Ridiculous.

Ridiculously cute, that is!  OMG... Sam needs these.  I love all the Trumpette socks.  (Not only are they stupid cute, but they stay on.)  These boat shoes take the cake though!

Also love these little Vans-like skater shoes... swoon!

And don't get me started on the Trumpette socks for girls.  Shut up.  Shut your mouth!

Color Changes Everything

Today is my best friend's birthday!  Sure, she won't tell ya... but it's true!  Please go over and pay her a visit today and wish her a happy one!

And just for her, I'm posting one of my favorite commercials.  What, an ad?  Yeah.  The first time I saw this one, I knew 5 seconds in that it just had to be a Target commercial.  All of their ads have this certain whimsy to them that I can't put my finger on.  Which is much like my sweet friend, KK.  And this particular commercial is exactly how I would advertise HER if I could.  She adds color and spark to everything she touches.  I love you, girl, and hope you have an excellent day!!!

Birthday Week!

Today's actually my birthday... woot!  But I like to stretch out the celebration as long as possible.  I've been meaning to get on here and post my maternity goodies that my mom got me when we did a birthday shopping trip last weekend, but I've been tired and sick this week.  I know, right? Of all weeks.  Just a little cold, but it has definitely slowed me down.  Work is very busy with another approaching deadline, but I've been doing my best to take it easy at night and go to bed early this week.  Because tonight, we're heading to the Fox to see...

Can't wait!!!  This show has been on my must-see list pretty much since it opened nearly 10 years ago.  So yeah, it's been a long time coming.  The hub got us tickets for my birthday - a BIG splurge for us.  But seeing as this is my last birthday before Sam gets here, we figured we better live it up!  I think we're gonna hit Baraonda before the show for some pizza... mmm... one of my faves!  So fun!  Don't you just love birthdays?  I think 34 is going to be pretty darn awesome.

Orange you glad we finally painted the closet?

Yes, us too! And it turned out SO great. And it is seriously orange - I love it! Now remember this has no bearing whatsoever on our nursery colors - it's literally just the inside of the closet. I wanted something fun, bright, and gender-neutral. Turns out orange goes fabulously with blue AND pink. And while you can't really tell in these pics, it's like a sherbet orange. Rather delicious! Once again, here's the BEFORE pic in boring beige...




And the finished product! (The color shows up best in the 2nd pic, but none of these do the orange justice.)






Oh yeah, it is ALL orange, ceiling included. It's wise to put on some shades before entering. Once we get things more situated, I'll definitely get some better pics up, but for now I'm being lazy and using camera phone pics, so excuse the poor quality.

We're still going to add one more row of shelving on that left wall, and probably some more organizer thingees on the back wall. I just bought a couple of things at Wal-mart to see what might work. So this is a start! Sam's already racking up some goodies...




And speaking of goodies, I had another "spare change" trip to Kohl's this weekend. I rarely go in there, but if they send me a $10 card, I come runnin'. Just look at these cleareance cuties...



For literally, spare change! Love it!



Hope y'all have a great week! I'm still working on getting pics of our consignment goodies up. Check back soon...

My favorite from last night...

Such a great Top 20 this year on SYTYCD! I have a lot of favorites but I'm definitely rooting for Georgia's own Melanie!

FET Video Diary: Lining Check

This morning we had my one and only ultrasound for this cycle... this is one of the main things that is WAY easier about a frozen cycle versus a fresh one. With a fresh cycle, you have DAILY monitoring appointments with your favorite vaginal wand because they're monitoring the growth of your follicles. With an FET cycle, they're simply checking the lining of the uterus to make sure it's plump enough to move forward. Ideally, they like to see the lining get to 8mm before starting the progesterone shots. Well, today mine measured at 7.5!!! A total victory in our eyes, as mine has never made it past 6.9 on ultrasound before. So we are really, really thrilled with that result. And the good news is, I still have a few days to grow before starting the progesterone on Friday. Once you start that med, the lining kinda levels off.

We were able to get some quick shots of the ultrasound screen, but for whatever reason, those pieces of film were NOT cooperating when we tried uploading them. I finally gave up after multiple attempts. But at least we got SOME video of today. And pardon my I-just-rolled-out-of-bed look here. I promise I showered.




Next Up: We start progesterone and a couple of other oral meds on Friday! Eeks! Stay tuned for a video of the first shot...

Previous: Endometrial Biopsy, CD 24

Yes!!!

Precisely why I don't do shots.

A Life-Changing Giveaway!

No, it's not a million dollars. But it does have the potential to change your life, dear readers. After getting such an awesome response to my recent post on spending less and saving more (and a shizload of requests for our budgeting templates), I figured y'all deserved a fabulous budget-themed giveaway!


Up for grabs is Dave Ramsey's Cash Flow Planning DVD (a $19.95 value), which is the 3rd lesson from Financial Peace University (his 13-week course on how to handle money). This video is all about the nuts and bolts of budgeting. A DVD on finance stuff? Seriously? I assure you it's no snooze fest. It's packed full of great information, but it's also freakin' hilarious. It'll make you laugh. It'll make you cry. It'll make you say, "Aw shit, that's us." You will love it.

Here are the deets...


In this 85-minute lesson, Dave walks you through a step-by-step method for setting-up a household budget that you can live with. No longer will you have to dread living on a budget.

Dave shows you how to live on less than you make, pay your bills, allow for entertainment and still have money left over at the end of the month. You'll never feel confined by a budget again after you learn how to do a budget the way thousands of other families have, the Financial Peace way.

You'll Learn How to:

-Stretch your money further
-Set up your own cash-flow system
-Live on a budget
-Have money left over at the end of the month
-Spend money without guilt
-Get control and keep control of your money


We've been through the class twice and I've listened to the audio from this lesson countless times. It is priceless information and a perfect way to get your butt in gear for the new year! One winner will be picked by random number generator. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post answering the following question:

If you were able to find more money left over at the end of the month, what's the first thing you would do with it?

Entry deadline is Monday, January 10th (midnight ET). A winner will be announced on Tuesday the 11th. Please provide an email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win! Best of luck...

Amazing Grace? Amazing Book.

I just finished this book early last week for our couples' small group meeting last Thursday. We usually do studies that take place over several weeks, but this time we did a "book club" like meeting discussing Philip Yancey's "What's So Amazing About Grace?" If the idea of reading a Christian book freaks you out, this is a great one to start with. It's not a new book, but it was new to me. It's one of the best books I've ever read. The author is so real and honest about his own struggles with comprehending God's grace. He has so many real world stories and examples that remind us what a truly grace-less world we live in.

This book would speak to anyone and everyone I imagine, but I think it's especially powerful if you're someone who has struggled with forgiveness. Especially letting go of that stronghold that someone from your past has had on you. He speaks a lot to finding the strength to forgive the most undeserving, but also to living a life with an attitude of grace in general. In the second half, Yancey digs deeply into how the Christian image has been severely damaged by churches, politicians, and extremists' total lack of grace. How quickly we forget that Jesus didn't hang out with the righteous; he dined with and kept the company of sinners. He was love and grace personified.

There are so many fantastic quotable lines in this book, but my absolute favorite...

"There is nothing we can do to make God love us more.

There is nothing we can do to make God love us less."

So many people, even Christians, have the misconception that our salvation is dependent on what we do. If that's you, please read this book. Every one of us thirsts for grace. And here God is, waiting for us with his arms wide open. "God's arms are always extended; we are the ones who turn away."

Are you ready for your makeover?!

Happy Saturday, all! And let's give a big congrats to... drumroll, please....

The Mrs. from One Fabulous Mom!

You are my fabulous winner of my Dave Giveaway! The signed copy of Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover will be on its way to your doorstep along with a free 3-month subscription to his online resources at http://www.mytotalmoneymakeover.com/! Thanks to all of you who entered - I really loved reading about what all you'd do if you were debt free.



I wish I had a copy for all of you! I mean this book should be shelved in the This-Will-Change-Your-Life section at Barnes & Noble. I hope you will go out and grab it and give it a go. Now y'all have heard me rave about Dave over and over again and I'm sure you're over it. You have to understand that when something changes your life so much for the better, you want to tell everyone. You want everyone to know the joy, freedom, and peace you now know. You want to tell the world. We get this a lot from friends: "Well, that's great for you guys, but it's just not for us." Ugh, if they only knew. So enough from me... take a quick read of this review I found on Amazon for Dave's book. I couldn't say it any better...


I have to admit, I thought Dave Ramsey was below my level. I thought I wouldn't get much of anything out of this campy book, that I haven't already heard i.e.: always buy a used car, invest in your 401k, pay you credit card in full every month, ect, ect. If I had read this book and wrote a review 3 years ago, I probably would have even panned it for being "to simple" or used MBA jargon and some slick equations I learned from college to explain how returns from investment can outpace debt, so make the minimum on your house payment, take the tax write off, embrace a value investment strategy in secular growth stocks that provide a high dividend yield to offset the payments, debt is a tool, use your cash flow to build credit... Blah, blah. Just trying to prove I am more sophisticated than the audience to which books like this are written for.

I read this book, and I feel like a total tool.

It's not that I have debt problems. I don't. I have a nearly paid off loan for a 2007 ford escape I bought at CarMax and a mortgage for a small house in Texas with a good rate that I could potentially pay off in less than 2 years, or today just by selling one of my two profitable rental properties (also mortgaged) that have held their value over the recession. I even have a solid job, which pays very well and a couple of nice big investment portfolios.

My problem is that I am tired of playing the game. It's never been that case that I buy things I can't afford to impress people I don't like... It's that I go out, work my a$$ off and budget and invest accordingly, to pay a substantial amount of interest to financial institutions I don't like. After watching things unfold over the last few years, and my experience with the banks, these banks that suck up my money and make poor investments with it, I can't wait to be completely debt free. Dave made me realize that I, like many others, had a culturally accepted notion that debt is part of life. It's not. He also made me realize how much of my hard earned money I am giving away towards items I thought were "investments", that only continue to keep me in financial servitude and stress me out. His plan is solid regardless if people think his one-sized approach is too simplistic (my own campy Ramseyism: There's only one right way to do things, and hundreds of wrong ways).

In fact I would say anyone who writes a bad review is either living in denial, doesn't have enough experience (possibly an aspiring B-school student or alum), or is trying to prove their genius in the same sort of way the financial institutions did right before the taxpayers had to bail them out... This book is full of truth, and I recommend it to EVERYONE. I did not expect to gain much of anything by reading it, but it's completely changed my perception on how much better off my life could be, and how much easier it would be to build wealth, if I didn't have any financial obligations holding me back.

by "Previously Ignorant"
(gave the book 5 out of 5 stars, duh)

e.l.f. - A Love Affair

I know, I haven't gabbed about a product or gushed over some new accessory in ages. It's funny how much my blog has changed focus over the last three years, but so goes my life! I write about what's going on, and there's really not much of any shopping going on here... so yeah. I usually send my J. Crew catalogs straight to the recycle bin. BUT one thing you can't deny me is my makeup. I still gotta look good, right?!

I found out about e.l.f. several years ago when they first came on the scene. The whole "everything is $1" intrigued me... could this be for real? Uh yeah, it was. Of course now they've totally expanded their line and have different collections with higher price points. But even the highest ones are ridiculously cheap when you compare them to drugstore makeup brand prices, much less swanky high-end cosmetic lines. At only $1 an item, I grabbed a ton of products on my first order years ago - I mean, what's to lose? If it sucks, you only wasted a dollar, right? Well, fast forward to now... and nearly every single item in my makeup drawer is stamped with "e.l.f."

I've always been big into makeup - it's just fun. And I've tried all kinds of brands and labels when it comes to cosmetics. I was a pretty tried and true Estee Lauder fan in high school and beyond, with a little Bobbi Brown mixed in... and maybe a dash of MAC, Sephora, and other trendy brands here and there. With the exception of my liquid base and/or concealer (which has always been Almay), I was an exclusive department store brand makeup girl. I was a sucker for the free-gift-with-purchase. Even though I'd maybe use like *one* item out of that bag - ha! But like I said, when I caught word of this online cosmetic company where everything was $1 - I had to give it a try.

Little by little, my department store cosmetic items were being replaced by e.l.f. products. The last to go? My automatic eye pencil from Estee Lauder. It was quite the revelation, if you remember. Now the only items I use daily that are not e.l.f. are my Almay wand concealer and whatever mascara I'm using. Mascara is the only product they haven't quite mastered yet. I'll be happy to switch when they do, but for now I stick with Maybelline - either the old faithful pink and green bottle or the new Stiletto one.

If you're not familiar with e.l.f., there's a few things you should know. First, there is always ALWAYS a promotion going on. Never ever check out without entering some kind of coupon code. By always, I mean there is at least one promotion/coupon code available every single day. And often more than one, so you have to choose which one is the best deal for you. The best way to stay in the know is to become an email subscriber. The promotions are advertised via email, twitter, etc and most often are NOT made known on the website. I usually order from e.l.f about once every 3 months, spending about $30 (including shipping). And that's for A LOT of stuff. I wait for the bigger promotions to come out and then I jump on and order everything I need and more. As I'm about to show you, most of the products I use come from their all natural mineral line. Unless I'm just desparate and out of product, I will only purchase new items when they're at least 50% off. They will usually run promos by specific collections... like one week all Studio items are 50% off, then a couple of weeks later all Mineral items are BOGO 50% off, etc. But like I said, I try to hold out for the bigger ones... like 60% off the entire site (that's the last one I took advantage of) or 75% off all Minerals. Point is - there is always a promotion, so never ever pay full price.

Second, the company now has four main "collections" of products...

• The main e.l.f. line, which is your basic everything-is-$1 stuff. I still snag some of these items whenever I'm purchasing. And you can actually find some of these at Target. I've seen a small selection at Kroger also. But whatever you've seen in stores is a teeny, teeny sampling of what's online. These products are great stocking stuffers and I've seen brides use them a lot to fill goody bags for bridesmaids. Great fun! And an excellent way to experiment with fun new colors on the cheap.
• The Studio collection, which they dub as their "professional" line. I've used a couple of these products, namely the eyeliner and shadow stick which led me to dump my faithful Estee Lauder liner after 16+ years. Price point on this line is generally $3 (but again, wait till they go on sale).
• The Minerals collection, my personal favorite! I've tried just about every product in this collection and have fallen in love with most all of it. I'll reveal my top personal picks below. The collection is all natural and 100% mineral based. Price point for most items is $3-5. (Don't make me mention the sales again.)
• The Bath & Body collection, which is basically your bath gels, lotions, etc. Items are generally $4 each. No real steal of a deal here except for the body butter. Compare it to The Body Shop's Body Butter for $14 and up.... yeah, I'll go with the $4 tub from e.l.f., thanks. As for the hand soap? I'll pass. I refuse to pay more than $1 for a bottle of hand soap.

Third, shipping costs are a flat $6.95 (for U.S), no matter your order. There are often free or reduced shipping coupon codes too, so keep an eye out. And because it's an online-only retailer, there are no sales tax charges (except for NY, probably - where the distribution center is located). They also often throw out freebies with your purchase, like a complimentary magazine subscription. And it's a true freebie - not a thing where you will be billed after 3 weeks if you don't cancel. I was just reading my freebie US Weekly this morning, actually! Do be aware that they do not accept returns or exchanges unless items arrived damaged. I've never had anything arrive damaged, nor have I ever wanted to return anything. Folks, stuff is like $1. Again, if you don't like something, do a shoulder shrug and move on. It's a friggin' dollar. As for my personal favorites, here are the top 5 items I'm currently crushing on...

1. Mineral Eyeshadow, $3 each. OMG, so fun. Such a great rainbow of colors to choose from, and they go on beautifully. I love the texture and they're easy to apply as lightly or as heavily as you want. Most colors have a subtle shimmer to them, but a few (labeled matte) do not. These are the only thing I use for eyeshadow anymore. Love, love, love them.

2. Mineral Lip Gloss, $3 each. It took me a while, but I found my perfect lip gloss. I've tried every other lip gloss e.l.f. has to offer - this one is the best by far. My favorite shades are Trendsetter, Pageant Princess, and Sorority Girl.

3. Mineral Concealer, $5 each. Yes, it's called "concealer" but I actually use it as my foundation. I've tried the Mineral Foundation as well, but none of the shades seemed to work just right for me and my skin tone. But the "light" shade of the concealer does... and I can't tell the difference between the concealer or foundation really. So I use my Almay wand concealer to help cover up any blemishes or discoloration on my face, and then I apply the Mineral concealer lightly on top (which is basically a very fine loose powder). I don't use liquid foundation anymore after having discovered this stuff. If you've been wanting to try a mineral foundation, e.l.f. is a great way to do it without breaking the bank.

4. Mineral Eye Liner, $3 each. Yep, as soon as this product debuted I gave it a try and immediately fell in love. It tops the Studio collection liner that I mentioned, but I still use both since they offer different shades in each. LOVE this product a million times over. I have every color but most often wear Ash or Midnight.

5. Mineral Blemish Kit, $8 each. I know, quite the *splurge* on this site! But you won't go through this product nearly as quickly as a foundation or regular concealer. (And hello, again, these are list prices - not what I actually pay.) I don't use this everyday. It's basically a very, very fine powder that helps cover up blemishes or red spots. It only comes in one shade, and may not work if you have very dark skin - I don't know. But for me, it's awesome. Sometimes my wand concealer won't completely conceal a particularly stubborn zit or blemish. Mineral Blemish Kit to the rescue! It also comes with a special brush for application.

So those are my faves. What are some of yours? If you don't have any, you need to get some. Hop on their site and find some goodies. The great thing is, they have tons of reviews on their products. So it's easy to get a feel for what people like and don't like. Enjoy!

5 Guardrails for Married People

Yay for Friday! It's been kind of a weird week here dog-wise. Three mornings this week began with cleaning up dog vomit. You know how moms' ears are attuned to hear baby cries? Mine are attuned to dogs up-chucking. I'm a pretty deep sleeper, but that'll wake me up in a second. Gertie started it off - Tuesday, I think. She was sick all day - constantly throwing up and couldn't keep anything down. We were terrified that she swallowed something bad and had a blockage. This girl's known to eat underwear, socks, wash rags, stuff out of the trash... She is a total scavenger and VERY sneaky. We keep doors closed to our closets, bathrooms, and the laundry room so she doesn't have access to any of these *tasty* treats, but once in a while she manages to get a hold of something. Laundry day is always a challenge with her. But luckily, she got better after 24 hours and is now back to her normal self.

Well on Wednesday, Charlie decided to start urping. Which of course sends us into a panic because we're especially sensitive to any change in him these days. And his whole sickness/surgery/cancer thing a couple of months ago all started with vomiting. Suddenly it looked like it all was coming back with a vengeance. He continued to vomit all day and again the next morning. We found ourselves in bed Thursday morning discussing our plans for when we'd ultimately have to put him down... just laying in bed with him crying. We were hanging on to hope that this was just a random tummy ache but couldn't help thinking "is this it?" Well, praise God, we haven't seen Charlie up-chuck since mid-morning yesterday (Thursday). And he started eating some again yesterday and has been much more of himself. So it's been over 24 hours... we're a little afraid to celebrate just yet, but he appears to be getting over whatever it was. Hang in there, buddy! Meanwhile, our oldest (Belly) is thinking, "what the hell is wrong with you dogs? Get it together and stop smellin' up my bedroom!"

Yeah, so we're glad to start the weekend with three happy dogs. And in other news, we're in the middle of this awesome new sermon series by Andy Stanley at church called "Guardrails." (My dog-vomit intro doesn't really lead into that so well, but whatever.) We all know what guardrails are - those ugly metal beams alongside the highway that keep you from running off the road and into danger. Well the whole premise of this series is establishing "guardrails" in different areas of your life to keep you from heading into dangerous or forbidden territory (i.e. screwing up your life). It's about making the conscious decision to define behaviors for yourself to keep you out of trouble and protect the relationships you have. Andy talks about how we have to be intentional with setting these standards for ourselves because we're always tempted to live right on the edge of disaster. So we need to set boundaries for ourselves - guardrails far from that real "line" we never want to cross - so that we never find ourselves up against it.

The series focuses on various areas where we all need guardrails - friendships, finances, and marriage. But I found the marriage piece SO fascinating. I've always said to the hub that there are just "certain things you don't do when you're married." I've never really defined that, but you know... there are just things you don't do cuz you're married. I'm sure a lot of my friends would disagree. But OMG don't you just love it when someone *official* (like your pastor) confirms something you've been saying or feeling all this time?

So Andy specifically laid out 5 guardrails for married folks. He also did a list for singles which is awesome, but I'm just focusing on the married right now. These are not found in the Bible anywhere... these are nothing but "standard operating procedures" for protecting your marriage. Guardrails are important in all the major areas of our lives, but Andy noted that establishing them to protect your sexual purity, whether you're married or single, is the most important. Because you can overcome a financial disaster and completely recover, but very rarely do people fully recover from an affair. So don't deceive yourself into thinking "this can never happen to us!" Be proactive in protecting your marriage and establish these boundaries for yourself. By doing so, you're making a decision. By not doing so, you're making a decision. I think these are awesome and totally on point, but I'm curious to know what y'all think. Here are the 5 guardrails for married couples...

(1) Don't travel alone with members of the opposite sex.
Andy talked about how he went out of his way not to do this (i.e. carpooling to work) even when it seemed convenient.

(2) Don't eat alone with members of the opposite sex.
This one is huge - Andy especially stressed the importance of this one. Throughout all the years he counseled couples struggling with infidelity, he said ALL but one relationship/affair began here. "Oh let's grab a coffee... let's get lunch..." And yes, there are times when you'll find yourself in one of these situations unexpectedly. It's OK, you don't have to scream "NO!" and run out of the restaurant. Just take a minute to phone your spouse and tell them what's going on.

(3) Don't hire cute members of the opposite sex because you want to help them.
That one of course got a good laugh from the audience. You've seen too many movies not to know where this leads... Don't deceive yourself into thinking you're "helping" them. Get them help, but don't hire them.

(4) Don't confide in or counsel members of the opposite sex.
So true... doesn't take a genius to know that's dangerous ground.

(5) When you feel your heart or desire drifting toward a specific person, tell someone.
Whether it's a sister, a best friend, a small group member... tell someone. Someone who will hold you accountable.

I'm sure some of you think these might be a bit extreme... but what wouldn't you be willing to do (or not do) to protect your marriage? You certainly wouldn't *regret* adopting these guardrails. It's not as though having coffee with another man or woman is a sin... it's about drawing a line for yourself and choosing not to cross it. It's important to know your spouse's guardrails - so you can hold him or her accountable! And you also want to be comfortable with your spouse's guardrails. But ladies, think about it... if you knew your husband set these boundaries for himself, how awesome would that make you feel?

It's an incredible series overall, but I definitely encourage y'all to go check out this specific sermon that goes over the guardrails for marrieds and singles. Andy does a MUCH better job selling the idea than I do. Hop over here and click on the yellow square for "Guardrails." The 5/2/10 message, "Flee Baby Flee," is the one you want. You can also download a podcast version. Have a listen and let me know your thoughts!

And have a fabulous weekend, all! Later...

Santa never fails.

I hope you all had a fabu Christmas! We certainly did. Santa loaded us up with some fun goodies. I am loving my new Kindle!!! I just ordered a pink case for it off Amazon so I can keep it safely tucked in my purse and with me all the time. We also got a Keurig coffee maker and are loving it so far. We had the Senseo one for years but it was about to crap out on us. Besides, the Keurig has a LOT more variety as far as coffees and teas you can brew. So fun!

The hub also got an air popcorn popper - something he's been wanting forever. I think he eats more popcorn than anyone else on the planet. Seriously. I guess there could be worse vices. At least I don't have to buy Costco size boxes of microwave popcorn anymore - that'll save us some bucks!

We spent Christmas here in Atlanta with my family and then drove up to Knoxville afterwards for a couple of days with the hub's family. We got more goodies up there, including my requested Lady Gaga CD from SIL. She is my not-so-guilty pleasure. Funny thing is, I saw her open for NKOTB like 18 months ago and I remember turning to Lucky saying "Who the hell is that?!" Fast forward to December 2009 with me blasting her CD and singing along while driving to work. It's a great CD too, girls ("The Fame" - her first one, pictured below). It's one of those rare CD's that you can pop in and let it go. Not just a few hits and a bunch of filler shit. It's all good stuff - I'm loving it!

Here's a litte *Christmas Collage* of some of our loot - we must have been good this year!

After a whirlwind Christmas, I'm taking most of this week off from work. I did go in for a few hours yesterday to make sure there weren't any fires to put out, but I'm off now. And I have all these things around the house I need to be doing, yet I have no motivation whatsoever to do any of them. But I'm terrible at doing *nothing* so I find myself playing on the computer when I need to be doing laundry and cleaning stuff. Hmmm...

Plus this weekend - I can't believe it - is Lucky's wedding! So I'm also getting geared up for that. I'm putting self-tanner on my legs so they don't blind everyone at the ceremony. Dear me. I don't do hose, so that's not an option. But no worries - I won't be orange. I use this brand a lot (Loreal) and I just do a couple of "doses" a few days out so I'm not quite so pasty. I'm not actually trying to look tan. Just less ghost-like.

Oh and get this - I'll be doing my own hair. Everytime I get my hair put up by a pro I think, yeah that's nice but was it worth $90 or whatever? Yeah, no. I'm pretty decent with updo's - certainly decent enough to save me $90. As long as my hair cooperates, it'll be good. I'll try to remember to snap a pic for you to assess my skills. I've done other bride's updo's before - just not my own.

Now I'm trying to figure out what to wear to Lucky's rehearsal and dinner...

Oh and let's not forget New Year's Eve... want to take a guess at what we're doing? Our crew might be the only ones there over 18 and I'm hoping I don't hurt myself. Any guesses?!

(P.S. This spacing thing drives my perfectionist self INSANE! Does anyone know how to fix the double spacing or whatever the hell it's doing?! Insane, I tell you.)

Seven Years!

Let's see... this time 7 years ago, I was probably drying my hair at my parents' house while getting ready to meet all of my bridesmaids to take a limo to get our hair and makeup done at Phipps Plaza. We got an early start! Today the hub and I celebrate 7 years of marriage - woot woot! It's amazing how time flies, yet our first year of marriage seems ages ago. We've learned so much about each other and life together and we have grown as a couple and as individuals. Marriage is no easy road - there are a lot of bumps and even a few potholes. But I couldn't think of a better man to do life with... love you, hub!

And my parents share our same anniversary. Or I should say, we share theirs - they did claim it first, afterall. Today they celebrate 41 years of marriage - WOW. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Spanx much?

First of all, happy October 15th! That's a nod to my fellow nerdy tax accountants out there. Hallelujah... But the real reason I'm hopping on here before I run off to work is to let you know that Atlanta-based Spanx is looking for more wear testers. I've mentioned a time or two on here that I do some test wearing for Spanx. I can't dish on the products, but I will say it's a fun experience. They are always testing new products on guinea pigs like me. I give them my honest opinion through online surveys, and I get to keep the products. I mean, what's not to love?! And as I said, Spanx is looking for more volunteers to do some testing. Basically, they send products to your home, you wear them as much as you can in the given time frame, and then you complete a survey with your feedback. It's of absolutely no cost to you, so if you're interested, go for it! To get involved, drop an email to product coordinators Amanda Gardner or Kyli Cohron.

But bloggy world, one word to you guys... they specifically request that you do NOT post any information or reviews (good or bad) on the products you receive for wear testing. Your feedback should only be shared with Spanx via the online surveys they send you directly, as many of these products are not on the market yet. And that's exactly why I don't talk about it on here except to say that (a) I'm doing it, and (b) you should, too!

They want women of all sizes, all ages, and even you mommas-to-be. They do have a line of maternity Spanx and are always happy to find prego wear testers. So get to it!

Mathematics 101

New Half-Blood Prince Trailer

OMG. I'm hyperventilating. This new trailer is SO good. OMG, hurry up July 17th!!!



How freaking scary awesome is Snape? I love me some Snape. OMG! You can bet your britches we'll be at the midnight showing at the IMAX... loves it!

In the Company of Dogs

So last weekend we were over at my parents' for dinner and I saw this catalog sitting on my mom's island in the kitchen. What is this? A catalog I don't get? I'm like the catalog queen. Sure, I toss them in the recycle bin as soon as they hit my mailbox should I fail to avert my eyes, but I get them all! Well, obviously not.

Now most doggie stuff is a bit ridiculous. Cute, fun, but slightly ridiculous. And none of our three are little furballs that we dress up or anything. They're all the rough-and-tumble-roll-around-in-the-mud-and-run-through-the-house-hootin'-and-hollarin' type of dogs. So no fru-fru doggie sweaters or posh 3-figure cushies for our three. But OMG, I stumbled upon the absolute MIRACLE product for our crazy household. Behold, dear readers, the doggie screen door!!!


This is my answer! OMG. See, once it gets warm, we like to leave our back door open so our doggies can go in and out as they please. Otherwise, you're constantly getting up to let one out, let one in, let one back out, yell at one for jumping on the door... you get the picture. But of course, once summer really starts to kick in, so do the bugs. And I don't really enjoy flies and junk swarming in our home. Gertie's pretty good at catching them, but not that good. So yeah, when I saw this product I did an audible squeal and announced to the family that this product most definitely would be going in the budget next month. Hellz yeah.

Lots of cool products for sure, along with some ridiculous ones, but overall, it's a fun catalog. Sign me up! I'm glad to know that others out there must have crazy untrained fools for dogs like we do. Otherwise, who else but us would need stuff like this?!



Gotta love 'em. Those sillies are worth every chip of paint, every door scratch, every chewed up pair of underwear...

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! :-)

Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope

I had on my growing list of post ideas to do a post on the recession and how it's not all so bad. But Dave beat me to it... Check out the town hall meeting he's going to be hosting next month. Y'all MUST check this out! He gets me so fired up!



And if you've never seen his show on the Fox Business Channel, you should check it out on hulu. I always play a couple of episodes while I'm working on my budget. Good stuffs! Have a look-see. I used to stream his radio show every day at work, but then they nixed our streaming capability. Boooo... I so miss it! I need my daily dose of Dave! Y'all think I'm crazy, don't you?!