NOLA

this past easter weekend i joined one of my favorite families on an adventure to NEW ORLEANS! {i had never been!} it was tons of fun {"gooder... uh good"} i was sad it was over so quickly! but i guess responsibilities are a must. and i'm so thankful for the jam packed 3 day adventure!

a 7 hour car ride = lots of delicious treats, crazy games {20 questions- "is it brown?" "uh maybe" "is it a reptile" "hmm maybe" "is it a house pet" "ummm maybe" "does is have 4 legs?" "it might" ended up being a platypus!}, cabin fever, goofy faces, lots of music {beatles music marathon!}, a ten minute nap that feels like it was a 4 hour one, fast food restaurants and shady gas stations {jet pep anyone?}

lots of painters lined up on the streets reminded me of charleston! they were all so talented. and i love the fleur de lis all over the city! {i wanna be apart of the who dat nation!}

adrian was the best and did a charcoal painting of chels squared&zayne. {you can tell who isn't related. ha, my black hair and my awkward looking face. oh goodness!}

all the architecture was beautiful and so french inspired! walking around the french quarters made me dream of parisian sidewalks, nutella crepes, and quaint hotels! {we even walked by brad&angie's house. no shiloh sighting but the most intense security ever.}

there were still tons of beads everywhere. in the trees, streets, on balcony's. and all the masks were so ridiculously fun. {i'm working my eyes here as tyra would say. just a giant smile with my pupils!}

MOTHER'S.

{filled with celeb memorabilia and voted best dive!}

only the most delicious waffles ever.

so many fun shops.

i especially loved this one filled with flower squirting pins, goldfish purses, tin lunch boxes & these animal masks. {they even had the masks from breakfast at tiffany's.}

i can't wait to go back. again and again. and again!

i've never hosted a GIVEAWAY! and now i have!

first off let me say how overwhelmed i was at the response! {i will definitely be having more giveaways in the near future!} and it made me so happy reading what made everyone else happy! what a joy! i serioulsy wish i had a gift for every single of you. but alas i'm not carlos slim helu. so without further ado..

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

the giveaway winner is....

Lauren from the little things we do!

and because i just couldn't have one winner i put together a teeny tiny second package {it includes a toast stamper, just a different one!} and that winner is...

Jenny May from The Swede Records

CONGRATULATIONS!

Lauren and Jenny just email me shellsea712{at}gmail{dot}com and i will have your packages on the way!

and yeah i took those pictures of my computer with my camera. i don't know how everyone else gets it all copied and looking sleek! thanks so much for everyone who participated! you guys seriously made me so happy!! hope your week is simply delightful!

i've never had {grown-up} BANGS and now i do!

first thing first, the most lovely Camilla posted my When I Grow Up list! so you can go check it out and while doing so fall in love with all her bread baking and her adventures with superstar swimmer bf. she is truly inspiring and simply wonderful. AND she is a fellow "bangs" gal.

second, i will be announcing the giveaway winner tonight at 8:00! so you still have a little more time to enter!

and finally, i've been totally slacking on my i've never... and now i have! i am so disappointed in myself. so i have some making up to do! and i'll tackle it this week! and to start things off... I GOT BANGS!

for about a year i've been contemplating getting some zooey bangs and last friday i finally had the guts to do it! and i couldn't be happier. since i couldn't go to my normal hair salon i kind of just googled best hair salon in knoxville! hah. called the first thing that came up and asked for the soonest appointment. needless to say i was extremely nervous. and my poor hairstylist, i was the customer who brought in a pictures and was freaking out! but despite me being the most nerve-wracking person to cut hair for, she did a fabulous job. {i'm pretty sure after seeing my hair i signed over my first born child to her.}

i feel like a teeny tweeny bop actor because i keep swooping and swishing my hair. {zac efron you've got some major competition.}

oh whats that?! i need to get a new face pose for pictures? yeah i do.

I've never been able to WHISTLE {with two fingers} and now i can!

it's that cool cat move that i've tried countless times and failed gloriously. i finally came to the conclusion that to be able to whistle with two fingers you must be either a 35+ slightly balding father at his kids soccer game or a champion dog sledder who commands his pack of Siberian Huskies with a simple whistle. {mush. mush. left! mush.}

i imagine effortlessly hailing a cab with a simple whistle. and cheering on my favorite sports team {?? does shaun white count?} and most importantly, when i'm working on a consruction site and this stud walks along i can let him know how i feel {oh wait...}

basically i turned to youtube to learn how to master the whistle. and the only way to document this really is through video {ahh!} i practiced all week.. and got the hang of it! its tricky and comes and goes so bare with me... oh and it's completely embarrassing. watch as i struggle and ultimately conquer!

p.s. it also can double as me being a walrus! {two birds. one stone.} thanks sara!

I've never eaten a PICKLE and now i have!

i'll admit, i've avoided this awkward food all my life. ever since the magic school bus episode where miss frizzle explains that its a rotten sundried cucumber sitting in a weird juice. {at least that's what 8.yr old chelsea got from it} why have a old, rotten cucumber when you can have the real deal. {i mean cucumbers are the greatest.. serve it up with a little ranch dressing? delectable.} i've managed to steer clear of them {pick them off sandwiches, give away the slice that comes with your meal} until now when i decided to face my fear with this picklely cucumber.

no your eyes aren't playing tricks on you.. thats a GALLON of pickles. only at walmart. and only in the usa.

"i'm sorry, but when do you ever need a pickle the size of your head?"

"i mean when i wake up in the morning the first thing i think about is eating my weight in pickles." pickle lover replies.

so to tackle this feat, i knew i had to imply the help of the pickle-loving bff. {she actually snacks on these. by choice?!??} i'll never understand.

although she "claims" that these are her favorite i'm pretty sure she just choose the nastiest pickles so she could watch me suffer. but i'll give her the benefit of the doubt. {i mean sweet gherkin?! what is that?}

here goes nothing.

i felt as if it was dissolving in my mouth only to reappear moments later as little round rocks that tasted like socks. it was sour, it was weird. and i think it even bubbled.

FINAL VERDICT: never again.

but hey cross that off the list eh?

TRUE LIFE: i was vegan for a week

DAY 1:

"you got this chels, look at all the fresh vegetables."

"uh, yeah. um, this will be fun.."

{conversation with myself due to the lack of my daily scone}

DAY 2:

"VEGAN for a week?! PSH, try vegan for a month"

{carrots, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, spinach, and sunflower seeds= fresh and delicious dinner} okay yes i would have killed to have some feta crumbled on top.

DAY 3:

trip to the grocery store.

"ALL I WANT IS DOVE CHOCOLATE!!"

"really?" grocey store worker.

"no. just show me where the celery is."

{my favorite new on the go lunch- almonds and PAPAYA&STRAWBERRY smoothie.}

DAY 4:

after a minor breakdown at the grocery store... i was back on track with a positive outlook on my last 4 days after loading up on some delicious vegan friendly food! i put down the chocolate cake and picked up the hummus.

DAY 5:

PB&APPLES! HUMMUS & PITA CHIPS! cinnamon life! RICE & VEGGIES! SOY LATTES! delicious nutty bread! CARROT STICKS! 3 cheers for all this delicious food!

DAY 6:

i may or may not have dreamt about cheese. all of it. any of it. heck, at this point i would have taken a slice of kraft's american cheese.

{had to get some vegan treats. verdict: ALPHABET COOKIES are DELECTABLE! chewy chocolate chip cookies- you taste about as good as you look. not good}

DAY 7:

in the end, i really did feel so refreshed every morning. you know none of that morning after a tub of ice cream or too much cheese on the crackers feeling. and while maybe it'll be a while before i go a whole week as a vegan, but there will definitely be some non-dairy days that will pop up frequently in my life!

i can honestly say i went a whole WEEK without cheating! {i was so close too! i literally heard cheesecake calling my name.} so OFFICIALLY i've never been VEGAN, and now i have!

{i love my oranges. and i think i broke the world record for how many i ate this week!}

I've NEVER.. and now I {almost} HAVE: the sequel

let's get one thing straight. i love food. cooking it, baking it, eating it! {i watch food network to unwind after a stressful day!}

while i am a proud VEGETARIAN {i have some major issues with the meat industry and how they mass produce poor little animals} there is one thing i've always thought i could never do. and thats to eat VEGAN. let's be honest, foods made with eggs&milk, i.e. MUFFINS, cheesecake, SCONES, cookies, every baked good out there {heck i consider the cheese on my salad dessert} are the world's BEST FOOD. and for the other 25% left in my diet there is usually cheese melted on top of that. needless to say i'm a foodie. and whilst i love my apples and CUCUMBERS and grapefruit and strawberries {all fruit!}, i love my muffins. so for my I've NEVER.. and now I HAVE this week i thought i would really challenge myself and {drum roll} GO VEGAN FOR A WEEK!!

so for my week eating like Littlefoot {why yes i think i did just make a land before time reference} here are the rules:

-no animals

-no dairy

-no muffins

-no hot chocolate made with milk

-no cheese on my salad

{goodbye most decadent homemade snickerdoodle cookies. see you in a week}

BUT all the things i can eat!!

-FRUIT{!!!!!} and don't worry peanut butter is a-okay. so apples and PB can still be eaten!!

-VEGETABLES galore.

-beans, peas, and TOFU!

-rice and PASTA {but no parmesan cheese for that pasta}

{hello equally delicious but SUPERIORLY healthy peanut butter and apples!}

BASICALLY if you don't hear from me in a week then call 911 because i've died from lack of delicious dairy laden food. all in all this shall be a very interesting food week indeed {i've almost deleted this post and gone to bake a cake oh, um, just about a hundred times}

{i think, i might have just gotten myself into a long painful, GASP, healthy week}

INTRODUCING: i've never... and now i have!

This past Christmas I not only visited SANTA {"SANTA, I KNOW HIM!"} but got my picture taken with him for the first time EVER! It was wonderful and magical! and yes I am an "adult" {term used loosely} but I was so glad I did it! AND, I wasn't alone.. my wonderful friend Chelsea experienced the moment with me!

{we got a couple strange looks from others. "where are your children??" "oh they've got that Benjamin Button thing" "this isn't the line to see Rob Pattinson you know"}

{look at me so nervously excited. i didn't even make a goofy face.}

{and how adorable is that santa.}

SO, after this i got to thinking.. there are a bijillion things i've never done. and i shouldn't wait until i'm 100 only to realize i'll never be able to do them. so i came up with I've NEVER.. and NOW I have!! but then i thought "woah chels, this is WAY too daunting.. you'll never follow through" but alas i was inspired byMOLLY from MY NAME IS YEH{one of my new favorite blogs!} to create a manageable way to ACCOMPLISH this task. and thats giving myself 52 weeks {one year} and doing one thing i've NEVER done per week.

there are not too many restrictions on this.. it could be as little as playing a game i've never played to something outrageous like breaking a world record {never done that} or cooking a recipe I deemed to hard or maybe even having to opportunity to travel somewhere i've never been! BASICALLY it's whatever comes to me that week!

SO i found it only fitting {when i found out i won my VERY first blog giveaway !!!} that my never... and now i have this week be just that. SO {officially} i have never won a blog giveaway and NOW i have!! and an incredible one at that!! {big thanks to teddy loves lu!}

look at these super cute earrings from GOLDLEAF!

Once upon a time.. little 4 year old CHELSEA, entered a MAYFIELD ice cream contest at a fair. The rules were simple, dance and boogie while shaking a milk shake. {and i loved ice cream} so i danced my little heart out.. and LOW and BEHOLD i WON!! and the prize was incredible. FREE MAYFIELD ICE CREAM FOR A YEAR! so i'll admit that was a pretty INCREDIBLE prize.. and at so early on it my life.

ENTER the curse.

i had not won a single other thing my whole life!! {until TODAY!!}
i was certain i was cursed for life.

{i tried to break it.. entered into so many contests you wouldn't believe..

"you are giving away a free pen.. OF COURSE i'll fill out this 10 page form to enter."

"a free diet coke with purchase a of $50 or more.. sign me up."

"free tissues with a one in a billion chances of winning?!? count me in}

i signed so many things, and got SO much junk mail because of it, i almost gave up.

almost.

and good thing a didn't because today the curse is broken!

basically, my point is...

1. I WON!

2. curse is broken

3. never won blog giveaway

4. now i have!

i am so excited to where this little task will take me!

as i write this i am thinking of these things i've never done

{milked a cow!!! or taken a KARATE class..}

SO many possibilities.

on a sidenote.. BACHELOR tonight. sadly i love it. even though it makes women look crazy.