Congrats!!!

Congrats to Nicole-Lynn with Sea Side Smitten for winning my giveaway! Please email me your address at livinginleopard@gmail.com and I will get your fab prize sent off!

GIVEAWAY Won, GIVEAWAY Given!

Monogram's and Embroidery.... 2 of my favorite things. I am borderline obsessed and don't feel like there can ever be too many monogrammed items in one's position. I have always been a fan and have several bags and blankets embroidered and now have a rekindled obsession with my approaching new last name on the horizon.... a new reason for embroidery! Ekk! I am a little concerned for my future kids things, al least they will always know it is their stuff due to the fact that their name is sewn on it! I was so excited to win the Three Monkeys Monogram giveaway the other day and snag these two beautiful hand towels with my soon-to-be last name initial on them and much to my surprise a special little cross hand towel thrown in as well! Pink, animal print and embroidered... could it get any better? Head on over to the Three Monkeys blog and check out all the cute stuff she has for everyone!



Speaking of giveaways… tomorrow is the last chance to enter my giveaway! I barely have anyone entered so your chances are great to win! Guess not many people like rhinestones as much as me!

Lemon Corn and GIVEAWAY Reminder!

My favorite summer side is grilled corn. Not only is it easy to throw on the grill with some burgers, but it is also easy to dress up or down. My favorite way.. lemon pepper, YUM!


First, buy the corn with the husks already on. Peel them back and remove the silks from underneath. The place the husks back around the corn and soak in water for about 15 minutes.



Then place directly on the grill for about 20 minutes. That’s it.... SO easy!



Peel back the husks and dress anyway you like it! I have a new love for butter, of course and lemon pepper seasoning. It is light and tangy, but really refreshing and so so yummy on a hot summer day.


Don't forget my GIVEAWAY ending this FRIDAY!!! Enter to win here!

FAB FRIDAY - GIVEAWAY - Rhinestone Headphones

HELLO FAB FRIDAY, Long time no see!

I am so so excited to announce my first giveaway today! YEA! Honoring my return to sanity, I mean blogworld, I thought I would offer all my fabulous followers a little giveaway! Enter to win these adorable headphones complete with RHINESTONES!!! Who doesn't want to add a sparkle to their life... whether you are working out or laying by the pool these little beauties will complement your ipod perfectly!



Giveaway entries will close Tuesday, July 20th at midnight.

DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY JULY 23 @ midnight!
How to win this fab prize...

Become a follower of LIVING IN LEOPARD, RELAXING IN RHINESTONES publicly and leave a note in the comment box (1 entry)

Blog about the giveaway and post link in comment box (1 entry)

Post a link on facebook or twitter and link back to it in the comment box (1 entry each)

Here is to wishing everyone a fab weekend! Good Luck!

Cocktail Dress Love Affair....

I must have been a princess in another life or maybe just a fab socialite; because I have a small obsession with cocktail dresses. If I could wear one everyday, I would... however, that might make teaching dance to 3-year-olds more difficult. And though my years of Miss Texas and as a frequent wedding guest I have managed to 'need' a new one for every event so in all actually I probably have enough that I probably could wear one every day (with only one or two repeats)!

Well on the eve on the Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale (another post entirely, ekk!) I scoped out a few of my favorite cocktail dresses for this season and praying (yes, God believes this is important) they are all discounted drastically. Because ya know with wedding plans in the near future I am SURE I will NEED just a few more. So, don't be surprised if you see some of these beauties gracing my body at showers, our engagement pictures, maybe our rehearsal and who knows what else!




















Which ones do you like?

Happiness...

Things that make me happy...

starbucks gift cards
a clean house
my doggies
cleaning out my refrigerator
naps
the picture in my head of my dad walking me down the aisle
rhinestones
ricky
bffs that really know me
wedding planning
pedicures
my little niece ella and my new niece or nephew on the way
getting my car washed
non cheesy leopard print
when ricky does the dishes after I cook
winning national champ's with my dance kids
my dance kids amazing families
babies laughing
cheat day venti coffees from starbucks
new kick ass pumps
ricky
anniversary sales at nordstroms
my bridesmaids
new candles
working with my mom and being so close to her
having an offer on our house
days off in the summer when I can sleep til 10 and not feel bad
ricky
pink nail polish
summer days spent in sun dresses
going to the grocery store for a big trip
snow cones
floating in the pool
my future in-laws
Erica's beach house
living a life I can be proud of

and anything else I forgot. I live a very blessed life and most of the time I forget to count all those small blessings, but today I will count a few!

Pageant Pasture

Well I have been out of town for the last week (updates will follow on that later in the week) but the day before I left I was at the 75th Anniversary of the Miss Texas Pageant. I know I have blogged about Miss Texas before and my involvement this year with the Miss Texas Dance Troupe; which went off without a hitch by the way! But being back at Miss Texas this year was both weird and nostalgic.

First off it was so weird being on "the other side" of pageant land. I was a contestant for the better half of my teen years and young 20s and all of the 'officials' were always so untouchable. I was always on my best behavior around them and always seemed to be trying to impress them or get on their good side. Well this week as I walked in with a name badge that read MTO I felt... just a little bit cooler. I was a MTO official, WEIRD…COOL… WEIRDCOOL! After all, Miss Texas approached me to run this program. It was like going back to a class reunion after you have made it big... Now that I read this it sounds totally lame, but for that one moment in time I felt totally cool.

Another thing that was so weird is that I hardly knew ANYONE competing. Seriously the babies that were just starting teen when I was in my last year are now MISS contestants, I understand this now makes me officially old. They refer to the has-been girls in pageant world as “out to pageant pasture,” or 'formers' if they are being PC, but in my case I felt WAYYY out to pasture!

Being around all those little beauties made me reminisce about the fond memories I had in the MTO. Not only did I earn a ton of money for school (I only paid $300/semester at SMU... normally 15-20k/semester), get to fine tune my interview skills (which would later help me beat out 800 applicants to land my first real job after college), learn how to be a poised and rhinestoned obsessed young woman, but most importantly make some lifelong friends. Us pageant girls are a unique breed; it seems like no matter what our background or where our out of pageant interests lie; that we all hold that common bond of protein shakes, butt glue, gift rooms, Larkin Page, 5 inch heels, experiences, and evening gowns; and what a truly special bond that is!

I made so many great friends over my years of competing in pageants. One of my bridesmaids, Rebecca and I met when we won our first pageant together when we were only 14 years old. Our families bonded instantly, as did we, and now 12 years later I am looking so forward to having her by my side on my wedding day. Danielle another pageant girlfriend and lifelong friend of mine will be singing in our wedding and others like Lynne is always up for a night on the town or to help celebrate a birthday. I am so thankful for my years in pageants and what they taught me, but I am more thankful for the relationships I built along the way and how they have continued to grow and develop even now that we are all out to pageant pasture!