Half Way There

Did you all sing that in your best Bonjovi voice? 19 is half of 38...weeks that is. I lose at least 2 weeks of prep time with twins and that is a best case scenario of course. It feels like I'm in one never ending check list which has some major items on it. Items that I cannot take care of myself even though I want to do them. Items that cannot be completed in one nap time period on a Saturday or Sunday. We are making progress on many of the big items though- minivan purchased, major basement clean out, sell a car. All check. #1 and I are leaving for the beach tomorrow for a week with family. Turtle will meet us there on Thursday as he needs to save his vacation for November when the twins come. I am looking forward to relaxing and trying to read three books that are currently on my kindle. The Single Gal can't come due to work obligations at her new place of employment and it won't be the same without her.

My furniture is finally ready!! Turtle is going a little crazy with the length of disarray that is our living room. We haven't had a TV in there since March. We still need to order a TV and a TV console. Of course the one we settled on we can't get until July 24th. Why does it take so long to get some things? It's frustrating. I have left him a to-do list that is a mile long since #1 and I will be out of his hair (or lack of hair in his case) for several days thus he can complete things uninterrupted.

This vacation caused me to have to go out Thursday and shop for a new swimsuit. It didn't turn out as badly as I thought and I did find two cute maternity suits that were 50 percent off. I purchased one size for now and the next size up for our beach trip in September. They are tankinis and not those lame swim dress looking things. I don't mind wearing a two piece to the lake with Big J and P but I'll skip baring my stomach and enlarged chest in front of most of my extended family on my father's side. With that said I really don't feel that my stomach is insanely large yet. I'm sure we'll get there but for a) my second pregnancy and b) a twin pregnancy, I am comfortable with where I am at.

I'm sure you all just want the good dirt. I will try to take a picture soon to post.

How far along?  19 weeks (Monday)
Weight Gain?   11ish pounds
Maternity clothes? Hell, yes. Except for one pair of jeans I bought early post-baby that were a size too big. I can still wear those. It's getting harder to dress cute but I'm trying not to give up.
Stretch marks? None that I can see. But don't let your OB feed you rainbows about you not having any because then you give birth and you can see more of your stomach again and discover that they are lying bitches. In their defense, I didn't have any last ones.
Miss anything? This week, champagne and lunch meat. My normal exercise routines.
Movement? I have been feeling these two since 12 weeks (very occasionally of course). I feel Baby B more than A but I think it has to do with the placenta position.
Gender?  Gotcha. We don't know yet. Turtle's vote is two girls and I go back and forth between girl/boy and two girls.
Cravings?  pickles, glasses of milk, water with ice, kraft macaroni and cheese, fruit- especially watermelon.

Enjoy your weeks and your Fourth of July. I will have pics when we come back from the beach and you will have to rely on the Single Gal while I am gone.

Love
The Housewife

Thoughts for Friday

I really needed to stumble upon this today.  I occasionally stop by Atlanta blogger Jess Graves's site - THE LOVE LIST.  I tried to link the prior post, "On Dating" here, but wasn't able to. Maybe because I'm tired, lazy, or too technologically illiterate to figure it out. 

Anyway...

Seriously single girlfriends. Read it. I know some days are harder than others. At least for me anyway.  Lately I just really needed some confirmation that there are other people out there that feel this way. 

thelovelist.net/

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

{The Optimist}

No, I haven't cheered up all that much since earlier on Saturday.  But, if you have read enough of this blog you probably know that I love to eat.  It was my late birthday wish to make a reservation with 3 Putt, sweet Elise and her husband (my fellow foodies!) at The Optimist.  The Optimist is another one of chef Ford Fry's fantastic restaurants in Atlanta.  Elise and I have been haunting JCT Kitchen in Atlanta since 2009 and while we haven't stopped loving the food, great location, and the lovely views offered upstairs we were beyond excited to try The Optimist which is an oyster bar and seafood restaurant. {confession: Elise and her husband went almost as soon as it opened and I begged her to go back ASAP since she went without me!} 

Let's just start with some photos! 

{note: I tried to take fancy instagrams but we will have to use these from the internet as the mood lighting didn't do much for my attempt at food art. images are not mine.}

First, The Optimist is beyond visually pleasing.  It can be found in the White Provisions district {Westside neighborhood area} ands has an industrial, warehouse feel but elegant at the same time. The middle photo is the left side of the restaurant where the oyster bar is located and is a more casual area.  This is one thing I love about Ford Fry's set ups.  You always have a more upscale option paired with a more relaxed option all in the same place.  

For the food -- I don't claim to be a food critic.  But I am serious eater.  I'm not lying to you when I say that I had the best seared tuna of my life at this place last Saturday.  Definitely get the hush puppies -- they are not traditional in that the outside crust is almost pastry-like but they are so fabulous.  Like Elise's husband said, they are sort of like beignets.  Seriously, just try them.  I also sampled the clam app and some She Crab soup.  We had a wonderful server who discussed the menu at length with us and answered all our questions.  And while I only had white wine {lots of white wine...} this place boasts a very creative and talented bar staff that supposedly makes heavenly cocktails. And how can I not believe that with the beautiful bar pictured above as evidence? 

I do have one.small.complaint. {little cringe} I don't know if it was because we happened to dine on the hottest summer day Georgia had seen at the time this summer, but it was really hot inside the restaurant.  Like so hot that I was sweating and had to pull my hair back to even think about trying to eat something.  Obviously the hostess or manager noticed us fanning ourselves a bit and immediately came over to apologize.  I am sure they will get that resolved as it gets even hotter in Atlanta.  And, it is nothing that would sway me from returning.  I loved everything about the food, atmosphere, and service. 

Go eat some good food.  Get your asses to The Optimist. 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

Monday Obsessions: Random Things

Are all of your friends watching it? Are you watching it? Turtle and I are big fans of this show on AE. In short, it is hysterical. I don't even know where to begin but it's very good television. Make sure you check it out. I can't wait for the second season to come on. Trust me, it's worth it. You can read Phil's Bio from AE here which some very interesting random facts.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Scratch

The Single Gal has always been a huge fan of Urban Decay's eyeshadow and I finally got around to getting myself some. Even though Phil Robertson believes that women who wear too much make up must be hiding evil (or something to that affect) this is our go to brand. It stays on very well, especially if you use primer before applying it. The Single Gal usually defers to Sin but I decided to try out Scratch. I really like it. It was a little bit pinker than it appeared under the bright lights of Sephora but I am pleased with my choice.

Tervis Tumbler Glasses

Since it's summer and lots of people are spending as much time outside as they can- it's important to stay cool. It is certainly hot here in Georgia and what better way to hydrate than with a stylish and personalized Tervis Tumbler mug? These make great gifts for anyone. I believe that Tervis also offers a lifetime warranty on their glasses; you just have to mail them back in to them. They have great collegiate lines to carry them into fall while tailgating and cheering on your favs.


The Housewife

For Sunday...

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

Guess I'll Go Eat Worms.

I don't even know where to start. It's been a helluva week and I am so seriously glad that it's Saturday and that means the week is almost over.  I feel like I have been pushed to my limits. I'll spare you all the dramatic/boring details and highlight some areas of interest: 

1. I've been counting calories again this week for the first time in a while.  It's not that I am really trying to lose weight, but I feel like it's been too long since I have been truly mindful of what I am putting in my body.  Nonetheless, I am pretty sure it's making me cranky.

2. This week, out of all weeks, is a terrible time to discover that your own family doesn't care about your time, nor do they think it's nearly as important as their time and what they need to get done.  

3. We spent this week with yet another trip to the vet. Poor Hogan Muffin cut his back footpad up outside while we were walking.  Like, serious gross road rash.  I was afraid of two things - a) that he was in some pain and b) that since it was open wound it would get infected. So, off to see Dr. Kraft we went.  On the bright side, we made it out for $100.  On the other side, I have to clean it twice a day, administer antibiotics twice a day, and put some sort of powder on it 2-3 times a day.  It's getting a lot better though.  And for the other stuff, well, there is always a snuggle with Baby Moose. 

4. I had 35 files transferred to me at work this week. Ugh. It is terrible to get these in bulk because you just can't get caught up in less than a week and your shit looks just plain disorganized.  The reason I got these files is so they could take someone else off rotation to assist people that are behind. Let me take a minute and vent on the "team" environment.  Working claims is hard. You have to be on top of your shit all day every day and manage your time well. The problem -- you are not rewarded for this in any office. You just keep taking punishment for those that can't keep up and in some instances, just don't care. I'm over it.  

On a positive note, I am trying to work really hard to resolve my "angry" feelings this week that won't seem to go away. But, at the same time, I don't have to feel guilty about these feelings. As my coworker said, "Feelings are not fatal."  So, if I want to walk around singing,  "Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms," all week I can. 

I grabbed these pretties at the store to cheer me up at home. And to make the house seem cleaner and more organized {which it is not}.  The color pink makes everything better. Most of the time.  Also, stay tuned for my review of The Optimist which is chef Ford Fry's newest venture in Atlanta.  Going tonight to shake this week off {even if 3 Putt totally forgot about these plans...}.  Le sigh. 

And I do love all you readers. Totally mean it. 

~the single gal~

Monday Obsessions: Keep It Fresh

I laughed with The Single Gal this morning as we discussed who would cover blogging duties today when I told her I had thought of something new I tried and wanted to use it for Monday Obsessions....except I forgot what it was for half the day. Then I remembered. The Single Gal and I are obviously beauty insiders at Sephora due to the copious amounts of money we can spend in there or online on any given day. If you are a beauty insider they send you a post card for your free birthday gift during the month of your birthday. Last year it was "meh" and I can't even remember what it was. This year it was a sample pack of fresh sugar tinted lip balm in rose and sugar lip treatment SPF 15.

I really love this product because it gives me tons of moisturizing power with a very flattering lip color while I'm chasing around #1, running to the gym or even the grocery store. It helps give me that effortless but put together look appropriate for someone who basically stays in her gym clothes all day. What? I'm pregnant and this time around I seriously cannot even take certain panel maternity shorts constricting me during the day. The Single Gal calls it my "uniform." Whatev I tell you Single Gal.

Now, as I am perusing the fresh website I can see that these are priced on the higher end of things. It's akin to googling this great restaurant your friends have told you about and you notice the quadruple dollar sign next to it. However, I'm not one to put a price on keeping up ones beauty. Let's face it, the men get older and better and we just have to work harder and harder. I would love to try some of their face and body moisturizers and the Radiance Pen.

Have any of you tried any of the fresh products before? Am I late to the party on this product line? My tinted lip balm may be forever in my makeup bag, especially in the winter months.

Sunday Musings

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you are spending your weekend doing fun stuff with friends and loved ones in the sunshine.  My social calendar has felt a bit out of control for May and June so after powering through a wedding I jumped on the Baby Shower train this weekend to celebrate my amazing and lovely friend Elise who is due in about 7 weeks. I can't wait to hold her sweet girl and I am so sad I didn't snap any pictures of her shower because it was totally Pinterest worthy and beautiful! I tend to give "practical" baby gifts because The Housewife swears that getting diapers/wipes or anything else you use a ton and don't have to buy for a while are a big fave among Moms.  So I grabbed a giant, heavy box of baby wipes to wrap up for my good friend. Who knew we would be here when I met her years ago the day we moved into our dorm in college?! 

prettied up baby wipes. 

I also found this cute little online shop {Made By Girl} and have been drooling over this mint colored print!  Also, owner/blogger Jen Ramos is super cute and has two Boxers that she loves, so I'm obviously a huge fan based on that fact alone. She sells prints, stationary, and accessories -- and her blog is super fun, too.  I am {hopefully} about to hang my curtains in the kitchen that The Housewife so kindly helped me make from some Target panels {post to come} so I am starting to think about my empty and bland entry way where I can probably hang this. I may finally feel like the downstairs is semi-complete if I can tackle that project.  

Made By Girl "Love" print 

After resting a bit post-baby shower on Saturday afternoon I came to the conclusion that I wasn't going to get anything productive done that evening, so I grabbed Hogan and we headed out to The Housewife's house.  She has an amazing screened in porch {minus the place where the screen on the door is split which allowed Hogan to escape} where we sat for the night drinking beer, watching lightning bugs, and catching up with her sister and brother-in-law who were in town visiting.  

Today will be spent cleaning {ugh} and I'll be making a trip over to Dad's for Father's Day celebrations and more coverage on The US Open.  I love that this tournament is always on Father's Day weekend. Dad was always dragging us down to the driving range with him and I have spent so much of my life on a golf course with him and will always be so grateful for all my golf lessons and the fun we have had together playing -- and even our arguments over shots.  It's always been a family sport and outing for all of us, and it couldn't have been easy toting around 3 little girls for his entire life and teaching them all his favorite lessons:  how to wash cars, throw a football, cut grass, play golf, work hard, and take care of your family.

What are your best memories with your Dads? 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

Daily Deal: Kabuki is a weird name for a makeup brush...

I am sure y'all know by now that I am basically an irresponsible spendthrift, but I do try to seek out some deals.  Ok...so I don't necessarily seek them out, but I did find this one all by myself. I've been dying for a Bobbi Brown Kabuki brush...but hey..I don't have $40 to spend on that.  Anyway, to my surprise I rolled by a Target brand one the other day for $5!  I was sold. I've been using it the past two days and while I am sure the expensive one has some additional perks, I am really pleased with the results.

I was going to try to link this up to Target but it just says the prices vary on the website. But you can find it in the Up & Up cosmetics section near all the nail stuff.  I'll let you know if it falls apart next week.

Go forth and save money!

Love you. Mean it.
~the single gal~

Life in Pictures

Housewife here, I had a good check up today and no more previa! Just a "low-lying" placenta which should keep moving up where it should be. They could only see Baby B's gender today because Baby A had their legs scrunched up nice and tight. So until next time.....even though you wouldn't know today either because that classified information is being sealed in an envelope for a top secret gender reveal project. For now, #1 is practicing her "surprised" face. 

Hope y'all are having a great week. 

The Housewife

Pregnant and not in Heels

I know y'all only follow this blog for the Single Gal's shenannigans but sometimes you just get me......mommy blogging. Forgive me if I have any crazy typos because I'm doing this from my iPad. My computer didn't feel like working and I didn't feel like dealing with it. This is not even mom blogging today it's just me and my irrational and crazy thoughts. Like when I read MODG's fears about having her second child and I think I will be having a second and third child....at the same time. Yeah. I will be really sleep deprived. After you have your first baby you think you'll remember what it felt like when you were suffering from manic exhaustion but you probably can't really regenerate what it felt like. I sure can't. Also, I'm afraid of having a c-section for several reasons. I've never had major surgery before and poor Turtle is a little squeamish and by that I mean TOTALLY squeamish. I hope he's not on the floor in the operating room. Poor guy. He's like, don't you just want your mom to be there? (He's kidding people.) Second reason is that I want as minimal a recovery as possible. I know people have c-sections every day and they aren't as bad as they seem but still. Third is that I'm terrified I will die of a flesh eating bacteria. You heard me. I swear I heard some news story about a woman who had a c-section and caught a flesh eating bacteria at the hospital. At least my good friend J has had three c-sections and can talk me off the ledge. By that I mean as many times as I need her too. I have a doctors appointment this week so we can all look forward to a gender reveal soon. I know that people have multiples with siblings all the time and they survived and so will I. Because any good Southern woman has a little bit of Scarlett in her. The Housewife

Monday Obsessions: Blogs and Hair Products

Well, I made it back from Wedding Weekend alive.  Really tired, but alive.  After dragging myself out of bed this morning at 9:30 (seriously, I never sleep this late!) I made my coffee and began catching up on all my blogs when I remembered that I had my own blog that was in dire need of an updated post.  Today is Monday after all, so you know what that means...time for an update on all the things we are obsessing over. 

Lately I am completely not obsessed with having to wash my hair every single day. Especially in the summer since when I do wash it and dry it and break out my fancy curling iron the humidity here in Georgia absolutely kills any dreams or illusions I may have had about having a good hair day as soon as I walk outside.  The best bet I have for even holding curl is the day after I have washed my hair when it's dry and starting to get a bit of texture.  Aside from my general use of baby powder to dry my scalp a bit since it basically functions as the cheapest dry shampoo ever, I have sought a little help from my favorite product line - Big Sexy Hair.  I can't always afford it, but all of their items work wonders on my super fine hair.  

Big Sexy Hair - Powder Play

Little A introduced me to this one. Just a bit on your hair kind of dries it up and allows me to get some extra volume on the top of my head.  It can kind of give you that "2nd Day" hair feel on day one, or you can use it on a day when you aren't going to wash it.  It's not crazy expensive and it will last you a while. 

If you have more money than me (most people do) then you can also try this Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion.  Our hairdresser for the wedding put this everywhere on my hair for volume and I'm tempted to spare $24 to go and grab some. It just makes your hair follicles swell up magically.   

Also, I am sure you all already know about both of these blogs, but I am behind the times (as usual) because I really don't make a ton of time to just sit on the computer and read unless I am wasting time on Pinterest.  I am a new-comer these but I am completely obsessed with  The Everygirl  and  Wendy's Lookbook!!!  

Why I love {The Everygirl} -- It seems to be for just what it says -- every girl.  And, they are always featuring items that are budget friendly and elements for all parts of your life. Not just fashion. Not just stuff to decorate your home with. Not just entertaining ideas and etiquette.  They address every part of your life and they seem nice and cute and I feel like we are friends.  

  

Why I love {Wendy's Lookbook} -- Even though I read a lot of "fashion" blogs just to see what people are wearing, I am not that in love with, well, any of them. Except this one.  First, this girl is seriously beautiful beyond belief, but I follow her on Twitter and she seems incredibly kind and giving. She does some charity work, makes fun YouTube videos, and while she loves fashion, it doesn't seem to be the only important thing in her life.  While most of her posts are clothes, she also writes a bit about other things in her life, but keeps a central focus while doing this.  It's kinda hard for me to explain since I am still not quite awake -- but check her out if you haven't seen her stuff. Impeccable style. I want every outfit she wears. For real.  Most of the fashion bloggers seem like they are just trying too hard in a lot of the posts I see.  Except for Wendy. She is as effortless as Kate Middleton. 

What blogs do you love? What can't you live without when you fix your hair?

Happy Monday! Here's to a great week for everyone.


Love you. Mean it.
~the single gal~

Keep Calm And....

Well, Birthday Season has started with a bang.  A big, fat, nasty one to my savings account.  I'd like to send a nastygram to the government for putting a large, black cloud over my Birthday which stressed me out to the point where I had a hideous migraine that kept coming back from Friday all the way through Sunday. I'm tapped out with a total of $1500 going to the car.  I mean, it's fine -- a new car is seriously not in the picture for at least 5 more years and I really refuse to get anything until my student loan is paid off and the wheels are also falling off the Honda.  Thank God my ad valorem tax is all of $36 and then a $20 tag fee. 

Tomorrow is D-Day.  There are no more lights on the dashboard glaring at me every time I get in to go somewhere. That car better pass that damn test. After the aphids I really can't take much more this summer. Sheesh. 

I spent so much on the car that I really was going to guilt myself into taking my Lilly maxi dress back.  The dress was expensive. I probably don't really need it. {Ok. I don't need the dress at all.}  I had already ripped the tags off my seersucker mimosa skirt and was sporting it around town so I couldn't cut that one from the closet.  So far I haven't taken it back.  It's on my credit card.  It's irresponsible of me not to return it. I can't afford it. But I'm still just 28 until Thursday...so I can still slide on responsibility for a few days right? 

Might not be the best idea, but it's a lot easier to deal with all this mess in a pretty dress if you ask me. 

Also, a quick note to everyone who has helped me out over the past two weeks or so. It's seriously hard for me to ask for help. I hate it. I don't like depending on other people for anything. I don't like appearing vulnerable or incapable in any way, shape or form. It kills me.  I really don't know why I work myself up so much.  Everything always works out in the end.  So, for now, I'm going to try to repair my savings account.  And I am going to keep calm and wear my expensive maxi dress for the rest of the summer while I do it. 

But thanks for the rides.  Thanks for helping me find someone trustworthy who could fix my car for a reasonable price.  A million little "thank you's" to 3 Putt for bringing me a huge bag of dog food for Hogan (and a bag of treats).  Sympathy tweets were appreciated, too.  And I am sorry for all the complaining.  I am lucky to have a reliable car and even luckier to have some reliable friends. 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~