Eat some cole slaw. And be my friend.

Working at home today. Roads are still icy and I'm a wimp. And I don't have much at all going on at work today, so why take a chance? I've been in a ditch before. It's not fun. So while I'm waiting on some info from clients, I thought I'd share a quick recipe from one of my favorite Atlanta cheap eats...


Taqueria del Sol is the go-to spot when I meet up with kuntry bride and Lucky. It's a fairly central location for us all, it's delicious, and it's CHEAP. Anyway, last weekend we had my parents over for dinner to celebrate my Dad's retirement. (Both of my parents are officially retired now!) We cooked up some fish tacos with Mexican rice and Taqueria's jalapeno cole slaw. This slaw is super easy to make and a perfect compliment to fish tacos. Eat it as a side dish or pile it in your taco. I did both.


Jalapeno Cole Slaw
from Taqueria del Sol

- 9 cups cabbage, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup grated carrots
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeño, diced
- juice of 1 1/2 lemons
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and add salt to taste.


This is a good one to make the night before or early in the day because it gets better and better as it sits. So good! Oh and I use light mayo and short cut it with the ready-pacs of shredded cabbage and carrot mix. Duh. The recipe also says it serves 15-18 but that's BS. Plan on that giving a good hearty serving to 6-8 maybe. I don't like to skimp.

OK so now that I've buttered you up with a good recipe, won't you be my friend? I recently joined Goodreads after a fellow reader recommended it. You may've noticed my little widget in my sidebar...


It is an awesome site for keeping up with what books you've read, what you're currently reading, and a wish-list of books you intend to read. It's a great way to see what other people are reading and get reviews on every book ever written. You can create reading goals for yourself and track them. But as they say on their website, "Goodreads is approximately 7 bajillion times more awesome when your friends are using it too. We have proven this. With science."

So far I have one friend. If you're a reader, will you be my buddy? Sign up here if you don't already have a Goodreads profile. And then come find me! It's fun to see what other friends are reading and get recommendations! I'm still very new to the site so I'm not very *seasoned* yet. I need some friends. Be my friend!

On the Menu

So tonight my parents are coming over for dinner. We're cookin' up a fun meal for my dad's birthday. Nothing too fancy - we all did the fancy schmancy thing Friday night at Sugo. Tonight we're doing BBQ pork sandwiches (with my yummy crockpot recipe), corn casserole, slaw, and baked beans. Then I'm doing some baked apples for dessert with a yummalicious walnut topping and vanilla ice cream. I'm trying a different walnut topping recipe, so I'll share if it's good. Hope you all are having fun weekends!

The fire department's on high alert...

Today is the hub's 35th birthday! Whoah... I'm glad I'm sitting down. I mean, that's old. He can officially be president now. I suppose he better start acting all adult-like from here on out. And as a potential first lady, perhaps I better step up my game as well?

Nevertheless... Happy Birthday, dear hub of mine! You are my everything and I can't wait to celebrate this special day with you (and also drag it out as long as possible, as we tend to do)!


I've been up baking a cake this morning and *trying* to blow up balloons. I have a whole new appreciation for balloon vendors. I think I'll dog-ear that page in the phonebook, given that I about had a heart attack trying to blow up six measly balloons. Oh well, it's the thought, right?!

Not sure what the plans are for today (his actual birthday)... but Saturday night the two of us are going out for a swanky birthday dinner and then we'll get to celebrate again with my parents next weekend. My mom's birthday is about a week after the hub's, so we usually do a family birthday dinner out somewhere. Fun, fun! We loves birthdays.

Reader Question: What happened to that social life?!

Happy Thursday, all! Hope your weeks are going well. We've already gotten really busy at work with tax season... so I'm pretty much chained to my desk chair till mid-April. Though I'll still manage to steal a minute or two to hop on here and keep up with y'all - promise! Anyway, a couple of things... big news on the car front! We got a second car this week!!! And let me tell you, it was meant to be. The hub answered a craigslist ad for a 2000 Lexus this past weekend. (Don't ask me what model... I don't really speak Lexus, but I think it's just the glorified Toyota Camry version.) The guy selling it lived very close by, but the hub didn't hear back from him that day. The price was a little more than our budget, but we figured it was worth a look - and you never know, right? Maybe we could talk him down on price some. Well, we figured someone else snagged it, but the seller actually contacted the hub the next day. That same day, I relisted our Restoration Hardware chest on craigslist (which had been on there for months with not much interest). That very day, the hub got a response from a very excited buyer for the chest. They wanted it, at our asking price, and they wanted it now! Sweeeet! So long story short, the hub got the new car for $3,800 (a killer deal, by the way - it was listed at over $4,200 and is worth even more) and we were able to snag it easily since we sold that last piece of furniture. The timing was beautiful.

But that's not the best part... the couple that came Tuesday night to pick up the chest was SO great. While the boys moved the big ass chest out, the wife and I got to talking about kids, which quickly turned into a conversation about infertility. She had a great story of her own... she and her husband tried for years and years to get pregnant and they finally adopted a baby girl. Her doctors told her she'd never ever get pregnant. Eighteen months after adopting... she's pregnant. Even at delivery, her doctor told her she shouldn't be having this baby - it just wasn't physically possible. She set him straight and said, "God can do anything." Her kids are now 18 and 20. And I have to say she was one of the sweetest most understanding women I've talked to about all this. She knew my pain and she knew it well - she still teared up thinking about it, even 20 years later. I've often wondered if you eventually forget that pain and longing once you finally get there, but I guess you never do. Maybe you're not supposed to... so you can comfort others in their own journey. She paid me for the chest and gave me $50 more than our asking price, but she wouldn't let me give her any change. And she told me, "not only do I have a great new piece of furniture, I have someone new to pray for!" And we totally hugged when she and her husband left... hahahaha... isn't that crazy?!

Yes, so NEW car and our last piece of furniture we had up for sale is gone! Woo hoo! And while we're glad to have two cars again, both the hub and I kinda missed carpooling yesterday. He called me as soon as he got to work and told me it was awfully quiet in the car. So we decided we'll still carpool a couple of days a week. No reason not to... saves gas and whatnot! Ahhh and the second thing... I got a great comment from Jenny yesterday on a previous post with a fabulous question...

Betty,

Just found your blog. Love that you're following DR with success. Had to ask though- how is it impacting your social life? It looks like you were kinda big spenders before. How have you helped your friends adjust to your new (smaller?) entertainment and dining out budgets? My DH and I struggle with getting together with our freinds because everyone always wants to go out and those nights out (restaurants, theater, bars) get expensive FAST.

Any advice?

Jenny

Awesome question, Jenny - and something I haven't really mentioned on here! Yes, I'd have to say going hardcore on Dave's plan initially cramped our style a bit. For us though, it was a rather gradual process. We had already started to really cut back before we were officially on a budget and whatnot, so it wasn't as if our entire social life suddenly came to a screeching hault. But yes, we certainly used to eat out a lot, go to concerts and shows, and shop without thinking twice about it. And I can definitely remember some recent occasions when we found some "convenient excuses" to get out of going out to dinner with friends, etc where we knew it just wasn't in the budget. But we're very open to our close friends about what we're doing. They all know our situation and actually, a lot of our friends are on the Dave train too. Or at least budget-conscious if nothing else. So I have to say for us, it really hasn't been too big of an adjustment. Instead of going out to some swanky restaurant for dinner, we've been getting together with other couples and friends at each other's homes. A few weeks ago we went over to visit some friends who recently got married. They cooked dinner, we brought the wine, and we played board games. It was seriously tons of fun!

And really all my girlfriends know I'm a budget nut now. The hub and I really don't go out to eat at all - it's rare if we do. But I'll occasionally meet some girlfriends for dinner out, and we'll always pick cheap eats. None of us has any problem saying, I'm broke - let's eat on the cheap! And two of my best girls, Lucky and kuntry bride, and I have (don't laugh) slumber parties. Yep, slumber parties. In fact we just set the date for our next one this week. We take turns "hosting" and we just gather at one of our homes, get in our jammies, cook a fun dinner, watch girly movies and hang out.

So I guess the answer is, let your friends know where you stand, and get a little creative with more budget-friendly ways to get together. It's definitely tough to put up a hand and say, no I can't do that - it's not in the budget... but it absolutely gets easier, and a lot of times I think you'll find that when you start making more frugal plans, your friends just might wise up and follow suit. I hope that helps a little! Great question!

Alright girls... I gotta dry my hair and get going. Long day ahead... Hope y'all have a wonderful day. Don't forget to keep praying for sweet Harper!!! Things are looking good, but she still needs your prayers! Kelly has lots of great pics up, so go see check it out! XOXOXO!

Is YOUR Starbucks closing?

Here's the list.

Parking woes.

So last night I met two of my favorite girls out - kuntry bride and our mutual friend, whom I need to just go ahead and come up with a name for here... she's Irish so I'll go with *Lucky* OK? You know, she's the one who ventured down south with me to visit kuntry bride's hometown last year. Anyway - dinner and a movie with kuntry bride and Lucky last night. It was a whirlwind afternoon actually. I left work early to meet with our realtor (our townhouse is officially going back on the market this week - more on that later) and then I ran into town for a wax appointment which I nearly missed because of Buckhead traffic (and was quickly reminded of why I normally go at lunch time or on weekends instead of 4-freaking-30 p.m. on a weekday). And then after leaving the vagina barber (her words, not mine), I hopped on over to Atlantic Station to meet up with the girls.

We grabbed a quick dinner at Moe's and went to a 7 o'clock showing of SATC. Kuntry bride hadn't seen it yet, and Lucky and I were all for a second viewing. It was actually much more enjoyable the second time around because I had to pee like mad during the first showing but refused to get up and trample over 14 other girls to get to the aisle. I was about ready to be catherized by the end. OK so anyway, good dinner, great movie, good girly fun, yada yada yada... and then we go to leave. Well my local blog buddies probably know this, but at Atlantic Station, most of the parking is underneath the streets - so it's a huge ass underground parking deck. People often get lost in it. And it's one where you get a ticket on the way in and then stop at a little automated booth to pay your parking tab before you head back to your car and leave. Well Lucky and I parked near each other but kuntry bride was on the complete opposite side. So we all walked down together, paid our tickets, and found our cars. I drove kuntry bride over to her car, parked in the handicap spot next to her car, got out and said goodbye to her and then got back in my car to leave. She pulls off and I am about to back out when I realize... I don't have my parking ticket. Shit.

You have to have the actual ticket to stick in the machine thingee to get out of the lot. Even though you've already paid, you still have to have that ticket which somehow tells the machine thingee at the gate that you've paid. OK so where the hell has my ticket gone? I had it in my hands mere minutes ago and now it is nowhere to be found. So I'm in park with the car running digging through my bag, starting to really panic. And then some dude is walking to my car (keep in mind I'm alone in a parking deck at like 10 o'clock at night). He's looking at me and pointing towards something. I thought he was just making sure I knew how to get out of there - like motioning toward an exit or something. I made some kind of flustered gesture to say yeah, I know where the exit is, but he kept getting closer and continued to point at something. So I cracked my window and he says, "Do you have a handicap tag?" Oh... he's a parking attendant person. Didn't even notice his little security buggy while tearing my car apart looking for this damn ticket. In a surely frustrated tone I replied, "I'm just getting my ticket and leaving." Which I'm sure came out as "Leave me ALONE!" He said OK and went on his way. Not wanting to be harassed any further for occupying a handicap space, I backed out and moved to another spot to continue the ticket search.

After rummaging through my car three times over and seeing 20+ minutes pass, I just said screw it. I *just* want to go home. I don't care how much it costs to get out of this freaking deck. I'm so tired and I'm about in tears at this point because I really just want to go home. I'm not hurting anybody here, just let me out of this damn deck!!!! So I head over to my normal exit because I knew there would be an attendant there. I told him I lost my ticket and asked what I needed to do. "You lost your ticket?" Yes, dude, that's what I just said. "It's $14." OK, so... can I pay you? "No, you have to go to the central cashier and get another ticket." Central cashier? What the hell is that? So I have to do a u-turn to get out of the exit while he holds off the other exiting cars while I turn around (sure, not at all embarrassing). I'm roaming through the deck trying to find this mysterious "central cashier" and I'm seeing nothing. I called Lucky at this point, who was no doubt home and changing into her pj's by now, and told her I was still in the damn parking deck and she's of course laughing at me. I would laugh at me too. I accidentally hung up on her when I came across another security guard passing by. I rolled down my window and asked her how to find this cashier and she proceeded to tell me how to get there in seriously like 18 steps. Turn left here, then right at the stop sign, left here and then you'll see signs for no entry, but go in there anyway... and on and on. Are you kidding me? I just said yeah, yeah and retained virtually nothing she just told me. Did I mention this deck is huge? As in acres.

I finally find this central cashier station but of course - of course - it is sitting in the middle of the valet section and VIP parking (what the hell is that?) so I had to park like 500 yards away from this damn cashier and walk up. Not frustrating at all! I get up to the window and tell the dude I lost my ticket. On any other occassion, I probably would've tried to argue out of it somehow or explain my situation, but I seriously just wanted to pay my stupid $14 and get the hell out. "I lost my ticket." "You lost your ticket?" YES, I LOST MY TICKET!!!! Why do you people need me to repeat it? Yes I know I'm mental and stupid for losing my ticket but I just want to go home and if you keep talking to me I'm going to burst into tears and I do NOT like crying in public so please don't make me do it. Just give me my damn ticket!!!

I got my ticket, $14 later. Let's just keep in mind here that I had already paid $2 for the original ticket, so we're at a $16 tab now. Just so you know, my dinner and a movie was a mere $16 and change. So I've now doubled the cost of my evening out. I get back to my car and as I'm getting in, Lucky calls me back to see if I made it out OK. I'm explaining to her what all happened and as I'm talking to her I realize... where the hell is the $14 ticket I just bought?! SHIT. I told her I had to go. Once again... throwing things all around my car trying to find damn ticket #2. Are you kidding me? Are you freaking kidding me?! I should not be allowed out of the house - this is ridiculous. Well, 5 minutes later in a sweaty panic, I found *a* ticket that had fallen down between my seats. Who knows if it was my original one or the stupid $14 one, but who the hell cares - it was my ticket outta there. Finally, I hightailed it out of there (35 minutes after walking down to my car).

So the lesson here ladies, don't lose your stinking parking ticket. I suppose I will be sticking mine to my forehead from now on. I think the older I get, the more frequently I do dumb shit like this. Am I going to be an absolute basket case when I become a momma? Yikes...

Doo doo brown.

Um, in case you were wondering if it were possible to get chocolate stains all over you (i.e. a dribble on your lap, a smear on your butt, and a dab on your boob) while eating one (yes, just one) Ghirardelli dark chocolate square after lunch (a daily must for some)... yes, dear readers, it is possible. How I manage to do this time and time again, I have no effing clue. Especially when I'm trying to be uber careful since I'm meeting girlfriends for fish tacos and 'ritas after work. I really need to start keeping emergency wardrobe changes in the car.

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. :-)

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?

I love you, Amazon.

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



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

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

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

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

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

Birthday Boy.

Phew... I finally stole a second to sit down and blog! It's been a busy few days. I've got to get my cake pics off of the hub's camera. OMG it was awesome - it looked like a 5-year old made it. Let's just say I chose the wrong day to experiment with food coloring. It was yummy though!

The birthday shindig went great. The hub had a great time, and that's of course all that mattered. My eyes widened though when I saw him doing tequila shots. Oh dear... he never does those. Needless to say, he was pretty worthless the next day. Although I have to give him props because we did make it to the 9 o'clock church service the next morning! And then immediately back to the couch afterwards...

Monday was his actual birthday. Now we are big birthday people. We like to make a big deal out of birthdays and we also like to drag them out as long as possible. A week-long birthday is about par. So it started Saturday and our final birthday festivity for the hub will be this Saturday when we celebrate here with my parents. My mom's birthday is in early March, so we always do a combo-birthday dinner out. So we didn't have any major plans for Monday since we had the dinner party this past Saturday. (And I can hardly call that a dinner party - it was so not that sophisticated.) We were just going to take it easy Monday and have a casual dinner out or something. Well I had to find a way to work in a few surprises and make it fun, so at lunch on Monday I ran home and left some goodies in the kitchen for the hub (who would surely beat me home that evening).

We don't go crazy with gifts $$ wise, but we like to do goofy things like this. The big brown thing is a body pillow from the doggies. And then there are 4 rolled up spring polo's from me from Old Navy. They have some really cute polo's this season - and SO cheap. Hubby is so bad about getting crap on his shirts so I hate to spend a lot on them. Oh and Gertie is terrified of the balloon "monsters," by the way. Last night the hub tied one to her so it was "chasing" her around the house. Poor girl was traumatized. Aren't we horrible? We felt so bad... but it was rather hilarious.

I'll have to get the cake pics on here so you can see my work of art!

In other news... not preggers. Guess my mental issues are due to age. Aunt Flo dropped in over the weekend and set up camp. That bitch.

Also... and update on my gpa - he is not doing well. He was rushed to the hospital yesterday and is very sick. My parents went up yesterday afternoon, so we are just kind of hanging tight to hear what happens. Please keep him in your prayers!

Good Eats.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day! We had a wonderful fondue dinner - though I don't think it settled too well with the hub. He left work early with a tummy ache. Poor guy... guess it'll be an evening at home tonight! Well all I can say is TGIF!!!!! I love me a Friday.

We don't have much on tap for the weekend. I'll be working some tomorrow - a little tax stuff, and a little invite stuff. No Saturday night plans right now - which is actually refreshing. Our Sunday is going to be busy though... our friends have 3 daughters, all of whom are getting baptized on Sunday morning. They are (I'm guessing here) 8, 9, and 11 -ish. Something like that. Anyway, so we're going to their church for that. Then Sunday evening I'm heading down to the Highlands to have dinner with my high school girlfriends.

So speaking of good dinners, I've been taking advantage of Buckhead Life Group's gift card promotion. Atlanta blog pals, you may want to check this out! Every year they run a special where they'll tack on an additional 20% to your gift card purchase. So if you buy a $50 gift card, the value is $60. It's really a great deal... I mean 20% is a lot. If they're ever running that promotion at a time when I know I'm going to be hitting one of their restaurants, I buy a gift card to get the bonus bucks. So anyway, I got an email recently saying they were going to continue running this promotion through the end of April. Wow, that's like 3 months. So though I have no real plans to dine at one of their establishments anytime soon, I decided to get a $25 card. I bought it online and it came in the mail a few days later. Now they also honor the 20% promotion on recharges to your card. And even when there's no promotion going, they always add an extra 10% to card recharges. Shoot, that's reason enough to have one right there! So... every payday I'm logging on to their site and adding $25 (which is really $30) to my card. It's my own little fine dining savings plan. And you thought I was just a spender! Now if only J. Crew had a similar program... *Sigh.*

Alrighty, y'all have a fabu weekend! T-minus 5 minutes till I can blow this joint...

Confused.

OK I am over these damn ovulation tests! Something is off... I attributed last month's miss to being on Clomid. I figured I must've ovulated earlier than usual (and before I started testing). But I'm not on Clomid this cycle and now I'm going on day 8 of no LH surge reading. I'm very regular - and it so should've happened by now. And of course we're doing these tests because we're trying to get prego, but I also have to track my ovulation because one of my medications is taken only in the 2nd half of my cycle - so I need to know when I ovulate.

This is just uber annoying - and damn expensive. I've never ever had a problem with the pee-on-a-stick ovulation kits. My doctor said some people have a hard time getting a clear reading on them, but I've always gotten one - until these last two months. What the heck? Only other thing I can think of is that I've been drinking more water the last few months. Could that be affecting the readings? Since I have to go potty like all the freaking time now? Maybe. Well I know there are other methods of tracking this... so please give me your suggestions!

In other news, we went to visit my gpa yesterday in Chattanooga and he looked great. He was having a good day. He treated us all to lunch at his favorite (and everyday) lunch spot - the glorious Golden Corral. Thank God I had eaten a burrito on the way up. If you've never been to one - no need to start now. My dad calls these places pig troffs. I'm not even sure how you'd spell "troff" - but that's my guess. "A lot of pigs at the troff today," he said. Yes, yes there were. But my gpa thinks it's the greatest place on earth.

I'm counting down the hours till I get to leave. I'm tired from staying up and watching the Grammy's last night (even though I did fall asleep at the end). I've got yoga tonight - and I can't wait! And then I've got some chicken in the crockpot - can't wait to dig into that when I get home. Nothing better than walking through your door and being hit with that yummy smell! Mmmm... I'll let you know how it turns out - I just threw some random stuff in there this morning.

Winter Wonderland.

I can't believe we got another fun snow this weekend. The dogs actually got out in it once the flurries stopped falling. I'm not sure why the flurries are so scary... they look pretty harmless to me. But they had a ball running around in our backyard. Our street was lined with snowmen by Saturday afternoon. Too fun!

Well the weekend was great... I got SO much stuff done. I was a total domestic diva all weekend - non-stop. I'm actually caught up on laundry (a miracle in itself) and I started my first ever sewing project. I'm making drapes out of an old duvet cover we have. I've got one panel cut and marked and ready to sew. I'm sure this is like the simplest of sewing projects, but for me it's a super big deal. I really hope they turn out well. I will post some pics once we get them up (assuming they're OK to use!).

Oh and another thing that made my weekend fabulous... we found out at work on Friday that Saturday hours during busy season are no longer required!!! This is my 9th tax season and I've had to work Saturdays every year for those 3 months. It just really wears you out and puts a damper on your whole weekend (er - one day off). So to get that news on Friday was HUGE. It just makes my outlook on busy season so much brighter and more positive. I still have to get my hours in, but we just have the flexibility to work them in during the week and enjoy our FULL weekends now. I'm beyond excited.

I'm meeting one of my girlfriends tonight at Houston's.... I can't wait. That's one of my favorite restaurants and I don't get to go as much since moving up to the 'burbs. Seared ahi tuna salad, here I come! Mmm...

A weekend of good girly fun!

I'm a busy, busy bee right now... busy at work (OK aside from my little lunch break here to post this!), and busy getting ready for my kuntry bride's bachelorette weekend. The festivities begin tomorrow afternoon. We've got a room at Twelve reserved and there are about 11 of us staying the night. It's gonna be crazy! And I should say condo rather than room - because at Twelve you actually are staying in a furnished condo with a full kitchen and all. Ours is a 2 bedroom/2 bath - so it's not like 10 of us are crammed into a normal hotel room. Still, it'll be crowded and a total sleepover like atmosphere - but what fun!

I'm beyond excited, but I had a mere panic attack over the fact that I have nothing to wear "out" tomorrow night. I mean, I just don't go "out." Rarely anyway. My idea of going out is meeting friends at a fun new restaurant in town and getting gitty over a good bottle of wine. So my clubbing wardrobe is non-existant. Even in college I was not huge into going to bars and clubs. I mean I did my fair share, but just to give you an idea... instead of typical "keggers," my bestest and I threw themed dinner parties. Uh huh. Seemed totally normal to us, but looking back we just laugh at how funny that is. And we went to a big party school mind you - so, dinner parties = NOT normal. They were damn good dinner parties though. Anyway - back to my original point... I really have nothing in my closet to wear Saturday night. So of course... against my better judgment, I ran over to Off 5th at lunch just to see if they had anything fun that I could work with. As usual, they did not disappoint. One of my girlfriends (who is not as foreign to going out as I am) told me that a lot of girls are wearing simple dresses with funky shoes out. OK, I can do that. Well I totally found the cutest dress ever at Off 5th - just kind of stumbled upon it, so I think I'm set. I had a coupon, too, so that made me love it even more! And it's something I can wear to work also - it can totally go from day to night. Wish I had a pic to share... but anyway, that problem is solved.

So the girly weekend starts with lunch at The Grape, followed by an afternoon of shopping. Then we'll have a lingerie shower in the room and dinner will be catered in. We originally wanted to do dinner out but everything we looked at was going to be too expensive. Places wanted contracts and minimum orders for our large party - no thanks! Then after dinner we'll head out for a night on the town. I'm also throwing together two yummy breakfast casseroles that we'll pop in the oven Sunday morning. Assuming we're not too hungover, hahaha! It should be a great weekend and a fun little get-away. I'm sure I'll have some fun stories to share!

Have a great weekend, y'all! :-)

My week in Maine

So wow... what an amazing trip. We all agreed that it was definitely one of the best trips we've ever taken. The bed-and-breakfast we stayed at was amazing. The innkeepers and everyone that worked there were wonderful and so helpful. They gave us great suggestions for dinner and we were not at all disappointed. Now with my family, our vacationing centers around eating and shopping. While we shop, we think about where we're going to eat and while we eat, we discuss where we're going to shop. I mean, is there anything better? That's just what we do. Now we did spend some time in Acadia National Park but left as soon as we found out there was an hour wait at the restaurant in the park. There are tons of things to do for you outdoorsy people... great hiking trails and whatnot. Our version of checking out the park though, was limited to hopping out of the car, saying "ooh ahh," snapping a pic, complaining about the cold, and then getting back in the car to move on to the next spot. It was beautiful though and we got some great pics. My dad especially got some good shots - he becomes Mr. photographer extraordinaire on these trips.

Look at these crazy people in the water at Sand Beach. Crazies! It's freaking freezing.

Another view at the park...

We did the whole park thing the 2nd day we were there. The first day we actually did a whale watching tour. Here's a pic of our boat...

So anyway we're heading out on the boat and I'm sitting next to my mom. The tour guide chick keeps referencing stuff we're passing... "lighthouse such-n-such at 3 o'clock... a school of dolphins at 8 o'clock..." At one point I leaned over to my mom and said, "bad case of camel toe at 9 o'clock." "Camel what?!" "Nevermind." The offending camel toe lady was taking pictures left and right and had this big ass camera lense, so I can only assume she knew what she was doing. At one point she even leaned on me to get a better angle. OK, lady. I'm sure her whale pics are way better than mine, but here's a decent shot...

It was very, very cool. The whales we saw were a pair of finback whales - the 2nd largest whale, and 2nd largest animal on Earth. It was pretty humbling to see these massive animals only yards away from us. So... on the way back, many of us huddled in the center of the boat to escape the brutal wind. My parents were seated inside and my mom motioned for me to come over and she asks me, "who's the Asian girl on the Today show?" "Ann Curry." "Doesn't that woman over there look like Ann Curry?" "Oh wow - yep that's Ann Curry." OMG - crazy camera CT lady is Ann Curry! She had on a cap and sunglasses outside, so she went totally unrecognized. My mom was just all flustered. "Do you think it's her?" "Yes, mom, it's her - no doubt." She was with her whole family. Her daughter - who looks about 14 - is the spitting image of her. Totally gorgeous. They were with another couple too and I recognized the wife but I cannot place her to save my life... some NBC correspondent or exec maybe? I know I know her and it's driving me mad. My mom, desperate to know if it's *really* Ann Curry, proceeds to ask the person in front of us, but she didn't speak English (there were a lot of foreign tourists on the trip). Omg mom, it's her - seriously - you DON'T need to ask around. I had just spit this information out, and I swear she said, "OK," but then she immediately leaned over to someone else and asked them. They agreed -so maybe now she's sold? My dad took some incognito pictures. These totally don't do her justice - she looks so amazing in real life.

So we're all getting off the boat and I can tell my mom is just waiting around to say something to her... oh goodness. Mom please - she's on vaca... with her fam... But oh yes, as soon as Ann walks by my mom approaches her (gasp!) and says "Are you doing 'where in the world is Ann Curry?!' ahhahahaha!" Omg, mom - seriously? Seriously?! Ann just kind of fake laughed and said "no" and walked on (not in a rude way, but probably in a did-you-really-just-say-that way). But anyway, that was a super fun surprise to see Ann - especially since I'm a total Today Show nut. Two big whales with a side of Ann Curry - can't beat it.

So our first couple of days were really great. On Monday we ate dinner at Cafe This Way. I had some yummy crab cakes. The service was lacking, but the food was quite good. Tuesday (whale and Ann day) was my Dad's 60th birthday, so a fun dinner was in order. The innkeeper recommended Havana, so we ate there. Also very good. I had a hanger steak dish that was really tasty. Wednesday (Acadia day), we decided we needed to hit up a true lobster pound and do lobster the Maine way. So the innkeeper sent us to Thurston's. It freaked my mom and the hub out because they literally pick up a live lobster in front of you, so it's sitting there with its beady little eyes staring up at you. My mom cried, "omg, so we're personally responsible for their death?" The girl taking our order looked at my mom like she was from outer space. Doesn't get much fresher than that, I don't guess. I have to admit it was a little disturbing, but it sure didn't stop me. That was some damn good lobster! Quite a mess - but what fun!

Thursday was spent just enjoying the town of Bar Harbor and shopping, of course. One of the funniest things we noticed is that there are as many ice cream places as there are lobster pounds. These people sure do love their ice cream! And so do I... we had ice cream every day we were there. It was like the thing to do there at night. Now that's my kind of town. It's also a REALLY dog friendly town - which I just love. It made me miss my poochies so much. Being that Thursday was our last night, we wanted to do dinner right of course, so we hit up another restaurant recommended by the innkeeper... The Burning Tree. It was definitely our favorite of the week. I had a wonderful salmon dish. So it was a week of good eatin' - that's for sure! And by good, I mean bad... I was so bad. I just don't hold back on vaca - but who cares? Calories don't count on vaca, right?!

Well those are pretty much the highlights of our week. We had a lovely time and I can't wait to go back. I will post another blog with more pics but I've got to hang it up for now. I'm feeling kinda crappy and my pillow is calling my name.

Oh and by the way... my mom left a message on our machine Monday morning... "Hey it's just me. I was wondering if y'all were watching the Today Show cause Ann was just telling Matt how she was in Maine all last week on vacation. So it was really her! Isn't that so cool?!" I think she's finally convinced.

A little place called Atlanta.

So I was running late to work this morning and caught this really interesting conversation on my favorite morning radio program, The Bert Show, here in Atlanta. All the DJ's had been out on vaca last week and the main guy, Bert, was out west on a camping trip with his son. At some point he was chatting with a bunch of other people from all over the country and I guess he explained that he was a radio personality in Atlanta. And they all started talking about Atlanta and he said he was just amazed at the total misconception these people had about our city! Now none of these people had ever visited Atlanta, so he just was really intrigued by their opinions on our city. He didn't correct any of them - he just listened and took mental notes.

By far the biggest misconception was how big our city is. He asked them all what they thought our city's population was and none of them thought we even approached a million (we're at 5 million). The only thing they knew of to do in Atlanta was to go to a Braves game (I personally haven't been in years). When asked to compare our city to others, they came up with Birmingham, Nashville, and Savannah (Savannah?!). Bert said it was just so eye-opening for him. Do we live in this "Atlanta bubble" where we're really the only ones that know how fabulous our city is? With the help of some listeners calling in, they all kind of came to the conclusion that Atlanta just is not generally a tourist destination like New York, Chicago, or LA. One suggested reason - the fact that we don't sit on a body of water. And we just don't cater to tourists like some of these other big cities do. We don't have huge double-decker buses on every street corner and we're really not a walking city like New York or Chicago. You really have to have a car if you want to hit all the different hot spots in our city - hence our traffic problem.

But, we do have incredible shopping and dining (which for me, are the main pursuits of ANY vacation). I've lived here forever and there's still a neverending list of restaurants I want to try. That's one of my favorite activities actually - trying out a fun new restaurant with my girlfriends (and there are always fun new ones). The shopping is crazy good. The only major thing I can think of that we're lacking is an H&M (I mean, wtf?), but word is it's coming soon - reportedly as part of the new Midtown Mile development. There's stuff going on all the time... concerts, Broadway shows, festivals and whatnot. There are tons of kid-friendly sites like the aquarium (currently the largest in the world, but no one holds "the largest" title for anything very long), the Coca-Cola museum... oh yeah, and those Braves games. And while you won't catch me there much anymore, I hear the nightlife is amazing (sorry, I'm an in-the-bed-by-10-o'clock person).

Most of Atlanta is made up of transplants. It's rare to find a native. And come to think of it, people always say they never realized how big our city was till they moved here. So I'm wondering -- for those who've yet to make it down here, is Atlanta really thought of (if thought of at all) as just this nice little town in the South where the Braves play? And that also got me thinking... what other fabu cities out there are going unnoticed? I know lots of people on here are vague as to where exactly they're located... but I'd love to hear about some of your great hometowns that don't always make it on the radar!

Somebody stop me!

Well, thanks to my Shop-it-to-me (which I have raved about) email this morning, I felt the need to order these pretties. Wasn't even looking for something like this, but I spotted them (and the killer price) and instantly fell in love. They are the perfect party shoes for my 30th in October! Now I just have to find a dress. But I'm going to wait to see what my faves come out with for fall. This is my second Nordstrom shoe purchase in a week... someone needs to confiscate my debit card and my internet access now! That darn anniversary sale is just doing me in!

So the weekend is lining up to be a good one. Dinner tonight with the 'rents... Dad's steaks on the grill (nothing better!). Dinner with friends tomorrow night at Houston's (oh how I have missed my yummy Houston's now that we're up in suburbia). Church Sunday a.m... and then some of our friends and their two tots are coming over Sunday evening to cookout. And somewhere in there I've got to get a couple of paper orders done. I'm trying to get in a few chapters of Harry every night, but it is slow-going. I usually wipe out the new books in a few days, but I've just been so busy. Perhaps I can squeeze in a couple of hours at the pool with Mr. Potter?

Hope y'all have a fabu weekend!

Some of my favorite things right now...

Since this appears to be the new trend and all... I'm gonna share some of my current faves! I'm supposed to be putting together some invitation samples and I'm totally procrastinating... yikes. This is more fun though.

OK I'll start off with Aveda's Rosemary Mint Shampoo. My husband and I fell in love with this stuff when we stayed at Twelve Atlantic Station in Atlanta and they had all Aveda products in the bathroom. Not only was I raving about the shampoo - but HE was too. It has this fabulous minty smell that totally wakes you up in the morning. It's so refreshing and definitely qualifies as aroma-therapy. For sure. Now I'm really not one to spend a lot on shampoo and conditioner... I'm usually just as happy grabbing the $1.47 Suave bottle at Publix. But my husband surprised me that following Christmas with a whole goodie bag of Aveda products from this Rosemary Mint line! They really were all great - but if nothing else, go for the fabu shampoo.

Ahh... I am not a huge sweets person at all, but there is no better sweet treat than Nam's Bits. The company started here locally in metro-Atlanta, but retailers all over the country carry Nam's now. They are little bite size chocolate chip cookies and they are just heavenly. They're perfectly simple and not overly sweet. They are so cutely wrapped in prep-a-licious dippy dot ribbon. They come in a variety of different packages and make excellent gifts. They also make great party or wedding favors - they can do custom labeling and ribbon. Actually, one of my favorite online retailers, Ida Claire, often throws in a little 2 oz bag of Nam's Bits with your order - such a cute touch. It's the little things like that that'll have me coming back for more. Two of my best friends came over after my surgery to give me some TLC and they brought along some trashy celeb magazines, dinner for that night, and a huge jar of Nam's Bits (they know me so well!).

I love all things J. Crew of course... and I know they carry these flops year after year, but I have to continually rave about them. And yes, they are the cutest things ever and I have probably 10 pair, but the reason I go gaga for these flops is that they are the MOST comfortable flips flops EVER. Ever! No, don't tell me about your stinkin' Rainbow sandals and whatnot - these J. Crew flops take the cake on cuteness AND comfort. The soles are so so cushy and delicious that you can walk hour after hour without getting tired feet. And believe me, I've put them to the test. Any summer days spent walking the streets of New York are spent in these babies. Now, you will have an icky black bottomed foot after a long day of walking in these - so you have to scrub your tootsies before climbing into bed. And one important note - don't mistake the flops at J. Crew outlets for these. They may look exactly the same, but they have a completely different sole. It's a cheaper, foamy sole - not the cushy goodness that is sold online and in regular (non-outlet) J. Crew stores.

I just love, love Elf Cosmetics. I'm not sure how they do it, but who cares?! Every single item is $1. You pay a flat shipping charge, and that's it. It's a great way to experiment with some fun colors without spending a lot. And their products are really great - I've tried most all of them. Target also carries their line - I've seen some of their stuff in the bins with the travel size tolietries. Of all their products though, the Plumping Lip Glaze is my absolute favorite. It looks great and feels great. I'll buy 15 or 20 of them at a time, so I have a good never-ending supply!

I love me some good tortilla chips and salsa something fierce... and these new Multigrain Tostitos are freaking awesome! I initially picked them up after noticing the new variety, thinking yeah OK, guess that would be the healthier (er - less fatty) alternative. But they taste SO amazing. My husband digs on them too. They're all we buy anymore and sometimes they're hard to find... perhaps others are catching on. They have such a great texture and taste - I really think they're far better than your regular old Tostito. We've also found a great bottled salsa that we like. I've never been a fan of bottled salsa, because it always tastes... well, bottled. But On The Border started putting a line of salsas and chips in groceries recently and we are sooooo addicted to the OTB Medium Salsa. The multi-grain chips and OTB salsa are permanent residents on our weekly grocery list (OK, bi-weekly... I can't stand to go weekly).

Lastly, I must discuss the Mocha Big Chill I've discovered this summer at Beaner's. OMG. Yum-O! Yes, I know the pic says peanut butter... and I'm sure that's good and all for you peanut butter lovers, but I'm talking about the Mocha flavor here. (This was the only image I could find, so it'll have to do.) Well, first you must know that I am a connoisseur of mocha flavored frozen coffee beverages. And remember, I'm not a huge sweets person, so that makes me very very picky. I've tried them all... the Frap, the Cooler from Caribou, the one from Panera... ones from various other local java joints. And actually, none of them could come close to touching the absolute perfection that is the Mocha Frosty Joe from Jittery Joe's in good ole Athens, GA. All of these other frozen drinks were a far far cry from such tasty goodness... until I stumbled upon the Mocha Big Chill one afternoon at the new Beaner's location by our house. Absolutely divine - I sucked that thing down so fast, the cup didn't even have a chance to frost over. I think Jittery Joe's blend still takes the cake... but Beaner's big chill comes in a very VERY close second. My favorite treat on a hot summer afternoon! And you know what? Jittery Joe's also opened up a franchise right by my house... not quite the same charm as the Athens Five Points location that I spent hours and hours at in college... but hey, I can have a Mocha Frosty Joe anytime I want. So whatever direction I head in, mocha frozen goodness awaits!

I could go on, but I'll stop there.... enjoy!