Civic Duty

A few weekends ago Mom and I went and volunteered to help with Habitat for Humanity in South Atlanta. We were hoping to log hours towards a free ticket to Disney, but we didn't register in time to get the ticket, which was fine since we were doing our civic duty anyways! We knew that it was the last day on the current build they were working on as well as the last build for the season. We were prepared for rain or shine (since it had rained for 2 days prior) as well as not knowing what we were going to be assigned to.

When we got there at 8AM they had coffee and donuts for everyone and then Clark Howard did his introductions and then split everyone up. There were a ton of group, organizations, colleges etc. there to participate. Five houses were being finished and dedicated that same day so there was a LOT to do. We got to meet all the future owners of these CUTE houses. Each of the recipients had to log over 230 HOURS of volunteer work each, a year of financial classes with Clark, and then rented the house for a year in which the money went towards their mortgages. SO, it was nice to know that they weren't just getting a free house. When we got there they were saying that the majority of us were going to be laying sod and doing landscaping, which I wasn't excited about cause of all the mud. I wore the only thing I was willing to get dirty, but not ruined. So as soon and we got assigned to our house they asked for 4 people who wanted to clean inside so I JUMPED(literally) to get out of doing sod. VERY grateful because it was messy out there. I even saw one woman loose her nike shocks because the mud was like "Bubble Gum Ally" and EVERYONE outside was COVERED head to toe in mud. Who can see me out in the mud? Didn't think so! PTL!!!

I chose to clean the bathroom which was nasty with mud and a tub full of GROSE murky water. Needless to say I was in there for hours cleaning. I had help from a college girl, but she was actually more in the way and didn't do anything besides clean the widow. Mom was asked to sweep out all three bedrooms because they had been full of the shrubs that went outside. She then was kind of everywhere doing whatever needed to be done. After lunch, which was catered by some Bar-B-Que restaurant up in Cobb county we went outside and did touch-up trim painting. We were there from 8 till about 3 so we could see the house being dedicated to our owner.

It was a great experience and I see myself doing it again soon. I think it would be cool for a group of friends to go down. Hey, you get free food and get to look at cute guys who are handy! No seriously, these houses were built in 7 consecutive saturdays with a LOT of hard work and generosity. I might not have done the grunt work, but I did do something. It's a very humbling to give back to those less fortunate. So, let me know if you want to go sometime and lets get a team set up. Whoop Whoop. Here are a few pictures that I took throughout the day from my phone.


"Before" picture of the house we worked on/in...notice there is No grass or shurbs

Mom and I @ 8AM in all our morning glory

The Tub in all it's Nastiness which sparkled when I was finished. I had NO running water to rinse with AT ALL, so it was very interesting to clean. I ended up 'stealing' per say other people's water bottles to rinse off the grime until mom brought over buckets of water from the other houses. I used whole roll of paper towels get get the Crap out of the bottom after the water drained.

The 'Famous' Clark Howard with us during out break. As you can see the sun was out for all of 2 hours and we even got rained on.
Side note: Poor Clark had a 'Cliff Hanger in his noise the whole day and no one told him. I couldn't bring myself to tell him. Oh Yeah, I forgot my sunglasses so I'm sportin' mom's Brighton ones. So 'mom stylish'!

This is the new owner of our house. She is a single mother of a little boy and she was a 'Baker'. I hadn't heard that term on a long time. Her whole family was there all day helping do odd things. It was really cool seeing them be so hands on.

TA-DA... The final product. Everything was finished and all that was needed was carpet and then she gets to move in the weekend after Easter. These houses were so stinking cute. I want one. I just don't want to live on the south side of Atlanta.

Booky Wook!

A good book has no ending.” ~R.D. Cumming

Reading had quickly become one of my favorite past times in the past few years. I use to never read because I thought it was boring and forced. I guess I didn't know what I was missing all those years. There have been plenty of books where they have been hard to get into that I never finished, but for the most part I can't get enough of books~

My quote above really stuck out to me because there have been so many time when I have finished a book and was so wishing there were more. I have imaging alternate ending and added more to the story line as I wanted it to end. Many nights I would dream of such stories too! We all know that I'm a HUGE Twilight fan and that I have read them more than a hand full of time, but I truly enjoy a variety of books. As you can see from the photo above that my night stand varies from non-fiction to a memoir, fiction to a bible study. It's official I have turned into a book worm. Seriously, my ideal Friday night is dinner and a trip to Borders for coffee and perusing the shelves. I always end up with an arm full of potentials and have to talk myself out of some because I have about 10 books right now that have never been read on my book shelf. Which still leaves me with 3 books that I HAVE to have. Knowing that I will have a back-up book on the shelf for a rainy day makes me smile too!

Let's face it books are expensive. I have walked out of Borders spending over $50 on BOOKS.... HELLO, I love clothes and I have a hard time justifying $50 for a shirt much less books. But I came to realize that books never go out of fashion, they last a life time and then some.

Last week I stayed up till four A.M. to finish reading 'The Help'. I first heard about this book while reading Instyle magazine where they asked celebrities what they were currently reading and SJP was reading this book. I immediately put it on my 'books to read' list but never got around to getting it. I kept hearing different things about it here and there. Then I found out Kathryn Stockett was a local author, so I had mom pick it up for me at Costco. Let's just say that I can't stop thinking about it! Quick synopsis: It's told from three women's different perspective during the Civil Rights movement. It's suspenseful and endearing; funny and tearful. People magazine says "You will catch yourself cheering out loud", which is so true. Great book that I COULDN'T put down. Oh, I recently heard they are making it into a movie..EEEK!!!

I am currently reading the second book by Lauren Conrad of MTV's "The Hills". I read the first one last month for a fun quick read and it was good. It is loosely based on her life on her reality show. I have followed her from Laguna Beach to The Hills and now into literature and hope to soon make a purchase from her new clothing line when it hits Kohl's this spring. She is a talented young thing and can't wait to see what the future holds for her. Almost done with 'Sweet little Lies', so I will fill you in on the deets once it's over.

My small group is reading 'Captivating' for our monthly bible study right now. It has been great so far and has really made me look at things from a different perspective.We have been studying Eve right now and how women deal with daily struggles. I am very eager to continue our study and "unveiling the mysteries of our souls".

The last two books on my night stand is 'Water for Elephants' which is about the circus and I am intrigued because Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson are making it into a movie as well and want to see what it's all about. Rob gave a great interview where he talked about his experience with elephants recently and he described it as "one of the best days of his life". The other book is by Chelsea Handler. Amanda, myself and two of her friends are going to see her at the Fox at the end of this month so wanted to catch up on some of her reading. AMB got her other book so when we are finished we will switch. Good times!

What are yall reading?? Any suggestions?

Spring Fever

I just got finished looking through the March edition of Nordstroms catalog.

LOVE.IT. ALL.

Now, I have spring fever!!! We had a few days of perfect southern weather and now it's all rainy and cold again! The big guy upstairs keeps playing jokes on us! It snowed last week people. When is the nice weather here to stay?? On top of that, my kiddo's are going the Florida Key's for Spring Break next week and I really am jonesing to hit the sand myself. However, no play for this cat while the mice are away:( While flipping, I made of small list of accessories that I plan on acquiring....Here I come Charming Charlies!!!

First on my list is this cute Bow ring. I love how feminine it is. I have the perfect idea of what I would wear with it too! A cream top with boyfriend jeans and pink pastel heels. (Picture to come) Plus it will go with anything. Gold is back, so lets embrace it people.
I LOVE Pearls. When my grandmother passed I got all her peals, which were A LOT!! I can't get enough of them. I wear pearl earrings everyday! They are so classic. I have a beautiful pearl ring already, but I'm looking for more of a cocktail ring to jazz up an outfit for church or dinner out! I have been really into painting my nails and I think a ring ties it all together.

Hat make me happy! See header photo. I wish I wore them more. I can't tell you how many times I have tried a fedora on over the last few year, but I never purchased one. I did have one back in college, but I think it flew out the window one day...oops! I have a new swimsuit that this hat(or one like it) will look so cute laying out on the beach!
So I am open to trying new things at least once. This head band is just precious and I think the punch of floral would jazz up a summer dress or look festive by the pool. Floral is HUGE this season and where as everywhere I look all I see is '80's floral, I plan to give this look a try all in moderation.

Went into Ann Taylor Loft this afternoon and they have some really cute clothes this year...Might have to take a shopping trip this weekend or maybe I'll have to wait cause who knows when I'll get to wear something springy! I got a great new nail color tonight at Ulta, so I'm totally pumped! Can't wait to try it!

Any new trends y'all are into for the spring season??

Some Times you need a Day Away

That is exactly how I felt last weekend! Luckily two of my friends felt the same way. So we all met up and piled in the car for the day and headed to Highlands, North Carolina. It's about 2 hours north of the city. There is something about getting away that takes your mind off everyday happenings and rejuvenates the soul. My family has property up near there so we have been going there forever. We know the good places to eat and fun places to visit. Here is Kali and myself in front of the Highlands Inn. It was her first time up there, so I got to show her all around.It was a nice surprise that all of the stores were open up there especially since it's there off season. It was a beautiful day in the town so we got to stroll around to the shops and enjoy a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop.

After we were shopped out, I took them to Dry Falls. It was on the way down the mountain going towards Franklin, NC so I thought that we should stop and take in the scenery . It is a very curvy road to drive on, but very picturesque. Here is myself and Amanda in front of the waterfall.

When we got there, there was a sign saying that you couldn't go down due to the path way being covered in ICE. So, what do you think three "City" girls did in their leather and suede shoes do? YOU GOT IT!!! We hiked our way down there to see it! I had been here once before with my cousins a few years back during one of our summer day trips. It truly is so neat cause it is so big you can walk under it w/o getting wet (well splashed a little). It was even more stunning with all the icicles around.

Who doesn't love the snow? I mean We don't see it much down here so when I see any I bask in in! Here is Kali and I doing out best Snow Bunny pose!!! I love this picture!!! The last time it snowed here is GA I was up in NC and totally missed it. I'm so glad that it lingered up in the mountains long enough for me to be satisfied. Where we are taking pictures is about half way down the trail because we couldn't go any further due to us not wanting to eat the ice head on or tail first. It was suffice for what we wanted to see plus it was FREEZING!!!

There is something about a small town that helps me slow down and do stuff that I don't get to do on a regular basis. Oh, and a small side note...I thought I saw a wolf on the way down and I knew the Jacob Black wanted to see me;) One of the many laughs from the day!

Cupcake Couture

Everyone love to feel special on their Birthday right? In my family birthdays are HUGE! We celebrate for what feels like all month long. Our parents always did something big every year for our parties from having pony rides to moon walks or the infamous Chunk-E-Cheese. As we got older we got to go on FAB trips and have fun filled family dinners. Every year another great memory is made. Hopefully you get the picture just how much we love celebrating. Those are a few of memories that come to mind from growing up.

So, now that my sister has two girls of her own we have made a bunch of new traditions. It was 3 days of celebrating Anna Kate's 5th birthday this year. Steph asked me way in advance if I would make a special party outfit for AK to wear, so I obliged so willingly. i didn't want her outfit to be just run of the mill and I wanted to push myself from the Tutu I had made for Abby's birthday parry. So I went with the whole 3D cupcake with matching "frosting" on the pants seeing as a skirt wasn't the best choice for running and jumping. It was still frilly yet practical. It was a really fun project and I love a good challenge! Here is the finished project:

As a throwback to when we were kids, her party was at the "Jumping Bean" which is like a whole warehouse of moonwalks... these places are all the rage now! She also had her party there last year and insisted that it be there again b/c she loves it so much! The following day all the girls in our family went and had a Tea party on her actual birthday. Here's Anna Kate mid coloring at the Tea room. Check out her mad drawing skills too :)


That same night the whole family had dinner at the famous Angus Barn where we go every year for each of the girls birthday. Here is a sweet picture of Abby playing on my iPhone at the table.

So from old memories to new ones we know how to party in style. WE treasure each and everyone of them and look forward to the next for many years to come! What a great blessing God gave our family 5 years ago when he gave us sweet Anna Kate Lyon! With her in our lives she bring so much JOY and Happiness to our lives. I love showering her with all the LOVE I can give her!

"Bandwagon"

Guess who jumped on the New Years Bandwagon? ME!!! I joined the gym last night and making a commitment to really focus on getting back in shape! After quite awhile of not working out due to my fall down the stairs,(laziness) my body is in MAYJAH need of help! SO... I stared my diet/ eating better last week to get that side under control first! It has been going well so far. One of my gifts for Christmas was the Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred. I'm really pumped to start that, but I want to be able to walk afterwards so I'm starting out doing some cardio for a few weeks and then I'll jump into the DVD.

I was really intimidated last night when I went to enroll because the gym was packed out! When I say packed out, I mean every piece of equipment was occupied! What's worst is that I felt like everyone was staring at me. (Which I caught a few in the glare off the windows)...That right there started the complex. Then when I finally got on a CrossBar it was on the front row for everyone to watch my arse fight with the machine! I WON! It turned out to be a good workout for the first time in years! Did I mention that I live in a small town and during my visit I saw like 8 people I know. Guess they get a front row seat to see me shrink!

This is going to be a challenge especially since mom has her homemade fudge in the fridge and its a MAYJAH weakness of mine! I have a few tricks up my sleeve and I feel very confident that this is going to work! I'm going to need A LOT of motivation along the way so please if you know me, either FB, text, email, call or do whatever you need to do, but I would really appreciate the encouragement! Even if you don't know me comments are always welcome! WISH ME LUCK!!!

Anyone out there read this thing or am I wasting my time????

Am I skinny YET???

~P.S. Stoked about getting new workout clothes ;)

Fall Festivities

The wedding was absolutely beautiful! We worked so hard on getting things ready for the big day! The Boswell clan recruited me to help tie all the bows on their cute party favors and do whatever needed to be done. It took three nights and a few tired fingers later to get the Peanut Brittle jars ready, get the Gift bags stuffed and the programs assembled. Plus it was great fellowship too! Everything turned out perfect and with time to spare!

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner in downtown Gainesville at Luna's piano bar/restaurant! It was a great time. Amanda and Allison worked really hard to put together a slid show of Heather and Billy that was so touching! The dinner was yum-O and I was glad I got to share it with them! The Boswell family sure does know how to entertain!

Saturday was Wedding day and to put a damper on things it was raining, but that didn't stop things one bit! I volunteered to come help during the day to go get lunch, curl girls hair, pretty much be at the bridal parties disposal! I love doing that kind of stuff and anything to help, well I'm game! I also got the honor to keep the guest book for them before the ceremony! They had a book of all your engagement pictures bound for their guests to sign and it was the best idea! That to me is a good coffee table book rather than the huge photo album! The rest of the night went off with out a hitch... We danced and danced! WHO ME? Of course! Heather was a stunning bride and Billy was smitten~

Sorry to keep you all in suspense about my dress! What do ya'll think? It was so comfy all night! After the hunt was over I feel like the whole idea I had in my head pulled together just how I wanted it! I know you can't see my shoes, but they were perfect and not to uncomfortable either! Here is McCall, Amanda and myself in the midst of Amanda's MOH duties!

McCall and I were sidekicks for the night. So many laughs were had and some tears during the father/daughter dance! Great memories were made that night, that is for sure! On a sad note though, neither of us caught the bouquet:( Our day is coming though! Sooner than later please!



After a great night we were pooped so we went back to the hotel to hang out with family and friends! I must say I was ready for some sleep at this point. The next day Mom, Amanda and I went to the Duluth Fall Festival as we do every year! The weather was unbelievable! It really made me feel like summer was gone and fall was in full effect. I even looked at mom and said "this makes me feel like we are in an episode of the Gilmore Girls"...(if that makes any sense to anyone) We got tons of CUTE bows for the girls...like one's I cant make! Here is Mom and I enjoying our lunch under the shade trees!

I embarked on a new project this week. I have taken it upon myself to make Anna Kate and Abby's Halloween costumes. My sister had posted a blog recently about how the girls love strawberries SO MUCH. So I got to thinking, Why not dress them as Strawberry Shortcake and a Strawberry! I got this wacky idea that I could make these fairly easy and cheaper than just buying them, but I have NEVER read a pattern so that is a challenge in it's self. I am always looking for a challenge and I got some help. I was feeling very overwhelmed with Abby's strawberry, so mom has been helping me and it is turning out to be just precious! AK's is a more modern version of SS with touches of the old school outfit with my own touch of flair thrown in!


We went to Athens this past weekend to cheer on the Dawgs and threw in a concert as well. It was a sad day in dawg nations with a 4th quarter upset! We were so close! We didn't go to the game cause the tickets were wicked expensive, so we just went Downtown to watch the game. It was a great day of Tailgating with friends on North Campus. Man, Oh man though, my feet/ calves are wicked sore... not to mention the fact that my left ankle (the good one) got ran over my a golf cart on Friday night at the concert! It's all good tho!

My cousin Mary Katherine is turning 16 on Tuesday. My how time flies! I remember her as a baby like it was just yesterday! We celebrated tonight with the family at California Dreaming. She is such a beautiful young lady! I am so proud of her and I love her dearly! She holds a special place in my heart! She is like the little sister I always wanted and never had!

Mom and I are gearing up for Abby's birthday this weekend. I can't wait to see them! It has been to stinkin' long for me to go without seeing them! Hope everyone is having a Fabulous Fall so far!