Pool time

Currently, I am in the process of filling up my pool. I was a delusional person in that I thought 24 hrs would get me filled. Here it is 26 hour later and we still have just under 3 ft left to go.
I have added the chlorine to treat the pool and by my calculations, the pool contains more than 30000 gallons. Are you have a heart attack yet?
I am!
I am dreading the upcoming water bill. I am sure it will give me seizures.
This is the first time that LML and I have filled the pool since we moved in. I am excited since it is already topping 100 degrees in our area and it is barely June!

I am looking forward to a summer spent in the pool this year! (maybe I will get tan!)

Here is a cute pic of my friends teenage nephew and her dog hanging out in the almost empty shallow end .


- I should blame it on the iphone, but this girl cannot spell so please excuse any misspelled words

It's my birday

As my good friend put it, it's my birday! Well it was! I am now the BIG 26!

Anyways, I had a blast at my birthday parties! I am a lucky girl in that I got two celebrate twice, one with friends and the other with family!

I got some fabulous presents. I will share more over the next few days!




This Cole Hahn purse was from my great aunt and I love it. She has great taste and never disappoints.

Have a good day! Toodles!
- I should blame it on the iphone, but this girl cannot spell so please excuse any misspelled words

Is it sad...

In one month, I took a week off from work to attend a conference with him.  It turns out that we get back on that Thursday night and then he has another meeting on Friday about two hours away. He asked me to attend said meeting...
I told him No can Do!  That is royal wedding day, I already have plans with the girls.  Scones, tea (coffee and Irish cream for me since I will be a little tired), and staying up all night Thursday just for the wedding!

I am so excited about this wedding, and two of my friends are right there with me!  In fact, A and I bought Miss M a subscription to Royalty Magazine for her Birthday!  I cannot wait for her to get it, because the magazine will be passed around the three of us!

Happy Tuesday!

Brain Dump

I finally finished up my posts about my weekend in Atlanta and here goes a brain dump on stuff that I have been wanting to share:

1. SIL - Since you never read emails, I figured you would check this out eventually.  Here are two things you need to think about:
A. More Aesthetically Pleasing Color for you Wax Seal - Here are a few links:

A true gold color

http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Gold-Sealing-Wax/3907.030/406928.html 

A Silver Color

http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Silver-Sealing-Wax/3907.030/406927.html

A Pretty Red swirled with gold

http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Red-Gold-Swirl-Sealing-Wax/3907.030/433453.html

Just Sayin' All three would be nice options!

B. Lululemom - The athletic wear I was telling you about in Atlanta.  Check it out!

http://shop.lululemon.com

2. Spring is in the air...I am so excited because LML is supposed to buy my two new Hydrangea plants to replace the ones he killed last year! Nico Blue, please....

Granted mine will be babies and not this majestic for a few years (Source)

3. Besides being excited about my new plant, LML and I are switching phone carriers pronto!  Verizon works great in the rural area of Alabama near LML's job!  I am excited and cannot wait to have better reception.  I should also add that we decided (i.e. I told him) to go ahead and get me an iphone.  I am so tired of no internet at home so this solves it!  Wahoo!
Do you have any app recommends?  I have a few on my ipod but not too up on them since I just got Angry Birds this month.

4.  Speaking of Angry Birds...Can we say addictive?  I am so obessed with that game!

5. My birthday is in April and I am so excited!  I know that my 26th birthday is nothing too special, but birthdays always make me excited.  I hope to have dinner at the Bright Star with a few friends and family!  I love that place! (if you do not know, it is the oldest restaurant in Alabama and Greek style food...so delic!)

6. My good friend J's little girl is celebrating her 1st birthday in April too! I am going to take some photos for her just like I did last year right after she was born.  I will ask J if I can post a few pictures from last year to show you how precious the little one is!

7. Have a great weekend...This weekend is a low-key one for us.  Just hanging out around the house and going to look at cars to replace LML's old one finally.

What am I thinking?

I am not normally one to set goals and advertise them to everyone.  It just is not my thing!  Instead, I prefer to keep to my little ole' private self!

Today, I am going to change that, I made a few goals for myself recently (and to make you know I am serious, I have taken steps to help achieve said goal already!).

1. Stop drinking my obsession...AKA Dr. Pepper - I have made it 1 week with only 1 Dr. Pepper (That is a miracle...I also have avoid my favorite fast food place where I would drive thru just to get a Dr. Pepper on their perfect ice so that helps too!)

2. Start walking regularly - My friend E and I walked twice last week for about 1.5 miles and have plans to meet up again on Tuesday for another walk (Go ME!)

3. Be a regular blogger - Yeah you are a priority now!

4. Try more new recipes, especially Gluten Free options since Hubby's fam is not gluten friendly

5. Take more pictures - This one needs some work because I have no clue where the camera charger ran off too...I hope I find it next week because with no battery charge I take no pictures

6. Finish the birthday dress for my friend J's baby...It's due by the 15th of April but I want it done by 1st of April!

7. Sign up for another sewing class...I am so excited about this hobby but I feel like I still need some direction

Some of these hobbies are possible due to the extra time I have on my hand from LML being out of town for work most days.  Well I am off to get ready for Sunday lunch then church (small hometown = Catholic church falls in the afternoon when the priest can make it!).

Brain Dump

A. Camera Card Reader is stilling missing. I hope to locate tonight or else I will have to purchase a new one in the morning!

B. Work cracks me up...Where I work, I deal with forms that people fill out.  People who must list their name and address among many other things!  First of all some people scratch out what they write to the point where you are not sure what they want you to update.
    Additionally, there are students in my area who do not know their own address.  This just baffles me!  How can you live somewhere and not know your address?  What if you have an emergency?

C. Winter Storm 2010 (do not laugh those of you who reside in places that actually get winter weather regularly) still has the grocery stores wiped out! I know that before the storm you have the usual run on milk and bread...not that I understand it!  But it is Wednesday by gosh sakes and we still have no produce in the grocery store!  I had a friend over for her birthday dinner last night and I had to defrost a meal I had frozen since there was nothing to make her at the store!

D.  I have my first owner's class for my new sewing machine in the morning before work!  I am excited (probably doubly excited that I would have been if they had not cancelled my sewing class last night!).  Yes, I am a dork!

E.  I am heading to Atlanta this weekend to see my great-aunt and great-uncle.  I have not seen them in over a year.  I miss them!  I wish they were in better health and visited my hometown still!  I hope to make some of my olive dip and maybe one other item to take over to visit them but the grocery store best restock first!

F.  I have not cooked much this week due to item C and the state of the grocery store.  This weekend I did cook. LML asked me to cook up the potatoes that were going bad, so I decided that I would make gnochi out of them.  Let me just say, I burned my thumb really badly while peeling my boiled potatoes!  It was not pretty and I was not much fun for a while!  It is healing up right now pretty well, I will give credit to my mother-in-law's Christmas gift of homemade hand cream (Baby lotion, vitamin E cream and 1 other ingredient I forgot all mixed together).  My gnochi was a rated a 6 out of 10 by both LML and myself.  I think the dogs rated it a 10 plus.  They all three kept begging for more after I slipped them their initial bite.  I think I am going to try again since mine was too dense...I blame myself for this!  I know I can do better.  And next time, I will be more careful with my hot potatoes!

Christmas Dinner

I had LML's Family over for Christmas Dinner this year, yeah can we talk about how weird it was being THAT OLD!

The Buffet

I mean it seems like just yesterday that I was the one so excited to see what Santa brought myself and my siblings.  In fact, I can remember pouting one year when Dad made us wait to open all of our gifts until after Christmas Dinner at our house.

This year, LML had to make me open his gift before Christmas, because I just did not have time.  I was on a schedule and trying to get everything made for Christmas Dinner.  I do have to say that everything went beautifully, except for a minor mishap with spilling heavy cream in the fridge.  That resulted in a time out to clean out the entire fridge since I spilled it on the top shelf.  (OOPS!)

One of the Tables for Christmas Dinner

I had a wonderful Christmas and throughly enjoyed visiting with my family Christmas Eve and Christmas Night. I guess we are lucky that we live so close to both of our families because we are able to juggle them on holidays for the most part.  I do refuse to drive back and forth from one town to the next, but my family was up here Christmas Eve and Christmas Night for visiting my parents siblings at their Christmas parties.

The Dining Room Table

I could not have asked for a better Christmas.   I will try and post a few of my new awesome recipes that I made for Christmas over the next week .  I know that most of them are Gluten Free due to diet restrictions in LML's Family, but I would make them again for my family who eats bread likes it going out of style.  They were just that wonderful!

My favorite Gifts to Share

With Christmas season being upon us, I thought I would recommend a few go to gifts that I regularly give to friends and family.

1. Magazines
- I love to give two different magazines for two totally different reasons.  The first one is Garden and Gun.  If you click the link here, I promise you will find a GREAT deal.  This magazine covers everything southern from hunting to home decor to recipes.  I would highly recommend this as a gift to any southern belle.

- I also love Martha Stewart Living.  This magazine covers a wide variety of items, but my favorite are the recipe and hostess tips.  I do enjoy glimpses into Martha's homes and gardens.

2. Good quality soap- What hostess does not stock their guest baths with high quality soap.  I am not saying go blow your paycheck on soap, instead I recommend the opposite.  I buy all my good soaps, most hand milled, at TJMA*X.

3. Monogrammed Hand Towels - There is a great shop down in Mobile, Alabama that I try to stop by whenever I am visiting the area to purchase monogrammed hand towels on the inexpensive side. I gave these to all the hostesses at my bridesmaids luncheon and everyone loved them!

Click here to see where to buy this one

4. A cute and flirty apron - I got one last year and let me just tell you that I LOVE it!  When I wear it, it makes me feel all cute while protecting whatever I am wearing underneath it!

I hope that these ideas are able to help you find the perfect gift for your friends and family.

I chose all options of my own free will with no influence from anyone else.