Found this dress while shopping for the perfect LBD.  I remember watching Atonement and thinking of so many romantic scenarios happening while If I  wore the dress.

Up against a bookshelf, a confession of love from James McAvoy sans the little sister interruption and corruption... 

A  proposal in front of everyone in a very public, sweeping romance, have to have you, everyone is SO jealous of us,  kind of way.

Being whisked into a beautiful garden complete with fountains, doves and violin music for a quiet kiss... a la Tom Lefroy  [yes, yes i know Mr. McAvoy tends to invade a lot of my daydreams]

and now i find myself actually thinking of buying it. It's dramatic, and bold and oh so gorgeous. I dont even care if I just end up wearing it while I vacuum... i feel like i must have this dress. It's calling my name.

My entire vacation savings would go to it... but I can just add the "me on the beach in the dress with James by my side"  to my daydream list.

 Right? 

Being Sick I mean...

The last 3 days have been miserable. BUT.. i got my shop on and I am feeling much better.

Here's what I picked out:

2 new spring cardigans from Target [the photo doesnt do them justice!]

J Brand Jackie Low Rise Jeans

American Apparel Jersey Short Sleeve Tee in Organic Galaxy, Eggplant and Army [gotta have my summer camping staples!]

American Apparel Jersey Bandeau dress [this will look great as a suit cover at the beach]

 A new springy green skin for the Crackberry [ gotta keep him pretty and protected!]

And last but not least.. the highlight of my spring...

The Moon Kepis Bag in Tan [ I am in LOVE! Thank you Dena for getting me addicted to Jocasi!]

I woke up this morning feeling utterly terrible and I went to work anyway. What a mistake that was.

Now I'm sitting in my office about to fall over and I can't seem to concentrate on my work. I purchased some Advil Cold and Sinus but that doesnt stop the scratchy throat or loopy feeling.

I need an herbal remedy stat.

Any ideas?

I drink a lot of water and green/white tea. I have emergen-c but I'll never get sleep if I take that. I just need something to get me through the flowers in bloom.

 I hate hatin' on sunny warm days in spring, but they kill me! I just want to hole up inside my house and avoid all pollen.

As a new agent, i am now capable of holding open houses for my boss' listings while she is away. I held my third yesterday in a town called Marthasville, about 10 minutes from my work. I have only lived in the Franklin County area for about 12 years.  With that being said, i dont know the town very well and i see new faces constantly when I visit. This particular trip was no different. For about an hour, I talked to as many incoming interested parties as I could, worked on keeping the lunch items stocked and the hungry house hunters happy and mingled with possible new homeowners and sellers. It was a great first couple hours! As the "party" started to wind down, I was cleaning up and still mingling. I heard some commotion coming from the basement and as I got closer to the door, i started hearing shrieks and screams.

"oh god" i thought, wondering if someone had seen a rodent and cursing the sellers for not disclosing this to my broker and I.

"whats wrong" i said, preparing myself for the worst...

"Look under this bathroom sink! I can't believe they left that in there!" said one of my fellow agents.

I started seeing so many scenarios running through my head, ants, dead animals, dirty underwear... I could feel my cheeks getting redder and redder as i scrambled to come up with possible excuses for the disgusting something under the sink.

"I-I dont think they knew about this!" or "They must not use this very often!' or " the sellers are mentally insane!" , any excuse to stop the insanity happening in that tiny little basement bathroom..

And thats when i saw it... right in the front of the cabinet, staring me straight in the face... a large stack of ... ahem ... Gentleman's Magazines. Magazine's we all know are not really read by "Gentlemen" of any sort.

Instantly the Nudie Magazine Day Chant from Billy Madison popped into my head...

 I couldnt believe it.  I spent a lot of time on the phone with my broker trying to figure out what to do. Should I ignore it or let the seller know what had been found? The worst part of it all was the the seller's 12 year old son occupied the basement and the bathroom in question. How would I explain to the seller, who thought the sun shone out of her 12 year old's butt , that he was reading "Perfect 10" and "Drunk Girls" [ Not the actual names, I have no clue which mags they were nor did i even want to touch them]

Moral of the story? Make sure to have the  check over every aspect of your  home when selling and remove ALL embarrassing pieces from ALL part s of the house.

When a buyer comes to look at a house, they will check every cranny, every nook every bit of that house to see how it will work for them. you better believe they wont hesitate to look in very strange places.

sigh... oh the life of a future Real Estate Goddess... <3

so It has been mooooonths and moooooooonths since I've been able to post or explore Splendora.

Life has been abostively posilutely crazy since I got my license and started the path to being a Real Estate Goddess.

It's so exciting, every single day is something new for me and I love it!

I just want to say a few things before I get back to it all:

1. I loove spring and the guides on here are going to make my spring shopping spree a quick and easy task!

2. How awesome is this site?? It has grown so much since I've been on here!

3. My lunch hour is now officially my Splendora Hour , considering I am always eating on the run. Let's just refer to my car is the car-e-teria from now on.

and finally...

4. Ladies, I have missed you! I am bound to get myself in trouble when my Splendora hour turns into my Splendora three hours! Stay strong Ashley, stay strong.

sigh... I feel so much better now :-)

of making empty promises to myself, I am once again making a list of resolutions.

It's not that i never accomplish them... i start out with the best of intentions... its that i never FINISH THEM! and so... my resolution this year will be to

FINISH WHAT I START, beginning with the resolutions from years past.

This includes -

1. Finally traveling to California ** i started saving last January and i am still only at $200 in the Shlee. on the Beach fund.

2. Taking the next step in my career ** my RE stuff isnt taking off like i thought it would.

3. Getting myself out of this apartment and into a home - this will happen when the boyfriend kicks his butt in gear.

 An addition is to get my own butt moving this year. I want to find a real hobby I am passionate about. couch surfing just isnt doing it for me anymore.

sigh.

Happy New Years ladies, hope this year is as wonderful as the last!

The excitement is overwhelming. The boyfriend and I announced our plans to move in together to our parents Saturday night. And it was welcomed completely.

 We have been mulling it over for weeks now, fearing his mother would lose it and my dad would go on a search for his shotgun.

Luckily, we both have very supportive caring parents who understand that love is in the air and this is for real. I'm very excited to start looking for an apartment or house to rent.

We are shooting for a March move. To  give us enough time to get our finances a bit more stable and to find the perfect place to call home. That is about a full year for us being together. March 8th to be exact.

The parents both met Saturday night at the boyfriends 24th birthday party. And they got along famously. It was strange seeing my father so cordial and talkative. And so fantastic to see my mother have someone to talk to about motherly things. My parents are just a wee bit reclusive.

Things are looking up my splendora lovelies. I am so grateful for everything this holiday season!!

I made this sculpture in my last semester of college... got a perfect score.. Its a replica of the one from Pottery Barn. I loved it so much, i tried making my own.

I learned to weld and measure and bend steel. This was when my favorite instructor of all time was teaching our class. He opened the first bronze foundry in a college in Missouri. I learned so much about sculpting that semester and this was the result!

I was finally able to put it on my wall tonight. it's kind of heavy, so i wanted to find the right anchors. 

Just as requested Gina.. sorry this took so long. I'm in the process of getting my new laptop set up. but just like I said before.. my hair went from disasterous to Reese-a-licious in a matter of a few months. I'm having sooo much fun playing with my new bangs. I feel sophisticated and I look much older. An extra perk: I no longer get carded! sometimes... haha

It's Christmas time and as I was putting up my very first big tree last night.. i thought of my 10 year quest to find the PERFECT Holiday Song Mix

Each year I scour the racks to find the mix that fits me. I only want the hits. The originals of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. The singers who made those christmas songs a holiday pastime.

I have so much trouble deciphering who orginally sang it. And I have plans this year, since i now have a fabulous iPod and access to itunes, to make the perfect merry mix. i know that Judy Garland originally sang "have yourself a merry little christmas' in (my all time favorite movie) Meet Me in St Louis.. but i can't seem to figure out the others. There are tons of albums on amazon 'claiming' theirs are the originals.. but i find contradicting albums when I search for more.

If you ladies have any clue as to where I might find such apparently secret information, let me know.