to remember that I can ask Him for help. That I don't have to do it all on my own. When I try it my way I end up worrying way too much and wasting time. 

I am rambling...but I am working on this myself. Like I mentioned before I wish I could hear God's voice saying: "Summer, this is my final answer..." Although, His voice is not audible in so many ways it is very clear. After I make a decision, one that I have be in conversation with God about, there is a peace. That peace is confirmation. Sometimes we may not see the fruit of our obedience until years later...sometimes instantly. No matter what with God you are a winner(yes I went there)!  

Oh and one last thing! Don't second guess your decision! It is easy to fall into that trap after you have prayed about your decision and after God has given you that peace. Satan loves to make you think you made the wrong decision...don't let him win!  

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Summer Lovin:Friday Favorites

Can I just say how much I LOVE having a computer again??!! I was lost without it! I am super excited to be blogging about a new post I will be doing every week (hopefully). I want to share some things that I am loving! It could be clothing, makeup, food, a TV show or something totally random. These are some of my favorite posts to read so I am looking forward to doing these weekly!


This week I am lovin':

I just received my second box today!  I get a variety of fruits and veggies. Since there is just the three of us, I get the smallest box once a month(you can get it weekly) and it is perfect. I love that they drop it off right at your door! You can change the size of the box each month and what goes in your box (you can do all fruit or all veggies). They even have add on items like organic pasture-raised eggs. So far the organic produce has been fresh and delicious! If you are interested click this link and enter the promo code 6164 and then share my first and last name(Summer Gieser) and you will get 10.00 off you first order. You can cancel after your first box but, I am sure you will get hooked like me:). 

Sleek Flip Flops only 8.80 at F21! These are so cute and come in a variety of colors.
At that price you could get one in every color!

I spied this little beauty at Target this week! I had her in my hand but put her down. I think I may need to go back. It is from the "Oh Joy" collection. 

 This has been my go-to all week long. It is a loose pigment by MAC in the shade Tan. It is so shimmery and  gorgeous on the eye alone or you can add some MAC Fix+ or eye drops to your makeup brush to make it look foil-like!

I have been trying really hard to eliminate chips and crackers from my daily life.  I found this popcorn to satisfy my crunchy needs. It is Gluten Free and low in calories. It has only three ingredients: Organic Popcorn, Organic Sunflower Oil and Sea Salt. I found mine at Vons but then saw a huge bag at Costco. I have to say the smaller bags taste much better???

This my friends is Sam Smith. His voice gets me every time. I suggest you listen to this with your love. It is so romantic and he sings it with such emotion. Oh my...I can't even!!!! I saw him on SNL and immediately fell in love with his music. You're welcome!

Happy Friday! Hope you all enjoy your weekend and I will be back next Friday to share with you some more items I am loving!

Baby Love: Mint, Pink, Peach and Gold Nursery

My sister had a baby girl. The cutest baby girl in the whole wide world...proud Auntie alert! I have one boy and I love having a boy... but lets get real...girls are way more fun to shop for! My sister also moved into a new home shortly after having her little one. So, needless to say, she has been pretty busy. I asked her if I could help decorate the nursery and she seemed relieved. She loves to decorate too, but just doesn't have the time right now. So, of course, I jumped at the opportunity! I mean I wouldn't want to put my sister through the torture of shopping for all things baby girl!

I quickly got to work by picking up some paint chips at Home Depot. I decided to use quite a few different colors, because my sister LOVES color. I think it is fun to use lots of color in children's rooms! As you can see below... we went with Mint, Blush, Coral, Peach(not shown) and Gold. The walls in the nursery are divided by chair molding so, on the lower half we are doing a darker mint(Softest Juniper) and a lighter mint (Soft Mint Green) on the top. I can't wait to see how it turns out! These colors are by Glidden. I am going to get paint in an Eggshell finish and a low-VOC paint (don't want my niece to be exposed to all those nasty paint fumes).

Here is a little teaser that I put together. I am going this weekend to start painting and get some other things together for the room. Then once all the furniture arrives I will finish up and be sure to blog all about it!

Islamorada....take me away!

First off, I am super excited to be writing a new post! My laptop took a dump and I finally got a new one last night! I have missed blogging so much. A group of my girlfriends got together recently for our first ever Bloggers Unite meeting! We shared tips and tricks about blogging. It was so encouraging and fun! I have been itching to get back to blogging. The laptop issue kept me away but, I also went on a vacation for the first time in years, so that kept me away as well(but that was ok).

My husband's cousin got married about a month ago in Islamorada, FL. Islamorada is located in the Florida Keys.

There it is! Right in the middle with the star:)

Illinois was the furthest state I had been to in the US, so I was super excited to travel to Florida. We flew Virgin America and oh my...it was awesome! I highly suggest it. We flew out of LAX and straight through to Fort Lauderdale, where we then drove down to The Keys(about 2 hours). We came in late at night and it was rainy. So, when we woke up the next morning it was glorious! The rain was long gone and didn't rain again while we were there. The water there is turquoise and warm. There are also no waves or at least there weren't any when we were there. It is so different than our Pacific Ocean water.

Our hotel The Postcard Inn

 

This is where the wedding was held

 The first few days were filled with wedding activities. The wedding was located at a villa on the ocean. Simply gorgeous!!!! They could have just set up chairs and still had a gorgeous wedding. The background of the calm, turquoise water was enough. The wedding was so much fun. We danced the night away and mingled with new and old friends.

 

 

 

 

 Overall, it was so relaxing and just a awesome time for The Hubs and I . Getting away with your spouse is so important.We have done little trips here and there but, never have we been gone this long(forgot to mention Shane stayed back home with family).

 

This was just outside our hotel door. We had a Lanai room just steps from the water! Why did I come back again?

 

 

This is Cash. The cutest Frenchie around!

After the wedding we were able to explore a little more. We drove down to Key West(ehhh). Not too impressed. We stayed for maybe an hour and headed back to our favorite place, Islamorada. The following day we spent on and in the water. We listened to a guy playing the steel drum while we ate our fresh fish tacos...ahhhh...I want to go back right now! Later on in the day we were able to walk over to where the fishing boats came in each day(it was in the same spot our hotel was in). It was fun to see what everyone caught. Next time we go... we are definitely going to go fishing.

This is Key West. Had a Louisiana feel. The homes were beautiful!

 

This was at the Raw Bar at our hotel and where we sat and had out fish tacos and listened to the man playing the steel drum. Perfection!

 

Mangrove Mike's Café...delish!

 

Favorite restaurant: Ziggie & Mad Dog's! We went two nights in a row!

 

I was like a kid in a candy store here!

 

 

AHHHH...look at all those shells!

 

The catch!

 

 

Both The Hubs and I agreed that the best part of Islamorada were the people. They were all sooooo nice. I recently read that the city I live in was in the top 5 of the rudest cities! I don't know if I believe that, but we could definitely take some tips from Islamorada! Every one greets you when you walk into a store or are walking down the street. I really had to get use to it. It was just a welcoming city. I can't wait to go again. It is definitely somewhere I see us going on our next vacation (hopefully it won't be in another 10 years)!