A whirlwind weekend

And a whirlwind week to boot!

This past weekend was super packed with birthday dinners, sneaking around setting up birthday surprises, celebrating the little princess' birthday with a princess birthday party and celebrating Mr. Potts with a SURPRISE 35th birthday party.

Yes me, the last person you'd think could hold onto a surprise for more than a hot minute managed to plan & pull off a surprise party to celebrate his birthday.

I'll share pictures in the next few days of the festivities, but am rushing off to Vermont this morning for the week. Ashley, I'll be eating at Leunig's!

Happy Tuesday, y'all! Let's try to make all of our days this week FABULOUS, yes?

Fabulous Friday

If you didn't last week, you really should take a few minutes and peruse the blogs I highlighted last FF. They truly are fabulous. Plus, you'll get another gander at my new bag. Which I may or may not have named.

This week's Fabulous Friday is truly fabulous. This week brought the celebration of two of my most favorite people's births.

Mr. Potts turned 35 on Tuesday. I can't put into words how awesomely fabulous he is. So I won't even try, but I will share with you a little of one of his favorite things in the world.



Air Guitar (usually played to Bruce Springsteen). I can guarantee that each of these pictures was helped along by alcohol - most specifically Miller Light. And the blond hair in the first picture? Me. Totally strumming along. Cause that's how we roll.

There may be more of that this weekend.

This week also brought my precious niece's 6th birthday. My little munchkin is growing up so fast and I'm so proud of her.

Look how much she has grown over the past few years.



Sweet angel, you'll always be my most favorite little girl in the world.

Happy Friday, y'all! Make it a FABULOUS one!!

I went on vacation and all I took was one picture...

Let's make it a good one!

Sometimes I look at pictures and just see the negatives, this time, I'm choosing to focus on the positives.

Mr. Potts and I are both smiling and happy. The glass of wine was mine and the Miller Lite was his. All for his birthday dinner.

I wish I were better, like Tara, and took more pictures, but this is the only one I took. Well, besides the others I've already posted.

We had a great time and I was able to read & relax. Thanks again for all your suggestions, they definitely helped.

Happy Thursday, y'all!

On In-Laws and Such

Thank you all for the suggestions of ways to keep calm while vacationing with my mother-in-law. So far, the trip has been very smooth.

I loaded up my Kindle with a few books and packed several gallon Ziploc bags to protect it from the sand/humidity.

As a side note, there is a waterproof Kindle cover that would allow me to jump waves while I read, but:

1. I don't read while I'm in the ocean
2. I have no balance & that would totally jack me up when the waves came
3. I'd be so off balance I'd probably end up losing my bathing suit completely
   

The downfall to the Kindle cover (according to the reviews I've read) is that it locks into place, so when it goes to sleep, you have to take it completely out of the cover to "wake it up". Which kind of defeats the purpose of the cover.

So, instead of the cover, I double my Kindle in 2 Ziploc bags and it is safe & sound!

Long side note, no?

So, I've been going for my run/walk in the mornings to get time away, I've been reading on the beach and Mr. Potts has been good about being my buffer.

Last night we traveled about an hour north of Wrightsville to Jacksonville, NC to see some of my best friends and hang out for the night.



So far, so good.

Except for the text message about a girl being bitten by a shark today at the same beach.

Good thing I don't go out very far.

Happy Monday y'all - I'll be back on Thursday with a better recap.

Fabulous Friday

Happy Friday Everyone! It's here - another edition of Fabulous Friday! A highlight of all things fabulous that I've stumbled across over the course of this week (in no particular order, of course!) or even fond memories I have stored in my brain.

Mr. Potts surprised me over a month early (remember, we're awful with surprises & presents) with my birthday present!! Smart man, isn't he?

Isn't she beautiful? This shade of blue is the exact color I've been wanting and the hardware is just to die for.

Kristen Collection

I'm not going to lie. I've even showed her off to a co-worker who may have a slight Coach bag addiction. And then the ultimate comment, "Feel her. Isn't she soft?". Which taken out of context may have sounded slightly...wrong.

I also have been oh so lucky to have found some new blogs and as Susannah did a few weeks ago, I knew I needed to share them with you.

And if you haven't already been to Sus' blog, you should. Otherwise you're going to miss out on the sweetness that is her little girl.

First up - Crying over Spilled Milk.

If you are not already reading her you should run (but only after you've finished reading here) over to Jennifer's blog immediately. Seriously, I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read her post about how she gave up her girdle. It would have come out my nose I was laughing so hard.

Next? Cheeseboy at The Blog O' Cheese.

The name initially drew me; I mean, how could I resist anything that had cheese in the name? The more I read, though, the more I loved it. Check out the posts about going a week without deodorant.

Junk. I can't say enough. She makes me laugh. Two quotes from a recent post:

• i'm on a new diet. it's called quit eating so much, chunk. i'll let you know how it goes.
• i have officially come down with tanorexia. i'll have you know the night of the wedding i blogged about earlier, i bronzed with self tanner, then bronzed with my sephora powder bronzer, then added more make up. i'm straight from jerseylicious. what the hell is my problem? seriously, if i wore more leopard print and a push up bra, i'd be a dead ringer.

Go - after you've left me a little comment lovin.

You're welcome.

Happy Friday, y'all!

Help Wanted: Mother-in-Law Advice Needed

Remember the beach picture from yesterday?

I'm so ready to dip my toes in the water. Actually, I'm ready to dive headfirst through a wave and try to keep my bikini on since sometimes doing that can cause it to get sucked into the surf.

I digress.

While I'm looking forward to the vacation, the beach and the time with Mr. Potts, I'm getting stressed out over spending that much time with his mother. Last year about the same time we spent a week with his mom and step dad in the Outer Banks. The recap you can read here.

While it was pretty and we had a nice time, it was stressful for me.

With the family arriving today and heading to the beach tomorrow (we're going tomorrow after work) we'll be spending 5 days with them.

While 5 days is not a full week, it is still a bit much for me. So I may just be a bit stressed out. And remember, I'm a worrier, so I may be working myself up over nothing.

I'm trying the calming breaths already, but I don't think it is working.

I had a snack-size bag of Lays and an iced honey bun yesterday.

So in order to fit into my clothes when we come back (I'm an eater - I eat when I'm stressed and as you can see, I don't make the best choices), any words of wisdom on how to deal with a mother in law who stresses you out or just totally ignores you?

My version of Wordless Wednesday

As the title should give away, it is highly doubtful that I'll ever be truly wordless.

I can't help it. I'm chatty.

Today I've got my mind on the sea. On a particular beach. Where by Friday night (a few hours after work) I'll be dipping my toes in the sea with this view nearby.

image

Where would you pick to be right now?

A wedding bathroom story

I can't explain to you how much I love this picture.

Two of my very closest girl friends, a handsome U.S. Marine (who happens to be one of my girlfriend's husband & also a close friend) and my Mr. Potts.

What more could a girl ask for in a great picture?

I'll tell you - a dress that is super pretty. A dress which defies all and can be appropriate for any occasion.

That dress was worn to a summer wedding in New Orleans when one of my best friends in the world married his beautiful bride.


That dress carried me through a very hot Louisville engagement party (first picture above) - seriously, I stood over an air vent to try and cool off.

Both events were very hot.

Wedding in NOLA in July, Engagement Party in Louisville in August.

I have never been so hot though as I was when this dress was most recently worn on Sunday for a mid-day wedding.

An outdoor, mid-day wedding in July. In North Carolina.

Y'all. I can't tell you how hot I was.

Forget the pretty "wedding" hair I arrived with. I had that stuff twisted up off my neck, not caring what it turned into. I had sweat running through my hair, down my back, in between my toes.

Getting the picture I'm painting?

Mr. Potts was fanning me, I was fanning myself, our friends in the seats behind us were fanning me.

I thought I was going to die; I was so hot I actually got faint. When they asked us to stand for certain parts, it was a real relief since I could un-stick my dress from my body.

"...pronounced man and wife..."

Can I escape to the AC?

"...present you Mr. and Mrs. ..."

Can I leave yet? There they go! Next up, bridal party. I'm OUT!

I jetted for the bathroom of the resort.

Where I grabbed those nice little washcloths that they'd put out to dry your hands with and proceeded to soak it with ice cold water.

Once it was good and cold, I locked myself in the bathroom and tried to sponge off.

Where I promptly realized I needed a little more skin, less clothing.

So I unzipped my dress, pulled it off, hung it to dry (or at least wring out) and proceeded to take a French hoor's bath.

It was amazingly refreshing, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

Other than that, it was a nice wedding. I hope no one noticed me sprinting to the bathroom after the wedding party.

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Catch Up Saturday

I have to admit, I'm pretty bad about not following through with blog awards. I hate to say it, but I'm pretty lazy when it comes to linking back to people.

And then I feel guilty for not acknowledging them.

Which results in a big blog award post - all about me.

First up

The Versatile Blogger Award


Dancy over at Beer Budget Bride's Musings shared this with me.

Rules Schmules

• Thank the person that shared this with me. See Above
• Share seven things about myself

1. I just sat here for 15 minutes trying to think of the first thing to share.
   
2. I'm not very good at lists (obviously, see above)
3. I have a nervous habit of picking at my nails. I have ugly toes as a result - cute feet, ugly toes.
4. I DVR General Hospital - and actually watch it.
5. Handbags are a bit of an obsession for me.
6. If I could eat one food every day for the rest of my life, I wouldn't be able to choose. I just like food too much. A strong contender would be my fried chicken, though only if I could eat it & not worry about ballooning up.
7. I kind of like running. But not a lot, just a little. And only with Hayden. Cause she grins at me when we run & sometimes will grab the leash in her mouth.
   

Second:

The Sugar Doll Award

Margen over at Simply*Southern shared this with me.

Rules? Check!

• Thank the person (see above)
• Share 10 things

Now, if you look at numbers 1 & 2 on my list above, you may see where this could be an issue. So how about we just add on to the 7 in the first list?

1. I love fresh sheets and think if I could change ours twice a week I'd be happy.
2. I really like fresh towels too - I do change these at least every few days.
3. I think this desire for fresh sheets/towels comes from traveling for work regularly for the past 7 years (give or take) and staying in hotels.

And here is one extra.

I'm jonesing for NOLA.

Seriously BAD.

I've talked Mr. Potts into planning a trip there for Memorial Day weekend.

And I can not wait.

Lisa, Trish? You reading what I'm throwing?

Happy Saturday, y'all!

PS: I know I didn't pass this on to other bloggers, but remember, I'm lazy. So, for all of you out there, feel free to grab and play along!

Fabulous Friday

Y'all, what a week!

I cracked myself up over a fist-pump comment.

I spent the day with the munchkins riding down kiddie water slides (and barely managed to keep my nephew from sharing my bubs with everyone).

I bitch-slapped a dog in the face with a bag of poo.

I saw Eclipse last night.

Give you a second to process that one - you may be wondering where that falls into Fabulous Friday.

Yes, I went to the theater, put down good money and watched a movie about teenage vampires and werewolves.

While scarfing down a small popcorn with EXTRA butter (cause y'all know it's better with extra butter) and Sour Patch Watermelons. Which was my dinner last night.

And truthfully, the only way it would have been better is with Bacon. You know everything's better with bacon, right?

Except if there was bacon, I may not have had the SPW. Not sure on that one.

Either way...

I giggled with my girlfriend as the movie went on. We ogled the pretty boys. Because let's just be honest, they're pretty - not drop-dead gorgeous.

Or it could be the fact that I'll be 34 in a little over a month that makes them not drop-dead gorgeous to me.

And I thought of Cheeseboy's letter from Jacob.

I felt dirty for a slight minute, or 100. But then I got over it.

Mr. Potts thanked me last night for the hall pass on Eclipse. He humored me and asked how it was and so I told him that Edward kept his shirt on the whole movie. But that Jacob apparently doesn't own a shirt.

And then Mr. Potts reminded me that I'm double Jacob's age. And I thought again of Cheeseboy's letter - and I cringed just a little.

But then I thought of how pretty Jacob was and I reminded him, HE is twice Jacob's age, not me. Which means I can still ogle.

Happy Friday, y'all!

The highlight of my day

This early in the morning, I've already had a highlight to my day.

Let's hope the day continues on a positive note, shall we?

My gym workout this morning was wonderful. I left very hot & sweaty, but feeling energized. Could have something to do with fact that it was still in the 60's & we haven't yet hit the part of the day where you want to crawl into a walk in freezer and hang out.

When I got back home, I decided to take Hayden out for a quick run. Nothing long, but enough to get her moving & get some exercise since later in the day just isn't an option.

So there we were trotting through the neighborhood. She kept looking back at me and grinning (doesn't everyone's dog do this?) and I'd tell her what a good girl she is.

She had already done her business & being the responsible owner I am, I'd already picked it up & had the bag with me just in case.

Thank goodness for just in case.

We ran past a row of tall bushes that some people use for fences.

When all of a sudden, in the front yard, there he was.

The Doberman.

The very large (bigger than my sweet girl) Doberman.

And his hackles were raised.

So we slowed down, didn't make eye contact & kept going.

I heard the lady in the yard with him yell out, "No!". All I could think of at that point was that "No!" sure wasn't going to keep this dog away from mine.

Sure enough he bounded over. Where he started to sniff her.

As I was pulling her & putting myself in between them, he growled and did a little jump.

Then I yelled "NO!" and smacked that Doberman full on in his face with that full bag of poo.

I wish you could have seen both the owner & the dog's faces. They didn't know what hit them.
Ha! - b.e.g. - I made a punny

Remember I once told you I was Armed & Dangerous? Yeah, I'm not afraid to use it either.

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

Don't you love long weekends?

Mr. Potts and I had a very long, very busy weekend.

It started out with his dad and step mom coming into town to see us. Have I mentioned before that they are the only out of town family that makes a point to come to Charlotte to see us?

On Saturday we took them to the National Whitewater Center right outside of Charlotte. They loved it & his step mom was ready to go! Unfortunately, we didn't think ahead of time that they may want to do that, so we weren't prepared, clothes wise.


What a fun place though! I've been before and rafted, but Mr. Potts has not. We've decided to go back soon so he can enjoy it.


Mr. Potts modeled my new sunglasses - bought after a mishap that reduced me to wearing old ones until I could get replacements.


He thinks they look better on me. We'll go with that.


We also went to see Knight and Day. Cute movie and a great way to cool down in a theater after a hot morning outside.

On Sunday Mr. Potts and I took the munchkins, my mom and brother to a recreation park near them. It had kid's slides and a giant pool.

Some of them were meant for the little ones only.


I may or may not have slipped and ended up going down the kid only slide after my nephew.

Where my brother may or may not have proceeded to tell me that it is a good thing I have a little extra padding back there.

Look at these faces. First time down the big slide with Daddy.


With a splash!


Mr. Potts and the little sweetness may or may not have gotten "stuck" in the slide. No worries - they made it down.



A wonderful time had by all.

Don't you just LOVE long weekends?

Sometimes I...

Sometimes I think I'm hilariously funny. And I crack myself up.

Case in point. A girlfriend recently sent out an email about planning a recurring girl's weekend.

I knew that Certain People were going to be included. Certain Person who talks incessantly about breastfeeding and pumping.

Which honestly, is something I just don't care about. And I really don't want to hear about. I especially don't care to walk past a bedroom and hear the whoosh, whoosh of a pump sucking milk out of another woman's boobs.

Anyone else out there just shudder?

Cause I think I just got a little sick in my mouth thinking of it, y'all.

Back to the story.

I've been on a trip with this Certain Person.

Not fun. Not even remotely fun.

Everything is about her. And her pregnancies. And how little her babies were.

But you know, if you actually ATE while you were pregnant instead of trying to stay sickly skinny, they probably wouldn't be tiny.

I mean, really - she just doesn't eat. EVER.

So, when my friend sent out the email, she said that we could include other people, as long as they're fun.

My response?

"You said fun and I thought fist pumping (Jersey Shore style), not breast pumping!"

And I've proceeded to laugh about this for days.

Happy Saturday, y'all!

Fabulous Friday - Breakfast Style

Happy Friday Everyone! It's here - another edition of Fabulous Friday! I decided this week to focus on Breakfast.

Who doesn't like Breakfast? Mr. Potts and I will often indulge in Brinner - Breakfast for Dinner. It could range from French toast to waffles. Eggs over easy and hashbrowns to a breakfast casserole. Honey Nut Cheerios with fresh fruit to a breakfast panini.

My department has been bringing in breakfast on Friday's recently and so I signed up for today's. Last night I pulled together my favorite quiche - you'll find the recipe at the end of the post.

I also had to look for amazing breakfast pictures. Once I started looking, I knew I'd have to share them with you!

all images via Google images

Mrs. Potts' Three Cheese and Bacon Quiche

Ingredients

• 3 ounces bacon bits
• 1 chopped onion
• 3 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
• 3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 ounces shredded Asiago cheese
• 2 graham cracker pie crusts
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cup half-and-half cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix the bacon, onions, and cheeses.
3. Mix the eggs and half and half in a bowl. Mix the egg mixture and the cheese mixture and pour into crusts.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 35 minutes, until top of quiche begins to turn brown.

I use graham cracker crusts with my quiche. It adds a sweetness to it while the onion carmalizes and the bacon adds a hint of smokiness. Enjoy!

Happy Friday!!