You Just Cant Google Everything

Fridays Fancies: Blog Swap!

2012-01-27T07:30:00.004-05:00

Today I am participating in Alison's Blog Swap for Friday Fancies! We each were partnered up with another blogger to create an outfit and post it over at their blog!

Hi Can't Google Everything Readers! I'm Susan from a little ray of Sunshine! I'm excited to be swapping with Rachel today for Friday's Fancies! I've never done a swap, but I was really excited to plan out this outfit for Rachel. She has such a good eye and plans out outfits really well. I'm anxious for spring to come so I gave her a little more color, but two options to do so:

I'm loving these colored denim jeans for spring and even late winter. They really brighten up the mood of the day! If she's still in a chilly, wintery mode, moccasins and a striped sweater it is! But, if she's wanting to be a bit more bold, she can really take hold of some color with my new favorite orange (yay color blocking!) a bright statement necklace and then tone it down with some gorgeous nude shoes.

Thanks for letting me swap with you Rachel! Come on over to a little ray of Sunshine anytime to see my looks on life, fashion, food and family. Hope you all have lovely weekends!

Thanks Susan! I love the outfits she picked out for me! If you want to see the outfit I came up with you can head over to Susan's blog to check it out!

Fridays Fancies: Outfit Inspiration!

2012-01-20T11:40:00.005-05:00

For this week's Friday Fancies post I was inspired by, as I often am, an outfit from Jcrew! I like the basic feel of this outfit, and I spiced it up just a bit by using a plaid shirt instead of a plain shirt. I also chose a bit of a heavier jacket, since it's still so cold out!

Inspired By by phillyrachel featuring a wool jacket Hollister Co vintage plaid shirt, French Connection blazer Acne blue jeans, Kate Spade shoulder handbag, Tiffany Co chain jewelry,

Don't forget to check out the other Inspired outfits linked up over at {Long Distance Loving}!

Happy Friday everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T16:49:00.002-05:00

Fridays Fancies: Color Crush!

2012-01-13T08:50:00.003-05:00

This week's Friday Fancies theme is "Color Crush"! I love so many different colors but my favorite color has always been blue and I love this lighter, heathered blue color of the cashmere hoodie I picked out!

Color Crush by phillyrachel featuring striped tops

J Crew zip front hoody, J Crew striped top, TopShop denim skinny jeans, Ralph Lauren leather heel boots, Banana Republic tote hand bag, Engraving jewelry,

Hop on over to {Long Distance Loving} to see the other Color Crush post this week! Happy Friday everyone!

I'm dreaming of a white....

2012-01-12T14:25:00.005-05:00

...Sandy beach!!!

It's chilly and rainy here but it my mind I think of a nice relaxing beach vacation to keep me warm! Hurry up spring break!! Maybe I'll get to go to one of these places? Yes, please!

Source: google.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Rachel on Pinterest

Oh How Pinteresting!

2012-01-11T09:40:00.002-05:00

Today I'm linking up with Michelle over at The Vintage Apple for a little bit of Pinterest fun!

You may be wondering: what in world IS pinterest? Well let me give you a little insight:

Source: Uploaded by user via Jessica on Pinterest

And now on to some of my favorite recent pins!!!

Source: Uploaded by user via Crystal on Pinterest

So cute!!!

Source: craftster.org via Krystal on Pinterest

I love these necklaces, which you can make yourself using marbles! They are so pretty!

Source: etsy.com via Star on Pinterest

Yup!

Source: Uploaded by user via Danielle on Pinterest

I want one of these stamps!

Source: dondalees.blogspot.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Makes me feel warm just looking at it!

Thanks for stopping by! Do you have pinterest? Follow me if you want and I'll follow you too!

Fridays Fancies: Best Foot Forward!

2012-01-06T08:44:00.006-05:00

This week's Fridays Fancies theme is all about shoes. Alison challenged us to created an outfit centered around a pair of shoes we love. Well, recently I have been obsessed with finding the perfect Hunter boots! I am between two colors: cranberry and blackberry. I chose blackberry to showcase in my Friday Fancies outfit this week and I think this is the color I am going to pull the trigger on and purchase! What color do you prefer?

Best Foot Forward by phillyrachel featuring black boots Thakoon Addition sheer top, Marc by Marc Jacobs skinny jeans, Hunter black boots, Gucci tote, Burberry shawl,

Thanks for checking out my Friday Fancies this week! What is your opinion on Hunter boot colors?

Dont forget to head over to {Long Distance Loving} to see the other post!

Writers Workshop: My Life as a Movie!

2012-01-05T09:04:00.005-05:00

I haven't done Mama Kat's writers workshops in while, but I thought this prompt was really fun!

If your life was turned into a movie, who would play your cast of characters?

Well first of all is me, of course! I will be played by Olivia Wilde. We both have brown hair so we are basically twins!

My sister will be played my Emma Stone, because they both have redish hair and freckles and that sassy smirk.

Reese Witherspoon will play my friend Kim because she is blonde and has bangs and nice clothes!

Source: imgfave.com via Bebe on Pinterest

My husband will be played by Ryan Gossling, because really do I have to explain why? Every woman wants her husband to be played by the Goss in their life movie.

Source: google.com via Grace on Pinterest

My friend Jon will be played by David Beckham. He is kind of old for the part, but Jon really loves soccer so there you have it!

Source: stayfe.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

Kay will be Rachel McAdams because I asked her who she wants to be and thats who she picked. Also, Rachel is a cool name and she has awesome hair!

Source: google.com via Kaycee on Pinterest

Kay's boyfriend Nanners will be Jason Siegel because he actually kind of looks like this guy. His hair does at least.

Source: trueblood.wikia.com via Kaycee on Pinterest

Finally, my sister's husband can be played by Alexander. Not that they look alike, besides being tall and a deep voice, but I just want want him in my movie so there you have it!

Who would you want to play you in your life movie?

Be sure to hop on over to Mama Kats blog to see the other Writers workshop post!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-04T15:41:00.008-05:00

Well Christmas is over and done with, although my tree is still up! Not that I plan to leave it for some crazy amount of time, I've just been too lazy to take it down! For the holidays this year we went to Florida to visit both of our families! We had a great time with our families and loved the warm weather in Florida! We even made it out to the beach a little bit while we were in Sarasota!

The highlight of Christmas Eve was the "white elephant" gift exchange after dinner at my aunt and uncles house!

My husband got a shake weight, which everyone thought was hilarious and was passed around the room several times! This also made for some great photo opportunities of my relatives trying to use the shake weight in various ways (use your imaginations!)

Mom got a "Situation" pen, which said various phrases when you pressed the button.

Dad got a Justin Beiber talking toothbrush. This took a lot of explaining as my dad has no idea who Justin Beiber is and kept referring to it as his "beaver toothbrush." Errrr, no dad, just, no.

Christmas morning our stockings were hung with care.... or leaned since my parents haven't finished their mantle yet!

Dad thought it would be funny to wrap my mom's new raincoat in a pizza box!

We went ice-skating which was a traumatic experience for all! My dad also thought it would be cold in the ice rink so he wore gloves and hat, although it was about 70 out!

After Christmas we went to visit my husbands family in south Florida and we went to some nice parks to walk around and then over to the beach!

Me and Andrew our last night in Florida! We ate dinner with his parents on the water!

Overall we had a great trip and it was really good to see our families, although I have to admit I wish my sister and her husband could have made it out! But, hopefully next year they will!!

We were back just in time for New Years Eve which we spent with some friends and watched the fireworks from their roofdeck!

Fridays Fancies: New Year's Eve

2011-12-30T07:30:00.002-05:00

Of course with tomorrow being New Years Eve, our Fridays Fancies theme this week is New Years Eve party! I really loved this top for a party so I paired it with black pants and silver heals to match! I chose these earrings because they remind me of the ball that drops on New Years Eve!

3...2...1.... Don't forget to head over to {Long Distance Loving} to check out the other post as well!

New Years 2012 by phillyrachel TopShop glitter tank top Super skinny jeans Pour La Victoire platform high heels Tasha crystal bangle Lulu Frost clear crystal earrings

Best of "Cant Google Everything" Part Duex

2011-12-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Part 2 of my favorite post from 2011!

In April I had two favorite post! I enjoyed the discussion over my highly controversial post about Crocs. Then, I busted out my scanner for a little bit of "back when Wednesday" with some cute pictures from my childhood!

In May a lot happened! I wrote about my spring break visit to my sister in Portland, I made sushi with my friend Kim and I also started participating in "Fridays Fancies," which is now my favorite link up! One of my favorite post from that month, though, was my Top 10 Summer Don'ts!

In June summer started and I had a lot of fun summer outfits and recipes posted! I also participated in the Warrior Dash- which is my favorite post from that month!

Stay tunned tomorrow to see what my favorite post from July - September were!

Best of "Can't Google Everything" 2011!

2011-12-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend and wondering holiday with your family and friends!

Since the New Year is quickly approaching, I wanted to look back over 2011 and pick out some of my favorite blog posts from the year to share with you!

January had a couple of posts that I really like my I think my favorite post was the one with my "30 Before 30" List! Since I turn 30 in July I still have some time to complete my list, but I have already checked off several things! Since the list is incomplete I will have to start thinking of more things to add...any suggestions?

In February I had the post with the highest hits ever of any post on my blog! That post was a "shades of blue Sunday" post which was Blue Valentine's Day gifts for your guy. But, my actual favorite post was my Top 2 Tuesday post about friendship!

In March I must have been really busy or something because I only posted 6 times! But, I shared one of my favorite recipes that month: Bloody Mary Steak Salad. If you click only one link from this post that should be it! That dinner is soooo good!

Stay tuned tomorrow to see more of my favorite post of 2011!

Fridays Fancies: White Christmas

2011-12-23T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm dreaming of a....

White Christmas by phillyrachel featuring diamond earrings

Rachel Zoe strapless dress

High heels Mulberry shoulder bag

Diamond earrings OPI Nail Lacquer In ‘Alpine Snow’

Happy Christmas Eve Eve day! Don't forget to hop on over to {Long Distance Loving} to check out all the other "White Christmas" outfit post!

My ultimate Christmas wish list!

2011-12-22T10:26:00.005-05:00

So last week I showed you the things I would buy friends and family if I had an unlimited budget, but today it's my turn! Here are some things I would love if only I had an unlimited budget to spend!

Ultimate Wish List by phillyrachel

I have always loved JCrew sweaters and would really like to have this J Crew shawl collar sweater

I would love to one day own my very own Burberry handbag, like this one! I love Coach bags but you just can't beat that classic Burberry plaid!

I have had my eye on this Coach watch for awhile now!

This Cord necklace from Tiffany is so pretty!

And last but not least are these boots, which I have loved since I first saw them online this fall! They are the prettiest boots I've ever seen!

So whats on YOUR ulitmate wish list??

Fridays Fancies: Sparkle & Shine!

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week's Fridays Fancies theme is "sparkle and shine"! I am loving anything sequin right now so I love this theme! I picked a super shiney silver sequined skirt and paired it with a black sweater. For a pop of color I picked deep red rights and a red necklace. For extra sparkle and shine I decided to add some silver nail polish and a fabulous blinged out cocktail ring!

Sparkle & Shine! by phillyrachel featuring white gold jewelry

FRIENDLY HUNTING black top, €559 Isabella Oliver sequin skirt, $189 J Crew herringbone tight, $27 Franco Sarto slip on shoes, $89 Cord jewelry, $2,045 White gold jewelry, $11,800 Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour, $25

Happy Friday!

Don't forget to check out the other Sparkle and Shine outfits over at {Long Distance Loving}!

A No-budget Christmas

2011-12-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

We all know there is no such thing, but what if we could have a no-budget Christmas? What would you get for your family and friends? Here are some of the things I would buy them if money was not a factor!

1. For my sister: an iPad. Just because she's cool. Maybe I would get one for her husband too so they could match.

2. For my parents: a trip to Paris! Because they need a fancy vacation!

3. For my friend Jon: a programmable remote that looks like a wand from Harry Potter! Every HP fan needs one of these, right?

4. For my mother-in-law: a gold necklace from Tiffanys.

5. For my husband: an Audi R8.

6. For Rocky: a coach dog collar. For dress up occasions or when he is just feeling like being fancy!

7. For my friend Kim: a Coach purse. She loves Coach and a girl can never have too many purses, right?

What gifts would you buy people if you had an unlimited budget??

The best place to see lights in Philadelphia...

2011-12-14T14:04:00.005-05:00

...is Longwood Gardens!! And that's where we went this past weekend! Now, most of it is outside and it was pretty cold, but totally worth it. And they have strategically placed hot chocolate stands throughout the gardens. There are also some warm buildings you can go into such as the greenhouse and the historic home to tour though (and warm up!) I have never been to Longwood Gardens during the "regular" time of year, but I'm sure it's great then, too! If you go at Christmas I would definitely recommend going at night so you can see all the lights, it just wouldn't be the same during the day!

And now for a billion pictures of Christmas lights:

everyone was trying to get this shot from underneath one of the "trees" Soooooo pretty! Kim and me! Love all the multi-colored lights!

Oh Christmas trees, oh Christmas trees...

Andrew and me inside the greenhouse!

pretty

These were actually white, my camera did weird things with the pictures of the lights

But with this shot, I am basically a professional photographer forever now.

If you're ever in the Philly area you should definitely check out Longwood Gardens!

When Adults Try to Make Gingerbread Houses...

2011-12-13T15:01:00.005-05:00

Last week we tried to make gingerbread houses with some friends. It started off great. We laughed, drank wine, had some cookies and discussed our gingerbread house making memories.

At the beginning of it all I believe I said "6 year olds do it all the time, how hard could it be?"

We quickly learned that gingerbread house making is serious business. This is for kids?

This is ours. You can see where we gave up nicely placing the candy on and just started eating cookies instead! This is Jon's side. He says his art teacher would be proud. It looks just like the box right? Rocky was very interested in Kim's house!

At least the cookies were good!

Shades of Blue: Special Monday Post!

2011-12-12T09:05:00.005-05:00

Today is a special Monday edition of "Shades of Bluemas" and over at Star's blog "Pinkmas!!" This gave Star just enough time to get her pink tree up!

As for my tree, I like all different colors so its not overwhelmingly blue! But there are some blue accents to it!

Even though I have multi-colored lights, the blue ones really stick out!

Zoomed in view.

I have a couple of blue ornaments such as this penguin guy! I love penguins ornaments and most of my tree is penguins of different shapes and styles!

Blue ornament one of my students made me a few years ago.

And finally I have several of these guys all over my tree!

Maybe one year I will do a totally blue tree and get some of these:

(ornaments from Crate and Barrel)

Until then I will stick to my traditional mix of colors on my tree!

What about you?

Be sure to check out Star's pinkmas tree!

Friday Fancies: Holiday Party

2011-12-09T07:45:00.001-05:00

For this week's Friday Facnies the theme was "Holiday Party"! Well, I know most people probably went with a nice and fancy holiday outfit, but I decided to go a different way! I am a fan of the tacky holiday sweater party, so I designed my outfit with that theme in mind! I hope you enjoy! Since penguins are my favorite I went with a nice holiday penguin sweater, complete with a matching Santa hat, jingle bell earrings and a festive holiday bracelet. I also classed it up a bit with some nice sparkly black heels and Philosophy candy cane lipgloss! Don't forget your present for the white elephant gift exchange!

Untitled #29 by phillyrachel featuring short heels

TopShop knit sweater, £50 Yves Saint Laurent skinny jeans, $595 Mimi Loves Jimi short heels, $60 Philosophy Candy Cane Lip Shine .5oz, $10

As always, be sure to hop on over to {Long Distance Loving} to check out the other Friday Fancies posts!

Happy Friday!

Hello December!

2011-12-08T12:21:00.004-05:00

Source: Uploaded by user via Patrice on Pinterest

I can't believe it's already the 8th of Decmeber! I know I am a little late in this "hello December" post, but these days have just flown by! I still have a lot to do, too!

Here is my December To Do List:

1. Make gingerbread houses!

2. Drive around to look at Christmas lights!

3. Make lots of Christmas cookies!

4. Get my shopping done early so I can get the best gifts possible for my family!

5. Buy cool wrapping stuff so I can wrap my presents "pretty" instead of boring regular!

6. Watch Rudolph on TV!

7. Go to see the Longwood Gardens Christmas display!

8. Get some cute pictures of my dog in the snow with his antlers on!

9. Send my Christmas cards out on time!

10. Go to Florida for Christmas!

I hope I can get all these things done! What's on your list?

*I got this post idea from Star. But she said I could steal her idea so it's all good!

Woah. What is going on?

2011-12-07T14:43:00.010-05:00

Hi!! It's been awhile since I've written because a lot has been going on! We went out of town for Thanksgiving week and I had a bunch of guest posts, which I hope you guys enjoyed! Then we moved to another house so that took up a lot of time! But I'm back now!

Our trip was good and bad. We went to Canada and went to Quebec City. It was really nice there and had some great scenery and food! A downside was that it was freezing and a lot of stuff was closed for "winter" since it was November. It was freezing. Did I say that already? It was about 20 degrees the whole time we were there and they told me that was warm for that time of year! I highly recommend going there but maybe you should wait until July for a more enjoyable time and more to do as well! One really cool thing we did was to drive around the Island of Orleans, which is an island in the river right off Quebec City. There is a lot of neat little farms and orchards there, again closed for winter, but in the summer I'm sure they are awesome!

Welcome to Quebec, now learn some French!

Our hotel: Le Chateau Frontenac! They have this amazing martini bar there, too, which was also a meeting place for Churchill and FDR during WW2!

Old city area in Quebec City. All done up for the holidays!

Us!

(if we were in Philly we wouldn't be wearing those coats/hats/gloves until the middle/end of December usually!)

Yummy dessert at Cochon restaurant!

And now for the bad part....

We got in a car accident and lost our car. But we are ok and that's what really matters! And thankfully we are able to get a new car and maybe even soon!

So, we had to leave our car there at the tow yard and take the train home... on Thanksgiving. Although the train took forever (left at 9am and didn't get home until after midnight) I will say that there were some awesome views from the train. But, for future travel I think I will stick to flying or driving!

Pretty views from the train!

Another view from the train!

Thanksgiving dinner on the train- turkey sandwiches!

Thankfully we have some great friends who brought us a real Thanksgiving dinner after we got back and helped us pack for our move to our new house that weekend! And that's whats been going on! We have our house mostly unpacked and even have our tree up and it's very "holiday" around here! So, more holiday posts to come!

P.S.- if you "get" my post title you win at life!

Fridays Facncies: Inspir(red) Fashion

2011-12-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

This week's Fridays Fancies is all about going red! Since Thursday was world AIDS Day, Alison challenged us to make outfits incorporating red in them! Here is my "red" outfit:

inspi{red} by phillyrachel featuring beaded jewelry

Make sure to hop on over to {Long Distance Loving} to check out the other red outfits! Happy Friday everyone!

"On the Cusp of the Earth"

2011-12-01T14:27:00.003-05:00

Guess what, you guys?! My sister wrote a book! Her book is being published on an online magazine and the first chapter is already up! I read it today and it's really good and the first chapter really sucks you in, like all good books should!

{thats her!}

Here is the summary:

"Emma isn’t normal. She’s a highly intelligent engineer who struggles with Bipolar disorder and a dark past. While working at a prominent defense company, she develops the next major weapon of mass destruction, which will redefine warfare for the future. After finally getting a date with her mysterious coworker, Ruel, she realizes they might have more of a connection than just romantic. On a business trip together to Russia, the two take their fledgling relationship to the next level the night before war is declared between Russia and the United States. With Interpol in pursuit, they flee the country amidst the newfound chaos and discover along the way that the other is hiding something, but neither is quite sure what."

Check out the rest here!!

I hope you like it!

Guest Post: Celia from ...just trying to find my way!

2011-11-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

um. hi.

my name is Celia and I have a little blog called

...just trying to find my way.

:-)

i'm excited to be here and i hope you love me!

i always find it so hard to choose what

to write in a guest post.

i'm marrying the best guy on earth next October!

Source: phenomimage.com via Reginald on Pinterest

...and i hope to pay for the wedding... with commission from my Scentsy sales. i just plugged my biz. go buy from me? yes? =) i am obsessed with Scentsy. oh.... I am also obsessed with Vera bags now. Aye. I just bought a new one, and I am IN LOVE with it. want to see?

Please feel free to send me one for Christmas! I'm a pretty down to earth girl, I tweet a lot! I love all the friendships I have made via the blog and the twit. Therefore I love to discover new blogs! I found Rachel through a tweet for her Halloween Blog Swap. SO MUCH FUN! Tell me, do you love me? Do you have any wedding planning tips or advice? ...are you going to use me for all your Scentsy needs? Are you obsessed with any type of bag? I need to know these things people! ;)

Guest Post: Missy from The Domesticated Diva!

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! My name is Missy, and I blog over at The Domesticated Diva.

I blog mostly about my transition from being the most undomestic girl ever to a married girl who is trying my best at homemaking. I share recipes, home decor tips, and talk a lot now about my cute baby! Here he is for your viewing pleasure!

I also hang out on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest! Here is a little about me: -I am a born-and-raised Okie, and a die-hard Sooner fan! People say we are arrogant, but I promise I'm a nice one. -I am married to a youth pastor. He's is truly the best person I know! -We just had our baby boy, Caleb. He's pretty much the coolest baby ever. -I'm a Christian. I try to be a good girl but I mess up a lot! -I work as a therapist with homeless adults with severe mental illness. It makes for some very interesting stories! -We have the cutest dog, Bauer. He's ridiculously photogenic.

-I am also a Shaklee distributor. We sell amazing, natural products that I'm obsessed with. I talk a lot about the products on my blog. Nice to meet you! I have noticed that Rachel has been blogging a lot about the new Twilight movie coming out. This will be the first time that I haven't gone to the premiere since the first one came out. The thought of staying up later than 10:30 makes me sleepy! Oh, the things that change in your life when you have a baby! We have a conflicting household. I am Team Edward, and my Hubby is team Jacob! I like that Edward is romantic, Hubby likes that Jacob is a werewolf. But I do have a question for the Twi-hards: Does anyone else dislike Bella? I feel a dislike for her mostly from the book. I think she's overly dramatic and she strings Jacob along. Just my personal opinion, but does anyone agree with me here? Anyway, though Hubby and I aren't going to the premiere, we aren't waiting too long. We have tickets for tomorrow afternoon. I hope that they stay true to the book, because I hate when they change the story lines. A big thanks to Rachel for letting me guest post and meet new friends! I hope to see you all again sometime!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a fabulous day of yummy food, football, friends, family and of course, the Macy's parade!

Source: etsy.com via Sara on Pinterest

Source: simplyvintagegirl.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

Source: soundeats.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Guest Blogger: Ashleigh from This Lil Heart of Mine!

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

hi readers; i am ashleigh from this lil heart of mine; i am so happy that rachel is letting me take over her little blogspot! i am here to introduce myself to you and tell you why you should come stop over.

first. i have a black lab puppy:

he goes by the wonderful name of bogey;

yes the golf term.

unfortunately he isnt a puppy anymore:

he is almost 4.

second. i am from the lovely city of las vegas [aka sin city] and i love every minute of it.

i am a dime piece i know

third. i have a wonderful man in my life..and i am so lucky to have him! (mushyyy)

fourth. i am a pinterest addict. a lover of all things weddings. and home decor related.

find me on pinterest here.

if i could i would be a wedding planner, but i am just too good with children so i am a teacher at a private school in the area.

fifth. i am a GREEN BAY PACKERS FAN. through it all.

you should check me out because i like to post some pretty awesome things like :

crafts:

yummy drinks:

when i dress up like a clown?

my travels around the world:

anything wedding related:

fitness/healthy living:

when i meet famous peeps:

hunter hays [country singer]

hair stuff:

fooooood:

pretty much everything! so come check me out! you wont regret it! thank you rachel!

Guest Post: Molly from Blonde Out Loud!

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hi Everybody! I’m Molly from Blonde Out Loud and will be entertaining you today while Miss Rachel is away. As it turns out, I just moved near her. I'm a recently transplant to the Philadelphia area by way of Connecticut! Since I moved, there are a lot of people that I've been missing. Let’s start with my fur nieces and nephews. I don’t have any pets of my own but I tend to rent them from my friends and family when they want to go off and do other things. Rusty is my parents’ Miniature Dachshund. He is one hot hotdog dog. Luna and Daisy are my cousin’s labbies. They are loves. There’s nothing better than going to her house and they come running to me smiling. And then there is the Ollie bear my adopted child. My friends Meg & Jeff go on trips and I get to spend day after day with this snuggle monster. These pups make my heart happy! Speaking of friends and family! These are just five people that make me a very happy girl! I wish that I had a million pictures to share with you of all of the people I love but these are a few of my favorite pictures. Meg & Leah have been good friends of mine for nearly 10 years. We all worked together at a local outdoor outfitter and became fast friends and have been a source of some of the best times of my life. Of course, my parents are my biggest champions and have been with me through thick and thin. Most recently, I’m glad to have celebrated my graduation from business school this past May. Miss Julia is someone I never expected to become such a good friend. She’s actually the wife of another wonderful friend of mine, Mikey. The last few years have been the most difficult I have had to endure and she has been an endless support for me. Have you ever made a big move? How do you make new friends in a new place?

Guest Post: Fave Five for Fall

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Guys- since I am out of town I have a couple of guest posters this week! First up is Chrissy! Thanks Chrissy for guest posting over here at Can't Google Everything!

Hey y’all! I’m so excited to be guest posting for Rachel. Let me introduce myself, I’m Chrissy from A Lil Dash of Diva . I am a SAHM to my adorable 7 year old Princess and wife to my handsome Hubby of almost 8 years. We live in Phoenix Arizona where it’s hot 8 months of the year. So we really REALLY look forward to Fall, Winter and Spring because if we are lucky we will get some really gorgeous weather and it won’t be hot! Fall is my favorite time of year, I mean really what’s NOT to love about it?! So, having said that I am going to share my Top 5 things I love about Fall! 1. Cool(er) temps! I think this is pretty self explanatory, but just in case you need some clarification…in Phoenix during the summer we have temps that reach well above 115° for months. You walk outside and it feels like you are walking into an oven that is on blast. So, when October rolls around and the temps only reach 100° that is awesome! It’s not exactly the cool fall temps that most of the country has, but we’ll take it, as long as it keeps dropping! By the end of October we usually get down into the low 90’s and what a relief that is let me just tell you. 2. College Football!!

Source: Uploaded by user via Krista on Pinterest

3. Steaming hot mugs of apple cider or hot chocolate with whipped cream! Yum! 4. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love the cooking, setting the table with the good china and crystal and silver. I love being surrounded by family and friends. The smells of all those yummy dishes that we tend to only serve on Thanksgiving.

Source: pizzazzerie.com via The Twinery on Pinterest

5. Decorating for Christmas! Yes, I admit it I am one of those crazy people who puts up the Christmas décor at the beginning of November! I just love Christmas and having the tree up and all pretty, all the sparkly ornaments and festive place settings on the table. I love driving up to my house at night and having the Christmas lights twinkling at me guiding me home. I love that my Hubby and Princess love it as much as I do and are just as gung ho to decorate in early November. There you have it! What are some of your favorite things about fall?

Shades of Bluemas: Blue Christmas Cards!

2011-11-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week Star and I are featuring Christmas cards! And boy, are there plenty to chose from in all colors! Here are some of my favorites in shades of blue:

7. 8.

1 & 2 3 &4 5 6 7 8 & 9

Which one is your favorite?

Don't forget to head over to Star's Pink World to check out her pink Christmas Card choices!

Where in the world....

2011-11-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

Guess where we're going?!?! I'll give you some hints:

Source: raptureandthemuses.tumblr.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Julia on Pinterest

Source: globed.tumblr.com via Terri on Pinterest

Source: dreamingofawhitechristmas.tumblr.com via Peggy on Pinterest

Did you figure it out? I hope so! While I'm gone I have some awesome guest posts lined up so make sure you come back and check those out! These ladies did a great job of making sure my blog would be full even when I am out of town!

Then, when we come back, we are packing up and moving to our new place all in one weekend! It's gonna be a fun week!

Friday's Fancies: Mix & Match

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week's Fridays Fancies theme is "mix and match." I had a really hard time with this because I cannot make myself pick out things that do not really match and make them work together in an outfit! So, instead, I decided to mix styles instead of patterns! I paired a fancy skirt and earrings with a classic chambray button up. Then, I added a comfortable, soft scarf and winter hat! I have to say, I love the way it turned out and this is definitely and outfit I would love to wear!

Mix & Match by phillyrachel featuring a wrap skirt Madewell boyfriend shirt, $68 Haute Hippie wrap skirt, £264 Vintage flat, $28 Annina Vogel gold jewelry, £1,250 Lambswool scarve, $49 Cacharel wool beanie hat, £90 Michael Kors Chronograph Stainless Steel Ladies Watch MK5414

Don't forget to head over to {Long Distance Loving} to check out the other Fridays Fancies post!

Hey its ok....

2011-11-17T11:19:00.004-05:00

Hey it's ok....
To go to a movie at 12:15 am tonight, but think people are crazy for going to Target at midnight on Black Friday!
To be moving in a week but only have 2.5 boxes packed so far.
To go on vacation the week before you are about to move, no big deal! To eat cereal for lunch so you don't have to go to the grocery store.
To hope the relatives your seeing on Thanksgiving have cranberry sauce in a can because that's the best kind!
To try to justify keeping things you know you should throw out when packing, but have no thoughts on throwing out things that are your husbands! (hehehe)
To be mad that the CW has started doing "mid season finales" really, what the heck is that all about!? Vampire Diaries should be every week!
To not tell a random stranger their fly is down because then they would know you were looking "there"...
To break your own rule of no Christmas music before Thanksgiving. Because I like it, dammit!
To be excited about seeing a movie about a 109 year old vampire loosing his virginity!!! (it's about time!!!)

Getting ready for Thursday... It's a Twilight link up!

2011-11-16T10:43:00.006-05:00

So two of my favorite blog friends, Star and Tara, are doing a really fun link up today! To get excited for the realease of the new Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn Part 1 on THURSDAY, I am linking up with their "Ultimate Twilight Fan Link Up" Which will lead to some fun and embarrassing Twilight fan questions that I have to answer!

(warning: may contain spoilers if you haven't read the books!)

Are you going to see Breaking Dawn at the midnight release?

Yup! I wasn't planning too, originally, but my friend is going with a group and asked me to come along so I said sure why not?! Who needs to be awake for work on Friday morning anyways?

Scene you're most looking forward to in Breaking Dawn? hmmmmm, well obviously we are all looking forward to the 108 year old virgin getting deflowered! But one thing I am interested in seeing is how the cut the movie? I cant wait to find out if its cut before or after the baby is born, before or after Beller gets changed etc!

Team Edward or Jacob?

Team Edward

Favorite book in the Saga?

Eclipse, is my favorite book of the series! I know its not most people's favorite but I like it because of all the stories and background info you get on all the characters.

Favorite character in the series and why?

(I'm sexy and I know it!)

Emmett is my favorite. I like a man who can diffuse the tension with a sense of humor. Sorry but Edward is just too whiny and overprotective. And Jacob is annoying and tries too hard. Alice is cool though, I like her, too.

Are the books or movies better?

I think I like them both equally!

What do you dislike about the series?

One thing I don't like is how she made up her own rules for vampires. It really bothers me that the vampires can go into people's houses without an invitation. That goes against every other vampire mythology/story/movie/legend ever. Just sayin'. Plus its really hard to defend something you like when people constantly just point out nit picking details like that!

Your craziest fan moment.

I went to Forks. On our way!

My sister and me!

The treaty line between Forks and La Push!

(those people are smart because they have a little store there so when we stopped to take pictures we also went in to buy sodas and snacks!)

It's La Push, baby!

Home of the Spartans (although NOT the school the movie was filmed at!)

And there you have it! And now the world can see how crazy I am.

P.S.- If you like Twilight and also have a good sense of humor please check out my friend's blog: Letters to Twilight. It's awesome.

Big news!

2011-11-15T12:20:00.007-05:00

I know you probably all thought one thing.... but the big news is actually that we are moving! Yes that's right, we are moving out of the city and closer to my husbands work! It's been a stressful time recently trying to find places, going out to look at them and trying to pick a place but we finally agreed on one! A lot of my energy this week has gone into thinking about/stressing about/wondering about moving but now that the decision is made it's time to move forward.

Source: marthastewart.com via Charlene on Pinterest

And now the real "fun" begins.... packing! The to-do list just keeps getting longer and longer! We are going with the "purge" form of packing so we will be going through our stuff and donating/trashing a lot of it! We have already gone through our clothes and shoes and donated them! Next is the basement, which will be a monumental task! We are also getting rid of one set of dishes and just using our nice dishes we got at our wedding from now on. And then there are the books. We basically have our own library and tons of books that we really do not need (GMAT study guides from 5 years ago?)

I found this nifty "room by room purge" checklist online and I think it will be really helpful:

Source: myemail.constantcontact.com via Brianna on Pinterest

It's really hard to go through all your stuff and really consider what you don't like/want. Especially things that people gave you or that you have kept forever but have no idea why you have it. But, I really want to do it right this time and go for a more minimalistic approach....we just have too much stuff we don't need or use!

To help with moving I found this good tip online! Make yourself a "moving day" kit!

Source: thequeenbeeshive.com via Stevee on Pinterest

Include things like: cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, snacks and drinks! That way you have some things you will need when you move in and havent had time to unpack yet! I've done this before and its really really helpful!

So now I just have to go through all our stuff and pack... no big deal!

Star's Christmas Swap!

2011-11-14T11:13:00.002-05:00

Guys! My awesome friend Star, writer of Star's Pink World, is co-hosting a Christmas swap and I think you should check it out! I already signed up and I'm super excited! Check it out here:

Fridays Fancies A Touch of Gold

2011-11-11T19:16:00.007-05:00

Better late than never, I figure! This week's theme is "gold."

Touch of Gold by phillyrachel featuring gold jewelry

Robert Rodriguez slip dress Tory burch pumps ASOS leather clutch Noemi Klein butterfly earrings

Thanks for checking out my Fridays Fancies! Dont forget to head over the {Long Distance Loving} to see the other posts!

Autumn in my hood

2011-11-10T10:50:00.004-05:00

Autumn is in full force here in Philly but I know soon, very soon, it will be full on winter! So I must savour the "cool" weather while I can! This summer was really hot (111 on my birthday) and it seemed like it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r for fall to start! But when it finally started it was basically overnight!

So here is what fall looks like in my neck of the woods:

This is a park in the city where we sometimes go hiking or running! I took this picture very early in fall, so the leaves hadn't really started changing yet or anything!

A squirrel getting ready for winter! Look closely and you can see the acorn in his mouth! (fun fact: a guy walked by as I was taking this and looked at me like I was a crazy person!)

Fall got a little confused at the end of October and decided to be winter...

But that snow went away quickly and now we have some beautiful foliage to look at around the city! I took this picture this morning near my house....

...And this one!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

2011-11-09T10:09:00.004-05:00

Today I am doing somehting I've never done before! I'm linking up over at "The Vintage Apple" for "Oh How Pinterseting!" Things I loved on Pinterest this week (so far!):

Source: tumblr.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

Pre-made drinks in mason jars for a party! What a great idea!

Source: debutanteseason.tumblr.com via Krystal on Pinterest

hehehe!

Source: google.com via Rachel on Pinterest

This is a free printable for Thanksgiving! I love it!!

(it comes in two colors, too!)

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Yum yum! Can't wait to make these for Christmas!

Source: yourcupofcake.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Sooooo pretty! Makes me want to move to the beach just so I can have a Christmas tree with

shells on it and see the ocean on Christmas!

Source: lifeloveandhiccups.blogspot.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Thanks for checking out my pins! You can see the other links up here: {You can follow me on pinterest here!}

Instagram Weekend!

2011-11-07T09:03:00.006-05:00

Today I'm linking up with "a {little} dash of ash" for her weekly instagram party! Here are some of my pics:

My new duvet cover! I love it! I didn't use any of the fancy instagram editing because I wanted to show off the real colors of the pattern!

I came out the shower the other day to this scene of death and destruction in the hallway! I discovered this drink at Whole Foods this week and I love it! My new favorite drink! After brunch on Sunday me and my friend went to get our nails done! I picked out this color because I thought it seemed very "fall." Later when I got home and took my shoes off I noticed that my pedicure from several weeks ago was the same color! It was so random! Maybe I should invest in a bottle of this polish since obviously I love the color.

Thanks for checking out my instagrams! I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing weekend!

Shades of Blue Sunday Blue Christmas Inspiration

2011-11-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Shades of Bluemas series! Bluemas is taking over Shades of Blue for the next couple (or more) Sundays! Over at Star's Pink World, Star will be celebrating Pinkmas, and today is our kickoff celebration! Each week our Sunday posts will focus on blue and pink holiday ideas to get us pumped up for the Christmas season. Although I am one who likes to wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate, it's never too early to start looking for ideas!

This week we are featuring holiday inspiration! Here is my tree from last year:

As you can see, aside from a few of the lights and a couple of ornaments, my tree is seriously lacking in Blue Christmas spirit! But don't worry, I've found plenty of inspiration for an awesome "Bluemas!"

Blue Christmas Inspiration:

I love all the ways you can incorportate blue into your Christmas decor!

Simple blue and white mantle!

Navy is a great shade of blue to use at Christmas time!

Tiffany's blue Christmas inspiration!

"Let it Snow" is an awesome blue Christmas theme!

Thanks for checking out my first post in my Bluemas series! Don't forget to head over to Star's blog to see her pinkmas inspiration and review of her last year's Christmas decorations!

Sources: Blue Collage Blue Mantle Navy Blue Tiffany Blue Let it Snow

Friday Fancies Jungle Glam Resort

2011-11-04T08:51:00.006-04:00

This week's Friday Fancies challenge was "Jungle Glam" using the new resort collection from Lilly Pulitzer. I love looking at the Lilly Pulitzer collections but I've never actually bought anything from there! Their dresses are really cute but a little expensive I think.

For this challenge I chose the Ritchie Dress because it's long sleeved and even though this is the "resort collection" it's just starting to become cold so I thought long sleeves would be better! I picked out the coral bracelet and "Sea Me" necklace because I love the gold with a pop of color to match this dress! Round it off with some gold sandals and you have a great Lilly outfit!

Ritchie Dress. Long Necklace- Sea Me. Coral Hinged Bracelet. Mini McKim Shoes.

Thanks for checking out my Fridays Fancies this week! Be sure to hop over to {Long Distance Loving} to see the rest of the entries!

A day in the life...

2011-11-03T10:01:00.005-04:00

Hi blog readers! This is Rocky and I'm taking over the blog today to share a day in MY life!

Is this is my good side?

I live with two really tall dogs. One is a female and one is a male. I think the kind of dog they are is called human. They are kind of weird because they walk on two legs instead of four like me. I don't know how they do it because when I try, I always fall over! They also must be really cold all the time because they don't have fur like me! They argue about who is the "alpha" in the family, but they must not realize that I am the alpha here! I don't mind sharing my house with them, but they do some really weird things that confuse me a lot!

What is that annoying sound? Let me sleep please!

On a typical day I wake up to a lot of noise! I get really annoyed but it goes away pretty fast. Then, exactly 9 minutes later that noise starts up again! Usually it stays on this time and a light comes on in the room, too. But, I don't mind because usually my girl human gets up and I finally get the whole bed to myself! I stretch out and take up as much space as I can while the humans are gone. They always go right into this small room next to where we sleep and I'm not sure what they are doing in there? One time I peeked in and saw a water fall! I don't know why those humans like to stand under the water fall for so long, I hate it!

Later we go out for walk around the neighborhood and I love to be in front, since I am the leader of this pack. I like to walk really slow and sniff everything in site! Sometimes we go to this place where my humans get drinks in a white and green cup. People there love me and pet me and give me lots of attention.

When we get home my human sits down and stares at that box with the light on it. She looks really bored so I try to get them to play with me but she say "shhhhhh Rocky, I'm working!" so I can't play then! Usually I just go upstairs and sleep again on the big bed or my chair by the window. Then I eat some food, then I sleep some more. Then sometimes I come downstairs to see if anything interesting is going on, usually its not so I just go to sleep again!

Later the male human comes home and I run to the door to greet him. I love to jump all around and run around in circles so he knows I am excited he is home. Then, the humans eat dinner and I sit right under them in case they drop any of that yummy human food for me! Sometimes if I stare at the table long enough I think some of it will fall off onto the floor for me to eat. It usually doesn't work but sometimes I can sneak food off the table if my humans aren't in the room! They will never know!

Sometimes other humans come over and play with me! They think I am so awesome! I love to show off and run around for them and show them all my tricks. I am really smart and know a lot of tricks. Plus I trick the humans! I just sit or give high fives and they give me a treat! I can't believe they fall for that one every time!

I can't believe I earn treats for just doing this! Easiest job ever!

After all that running around, doing tricks and eating, I am tiiired! So, I am off to the big warm bed again! I hope the humans don't kick me by accident in the middle of the night!

P.S.- I almost forgot! I can't figure out how to open the door besides staring at it. Can anyone help me with that? I think 7 is old enough to go out for walks on my own, don't you?

This post is in response to Mama Kat's Writers Workshop promt #5.

Movies I missed....

2011-11-02T12:22:00.004-04:00

So I have been really slacking off on the movie front this year and haven't seen very many movies I wanted to see! That, plus me and my husband can never agree on what to see! So, a lot of the movies I wanted to see are now (or soon will be!) out on DVD! Have you seen any of these? I am going to try to go through the list and watch as many of them as I can! I heard this was really good and funny!

Read the book and really wanted to see the movie, but just never got around to it!

Ryan Reynolds. (nuff said)

When this first came out I thought it looked dumb, but everyone said it was soooo funny!

Because I'm a teacher, this movie looked hilarious to me! I hope it is!

I really wanted to see this in theatres but no one would go with me :(

Well, of course I didn't miss seeing this one! I saw it twice in the theatres and will be buying it when it comes out on DVD on November 11th! Plus I have off work that day so I can watch it right away!!!!

What movies did you miss this year? Did you see any of the ones on my list? Would you recommend them?

Halloween Cooking Fun!

2011-11-01T10:55:00.005-04:00

Even though it's now November and Halloween is over, I still wanted to share some of the yummy Halloween themed food I made last night!

All of these recipes were super easy to make and didn't take very many ingredients at all!

Mummy pizza!

Cut pizza dough into square shapes and cut cheese into thin strips. Use olives for the eyes!

Skeleton cookies!

Just make gingerbread cookies following the box directions, cut them out in different shapes and then pipe white icing on to look like bones! Zombie/vampire pudding cups!

Draw faces on clear cups. Make vanilla pudding as directed on the box and add green food coloring. Smash up some oreos and put them on top for the "hair." So easy and soooo yummy!

Did you make any Halloween themed food yesterday?

Happy Halloween- instagram party!

2011-10-31T08:58:00.004-04:00

Today I am linking up with Ash for her instagram party!

Here are some of my instagram pics from last week!

Yes, I took a picture of the TV! It actually snowed on Saturday which is very very rare for October in Philadelphia! In fact, they said on the news it hasn't happened since 1979! Crazy!

Since it was so cold, I got a new hat from Target!

"I want a new hat, too!" (don't worry, I got him some reindeer ears, but so far he hates them)

My husband got me these awesome flowers!

On Sunday we went over to our friends house and carved pumpkins! This is mine!

Kim's pumpkin!

All four of our pumpkins! Can't wait to show off our pumpkins tonight to our trick-or-treaters!! Then, the guys want to play "fruit ninja" with the pumpkins when Halloween is over, but I'm going to save mine from getting chopped up. Hopefully no one ends up in the hospital! Happy Halloweenie!

(I also linked up here!)

Shades of Blue Sunday Blue Jewlery

2011-10-30T10:00:00.005-04:00

This week Star and I are showcasing jewelry for Shades of Blue and Pink Eye Candy! Here are some of my choices:

Tiffanys blue topaz necklace. Just in time for Christmas- blue candy cane necklace from Tiffanys!

Blue sapphire and diamond ring! (so pretty!)

I'm loving all the beaded jewlery on pinterest:

Source

Click on picture for source

Source: etsy.com via Jean on Pinterest

Don't forget to head over to Star's Pink World to check out her pink jewlery picks!

Happy Sunday everyone! We're off to get our pumpkin to carve!

Fridays Fancies Halloween Costume!

2011-10-28T07:45:00.001-04:00

Hello lovely followers! This Friday Fancies theme is about Halloween! Instead of just picking out some generic, already made Halloween costume I went on polyvore and created my own costume for Rachel Berry from Glee. We share a name, and thats about it! But, her classic schoolgirl style is so easy to replicate and make a cute Halloween costume out of!

So for my Rachel Berry costume I of course chose a plaid skirt because she always wears those! For the top I went with a turtleneck, since Rachel does not often like to show off her goodies and a cardigan, another Rachel Berry trademark. I picked out some star earrings, bceause she thinks she is a star. I also gave her a backpack and a planner because I imgine her to be one of those super organized types! Basically her styles is "preppy schoolgirl" but also conservative. Considering its going to be 35 degrees out on Saturday night, being covered up would be a little nice!

Rachel Berry Costume by phillyrachel featuring a floral backpack

Thanks for checking out my Friday Fancies this week! See the other link ups over at {Long Distance Loving} Happy Halloween!

Writers Workshop 22 Things I Have Done

2011-10-27T08:57:00.006-04:00

So for last week's Writer's Workshop I wrote about 22 things I haven't done, but this week it's time for 22 things I have done!

1. I have been to more states than not.

http://bighugelabs.com/map.php

2. I have been to NYC during Christmas time and seen the department store windows.

3. I have gone fishing in the Everglades. 4.I have stayed up to see not one, not two, not three, but FIVE movies at midnight!

5. I have gone snorkeling in the Keys.

6. I have finished a triathlon. (notice I didn't say win, or place or anything like that!)

And I still smiled afterwards!

7. I have jumped for joy. (but not right after my triathlon!)

8. I have flown an airplane.

9. I have married my best friend.

10. I have bought (and sold) a house. (and painted the whole thing myself!)

The house was pink when we bought it, but I painted it a nice neutral tan!

11. I have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

12. I have made my own sushi.

13. I have been to the Olympics.

I'm the one flipping my hair back! I couldn't find any other pictures!

14. I have laughed until I cried.

15. I have hiked in the Swiss Alps.

16. I have seen a meteor shower.

17. I have tried (unsuccessfully) to go snowboarding.

18. I have gone to Harry Potter world.

19. I have worked at Disney.

20. I have gotten my belly button pierced (don't have it anymore though!)

21. I have broken a bone (2 actually, if you count the nose as a bone!)

22. I have been to the Olympic Peninsula (aka: where Forks, WA is located)

Yes, this is real. REAL AWESOME!

So that's 22 things I have done! Be sure to head over to Mama Kat's Blog to see the other Writer's Workshop entries!

Way Back Wednesday Dog Trick or Treating!

2011-10-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

Since so many people seemed to like the dog costumes I showed in yesterdays post (even though that wasn't the point of the post!) I thought I'd dig these photos out for a little treat! This post is "way back Wednesday" because these pictures are old! I don't even have them on my computer anymore, I had to go on facebook to one of my very oldest photo albums and snag them! So please enjoy a thrilling Halloween "tail"....

Many moons ago, when we still lived in Florida, we found about an awesome event only dog lovers would enjoy... Dog Trick or Treating! Now, our dog is not one for costumes, he basically thinks any sort of clothe on him requires him to freeze in place. He won't even move for a treat if you place a sock across his back! So the best we could do was buy this arrow headband and hope he didn't paw it off before the trick or treat event was over! We got tons of dog treats at this thing! And I'm not talking about dinky little milk bones, I'm talking about fancy, shaped with cookie cutters and dipped in carob chip treats! We also enjoyed seeing the many dogs in their Halloween costumes! It was fantastic!

Rocky! (he is so adorable!)

Here are just a few of the many different dog costumes that were there:

Superheros! Doggy Mermaid. Gator Dog.

Little Bo Peep Pup.

"Imma Bee" dog costume.

There were also a lot of creative DIY costumes but I wasn't able to get pictures of those! A lot of people aren't too keen on you taking a picture of their dog in a baby stroller... I wonder why?

Dog events are fun because you get great stuff for your dog and it's great people watching, too!

Target Tuesday Halloween Party!

2011-10-25T10:01:00.006-04:00

This week I'm linking up with Tara over at "Fabulous But Evil" for Target Tuesday! I chose to do a "Halloween Party" theme for my Target Tuesday this week! Target has a surprising amount of costumes online! If your into a Sci-Fi theme, maybe you would like this Star Trek costume! I really love this women's Green Lantern costume! Full body in case its chilly on Halloween!This dart board costume is one of my favorites I saw on the Target site beause I've never seen it before so you know you would have an origional costume! So many costumes you see at every single store and that gets boring after awhile!

Scare your trick or treaters with this drop-in spider decoration! The eyes light up, too!

This skeleton is actually a pumpkin holder! So you can carve your jack-o-lantern in whatever face you have and then plop him onto the skeleton! Such a cool idea! I'm not really one for "scary" or "gory" Halloween decorations so I love these cute ghost string lights! They are on sale, too!

Of course you Halloween party is not complete unless your dog gets in on the fun! Here is a cute dog costume! Another dog costume- dog tourist! You could also easily make this one yourself!

Thanks for checking out my Target Tuesday! Be sure to head over to Fabulous But Evil to see the other TT post linked up!

Weekend Fun!

2011-10-24T10:51:00.007-04:00

Well we had a very "fall" weekend here! On Saturday the Gators weren't playing but we did watch a couple of other games on TV. Then on Saturday night we went out to a Corn Maze! The maze was huuuuuge!! It took us 2 hours to complete and get all the clues!

Sadly, since it was so dark, pictures were kind of out of the question. Since I dont know much about the settings on my camera it didn't work out so well! When I tried to take a picture it turned out like this:

Corn maze! Sunday we went to a fall festival at a different farm! Although it was super crowded and most of the activities were for kids we did see some cool stuff....Like a gigantic fake pumpkin! And an equally gigantic real pig! Don't drink and fly! Me and Kim hiding in the corn.

What did you do this weekend??

Shades of Blue Sunday Etsy Finds!

2011-10-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week Star and I are showing off some Etsy finds for our Shades of Blue and Pink Eye Candy Sunday posts! Here are some of the blue items I found! No theme here, just a mismash of different things that caught my eye...

"Plumburst Print" Just pretty to look at!

I love the look of socks coming out of your boots, but I can never find socks tall enough! Here is a good solution: "Boot Cuffs!" The are like little leg warmers you put at the top of your boot! So cute and comes in a bunch of colors!

These pillows are cutomizable! I love this idea and I think it would make a great gift (or just buy it for yourself!) Customizable Pillow

I am in love with this scarf! It look so soft and warm! Perfect for late fall or winter!

I keep telling my husband I want to get a bowtie for our dog to wear on Halloween! He wont wear a dog costume so something attached to a collar is the perfect solution! Then he can be fancy when we have parties too!

Love this bracelet! The beads are handmade glass from Ghanda!

Last but certainly not least are these Beatles quote prints in blue and green! I just love the look of all the prints from this shop!

Thanks for checking out my Shades of Blue Sunday this week! Which one is your favorite? Don't forget to jump over to Star's blog and check out her pink Etsy finds this week!

Fridays Fancies Think Pink!

2011-10-21T08:05:00.001-04:00

This week's Friday Fancies theme is "Think Pink" in honor of breast cancer awareness month!

I wasn't sure how to go with this at first but I decided I wanted to do something with jeans and a pink cardigan, and then I thought the multi color tank would add splash of extra color! I went with the "pink" accessories you could add to any outfit to show off your support for breast cancer research. Avon has several products that they donate the proceeds to breast cancer research!

You can check out my post about other "pink" items here!!

Think Pink by phillyrachel featuring a batwing cardigan

Current/Elliott distressed jeans, $208 Jessica Simpson ballerina flat, $90 AVON - Product, $2.99 Pink bangle Makeup Stash! » Estée Lauder Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness...

Thanks for checking out my Fridays Fancies! Did you know you can follow Cant Google Everything on facebook now? Please check out the "like" button the sidebar!

And don't forget to head over to {Long Distance Loving} to see the other Fridays Fancies entries!!

Trick or Treat Swap Results!

2011-10-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Thanks to those of you who participated in our Trick or treat swap! Star and I had a lot of fun with this swap and maybe we will do another one sometime in the future?!?! You never know!

For my post to show off what I got I went ahead and made it a "vlog!" I actually videoed myself opening the box for the first time! Here it is:

(sorry its so blurry! I dont have a good program on my computer for taking videos!)

What did you get? Please link up your post showing off what you got from your swap partner! We hope everyone had fun doing the Trick or Treat swap!

22 Things I've Never Done...

2011-10-20T12:34:00.007-04:00

I'm 29 years old. And I've never... 1. Traveled to California. 2. Drank a whole entire beer.* 3. Gone to a professional football game. 4. Been an extra in a movie. 5. Gotten a tattoo. 6. Worn high heels to an event. 7. Made my own candles.

(that could be me one day!)

8. Gone to a dude ranch. 9. Cooked a whole entire Thanksgiving dinner by myself. 10. Held a newborn baby. 11. Seen the movie Dirty Dancing. (I know, gasp! shock!) 12. Participated in a flash mob. 13. Run a marathon.** 14. Tried out for a reality TV show. 15. Been to Chicago. Not even the airport. 16. Gone skydiving.

(so pretty!) 17. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.

18. Worn snow boots. 19. Eaten a prune.

20. Been to Alaska. 21. Been to anywhere in Asia.

(so pretty!)

22. Met a celebrity. *I don't like beer. I just don't. I'll drink wine and other alcohol but not beer! **I do not have any plans to ever run a marathon!

This is not a list of goals or a list of things I think I should have done!

It's just thing's I haven't done!

This idea was taken from Mama Kat's writers workshop weekly prompts.

Big Blog news!

2011-10-19T12:06:00.003-04:00

Guess what Can't Google Everything fans?!?!

You can now find me on facebook! Horray!

Thats right, I decided to go ahead and join the 21st century and add my blog to facebook. So, if your feeling up to it, you too can "like" Can't Google Everything on facebook and get updated on my blogs goings ons right there!

6 people have already liked it! Check it out on the sidebar, too!

My Sister's Wedding!!

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Two weekends ago was my sister's wedding! Since then I have been extra busy with work, and life and such so I haven't had a chance to post up about it until now. In fact, I haven't even posted at all since then (I even missed Fridays Fancies last week! gasp!)

The wedding was a lot of fun with great food and the cake was awesome! Since I was the MOH, I didn't get any pictures of the actual ceremony, but hopefully I'll be able to snag some from the photographer, as well as some of the formal group shots!

For the rehearsal dinner we went to a tapas restaurant.

This is me and my husband!

My sister and her husband to be!

All of the bridesmaids at lunch the day of the wedding! Of course we don't have any makeup on since we were getting our hair and makeup done later!

Getting my hair done! (me on the right, Liz on the left)

The centerpieces were a mix of flowers in different sized jars with tea lights in shorter jars wrapped in twine.

My favorite pictures I took of the bride and groom! They look so happy!

My sis and me!

Their sweetheart table!

The only picture I took with instagram was of their cake topper! Do you recognize the "bride" and "groom"???

Even though it was pouring rain the wedding went off without a hitch and only started a teeny tiny bit late! Seeing my little sister get married made me so happy and proud! I can't wait to see all the pictures the photographer took and hear about their honeymoon!

Shades of Blue Sunday Special Pink Edition!

2011-10-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

To honor breast cancer awareness month, Star and I decided to both feature pink items this week that support breast cancer research!

Here are some items I picked out:

Pink umbrella: Avon "Save the tatas" Shirt

Pandora pink ribbon necklace. New Balance pink sneakers. You can even have them personalized!

Loft Cares Friendship bracelet Designed by fashion blogger Jessica Quirk!

You can order some cupcakes from Crumbs bakery to support the cause, too!

Last but not least, pink nail polish from Avon! 100% of the profits go towards breast cancer research!

Thanks for checking out my special edition of Shades of Blue Sunday!

Don't forget to head over Star's Pink World to see what items she picked out!

Wedding Day!

2011-10-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Who's excited?!?! Today is my sister's wedding day!

(My sister and her fiance)

I am so excited and cant wait for:

Wedding Day bridesmaids brunch!

Seeing my sister in her dress!

Seeing the table decorations my sister came up with and my aunt and mom are helping put together!

Eating some wedding cake!

Hearing my sister and her Mr. say their vows!

Seeing my family!

Yummy wedding food!

Dancing the night away!

Here we go....

{will update you guys next week with some real pics!}

Fridays Fancies Blazing Beauty

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week's Friday Fancies theme is blazers! I really don't own enough of these, the one I do own is too small! But I love the look of a blazer! It makes your outfit very sharp and is a very "fall" look. I chose this blazer from JCrew and based it off the outfit they already had posted with the blazer in pink. However, I feel that a tan blazer would go with more outfits so I went with the more neutral color!

All items are from jcrew.

Thanks for checking out my Friday Fancies! Hope everyone has a great Friday!

Wordless Wednesday....kind of

2011-10-05T15:56:00.003-04:00

So I asked my husband to take a picture of my outfit so I could do an "outfit post" on my blog but, as it turns out, I forgot to put my shoes on beforehand! So here is my half outfit post.

But what I really love about this picture is the way my dog is peaking his head around me!

And now it's fall!!

2011-10-04T11:52:00.006-04:00

Life in picturesSome of my favorite instagrams from this week!

Top left- my new Halloween decoration! We bought it at an art festival last weekend and it has a hole in the back you stick string lights into and lights up!

Top right- Flyer's game from Thursday night! Hockey looks so much better with instagram! We had so much fun and got really good seats from my husbands work!

Bottom left- this is how I shop for boots. Try two different ones on. Make my husband take a picture so I can text it to Kim. Repeat until correct shoes are found! He was so annoyed!

Bottom Right- a band rockin out at the fall festival this weekend... they were super loud!

Speaking of the fall festival... here are some more pics from it! This was in Center City Philadelphia in the area they are now calling "Midtown." I have lived here for two years and never heard anyone call it that, but I guess they are trying to "brand" the area.

1- They had a pumpkin carving contest from the local bars and restaurants. You could vote...for $1!

2- We had yummy apple sangria!

3- we saw sumo wrestlers....

4- and zombies!

On Sunday we went hiking in a park near the city! It is so pretty there and there are hundreds of miles of trails all around! Rocky loves going hiking with us and jumping around in the river!

All in all we had a very "fall" weekend!

Shades of Blue Sunday Blue Fall Fashion

2011-10-02T08:04:00.001-04:00

This week Star and I decided to feature Fall Fashion for our Sunday posts! And there are some great blue choices!

Loving this blue sweater dress from Club Monaco!

Blue plaid rain boots from Ralph Lauren.

Blue striped sweater from Old Navy (so cute!)

Blue Hunter Boots- a classic style!

This blue Chambray dress from Jcrew would look cute with some boots and a sweater jacket!

Tartan blazer (Jcrew) I love this!

Blue striped boat neck tee from Gap.

Betsy sweater in navy from Jcrew!! Love their sweaters- they are so comfy!

Don't forget to check out Star's pink fall fashion choices over at Star's Pink World!

Happy Sunday!!

Trick or Treat Swap Partners!

2011-10-01T12:17:00.004-04:00

Thanks to everyone who signed up for the swap! The partners have been emailed to you so please check the email you signed up with on the linky in the original swap post! :-)

Partners are:

Jess & Carolin

Annahita & Zoe

Chrissy & Lush Lounge

Kate & Stephanie

Whitney & Kelly

Kristen & Jamie

Erin & Celia

Lindsay & Amanda

Meghan & Ashley

Have fun shopping for your partner and please send your goodies out by October 12th so everyone has time to enjoy them before Halloween!

Please come back on the 17th to link up your post showing off what you got! (link will be open all that week!) Can't wait to see everyone's stuff! :)

Sisters Day!

2011-09-30T15:27:00.003-04:00

Didn't you know? September 30th is Sister's Day!

Happy Sister's Day Lorena!

Click here to see my post about Sisters Day from last year which tells you all about the history of the holiday!

Friday Fancies Boots!

2011-09-30T09:17:00.007-04:00

This week's Friday Fancies theme is "fall boots." I found so many boots I loved but I have to narrow it down! I did two sets: under $200 and "dream" boots (over $200!)

Fall Boots under $200 by phillyrachel featuring ak anne klein shoes

1. Nine West boots $179

2. Kate Spade Rain Boots (a cute alternative to Hunter boots!) $125

3. Ralph Lauren Rain Boots (I think I'm going to order these for myself!) $65

4. Uggs Sweater Boots (so warm and comfy!) $140

5. Chinese Laundry Boots $99

6. AK Anne Klein (LOVE these!) $169

7. Madden $79

And here are my "dream boots"- prices upon request! haha!

(to see the prices you can click over to the polyvore set and see them all!)

Dream Boots by phillyrachel featuring a stacked heel As always- go on over to {Long Distance Loving} to check out the other Friday Fancies entries!

P.S.- While your here please check out the Trick or Treat Swap that Star and I are hosting! Today is the last day to sign up so don't forget!

Trick or Treat Blog Swap!!

2011-09-26T08:00:00.010-04:00

Boo! Guess what everyone? It's time for our Trick or Treat Swap! This is a fun way to get to know other bloggers and get some fun Halloween themed swag!

You can sign up by joing the link up here or over at Star's Pink World!

Interested?! Read on! Trick or Treat Swap Info:

1-Link up will be open through Friday September 30th, Midnight Eastern Time.

2-Partners will be given out that weekend via email (and blog post here and at Star's blog) and you can exchange addresses with your partner over email! Share some of your favorites with your partner such as- fav color, fall scent, your Halloween decorating style etc!!

3-Shop for your partners stuff! Please spend no more than $20 on your partner.

4-Send your partner their Trick or Treat package by October 12th so everyone gets their stuff with plenty of time before Halloween!

Please grab our button for your blog and post about the swap on your blog to help spread the word! If you'd like, you could even write a post about the swap to help us get more participants!

{Button and link on the side bar!}

Then when you get your goodies, come back on October 17th and link up your post about what you got!

Ideas for swap items: Halloween decorations, "fall" themed items, Halloween candy, fall nail polish, Halloween socks etc

Fridays Fancies Cozy Fall!

2011-09-23T09:31:00.004-04:00

We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of fall and more importantly, fall clothes! This week's Friday Fancies is "cozy fall" and I love this theme! I picked a soft and cozy cashmere sweater with a plaid shirt from Old Navy and brown leather boots! I added the coach boyfriend watch I have been eyeing lately, too!

Cozy Fall by phillyrachel featuring plaid shirts J Crew cashmere sweater, $198 Old Navy plaid shirt, $25 Seven For All Mankind super skinny jeans, $180 Flat leather boots, $695 Coach watch, $298 Chan Luu leather jewelry, $172 I hope you like my cozy fall outfit!

Don't forget to check out the other Friday Fancies links over at {Long Distnace Loving}!!

P.S.- Don't forget to come back on Monday to sign up for the Halloween swap!!

Writers Workshop I Am From....

2011-09-22T17:32:00.000-04:00

I am from legos scattered on the living room floor, from my dad playing softball with me in the park and playing barbies with my sister. I am from the blue house with the tin roof and the big front porch.

I am from the mossy oak trees and the "Florida snow" trees.

I am from beef tenderloin for Christmas dinner and coffee cake for breakfast on every holiday, from Ann and David and Lorena.

I am from singing the baboli song and joining the "clean plate club."

From thinking Santa came down the chimney as a sparkle and leaving my autograph book out for him to sign by the fireplace.

I’m from Orlando, Florida and the fifth generation in my family to grow up there, eating boiled peanuts on the porch and 7-11 slurpees in every flavor.

From the weekends spent fishing in the Everglades with my dad, making "theme parks" in the backyard with my sister, and watching football and TGIF with my mom.

I am from Disney movies on VHS, Charlie, Piper and Jenny, red and white pom poms, a balance beam and trampoline in the backyard, Mr. bunny, Easter egg scavenger hunts, playing little league softball, corny jokes, scenic overlooks, airplanes in the garage and days at the beach.

Tasty Tuesday Fish Tacos

2011-09-20T11:23:00.004-04:00

Here is my recipe for fish tacos! It's delicious if I don't say so myself!

What you need: soft taco shells (corn tacos shells are best!) Fish you like (I used tilapia) 1 mango - diced 1 red onion - diced 1 small jalapeno - diced small cilantro - roughly chopped lemon juice Salt & pepper chili powder

How to:

1. Rub the fish with salt and pepper and chilie powder (just sprinkle it on to your liking!)

2. Heat up a thin layer of olive oil in a pan and cook the fish till cooked through. Chop it up into small taco appropriate sized pieces.

3. Heat up some olive oil in another smaller pan and cook up the onions and jalapenos till soft.

4. Put the onions and jalapenos in a bowl and mix in the diced mango, a bit of chopped cilantro, a splash of lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper.

5. Taco it up! Enjoy! *another great addition to these tacos would be some cooked corn!

Instagram Weekend!

2011-09-19T10:13:00.007-04:00

This weekend was very busy! Friday night we went to dinner with some friends. Saturday, up early- watched a movie on TV, went for a run, went to watch the Gator game with other Philly Gators and then out to dinner for our friend's 30th birthday (the first of many 30ths we will have this year including our own!) We went to a place called "Asian Bistro" for her dinner, which was good but not the best sushi I've ever had. It's always a benefit when it's BYOB though!

On Saturday we also did some major cleaning! We basically cleaned and vacuumed the whole 2nd floor of our house and got everything cleaned except the clothes we are donating to goodwill!

Sunday morning we hit up Target and then we headed to brunch with some friends kind of late because one of those friends had just finished a half-marathon! Brunch was good but took sooooo long to get tables for 10 people! Sunday night cookout dinner on the roof deck at our friend's house was completed with the addition of my peach cobbler! Wow this was a busy, but fun weekend!Top Left: my peach cobbler from Sunday! I was feeling very "Paula Deen" with all the butter!

Top Right: Winky cat from the restaurant we went to for brunch.

Bottom Left: My new sweater from Target!

Bottom Right: The bar at one of my fav brunch places, North 3rd! The food is good but the decor is soooo weird! My husband asked "do you think they are decorated for Halloween?" But actually, no, it just always looks like that!

Friday Fancies Gameday Chic!

2011-09-16T11:06:00.006-04:00

I'm so excited for this week's Friday Fancies theme: Gameday Chic because I love college football and gameday is the best day of the week during football season! And I even got a special button with my colors!

Gameday Chic! by phillyrachel Go Gators!!

Don't forget to check out the other Gameday Chic post over at {Long Distance Loving} !!

Bridal Shower Fun!

2011-09-12T13:36:00.007-04:00

This weekend I hosted my sister's bridal shower brunch and it was a lot of fun! My sister and her fiance really love traveling so I made the theme of the shower "travel." I made all the decorations to go with the travel theme!

The invitations (I edited out the "personal" info)

Cupcakes! I made the little cupcake decorations with stickers that look like passport stamps!

Banner with pics of Lorena and her fiance at all the spots they have traveled to.

"The Adventure Begins" banner!

Lorena's marriage "passport." People wrote their advice for the bride inside it.

Favor boxes. Favors were necklace charms that were travel themed (Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty etc)!

Vases and candles with maps around them!

Lorena opening her gifts! Lorena & me! It was a lot of fun and Lorena got some great stuff from everyone! Afterwards we went out to Epcot to drink around the world! More on that soon!

Friday Fancies!

2011-09-09T11:08:00.003-04:00

Yes folks its that time again! Time for Friday Fancies! This week I chose to do a "bachelorette party" theme because this weekend I have my sister's bridal shower and bachelorette party!! I won't be wearing a dress quite this sparkly, since we are going to Epcot to "drink around the world" but if I had the chance to I would definitely wear this one!

I also added the obligatory "bridesmaid" tiara and "maid of honor" button! I think pink nails really round off the outfit and bring out the colors in the sequined top as well! Party time!

Sequin dress, £55 Dsquared platform pumps, $735 Reed Krakoff leather handbag, $490 OPI Nail Polish - That's Hot Pink, $5.98 Bridesmaid Tiara

Please check out the other Friday Fancies over at {Long Distance Loving} and if you feel up to it, vote for me!!

What are you all doing this weekend?

P.S.- next week I am doing a give a way! Stay tuned for more detials! Yay!

How to see a bunch of stuff in DC in one day!

2011-09-07T13:33:00.009-04:00

First of all, in order to see a bunch of stuff in one day you have to get up early!! We are early get up people, so no big deal there! Also, wear really comfortable shoes because you will be walking around a LOT! It's kind of like Vegas, you see the things you want to walk to so they look closer than they really are... then you just keeping walking and walking and they don't appear any closer!

Get up early and take a cab (save some walking!). Besides, the museums aren't open yet anyhow so you aren't missing out on anything there! Have the cab drop you off at the Lincoln Memorial. Then walk from there down the Reflecting Pool.

Check out the World War Two memorial at the bottom of the Reflecting Pool and take some pictures with the Washington Monument behind you! (no need to get close, its closed anyway)

Walk over towards the tidal pool and go right around the pond, check out the new MLK memorial and then make your way around to the FDR memorial garden (really cool water falls here!)

Take some pics with FDR statues!

Take a break on one of the benches around the pond. Check out the helicopter- think Obama is in there??

Finally you make your way around to the Jefferson Memorial! And it was raining so we had to buy some ponchos- nothing says tourist like Washington DC ponchos!

All this before lunch!

Depending on what type of museum goer you are, you should now be able to fit in TWO museums! We walked over to the Holocaust Memorial museum, then had lunch, and then hit up the spy museum. But they don't let you take pictures inside those museums so I have no proof!

Last but not least, be sure to pick up some cupcakes for your ride home! There are many cupcake places within walking distance of the Mall (museum area)!!

Thats what we did on Labor Day! How about you?

Friday Fancies Labor Day Chic!

2011-09-01T16:58:00.004-04:00

Hooray for the weekend! Today I get a half day off at work AND Monday off for Labor Day! And this weekend promises to be packed full of fun! Saturday I'm off to the mall to finally use some of my birthday gift cards! Saturday night we are going to the bar to watch the first Gator game! (yay football season is here!) Sunday we are headed down to DC for the night and I'm so excited!

This week's Friday's Fancies theme is, of course, Labor Day Chic! Here is the outfit I chose:

Roberto Cavalli feather print dress, $1,195 J crew handbag, $298 18 karat gold jewelry, $580 Paloma sterling silver jewelry, $275 Butter London 3 Free Lacquer Nail Polish, $14

So obviously this outfit isn't really in my budget but I think that's kind of the point of these Friday Fancies! I really love the orange and blue dress (Go Gators!) which is so appropriate for the first weekend of college football! To accessorize I choose earrings and a blue bangle bracelet from Tiffany's and a super awesome bag from Jcrew! I love the color and shape of that leather bag!

I hope you all have a great long weekend! Head on over to {Long Distance Loving} to see the other outfits people made and maybe even to vote for mine! (number 32)

A special announcement Don't Miss It!

2011-09-01T08:21:00.004-04:00

That's right! Star (of Star's Pink World) and I are hosting our very first "Trick or Treat" blog swap! Sign ups will open on September 26th and the theme is Halloween! You will be partnered up and exchange some goodies with your swap partner!

We are super excited about this and we hope all of you will want to participate!! And now you know waaaay in advance so you have plenty of time to prepare and get pumped up!!

Tasty Tuesday S'mores Cupcakes

2011-08-30T09:48:00.006-04:00

You guys are seriously going to thank me for this one because these cupcakes are uh-maz-ing!

(the best food picture I have ever taken!!!)

Here is what you need:

-chocolate cake mix (and whatever the box directions tell you that you need to make it)

-graham crackers (crushed up for the topping!) I used about 4 halves

-2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature -1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow cream -1 cup confectioner’s sugar -1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix the cupcakes and bake them as directed on the box. Let them cool before you put the icing on!

Mix the icing:

1. Cream the butter 1-2 minutes

2. Add the marshmallow cream and mix until incorporated

3. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix well

4. Put the icing in a piping bag and decorate away! Now, I don't have piping bags or those special icing tips and what not so I just use a Ziploc baggy and snip one of the corners off! Works really well for me!

5. Sprinkle the crushed graham crackers on. Decorate with a marshmallow or a tiny Hershey bar- your choice!

Yum yum!

I adapted this recipe from the one on this blog. The icing is the same but I did not use their chocolate cupcakes recipe because I think the box kind is just as good!

Weekend Pictures!

2011-08-29T14:37:00.005-04:00

Well this was an interesting weekend! We started off with preparing for a hurricane which, as everyone knows, is very weird for this area! Friday night we went to happy hour at the Oyster House and I had oysters for the first time ever in my life!

Yum!

Did you know Whole Foods sells batteries? They do during hurricanes!

Saturday morning I went to get food for brunch and people were seriously going nuts at the store stocking up for the hurricane!

After the hurricane we hung out with some friends and I snagged this picture of their cute cat hanging out on her new cat house! We also walked around to see the damage the hurricane caused but thankfully there wasn't much to see near us!

How was everyone's weekend?

Shades of Blue Sunday Blue Wedding!

2011-08-28T09:01:00.006-04:00

This week Star and I decided to feature blue and pink wedding ideas! I actually did have some blue at my wedding, but the pictures aren't very good so I don't have much to show you! I had light blue bridesmaids dresses, my bouquet had white roses with blue hydrangea and our cake had blue accents on it as well! Blue is definitely my favorite color!

In the spirit of everyone loving pinterest lately here are some pretty blue wedding ideas I found on pinterest! For reference you can check out my pin boards, they are all posted under "blue wedding"!

A beautiful blue bridal bouquet!

I wish these signs were popular when I got married, they are so cute!

Of course a blue Minolo is a perfect "something blue" (and my friend actually had these shoes for her wedding!)

Cute blue wedding invites!

I love the alternating blue and white shades and the flowers at the bottom are so cute!

A cute idea- bridesmaids in different shades of blue!

Another good idea to add a pop of blue would be a light blue sash with your wedding dress!

Don't forget to check out Star's Pink World to see her pink wedding picks!

Happy Sunday!

Friday Fancies The Wedding Guest

2011-08-26T14:26:00.003-04:00

This week's Friday Fancies theme is "wedding guest." I have been to several weddings but nothing too fancy, so I chose an outfit here that I could spice it up a little with the fancy accessories! I like the single color dress as a base. I really wanted to use the Coach clutch for a little color and because it has a gold clasp I went ahead and chose some gold Tiffany's jewelry and Jimmy Choo gold flats to match. I am not one for heals so that why I went with the flats! Navy polish for the toes and a subtle pink polish for the fingers to round off my look! If only this outfit was in my real life budget!

A Wedding Guest by phillyrachel featuring longs jewelry

Don't forget to check out the other Friday Fancies looks and link up your own over at {Long Distance Loving}!

Rock me like a hurricane!

2011-08-25T12:58:00.004-04:00

Dear friends in Pennsylvania (and other NE areas), this post is for you! Some nice advice from a Florida girl to my soon-to-be-freaked-out-by-the-hurricane PA friends.

First of all, in case you didn't know, a hurricane is coming towards us:

(see Philly there in the pink "extreme" threat area? Yeah, that's us!)

Now, don't be alarmed! The first step here is to CALM DOWN. You will be fine! Remember when we had those blizzards and everyone flipped out and bought all the eggs and milk and you couldn't make breakfast the next week? Let's not have a repeat of that!

Second, go to the store and buy these things: water, batteries and a flashlight. Maybe some extra food. Just in case. Also, some Pirates Booty because that stuff is good! Unless you already have these things, then don't.

Next, clean up your yard and porch of any loose items. Store them in your house or garage or basement. I'm talking about garden hoses, porch furniture, wind chims etc.

Third, buy these items: dark rum, light rum, grenadine, orange juice and pineapple juice. Also, make some ice or buy a bag of ice.

The third step here is very important, as you will need these items to make hurricanes for your Saturday night and all day Sunday hurricane party. Here is the recipe:

1.5 oz white rum 1.5 oz dark rum 3 oz orange juice 3 oz unsweetened pineapple juice 1/2 oz grenadine syrup crushed ice

Mix well and serve over ice. Garnish with orange slice if you'd like! Yum yum!

Add in some movies, music and board games because you are not going to want to go outside in all that wind and rain!

Rock me like a hurricane!

Weekend Instagrams

2011-08-22T09:49:00.005-04:00

Heirloom Tomatoes at the Headhouse Market farmers market

(you would recognize Headhouse Square if you saw the movie National Treasure!)

My new herb garden!

Now if only I have some pretty pots to put them in....

(Ikea anyone?)

My flowers! (I was playing with the filters on instagram)

Birdhouses!

Silent Sunday with a couple of words!

2011-08-21T09:52:00.004-04:00

Finishing strong at my 5k yesterday!

Livestrong!

Link up your Silent Sunday over at FTLOB!

3 Step Plan

2011-08-20T12:27:00.004-04:00

If you are anything like me, a good morning looks like this:

And a BAD morning looks like this:

For this and many other reasons, and as hard as it is, I am going to slowly try to take myself off my coffee habit! It will also save me some money because I go to Starbucks A LOT! Since it's very hard to just stop drinking all forms of caffeine cold turkey, I have established a 3-step plan.

Step 1: Downsize. Go from getting grande cups everyday to tall size. This step is already in progress. And I feel ok with this, no headaches yet!

Step 2: switch to half-caf

Step 3: Switch to decaf and then no coffee at all! View Starbucks as a treat, rather than a necessity.

Can I do it? Will it last? Only time will tell...

Those baristas are sure gonna miss me!!

Friday Fancies Back to School!

2011-08-19T08:35:00.007-04:00

This week's Friday Fancies theme was "Back to School." But, as I starting putting my outfit together I quickly realized it's more "back to fall" than school! Especially since its no where near cool enough to wear a sweater yet! I really love the Hadley sweater from Jcrew so I knew I wanted to use it in my outfit even though it's still technically summer!

Back to fall by phillyrachel featuring knee length boots

Check out the other FF outfits here: You can also vote for my outfit if you like it! It's number 31!!!

Thanks!

Writers Workshop 10 Lessons Your Dog Can Teach You

2011-08-18T09:02:00.008-04:00

One of the prompts for this week's Writers Workshops was 10 lessons you can learn from your children. Well, I don't have children as of yet so I decided instead to do 10 lessons my DOG can teach me!

1. Face challenges head on.

2. Always greet your family and friends with a happy face when they come over. (wearing a cape makes it even better!

3. Dress appropriately for the weather! You might look silly but it is better than being too cold or too hot!

4. Learn how to relax. Enjoy your relaxation time!

5. Be ready to go at a moments notice! The world awaits you!

6. Enjoy yourself! It's ok to get a little silly sometimes!

7. Sometimes it's ok to dress up.

8. Love holidays!

9. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it, but don't beg!

10. Always be ready for adventure!

This post is in response to prompt #4 on Mama Kat's Writers Workshop.

P.S.- if you like my photos of my dog please head on over to For the Love of Blogs and vote for my photo so I can win!! I am number 29!!

Click this button to vote:

Excited for Fall!

2011-08-15T10:29:00.007-04:00

With school starting soon I am starting to get very excited for fall to arrive! I love the cooler weather, fall clothes and fall scents! I did a little bit of shopping this summer but not everything I bought was for summer... These are 3 of my favorite new things I purchased & I can't wait for the cooler weather so I can wear them!

1. Sequined Sweatshirt: Banana Republic (so soft & comfy!)

2. "Saturday Pant": Jcrew (these are my new work pants, since I work from home!)

3. Chambray button up tunic: Jcrew (cant wait to wear with black leggings and flats!)

{source}

My favorite season!

Fun with Phones!

2011-08-15T09:28:00.005-04:00

If you've read my blog for any length of time then you will know that I love me a good meme! And I found a new one this week to participate in! This is is called "fun with our phones Monday!" and we get to showcase all those fun, random phones we take on the cell phone!

Photos from last week:

This is lemonade from the preschool around the corner from me. It cost 50 cents and they gave me a little hand made "thank you" card! They were sooooo cute!

Rocky. He is awesome. I can't stop taking pictures of him!

Kim layout out on the roof deck! She was fast asleep! We discussed funny things to do to her while she was sleeping but we didn't want to make her too mad! Instagram photo of the woods. We were at a dead stop in beach traffic. This was right about the time we decided to turn around and go home to lay out on the roof deck! I really love all the different lenses and features you can use on your photos with this program (I also use hipstamatic)

P.S.- I've also linked up over at "a {little} dash of ash" on her Monday instagram link up!

Lazy Weekend

2011-08-14T09:54:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we tried to go to the beach but after sitting in traffic for several hours we decided it wasn't worth it and turned around...

Traffic makes us angry!

Instead we decided to go up on the roof deck to lay out and have margaritas! But as you can see it was a little overcast!

Today is a rainy, lazy Sunday!!

and my dog thinks he is a person and can sleep on our pillows!

How has your weekend been? What do you do on a lazy Sunday??

P.S.- check out my new bar code scanner! You can scan it on your phone and view my blog on the go! :-)

P.P.S- only one week until my husband and I participate in the LIVESTRONG races! Please considering donating for this great cause! Any amount helps and it's tax deductible!