Saturday, May 22, 2010

Check it out!

It's all up! Everything I'm selling for my closet sale has been posted. This past week I added a bunch more dresses, lots of purses and more tops! Check them out!
britneyscloset.wordpress.com
GO HERE :)

Monday, May 17, 2010

Beautiful Sunday

Yesterday was a gorgeous, gorgeous Sunday. Adam and I had Stake Conference where we (at least I) were surprised to hear from the second counselor of the General Relief Society Presidency, Elder Hales, and President Monson. It was great to receive such powerful instruction. Last week while we were at the hospital for Natalie, Adam ended up sitting on our camera and breaking the screen. Lame. Being the boy who needs his toys, Adam found a killer deal on a quality point and shoot and we played around with it on the way home from the meeting.                                                                                                          




I love this picture of us! If only our apartment hardware, Adam's notebook, and his arm were out of the way it'd be perfect!
p.s. Brown blouse: Banana Republic. White skirt: Ann Taylor. Heals: Target. Belt: Thrifted. Headband: Forever 21.
Adam's suit is from Nordstrom, white dress shirt is from Kohls, and his tie we got from a cheap vendor in NY. 
And HOLY HANNAH do I need a haircut! 

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Pay Pal is up!

As promised, Pay Pal is up and ready for use!
The easiest way to set it up was the "Donate" option, so basically what you do is after you comment/txt/email that you want to purchase an item I will shoot you an email giving you your total balance. 
Your job then is to put that amount into the Pay Pal "Donation." You can find the link on the top right of the homepage where it says "Pay Online."

Thanks to everyone for your support since the launch! I am adding new items on a regular basis so keep visiting the site for new posts!
Also, feel free to call/txt/email about any questions you might have. 

-Britney

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Britney's Closet Sale SITE!

As promised, the site is now available for your shopping pleasure! 
To see how to purchase items, refer to the "About the Site" category. There you'll find that you can text, email, or comment to purchase items. Also, at this very moment I am still uploading a ton of items, so keep looking!
Ready?....
K here's the site:


CLICK HERE


FYI the site is: www.britneyscloset.wordpress.com

Friday, May 14, 2010

Closet Sale!

K, so remember when I told you about the closet/blog sale I'm doing? Whelp, it's being launched online tomorrow!
Despite saying that it would be posted here on this blog, I decided it would be much easier to conduct the sale on another site.
Also, there is no way I can do this all in one shot, so I will have up for sale as much as I can handle at a time and do the rest in waves. I'm anticipating adding one or two more "loads" onto the site after the initial launch.
SO, the site where you can purchase my clothes first-hand will be launched tomorrow at 12PM noon
I don't have time to figure out how to do pay-pal until then, but I promise to get it up as soon as possible.
In the mean-time, I accept cash and checks. 
I'm so super excited to launch this sale and I hope you tell all your friends about it tomorrow!

'Till then!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

My Mother

As is appropriate, today's post is dedicated to my own mother, Cheryl Handley Burwell. 
My mother is astonishing. I believe it is impossible for me to help you understand exactly how astonishing she is.
My Mother is one of the most close to perfect persons I have ever met. No, she does not drive a fancy car, wear trendy clothes, eat brunch with a soiree of girlfriends, go on much needed vacations, or even catch up on classical books. My mother has dedicated her life to her children, family, religion, and the service of others. 


She is the most talented person I know. She can make the most delicious meal out of almost nothing, can an entire orchard of apples in less than two weeks, sew Halloween costumes, play Beethoven and Mozart, teach you everything you need to know about home storage and family preparedness, parallel park like a pro, get her visiting teaching done the first of the month, visit the sick and otherwise afflicted members of her church and community any hour of the day or night, and countless others. 


She is also one of the most down-to-earth persons I have ever known. She's mature. She doesn't sit with her friends in a circle and talk about people. In fact, she actually redirects the topic when it ever happens.  She is realistic. She made me realize that if I didn't have the nicest things in the world that I would not only be OK, but better off in the end. I think I've been corrupted by the "Mormon trend" to compete for nice things. She brings me back to earth and every visit with her makes me realize what's most important in life. 
She dedicates her life to us. I remember one time I was at school, single, and completely broke. I had $20 in my bank account for food that month. Is was the end of the semester and the school informed me I had a tuition fee of $20 I still had to pay or else I couldn't take my finals. I panicked. How would I have money for food that month? I didn't want to ask my mom for money because she would send me money here-and-there throughout the semester and I knew she had a mountain of other things to pay for with a modest (to say the least) income. Mom caught wind and sent me the money I needed. 
A small gesture, but I came to the realization that I could ask my mom for anything and she would sacrifice almost anything to provide for it.


I love my Mom. One day I was sitting in a school common area studying. I looked up and a woman's back was to me. Her hair was the exact shade and style of my Mom's and she even had the same body shape. I just sat there staring at her back, imploring in my head for her to not turn around. "Don't you dare turn around, because right now you look just like my Mom, and I miss my Mom." That day a sore ache grew in my heart to be taught and held by my Mom. Sometimes I lean so much on my husband (which I should), that I forget what other support systems I have. 
Without Mom, I would not be as successful as I am. She taught me how to pray, read my scriptures, serve and love unconditionally, and not to judge people. She is so grounded and puts the philosophy's of the world to shame by her simple, yet extraordinary life. I am forever grateful for the Mother I was given to shape me into the woman I am today. She was there to tell me I was stupid for dating a boy, but that it was my decision, she taught me that brand new furniture was just as good as used, she taught me a love for the Savior and how every righteous blessing I desire can be mine through obedience and faith to ask.


My Mom is always there for me. When I was in the third grade I suffered from severe panic attacks. These attacks then caused me to become agoraphobic, where I was terrified to go out in public places, more specifically, Elementary school. This was not because I was afraid of crowds, but because I was afraid the panic attacks would come at school and I would have no one there to be with me. My Mom was everything to me that year. She was my comfort and peace during a time that I didn't understand. If I had the choice I would have been home schooled because I knew that as a long as Mom was with me that nothing bad could happen. But, as she knew I needed to go to school and learn through experiences with others, she sent me off that next year with a pennant on my backpack that simply said, "Do Not Fear", the title of my then favorite picture of Christ helping little children as they climbed out from danger.  






My Mom supported me. She went to all of my home sports games, all my chorus and band concerts, all of my church affairs, and countless other places. She was always there. She through the BEST parties EVER and to this day people still rave about how much fun and great the food was at those parties. So of course, she through one of the most beautiful wedding receptions our church ward has ever had. 
I cannot begin to express my gratitude for my Mom. Although I was a boy crazy, materialistic, ridiculous social-butterfly in my adolescent years, she was patient, loving, understanding, and non-judgmental. I knew I could never do anything against the standards I had been raised to follow because not only would I hurt myself, but I would most definitely hurt Mom. Her example of virtuous, self-less, and truthful living is what gave me the desire to live that way, and I can now emulate that same example to my children. 
Happy Mother's Day, Mom.
And p.s. I'm selling my clothes so I can come visit you this Summer. 


Saturday, May 8, 2010

Summer Photos

Adam and I (mostly I) love to have seasonal pictures taken of us. I think it's important to keep updated on our pictures because at this stage in our lives we change a lot style and personality-wise. Consequently, I find it vital to take pictures frequently and to have them done by someone with proper equipment and talent. 
What I'm wondering is if anyone would like to take our pictures for this summer? We haven't yet had summer pictures done and I have a bunch of creative ideas that might help diversify your portfolio. 
I know there are a bunch of students and aspiring photographers in the area that are looking for people to do "practice" shoots on, and in my experience, I have never been disappointed with their work as "amateurs." 
So anyway, comment or email me and we can talk logistics. For your viewing pleasure, here's a couple pictures we're quite fond of. Our wedding and engagements pictures were taken by a very talented professional, Jennifer Johnson, others were done by friends who are aspiring photographers. 




Friday, May 7, 2010

Upcoming Blog Sale

I'm starting something I never thought I ever would--I'm starting a blog sale. 
No, I am not selling crappy scratched furniture or old movies, I'm selling my clothes. 
I am not selling crappy old tank tops or dirty used shoes, I am selling clothes, accessories, and handbags that I LOVE but don't have room for. 
Normally, I would just take these items to the DI or give them to a sister or friend, but if I get rid of various items I love that either don't fit or I am not wearing very often, then I need to be able to replace them. 
So anyway, this is a heads up. I am not posting the items until next week, either Friday or Saturday. Everything for sale will be posted on this blog site. 


Send me loves of encouragement or else I might lose the strength and back out, keeping everything for myself!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

The Price of Life

After coming across a significant error in our year's budget, and realizing that this summer, once again, will be one of our poorest times, ever, I've been contemplating a lot about money.
Essentially, money buys us freedom and we, in a consumer-driven-world, have put a price on life. Without money, one is bound from visiting a distant family member, taking piano lessons, eating healthy foods, or enjoying air conditioning. It's funny how these things are all governed by the possession of a certain quantity of a certain currency. The one most baffling to me is the concept of money being in the way of seeing my family. 
As most of you know, I'm from a little town in PA just outside of NYC (imagine that). I haven't seen my family since last August, and if a miracle of $600 doesn't present itself anytime soon, I will have to wait until this Christmas before I can see them again. This is a major burden for me. 
But ask me this question? Where was the money when I went to Ikea last month to get a $50 area rug for our carpet that is perpetually becoming darker? Where was the money when I had such a rough week, no energy to cook a weekend dinner, and went out with my sweetheart for some pricey grub? And also, where was the money when I decided that instead of saving the $60 I received from selling school books I would buy my husband a new pair of jeans and Spring jacket?
Where is the line between total frugality and absolute irresponsibility?
I'll tell you what I've decided: When money poses a threat to separate you from something you care about, such as family, the prospect of a baby (when you're married), or putting yourself in a position to serve others, that's when you don't have money to spend and that's when one is irresponsible with the money they've earned. 
I have learned a valuable lesson: I am NOT an irresponsible person. But, along the road, when I see things that would be nice, things that bring temporary pleasure, or would make life a little more enjoyable, which are sometimes necessary to have at times, I stop and think: If I spend the money on this, I am consequently not spending it on something I care more about.
I understand that for most of you who are college students that a depravity of money and a plethora of debt is something you will live with for a least a couple more years, but I know we have more money than we think. 
I would rather give up a new pair of jeans+shoes+new wall decor+eating out a couple times a month than to sacrifice not seeing the people I love, not putting a savings away for little ones, and not being able to help my neighbor when they're in need.
We put too little value on the dollar, when in reality, the dollar is what buys us freedom, in many instances, to pursue happiness.
If we're all in need, who will help us? 
We can't all be beggars.