Surprise...

IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Welcome to my very first giveaway!

I'm a little excited.. can you tell?

Thanks to some of my lovely sponsor swappers for participating in my very first giveaway to celebrate my growing little blog passing 100 followers!

I'll save the sentiments about how much I love blogging, how great you all are, etc for another time. 

Let's get to my lovely sponsors...

Leigh @ Adventures in the Fort

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I'll spare you the boring details like my name, it's Leigh, and the name of my blog, Adventures in the Fort, and an interesting fact or two about me, I have two kids and I am from the great state of Texas.  I know what you're really here for...the goods, which is a $25 gift card to Pier 1.  Which in my opinion is almost as good as gold.  Because you can seriously get this and this and even this killer pillow!  So stop by, say "Hi", and let's get to know each other.

Dani @ Inspire.Motivate.Love.

blog/twitter/pinterest/instagram {@danilee_}

I'm Dani and I blog over at Inspire. Motivate. Love.  It's the story of my life and happenings of a stay at home toddler mom and full time student, while trying to find my place in this crazy world. I'm a newly converted nail polish lover, coffee lover, and cozy outfit wearer.  Fall and Winter have oddly become my favorite seasons, and in honor of that, and Alyssa's Giveaway, I am sharing with one lucky person my favorite accessory! A handmade, crocheted infinity scarf.  I literally have one in every color, and I live in them during the fall/winter season.

Stephanie @ bourbon and glitter

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I'm Steph and I blog over at bourbon and glitter.  You'll find a collection of all my favorite things there - cocktail cupcake recipes, latest shopping wants and pinterest finds, party themes and costumes, my bar crawl adventures, and tons of photos of my furry pup Hawkeye.  Come stop by!

Niki @ Glossy Blonde

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Hi everyone!  I'm Niki and I blog over at Glossy Blonde.  I am a wife and pet mom to 2 dogs and a cat, and I'm working on my MBA in Marketing/Advertising. I hope to open a clothing/accessories boutique in the near future.  On Glossy Blonde, I'll share of-the-moment fashion and styling tips, great beauty products, and fun baking recipes; and on Fridays you'll get a little look into what makes me tick.  Stop on by and say hello, I'd love to meet you!

Rima @ Bolu by Rima

blog/facebook/twitter/instagram {@bolubyrima}

Hi Friends! This is Rima from Bolu by Rima. At Bolu, you can read about my ramblings about life, my love for food crafting and traveling, with occasional appearances of the 2 men in my life, The Pillow (aka Rob aka Boyfriend) and Chimichanga (the dog). Feel free to stop by and say hi!

Jen @ WhyyyJen

blog/twitter/pinterest/polyvore/instagram {@whyyyjen}

Hi! I'm Jen and I blog over at WhyyyJen. It's a life and style blog.. which is 3/4s life with just a little bit of simple style. I'm a working girl trying to make it big in the corporate world, at the same time, grounding myself by blogging about my feelings and experiences. I always aim for my posts to not only be an expression but also a benefit to my lovely readers. I love answering questions and thinking about what's around me. Check out Whyyyjen. Stay awhile. Ask ahead. I don't bite. ;)

Hilary @ Diaries of Do'ers

blog/twitter/pinterest/Instragram {@hilarysdoings}

Hi! I'm Hilary and I hold a small piece of this awesome blogosphere over at Diaries of Do'ers which I created to document me and the hubby's newlywed life and new home adventures. It's turned into a general lifestyle blog involving my love of frugal great finds - from décor to fashion, DIY successes & failures, furniture flips, and still-newlywed life {ahem, my trial & errors with meal-making for the hubs}. Please swing by and say hi, I'd love to 'meet' you!

Mia @ The Chronicles of Chaos

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Hi there, I'm Mia from The Chronicles of Chaos.  No, it's not a comic book, but sometimes I do feel like SuperMom!  I started blogging to capture the chaos that reigns supreme when you have 2 parents who work full-time, 2 rambunctious boys, and a Black Lab who has never outgrown the puppy energy! And I sprinkle in some recipes, and other life ramblings in the mix as well.  Stop by and say hi sometime, I love meeting new people!

Kayla @ The Rural Knitter

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Hi! I'm Kayla. I'm a small town girl with memories of the big city who decided to move to rural Newfoundland, Canada in hopes of slowing down and appreciating life. I blog over at The Rural Knitter. I write about my new found passion -- knitting, but also crafting, the world of books, and music. I also like to share what it's like to live in the most easterly part of Canada, where people live on an almost constant island of fog but boast a colourful and fantastic culture and history. As a knitter, I'm trying to bridge the gap between my Grandmother's generation and my own in a land where knitting is not a hobby, but a way of life. So grab a cup of Tetley tea and put on a pair of wool socks and join me at The Rural Knitter.

Of course, I'm giving away a few things...

~Medium Ad Space for 1 month

~LC Lauren Conrad Pearl Earrings

~Small Journal (Target)

*******************

So, here's the deal. Enter the giveaway. 

Visit some of my friends and give them some love!

1 winner takes all

Giveaway ends on Friday, September 21, 2012.

Good luck! 
*Please fully complete each task that you submit.
When a winner is chosen, I will fully review all entries and validate each one. If the winner does not complete each task they submitted, a new winner will be chosen. 
Please play by the rules.Thanks! :)  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's in my Bag?

I've seen many ladies post about what lives in their purse!

I thought it was a great idea, but of course, my purse is a constant mess.

I just got a new one (and am in love), so while I was organizing/going through things, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to show ya what's inside!

And pretend I'm normally organized.

You would probably think I have a purse for every outfit. Not true. I hate changing purses- I always forget something, don't remember what's where and it just makes my life more difficult. So, I like to find purses that are neutral and versatile. 

Now that I'm just putting it all out there, I haven't bought a new purse in over a year.

Hangs head in fashion shame.

1. Little pouch where random necessities hang out- extra contacts, eye drops, advil, hair ties, etc.

2. Other little pouch for receipts and pens- I have a problem with receipts floating around everywhere. This helps!

Here's a closer look:

3. Wallet. I'm currently in the "smaller wallet phase". I never carry my checkbook so don't really see a need to have a bigger wallet right now. There's a little zipper pouch for coins on the other side and it's perfect (Coach, Spring 2011)

4. Sunglasses. You can never have too many!

5. Beauty necessities:

Jouer lip gloss, Fresh Sugar Rose (all time FAVORITE)..both thanks to Birchbox!

Basin chapstick (Vanilla)

Revlon Lip Butter- love the sheer tint

Not pictured: at least a couple Burt's Bees chapsticks (my fav is Mango!)

J.R. Watkins Hand & Cuticle salve.. this is a hand saver! Again, a Birchbox goodie

Also, hand sanitizer. Always.

6. Randoms- Pocket brush, work keys, gum, snacks (ALWAYS carry snacks to prevent headaches)

7. Electronic stuff- Bluetooth earpiece, earbuds, cell phones (small one is my work cell).

So there you have it!

My new purse is from the Coach Factory Store (a fancy way of saying "outlet"). This lovely establishment is located 3 miles from my house. Dangerous.

Lucky for my bank account, I usually have pretty good self-control. 

I was desperate for a new purse, though, so I picked up this gorgeous thing!

What's in your bag?

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Oh, and by the way...

Check out Stephanie's giveaway! I'm giving something away... and here's a little hint :)

That's not a hint at all. I just spoiled it. 

GO ENTER NOW! 

************************

Last but not least.

I can't believe it's been 11 years. I'll never be able to forget the feelings of shock, fear, and confusion {and so much more}. I'm thinking of the families of those who lost their lives and can't even imagine how they must feel. The patriotism and unity that resulted from this tragedy makes me proud to be American. I hope that everyone can take a moment to remember <3

Weekend Update

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Ugh, it's Monday now... let's just not talk about that.

This weekend... hmm I felt like we spent a lot of it in the car running around doing errands, driving to Chris' family's house to sleep, and fun stuff like that. 

Hobby Lobby and Homegoods... I couldn't resist all your fall cuteness. We finally bought pasta bowls, I got a really great smelling candle... It's officially (well, not technically) fall.

Plus, today was the first Redskins game of the season! Yep, feels like fall to me!

And we won. Chris will be in a great mood all week!

Let's talk about the whole "driving somewhere else to sleep" thing. 

We have nightmare neighbors who live above us. They are extremely inconsiderate and rude 24/7. Not only do they walk loudly all the time, they stomp even louder when they know we're home. Sometimes, we are woken up in the middle of the night by them doing...well, you know. Gross. They pretty much never sleep and are up around 4 or 5am every day slamming around. Chris can't even sleep in the master bedroom most of the time because of the noise. I can sleep through some of it, luckily. 
A month ago, things became uncontrollable. We heard them screaming off the balcony at 1:30am, slamming around, etc so we called the police. 3 times. It did nothing. The noise actually got worse and lasted until 5am.

Our leasing office will only offer to move us (at our expense) to a different unit. Several times we have agreed to do this, and then they stop responding to us. Basically, the landlords are doing nothing. It's frustrating and ridiculous. 
Right now we're exploring our options and hopefully will be leaving soon. We've done everything we possibly could in this situation and are just done. So, when the noise started up again Saturday night, we hightailed it out of there. Obviously, calling the police does nothing so leaving was our only option.
It's extremely frustrating to not be able to stay in our apartment which we pay for, especially an apartment that we love and have put so much time into decorating...without the noise problem, we'd probably stay for at least another year. 
So, that was a total sidetrack. Has anyone else had similar experiences? (I hope not. I wouldn't wish this on anyone!) If so...What did you do in this situation?

Besides all that nonsense, it was a good weekend and I think we've both finally gotten rid of colds. And... I worked on my first ever giveaway coming up in a few days! I'm so excited. 

I'm linking up with Sami, Dana, and Leeann as usual for Weekend Update!

Sunday Social

I thought I would join up with Sunday Social today!

Watching football, drinking pumpkin beer and blogging... what could be better?

1. What is the name of your blog and how did you come up with it??
So... it's a play on "Sugar Spice and Everything Nice"... you know, from that nursery rhyme?
"Sugar and Spice" represents my personality to a T. I'm a pretty easygoing and nice person but my personality definitely has a little sass.
"Dash of Advice" represents my job as a therapist and general tend to give decent advice.

2. What do you love the most about blogging?
I love meeting and getting to know blog friends! 
I really like writing and getting my thoughts out there (even if no one ever reads them). I have a few blog posts I haven't published, and don't know if I ever will. It makes me feel so much better to just write things out.
Blogging is so supportive and is a community I never even knew about when I started this blog. I love it!

3. What are your 2 favorite posts you've written?
I feel like I have so many good posts ahead of me! Here are my favorite two so far...
French Toast Bake
That should be self-explanatory. This is an amazing recipe!!
Reflections- 4 Years
This is my only blog post about my career! So why is it my favorite? Read and you'll see. When something is such a big part of your life, it deserves a post. 
I also tend to re-read it when things are tough. Kind of like self-therapy?

I can't stick to just one. Here's my third and one of the most recent..
Fall Wreath

4. What is something you'd want to tell someone just starting out in blog world?

Well, I haven't been around too long but from my experience so far, I would say reach out and make friends with other bloggers. It makes blogging so much more fun. Leave comments on other blogs! I'm terrible with this sometimes. It does take time. Don't worry about the number of followers you have, focus on the content of your blog and being genuine. If you have a day where you don't feel like blogging, don't. Don't put pressure on yourself. There's no right or wrong way to blog! Oh also, don't demand people to follow your blog when you leave comments on other blogs. 

5. Biggest blogging learning experience you've had?
I feel like I'm learning every day. I've definitely learned that I have to be organized or else I'll forget things. 

6. Give us 3 blogs we NEED to be following that you love. 
Just 3? Well, you're getting 4.
Dani, Leigh, Steph, and Niki are a few lovely ladies who I "met" when I first started blogging. All of them always comment on mine and other bloggers' posts, and are so supportive and sweet. I'm also excited to say that they're all participating in my upcoming giveaway, so you might want to visit again soon!

I hope you enjoy the last bits of your weekend! :)

High Five for Friday!

I feel like I'm living for the weekend lately! 

There definitely were some fabulous things about this week, though.

I hope you all had a great week and have some fun weekends planned! 

{1} Salted Caramel cupcakes. Almost 2 years ago, I was baking these cupcakes and dreamed up this little blog. I didn't really keep with blogging until a few months ago, but those cupcakes will forever be tied to Sugar, Spice, and a Dash of Advice! :)

{2} This is totally not a highlight but Chris and I both got sick this week... he got hit a lot harder. I took a trip to Target and stocked up on stuff to make us (mainly him) feel better. 

Can we talk about those Edy's pineapple popsicles in the back there? Freaking amazing. I've been eating popsicles like it's my job lately. (I WISH it was my job.)

{3} Staff Retreat for work- this is why I made the cupcakes (like I needed a reason?). Normally I don't talk about work but I just had to say that I work with an amazing group of women. No matter what, we are a team and are supportive of each other. I've been very lucky!

Totally wish I could post a picture because we took some silly ones, but I doubt they would appreciate their faces showing up on my blog. Haha!

{4} Impromptu date night

Chris and I had a random date last night. He wanted to take me out to cheer me up about some crappy stuff that I've been dealing with.. how sweet :) 
We went out to dinner at PF Chang's and then to the mall to buy this game we saw the other day. I am not a huge game person but we played it the other day and he really wanted it. It's a lot of fun and cool to do something different.

PF Chang's was amazing, by the way. Of course, we got lettuce wraps. We were so hungry I didn't think to snap a picture. This was my fortune, though...

Luckily, I already had thanks to some amazing people in my life!

{5} Smell of cinnamon in my house...

Thanks to this cinnamon broom. I didn't even know these existed before dating Chris. His mom always has these in the house around the holidays. They literally fill the house with amazing cinnamon smell for weeks. Naturally, I had to get one as soon as I saw them at Wegman's. I used some leftover fall flower stuff from my fall wreath to decorate it!

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend! :)
Linking up with Lauren as usual!