My dearest Ipod,

You've been quite the trooper through the years. 4.5 years!! Wow, who would have thought I would have been able to keep you working or let alone not lose you for that long. And really and truly, you still work. But, I've had the itch to get your replacement for quite a while. Its silly, I know but I can't help it.

I know you're quite special. You were a birthday present from an old boyfriend. And I won't forget how excited I was to open you!! If I remember correctly, I actually took you everywhere I went. We were a team! But you were way cooler than all the other ipods, because you were of course the latest and greatest. You were the first to show pictures and color. All those other losers were practically carrying around a dinosaur.

And I was shocked and actually felt quite challenged when I learned that you could hold something like 16,000 songs. Well we all knew that would NOT happen. Hey, maybe thats why you're still kicking today. I guess my 500 songs arent making you work over time.

You will be proud to know, dear ipod, that I never put illegally downloaded songs on you. This probably explains the 500 huh?? I'm sure you've been quite confused at times to what in the world is wrong with me. Rascall Flatts, Coldplay, Fleetwood Mac, Kings of Leon, Needtobreathe, Taylor Swift...Identity Crisis or just can't quite make up my mind???

Well buddy, don't feel as though you're being abandoned. In fact, you're even going to stay in the family. You'll get to go back to your hometown, Auburn, and be put to the real test. Your new owner is Sarah. She did something to her REALLY nice ipod and basically killed it. So, I'm being nice and loaning you to her until she buys a replacement. Don't hate me if you get shuffled around from book bag to purse to car to some random stereo. Give her a break, she's a college kid.

Love,
Rachel

****
Ok so you get the drift....I finally bit the bullet today and bought a replacement. No, I didnt spring for the touch version for several reasons: price (obviously), I have NO need for the amount of songs it holds, and size (I wanted the smalles thing I could get my hands on...nothing is more annoying than a bulky ipod sloshing around when working out).

I spent quite a bit of time organizing all of my pictures I've saved through time. I save pictures of all kinds of things...homes, places, food, outfits, products, you name it! I kind of have that, you never know when you may need it-mentality. So, when I was going through all of my decorating pictures, I noticed a few that really caught my eye. And for some reason, they all include the color grey.



Does this mean something? Yes, it means I'm really into this color right now. Its on my fingernails (which, by the way I discovered the most amazing shade of grey nailpolish, but I digress), I drive a grey car and right now, I'm really wishing I could paint my living room color grey.



Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

I'm completely smitten by this front door.

No, I'm not into the over the top mirrored dresser, but I can't help but salivate over the wall color!

And this will probably be how I'm able to incorporate my latest obsession. A little punch of color amidst the whites and cremes. Just like my house!

And this is really and truly what sparked it all. Seriously, this just melts my heart!

Its been bugging me for a while now. I have a HUGE wall behind my living room tv that is COMPLETELY empty. So, I've lived here for almost a year now and I feel like I still have that, "please excuse my place I just moved in" look. A major reason for this is because my walls are naked.



So last week, I started my quest for some inexpensive alternatives to the art I would die to have! My parents have an art dealer at Scott's Antique Mall they always use and I would just love to pilfer through their supply and walk out with several key pieces. HOWEVER...sticking to the "I'm young and on a budget" theme, I'll have to be resourceful. So all you design on a dime girls out there, throw your suggestions at me!



In the meantime, I've found a few things I really like!

This is from Southern Living. This guy took an old envelope and enlarged it and had it framed. How creative is that!!

Its no secret that I am a Ballard Designs junkie. Well I guess to be considered a junkie, I'ld have to have a house full of their items...so scratch that. But I have quite the love affair with this catalog. I remember when my parents bought the house they live in, I had just moved to college. My mom, bless her heart, had no sense of direction when it came to decorating, she she enlisted me, the college freshman, to help her style her new home. Since I obviously couldn't go with her to every store and stock up (**although when I was able to join her, it was always a blast because the list of things the house needed was HUGE so we basically played supermarket sweep for a few years there), we had to stick to catalogs for the most part. And Ballard was by far our favorite. In fact, whenever a new one came in the mail, we got quite excited!!

And this little one has been on my list since 2002. I should probably bite the bullet and buy it huh!

Im afraid to say it, but I think my internet addiction is quickly returning. How can I help it though? There are just way too many pretty things out there that pile onto my "I want/need/must have" list.

But the reality is that I don't have an extravagant amount to spend on this list. And from the looks of it, I don't think many people do these days. Its no secret that times are tough, but I have a motto I live by that I adapted from my job: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going!" And that's exactly what I'm doing these days. Constantly on the hunt for the next great deal. Growing up, my mom was always ecstactic when she got something on sale. And while I somewhat understood her excitement, I never truly grasped it...until now!

So sticking with the theme of BUDGET, I've found several pieces that I just die to have. ENJOY!

Ann Taylor Loft

The brilliance of this outfit is that its versatile...and by that I mean, I could wear it year round. OK OK, so yes, I live in Florida where it rarely drops below 60 degrees. But whatever. I think anyone could wear this with the right accessories! LOVE IT!!


Another fab find from Ann Taylor Loft. I've always wanted grey boots and these couldn't be any more perfect.

Several weeks ago, I went shopping with my mom in Birmingham. We found this dress in Anthropologie and she practically begged me to let her buy it for me. While I think its absolutely precious, I've become over-practical these days. And I have no weddings or parties I could wear it to on my calendar (not that I'm complaining about this).

YES PLEASE!

I've always wished I could wear yellow, but the truth is, I look incredibly disgusting in it. HOWEVER...I do believe that this could be an exception to the rules. This little beauty is at Anthropologie. I do believe a trip to Jacksonville to make some purchases will be on my schedule at some point soon!

Its time for a girly post...not like they aren't usually 90 % girl anyway!!

Why the girly post? Probably because I've had an incredibly girly weekend so far. Mom treated Sarah and me to a morning at the spa where we enjoyed incredible massages. Also spent some time in the "quiet room," which isn't so quiet when filled with a bunch of ladies talking. But it was nice to catch up on some magazine time while listening to Enya-esque tunes in the background. Is that what its like to be a celebrity? If so, sign me up coach!

After the Spa, went shoppping with my sister for a formal dress for her. Not gonna lie, I helped pick out one I hope to wear one day. Its prety amazing to be able to share clothes now!

And since I'm at home with internet (I've pretty much adapted to life without it at home), I decided to do a little blog time as well as online window shopping. For some reason, I'm finding a lot of accessories on my want list. Probably because I have LOADED up on basics for the fall. And when I say basics, I mean pure basic...solid color dresses, tops, etc. So now, I'm on the hunt for some little things to spice it up a smidge.

LOVING these rings! There's just something about gold jewelry that I hope to never tire of. (**Sidenote: NOT feeling the horse broach...its just attached to the picture I downloaded.)
If this isn't the perfect middle finger ring, I'm not sure what is. Its perfectly minimal and sweet at the same time. SOLD!

I've already got these and they've become my wardrobe staple. I know that animal print is EVERYWHERE in the mags, but I can't do more than this. Surprisingly, these go with a lot!!

YES AND YES!

I'm starting to see a trend here. I'm loving jewelry that is simple and gold. This bracelet is PERFECT!