3 Months!

Our little man is becoming quite the chunk...

This month's picture session was much more fun.  He was laughing and giggling the whole time.  So much so that he threw up after the final shot.  Glad he held out till we got all the poses done!  Hahaha...

Our Easter weekend was fabulous.  But it turns out it was distracting me from the fact that I'm returning to work next week!  Ugh, I've been a mess the last couple of days.  Officially sporting waterproof mascara for the next two weeks.  I'm dreading leaving my little guy.  I know he will be great.  It's me that I'm worried about!  I know it will all be good - it's just a big adjustment.  Trying to soak up all the morning snuggles and afternoon naps in the rocker while I can.  Oh, this is going to be tough!

The Weekend

...is almost over, but that's OK because we have our first ultrasound in the morning! I've been totally relaxed and calm about all this since last Tuesday. Which is really refreshing given that I was a bit of a basket case last weekend. But yeah, we have our first ultrasound tomorrow at 8am and we'll see my doctor to discuss the results. I'm sure I'll be a little anxious going into it, but right now I'm just excited. I can't believe we've made it this far! It's been a loooooong two weeks leading up to this point.

We're now in the 7th week (6w2d today)...

Your embryo makes great strides in size this week, growing to between 0.44 inches and 0.52 inches from crown to rump by the end of the week, or about the size of a small raspberry. Leg buds are starting to look like short fins, and hands and feet have a digital plate where fingers and toes will develop. The heart and lungs are becoming more developed, as are the eyes and nostrils, intestines and appendix. By now the brain and spinal cord are growing from the neural tube [webmd.com].


Looks like a little alien doesn't it? Growing like a weed. I will get news up here on the ultrasound as soon as I can! Big prayers that everything is developing as it should be and where it should be. And we should be able to tell if there's one or two little peas in there! Again, I'll be seriously surprised if there's more than one, but you never know.

So I actually wore a pair of maternity shorts today. There's no chance in hell of me getting into any of my other shorts right now, so I broke down and got a pair at Old Navy this weekend with a nice elastic waistband since it's so dang hot. They're really cute and comfortable on my pooch...




Another random purchase we made this weekend? Shift your attention from babies to dogs for a minute here. Have y'all heard of these Thundershirts?



A friend introduced them to us last night and we were so intrigued. They're really affordable, so we didn't think twice about giving these a try on our dogs. Our two have lots of um... "behaviors" that these thundershirts claim to help correct. We'll see. I'll definitely let y'all know how they work out. We ordered them today off of Amazon. You have to watch the video on the main website though - it's hilarious. You'd think they gave the dog a tranquilizer.

This weekend in general was pretty low key, though we managed to squeeze a lot in. My sweet friend, Lucky, and her hubby had a going-away bash. She's an army wife now and they are leaving Atlanta for the west coast on their first of many moves/adventures. I'm SO sad to see her go, but we're all thrilled for them too. It's an exciting move! I also met some girlfriends today to see Bridesmaids for a second time. Hilarious, again. And the hub recently got a bug to do some painting in the house, so we made a trip to Home Depot this afternoon and got all kinds of paint supplies. He made good progress today and I did a good job of napping and occasionally pointing while he worked.

Really just staying awake this weekend was a major accomplishment. The fatigue during these early weeks is no joke. Which reminds me, I need to go to bed...

Oh and P.S. - I got promoted to manager this past week at work! Ordinarily I would've made a big to-do out of that when it happened but it kinda took me by surprise the day it was announced and honestly, my mind's just been elsewhere lately! Though, I am very thrilled about the promotion and my mom will be happy that I finally mentioned it on here! ;-)

Now, for real - bed.

Happy April 15th!!!

Yeah I know the technical deadline this year isn't till Monday, but it's officially party time at our office! Woot woot!

Just Checking In

Well I'm already on the brink of failing miserably on my try-to-get-at-least-two-posts-up-per-week goal here.  But let's give this week a pass, OK?  I was out sick most of Monday and all day Tuesday.  I caught some kind of stomach bug.  I felt like crap Monday morning heading into work but it's tax season, so I was going to suck it up and go on in.  Fast forward three hours later and I'm running back home, vomiting as soon as I get in the door.  Well yeah I made it to the toilet, but it was immediate.  And then I remained horizontal for the rest of the day, refusing all food.  If I can't eat, there's definitely something wrong with me.

 

Tuesday was better, but I was still nauseous so I played it safe and worked from home.  Being upright was a huge improvement, even if I still didn't want to eat much.  Today I finally feel like I'm back to normal.  My usual breakfast is still a little hard to stomach for whatever reason, but I managed to actually eat most of it today.  So thank God we're past that!  I really can't afford to be sick right now.

 

Nothing much else to report here... though I did have the epiphany yesterday that if our FET cycle works in May, I'll be due around this time next year.  That is super fun to day dream about!  Not to mention the thought of getting out of tax season next year... hahahahha!  I'm starting to get excited about the process, which should begin in late April when they put me on Lupron.  Lots of work has to be done between now and then but tax season tends to fly by, so April will be here before we know it!  Counting down the days...

 

At SOME point I'll get back on here and tell y'all about the Valentine cupcakes I made last weekend.  I so impressed myself!  I am not a baker, so I grade on a curve.  But I seriously got an A+ here.  Pics to come...

 

Hope y'all are having an excellent week!

A week in Moo Goo: Monday

The hub is off to work today! Well, both of us are. But most exciting is that the hub's new job starts today! He's very pumped about this new opportunity and so am I. We went out to dinner with my parents Saturday night to celebrate. So today's a good day! My hubby also commented that he wanted today to be the start of all things fresh... including eating better. He is very active, but well, let's just say his diet is not the greatest. He eats whatever I cook, which is great... but he snacks on a lot of crap and really doesn't get the fruits and veggies he needs. And last night after dinner at a friend's house, he commented about how stuffed and bloated he felt. And I was like, "well, if you went gluten-free and dairy-free like me, you wouldn't have that problem." Not that I really care if he does my hard core Moo Goo diet, but it's true... when you eliminate wheat and dairy out of your diet, digestion issues just disappear.

Most of y'all know, I'm on this crazy diet because we're trying to get prego. My acupuncturist put me on this diet. Not because wheat and milk will keep you from getting knocked up, but because she wants me to get my body in the best shape possible to carry a baby. Traditional Chinese Medicine is all about a holistic approach to health... and the obvious first step in getting the body in balance is cutting out wheat, dairy, and excess sugar. I also can't have caffeine, alcohol, or anything cold. No raw veggies (hard to digest). Aside from the occasional herbal tea, all I drink is room temperature water. I know it sounds awful, but I've been doing this for like 4 months now and I'm pretty used to it. The only time it's *really* hard is in social situations - especially parties. Party food is mostly made up of everything I can't have! Like yesterday I went to a clothing swap and there was literally nothing I could eat. I expected this, so it's not like I was disappointed. But it just means my meals do require some planning. Grabbing a "quick" meal is not so easy.

And really, gluten-free on its own is not so bad. It's kind of become en vogue lately and a lot of restaurants in Atlanta have started offering gluten-free options. But add in dairy-free, and it gets REALLY hard. So eating out can be tough, but that's not a big problem for us since we rarely do so. But for example, at the traditional Italian restaurant we dined at Saturday night, I ordered Veal Picatta with a side of spinach (instead of the standard pasta side). For a salad, we all shared a big antipasto platter - which I can eat most of aside from the cheese. No garlic bread, tiramisu, or after-dinner coffee (ugh, my past favorite) for me though.

So while it sounds torturous, I can't deny how much better I feel being on this diet. I have more energy, I never feel bloated or overly full (aside from that one soy latte incident that will never be repeated!), and I feel stronger - like my immune system is more on game. My allergies are definitely better - that's something I've really noticed. So while I definitely will indulge in certain things when I get the green light, I do plan to try to keep a low-gluten and low-dairy diet in the future. People ask me all the time how long I'm going to do this. The short of it? Till I get pregnant. And I will most likely keep it up through the first trimester and then I can let loose a little!

A sweet friend of mine is also getting back into the swing of things while she and her hubby try for miracle baby #2. She also sees Dr. Liu and is going back on this diet. She suggested I do a sort of "food diary" for a week. We've given each other ideas back and forth on what to eat through all of this, because at first you really are like, "what the hell CAN I eat?" And just so you know, I've never ever been one to diet - in the sense of restricting any certain foods or types of foods. I'm a calorie counter, but I never denied myself any certain foods. So this was a very hard diet to transition into, but now that I'm here, it's just not a big deal. And you must also consider the fact that I have a very good reason to be doing it. It's not a weight-loss thing, it's an I-want-a-baby thing.

So this week I will be detailing my meals and snacks for you - Moo Goo style. It's really for my friend, but maybe y'all will get something out of it too. Enjoy!

Today:

Breakfast. Hard-boiled egg, 2 turkey sausage links, and 1/3 cup (dry) instant grits (plain) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter*

Snack. 1/2 cup all natural applesauce

Lunch. Imagine Organic Creamy Portabello Mushroom Soup, 1.5 cup

Snack. 1 cup sliced strawberries with 2 tbsp sunflower seeds (shelled, roasted)

Snack. Hummus (individual pack - 1/4 cup) with Crunchmaster multi-grain crackers

Dinner. Grilled chicken (6 oz) with Mexican Rice (awesome recipe - I use brown rice, Rotel and GF chicken broth and I just throw it all in my rice cooker to make it easy)

* Note that because I don't have "true" allergies to gluten or dairy, I'm a little forgiving when it comes to things like small amounts of margarine/butter, or certain sauces that probably have a little of either of those. I generally just try to eliminate the obvious things and do the best that I can with the rest! So if you have a real intolerance for gluten or dairy, you may need different options. I will star these items that may contain some wheat or milk.

Woo hoo!

My out-of-office assistant was officially turned on yesterday afternoon. I'm off today and tomorrow and then we have a leadership conference thingee outside the office on Monday and Tuesday... so I won't be back at my desk till next Wednesday! And THEN... I'll be off that Friday and following Monday... gotta love life after 4/15.

So we've got a fun weekend planned! My parents are renting a lake house over the weekend, so we're going to join them tomorrow night with the dogs. Well, Gertie will be spending the night with one of her buddies, as our three dogs plus my parents' giant Golden is a bit too much dog. But Belly and Charlie will be lake bound (just don't tell Gertie - as far as she knows, they're going to the vet). We actually live right by Lake Lanier, but this house is on the more northern side of the lake. So it's a nice little getaway without being much of a getaway.

And Sunday I'm hosting another clothing swap!!! SO excited... it's been like 18 months or so since I last hosted one, so it's been far too long. And y'all know I've been on serious shopping hiatus forEVER, so momma needs some new clothes! They're so fun anyway, but I think with everyone being a little more budget-conscious these days, people appreciate them even more. I hope I get away with some fab loot! And I still have quite a bit of stuff to purge from my own closet even though I haven't added much too it lately. So that's part of what I'm doing today... getting my closet cleaned out!

If you're not familiar with clothing swaps, here's the Buford Betty swap how-to. The only rule I have is that you must bring at least 5 pieces to participate. Other than that, it's a free-for-all. People always bring way more than five pieces - it's never been an issue. It's such a fun get-together with the girls and it's very easy and cheap to do (or this girl wouldn't be doing it).

I'm about to get dressed and hit up Costco. Then I'm FINALLY getting a haircut today alla Great Clips. Old me would've turned my nose up at that but new me is thrilled. I don't have any problem getting a 'tweener cut at a cheap place. Just gotta get those dead ends off. More like murdered. Ugh, so overdue for this.

Gotta go compile my to-do list... later!

The Tax Man Cometh!

Happy April 15th!!!  This was a very long tax season...  so glad to see this day finally!  Just had a great *free* lunch at P.F. Chang's...  now we're gearing up for our 4/15 party at a local tavern...  life is good.

 

Didn't get the pedi in that I was hoping for today, so I'm thinking the hub and I should go together tomorrow!  We haven't had pedi's together in forever.  He loves them - don't let him tell you differently.  And holy crap do I need a haircut.  The bottom 2 inches of my very long hair looks like I've run it through a paper shredder.  Lots of damage from blow drying and curling day after day after day.  I have to curl it to hide the damage.  Which further damages it.  Vicious cycle.  I just need some serious grooming now that I'm coming out of my cave.

 

I've missed y'all!  Can't wait to catch up... 

Happy Friday!

Still alive here... just buried in work.  But the end is in sight.  It's been nothing but work/sleep/work/sleep this week.  Nothing new here otherwise.  Charlie is still doing great and wagging his tail.  Alright, back to work...  I'll return when I have life again.

 

Enjoy the gorgeous weekend, Atlanta girls! 

Ready to Crash.

For real. Like right now. I've got a mad headache coming on and I'm ready for a date with some Nyquil, the remote, and my Snuggie. I started getting that oh-crap-I-think-I'm-getting-sick feeling late Wednesday and I'm now in the coughing and stuffy head stage. Aside from this headache, I haven't felt all that bad - just worn out. Like I have no energy to smile - which is sad, because I usually smile a lot. Good thing is, we're in kind of a lull right now at work - a very temporary one - but I guess my cold or whatever this is hit at the right time. I don't have to go in to work tomorrow, thank goodness, so I'll be able to chill out at the house and hopefully shake off whatever this is.

Not much going on this weekend, which is super nice. I need a break. My sweet hub has been doing all the laundry and the cleaning the last couple of weeks, which has been super helpful. (And he looks dead sexy with a bottle of Windex in his hand.) Just haven't had time or energy for anything once I get home. We were planning to do our next IUI this upcoming cycle but I don't even feel mentally prepared for that. I've been SO busy at work - I mean I know it's tax season, but we hit the ground running (and running hard) unusually early this year. So I just haven't had time to like decompress and get my head in the right spot for it just yet. And I mean, there's no huge rush really. I still very much would like to get this last IUI cycle done in the next few months, but it doesn't have to be tomorrow. Plus, given that it's our last shot with IUI, we really want to give it all we've got. So I want to make sure I'm physically and spiritually ready and I also want to do acupuncture along with it this time, and I've yet to figure that out. It's on my to-do list.

So that's my I'm-tired-and-feel-like-crap update. Hope you feel inspired!!!

Ketchup.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ch-ch-changes.

Hey, wow... so tax season is starting like right now.  We usually don't get going (i.e. start working longer hours) till late January.   But we've got a big project coming in this week that requires us to bust it starting Friday.  So this morning - well yesterday, actually - I decided to go ahead and start my busy season hours.  Whereas I usually stroll in around 9am, this morning I got up at 5am (and have banned myself from hitting the *snooze* button) and got to work at 7:30am. 

 

Now I hate getting up early, but I love being up early - does that make sense?  I'm not a morning person my definition, but I do work much better in the morning hours once I'm up and going.  So from here on out - I'm telling y'all in an effort to hold myself accountable - I'm getting up at 5am every (weekday) morning so I can get my butt to work early so I'm not forced to stay late every night.  We've got to fit in at least 10-hr days, so I rather get a head start on them, you know?  Plus it's nice to get here early and have a little time of solitude before everyone else arrives and clients start calling, etc, etc...  So there you have it.  Tax season is officially here.

 

In other news, I was notified last night that Javis Davis is discontinuing their Design Partner program.  Many of y'all know, I was the Atlanta DP for Javis Davis and gabbed all about that on my sister blog.  I had a great time doing it and especially loved working with local moms and helping them put together crib bedding.  (And thanks to all of you who worked with me and referred me to friends - I so appreciate your business!)  But you know, I had a feeling this was coming.  I knew keeping the design partners updated with all the latest fabric swatches and samples had become a logistical nightmare for the Javis Davis gals.  Their fabric collections are constantly being updated or retired, so keeping our samples current was really tough.  And I don't think any of us were bringing in huge sale numbers to make it worthwhile.  I think I could kick some serious ass with it if I didn't have a full-time job, but I just don't currently have the time to commit in order to take it to that level. 

 

So is Make Room for Style going away?  No, no, dear readers.  Because through this process, I've rediscovered my passion (obsession really) for maternity wear.  How cruel that a prego-challenged person salivates over maternity fashions?  I mean, seriously.  It's seriously stupid.  Even pregnant people hate maternity clothes.  One day, way on down the road, I'd love to design a line of maternity wear.  But seeing as I can barely sew in a straight line, I'm talking way on down the road.  I think we get caught up a lot of times (women especially) in the oh-crap-I'm-this-age-and-I-haven't-accomplished-ANYTHING-yet mindset.  But if you look at a lot of designers and other successful people out there, many of them - most of them - didn't find that success until much, much later in life.  So my career - whatever that is - by no means is over by the time I'm 35 if I haven't accomplished everything on my to do list.  I've got the rest of my life to be amazing.  One day at a time, right girls?

 

But I do feel like I've been trying to find that "thing" over the last few years that really fits me.  I mean yeah, we all know I'm a CPA.  And that's all good - I'm very thankful for my job and I do it well and yada yada yada.  But as y'all know, my true *self* is a lover of art and design and more colorful  stuff.  So I've been trying to tap into that side of my brain and see what appeals to me.  I kinda feel like I'm good at a lot of things - crafty things - but what exactly am I great at?  I tried the paper thing for a while.  I did custom invitations and other paper products for a few years.  Just a little side business strictly based on word of mouth.  It was quite successful, but my passion for that ran out pretty quickly.  I liked the design end of it, but the actual assembly and processing of orders became very cumbersome.  So much so, that I burned out on it after a couple of years.  I officially ended that business this past year, although I still will do small orders for friends here and there.  I did a lot of the paper stuff for Lucky's wedding.  But I've hung up my hat on that otherwise.

 

So when the design partner opportunity at Javis Davis fell into my lap, I was very excited and thrilled because on my long list of dream jobs was being a nursery stylist.  It was another one of those "oh wouldn't that be fun" jobs and here was a chance to kick it off by partnering with a well established bedding company.  And I did have fun with that, but I've marked it off my list of dream jobs.  Would I kick ass at designing a nursery?  Yes.  You should see all the prototypes in my head for my unborn kids.  Seriously wicked ass nurseries.  But I don't know, as a career I don't think it's a fit for me.  But in getting my blog rolling to promote the whole Javis Davis partnership, I found myself blogging more and more about maternity fashions.  I love fashion in general, but I don't know - like I said, I'm a little bump obsessed.  And it's such a tailored market with such a limited selection.  So I think it's something I could really have some fun with...  therefore, one of my goals this year is to make strides in becoming a maternity stylist. 

 

I don't have lots of resources or funds to put toward that aspiration just yet, but I'm in no big hurry.  It's just something I want to move toward and start to feel out as a possible career path.  I imagine myself working with expectant moms - whether it's for a one time look for a special event or helping them pick out an entire maternity wardrobe.  It'd be all about meeting their needs and their budget.  I'd want to meet with them in their homes and thumb through their current wardrobe to see what they can work with and get a feel for their style.  Plus every mom has different needs - a stay at home mom pregnant with her 2nd child is not going to have the same styling needs as a first time mom who's in an office envioronment.  After establishing what a client's after, I'd then go do the fun part - shopping.  I'd go around town and grab different looks from all over and present them to her (again in her home probably).  She keeps what she likes, I return what she doesn't.  Simple as that!  You think moms would be up for that?  I do!  Not all people like to shop, you know!  But for now, I'll just keep doing my little gig over at MRFS and dish on my favorite maternity looks and whatnot.  Do keep following along!

 

So anyway, that's what's swimming in my head right now.  Among a million other things!  Well, better get these early hours in I've been yappin' about.  Hope you're having a good week.  I'm thinking I will be here Saturday working - bleh.  Fun times.  Alright, over and out.

Happy July!

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

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

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

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

Fridays and Babies and Dresses and such.

So do you remember my comment about instituting 4-day work weeks as the norm? Well gosh darnit, I got my wish! Our firm has decided to try out a summer flex schedule this month. The office will be CLOSED every Friday in the month of June. AND we don't have to work 10 hour days Monday through Thursday to make up the time... we do have to meet our charge-hour goals, but that's totally doable, even on a 4-day work week. If you're in the public accounting industry or if you're a lawyer, you know all about billing your time. I've had to account for all my time, every day, in 10 minute increments, since I got out of college. I don't know it any other way. So anyway, we have charge-hour goals to meet every month and you can bet your britches I'll be making mine for June so they'll hopefully do this Friday-off thing all summer long! How freaking awesome would that be?

So yeah, tonight is like my Friday night! Gotta love it! Well, today we went to see Dr. Toledo for our first consult after the miscarriage. (Oh and by the way, Flo has freaking come on with a vengeance and she brought her three sisters along - holy hell.) It was great to hear some encouraging words and he was very concerned about how we were doing emotionally and all. He told us that when the nurse called him Monday with the news, it ruined his day. He said the only way to describe this is "shitty." I concur! BUT the silver lining being, as I stated, that the procedure did work and I did get pregnant. He was telling us this pregnancy was very real and it was just a spontaneous early miscarriage... a chromosonal thing. It had nothing to do with my high maintenance girly parts or anything we did wrong. And he has full confidence that we can get knocked up again and carry full term.

He wants us to sit tight this cycle and let my body kind of get back on schedule. I was on a lot of meds and he just wants me to chill this month before starting up again. So we'll do just that. I should start my next cycle (assuming it's not overly wonky) in early July and we'll go for round #2 then. I don't mind waiting at all, but I gotta tell you - that first pregnancy had some kick-ass timing because I'd basically get out of tax season entirely - hahahaha! Now it looks like I'll have an early/mid April due date at best going forward. Oh well... it was a nice thought at the time. Oh AND I ordered my dress for Lucky's wedding 3 sizes bigger thinking I'd be 8 months pregnant... I actually wanted to wait to order - the dresses are J. Crew so I figured I could, but the particular style I picked is being discontinued this summer so I had to go ahead and order. I'm going to have to find one freaking talented seamstress... because now I'd be no more than 6 months pregnant at her wedding.

OK so that's a good question for you mommas... I know everyone's different, but I would think if you swelled a lot, that probably didn't happen till late in your pregnancy. I'm totally guessing and have no experience with this, so call me stupid if you must. So at 6 mos, I would think (er, hope) I'd just have a decent little belly and not much more. Bigger boobs I'm sure - and really that's the main concern with the dress. Here's the dress...



Our dresses are black though. It's actually a great dress for a baby bump because the box pleating creates a very roomy skirt. It is super cute on. So the bump is not the concern - it's the boobage. OK so just tell me what y'all think I should do - I'm considering exchanging for a smaller size. Now like 85% of my wardrobe is J. Crew or Banana, so I know how J. Crew stuff fits me. I wear a 2 in most every dress of theirs unless it's some off the wall fit, but this is not. So a 2 in this dress would be my normal everyday size. I ordered an 8. I'm thinking now at 6 months prego (at best), that's gonna be too big, but I don't know. I hate to get one that's too small... I mean what if my boobs DO get huge? I'm like a 34B. And I do not have like a tiny frame... I have a very muscular build, so don't think I'm like this teeny little thing that doesn't gain weight - heck no. Point being - I could very well swell up like the Michelin man when I get pregnant! I just don't know. So what do y'all think? I need to make a decision soon and really cannot wait much more than a month. The style is scheduled to be discontinued sometime in July. Should I keep the 8 just to be safe and alter it? Or exchange for a 6? My concern is the bust on the 8 is going to be so big that when altered it won't have the fit it should - you know what I mean? Ugh. Help! I really do love the dress and would like to be able to wear it again, so I'd like it to look good.

OK enough of that... so hey do y'all know what I'm doing Saturday? I'm SO excited... I scored 3 free tickets to the Football 101 camp for women up at UGA that the coaches put on every year. OMG - so fun. It's an all day thing done by the football staff where we learn about the game and get to get on the field and play. Kuntry bride and my friend, Paige, are going with. Lucky was supposed to go but she had to bail last minute to go out of town. It's gonna be awesome. And maybe my pale stems will get some much needed sun. SPF-style, of course. (But for real, my legs glow in the dark right now.) I was initially thinking I'd have to kinda take it easy on the field since I was prego, but not now!

That's pretty much all we have on tap for this weekend... hope the weather is nice! And girls, I can't leave ya without saying once again how awesome all your sweet comments have been! Every word of encouragement is heartfelt and I thank you so much! So glad to have you all along on this journey!

Have a fabu weekend all! Mine starts like right now - hehe! ;-)

Spring Sale at Javis Davis!

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

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

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

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

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

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


2. Learn to say *NO*!


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

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

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

April 15th!!!

It's here, it's here! Halle-FREAKIN-lujah!

The last two days at work have been crazy nuts. Not to mention the last three months... but yeah, so glad to see this day finally arrive! We've got to get some last minute things out the door, hand off some stuff to clients, put out a few fires, and then we're OUT!

And what else is going on today? That's right! It's your final chance to enter my fab giveaway over at Make Room for Style. Are you in?! You've got until midnight tonight, so get a move on.

Lastly, and most importantly in my heart, our sweet Charlie is having knee surgery today. He's going to an orthopedic surgeon for doggies (yep, they have those) to have his torn ACL repaired. His daddy had the same surgery a year and a half ago... like father, like son, I suppose. I know it's a fairly routine thing, but surgery always makes me nervous! Anytime they put you under, it's scary. So say some sweet puppy prayers for our baby! The recovery process is what's really going to be the challenge... we will have to keep him confined to a crate for weeks and have to walk him on a leash to go potty. He's NOT going to like this at all... so pray for a successful surgery and our sanity for the next month or so!

I'll be at home after today to put my domestic diva hat on along with watching after the patient once he gets back. Alright... off to work for one last day this tax season!!!

Be sure to hop over here tomorrow to catch the big weeeener of my giveaway!

Doggie Dramz.

So this week has been a crazy one at work. I'm thrilled to be home - while it's still daylight - and able to just sit here at the 'puter with my pups and a glass of wine. The hub's at job numero dos tonight, so it's just me and the pups for a bit.

Well, let me back you up to Monday morning... the start of said crazy week. Mondays are a bitch anyway, but this was one for the record books. At about 3:30am, I awoke to the sound of the hub trying to get Belly off the bed. Belly is our crazy border collie mix who's a bit neurotic. One of our tactics to get her off the bed (or to move in general) is to tug on her tail a bit. She is psycho about her tail and any contact with it will send her into a wild fit. Picture a frantic, barking little dog spinning in circles to get off the bed, only to land on the floor with the thrust of an elephant and spin in much tighter, faster circles in the great attempt to catch hold of that tail. A daily ritual, at the very least. Well, little did the hub know, Gertie was curled up right next to Belly on the bed. So when he pressed Belly's go-ape-shit button, the sleeping giant got startled. And that sleeping giant awoke from her sweet slumber thinking she was being attacked...

Now, with 3 dogs in our house, the occasional dog fight is inevitable. (They are animals, after all.) We know their behaviors and what tends to put each of them on the offense, so we of course do our best to keep the peace. Many a dog have discovered that getting too close to Charlie's food will unleash a beast. If you get in Belly's space (especially her private little cove under our bed), she'll light your ass up. She's the territorial one. And then Gertie is uber protective of her momma and daddy. If she feels you're a threat to one of us, I'd keep your distance (translation: my first choice for running partner!).

So yes, dogs will be dogs. But I have to say a dog fight in the middle of our bed at 3:30am is rather terrifying. Gertie, in a record 1/10 of a second went from a sweet little curled up bundle of fur, to a bitch on a tirade. Imagine dogs flailing around in the middle of your bed - in the dark of night - while you're trying to get your bearings, turn on the lights, see who's involved and try to get them off of each other. And I wear contacts, so I can't see, on top of trying to adjust to the light. It was terrifying, to say the least. The hub finally managed to pull Gertie off of Belly, after getting a little scratched up himself. And poor Belly... she had this awful-looking patch of skin that was torn on her neck. Yet the girl is like, "let me back at her, momma! Put me back IN!" I had to hold her tight while she calmed down.

And then (if you have dogs, you know this), not 5 minutes later, they're all walking around and sniffing each other's butts like nothing happened. Belly's got a patch of skin hanging off, and she wants to roll around on the floor so I can rub her tummy. And she also felt perfectly comfortable herding Gertie all over the place trying to show her she still rules the roost. Geez, I think I would've just handed over my crown.

Anyway, so while Belly appeared OK, she did require stitches. The hub (sweet man that he is) took Belly to the emergency vet while I stayed with the other two and tried to go back to bed. She had to be sedated so they could stitch her up. Remember, she's neurotic. And poor girl was soooo groggy the rest of the day. Her poor neck looks so butchered! Why the hub decided this was a kodak moment, I don't know...

But $700 later, Belly's doing great. While she was very lethargic on Monday and even had to make a return visit to the e-vet due to some swelling (turned out to be nothing), she is back to her old self. Bossing everyone around... telling Gertie to kiss her ass.... barking at everything... But yeah, it made for a very crazy Monday. All is well though... we'd do anything for those sillies.

Here's one last look at Belly with her attacker. (They say it's often someone you know.)

Glad to see the weekend, I am! Talking like Yoda, why am I? Anyway, looking forward to a low-key weekend and getting some things done around here when I'm not working. Hope y'all have fabu weekends!!!

Not sure when I'll be able to hop back on here next, but I'll do my best! April 15th is almost here! AND I'm also working on a new venture and a new blog that I CAN'T WAIT to tell y'all about! I'm over the moon excited and I promise I'll be debuting it super soon! (No, I'm not pregnant.) Stay tuned, ladies!!!

Hello out there!

Just a quick *hello* as I'm sippin' my morning coffee in my robe here... been a bizzy bee you know. And did I tell you I can't get on blogger at work anymore? Oh the horror. And I can't stream radio anymore either so it's like dead silence at my desk. I have a radio, but the signal sucks where I am, so no use there. I need to get one of those iPod docking station thingees... do any of y'all have one of those? If so, what kind? I don't need a fancy one... just something that will work. Doesn't even have to be cute. But for now, I'm resorting to my Harry Potter audio CD's... by the way, if you're a HP nerd like me and you haven't experienced the audio versions of the books read by Jim Dale, you totally need to get a hold of them. They're incredible. And don't be like, ohhhh I'm a reader, I don't do audio books. No, no - I am too. Just trust me!

OK I'm off to go dry my hair and head out for another long day... hope y'all are having a great week! :-)

Hello, 2009!

I am SO glad to see you! I know I hinted toward the fact that the hub and I are glad to give 2008 the boot, so yeah... this New Year's Day is extra *happy*. We had our fill of black-eyed peas today and also some yummalicous cabbage over at my parents'. I know most people do collards, but we've always done cabbage for some reason. Glad to see the Dawgs get in one more good win to close out the season. Wasn't so sure at first, but we came through in the 2nd half. And I was equally pleased to see Georgia Tech get slaughtered at the Chick-fil-A bowl last night. Makes our loss to them this year sting a little less (just a lil).

Anyway, so while I won't dwell on the crap that consumed 2008, it was a big struggle for us financially (like many people) and emotionally (having to put baby stuff on hold while the rest of the world continued to spin). We also had some wrenches thrown at us... the hub getting sued by his former employer (all fine and settled now, but a huge source of stress for us over several months), and losing my sweet gpa in late February... those were a couple of big ones. Getting our townhouse on the market and finally sold made for a VERY long and grueling summer. But we made it out alive, and we're better for it! 2008 had a lot of hardships for us, but we are starting 2009 in what I feel like is the best spot we've ever been in together.

I know I've bored y'all to tears by raving on and on about Dave Ramsey and our Total Money Makeover, but really, jumping head first into his program has changed our lives. I'm such a geeked-out nerd over his whole program. I've gotten several friends on the debt-free bandwagon with me and so has the hub. The funny thing is, he gets more pumped up and geeked out than I do sometimes! But it's truly awesome that we're on the same wavelength here, because that's what will make this work. I've explained Dave's teachings several times, but if you're just catching up, he is all about getting out of debt and living on cash (hmm... what a concept!) and building wealth so that you can live like no one else, give like no one else, and ultimately "change your family tree." His enthusiasm is absolutely contagious and it's pumping hard through our bloodstream right now. Our debt snowball officially starts rolling this month! By getting our butts in gear and getting on a budget (three months now, and going strong!), we've truly learned the meaning of "financial peace." We have done a complete 180 on how we look at money. We've totally relearned the value of the dollar. And the thing is, given how tough this last year has been, we're currently making the least amount of money we've ever made together. Though, I can honestly say I've NEVER been more at peace financially than I am right now. And it simply comes down to the fact that we have a plan. Up until the past few months, we never really had one. But now, every month, we're telling our money where to go instead of wondering where it went. And I cannot even explain to you the tremendous sense of peace that gives me.

And along those lines, it seems that the true *lesson* - if you can call it that - for me personally, all throughout 2008, was this idea of peace. That's one of those words that gets tossed around so haphazardly that we forget what it means. We just got through Christmas... you get all these cards wishing you "peace" and whatnot. We sing about peace for all mankind... but I never really got it till now. It's not about "world peace" or holding two fingers up... it's about inner peace. The peace that passes all understanding. Peace that only Jesus, aka the Prince of Peace, can give us. And it's not just with the money thing... it's with all our current struggles. I feel like 2007 was about learning to put my complete trust and faith in God - with the whole baby thing. And uh, not all my calendar years have been full of themes and lessons in life, by the way... ha. But these last 2 or 3 have been quite a journey for us, so we're soaking up whatever wisdom we can. I had to surrender my infertility struggles over to God because I was starting to lose it on my own. I've never had a hard time trusting in God in general, but I also never had such a really big issue that I tried so hard to control. It's really the first time I can ever remember having to stop and ask God for real help...

So I handed over that burden a while back. That didn't mean I didn't struggle, but I knew it wasn't just my struggle. And now this past year, I feel like I've really come to a peaceful place with it all. The Jesus icing on my God cupcake, I suppose. And yeah, I still struggle - daily. But then I read something like this, and my heart simply bursts...

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Sometimes I need a little reminder of just how *big* our God is, you know? And though I can hardly compare my little worries with all the suffering that goes on around the world, I've always loved this quote from Mother Theresa...

"In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth, a life full of the most atrocious tortures on earth, will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel."

So yes, while we gladly kicked 2008 to the curb last night, we came out of it having learned so much. A peaceful exit to a rather tumultous year. And we're super excited for what's to come in 2009! As I mentioned, our debt snowball starts rolling this month and we're getting a really good jump start on it. And we'll be getting a fat tax refund this year, so that'll help us kick some major ass on our snowball in the next couple of months! That is definitely our main focus right now, but also we're finally getting back into baby-makin' in 2009. We're going to start our first IUI (turkey baster) cycle right after tax season (probably early May). We've got the money end worked out for 3 rounds of IUI - so we know we're good to move forward on that front. I'm planning to get back on my meds and vitamins in February and I've also got to start monitoring my cycles and whatnot. Yeah, when I say we took a break last year, we really took a break. I just got to the point where I didn't want to bother with the meds or monitoring or anything. I needed a true break from it all. We both did. Anyway, so back on meds and I think I'm going to try the whole basal body temp thing for tracking ovulation. I'm totally over the pee sticks. Not to mention how freaking expensive they are! Then I'm also wanting to do acupuncture alongside IUI, so I will probably go ahead and start that in April. So yes, back in gear!

Now if IUI doesn't work after 3 tries, I will need a third surgery to get my oven in the most *perfect* shape as possible before we move to IVF. And honestly, in my heart of hearts, I just think that's probably where we'll end up. Just a gut feeling. The hub thinks I'm totally being Debbie Downer thinking that, but I'm not - it's just what my gut tells me. And where in the world will we get the money for in vitro? Heck if I know! Well, today I certainly don't know. But right now, I do know three things: We're not borrowing money to do it (*peace*). Our hearts are pulled towards putting all our disposable income toward our debt snowball right now (*trust*). And, we'll figure it out if and when we get there (*faith*). :-)

And then, to wrap up, what would a New Year's post be without resolutions? Alright, mine are kinda general, but they're a big deal to me...

• Raise the bar for myself at work... do my job as though I'm an investor in my firm and not just an employee collecting a paycheck.


• Be consistent with spending time in the word and in prayer in the mornings (something I've always struggled with, but always find rewarding when I do it).


• Get back to a consistent workout schedule (totally slacked off on that in the last few months!).


• Run more and run farther! I'm doing my first 10K in March and yikes, I've got a lot of work to do!


• Be more proactive in general... I can procrastinate with the best of 'em. I need to seek out that most dreaded item on the to-do list each day, whatever it is, and do it first.


• Be more timely with gifts. I'm horrible at this! Instead of saving a gift (whatever the occasion) for the next time I see someone, I just need to mail it to them so they have it on time. That procrastination thing again!

And of course too, to just keep doing what we're doing! Thanks for hanging in with this long-ass post. Phew! I really hope the new year brings along many blessings to all of you. Do you have any major resolutions or goals for '09? May it be a GREAT one for us all!

3 Things.

1. First, many thanks to all of you who left me such sweet birthday wishes! I had a great day yesterday and *31* feels pretty darn good. The hub made me dinner last night and we just chilled and drank wine and watched Chuck together. He made me the cutest gift - he had to get super creative because I insisted on a -zero- budget for my birthday. He took an old full-length mirror we had and printed all these photos of us together and framed the mirror with them. So super cute! He wasn't so sure about it, but I LOVED it. He is good at a lot of things, but I would not label him "artsy." So this project was a challenge for him and that made me love it even more. Thanks again for all the wishes, girls!

2. Mayjah props to my fabulous city for being named the best (as in #1) city for singles by Forbes magazine. Woot woot! So, ladies, if you're single... apparently you should be down here in Atlanta. Just sayin'. (Hint, hint, bestest!)

3. As of TODAY, the hub and I have officially completed Baby Step #1 in Dave's plan!!! That calls for a major WOOT WOOT! We are so excited and ready to move on to Baby Step #2, but we're kind of in a holding pattern till the hub finds a new job. I don't think I even mentioned it before - but yes, he is looking for a new job right now, so the budget is pinched and squeezed and mooshed extra tightly. But we are making it! We've still managed to put money away somehow and also give. So prayers please for a fabulous new job for the hub so we can attack our debt snowball with some real muscle! Woo hoo! We've actually got a lot of furniture up for sale right now on Craigslist and we're also selling my Toyota 4Runner since it has a note on it. I will post pics of all that fun stuff in case any of you peaches are interested. Some REALLY great deals on furniture... so stay tuned. I've also had some really good luck with smaller items on ebay. I have a pair of old Uggs on there that have already been bid up to $75!!! I was so totally stoked... I mean they're like 3+ years old! Turns out it's the color... who knew? Makes me wonder what other gems I have around the house...

Woo hooooooo!

Happy April 15th!!! I know I'm happy to see it. Are you?!