Weekend Reading

TGIF. For real.

This weekend is jam packed with fun stuff. Tonight NTP and I are meeting another couple for dinner at a fun restaurant here in Atlanta, tomorrow morning my apartment complex is having a big garage sale and I'm hoping to sell some clothes I don't wear anymore, then we're headed to the farm in LaGrange to do some work and see my parents, then Sunday it's back to ATL for Mason's grooming appointment and a much-anticipated trip to the Dekalb Farmer's Market. Whew!

But during the down time (if there is any) I'll be reading "Mark Twain: A Life" by Ron Powers. I got this biography for Christmas a couple years ago (or one year ago? I can't remember) and just hadn't gotten around to reading it. So last week when I finished Rules of Civility and found myself novel-less and no room in the budget to go stock up on more, I decided I'd learn a little bit more about one of my favorite authors. And let me tell you this book is no joke! I'm a nerd, so I actually kind of enjoy reading biographies, but this has to be the most interesting I've read. It's written in such a way that it actually feels more like a story than just a chain of events. It probably helps that Mr. Samuel Clemens led a really interesting life, but still, I'm really enjoying this biography.

Do y'all have any good book recommendations? I'll probably be back in Barnes & Noble scouring the racks again in a couple weeks and would love some suggestions. :)

Meet my garden!

I know I mentioned an outfit post today, but yesterday I was a hot mess running around at work and then hustling to Brookhaven in miserable traffic for bible study, so needless to say it didn't get done. And this morning Nick's new Xterra wouldn't start. So that's where we're at right now. Instead, I thought it would be fun to share my little garden with y'all!

When I was apartment hunting about this time last year, one of the major selling points for the apartment I chose was it's adorable little garden area. Read: Little plot of dirt, and large-ish patio area surrounded but a lattice fence and gate. When I first moved in, the aforementioned little plot of dirt was covered, and I mean COVERED, with stones. Not just normal rocks, but those little colored beads that you'd see in a diner's table vases with a faux flower stuck in em. We raked and dumped about two buckets of those bead/rock things before we found the Georgia clay.

I loooove to garden and play outside and reap the fruits of my labors, if you will. So in the past year that little plot of dirt and my L-shaped patio area have turned into my little happy place. Growing in the garden is...

- Foxglove
- Gardenias
- Coleus
- Purple Coneflowers
- Blackberries
- Jasmine
- Dahlias
- Lilies
- Hydrangeas
- Mint
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Cowhorn Peppers
- Banana Peppers
- Jalapenos
- & a few flowers that I don't know the name to. Whoops.

Next year I plan to grow some tomatoes, sweet potatoes and okra, among others.

Above is my little plot of dirt. And below are some close-ups of all my favorite things in the garden.

Now I just need a couple Adirondack chairs and a cold adult beverage to make this even more perfect. (Right now I'm using folding camping chairs. Whatever works, right!?)

Hope y'all are having a wonderful Thursday! We're so close to Friday!

Summer Bucket List

Gooood morning y'all! I originally planned to do an outfit post today on office-appropriate attire that will keep you from completely melting in this Georgia heat. But that will have to wait for tomorrow since my morning has been spent picking paint colors for our entire corporate office, kitchen, bathrooms, production center, etc. Soooo let's throw up a little prayer that I at least make half of all these employees happy with my choices. I do NOT want to go down in the company history books as the girl that picked the awful paint colors.

ANYWHO.

I figured I'd share with y'all my summer bucket list instead. I wrote it onto this handy dandy chalkboard project I undertook a couple weeks ago (and still need to hang on the wall). I've added a few things since, so here's the full list. And if any of you Southeastern ladies have any other awesome ideas please let me know! And keep in mind homegirl is on a budget.

1. Atlanta Botanical Garden (Check! Went to Cocktails in the Garden a couple weeks ago, sponsored by Lilly Pulitzer, and actually won the raffle they were doing! Goodies included an insulated cooler, murfee scarf, necklace, men's tie, ID wristlet, and gift card!)

2. Shoot the Hooch (AKA tubing down the Chattahoochee River with some adult beverages)

3. Dekalb Farmer's Market (This is on the agenda for this weekend! I'll make sure to take some pics!)

4. World of Coca-Cola (Still surprised I've lived here for a year and haven't done this yet. I LOVE Co-Cola!)

5. Hike Stone Mountain (Again, surprised I have yet to do this.)

6. Movie on the Green

7. White water rafting on the Ocoee (I LOOOOVE white water rafting on the Ocoee. Love it. But no, really. I love it. )

8. Atlanta Food Truck Park (Check! Went with my Bible study girls a few weeks ago and we had such a blast.)

9. Amicalola Falls

10. Lake Lanier (Check! Nick, Mason, and I went for the 4th of July.)

There are also a good number of restaurants on this list that I've been meaning to try, but seeing as I'm practically on a spending freeze and eat grits and biscuits for dinner every night, I'm not going to include them here.

What are y'all hoping to do this summer?!

Back at it

Ok y'all. It's been five months since I last posted. FIVE! Tee-totally unacceptable. Especially since one of my New Year's Resolutions was to blog regularly. (But we all know how resolutions go...)

 Anyway, I'm back at it. And this time I should actually be able to stick with it. So here's some quick updates...

 1. In just a couple weeks I will have lived in the awesome, fabulous, gorgeous, super fun town of Atlanta for a whole year. I think that's cause for celebration.

 2. Work is great. Enjoying my job and the people I work with.

 3. Joined the Junior League! Whoop whoop!

 4. Was accepted to FSU's (GO NOLES!) online MBA program and classes start in just over a month. EEK! I'm super excited because I'm a total nerd and actually really enjoy school.

 5. Puppypants (AKA Mason) is doing great! He's all grown up now (cue sadz face) and he brings SOOOO much joy to my life. I'll have to video tape his "salsa dance" sometime. He gets so excited to see people that he wags his whole backside and it looks remarkably similar to something from Dancing with the Stars.

 7. Joined a Bible Study back in January and receive daily blessings from the amazing girls I've met and grown with in the past few months.

 That's about all I can think of right now. I plan to catch up on all of your blogs ASAP and hope all is well with everyone! So for the sake of actually posting something of interest to people, I thought I'd start with a book review (seeing as I'm a bonafide bookworm).

The lovely CBK suggested I read Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. The story is set in 1930's New York City and follows the stylish, exciting, and whirlwind events that are set in motion after two friends fortuitously meet a wealthy man on New Year's Eve in a side street jazz bar. I absolutely loved this novel and thought Towles' writing style was perfectly in line with the era he was writing about. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to lose themselves in the glamour of NYC and experience the determination of the human spirit in Depression Era America. Run, don't walk, to your closest bookstore. You won't be disappointed! 

Are y'all reading anything great right now? Let me know!

My View

February Photo Challenge Day 1 - My View Today (and every Monday through Friday

Ok so let's pretend that I posted this yesterday when I was supposed to... This is my lovely little cubicle. I'm working on making it a little more homey. Maybe I'll add a little desk lamp or fresh flowers when I can afford them. Stay tuned later in the day for another post on today's photo (words)!

February Photo Challenge

Yes, I realize it's not quite February yet (ALMOST!), but it's my favorite month so I'm already super excited. In the next few weeks I have a whirlwind of exciting things happening. My very first hair coloring experience is happening this weekend and I'm a mixture of nervous and super excited to try something new. But not drastic. Not ready for that yet. Next weekend my momma is coming to visit and we have all kinds of fun things planned, including a trip to Scott Antique Market and Momma/Daughter mani/pedis! And then the NEXT weekend is my 23rd BIRTHDAY! The bestie and her hubby are coming up for a fun weekend of Atlanta shenanigans and then relaxing quality time in Blue Ridge at their family cabin. I could not be more excited!

But back to the title of this post. To hold me accountable for posting more regularly, I've decided to join in on this February Photo Challenge that I see a lot of you lovely ladies will be doing. And it just so works out that on my birthday the photo is of a drink. :) Champagne anyone??

Can't wait to see what some of your photos are!

Introducing: Puppy Love

Hey y'all! I know, I know. I suck at blogging regularly. It's one of my New Year's Resolutions to be better about it, though, so hang in there with me! Things have been INCREDIBLY busy. NTP got a job, lost the job (agency lost some big clients and had to make cutbacks - last one in, first one out kind of thing so keep him in your prayers please!), had a great Thanksgiving with the family in LaGrange, planned and threw an awesome, if I do say so myself, office Christmas party (for 200 guests), managed to make it home for Christmas after a wreck on the way to the airport (bummer, I know), and survived the remaining days of 2011 with... wait for it... a PUPPY!!!!

Yep, that sweet little face you see is my new little man, Mason. We named him Mason Rhett because it kind of looks like he has a dark mustache, just like Mr. Butler. :) He's a sable cockapoo, half cocker spaniel half poodle, and we love him. The bestie would tell you that I have my pulling out my hair moments because he's definitely a handful (thanks for listening to all my whining Ky), but the sweet cuddly moments make all the peeing on my carpet and biting my brand new J.Crew sweater worth it.

Here's some more photos of the little nugget. Bear with me, they're iPhone photos so they're not the best quality ever, and we don't have very many because we're too busy trying to keep him from eating everything in sight. But more to come, I promise! And if any of you have any awesome training tips we'd be more than happy to hear them! The potty training is going pretty well. It's the biting that we're struggling with right now. And when we say "NO!" he seems to think we mean "Oh that was so fun, keep jumping at momma's face and biting her hair!" Sooo yeah. Help please.

Hope everyone is doing well and that your New Years' Resolutions stick!