Wednesday, January 30, 2013

I knew it wouldn't last!

... The weather that is! It's been so nice out the past couple of days. If you know me, you know that I hate being cold, so the sooner spring comes, the better! I thought we were well on our way this week, but I should have known better. What comes before the storm? Warm weather. And what comes after the storm? Cold weather. Blech! (PS, cold weather to me? 65 and below. Tomorrow the forecast is calling for 61 and sunny - Give me my heat back!) Today would have been perfect if it hadn't been for that pesky wind! If only I were as graceful as Psy.


Nope, instead I look like one of these folks (Don't let the title fool you, it's HILARIOUS):


Last time the storms rolled in, I was home alone. Thankfully this time the hubs will be home just in time for the storm to start and the satellite to go out. Lucky him! He'll get to hear all about my day and everything I need to do around the house! 

At least we'll both sleep good tonight!

Stay safe out there, ya'll! Don't take those warnings for granted! Stay dry! 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Tell Me About It Tuesday

Linking up with Helene for Tell Me About It Tuesday.

Helene in Between

Boy do I have a doozy today. I believe this picture says it all: 


It's been an incredibly hard week for me in this respect. For the love of all that's holy if I read one more post about someone getting pregnant or someone having a baby I swear I will delete my Facebook. If I have to buy anymore baby shit that isn't coming home with me, I'm going to scream. Sorry new moms and moms-to-be. I just can't handle it anymore. I love looking at your cute babies' pictures, but a girl can only take so much torture. Also, if one more person asks me when I'm going to have children, I think I will smack them. What a terrible question to ask someone! It's almost like asking a fat person if they're pregnant - but you're really asking why AREN'T you pregnant. Can we just outlaw that question? That would also be great. 

I need more friends without kids to keep me distracted from all of the pregnancy updates and cute baby pictures that flood my timeline EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Who's in? No babies allowed! 

Sorry for the rant. Had to get it off of my chest. I still love all of you baby-mommas. It's just a little raw right now. I'm sure you understand. 


Monday, January 28, 2013

5 for Five!

Linking up again with Jess and Jenn!

PartyOfOne

This week, I've got some checking in and some new goals to set for this week! I'm so excited! Here's how I did last week: 

1. Finish dusting my house. Yeah, no. Didn't happen. Took an impromptu trip and never finished. OH WELL. 

2. Eat at home for at least 4/5 nights. 3/5! The trip Friday ruined it. We needed something fast before we left town. If we hadn't have gone out of town, I would have done it! That's pretty good!

3. Put up the lingering Christmas decorations. They are definitely still sitting exactly where they were when I posted this last week. Whoops!

4. Finish laundry. Yes! I did it! The trip on Friday helped! I was rushing to get this done so I would have pants while we were away. I guess that trip was good for something on my list. 

5. Buy more things for George's Valentine's Day gift. :) Did this. I'm pretty excited about his collection of gifts he's getting. 

Now, onto this week's goals. I'm really loving this link-up. I get so much accomplished! 

1. Dust my house. Since I didn't finish dusting my house last week, I've now got to go through the whole house and dust again. Lame. Maybe this will teach me a lesson. 

2. Walk Kimber twice. The weather has been so nice lately that I think some quality time with my puppy dog will do us both some good. She deserves it. She's such a sweet dog. 

3. Clean the Kitchen. Everyone's favorite chore. You feel my pain. 

4. Get my nails done. It's been more than 2 weeks. I get paid on Thursday. This will happen. Now I just have to figure out what color I'm feeling. Hmm. 

5. Make a Valentines wreath. I'm a little behind. I'm having a slight mental block on what I want this wreath to look like. I just haven't been inspired lately. Guess I need to take a trip to Pinterest! 

What are your goals for the week?

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Super Sunday Sync

Today I'm linking up with Super Sunday Sync. If you've never visited here before, I think you should check out this post. I summarized 2012 - the good and the bad. Thanks for  checking it out!

Super Sunday Sync

Rules for the "Super-est" hop ever:

1)  Link up a family-friendly post {or your homepage if it will always be decent} that you think is SUPER! Please do not link up another hop or giveaway.

2)  GFC follow your hosts {Dawn and Kera} and guest hosts {Helene and Rena}. We also appreciate {and return} any Facebook likes, email/RSS followers, and Bloglovin' and Twitter followersBe sure to leave a comment telling us how you follow, we'll follow you back!

3)  Visit the blog before you, and a few others {the more, the merrier} and follow them. We're all looking to have more followers, that's why we're hopping, right?

4)  Grab a button {our new one!} and put it somewhere people will see. We'd love for this hop to continue to be a big success!

Time to get-to hopping!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

6 Stages of Off-Season Grief

This is a baseball post. That was your warning.

Today, the Braves made a trade that rocked the baseball world. This trade included one of the most beloved players of the past few years: Martin (Mar-teen) Prado.

I love you, Marteeeeeen!

Martin was everyone's favorite Brave. One stat about him was that he started at more positions throughout the season (5) than he had errors (4). Incredible player and from what his teammates say, he was a delight in the clubhouse... with manlier rhetoric, I'm sure. 



Last night, the talk was about the Arizona Diamondbacks trading outfielder Justin Upton to the Braves for a few of our prospects. The centerpiece of the trade was thought to be Randall Delgado, and up-and-coming pitcher from the Braves farm (that kind of makes it sound like we're growing players, but whatever, I'm going with it). The Braves acquired his brother (BJ Upton) early in the off-season and ever since then, there has been speculation of getting him out there with his brother. It would essentially be the outfield that all of the other teams drool over and fear. It was going to be perfect. This morning everything changed. 

Denial
When I read on twitter that Prado was involved in the deal, I couldn't believe it. Not Prado. Not our most valuable asset. Couldn't be. Why would we do that? This is ridiculous. Surely Frank Wren (the GM) has not jumped on a crazy train somewhere and gone off the deep end. Right? No one in their right might would trade Martin freakin' Prado. This has to be a cruel joke.



Anger
When I found out that it was true, I was a total basketcase. They traded my Martin. I could have strangled Frank Wren with my 2 tiny hands from across the state. Delgado was supposed to be the center of this deal. Not Martin. Who the hell is going to play 3rd base? Who the hell am I supposed to sing the Mexican Hat Dance to every time they do something good? Wren, my pitchforks are ready, along with the rest of Braves country.


Bargaining
Throughout the day, I tried to come up with ways to rectify the situation. For instance: The Diamondbacks only guaranteed Prado for 1 year according to the trade.  Oh, they only got him for a year? Maybe after the year is up, the Braves can re-sign him! Yeah! What a great idea! Then we can have our incredible outfield AND Prado rounding out the left side of the infield. Right where I'd always pictured him.


Depression
Then, it all hit me. My sweet Prado has left Atlanta. The player who I thought would step up to the plate and lead our team to a World Series has been traded away... and it was his fault (sorta). Simply, we can't pay him what he wants. We can't pay him what he's worth. WHY can't the Braves have more money? I'm never going to see him play in a Braves uniform probably ever again. Worst Trade Ever.


Acceptance
Finally, the storm has run out of rain. It's still a little cloudy but now I understand why it had to rain. In order to get something that we wanted (and we wanted it BAD), we had to give up something worth it. Next year Prado was going to be a free agent - when that happens, their price goes up-up-up. The Braves don't have a money tree and wouldn't be able to pay what he wanted - what he deserved. Simple as that. Baseball is a business and you have to use your assets when you can. We have Prado - why not use him as a bargaining chip to get someone that we really want for more than the one year that Prado had remaining with the Braves? If you take away all of the emotional attachment, it makes total sense. Sometimes it's just hard to detach yourself from your players. Wren can do that - and that's why he's making decisions and not me.

Excitement
I added this stage. Mostly because it's happening to me right now. I'm actually excited about this trade. The more I thought about what happened the more I liked it. The players that we traded for Justin Upton and Chris Johnson (3rd Baseman) weren't even our top prospects! Aside from Prado, the only other thing they got was a 2-pitch pitcher. He'll probably hang out in the bullpen for a while trying to work on his 3rd pitch. Everyone else was "meh".

Prado was valuable to us because we needed him to be able to play lots of positions on the field and he could do that for us. With all of our new players (BJ Upton, Justin Upton, Chris Johnson) we have all of the tools we need to play good defense. We even kept our SS Andrelton Simmons since the Diamondbacks had already acquired the shortstop they wanted before this trade. We don't NEED Prado anymore. I will always love Prado, but he can get more money with other organizations and they can use him the way that he should be used. Now the Braves have arguably the BEST outfield in the majors. And one of the coolest catch-phrases for a group of guys, yet!




With the addition of Justin Upton, according to Accuscore, the Braves have jumped from a 24.2% chance to a 37% chance of winning our division (watch out Nationals, we're coming for you!). It is SO important to win your division now that the one game play-in is in effect (see: 2012 Wildcard game AKA THE INFIELD IS NOT IN THE OUTFIELD - UNLESS WE'RE IN ATLANTA WILDCARD GAME). Also, having a pair of brothers on a team is really awesome. How neat would it be to be playing a professional sport with you sibling there, helping you and motivating you the whole way? It can't be anything but good.


I can't wait for baseball season to start. This team that we've put together is one big threat to the rest of the teams and I haven't even STARTED to talk about all of the weapons we have in our starting rotation. I just can't even contain my excitement any more. April 1 can't get here fast enough!!!

See you at Turner Field!


Monday, January 21, 2013

My Very First 5 for Five

Today I'm linking up with Jessica & Jenn for a little something they like to call 5 for Five! All you do is list 5 things that you plan to accomplish this week and check back on your list from last week. What a great way to get some motivation going to get things done! 

FantasticallyAverage

Since it's my first time, I have nothing to report back on from last week - just my list for this week! Let's do this! 

1. Finish dusting my house. I started dusting this weekend with the help of my sweet husband, but somewhere around the beginning of the Falcons game and the end of the Falcons game, I lost all motivation. Now I'm sitting here with a half-dusted house and a full week of work ahead of me. Hopefully I can get it done. :)

2. Eat at home for at least 4/5 nights. This is my un-doing. I'm not a big fan of cooking. It's mostly because I hate grocery shopping. Everything I cook is improvised from what I already have in my kitchen. Half of the time it ends up being the same thing: Chicken with some kind of sauce/crust and green beans. SO creative, I know. We had Wendy's tonight, so I'm well on my way. Ha! 

3. Put up the lingering Christmas decorations. I know, I know. It's stuff like the doormat (which needs to be cleaned first) and the garden flag that's just sitting in the junk pile (which also needs to be cleaned). It should have already been done, but I got a little lazy. Shoot me. 

4. Finish laundry. Yuck. I'm thinking I'll do this tonight. It's just a couple of loads left, thank goodness. We started on it this weekend because I needed jeans. Once I start I feel the need to do it all in one go-round so nothing gets out of sync. Know what I mean? 

5. Buy more things for George's Valentine's Day gift. I love buying George stuff. I love being lovey dovey. Guess what? I love Valentine's Day. I have a couple of things picked out and ready to go, but I need a few more things to make it perfect. I sure hope he likes it. :)

What is your 5 for Five this week? 

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Game Day!

I only have a picture today. Falcons, it's time to RISE UP!!!


See ya'll on the other side! 

Thursday, January 17, 2013

What's in my Purse?

I've been seeing lots of posts like this lately. I just so happened to have switched purses lately, so I'm not AS embarrassed at all of the complete junk (cough drop wrappers, receipts, trash in general) in my purse. I figured now would be a good time to jump on the bandwagon! 


This is my purse. This warm weather inspired me to switch out my fur purse for a more spring-friendly pocketbook. This purse is a Gianni Bini. I got in on clearance at Dillards this winter while I was visiting my parents. LOVE it so far. 

One of my favorite parts about my bag is the inside. Isn't it cute?!

Here it is. Everything in my purse.
Wallets and the Like
Wallet, check book and business card holder. All essentials for my everyday life.

Meds. This is kind of out of hand. 
George always says that he feels bad for our future children and all of the ailments that they may inherit from me. I really can't disagree with his sentiment. Poor babies. At least I'll know how to treat them when it does, almost certainly, happen. 

Other Misc. Crap.
Work phone, glasses (which I apparently don't wear enough according to my husband - I must get that from my mother, the queen of "Where are my glasses?"), lip gloss, receipts for shoes and jeans, socks that aren't even mine and an Old Navy coupon that I can't wait to spend! 

What's in your purse? 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

What I'm Loving Wednesday!


First time liking up with What I'm loving Wednesday with This Kind of Love. Here we go!

There are quite a few things that I'm loving this week, but let's start with a couple of videos that I found recently. 

First off, if you know me, you know I love sports. I'm constantly watching sports. I don't know what I would do without them. In fact, this weekend I about had a heart attack watching my beloved Falcons win their first playoff game in the Mike Smith/Matt Ryan era. I was pumped. If you didn't watch that game, you missed out. You COMPLETELY missed out on possibly the best playoff game I've ever seen. This guy completely sums up every Falcons fan's feelings about the game on Sunday. It's a long read, but totally worth it. 


But, now we're on to the next game this Sunday. Where will I be? At the same restaurant, sitting at the same table, ordering the same food and watching the same television as last week of course. :)

Okay so that wasn't a video, I lied - but this is! I found this video this week and could not stop laughing. 


Oh please watch this video! It's HYSTERICAL! 


Yesterday, on my way home from work, a song came on the radio that was incredibly catchy. I loved it before they even started to sing/rap. Once they started spitting lyrics, I fell in love. It's about bargain shopping! HA! 


I must warn you, the lyrics are not child friendly at some parts. So, sorry for that. Either way, I made this my ringtone ASAP. I've been enjoying it ever since. No turning back now! 

One more thing I'm loving this week is my new desk and chair in my living room. My living room is small, so getting a desk and chair in there was kind of a big deal. Now that it's in there, I absolutely LOVE it, see:

<<Gotta add this photo when I get home... So I can TAKE a photo of it. :) >>

Now, I don't have to sit on the couch and bring out the TV tray table to work on anymore. I also just bought that lamp too. I'm in love with it also. The whole set up just makes me happy. My house is looking more and more like it should in my head.

EDIT!!! - After work today I went to the mall and I went into a store I had never been in. It's called Klutch (here's their Facebook). Best decision I've made all week! In addition to amazing clothes and jewelry and boots and accessories, they sell these amazing personalized pocket tees that you can design yourself! Of course I bought one. Here's the design I chose:

This is the color and shirt that I picked. I wish they had V-neck, but it's not the end of the world.

This is the pattern that I picked. I was in love right when I saw it. 

This is the font. I always have a hard time finding a good font for my initials. This one works! And the thread will be a lime green color to kind of tie it all in. 
My monogram will go onto the pocket. I can not wait to get my shirt! I'm so excited!

What are you loving this week?

Friday, January 11, 2013

Kimber Lu is 2!

Two years ago my sweet baby girl Kimber Lu was born! She has been an absolute joy to have in our lives. Today, she was even so excited that it was her birthday, that I managed to get 2 good pictures of her! You've seen one already if we're friends on FaBo. Here's the other: 

Obviously I had to spice it up a little bit. She deserves the best. :)
They say that 1 dog year is like 7 in human years. Kimber would be a good example. She never had a problem going to bed at night in her kennel and now all of a sudden she doesn't want to go in. She constantly wants to go outside when she doesn't even have to pee (she never did this before, she loved to be inside!). I'm having flashbacks to my teenage years and I think she takes after me! What in the world is it going to be like when I have ACTUAL children running around? Lord help me! Thankfully this phase should wear off pretty soon. Maybe we will try sleeping at night without a kennel. Who knows. Until then, she's still my sweet little baby girl and I still love her to pieces. Happy Birthday, Kimber Lu!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Influenster is Uh-MAZING

A few weeks ago, I joined a little site called Influenster (check out my button on the side over there ->). It's basically a website based on reviews. Reviews of products, reviews of television shows, reviews of restaurants, etc. You take surveys and they kind of get to know you a little bit. Along the way, sometimes you will get a change to get a "Vox Box" which is a package full of free product samples and it's your job to use them and review them! Well, this holiday season I got the chance to get my very own Vox Box and I jumped at the opportunity. Let me show you all of the awesome things that I got! 

First Up: The Goody Quickstyle Hair Brush
From the Website: "Go from wet to beautifully styled hair faster than ever! Super absorbent microfiber bristles remove 30% of water as you style."
I'm not gonna lie: I really wanted one of these, but I wasn't sure that it would do what it says so I put off buying it. I was pretty excited to find this in my box! I have abnormally thick hair and it's usually like pulling teeth trying to get it to look half good without having to use the straightener. I used this brush and it was actually pretty good. I thought my hair would get static-y while using it, but it didn't. It also has the holes on the back so the air can blow past the hair, making it less frizzy as you dry. The only down-side is that you have to maintain the brush. You have to kind of dry and re-fluff it after you use it. All-in-all, though,  it ain't too shabby!



I believe that I have confessed this before, but I have had acrylic nails since I was 17. So, I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about these when they first came out and I never cared to buy any. I realized when I got them in my box that you can use these on your toes. Now, I'm not quite sure why my brain never made that realization before this, but it didn't. I plan to use these as soon as we are gonna have flip-flop weather for about 10 days in a row. We came close this week, but no cigar. First impression: I think I'm going to like them. I've always hated painting my toe nails. :)



I am not really a fan of oatmeal, I'm not gonna lie. I've been scared to try this. It looks good from the photo, and I guess if you're gonna have oatmeal, it might as well be Quaker, right? Has anyone else tried this? I feel like if I like it, it would be great to take to work in the morning for breakfast. I need to be talked out of my fear for oatmeal. I really do. Help me out! 

From the website: "EBOOST is a boost that does more.  It’s a mood boost, focus boost, natural boost, a no-crash boost that also supports the normal function of the immune system."

You can get a 20 pack of this stuff for $28 from their website. I love Crystal Lite packets, so I'm pretty pumped to try this. I love little packets of goodness meant to be added to water. I don't know why they make me so happy, but they do. The only bad side: I don't have any bottled water at the moment! Boo! 


From the Website: "NYC New York Color Liquid Lip Shine is getting headlines with seriously high-drama color at a seriously low price. Pure pigments give a 3-D effect that’s off-the-charts glossy."
$2.49. Yeah. I know. And guess what? It's awesome. I took this bad boy out to the bar last weekend and I really enjoyed it. It didn't feel thick like most lip glosses and it wasn't as sticky either. Also, the name of this shade? Nude York City. Adorable. I love it. SO happy it was in my box!

Last but certainly not least was a little something that I can share with ya'll! Courtesy of Sole Society, you can take $25 of off your purchase and it's good until the end of the month. Here's the code: INFLUENSTER25. Now go order some shoes! 

And sign up with Influenster! It's awesome!