Wednesday Ramblings

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  I got a $10 off coupon for shoes in the mail, plus my Glamour magazine, J Crew Catalogue, and a copy of the Packers Super Bowl DVD in the mail yesterday. Best. Mail. Day. Ever.


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  Is it really only Wednesday? I feel like it should be Friday. But hey, at least the ramblings are coming on the correct day.


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  I would just like to reiterate how much I don't like sales. It's hard, and is super hard to talk myself in to going into all these offices, when I know most of the time the answer is going to be no.


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  Bennett was gone this week, and I thought our thermostat was broken. Normally in March in Alabama, this is not a problem, but I think this was our last cold snap of the season. Me and the dog cuddled like it was 1999.


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  I am loving Thompson Square's, "Are you Gonna Kiss Me or Not." I walkd around with this song constantly stuck in my head. I love it.


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  My friend from dance, Courtney, is probably going to lose her life this week. Please everyone pray for her and her family during this awful time.

(this is her and her dance partner, Don, at the last competition. such a beautiful, beautiful person inside and out.)

• oh, and happy 200th blog post to me.

365 Nothin....

That's it. I'm done. I quit. I can't take it anymore. Please enjoy the last photo of the god-awful 365 project. Maybe when I have more time and a non-full time job I will be able to devote myself to this more fully.

(this picture from an abandoned convenience store somewhere between cullman, al and boaz, al)

I missed one day last week. And then I missed two...and then I said, well whatever. I don't know how to explain it. Photography become a chore, and it wasn't something I looked forward to doing every day. I forgot my camera at home and I'd get mad at myself, then be forced to grace this blog with the lovely pictures of the James' casa (and all the objects therein), and then you get the dog. Who has had more face time on this blog than anyone I know.

I didn't even think I'd make it to day 93....

Thing I Love: Zara Clothing

The hubs introduced me to something amazing the other day: Zara Clothing** Can you say amazing? That and the fact that my husband, the boy who hates clothes shopping, and hates that my clothes runneth over in our shared closet, was in fact, letting me in on a secret world that I had no idea about.

I'll take one of you....

and you.....

and you....

and you.....

and you are quite possibly worth the Atlanta trip all your own....

The thing about this drool-worthy shop...they do not ship to the United States. That is their whole platform...you must go into a shop to purchase all the delightful goodies if you live within the middle child boundaries of North America. The closest ones to Birmingham? Lenox Square and Perimeter Mall in Atlanta. I will just keep telling myself it's only 2.5 hours away from awesomeness.


**I could quite possibly be the only person on the planet who didn't know about this place. Sorry if you are already in the cool club.

Wednesday Ramblings (on a Thursday!!)

• Sales is scary.




• Sales is scary.




• This stupid scar from my surgery is not my friend. I hate scars.




• We're hopefully setting up a trip to New Orleans in the near future. I can't wait. I need a break more than anything.




• I looooooooove Plato's Closet. I found 5 cute as pie tops for $27. $27! I couldn't believe it.




• Dancing with the Stars started. I have it DVR'd. Bennett won't watch it. I really want to.




• I've got another dance competition in May in Chattanooga. I'm pretty excited about it. Actually, I'm stoked about it! Traveling dance team, what?!

(grr...blurriness)

All About the New Author!

(the cutest boy you'll ever meet!)

First name:: Bennett

Middle name:: Alexander

Like your name:: yes

Named after anyone:: no

Any nicknames:: Hubby, Bono

Age:: 26

Birthplace:: Montgomery, AL

Current location:: Birmingham, AL

Your favorite…
Type of music:: Red Dirt

Band or singer:: Hayes Carll

TV show:: Modern Family, 30 Rock, No Reservations (Anthony Bourdain...get with the program)

Movie:: Boondock Saints, Blow, Office Space

Place to be:: beach

Food:: Street tacos and Sushi

Non alcoholic drink:: Root Beer

Alcoholic drink:: Bourbon

Season:: Fall

Sport:: Football

Place to shop:: Ebay

Restaurant:: Johnnie's Po Boys (New Orleans)

City:: New Orleans


Random…
Do you think you’re trustworthy:: Yes

Think your funny:: Most of the time.

What are your parents names:: Gwen & John

Siblings Names:: Only child.

Ever broken the law:: No felonies.

Been arrested:: Nope

Been out of the country:: Yes

Can you stick your fist in your mouth:: No

Anything else we should know:: Nope

I promise that he is more interesting than this lets on. He's not much into the "who I am" portion of things. I'm trying to talk him into posting other things besides just food reviews from where he's going, but we're gonna take it one step at a time, and I'll be grateful for what I am getting!

Project Nightmare...um, 365

Monday night dinner. Pasta and a glass of red wine.

Oh yeah, that's a can.

I'm gonna blame this picture on the pain pills from the mole surgery. I really thought this was amusing. Really.

My hubs got me flowers on Thursday for being a trooper during surgery without him here. He hearts me.




I can't explain why or what I was doing in this one.

This was lunch on Saturday. Cheddar Cheese Pringles and a Blackened Cherry malt beverage. Thank you Mike's Hard line of awesomeness!

This is our "before" bedroom. All of the stuff is on the bed in order to get to the walls (or do we keep it this way all the time? you will never know!). I will have pictures of the after when it's finished. Which is hopefully this week, because being relocated to the guest room for the week sucks.

I've thought about quitting this thing for a while. It's incredibly frustrating. Like, I feel bad about half these pictures that I posted. I mean when you're taking pictures of a Diet Dr. Pepper can and a gummi bear? I don't think you can sink any lower. Oh I'm sure that I could.....

Words of Wisdom

This little gem was in my inbox this morning at work, sent from our Area Sales Manager. I appreciated it so much, and applies to what is going on in my life right now. John Wooden won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat.

John Wooden on Life:

#1. Promise yourself that you will talk health, happiness and prosperity as often as possible.

#2. Promise yourself to make all your friends know there is something in them that is special that you value.

#3. Promise to think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best in yourself and others.

#4. Promise to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others are you are about your own.

#5. Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

#6. Promise to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements in the future.

#7. Promise to wear a cheerful appearance at all times and give every person you meet a smile.

#8. Promise to give so much time improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

#9. Promise to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit trouble to press on you.

Restaurant Review: Maria's

It has been beautiful this weekend. It was in the 80's both Friday and Saturday. And sunshiney! So much sunshine! This is when I love living in the South. It's March and it's 80 degrees!!! And there's no humidity yet, so it's so pleasant...pleasant enough to sit on the patio for dinner, and there is nothing better than eating outside when the weather is perfect and the company is good!

Friday we went to Maria's. This is definitely a little dive. It's attached to a hotel, and is very small on the inside. However, the owner, Maria, is always there, and she is super nice. Maria's is located on Highway 31 in Vestavia.

Our patio table. I love little accents like the flower in the middle of the table!

The chips and salsa! We had a rogue carrot in our salsa, but other than that it was soo good. It used to have a little more heat to it, but is still a good medium. Another plus? All the refills on chips and salsa are free!

The margarita! Perfect for sitting outdoors! And these definitely weren't weak. We had two each and were buzzing.


My good company trying to decide what to eat. I have good news about this guy later on!



Their patio is pretty small, too, and only 3 of the tables outside were occupied, but I like their little mural....

Bennett's dinner. He went all traditional and got a combo of a taco, a chile, and an enchilada.

I got tacos de carne asada. The cilantro was so good and fresh on these. They were amazing. And you get a side of rice and beans, and their rice is amazing. Bennett said he would work in a Mexican restaurant for a day just to learn their rice secrets.

So, I have some blog news! I have convinced the hubs to join in on the fun and start blogging with me! He travels a lot for his job, and he's a big foodie, so I begged and begged him to get on here and talk about all the places he goes to, and he agreed!! He's a big fan of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri, so will definitely be posting his reviews of the places he gets to visit that were on the show.

I'm pretty excited and will post a bio of the hubs so everyone can get to know him better! Also, the re-do of the bedroom begins today! I'm excited to share that too!

Things I Love: Tootsie Pops

While this lollipop's tagline has become somewhat derogatory thanks to modern day music, I still love these things. I can remember when I was little getting these on Halloween and being ecstatic! I usually keep these around the house and eat them when I'm feeling blue, which for some reason has been pretty often lately. Maybe a combo of the job switch and the surgery, and other things. But they work wonders. And then, to top it off, you never know if you'll get an Indian on your wrapper. My husband had never heard that getting one of those on your wrapper is good luck, but I know I can't be the only one.

"How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?"

This weekend is going to be gorgeous. Unfortunately I have to work. I do plan on spending the majority of my non-working time reading outside or at Plato's closet trying to find some spring/summer steals.

Oh and that dry shampoo? Worked wonders! I'm a little skeptical of the blogs that I read saying that it wasn't a good product. It smelled great (like my hair smells right after I've gotten it professionally done), and took all the oil right out of it. It did leave a little sticky residue that I could feel on my hands all day, but it did right by my hair.

Wednesday Ramblings

• I hope that none of you ever have to get a mole surgically removed. It's not fun. And now I have a bandaid the size of my head on my stomach.



• Speaking of band-aid, it pretty much makes it impossible to work out.



• Speaking again of the band-aid, I am unallowed to take a conventional shower for 48 hours. So I'm going to try out this dry shampoo that's all the rage.



• I will let you know how that goes.

This is the kind I'm trying. I went to Ulta today to try to find something a little more "professional," but to no avail. I got this at Target for $4.79.


• I bought myself a Publix sub and gummi bears to make up for the fact that since I have the rental football, I can't take any of the Lortab prescribed to me.



• Which makes me feel like crap that I can't work out. (stupid eater's remorse!)



• I wish I could stop worrying about my weight, but thanks to my job in sales and the dance costumes, that probably won't happen.



• It's spring break here in Vestavia Hills, AL. Why do they think that spring breaks aren't necessary for us workers?



• I think that they seriously could have a Real Housewives of Vestavia in this city.
• I picked Kansas to win the whole thing. I have such a soft spot for those Jayhawks!
• I hate the Bachelor. I'm never watching it again.
  
  
  

Restaurant Review: La Paz

So we continue our tour de Mexican restaurants in the Birmingham area. This one is one of my favorites, but is a little on the pricey end, plus it's incredibly yuppie. But their food, sangrias, and margaritas are to die for.

This one is located in English Village in Birmingham.

We stuck to margaritas this time, but they have a pitcher of sangria that is the best we've had yet.

Green and red salsa! No heat, just deliciousness.

Texas margarita! Just strong enough to taste the tequila, but not knock you on your butt.


I had the enchiladas something. I can't for the life of me remember what they were. But one was pork, chicken and spinach. The rice and black beans were so good. I can't even describe.

Bennett had the street tacos; one chicken, pork and steak. He said they were some of the best he's had.

All in all, we gave it a 4 out of 5. And it would have gotten 5 had it not been a super long wait (so long that we just decided to sit at the bar, which ended up being a good idea), and the people so well dressed there that they made me feel bad.

It's a great place if you want to see and be seen.

365 Update

We spent the majority of this past weekend "spring cleaning." We bought some flowers for our pots out front, did a massive clean on the bathroom, and even decided that we're going to trade in our chocolate bedroom paint for something lighter. I will be posting pictures as soon as that process happens. Last time it took a while to paint the bedroom, so it could be a process.

Oh, I was also laterally promoted to Rental Sales Rep (aka RSR), and will now be responsible for making sales calls and trying to get people to rent our trucks, which I'm pretty excited for. So we'll see how it goes.

My smart book pics (aperture practice).

It rained like a mother last Tuesday night.

Hi, more aperture practice. One of these days, I'll get the hang of it. Or maybe my life really does consist of the boring....who knows.

Train tracks in downtown Birmingham.

Cookies at Sweet Peppers in Cullman, AL. Best. Cookies. Ever.

Crazy pup. She loves being on the bed.

Our pink flowers bought at Lowe's this past weekend.

Thing I Love: Bloody Mary

Due to some weekend technical difficulty, I'm having to put my Friday post on Monday. Oops! Anyway, from previous posts, anyone who is anyone knows that I love breakfast food and anything associated with breakfast. I could eat it any time, any where and on my head if that's what it took. But my favorite drink for that mid-morning meal is the Bloody Mary! Yes, it trumps any mimosa or any crazy drink with pomegranate or cranberry that you can think of. I pulled this recipe off of Martha's website, and seriously, this is only for those that don't believe in buying the premix. Fortunately for everyone involved, I do. Oh, and I also always add extra Tabasco or some kind of Cajun flavoring to make it spicier! I love the spicy!!

Enjoy!!

Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6
4 cups tomato juice
Juice of 2 large lemons
1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 heaping tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 1/2 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Unflavored vodka, to taste
Lemon wedges, for serving
Celery sticks, for serving and munching

Directions
Place tomato juice in a large container with a tight-fitting lid. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, garlic, pepper, and Tabasco; shake vigorously. Taste, and adjust for seasoning; the mixture should be quite spicy.
Pour 1 part vodka and 3 parts Bloody Mary mix over ice in a shaker. Shake well. Pour into glasses. Squeeze a wedge of lemon over drink (do not subsequently stir or shake drink), discard used wedge. Garnish with a large stick of celery (reserve extra stalks for munching) and a large lemon wedge. Read more at Marthastewart.com: Bloody Mary - Martha Stewart Recipes