Go Dawgs!

Sadly one of College Football's most well known mascots, UGA VI has passed away. 

WSBTV Reports:

ATHENS, Ga. -- Uga VI, Georgia's beloved English bulldog mascot, died Friday night in Savannah.

Longtime owner Sonny Seiler confirmed that UGA VI passed away peacefully in his sleep last night."He didn't suffer," Cecelia Seiler said of her 10-year-old dog. "He lived right here in my den with me for 10 years. He was a happy dog."He was the winningest UGA in school history and will be laid to rest inside Sanford Stadium alongside the previous mascots.Uga VI took the reins from Uga V early in the 1999 season. He turned 10 in July and would have been the only one of the dogs other than Uga I to serve past his 10th birthday.Uga VII's readiness to take the field for the 2008 football season is a topic for school officials, Seiler said, and none could be reached immediately Saturday morning.The line of mascots has long garnered national attention, culminating with Uga V's appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which named Uga as the nation's best mascot.

Saturday afternoons in Athens won't be the same without him! 

GGGOOOOO DAWGS!!!

Summer Favorites!

As we are well aware here in Georgia with the 90 degree days it's SUMMER! Along with trips to the beach, picnics, grilling out and family vacations there are a ton of fun things to do. As always I try to do whatever I can to make things not only fun but as easy as possible. So I have compiled a list of my Favorite Summertime things to make your beach, family, and fun adventures go smoothly! 

Picnic Backpack- much easier to carry than the baskets!

www.amazon.com

Coppertone Water babies Sunscreen SPF 50- for those who need it!

Available at any drug or super store.

 

My favorite beach tote. It has an inside zip pouch to hold keys and a cellphone.

www.ae.com

 

The perfect swimsuit (in my opinion). You have several top and bottom choices to mix and match. I chose tie-side bottoms and two different tops to alternate.

www.target.com

A cute cover-up for the trips to Wal-mart on the way to the pool or sand.

www.oldnavy.com

The best way to listen to your relaxing playlist. It's portable and runs on 4 AAA batteries and connects to any mp3 player.

www.amazon.com

Enjoy the sun, sand or pool! 

Puppies!

Our baby Doc is getting busy! We are going to be studding him out with a very cute Red Mini-Dachshund named Sasha very soon. Our part of the breed deal includes pick of the litter. So I am looking to find a family that would be interested in a puppy. Since Doc is Black and Tan and the female is Red the puppies could be either coloring. Please leave me a comment to this post if you would be interested in getting a puppy!

What's Bad Tastes SOOO Good!

Erik and I are trying to lead a healthier life these days and it is VERY difficult. I have ridiculous cravings for food all the time. So when my stomach says "I want those yummy wraps from Longhorn, NOW!" it is hard for me to cook the more healthy Taco Salad at the house. Needless to say it has been a journey. I have found that keeping the junk snacks out of the house has made a HUGE improvement in our diets. So has been going to get groceries at my new favorite place...

They have a wonderful selection of mostly organic foods. If you are familiar with Whole Foods it is practically the same just smaller and cheaper :) It was hard to get past the No-name brand goodies but once you try some things out you realize that it is all delicious! Plus because there are no Chips Ahoy! or Little Debbie you can avoid the bad stuff more easily! The only draw back is that it is a bit farther from the house then Kroger but it is a nice little adventure that Erik shares with me. I recently drug my mom over there and I think she liked it. She has trouble shopping for my dad who has Diabetes because everything you buy at the major chain stores is so processed that they are packed with sugar- not so much at TJ's. So go venture out- there are two close to my house- one at Roswell and Johnson Ferry and one in Roswell.

Another tool that has been handy for the "Healthier Life" kick has been a great cookbook I read about in Women's Health, "The Most Decadent Diet".

It is written by Devin  Alexander the mastermind behind the Biggest Loser Cookbook. She gives wonderful insight into the hows and whys of better eating and gives some yummy recipes for easy things to make. Some of the recipes call for some not-so-easy to get your hands on things but I think some substitutions can be made. It is really geared toward those who really need drastic diet changes (need to loose a LOT of weight) so I am comfortable making some changes to her recipes. I suggest the Breakfast Sundae, and Horseradish Smashed Potatoes!!

Holy Retail Madness

Erik and I ventured to Atlantic Station today for some Sunday retail therapy and I decided to see what the madness was about the new H&M clothing store that just opened. I was amazed at the volume of people inside the store. For those who are unaware of the store it is a urban/trendy clothing store that has very affordable clothes for men, women, and even the little ones. I found lots of cute stuff including jewelry, accessories, bathing suits and shoes. I must say it is a nice alternative to Forever 21, Express, and all the other junk stores in the mall. I highly suggest trying to visit during the weekday because the Sunday crowd was overwhelming and the parking deck was slammed. Atlantic Station has tons of other stores to see and lots of yummy places to eat:

• California Pizza Kitchen
• Moes
• Strip
• Dolce
• Rose Mexicano
• And lots more!

Visit www.atlanticstation.com for more info.

One Down 9 to go...

I just finished the first course of my Master's Degree and passed with an A!! I have to say that I didn't think I would get too much out of it because the degree isn't Art specific but I could apply a lot of the information to my teaching. I'm am enrolled in Walden Univeristy- an online school, and am pursuing a Master's in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. It will give me a nice salary bonus when complete! Never stop trying to learn something new, EVERYTHING is constantly changing!

Quit Buggin Me

I have to say, Erik's Granny is one of the coolest people I know. She has a solution for any problem. And this is a good one. She was camping out at the lake and we went to visit her last night and she had found an ingenious solution to keeping the bugs at bay- Listerine! Yes you read that correctly. You take a spray bottle and fill it with the mouth wash (any flavor will work) no diluting necessary and spray it AROUND your outdoor sitting area and it will help ward off any naggy bugs. I guess the critters aren't too found of good oral hygiene.  As a bonus it makes the air minty fresh :) I must caution that you should not spray it on yourself or any other materials that are stain-sensitive. You can also spray around you door frame to keep the bugs from coming inside the house if the door is going to opened a lot. I hope you have bug-free summer, Happy Outdoor dwelling!

She's Back!

Friends. 

You sometimes barely see them, but you need them always. I have been without one of my favorites since High School. Katie moved away to North Carolina for college and hasn't been home since. She got married and moved all the way to Omaha to be with her husband who is stationed there for the Air Force- I'm still crossing my fingers that one day they will move back! I have had to settle for seeing her once or twice a year for weddings and short visits, but luckily she is back in town for a longer visit with no obligations. Katie and I have a great friendship that is based on the fact that we are easy-going people who just want to have fun and hang out. Which I must say is not very common for girls- who usually tend to be caddy, gossipy and down right mean. It is very refreshing! So here is to a fun weekend and catching up with a good friend who was greatly missed!

Farewell Friend

This weekend we lost a dear member of our family, Shamus. He was our family dog of 15 years. He was a West Highland Terrier who in my sister's words was a " white fluffy dog that would bark at anything, growl at you as you walked by, eat your food right out of your hand, but was so loving and sweet at times." He was an anniversary present for my mom who is the biggest animal lover I know. Shamus had 2 sisters, Lily and Daisy, and a cousin, Doc. He was a little stinky and grumpy but he will be greatly missed.

Inspirational Grits!

I have discussed being inspired by the world around you before, so I thought it would only be appropriate to recognize some of my inspirations. For starters I had always wanted to do a blog but I thought that they were lame online journals that recorded the mundane tasks of everyday life. And I thought, "who would want to read mine??" But my wonderful, creative and very cute neighbor Lesley shed a positive light on the blog experience for me. She is the master behind my favorite blog in the world Homemade Grits (homemadegrits.blogspot.com). Please go visit her and vote for Homemade Grits as one of the Best Blogs about Stuff on Blogspot. She writes about her journey into motherhood and her love of all things gardening. She made me realize that blogs can be more than just a rant board, they can be quirky and informative. 

Many more inspirational people, places and things to come...

BBQ made Easy

My husband is a self-professed Grillmaster, and this Sunday he did not disappoint. Since the weekend was winding down with my brother's wedding on Saturday, we decided to have a nice and relaxing lunch for my dad at our house. 

Erik whipped up some of his delicious kabobs.

They were a yummy combination of seasoned steak, chicken, zucchini, corn and juicy tomatoes.

I contributed a simple and zesty pasta salad.

Recipe includes:

• Tri-colored pasta
  
• Sliced black olives
  
• Diced tomatoes
  
• Cubed genoa salami & provolone cheese (any meat or cheese of your choice will do)
  
• Dry Italian seasoning
  
• Italian dressing
  

**Tip: Don't use too much dressing it should just lightly coat the ingredients, too much will over power!

We had a blast enjoying the yummy food and hanging out on the front porch relaxing. Then to end the wonderful day I made the best thing for dessert: a drive to one of my favorite places on Earth...

Orange sorbet is a cool and refreshing way to end a perfect summer day! Happy grilling to all!

Attack of the Cookie-Cutters!

inspiration
noun
1.	arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
2.	a product of your creative thinking and work

Life should be easy, yes, but it should also be your own! My goal in life is to live my life the best I can. I want my experiences to be unique and personal to me. The mass production, assembly line type of life is one of the most disgusting things I could ever imagine. 

Example: 

• You walk into the living room of a stranger and it is the exact replica of the setting at Rooms To Go.
• A girl is walking in the mall dressed disturbingly similar to the mannequin in the Abercrombie window.
• "Bed-in-a-Bag"- enough said.

I love Target, Rooms to Go, and other major chain stores and I buy a ton of stuff from them, but that doesn't mean if you walk into my house that you can riddle off every price tag for each piece of furniture or decoration I own. It is the same with people, two houses that look the same = gross, two people with the same life = horrifying!!

With all this, what I'm trying to get across is inspiration is a powerful and wonderful thing. You need other people and objects to get ideas from but duplication is for the lazy, boring and unimaginative. 

Be an original. Be independent. Be proud.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. -early 19th

The Simple Dog

I must begin with the fact that I am totally not trying to be biased, but I have the world's easiest dog. He is a 2 year old mini-dachshund (wiener dog for those that don't know the lingo) named Doc. We came across him quite sadly. Our first dog was a very cute Great Dane named Murphy. We got him right after we were married as a puppy. He was destined to be a beast. However he had several health problems and we were unable to give him the attention that he needed. Sadly we contacted the Great Dane rescue program and they found a vet tech to adopt him. It was a wonderful situation for all. We were heartbroken to give him up but his new owner had access to all the services that he needed. We vowed never to get another dog because it was so hard for us to deal with. But then one of Erik's co-workers needed help. He owns a mini-dachshund that he studs out. He gave away several puppies to friends and two of them returned the puppies unable to care for them. So this guy went from owning the stud, to owning three puppies as well. 

Then he started to bring one of the puppies with him to work. I have to mention that this guy is the best trainer ever! His dogs are well-behaved and wonderful. So one day he mentions that he has to get rid of one of them and Erik immediately jumps in to take Doc, and to our surprise he lets us! I felt like we justified our earlier actions with Murphy by helping out another dog. 

Meet Doc. He almost never barks, doesn't run off- unless his BFF Max is outside!- and lives and breathes for his one toy, Blue Ball. He is the most simple, easy going pet I have ever had. Manners Matter! Even if your dogs are small, train them please!! It makes all the difference!

 

Giving Away My Brother

There are 2 more days until my big brother Tony gets married. I was graciously chosen as the Matron of Honor by his fiance Ashley. I have to say that it has been very fun planning just a rehearsal dinner for once. I planned my own wedding in about 2 months and there was a million things to do so this go round has been a lot less stressful. Traditionally the Groom's family is in charge of the rehearsal dinner so I have been helping my mom with all the planning. It helps that I am a teacher so I have the summer off giving me a ton of time to make centerpieces, phone calls and anything else that needs done.

One thing that I have noticed about the several weddings that I have been a part of and/or attended is that the ones that are personalized ALWAYS go better. It's 2008 people, you don't have to do everything the same as your parents and grandparents. Pretty much anything goes so do anything that you can to make YOUR day your style! You no longer have to settle for candy coated almond favors and a white dress with white shoes. Here is my list for the top five things you can do to make your day stand out:

1. Start with your color palette. You have to consider the season- lemon yellow looks a little silly in December- but then think of colors in the same family for accents. If you are doing Red, also think about adding punches of pink and orange. The boring ways of having Red dresses with red flowers and red shoes are outta here!

   

2. Think fake! Flowers I mean. I love the idea of fake flowers for bouquets because they allow you so many more options. I had an antique champagne colored dress and needed an off-white flower and couldn't find anything I wanted. Then I came across the most beautiful latex magnolias. Real magnolias are a pain in the behind to do bouquets out of so I was able to get the flower and color I wanted that didn't even exist! Plus I still have my flowers in a vase and they look just as wonderful as they did that day!
3. Go outside of the traditional guest book. You know who was there you sent the invites! There are tons of other ways to remember your guests. The cameras are good if you have really outgoing people who will take good pictures however, you don't want to end up with 20 cameras with 5 pictures on each one. Scrapbook pages are fun, so are notecards, both can be preserved forever and are great to read through on a rainy day. Lately I attended a wedding that had a ceramic platter that guests could sign. Originality points but you can run the risk of a crazy uncle writing something semi-inappropriate that you will have to look at when serving kabobs at your next get-together!
4. We, sugar fiends, know that it is all about the cake!! But you can get more creative with that too! My favorite idea is one that a friend did last year. Instead of a Groom's cake they had several relatives bake their signature dessert and placed a different one on each table. So the pound cakers were happy, the carrot crazies indulged and the regulars still had the bride's cake!

   

5. Lastly don't stick with just the pre-fab wedding goodies in the aisle at Michaels or Target. Or if you do shake things up by adding your own details. Buy ready made favor boxes but change the ribbon to your colors or put a cute tag on them. You never want anyone to go to the store and buy everything that they saw at your wedding right off the shelf

I hope this helps those who are getting married or know someone who is. Make it fun, different and PERSONAL! I leave you with a glimpse of my wonderful day!

Martha's Little Helper

Life can be stressful but that doesn't mean that it can't be easier. I'm doing this blog as a service to others and myself. I want to bring organization to the world! My close friends and family know that my one obsession in life is being neat and organized. Now I don't flip out over every little dust bunny but I like things to be in order. It makes finding things quick and easy. So I want to share some of my tools and tricks to help other strangers and friends to get their life in order. I'm no expert but I would like to think of it as a very well-practiced hobby! 

So that covers the Simple, now to the 'Wife'. I guess I could still be considered a newly-wed with only 2 years under my belt but I have been with my husband for a total of 9 years. We met when our older siblings dated in school, then became best friends and in our sophomore year of high school- yes I said high school- we began dating. It's almost a sappy Hugh Grant movie, but it has been a wonderful journey. I love him more than anything in the world and he is the funniest person I know. We love to have fun together and are true companions. That doesn't mean we don't bicker or have bad days but it is the way that we deal with them that makes the difference. We have had and are going to have many experiences in our lives and I wanted to share some of the fun, crazy, and memorable ones with others. Enjoy!