If The Shoe Fits...

I love clothes, purses and accessories but my biggest style obsession/weakness/most$$spent is shoes! It drives my husband crazy but I just can't control it. So let me share a little bit of my obsession with you :)

My Top 5 "Must Have" Shoes:

"Classic Black Pumps"
My favorite black pumps and the perfect work shoe is the Ramona,  black patent pumps from Sofft. They are very cute and provide ultra comfort!! I have bought two pairs over the past two years since I wear them so often!

"Red Carpet Affair"It's always good to have a good "formal" shoe that you can go to at a last minute notice. Something you can wear to a wedding, banquet, formal shower, etc. I tend to wear a lot of pinks, blues and blacks so these Cassidy Peep-Toe Pumps in silver by Antonio Melani are a perfect shoe for me. I call it my "Cinderella Shoe", originally purchased them for my wedding rehearsal but have worn them so much since!

"Nude Pumps"
Nude shoes are a huge trend this season and I completely understand why. You can wear them with practically anything and whether you are supposed to or not, I wear mine year round! These leather platform pumps from Miu Miu are just perfect!

"Sandals with Bling"
This summer I indulged in the Set In Stone sandal by Lilly Pulitzer. I wear them so often, for so many different occasions, how did I ever do without them before! The sandals are not only comfortable and beautiful but our extremely versatile. I wear them to work on casual Fridays, with shorts, casual dresses, to baseball games and dinner dates. I really can't get enough of them! 

"Ballet Flats"For those of you who know me, you are probably shocked to see that this has made my "Top 5".  I never wear  ballet flats . That is until I discovered these Air Reesa Buckle Ballet flats by Cole Haan. I don't usually wear this type because a) I'm already so short and b) I have a high arch so I don't find them very comfortable. However, Cole Haan has a line of shoes with "Nike Air" technology to ensure comfort and support. It is the only ballet flat I wear and I love it! You can also get it in so many cute colors. 

And now for my top two "dream" shoes that I will own one day.... They are so beautiful they don't even need descriptions.

The "pink champagne" of shoes by Christian Louboutin. 

Rolando Python Pump in light turquoise by Christian Louboutin. 

Do you have a pair of shoes you can't go without?? Please share with me and my followers!!

::Linking Up to Serenity Now::

I Tried It & Loved It! {Annie Sloan Chalk Paint}

One of  my first "bigger" projects around the house is to repaint our living room furniture. We were given some simple but very nice solid pine furniture when we got married that had been in my family for years. We originally choose this brown paint that turned out awful. However, we knew that our first apartment was only temporary and decided to stick with it until we moved into our house. So you can imagine my excitement to repaint the furniture this weekend after a year of staring at that ugly brown.

The BIG question.... what paint do I use???? I have heard some of my co-workers talking about their "Annie Sloan" projects. ASCP, say what?? ANNIE SLOAN CHALK PAINT! After doing my research on ASCP, I decided to give it a try even though it seemed too good to be true. Let me tell you.... best decision I have made so far since we have started to redecorate. I am now ASCP hungry and want to paint everything in the house. Thank goodness I have Edward to reel me in.

I could list a thousand reasons to use ASCP.  But I'll stick to my top 5 for now. The colors are beautiful (there are only 30 base colors but the mixing possibilities are endless). The paint goes a very long way, you absolutely get your bang for your buck. The paint is very "forgiving". It dries remarkably fast. You do not need to sand, prime or do anything to your furniture/wall/etc before you paint it! SAND & PRIME <--- amazing!!!

**Side Note: ASCP is only sold by ASCP Stockists. I found that this is usually small specialty boutiques, definitely no large stores like Home Depot. Visit Annie Sloan's website to find a retailer by you. Talk to them. They know tons about the paint. I bought mine from a cute store near home, Melange by KP.  (I want to buy everything in the store, all joking aside!) Many of the stockists also offer classes too.**

PROJECT #1: Coffee Table and End Table

Color: Old white
Wax: Clear
Sandpaper: Fine & Medium Grit Blocks
Towels: Soft "T-Shirt" Rags
Paintbrush: 2" and 1"

Process: I painted on two coats of Old White (I read that many times one coat is enough but I went with two since I was doing a white over brown). After the paint was dry (~15 minutes) I used the sandpaper block to create the distressed look I was going for. This creates a lot of dust because when dried, the paint really does have the texture of chalk. (I did the smaller piece first... inside...but with the larger piece I was smarter and sanded outside.) I then did a light layer of the clear soft wax, wiping the excess off as I went. I applied a second layer since I knew that the tables were going to get a lot of use. Tonight I will buff it with a rag and then it will be complete!

I  now have a large list of projects to do, including my media cabinet, dining room furniture and a chest of drawers. I created a Pinterest board to store all my Annie Sloan inspirations. Check it out here!

Also, here are some great blogs/websites with lots of ASCP projects & tips:

• Annie Sloan Unfolded
• Carters Cottage Interiors
• Sassy Style Redsign
• The Cutest Blog On The Block
• The Mended Nest
• The Purple Painted Lady
• Unfolded

Have you used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint??? I'd love to hear about your stories, tips, and projects! *I will be having many more ASCP and home decorating posts to come so be sure to subscribe to my blog! Thank you :) Happy Monday and have a GREAT week!!

::Linking Up - The Shabby Creek Cottage::

::Linking Up - House of Hepworths::
::Linking Up - Simply Designing::

Baby Talk??

Babies, babies, babies! Let's be honest... this is pretty much all I think about. I love my career but I dream of the day when I can spend all my time loving on and taking care of sweet little ones. I'm pretty sure I was voted "most likely to have 12 kids" in high school. 12?? Ehh... that maybe too much for me. However, being from a family of 7 children and having 12 (soon to be 13!) nieces and nephews, I definitely want a "large" family. 4 or 5 children sounds so great to me :) Many people think we are crazy for wanting 5 children. Others are saying, "Well then you better get started!" So what's the problem???? LAW SCHOOL. 

Hubby being in law school maybe one of the reasons that I can (hopefully!) have 5 children. But, it's also the reason why we are trying to wait at least two more years before we start our own little family. Edward just finished his first year and has two more to go. And with me being the sole provider, it would not be ideal to take maternity leave. Not to mention law school already keeps Edward so occupied. I have to look at all the "pros"of waiting to stay positive: more time alone with hubby, build a nest egg, date nights, lots of traveling, etc. We have only been married a year and we are really enjoying our time as newlyweds. But when Edward says things like, "You are going to be a such a cute mom," or "I don't know how I am going to handle I'm going to love having 5 little Mary's running around," I just get SO excited!!!!

I believe that motherhood is a privilege and such a blessing. My call to motherhood is so strong and always has been. I can't get enough of children. Thankfully, many of my nieces and nephews live near us :) One of my sister-in-laws is expecting and feeling that little peanut kick my hand when I place it on her stomach sends chills up my spine, such a miracle!! I love playing with them, soothing them when they cry, feeding them, teaching them... but nothing melts my heart more than a sweet, little baby sleeping on my chest. Of course there is also the nursery decorating, precious clothes, cute toys and so much more for mommies to splurge in. And let's admit this... the baby items are for the comfort of the baby but the joy of the mom!

With all of this being said, even though Edward and I talk constantly about having children, we need to focus on finishing law school first. But the day I find out I am pregnant will be the happiest day of my life - whether it is in two years or God has other plans and it's sooner. For now, I will continue to enjoy being a newly married wife to Edward and a mom to our sweet little Dexter (aka, Diva Dog)!

He was so cute and cuddly this morning!

The little angels in my life, my nieces and nephews!! (From oldest to youngest)

I'd love to hear your favorite baby stories if you are a mom, big sister, aunt, nanny, or just LOVE children!! HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

A Must Follow "Foodie" Blog!

Sometimes you come across those blogs that are just so amazing and inspirational that you want to share it with everyone. Well I found one of those this week.... You MUST follow Kelly at  Eat Yourself Skinny if you don't already. I have cooked two of her recipes the past two nights...

Penne & Chicken Tenderloins with Spiced Tomato Sauce

Picture source: www.eat-yourself-skinny.com

and 

Asian Lettuce Cups

Picture source: www.eat-yourself-skinny.com

This weekend I am really excited to make this recipe Kelly posted:

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Picture source: www.eat-yourself-skinny.com

Served with a side of Orzo with Lemon & Rosemary

Picture source: www.eat-yourself-skinny.com

Her recipes are very healthy and ultra tasty!! The hubby has loved both the meals I cooked so far and that is a great sign! Trust me.... you don't want to miss out on her recipes. Go follow her blog, cook && enjoy!!!

Gardening 101: Our First Garden!

In May, we moved into our new home that we are renting. Pretty much everything is unpacked and we are starting our house projects. While I think there are bigger things to conquer first, like refinishing our living room furniture, hubby insisted on a garden. Now you see, neither one of us had ever maintained a garden before. Of course I would water my Mama's rose bushes and pick her tomatoes when I was at home but neither us had a garden of our own. Also, we have a very large backyard and the tenants before us did not take good care of it. Meaning that it is now very overgrown and we are slowly but surely making progress with it. I really enjoyed hubby's eagerness to plant a garden although I knew our yard was not yet ready for that. So thanks to Pinterest I found a cute idea that pleased us both! Take a look :) 

First thing we did was buy some inexpensive clay pots and then plants and seeds from Perino's, a local garden center.

Then I spray painted the pots blue, pink and yellow. (Does anyone know a good way to get a very thin layer of spray paint off of cement?? Some paint escaped the newspaper I had laid down & hubby isn't particularly thrilled!)

I then prepped the area of the yard where we were going to put the pots. Aka: I pulled out all the weeds in that area while hubby watched :)

The "Before"

I made a friend along the way! What a massive lizard!

Then it was time to plant!! We planted seeds of basil, mint, oregano, creole tomatoes, cucumbers and a few pots with flowers. Then we planted two mature pepper plants and eggplant (the store worker said that using mature plants would be better for these two types considering it's late in the season). And here you go!! Ta-da!! :)

Hubby was very excited to water the plants and he took his job very seriously :)

Now that our first baby garden is done, we will cross our fingers, water a lot, and pray for sunlight and success. It's time to think about what to do with the rest of our backyard.....I am so very excited! Any ideas?!!

I can assure much more gardening posts to come :) Have a great Monday!!

::Linking to Serenity Now::

A Little More "Mary"

You probably noticed the name change to my blog. "Rollin' On The River... In Heels" was super cute but I just didn't feel it represented me enough. I wanted something simple. A complete phrase that says who I am. "A Happy Wife in New Orleans" is very simple but it doesn't leave my visitors guessing. I am exactly that.... a happy wife. Being a wife is an absolute joy. My husband, Edward, is my world. And I absolutely love the city that I live in, New Orleans. So there you go... Same person, new blog title and lots of more exciting editions to my "oh so young" blog to come. Hope you are having an excellent Friday :)

A Girl Can Dream....

 This time last year I was on my honeymoon with my hubby here......

     and here..........

Maybe because it was a year ago.... or maybe just because it's Friday, the need/want/desire to go back to our little heaven on Earth couldn't be stronger! Edward planned the honeymoon and didn't tell me where we were going until our wedding night. Best surprise ever! He tells me that possibly we could go back for our 10 year anniversary? I'll be crossing my fingers! Until then, I will just have to stare at our memories...