Monday Obsessions: Ikat

Housewife checking in again before the Single Gal murders me. I don't have much going on right now except that I found a rug for my living room. I'm trying hard to trust my decorating senses and cues and buying what I like. I just hope it looks okay together and not like an HGTV makeover gone bad. Y'all know I have crazy decorating woes. Plus, the Single Gal doesn't have to contend with a husbands opinion and tastes when she does her decorating. I'm usually faced with finding something we "both" like; although, sometimes the Turtle will concede. I'm really glad we both love this rug. It was an immediate yes yes conversation. I found it at Home Decorator Collections. Have any of you ever been in that store? They just opened one near our mall area and while it's not cheap it's certainly a very reasonable store for it's merchandise. They have a great rug selection and I was very happy I actually got to see the rug in person because once I looked it up at home online the coloring definitely looks different.


I'm mad at the Internet right now because I can't just insert a pretty image for you I have to use the link above. Anyway, the blue looks a little sharper than the image but I just adore ikat and love the large scale of this. I'm sure it will look fine with my couch but I'm just a little worried about the geometric ottoman I ordered that will sit directly on top of it. The goal is obviously to look like Sarah Richardson put this living room together and it looks lovely and layered. I know, my goals are too high.

Living Room update so far....floors are done and floor outlet installed. Rug and furniture all ordered and waiting for delivery. The rug will be here in 7-14 days which will be before the furniture comes. Turtle advised he did not want to move furniture just to put the rug down. Still need a tv, console, side tables and  accessories.

Are any of you in any decorating dilemma's? I know I still want to paint my kitchen and figure out some sort of shelving for one empty wall. I have an empty entry way that needs attention too.

Out With the Old...In With the New

Again, this week has just been off.  New schedule.  New people.  Training on a new claims system. New problems. Tons of paperwork.  I am just not feeling on top of things -- I forgot to pay my student loan bill on the due date. For the first time in 6 years.  And probably the 4th time I have ever forgotten to pay a bill on time...EVER.  But shit happens I guess.  

Other major things happening this week -- our dear friend Em is uprooting her life {willingly!} and staying on Mackie's couch in NYC for a bit to start a big adventure and find a publishing job! I am going to have to live vicariously through her ability to just pick up and go somewhere new for a completely different life. The Housewife and I had dinner with her earlier this week as a "farewell for now" celebration at Nine Street Kitchen in Old Town Roswell.  We had great service, great wine, a million laughs, and a lots of nostalgia for dessert.  Em seemed so cool, calm and collected.  And here I am having a mini breakdown over a new job with a 15 minute commute. 

*not my photo*

I didn't get to see my handsome traveling business man this week like originally planned.  His trip got pushed back because of some client issues...or rescheduled...whatev.  I'm trying to put on my "big girl" panties and not make a big deal out of it, but being happy even when plans change is not my strong point. At all. {Seriously.  Ask The Housewife. It puts me over the edge.} I am working to get better at this.  It's really not a big deal.  And, it was probably best since I had so much going on this week with starting my job.  

On that note, I am jumping on the bandwagon for this Fifty Shades of Grey business.  All my friends are talking about it and all my internet friends are reading it, too! I feel left out. However, I am in the middle of two books right now so it will be sometime in May before I can get to this one. 

I am going to try to use the rest of this week and this weekend to get in some gym time, relax, and allow myself as many glasses of wine and trips for FroYo as I want.  What are you guys reading? What are you doing this weekend?

I originally sent 3 Putt some well wishes this week since he is playing in a Nationwide event {kinda a big deal} but I am thinking of taking them back since I haven't heard from him and its highly likely he has fallen deathly ill or is in a place where he has no cell service.  Why is 3 Putt are people so intent on pissing me off? In reality,  I am probably just tired and grumpy because I have been up so late texting with TDH -- you know, because I am apparently a teenage girl {one that forgets to pay her bills on time}. 

I'm not a playa I just crush a lot.

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

Wild About Etsy

I know everyone on the planet is super wild about Etsy {le duh}.  The Housewife and I are no exception! We used an amazing shop to get the beautiful custom monogrammed and umbrella cookies for Little A's shower, and I grabbed some art for 3 Putt as a gift for watching Hogan while I was out of town in January.  I love how it's like an online flea market/treasure chest that I can search from my sofa.  Because, if I am honest, I love accomplishing things while simultaneously sitting on my couch. 

Here are some of my most favorite recent finds on Etsy!

This amazing bubble necklace looks exactly like this one from JCrew that I have been drooling over for about a year and a half.  JCrew lists theirs at a pricey $150.  SheaBay on Etsy has her beautiful bubble necklace {pictured above} for $39.00! She is either practically giving it away or JCrew is even more overpriced than I originally thought. 

I love this nautical knot bracelet. There was a hot pink one available earlier in the week but I think it sold already! Sads. It was so on trend with all the neon that is out there right now.   You can grab this bracelet here  at OMyHeartKate's shop.  

This beautiful necklace in her shop also caught my eye!

Monday Obsessions: Summer Jams

It's so hot in Georgia lately that summer feels like it has already arrived.  Even with some colder temps and rain over the last week I worry we are in for a big heat wave by May.  With the warmer weather coming there are tons of festivals, weddings, lake trips, dates or girls night out, and general outdoor adventures in my future so you can see where I am in desperate need of some quality jams {read: none of that Katy Perry and Nikki Manaj crap I keep hearing on the radio}. 

Here are a few albums I have been stalking lately for Single Gal Summer 2012!  

I am by no means a music connoisseur, so I will admit that I saw this while I was picking up my daily coffee at Starbucks {oh the horror of not being the original person to know about this band}.  It looked cool so I zipped home and promptly logged onto iTunes to check Alabama Shakes out.  Pretty darn cool group.  The iTunes review actually quoted exactly what I thought about them once I started listening -- "Otis Redding meets The Black Keys".  Also, it's only $7.99! 

With that being said, I promptly started to really get a hankering for the following two albums: 

You can obviously grab this one on iTunes as well {duh} -- and nothing says summer, love, and soul like this guy.  I feel like I need Otis to keep me calm and help me wind down in the sweltering Georgia heat after a long day at work.   It wouldn't hurt if I was sitting on my porch with a gorgeous man while this was on either. Too bad its highly likely TDH is not reading this. {sigh}

I felt like I would go ahead and dive in with something from The Black Keys since Alabama Shakes clearly inspired me this weekend.  My vote is for the new one.  First, because I love the "Lonely Boy" single.  It's a pretty righteous jam.  Second, it makes me think of Dan {Lonely Boy} Humphrey from Gossip Girl.  And we all know how awesome that show is. 

Send your music recommendations over if you have 'em.  I am obviously not in the loop if I am grabbing mine from the largest commercial chain coffee shop on the planet. 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

Saturday Rituals

 I was thinking today about Saturday morning (or weekend) rituals.  I am sure everyone has those few select things that the absolutely must do in their free time so they can regroup for the week ahead.  Sometimes these things are so comforting -- even if it's just getting up early to have some peace and quiet before the rest of the household wakes up!  I am really focused on mine this weekend because I start my new job on Monday, y'all! I am trying really hard not to be nervous but it's difficult. I know that I will have growing pains getting used to a new office as well as a new manager, and I will be in a more advanced position so I have resolved not to be too hard on myself if I make some mistakes in the beginning. I will make them and if I do -- It's not the end of the world.  

This weekend I resolved to enjoy all my favorite rituals so I can focus on the constants in my life but also relax about the new and unexpected (which is really hard for me). 

1. Early morning run with The Housewife! 

I live and die by my Asics.  I also live and die for Saturday morning runs.  With traveling and other commitments The Housewife and I have really fallen off the wagon with our weekly ritual so it was a big priority this weekend.  Today we slept in a bit and met at 7:30 and zipped around our 4 mile loop.  Now that The Housewife has started her family it's one of those times that is truly just for us to chat and work out with each other so it's really important that this happens as much as possible. 

2. Starbucks

Immediately after our run The Housewife and I always stop by our local Starbucks on the way home to grab our coffee.  When we were marathon training we would drag ourselves in after a really hot and sweaty 16 miles in July even though we looked like a mess.  We keep telling ourselves one day we are going to get fixed up and go in that place so they don't think we look that gross all the time.  It still hasn't happened.  But one day...

3. Morning Walk with Hogan

After I run I usually come right home and if weather permits I go ahead and take Hogan on his walk.  I grab my coffee and we make all our loops around the neighborhood in the morning when it's still quiet outside and not too hot. I rarely even take my phone when I am walking with him so that I can make sure we are having quality bonding time and it also helps me just relax and clear my head for the day (or from the day if we are walking at night).  Which I really need lately.  The older I get the more I find I need these quiet moments.


What do you love to do on Saturday or Sunday?! 

ER Date Nights and the Like

It's really all about two weeks of chaos. As the Single Gal informed you I had to vacate my house for over a week for the installation of some new hardwood floors and refinishing of the new and old floors. It felt like it took a month. They started the Wednesday before Easter. We moved in with my in-laws for the time period which didn't end up being so bad because they were out of town Thursday through Sunday of Easter Weekend.

Maybe I should just start with Good Friday. I guess I was just having a tough day. I hit the gym that morning and ran some errands, took care of #1 of course. By the time Turtle got home I was pretty tired but I had just found out I wasn't going to be able to get back into my house before I left for Charleston and needed more clothes, etc. So Turtle came home Friday night and we ran to the house and came back. We put the little monster to bed and as Turtle was cooking dinner on the island cook top I went to get into a bar stool which happened to be a little too close to the iron pedestal which holds up an additional granite bar for seating. I hit my knee really hard on the iron part and tried to tell Turtle I felt like I was going to pass out. Well, the next thing I knew I woke up on the floor. At first I thought I had just been really tired and fell asleep but then I remembered I was sitting in the chair. So I sat up and yelled for Turtle because he wasn't there when I came to (he had run to get the phone as he said I was not responding to him) and realized quickly my nose/face was bleeding everywhere. Great. He came back and made me lay down and called 911. Because when your parents and you have little people in bed you no longer have the ability to just go ahead and take yourself quickly. He also called the Single Gal to freak her out and ask her to get herself over to his in-laws to watch after #1. To make a long story short the paramedics deemed my vitals well enough to have Turtle take me to the ER. As a former auto claims adjuster an ambulance ride just equals a bill I don't want to pay. The ER wait was long because we stupidly went to the trauma center location near us. But finally the doctor was able to come back in and put some Dermabond glue on this nasty cut across the bridge of my nose. If I had thought enough for Turtle to take my picture I would post it but I forgot to ask. Ridiculous. My nose is not broken but was swollen and bruised for a few days.

Then I left the following Thursday with the Single Gal for bachelorette shenanigans. Unfortunately while we were at the in-laws they were having a visit from my 4 year old niece. She tends to suffer from "allergies." I put this in quotations because apparently this time it was a virus and not allergies as my in-laws have gotten sick and guess who else got sick? #1. So we had to go to the doctor yesterday for a $55 inhaler/aerochamber breathing device to help her lungs. You know what they don't tell you? They don't tell you that shit makes them not want to sleep and very jittery. So after day four of no nap yesterday I felt sure I could dose her up and have her in bed by 6:30 and dead to the world. No. Not even close. After many times of going in to check on her, then she kept telling us she wanted to "eat" so we fed her, put her back to bed and let her cry a bit which resulted in vomit all over the crib and #1. So sheet change, bath and pajamas we put her back to bed. She threw up again. She seems to be better this morning and finally fell asleep at 11 last night. Only for me to have to go back in at 3 am for a severe coughing fit which cons me into giving her the inhaler medicine again because I'm afraid her lungs will burst and she will die. And then I can't sleep for another hour and a half.

So as the Single Gal holds a knife to my throat to make me blog that is where I have been. It's just been one thing after another and lots of not sleeping between fun girls weekends and sick babies. This episode makes me want to kick modern medicine to the curb and just take my baby to a Chinese medicine man for healing. There's got to be a better way. Sigh. However, I would not leave the hospital without them either stitching or gluing my nose even though Turtle was fed up with the crazy wait time and one super bitchy nurse. It's my face though. If it was my arm I would have told him to put some gauze and tape on it and we'll figure it out later. I had such a good nose too. Now I'm afraid even though it's not broken it will never be the same.

Are y'all having any serious first world problems like myself lately? I hope not. I'm ready for my normal again.

Catching Up

Hi, Everyone! Just wanted to drop some quick lines so we can all catch up since life has been so busy! 

The Housewife has been super MIA. I am sure you noticed. But, she does have a valid excuse.  She is mid-rennovation this week and has been staying with her wonderful In-Laws while all the dust settles on those gorgeous hardwoods.  They ended up starting two days later than planned when The Housewife noticed that the brought in the wrong size planks for her floors.  It's always something!

We are still in full-on Bridesmaid mode this week! Today we leave for a girls trip to Folly Beach/Charleston, South Carolina for Little A's Bachelorette Weekend.  This vacation couldn't come soon enough for me for a few reasons.  First, I have decided to take another job.  I had some interviews over the last few weeks and found a more stable company that is also closer to home.  It's been a rough week because it's hard to put in your notice at a place you loved and leave your work family.  I have so many co-workers there that I value and some incredibly close friends there as well.  More on this later! Secondly, I have had to cut some vacation time I already had planned out since I have to start my new job where I need to accrue my PTO {lame}.  So I am going to enjoy every second of my time off until I go back to work on Tuesday. 

In other random news, I was jokingly texting Little A about TDH and then I sent a second blip about wanting to beg him to be my wedding date in June. Except I sent that text to TDH. Yes -- you read that last sentence correctly.  It didn't really mention him by name, but I was mortified.  Actually, I am still mortified.  I said "beg" for goodness sake! Beg!  I was dying {why does this not look like a real word????}.  Seriously.  I am a moron. 

Thank God he is nice and understanding and wrote me back immediately that it was "no big deal".  It doesn't appear that I have sent him running back into New Jersey to disappear forever {not yet anyway}. 

Also, I hate my iPhone right now.  You know, since it's my phone's fault, not mine...

The Housewife and I wish you an early "Happy Weekend" since we are hitting the road this morning! 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

The Bridal Shower Crisis

Last week The Housewife and I had to get into serious TCB {Taking Care of Business} mode to get everything together for the bridal shower we were putting together for Little A.  I know y'all are really wondering about my vague mention of what will forever be known as "The Bridal Shower Crisis".  And most people looked at me like I was totally cray when I told them I was having this crisis.  Except when I told them what happened, they were all like "Seriouslythat'snotgoodatall!!!". 

The Housewife, myself, and our friend Mackie thought we were total badasses and reserved Mittie's Tea Room in cute little Old Town Roswell for the shower weeks ago.  This place has been there forever.  Then we had our perfect invites printed and mailed with all the deets.  Soooo perfect.  The Housewife sends off our $125 deposit to secure our date.  

Fast forward to last Saturday when I am harassing The Housewife to send the owner of Mittie's our final number.   She hadn't asked, but we are super anal planners so we are on top of that for her.  Except we never hear from her. We call Mittie's probably a million times. Except the phone line is disconnected.  At this point we are starting to wonder a bit and on Monday night I tell The Housewife to straight up send her a nasty gram to write us back.  Nothing.  The Housewife went so far as to drive out the to speak to someone in person...except no one was there. And no cars were in the parking lot.  

This is where we start to hyperventilate; a) because she already cashed our damn check and b) because we are scared we will show up with a total of 14 people and the doors will be locked and we won't have anything to eat or anywhere to have this shower.  The Housewife and I are straight freaking out.  So much so that we haven't even told Mackie anything about the situation (she lives in NYC so there wasn't much she could do at the time anyway). 

We basically had to make the decision to try to find another place to have this shower at the last minute.  The Housewife and I were in full agreement that the shame of having to call everyone and change the location was not as bad as the shame of showing up to some place that seemed closed for business.  In our frantic attempts to call the owner of Mittie's in Roswell we called the one in Alpharetta. They are the same except they are not affiliated with each other at all.  BUT...Cindy had one of her private rooms free.  She let us reserve this with no deposit and even gave The Housewife some food samples as if we were a hard sell. 

I did have to call my dear friend and tell her of the debacle for her shower and change the location, however; but everyone made it to the place and the actual shower went really well! We are currently working to get our deposit back from the crazy lady at the other tea room. 

Here are some of the pics!

The Housewife and Mackie are super crafty.  They made a towel cake and some really lovely tissue paper flowers.  My amazing supervisor at work baked our beautiful (and seriously delicious) lemon and vanilla cupcakes.

In the name of Pinterest I slit a wine cork and stuffed our invite in there to display it.  Yeah, the one with the wrong address for our shower.

Big thanks to sweet Carlonia for our cupcake tower!

Yarn wreath!

For party favors we sent the guests away with cookies! We used this amazing Etsy shop and got umbrellas and monogramed cookies in Little A's coral wedding color.  Not only were the cookies beautiful, but they were also delicious!


And now that we have braved the bridal shower we are moving on to the Bachelorette Party! Off to Charleston in less than two weeks!!!!!

Love you. Mean it.
~the single gal~

Monday Obsessions: Better Late than Never Edition

Apologies for the late post today! The Housewife and I were basically in a whirlwind bridal shower crisis last week (more on this later) and had our best girls in town all weekend so we have been missing in action lately.  Luckily, The Housewife is a super cool customer under pressure and thanks to us being really anal planners everything all worked out.  I only almost hyperventilated once last Wednesday.  And we thought about crying, but we didn't.  

Today I am super obsessed with locating this powder/mineral foundation (whatever you want to call it) in medium beige from {philosophy}.   

The actual philosophy website is out of stock but I did find this awesome website with a 20% off sale through tonight and free shipping (You. Are. Welcome.).  I have tried what seems like 3000 powders that seem similar to this or try to make do with grocery store stuff but I haven't found anything that competes with  this one.  Seriously -- I returned some Lancome powder.  Who does that? Oh wait, I do.  

I like full coverage foundation so I will warn you that if you don't, then you probably won't like this particular foundation.  But for those of us with uneven skin tone, it really does have an airbrushed quality, is super fine, and a bit luminous.  You also get all this for the fun price of $35.  Totally, totally worth it!! 

Other stuff from {philosophy} that we live and die by: 

amazing grace shampoo, bubble bath & body wash {all-in-one}

The Housewife also loves the perfume! 

If you are super green I think they use fancy natural stuff, too.  As always, no one pays us to promote their stuff.  This is just stuff we love.  Even so, go out and get philosophical! 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~