A Southern Accent

My birthday month is July (I say month because I like to be treated special the entire month and hubs especially loves to give me a hard time about it) and I've decided to gift myself a patio this year. I have a space behind the house, beside the deck that NEVER grows grass because the soil is so dry there, so I built a sandbox there last year. Well, the little guy has pretty much never played in it, so this year, I'm moving out the sandbox and moving in a flagstone patio (which hubs has agreed to help with). I've been doing research online how to lay flagstone and I think I'm just about ready. So, that just leaves the fun part - decorating the patio! I spent some time last night picking out these items online (trying to stay affordable) and this is what I came up with. So, if you're reading this (mom, sis, Anne) all I want for my birthday this year is some cold hard cash to do my patio up - and then you can all come over and relax with me (that is, if I can trust

Martha Stewart and Crane have come together to create a new line of wedding invitations. They are very "Martha", with her pastel colors, clean design and classic fonts. Here's one of my faves. You can check them all out online at the lookbook posted here . Pricey, but is anything associated with a wedding cheap these days?

We spent the entire weekend at the pool and the little man woke up this morning and wanted to know if he can go again tonight! Looks like mommie will be finally getting a tan after being pastey white for four years. I think he's part fish because he literally spent 5 hours in the pool Saturday. Once he was fed, he balled up on the bed and was out in about 2 minutes. We finally had to leave the pool yesterday because it started pouring. We walk to our pool because it is so close. We'd started back when it began drizzling, then got stuck in a downpour under a tree. We decided to make a run/walk for it and got absolutely drenched in the process. I thought it was actually pretty fun, but hubs was shouting words I was glad I couldn't hear the whole way and the little guy said, "Mommie, this is the first day ever I don't like rain."

Today is pop culture day at my blog, cause I found another fun post for you guys totally unrelated to me, my life, my son, etc. This is JT from Saturday Night Live the other week. He is so funny. If you didn't catch it, watch - HILARIOUS!

Swoon: a term used to express happiness or excitement, to be overwhelmed by joy or emotion toward something. These pics are in honor of my BFF , who had surgery yesterday to repair her broken ankle, which she broke not in some glorious act of excitement or grand experience, but simply by walking down the street. Good one D! Get well soon! Since the day I met her, she's been a loyal Brad devotee. He's always been the one for her (besides her husband, of course). I actually watched Brad yesterday morning on the TODAY show and he is so humble and down-to-earth. He said that Tom Ford actually dressed him yesterday - wow! I love the ascot and the glasses - the epitome of cool. This pic is because I hate her (hate meaning I love everything about her) and I want everyone else to justify my own feelings of inadequacy with comments of why she isn't as perfect as she looks here. Or, you can just swoon along with me...

We were at the beach this past weekend, visiting my in-laws and having some fun. The little guy had a big agenda for Saturday. He informed us he wanted to: - Play putt-putt - Visit the "quarium" (aquarium) - Go swimming - See the beach - Go fishing I'd say we successfully managed to fit everything in, and took a quick trip to the Big Oak drive-in for a yummy shrimp burger as well. If you've never had a shrimp burger, you're so missing out!!!! (Don't know what a shrimp burger is? See here.) He fell asleep in daddy's lap around 7:30.

You have to stop by this wonderful shop, Calypso Cottage . Just over the bridge, on the corner of Orange and Cedar, you'll find two magical, colorful, 1935 fisherman's cottages converted into Hamptonesque boutiques. Filled with unique jewelry, coastal treasures and home decor, you could spend hours just looking through the rooms of these two cottages. My mother-in-law purchased these fun earrings for me, but I had a hard time choosing between the green and the blue. We think they would look great with a black linen dress. She also picked up some Jack and Lulu stationary . You can also see more products on their website or on the Calypso Cottage blog . The lady that owns the shop was there, and she is so wonderful and actually has quite an exciting bio. From the Calypso Cottage website: "Stacie had her first shop, Cheznu, in Palm Beach at the age of 19 and went on to a career in high-fashion and precious jewelry working for such names as Courreges, Yves Saint Laurent and T

Definition: Flexitarianism is a semi-vegetarian diet focusing on vegetarian food with occasional meat consumption. A flexitarian seeks to decrease meat consumption without eliminating it entirely from his or her diet. So, that's my latest kick. After my walk and 27 miles and 10 hours of car rides with several vegetarians , I thought I'd give it a try. And guess what - it's really good and hubs and the little man love it. Trader Joe's loves me and I'm actually spending less on groceries - I thought it would be the total opposite! Now, I grew up on pork chops, stewed beef, steak, fried chicken and hamburgers, so if I can do it - you can too. I just felt like I needed a fresh perspective on food, and this has really done it for me. I was getting tired of the same old recipes, the same old grocery cart and the same old tastes. I'm not going full- fledged vegetarian right now, but I do feel like my skin looks better and I feel better after cutting out a lot of me

My Lucy is still a crazy puppy , but she is definitely maturing as she rolls through her adolescent months. She's starting to calm down a bit and has stopped nipping at the little guy's heels every second. But she still seems bored. I guess that's just part of being a "teenager" and this too shall pass. Some of what she's been up to these days as a typical teenager... Loves to Party on the Furniture, Dance on Tables Embarassed to be Seen With Her Mother in Public - Look at that Face! She Hates Cleaning Her Room Just Plain Bored (Quit Taking Pictures of Me Mom)

I love getting up on Saturday mornings, skipping breakfast, and heading to the Durham Farmer's Market . I usually hightail it first to Angels Nest Bakery . The little guy loves their fresh cinnamon rolls (see pic) and I love their cream cheese braids, which typically go very fast. I also try to pick up some fresh tomatoes from Sunny Slope Farms and fresh mozzarella from Chapel Hill Creamery for a yummy salad with a little olive oil and basil. Yummy! Then, we grab a cup of mint tea or strawberry lemonade and head over to the turtle to eat our breakfast. I hit the loop one more time to pick anything else up that looks yummy and once my cash is gone and my bag is full, we head home! One of the local farmers has started a home delivery service and they deliver fresh fruits and veggies to your front porch weekly! How cool is that? I've signed up for it, but there is a wait list. You just get what they leave you and you get to be creative with recipes and figuring out what to do w

We headed to my hometown for mother's day this year and hung out with the fam. The little man loves spending time with his cousins and when they aren't fighting, they can be pretty cute together. My sister and I bought my mom a Pandora bracelet for mother's day, with a giraffe, apple and VW bug charm. She loved it. Now I want one - I think they are so neat. Hubs came through with a bottle of Flowerbomb parfume. I was looking at one of my many magazines a couple of weeks ago and loved the way it smelled. He ripped the page out of the mag and literally walked into Nordstrom holding it and said, "I want this." I'm not typically much of a perfume girl because most of the stuff gives me a headache, but I love this scent.

We went to our first Friday on the Front Porch at The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill Friday night and had a blast. They have weekly Friday night events through the summer with a southern buffett and Bluegrass music. The little man and I went with my neighbor and her son and they had a blast. Evidently, someone likes Bluegrass...

Please excuse the mess as I do a little clean up. Yes, you are in the right place, I've just gotten the redecorating bug, so decided to spruce things up around here...stay tuned!

Waiting for opening day . No floaties this year , not for a big boy of four . Jumping , swimming, laughing , splashing. The smell of chlorine in the air. Summer is coming.

My boss and I were in a meeting yesterday and I had my hand up at my face. He turned his head sideways, gave me a little smirk, then said, "Glad we don't have any meetings with clients today." We both laughed. My little guy wanted to know what my tattoo said. I told him and he said, "Ewwwwwwwwww mommie."

That's kinda the feeling I came back with after the walk this weekend. After pushing myself to walk 26.2 miles in one day (and unfortunately due to a foot injury couldn't do the second 13 miles on Sunday) I totally feel like what I thought were my limits are just the edges of my reach. We had a great weekend and although I literally crawled to the bathroom Sunday night (laughing all the way) I'm totally thinking about doing it again next year. My team is amazing, and everyone involved in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer has such a positive attitude. You can just look at the dedication and determination in all of these people and believe and know that one day we will absolutely find a cure for this horrible disease. When I reached mile 13, I thought, how in the heck am I going to make it to 26.2? When I reached 20, I knew there was no way I wouldn't make it to 26.2. Maybe a little slower than some, but I made it. When I got home, I asked hubby, "Why do I hurt behind