{sunshine}

Sunshine - we've been having a lot of that here, in the Sunshine State! (oh... that's another thing Jacky & I have in common - we're both Florida girls) ;-)  ...not to mention temps up to the 100's & killer humidity! aah!! - not always what I'd call ideal.

But! I do love me some sunshine ... I browsed etsy & found some fun things that incorporate sun & sunshine...

 [bright sunshiny day print]

[sunny days hair clip]

[you are my sunshine silver necklace]

[you are my sunshine invites]

[sunshine motel photo print]

[vinyl wall decal]

**

Have a fun, "sunshine" find? Do share!

(i found a bunch on etsy! ...especially art prints - which I LOVE.)

  **

For thus the Lord has said to me: I will be still and I will look on from My dwelling place, like clear and glowing heat in sunshine, like a fine cloud of mist in the heat of harvest. - Isaiah 18:4

- celeste

    p.s. I have a ton of giveaways on my blog right now that are open-for-entry!

 

{poolside}

(just a little collage of some of my favorite poolside finds)

01. girls' swirling fleur tank swimsuit

02.  transverse bikini

03. fancy free tote

04. amy butler floral reef beach towel

05. summer straw hat

06. raffia rose capri sandals

07. nicey jane tangerine water bottle

08. burt's bees sunscreen (I use this - love it!)

09. tree top sunglasses

Do you have a favorite poolside item? Something new you've purchased for this summer that you just love?

- celeste

{hello!}

Hello everyone!

Let me just say that I am so excited that Jacky asked me to guest-post. I have been wanting to branch-out and start what I like to call "real blogging" (you know... not just giveaways). This is going to be so much fun!
**

Well, to briefly introduce myself...

My name is Celeste and I am currently a sophomore in college - majoring in Early Childhood Education. I absolutely love kids...although my main "goal" in life really is just to become a stay-at-home-mommy someday, I thoroughly enjoy teaching in the classroom. For the past 5 years, I have been able to work in a Christian school (actually, the same school I attended) in the preschool and kindergarten departments. In high school, one of my elective periods was actually internship - and you bet I took that opportunity! :) Currently, I "team teach" kindergarten at the same said school; while I take my college classes in the evenings and online. (they call it "team teaching" - I'd call it an aide, but I do get to teach some subject areas.)

(I rambled some more here -- but deleted it ... opted for more of just a "random list" -- I love random lists.)
**
I have one sister, Chloe, who is 2 years younger than me.
 I absolutely love to cook/bake - but, the cleaning of the dishes? not so much. ha!
but... I'm also kinda a health-nut.
I love photography...and, ever since getting a dslr - I have kinda gone nuts. (I just. can't. stop.)!
I'm a font-o-holic.
I'm obsessed with Anthro. - although, really - their prices are a little ridiculous. (just sayin')
I do not like coffee (sorry, Jacky ... I just can't get into it.)
I never, ever, ever, EVER thought that I would be a "dog person" until we got our chocolate lab, Nora. Now, I can not imagine life without a pup around. ;-)
I am also quite passionate about politics. (Ronald Reagan is my homeboy.)
I've lived in Florida all of my life.
I'm a "military kid"- my daddy (yes - I still call him daddy) was in the U.S. Army for 29 years.
I'm a "name geek" (a.k.a. I read baby names websites for fun). ha!
If a crew of designers from Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware would like to come and furnish a home for me... I'd be cool with that. very cool with that.
I have way too many pairs of shoes. (but, not admitting an addiction...yet.)
My guilty [food] pleasure? Vanilla Coke Zero. (I know it's terrible for you, oh well.)
I drive a Honda Odyssey. No joke. I'm an 18-year-old that wanted an Odyssey. 
I love reality tv. 
Blogs are amazing. Seriously, I rarely do anything else online besides reading blogs.
I do not like Wal-mart. at all. (the place drives me crazy!)
I have a BlackBerry  crackberry - but would love to dump it for one of the shiny, new iPhones. ;-) 
and... of course! ... I am a Christian - striving to serve Him better each day and excited to see what plans He has for me!  
**

Now! Do you have some fun questions [or not-so-fun questions] for me? 
Anything. (random ones are always fun) ;-)
Leave 'em in the comments - and I'll answer them next Friday. 

p.s. I realized that I forgot to write about how I started my blog ... I'll post that in another post - maybe in a day or so. sound good?



-Celeste 

{summer blogging announcement}

{source}

As I've mentioned, I will be very busy this summer.

Which means that my time online will be either extremely limited or nonexistent.

I really didn't just want to leave The Sweetest Petunia empty all summer long.

I also know that I could never schedule enough posts on my own.

Which brings me to my {summer blogging announcement}.

Celeste.

{yay!}

For those of you who don't know Celeste, she can be found blogging at Etsy It Up!

I discovered her blog quite awhile ago, and of course, I loved the giveaways.

Then I started following her on Twitter.

And now we are friends. :)

No, we've never met in real life.

But we're about the same {very young in the world of blogging} age, have younger sisters, like a lot of the same things, and have even caught ourselves doing the exact same thing at the exact same time {specifically eating brownies and reading the same post at Joy's Hope}. But I think she might be cooler than me. ;)

So I emailed Celeste in the desperate hope that she would agree to "take over" The Sweetest Petunia for me during the summer. And she said she would!

Yes, while I'm gone for about 8 weeks, she will carry on the blogging for me.

I think you readers will like her a lot.

Oh, and don't worry - the spirit and idea of The Sweetest Petunia will be kept alive and well, I'm sure.

This is my last post for awhile.

I might try to pop in when I can. :)

Celeste, thank you so, SO much for doing this.

Please be sure to leave her plenty of comment love! 

{life gave me lemonade}

{source}

Lemonade is the perfect summer drink {in my opinion}.

Sweet with just the right amount of sour.

And if it's raspberry or strawberry lemonade?

Yum.

What's your go-to summer drink?

the title of this post comes from a Chris Rice song - love it!

{what's up?}

{printable calendar from empapers}

If I actually used my daily planner* this week, it would look something like this...

monday: babysitting, organizing, David's Bridal

tuesday: sewing, friend for dinner

wednesday: church, spending time with the sweetheart

thursday: haircut {yay!}, cleaning

friday: babysitting, friend's graduation

saturday: shopping, laundry, packing

*I don't use my daily planner because I forget - I remember what I'm supposed to be doing but I forget to write it down!

Next Sunday, I will be leaving for 2 weeks to be involved in a ministry I've worked with for years.

After that, my friend is getting married.

Then family vacation for 10 days.

And then more work with the ministry.

I will be a busy, busy bee this week trying to get everything ready!

Honestly, I'm excited.

I just hope I don't fall over from exhaustion at the end of the summer. :)

You may think the blog will look a little empty during the summer, but don't worry.

I have a plan, and you'll find out about it on Thursday.

{I'm super excited about it, too!}

So, do tell...

What are your plans for the summer?

color love {coral}

This is another color that feels fresh and summer-y to me. How do you feel about it?

{coral}

earrings

wrap top

coral (print)

Corinne beret

to see more {color love} posts, click here.

*****

one more thing...

Ladies, thank you for blessing me with your sweet comments yesterday.

They mean more to me than I could ever tell you.

love + {{hugs}}

{time flies...}

clock from uncommon

The older I get, the faster time seems to pass.

Does that happen to everyone?

I'm sorry, dear blog readers, but I feel pulled in so many different directions sometimes.

I could blog about the bridal shower, but I need to find a camera cord to pull pictures.

I could blog about another favorite musical, but I haven't thought that much about it.

Or I could just say that I'm extremely busy and just haven't had time. Because that is true.

Hopefully you all still love me. :)

I'll be back tomorrow with another edition of {color love}.

{to do + announcement + thanks}

{source}

On Sunday, I made myself a list of things that had to get done.
Yesterday, I set to work.

I baked lots of chocolate cake.

I counted Hershey's Kisses for a game.

I put together several gifts bags.

I scanned a bunch of old pictures into my computer.

etc, etc, etc.

I am happy to say that I checked every. single. thing. off of that list.

This bridal shower should go swimmingly! ;)

*****

It's finally time to announce the winner of my celebration linky giveaway!

I plugged the numbers into random.org, and the winner is...

Jessica at Domesticated Bliss!

Jessica, please email me so I can get your surprise to you.

Once again, THANK YOU to all of my readers.

I appreciate you all so much, and trust me - if I could, I'd send you all a gift.

In the meantime, I'm still trying to visit everyone who linked up, so if I haven't commented on your blog yet, I'll get there as soon as I can. Time slips away from me a little too easily these days.