A totally random post...

I'm getting ready to go to Vermont for a week. Quick, look at your calendar - what month is it? Yep, it is January and I'm going to Vermont. Where there is a weather advisory for flights. Where it has already snowed - several times. Where the high at this moment is 4 (but it feels like -6). Vermont, where the highest high while I'm there is forecast for 29, while the lowest low is forecast for -16. I've been in August when the highs are in the high 70's - it is wonderful then. I'm not sold on this cold, cold weather, though. I'll definitely let you all know how cold it is. :)

I'm going to be super, extremely busy the next two months with work. We're going through a migration of our systems and as I am in Learning and Development, I'm playing a huge part in it. It will be great for me experience wise, but probably very tiring. It may also mean, shorter blog posts and shorter comments on your blogs. I'll still read, for sure - what would I do without all you ladies?

A follow up to my post about my mom recently. All her tests came back normal. She thinks the doctor was being overly cautious. After talking to her further about why she went to the doctor in the first place, Mr. Potts and I think that she is probably having anxiety attacks. She's dealing with so much right now, so any extra prayers would be so appreciated. :)

We took the sweetest girl in the world (my niece) to see The Tale of Despereaux today. She's been excited to go to the movies with us & to have her own popcorn & soda! It was a really cute movie, so if you have any little ones in your life, I recommend it.

Also, had to let you know that Shasta over at Bergdorf Blondes is having a giveaway for her 200th post. She is super fabulous & posts daily pictures of her outfit of the day. Definitely go tell her "Hello" & share some super bloggy love.

Hope you all have had a wonderful weekend - what did you do?

Changes in the air

I changed a few things about my blog - the background is a major one. I'm not sure I'm really loving it. What do you think? Should I go back to my happy pink (pre New Year background)? Should I pick another new one?

I also added a bit more to the introduction. I did start this with all intentions of it being a food blog (recipes, restaurant reviews, etc.) but it has morphed into so much more. I'll still be adding recipes, but with work for the next two months I'm going to be crazy busy & will be traveling. So you'll probably have more restaurants tidbits than anything.

I also changed my picture. I played around with several last night (whilst taking a break from working - ugh!) and kept coming back to this one picture. In it you see my Great Dane, Madeline M'Lady - otherwise known as My Maddy, Maddy Girl, Bigun', SlobberBobber, Madkins or lovebug. I'm sure there were a thousand other names, but those were my favorite. I lost My Maddy in October to progressive heart disease and am still heartbroken. I just miss her like crazy. Anyway, I'm sure that I will change that picture soon enough, but I really just miss her. This was taken by one of my bridesmaids a few days before Mr. Potts & I had to take her in & let her go. It was a fun day to go to the park & take some pictures - we also took some with Hayden, our yellow lab.

So, what do you think of the changes? Any recommendations?

Happy Saturday! I hope it stays sunny for the Panthers game today! I hope that Jake Delhomme plays consistently & doesn't throw the ball away.

Oh yes, a funny anecdote. An elderly lady stood up in church recently when asked for additions to the general prayers for people. She simply said, "Pray for Jake" and sat down. What a smart woman - Jake needs as much help as we all do!

GOOP? No, not Grand Ol' Party!

This morning on the treadmill after I finished up my USAToday (Thank you Hampton!) I started in on my new Glamour (thank you USPS for delivering the day before I leave for ATL!). While reading, I came across a snippet about Gwyneth Paltrow's new site, GOOP. I thought I'd check it out this morning - she puts together weekly newsletters about her thoughts, ideas, clothes & food. Worth a glance, definitely.

Speaking of working out - how is everyone doing on their New Year's resolutions or life changes or healthy commitments? I'm really working harder to value the body God blessed me with & take good care of it.

*********

Specials thanks go to Littlesack of Navigating the Quarterlife and SassyEngineer of A Pretty Peony. They both made my day recently by gifting me with awards!

Littlesack sent me the "Beautiful" Award. This award is given to bloggers who display beauty more than skin deep. I really appreciate this - it cheers me to think that people may get a small lift from reading my thoughts & ideas.

I want to pass this lovely award along to a few of my faves:

• Mrs. Newlywed of Misadventures of a Newlywed. Please go check out her current post. It made me laugh out loud this morning!
• Good Gal from Good Gals Inc. She is so positive & supportive of people.
  
• Belle from Une Belle Vie - a beautiful blog - I totally want to go with them on their post honeymoon trip!
  

SassyEngineer sent me the "Your Blog is Fabulous" Award! This is a new one for me & I love the fact that she chose me. I like to think that I'm fabulous, but I have my days of self-doubt. Don't we all?
The instructions are simple: list five obsessions/addictions you have, tag back to the person who gave you the award, post the rules, and then tag five people to pass the award onto.

So, five obsessions...

1. Mr. Potts - I absolutely adore him! He is kind to everyone he meets, he loves my niece & nephew (I mean, who wouldn't??) and he loves my mom. He also tolerates my chattiness, he rubs my feet after a long day, and when I'm done reading at night, he puts my book away & gets up to turn off the light. How wonderful is he?

2. Sephora - I can't help it. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I'm there. I swear, I could spend hours walking the aisles, smelling the scents & patting on lotion. At least they don't have a credit card. :)

3. Good food. I can't say much more than that - I love food, all aspects of it. I love to buy it (specialty food shops...another place I could spend an hour or two wondering the aisles), I love to prepare it, I love to cook it, I love to eat it.

4. Big handbags. I'm currently carrying a large Cole Haan bag & it is my favorite of all time. It is a great reddish color & I can fit a large bottle of water, several snacks, 2 magazines & a paperback into it. Perfect for all the travel I do!

5. Water. I constantly drink water. I may go through 8 liters a day. I just like it - plus, it makes me feel like I'm hydrating really well.
Consequently, it does have me in & out of the bathroom constantly!!

Ok, so here is where I tag 5 new people for having fabulous blogs. This is hard, because there are so many that I follow & love reading.

1. Meghan from The Randomness of Meghan. She cracks me up & reminds me frequently that we all have those days.
2. Mrs. Stilettos from Newlywed Stilettos. She just posted about going to see Marley & Me & how it brought back memories of her dog Sandy - I'm totally avoiding that movie for a long time since I just lost my Maddy. Plus, she loves to introduce new bloggers!
3. Bama Belle from Bama Belle in the Big City. She has a wonderful blog, & I LOVED her post about her conversation with the cupcake lady. You must check her out!
4. Southern Accent from A Southern Accent. She has a beautiful blog - her most recent was about closet chandeliers. Who wouldn't love those??
5. Emily from Life as I know it from Memphis. She posted pictures lately of dresses - gorgeous! Plus, she is working on 130's by end of 30 - go give her some love & support!

Phew! Happy, Happy Wednesday!!

Long Day Gone

I started to title this "Wasted Day" but realized that it was a negative title. I'm extra aware of negativity and am trying very hard to keep positive thoughts in my head.

I had to drive to Atlanta today - I'll be here until Friday afternoon. We're working with contractors here and my boss wanted us to have at least a half day with them. I arrived at 1pm - I left Charlotte around 8:30am and stopped for gas & a quick lunch. Conversation with my boss from yesterday:

Me: "So, Mrs. Boss, what time do you want me there by tomorrow?"
Mrs. B: "Sometime around 1pm - yeah, 1pm."
Me: "Ok, great! I'll see you in Atlanta! Travel safely!"
Mrs. B: "You too! I'll ping you when I leave."
Me: "Sounds good."

I knew at that point that the following things probably would occur:
A. I would arrive by 1pm
B. Mrs. B would not leave in time to arrive by 1pm
C. I'd get an email around 9am saying that she was running late

Did I tell ya' I'm psychic? Ok, I was a little off on her timing. I didn't get an email at 9am, I got a phone call at 10am! Which means she probably didn't leave until 10:30.

It is now 3:50pm & Mrs. B still has not arrived. Which leads me back to my original thought for a post title.

Sigh

So what is the "norm" for the person you report to? Do you expect them to be late? Are you annoyed if they are? Are you a patient person? (Last question is just in general - I'm not, so if you are, I'm going to ask how you achieve that zen state of patience.)

Omelet from a Bag...

Have you ever heard of making an omelet in a Ziplock bag? Both my step-mom and my step-dad in law sent me an email with instructions about how to do this. I tried it first when I hosted a bridesmaid brunch the day we went to look at bridesmaid dresses - I figured that feeding people & plying them with mimosas and bloody mary's would make the whole process less painful. The omelets were a hit! They're so easy to make & you can add any ingredients you want. In addition, the clean up time is shorter! They're so shockingly easy that I make them at work all the time!
My way of doing things; I don't use measurements when I do this. Sometimes I use more veggies, sometimes less. The type of cheese really depends on 2 things: 1) What kind I'm in the mood for & 2) Have we been grocery shopping lately. Lack of supplies can really cut down on creativity.

What I use
3 eggs (1 whole egg/2 egg whites)
Green Peppers chopped finely
Onion chopped finely
Cheese - you can use what you like
A splash of skim milk
ziplock bag
microwave

How I do it
Beat eggs with splash of milk
Pour into ziplock bag
Add veggies & cheese
Seal bag
Shake bag to mix ingredients
Put into microwave

Here's the tricky part. Depending on the strength of your microwave, you'll need to keep an eye on the bag or it will explode. Which creates a mess. Trust me on this one.
I usually set the timer for a minute at work (high power microwave) and watch until the bag expands almost to the point of popping open. At this point, remove bag from microwave using caution - bag (& ingredients will be HOT!) Open bag slightly & place back into the microwave. Resume cooking - for me this is about 1-1 1/2 minutes.

Remove bag from microwave - again, contents & bag are HOT!
Open bag fully & slide your omelet onto your plate. Garnish as desired - although if like me, you do this at work, you probably won't have garnish.

Consume
Sit back satisfied that you have "cooked" breakfast, it is healthy & you don't have a mess to clean up.
YUM!

My Fave Finds of 2008

I'm always on the lookout for fabulous new items to add to my beauty bag. This year I found a few new things and must share them with you!

Kinerase Intensive Eye Cream. A great find - it has helped to reduce my fine lines around my eyes and have kept the area moisturized without being greasy!

Hope in a Jar. A wonderful facial moisturizer that has kept me from becoming flaky & dried out those cold, winter days in Maine! A must have!
Bumble & Bumble Creme de Coco masque. My go to for healthy, smooth hair. I have super thick hair and it can get dried out pretty easily. This helps to keep me happy and pleased with my hair. Plus, it smells fabulous!!

One that I found for the wedding - Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer. This made my skin flawless for the day and also added a touch of luminosity to my face. I've continued to use it & absolutely love the way it makes my skin appear flawless!

An oldie, but a goodie - The Body Shop Brazil Nut Body Butter. This is fabulous at keeping my skin moisturized - hotel rooms in cold locations can be horrendous! Made with brazil nut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter it smells fabulous & carries The Body Shop difference.
What are your favorite finds of 2008?

Catch up time!

Now that I've had my caffeine, I can function. Side thought - people who "give up" caffeine as a New Year resolution are absolutely out of their mind! I only wish I could. Actually, I don't wish I could because I truly savor coffee - a nice hot cup, steaming with a little cream and Splenda/sugar mix....heaven!

I digress...

I must thank Mojito Maven of Make Mine a Mojito for walking me through how to add my awards to my page! I will blame it all on a lack of caffeine! If you haven't visited Maven, you should, simply to look at the yummy header of her blog. I LOVE mojitos, so it always makes me happy to go to her page!

To begin, Tina over at Life's a journey sent me the "You Are Truly Beautiful" Award! "You are beautiful and full of grace. Beautiful, inside and out."
Thank you, Tina! If you haven't checked out Tina, now is a great time to. She has a list of 100 things about her up. Number 60 is right up my alley - I've also been told I'm way too honest!
**I know that none of you have ever seen me walk down a hallway at work. You'd laugh, I'm definitely lacking in the grace department. :) **

I'm sharing this award with everyone!


A second award! Kimmie over at Living in Dallas and Loving It! has given me a fabulous award!
The award states "This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

If you haven't been to see Kimmie, you should check out this post - she shares some exciting news about a couple that she blogged about.

Now, I follow several blogs religiously, as you can tell by my reading list and I don't think I can narrow this down. You all have been so kind in commenting and sharing your feedback with me - so each of these awards is sent out to you!