mWm

Sea Turtles

2010-05-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

In August 2008 I found myself swimming in Kauai with a sea turtle.

I was sick.and.tired. of snorkeling (after 6+ days of it) but I was still very excited to swim so close to the cutle lil sea turtle-

maybe even more so than when, hours later, we saw tons of dolphins.

I will spare you the details of my Save the Whales/Manatees youth

I will just say that after a day like this...

*as an aside- the Olympus Stylus is an amazing underwater camera*

It makes me even more sad to see things like this-

makes me want to buy every single bottle of Dawn soap I can find because of those cute lil commercials where they are washing oil off of the little duckies!

Spy It. Buy It. SATC2 Edition

2010-05-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

Source

Spy It: This Halston Heritage can be found at Neiman Marcus for $325

Buy It: XOXO makes this dress inspired by the SATC2 movie for $59

*I originally purchased the Halston Heritage in white but when I found the XOXO version I scooped it up in black, white and grey. I'm exchanging my white Halston Heritage the green version so that I can wear it to a wedding this summer.*

**I recently saw the XOXO dress marked as low as $29 at my local Macy's**

This would be a great "Spy It. Buy It" post except for one thing...

I cannot remember where I saw the "Spy It" version of this dress

Either way, I love this dress.

Buy It

So if you can remember which designer made a similar frock could you pretty please lemme know?

I was thinking Kate Spade but couldn't find it online.

Stagecoach 2010

2010-05-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took our annual spring trip to Palm Springs. We always base this trip around Coachella, Stagecoach or both. This year, in the interest of time, we only went to Stagecoach. Plus, I couldn't miss the chance to see Brooks & Dunn on their farewell tour.

Toss in Sugarland, Phil Vassar, Keith Urban, Billy Currington, Toby Keith and Jason Aldean (to name a few) and we knew we were bound to see some great shows...and great shows we saw!

sister. me. soul sister.

Friday night (after the longest dinner ever) we made our way to Costas for a little dancing and a whole lot of people watching.

We spent all day Saturday at in the JW Marriott pool. I'd like to point out that vodka seems to go down a little too easy when one finds themselves submerged in chlorine for long stretches of time...but we made it back to the room in time to change and arrive at the polo fields in time for the shows. (At least in time for the shows we wanted to see.)

Suffice it to say we didn't see much of LMWHEELS that day as she spent much of her time with "Camp Clausen".

Sugarland was amazing.

Every group was great but Sugarland had that extra something special that makes you feel lucky to have been there.

If Saturday evening went by too fast then Sunday morning definitely came too soon.

The boys managed to wake up in time to make their tee time while us girls took full advantage of the "shampoo effect" at the pool.

I have to be honest. It was not cold on Sunday. Refreshments were needed and picture taking was mostly forgotten.

On Monday morning we stumbled to the pool for one last swim before schlepping to the rental van and cruising home.

One thing is for sure. My Soul Sister (LMWHEELS) lives way too far away.

Next year cannot get here fast enough!

back from "blogcation"

2010-03-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

I was somewhat forced into a blogcation

let's just say

my ~~trusty~~ laptop has gone on to a better place

If you follow me on twitter then you know...

you didn't miss much!

same ole same ole in our house

Hoping to get back in the swing of things now that I have a fully functioning computer

I will be back tomorrow with a blog sale

mostly shoes (sizes 7-8)

and a few dresses

American Idol is tonight right?

Once ~~Matt Saracen~~ Alex Lambert went home

I stopped caring

but I still watch because....

(and don't tell him I said do)

my husband loves American Idol

and Dancing With the Stars

who do you like on Idol now that my little Alex is gone?

what about DWTS?

well I am off to get dinner ready for me and Mr W

somehow it's easier to eat well when it is so hot outside

this weather makes me crave fruit, grilled fish and roasted vegetables

so I think that is exactly what I will make!

Happy Tuesday!

i'm just sayin'

2010-02-26T04:56:00.000-08:00

a good foundation

2010-02-25T12:58:00.000-08:00

mac studio fix compact

mac studio tech cream compact

jane iredale liquid minerals

chanel teint innocence

mac studio fix fluid

philisophy the supernatural airbrushed canvas

nars loose powder

makeup forever mat velvet

chanel quick cover stick

jane iredale pressed powder

maybelline dream liquid mousse

this is just a sampling of the ridiculous amount of foundation in my caboodle

one of these is definitely not like the others

and yet maybelline dream liquid mousse is the one product that

gets me more compliments than all the rest

i got it on vacation in a pinch

(i'd accidentally left my makeup bag on the bathroom counter at home)

at the time i swore by chanel teint innocence

but when i ran into my best friend the day i got back she kept telling me how great my skin looked and asked me several times if i was wearing makeup

when i realized that i was still wearing the maybelline-i was sold!

to me

when someone doesn't think you are wearing makeup

this is the ultimate compliment

i don't like to look "made up" unless i am going somewhere where i need to

so i started wearing the maybelline from time to time

every time i wear it i get compliments

not on my makeup...but on my skin

i tend to be a label whore

so i keep looking for something at sephora, saks, nordies

that gets me as many compliments

i'll let you know when i find that product

this isn't to say that all these other products don't have their place

they do!!

i used mac studio tech cream compact on my wedding day-

my biggest concern was shine-the studio tech combined with their prep & prime powder kept me shine free all night long

(because there is no sunscreen and the maybelline has spf)

when i am on vacation and i just want a little veil of coverage at night

i love philosophy the supernatural airbrush canvas

lately i am loving makeup forever mat velvet

especially for work because i can trust it to last all day

on the weekends when i just want to run errands with minimal makeup

i love jane iredale liquid minerals or laura mercier tinted moisturizer

i also love to mix the laura mercier in with foundations when i want to

lighten the color or thin out the coverage

obviously nobody needs this much variety in the foundation department

i just love trying products and i am always on a mission for the next best thing

i just thought it was worth mentioning that for all the expensive department store products i have tried my favorite remains something i grabbed at rite aid

wordless wednesday: wishing

2010-02-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

i die. (for dvf)

2010-02-18T22:09:00.000-08:00

(source)

they don't know it yet

but these dvf resort collection kicks

have a new home-

my closet

Box of Love

2010-02-15T04:30:00.000-08:00

while reading one of my favorite blogs

i was reminded of my husbands ridiculous vacation ritual

boxed wine

as hmb can tell you

the man loves him some boxed wine

i'm not even sure if it's the wine he likes anymore

so much as it is

the ritual of putting a box of wine in a hotel fridge

drinking it constantly

but always having enough left over upon checkout

that he is forced to yell

it never runs out!

followed by some sort of "freaky freaky" noise

that has become better known as his

"it never runs out" rap song

we have gone from hawaii to palm springs

cabo to san francisco

and the one constant is

his box of wine

after watching

Up in the Air

i am inspired to start taking pictures

all over the world

with my husband and his trusty

box of wine

i have to admit that after almost 2 weeks in hawaii

in a condo filled with four adults

we came pretty close to finishing a box

but not to worry

it never ran out

i used to believe that the box never ran out

because the wine was awful

but as it turns out this is not always the case

recently he has found boxes of wine

that are good enough to fill up empty bottles of

*better* wine

and serve to company

(not that i would ever dream of doing such a thing)

but if i did i might fake you out with this

source

and by the end of the night

in the words of

~~Kathy Griffins mom~~

Maggie Griffin

you'd be telling me to

"tip it!"

""At some point during almost every romantic comedy, the female lead suddenly trips and falls, stumbling helplessly over something ridiculous like a leaf, and then some Matthew McConaughey type either whips around the corner just in the nick of time to save her or is clumsily pulled down along with her. That event predictably leads to the magical moment of their first kiss. Please. I fall ALL the time. You know who comes and gets me? The bouncer." Chelsea Handler

2010-02-14T10:41:00.000-08:00

happy valentine's day!

valentine's day to me is...

bringing me coffee in bed every morning

4 minutes after I've hit the snooze button

without me ever asking

and always knowing those mornings

when only champagne

is worth waking up for...

what is valentine's day to you?

"There are two kinds of people I don't trust: people who don't drink and people who collect stickers" Chelsea Handler

2010-02-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

blog lovin'

after a week of severe bloggers block

two of my fave blogger friends tagged me for the same award!

and now i'm dusting off my fingers to accept

thank you to

Recession Is The New Blonde

the cowgirl lawyer

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award and insert a link to their blog.

thanks again ladies :)

2. Pass on the award to about 15 other bloggers who you recently discovered and think are great!

it's FRESH

Just Ask Beth

Dishy Decorator

confessions of a domestic goddess

Lillie's Blog

pink tights and pigskin

peach, the putties and me

sparkles and fate

the perks

ramblings of a thirty something year old carolina girl

the preppy baby

3. Contact the other bloggers and let them know they have been chosen for this award.

4. Say 7 things about yourself.

1. i love wine & grilled cheese

2. if you don't have bbm we probably don't communicate often

3. i love the florida gators

4. i am obsessed with my kindle but not more so than my blackberry

5. i want to move to st pete and be well paid to sit in a lounge chair (the ones where you're barely an inch off the ground) and read with my toes in the gulf...oh! and co-host a talk show with my soul sister

6. i usually do the elliptical in my undies so that when i am ready to quit a mere glance at my ~~fat~~ ass will motivate me to keep on keepin on

7. i believe that a can of sanpellegrino limonata counts as a serving of h20

better late than never

2010-02-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

last year when i had the lovely combo of

pneumonia with a side of pertussis

i managed to drag my pitiful self out of bed

long enough to show up to my cousins wedding.

until yesterday i thought my camera and the photos in it

were lost in our move

these are for your entertainment Belle :)

on second thought

maybe it's not a good thing that the camera has been found

Green Garbage

2010-02-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

last spring i joined twitter

to see kim kardashians tweets

she used to rave about these shakes from

the body factory

so of course i went online and ordered their protein powder

and now

every morning i have one of these:

1 scoop of The Body Factory protein powder

1 scoop of "the greens"

1 scoop of peanut butter

half a banana

1/2 cup of skim milk

then i fill up my mini shaker with crushed ice

dump it all in the blender

blend

enjoy

the shakes turn out looking like swamp water

but they are sooo good!

**Kim K doesn't tweet about these shakes anymore**

and it is my understanding that this is because

quick trim is coming out with their version

of the shake...and when they do

i'll let you know how it is

Damage Done

2010-02-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

Reecently I have been bored with my DVR

Shows that used to be my "go to" favorites have been too predictable

Law & Order

CSI (all the cities)

Even my beloved House

They all seem to follow their own "formula" which is sometimes as comfortable as an old pair of Uggs...but lately it's just boring.

I went to Dillon every Friday night in January and now I'm all caught up and waiting for Season 4 on dvd. Finishing Friday Night Lights has been a lot like finishing a really good book...you race to finish it and then towards the end you savor every page because you don't want it to end.

As sad as I was to finish FNL...it made room for me to discover

Damages

I hadn't paid much attention to this series on FX because I figured it was just another cop/lawyer/detective show that was no different from Law & Order other than their ability to use words like shit since it airs on cable.

I don't say this often so listen closely

I was wrong

Damages is nothing like your basic cable episodic cop/lawyer show

I would describe it more as a John Grisham movie broken down into weekly parts. I got the Season 1 first disc from Netflix on Monday and as soon as it ended I hopped online and bought the rest of the season on Amazon video on demand because there was no way I could wait for the next NetFlix.

By this time tomorrow I will be caught up with the show and have to wait for Season 3 ep 3 to air next week on FX and the weekly wait will be torture.

So...what series should I start next?

Kardashians vs Jillian Michaels

2010-01-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

Kardashian Quick Trim

Jillian Michaels JumpStart 14 Day Cleanse & Burn

Recently I found myself tweeting about the pros & cons of each of these products so I thought I would post a quick review.

{Source}

Quick Trim Burn & Cleanse.

I loved this product.

Worth every penny.

Best Part: the cleanse was a cleanse like none other

but you don't have to stay home near the bathroom for 14 days

(if you get my drift)

Worst Part: the burn did make me a tad bit too jittery

{Source}

JumpStart 14 Day Cleanse & Burn

This product was just average.

Not worth the $$

Best Part: the burn was mild yet effective

Worst Part:the cleanse may have had the reverse effect

*since some may find the details of this post to be TMI...feel free to comment me with your e-mail if you have any other questions about my experience with these products*

*obligatory disclaimer: i was not paid to try or review these by anyone*

dennis quaid is here!!

2010-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

i watched this on ellen and thought

"meh. that was pretty funny"

but later that night i was telling 19 about it and realized

it was funnier the second time

(so watch it twice if you must ;)

meet emilie and stone

2010-01-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

as promised

here are the two little cutie pies that we welcomed into the world this week

emilie rae

1.18.10

6:54pm

7lbs.18 inches

that's her auntie's finger

(click for more pictures)

stone angel

1.19.10

1:19pm

1lb8oz.12 inches

it's been a week of miracles

and it's only thursday

i'm just sayin'

2010-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

monday night after a long, long day i came home and settled in with a pb&j...and The Bachelor. i find ~~this douche lord~~ jake to be so ridiculous that i can barely watch. but somehow-i do. last night i kept thinking vienna looked very familiar and this morning it dawned on me...

if Betty Lou

and Janice had a daughter...

she would look like....

Vienna

**and a million thanks to LMWHEELS for helping me conquer the world

one muppet...and douche lord...one BBM at a time**

labor, delivery and what i wore

2010-01-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

yesterday

began like any ordinary day

coffee

feed taylor may

morning trash tv

laundry

and then i get a BBM from my best friend

her niece is on the way

**yay**

followed by a BBM from her sis

-the baby is coming-

**i cannot get there fast enough**

this was expected

and i was soo excited

i was pulling juicy sweats from the laundry pile

grabbing at uggs

when i get another text

another friend is in the hospital too

also in labor and delivery

but she is 28 weeks along

her baby boy isn't due until april

but because of complications

they will deliver him soon

via c-section

**slow mo sets in**

i head in to the hospital

luckily they were 4 doors apart

after a long&rainy day of waiting

on january 18

6:54 pm

we welcomed

a 7lb. 18.5 inch

emilie rae

she is perfect

today

on an out of the ordinary

rainy day in san diego

little stone will be delivered

at 1:30 pm

say a little prayer for him and his parents

right now

i'm headed back to the hospital

it's a girl by memesw16 featuring Louis Vuitton bags

Items in this set:
Juicy Couture Velour track top, $98
Splendid Cotton blend tank, $40
Juicy Couture Velour track pants, $88
Classic Tall Chestnut Boot, 190 GBP
AUTHENTIC LOUIS VUITTON MONOGRAM NEVERFULL MM BAG M40156 LOUIS VUITTON...

M is for Missoni and Marc

2010-01-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

tomorrow a million hippies ~~and i~~

will scurry online to discover the lineup for coachella 2010

then in april we will sit through a weekend of hot & sticky misery

while listening to the likes of

red hot chili peppers

coldplay

madonna ~~worst coachella performance ever~~

ben harper

the cure

jack johnson

beastie boys

radiohead

pixies

depeche mode

when i first started going to this music festival in 2002

i would spend the whole day ~~sweating my ass off~~ lounging i

n the grass of the polo fields where it is held

now?

notsomuch

*waiting for madonna*

still waiting...

*don't even care if she shows up anymore*

now we spend the long, hot days lounging poolside-

head back to the hotel to shower

and show up just in time for the headliners

Coachella by memesw16 featuring Havaianas flip flops

Items in this set:
Splendid Cotton blend tank, $40
Missoni Brioni Lurex-knit shorts, $380
Havaianas 'Slim' Flip Flop (Women), $24
Pretty Nylon Tate Tote, $188
House of Harlow 14K Rose Gold Plated Thin Stack Bangle, $163

see you there

Friday Night Lights

2010-01-14T06:10:00.000-08:00

Makes me want to move to Austin

(next door to my in laws)

and pump out football players!

i'm a little late to the Friday Night Lights party

fine by me because I can watch episode after episode

commercial free and without the hiatus

you never know what's around the corner...

2010-01-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

when the days turn to spring in jacksonville there is no place better to find yourself than on a golf course. the air is crisp. the morning freeze delays are a distant memory and the long humid days of summer are still far away.

in the spring of 2002 i found myself working the weekend beverage cart shift at the local country club. peddling diet coke, bloody mary's and miller lite.

i miss those days.

when my greatest concern was

running out of my love spell body splash

or making sure the junior members didn't smuggle

their own beers on the course....

on one spring day in particular i found myself rounding the bend from one hole to the next and happened upon two of our newest junior members.

drinking their own beer

from a contraband cooler

this not only cut into my sales, my commission and my tips

this plain ole got on my nerves

the two golfers in question were about my age

one seemed nice enough

the other was clearly an ass

little did i know that one was about to change the entire course of my life

and his mother still owes me for changing the course of his

almost 8 years later

a lot has changed

i am living in san diego

married

he is living in richmond

(his mom can thank me for that

and for the part about him being a lawyer)

over the past 8 years

we have shared

a million laughs

(shed as many tears)

700 pizzas

a lot of beer

football games

golf tournaments

snow storms

being fat

getting thin

more than our fair share of trips through the ATL

screwdrivers

political debates

LSATS

the dc sniper

breakups

breakdowns

dr bud

blonde bimbos

the mayor

regripped a TON of clubs

potted plants

unplanting trees

NO CHICKEN

the whiskey

staggering through los angeles

through all the seasons

through all the years

i have never had a more loyal friend

thank goodness my husband loves ~~to play golf with~~ him

Happy Birthday to the other man in my life!

love you lots

now if i could just get my scanner working so i could post pictures from our fat days at mellow mushroom where we had our own booth...

large pizza for the 5 minute drive home?

don't mind if we do!

You're gonna hate me...

2010-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Lazy days of ~~summer~~ winter.

While everyone else is freezing...

I have been finding myself trying to beat the heat.

Thank Goodness for

Kindle

Juice boxes of wine

spf 70

100 calorie packs

much to my delight

2010-01-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

I don't think I have ever blogged about my love for

Fashion Finder

But my love for Kelly Ripa telling me what/who she is wearing?

It's real, true love.

If you haven't checked it out before

STOP READING THIS

and go watch them

As much as I love Kelly

(and I do)

I'll be honest

there has been a void.

I have been finding myself

(for years)

thinking about another woman

wondering what she is wearing

wishing she had a behind the scenes segment

documenting her every outfit

what lip gloss does she wear?

was that a Milly coat she had on yesterday?

were those Jessica Simpson shoes?

and then yesterday it happened.

i was looking up the recipes from yesterdays post

and much to my delight

i discovered this:

What I'm Wearing

where she

(Elisabeth Hasselbeck)

and Sherri Shepard

tell us, well, what they are wearing!

from what I can tell this started in July

when they started doing ViewTube

but since EH was gone on maternity leave for most of the segments posted

it'll be easy to catch up and be ready for next week

when they are back live.

also look for guest segments

featuring

kate gosselin

meghan mccain

**you're welcome**

G-Free and Yummy

2010-01-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

When I think of G-Free the first thing that comes to mind isn't any kind of food or snack...when I think of gluten-free I think of-

Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

I can't help myself.

I'm hooked on The View and I love to hate her.

As a fan of the show I have been aware of Celiac Disease for quite some time.

I was sort of fascinated with Elisabeth and the story of how she was diagnosed. If you notice, Elisabeth never participates in the food segments on The View...and opts instead to be in the ones involving music or fashion. So when the co-hosts did a week long cooking series "Tyler Cooks with the Co-Hosts" (where Tyler Florence came into their home to cook up some of their favorite recipes)...I was intrigued.

First and foremost I was going to get to see inside their kitchen!

Maybe you don't care what tile Joy Behar picked out for her newly remodeled kitchen! But me? Oh, I'm interested!!

But I was also interested to see what he would teach EH to make that was

g-free. I mean wtf does that skinny thang eat anyways??

Ladies, what I saw both shocked and delighted me!

*Chicken Tortilla Soup

*Roasted Chicken Fajitas

*Ultimate Guacamole

*Lime Crema

*Banana Split

*Crispy Fried Tortilla Strips

*Goats Milk Caramel

and since I know you are going to ask...here is the link for the recipes

Tyler Cooks With The Co-Hosts: A G-Free Mexican Fiesta with Elisabeth

I know I have mentioned a few of her recipes here on my blog but here is the link to Elisabeths book she covers all you will ever need to know about being G-Free

Cold snap? Where?

2010-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every morning I wake up and turn on The Today Show.

Lately it seems like one of their main topics is: the weather.

Apparently for most of y'all it's pretty.freaking.cold out there!

I even heard someone talking about their eyelashes freezing.

(My biggest eyelash concern is running out of Latisse.)

Throughout the show there is always a bar at the bottom of the screen that shows the current local time and temperature. When I woke up Tuesday morning it said it was 7:07 and already 50*.... by the time Hoda and Piers said goodbye it was up to a balmy 60*.... and don't be mad at me but....

this was the forecast for the day

I don't know if you can see it but the high at the beaches was 74*

and inland there was a high of 78*

At first I was pretty bummed that we are going to be missing out on this nationwide "cold snap". I mean, come on!!

(They say it's even cold in Florida)

Well...turns out I was only "bummed" because I haven't really been able to wear my sweater dresses and leggings.

But you know what? The truth is I am a Summer kinda gal. I love warm weather clothes, colors and I even prefer warm weather cocktails.

I am sure there is a cold snap in my ~~very near~~ future so I won't put away my winter wardrobe just yet.

(ok, ok I admit that my "winter wardrobe" gets as wintery as a Burberry scarf, a few wool sweaters and a coat)

But.... for now I will be sitting in my adirondack chair

Kindle in hand.

~~wearing my Rodarte for Target bikini.~~

wearing Gator jammies

loving the San Diego weather

Hey I never said I was gonna look cute while I was doing any of those things!

I'm still rockin' my "I'm a hot mess because it's winter vacation" look.

Tech vs Leach

2010-01-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning I found myself still reeling from a ~~heated discussion~~ conversation I'd had the night before at dinner with 19 and one of my best (male) friends. After a relaxing dinner, while waiting for the check, the boys started talking about the whole Mike Leach vs Adam James/Texas Tech controversy. I have never really liked Mike Leach so I pretty much kept my ~~biased~~ mouth shut...which is no.easy.task.

I woke up eager to watch all the YouTube videos and read all the articles I could find. While watching the videos on YouTube I found myself, as I often do, perusing my TweetDeck and ended up finding this post...she basically took all the thoughts clinking around in my head and said what I was basically too frustrated to articulate--right down to posting the clip of the

"fat lil girlfriends" video...if this was a BBM I'd insert the green "sick to my stomach" icon here.

Since it's always a good read check her out!

it's FRESH

When I take Ambien...a confession

2010-01-05T01:34:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep.

I want to go to sleep.

I am considering popping an Ambien.

BUT

When I take Ambien I have strange dreams.

My husband is currently blasting the heater which always makes me have nightmares...adding Ambien is probably not the best idea.

When I take Ambien I usually eat random things and in the morning I have no recollection of eating anything at all.

Not even when the evidence is still on my bedside table.

But when I go to the Taco Bell Drive-Thru after a night out drinking (and no Ambien) I don't remember that either until I see the double-decker wrappers and GIANT Mt. Dew on the coffee table.

With Ambien, these flashbacks don't happen...and that is probably for the best.

When I am on Ambien I sometimes think it must be acid.

I have never taken acid.

But I am pretty sure taking Ambien is like taking acid.

Once about an hour after taking an Ambien I was watching that Denise Richards reality show and all of a sudden she grew four pony tails.

Usually if you are unable to fall asleep after the firt hour it becomes "acid hour" -- this is when my husband starts to look plastic and becomes annoyed as I poke his face and laugh maniacally while asking him if he is "real".

When I am on Ambien I order things online from Nordstrom, Sephora, Football Fanatics and Amazon.

(these are sites that have my credit card info stored so it is ~~way too~~ easy breezy for me to order from Ambien Land)

I can never remember placing these orders so when they arrive on my doorstep it's like an imaginary (and eccentric) relative has randomly sent me stuff and I get stuck with the credit card bill.

When I am on Ambien...I carve fruit animals.

Yeah I said carve not crave.

A few summers ago 19 and I went to Hawaii with one of our favorite couples.

The four of us were staying in a two bedroom villa on Kauai and I ~~like and idiot~~ took an Ambien.

(this was in an effort to shake off the jet lag and wake up feeling rested)

Instead of tucking myself into bed and catching a much needed night of zzzz's

I took the bowl of fresh Hawaiian fruit the hotel had provided and carved it into animals.This wasn't the first time-it was just the first time I'd done it in Hawaii. (I previously made birds out of a bowl of peaches.)

Don't believe me??

**note**

When I am on Ambien you. can. tell.

~~by the goofy face and crazy eyes~~

When I take Ambien I wonder why it is so hard to make a sleeping pill that helps me fall asleep and stay asleep.

Here is to hoping a Tylenol PM and a cup of tea can do the job tonight!

See you tomorrow.

Dear J.LO

2010-01-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Jennifer Lopez

Britney did it first and Britney did it better.

and by "it" I mean this crazy look you were ~~not~~ rockin' NYE

Love, mWm

*PS I still love you*

**PPS I know, I know. I am a few days late on this... but I had to say bye to Timmy T first ;) **

The end of an era...

2010-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

On Friday morning we woke up with a decade behind us and a world of possibility upon us.

On Friday night we said goodbye to Tim Tebow.

(obligatory moment of silence)

But we also said goodbye to

Brandon Spikes.

Riley Cooper.

Carlos Dunlap.

Brandon James.

Aaron Hernandez.

Joe Haden.

maybe a Pouncey...maybe both

As someone who has been a fan more than half my life.

As someone who was a fan during the Zook years.

I am really going to miss this Senior Class....

and the handful of Juniors that are leaving as well.

~~although who could blame the Juniors for jumping ship now with all the nonsense brewing on the horizon in the NFL.~~

Thank You boys for an amazing ride I will never forget!!

I won't deny I am sad to say goodbye.

I won't deny I shed a tear (or two) watching Tebow walk off the field on Friday night.

I also won't deny that on September 4, 2010 when the Gators run out of the tunnel I will, as always, be full of nervous excitement and ready for what the season brings...because no matter who is taking ~~or not taking~~ the snap I love to watch University of Florida football.

GO GATORS!

Are you Gluten Free in 2010?

2010-01-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

G-Free.

This is the latest in a series of diet "buzzwords".

Previous buzz words-

Whole Wheat

Whole Grain

Low Carb

Sugar Free

Net Carbs

Acai Berry

You get the picture.

But with the G-Free diet I really don't think G is for Gimmick.

In fact consuming G foods has been associated with

Allergies

Autism

Depression

Diabetes

Candida (yeast)

Hypoglycemia

and is best known for it's association with

Celiac Disease

the list goes on.

I don't really subscribe to any one diet but I do like to learn about the different ones to find new and more healthy recipes. Sometimes I adapt them but often times I adapt to them. For example, ever since I tried whole grain pasta I use it almost exclusively because to me it barely compromises the taste but brings a lot of positive things to, well, the plate.

This is a G-Free Recipe from Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book

The G-FREE Diet

Meat-Based Tomato Sauce for Baked Penne and Lasagna

1lb Italian Sausage, gluten-free, hot or sweet

1 small onion

3 TB light olive oil or canola oil

3 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

3-4 small basil leaves

meatballs, gluten-free, cooked (recipe to follow)

Cut the sausage into 2-inch pcs, set aside

Mince onion in a food processor, set aside

Heat oil in Dutch oven or large pot

Brown sausage in oil on all sides

Add onion and cook with sausage until onion is soft and light brown

Add 1 can of crushed tomatoes to the pot.

Add 1/4c water to rinse can and add water to the pot.

Stir, scraping brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add next 2 cans of tomatoes, rinsing each with 1/4 c of water and adding water to the pot.

Add the

sugar

salt

pepper

basil

stir to mix

Add the Meatballs

*recipe to follow*

Bring the sauce to a boil over med-high heat

Lower heat and simmer for 30 min

(rec simmer until you see that oil has risen to the top)

Stir occassionally to prevent sticking.

Serve over pasta.

or use in

Baked Penne or Lasagna

Can be modified for Crock-Pot cooking.

G-Free Meatballs

1/2 c hominy grits or coarse cornmeal

*can use 1/2c gluten-free breadcrumbs*

1.5lbs ground chuck

1 egg

1 garlic clove, minced

2 TB fresh chopped parsley

2 TB grated Romano or Parmesan

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

In a small bowl combine

1.5 TB water to grits or cornmeal (or g-free breadcrumbs)

Mix to moisten

Mix should be damp-not wet

Set aside

*if using g-free breadcrumbs use 1/4c water and allow to soften*

Place ground chuck in a large bowl

Add

egg

garlic

parsley

grated cheese

salt & pepper

mix with wooden spoon

Add moistened cornmeal and mix

first with spoon and then with your hands

until mix is just combined

Shape mix into meatballs

*recipe calls for golf ball sized meatballs but I prefer them about half the size*

Brown the meatballs in a skillet in light olive or canola oil

Cook in batches

Be careful not to overcrowd the pan

Add more oil as needed

Set aside to use in sauce

Can also be frozen for later use.

Baked Penne or Lasagna

use the above sauce and/or meatballs

gluten free noodles

Mozzarella

add ricotta for lasagna

After perusing this book I am surprised at the number of tasty g-free recipes so as I try more-I will post more.

Buon appetito!

**PS if you are trying G-Free I can't recommend Sharkies (a g-free fruit snack) I found them to be like glue and totally inedible**

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

San Diego is many things.

Most of these things are well documented.

Beaches.

Mountains.

Sun.

Having been born and raised here in sunny San Diego I am here to tell you one thing that, I think, is often overlooked.

This is a BORDERTOWN.

Not being bilingual has made me a minority in this town for most of my life.

The border is only a few exits from where I grew up.

Those twinkling lights when you look South?

That's T.J.

Tijuana.

Mexico.

We have taco stands on every street corner.

I notice these things more when friends from the South visit me and I see the city through their eyes.

When these friends visit they delight in the tamales, tacos, burritos and soups that are available at these hole in the wall shops tucked all over the city.

The best thing on your way home from a night of drinking is a burrito from one of these joints and an even better thing the next morning is some homemade pozole.

This combo has kept me going many a weekend when I thought my hangover would kill me.

I am getting somewhere with all this rambling...

New Years Day is a day of three things in my house.

Football

Hangover

Resolutions to eat better

This brings me to one of my favorite recipes

White Girl Pozole.

This is perfect for watching football when you have a NYE hangover and it is actually pretty healthy so you won't be breaking any resolutions before noon.

I was reminded of this recipe

(that my mother-in-law made when she was in town trying to make me ~~lose weight~~ eat right before my wedding)

when I saw Taco Bells latest ad campaign for a "drive thru diet"

My husband loves pozole...so when we moved away from downtown we left behind the ability to walk to the best pozole in the city.

So... I set out to learn to make this popular soup and along the way have turned it into a healthier version that I call...

WHITE GIRL POZOLE

based on Bill Phillips Eating for Life "Green Chili" recipe

(I usually double this)

8 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

1 onion, fine chopped

2 packages of Knorr Roasted Chicken Gravy Mix

4 cans (7 oz) cans mild diced green chiles

*I like the fire roasted kind*

10 cloves of minced garlic

1 cup fresh cilantro, rough chop

1tsp cumin

2-3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1 can (28oz) white hominy, drained

*this can be found in the Mexican Food aisle*

In a large pot combine

chicken broth

onion

chicken breasts

Heat on high until it boils.

Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done.

About 20 min.

Set chicken aside.

*Instead of this step I often use left over chicken*

*and shred it in at the end instead of this step*

With a whisk blend gravy into broth and then add

chiles

garlic

cilantro

cumin

jalapeno

hominy

Bring to a boil over med-high heat

Reduce to low

At this point you take the chicken (left over or recently boiled) shred it and add it back in.

*I put it in and use an immersion blender to shred the chicken and thicken the soup.*

Cover and simmer 40 minutes.

When serving I add a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, diced tomato, crushed tortilla chips and drizzle hot sauce (Cholula).

Enjoy!

**Don't worry! We still have ham, greens, black eyed peas and cornbread on New Years Day...we just wait 'til the pozole makes us feel well enough to function.**

NYE

2009-12-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

One of my absolute favorite people in the blogosphere Chat Tea Kathy tagged me for an award and this seems like a fitting post for the last day of 2009.

Happy 101

things that make me happy

1. My husband.

2. My sisters.

3. Friends that are family.

4. My dog. Miss Taylor May. I never imagined the love I could have for a 4lb pain in my ass. But 19 and I adore her beyond words...

5. My DVR. I seriously do not know what I did before DVR :)

6. Cheese. I have to agree with CTK here!! In fact I am about to enjoy some with some cracked black pepper Triscuits

7. College Football. Again...I have to agree with CTK. I love my GATORS and I love College Football in general.

8. My BlackBerry. I was a reluctant convert. I had the same flip phone for years and didn't "get it" when people raved about their "crack berry"...umm let's just say that I get it now...

9. Wine. Wine Nights. Wine Bars. Wine Club Memberships. White wine. Red wine. Sometimes pink wine...you get the picture.

10. Blankets. Robes. Jammies. Candles. Fuzzy Socks.

I tag the following fabulous bloggers:

because they make me happy IRL, on Twitter and here in the blogosphere :)

Pink Tights and Pigskins

Confessions of a Domestic Goddess

2009 in pictures

2009-12-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

I have been struggling to blog lately.

It's not that I don't have anything to say because trust me there is plenty the problem is that it is all bad. I am not, by nature, a private person so keeping my mouth shut has been an exercise in self control.

I love taking pictures. I'm not a photog by any stretch... I just love capturing moments in time-last night I realized that the first half of 2009 is well documented in pictures and the second half...ehhh...notsomuch! Looking back this makes sense because the first 6-7 months of 2009 were pretty much fabulous and then there were the last few months...

I'm trying to be about the positive so here is 2009...in pictures

Rascal Flatts

Engagement Photos

(Photography by Paul)

Bridal Shower

Bachelorette Parties

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

Honeymoon

Came back from honeymoon to find my baby sis in the hospital

My 30th Birthday @ Coldplay

the rest of the year is a blur...

Buh-bye 2009!

Hard to top NYE 2008! I got engaged in the middle of the Caribbean...having a nosy MIL came in handy for once because she caught it all on camera even though she had no idea what was about to happen!!

Last year I was asleep by 10:00pm with the flu.

This NYE we are doing a quiet dinner out and home in time to watch the ball drop. I cannot remember the last time I saw it drop!!

Happy New Years Y'all!!

Potentially or Realistically

2009-12-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

My Father in Law just sent this.

Made me chuckle.

A young boy went up to his father and asked him, 'Dad, what is the difference between 'potentially' and 'realistically'?

The father thought for a moment, then answered, "Go ask your mother if she would sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars.

Then ask your sister if she would sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars, and then ask your brother if he'd sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars. Come back and tell me what you learn from that."

So the boy went to his mother and asked, 'Would you sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars?'

The mother replied, 'Of course I would! We could really use that money to fix up the house and send you kids to a great University!'

The boy then went to his sister and asked, ‘Would you sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars?'

The girl replied, 'Oh my Gawd! I LOVE Brad Pitt I would sleep with him in a heartbeat, are you nuts?'

The boy then went to his brother and asked, 'Would you sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars?'

'Of course,’ the brother replied. 'Do you know what a million bucks would buy?'

The boy pondered the answers for a few days and then went back to his dad.

His father asked him, 'Did you find out the difference between 'potentially' and ‘realistically’?'

The boy replied, 'Yes, ‘Potentially’, you and I are sitting on three million dollars ....

But ‘realistically’, we're living with two hookers and a queer.

Shoes

2009-12-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

I need y'all to do me a favor.

Can anyone tell me WTF these are?

I mean... I suppose it is possible that I will eat my words and be wearing these in the future. For now, I remain confused as to who the F would wear these!

In case you want them you can get them here

In the meantime I will be wearing these shoes that everyone else thinks are ugly but I LOVE

UGGS

Hoping for a December to remember

2009-12-02T01:17:00.000-08:00

*December*

I can't say I was sad to see November go.

Buh bye now.

I am so ready for cooler temps (below 60 is a big deal here) - UGGS - holiday parties - and, of course, PRESENTS!

-Warning-I have a feeling this is about to be a pointless post...feeling the need to ramble :)

This week 19 and I will be getting our tree, putting lights outside and burning a ton of Wal Marts Main Stay holiday candles.

Normally I would be baking my little heart out come December but after seeing this:

I am tempted to use these new additions to our gym

instead of making these

If I could spend as much time in our gym as I do shopping online I could eat as many cupcakes as I want!!

Speaking of online shopping...

Lately everything that arrives is sort of, well, bleh. I am sending back boxes of stuff from ATL, Banana Republic and most painfully-Nordies.The worst part is I actually needed that stuff for the zillion events we have this month. I am going to have to do this the old fashioned way and head to the mall because the party season kicks off this Saturday.

Hope y'all have a great rest of your week!

I'll be in my backyard refinishing furniture, heading to the mall to get some party clothes and decorating my casa.

I can't resist posting this picture of my baby girl Taylor May on Christmas at Gramma's last year-

For sh*ts and giggles

2009-11-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

My November has been a nightmare.

My twitter friends have been a welcome distraction and have kept me smiling especially when I didn't feel like it.

Today is no different. I happened to look at my tweet roll and caught

the dishy decorator and Chat Tea Kathy

tweeting about, of all things, cakes!

That was all it took to snap me out of a funk! Because it reminded me of my rehearsal dinner cake:

Can you see the cute lil eyelashes? Always makes me smile!

and just to be gratuitous...these rehearsal pics always make me smile too!

Whale's Vagina

2009-11-18T21:34:00.000-08:00

A Whale's Vagina. I can't stand when people refer to my city this way on their facebook page. I have no reason for not liking this ~~ridiculous~~ nickname. I just don't like it. Maybe because 19 and I had a fight during Anchorman and I've haven't liked that movie since. Either way... the title grabs your attention doesn't it?

I was born and raised in a nice neighborhood in the gorgeous city of San Diego. I am lucky. Although growing up I never felt that way, lucky...

I thought lucky was growing up in the neighborhood from Father of the Bride, the town from Steel Magnolias, the house from Oklahoma. Ahhh Aunt Eller's house. I love that woman!

I still want all of those things AND the house from Something's Gotta Give as my second home.

I was raised by my grandparents. They were raised in Columbia, South Carolina. More specifically-Winnsboro. My grandmother moved to San Diego 30 some years ago and she still has the sweetest southern accent. After raising 3 children and 4 grandchildren she still makes her own pie crust. My grandmother has survived breast cancer, a brain tumor, radiation and the Gamma Knife and she still irons her napkins.

I was raised in Southern California. Yet inside the perimeter of my grandparents property...I was raised in the south.

My grandmother raised me to love Country French furnishings, grits and pies with fresh berries. My grandmother raised me to cook my greens in bacon grease and treat people to "May Day flowers".

So when I was old enough to realize that I was surrounded by palm trees not crepe myrtles I knew I had to get outta town...and get out is exactly what I did. Just one month before my 18th birthday I hopped in my car and headed to Florida to live near my aunt in Jacksonville.

Yes. There were still palm trees....but there was also spanish moss, sweet tea and manners. I didn't open a single door the 6 years I lived there.

At 23 I found myself young, dumb, in love and most importantly tan. In other words, I was happy! One day my 23 year old happy ass was driving down St Johns Bluff when my grandfather called me. Three minutes later I had pulled to the side of the road to hear him finish explaining to me that the tumor they had found in my grandmothers brain was wrapped around her brain stem. Hard to operate. Size of an orange.I was devastated. Scared. Worried.

I was worried for my baby sister. I was worried for Papa. I was worried for my Grandma. But at 23 I was also selfish and so I was also worried I would have to move back to San Diego.

Cut to the roadtrip soundtrack.

After going home for extended periods of time for her surgery and treatment and 24 (six years ago this Christmas) I moved back to San Diego.

The place I fled.

Six years later. My grandmother is doing well. I have nephews I was able to see being born. My (boyfriend at the time) now husband taught my sister how to drive. I have amazing friends. I am happily married to a boy I knew in high school but never would have dated, let alone married, if I hadn't moved back.

I still want to flee.

I want to live here

But, for now, I will to try and remind myself to live in the moment and enjoy living here-

because I am old enough now to know there are way worse places to find myself!

In fact, y'all should come visit me!

When did I get so old?

2009-11-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

I moved back home to San Diego 6 years ago this Christmas.

The party started within minutes of arriving back home.

But when did the party end?

I used to be out almost every night:

I had more fun than words can describe and more hangovers than I can count

I don't know WHEN it happened but now all I want to do is this:

sit here and play these-

Chelsea Handler would NOT be proud.

That said 19 and I are making plans to get our booties OUT da house. We all spend so much time online shopping for clothes and makeup. So I, for one, am going to go wear them somewhere!!

Then I'll probably post the next day with gatorade and advil in hand about how it is so much more fun to dress up and stay in to play Scrabble with friends!

Bwahahaha!!

2009-11-12T21:39:00.000-08:00

I was in the worst mood yesterday because of ~~that crazy bitch below~~ Carrie Prejean. So today I needed a laugh!!! I really wanted to post some Target Lady SNL skits because someone had a bad experience with a Target Lady recently and I thought the Justin Timberlake/Kristen Wiigs skit would make her laugh! I couldn't find any good links so I give you this:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1119323720?bclid=28549564001&bctid=48806007001

Kelly Ripa wore a cornicione bra the other day and it was sooo funny!

I think I want to get one JUST to see #19's reaction!! Could you even imagine?

Speaking of 19 he just found these! Not the exact ones I wanted but still funny! Look for the Target Lady from Justins first SNL!!

There are soooo many one liners in each Target Lady skit!! What's your favorite one?

This B*TCH is crazzzy!

2009-11-11T21:52:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days this girl has mad me crazy! When I start to talk about it I get so frustrated I can't articulate my feelings. From her attitude on The View, being rude to Meredith on The Today Show and now this crap on Larry King Live!!! It's ridiculous!! I cannot even start talking about it without getting flustered so just read this at Good Gals Inc because I couldn't have said it better myself-and I have tried!

Anderson always says it best...

Twitter

2009-11-10T21:50:00.000-08:00

When I first started my blog I had sooooo much to say. That was before I was addicted to twitter. Recently my husband (my tweeps know him as 19) sent me this:
the 46 stages of Twitter

1. Hear the word Twitter. Scoff.

2. Hear it again from someone else. Scoff again.

3. Hear about famous celebrity who is apparently "On Twitter." Scoff, but make mental note to check it out.

4. Log into Facebook to comfort self.

5. Sign up for Twitter.

6. Give up because it seems dumb.

7. Loudly criticize others on Twitter.

8. Follow @johncmayer, @aplusk, @rainnwilson, @wilw, @mrskutcher, @oprah, and one other person you actually know.

9. Post tweet that is a variant of: "Trying out this Twitter thing."

10. Attempt to dig a little deeper into Twitter.

11. Notice rampant usage of words: "Tweet," "Twitter," "Twitterverse," "Tweetie," "Tweetdeck," and something called "RT."

12. Scoff again, this time in confusion.

13. Tell friends you "tried that Twitter thing, but didn't get it and it's stupid anyway."

14. Log into Facebook because that site at least makes sense.

15. Read story about Twitter somewhere.

16. Log back into Twitter.

17. Try to avoid saying Tweet, Twitter, Twitterverse, Tweetie, Tweetdeck, and ReTweet.

18. Respond to @rainnwilson.

19. Curse self for fanning out.

20. Log off for 4 months.

21. Come back, just to see.

22. Post something relatively funny.

23. Get RT'd.

24. Discover that RT means ReTweet.

25. Make it your life mission to get RT'd.

26. Install Twitter app on your phone.

27. No longer ashamed to say "I've gotta Twitter that."

28. Attend events with the sole intention of "Tweeting" them.

29. Pray to get RT'd.

30. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.

31. Close computer.

32. Open computer. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.

33. Think in 140 character sentences.

34. Compulsively check phone all day every day.

35. Tweet that you compulsively check phone all day every day.

36. Alienate actual people in your life in an attempt to impress ones you don't know.

37. Lose weight because you forget to eat.

38. Place phone by bed so you can check first thing in the morning.

39. Defend Twitter to the death from detractors.

40. Hear self, and vaguely recognize that you have become "That Guy."

41. Feel like, and start to behave like River Tam.

42. Vow to quit Twitter to preserve sanity.

43. Read this and change mind.

44. Think to self, "I should twitter that."

45. Recognize irony.

46. Twitter it.

I guess I tweet too much because at the end of the day I have nothing to Blog because I already tweeted it!! I need to work on this!!

Send me suggestions for my first giveaway...I am gearing uo to do my first one ASAP!!

Happy wife, happy life.

2009-11-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

This weekend Mr W has had the pleasure of seeing how true that saying can be! After years of living in ~~sin~~ condos, we have finally made our way into our Newlywed home! We moved in about two weeks ago but this weekend we really made some progress with turning our house into a home.

Why I am a happy wife:

GATORS WON
GATORS BEAT THE DAWGS
NEW COUCHES
FIRST TRICK OR TREATERS IN 5 YEARS
STARTED A GARDEN
ORDERED PRINTS FROM WEDDING PHOTOG
MADE GATOR POTS

Four years ago when we got Miss Taylor May we lived in a 800 sq ft condo in the heart of downtown San Diego, this was why we opted for a 5lb poodle! Now we have to put a bell on her collar to keep up with her. She hates it. We love it. This dog was made for city living and cannot stand to get dirt on her precious little paws.

The place still needs a ton of work, furniture and mostly TLC!!!

But here is a little of what we've accomplished so far...

Living/Dining Combo Room

The black and white photo was taken by my "hair guy" when he was in Hawaii to do a clients wedding. I will try and get a better shot of it later because it is GORGEOUS!! He used a slow shutter speed so instead of seeing the waves it looks like a fog is rolling in. Love it.

Later this week we are getting a buffet to put below the gorgeous black and white photo and a bookcase will go to the left of the floor pillows and end table so that I can finally unpack boxes and boxes of books I haven't had space for in years.

Kitchen

I saw these pictures on The Love List and my first thought was...I love this...I have to have this!! My second thought was...I think I have this somewhere...

I pulled this out of my parents garage and put it in my kitchen. It was mine when I was little and after I sand it, repaint it and add some cute lil touches it will be very close to the first picture. I am going to search Craigslist and find a table and chair to refinish and make them like the photo above. LOVE!!

Front Porch

Unlike Miss Taylor May I looove having a yard and I cannot wait to get my garden going and the yard(s) landscaped. This morning I went to a local nursery and picked up this bench and a new doormat. The yellow pot was originally purchased at Big Lots and was used to keep wine cold at my bridal shower. So I dug it out of the garage and planted some pink flowers to get them established before transferring them to the slope in my backyard.

(the yellow container at my Bridal Shower)

Bedroom

We need a headboard and #19 needs his own monogram on a pillow but the room is starting to come together AND I was able to finally find a home for this

THIS was the money box at our wedding. My best friend and her fabulous mother made it for me with old LV boxes and a napkin holder "engagement ring". It is too gorgeous to hide in the garage so now it is in my room beneath the table that holds my DVR/DVD boxes. Since the tv just hangs on the wall I needed a table to hold them and my MIL sent me an antique backgammon table that I am in the process of refinishing. I'll show you when I'm done.

For Halloween we didn't dress up or do anything "Halloweeny". My sister and her boyfriend came over Friday night and I made dinner and too many desserts and we watched scary movies. Oh and I made these...

I was watching Martha and saw her do the "Glitter Pumpkin" so when I was at Michael's I picked up glitter, various acrylic paints, a craft pumpkin and some terra cotta pots. I figured since I got a late start on Halloween I would just do Fall themed stuff instead of Jack-O-Lanterns etc so that I can use it 'til Thanksgiving. Then it hit me! The main reason we usually don't do much for Halloween is football...I already had the orange glitter...the Gators had a big rivalry game the next day...so Gator flower pots were the next logical step!!! I think they turned out so FAB that I am making them for all my sportsfan friends...

So our first Halloween as a married couple is in the books!

Next year we will be in Jax for The Game :)

Hope y'all had a great weekend too. I can't believe it's November!!

Summer is over. Self-Tanner stocked.

2009-10-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

I am horrible at doing my own makeup. Most of the time I would rather be seen without it than people think I want to look like the hot mess I become when left to my own devices. That said, I don't really have any idea what to do with a Primer.... but that hasn't kept me from trying!

The other day I was in my local Sephora ~~eavesdropping~~ when I heard a sales associate helping another customer---she was telling the the customer about this new primer that had a built in self-tanner. As a recovering tanorexic my ears perked up at the word "self-tanner" and I snatched up the bottle before she could finish her sales pitch.

I am so glad I did! This is what I had been looking for.

Solar Tan Self-Tanning Primer by Hourglass
$60

It gives a subtle glow and I only have to dab foundation on in the places I need coverage. Another thing I love is that I can use my Clarisonic (in moderation) and it doesn't undo all the self-tanner-because this builds up a great tan in about 5 days. Unlike most self-tanners there is no obvious self-tanner smell.
All in all I highly recommend this primer especially if you are like me and have to constantly fight the good fight to stay out of the sun!

Because she'd let me have Curly if I asked...

2009-10-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

I love this girl! She is without a doubt my "soul sister" and now she is in the blogosphere!!

We met through a "mutual friend" (that's what we'll call him). We bonded over a shared love for Oklahoma! the musical (see her #48-51). We discovered we were "soul sisters" after staying the night in the hotel where Dylan McKay used to live after dining next to Sharon Stone.

I know you will love her too! Meet PINK TIGHTS AND PIGSKIN

Bathroom Confessions...

2009-10-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

No, not Potty Talk. I am talking about inside the medicine cabinet, under the sink and behind the shower curtain...

We'll start with inside the medicine cabinet

Anyone who has ever been road tripping with me knows this-I love to Product Purge. I don't do this if I have to fly... but if we drive, say to Palm Springs, I will bring all the half empty stuff I have and use it all on the trip. All the random Sephora samples, half empty conditioner and moisturizers, shower gels and all brands and SPFs of sunscreen. I use them all up on the trip (or leave them behind) and come home to a fresh slate.

So here I am back from Palm Springs and in a new house! Extra clean slate.
Here is what I have so far for my new and improved streamlined routine.
Suggestions/recommendations are greatly appreciated because the hot mess on my face is every indication that I don't have all (if any of) the answers.

*I want to start by talking about the new love of my (bathroom) life:

I first heard about the Clarisonic from my MIL when I was planning the wedding. She is a self proclaimed skin care junkie and orders anything and everything that has ever been aired on QVC or HSN. I thought she was insane when she suggested I spend upwards of $200 on a power washer for my face. I argued that it was a waste of money, I have sensitive skin, I love my baby wash cloths. In a battle of wills, if giving in means free beauty products -- I fold every time. So glad I did because I looove my Clarisonic. I don't know what I was doing the 29 years I didn't have my Clarisonic but it wasn't cleaning my face like this! The only negative is that as a recovering tanorexic I need self tanner to avoid a relapse and it is difficult to build a tan when you are using the Clarisonic daily.

*My Clarisonic came with a full sized container of this Kate Sommerville Gentle Daily Wash and I loved it so much I got hooked. In fact I loved it so much that now I also use these

I finally broke down and filled my Rx for Renova and I keep waiting for the peeling to begin! I figure it will start the night before I have an important meeting.

Many thanks to My Blonde Reality for turning me on to ~~weeniecream~~ TNS Recovery Complex. I cannot wait to see how this stuff works.

Now after tons of practice I have learned to "activate the broth" and am ready to open up this baby...

I think I mentioned being a tanorexic. Recovering. Relapsed over the weekend. But in the past this has helped me with melasma on my forehead so I will be keeping my Murad in the medicine cabinet.

There are always a few things that I love enough to carry over through my Product Purge. This time these made the cut:

Now I am off to establish this new routine! Wish me luck!! Tomorrow I am unpacking the goodies for under the sink!

Sophie, Sophab

2009-10-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

I don't remember the exact moment I fell for TB but when I fell I fell hard!
Oh wait, that reminds me...I was walking a property rehab discussing construction with a contractor when, in an instant, my sightline changed from skyline to...pavement.

That's right ladies, don't let the closet(s) full of heels fool you, I suck at walking in high heels! I am fine from parking lot to function. But miles at a time on uneven concrete has left me with more scars (and twisted ankles) than I can count.

My ego has long since recovered from the fall but my favorite Banana pants never did and that, my friends, pissed me off! I loved those pants! They were everything a trouser should be: leg lengthening, butt lifting, slimming and muffin top proof! To make matters worse Banana seemed to miss the memo that they had made the perfect pant-because I haven't been able to find another pair.

Oh yeah...I was talking about Tory Burch. After my fall from grace I headed straight to the only place I knew would make me feel better. Nordies. I marched straight into the shoe section on a mission to find myself some flats...and flats I found. That day I left with flats by Sam Edelman, Juicy Couture and a pair of Tory Burch Reva's. I love my Reva's. I love Tory Burch. I even had my bridesmaids wear TB flip flops to my beach wedding and I made a last minute decision to ditch the Stuart Weitzman wedding shoes and opted for TB flip flops as well...

As much as I love TB I had fallen into a bit of a rut by thinking my love would only go as far as flip flops and flats...and then I read this and instantly knew it was time to branch out. Just got these beauties from my UPS man and I. Love. Them. Feast your eyes on Sophie

Because they are a wedge I can still get around pretty well in them-although I haven't walked any properties in them yet. Everyone who has them says they are beyond fantabulous...but you know I will keep you posted!

Just in case Reva can hear me...don't worry sweetie! I still love you!! In fact I am even making room for these beauties this very moment!!

They aren't available 'til after Christmas (Cruise Collection 2010) but I am sure they will be worth waiting for. In the meantime as a Gator fan I feel it is an obligation to get these

but I am concerned that "jellies" could actually be "sweaties" so feel free to comment on the pros/cons of the jellies.

Question-If I have a booty (which I sooo do) and want to wear the legging or skinny jeans look where can I find cute tops long enough to cover the booty?

I love how slimming this look is when done correctly...but if it's done wrong it can look a hot unbootylicious mess.Which is not the look I am going for! I love them under dresses but if I get the J Crew Monroe pants I would just want a longer top or sweater.

Bride Wars

2009-10-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

My bff took one of my wedding pictures and altered it to look a million years old. Love it. This picture was supposed to look like a shot we loved from the movie Bride Wars. It didn't turn out how we had hoped but I still love it.

Laughing My Ass Off

2009-10-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

I have no idea how these two books made their way into my home but I am so glad that they did.

I love to read. In fact, on my honeymoon I read 7 books! I read anything from Dan Brown to Nora Roberts and most everything in between. I will say though that I wouldn't normally have picked out these books by Miss Handler. That said, they are stinking hillarious. Laugh out loud embarass yourself at the pool kind of funny. Want to tweet one liners from the book funny. You know, funny! Even if you aren't a "reader" I think you will enjoy them. They have a grown up-Sex in the City meets Reader's Digest feel to them.

One of the books I read in Cabo was a book my sister got for me and I know she picked it our both for the title and the cover but it was sooo good. A little slow in the beginning but well worth your time.

I am leaving for Palm Springs on Wednesday and I intend to start (and finish) the new Dan Brown book and as an added bonus my coworker gave me a book to read. Get this...he lives with a pimp. Yes, a real pimp. I am told that the gentleman auditions young ladies right there in their apartment. No, I have not asked what the audition process entails. But one can only imagine...The best part is that the "pimp" is also an author and wrote a book about a "fictional" call girl and it is told from her point of view. I will definitely keep you posted on that little gem...hopefully I will finish both before we get back from the desert.

I am going to try and blog from my BlackBerry while I'm gone...wish me luck!

Go Gators!

2009-10-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

College Football season makes me so nostalgic for my days in Jacksonville. Today I sit surrounded by half packed boxes and piles of laundry when all I want is to be surrounded by Gator fans and cheap beer!

So come 5 o'clock I will be parked in front of a giant flatscreen (the lone soul in Blue&Orange among a sea of USC fans) at my favorite local bar waiting, along with everyone else, to see what happens with my favorite person....Timmy!!!

PS. I don't do the whole "bash the opposing team thing" aside from being bad karma...I think it's just tacky.

especially for my new friend...@missbeachyb

2009-10-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

@MissBeachyB and I have a similar love for flowers and upon telling her that I loved the ones in her profile picture we started talking about my wedding and that lead to talking about the flowers, dress and on and on...I will probably blog about my wedding a million times because there are a million and one stories to tell about every wedding and mine was no exception. But in the interest of time, and because I said I would, here are a few wedding pictures from my wedding this past June.

This is "the HouseGuest" with The Domestic Goddess ;)

There was quite the cast of characters present so later when I blog about them you can put a face to their alias ;)

YIPEE!!!!

2009-10-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

I was hiding out in the Master Bath using my Clarisonic and daydreaming about the day my face will start to peel from using Renova... when all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I see #19 doing what he calls his "happy dance". I was a little annoyed because I prefer to do my nightly cleansing routine in the privacy of my own bathroom but with HouseGuest around I have taken to hiding out in the other bathroom. I try to ignore #19 in hopes that he will leave me in peace when I don't indulge his behavior...finally he can't take it anymore and busts out with the best news I have heard in months..."he is leaving...in the morning!"

You would have thought that I had stumbled upon a box of CL's on my doorstep the way I screamed for joy!! Until one (just one) little bitter Betty thought crept into my head...of course he is leaving tomorrow, why on earth would he want to stay to help us move next week!

Either way...things are looking up!

For the Bonus Round #19 and HG just went out to watch Monday Night Football which means I have my pick of DVR's to watch and if I wanted to I could walk around in my granny panties.

I cannot wait...

2009-10-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

In less than 2 weeks I will find myself in one of my favorite places in Southern California...Palm Springs! We always stay at the JW Marriott and here is why...

I am soo ready to read, relax & recuperate.

We were supposed to be going for Belle's 21 Birthday!! But now she and Mango can't come so the Domestic Goddess and I are going to sit poolside while the husbands are here-

While we are there Domestic Goddess is meeting up with Lillie to get some family photo's taken. I cannot wait to see how they turn out! They are bound to bet better than the family photos we USUALLY wind up with on vacations...case and point-

I love packing for Palm Springs and the anticipation of smelling like Hawaiian Tropic for an entire weekend. Going to Palm Springs always means- fantastic meals, boxed wine (for #19), big hats, poolside cocktails, *$ drive thrus, life without DVR, boys golfing & girls gabbing.

A couple years back we went to PS for Belle's Birthday over Florida-Georgia weekend. All I remember from that day is being overserved at the swim up bar during the game and writing on the hotel mirror in toothpaste later that night. Classy!

PS trips for #19 and I started off being something we did with HouseGuest and his flavor of the month. That was a bad idea. Now we go with our BFF's and my favorite person in the world, their son. Much better. Their 3 year old makes for better conversation than any chick HouseGuest has ever brought around.

If any of you ever make your way out to PS I highly suggest planning your trip around Stage Coach. It is a huge country music festival that is sometimes Fri-Sat-Sun and sometimes just Sat-Sun. Last time we went we saw (to name just a few) The Eagles, The Judds, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, Big & Rich, Trace Adkins and Carrie Underwood. It is a super family friendly festival and a tradition we hope to keep. It is held on the same Polo field where they host Coachella...a less family friendly but equally fun event.

Stage Coach

This year I really want to try and make the Domestic Goddess get on the Tram. I am not sure why because watching her spazz out will probably be worse for me than for her. Sort of like flying with her over the Pacific Ocean. But I still want to take her none the less. Sometimes it will be 110 down in Palm Springs but if you take the Tram to the top you can find snow on the ground!

If I can finish at least one book and get my legs tan enough to last me through the winter the trip will be a total success. If we finally finish a box of wine (it never runs out) well that would just be the cherry on top.

In closing if you happen to see this in front of you on your way to PS...that's us. We do not pack light!

I was on a roll...

2009-10-02T01:33:00.000-07:00

and then I let the HouseGuest get the best of me.

I come home to see a 30 pack of Banquet Beer in my fridge. Every. Day.
---seriously---

Random hairs I have to sweep up out of MY bathroom.
---EW---

Television shows I have to defend in my home.
---RHOATL---

Super aggravating so (for once) I am listening to the advive my Gramma Tommie gave me: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

So I will remain silent until...SUNDAY!!! Word on the street (an e-mail from HelloKitty) says he is Leaving for Las Vegas on Sunday. It will make for a magical Monday!! #19 will be very happy when I go back to walking around in lil nighties ;)

I say it's great to be a FLORIDA GATOR!!

2009-09-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

YUMMY

The First 100 Days

2009-09-26T03:15:00.000-07:00

There is a little dooohicky on my FB page that reminded me that.... today marks 100 days since my wedding day! So what better excuse to revisit my wedding pictures?

The first 100 days have flown by! I started to wonder what the heck we have been doing these past 100 days and then I remembered...

Things got crazy the moment we returned from our honeymoon.

On the health front...Belle was in the hospital just days after we returned with her mysterious pancreatic issues, #19 got a sinus infection and I found out I had been cruising around with pneumonia with a side of pertussis....yeah I got whooping cough. Who the heck gets whooping cough you ask? My dumb ass and in the middle of summer.

Around the house...#19's kid brother flew in from Austin and stayed with us for a week-luckily for him this was when we all fell ill. I am sure listening to me cough was at the top of his wish list of "things to do while visiting sunny San Diego" poor kid. I will have to make it up to him next time he visits. To add to the fun our air conditioner broke while he was here. Ladies, I don't mean it stopped working-or the filter got dirty. I am talking...IT FLOODED the downstairs neighbors roof! Yeah... he loves us now. For an entire week we had dehumidifiers, fans and repair guys up in here.

They had to rip out the walls in our hallway-allow the area to dry-rebuild/repaint the walls. At least the contractor wasn't a douche nozzle. Which brings me to our current house guest... #19's uncle has been staying with us for a little over a month now. He is here to complete a remodel on a friends house so we let him crash at our place...I expected to be a little annoyed with having to share my bathroom (I sort of took over the second bathroom as my own so #19 and I don't have to step on each other in the AM)-I expected to have more towels to wash, less left overs, more beer cans in the trash...you get the picture. What I did not expect was this:

I did not expect to share my loofah. I don't even share a loofah with #19

I also didn't expect him to cruise around in these_

but NOT on a body like that.

But it hasn't been ALL bad!

For fun...I celebrated my 30th birthday! We spent my actual birthday at the Coldplay concert...good friends + good music=happy birthday girl!

Birthday Girl

Belle, Birthday Girl, BFF

For my birthday dinner we went to 2 places to which I will never return.

Bad dinner+Bad wine bar=not happy. The restaurant was stinky and after we ordered this we figured out why.

Later in the summer (after I finished my antibiotics and the walls were finally repaired) a big group of us-including the BFF- went to see Poison and Def Leppard. The music wasn't what we had hoped but the outfits were worth seeing.

That same week #19 and I went to see Air Supply and that was a BLAST!

They played at Humphrey's so there were NO bad seats. The boys walked through the aisles and I got to hug them AND high five them! Eventually I made my way to the front row and sang along so loud I was afraid I would lose my voice for good!!

After months of waiting #19 finally finished restoring his 1966 Mustang. I didn't get what all the fuss was about...until he took me up the PCH in it with the top down...after that I was in love! He made this

turn into....

and we like to drive it here...

I am hoping the next 100 days will be a little more exciting! I plan to take lots of B-12 and Flinstone vitamins so I will be able to enjoy them. There is lots to look forward to-Palm Springs, moooooving (yayyay), cooler weather, Belle turns 21, all our new fall shows, J Crew cardigans and a PSL in my hand the whole time! The upside to the downside of the past 100 days is that through all the crap it is easy to see that I married my best friend.

I have a confession...

2009-09-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

I wear JORTS...it is humiliating, and yet, I can't stop! I know I am contributing to the bad name my beloved Gators get and I apologize!

In other Whiskey Tango news...me and Soul Sister like Bud Light Lime...

we just can't help ourselves and even if we wanted to stop it reminds us of PalmSprings,BB and Tamarindo.

I feel better now that I have that off my chest.

Hello Lover...

2009-09-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

For #19's sanity I have been resisting these beauties...and then a miracle happened. At a golf tournament I won a gift card and now these lovely ladies have a new home...on my feet. Happiness is colorful&comfy flats.

Late Bloomer

2009-09-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

Being a "Late Bloomer" is pretty much the story of my life...my boobs waited until after high school to show up, I'm just starting to love ebay, I waited until I was 29 to get married and I am finally, at 30, starting a blog.

I have no idea what I am going to blog about...and I should warn you ahead of time that I overuse the ... dot dot dot's... but when I am driving along from property to property for work I find myself saying random things aloud and wonder if anyone else talks to themselves out loud in their car...and I am talking full on conversations and, if so, are we having similar conversations with ourselves?

I am slightly obsessed with.......(told you about the dots...) my television shows-my 5lb poodle Taylor May-wine bars or wine in general-making up recipes-my girlfriends-online shopping-yellow houses-good books-and learning to be a (good) wife. So that is probably what I will ramble about the most.

<3>

mWm

Sea Turtles

Spy It. Buy It. SATC2 Edition

Stagecoach 2010

back from "blogcation"

i'm just sayin'

a good foundation

wordless wednesday: wishing

i die. (for dvf)

Box of Love

"There are two kinds of people I don't trust: people who don't drink and people who collect stickers" Chelsea Handler

better late than never

Green Garbage

Damage Done

Kardashians vs Jillian Michaels

dennis quaid is here!!

meet emilie and stone

i'm just sayin'

labor, delivery and what i wore

M is for Missoni and Marc

Friday Night Lights

you never know what's around the corner...

You're gonna hate me...

much to my delight

G-Free and Yummy

Cold snap? Where?

Tech vs Leach

When I take Ambien...a confession

Dear J.LO

The end of an era...

Are you Gluten Free in 2010?

Happy New Year!

NYE

2009 in pictures

Potentially or Realistically

Shoes

Hoping for a December to remember

For sh*ts and giggles

Whale's Vagina

When did I get so old?

Bwahahaha!!

This B*TCH is crazzzy!

Twitter

Happy wife, happy life.

Summer is over. Self-Tanner stocked.

Because she'd let me have Curly if I asked...

Bathroom Confessions...

Sophie, Sophab

Bride Wars

Laughing My Ass Off

Go Gators!

especially for my new friend...@missbeachyb

**YIPEE!!!!**

I cannot wait...

I was on a roll...

I say it's great to be a FLORIDA GATOR!!

The First 100 Days

I have a confession...

Hello Lover...

Late Bloomer

YIPEE!!!!