Spring is in the Air, Y'all

Despite the fact that here in the Midwest the weather is less than spring-like, it seems that in other parts of our fine US of A the weather must be delightful. By far, our top selling item this week has been our Striped Beach Towels. It is amazing the number of towels we've stitched in one week. Serious jealously has set in. With each towel I stitch I am reminded of the sound of waves crashing on the sand, the smell of sunscreen and the warm sunshine streaming down--none of which I expect to experience any time soon. So, for those that will soon be digging their toes in the sand--Enjoy. Think of me. Still wearing my down coat.

Monogrammed Striped Beach Towel: $22

Available in Pink/White, Lime/White, Orange/White AND our newest color Blue/White

For now, I will listen to my beach music and dream.

Here are a few of my favorite {wish I was at the beach} tunes lately:

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Toes: Zach Brown Band

How Forever Feels: Kenny Chesney

Son of a Sailor: Jimmy Buffett

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What are your fave {wish you were beachin' it} tunes?

Best Soup Evah!

Y'all my sister has been holding out on me since around Christmas. We were chatting on the phone the other day and she was telling me that she was fixing Taco Soup "again" for dinner. "Wait, hold the phone," I shrieked. "Why do I not have this recipe?" So a few clicks and an email later I have the BEST TACO SOUP RECIPE EVER! Y'all this stuff is soooo good! And, it is soooo easy! So, since I like to share freely, without being held at the proverbial gunpoint over the phone, I am going to post the recipe here.

I dolloped a bit of low fat sour cream and a pinch of sharp cheddar on top of my bowl for lunch--divine! The photo is of my {empty} bowl...didn't take a photo before....but I promise your bowl will look just as empty!

Taco Soup

1 lb. of ground beef or ground turkey
½ a chopped onion
1 can of mild rotel
1 can of corn
1 or 2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 packet of dry ranch mix
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 can of black beans
1 can of kidney beans

Brown the hamburger meat and onion in a large pot. Drain. Return to pot. Add ranch and taco packets to meet. Stir together. Pour in remaining ingredients. Do not drain the cans. Add 1 or 2 cans of water depending on how soupy you want to make it. Cover and let simmer for 30 – 45 minutes. You can keep it on low for as long as you want, but it needs to cook for at least 30-45 minutes! Enjoy!

**For those of you that do Weight Watchers, this recipe is about 2 points when fixed with 99% fat free ground turkey** ~Thanks Mandy for the points correction :)

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner

Congrats to a fellow chick braving the Midwestern winter!

Third Coast Preppy, you are the winner of the personalized sippy cuppy!

Please email me with your details and your little one will be sipping from his cup in no time!

Saturday Surprise Giveaway!

****This Giveaway is Closed****

Winter weather in the Midwest is a bummer. I've spent the morning watching the Travel Channel taunt me with awesome blue skies and comfortable temps while outside the wind is whipping the snow into what I've been told is called a "ground blizzard". Ground. Blizzard. Two words this Georgia girl never expected to put together in a sentence. Much less, put in a sentence to describe the meteorological events taking place outside her door.

So, with that said, I'm feeling like a little pick-me-up. What better way to make oneself feel better than to give something away?! A little Saturday Surprise, for those that are stuck at home in similar weather, cause I feel sorry for us. I'm an equal opportunities chick. If you've been out in the yard catching up on yard work or taking a stroll in 70 degree temps I despise you you can enter too.

Today's little giveaway will be open through Tuesday at noon (cst). Enter now through Tuesday for your chance to win a Personalized Sippy Cup!

Check out the Sippy Cups on the Monogram Chick website then enter here by leaving a comment with which of the sippy cup top colors is your fav and you'll be entered. How easy is that?

Share this freebie on your blog, tell your readers to tell Monogram Chick you sent them and you BOTH win--sweet! .

*feel free to grab this image for your blogs*

New Robes!

Our super versatile waffle weave cosmetic bags are a huge hit with brides and bridesmaids. And now we've added to our line of fantastic waffle weave products with this terrific waffle weave kimono robe. I love this robe! Personally, I go back and forth between wearing this robe {yes, this is actually mine} and my monogrammed spa wrap after my showers, but I really do love the convenience of this robe. It is perfect to travel with as it folds down nice and compact, yet is functional with pockets and a tie at the waist. Whether your preparing the day's lunches in the kitchen or fixing your hair and makeup in the bathroom, everyone *needs* this robe!

What's better is that it is affordable at just $33. Pair it with a cosmetic bag for the perfect bridesmaid, graduation, mother's day or birthday gift.

Knee length (measures 36 inches) with 3/4 length sleeves.

Choose from chocolate, black and white.

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Pink, Pink and More Pink

So we've been working on some very exciting things here at MC. One of which had us seeing nothing but pink. A certain "Bachelorette" and her cutie, fireman husband are having their second baby {a girl} and her so sweet friend contacted Monogram Chick about being a part of the "sprinkle shower" they will be hosting this month. I jumped on the opportunity and began stitching over 50 pink zippered tote bags! I'll keep y'all posted with pics from the shower, but here is a sneak peek!
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UPDATE: I've had some questions about what a sprinkle shower is....according to this site, a "Sprinkle Shower" is defined as: A smaller scale baby shower in which guests "sprinkle" the new mom with the little necessities she needs for a new baby. It is not a full blown "shower", but just a light sprinkling of gifts. This clever term has been gaining popularity over the years and is becoming a new trend.

2 More For the Taking

**Update: Both bags have been claimed, check back for more "uh-oh's"**

This weekend has been busy-busy with stitching. When I'm busy-busy with stitching, mistakes happen....and you benefit!
I worked like a crazy woman on these pink bags {more info to come soon--very exciting!} and accidentally stitched one with black thread rather than brown thread. If your initials (or you know someone with the initials) are AA, this pink zippered tote is for. There is nothing wrong with it, it is brand new...simply stitched with the wrong color thread for the project.

The chocolate blooms ensemble is the number one selling backpack/lunchbox/snack square, etc. design for girls. Most often clients choose pink thread to match the zipper so my brain was thinking pink (seriously, when you see ALL the pink zippered totes, you'll know why). My brain should have been thinking lime green. The adorable trim on the chocolate blooms set has not only pink and fuchsia but also lime green. So, long story short, this toddler sized backpack with the name Claudia should have been stitched in lime green but wasn't. Again, my mistake is your gain. If you know a Claudia that can't live without this bag, it's yours.

Here's the deal. In order to claim your free schwag you must be the first to email me with the item you'd like AND your mailing address.

As Promised....

I know I've been promising this for a few days now {we've been working on something exciting that you'll get a sneak at very soon which has kept me uber busy and unable to find the time to add the new product to the site} and it is finally here. Without further ado the newest product to be added to the Monogram Chick line is a Monogrammed Market Basket! Go green whilst you keep your preppy style with our fabulous Black Market Basket (more colors soon to follow!).
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Perfect for keeping that monogrammed minivan organized, taking with you those marathon sporting events, toting your tolietries to the hall bath, saving the use of plastic bags at the grocery store...the options are endless!


Since I've been promising these all week and am only just delivering on my promise today I am offering the Market Baskets at a sale price of $33 (plus shipping) for one week. Take advantage of the sale and snag one for a friend and one for yourself.

Cleaning Out

****UPDATE****

The "Sarah" bag has been claimed, the "Chase" bag is still available!

So we ventured into the basement tonight...scary, I know. While going through the depths below I came across 2 backpacks. One for a boy, one for a girl. The male backpack is embroidered with the name "Chase" and is black, blue and yellow. The female backpack is embroidered with the name "Sarah" and is black with a black/white zebra trim. These were samples some time ago. Since they were made, the manufacturer has discontinued them. They are brand new and never used. They were stitched, photographed and put away. As the impending move approaches I plan to do more "cleaning out" which is not fun for me, but a winning situation for some of y'all out there.


The first person or people to email me {sarah (at) monogramchick (dot) com} will be the new owner of one (or both) of these backpacks. In your email please include:

the backpack you'd like (indicated by the name stitched on it)

as well as

your name & address.

Super simple, right?
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forgiveness

So today came and went, things got crazy and I did not have a chance to stitch a sample of the N*E*W product I promised today. I assure you it will be up tomorrow {barring major catastrophe}.

So chickadees, have a great night. I'm officially off the clock.

[yes, it is 10.35 CST...a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do to get her work done, right?]

A Piggyback Post

As I said in my last post, I've taken an extremely long hiatus from blogging. It all started during the Christmas rush. I simply had no time to blog or read or comment on my favorite blogs. We were covered up with orders. While this was a major blessing, it it left me with zero spare minutes in the day. I was sad that I missed out on the adventures many of you were having and sharing with the blogosphere. Christmas came and went, and we continued planning Dr. Chick's new orthodontic office. It seems that each night we sat at the computer weighing the options of one floor plan over the other, investigating each possible detail and scenario. While we are not finished and there are many decisions to be made and miles to be traveled as we open an office long distance {while Dr. Chick finishes his residency} I plan to be around more often. No more ski trips planned & no major holidays in the near future so I'll be here. And I'll be at your blogs, reading and commenting about you're adventures.

Tomorrow, I will be introducing another new product to the Monogram Chick line of personalized, preppy goodness. Check back to see the reveal!

I've Been Gone Far Too Long

Ok Y'all. I have to admit I have taken a hiatus from the blogdom. It is sad, I have missed out on so much in all of your bloggy lives. Not the least of which is my bbf's much anticipated blog redesign: according to nina. I know many of you have been, you've see how fantastic it/she is and you're regulars. But, if you've not been, you've not seen how fantastic it/she is and you're not a regular....GO.

When you get there and fall in love with this chick tell sweet Nina I said hello. I'll see you over there--for sure!

Go. Now.

Serious Excitement!

I cannot tell you how excited I am. Seriously, I have been waiting since August for the newest addition to the Monogram Chick line and they are finally here! What's all the excitment for, you ask?




Well,








I'll








Tell








You....









PREPPY WATER BOTTLES!

Our Preppy Travel Mugs are one of our number one selling items and I know you'll love the Water Bottles just as much (if not more) as the travel mugs. They make great gifts. Perfect teacher gifts, graduation gifts, and hostess gifts....the list goes on!

Sporting one of these fantastic monogrammed water bottles at the gym, during class, or in the carpool line, you're sure to be the talk of your friends!

Here are the stats on the "preptastic" water bottles:
-Stainless steel construction
-17 ounce capacity
-Flip top with straw

Green, Blue and Black

These are the colors of the Monogram Chick world right now! The Chick is enjoying time on the slopes of Colorado!

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Hope y'all had a great week and will have a great weekend, back to our regular blog postings on Monday...we have some exciting news and introductions to make!!