Fun Date Night: Social Club Dinner in Dallas June 28th

We really enjoy when we get to escape for a date night so I was excited to hear about an event called Social Club Dinner that will be hosted in Dallas on June 28th. Not only do we get to escape for a date night, but it's fun & creative at the same time.

 You and your friends gather at a secret location, dressed to match the them for the evening. You bring your own prepared meal and decorate your table with your own tablescape. Then you dance the night away under the stars while enjoying live music. It kind of sounds like its straight out of a movie doesn't it? Or perhaps the Bachelor.

Social Club Dinners are unique pop-up dinner parties. Each event has a different theme and as well as venue. The location of the event remains secret until just a few hours before the event. You will bring your own tablescapes and meal to contribute to the theme for the night.

You are encouraged to dress up according the the evening's theme to help set the tone of the night. The theme for Dallas is white! Be sure to come with friends and enjoy the evenings events over dinner and under the stars.

Social Club Dinners has a limited number of invitations so if you want to go, then you need to request an invite soon to secure your spot on the guest list! If you are interested in going check out this post about the Dallas White Party.

The best part is that each event benefits a local charity. The Dallas Charity partner is The North Texas Food Bank. For each dollar they will donate they will provide 3 meals. You can read more about our partnership here. 

 Social Club Dinners is offering one of my readers 2 tickets to attend this event! Please use the rafflecopter form below to enter. The giveaway will end at 12:00am on May 27thth & the winner will be announced by the end of the day on the 28th & sent an email. The winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was compensated for my post with tickets to this particular event. In no way are my opinions influenced because of this compensation. All images are used with permission from Social Club Dinner. 

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Glitter Tip Nail Art

I've been seeing a few glitter tip nails pop up on friends facebook photos so I decided to give it a try. The other day when I was at Target I saw this Rockstar Pink glitter polish and knew I had the perfect pink (Hot Magenta) to go with it at home. 

 I simply painted my nails first with the hot pink then did a curved line at the tip of all my nails. I didn't tape my nails off or anything. At first my glitter line was thin, but then I made it the width of the brush to make it easier on myself. I probably did 2-3 coats of the glitter so that it was very full. One coat of glitter just wasn't enough for my liking.

I'm certain this glitter would also look awesome with purple nails too, but I'm more of a pink girl. Though there is a really pretty Deep Purple Xtreme Wear that I nearly bought because I thought it would look good. 

For another fun nail art, check out my Color Blocked Nails!

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Mommy Mondays: A Ukraine Adoption

Hey there sweet Giggles, Glitz and Glam readers... it's Karen here, from Celebrate Life, and I was so excited when Jana asked if I would grace her space for her "Mommy Monday" series on adoption...

wow. adoption. a journey that most never think they'll go on, until it's all said and done. On May 23rd, we met our sweet Charlotte in an orphanage in Ukraine, and from that moment on, we haven't looked back. Although nothing was "official" until a few weeks after that, she made me a mommy the moment I laid eyes on her... or truly before I even met her, when I was praying for her.

My husband and I will be married for 8 years this July, and have lived in 4 different places... such is the life of a military spouse! We've lived in Florida, Germany, Korea (where we started our adoption journey), and currently Oklahoma. We always knew we wanted children... as many as we'd be blessed with, but never knew how our family would completely come together. After 2 miscarriages, and tons of prayer, God laid it on our hearts to start our journey of adoption. We had tons of ties to Eastern Europe... you can read about that here, so after much research, we decided on Ukraine. We used an agency (CWA is no longer unfortunately) who worked with military overseas, and after nearly a year of paperwork preparation, we received "travel notification" at the end of April 2011, that we were invited to Ukraine mid May, to search for a little one that fell under our requests on our homestudy. At the time, we desired a child under the age of 5. In Ukraine, it's considered a "blind adoption"... you don't know who you're going to get, until you get to Ukraine and flip through a book full of children's photos who are classified as "orphans"- parental rights completely waived. The hard part... is trying to figure out who God has in store for you...

Did Charlotte's photo completely win us over at first... nope. In fact, we were a little hesitant at first to even make our way to her orphanage 4 hours away from Kiev to meet her. But, we just felt led to, and so off we went. Meeting our little one for the very first time was surreal. I thought that I would be the one to run on over to her, flooded with tears, rejoicing in meeting my child for the first time... but as she was brought out to us... I just stood there. I couldn't believe how extremely TINY she was for a 3.5 year old, how crossed her eyes were, how she had no teeth, and wasn't verbal at all. I had doubts that she was "the one" and questioned our decision to adopt over and over in my mind. My husband on the other hand, he was the one who immediately took her from the nanny, and became overwhelmed with emotion and knew immediately that she was "the one". Funny how that happens, huh? Now... there's NO doubt in my mind, that she isn't supposed to be my daughter. 

We were in Ukraine for 45 days total, from start to finish. Looking back, those were some of the most grueling days my spiritual life has ever experienced before. To this day, I can't believe how much my head was second guessing our decision, when my heart was trying to just "welcome" her. I was guarded, and often times so overwhelmed with stress to the point where I couldn't even eat. And if you know me, I love to eat. How was I to love someone, that wasn't even a part of "me"? 

But I learned to... I chose to... just like God chooses to love us, even though we don't deserve it... and looking back, I just shake my head as to how "silly" that sounds. But adoption, it's probably the best representation of God's love for us. 

I couldn't even imagine my life without my little bug... If you visit over to my blog, and she's meant to be mine without a doubt. Her nose might not be mine, but she has my mannerisms... Her eyes might be a completely different color, but she has the same love for music that I have... She might not have my thick, unruly hair... but lets face it, it's a good thing she never had a chance of inheriting that. 

It's a never ending journey dear friends, just like with any child. I'm just so excited that she's the one who made me "mommy"... 

Come stop on over at my blog... you can catch up on all my old posts/stories (in 2011 onward) about life with this little one (like this one)... and now adding another into the mix (due this July)... 

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Toddler Girl Summer Must Haves

When I found out I was pregnant with a girl my husband instantly saw the dollar signs floating into mid air. He knew I'd have a liking for buying adorable clothes & playing dress up every day. It's a blast! However,  I really do try to buy clothes at great prices! I'm sharing with you today our toddler girl summer must haves. I found these all at Old Navy and most of them are currently for under $10 thanks to a sale!

Dresses & Rompers

 

I love putting her in dresses & rompers especially on the weekend when I tend to "show" her off. Yes, I dress her to impress when we go out on family outings or to church on the weekend. I love that these are still practical, comfy & cool. See her in the middle cotton dress in green, enjoying the weather.

Basic Tees & Tanks

 We live in these on a daily basis. They are our basic go to clothes for everyday wear. I love the way they look on her and how they allow her to stay cool during these hot summer days. I also love that they are cheap enough that I can allow them to be her play clothes. The first 4 come in a large variety of colors that I love. I had a really hard time limiting my selection!

 Swimwear

 It's toasty here during the summer and the best way to beat the heat some days is to immerse yourself in water OFTEN. Last summer we were at the pool on a nearly daily basis so we had the need for multiple swimsuits. I personally love the one piece suits, but realizing that she's still in diapers I am kind of wishing I would have bought more two piece suits.

Shoes

 You may be wondering where my pair of flip flops are, but they aren't practical for my late walker so they aren't pictured here. She has a pair but she slides around and tips over in them so she sticks to basic shoes like these. I love that both of these are closed toes so that when she trips her little toes are protected. I also love that both of these can get wet without being ruined. We lived in easy to wash off with a hose shoes that are perfect for playing outside or wearing to the pool!

What are your summer clothing staples? Where do you like to shop for them?

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Taste Addison Tickets & Restaurant Giftcard Giveaway

Taste Addison is a three-day festival, May 17 - 19, 2013, featuring more than 70 Addison restaurants, music and family fun. Music entertainment from Reckless Kelly and Turnpike Troubadours on Friday night followed by Sister Hazel and Blue October on Saturday. Additionally, there will be celebrity chef demonstrations, carnival rides, midway games, award-winning children's entertainment, and more.

Dates, Times & Admission

May 17 – 19, 2013               Addison Circle Park

Friday, May 17, 2013           6 p.m. – Midnight                   $15*

Saturday, May 18, 2013       Noon – Midnight                    $5 before 5pm; $15 after 5pm*

Sunday, May 19, 2013         Noon – 5 p.m.                         $5*

Ages under 4 are free

Buy one ticket, get one 25% off anytime tickets sold at DFW area Albertsons stores.

PARKING: FREE parking at the corner of Dallas Parkway and Arapaho Road. Handicap parking is available at the DART Transit Center, 4925 Arapaho Road.

CARNIVAL RIDES AND MIDWAY: Enjoy great rides and games from Talley Amusements. The Talley Amusement families pride themselves in creating a fun, safe, clean, wholesome atmosphere with rides, food, games and attractions. Carnival wristbands will be sold on Sunday for $30.

Be sure to check out the FAQs page as it's full of useful information For example, don't bring chairs from home but blankets are welcome! No animals allowed. ATMs will be on-site, it is a cash event. Carnival rides range from $3-7.

For more info regarding this weekends events, visit Addison Texas. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

{Disclosure: Promotional consideration was given in order to provide a product review and/or applicable giveaways. All opinions presented are 100% my own. Photos Courtesy of Town of Addison.}

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Roots Coffeehouse Highland Village

I am actually sitting here sipping on a Honey Vanilla Latte at Roots Coffeehouse as I write this post. I think I'll go ahead and add that it is amazing. I had heard good things about it from a couple of friends so despite what I would normally order I decided to go for it! I was sold when the barista told me that the honey was a local honey from McKinney. Hopeful that it will help with my allergies though they don't seem to be bugging me today.

I love the atmosphere of Roots & how inviting it is. It's beautiful and relaxing in here.  I want to grab a friend and nuzzle myself into their chairs and talk for hours on end. I want to pull a deck of cards out of my purse and play a game with my husband for a date night. I want to sit on the patio with my daughter during a beautiful day. 

One of my favorite memories is sitting in local coffee shops in college. There were many local coffee shops in Lubbock, but that does not seem to be the case in this area. I so enjoyed the many memories I made sitting with friends over a cup of coffee during those days. Some of the most beautiful conversations about God and life took places in those coffee shops. Those memories will always be ones I cherish. Not that I can't create those memories in a chain coffee shop, but something about a local business makes it feel more like sitting at home. Plus supporting local is just good for the soul.

As if the atmosphere and the drink wasn't enough for me, I love that they know exactly where there coffee comes from and it's fresh. They had bags of Oak Cliff Roasters beans arrive the same day of my visit.I love that! Not only are they local, but they are also supporting a local business too. I seriously can't praise them enough, so now it's your turn to go try it out.

On my to try list: Lucky Irishman, Caramel Latte Macchiato and Chai Latte. I might even give the Red Head (my baristas special drink) a chance and that's not normally something I would try out. Check out the menu to see what you would want in your cup!

Are you more of a coffee or tea drinker? 

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How to Support Your Blogging Friend: The Facebook Edition

A couple of weeks ago I shared a blog post with you about how you can support your blogging friend, and today I want to go into a little bit further detail in regards to how you can support them on facebook specifically.

1. Let's start by simply following (liking) the facebook page!

• Be sure the like button says "Liked", if it says "Like" you have not yet liked their page. 
• Hover over the "Liked" button until a drop down menu appears and click "Show in News Feed". A check mark should appear and the item should be in bold. Be sure to do this or the updates will not appear in your news feed. Facebook made some changes that make it difficult for facebook pages posts to be seen & this helps.
• Just by liking their page, you have already done your friend a huge favor because numbers alone help tremendously.

{For this example, you will see my friend Randi's page, Dukes & Duchesses. You can see how I've both liked her page and displayed her page in my newsfeed}  

2. Like their posts!

• If you see they've posted something like it! 
• By liking your friends post, you are helping expose their business to more people. Since facebook made changes this is important for them to get exposure to other people on facebook.
•  Feel free to do more than like :)

{Pictured below, Jamie from Roubinek Reality is trying to share with you her Ride-N-Drive Trip. Be sure to click on the link your friend has shared with you!}

3. Comment on their posts!

• Comment on their posts. Some are easier to comment on than others, but it doesn't have to be profound by any means.
• If they are asking a question then simply answer! If they are sharing a post thinking about writing "great post" or "thanks for sharing" 
• Just like the "liking" a post helps your friend gain exposure on facebook so does commenting. I would like to believe commenting helps more, but I could be wrong.  

{As you can see Jenn from Jenn's RAQ has asked a question for you to answer.  I call these call to action posts!}

4. Share posts!

• Click the share button to share this post with your friends!
• Sharing allows you to share on your timeline, on a friends timeline, in a group, on a page you manage and by private message. This is great if you happen to know a friend of yours might be really interested in reading their post! 
• For bonus points, consider tagging their facebook page if you update on your timeline by adding the @ symbol in front of their blog name as you write it.   

{My friend Meagan from Meagan's Musings shared her blog post on her bentos boxes  which I then shared on my timeline}

Try not to just do these things without also actually reading the things they share with you. We as bloggers put a lot of work into our blog posts and we love it when we know someone is reading our posts. Don't forget to check out my other post How to Support Your Blogging Friend if you haven't done so already.

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