Look who joined the dark side of FREE blog makeovers!

That's right, one of my paid-to-get-a-blog-makeover friends drifted over to the other side - MY side. I just finished her FREE makeover ala Jamie. Check it out!

Need a makeover?

A blog makeover that is.

I am having fun playing with these right now...so much fun that I am considering starting a "Blog Makeover" business. Two of my friends actually paid someone to do this for them. They looked great and inspired me to play with my own (I am too cheap to pay someone else). Plus I LOVE doing anything creative and artsy. My friend Jessa asked me to help her with her new blog...and let's just say I got carried away. Maybe I will quit my job and start revamping blogs from home at $20 a pop! It's seriously an idea for when Ben and I have kids and I want to stay home with the young 'uns. But for now, it's just a hobby...

Starstruck at Newk's!

So Sunday after church, Ben and I went to Newk 's for lunch. It is a new sandwich cafe by our house and Ben was certain I would like it. We ordered our lunch - I got a pizza and Ben settled on a white barbecue chicken sandwich (big surprise there). While Ben was paying, I grabbed our cups and headed back to the coke machine. I made it half way there before I stopped dead in my tracks. Roger a.k.a. "Rog" from the Biggest Loser was there eating lunch. As in Roger - second place winner. Roger -the person who lost the most weight ever on the show. Roger, who played for Alabama. ROGER Schultz! I was too excited to go any farther. I mean he was sitting right NEXT to the coke machine, for Pete's sake! So I headed back to the register, shaking (I am seriously a nerd) and informed Ben of Mr. Schultz's presence. To which, he replied..."So."

SO!?

"I can't go get our coke's now!", I explained. He laughed and told me to go sit with our friends Ron and Sonya and he would take care of it. So I took my seat next to Sonya and excitedly reported the good news to them as well. No one else seemed to understand my excitement. Oh they found it quite amusing, but did not share in it, per say. Apparently I am the only person in Alabama that followed the show this season! Grrr... I was not going to let everyone else's mediocre enthusiasm ruin my day. So, after a little encouragement, I decided to go to his table and talk to him! I apologized for interrupting his lunch and congratulated him on his accomplishments on the show. I told him I was a huge fan and had to come over and tell him how proud Alabama was of him! (again, I am nerd!). He was very nice as were his wife and son. In all of my anxiety, I forgot to get a picture with them! Oh well...it was still a pretty good day for me! I get starstruck pretty easily...obviously.

My Favorite Things

1. Meeting semi-famous people. Watch for upcoming blog for more information on this topic.
2. Living close to my family...this is not something I have the luxury of enjoying right now. But the longer I am away from home, the more I realize how nice it is to have your family near you.
3. My CORE Group. The next best thing to living near my family!
4. Jane Austen. I am rereading some of her stuff right now. I am always so amazed at how sarcastic Miss Jane was for her time. I think we would have been great friends!
5. Home Goods. Why even shop at a department store? Seriously - cuter stuff at better prices at the good ol' HG.
6. The Office. I know I have said it before, but I am so glad this show is back! Thursday's are now my new favorite day of the week!
7. Jim 'N Nicks Queso Dip. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! The queso is delicious, but mix it with pico de gallo and OH MAN!
8. Bookstores. I love the combined smell of books and the coffee, the magazines, and of course the endless supply of books! My favorite section - the Clearance Hard Backs, of course!
9. Kraft Food Magazine. Do you get this? If not, you should definitely subscribe! It's free and it's full of great tips and recipes for low cost meals!
10. Oatmeal cookies. Paired with a tall cup of coffee they make a yummy breakfast!

Happy Administrative Professional's Day!

Here's to the hardest working people in the office!

Happy Earth Day!

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors,
we borrow it from our children."

(Thanks for the quote, Amanda Brooke!)

My Favorite Things

1. Pablo's Mexican Restaurant (on Hwy 150 and in the Colonade). I love their Chili Colorado. It is even better the next day, all mixed up and eaten like dip with tortilla chips...yum!


2. Linen Napkins


3. Juno

4. The Southern Sisters Mystery Series by Anne George


5. Frozen Key Lime Pie. I have the best recipe thanks to Barefoot Contessa!
   
6. Fried Ravioli. Another great recipe that is as easy as it is good.


7. Growing your own herbs, tomatoes and flowers.


8. Hydrangeas.
   
9. Homemade Salad Dressing


10. Bakerella Blog

Biggest Loser 2008

Finally a female victory!

Ali lost 112 lbs. to capture the victory. She is now a svelte 125 lbs.

What an inspiration!

Water for Elephants

by Sara Gruen

Just finished this book last night. It was wonderful. I read it in 3 days because I couldn't put it down. It's one of those books where you are sad it's over because you miss the characters. Now, I will warn you this is not exactly a G-rated book...

Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob's life with this circus. Sara Gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances of circus life during prohibition. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused and the people are even worse. Jacob is a 21 year old recently orphanned veterinary student at Cornell. When a car accident simultaneously kills his parents he is unable to sit for his exams and runs off with the circus. Once it becomes known that he has veterinary skills, is put in charge of the "menagerie" and all its ills. He also becomes the self-appointed Protector of the Downtrodden, and... he falls in love along the way.

The most interesting aspect of the book is all the circus lore that Gruen has so carefully researched. She has all the right vocabulary: grifters, roustabouts, workers, rubes, First of May, what the band plays when there's trouble, Jamaican ginger paralysis, life on a circus train, set-up and take-down, being run out of town by the "revenooers" or the cops, and losing all your hooch.

I am not usually a fan of gore or depressing situations, but this book reeled me in from the beginning and I would recommend it to anyone that wouldn't be offended by a touch of "reality".

My Favorite Things

1. Mango Mint Candles from Bath and Body Works. So fresh and so clean, clean.
   
2. Rock of Love. the finale was last night and I miss those skanks (sorry, that was mean) already!


3. Ginger. To eat and to smell. This may be my new favorite scent...watch out, Jasmine I think you've been replaced.


4. Dave Ramsey. Uber organized skills that make/save you money - right up my alley!


5. The Biggest Loser. The finale is tomorrow night...go Ali!


6. Gain Detergent. Laundry has never smelled better.


7. Coupons. See Dave Ramsey about this one.


8. Sweet Tea. Especially Milo's. But mine ain't so bad either.


9. Burt's Bees. Minty fresh and oh, so soft lips!

10. Microsoft Publisher. I really don't think I would know how to meal plan with out my special menus!

Just because he is so dang cute...

If I didn't know better I would think he was trying to escape back to Ohio in my parents' suit case...

Reunited. And it feels so good!

The Office is back...yay!!! I mean, I knew I missed those guys, but I was literally squealing while I watched the show last night. It was like seeing old friends I hadn't seen in far too long. I will say that the show was comeback worthy - funny, awkward and a bigger peek into the relationship of Jan and Michael (a.k.a. King and Queen of awkward) than I ever thought I would get. I mean, 3 vasectomies? Wow.

I could have handled a little more Dwight, and would have liked to spend a little more time in the Dunder Mifflin office though. I am looking forward to next week's episode:
Michael's fascination with a woman modeling a chair in an office supply catalog makes him feel things he hasn't felt in a while. With Michael distracted, Kevin and Andy team up to win back Dunder Mifflin's stolen parking spaces, forcing them into a showdown with the bosses of the five businesses of the office park. - Sounds like a good one!

FYI: Jenna Fischer is on Leno tonight. I will be DVR'ing it since that is past my bedtime. I'm lame, I know...

Favorite Quote

"Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into ones life with pomp and blare like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to ones side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rythm and the music; perhaps...perhaps love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden hearted rose slipping from its green sheath."-Lucy Maud Montgomery

Ah...Ah...Allergies!

Can I just take a minute to complain about my constant sneezing, sinus headaches and watering eyes for a moment? I did not suffer with allergies until moving to the Dirty South. But now that I am here I am making up for lost time. My love for Spring - budding flowers, beautiful skies and the smell of freshly cut grass - has been tainted by the blanket of dreaded yellow pollen covering everything around me. And I do I mean, everything. My desk at work is covered from the mistake of opening my office window one bright sunny day, my car is covered to the point that I must use my wipers every time I get in it so I can see through my windshield and the ground looks like someone has colored it with pale yellow sidewalk chalk. Now you may have noticed in my Favorite Things blog that I am loving the color yellow right now. However, my new found enemy is incringing on that as well at the moment. Don't get me wrong...I adore Alabama, I just like it a LOT better when Mr. Pollen is hibernating.

Achoo! Excuse, me.

Ode to Supper Club

Some of you might not know that I am a charter member of the most amazing and exclusive club in Birmingham, maybe even the South. That's right, I am a member of Supper Club. Founding members include myself, Bethany Christin Faucett, Amanda Brooke Smith and Kelly Ann Sutton. While we have lost Miss Kelly Ann to the wonderful city of Nashville, TN we have carried on with meeting in each other's homes to test new recipes and enjoy each other's company.

Supper Club was founded in May of 2005 by four single girls all living in the greater Birmingham area, all single and all followers of Christ who decided to devote one night a week to spending time together in prayer and in food! It was a huge blessing for a girl like me, who was new to the area and desperately needed gal pals. Who knew these girls would become my rocks? We have been through a lot together and I can't imagine going through the past 3 years without them. We have had countless shopping extravagnanzas, traveled together to fun places, seen each other through break ups AND weddings.

They were all a part of my wedding.

And I was in theirs.

And every year we celebrate our birthdays together.

I am so thankful for these ladies and for the glue that holds us together - SUPPER CLUB!

My Favorite Things

I have decided to start doing a weekly "Favorite Things" post. This will be a place to list things I love, appreciate and enjoy. It will also help me to focus on all of the positive things in my life, kind of a counting of my blessings and what not. Here goes a stab at my first list of Favorite Things!

Obviously, God, my husband, my family and friends, and my cat are ALWAYS on my list. But I am also thankful for...

1. Blogs, of course! I am really enjoying the inspiration I get out reading other peoples thoughts and ideas. This is a great outlet for spiritual matters, crafting, cooking, daily events, etc. Can't get enough!

2. Mommas-to-Be. With babies popping up everywhere around me lately I am more and more amazed at the wonder of pregnancy. It is amazing what all happens when that bun is in the oven. Definitely makes me look forward to going through that process one day in the not so near future.

3. Martha Stewart. She is quirky, yes. But she shares her ideas with the mass public and has brought crafting, cooking, and homemaking back into style and for that I love her.

4. Country Time Lemonade. So cheap, so easy and oh so refreshing.

5. Cupcakes. New obsession. See previous blog.

6. Scherenschnitte. For those of you who do not know what this is, check out Cindy's blog. I haven't tried it yet, but I would love to have a party where we try our hands at it. Let me know if you are interested.


7. Supper Club. See upcoming blog for more information on this topic.

8. Birds chirping. There is something about that sound in the morning that makes me want to get out of bed and skip through a meadow somewhere.

9. The color yellow. There was a day when I was afraid to wear this color because of my blond hair. Not the case anymore! In fact, every time I bring home a new top Ben says, "Don't you already have 17 other tops that exact same color?"

10. Big gold earrings. Especially in a tear drop shape. Fun and flattering and they go great with all my yellow tops.

Laundry Day

Folding laundry. This would NOT make my list of favortite things. But someone has to do it and with Ben in class and studying till the wee hours of the morning I guess that would be me. I am tackling this project today and am rapidly filling up my dining room table with clean laundry that needs to be folded. Somehow I think Marley will be disappointed when I make him move...

Only 4 more loads to wash and 8 more to fold! I MIGHT make it to Amanda's for dinner by 6:30?

Hello, Cupcake!

Martha Stewart has devoted this entire week to cupcakes! As always, I have jumped on the band wagon and want to make every single kind she has shown. But because these were so adorable (who knows what they taste like) I had to post some photos of these clever little creations...

That's right, these are plain old vanilla cupcakes decorated with what else, but Jelly Belly's, to look like corn on the cob. There is even a sliver of Laffy Taffy placed on top to take the place of the butter. I especially like the corn skewers plugged in the ends...nice touch!

This cupcake was covered in green nerds and sliced up orange tootsie rolls to resemble a moundful of peas and carrots. This may be the only way I would ever get Ben to eat either of these vegetables!

Here are some of my other favorites from her contest for "The Cutest Cupcake"...

popcorn

pizza

teapots

strawberry

fireworks

tea"cup"cake

blueberry pie

sunflower

potted plants

ice cream cone

frappuccino

cacti

cute and girly

mochaccino

caramel apples

DQ frozen dessert

apple pie

golf ball in grass

a bouquet of cupcakes