Design Services Giveaway!

WOOO VACATION!
At 6:00pm today, my vaca starts and I'm so freakin pumped about it.
Although I will be doing someeee bloggy things and definitely some design things, it will be a breath of fresh air from working in a stuffy office!
Since I get to be all excited and happy, and since it is a long weekend for everyone anyway, I'm offering 25% off all ad spaces!

USE CODE: IMONVACAMOFO

AND not only am I having an ad space sale, I'm also giving away a custom blog design from my design site Case Of The Sparkles Designs! If you don't need a full design, you can pick up to 3 elements you'd like me to design for you! And because I only do full designs for Blogger but if you're on Wordpress I don't want to leave you out- SO if you're a Wordpress person, I will give you a "Face Lift" (header and about me sidebar, with social media) AND 2 blog buttons! If you just had a redesign don't worry! Save this win for when you're in the mood for change!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


and now to introduce another lovely lady! Jessica is such a sweet girl and I'm so happy to sponsor her. She's a LV native.. yes! People actually live in Vegas!

blog // bloglovin // photography // twitter

1. When and why did you start blogging?
I started my first blog when I was getting married to connect with other brides to be and find cool things for the wedding. When the upcoming marital bliss fell apart, I scrapped that blog and started a new one… Just centered on me. Mocha Fox is the third blog I've had and the first one that truly reflects myself.

2. What is your favorite post you've written and why?
It's hard to choose since I love so many of my photography posts… I do love this shoot I did not too long ago but this post gives you a pretty good look of how I am.

3. You have THREE dogs! One is a handful, how do you do it?!?
I've always loved animals and I'm so use to always having a menagerie of pets so three dogs comes easy to me! I can't wait to someday have a whole pack of dogs following me around the house!





Meet My Bloggy Little! Go Check Her Out!

Cop Out

I need it to be Friday. Better yet, Saturday.

I start my vaca Saturday morning (after a run with Daddy and Lil of course) and I've barely made it this far.

Issue with the week ending: L leaves. I am so happy for her and her new husband but I love them both and will miss them SOO much. They've lived in NYC for the last coulple years but whenever they're home, which is pretty often, we spend a lot of time together. We'll be heading out to Santa Barbara soon to visit though, I'm sure of it.

Anyway, about my cop out. I went to bed at 9pm yesterday which I haven't done in about 3 years. And to acomplish that, I didn't write a post for today.

I'm here now to say come back tomorrow. I have a going away announcement and you won't wanna miss it. PLUS I'm inroducing a pretty lady PLUS it's #backthatazzup and I haven't participated in a while because I've been lame but tomorrow I will have a good one.

and here's this.






Meet My Bloggy Little! Go Check Her Out!

6 Moments I Wish I Had Cable

Ok so I was gonna write a different post today but then I saw all the #PLL tweets and I couldn't handle it.

Last night it was pretty little liars.

Sunday night it was the VMAs

Like 3 months ago it was that guy tight roping or motorcycle jumping the grand canyon. I don't know the specifics.

Why don't I know the specifics? I don't have cable.

And like 95% of the time I love that! I mean I blog and now I'm designing so I have a ton of things to do on a nightly basis. I've cut down "my shows" to Once Upon A Time (judge me if you want. I love that show) and True Blood.

How do I watch True Blood? Sunday night dinners at Tom's parents. And OUAT (yeaa we have an acronymn too) I watch the day after on the abc.com app.

Sometimes tho, I feel left out. And in those moments I miss cable.



1. Awards Shows
VMA's is really all I need for support on this one. I missed Miley's epic (fail) performance. That was an issue since I'm supposed to be a blogger with a social media obsession and it's my job to know shit about what's going on in the world. Except I don't because, welp, no cable.

2. Prime Time Shows
Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Walking Dead, I don't know what other shows are the "it" shows. I don't keep up with any of them. It's too hard and wayyyy too much work to stay on top of all those shows if I can't watch them in the background of something else I'm doing. But it means I can't be a part of all these ridic conversations

3. Sports Games
Not even the Superbowl. Tom's a Red Sox fan. I'm a.. well I watch whatever people are watching. But I do enjoy watching sports and I can't do that (really Tom's the one having the issue) but I can't keep up!

4. Shark Week
I mean, I posted not once, but twice about Shark Week but I only caught glimpses of it because of my lack of cable. Alyssa even said she and her finace ended up with cable because of Shark Week. I mean if there was ever a reason, that's it

5. Commercials
I know it sounds absolutely stupid but people talk about commercials ALL THE TIME. You haven't noticied? Oh. It's because you have cable too and you're doing it just like everyone else. No I didn't realize the camel humpday meme was from a commercial, I DON'T HAVE CABLE.

6. RHW of every city ever
I used to watch RHWOC religiously. The second (I think) season came out while I was in college and got free cable. I loved it. Before Gretchen. Before there was a RHA or RHNY or whatever the fuck they are on now. But now, everyones like "blah blah Slade's brother looks like a donkey blah blah" and I'm sitting here like.. I remember when Vicki was married and had 2 kids in the house.. and Shane was the hot one everyone drooled over.

So that's that. It's still not worth paying for it because I have a serious truffle fry habit. But there are moments I wish I had cable. So I could be in on all the conversations and jokes.



And now, I wanna introduce you to a lady who's been on my side bar all month and I think she's pretty freakin' neat.




1. When and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging almost 2 years ago. It doesn’t seem like that long though because for pretty much the first year, I didn’t really get into it. I occasionally read other blogs, I rarely commented and didn’t really interact with other bloggers. And I blogged like 6 times a month. Oops. 

I started blogging because I needed an outlet. I love writing and was a journalism major in college, but was doing absolutely nothing in terms of writing (Writing grants doesn’t count. Those are no fun). So I started Life After Athens. A week or so after I started the blog, my husband proposed- so there was a definite shift from just living in the city post grad to wedding planning and life as a newlywed!

2. What is your favorite post you've written and why?
I think my favorite post I wrote was this one on Why I Suck at Being a Girl. It’s a post that so much describes who I am. Plus, I like to think I’m funny- and I feel like this post captures that.






Meet My Bloggy Little! Go Check Her Out!

Tall Tails: Lil + Auntie L, BFF

I don't know about your dogs but our dog knows people's names.

Lil knows "daddy" aka Tom, "mom" aka me, "friends" aka kennel, "Oscar" aka my grandmother's dog and the most exciting name to mention,

Auntie.

I think Lil likes Tom's sister L wayyyy better than Tom or I. We ask if she wants to "go see Auntie" and she goes fucking ballistic. 

L is a puppy person thru and thru and instantly bonded with Lil. I think Lil is her spirit animal. 


She does what all auntie's should. Shower Lil with cookies, pet her whenever she's around, dote over how cute she is.

She even took care of Lil while Tom and I were in Dallas for a week (while babysitting her family dog at the same time in the same house!) She's basically Lil's biggest fan.


Even after eating those Uggs she has on, Auntie still loved her little neicey. Even (more accurately, especially) when she's had a few glasses of wine, L is the "fun aunt." She wants Lil to have what she wants. Including cuddles on the couch during sleepovers.

The trouble is, Auntie is leaving. She and her husband are moving to Santa Barbara. They will only be there a few years, but Lil will miss her like cray. Don't get me wrong, when I need Lil to do something, I'll still say, "OK! Wanna go see Auntie!?" even tho it's incredibly unfair.

Lil, Tom and I will be at their family cottage all next week enjoying some beach time and relaxation. This year, Lil won't have her Auntie there with her tho and I know she'll be immeasurably upset by it. They snuggle so often and play so much that Lil will undoubtedly be confused about where Auntie is. 

L and Lil are basically BFF and I know that each of them will miss the other so much! What L doesn't realize is that we're already looking into shipping costs for cross continental puppy trips. We wouldn't mind a staycation while Lil and L enjoy each others company. Thursday night we say goodbye to Auntie and Uncle and it will be a sad night. Although I don't think we could go too long without a visit.


ALSO! Yesterday was #NationalDogDay. I didn't know til I checked Instagram. then I spent literally a half hour having a selfie photo shoot with Lil. So if you didn't know yesterday was National Dog Day, then celebrate today and give your pup a hug and kiss!



Tall Tails Link Up






Meet My Bloggy Little! Go Check Her Out!

Looking For A New Blog Design?

Ok.

So I haven't been doing this blogging thing for too long but I've found a new passion has come out of it- designing! I love making graphics and messing with colors and fonts and duh, sparkle.

I have designed  for a handful of girls and I want to keep on designing! And so, I would like to announce that Case of the Sparkles Designs is open for business!

Case of the Sparkles is my home base. My full design includes more than I've seen included in any other and at a lower price! I offer UNLIMITED revisions which is a pretty rare thing in this world. I want to make you happy happy happy and that means until you are, I don't stop working on it! 

If you have any questions let me know. I only do Blogger designs so if you're using Blogger, I want to make your blog pretty!

Also, as a disclaimer, my current design on this blog is not mine. Why? Because I got it before I knew how to design a blog AND I'm happy with the way it looks so right now, until my vision for my blog changes, it will look like this. And that's what I want for you. A design that you're completely happy with!

And I wanna thank Meg for helping iron out an issue yesterday that helped me a whole bunch, thanks girly!

SO YAY! I'm up and running! I installed my third full design yesterday (she hasn't premiered it yet!) and I am working on my fourth starting today! I'm so excited about designing and I hope you are getting excited about it too!

So go check it out! Case of the Sparkles Designs!



Giant Flavor aka Your New Favorite Snack

I am a snack person. I snack a LOT. When I get home from work the first thing I do it look in the cabinets and fride for something yummy. Lately, Tom and I have been eating a lot of hummus but I wanted a new snack that wasn't super unhealthy. Cue Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips with up to 40% less fat than regs chips.

I was sent 2 varietes: the Multigrain Sweet Potato Barbecue chips and the Roasted Veggie Tortilla Garden Ranch chips.

I got home and saw the package and immediately opened it. Then opened the bag of Sweet Potato BBQ chips. They were yummmy. Lil even got a sample since I was shoveling so many in my mouth, some fell on the floor. She liked them too. Then I made Tom try them. It took quite a few for him to decide on a conclusion. But what he decided was that he liked them alright, they just had too much flavor for him. He follwed that up with, "I can see why you like them so much."
snack time!
pre-dinner snack
It's nice to know something that is made with natural ingredients is actually tasty! I'm not a health food person. I want taste and flavor and I want to be satisfied. These chips deliver that! I didn't want to rip open the second bag which was the Ranch Tortilla chips just yet but I got a great opportunity the next night.


We had a girls night at our friend's house and I was supposed to bring chips and guac. Um, perfect. I went and got some guac and an extra bag of chips in case the ranch ones were better on their own.
the guac looks weird but tasted good! 
our set up for dinner
We had an awesome set up little set up and the ranch chips were a big hit! HP tried them with the guac and decided it was good and we all tried it. I loved it! I was not expecting that combo to work but it definitely did.
I basically ate all of them myself
Who knew Green Giant could make snacks AND green beans?! There are other flavors too that I'm egar to try. I think the ranch tortillas are my favorite so far.


I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

6 Tings

My darling Casey tagged me in this post and I haven't done a Liebster in a while and since I have so many new faces around here it's kind of perfect timing!
1. If you could pick up and move anywhere for 6 months, where would it be?
Part of me wants to pick Dallas. But that's because I want to live there for a year or two anyway. We have friends there plus all the awesome bloggers (ready to be IRLBFF Helene and Sarah?) and part of me wants to pick New Orleans because, well, it sounds amazing. But if money was no object and I could do anything while living for those 6 months, I'd have to pick Italy. I've had so many friends go who are obsessed and it's so close to everything else in Europe, I would cheat and visit everywhere!
last time we were in Dallas, and our hosts aka 2 of my favorite people!
2. How long have you known your best friend?
Since 6th grade. Although in 8th grade she hated me. Not that I had any idea. I was annoying but honestly so was she. Whatever. We've been friends for about 14 years now. Crayyy. I don't know what I would do without her. She's moving to Boston eventually and it's gonna break my heart.
basically soul mates
3. What's your number one item on your Christmas list this year? Come on you know you've been thinking!
A new computer. (I spilled wine on Tom's computer about 6 months ago..) A Mac would be fantasticccc. But it's quite a big ticket item. Anyone wanna chip in?

4. What accomplishment are you're most proud of?
Well it's gonna sound ridiculous. I think I'm most proud that I am a funtional, mature, mostly normal adult. My family is a  m e s s  and even though they are great people, I'm very different than them. Thanks to my friends, my uncle (who's also my god father- good pick) and honestly even my past relationships, and of course Tom and his family, I've learned so much about being the person I should be. I'm still me without being a constant bitch, nag or brat. I mean I'm all of those sometimes but I'm a fully functioning adult and for a while, I didn't know if I would get there!

5. What did you do last Friday night?
We went to sushi din. Where I had shitty wine and free shots. Then Tom and I stayed in and drank wine and played the Lego Star Wars video game while trying to keep Lil happy. Pretty typical Friday night.

6. How has blogging benefited your life?
A few ways: I've "met" some ahhhmazing people and I get to hang out with a bunch of them IRL very soon! It's also been an incredible outlet for me. It's helped my intense outgoing personality mesh with my serious homebody-ness SO much easier. I actually like writing and being creative and this has been my favorite place to do that. It also holds me somewhat accountable to what I want to/should be doing. And one of the biggest, unexpected benefits has been learning HTML and graphic design. I can't believe I know about coding and photoshop as much as I do. I've even designed a few blogs! CRAY GUYS. (shameless plug, if you're interested in a design let me know acosta0097@gmail.com) I'm working on a design site so be on the look out!

TAG, you're it! 

Also, I think there are 2 versions of this going around- 1 that uses the same questions over and over and one that gives each new round new questions. Since I'm unoriginal, and like the questions that keep being repeated I will be using those. Sue me.

Pick 6 to answer on your blog!
1. What's the best piece of advice anyone has given you?
2. If you could meet any blogger in person, who would you choose?
3. Blogs you're loving right now?
4. What's your biggest struggle in life?
5. How did your blog come about?
6. Name one good deed you did that went unseen.
7. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
8. Tell us something we don't know about you.
9. Who inspires you?





Meet My Bloggy Little! Go Check Her Out!

Procrastinating Adult Style

Today I have a pretty face from my side bar guest posting! I introduced you to her before and now she's back again! I'm the first person she's sponsored and I'm so glad she picked me because she's hilarious and it's super easy to promote people I like.

Her name is Jessica and she has a blog called a different kind of plan. She's she's super funny and ridiculous and it's definitely worth a trip to see her. She wrote this post the other day that I was laughing so hard I cried a little.

So here she is!

I have a confession to make.

I am a procrastinator of the worst sorts. Yeah, yeah everybody says they are the "worst procrastinators" and they totally stayed up til 8am throwing back Red Bulls and Adderall to finish that term paper because they were 8000 times cooler than you. 

But that wasn't me. I always had my papers done well in advance because there is nothing that I cherish more than my 12 8 hours of sleep and my nightly Law & Order SVU episode. 

What I procrastinate doing is the super important stuff. The stuff that you really shouldn't procrastinate if you ever plan on maintaining a respectable credit rating or possibly having children one day. 

And while I was reflecting on what a horrible adult I have become, I decided to compile a list of all the super important things I procrastinate doing. I narrowed the list down to 10. From 27.


1. Cleaning my car
OK- not so bad. I'm easing you guys into it. Still, my car looks like a homeless family of 18 is living in there. I have clothes from when I go from work to the gym and am too embarrassed to bring in my Hello Kitty gym bag so I park behind the Shaws and change there, I have various food products strewn across the floor, I have an epic nail polish spill that covers about 34% of the back seat and I am pretty sure I have about $400 in change scattered throughout the car. Yet do I make any effort to clean it? Nahhhh.

2. Laundry
I distinctly remember driving to the TJ Maxx three miles down the road to buy a package of socks because all mine were dirty. I have laundry in the basement of my building. I live on the first floor. There are literally no excuses. 

3. Cleaning out my fridge
Another cleaning one. See a trend? I am convinced I have some rare, genetically undiscovered micro-organism that for the sake of humankind I must protect growing in my fridge in one of the vegetable drawers (that I just recently discovered are called "crispers") that I now never open. Also for some reason, my bottom shelf is always sticky. That is why I only store my edible food on the top drawer and ignore all the crap on the other drawers. I know one day I will be PMSing really badly and just go apeshit on my fridge and clean it all out. One day...

4. Returning library books 
I have never returned a library book on time. I get the e-mail reminders, mark it in my calendar, keep it in my car for me to drop off in one of those easy drop-boxes and yet... I never return them. And then I rack up fees that I never pay so I am forced to either wait until I can pay my $20 library fine with some tomato soup cans or go to another library a couple towns over and repeat the entire process over again. 

5. Dentist visits
Do I even need to explain this one? Dentist visits are the worst.

6. Calling my landlord 
I am scared of my landlord. He's a super nice Indian guy who constantly befuddles me with his awkwardness (is it because he's just awkward? Is it the language barrier? Is it because whenever he comes over I am wearing my Biore pore strips?). Yet whenever something breaks in my apartment (aka every week) or I need to give him his mail, I will put it off. And whenever he calls, I get really nervous and have mild panic attacks. It's not normal. I might need to add this to things I need to discuss with my therapist. 

7. Calling my doctor
Doctors intimidate me. They also never seem to have good news for me. Why would I want to call them back? Ignorance is bliss.

8. Filing my taxes
I hate filing taxes. It takes so long, accountants never think my tax jokes are funny (and I prep all year for them) and I always seem to owe "the man" money. 

9. Paying bills
OK- I do pay my bills. I just pay them on the very last day possible. Like at 11:55pm the night before. I hate seeing what little money I have leave me, especially on stupid things like electricity and heat.

10. Picking up my prescriptions
Rite Aid will literally have to call me 3-5 times before I pick up my meds (see numbers #1-9 as proof for why I desperately need said meds). They really get annoyed with me there and are confused why it takes me two weeks to pick up my meds. Little do they know, I have emergency stockpiles of my meds all over my house from all the other times that month I forgot to take them. It's a fool-proof system.




So there you go, all my (literal) dirty laundry. Trust me, I am just as surprised as you that I have made it this far in life without being evicted and/or having my electricity shut off. Now it's sharing time: What are some things you procrastinate? Are you also irrationally afraid of the dentist? Do you also get lectured by the pharmacists every time you go to your local Rite Aid?




Tall Tails: Let Sleeping Lils Lie

Lil is ALWAYS going bezerk. She was being a super brat tonight for a while but now, she's curled up fast asleep.

She's so cute when she's asleep.

But so much of the time she seems uncomfortable. Here are some sleepy moments that I've caught on camera. I'm warning you, she isn't a modest lady, so it may get a bit graphic.

 Don't worry, we got her a bigger crate. She still sleeps upside down tho.


She's gotten bigger and bigger and my car seems to be getting smaller and smaller! She isn't happy about it. She cries on rides home now. Also yes, that's Buzz Ballads. It was a gift for a friend.


When she's tired, she can fall asleep anywhere. Foot stool that's not big enough to hold her? Yup. On the couch using the side table as a pillow? Yup.


She typically passes out on the couch tho. It's tough being a pup. Also sorry for all the puppy private parts shots..

Anyway, the couch is supposed to be her bed at night butttttt she's been jumping up to sleep with Tom and I and I usually don't notice until we're spooning and she twitches. Oops.

It started with her jumping into my spot after I would get out of bed in the morning.

But now she doesn't wait and I wake up to her breathing on my face. Wonderful.

Tall Tails Link Up