Are you ready, Atlanta?!

In less than two months, Dave will be here! Get your fist pump going! If you're on the verge of wanting/needing to make some big financial changes in your life, this is the event that will kick your butt into gear. I know I've mentioned this before, but it wasn't until we saw Dave live two years ago that everything really *clicked*. But no matter where you are with your money, this show is for everyone. And the icing? It's incredibly entertaining and hilarious. It will change your life. Promise.

Ketchup.

So getting up at 5am has not gotten any easier. But I successfully did so every day this week. The only day I didn't "hop" out of bed at 5am (since I started this craziness) was last Friday, but that was on purpose. We were out late watching the national championship game the night before (way to go, Bama!) and didn't get home till like 1am. I don't know about you, but I cannot operate on 4 hours of sleep. Other than that hiccup, 5am it is! But ugh, I think the long days from early this week caught up to me sometime Wednesday afternoon, because getting up yesterday and today was AWFUL. Thank goodness for our new Keurig (or as the hub and I call it, "Ka-ZOONG!" - I have no good explanation for why). I still did it though. The key for me: not allowing myself to hit snooze AT ALL and hopping in the shower as soon as I get up.

OK so enough alarm talk. I've had no time in bloggy world this week, but I'm guessing Haiti has been a big topic. (As well as PANTS-ON-THE-GROUND! Seriously can't get that out of my head.) The Haiti situation is so sad - I feel very removed from it, honestly just because I've been so busy and swallowed up by work this week. So I feel like I'm just now catching on to the sadness and concern the rest of the world is feeling. I've actually been to Haiti - just for a day on a cruise years ago. But I can't imagine how scary that environment down there must be right now - seriously I just have no comprehension of that. And for the families here that are missing relatives and friends and are just waiting... how terribly frightening. Big prayers for Haiti and all those involved. And as usual the relief efforts are in full force and organizations here are raising money left and right. And I think this donate-money-by-text thing is BRILLIANT. I heard today that the Red Cross has raised over $5 million just through texting - amazing. I mean it really is genius... I think a lot of people have good intentions to donate but fail to do so out of pure laziness or forgetfullness or life. But how long does it take to text? Like a half second? And it comes through your cell phone bill, so it plays into our nation's (unfortunate) buy-now-pay-later mentality. I'd love to give so much more, but even I can sign up for this one! Here are a couple of donate-by-text options...

Text the word HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross.

Text the word YELE to 501501 to donate $5 to Yele (Wyclef Jean's organization).

Both groups will send you a text back to confirm your intent to donate and you'll need to reply with "YES" to complete the donation.

Nothing much else going on right now but work. And such is life for the next 3 months. Three months as of today, actually - so the countdown begins (till April 15th)! And because I'm a tax accountant and also way too nice, I'll open the floor for any tax questions you have. Now just general questions please, I don't want to do a freaking tax research project here. Ha! No but really, I'd be glad to answer any questions y'all have - just leave a comment on this post.

As far as the rest of our goings on, I'll just leave y'all with some bullet points. I've got some work I've got to get on, so this will have to do for now!

• Lucky's wedding (two weeks ago now, geez) was fab! The whole weekend was a blast and she made an absolutely stunning bride. She and her new hubby are on their way back now from an amazing honeymoon in Italy.
• The hub is still in the middle of his job search and we're starting to see some progress, but of course nothing ever progresses as fast as we'd like it to! Just continuing to pray for patience and trusting that God's at work here. We have all these amazing goals for 2010 laid out but until we get the job squared away we kinda feel like we're standing in mud. Prayers, prayers, prayers.
• Speaking of goals, I still plan to slap those on here as soon as we finalize them - we're almost there! We're slow.
• And on a completely superficial note, my silver Revas are starting to look really rough but I refuse to stop wearing them. Though I'm not sure I'd buy them again (not that I could right now) because now like everyone wears them and that's a TOTAL turn-off to me. As soon as anything is on everyone, I can't do it anymore. Because then I just look like everyone else - *snooze*. It's for this reason I've closeted Uggs and Coach bags.
• We are signed up to take FPU again starting next month! Like I said, we've got lots of goals for 2010 and many of those are financial, so we just felt like taking the class again to keep that "Gazelle Intensity" and accountability. I think we've coaxed some friends into taking it along with us, so I'm looking forward to it. I can't get enough Dave, so it'll be good. Classes are starting up all over - plop in your zip code on the site and find one near you. Whether you're broke and freaked out or raking it in without any debt, this 13-week class has something for everyone. It's a life-long journey and you can hop on no matter where you are. And if you work it, it will do incredible things for your marriage.
• My favorite K-cup right now is the Coffee People x-bold Donut Shop. It blends beautifully with my French Vanilla creamer. Tell me your faves, Keurig people! We're still sampling.
• Oh and people of the world, please stop referring to Atlanta as "HOTlanta." That's so over.

Almost there.

Hey all! What is it with me only posting on Tuesdays lately? It's not really on purpose, but it's just kinda happened that way for some reason. Not forever though - I promise. October 15th is almost here! Last big deadline of the year at work and hopefully I can have a little more breathing room afterward. Goodness.

And of course, I don't have a ton of time to blabber right now, but just wanted to pop in and say hello. And thanks so much for all the birthday wishes from last week. I had a GREAT birthday. The hub really surprised me - which is quite a feat for him since he can't keep a secret to save his life. While I was snoozing away on the morning of my birthday, he got up and snuck into my office at work (he conspired with one of my co-workers to get into the building). He gets up insanely early quite often to go play raquetball, so I certainly didn't suspect anything. So when I got to work, I was very surprised to find this...

These pictures don't really do his work justice AT ALL because there were balloons everywhere! I took these after making a "path" to my desk. And I was using my phone to take the pics, so they aren't the best. He also had heart confetti all over my desk - too cute. So needless to say, there was no hiding the fact that it was my birthday at work. Geez, not that I would. I love my birthday!

We really don't do birthday (or any other) gifts for each other right now while doing our debt snowball, so it forces us to get creative. But I gotta tell ya... I have gotten some of the best "gifts" over the last year. When funds are tight, you really do have to use your brain. He probably spent, what... $20 doing all that? But OMG... it was the best.

Alright, no real news here today. Gotta be off to work. Oh but one big thing - we sold the Lexus last night! Got $3500 for it - woo HOO! We were just hoping to get $3k or more, so we were thrilled. A huge, huge blessing that arrived at the perfect time. Hope you all are having fabulous weeks. Stay dry, Atlanta girls. Back later...

Thirty-two. But who's counting?!

It's here! My favorite day of the year! That's right... my birthday! I think I will always love my birthday, no matter how many candles there are on my cake. Thirty-two does sound kinda old though. Hmmm...

Anyway, yay for today! And I'm so sorry to be so absent-go-bloggy lately, but it's just been a very busy few weeks here. I have tons of stuff I want to post about but just haven't had the time to sit down and do it! But I'm still alive and kickin'.

I've already gotten some fab birthday prezzies. Y'all already know about the freezer, my new best friend. And my godmother gave me a gift certificate to a local gift shop here that carries Vera Bradley. So I got this little ditty...

I'm in love! I needed a wallet SO badly. I've been carrying around a Dave Ramsey wallet since it was made to hold his cash envelopes. It's fine and all, but it ain't cute. And you know me... I like cute. So I found my birthday to be a good opp to get a new CUTE wallet. But it has to somehow hold my cash envelopes, and this cutie one does perfectly! I got it in the new Paprika pattern - SO cute.

I also got a giftcard for J. Crew from my MIL - sooooo excited! I screamed a little when I opened it. OK, maybe a lot. The hub and I also had a birthday-day-of-fun-on-a-budget on Sunday. We went to church, had brunch at The Flying Biscuit, went to Fernbank (on BOA's dime), and then later went to see The Invention of Lying that night. Really cute movie - I loved it. Tonight, the hub has something up his sleeve, but I'm not sure what it is. Though I'll probably know by 11am. He can't keep a secret to save his life. It's terribly cute, though.

So far, 32 looks pretty good. I think I'll like it. Hope you all are having a great week! And hopefully I'll find some more time to hop on here and jibber jabber. I know my commenting has been nearly non-existant lately, but I'm keeping up with you lovelies on my reader!

OH also - Javis Davis is having a big sale this month, so hop over here and check out the details. If you have some momma friends looking for crib bedding, now's a great time to go custom!

Just like a circus.

Oh, be jealous girls. Tonight's my date with Britney! OK, so there may be like 20,000 other people there, but whatever. I saw her back in March and the show was awesome (hop over here for my full report), but this time we'll be in a suite! I've seen a couple of shows at Philips from suites before and it is totally fun. What's not to like? Then tomorrow my parents are hosting a BBQ / garden party type thing so the hub and I will be helping out with that. Sunday I've got a paper order to work on plus a million other little things, and then it looks like I'm going to have to work on Monday (groan). I know, on Labor Day. But 9/15 is a huge deadline for us and with our office moving over the weekend, today is pretty much killed since they're taking the network down. And with my job, there's nothing you can do without the 'puter. We're mostly packing up our offices and heading out today, so I guess I still get a 3-day weekend sorta. Just too much to do next week and honestly I'll feel better if I can come in Monday and knock some things out. No big.

Last night was our first meeting with our small group and it went really well! I actually attended solo because the hub has been feeling really crappy the last couple of days. I knew if my spinach dip couldn't coax him into going, he was truly ill. Anyway, it was a very casual first meeting and everyone seems really cool. We'll start telling our "stories" at the next meeting which is always really eye-opening - you get to know people pretty fast that way. That's usually how all our groups have started off and it's just really interesting to see where people came from and how people got to where they are with the God stuff. Most of the couples do have young kids and naturally, the "mom club" quickly formed and everyone was suddenly talking about what Star Wars character their kid was into. And then, as always, they turn to me and ask, "do you have any kids?" "No, just doggies right now," like I always say. And then it's that awkward couple of seconds where they smile and don't know what else to say to you because you're not a parent. Oh, but I was totally expecting these moments last night so it sure didn't throw me for a loop or anything. But one of the good things is, our group leaders are a little older and don't have kids (nor do they want any), so they kinda help keep things on track and I don't feel so alone in being foreign to kid world. But any awkwardness aside, the group seems like it will be great and I'm really looking for the getting to know these other couples with the hub.

Well I'll be running around a lot this weekend, so not much time for the 'puter. I hope you gals have a FAB Labor Day weekend! Be safe and enjoy! xoxoxo

One week down. A busy one to go.

That's right - we're half way through our 2-week-wait. I actually haven't been thinking about it TOO much really. Just been busy at work with deadlines approaching and busy at night with other stuff. So my mind hasn't been too wrapped around it, but I do feel like I've seen more pregnant women in the last week than in like the last year. And not just random people out and about... Project Runway last week had a maternity challenge. Every flippin' magazine cover in the checkout aisles had something about pregnant women. It just seemed to be everywhere. Well it always seems like it's everywhere to me, but it REALLY seemed so this past week.

Friday night I had a girls' night out - with myself. I had a massage and back facial after work and then headed home, took a shower (to get the oily massage funk off) and snuggled up with my pups to watch a movie. The hub and some of his buddies made an impromptu trip down to Cape Canaveral Friday to watch the space shuttle launch. He was on cloud 9 - he LOVES all things NASA and space. This was his first one, so he was just on a high all weekend over it. But the kicker was - they drove all the way down there (about 7 hours), watched the launch, and drove straight back. Crazy boys. Sounds like torture to me, but he was all about it. Needless to say, he was pretty worthless on Saturday. But I must give him props because he still was a good sport Saturday afternoon - we had to drive up to Athens to visit Christmas Bride and her new baby, and then immediately hit GroupLink at church that evening.

Christmas Bride's little girl was too cute to boot. She snuggled up on my chest and started snoozin' away. I don't know what the hell you moms are whinin' about... looks pretty easy to me. Hahahahaha... that's always our joke when we visit other people's babies because they always seem to act like little angels around us. Though the hub will tell you it's his doing. So I call him the baby whisperer. Christmas Bride invited us to come back about 3am that evening and see just how fun it was then...

So after getting back from Athens we ate really fast at the house and headed over to the church. GroupLink went REALLY well. I was feeling good about it when we went. They did a much better job of dividing up the geographic areas this time versus the last time we went to a GroupLink there. So there was a true "Buford/Suwanee" area this time instead of "everyone southeast of the church." We found a group that's lead by a great couple in their early 40's. They don't have any kids, but most of the couples in the group do. BUT the group has a babysitter, so the kids are off in another room. This is a big, big deal. I'm cool with being in a group where people have kids, but I don't want the kids AT the group meetings. It's just incredibly distracting. That's happened a few times in past groups where couples who had babies started bringing them to group every session. And it's not because I'm sensitive around babies and want to throw cement blocks at your fertile uterus, it's seriously just distracting. Especially to the hub... we'll be in the middle of reading some serious scripture and I look over and he's making googly eyes at the baby. So anyway, we're really looking forward to getting started and to see how the group works out. Our first meeting is this Thursday, so I'll give you the scoop later this week.

OK so in other SUPER exciting news... guess who's going to see Britney Spears Friday night! ME, ME, ME!!!!!! OMG. Last Friday afternoon, Lucky emailed me and was like, what are you doing Friday 9/4? And I was like, getting my hairs cut (also super exciting as I haven't had a hair cut in - gasp - 6 months). Then she was like, how would you like to show off your new do that night? OK... what do you have in mind? Um, she totally scored FREE box seats at the Britney concert!!! Her firm is apparently "looking into" renting a skybox at Philips Arena and they were given a bunch of Britney tickets to woo them. Lucky was able to get two of the tickets and she asked me to go (because she knows I'm in LOVE with Britney)!!!! I'm soooooooooo excited! Just such a fun surprise. We saw her back in March (or whenever it was) when she hit Atlanta the first time, but I can't wait to see her again! Super fun! Aren't you jealous?!?! You should be.

Alrighty... my to-do list here is barking at me. Gotta run, dear readers. xoxoxo

Oh P.S. - question for you Pottery Barn fans. I looked on the website, but only see return policy info for web/catalog purchases. Do you know if the stores will take back merchandise without a receipt for a store credit? Don't laugh, but we are seriously thinking about returning the flatware sets we got for our wedding (um... 7 years ago). They still sell the collection, so I'm hoping we could get a store credit for what they're currently selling for. We only got 5 place settings and they literally have been sitting in drawers for 7 years in their boxes, unopened. So perfect condition and all... anyone done this there? It would be over $200 of a store credit which would be fab to use for Christmas and shower gifts!!!!! Thought some of y'all might know off hand. I'm probably going to run by our PB this week to find out.

Fried Eggs

No, my eggs aren't fried. That's just what I had for dinner, so I thought it'd be an appropriate blog title. Two eggs over easy atop toast - that's how I do it. I break the yolks half the time and they turn into a mess, but they're still good.

So I'm in much better spirits this week! Had a great weekend... pretty low-key. Friday night the hub and I went for a hot dog dinner at Costco and then to see The Proposal. Very cute movie - even the hub liked it. The storyline is pretty predictable, but I never let that get in my way. Lots of great moments and Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds really had great chemistry.



Definitely rent that one if you don't get out to the theatre to catch it. We met up with Lucky and her man on Saturday morning and she said they saw Julie and Julia the night before. They are big movie-goers and she said that was the best movie she's seen in she can't remember how long. My godmother also saw it this weekend and told my mom "run-don't-walk to go see this movie!" So I'm thinking it must be fab! Anyone catch it yet? That one's next on my list.

So Saturday morning we joined Lucky and her man at the High Museum in midtown - they were having a special discount on tickets from 10am to 12pm. So we got in for only $5 each! I think it's normally $17 or so - quite a deal! Gosh, we hadn't been since the Van Gogh exhibit was here a few years ago and that place has changed SO much. They've added on a ton of space and the whole entrance is totally different than it used to be. I can remember going down that zig-zagging staircase on elementary school field trips. So if you Atlanta gals haven't been in a while, you need to go check it out! The Monet exhibit is here for another couple of weeks, but DaVinci will be coming in October. Here's a peek inside I got with my camera phone...



The rest of our weekend was pretty uneventful... just stayed in and put on my domestic diva hat. Well, no that's a lie. Actually Saturday after we got back I was a total bum till about 6 o'clock. Lucky let me borrow season 1 of True Blood and I finished up the last 5 episodes on Saturday. Yep - five. As in five hours of TV where I was sprawled out on the bed with a remote. OMG I never do that and I gotta tell you it was pretty thrilling.



We don't get HBO, so I'm not up on season 2 yet. Anybody else watch the series? I thought it was really good. Lucky's obsessed with it. I could do without the raunchy sex scenes - it's quite obvious a dude created it. But it's good stuff. Still, it's no Buffy - definitely not - but good. I'm pretty sure nothing will ever top Buffy in the vampire world. OK but after I finished up the DVD's, I really did get domestic and got a good bit of stuff done this weekend. I even vacuumed our den furniture. It needed it. We have three dogs, so I'm sure you can imagine the condition of our furniture.

OH and Saturday I also got the sweetest cards in the mail... one from bestest - because she is the bestest! And another from Lucky and kuntry bride. They all knew I had had a really rotten week last week and being the sweet friends they are, sent me a little encouragement. It's always so fun to get some fun mail amongst all the bills and crap. Plus Lucky and kuntry bride gave me several gift cards to different places for a calorie fest. We used the Cold Stone Creamery one last night! Ice cream makes everything better - always!

So yeah, doing much better this week. Flo FINALLY made her debut on Saturday. So I was back at the doctor this morning getting my ultrasound and bloodwork. So here we go again! I will be very curious to see what my lining looks like when I go for my mid-cycle check next week. Until then, it's just poppin' pills and prayin'. But thank you all for your sweet messages! Every one of them makes me smile!

Hope you all had a fab start to your week. Phoebe is back in business - I drove her to work today and she is good as new! She even has a Honda emblem again! Haha... she was missing it for a while and I can't even remember when she lost it. She is 11, after all.

Happy July!

So the year's officially half over - wow! I hope y'all have some exciting July 4th plans. We'll be running trying to survive the Peachtree on Saturday morning and then hitting a couple of parties later that day. We're doing suburban style fireworks that night at a neighborhood party, but if you're in Atlanta, the best fireworks are always at Lenox - hands down. So head down there (early) if you're up for that. Sunday morning (way early) we're heading down to the beach for a much needed vaca! Cannot wait! We're heading to St. George Island in Florida and we'll be in a house right on the beach. Heaven!

So if you didn't catch my tweet yesterday, my firm announced that we are getting Fridays off in July TOO! I'm soooooooo totally stoked. That made my summer. So awesome! I mean those two months of Fridays off is like 2 weeks of vacation! So yeah, super excited about that.

What else... oh I posted over here about these fab new bib and burpee jar sets Javis Davis introduced this past week. They are to die for and super affordable! Perfect shower gifts - only $20 for the set and YOU get to choose the fabrics! I've already sold a bunch, so contact me if you're interested in snagging a few! Free shipping on orders over $99 and no sales tax outside of Alabama, girls!

And lastly, don't forget to enter my Vera Bradley giveaway! Deadline is Friday, so hop to it, girls!

Tweet this.

OK so how cool is Twitter? Seriously. I'm still no expert at it, but it continues to fascinate me. And it's not so much giving my own status updates and whatnot... it's gotta be the absolute coolest way to follow celebrities. Which is important, right? I mean like today I saw that Demi Moore was at the Georgia Aquarium and got to look at some of her pics. And she told Ashton she wished he was there with her. Like how would I ever have reason to know that?

I know a lot of celebrities have "people" who tweet for them, but when you stumble upon one who does his own tweeting, that's pretty darn cool. I mean, you really can't be any more intimate with a celeb on a daily basis without actually knowing them, can you? I mean you can tweet at them and possibly get a response. So twitter gals, who are you following that's of uber interest? Share your tweet finds! And of course, if you aren't already, come follow me!

Shecky's Find: Lia Molly

I know I'm totally behind on my Shecky's update since that was like over a week ago! But the event was fun as usual. Great goodie bags (although, Gertie ate one of my bath fizzies), fun drinks, and two ginormous ballrooms filled wall to wall with clothing and accessories. There was a ton of jewelry and lots of handbag retailers... it's very heavy on accessories (which I love). But the one clothing collection that really caught my eye was Lia Molly from New Orleans. It's a fab sweater collection that you must check out... some really gorgeous pieces and so different. Here are a few looks, but go check out the site for more...




Definitely my favorite find of the night. Did any other Atlanta girls make it out? Did you snag any fun things? I didn't buy anything of course... just ooohed and ahhhed and sipped. Good girly fun!

In other news... looks like Friday is GO-day for my IUI... I'm hoping I'm able to detect my LH surge today or I'll have to give myself a shot tonight. I'm such a wimp... I'll probably have to get the hub to do it if it comes to that... either way, we'll be at the doctor tomorrow and possibly Saturday. It's exciting! Still not expecting anything to come out of it, but it's just exciting to be doing something. So say a lil prayer for Buford Baby tomorrow! Thanks, girls...

Film crew in the 'burbs.

Craziness on our street all day today! I thought they were just outside our house, but they are ALL up and down our street with cops on either end blocking off cars. The hub of course was chattin' it up with one of the production assistants and learned that there are like 40 movies being filmed in Atlanta this year... apparently the state gov gives some kind of refund or assistance on production costs spent in the state. Very cool.

I hope we can get some more pics... there is equipment and trucks and people everywhere in our 'hood, so this pic hardly gives you a glimpse, but it does have the cool camera-mounted Mercedes that films the chase scenes, and I think that truck is actually one of the vehicles in the scene. This is the same pic I uploaded last post, but closer up. The other car they've been filming (not pictured obviously) is an old Trans Am... the stunt driver was pretty hot. I wonder if he's supposed to be Ashton Kutcher? Hmmm...

Oh yeah, it's Cinco de Mayo!

I kinda forgot that was this week... I've got lots of random things going on all week, so it slipped my mind. Don't think we're doing anything though - we ain't got no margarita cizzash. But a very happy 5/5 to you all... may your bellies be filled with excessive amounts of cheese dip, 'ritas, and Corona.

So I had my first doctor visit yesterday for this first IUI cycle... did the clomid check ultrasound, some bloodwork, and met with one of the nurse practitioners to go over the deets. The hub also came in to do some bloodwork. Poor guy got stuck in over an hour's worth of traffic for a 30 second finger prick. But all went well and when I checked out they told me I had a $100 credit toward my bill - sweet. That's always a fun surprise. Anyway, so I started my clomid last night. I really don't remember if I had any side effects the last time I was on it, but I guess we'll see! I go back on Monday for another ultrasound to make sure I'm where I should be in my cycle, etc. Then I probably won't have to go back in till they do the actual insemination. And then it's the waiting game... and if Flo decides to pop in again next month, we'll start over.

I was talking about this all with my good friend, Jill (who is expecting her first through IVF!!), and it's funny how my attitude is with this whole IUI thing. And I think Jill had sorta the same thoughts as I do. The other day my mom was like, "well, we'll just be praying hard and keeping our fingers crossed and oh I hope you're not going to be heartbroken if this doesn't work," etc, etc... But the thing is, I'm totally not going into this with any sky-high hopes. That's not to say I'm pessimistic about it at all - definitely not... but I'm just not banking on anything coming out of this. My attitude is more like, OK... we'll give this a good solid try. But still, in my heart of hearts I just feel like we'll end up doing IVF before it's all said and done. So right now I'm just praying for God to boost my faith up a notch. I absolutely have faith that he can do anything and this certainly could work for us, but it'll be a shocker to me if it does. So we'll see! Either way, even if it doesn't work, I think the process may give my doctor a clearer picture of what's (not) going on in my busted oven.

Well enough baby talk... this week is jam-packed with some good quality girl time, so I'm definitely looking forward to that. Tomorrow we're hitting up Shecky's Girls Night Out and then Thursday, kuntry bride and I are going with Lucky to look at wedding gowns!!! The first spot she wants to try is New Natalie's. Any Atlanta girls have experience with them? I have never been, so I've got nuthin'. This is just her first stop, so I'm sure there will be others. She is not wanting to spend a gazillion dollars on a dress... I'm thinking she's shooting for the $1000-$1500 range tops. I really want to get her into the Nicole Miller boutique here because I think her bridal gowns would suit Lucky so well, and they're affordable... we'll see! Any other bridal salons in town in that price range that you all would suggest? It's been over 7 years (wow) since I shopped for my dress and I only hit a couple of places (Bridals by Lori and Saks). So we're SO looking forward to that! Can't wait to see my dear friend in a wedding gown...

OK y'all... gotta go dry my hair and get this show on the road. Hope you all have a fab Tuesday! I'll catch you on the other side... xoxoxo

Shecky's Tickets - Last Chance!

So prom was totally fun... it was kind of a low turnout, but it was the "1st annual" so hopefully the "2nd annual" will create a little more buzz and bring some more prom-goers. The prom queen was this grandma who parked herself on the dancefloor and busted it all night long. It was hilarious. A well deserved crown, indeed. We got some classic prom pose pics, so I'll have to show you bits and pieces of those when the hub gets them uploaded.

Anyway... just wanted to get out one last reminder that Shecky's is coming to Atlanta THIS week for a two-night shopping extravaganza! The Biltmore Ballrooms will be packed wall-to-wall with fab finds, free drinks, and up-and-coming designers on May 6th and 7th. There are still some goodie bag tickets available for Shecky's Girls Night Out for only $15 each (regular $25), so grab your best girls and c'mon out! My gang and I will be there Wednesday night. Hope to see you there! To purchase your tickets, click the image below. If you're not in Atlanta, check the site to see when Girls Night Out will be stopping by your town!

Economy got you down? Grab your BFF's and de-stress at Shecky’s Girls Night Out – the only event where you can sip complimentary cocktails all night long, grab chic fashions at amazing prices, sample new products and score fab freebies inside Shecky's Famous Goodie Bag – all under one roof!

Prom night.

The hub was so totally last minute, but he asked me to the prom! OMG. Hahaha... Yes, this is where we'll be heading tonight...



The Buford Business Alliance is putting this event on and we've known about it and thought it'd be fun (I totally love any chance to dress up, you know), but the tickets were like $70/couple. No thanks... Dave said, hell no! But Wednesday one of our good friends called us to tell us she scored a second pair of FREE tickets and did we want them? Hellz yeah! We loves free, you know.

But getting ready for prom in two days is no easy task. Thank goodness it's black tie optional... the hub's just going to don a nice dark suit. And sadly, I have given away most of my occasion dresses. So I have very little options in that department. Most of my cocktail dresses are wintery because I usually get them for holiday parties... so I'm resorting to just a plain black dress. I'll play it up with some fab shoes and fun accessories to make it a little more fun. Gosh, the old me would have run out and dropped some dollas on a new frock as soon as I found out I was going. I'm just too gosh darn sensible now. So once again, we're shopping in my closet. It should be a really fun night though - I'm excited. And a little birdie told me I might be getting a wrist corsage... hehehehehe!

Other exciting things today? Auntie Flo arrived late last night. She's a bitch, but I was glad to see her. Because that means it's time to get this Buford Baby show on the road! I'm calling my RE this morning as soon as the office opens to see when I need to come in. I'm guessing they'll either have me go ahead and come in today or Monday at the latest to do an ultrasound and bloodwork and get my Clomid fix. And no worries... I'm not going to take you through every grueling detail of this process and the next, but I'll let y'all know where I am.

Hope you all have a fantabulous Friday! Time to get my hairs dried and out the door... xoxoxo

Spring Sale at Javis Davis!

Happy Saturday, dear readers! Oh I love me a Saturday when I don't have to work! I was on a staycation last weekend after the 15th, so Saturday didn't really feel like a Saturday last weekend... so this Saturday feels like the first real one where I don't have to go in the office and crunch numbers. And like McDonald's, I'm lovin' it!

I had a fab massage and facial last night. I promise to post soon about my awesome spa deal... I need to check with my spa dude to see what he is charging now before I spill the beans. And to make sure there's not a waiting list still, cuz trust me - if you're in Atlanta, you WANT this. And y'all KNOW I'm in a serious straight-jacket of a budget, so it's gotta be good. Yeah so, great pampering last night and a chill evening at la casa.

This morning I'm heading down to Grant Park to help Lucky move out some of her stuff because her brand spankin' new fiance is moving in. She is so excited... they've set a date for January and the wedding planning is already going full-force. She's already picked out our dresses (from J. Crew - YESSSS!!!!) and she's itchin' to find hers. Anyway, so yeah... having brunch with her and kuntry bride and helping her load the U-Haul. Oh and I'll be making a pit stop at the best paper store ever, Paper Source, on my way down. Or back maybe... depends how fast I get my ass moving this morning. I've got an order for save-the-date's and some one year birthday invites and am in need of some supplies. It's a busy weekend!

Tonight we're having dinner at the hub's boss' house. Should be fun! They banter like frat boys, so I'm pretty sure it will be fun. His job has been a true blessing... everyone was really unsure about him switching careers and going into mortgage lending in the middle of the housing crisis last fall, but it's proven to be a good move so far. And he is such a "problem solver," which makes this role a good fit for him too. And it's still very sales-driven, which is his background. Yeah so if you're looking to refi, peaches... I might as well give the hub a good plug! You can get his contact info (and see his dashing pic) here. Isn't he the cutest? Hehehehe...

Oh and speaking of jobs, that reminds me... Dave's Town Hall for Hope on Thursday night was GREAT! Leave me a comment if you went or watched or listened or whatever and tell me what you thought. He had a lot of really great things to say. He spoke to the fear that a lot of us are experiencing, and he talked about how fear is the antithesis of hope. No good decisions are ever made out of fear... so living in fear gets us nowhere. He gave a lot of historical info on economics, which was really interesting. And he answered lots of good viewer questions and concerns. My favorite quote of the night? "Gold is the Snuggie of investments." I was rolling... Cause you see it on late night infomercials and you look like an idiot for buying it. Hahahha... love it. So with all the great encouragement and info, he wanted us to walk away with a list of three things to do in the meantime as we battle this economy (this is totally from memory, so this is my understanding of what he said)...

1. Take responsibility for your situation, stop whining, and go bust your butt. The government's not responsible for taking care of you - YOU are responsible for you.


2. Learn to say *NO*!


3. Give more. (I'll have to say that this one is most important... in getting on the Dave bandwagon, we put giving at the top of our budget and it has CHANGED our lives.)

I believe the Fox Business Network is re-airing the show over the weekend and hopefully it'll be up on Dave's hulu page at some point - I don't know. I hope you'll get a chance to view it!

Now perhaps I should get to the title of this post.... geez! Yes, Javis Davis just announced a secret friends and family spring sale in honor of Mother's Day. This sale is not mentioned anywhere on their site (hence the *secret*!). They rarely do sales, so this is big deal, mommas! Hop on over to Make Room for Style for more details!

Introducing: Make Room for Style!

Alright, girls.... it's finally here! I am super excited to announce the launch of my new site/blog/venture - whatever you wanna call it...

Make Room for Style

Not only have I been crunching some serious numbers at work, but I've been logging some real hours trying to get this new biz off the ground as well! Earlier this year, I was blessed to partner with Javis Davis, a custom baby and kids' bedding company, as the design partner for Atlanta. If you've been hanging with me for a while, perhaps you remember when I stumbled upon this hidden gem months and months ago. Well, as I do with any site I swoon over, I immediately subscribed to their emails. Back in February, I got one such email from Javis Davis announcing that they were on the hunt for design partners. After reading about what they were looking for, I knew this was for me. Definitely one of those lightbulb-over-the-head instances... crazy timing.... total epiphany... the ultimate *aha* moment. So I filled out the rather lengthy application (because I tend to be wordy, that is) and waited a very long two weeks to hear back. Finally, I was on the phone with Mary Lou, the owner and creator... she loved my app and I was IN!

I was so thrilled to be selected because I really didn't know what to expect or what they were expecting. Basically, I'll be working one on one with moms and moms-to-be, helping them pick out bedding and accessories to complete their nurseries and kids' rooms. But it doesn't stop there... I'm all about getting into the whole realm of nursery styling and design. It's something I've always wanted to do... something I've done a million times in my head. And I know y'all are thinking, OK don't you effing hate baby showers and all that nonsense? Yep, I realize this all sounds like a totally bizarre thing for a prego-challenged person to want to do. I've even wondered myself if I'm crazy. But no... this is different. I have so much passion for nursery design. I thought it was just because I wanted to be a mom so badly, but it's more than that. And my new site is ALL about babies and mommas and baby-mommas... so how do I do it? I don't know, but all I can say is that I love it. It's a little therapeutic even. For me, this is all a passion and desire that's always been with me and there's really no use fighting it anymore! I truly believe it's a seed God planted, and it's my job to sew it.

So there it is! I went into a lot more detail on my new blog about how I got into this and what all I have to offer, so definitely read up over there. And Buford Betty ain't goin' nowhere... I am here to stay! But do pay me a visit at my new digs every now and again.

So what can you do for me? I would be more than thrilled if you'd just spread the good word! While this is a ton of fun for me, it's still a business. I've got three doggie mouths to feed, dear readers. Hahaha... no but really, my biggest goal right now is to get the word out! The products at Javis Davis absolutely sell themselves - I am IN LOVE with their stuff. But I've got to sell myself before anything else! So to entice you all, as mentioned, I'm doing a fabulous giveaway over at makeroomforstyle.com!

Here's a peek at the goods...
...but you'll have to hop over HERE to enter!

So grab your friends and come on over! Thanks again, girls, for all your love and support. I'm truly excited to get this new gig going. OK so off to bed for me! Tax season ain't over till it's over... and it ain't over. XOXOXO!

Note: Technical difficulties, OF course. Still trying to get my new url to work, so if you tried to link over earlier with no luck, all the above links should be working fine now. Thanks! :-)

Definitely Something.

So yesterday the hub and I were coming back in town from a weekend trip and decided to go to the 11am service at church on our way in... it's sorta on the way home and we just started a new sermon series last week that we didn't want to miss out on. Well, we normally go to the 9am since it's a bit of a drive for us. We used to live really close to the church before we moved to the boonies, the sticks, BFE.... whatever you wanna call it.... the 'burbs! But we love our church so much and the vibe there that we still trek down there on Sundays. I mean it's only like 30 minutes away, it's not that bad. But with the 9 o'clock, we're normally back home by 10:45 or so and have the rest of the day to do whatever.

Yeah so we timed our traveling just about right - we were getting off 400 right at 11am and we're thinking we're totally golden. Yeah, we'll miss a song or two, but we'll be fine... Wrong! Traffic came to a screeching hault on Lenox Road. Crap. Apparently the entire city decided to attend this same service. Cops were everywhere directing traffic, but it was still a mess. We texted our friends already inside and told them to just give up our seats (they had been saving two for us) because we knew people had to be asking them for our seats every 2 seconds (thanks anyway, Pammy!). We weaved our way around to our "secret" entrance. OK it's not really a secret, but not a ton of people are aware of it. Had to park way farther away than we normally do - a part of the deck we'd never even been to... finally made it in the building (about 10 minutes after 11) only to find they were turning people away from the auditorium. Crap. People were standing out in the lobby and sitting on benches and whatnot... they've got TV screens set up so you can see what's going on inside. And then I noticed the Kidstuf theatre was open for overflow, so we made our way over there. We ran into our friend, Andy, while wondering around so we all ended up sitting together on the floor in the back of the Kidstuf theatre. The overflow areas were overflowing.

I knew the 11am was always crazier than the 9am, but this was madness! I've been in the car for hours and here I am sitting on the damn floor. But my annoyance quickly turned to... WOW. Look at ALL these people at our church! Seriously... what's going on? New Year's resolutions? Have people heard so much about this money series already? Wow. I remember when our church was a 500-seat auditorium in an old Harris Teeter. I don't know how many we seat now... 3,000? Not enough, apparently. And then this morning on the way into work I heard the Bert Show talking about our sermon from yesterday. And I saw this new post on our church's official blog commenting on church attendance craziness all around. Are any of y'all having crazy-awesome church attendance since the new year? God's definitely at work here... something amazing is going on. I'm not sure what it is, but I do know we'll personally be sticking with the 9am service so we can get a seat!

Goodies from Shecky's

Firstly, BOO! Happy Halloweeeeeeeen! I hope you all have a fabulous pumpkin day. I don't have any super exciting plans - I'm mostly concerned about the traffic getting home tonight. Halloween afternoon traffic is always horrible, but combine it with a Friday - Yikes with a capital UGH.

Well last night was a great time at Shecky's Girls Night Out! I stuck to my guns - I was a good girl and didn't spend a dime, other than to park. Stupid me forgot to budget for that - duh. So that was annoying, but oh well. The Biltmore was packed. We arrived around 6 o'clock and it was already hopping. The two ballrooms were filled wall-to-wall with retailers, exhibitors, and crazy girls. The goodie bags were fabulous, but we thought it would've made more sense to hand them out as people left. They were rather large and cumbersome in such a big crowd. Not to mention heavy! But it was a fun atmosphere, despite the crowds. The drinks were flowing and all kinds of drawings and giveaways were going on. It was like sensory overload. Among the goodies for sale was a ton of jewelry and other accessories - a lot more than I expected. There were a number of boutique-like setups with racks of clothing, but geez... who can really shop in that kind of environment? You can barely move. I don't shop in crowds normally - just can't handle it. So, at least for me personally, it's not an event that I can do any "real" shopping at... It's more like, if you stumble upon something cute and you can pull out the cash while balancing a drink in the other hand, constantly being bumped by other girls' big ass goodie bags, go for it. Otherwise, just stick to oohing, ahhing, and sipping. That's what I did.

There was a lot of cute jewelry, but other than that, nothing major really stuck out to me besides other girls' bags jabbing me in the side as I tried to pass by. One trendy find there that I've started seeing around is these feathered headbands and hair clips. Have y'all seen these?




I tried a couple of them on and they were super cute. I noticed a girl at the wedding we went to last weekend wearing a black one and it looked so great on her. She had a whole Chanel thing going on and it was so chic. I love headbands anyway, so these are super fun.

But of course, the best part is the free goodies! Here's a look at our deluxe Shecky's bag and the fun samples and such that were packed inside...




And my favorite - an Atlanta fashion map!


It was definitely a fun evening with the girls. Did any of you other peaches make it out?

Speaking of Fashion Week...

Atlanta gals, be sure to get down to the Biltmore tonight for Shecky's Girls Night Out! Tonight is the final night of this "shopping party." I would've been there last night, but we had a date with NKOTB. Tickets are still available online or you can purchase at the door while they last. In fact, you can get in free tonight with proof that you're a registered voter. I may do a little Christmas shopping if something catches my eye, but I'm gonna be a good girl. I'm in it for the cocktails and goodie bag! And to see what these "emerging designers" have up their sleeves... I'll have a full report tomorrow!

A great shopportunity...

Well, in the midst of all this crazy Food Network jazz, I must take a minute to get the word out on a great opportunity to shop AND benefit a great organization at the same time. It's a win-win, girls!

The Partners Card, benefitting Camp Twin Lakes, is available now for $60. With this card, you will save 20% at all participating stores and restaurants between November 1st and 9th! There are over 500 local restaurants and retailers participating this year, but there are also some online retailers participating -- so you can take advantage of this even if you're not a sweet peach. Just in time for holiday shopping! Camp Twin Lakes is a great organization, based in Georgia, that offers wonderful programs for children with serious illnesses and other special needs. They also do a bike ride in late October to raise money and one of our friends is participating. (Woo hoo! Go Erik!) So if you're planning to get your shop on in the next few weeks anyway, this could really get you some serious savings. Cards can be purchased here or they're also available at many of the participating retailers.

In other news... totally didn't make it out to do our grocery shopping last night. I was so pooped from a long day at work and had NO energy left. So I'm leaving work early today and we're going to hit up Whole Foods. The film crew is coming out tonight to get shots outside our house and around the neighborhood. And they're having dinner catered in - suweet. You know I like a free meal.