Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Thursday, July 23, 2009

SYTYCD ... a very powerful performance



one of the top three performances on this show ever in my opinion. love it.

Friday, July 10, 2009

so well said


"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ' I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Food = Body

One of my sweet aunts is the queen of the email forward. Helpful hints, photos, info ... anything she thinks could be useful to you in any way at all. She sent me this one about the foods we consume and the uncanny resemblance they hold to the parts of the body that they provide nourishment and development for. It is truly amazing how nature mirrors itself. Check it out.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Proposal


So last weekend I decided that another funny movie was in order to make me feel better. Well that and a HEAPING bowl of delicious pasts from Provino's. I chose The Proposal, this summer's cute, romantic comedy. It was actually pretty good. Lots of witty one-liners, a very special dance scene and who doesn't love Betty White right? If you are looking for a girlfriend matinee or want to drag your man to another chick-flick I recommend this one.

Oh. I heard Sandra Bullock was in this movie too. JK!!

Ryan Reynolds. You're welcome ladies.

Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival at the FOX


It's that time of year again ... summer movies at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. I am excited about the July lineup for the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival and look forward to seeing what they have in store for August! I think Slum Dog Millionaire, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Night at the Museum are all in my future. If you haven't experienced summer movies at the Fox, you are missing out on a fun Atlanta past-time. Last year I attended my first show with some friends and was really surprised at what an "experience" it really was. There is a sing-along portion, classic cartoons instead of regular movie previews and the atmosphere alone is worth the trip! You can CLICK HERE to see the latest schedules, purchase tickets and sign up for email alerts.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Need some office humor??


Oh boy do I. My friend knew I needed a good laugh today and she sent me this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks girl.

ONE-POINT OFFICE DARES
1) Run one lap around the office at top speed.
2) Ignore the first five people who say 'good morning' to you.
3) Phone someone in the office you barely know, leave your name and say, "Just called to say I can't talk right now. Bye."
4) To signal the end of a conversation, clamp your hands over your ears and grimace.
5) Leave your zipper open for one hour. If anyone points it out, say, "Sorry, I really prefer it this way."
6) Walk sideways to the photocopier.
7) While riding in an elevator, gasp dramatically every time the doors open.

THREE-POINT DARES
1) Say to your boss, "I like your style" and shoot him with double-barreled fingers.
2) Babble incoherently at a fellow employee, and then ask, "Did you get all that, I don't want to have to repeat it."
3) Page yourself over the intercom (do not disguise your voice).
4) Kneel in front of the water cooler and drink directly from the nozzle (there must be a 'non-player' within sight).
5) Shout random numbers while someone is counting.

FIVE POINT DARES
1) At the end of a meeting, suggest that, for once, it would be nice to conclude with the singing of the national anthem (5 extra points if you actually launch into it yourself).
2) Walk into a very busy person's office and while they watch you with growing irritation, turn the light switch on/off 10 times.
3) For an hour, refer to everyone you speak to as "Bob."
4) Announce to everyone in a meeting that you "really have to go do a number two."
5) After every sentence, say 'Mon' in a really bad Jamaican accent. As in "The report's on your desk, Mon." Keep this up for 1 hour.
6) While an office mate is out, move their chair into the elevator.
7) In a meeting or crowded situation, slap your forehead repeatedly and mutter, "Shut up, all of you just shut up!"
8) At lunchtime, get down on your knees and announce, "As God as my witness, I'll never go hungry again."
9) In a colleague's DAY PLANNER, write in the 10am slot: "See how I look in tights."(5 Extra points if it is a male, 5 more if he is your boss)
10) Carry your keyboard over to your colleague and ask, "You wanna trade?"
11) Repeat the following conversation 10 times to the same person: "Do you hear that?" "What?" "Never mind, it's gone now."
12) Come to work in army fatigues and when asked why, say, "I can't talk about it."
13) Posing as a maitre d', call a colleague and tell him he's won a lunch for four at a local restaurant. Let him go.
14) Speak with an accent (French, German, Porky Pig, etc) during a very important conference call.
15) Find the vacuum and start vacuuming around your desk.
16) Hang a 2' long piece of toilet roll from the back of your pants and act genuinely surprised when someone points it out.
17) Present meeting attendees with a cup of coffee and biscuits, smashing each biscuit with your fist.
18) During the course of a meeting, slowly edge your chair towards the door.
19) Arrange toy figures on the table to represent each meeting attendee, move them according to the movements of their real-life counterparts.

And if that wasn't enough for you... How to keep a healthy level of insanity:
1) At lunchtime, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2) Tell your children over dinner. "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."
3) Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
4) Put your wastebasket on your desk and label it "IN".
5) Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over his or her caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
6) Finish all your sentences with "In accordance with the prophecy."
7) Dont use any punctuation
8) Use, too...much; punctuation!
9) As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
10) Ask people what sex they are. Laugh hysterically after they answer.
11) Specify that your drive-through order is "to go."
12) Sing along at the opera.
13) Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.
14) Put mosquito netting around your work area. Play a tape of jungle sounds all day.
15) Five days in advance tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.
16) Have your co-workers address you by your wrestling name, "Rock Hard."
17) When the money comes out of the ATM, scream "I Won! I Won! 3rd time this week!!!"
18) When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot yelling, "Run for your lives, they're loose!"

Post-It LOVE

I love office supplies in general, but these folks just garnered a whole new level of respect for the nifty use of post-it notes. I would like to know the combined man hours that went in to producing this?

Monday, June 8, 2009

Forward

I wade through hundreds of email every day. The number of forwarded emails that I actually find interesting, informative or enjoyable are few and far between. This one just entered my mailbox. I'm not really sure what made me open it, but I did. Isn’t funny how something so simple can give you a little perspective & make your day. I enjoyed it, maybe you will too. Consider this the closest thing to a forward that you will get form me.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once
more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, and then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Sandal Sale

If you love shoes like I do (and I think we have previously established a pattern!) then you should sign up for DSW Rewards. It's FREE, easy and they send you great coupons and sale information. I was just telling someone that I was in need of some dressy flats for work and then right in my inbox pops this Kelly & Katie 2 for $40 deal ...



As an added bonus, they are offering FREE shipping for Rewards members with a purchase of $35 or more using the promo code SHIP2ME.

There are also hundreds of women's and men's shows in the clearance section of the website.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Benjamin Moore Launches iPhone App



If you’re more of a Benjamin Moore fan than Sherwin-Williams, then today is your lucky day!The Benjamin Moore iPhone app called ben® Color Capture™ launches June 1st. It lets you snap a picture of any color inspiration and instantly match it to one of the more than 3,300 hues that comprise Benjamin Moore’s color system. Shake the phone when your matches come up, and it'll give you coordinating colors for your new palette, and once you're convinced these are your home's new hue, it'll use the phone's GPS to find the nearest retailers with the Moore paint. SO FUN!



The Sherwin-Williams App
With ColorSnap™, you can discover how coordinating colors and bringing ideas to life is easier than you ever imagined. Find a color you love, snap the photo and receive the matching Sherwin-Williams paint color and coordinating palette. And it’s all FREE!
1: Choose a color that inspires you and match it with one of our 1,500 Sherwin-Williams paint colors.
2: Receive a coordinating palette that complements your color.
3: Find your local Sherwin-Williams store where the experts will help you bring your vision to life.
4: Save colors to your "My Saved Colors" library for future inspiration.

CLICK HERE to download your free ColorSnap™ app from Sherwin-Williams.

The Green & Gold GOTTA GO!



At my house there always seems to be a few lingering home improvement projects that never quite make it to the "take-action" phase. One such project has been plaguing me day after day. Our front door and shutters = UGLY. There is nothing functionally wrong with either, but aesthetically speaking ... really not our style. I take full responsibility for the fact that this has gone unaddressed for so long, but NO MORE I SAY, NO MORE!! After pricing out what it would cost to replace and suffering a hefty slap of sticker shock, I opted for a trusty stand by ... a good coat of fresh paint. As with most projects, the first stoke is the hardest. Especially when, in a moment of boldness (or insanity?) I chose black as the new color scheme. WHAT?! That's right I said it. The weather was gorgeous, so I turned on the ole' boom box, wielded my paint brush and spent the day painting.



I opted to tape-off rather than take-off the shutters. It saved a ton of time and I didn't have to worry about banging up the new paint job on the install.






Removing the disgusting kick plate and sanding was the hardest part. I made sure to sand every corner and groove since I was painting over the door, molding and all the trim. I used a paint brush for the tight spots and corners, but the to make a nice smooth coat overall I used a 4" foam roller.


I even took down the curtains from the side windows and installed some vinyl "frosting". It provides even more privacy, lets in more light and looks better from the inside and outside. *Side note: If you have never installed this stuff ... it is absolutely a two person job. Having an extra set of hands makes a huge difference in the quality of the final product. Let's just say it took a few tries to get this portion of the project right!

So there you have it. Out with the green & gold gross and in with the bold black. I am so relieved to have this project off the docket and now I don't mind being greeted by my front door when I come home!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Pop's 'Stache


HILARIOUS!!!!

Pop's 'Stache - A collaboration by Industrial Designers Shane Blomberg, John Healy, and Andrew Reeves. These hilarious mustaches serve as drink identifiers and remind everyone that there is nothing more fun than a mustache.

TART.


I have recently discovered that my disdain for cooked fruit is waining. I have enjoyed a few tasty treats that have swayed me to keep trying more and so far, so good. I saw this simple apple tart recipe posted by the Pioneer Woman (amazing blogger btw, she blogs about everything!). It looks so yummy that I think I might have to give it a try. CLICK HERE to see the whole process step-by-step with photos. This post has also led me to seriously considering apple tarts for breakfast. It's fruit so that counts right?!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

LuLu's Fashion Lounge


Have you heard of LuLu's? I hadn't. Apparently they are VERY popular. Sometimes I wonder what rock I have been under when I see cute things like this. If you aren't already in the know about this adorable "fashion lounge", you should check it out. They have some really unique items (lots of adorable tops, jewelry and shoes!) and the prices are very reasonable.

Friday, May 22, 2009

More bags

I think I have previously addressed my issues with using plastic bags. As I become more and more educated about how detrimental they are to the environment I grow even more passionate about their elimination from our culture. Most people's argument for their continued use is the convenience. Agreed. Convenience is nice. Certainly a luxury and something we could manage to work around with a teensy but of effort, but nice. 

I LOVE bags. I am of the mindset that you can never have too many. EVER! For those like-minded bag lovers or those trying to elevate a portion of their carbon footprint ... here are two great choices I ran across:

Baggubags - very cute, convenient, packable, portable, lightweight, sturdy .... amazing!
 

Any excuse to be funky, fun & super functional ... Alphabet Bags


Quote

You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.
--Zig Ziglar

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Get Outdoors Georgia



In our ever growing battle trying to balance work life & personal life, Scott and I are trying to do more fun things to livin' it up a bit. While searching for some festival information, I ran across a very cute site called Get Outdoors Georgia. It provides listings of all different kinds of outdoor activities - everything from picnics or mini-golf to hiking and camping. You can also sign up for the monthly newsletter. Check it out if you are looking for some fun summer activities on the CHEAP!!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

So You Think You Can Dance

It's BACK!!

I LOVE this show. It is, by far, my all-time favorite reality TV series. I think it is unbelievable how much talent is out there just waiting to be discovered. Every year the dancers are more outstanding, the choreography is more breathtaking and season 5 should be the biggest one yet!



2009 Season 2-Hour Premier
Thurs. May 21 @ 8 p.m.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Fred Flare SALE!

Fred Flare is a funky little shop with all sorts of great finds - so check them out if you are looking for a really unique gift for yourself or a friend!
Here are few fun things that made me smile ... ENJOY!




Sunday, May 17, 2009

Vroom Vroom

After almost a decade long relationship with my beloved Saturn, Sally has died. She had the opportunity to be repaired, but alas the manufacturer of the necessary part has gone out of business due to this unpleasant recession. Her passing forced me to make a bold purchase in order to ensure my transportation to and from work & play. My first new car purchase, in my name, with my $$$$. Here she is ladies & gentlemen ... my 2009 Toyota Corolla Sport!!

 
I'm pretty excited, so if you want to go for a spin ... let me know. Now to think of the perfect name?!?!

R&R