What's Inside My Purse!

I always think these kinds of posts are interesting....I like seeing what other ladies feel is important enough to carry around with them every day! Here's what's inside my purse and makeup bag!

The Purse: A Dooney bag I got for Christmas from everyone in my family. I asked for Macy's gift cards and combined they all were enough to get this bag!

Left to Right: My pink and purple Fossil wallet, a beaded makeup bag I've had since high school, my planner, my sunglasses (cheapies from Target!), Say Yes to Carrots hand lotion, a voice recorder for class lectures and interviews, my keys with a Dooney key fob, Say Yes to Cucumbers face cleansing cloths (these babies are lifesavers!!), and finally, a handful of army men. You never know when war is going to break out at the dinner table!

Not pictured: My camera, for obvious reasons!

The Makeup Bag:

Sonia Kashuk for Target Mineral Powder, Concealer, and Blush in one: Can you get any more convenient that that? This baby is perfect for me because on most days I don't wear any sort of powder on my face. I do use the concealer for my dark under eye circles though!

Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus and Rose shades: I have always been a chapstick girl, so when I found these affordable balms in lovely grown up shades, I was smitten. The perfect amount of moisture and color!

Ear Plugs: I have no idea why those are in there. Ha!

Extra Pony O's and bobby pins

Tweezers for my hairy face problem!

Sephora Atomic Volume Mascara in Black

Visine for Contacts

Stila Convertible Eye Color in Stone: A dual shadow and liner in one stick!

That's about it! I do have some backup makeup at home, but what you see here is basically what I use every day.

If you have any more questions about the products featured here, let me know!

An OOB Sale and Meet My Guest Bloggers!

*My little vacation is approaching! I can't wait to spend some quality alone time with Daniel. I don't think I'll do much shopping on our trip, (because we're going to be staying in some pretty remote places! I'm excited!) so I've been doing a little browsing (and admittedly buying) before I leave.

A store that I have just recently started to shop at is now going Out Of Business! (or OOB as we say in the wine industry) The Talbots located here in Cape is closing! They are a higher-end women's clothing boutique and I usually can't afford things in there, but I do own a pair of skinny leg cordoroys that I just happened to score there on a sale. I talked with the store manager (she's gutted that their closing, naturally) and she says as of now they're going to be open until mid January. Since they just announced they're closing, right now EVERYTHING in the store, including new merchandise, is marked 25% off. The manager said that in the coming weeks and closer to Christmas items will be up to 90% off!! I browsed a bit yesterday and found my skinny legged cords on sale, making them around $40 right now, a real steal!

Look at all the beautiful colors! I have the rust color there on the left, but I'm kind of wanting that dark green color in the middle--cute for Christmas pictures don't you think?? These cords don't fit like granny pants either, they're a mid-rise style with a slim leg. I love my pair!

Talbots also has some genuine leather ballet flats on sale....look at these cuties!

These are marked down to $40 as well. So if you're looking for some deals, might want to check Talbots before everything's gone!

I also want to announce who will be guest blogging for me while I'm on vacation! These five friends who have agreed to blog for me are all wonderful people that I just know you're going to love. They all come from different backgrounds and most of them don't even know each other, so it will be neat to see how it all comes together!

Here's what you can expect while I'm gone:

Monday: Emmy, friend from RCP and fellow blogger

Tuesday: Aaron,(Yes, a dude! Can't wait to read this!) neighor and good buddy

Wednesday: Kate,college roomy and long-time close friend

Thursday: Emily W.,SEMO Bloggers Co-Founder, close friend

Friday: Robyn, fairly new friend from church


I can't wait to hear from all of them! Hopefully they will be posting updates to my Facebook wall, but rememeber you can always access my site by going to http://www.lifetoldbyleslie.blogspot.com/ instead of just through links on Facebook.

Tomorrow I'll show you a sneak peak inside my suitcase and hopefully a little goodbye video from John!

Blah! It's Monday.

I'm not the most interesting person on earth. Don't believe me? Well my posting-absence proves that I haven't done anything exciting. Honest. That's why you haven't heard much from me.

Here's what I did last week. All pretty mundane and un-blogworthy. But that's the good thing about blogs, I can talk about whatever I want :)

1. I painted my nails in this color:


Essie's "Lady Like."



2. I bought these for John to wear now, and a pair two sizes bigger for next summer:




Cherokee Hiker Sandal from Target: On SALE right now for $5.99.



3. I changed my major, paid for my classes and enrolled for the Fall semester at SEMO. Go me.


4. I ate fried fish and sweet potato fries from The Bayou. Daniel and I had our first date at The Bayou and we eat there almost every week. Actually you could say we love it so much that we moved about 2 miles from the restaurant. Ha.


5. I drank lots of coffee and sat at my kitchen table gazing at these:

6. I pretended to be a cowgirl and went to the rodeo. Twice in one week. I was probably the only person over the age of 21 not drinking but still having a good time :)

Our neighbor Charles, me, and Daniel. Who better to go to the rodeo with than two country boys (at heart).

The Guys once again in all their hick-i-fied glory. Check out the littlest cowboy's boots and hat :)


I promise to share some more exciting posts with you this week, including some packing tips for a weekend getaway, which we happen to be going on this coming weekend! I'm so excited!

Hope everyone had a great weekend :)

Vintage Finds and Skinny Wraps.

Last night was SO much fun! I had an impromptu "Skinny Wrap" party with just a few close friends. It was impromptu because my friend Lauren, who sells the wraps, was just going to come wrap me but I invited a couple girls over to make it more fun. Turns out since I invited people over it was considered a "party" so I got a FREE wrap! Woo hoo! We had a great time but unfortunately I didn't lose any inches around my waist from the Skinny Wrap. I hear other girls had great success with it which is awesome! Guess my tummy fat just likes to stay where it is, and not "detox" out of me via saran wrap. Ha.

I also scored some sweet new kitchen accessories from Annie Laurie's Antiques. The table cloth and the new salt and pepper shakers are adorable and if you've been to my house recently you know I desperately needed some new salt and pepper shakers! Check out the Annie Laurie's blog for inspiration on decorating with vintage pieces.

 Notice the delicious hummus and snow pea appetizer.....yummy. I'm kicking myself today for not packing this in my bag as a snack.

Hahahahhaaaa. Hilarious. My plastic wrapped belly. Flattering, huh?

I'm glad my friends and I are so comfortable and in love with each other that we can act silly and not be embarrassed to pose in our boxers and saran wrap.

When's the last time you did something silly and fun? Let your hair down, ladies. Let it down.




Random little things.

Check this guy out. It's a moth, but I'm not sure what kind. Prettiest one I've ever seen though! Instead of squashing him I scooped him up inside a cup and set him free.

Look how grown up John looks in this pic with Nana. His back is so straight and he's sitting nice and tall.

My two boys have been a bit obsessed with Angry Birds lately. So much so that find myself humming the song daily. Ha.

French fries and chicken fingers with Uncle Donald make for a great Sunday afternoon lunch.

These are still my favorite sandals. I've had them for years but still love them. The big toe protector is awesome for keeping playground pee gravel away from my feet.

Ok all you plant gurus. What the heck is this thing?? It popped up right along our front porch. Christine says it's a Rhubarb plant. I say it's a giant weed.

Here's a close-up of the little white blooms it has on it. Does that help? What do you think it is?

As you can see, the stem is really think and red. Rhubarb? Weed? What do you think? Or, if you don't know what it is, do you think it would be totally weird of me to take the photo's by the conservation center and ask them what it is?


How are you spending your Tuesday?

Summer Inspiration.

So many beautiful things around me lately. I've been so busy with....well just life in general that I had almost forgotten to stop and look at all the lovely things of summer.

I love this wallpaper that still covers the walls in this historic home, built in 1906. Wallpaper is really making a comeback in the decorating world!

 Zooey Deschanel's floral dress reminds me of the wall paper, and of easy, breezy summer style.

These hydrangeas sit outside a home we toured. I wanted to pick just one but we were about 45 minutes from home and I didn't want it to die in the car. I would plant hydrangeas all along my house if they didn't look so....well dead in the winter months. You're not supposed to trim a hydrangea back in the off months which is odd to me.

I saw this outdoor fabric on sale at Hancocks and had to have it. Winnie keeps chewing up my outdoor pillows so I'm going to re-cover them with this whimsical sky blue fabric.

I wear this headband often, made by a dear friend of mine. Everytime I wear it I feel happy. Don't you just smile looking at it?

Ok, my final summer inspiration: this song by the Temper Trap. Windows down, music blaring, John clapping in the backseat....life can't get any better than this.

What are some of your favorite things of summer? Do you have any songs or colors that you look to for inspiration?

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

coffee and other drugs.

I've been indulging in some relaxing summer activities lately that I think you should know about and/or go and experience for yourself. One request- PLEASE call me when you do. I'll go with :)

Soy latte's not only make me very happy, but they also give me a nice amount of protein to start my morning which is very important for ALL women. (According to Dr. Oz) Run. Don't walk. Run to Calix Coffeebar on Broadway. From one coffee addict to another, proceed with caution. Two delicious shots of quality beans for each 12 ounce drink. Take that, Starbucks. (Although, I'm in no way dissing Starbucks. We still have a mutual friendship and meet up about once a week.)

Orange creme filling. Dark chocolate. Powdered sugar. Is your mouth watering yet? Also from Calix. I actually ordered the Chai Oatmeal but he brought this out with it....for free. The Chef was just preparing these for fun and wanted me to try. How's that for service?!

Last Sunday we randomly decided to take the boat out on Lake Kincaid. After two jump starts we finally got the old bass tracker going. Josey enjoyed the wind in her ears and the cool water.

John loved the boat. His lifejacket....not so much. I kept saying "Safety First!" And he'd reply "No, Mom!"

We tried out Hunter Valley Winery last weekend too. Beautiful views, but watch out for bees. John got his first sting. Luckily the staff had some "bee gone" ointment which really helped. Also, they have a nice air conditioned stage area where a guitarist was performing. When we needed a break from the heat we went inside to listen; very relaxing.

Don't mind the sour-puss face. I didn't think my head would be in the pic. I just wanted to show you my newest obsession: The Linen Scarf. Perfect for my overly-air conditioned office. It's been with me everyday, even yesterday when the temps reached 103 degrees! My Nana picked the scarf up for me from Coldwater Creek, which has some of the most beautiful scarves and jewelry you will ever see.

Anyway, I just wanted to show you some fun things to lighted up your Tuesday :) Oh, and are you following me on Twitter? You should. xoxoxo