New Find, New Beauty

While we all wished we entered this world looking like natural runway models

and could roll out of bed looking like a goddess,

truth is, the lucky few are on TV and oblivious to my blog and must have beauty tips.

So...here is my new solution.

New Beauty is a magazine I recently discovered and now obsess over.

For $29.95 4 times a year, you can receive their latest issue and a surplus of sample featured products!

The program is called Test Tube and I'm already addicted.

Below is my sample to you highlighting products I recently read about in the latest issue.

Enjoy!

My mom has worked at Total Skin & Beauty for over 25 years

and has made it abundantly clear that picking a blemish is worse than having one!

By squeezing, you risk bursting the gland beneath the skin's surface, 

thus the swollen and now extremely red bump!

With her expert knowledge and daily life of skincare....she still picks.

How can you not?

So...invest in an extractor.

The Tweezerman's Skin Care Tool applies proper pressure placement

purging pores and blackheads without further damage to your precious skin.

Go ahead and chunk your green tea, fruit tea, black tea, and any other tea.

Keep your oolong tea.

You will burn more fat due to high levels of polyphenols.

Polyphenols activate the enzyme that breaks down triglycerides and

can block absorption of fatty carbohydrates.

Drink up.

Last but not least for my oily headed gals out there.

Meet sebum, your enemy.

This the oily substance your scalp releases.

Purchase a brush with boar bristles that are densely packed and

will pick up the sebum from your scalp and evenly distribute down the length of your hair.

Now you're less oily and have shiny, moisturized hair.

Good night.

Need to get my beauty sleep.

[Tips] [New Beauty]

No One Understands

This blog can get frustrating.

Not in the to-do task list kind of way,

but more the no one seems to understand sense.

As part of my attempt to balance work and personal life,

blogging more is high up on the list.

Old school Ashley would let work, errands, laundry, bills,

exercise, etc. dominate my day.

The hard part seems to be people's tolerance to hold please while I do my post.

Others are accustomed and understanding of the time I may not be able to afford them

due to work, bills, laundry and so on.

How come it can't be the same with a blog post?

Well one blog tolerance training coming right up!

Thanks for listening.

Happy Birthday Caroline!

[Birthday] [Blog Frustrations]

Recaps and Renewals

Hi there...how was your weekend?

Here's a quick recap of mine.

It's this one's (the blonde) birthday on Wednesday

so a group of us took her to dinner and had a grand time!

The group later that night.

I really am thankful for EVERYONE that I work with at Luckie.

No one could ask for better co-workers.

Unexpected friendships developed and we have become quite close.

My brother came home from school and Cosby came to visit.

We all had dinner and went to a movie Saturday.

Hope you had as good of a weekend as I did!

Recap over.

Renewal is in full effect.

These arms gotta tone up.

So I'm posting a picture to keep me accountable.

I have had the trusty shake weight but have been using it sparingly.

Let me interrupt your laughter to say how hard the 6 minute DVD 

that comes with it is to complete.

First of all, I can handle 6 minutes of arm exercise.

Not a minute more though.

The burn tops it all off and I can't wait to be able to post before and after pictures!

I'll be the one laughing all the way to a wave with no arm wing flapping in the wind.

[Weekend] [Recap Renewal]

Tunica Time

My entire weekend was quite entertaining.

Friday night specifically but not really blog material.

Moving right along to early Saturday morning.

I jumped in a car with one of my very best friends

and rode to Tunica, MS for a wedding.

I got to see all my besties from college 

and I already wish we would have had more time together!

On the way we stopped in Oxford for lunch.

Good to see the bear hasn't taken over.

We dined at City Grocery, home to chef John Currence, 

on the most recent season of Bravo's Top Chef Masters.

I had the Tuna Salad with new potatoes, hard boiled eggs, green beans, grape tomatoes 

with oil-cured tuna on a bed of greens.

Delish.

Bonny braved the Escargot and Bone Marrow Salad.

All I can say is for some reason, she loved it.

Me, VZ and Bonny outside of Harrah's after the reception.

Not sure why I have such attitude in this pic.

Bonny's boyfriend, Jake, who kept me hysterically laughing 

and was too kind to drive us there and back!

If you live in Atlanta and close to Chin Chin, 

Jake's been blacklisted and would appreciate your assistance placing his order.

And Jake - this is for you.

So that was my weekend.

Hope yours was good.

See you tomorrow.

[Harrah's] [Tunica Wedding]

Fathers

Happy Fathers Day Dad!

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

Sail away, drift off the hours

You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, find you a lover

Go away, somewhere all bright and new

I have seen no other

Who compares with you

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

You belong with your love on your arm

You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, go find a lover

Run away, let your heart be your guide

You deserve the deepest of cover

You belong in that home by and by

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong somewhere close to me

Far away from your trouble and worry

You belong somewhere you feel free

You belong somewhere you feel free

-Tom Petty

Even though both grandfathers are no longer with us,

I thought of them today.

This is my mom's dad, Roscoe Williams.

Just recently, I went through some boxes and furniture left over from college in storage.

Although I was not terribly excited about cleaning out my attic,

I found some amazing photos and memorabilia of his.

Pappaw played football, basketball and was on the track team in college.

While at Hendrix College, he became a flight instructor at the beginning of WW2.

Later he joined the Air Force as a pilot serving in the China, Burma and India Theatre.

Discovered these aviators.

Back then they did it right and were made with real gold.

Ran across foreign currency he brought back.

Found his medals, jacket and dog tags.

Loved these pictures.

After discharge, he joined the faculty of Lambuth College in Jackson, TN.

He served as chairman of the Health and Physical Education Department,

professor and Athletic Director for the next forty years.

He was an accomplished man but behind every great man is his wife.

I found this picture of my grandmother at one of his games.

She's the lady at the upper left corner.

Pappaw had Parkinson's Disease ever since I can remember him and passed when I was young.

Because I did not know him as well, I really enjoyed looking through these photos. 

This is my dad's dad, Gene Ashley Whitright, whom I get my name from.

The lack of photos is not representative of my love for him.

We were actually extremely close and I miss him dearly.

My Uncle Rossy is on the far left and is yet another wonderful father

and addition to the upstanding men in my life.

I'm extremely blessed.

Happy Father's Day to all. 

[Happy] [Fathers Day]

Attitude Check

Hi there.

How's your week been so far?

Mine has been okay but have had some things on my mind...

Since high school, times are far and few where I had to interact with someone 

whom I didn't necessarily care for.

Post college, I have experienced more situations where I can't just chose to go my own way.

Learning how to deal as an "adult" has been interesting.

Finding something positive about the person 

and outwardly complimenting them has worked quite well for me.

The rest of my week has been discovering the below out in blog world:

This is so true!

Pizza is my meal which I always defend 

by the efficient ability to consume all food groups in one sitting.

I want to get some sticks,

paint them like this

and frame.

You know the infamous question,

"If you could look like one famous person, who would it be?"

Yeah well mine recently changed from Jennifer Aniston to Blake Lively.

Sorry Jen - I still think you have aged the best of any woman I have ever seen.

No comment necessary.

Photos via, via, and via.

[Thoughts] [AttitudeCheck]

Thunder Shirt

I just ordered the Thunder Shirt for my pup and I'm pumped.

My friend has a pretty anxious dog

and she swears by it.

I was a complete skeptic at first but then did some research.

It all has to do with the pressure provided in places that would naturally comfort the dog.

This is an age old idea, example, swaddling babies.

Just watch this video and you'll see!

Marley has extreme travel anxiety where she pants and shakes.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Dogs] [Thunder Shirt]

Overdue Memorial Post Part 2

As mentioned in the Memorial Day Part 1 post,

I was in Cashiers, NC with my boyfriend and his family minus Campbell (sad face).

We had a lovely time as always...

Back to normal blogging tomorrow.

Any ideas on a gift for my dad's birthday on Sunday?

[Two] [Memorial Day]