"Favorite of the Week" Link Up #25

Well folks it's Monday, and you all know what that means? It's time for my favorite of the week! 

My favorite this week is...

NBC'S The Voice

I know a lot of you are big fans of this show too because you're always there tweeting with me on Monday and Tuesday nights. I liked the first season, but stopped watching it after the first round. This year I was determined to stick it out and I'm glad I did. I'm not a huge reality TV show fan in the first place, and I despise American Idol so this is big for me. I just love the shows dynamic and how it's not completely centered around America voting. The main reason I don't watch shows that have voting is because America usually sucks at it, sorry but it's true. It's never about the actual talent, it's always a popularity contest. Now I have been disappointed with a couple of the people that were let go because of lack of voting, but there were also people I thought should have made it through the battle rounds that didn't which solely was the coaches decisions. So I can't blame it all on voting which is really why I like this show. Plus I love all the coaches. Blake is such a country boy, but is so funny. CeeLo is just hilarious all the time. And I love the sexual tension between Christina and Adam, come on you know it's there. Then there are the moments where Christina  gets bitchy and you see Adam being full of himself. It's been my must watch show for the last 3 months. At this point, I pretty much like every contestant that is left. I can't wait to see what tonight's episode brings!

Are you a fan of The Voice? What's your favorite of the week?

♥ Erin

Current Playlist Volume 8

I feel like the last couple months have been a little slow with new music. I get really antsy when I don't hear something new. It's been a really long time  since I've done a current playlist post, so I figured now is a great time because a whole slew of new music just came out. For those of you who are new to my blog, I used to do a Current Playlist post every once in a while to let you know what I listen to. I love introducing music to people. My music taste has been influenced by so many things from TV shows and movies to clubs and friends. I hope you like this oldie, but a goodie post.

Jason Derulo - Breathing
Linkin Park - Burn It Down
*Very excited about this album and this song has been on repeat since it came out
Maroon 5 - Come Away to the Water
*This is probably my favorite song from The Hunger Games Soundtrack, it is totally different than anything Maroon 5 has ever done
Civil Twilight - Fire Escape
Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love
*This guys was the opener for Snow Patrol when we saw them the other week and was awesome, I just fell in love with this song
Morning Parade - Headlights
*These guys are brand new to the music scene, I heard them on a new music show on my local radio station
Ambassadors - Litost
*Another unheard of band, I heard this song from One Tree Hill
M83 - Midnight City
*I just can't get sick of this song, one of my forever faves
Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa - Payphone
B.o.B - So Hard to Breathe
Florence + The Machine - Never Let Me Go
*I love everything Florence does, I have all her albums, this is my fave off her new album right now
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
*This is a straight up teenie bopper song that is catchy and clearly caught me
Snow Patrol - In the End
*My favorite song off their new album


What's some of the music you're listening to right now? Are you a fan of anything on my list?











♥ Erin

Technology is irritating me

So I had plans to post my weekend recap today about my trip to Penn State. Unfortunately, the photo editing site where I make all my cool collages so you don't have to scroll through tons of photos has decided to temporarily get rid of the collage feature. If any of you currently use Photobucket, FYI the collage maker is gone. They have a "layering" tool that kind of makes collages, but it's really time consuming and quite confusing. Apparently they updated their editing system with Pixlr and it doesn't have the collage feature. So if you use it and miss it, please complain! For now though, all my "events" posts will be suspended until I can find a new editing tool. If you have any great ideas please, please, please send them my way. It would have been awesome if blogger added a sweet feature like that when they were updating it, but that would have been way too easy. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can check out a couple of my posts here and here.

Don't worry, this isn't my only post of the day.










♥ Erin

Things I Hate That Other People Love

I saw Leanna from OMG I'm Back In DC feature this yesterday and I thought it was a fantastic idea that I just had to steal. Who doesn't hate things that most of the population adores?

1. Cranberry Juice (um, gross even with vodka)
2. American Idol (annoys the crap outta me)
3. Sperry's and TOMS (are the ugliest shoes alive, sorry I'm not sorry)
4. Justin Bieber (he looks and sounds like a girl)
5. All of the Kardashians (they have a lot of haters, but something is keeping them on TV and trashy magazines)
6. Beans (anything in the bean family is disgusting including peas and lentils)
7. Swiss Cheese (and I love ALL cheeses, but this one disgusts me)
8. Words With Friends (I'm sorry, I suck at Scrabble and watching 15 people kick the crap out of me everyday is not high on my list of "fun")
9. Beyonce (I have NEVER liked her)
10. Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes (do I really need to justify this to you all?)

I hope all of my "hates" made you giggle a little bit. I'm totally cool with you doing this as well, I stole this from someone and you are encouraged to steal this from me!











♥ Erin

"Favorite of the Week" Link Up #24

Happy Monday guys! I hope everyone had a fantabulous weekend! My favorite of the week this week is a product that I'm sure most of you have heard of and probably have used at some point in your life.

This time every year we're all faced with getting our bodies ready for shorts, skirts and bikinis. Not only are we getting bods in great shape, but we're also trying to get our skin to look good as well. Now unless you're a fake baker all winter long, you are pale. Currently, I'm a nice shade of Casper, if you know what I mean. I put on a pair of shorts the other day and my dad said, "Look at those out of bounds markers!" Yeah, I'm pretty white. So for Easter, there was a nice surprise in my basket. My step mom had got me and my sister this...

I used this product years ago and then stopped when I started getting tan on my own. For some reason I never went back to it for the early spring months and I don't know why. This product rocks. I'm never streaky and it makes my legs a lot more bearable to use it. I haven't started using it anywhere else because I feel like I get the best results on my legs. I might start putting it on my arms, but then you gotta worry about your shoulders and then your chest (it just goes on and on). So for right now, I use it on my legs so I don't look transparent.

My only suggestion to you is make sure you wash your hands thoroughly afterwards AND give it 3 minutes or so to fully dry and soak into your skin. You don't want to mess up any clothes. I've done it before trust me. And no one wants to look at streaky palms because you forgot to wash your hands after using it. I'm sure we've all tried some sort of self tanner in our lives ladies.

How do you prepare your skin for the warmer months? Have you used this product?

♥ Erin

Current Jewelry Loves

I have really been obsessing over accessories lately. Like I've said before, I never really concentrated on accessories because I wore the same thing all the time. Now that I mix and match, I am constantly on the lookout for more jewelry! Well after adding a few more Etsy shops to my faves, heading over to the mall and scouring Pinterest, I came up with a few of my current loves that I can add to my repertoire soon. I hope you enjoy them!

Sterling Feather Ring by Fossil

Source: fossil.com via Erin on Pinterest

LUX Gold Chain Link Bracelet by Derng

Source: google.com via Erin on Pinterest

Curved Small Silver Bar Necklace by Olive Yew Jewels

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

The Ellie Bracelet by Spike the Punch

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

Turquoise Golden Chain by Bfrend

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

Silver Chain Link Rhinestone Pave Bracelet by Derng (also comes in gold)

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

Silver and Gold Bangle by Olive Yew Jewels

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

Tree Necklace by Morgan Prather Accessories

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

Pave Chain Link Bracelet in Silver by Derng

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

What do you think of my must haves? What are your current jewelry loves?

♥ Erin

Crossing Another Band Off My Bucket List: Snow Patrol

Last week, Tim and I went to see Snow Patrol perform live at the Electric Factory in Philly. Snow Patrol is one of my favorite bands and I have been wanting to see them play live for years now. When I saw tickets were going on sale back in January, I scooped them up as fast as I can. Tickets were cheap and I absolutely love seeing bands at the Electric Factory because it's such an intimate setting.

 In case you're unfamiliar with Snow Patrol, they are an alternative rock band from Bangor, Northern Ireland. They rose to national fame with their debut album, Final Straw, in 2003. Their next studio album, Eyes Open, (2006) and its hit single "Chasing Cars," propelled the band to greater international fame. The album topped the UK Album Charts and was the best-selling British album of the year, selling over 6 million copies worldwide. In 2008, the band released their fifth studio album A Hundred Million Suns, then in 2009 their first compilation album, Up to Now and in 2011 they released their seventh album Fallen Empires.

Here are some pics from the show...

Opener Ed Sheeran

Our view from the balcony

The whole band

I took a lot of video on iPhone which is surprisingly awesome for video footage, but the files are too large for me to upload from it. If you're a Snow Patrol fan. it was an awesome concert. They are a great live band and they played a good mix of old and new, there was only one song I really wanted to hear and didn't. Here is the setlist from the night:

Are you looking forward to any upcoming concerts this summer?

♥ Erin

Shabby Apple Affiliate

Recently, I was asked by Shabby Apple to become an affiliate of theirs. What that means is I will be given some great offers that I can pass along to you, my awesome readers whether it's a giveaway or promo codes for some online shopping. It also means that if you purchase anything through Shabby Apple by going through my site, I make a commission on it. And do you know what that means? Any money I make through this blog goes back into my blog budget, not into Erin's budget for everything else. That means for money for giveaways for you guys! I know most of you have heard of Shabby Apple or already shop their, so you know about all of the great stuff they have. I want to be able to bring it back to you as well! So check out Shabby Apple through the following links or the button on my right sidebar. Right now any orders over $100 are free shipping! Happy shopping!

♥ Erin

Ramping Up My Spring/Summer Wardrobe and OOTN

I have never been a huge fan of my spring/summer wardrobe. I've always had a better fall/winter wardrobe. I attribute that to the fact that my birthday and Christmas presents are usually clothes or gift cards to my favorite stores. I've always been able to build my winter wardrobe much more than the hotter months. So I decided this year I would change that. I would set aside money and dedicate some gift cards that I got at Christmas to my summer wardrobe. I'm really glad I did because there's so much I need. For starters, I don't have anymore jean shorts. I either threw them out or gave them to Goodwill because they didn't fit. I also need some new tops and I'm trying to add some color to my wardrobe as well. I love white, grey and black and I need to start branching out. This weekend I started with a quick trip to Express and to American Eagle. I haven't shopped at AE in years, but I know they have cute, cheap jean shorts and that's exactly what I needed.

American Eagle

White Denim Shortie
Denim Midi Short
Skinny in Poppy Orange
Jegging in Grey

Express

White Crop
Ruffled Dolman Sleeve Top in Bali
Printed Crochet Back Tank
Embellished V-Neck Top

I was so happy with my purchases because I got great deals and used some gift cards so I barely paid anything for all of that. Gotta love it.

Since we were having such nice weather this weekend (finally), I decided I needed to wear something new and bright for a night out on Saturday. This is what I chose...

GAP Striped Longsleeve
American Eagle Skinnies in Poppy Orange
Charlotte Russe White Heels
Fossil Stella Watch

What are you adding to your spring/summer wardrobe this year?

♥ Erin

"Favorite of the Week" Link Up #23

It's Monday and that means it's time for another Favorite of the Week! I can't believe this is week 23! Thank you for all the support and to those who consistently link up.

Since we had our first warm weekend in a while, I broke out some spring things this weekend: coral skinnies, white heels and my new spring/summer bag...

Isn't she pretty? I bought her back in February at Coach knowing I wouldn't be able to use it for a few months. When I do that with an item, it always sucks at first. But then when the day comes that you can wear it, you're like, "Yes! I have a new purse to use!" And it's like getting a new bag all over again.

What's your favorite of the week?

♥ Erin

It's Ok Thursday

I'm linking up with Amber and Neely for another It's Ok Thursday because I went to a concert on Tuesday night and threw my whole week off and I had nothing planned for today. But ALSO because I love the crap outta Amber and Neely and it's been a couple weeks since I linked up. So there.

It's OK:

To have re-read all 3 Hunger Games books

To be slacking on some product reviews for the blog (my weekends have been a little busy, my bad)

To be competitive with my 14 year old sister during an Easter egg hunt, someone may have gotten hurt (see recap post)

To see Titanic 3D at 9:30 am

To still think that Jack won't die

That the song "My Heart Will Go On" still makes me tear up when played with Titanic footage

 To live off of Cadbury Cream Eggs for the last week

To think Peeps are gross

To lose faith in someone

To be depressed that One Tree Hill ended

To be irritated that you put all your winter boots away and had to bring them back out because it got cold again (annoying)

What's OK with you?

♥ Erin

I know, you're probably sick of hearing about the Hunger Games...

...but I just HAD to show you this clip of Sofia Vergara on SNL last weekend doing a ridiculous skit about the Hunger Games. It had me rolling.











♥ Erin

Product Review: Maybelline Baby Lips

Let me just start out by apologizing to the people that I talked to right after I purchased this item and was in love with it. I should not have jumped the gun.

Now with that said, I finally (after weeks of searching) found a store that had the Maybelline Baby Lips flavor I wanted. I didn't want any of the tinted balms because I like my lip balms clear. I have lip gloss to add color. Anyway, the two plain flavors were Peppermint and Quenched. I wanted to find Quenched and trust me, I looked everywhere for it. Finally, I bought the last one at the Rite Aid down the road from my house. I was so excited I ripped off the wrapping and immediately tried it out. If anyone has tried Nivea lip balm, I can compare it to that initially. Sot as thick, has a greasier feel. Not greasy bad, just when I think of lip balm, I want it to stay. Greasier balms tend to wipe off and in this case that's just what happened. I loved the smell, taste, etc. but after a couple days of using this product I noticed a few things. One, I had to reapply A LOT. If I chewed gum, it was gone. If I had a snack, it was gone. So that was a little annoying, but then I noticed something worse. My lips. In the warmer months, I barely use lip balm, but I always keep in on me. My lips were becoming as chapped as if it were the middle of January. It was like the more applied the stuff, the worse my lips actually got. And what's really irritating is that this is supposed to be an 8 hour product. Um, try 8 minutes. Needless to say I know that a lot of people are raving about this product, but I will not be one of them. I'm going back to my Burt's Bees or EOS balm so I can repair the damage this has done. It's such a shame, I get so upset when a product isn't what it says it's going to be.

Have you tried Baby Lips? What was your experience like?

**This product was purchased by me with my own funds. This post is not sponsored by any person or company. All reviews are my own opinions and thoughts of the products.**








♥ Erin

The Great Easter Egg Hunt

This year for Easter, my parents decided to do something a little different. When I was little, my family hid my Easter basket for me to find while I always did my egg hunting at my grandparents house. Well when my sister was born, I was too old for any of that so she took over the reigns. After I moved to Virginia, they started a new tradition of hiding Easter eggs around the house for her to find since we didn't do the whole shebang at my grandparents anymore. Since this is my first Easter back after living out of the state, I was made aware of the new game. This year my parents hid 82 eggs around the house for me and my sister to find. Tim was there to help me in the case that my sister was kicking my behind (and she started to). It got a little cutthroat and there may have been pushing in shoving. In the end, we each walked away with exactly 41 eggs, about $25 and tons of chocolate. My parents had such a good time watching us battle it out, they took a billion pictures.

The Hunt...

Sisterly love...

Our haul...

And this was the rest of my Easter Sunday...
My sister trying on her new bikini from her Easter basket
My step mom's lovely table decorations
My aunt failing miserably on the trampoline
Dakota's way of telling my parents it's time to open the pool

How was your Easter? Mine wasn't boring, I'll tell you that.

♥ Erin

Giveaway Winner!

 The winner of my Morgan Prather Accessories Giveaway is...

Amber from Brunch With Amber!!

I'm so excited for you girl! Congrats!

Please email me to claim your prize!

Thank you to everyone that entered and to Morgan for sponsoring such an awesome giveaway. Please make sure you head over to her Etsy shop.

♥ Erin

"Favorite of the Week" Link Up #22

Happy Monday kids! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I ate my body weight in food and now have a massive food baby going on. I guess I'll have to work out this week! My parents did an Easter egg hunt in the house for me and my sister. It got pretty crazy, there were injuries and I'm not ashamed to say that my 14 year old sister didn't whoop my arse. Picture of the fiasco coming later this week.

Down to business. So I had my favorite all planned out for this week. It's a new product I've been trying and I fell in love with it. Then I realized the more I used it, the less I liked it. Don't worry, I'll have that review for you this week as well.

So my backup favorite, which isn't really a backup because I do really like it is...

Yep, The Killing is back on AMC and I"m so happy. Last year Tim and I got into it and were immediately hooked. The season ended without the killer being revealed, but the season finale kind of opened up some other doors. It was pretty crazy. I had no idea how they were going to make this a long standing show, once they revealed the killer. And they couldn't just drag that on for 5 seasons. I read that they were definitely going to tell you who killed Rosie Larson this season, but they were going to open up some new story lines too. After the second episode of this season, I could not have guessed how ridiculous it got. I'm so excited to see how all of this season pans out.

If you're not familiar with The Killing, "is based on the wildly successful Danish television series Forbrydelsen and tells the story of the murder of a young girl in Seattle and the subsequent police investigation."


"The Killing ties together three distinct stories around a single murder including the detectives assigned to the case, the victim's grieving family, and the suspects. Set in Seattle, the story also explores local politics as it follows politicians connected to the case. As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that there are no accidents; everyone has a secret, and while the characters think they've moved on, their past isn't done with them."

I'm so glad I have this show since everything else is heading into finales for the summer. If you haven't checked out this show, it's a definite must watch in my book.

Are you already a fan of The Killing on AMC? What's your favorite of the week?

♥ Erin

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

For those of you who are new to my little blog, I'm a huge sports fan. Even worse I'm a Philly sports fan. Of all the sports to cheer for, my heart belongs to the Phillies. Baseball season is my favorite time of year and Phillies baseball officially starts today.

I spend a huge chunk of my summer and fall going to games or watching them. I've been to the World Series, I've been to the parade and I've been a fan when we absolutely sucked. Sorry to anyone who is not a Phillies fan, here is my ode to the Phillies fan post. Enjoy!

 This is Chase Utley and he's my favorite player of all time

 

I even named my dog after him, this is Utley

This is usually all I wear all summer, I have exactly 8 t-shirts, 3 tank tops, 4 hats and 1 jersey (it's Utley's)

 

 This is Tim and I at a game at home

This is us at a game in DC, when we lived there (we still tried to go to all the games)

This is what our beautiful ball park looks like from the top view

 

 This is what it looks like while tailgating in the parking lot

This is my new favorite shirt (to understand the shirt, see below)

Because this is my new second favorite player, Hunter Pence ( don't tell anyone, but I love him and I'm convinced I'll get to meet him)

This was my first ever World Series game at our stadium and one of the best nights ever

And this is what it looks like to win the World Series and go to the parade!

 This is what I survive on at the ball park

 These are the best fries ever and a Philly food staple, Chickie's and Pete's crab fries with cheese sauce

The line to get these at the ball park takes for.ev.er. so go across the street to the restaurant after the game and get them!

So don't mind the many pictures you will see this summer of me at games, you'll just have to get over it! Have a great season, good luck to everyone's teams and GO PHILS!

♥ Erin

Last Day to Enter My Giveaway!

Today is your last day to enter for a chance to win a beautiful piece of jewelry from Morgan Prather's Etsy shop! You have until midnight tonight to enter. Head over to my original post to enter. You might win one of the pretty pieces shown below. Good luck!

Leafy Branch in Gold

Love Necklace in Silver

Tree Necklace in Gold

Triple Circle Necklace in Silver

♥ Erin