Quote: "But out of limitations comes creativity". -Debbie Allen


The above quote sums up my decorating style. I am limited in funds (aka poor recent college grad) and because of that I have to use my creativity in order to decorate/make my life cute.

I love being thrifty and creative so much though. It's so fun to me when I see something cute at Pottery Barn for like $100,000,000 and think "I can make that for CHEAP". My friends always laugh at me because that's basically my motto... "Don't buy that...I can make that".

We just added a few DIY touches to our apartment recently.

Have you every tried Chalkboard spray paint?  If you haven't you SHOULD. It is soooooooo easy and soooooo awesome.

I went to the local Goodwill and bought this framed picture for $7.23. The picture was ugly but the frame was super cute. It's cream and distressed looking. Bingo Bango.. just what I was looking for!

I took the glass out of the frame and spray painted it with a can of Chalkboard spray paint I got at Home Depot for like $4.

I sprayed it 3 different times and let it dry between each coat. I only ended up using 1/2 the can of paint to spray 3 coats so I can probably make another whole chalkboard with the same can!

Once it was totally dry I put the glass back into the frame and BOOOOM...

How cute is that!? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way it turned out. I think the black looks awesome against the cream frame.

We hung it up in our kitchen and use it to write notes, jokes, and bill amounts (boo for bills).

I also have done a few other DIY projects lately so hopefully more to come...

Smell ya later.

Pound Puppy Love

Quote: "Money will buy a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail." -Josh Billings

The above quote cracks me up because it's so true. I love how people spend hundreds of dollars on a pure bred puppy and half the time they end up being psycho high strung terrible dogs.

***not all purebreds (shout out to Ruthie Hart who has a wonderfully behaved purebred from what I hear!! Read about them at her lovely blog here: http://www.ruthiehart.com/)***

Since we were young we've been raised with mutts. We have had WONDERFUL experiences with all our pound puppies and have been blessed in so many ways with our dogs.

A few Reasons I LOVE mutts:

• I love that we have been able to save a dog from the pound
• I love how inexpensive pound puppies are...Reecie girl was only $150 and that's nothing compared to the 10-15 years she'll give me love
• I love how you never know what you're going to end up with. We got our dog Coe and were told she was a Lab/Rotwieler Mix. This is what she grew up to look like...

 

She grew up to be like a corgi/beagle mix. She looks more like a pig than a dog. In the above picture she's looking very studious wearing my Dad's glasses. Although she wasn't quite what we expected she's been the most incredible and perfect dog for us. She just turned 14 and is starting to show her years and although she's a grouchty old woman now she's still wonderful.

There was no doubt in my mind that I would get a mutt when I got myself a dog. So that's where this little whack job comes in (sorry for the poor quality pictures. I am not a good photographer and my model never sits still)...

 I was told she was a lab mix but the more I look at her the more doubtful I am. The vet says he sees alot of Min Pin in her....OH CRAP. I keep whispering ni her ear everynight "Please grow up to be a good girl and try to grow up to be medium sized. I don't want you to be a little woosie dog."

I hope she's listening ha. Whatever she grows up to look like I'll love her no matter what.

ALSO- Sorry if you aren't into dogs. Or my life. Because if you aren't then this post was probably B.O.R.I.N.G for you. If you read all the way until now you're probably bored/annoyed (ha got you sucka...).

Smell ya later.

24/7 Puppy Patrol

Quote: "Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about little puppies."
-Gene Hill

So as of late my life has become 100% committed to being the Puppy Police. I literally have to keep my eyes on the puppy at ALL TIMES.

It.Is.Exhausting.

As tiring as it is it's totally 100% worth it. I love her so much. She makes me so happy. She's a huge pain in my tush but eventually (fingers crossed) she'll grow out of the infant stage and be a little more trustworthy when I turn my back on her.  

I decided to call her Reecie. She looks like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and we all kept calling her Reecie and it just stuck.  

She likes to burrow into crevices of any kind. She loves trying to dig into armpits, pillow cases, under couches, etc. When anyone sits indian style she DIVE BOMBS head first into their crotch and tries to burrow. It is hysterical. IF she feels like nipping while dive boming it's hysterically painful. I definatey got a little nip to my butt cheek the other day.

I guess I'll have to teach her that most people won't want her diving head first into their laps and burrowing.

She is also so small that she get super cold when I take her out to go "potty". My mom suggested a sweater. I'm not really into dressing up dogs so I improvised and put her in a sock. She's so small she fits into a sock ha.

Training is going ok. Any suggestions/tips on potty training, crating, etc are more than welcome!

Smell ya later.

Early X-Mas present to myself

Quote: "A dog is the only thing on the earth that loves you more than he loves himself." -Billings


Today I bought myself an early Christmas gift. Meet X (havent named her yet).

I literally picked her up from the Humane Society at 11am today and had to be back at work by noon. My dad was kind enough to meet me there and take her home for the day so her first day wasn't lonely!

SO I've got her, left her right away, and now am watching the clock tick by until I can drive the 30 mins to my parents house to finally get to play with her and bring her back to my apartment in Atlanta to start our lives together!

Wish me luck... this is a HUGE commitment and responsibility!

Smell ya later. Woof.

Thanksgiving 2011

Quote: "Be thankful for your trials. If you're being tested, you're being perfected. Which means you have a divine purpose & a reason to rejoice."

Thanksgiving 2011

This year our Thanksgiving wasn't extraordinary or super exciting but it fit us just right. We didn't have any relatives visiting and we stayed home and celebrated with our family and our neighbors who have become family.

Aside from just celebrating Thanksgiving we celebrated the life of our little dog Coe. Coe turned 14 on Thanksgiving! This is a huge feat for her because three weeks ago she had a little stroke and was diagnosed with Vestibular Syndrome. She couldn't stand up without falling over, her eyes were shooting back and forth rapidly, and she was super dizzy. She's been on medicine and has gotten a little better. She still falls over alot and she looks at everything with her head tilted sideways. It's kind of cute ha. She's also lost some weight lately which is funny because if you knew Coe she's always been a little porker.

This is Coe a couple of Easter's ago. She's not as fat anymore.



Coe has been and still is the greatest dog ever. As she's aging and kind of heading down hill she's being quite a trooper. She's still happy as can be and just loves attention and getting her belly rubbed.

It was great seeing a bunch of my old highschool friends over break. We laughed and drank alot of wine. It was much needed. It was funny to laugh about old parties and stupid things we used to do.


Saturday we went to Auburn and spent the day at the Iron Bowl. Unfortunately the outcome was not in our favor. Alabama is ranked #2 this year and they are really good. My brother got tackled, flipped through the air, and landed really hard. The game stopped and the trainers and coaches rushed the field. It was really scary to have to watch from our seats. The entire stadium started chanting "Lutzie, Lutzie, Lutzie...". It was really cool to hear. He eventually got up and ran off the field. He's pretty banged up and he hyper-extended his knee when he got hit. The trainers said if he hadn't jumped before the hit he would have most definately blown out his entire knee. SCARY.

Sunday we were all exhausted from the long day before. I slept until 2:30pm. I don't think I've done that since college. I don't know how I did it but apparently my body needed it. We had a little family dinner and then I headed back to ATL to start my week.

I came home and one of my roomies had started the Christmas decorating. We had a wreath on our door, Christmas knick knacks everywhere, and this...

She got us a real tree. It smells so good. We'll have to start getting the ornaments up this week.

Christmas is my least favorite holiday...I actually kind of stronly dislike it (I know I know I'm the Grinch). I never have been a fan of it. Even as a kid I didn't get all the hype. I much prefer Easter and Thanksgiving -2 of my all time favorites!

Although I'm not much for Christmas Cheer I am excited to have our apartment looking festive and smelling like the holidays. We are thinking about throwing a Tacky Christmas party too. Maybe it'll get me in the spirit?

I'll leave you with a quote I found that I really like:

"Stop thinking about the past, and dont worry too much about whats going to happen in the future. Your presence is a present, so live for today, and appreciate everyone and everything you have. Stop thinking about what you dont have, what you wish you had, who walked out of your life, and whatever else that falls in that category. Think about what you have, who you have in your life, and how fortunate you are." -Junethea Crystal Centeno

 Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Smell ya later turkeys.

Just Breathe

Quote: "Do not be afraid that joy will make the pain worse; it is needed like the air we breathe." -Goran Persson

***This post was intended to be upbeat but it took a turn for the religious/emotional.. readers beware. (Just kidding it's not that emotional it's just some thoughts I apparently needed to get out and didn't realize until I started typing)


The past couple weeks have been tough for me. I've been really missing a huge chunk of my life. I just have to keep reminding myself to BREATHE. I also have to remind myself to TRUST. There is a reason for this and I need to trust that God knows what is going on.

There is that quote that says "If you want to make God laugh tell him about your plans". Well I did just that and I think he literally laughed at me. I had plans, big plans, but unfortunately they were not the same plans God has for me.

So now I just have to wait and see what his plans for me are. I sure hope they are good plans and we are on the same page about them...ha. I guess looking back even when things seemed to be going wrong God had my back and there really was a reason for everything. SO my goal is to try to remember that and just breathe and trust him more. He really is one heck of a guy (or girl... who's to really know?).

The good part about this tough time is the reminder of how awesome my family and friends are. I may be sad and lonely but I know I'm really never alone. I don't know how people who aren't close to their families get through hard times- or good times really. My family is my rock. I love being around them and wouldn't change them for the entire world. I am truly blessed and thankful for them.  

I just have to know that there is a reason for everything. My mom always tells me that anything that can bring you great joy can also bring you great pain. It's unfortuate but it's true. Right now something that brought me so much joy in the past is now bringing me so much pain. All I know is what I deserve and all I can do is comfort myself in the thought that HE has a plan for my life.

Here's to Breathing and Trusting...

Smell ya later peeps.

Memphis November 2011

Quote: "If your love does not work with that person, it just means that someone else loves you more." -unknown


This past week has been a rough one for me. A week ago my boyfriend and I broke up. It was a mutual decision but one that neither of us really wanted. I don't want to get into details but we are both really sad and trying to work through it. Who knows what the future holds for us both but right now we need to focus on being happy independently. I really miss him though.

12 hours after we broke up I had to jump on a flight for a girls weekend in Memphis. I didn't have time to sit and be sad so instead I brought my tears on the trip ha. I was a mess. Thank God for girlfriends who love me!

Besides being devestated about not being able to talk to Taylor for a few days for the first time ever the weekend was pretty nice. We ate alot of famous Memphis food...none of it healthy.

The first night we went to a famous BBQ joint called Rendezvous. My friend Erin and I split a rack of ribs, baked beans, and coleslaw. It was a neat little hole in the wall that is famous in Memphis.

They all went out on Beale Street that night but I was still really sad so I stayed home and read my book. If I wasn't reading I was crying so I ended up reading 3 books that weekend on my Kindle. I read the Hunger Games series. THEY ARE SOOOO GOOD. I would suggest reading these!

Anyway the next day we got up and toured the city. We went to a neat little brunch restaurant and got mimosas.

Then we walked around and toured the city..

We went to the Peabody. This is a famous hotel which has the Duck Walk. They have famous ducks that walk off the elevator and into the fountain in the lobby and swim all day. I love the little duckies. The picture below is Kelley and I posing with the ducks... I guess you can't really see them.

Memphis has a Trolley system to get people around town. We rode the old trolleys and it was really cool. They are so unique looking and I wish ATL had them. 

Below is the hotel room where MLK Jr. was shot and killed. They've saved this area and left it untouched. To the left of this picture is the Civil Rights Museum.

Saturday night we went to a well known sushi restaurant. I love sushi. Unfortunately I burned my tounge on some cider earlier that day so I could not really taste my sushi. It was nice anyway.

Sunday we went to Gus's Fried Chicken. This was a greasy little hole in the wall fried chicken place that is really famous in Memphis. I don't normally eat fried things so although it was delicious at the time it really upset my stomach later that day. But I'm glad I got to experience the greasy chicken. ha -I didn't even eat the fried skin and it still was super greasy.

To finish off the trip we went to Graceland. This is Elvis's house and where he is buried. It was a really neat experience and I learned ALOT about Elvis that I didn't know. I would definately recommend you do this if you are ever in Memphis. I'd probably never go again but I'm glad I did once.

I was missing a sock and it was really bugging me having a bare foot in my boot.

SOOOO... I ended up buying some sexy Elvis socks in the giftshop before we went on the tour. Best $10.20 I've ever spent haha. They did their job well that day and now I'll remember Memphis every time I wear them back home.

 

I feel so blessed to have such good girlfriends. Even when I was a blubbering crying mess (all weekend) they supported me and included me. Break ups are hard and the best thing you can do it surround youself with family and friends.

Smell ya later holmes.



Halloweenie 2011

Quote: "When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, 'tis near Halloween." -unknown


Halloweenie (It's more fun to call it that) was a blast this year. I haven't done anything for Halloween in the past 3 years because I've always gone to a football game. This year I was super torn between having a Halloween gathering and going out or going to the Ole Miss vs Auburn game with my family.

Getting extra tickets for everyone was proving hard for my brother so I decided to just skip this game so someone from out of town could have my ticket. (I know, I know, I'm so selfless.)

Anyway... Friday night I picked up family friends from the airport in ATL and drove them to Marietta to my parents house. We all went to Lucia's Italian Restaurant and had wine, laughs, and delicious food. My manfriend is a HUGGGGGGE Cardnials fan and he even missed the beginnning of Game 7 of the World Series to be at dinner with me and my family---can you say major brownie points?! What a nice fella.

Saturday I made snacks for my Halloweenie gathering. I made a pumpkin cake, pigs in a blanket, roasted pumpkin seeds (saved for me from my man friend's pumpkin -more brownie points), peanuts, and Pizza.

My friend Erin made Spiced Rum Cider which was strong but delicious.

Then I had a few people over before we went out to the bars. Costumes ranged from cute to funny.

Sandra Dee, Go-Go girl, and an Old school bball player.

Old school bball player & Go-Go girl.

My friend Sir Elton John... 

Old school bball player, LSU Football player, Elton John & a Cop.

Marvin was a baby.

 We had to force him to put shoes on to go to the bars.  

On Monday night (actual Halloween night) I went home to Marietta and Taylor and I went to my parent's house. Mom makes chili every Halloween and it's my favorite. I got to hang out with my fam and bf, see all the little trick-or-treaters, and eat delish chili!

Ann was the only one dressed up. She was Mario and at the end of the night put Specs in her overalls so she could be Yoshi. 

This weekend Erin (the go-go girl) and I are flying to Memphis to visit our friend Kelley. She's in Grad school at the Univ of Memphis and has been wanting us to come visit her. So Friday we're hoping on a plane to fly to Memph-nasty.

Hope everyone's Halloween was fun!

Smell ya later.

Fallish and Fabulous

Quote: "How beautifully leaves grow old.  How full of light and color are their last days."
                 -John Burroughs



I.Love.Fall. It's my favorite season. It's the perfect weather, smell, feel...it's just wonderful.


Yesterday I woke up and Fall was tickling my toes (ha that was a toolish comment). But seriously I woke up and BAM it was cold and fallish and I was so happy. I didn't care that it was 6am, still dark out, and raining...I was content because fall is here.


I love fall for so many reasons. Campfires, sweatshirts, warm drinks, cuddling, chili, fireplaces, SWEATSHIRTS, pea coats, leggings, boots, pumpkins, Thanksgiving, pretty nature, SWEATSHIRTS.


Did I mention I love sweatshirts? Man do I ever love them. I can throw them on with anything and feel so freaking comfy. My bf is not a fan of sweatshirts so lucky me...I get to steal his! Oversized boy sweatshirts are without a doubt the best kind because they swallow you and it's awesome. They are probably the least attractive clothing I could wear but hey- "who the heck cares?!"




Ok- enough about sweatshirts (I could go on for hours...).


Last night was the perfect way to bring in Fall and to fix an awful week I've been having. It's just been  a bad bad week... which is rare for me. I had a court date (for running a yellow light---stupid cop) at 8am Tuesday. I woke up super early to be responsible and get there 40 mins early. I went into the parking lot and found my new car DEAD. Must have left the lights on...dumb. I ended up missing my court date, having to pay a ticket for something I didn't even do, and waiting on AAA for 2.5 hours.


Anyway- last night my week (hopefully) started taking a turn for the better!!


I spent it with my roommate crafting fall things. I love my roommate but even though we live together we rarely see eachother. We are on totally opposite schedules and the nights she's home I'm not and visa versa. So we spent a much needed night hanging out.


We went to Michael's (the worlds greatest store) and got fall themed crafting supplies. Then we went to RuSans and treated ourselves to sushi (the worlds greatest food!! Props to those little Japanese people for making my mouth water). Then we came home, put on sweatpants & sweatshirts, lit my new Pumpkin Caramel Latte candle, and popped open a bottle of wine.


We made the cutest little wreath to hang out our door and also made a cute little centerpeice for our coffee table.

We should quit our day jobs and become personal crafters I think. You should also see the giant floral arrangement pot thing we had to make when we moved in to cover this nasty electrical box on the wall. It's also super cute and does it's job perfectly- you wouldn't even know it was hiding something. We don't mean to toot our own horns but TOOT TOOT (ha jk).

This weekend my parents are going to LSU for my brother's game and I really wanted to go but I didn't want to miss work to drive with them. I was trying to fly into New Orleans Friday night and then ride back with them Sunday but flights were like $250+++. Seriously? Come one airlines get it together. Why would I pay that much for a 1 hour flight one way. DUMB.

SO I'm a little bummed out but also kind of excited I have a weekend with no plans. You can find me snuggled in a warm sweatshirt with my dogs all weekend probably. I'm going to try to get my man friend to carve pumpkins with me too. Then I'm totally going to roast the seeds because I LOVE THEM!

Hope everyone else is having a wonderful start to fall too!

Smell ya later ladies and gents.

Miss M.I.A

Quote: "Either you run the day or the day runs you." -Jim Rohn


You can just call me Miss M.I.A because that sure is what I've been lately. It's been more than a month since I last blogged. Life sure has been BUSYYY.

My last post was all about huge changes in my life. Well I'm happy to report that all my big changes are currently going "swimmingly".

I like my new job alot. It's a wayyy more positive environment than I was previously in. I feel respected, useful, and appreciated daily...you'd be surprised how much happier that can make you feel ha.

I love that I get to do a variety of things every day. No day is the same and I love that. I get to edit websites, plan events, tour properties, handle some accounting and HR stuff, design buiness cards and logos. It's great and so far I'm really happy.

On a sadder note- the old man clit-taurus did die. He was a good car and lasted me a long time. He will be forever missed. Things that won't be missed are:

1)the door panel falling into my lap whenever I shut the door

2)the driver side window that couldn't go down (made drive thrus and getting into my apt complex a huge ordeal)

3)the entire car shaking if you drove fast and stalling if you drove slow and/or stopped

4)the passenger side window leaking

5)the ketchup stain on the ceiling (thanks Philip)

6) etc...you get the picture.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new car. It's the perfect size and it's wonderful! I got a Kia Sorrento (see below but picture it in light blue). It's great and I'd recommend it to anyone!

 I've also been super busy this fall with football. Almost every Saturday we go to the Auburn game. I love it and have so much fun watching my brother but it is so tiring though. But hey- I'll sleep when I'm dead, or old, or retired.

I've also been busy with soccer and tennis. I play soccer two nights a week. My co-ed team plays Tuesday nights and my women's team plays Thursday nights. Our co-ed team has light pink jerseys with the breast cancer ribbon in the center and our team name on the front. Go team "Save the TaTas"!

I also have tennis practice on Wed nights and then matches on Sunday.

I love being active and am so glad I play so much soccer. Soccer is my favorite sport to play and I just can't get enough.

I've also been on a health kick and have been eating super healthy. It feels good and hopefully it lasts awhile!

Besides the above "busy-ness" my life is pretty normal right now. Luckily I don't have many compliants at the moment. Gotta give props to God for this normal little life I'm living and the many blessing I have.

Amen to that.

Smell ya later.

new beginnings

Quote: "If you have faith in yourself, you will accept changes easily. You won't be afraid of who you might become."

Ok so lately my life has been CHOCKED full of changes. And luckily for me right now I am blessed with almost all positive changes/things...

1) I'm finally settled in my new apartment -second times a charm (see previous blog). My roomies are fantastic and the location couldn't be better. I am close to bars, restaurants, and loving ATL. I've been busy exploring all around and I've really started to appreciate and love Atlanta.


2) I got a new job. I've been at my new job a whopping 7 days so far and I really like it. I have lots of new responsibilities and I'm super busy all the time which is awesome because it makes the day fly by. So far my coworkers are nice too. I get to sleep in an extra 2 hours because my job is now 1.5 miles from my apartment. PRAISE SWEET BABY JESUS (I typed that to be said in a Spanish accent.. like Hey Zues). Weird, I know.


3) My family is wonderful. Even though I moved out it's still super easy for me to go home and visit. A lot of weekends I end up back home and I'm perfectly ok with that. I am INCREDIBLY blessed that I love being around my family so much. Most of the time I prefer hanging out with my family over anybody else. We are a strange clan but I wouldn't change it for the world.


4) My boyfriend tends to be pretty cool. ****although he's ignoring me and playing X-box as I type this. However that could also be a plus because it gives me time to blog. ----I don't have much time for this anymore because I'm not sitting bored in front of a computer at a sucky job for 8 hours a day anymore (again praise HEY ZUES).


5) Friday is my 24th bday so that could be fun, or maybe not. I'm not a huge fan of bdays. I don't like all the attention because it makes me feel super awkward. But I do appreciate my friends and family for making it special for me. Mad props. 

On a sad note... My old man Taurus may have just bitten the dust. He's been acting up a lot and the clit-taurus (sorry for those who may be sensitive to funny sexual jokes) may be a goner. 

Below is a picture of the golden clit-taurus (again I apologize if you are sensitive). I took the picture off google images... I don't want you to think I normally hang out in chained yards -well depends on the night and the mood I'm in.

One last thing.... Knibb High Football RULES!!!! (name that movie if you're cool enough).

Smell ya later.

Day Date Summer 2011

Quote: "Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."


I had a lovely weekend this past weekend...

Friday night Taylor and I ordered food to go and watched a movie and ate. It was just the relaxing Friday night that I was looking for. We ordered from Roasters... YUMMMMM.

Saturday I got to sleep in until 11:30am -what a treat! It was nice to be able to sleep in and just relax. Then I decided to head into Marietta to spend the day/night with my mom. My dad and sister were down in Auburn watching my brother's scrimmage so I was able to get quality time alone with my mom!

This is my cute little mother. She's the best.

We went and saw the movie The Help. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the book. It is one of the best books I've read in a long long time (GO READ IT). I was a little nervous that the movie wouldn't do that book justice. Luckily the movie was so good. I think it did a WONDERFUL job of portraying the book. The characters they cast for the roles did an excellent job. I would for sure recommend reading the book and seeing the movie.

After the movie mom and I went to Lucia's Italian Restaurant to eat. My sister Abby was working as the hostess there so we went to visit her also. We split chicken marsala, an appetizer, salad, and wine. It was delicious. Abby liked it too because she could walk by and sneak bites of our food.

I took Monday off work because I have PTO time saved up and wanted to use a day of it before my last day of work (tomorrow) before I start my new job. Taylor got off work at 3pm so we decided (well I decided and he went along with it) to have Day Date Summer 2011! Woo!

It's really rare for us to be able to both have a day off to hang out so I wanted to take full advantage of it. We went to the Georgia Aquarium. It was such a nice time being together and looking at all the fishies.

This is the one awkward picture we took together.

We don't do pictures very well ha.

After the aquarium we walked to a seafood restaurant called Legal's Seafood. The restaurant overlooked the aquarium and we sat and split some appetizers and had a beer -well I had two Shhh. It was so nice to be doing something different with my manfriend. I really enjoyed it.

Well I just have to make it through the rest of today and tomorrow and then I have Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun off before I start my new job on Monday the 22nd. I'm super excited but starting to get a little nervous for the big change! I think it'll be awesome for me though.

Hope you all had a good weekend.

Smell ya later.