Friday quickies.

1. These lovelies arrived yesterday and I'm IN LOVE. And no I didn't cheat! I know what you're thinking, but I'm still on hiatus. These were my prezzie for helping out a friend with their taxes. She somehow gets her hand on my wishlist each year and these happened to be my #1 must-have item this spring. They are like butter on my feet. Scrumptious! And now I *need* every color...

2. Some skank-ho outbid me on my roller skates last night. I thought I had set my max bid, but apparently not because she got them for less than my max. That tramp. Well y'all were close on guessing my need for the skates and knee-high socks... kuntry bride and her new hubby are having a joint 30th birthday party this summer and it's a 70's themed costume party. So my immediate thought was ROLLER SKATES! I'm going to find one of those hideous strapless terry one-piece shorts outfits and do Farrah hair. It's gonna be great. I sure hope they have a disco ball.

3. I think we're definitely putting our townhouse on the market soon. We're meeting with a realtor this weekend. We've already had an inspection done this week and an appraisal is taking place today. We had the big talk with my parents this past weekend and my dad was like, "what if the townhouse went away, would y'all be OK then?" More on this later, but long-story-short, they are stepping in and helping us to get rid of it. All I can say is, my father the hero! It makes me sad that it will probably have to sell at a loss (more like undoubtedly). It was our first house and we just loved it.

4. My Amazon order came in this week. I now have a lifetime supply of Crystal Light Iced Tea flavor.

5. We're going to IKEA on Sunday right after church to get rolling racks for my swap. Lord help us. I can't handle that place on weekends, but hopefully getting in there right after they open will work out. I've got my item # ready. In and out! Yeah, like that's possible.


Alrighty, y'all have a fabulous weekend! Our dinner's in the crockpot and then we're taking the 3 sillies for a walk. I'm loving this weather!

Fun on Ebay.

I just got these knee-high socks yesterday...

And I'm currently winning the bid for these beauties...

Guess what I'm doing!

(And don't you dare go and try to outbid me!)

I'm still on shopping hiatus, but this doesn't count.

How I Met Your Mother

Anyone tuning in to this tonight? I know I am! 8:30pm (EST) tonight on CBS.

Hope y'all had a great Easter Sunday! I froze walking in and out of church, but I looked cute doing it. Back later...

There goes another one...

So remember how I told y'all last week that one of the couples in our small group announced they were unexpectedly preggers? Yeah so last night we had group again and guess what happened... Yep. Another couple announces they're pregnant. I swear everyone around us is gettin' knocked up. It's pretty comical sometimes really. It doesn't get me down - it's just more like oh geez, another one? I'd be lying if I said it didn't sting just a little, but I'm just not the whoah-is-me type. Well of course I and the other chick in our group with baby-making issues are hoping this is contagious! It would be fun for all of us to be sportin' big bellies at the same time. Haha - we'll see!

So tonight is my girls' night and I'm beyond excited! We're staying at my friend's condo in Grant Park and walking somewhere fun for dinner. Then we're getting up early to go to breakfast and then get pedi's at a local spa. I need a pedi SOOOOO bad. (I know the gals in my yoga class think so.) And just in time for Easter! I must have pretty toes for their spring debut on Easter Sunday. I've been gloppin' on (is that a word?) my self tanner lotion all week so my pasty whites don't scare the small children. I'm wearing a repeat of last year's Easter look - but we're actually attending a different campus of our church now, so it's not *really* a repeat then, is it?! It's a great Lilly shift dress I got at Off 5th last year. And a lime green 3/4 sleeve cardi and my Lilly espadrilles. I wore the crap out of these last year... love them! I got them for like $40 online from Saks last year.

So yeah - looking forward to my little girly getaway tonight. I need it after the week I've had! And thanks to all of you for your sweet comments on my last post. Y'all are always so encouraging! Alright - signing off. TGIF and Happy Easter if I don't pop back on before then!

Scary Weather Part II

Holy hell this pic is crazy! I know it's kinda hard to see with it being this small, but that dark column just to the right of the Bank of America building (the tallest one on the left) is the actual twister that hit last Friday. How scary looking is that?! There is still lots of cleanup going on downtown. I haven't been down there this week, but a couple of my girlfriends and I are having a "slumber party" tomorrow night at my friend's condo in Grant Park. She said driving around her area it's like war zone.... untouched.... war zone.... untouched. Luckily, her little condo was completely untouched! And I'm so glad our slumber party wasn't last Friday. She was out of town, so she actually missed all the drama. Anyway, I guess I'll get to see some of the damaged areas tomorrow night. So many people lost their homes - it's really sad.

On another note, please keep me and the hub in your prayers! We are struggling financially right now - well we always are, given that we still have two damn house payments! But it's been especially tough the last couple of months with the hub switching jobs and also the continued piling on of medical bills (and those will only grow!). Legal issues with the hub's old office have surfaced (non-compete stuff) - can't really talk about that, but yeah, just another thorn in the side. Plus it looks like we will end up owing this year on taxes - which sucks ass. Oh believe me - we're dumpster diving for deductions this year! So hopefully I can widdle that down as much as possible before 4/15. I'm not one to complain about money issues - afterall, we made our own bed (OK not the medical part though - God, you get those points). So I'm not asking or praying for a miracle fix; my prayer is just to continue to trust in God and know that he'll provide. He always has - it's truly amazing. We've had months before where we're just like, how the hell are we gonna make it? And something shows up out of the blue or something changes - and look! - we made it. So it's really just a matter of me trusting in God and taking it one day at a time. And of course praying for him to help me make smart decisions everyday (i.e. continuing my lousy shopping hiatus). And I have wonderful parents that have offered time and time again to help us out, but I *hate* asking for help. It's comforting to have that safety net, but it would always be a last, last, LAST resort. We're also toying with the idea of throwing our townhouse back on the market to see if we can rid ourselves of it at last. I know we'll probably have to take a hit on it, but hey - it's really just a money pit right now, so what's the diff? So yeah - prayers please! And if anyone's lookin' for a killer townhouse in Dunwoody, I can totally hook you up.

Alright - I'll be back later with some less dreary content. Happy Friday Eve - woot woot!!!

A peek in my "someday closet."

I told y'all earlier today about my productive weekend. I'm still so excited about all that I got done. So while going through all the junk that had accumulated in the nursery, I came across some fun stuff. First, my childhood bear, Lisa, who is NEVER to be thrown out! My dad got her for me in New York City when I was a baby. We've got pictures of me and Lisa together in my avacado green playpen. We go way back.

As you can see, she needs a little repair. Poor girl has been stitched up so many times!

I also came across both of my prom dresses and had a good laugh. Oh those were the days... This is my junior year prom dress. Made famous by Alotta Fagina in Austin Powers. (I totally wore it first though.)

And then here's my senior prom dress. Pretty killer, huh? Damn right, it is!

I mean, the midriff bearing lattice was so ahead of its time...

So you can really appreciate the effect, here's my mid-section alla 13 years ago...

I wish I had a better picture to show so you could fully take in those candy apple red acrylic nails!

Also buried back in my someday closet was my wedding dress. I still have yet to get the darn thing cleaned and preserved - how horrible is that?! Do I still have a chance of getting the stains out? It's been - eek - over 5 years! Did anyone else wait a long time to do this and still have success? It's been on the to-do list for years...

Anyway, so here is the FINISHED product - a newly restored someday closet! I can actually see the floor now, along with all my fun treasures!

Obviously I'm not looking to don my prom or wedding gowns again someday, but here is the bulk of my "someday" items...

Sweet little girl Lilly dresses. I got them all at Costco for stupid prices. Not all at once though. I'd get one here... two there... then I sorta just went nuts. They're timeless, so I'm not worried about whether or not *I* ever get to use them.

And then... yes... my maternity wardrobe. What started as a clearance piece here and there, turned into... an unhealthy obsession! No worries - I'm fully cognizant of my mental shortcomings.

Isn't it a fun closet? So colorful and happy! And CLEAN!!!!!!!!!

Happy Green Beer Day!

This is one "holiday" that pretty much gets overlooked by me... I even totally forgot to wear any green today! (And I've already been pinched once.) Thanks to tax season, I've never really been able to celebrate it. Not that I really care - I'm not huge on going out and drinking, which really, what else is this holiday for but to down ridiculous amounts of green beer? And I don't even like beer. But have one for me if you're feeling lucky today!

So our Dawgs - this is NUTS - won the SEC basketball championship this weekend that I mentioned earlier. I don't follow college basketball at all (we're a football school), but I know enough to know that we suck at it. So winning the championship is insane! A true worst-to-first Cinderella story. Pretty cool. Go Dawgs!

Well this weekend I stayed in - as I promised myself I'd do - and I got SO much done! I was one domestic diva. I was especially productive yesterday from the time I got up till the time I got in bed. I only sat down to eat. OK, and for a little while to blog yesterday... but I was eating at the same time! But listen to what all I got done!!! I completely pulled everything out of our pantry and reorganized it. I threw out four bags of trash - just from the pantry! It looks so amazing now. I love it. Then I went upstairs to my office and got that picked up. It had become a total disaster. Paper and ribbon scraps all over the floor... omg it was a mess. Bills and junk scattered - made myself sit down and go through all those and get them sorted or tossed out. And then I (finally!) completely cleaned out the "nursery" - which had become the full room version of a drunk drawer over time. We've always referred to that room as the nursery because we designed it as such when we (meaning the builders) built the house. So yeah, I was rockin' out to my ipod and tossin' stuff left and right. I came across some fun stuff that had been buried in all the rubble. I took a bunch of pics - I'll have to post those when I get home tonight.

And while doing all this, I was running laundry non-stop. I had 2+ weeks worth and it was bad. I'm still not quite done. A couple of more loads to go... But yeah, I got so much done and felt so good about it. I opened the door to the nursery before I left this a.m. and just sighed a happy sigh - it feels so good to see the floor in there!

Alright, back to work. Yoga tonight. Then I'll catch up with you all later!

I may be twice a teenager's age, but...

I am loving me some accessories from the new Pottery Barn Teen catalog! I've always loved PB and PB Kids, but I found myself dog-earing tons of pages this morning while flipping through the teen catalog during breakfast. For example, I'm pretty sure I need one of these $39 totes...

This one is super fun too...

They have lots of cute, cute luggage pieces that coordinate with these totes in several different really fun and preppy patterns. I also love these little toiletry bags - only $25. I'm sure personalization is extra on these - as is par for the course with PB stuff. Probably $6 extra.

They also have a lot of cute accessories that I think would be great for a nursery. I'm always, always thinking about nursery decor. I'm kind of over the hanging letter name thingee on the walls (no offense if you have that - it's perfectly cute, I just think the look has run its course), but I love finding fun new ways to showcase a name, monogram, or initials like this $99 wall plaque...

And I'm IN LOVE with these print fabric stuffed animals! I seriously might have to snag a couple of these and toss them in the someday closet. I mean c'mon - too cute for words! We're planning on putting in built-in bookshelves all along the back wall of our future nursery. There's a large window in the middle where we'll do one of those bench seat cubby things. So I love finding cute stuff like this and imagining it on those shelves!

And these! What girl doesn't need a pink floral hippo???

I also love, love, LOVE chandeliers and other creative light fixtures in nurseries (well in any room, really). How cute would these balls be in a classic nursery with a little mod twist?!

Love this one. Some of these are cuter than ones I've found on actual baby sites.

This one with shades is also sweet and versatile.

Anyway, so lots of fun little finds in the PB Teen catalog this month. Just flip past the panels of hanging beads and obnoxious bean bags and you might find some super cute accessories!

Scary weather in the city.

Pic from MSN of damage at the CNN Center.

Tornado warnings were all over the news late last night for Atlanta and downtown got hit especially hard. You don't hear about tornado damage much in big cities - seems like they're always hitting more rural areas, doesn't it? So this is scary (OK not that it ever isn't) being in such a highly populated area. There was severe damage at Centennial Park, the CNN Center, Philips Arena, and the Dome - which are all right together. The SEC basketball championship was cancelled and apparently will resume - without fans - at Georgia Tech later (sorry SEC - I hate that y'all have to set foot on that campus). Apparently windows were shattering everywhere, cars were being slung around. And also a nearby mid-rise condo building (or maybe it's a high-rise - how many floors constitute a high-rise?) lost its roof and the top FOUR floors. Luckily that building was under renovation, so there was no one harmed. Though some injuries were reported, no deaths have been discovered - that's nothing short of amazing. I've got to check on all my city-dwelling friends and make sure they're OK. Here are some pics of the damage from the AJC...

Ouch.

One of those big lighted pole thingees in Centennial Park.

Philips Arena. Will my parents still get to see Barry Manilow later this month?

Some building on Marietta St. (I think).

All the windows on one side of the Omni Hotel were blown out. Talk about a wake-up call - scary!

More debris...

That was a billboard, I think.

That would be rainwater flowing down the (indoor) steps to the Congress Center.

Again - what a blessing that no one was killed! It was stormy up by us this morning but we didn't really see any of this mess last night. I think we're all ready for the sun to come back out!

I love you, Amazon.

I've mentioned several times how much I heart Amazon. To me, it's kind of like a virtual Target. I always end up with a ton of crap in my basket when I was just going in for some toilet paper. Plus any site with free shipping and no sales tax gets an A++ from me.



Well this month they have a great promotion running on Kraft products. Basically, if you buy any combo of $59 worth of these products, you get an instant $25 rebate. So in other words - $59 worth for only $34. Now most, if not all, of the items in this promotion are sold in bulk - but if there's something there that's a constant on your grocery list, it may be worth it to you. For me, it's the Crystal Light mix. I found my iced tea flavor in there and got enough in my basket to hit the $59 minimum. Then I did the math with the discount to see if it was an exceptionally good deal. And yeah - it TOTALLY is. It basically comes to about $0.12 a serving vs. the normal $0.25 a serving I pay at Wal-mart (and Wal-mart is definitely on the low end price-wise). And hello - that doesn't even figure in my savings on sales tax. Woo hoo! So check out the sale and see if there's anything you need - there are about 350 products included.

Well I'm just so super excited that it's Friday. I have to work tomorrow, but Fridays still feel like Fridays regardless. The hub and I have a date at Costco tonight. Our $3 hot dog and coke dinner plus a little shopping. And I'm totally excited about it. Costco is the best. We're trying to keep it low-key this weekend - or I am anyway. We ran around so much last weekend that I got NOTHING done. So I have two weeks' worth of laundry waiting on me. And I think two weeks for us is like a month for normal people. We go through an insane amount of clothes in a week.

Last weekend we ate with my parents at Ecco in midtown. OMG. The best meal I've had in a long time! From start to finish, everything from the wine to the entrees to the coffee, was absolutely to die for. I mean there are lots of great restaurants in this city - we really have fabulous dining here. But even at the "best" places you sometimes walk away thinking, OK my entree was great, but the salad was a little lacking, or maybe I would've added a little something to this or that... etc, etc. At Ecco, I would'nt have changed a darn thing. And the service was top notch also - which is huge, especially to my dad. He HATES when servers address us as "you guys." That's like his #1 pet peeve. Our server was totally on top of it and was so knowledgeable on everything. No question stumped her - she was great. Definitely the best dining experience I've had in a while! Can't wait to go back. And while it's easy to spend $$$ there, it's also a place where you could drop in for a cocktail and some small plates or a pizza and not spend much at all. Love it!

In other news, we had small group last night and one of the couples announced they were 4 months pregnant. AND they just got married this past November. AND they were on birth control. Are you freaking kidding me? Those fertile bitches. Hehehhehe... no really I'm totally thrilled for them. The hub and I use the term "fertile bitches" quite lovingly with all our Fertile Myrtle friends. Just kind of funny since there's us and then also one other couple in our group struggling with infertility. Way to rub it in our faces, God! ;-)

Alright girls... I gotta get some extensions done. March 17th is fast approaching (big corporate tax deadline). Happy FRIDAY! Peace out.

Oh dear.

Just got this voicemail from my mom...

"Hey uh... I just got done with my hair and I uh... I think - well, I know - I went a little too far this time. Call me."

Uh oh. She was dying her hair today (on her own). I better call her.


Update: Yeah apparently she decided to take it up a notch this time and go for a darker auburn red color. Hehehehe... she said it looks OK in the dark. In the dark? Yes, in the dark. But in the light it apparently looks purple. Oh dear.

Shopping in my closet.

Getting dressed for work is sometimes a challenge. I want to look cute. But I want to be comfortable. I feel the need to look super cute. But I'm in a hurry and does it really matter because all I do is sit behind my desk all day and crunch numbers... Well yeah the need for cuteness usually rules because I just *feel* so much better when I have on a great outfit - and especially a killer pair of heels. Plus the "fashion" (if you can call it that) in my industry is so drab and boring. Total snooze. When wearing grey instead of black is considered a fashion statement, you know it's bad. I, of course, don't play by those rules.

Anyway, so being that I'm on a total shopping hiatus right now, I have my fun by getting creative with stuff I already have and finding new ways to wear it all. I love putting a new spin on a piece I've had for years - it's almost like getting something totally new. Like this morning I randomly thought to throw on one of my old (probably 5+ years old) sleeveless sweaters over my 3/4 sleeved white button-up. It's not a sweater vest - it's definitely a spring or summer sweater. It has a bit of a bateau neckline. Actually it's the shell to a cardi set, now that I think about it. It's a pretty coral pink and it looks so cute over my white top against my grey pin-striped pants (also old) from J. Crew. I threw on some pearls and then dressed up my wrists with a bunch of silver chain bracelets. I even put on silver necklaces as bracelets. Top it off with my black patent heels and I am DAMN cute! Very menswear inspired - I love it. Yeah so I totally love putting together new combos. And to think I was about to add that sweater to my "ready to toss" pile...

And speaking of ready-to-toss, I am hosting a clothing swap next month. I mentioned wanting to do this a while back. I just sent out the evite a few days ago and I am so super excited! I can't wait to rummage through my closet! And I think it will be such a fun opportunity to get some cool new pieces. I love this idea because I've got stuff like bags and shoes especially that I don't necessarily want anymore but I don't want to just give them away to like Goodwill or something. I rather not throw my old Kate Spade bags in a trash bag and toss them on the back of a truck never to be seen again. I much rather see my girlfriends enjoy them! So I think a swap is great for that reason alone. I also have a bunch of jewelry that I just never wear that's perfectly good but I'm just not into anymore for whatever reason. So I told the girls to bring jewelry too - that should be fun! It should be a great time and if it goes well, I definitely plan to make it an annual or semi-annual event!

Alright... time to get back to work. So many things I rather be doing right now, but duty calls. Oh well - at least I look cute doing it, right?

Thin Mints... is there anything better?

I think not. Definitely not.

I have 4 boxes in my food drawer at work. (Yes, I have a big filing drawer full of nothing but snacks.) Are thin mints really the world's most perfect cookie? They are in *my* world. Maybe it's because I only get to savor them once a year? I only let myself have 2-4 a day (though I could easily eat 24). My little 30 seconds of pure heaven. Mmmm...

Ultimate Blog Party - come on in!

Hey gals! If you've hopped over from The Ultimate Blog Party, welcome! I'm all about finding more and more blog friends, so I thought this sounded so fun. At first I wasn't sure if non-mommas were allowed, but they are, so here I am! Hosting a *party* and talking about myself... is there anything more fun?

OK so a little about me... I'm a 30-year-old Southern girl, married to my hubby of 5+ years and living in the Atlanta 'burbs - Buford, actually. People here always bark about the "Buckhead Betties" so I decided I'll be a Buford Betty - you know, bring some city chic to my little redneck 'burb. I've been in the Atlanta area since I was 2, so it's pretty much all I know. The hub and I have three precious pooches (in case my banner didn't give that away). They're our babies and we are nutz over them. Yes, nutz with a *z* - that is especially nuts. We've been trying to get preggers for roughly 2 1/2 years now - you can see all the details of that hot mess on the right. It's of course been a big struggle for us, and it certainly gets harder as time goes on, but we never let it slow us down. We know it's gonna happen when it's meant to - so for now we're just living up our time together as "just us" - because y'all know that goes out the window once tots are in the picture!

You can really read up on what I'm about here - some of my quirky habits and whatnot. But in general... I'm very girly. I like pretty things. I like wearing pretty things, making pretty things... yep - super girly. I love all things preppy but I like to throw in a little mod and funk in there too sometimes. I think fashion is all about fun and I just love it. I'm definitely an accessories girl. I'll cringe at spending more than $8 on a tank top, but I won't think twice about dropping cash on a new Kate Spade bag or some killer shoes. Well that's if I'm not on shopping hiatus (which I totally am right now and it sucks).

Besides my hubby and dogs, one of my biggest thrills is spending time with my beloved girlfriends. I can't imagine life without them. They're all so different and unique and I'm a better person for knowing them all. I truly treasure my relationships with my girls and I get in as much girl time as I can. You can actually catch my bestest girl here. She's fabulous and you'll agree, I'm sure.

As for things I like to do... I love to throw a party and I usually enjoy the planning process more than the actual party. I have my own invitation business so that keeps me busy in my spare time. I work with a lot of brides, which is super fun because I love everything about weddings. I love trying fun new restaurants - my parents have always kinda been foodies, so I take after them on that for sure. I'm not at all outdoorsy. The idea of hiking or camping sounds like pure torture to me. (Probably something else I inherited from my parents.) I'm also a big home-body. I love going out to dinner and meeting friends or going on a date with the hub, but often my ideal evening is lounging on the couch with a glass of wine and the remote.

That's me in a nutshell really... a large nut. As for my little party here, I will share a yummy crockpot recipe that we tried out this week and LOVED. I found it on Spark People and immediately tried it. Very low cal and very yum-o (my favorite combo)...

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Stew

1 onion, chopped

1 16oz can black beans

1 16oz can kidney beans

1 16oz can corn (drained)

1 8oz can tomato sauce

2 14.5oz cans Rotel

1 packet taco seasoning

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix everything together in your crockpot except the chicken. Lay chicken breasts on top and cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Before serving, shred the chicken and stir in. Great served with sour cream and cheese in a bowl. Or with chips or even as taco filling.

Yeah the hub raved about this one. It's definitely spicy with the Rotel - so if you want to take it down a notch, substitute one of the Rotel cans for a can of plain diced tomatoes. I just had the leftovers for lunch today. Mmmm.... I do love me a good crockpot recipe!

Well thanks so much for popping in to my little party! Please leave a comment if you're a newbie - I'd love to visit you, too! :-) Have a great week and be sure to drop by again!

Finally!!!

After two months of no luck, I FINALLY got a positive reading this morning! No, no - not a prego test, but my ovulation test! I was yet again about to give up, but I finally got two lines this morning. I went back to testing in the morning, so I think that's definitely the reason I wasn't getting a good read before. Alright hubby, it's ON!

I promise to get back to my blog reading and posting... I feel so behind. I've been super busy, not to mention distracted. It's been a rough couple of weeks. I'm hoping to get in some good blog-reading time tonight after yoga. Catch ya later!

SO fierce!

Yay! I was seriously in tears last night when Christian won Project Runway. I just love him. He CRACKS me up. I know some people find him annoying, but he is just pure entertainment to me - not to mention ridiculously talented. And only 21! I totally cracked up at Posh saying his collection was *mayjah* in addition to being fierce! Too fun! I hope they won't make us wait another forever for the next season...

Back to reality.

I'm back at work today. The funeral was yesterday up in Chattanooga, so we got back in town late yesterday. It was kind of a long drawn out process since the cemetary Gran was buried in didn't allow weekend burials (it's a military cemetary). I have some really great pictures of him that I want to share in a bit, but I need to get a hold of them first. He and my grandmother documented everything - it's really amazing. Anyway, thanks so much for all the sweet, sweet comments, blog buddies! They were so uplifting. Many, many thanks! I hope to get back to more *fun* blog topics again soon. I'll be back! :-)