Carolina Pride

A few weeks ago I got a little crazy and bought 4 size 2T Rosalina dresses on Zulily. If you've never heard of it, it's a great website to buy boutique baby clothes and accessories for lower prices. Every once and a while I find a great deal on something that could be embroidered (aka the tennis racket covers from a few posts ago and these little gingham dresses). If you've never signed up for a Zulily account or their daily emails, use my personalized link: http://www.zulily.com/invite/mcallura918

So here are the two dresses I've embroidered so far. I decided to go with our Carolina pride and joy, the Palmetto Tree and Crescent Moon. They, like many items, don't photograph quite as cute as they look in person.

I have two pink and two blue dresses. I think I might use a matching blue thread for the embroidery on the second blue dress rather than white. We'll see.

As always you can find these and other items I have on Etsy.

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/mecallura



California Dreamin'

About a year ago I started Googling conferences for Jarred to go to. I'd heard enough stories from all his colleagues of the great times they'd had going all over the world for these things. It was time for Big Girl to find herself a vacation!! And it was good for Jarred's resume too, of course. I came across the perfect fit for him at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Yes, please!! I'd never been to the west coast or put my cute little toes in the Pacific (and by "cute little toes" I clearly mean "long skinny, finger like toes" but that just doesn't sound as good now does it). I actually found this conference long before Jarred found out about Puerto Rico, so this Cali trip has been in the works for a long time! I even reserved our hotel room before he even found out if he was accepted. What can I say, I have confidence in my man! Plus discounted rooms at the Four Seasons just weren't going to last forever. Gotta be a little proactive sometimes, am I right? You know how it is ladies. So without further ado, here are some pics!

First we started out with a hike in the mountain-like hills surrounding Stanford. We came across this comforting sign about what to do if we encounter a mountain lion or coyote I think my favorite part is, "if attacked-fight back!" Oh my.

Jarred's ready to fight back...

On Jarred's birthday we went to a Putt-Putt and Arcade place for a little friendly fun and competition. How this ball rested on the hill and didn't go into the water, I'll never know. Dang it!

Love this homemade sign at the course. After one particularly frustrating whole, I began to understand why they had it up!

An action pic of me dominating Jarred in Pop-a-Shot.

For those who don't remember, Jarred and I basically fell in love over Hangman. Needless to say, Wheel of Fortune is our game!!

The next day I surprised Jarred with a trip to the Santa Cruz boardwalk. It's the largest of its kind in the world. And that rollercoaster may not look like much, but I assure you, it's intense!!

Ferris Wheel

 Bumper Cars

Another surprise for Jarred...a helicopter ride over the coast! We do it up right!

I was so excited about this next shot. Our pilot told us that 80% of strawberries in the US are produced there. It's  Driscoll Farms, and I totally recognize that name from the grocery store. Sure enough, if you look, they are grown in Watsonville, CA, right where we were. Love it! 

Toes in the Pacific time! So cold!!

You can see the pain on Jarred's face. Freezing! But nothing I have conquered in the mountains.

We finally made our way up to San Francisco and rode bikes over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was truly breathtaking and so, so fun!



More pictures to come on facebook! Even though we had to battle fevers of 102 while there, we managed to have fun!

Tennis Racket Covers

Ready to have the cutest kid on the court? Check out these super fun tennis racket covers I found online. I would have loved one of these back in the day when I took lessons. They're perfect for summer camps too. They're also a fun branch out for me from the usual baby items. Although I must say, the embroidery doesn't photograph well because the print is so busy. Some things just can't come across as cute on the blog. I'm searching for more of these with a more grown up print, but not having a lot of luck so far. I can find some beautiful ones, but they are a fortune. Hopefully I'll come across something soon!

New Adventures on the Horizon

As I say goodbye to 25 solid years of life, I can see new adventures on the horizon. 25 brought a new job, a new hobby, and my frist trip to Puerto Rico, land of my hubby's ancestors. Good times! But 26 is stacking up to compete for the top spot of awesomeness. One week from today I'll be touching down in San Fransico for my first ever adventure on the west coast. And better yet, I'm not only taking my handsome husband but one of my best frirends as well! Can't wait to share it with you guys. Also on the agenda, thanks to a exciting yet frightening birthday gift from Jarred, professional voice lessons. EEEeek! Not sure how I feel about this, but it's sure to be an adventure!! Apparently they give you a DVD copy of each lesson, ummm No Thanks! I'm not sure that I ever want to hear my voice recorded. It was a very thoughtful gift though as Jarred knows two of the things on my life's bucket list are 1) to be in a community theatre production and 2) to have enough confidence to sing a solo at chuch. One day...one day. I'm excited to push myself out of my comfort zone and enjoy some vocal training. I hope they don't mind if I bring my own mic!

Time to go Diva Style!!! Bring it 26!

Finding True Freedom, From the White House to the World

It's time for a new book recommendation just in time for summer reading! Ginny Brant (wife of AB for any of you Clemson ASL alumni) has written a moving book about her father, an influential politician from SC who worked for Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Bush. It's the story of his journey to faith through the turmoil of the Watergate scandal. If you're interested in politics at all, love reading about how the Lord works in mysterious and miraculous ways in people's lives, or just like reading a good biography from time to time, this book is for you! Check it out on Amazon!

Learn more about the book and Ginny on www.ginnybrant.com It's an easy read that will leave you feeling more well versed in the history of American politics and more in awe of how powerful God is.



If I Only Had A Brain

Back in the glory days of high school, I once performed a song and dance routine to "If I Only Had a Brain" from the Wizard of Oz. Scarecrow get up and all, I brought down the house (or made people run for the exits). But no longer do I have to wonder what I would do if I only had a brain, because now I know...I do have a brain! And I have the pictures to prove it! So fun! Behold the incredible brain shots Jarred and I got from our research study, crazy stuff!

Lady's first:

I'm just so amazed! That's my brain, MINE, inside my head. My Cerebellum, my sinuses, my parietal lobe and frontal lobe. My brain stem. (And yes, yes I did google those)



 I'm sorry but these just blow my mind. I'm obsessed!

And I can't leave my sweet husband out, doesn't he photograph well?!:

That's one good lookin' brain!!

I highly recommend finding a research study to be a part of! Who knew being a lab rat for a few hundred dollars could be so much fun?! Ahhh, I love new adventures!

Preptastic Boy Bibs

There's something I just can't resist about preppy baby clothes and accessories. I've always been a country club sort of dresser myself...perhaps that's what influenced me to become such a golf fan, who knows? But one's things for sure, these bibs are 100% preptastic, and I love them! I'm a born and raised mountains girl, but even I can appreciate how much these scream Charleston. If you like them as well, check out my etsy store or message me on facebook about making some for your favorite little one. Sweet little sailboats, I mean come on, who can resist??? 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mecallura