Thrifty Monday

Welcome to a new week friends!!!

I hope you've all had a GREAT weekend. Mine was pretty good. I spent the majority of it with my family, then spend a few hours with my babe thrifting on Saturday. We stopped by to see a few friends, grabbed a bite and were in the house relaxing by 9:30, LOL! Sunday, we went to church and as usual, the message was uplifting and relateable. 

I decided to wear two of my favorite thrifted pieces. My maroon, Coldwater Creek dress ($2.50) was purchased on a thrifting trip in Laurel, MD one weekend. I LOVE the slits in the dress, as well as the fit. It hugs my body just right! The leopard jacket (which is very lightweight) is form 2nd Avenue in Columbia. As you already know, I am a sucker for anything animal print ;-) I added my thrifted necklace and glasses (99 cents) to complete the look. 

My next look is from last weekend. My fiance' and I were asked by our good friends to host their wedding reception. With pleasure, we accepted and I immediately was on a hunt for a lavender/purple dress, per her request. I could not find anything lavender but I remembered I had a purple dress hanging in my closet. I purchased this dress form 2nd Avenue months ago for $3.50 and have been wanting to wear it for quite sometime now. The shoes were $14.99 from Marshalls and the earrings are my moms. Perfect look, huh?

Dress: Thrifted

Shoes: Marshalls

Earrings: Borrowed (Mommy)

Clutch: F21

As always, thanks for reading and I will speak with you soon. My next post is all about my 50,000 view giveaway so STAY TUNED!!! Be blessed! 

PS Don't forget to get your tickets for the upcoming Swap & Shop Event. Plus size clothing  (14-24) will be on sale at the event...hope to see YOU there!!!

(click photo for tickets)

Growth...{26}

Well, hello! I didn't get a chance to get into my birthday weekend, so here goes!

Whenever my birthday rolls around, I get super excited because I was raised in a household where we celebrated everything! Be it a birthday, anniversary, new job, good grade on a test...it was always a celebration. As a child, I was always expected to do well and be successful, so the celebrations were a bonus ;-)

This year was no different. I decided to spend the Saturday with my love and we went thrifitng, shopped some more and had a nice lunch. Then, we met up with my family and headed to Reston, VA for dinner. While there, we attended a pageant to support a few of my sisters friends and their families. All in all, it was a very nice day. I've said it many times on my blog before but, I am a simple girl. I adore my family and my fiance' so any chance I get to just be around them is fine with me.

Sunday, I took time to sit back and think of all the GREAT things that are coming up this year. I haven't shared this with my blog family but, I've made the decision to complete my B.A. degree at Morgan State University before I get married. The original date of the wedding was scheduled for December 30, 2012 but after much prayer and talking to my fiance', we've changed the date to May 26, 2013. This date is a week after my graduation which is so ironic. To close one chapter in my life one week and then begin another the next week seems crazy! But I honestly feel that this decision is the right one. Graduating and finishing undergrad before I say "I do" is something I am doing for me. And the fact that Darrius understands that and is motivating me makes me love him even more.

Not only will this give me a chance to finish what I've started, but it will allow Darrius and I to grow even more. Marriage is not something we plan on entering into lightly---the union of marriage is important to us. And I feel that once I have achieved my accomplishments, I can then focus on being married. I've seen too many people rush to get married because they're in love and in the end, they're unhappy and wish they'd taken more time to think things through. I don't want to end up like that. Yes, there will be issues and problems that we'll have to face; that's life. But if we work out the kinks and take our time now, a lot of issues will already be avoided.

With all that being said, I want to close by sharing my list of 10 goals I have for this year. Last year I did 25 things I wanted to do, but I realize that quality is more important than quantity. Also narrowing it down to 10 goals will give me a better chance to really focus of one goal at a time. After glancing at my list from last year (HERE), I can smile knowing that I can cross of a lot of things! 

1. Improve my Relationship with God

2. Receive my Undergrad Degree

3. Have a WONDERFUL and FUN time at our wedding

4. Save $$$ for our home

5. Focus on  Starting My Business 

6. Expand my Blog 

7.Live a Healthy Life

8. Take a Dance Class 

(I've always wanted to take a hip-hop class, LOL)

9. Give back to my community

10. Continue Living a PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE

Be blessed and TTYS!! 

Engagement Party Recap

HAPPY MONDAY!!! Hope everyone is doing great :-) As you know, my weekend was filled with fun, love and excitement. Our engagement party was on Saturday and it was a huge success. Darrius and I were so overwhelmed with the love form our family and friends. We were also so busy hosting and talking to everyone, we didn't even get to eat!! LOL.We did take a few pics but honestly, it was cool. Our guests had a wonderful time. As far as my outfit, I opted for all black at the last minute and did some great accessories. To be honest, I was so excited and happy, my outfit didn't count as much as I thought it would. I was comfy, cute and that was what I wanted :-)

The theme was, "Their Favorite Things", so we had a mixture of our fav foods (sushi, pizza, Famous Daves & Olive Garden), a Sweet Shoppe (brownies and an ice cream sundae station), our fav music (Badu, Ledisi, Kindred, etc.), and our pictures were strategically placed as decoration. Also, my mom bought two bunches of orange roses, my fave ;-)

All in all, the event was just the most humbling experience. As we were saying our thank yous, I got so emotional (as I am now while typing this post). Looking around the room, taking it all in, and realizing how blessed Darrius and I are to have such a solid support system just made my heart overflow (and my tears, LoL). I mean, my parents allowed us to have more than 40 people in their home and spent their time and money to make the party happen.While his family took the time out of their weekend to drive (and stay) to where we were to share in this moment with us. Our friends also took the time out of their schedules to come as well and it was SOOO good to see each and every one of them. All I can say is that I am forever grateful for everything...I love my man, my family, and my friends and will never forget that day! #BLESSED

~Nic

{Me & My Love...our smiles say it all}

 

{Me & Danyelle - My Best Friend of 14 years...also my Maid of Honor}

{Nikki & Lauren - 2 of My Brides Attendants & the Sweetest Ladies I know...I LOVE them!}

{My Little Sister/Junior Maid of Honor, My Little Couisn JoJo & Little Harlynn}

{My Cousin/Groomsmen/Soloist Terrence & Bestie Danyelle}

{My Cousin/Usher Terrell & His Brother}

{Me & My Cousin/Godsister/Ride or Die, Ashley...she is also one of my Brides Attendants}

"The Del State Crew"

{Me, Danyelle, and my favorite Twins, Jess & Jen - Brides Attendants}

{Me & My homie, Jamal}

"My Bakers Crew"

{Kamielle/Brides Attendant & the 2 Hostesses, Maryann & Bre}

{Darrius & His Brother/Best Man with his lovely family}

{My Ma James, Darrius' Godmother, and my future Father-in-law}

 

{Darrius' Grandparents}

{My Mama, Godmother, and 2 Great Aunts}

Playing Catch Up...{30 for 30}

Day 6: A Photo of an Animal I’d love to Keep as a Pet

I am honestly NOT an animal person but I do love fish. And why, I don't know, but I have been wanting a little puppy for quiet sometime. I just know I do not have the time to take proper care of a pet. Maybe when Darrius and I get married---we'll see ;-)

Day 7: My Dream Wedding

How ironic?!! Well, seeing as how I am planning my "dream wedding" as we speak, I have always wanted my wedding to be 3 things: fun, classic and simple. Hopefully the wedding board below will express some of my (latest) ideas. Nothing is set in stone, but this board is much more focused and much more accurate than my last wedding post. Enjoy!

Day 8: A Song to Match My Mood

Well, since the Ravens lost today, I am not in the best mood, lol. BUT, I have a busy and eventful week/weekend coming up so I can't help but think of a better song than the one below to play for you other than Goapele's, Closer. There are so many great things happening in my life right now, I can honestly say that I am so much closer to my dreams. I am truly blessed!

Day 9: A Photo of the Item I Last Purchased

I JUST purchased this jacket from 2nd Avenue this past weekend. It's a men's jacket, but I loved the way it fit me and of course, I fell in love with the back ;-)

Day 10: A Photo of My Favorite Place to Eat

Hands down, San Sushi in Towson, MD. Their rolls and chi tea are to die for! And when the mango sticky rice is in season....SIIGGHH!!! OMG it's sooo good!!

Weddings, Votes & Ideas...(& My 100th Post!!!)

Happy Tuesday my fellow bloggers! I hope that everyone has been doing well. I have had a crazy few days but I am thankful that I am healthy and back in the swing of things.

First, I want to thank my new followers on Nic's Picks (the blog and the facebook page). It always feels great when I see that I have new followers. After all, don't we blog so that people can connect with us and view our posts? It is truly appreciated and I can't wait to post even more!

I have recently entered my first online contest. It's thru MTV and its the Cotton 24-hour Contest. My friend brought this to my attention and suggested I do it. I was hesitant at first because I haven't really put myself out there to be voted for so to speak. But I said hey, why not? It's fun and if I win, how awesome would that be??!!

{This is the photo I used...Also seen HERE}

So with that said, here is the link if you would like to cast a vote for my comfy cotton look. Just click the link and find my name (Whitney James) and "like" the pic. That simple. The link is, http://cotton24hours.mtv.com/lookbook/ . Thanks in advance and we'll see what happens :-)

Lastly, I wanted to share a few wedding inspirational photos I've come across, without giving away too much ;-) I would love the read feedback's of what you all think and I am always open for ideas. I also post A LOT of ideas on my Facebook page which is http://www.facebook.com/#!/nicspicks. I actually have an album dedicated to 2012, which is the year we will be getting married.

Thanks in advance for the votes, ideas and follows. Take care & be blessed!!

~Nic

The BEST Weekend, Ever...

Where do I begin?!?!

If you follow me on Twitter/or Facebook, you know why I had the best weekend ever. For those who are still wondering....I GOT ENGAGED!!! :-) I am beyond excited, but more than anything so blessed and thankful for such a wonderful man. My family planned the whole proposal and lets just say, I was SHOCKED! Although we have been together for almost two years, and have talked and planned things as far as "our wedding", seeing it all come to life is amazing. It's so surreal. I was literally speechless, lol. I am so used to controlling everything and for once, I had zero control and to be quite honest, it was perfect. I honestly am so blessed to have the greatest family; they never cease to amaze me.

The pics below are not of the actual proposal but afterwards. There were tears, flowers, singing, hugging and everything in between....I am still beaming from ear to ear!! ;-)

I would be lying if I said I wasn't going to be posting info about my fav wedding fashions in the near future. So bare with me. I can't contain my joy ;-) Also, I will be posting various options and favs on my Facebook page too so feel free to check them out and give feed back.

Thank you to everyone who wished me well thru various social networks. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we start this new journey together.

Be blessed!

~Nic

P.S. { Now my favorite accessory is indeed my engagement ring ;-) }

IN THE BEGINNING...

THE BEGINNING OF OUR JOURNEY....

THEY EVEN HAD TIME TO GET A CAKE!!...I HAVE THEE BEST FAMILY!!

MY COUSIN/BROTHER TERRENCE (in the grey) IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST!...HE SANG BRIAN MCKNIGHT'S, "NEVER FELT THIS WAY" ON MY LAWN WHILE MY BABE PROPOSED...#AMAZING

CARDS FROM MY FAMILY, MY WEDDING PLANNER, & FRESH JOURNAL TO JOT DOWN MY THOUGHTS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS (THANKS MOMMY!)

Tuesday & Wednesday Adventures

The past few days have been pretty good. I was able to enjoy my days off. I had good times with my family, visited my friend Kamille, met up with fellow blogger Cortnie (see blog here), spent time with my babe, all the while squeezed in some budget worthy shopping. To say the least, I've enjoyed every moment.

I decided to head to Macy's to find an outfit for an upcoming wedding this Friday. I wasn't sure what I was even looking for, but I did find some great items. Two dresses for the price of one to exact :-) I also met up with Cortnie that day, as I mentioned previously. Meeting her was such a joy. It's amazing how much you have in common with someone sometimes. It's also crazy how we both live in the same county. LOL. Can you say small world??? She gave me some great tips and advice on a lot of things, and also shared some of her experiences with me as well. It's always great to connect with someone and do a bit of networking. Cortnie also makes some AWESOME clutches; I cannot wait to purchase a few. Be sure to visit her blog and check them out!

Today, I decided to head to the Goodwill store in Jessup, MD. It's HUGE and I've wanted to go for a while now. When I went in, I was in heaven. LOL. I had a budget of $30 and only spent $22. So I did well, if I do say so myself.

Enjoy the pics and have a blessed night. Will talk to you soon!

~Nic

Pink Dress: Jones New York ($64.00)

Animal Print Dress: Charter Club ($19.99)

*detail on the dress*

*Goodwill Goodies*

*both blouses can be worn in so MANY ways*

(the back of the shirt...LOVE it!!)

*Egyptian inspired scarf ($.50)*

*for my super casual days...all i need to complete this outfit is a pair of skinny jeans & some black chuck taylors*

*Bakers wristlette (LOVE the price!!)*