Vera Bradley at Rue La La - Run, don't walk!

The Vera Bradley boutique just opened minutes ago at Rue La La. If you haven't discovered this site yet, it's awesome! They have designer-specific "boutiques" that they open for about 2-3 days with very discounted prices. They had a Kate Spade one a few weeks ago and I got some $180 sunglasses for $60 and I LOVE them! The VB items on this sale are mostly the retiring patterns, but they are way more discounted than in stores. Most things are at least 50% off. Stuff goes fast so hurry up and register and get on if you need some new VB! But Vera fan or not, get on because they have had some great boutiques in the past. Just some off the top of my head... Juicy Couture, Gucci, Fendi, Kate Spade, and Prada!

This fab site grants access by invite only, so to register, you do have to "know someone" as they say... so if you want in, leave your email address and I'll send you an invite.

Happy Shopping!

Wherefore art thou, Fro-Yo?

I just spent 20 minutes circling nearby streets trying to find this alleged Duluth location of Tutti Frutti. The website says there is one... but the address has the wrong zip code. I googled it with the correct zip code (and it *appeared* to be very close to my office) yet no TF to be found... Yes, I know I'm crazy! No need to comment on my mental shortcomings. But do any of my local blog buddies know where this Duluth store is? There are no phone numbers on the site. This is a little shady. Can't a girl get her afternoon fro-yo fix?!


I promise I'll stop talking about my new addiction. I know y'all are tired of hearing about it. I just ate a 100-calorie pack of chocolate covered pretzels that in no way satisfied my fro-yo craving. Oh well. I'm sure a make-up run can be scheduled for tonight. But um... do tell if you know where the Duluth locale resides!

I'm alive!

Woo hoo! I survived my first 5k! I'm not sure what my exact time was, but it was 44 minutes and change. I obviously didn't run the whole time, but I ran farther/longer than I had to date! There was a good group of us that did the race together and it was so much fun. One of our friends won third place in his age group. We didn't win anything (duh), but we crossed the finished line - my #1 goal! Well, that and not dying. Here's a couple of pics of the award "ceremony" and a shot of downtown Dacula where the race wrapped up...





The hub and I are already planning to do another one in early June! He is doing the Peachtree on the 4th, which is a 10k, so he's gearing up for that. He's got money riding on that one with some of his buddies... that's just never a good idea. Especially since one of them was the dude who won the 3rd place prize in this last race. Not good! He's trying to talk me into doing it but I just don't know... It's going to be hot as hell and SO many people. People come from all over to do it - it's like over 50,000 people running it every year. How many of y'all are running it? I've never done it before (obviously) and neither has the hub. I'm thinking hanging on the sidelines in a lawn chair with a Bloody Mary in hand sounds more appealing.

We are going running again tonight after my yoga class - well, if the weather holds out. I think it's supposed to rain at some point today. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! Ours was great. The weather was perfect! Going back to work yesterday totally sucked.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend. May you have safe travels if you're leaving town. We are staying put but I'm so excited to have a 3-day weekend. I'm a big believer in the 3-day weekend. Two days are just a tease.

We have no major plans, but we do have our 5k Monday morning! I am getting really excited. We're going running at the park again tonight - it will be our 4th time. I can see major improvement in myself every time we go. Plus the trips to Tutti Frutti after make me push on through. I am mental! Oh funny story... this morning one of my girlfriends emailed me asking for a little *styling* help on her daughter's 1st birthday party. She said she'd treat me to yogurt at this new yogurt shop she's heard is good but hasn't been to just yet. I was like, um... you mean Tutti Frutti and yes I can vouch for its goodness as I've been 4 times in the last week. I really do have a problem, y'all. But OMG yesterday we got a coupon in the mail (awesome - as if I needed an excuse to go!) and it had the real skinny on the calories. So here is the deal - it is 17 calories per ounce. And fat FREE! So my jumbo 8 oz cup is only 136 calories! Well I add a bunch of fruit, but hey - it's fruit. I'm in love.

Anyway, so the 5k on Monday and then that afternoon we're going over to a cookout at our friends' house for some burgers and bocce ball. So that should be fun! Other than that, we really have NO plans this weekend. Which I love... because that is rare. Tomorrow we have deemed as "Basement-Cleanout-Day!" I'm hoping we really make some progress there because our basement is embarrassing. It's a freaking disaster. I love having a basement so you can store junk down there - but it has just become a total dumping ground. Half of what's down there just needs to be thrown out. So that will be Saturday.

Sunday morning we'll head to church - we haven't been in the last few weeks so I'm really itching to get back. I feel very out of touch if we miss too many Sundays in a row - just seems like we've been all over the place lately! So I'm looking forward to that. And I'm sure we'll throw another run or two in the mix before Monday a.m.

So in other news - I had my annual yesterday with my OB/GYN. I was catching her up on the last year's fun with surgeries and whatnot. I've mentioned it before - but she referred me to my RE and he was actually her specialist when she was having trouble conceiving years ago. I'm currently reading her book (yeah I know I've mentioned that before too but I can take forever to get through a book) and she was like, you know Dr. Toledo (my RE) is the hero of my book, right?! She had very similar infertility issues as I have so that makes me love her even more. Anyway - she goes on and without me even bringing it up, she throws out the idea of trying acupuncture along with everything else. I was like OMG I have totally been researching this lately! She was like yeah, we have no idea why but it has been proven to increase bloodflow to the uterus. And for whatever reason it seems to help some with endo. So now I'm like totally sold. And then I'm on the phone with my mom afterwards telling her all this and she's like, well you know I did acupuncture for my hand, right? Um, nooo... I did not know that! I seriously expected to get an eye roll from my mom at the mention of acupuncture but she was all for it. Who knew?! My doctor gave me a name of someone here that used to be an anesthesiologist and is now a full-time acupuncturist (is that a word?!). Because of that, my doctor said this chick would fully understand my "issues" as my doctors do. So that's exciting...

Well I'm counting down the hours till the weekend... I hope you all have a fabu holiday! And my heart and prayers go out to all of you remembering those lost in the war and wars past. I'm so very proud of our military and all those who have served in the past. I hope everyone takes a moment to remember them inbetween the beer and burgers! :-) Be safe and have fun!

New Birdies.

Awww.... our little birdies that have been nesting on our front porch have new little birdie babies! Oh they are so cute. I think these are morning doves - some kind of dove anyway. I had a pair of these nest outside my apartment years ago in one of my hanging baskets. It made for a horrible Catch 22 with watering the plant... If you water it, you freak the birds out, but if you don't, they lose their safe cover. I just tried to water as carefully as I could without disturbing the little ones. I watched as the little darlings went from two itty bitty eggs to two feather puffs.

Well one morning I apparently chose the wrong time to water the plant. Neither the momma or daddy birds were there (I guess they were looking for breakfast). So I decided to water and I apparently scared one of the poor little ones because he FREAKED out and fell completely out of the nest! OMG I was horrified. And did I mention that I was on the 3rd floor?! The poor little helpless creature tumbled all the way down to the ground. He attempted to fly but he just wasn't quite there yet. Now *I* was freaking out! I called the hub (who was probably my fiance at the time) and told him what happened and asked what I should do. He told me to not touch the bird because if the momma smelled me on him she'd abandon him. OMG! I've surely murdered this poor little birdy! So I went to work that day totally distraught. But would you believe when I got home that little guy was BACK in the nest?! I have no idea how, but he made it back. Thank God!

So for our newest little nesters, the hub joked that I was not to traumatize these poor birds. I'm glad they chose such a great spot and not one of our plants! I researched these birds the first time they nested and the momma and daddy birds actually take turns minding the nest! How sweet is that? It's only one or the other in the nest at a time, but yesterday we happened to catch the parents hanging out nearby while the little ones enjoyed some alone time in the nest...

And how precious are these lil guys?!

25% off everything at Horchow!

OK this is totally late notice as the sale supposedly ends tonight, but you'll receive 25% off your entire purchase today at Horchow when you enter code DREAM25 at checkout. Now I use "supposedly" because they tend to *extend* their sales quite often, but for now it's due to end at midnight central time tonight. (Woo hoo! We east-coasters get an extra hour!) So if you are on a gift hunt or maybe just want some goodies for yourself, it's worth a look! As I've mentioned a million times, this is THE place to go for monogrammed towels - and with the additional discount, it's a no-brainer. With all the crap that comes with a sucky economy, at least we have little bits of silver lining, like killer sales at our favorite stores!

Weekend fun.

What a wonderfully fabulous weekend... after a short day at the office, I ran some errands, including - as predicted - a return trip to Tutti Frutti. I just had to get another fix before leaving town! It was pouring down rain, but I still went. So I arrive home with my bowl of Tutti Frutti to find a BIG ole box from bestest on my front porch. Prezzies!!!! I knew it was coming soon but it was so fun to see it sitting there waiting on me! And even MORE fun when I realized, amongst the other million goodies, were THESE!

These fabulous Bonanno's (my first pair ever!) are my 30th birthday prezzie from bestest! (We both relish in sending our prezzies in a very belated manner. And maybe we're both a weeee bit lazy. But we see it as dragging out our birthdays as long as possible!) Now you know why I call her BESTEST!!! I was so very surprised and excited and extra thrilled that they came in time for my trip!!! They got immediately packed in my bags for Charleston. You spoil me rotten, bestest - I love you!

So I had a fabu time in Charleston with kuntry bride and our girlfriend, whom I'll call "Carolina girl" (so creative!). We left early Friday morning so we could enjoy the afternoon in Charleston. The 5-hour drive went by pretty quickly since kuntry bride and I were gabbing the entire time. I thought about bringing my Harry Potter audio CD's but shoot - we didn't need any entertainment other than ourselves.

After arriving at Carolina girl's cutie apartment in Mt. Pleasant, we freshened up and headed downtown. This was kuntry bride's first visit here, so we checked out the market and walked around some of the more touristy areas. We also dropped in several shops up and down King Street. My favorite of which was their J. Crew because it had a Crewcuts section!!! Atlanta doesn't have CC in any of its stores currently, so this was a total thrill. OMG... it was like cuteness overload. Way, way, WAY cuter in person than online and in the catalogs. It was too delicious for words. Good thing I didn't have a kid to buy for or I would've gone ape shit. I was good though... didn't buy a thing anywhere. Found some really cute madras burmudas at crew on sale but the main color was yellow and they just made my pasty white legs look ever the more pastier. Plus I don't like my legs in shorts anyway, so it was a no-go. While out that afternoon, we also indulged in a scoop from Ben & Jerry's. We're on vaca... so why not?! Now of course everyone else gets the funny flavors with all the cooky ingredients, but I go for plain ole chocolate. I can't handle multiple ingredients in my ice cream.

We later went back to the apartment to change and figure out what we were doing for dinner. We ended up going back into town for dinner at a tapas bar called Meritage - it was delish! We were a little disappointed in one tapa - the goat cheese balls - but all the others were great! My total fave was the tuna tartare. I could've dined on that alone and been happy. Yum-o! The bar scene was pretty hoppin' there (cause you know I'm so up on my bar scenes). Lots of young people but certainly your fair share of random old men sitting at the bar alone. One inparticular, who had to be like 75 at least, took a real liking to kuntry bride. He just stared and stared at her with this goofy ass smile. It was sooooo funny.

The next morning we got in some good beach time on Sullivan's Island. The beach is so great and it's only a 10-minute drive from Carolina girl's apartment. How jealous am I?! Oh to have beach access like that all the time - must be so nice. Only beach I got is the crappy man-made version at the lake. Oh well. So it was super nice to soak in some rays. As usual, I dowsed myself in sunscreen but I evidently failed to get it evenly applied on my backside. I've got a red ass and upper back. It's lovely. I took a pic today of the red hot mess on my back (I'll spare you from my red bum)...

I don't know how well you can see it, but it's really red. And that's 3 days post-scorchfest. The drive home on Sunday wasn't the most comfortable, but I lived. Anyway - after beachtime, we walked over to a local spot on the island that Carolina girl and her friends frequent called Poe's. It was such a fun atmosphere and the food was excellent. I had a yummy seared tuna salad and we all had some delish margaritas. Saturday was just so perfect weather-wise. It seriously could not have been better!

After rinsing off the beach funk, we dressed for dinner and headed into town Saturday afternoon. We first made a stop at the Rooftop Bar at the Vendue Inn. I've actually stayed there before with my parents - I think I was in junior high (so I doubt I got invited to the rooftop bar). Although the weather was so pleasant, it was actually quite freezing on the rooftop because it was crazy windy. It was such a great spot - I'd love to go back when the wind wasn't so bad. We only lasted one drink up there, but it was fun. For dinner, Carolina girl took us to Coast. It was soooo yummy! She really picked great hot spots all weekend long. Everything we had was delish! We girls split a carafe of sangria while waiting for a table and then I had a wonderful grouper dish for dinner. Our waiter was outstanding too - he knew the menu so well and was uber helpful. I would say the food was definitely the highlight of the trip...hahaha... and I feel like all we did was eat! When we weren't eating, we were talking about what we'd be eating next.

One afternoon Carolina girl took us to a cupcake bakery called Cupcake. Now bestest, had our muffin cakes been the ingenius invention we had hoped for, this would've been our dream shop! It was darling and the sugary goodness just hit you when you walked in the door. Visit their site and see how lovely their dollop of icing is... so perfectly scrumptious. I'm not a fan of icing, but the little taste I had was really good. I literally whacked the icing top off my cupcake since I'm anti-icing. So it wasn't nearly as cute without it, but it was yum-o!

Well, feeling fat and happy, kuntry bride and I headed back to the ATL Sunday morning. We really had a good girly time with Carolina girl and we can't wait to go back! The hub survived the weekend without me, believe it or not! ;-) He got in some good time with the yard and the doggies. Sunday night we were both pooped, so we just chilled at the house. But yesterday evening we went for another run and he took me to Tutti Frutti again for my reward. Everyday deserves a little Tutti Frutti. In fact... I better get him to go with me now before American Idol starts. I need my fix. And I apparently need a 12-step program!!!!!!!

New obsession (as of last night)...

...Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt! OMG! A franchise opened up recently right by our house and I've been curious. Well given that I've now committed myself (with an $18 registration fee anyway) to this 5K on Memorial Day, the hub and I went to the park for a run after my yoga class. Well, more like a brisk walk with spurts of running here and there. I did OK though and my reward was going to be some frozen yogurt at Bruster's. But on our way there, I remembered the new Tutti Frutti shop and suggested we try that instead. Well OMG... it did not disappoint! It's a self-serve yogurt place. They have a wall of 8 different flavors (which they change out). They charge by the ounce. So you can combine flavors if you want... I got green apple, strawberry, and chocolate. Those don't really go together I don't guess, but they were yummalicious! The apple tasted more like key lime to me. And then they have toppings you can add - a great selection of fresh fruit including strawberries, kiwi, and my fave - blackberries! Then they weigh it and you're done. I had quite a hefty bowl weighing in at 9 ounces. The hub got a smaller amount I think, but our total was less than $5. Definitely cheaper than our trips to Bruster's.

The best part is, their yogurt is made with all natural ingredients. And the dude behind the counter said it was about 70 calories per half POUND. I think he's lying. Not possible. I'm really thinking he meant 70 calories per half cup, or 4 oz - which is definitely realistic. But 8 oz? Surely not. Is that even possible? I tried to dig up nutrition info online but couldn't find any. Either way, it's not bad at all calorie-wise and it's soooooooo good. There are two Atlanta locations, but they're up here in suburbia. I think they originated in California - not sure though. But there are also locations there, Seattle, and one in TX - per their site.

I seriously woke up in the middle of the night thinking of the yogurt and how soon I could get some more... maybe this afternoon after my brow wax?! I'm only working a half day today since I leave first thing tomorrow morning - yay! Having lunch with Mom, then off to the spa for my brows, and then... I'm thinking Tutti Frutti!!!

I will probably not be back on till after my trip, so have a great weekend, all! I'll tell ya all about my getaway when I return. :-)

Guess who...

...just registered for her first 5k!!! OMG! Have I lost my mind?! The hub is doing it, so I decided to do it with him. Once again, let me make it perfectly clear that I do not run (unless you're chasing me). Am I going to die?!

Ketchup.

I've been running around and not making lots of blogworld time, so it's time to catch up with you all! Did everyone have fabu Mother's Day weekends? We had a great one. My parents treated us to a great dinner at Atlantic Seafood Company. My parents are big fans, so that's where my mom wanted to go. Our entrees were definitely top notch. I had a great Chilean sea bass dish - soooo yummy. The salads were average - nothing special. And we got a big combo appe plate that was good. It was an early dinner, so none of us were up for drinking really - so I can't vouch for their drinks. My mom insisted it was much more "hopping" in the evening (we had a 4pm res that day). And my dad thinks they definitely didn't have their A-game wait staff on duty that afternoon. I hope not because they were not so top notch. My mom was really thrown off when they brought out our salads before our appetizer plate. I was like whatever, no biggie. But she couldn't make sense of it so my Dad had them take our salad plates back and bring the appe plate out first (which took two forevers). But no upsetting the mother on Mother's Day! Hehehe... I will have to say B+ for this one. Again the entrees were FAB, but the mediocre ho-hum salads bring my personal rating down. And the lack luster wait staff doesn't help either. I'd like to go back on a Friday or Saturday night for a real taste. But no matter my rating, I shall still always think of Bobby Brown being arrested there everytime someone brings up this restaurant - as that's the only thing I knew about the place till this past weekend.

Saturday night we went out with some friends and I proceeded to get rather... tipsy. I even drank liquor drinks (which other than margaritas, I don't do) and I also did a shot (which I like NEVER do!). Let's see... I'll just give you the highlights. I spilled wine (and chocolate) all over my dress. I agreed to do a triathlon with my friend next month. Yes, next month. And while waiting on our cab at the end of the night, I nearly fell off some concrete steps but stayed upright by swinging around a tree and holding on for dear life. I have a nice bruise on my elbow to show for it. Oh but it wasn't just me. The hub was doing interesting acrobatic tricks in our friends' driveway and ended up falling flat on his face. He miraculously caught himself but I truly wish I had a video of it because it was freaking hilarious. I still crack up thinking about it. Although it was a rather wild night for us, we were still at home by 10pm. It doesn't take much for us old farts. (Oh and no worries - I told my friend it was just the wine talking when I agreed to do the triathlon, so I got out of that. Good thing since I don't swim, bike, or run.)

So it was definitely a fun-filled weekend. And I am SUPER excited about this coming weekend because I'm heading to Charleston with kuntry bride. One of our girlfriends moved back there after living in Atlanta for a few years so we're going to visit her. I love, love Charleston and cannot wait! Kuntry bride has never been so I'm sure we'll do some fun touristy things. I love the carriage rides through town. I love taking city tours. Remember when we did that bestest? Bestest even brought her precious pooch, Sadie, with her on the tour and she was such a little gem. She just sat quietly in her lap and took in the sites with us. My dogs would've been banned. I can hear them now doing an evil cackle at the idea of "sitting quietly." Anyway, it's the perfect little town for a weekend getaway if you've never been. Lots of Southern charm, unique architecture, intriguing history, great shopping and dining, and great beaches too if you want some beach time. I can't wait! So this week I'm trying to get all geared up for that. I've been running laundry all week since I got NONE done this weekend. Got my hoo-ha waxed yesterday, so I'm bikini ready. I went to a new lady recommended by one of my girlfriends. She was awesome! She was super sweet and did an excellent job, but to top it off, she thought I was still in school and couldn't believe I was married. A nice boost to my ego and my efforts to fool people into thinking I'm really only 21. Oh and she said I wouldn't need an epidural when I give birth because I have a very high tolerance for pain. Hahaha... I guess so. Several of my girlfriends haved described waxing the nether regions as the "most painful experience of their life." OK well either they haven't experienced much pain, or I am just super woman. I'll go with super woman. I mean it's not something I want to do everyday, but it's just not that terribly painful to me. Am I crazy? Beforehand I met one of my girlfriends for lunch here and it was SOOOOO good. A+++! I've always heard of this place but had never been till yesterday. I had gazpacho and a yummy sandwich with artichoke infused goat cheese. OMG. I need to find an excuse to go back like right now.

Tomorrow I get my brows done and I'm also trying someone new for that here. One of my girlfriends goes there and loves it. I feel terrible cancelling on my guy here that I've been seeing for several years, but with gas prices like they are now, the 2-mile commute for this new local spa is becoming MUCH more appealing. Plus services in the 'burbs tend to be less pricy anyway... so if this new chick can do as good of a job, I'm moving. I can handle going in town for like my hair or whatever - because I don't have to go that often. But I have to do brows once a month. I have really dark, full brows so they are rather high maintenance!

So after tomorrow I will be totally vaca-ready. Kuntry bride and I are leaving early Friday morning. The hub and poochies will have to fend for themselves! Anyone else have exciting weekend plans?

Attention local Lilly lovers!

Mint Julep is offering 25% off ANY one Lilly Pulitzer item this weekend in honor of Mother's Day. I'm not sure if you have to have the email to serve as a coupon or not, but leave me your email address and I'll be glad to forward it to you just in case!

H&M has landed.

As I previously reported, the first Atlanta H&M store had its grand opening today. This is one of the smaller stores opening, but it still drew quite a crowd. These pics come courtesy of the AJC.

I don't get over to this particular mall (Northpoint) much, but I may have to venture over there soon to check it out! I'll give it a couple of weeks to settle down some. Maybe I'll take a *long* lunch break one day soon...

5 things I love right now.

Me thinks it's time for another rendition of my favorite things... since I'm finding new ones all the time, you know. As in previous posts (here and here), these are just random *things* that I'm currently crushing on - completely unrelated to one another and in no particular order. Enjoy!





1. Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc. I'm in love with this wine right now. I go through phases with wine. I'll stumble upon one and we'll have a torrid love affair for a few months. So this is my current fling. For those of you with a more sophisticated palate, here's the skinny from wine.com...

Color: Light yellow in color with green hues and brilliant clarity.

Aroma: A distinctive Marlborough bouquet of ripe tropical and citrus fruit.

Palate: Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc is bursting with flavors of lemon, passionfruit and melon. Crisp and zesty, the palate has excellent weight and balance, lingering in a full, refreshing finish.

"Supple, intense and streamlined, with a suave array of grapefruit, mineral, herb and guava tones. Spice tones add complexity, with generous fruit and minerals fleshing out the finish. Drink now. 200,000 cases imported. From New Zealand." - Wine Spectator

I don't know what all that gobbledy-goop means. I just know it tastes damn good. Cheers!

2. Reusable Grocery Bags. It's so en vogue to be green, you know. And I'm trying to do my part. We've started recycling (after having it on the to-do list for years), I stopped buying bottled water and now use refillable bottles, and I also am using my own reusable grocery bags (when I remember to grab them on my way into the store). There are all kinds of fun bags everywhere. Most groceries have some sort of bag starting at $1 or so each. And designer bags have also come out, of course. I saw in the AJC a while back that Hermes came out with one. OK you could like buy a new clean environment with what that bag cost, but hey - I'm glad the filthy rich are all about being stylishly green too. I got some fun ones at IKEA recently for $1.49 and they are great. Total impulse buy - but they were so cheap and cute! That's definitely a good place to find some. I also found this site that has a lot of fun ones. They're a little more costly - more than I'd want to spend on grocery bags, but super cute all the same. I can't get enough of these - I'm getting bestest to make me some too so I can be even more uber stylish at the grocery.

3. Boston Legal. I do love TV. I do, I do. A glass of my Nobilo and the remote make for a dreamy night at home. I love many shows past and present, but I'd have to say Boston Legal (Wed nights on ABC at 10pm Eastern) is my current fave. I love David E. Kelley shows in general - but especially the more quirky ones like Ally McBeal and Boston Legal. I love the humor on this show. It has an amazing cast... James Spader (swoon!), William Shatner, and Candice Bergen, just to name a few. I just love the friendship between Alan (Spader) and Denny (Shatner). I love the last few minutes of the show where the two of them share a drink on their office balcony, and many times decide that a "sleepover" is in order. I love the diverse characters. I adore Christian Clemenson's character on the show, Jerry, who is nothing but lovable. He suffers from Asberger's Syndrome and has these adorable little quirks. He's beyond brilliant, yet very socially awkward. And I love that Alan cares for him so much (the two are pictured above). While the show is full of laughs, it also has some very, very touching moments. I could do a whole post on this show, but just know that I love it! I also enjoy it because it is the only - the ONLY - show the hub will watch with me. He and I have very differing opinions on what is quality television! He is a Discovery and History channel junkie. He's just not really into much else, but he does love Boston Legal. Santa even brought him some Boston Legal DVD's once...

4. Windex Multi-Purpose Cleaner. OK so if I could only have one cleaning product in my household, it would hands-down be this one. I use it everywhere. A bottle of this and a dish towel - that's all I need - for anything. It goes on every surface. It's great on granite countertops - a lot of kitchen cleaners leave streaks or kind of a dull finish on granite, but this works great. It also does decently on stainless steel appliances - which if y'all have those, you know those can be a mess with fingerprints and such. I keep a bottle everywhere so I'm never without! Love it!

5. Vera Bradley Bowler. Well y'all know I love Vera Bradley, but I must share one of my most favorite bags... one of my fabulous girlfriends turned me on to this particular style. I'm usually a simple tote or hobo girl - anything that comes XXL as I like 'em big. So really all my other Vera handbags are simple large totes. I would initially walk past this bowler bag because it appears too small for me personally. But after my friend showed me hers, I HAD to have one! It zips all the way down on either side so it opens very very wide - you can see everything. It's got tons of storage pockets - several outside the bag and inside. I just love it. It's now my #1 Vera bag of choice and I currently own it in three patterns. Two of them the hub got me (via one of my girlfriends) at the Atlanta Vera sale last fall. Love!!!

The Mom Club.

In honor of Mother's Day coming up, I will do a rant on mothers. OK just kidding. Kinda. Neh, it's only coincidence this post coincides with Mother's Day, but anyway, whatev. So yesterday we took dinner over to our friends who just had their second baby this past week. We used to hang out with them a good bit. When we moved up to the sticks, they were thrilled, as we would help reduce the "red" factor in the area. We all loved throwing a good party and one year we even threw a joint New Year's Eve party at our house. The mom and I (before she was a mom, of course) would talk about getting pregnant together and how fun that would be. Well you know how that went. Hehe... So anyway, she gets pregnant while we were building our house up here and we ended up throwing a shower for them for their first baby. After the baby came we still all hung out a good bit - we'd go over there, they'd come over to our place, or sometimes we'd even go out to eat or something. She'd call me randomly to go shopping with her and #1. We got invited to the 1st birthday party for #1... but then little by little we saw less and less of them.

The hub sees them more because he plays poker with the husband once in a while. But I literally saw her once, maybe twice during this second pregnancy. Never saw her when she was in the last trimester - so I never saw her big buddha belly this time. She's really cute preggers too because she's super tall and thin. You know, all belly. So whereas last time we found out about the birth via phone call, this time it was mass email. Fine, whatever. We took dinner over there last night to give the dad a night off from cooking and to visit the new little one. She is super cute and so teeny tiny. But the whole visit just felt kinda weird. I sat in the den with the mom while she breastfed #2. The boys were outside playing with #1. I don't know... the conversation between me and the mom felt a bit forced. I was trying to come up with things to say about the baby - since that was all the conversation centered around. Which is fine - I mean that's why we were there! But never once did she ask about what we were up to or how we were doing. And I totally get that she's completely exhausted - a newborn and a toddler make for a challenging combo. So I can overlook all that, definitely. But it's just become clear that I'm not in the Mom Club and therefore we don't really have anything to talk about.

I've tried to explain this to the hub multiple times. He takes it all very personally that they don't hang out with us like they used to. I tried to explain that sometimes when couples have kids they just get in this kid bubble. We're at totally different stages in our lives and so it's understandable that they gravitate towards others in the Mom Club, I suppose. But poor hub, he does take it to heart. And I see this at all stages - not just the kid thing. There is also the "Married Club." And, I imagine there's reverse discrimination as well.

I've touched on it before, but this is really my biggest fear in having kids. Or better said, my major "what not to do" item on the list. All my friends - whether married, single, mom or not - they're all a huge part of my life. I know kids change your life - and I think anyone who says they won't is crazy. But along with being a great mom, I want to always continue to be a great friend. I want to be able to spend time with my friends. I want to be able to hold a conversation about something OTHER than my kids. I want to be just as invested in my friends' lives as they are in mine. I want my kids to know and love my friends as I do. I truly believe you make time for the things you care about in life. And I know this to be true because we have other friends with 2+ kids that always include us and make every effort to spend time with us. It's more difficult with kids - absolutely - but it's still important. I'm sure it's no easy task, but I don't see why you can't have the best of both worlds if you put in the effort. Maybe I'm ignorant, as I don't have any kids myself, but I hope I'm right. :-) I don't know... a lot of y'all are mommas, what do y'all think? How do you make it work?

Crew does Yoga.

I love my J. Crew. I love my yoga. And it's cute, J. Crew, that you're doing a new yoga line. The prices however, not so cute. I think my $15 Old Navy pants and $10 Wal-mart pink yoga mat will do just fine. Perhaps we'll revisit this on a future clearance sale...

Iron Man, anyone?

It's a YES, for me. Perhaps even a "HELL YEAH!" I initially thought this was a strange casting for my Hollywood boyfriend, Bob. But the reviews are top notch. One online critic gives a taste of his performance...

Snapping off lines as crisply as Bugs Bunny might bite into a carrot, the sculpture-bearded Downey invigorates the entire proceedings in a way no other actor ever has in this field.

Well, duh. Because he's awesome. Maybe I've only mentioned it subtlely here, but I've been in love with RDJ since Weird Science. I'm pretty sure he secretly loves me too since I wrote him once while he was in jail. Oh yes, I did. Sent my picture too. Besides Alex P. Keaton, he is the only other celebrity I've ever written to in my life. Plus the Michael J. Fox one was a joint letter with a friend, so does that really count? Bestest thinks my love for Bob is totally nuts. But I don't know, he just does it for me. So I'm just over-the-moon thrilled for him to have this huge blockbuster coming out. It's a great comeback opportunity for him so I really hope it does well. Not sure if I'll make it this weekend, but Bob is definitely on the to-do list. And you can read that however you see fit.

Update (5/5/08): OK so apparently I couldn't wait afterall... the hub and I went on opening night. Saw it. Loved it. He's amazing in it. I really like Gwyneth Paltrow in it too. A very simple part for her, but I really really liked her. Bob sure did beef up for the role. I prefer him more on the slender side, but that's just me. And nobody better be jumping on the RDJ bandwagon this late in the game - he's mine! Hands off! :-)

Getting ready for Mother's Day...

I ran by the mall on my way home yesterday to try and get my Mother's Day gifts taken care of. I wasn't altogether sure what I was getting, but at least wanted to get some ideas. My mall is huge but I joke that one little corner was made just for me because J. Crew, Pottery Barn, and Banana are all next door to each other. So I don't have to walk a half mile to get to different places - a big plus. And Nordstrom is a hop and a skip away, so I rarely venture out from this little stretch of the mall. Anyway, I first browsed J. Crew, because why not? I buy most of my stuff from there online, but I occassionally run in the store to see what's on clearance because it's not always the same sale items they have online. I was a good girl though - focusing on the moms here!

Empty-handed, I then walked in Pottery Barn. My parents have spent the last year completely redoing their backyard. They hired a professional landscape architect and literally gutted the area and started from scratch. It's just now really coming together - I'll have to take some pics! I'm already envisioning some sweet garden parties back there. Anyway... I wanted to check out some of Pottery Barn's outdoor tableware to see if they had anything cute. I stumbled upon these placemats on clearance - exactly 6 of them - perfect! It was meant to be. My mom is crazy for placemats and I think these will look great on her table outside. The ones pictured are cork, but I actually got the linen version (like the napkins). They're trimmed in yellow too - SO cute.





Since those were half off, I looked for something to compliment. Maybe some acrylic outdoor barware? PB's is overpriced in my opininon, but cute. So I got some of the double old-fashioned glasses - a set of 6 - to complete the gift. My parents love sipping on a good gin and tonic so these will be perfect. They didn't have a pic online of the ones I got, but this is the style...




Then for my MIL, I went back to J. Crew to reconsider some cute handbags I saw. She loves bags and they just got in these super cute summer bags. They didn't have a pic of the one I ended up with - it's this gorgeous floral pattern that I fell in love with - but here's a madras version of the same...


How cute is that?! Love it. I was so excited to get Mom's day taken care of a good week or so out. I tend to be last minute sometimes and I hate that. What all are you doing for Mother's Day? Mom hasn't decided what she wants to do yet, but we usually go to brunch or something. We're having dinner at their place Saturday so maybe she'll have decided by then. I'll try to remember to take some yard pics if it's nice out.

In other BIG retail news... I just heard the shopping report on my local radio station and finally got word on the opening dates for H&M stores in Atlanta! Well I knew we were getting the ginormous one at Atlantic Station. It was set to be open already but we're still waiting. Then word came of a 2nd, smaller store at Northpoint Mall (in Alpharetta). And then today I found out MY mall is getting one! OMG! I will have an H&M 5 minutes from my closet! I will have to pop some advil and bring my ipod to drown out the obnoxious club music whenever I go, but I am SO excited! I thought I'd have to go into town to get my H&M fix, but now I'll have one in my backyard! Weeeeee!!!! I told y'all I'd make Buford hip. And for you west side ladies, Town Center is also getting one. Here are the dates...

Northpoint (Alpharetta) - opening next week - May 8!

Atlantic Station (Midtown) - opening June 13!

Mall of Georgia (Buford) - opening this fall

Town Center (Marietta) - opening this fall

Major excitement! It's crazy how we've been awaiting an H&M for so long and now they're like exploding here. Very cool. OK, so one last thing while I'm on a shopping tangent here... I've been pretty good with my shopping hiatus - though it is so hard with all the fun things this season! I did get a pair of sandals that I saw in a random Nordstrom email. It was love at first sight. HAD to have them and now I have to share them. I've had them a few weeks now and they are totally my shoes of the summer! I'm seriously tempted to buy a second pair for fear I will wear these puppies out! I'm loving the easy breezy feel of them... I'm usually in tall espadrilles or some kind of sandals with heels in the summer, so this is very big for me. They make me feel so carefree or something. I just love them! I like the look of the skinny metallic flip flops with dresses, but I think these have a little more pizazz, don't you? So fun!



Alright... gotta get some work done before the weekend! Hope y'all have a great one! Whether it's Derby Day plans, early Cinco de Mayo margarita fests, or just relaxing at home - have a good one!!! :-)