A Southern Accent

I got like 6 requests to do the 25 things about me game on Facebook, so I caved. I thought I'd share what I wrote here as well. I read them to hubs tonight and he "claimed" he knew all of these already... 1.I absolutely love the profession I’ve chosen and love to go to work every day. I could never be a stay-at-home mom, but absolutely and completely respect those that can stay home because it’s harder than going in to the office each day. 2.Art and creating things are my passions. I could live in Michael’s, love graphic design, painting, art exhibits, museums, folk art, photography, etc., and one day hope to make a career of my art. 3.Blogging has been one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever done. I’ve gained tons of new friends online and am amazed at how people online can come together to pray and lend support to people that they have never met. 4.I am a completely different person than I was in high school. Leaving the small city was the greatest thing I’ve ever do...

My husband has started burning a fire every evening lately, and I love sitting in front of it each night and getting all warm and toasty. Last week, inspired by Noggin , I decided we were going to have an inside campfire and makes smores . Needless to say, they were a hit. We all got a little bit goofy on our sugar high!

I've been quiet this week because I'm in Vegas for work. My sister is out here with me (my birthday gift to her) and we've had lots of fun! We did the whole Vegas strip walk last night and saw the fountains, the shops, the casinos and the sinking ship. The volcano in front of the Mirage is currently out of order. We are at the Red Rock Resort (where the conference I'm attending is being held) and it's about 20 minutes from the main strip, but there's lots to do out here. When we checked in, our room hadn't been cleaned yet, and I called housekeeping three times and they never came! After waiting forever for them, I walked out in the hallway to see if they were coming and the hotel managers just happened to be walking by. I told them what happened and them immediatly moved us to another room (this one was clean), sent up two teddy bears with a letter of apology, wine with dinner and upgraded us to VIP status. My sis actually won $102 on the nickle slots and I...

Want to know how you can tell if it's true love? You gain weight...and some back rolls... and some other stuff you didn't really have before. We've all been there girls... But, I don't think we'd ever go there in THIS OUTFIT...

I love the dollar section at Target and sometimes find some cute things there. Yesterday I splurged three whole dollars on myself and picked up these cute pink and green cleaning items. I thought after the fact I should have bought a bunch and save to give to friends along with some pink Method cleaning products as a great house-warming gift. The gloves are so cute I hate to get them dirty!

I have something against those valentines you buy in the box at Target that include "one free teacher" valentine and have cheezy sayings and goofy characters on them. I loved them when I was little, and I know the kids do too, but I'm just picky that way. For my little guy's first Valentine's day I created a picture Valentine for him, with a cute black and white picture of him that I made look like a Valentine and I took them to Target and printed a bunch of copies and bought envelopes from Michael's and slipped them into his classmate's cubbies. All of the moms loved them! This year, I've put together this cute little card for his classmates and to send to family. Want one too? Send me a pic and your kid's "classified ad" and I'll put something together for $15.00. Each design will be a little different, with different colors and graphics. I'll send you the high-res graphic and all you'll need to do is print them! And feel f...

I'm three , with the skills of #23. I have a killer jump shot and I can drive to the net like Earnhardt Jr. to the finish line Forget about the circus, i'm the greatest show on earth!!!

I just heard this quote on CBS and thought it was so appropriate. I am so excited about the future that lies ahead and hope that we can all come together and support our new president, whether we voted for him or not, whether we're black or white, Christian or not, young or old. This new presidency means that this country is finally ready for change, that my son will grow up in a world that is just a little better and a little more accepting of others than it was before. That we are becoming a nation that is colorblind - blue state, red state, black skin, white skin - we are all one. It means that anything is possible - for me, as a woman, for my son, for the future. This inauguration means everything to this country and we cannot wait to see what President Obama can do to help this country mean something more than what it has become. We no longer want to be a land of overindulgance, of spoiled rotten Americans - we want to be known as a land of possibilities and dreams. Dreaming b...

We're snowed in today, so I actually had time to read a magazine while eating breakfast this morning. I came across this great platter that I thought would make a wonderful wedding, anniversary, Valentine's gift! I would love one of these! They are platters, bowls and dessert plates that have these cute little birch trees on them and you can have your initials and a date carved into the tree! How cute and special???? LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! She also does cute personalized bird plates and darling children's plates with their name and birth dates! The website is http://www.rustdesigns.com/ - check out all of the fun things there!

I love the look of Wellies, but I think if I were to wear them anywhere in my town, people would look at my like I'm crazy. Am I brave enough to say I don't care? Not sure. The local Nordstrom now has them in stock and I showed them to hubs and he looked at me like I was a crazy person when I said I would love to have some. Maybe if I were to save up for these beauties... Jimmy Choo has partnered with Hunter in a unique collaboration to produce the most luxurious Wellington Boots. Inspired by stylish festival goers these limited edition boots bring together the style and sophistication of Jimmy Choo with the durability and tradition of Hunter. The legendary Hunter silhouette has been embossed with signature Jimmy Choo crocodile print. The leopard print lining, gold buckle hardware and metal rivets provide a contrast against the black glossy rubber of the boot. Presented in the original black Hunter box lined with leopard print, the boots have a unique identification plate, ...

After hearing all of the fashion recaps and looking at the photos this week, I thought it would be fun to actually apply some of the changes people said they wished the starts would have made to their outfits to see if they were actually better or not... So, first up is Eva Menedes . Everyone had a problem with the big boofy thing on her hip, so I took it off. What do you think? I absolutely loved her necklace and I think the dress is more dramatic with the poof, but maybe it could have been a little smaller. Then we have Beyonce . I decided to take a little of the cleavage off and bring the split down a little. I mean, you are a married woman now B...or should I say...Sasha Fierce? Rumor Willis - "don't hunch" her mother said. I decided to tug her dress up a bit. I was scared it was going to fall down and we were going to have a Janet Jackson moment. I let Blake's dress out a bit, but you know, I think I kinda like the tighter version on her. I think she's youn...

I probably now have more knowledge of NASCAR , Speed Racer, the movie Cars and monster trucks than one person should ever have.The little man's current obsession is anything that will go fast and he loves to line them all up in his room and just look at them. Then he races with daddy, then with mommie , then he wants to take a bath with them. New this week, before he goes to sleep, he wants me to name every monster truck, Speed Racer car, NASCAR driver and the movie characters from Cars - and don't you think I can skip a single one of them - he remembers them all. One good thing, if I ever have the chance to own my very own monster truck, I even thought of what it would be: it would be sponsored by Harley Davidson and would be called "Chopper". I thought it was pretty good. Ok , no more monster truck talk on the blog. I need to get back to J.Crew or something. I will say I folded down about 30 pages of the new Boden catalogue that came last night. If only I had a c...

So, I've been working on some really cute headers for others (more about that in a minute) that I decided to create a new one for myself - yet again. I just feel like this one is more "me". Here are some of the new headers I've been working on for other bloggers. I'm really excited about they way they all turned out!

I just need to get these out of my system so I can move onward and upward... If it's going to be this cold, we could at least have some snow with it. Christmas is over and I've already forgotten what I got. I've broken three of my new year's resolutions already. My yard thought Spring was coming because of the warm period we had and now all of my new buds are gonna get their little selves frozen to death. Christmas bills are starting to come, even though I swore off credit cards two years ago???? I had to uncheck all of the Christmas songs on my iTunes so they won't play and make me depressed. I'm on a diet, so I can't eat my way to happiness. Are you blue? Get it off your chest too!

This picture is my 100% guarantee that one day soon, I'll be able to walk out the door of the house to get a pedi / mani , and no one will miss me . This is the little guy and hubby watching one of the hundred bowl games that were on the other week. My hubby is a sports freak and he's turning the little guy into one too. Golf season is starting up, and he's already got him watching the Golf Channel. He knows Tiger, Phil and Vejay . He knows who Tyler Hansbrough is and he also knows that mommie is UNC and daddy is Duke. He loves to watch and play soccer, lacrosse, golf, football and basketball. Looks like we're getting a free ride to college one day folks...

My favorite quote so far on Gossip Girl came last night: B to the judgemental S "Spare me those expressive eyebrows . I'll be so glad when you get botox ."

I know you've been on the edge of your seat waiting to hear about monster trucks! To sum it all up - it was loud and the little guy wanted to leave halfway through (and we were happy to oblige ). You'll see from the pics below not only did he have earplugs, but he also demanded that daddy cover his ears. He was upset because he could hear the trucks and we tried to explain to him that the ear plugs didn't block all the noise out, they just made it quieter. I did manage to sneak out to the souvenir table before it got crazy crowded and I picked up a Monster Mutt hat, Gravedigger t-shirt and a book on monster trucks. He has been inseparable from the book since we left. Let's just say I now know all the trucks and their driver names as well. Hubby (probably the only person there in a cashmere sweater) made a great comment when we were leaving at "halftime". He was convinced the little guy didn't too much like it: "Well, at least we know he's not a...

I just got back from urgent care with the wonderful diagnosis of strep throat. My prescription included not only the obligatory antibiotic, but a wonderfully numbing liquid for my throat that evidently tastes so fantastically horrible that the actual prescription says to mix it with chocolate syrup before gurgling. The pharmacist said (and I quote) "It's some nasty stuff." All this and I get to go see monster trucks tonight. At least I was able to pick up sets of ear plugs for all of us while filling my prescription at the drug store. Mom muti-tasking at its finest. I'm going to take a nap on the couch and pop in Star Wars for the little guy to watch. Don't judge. Hubs is giving a golf lesson at work but is going to relieve me after he's done. What crazy people want golf lessons when it's 40 degrees outside?

Oprah's show Monday just goes to show, no matter how much cash you have, you may be able to get skinny, but if you've still got food issues, you're not gonna stay there. Oprah and I are totally on the same wavelength on this one (not financially, just mentally). Just like her, I lost around 30lbs (for my wedding) and I've slowly put it back on (but I did have a kid somewhere in the middle). At the time, I still felt chubby, still wanted to lose 20 more lbs, but good Lord I would die to be back there now!!! So, as 2009 is MY YEAR, I'm gonna keep some of the comments from Oprah's show (below) in the back of my mind, printed on my fridge, on my desk at work, to remind me that getting healthy and losing the weight is something that many of us face and it's an issue we may always have, and it's a life change we will have to make to overcome and beat the back fat, the muffin top, the double chin...the cottage cheese... When she talks about her emotional strug...

Can you remember the last time you saw a real rainbow? I couldn't , until yesterday. At about 4:00, the sales rep in the office across from me started squealing and wanted everyone to come in her office and see this huge, full, double rainbow outside her window. It was so beautiful - I don't think I've ever seen a rainbow so big. It's a great way to start a new year! Happy Friday everyone! This weekend, we are taking the little guy to the Monster Jam exhibition (Santa brought him tickets). Expect fabulous pics of Gravedigger Monday morning...I know you cannot wait.

In 2007 I committed to walking the Avon Walk in Charlotte, NC. I met the fundraising goal, but had to end up missing the walk because of a family emergency. I've always regretted missing the walk and promised myself I would commit to doing it again, so this May, I've committed to the walk in D.C. Let me tell you a little bit about our team and my friend Katy... In 2006, my friend Katy decided she wanted to do the Avon Walk in Charlotte, 40 miles of walking - without an iPOD , a cell phone - and no running allowed. She finished the walk, and got so much out of it, she committed to the walk again in 2007, but this time she started a team, The Pink Pacers. Since then, Katy's had two knee surgeries, raised two small children, and she has led the Pink Pacers team to raise over $70,000 for breast cancer research. So, I've gotta raise the $1,800 again to participate this year and make up for the walk I missed in 2007. Everyone that has completed the walk says it is a fabulous ...

I've just booked flights for my sister and myself to Vegas!! I'm heading to sin city for several days the end of January and I decided to take my sister along with me for her 40th birthday! We are staying at the Red Rock Resort and Spa for three nights and she's never been, so it's gonna be a blast! I always wanted to do something like this with my sis, but we've never been able to pull it together, but she deserves it (even though I did hear her mumble after our big Christmas blow-up that she didn't want to go anywhere with me...I know, it was just the emotions talking). My sister "despised" me when I was born. She was six and had everyone's attention for quite a long time before I came around. My mom said once, right after I was born, she remembers my sis throwing herself across the bed crying because she thought no one cared about her anymore. My sister and I are very different, but when we sit down to talk we can go on for hours. There's s...

Chandeliers - they're not just for dining rooms anymore. And they're not all made of crystal and gems. You can find them in just about any color or size these days - little mini ones for small rooms (think downstairs powder room) and cute frilly girly ones with bows and beads (think tween girl room). I love the new trend of chandeliers being used in any room of the house - the informality of what has always been seen as such a formal home accessory. They are showing up in bathrooms, baby rooms, screen-porches - even closets! My mother-in-law recently downsized to a beach home , and no longer has a formal dining room. There was no place to put her crystal antique chandelier, so she decided to hang it in her walk-in-closet! My son's nursery had a small chandelier in it I purchased from Home Depot for only $40 and it added that extra little something magical to his room (especially with the dimmer switch). A search on the local Craig's List brought up 104 chandeliers for ...

...that's one of my favorite Dr. Suess quotes. My mom bought me most of the Dr. Suess books when I was little, and I remember sitting in my basement reading them over and over again. Pottery Barn Kids looks to be mainstreaming the Dr. Suess brand with its cute new line of bedroom linens ! How cute is this bedroom??? There aren't a lot of cute and not too over-the-top bedroom linens for toddler boys out there - but I think this one would be perfect! Too bad I just redid my little guy's room. I really don't think about the Dr. Suess books much these days and I never knew then how deep some of his famous quotes really are. I was looking for a fun quote to use as the title to this post and came across a lot of his famous sayings: Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. You know ...

...not on my ceiling. The picture to the right is the current state of my TV room ceiling. We've been living in our house for almost three years now and I can't take it anymore. It's coming off...slowly, but surely. I've been working on scraping it off for a while now, doing a little bit at a time, with this awesome tool I found at the hardware store - the ceiling texture scraper!!! Did you know they made such a thing?? It's so cool because you just attach a plastic trash bag and it catches all of the popcorn you scrape off the ceiling. You simply spray the ceiling with a water bottle, covering a small area at a time, the scrape it off. I can only do a little at a time because my arms get tired (bonus, better biceps) but I'm determined to get it all off this week. Then I just have to sand, putty and paint the whole ceiling. Wish me luck. I'd much rather be able to stare at my smooth ceiling from my cozy couch and know I didn't pay someone else $500 ...

I came across this budding trend online and thought - what a great idea! I have people that occasionally ask for my blog address and wouldn't it be great to have a blog card with just my blog address on it to give to people? I guess you could say it's the new calling card. It can make your blogging duties feel much more ligit and even promote your blog if it's something you're trying to profit from. moo.com has templates for mini cards that would be perfect for blog cards. Cathe at Just Something I Made posted some great examples of blog cards she's used in the past to promote her blog - see below image from her blog: Let me know if you need a design and I can put something together for you!

So, in an effort to dig out of the post-Christmas poorness, I'm selling myself out to anyone that may want a new blog header. I've done some recent headers for blog buddies and have received positive feedback, so thought I'd see if anyone else may be interested in my services! For $25.00, I can create you a new blog header - customize it to the month, your current mood, the status of the stock market - it's your call! I like to read you blog to get a good idea of what you're about and then create something that I think really represents you. Or, you could just dictate to me what you want and I can give it to you. I will also create online images for a special blog post you want to create - maybe promoting a new baby, engagement, wedding, birthday - or to send a special message to your readers! Those types of images I can do for $10 - $15 depending on the requirements. Also, you'll get some free publicity on my blog because each new banner I create will be poste...