Stella Style Fridays!

I'm hoping to make this a weekly posting about Stella & Dot - in case you haven't heard, I recently joined the Stella & Dot team as a stylist, and I could not be more thrilled!


I know many of your are obsessed with the Bachelor & Bachelorette...well, check out who was spotted in the Serenity Necklace....

This piece is just BEAUTIFUL!  It's a great statement piece and would be a lovely addition to your spring or summer wardrobe!  I think  you could definitely dress this baby up like the picture or below, or put it on with a t-shirt and jeans and look fabulous!  That's what I love about all of the pieces from Stella & Dot - they are so versatile, and they can really make an outfit!


Want to see more?  Check out my website HERE - www.stelladot.com/lenawarnock!


Hope y'all have a great Friday!

I was tagged!

I was tagged by Our Love Nest in this fun game - I've been working on finishing for a bit, but it's so hard to come up with some of this stuff!  So, I'm going to "cheat" and not tag anyone since I'm so behind on this and almost everyone has played already!  If you want to play along, take the questions at the bottom and keep the game going!


Eleven fun facts –
1. I’m left-handed! A lot of people are shocked to hear this about me, as I have been told I have perfect “teacher” print. I have even been told that my handwriting should be made into a font. Now, that would be an experience!


2. I’m a morning person, through and through. I wake up every morning (during the week) at 5 a.m., and I’m out of my house by 6:15 a.m. I like to get to work early + the earlier you work, the earlier you get to leave!


3. I’m a history buff. I love love love history. Especially southern history – I even went to a special program called “Governor’s School” in high school that was all about Tennessee history! B and I love to travel to places that are full of history – in fact, we went to our beloved Charleston, South Carolina on our honeymoon!


4. I am an extreme organizer. I love to organize, and I absolutely crave organization in all aspects of my life – planner, house, desk, car, etc. My favorite Christmas gift this year was a label maker. True story.


5. I am a lover of praise and worship music. Nothing makes me happier than to get in my car (when I’m by myself), and jam out to some Jesus-praisin’ music! I’m sure people see me driving down the road with my hands up in the air – oh, yeah, I’m one of those gals! Praise and worship at church is my favorite, too!


6. I’m wee bit infatuated with gingham. Actually, it’s more like a full-blown obsession. I have way too many articles of clothing with gingham, too many home accessories, and my latest project? Trying to convince my husband to let me wallpaper our laundry room in gingham wallpaper! Wish me luck!


7. Birds are my “thing.” Everyone knows it – look at my blog design…what do you see? Oh yeah, a BIRD. Annie Louise’s nursery is done in birds. I love bird figurines. Our playroom is decorated with lots of bird motifs. Just don’t bring them in the house and make them pets, mmmkay? That freaks me out!


8. I just recently (within the past week) got involved with Stella & Dot jewelry, and oh.my.word. If you have not heard of this company or seen their absolutely beautiful pieces, you are truly missing out. I’m super excited about launching my business, and I have BIG plans for my new hobby. Click HERE to visit my nifty website and partake in the fabulous-ness that is known as Stella & Dot.


9. I love all things paper – especially stationery products. I love notecards, return address labels, mailing labels, notebooks, folders, anything that involves stationery…I love it. I worked for a stationery shop for over 5 years, and I still work one Saturday a month just so I can be in the loop. I have 2 large baskets FULL of stationery, and I just can’t seem to stop buying it!


10. Along with paper, I LOVE party planning. Planning my wedding kind of “opened the box” of party planning – and don’t even get me started on planning my sweet Annie Louise’s birthday parties. Let’s just say that I have been told that I’m crazy many, many times for the outrageous first birthday party that we had back in September. I have YET to blog about this big event…bad mama!


11. Our pastor at church challenged us all to read the Bible cover to cover this year. And they came up with the most amazing smart phone app – it’s great because we can listen to past sermons, see the outlines and there’s even a Bible-reading section where it’s broken down into readings for each day. Can’t seem to sit down and read it? Oh, you can also LISTEN to it, too. This has been my favorite thing to do every morning while I’m getting ready, and I find myself wanting to read/hear more each day. I challenge you to join us, too!


Questions from Our Love Nest:
What is your favorite season? 
Fall, for sure! I love the cooler temperatures, the lower humidity, how crisp and fresh the air feels, and of course, all the beautiful colors!


What is your favorite place to vacation? 
Definitely on the Gulf Coast – Gulf Shores and Destin are my favorite spots…hope I’ll get to go down there this summer!


What is your favorite meal to cook? 
Definitely Miss Era Dell’s chicken casserole – read about it here. And add it to your recipe book!


What you most afraid of? 
Being in a car accident. Because I have such a long, traffic-packed commute, I’m always afraid I’m going to be in a car accident.


What is your favorite sport? 
Baseball, duh! I grew up playing softball, my dad played for a traveling softball team and my brother played Minor League baseball for a couple of years. Love “America’s pastime!”


Who do you consider to be your ‘best friend?’ 
Definitely my hubby, B. We have had so many ups and downs, but the good days are so good that I always forget about the bad ones. Love you, B.


Where did you grow up? 
I was actually born in Waco, Texas and lived there for a few years of my life. But I have spent the majority of my life in middle Tennessee…just south of the big, ole Music City!


What college did you attend?
I attend Middle Tennessee State University – go Blue Raiders! All of my siblings went there, too! How neat is that?


Do you have any pets? 
Yes, we have our lab-mix dog, Turner – we love him so much! I was a bit worried about him when I was pregnant, but he is the BEST dog for Annie Louise! She loves him so much, and they are best buds. We also have 2 cats, Gertie & Bob. They pretty much keep to themselves and don’t bother anyone.


What does your typical Sunday morning look like? 
Most Sundays, we get up between 6-7 a.m. and get ready for church (we go to the 8:30 a.m. service). We are at church until around 10 a.m., then we go grocery shopping for the week afterwards. We’ll usually end our morning with an early lunch! It’s definitely my favorite day of the week!


Which would you choose: Chipotle or Qdoba?
Well, my town does not have either of these places. I have seen a Qdoba in Nashville, and B loves them (he’s from Atlanta-area, and they had them there). I will definitely have to add it to my list of places to try for lunch.


Questions (if you decide you want to play along)
1. What’s your one must have make-up item?
2. How do you take your coffee?
3. What kind of car do you drive, or what’s your dream car?
4. Are you a nutella fan? If so, what’s your favorite nutella combination?
5. What’s your favorite Disney movie? (sorry, we have been watching way too many of these)
6. How many kids do you want?
7. What is your favorite room in your house and why?
8. What time does your alarm go off every morning?
9. What’s your favorite book?
10. How would you describe your style?
11. Go to my Stella & Dot website and tell me what is your favorite piece!

My new adventure...

I know, I know...I promised to put this on the blog yesterday, but life got crazy, and I got too busy. 


Anyways...my exciting news!


I recently decided to launch my own business with Stella & Dot, an up-and-coming accessories company that is getting major press in all the top fashion magazines and airtime on the necks, ears and wrists of some of the hottest celebrities. I was first introduced to the jewelry during my work with our Junior League's annual Hollyday Marketplace and was blown away by the quality and detail put into every single piece. The most amazing part is that half of the line is under $50 so it brings affordable luxury to the everyday woman! I knew I had to have it all! So now I am a new Stylist with the company and I would love to show you some of my favorite goodies!

ADORE this initial charm necklace...what a lovely gift for Valentine's Day!  Hint, hint!

OBSESSED with the Metropolitan Mixed Chain Necklace....definitely a statement piece!  

These Serenity Stone Drop earrings are such so versatile!  I think these pretties would go with anything!  Honest!

The Stackable Deco Rings are perfect to add a little sparkle to your day...and such a vintage look, too!

I hope you'll check out my Stella & Dot website, as Stella & Dot is not sold in stores so don't miss the opportunity to see our editor-adored line! I'll be booking limited dates for trunk shows over the next few months-- my hostesses will get free jewelry and shop at half off, so let me know if you want to secure a date before I'm booked up - we can always do a virtual trunk show!

Another great thing I LOVE about this company is they are always having some sort of special or sale, which is always a plus.  Check out the current special below...

spend $125 and receive the Pave Double Bar Necklace for FREE!!!! (a $79 value)

In the meantime, PLEASE feel free to check out our line at my fabulous new website: www.stelladot.com/lenawarnock

all the BEST to you!

Shower thoughts for the week!

Time for some of my thoughts that ran through my head in the shower today...have your own shower thoughts? Leave a comment and join in the fun!

1. I have really started loving our weekends at home. With no plans. We’ve kind of gotten into a groove, and I’m loving it. Usually, we’ll order something for dinner on Friday nights and enjoy a night in our pajamas. Saturdays involve lots of cleaning and laundry. Sundays equal church, then grocery shopping, then lunch out, then back at home in our pajamas. Does this sequence of events make me old?

2. Since we’ve been doing ALL of our grocery shopping on Sundays (we’re trying to eliminate quick trips to the grocery store which have been adding up), I have to plan out my list, as well as our dinner plans for the week. For the past couple of weeks, we have enjoyed dinner at home during the work-week. I love meal planning, but I’m starting to get stumped – and I don’t want to have the same thing over and over.

3. In case you didn’t remember, our church challenged us to read the Bible cover to cover in a year. They provided us with lots of tools to help us reach this goal, and I have especially enjoyed our church’s iphone app. Every morning, while I’m getting ready, I listen to the day’s Bible reading. Usually, it’s between 12-15 minutes, and it has increasingly become my favorite part of the day. I’m almost like a kid when the reading is over, wanting to know more. It’s definitely brought the Bible to life for me.

4. We had a pretty important meeting involving some issues with our house, and we didn’t get the answers we were hoping to receive. So, it’s back to square one for us, and it’s looking more and more like we may have to stay in our tiny (1,100 square ft) house for the rest of our lives. Pray for us.

5. Sonic lovers of the world – try an unsweetened tea with peach. It’ll rock your world. And it’s low in calories!

6. I really need to get into some sort of fitness activity besides running up and down 4 flights of stairs a day. Once the weather gets warmer (and the days longer), I think I’ll be out walking/jogging, for sure!

7.Seeing all the VW Beetle commercials last night during the Super Bowl made me super sad last night. I really want one of those Beetles. I love my Jetta (and love being a part of the VW community), but I am seriously obsessed with the Beetle!

8. We have been facetiming (is that even a real verb) with my sister a lot lately – Annie Louise is really starting to get the hang of it, and it’s a great opportunity for my sister to see and talk to Miss AL! It’s becoming a nightly ritual!

9. I have been hinting on twitter and facebook about some big things happening in my life…tomorrow, I’ll do my big revealing! And no, I’m not pregnant! So, make sure to check in with me tomorrow!

Have a wonderful Monday, friends!

Blissom Newbie - AP

Give a BIG welcome to our FINAL Blissdom newbie guest, AP!

Tell us about your blog in 25 words or less.

Hi there! I've been writing I Love You More Than Carrots for a little over three years now and what first started off as a sweet spot to chronicle my life as a wife has quickly turned into my favorite messy place where I come to dish, almost daily, about my many {mis}adventures in motherhood. 

Why did you sign up to attend Blissom?

After hearing some of my favorite bloggers talk about their upcoming plans for Blissdom, I decided to cast aside my nerves and go! I cannot wait to meet some of the amazing and hilarious women that I've been reading about for so long!

What do you hope to get out of the conference?

I'm looking forward to networking with other women who are similarly eager to grow in their writing and social media involvement. I cannot wait to learn about how I can broaden and enhance my own little slice of the internet!

What sessions/tracks are you planning on attending?

I'm hoping to get a little something out of the Photography, Business and Writing tracks!

Who are your roommates, and do y'all know each other previously?

I am rooming with Whitney and Jennifer and I cannot wait to meet them!

What in the devil are you going to wear?!

Oh, it's way too early to decide! I still have a good three weeks of shopping ahead of me, right? RIGHT? I'll likely pack my entire closet. 

How will you take notes? (i.e., pen and paper vs. laptop)

Since I don't have a laptop, I'll be bringing along my iPad and wireless keyboard! I'm sure I'll have an old-school notebook and pen handy, too!

Who are you most excited to meet?

My roommates! 

When thinking about Blissdom, what makes you the most nervous?

For those who've been reading ILYMTC, I've just been this "voice" behind the words, always writing behind the computer screen for the last three years! I hope I can pull it all together when I meet some of my favorite "Loyals" in person! I swear I'm still pretty cool... 

What’s the best piece of advice you have heard about Blissdom thus far?

Wear comfortable shoes and be yourself! Also, don't be hesitant to really put yourself out there!

Blissdom Newbie - Jennifer

Welcome to the oh-so precious Jennifer from Life in the Green House!  Thanks for popping by!


Tell us about your blog in 25 words or less.
I'm Jennifer, wife to Allen, mom to Braylen, former SAHM, current Kindergarten teacher. I live for Jesus, family, friends, good food and great clothes. 


Why did you sign up to attend Blissdom?
I love to blog, it has become a way to document my daughters life, our family and an outlet for me at the end of the day. I welcome any opportunity to make Life in the Green House a little sweeter.  Also, I have "met" so many amazing ladies through blogging. I put "met" in quotations because we talk on Twitter or HeyTell, even text messages and phone conversations but never face-to-face. Blissdom seemed like the perfect opportunity to meet all of these wonderful ladies and learn more about blogging and growing my blog. 

What do you hope to get out of the conference?
 I hope to find a renewed passion for blogging and writing. I want to attend conferences that will help strengthen my writing and of course, I hope to take some fabulous friendships away from this experience as well.


What sessions/tracks are you planning on attending?
I'm such a bad Blissdom attendee; I haven't really had the chance to figure out what I want to do yet... I know I want to focus on the Writing track, but I also want to attend some of the Photography and Life Development sessions as well. I hear there is an iPhone app so I need to make it a priority this week to figure out what sessions I am going to attend. Hold me to it, friends :)

Who are your roommates, and do y'all know each other previously?
I am rooming with AP from I Love You More Than Carrots  and Whitney from Pretty Whitty. I have never met either of these girls in person but we've spent plenty of time chatting over the past year.
  
What in the devil are you going to wear?!
This is seriously a cause for anxiety in my life right now. See also, I'm a little dramatic. I need to make a Blissdom shopping trip but for now I know I want to focus on comfortable flats, jeans, and maybe cardi's and tunics? There is also the dilemma of cute pajamas for Girls Night In and a little dress for Girl's Night Out. Ahh, just typing that makes me want to run to the store right now.


How will you take notes? (i.e., pen and paper vs. laptop)
I'm bringing my laptop, a notebook and the iPad. I’m not sure which one will work out best so I'm taking everything so I don't regret leaving one at home.


Who are you most excited to meet?
I know there are some fabulous speakers but I'm pretty excited to meet the ladies who I interact with on a near daily basis. AP and Whitney, of course. Jenn from Munchkinland-Designs, Erin from Blue Eyed Bride, Molly (my road trip partner) from Duchess of Fork, Nina from According To Nina, Rachel from Running Backwards in High Heels, and I know there are so many more (like you Lena) and I know there are so many that I don't know of that are going too. So if you are going pop over and let me know. I want to read your blog and get to know you!

When thinking about Blissdom, what makes you the most nervous?
 I'm a talker but it takes me a little while to warm up to a person which is sometimes misinterpreted. I know our time is short so I want to keep my nerves at bay and really enjoy this limited time and learn as much as possible.

What’s the best piece of advice you have heard about Blissdom thus far?
 Branch out and meet new people, go to the sessions and tracks you want to go to even if that means separating from your friends or your "comfort zone."

Blissdom Newbie - Molly

Thank you to sweet Molly of Duchess of Fork for answering our Blissdom newbie questions!



Tell us about your blog in 25 words or less. 
Duchess of Fork is where I blog about family, faith, food and fitness. It's evolved from strictly recipes to more life stories and lessons with lots of Florida sunshine and peanut butter in the mix. 


Why did you sign up to attend Blissom?
I signed up for Blissdom so I could meet some of my longtime blogging "friends" that I've actually never met at all!


What do you hope to get out of the conference? 
By the end of the conference I hope to feel empowered about my tiny slice of the blogosphere and refreshed and eager to share more of my life, thoughts, and perspective with the world. 


What sessions/tracks are you planning on attending?
 I'm really excited about the Business and Life Development sessions.


Who are your roommates, and do y'all know each other previously? 
Erin of Blue Eyed Bride and Nina of According to Nina. I've never met them in real life but I consider these ladies to be great friends. 


What in the devil are you going to wear?! 
No clue! Something comfy, for sure, and hopefully it will be somewhat cute since I spend most of my days in gym clothes and no makeup. 


How will you take notes? (i.e., pen and paper vs. laptop)
 I'm old school...pen and paper. 


Who are you most excited to meet? 
My roomies!


When thinking about Blissdom, what makes you the most nervous? 
Feeling like a small fish in a very big pond. I'm also worried I'll get caught up comparing my blog to more "successful" blogs. 


What’s the best piece of advice you have heard about Blissdom thus far? 
Be yourself and have fun!