Hustle and Bustle of Christmas

 

 

Happy Monday all my friends! Today on my lunch break I finished all of my Christmas shopping thank goodness!! Let me just tell you traffic and the stores were crazy, lines everywhere you looked.

 

My favorite snag of today was that most of the DVDs at Target were $4.50! I was so excited to see some of my favorite movies there on sale. I snagged a few - one of my personal favorites Love and Other Drugs with Jake Gyllenhall and Anne Hathaway.

 

One of the extremely hard to find items for Miss B this year was a personal fan for her room. In the dead cold of winter!! I went to Wal-Mart and asked for a fan and was greeted with a weird look by every employee I came into contact with. Thanks Miss B I'm that weirdo trying to find a fan in December. Luckily today at good ol' Target I found a perfect fan that will sit on her bedside table and keep her freezing the night away! Woohoo!! I also picked her up a handheld fan for her stocking, so she can take that with her when we go on our Disney trip in March. (Sooooo excited!!)

 

Now that I am finished completely I have to say it feels good. I cut it close every year running around and budgeting for Christmas. This year there were more people to buy for as well with our lovely Ryan and his family coming into our lives. It feels good to give and I hope everyone enjoys their little happy I've gotten them.

 

It's sometimes easy to get into bad spirits with all the running around and financial stress. I know I haven't been in the best spirits the past few weeks. I've had to stop though this past week and take a look at the bigger picture. I'm feeling much better now and thinking the rest of this year will be a great time.

 

Merry Christmas friends if I don't write again!!! 

Just How Sore Am I?

UPDATE:

After yesterday's workout I knew I would be somewhat sore today seeing as how I have not worked out in a few weeks.

I can tell you that the workout I posted yesterday absolutely gave me a full body workout. The areas that were most affected based on my soreness are:

Shoulders
Lower Back
Glutes
Thighs (entire area)


Based on those factors alone I would say that this workout should achieve some results after two weeks. I'll certainly let ya know!!

Getting Back On My Fitness

Happy Monday friends. I hope you enjoyed your weekend. I got some much needed rest and an added snow day on Friday, yippee!!! 

Now that I'm feeling rested and well I decided over the weekend that I have slacked in the fitness department as of late. The scale is reflecting my slacker attitude as well. What did I do? Oh I took to my wonderful Pinterest Page and started pinning all kinds of new workouts that I think I can tackle. 

The Challenge:
I am committing to taking on one new workout every two weeks that I have pinned to my Pinterest Page. I am committing to working out no less than two times a week for the two weeks. If I like the workout I will keep it in my normal fitness routine. If I don't like the workout I will of course throw it out. I will also be blogging here to let you know what works and doesn't work, for me of course! 

So join in on the challenge if you want to and we can all get lean and fit together!! 

Monday December 9th, 2013

Today's workout I chose a tabata interval workout. It was intense let me just tell you and I am sure I will be feeling the workout tomorrow. Take a look below and see if this is a good workout for you. I am doing this workout for the next two weeks and will post results when I'm done. I picked this workout because it can be done in less than 20 minutes and it torches calories. Tabata Interval workouts are the best at getting your heart rate up and also targeting your trouble zones that we all experience. 

Super Mommies To The Rescue!!

 

This week is rather busy in our and everyone else's household that I've spoken to this week. So I feel like I really have to have my Super Mom cape on this week, I might even dress as Super Mom on Thursday just because I feel like the part is so fitting this week.

 

Allow yourselves to walk in my shoes for just a quick little second. This week we have the following:

 

Let me just mention that I am essentially doing two full time jobs this week as one of my co-workers is out of town on vacation.

 

Today was field trip day with my little one at the Botanic Gardens here in Memphis. We had a fun time.

 

Tomorrow is the big Saint Parade at my little one's school. This is one of their big projects that they do this year. They pick a Saint and make a doll, write a report, and dress up as the Saint to parade around school. It will be fun for sure! B picked Saint Scholastica as her Saint.

 

Thursday of course is Halloween and this is the day that I had to bow out of all school activities. B has a Halloween party in class, reading awards, and we are going to a party for Halloween that evening too.

 

Friday she is spending the day with my Mom as she is out of school. She is also going over to spend the night at my Dad and Stepmother's house for a big photo session on Saturday. Meanwhile, Mommy is going out with R for some much needed relaxation with the best 80's bands in Memphis.

 

Thank goodness for all those that help us out! It certainly takes a village for sure!!

 

What about everyone else? What does your work/life week look like? What do you do to calm down your life when it seems to get out of control?

Quick Fix Dinners: Parmesean Crusted Tilapia with Creamy Garlic Pasta

Happy Monday friends!! I fixed the most delicious dinner last night and after a few requests via Facebook this morning I'm going to share it with you here so you'll always have a link reference to the recipe. First let's start with the Parmesan Crusted Tilapia.... What You Will Need: 4 Tilapia Filets (Defrosted) 1/4 Cup of Parmesan Cheese 1/8 Cup of Butter 2 Tblspoons of Mayo 1 Tablespoon of Fresh Lemon Juice 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of dill Salt and Pepper to taste How to Cook: Turn broiler on high - place tilapia filets in a foil lined pan While broiler is heating mix all the ingredients above except tilapia together in a small bowl - set aside Place tilapia filets in oven for 3 minutes Take tilapia filets out of oven, flip over, and pour mixture on the un-cooked side Place back in over for 3-4 more minutes Done!! Now for the Creamy Garlic Pasta Ingredients: 4 clove garlic, minced 2 Tbsp butter 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 3 c chicken stock 1/2 lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta, uncooked 1 c parmesan cheese, grated 3/4 c heavy cream How to Cook: In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add the salt, pepper and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil. Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate. Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the parmesan until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve immediately. Enjoy and let me know how it turned out for you!! :)

Confession Monday

So I've decided to start this Confession Monday thing just to be able to get some things off my chest no matter how serious or silly they are. So let's get to it!

Today's confession is I am completely obsessed with the new Britney Spears' song "Werk Bitch." It's an awful song but I love the beat and it just gets me pumped up. I'm going to run to it on Wednesday as long as it doesn't rain and see just how hyped up it gets me.

You can listen there if you're looking for a new tune. I'm constantly looking for good work out songs and I think this song fits the bill.

What's your confession for this dreary Monday?

A Slight Blogging Hiatus

Sorry friends for the lack of posts here lately, I've been down and out for the past week. I had a mean and nasty kidney infection that basically rendered me completely useless for the majority of last week. Thank goodness that is over now though and I can get back to everything I have neglected.

Have you ever noticed when you are sick the house just begins to look atrocious? I spent the majority of my Friday afternoon and evening cleaning like a mad woman. It was also an added treat that we had a wee little storm roll through and the power went on and off for over 2 hours. Grrrrr is all I have to say about that!!

We got a few projects I had been putting off accomplished though and I felt pretty good about my progress.....all in a day's work.

Saturday was also a great day - R and I got together with friends and watched some football. That's basically what we did Sunday too. :)

This week I'm hoping for a smooth week and getting more and more tasks checked off my list. I managed to get some much needed grocery shopping done this week so maybe I'll post a recipe or two off of this week's menu. I completely forgot to put something out for tonight though, oops!!

Today I'm eagerly awaiting to get off work and go home and watch the series finale of Dexter!

I would love to post an image here or a link to the show but I have to not google at all until I watch the show. I hate when people ruin shows so I know the minute I google, the headline will tell me all I need to know. Basically making it pointless to watch the show. I am sad it's over though.

What did you do this weekend?

50 Short Days Later.....

My love gets to stay here and we don't have to experience the toll of a long distance relationship for a year or more.

It was a beyond stressful week last week as both R and I prepared to say goodbye. Before we started dating, as a matter of fact the first night we started talking, R was extremely up front with me and told me that he had taken a job to travel the country for a year working. It was a decision he had made and something he felt like he needed to do so I needed to be on board with that going in if we grew into anything serious.

Fast forward to last week and the looming departure date of a man I've grown to love so much and cherish the time we spend together and I'm sure you could guess I was a wreck inside. I did extremely well keeping it together and being a rock for R though, I felt like it was my duty and he had enough on his plate to worry about.

Tuesday came with news of a potential job and he had to be there on Monday. That means I had just a few days to spend with someone I can't even begin to imagine my life without. The stress that R was going through was tough for me to handle. It built more and more as the night went on. I quickly realized and so did his family members that maybe this was not the right move for him to make. R started to second guess leaving too after so many uncertainties with the company and dropped promises. So we sprung into action reading contracts and exploring all possible options for R to stay here and not have to travel. Needless to say R didn't sleep too well Tuesday night.

Wednesday I was a ball of nerves as R had made the decision to stay but had to let the traveling company know that he was no longer interested in the position. We didn't know if they would things difficult for him to exit the company. Thankfully, everything seemed to go ok and now he is here to stay.

We both think it worked out for the best and there for a few days I still thought he was going to be taken away from me. I guess I didn't finally settle in to him actually staying until Friday.

I am so happy to have him here with me though. We would have made the travel thing work but we all know it would have been crazy difficult. I'm glad that's an option we no longer have to worry about. I've grown so close to him and his family I just love being around them all. Miss B seems to like him very much as well which is extremely important to me.

So this happy girl is taking on this week with a smile.......Happy Monday Friends!!!

What Football Has Taught Me About Myself.....

 

 

It is absolutely no secret at all that I am a football fanatic when fall rolls around. It is by far the highlight of my fall and I get crazy excited every August as the football trash talk starts coming out as well as everyone just hyped up for the thrill of tailgating and watching their team go back to business.

 

 

It is also no secret that I love college football over NFL. I love my Saints don't get me wrong but I love my LSU Tigers even more! There's just something about all the tradition and amazing fans that I love dearly. Not to mention you get to watch future hall of famers before they get big.

 

 

So I thought I'd add a little list to all the football talk and say what football has taught me about myself......hold on for the ride folks there may be a few laughs involved as well.

 

 

Football has taught me.....

1. How to be a raging lunatic and total asshole to opposing teams....especially Alabama.
2. That it's ok to crack open a beer at 10:00AM because your team plays at 11am on a Saturday, no shame at all.....don't judge me!
3. How to brain wash your kid into liking your school and all the football teams....even if she wants to have a choice, she has none!!
4. That spending asinine amounts of money to watch your team is totally normal.....especially when it involves traveling to a national championship or the first game of the season.
5. How to color coordinate every outfit I have during the fall to somehow reflect my school colors of purple and gold......try me I always have purple on Friday and Saturday. Sunday is reserved for Black and Gold.
6. How to make lasting and bonding friendships of heckling the living shit out of opposing team....nothing brings people together faster than making fun of the opposing team.
7. That screaming so loud during a game and not having a voice for the next 2 days is perfectly normal and completely forgetting to act like a lady is too.....if you don't have a voice you aren't doing it right.
8. There's only room for one LSU fan in a relationship......I've dated LSU fans and I much prefer to be the only one.....I also prefer to not date SEC fans. In fact we will do better if you have no college football team at all. I cannot share the TV during college football season, sorry.
9. Getting into Facebook battles with your friends is totally normal.....especially when your team is the best and let's face it they always are.
10. How to judge someone's driving based on the team they are affiliated with.....Alabama and Ole Miss drivers are pretty damn bad!

 

 

 

So there's my Top 10, what's yours? Oh and......

 

 



Just Call Me Accomplished

I know it's only Tuesday but I have accomplished almost all of my weekly to-do's this week. It feels fabulous!!

Yesterday we went and registered for dance classes. Miss B had taken dance for the past 2 seasons at her school. While we enjoyed the program immensely and think it was a great starter program, we are moving more towards a studio environment and competitive dancing. I have quite the performer on my hands and when she expresses interest in something that she clearly enjoys it motivates me to step her interests up. Therefore, we will be taking jazz, tap, and ballet at Studio 413 this year in Collierville. Judging by the long line at registration we think we have picked a great dance home. Miss B will jump from a 45 minute class that she has been used to the past two years to a more intense 2 hours and 15 minutes. I hope she enjoys it and advances more and more in her craft. We're pretty excited about it!!!

I also managed to take the hem out of Miss B's school jumper last night as well. This has been a task that I've put off for weeks now!! With school starting on Monday though time is definitely not on our side. I went ahead and took the hem out so she can hopefully get one more year out of the jumper before we have to let it go.

Today we went to Miss B's school and got her registered for the year. We picked up a used jumper at the used uniform sale so now we have 3 and I'm hoping to gain one more in the coming weeks so we will have a full weeks worth of school clothes. It's hard to build up a school wardrobe, it's definitely on my to-do list this year! Miss B loved going to school and finding out who's class she was in and who was in class with her. Luckily she has some of her really good friends in class with her this year. Her bestie is back in class with her again. :)

Tomorrow leaves parent orientation where I can clear up some final school supplies questions and actually meet the teacher as well. Then after that we are off to the races ready to start another exciting school year. My baby is starting the 1st grade ahhhhhh!!!!!

Rocking In Memphis - This Weekend!

 

 

I know I've been looking for Friday all week, what about everyone else? This week marked the start back to school for most kids in the Memphis metro area, the only kids left to start back are private schools. Miss B is a catholic private school gal and she starts back on the 19th. We go to register next Tuesday. It's been a nice break but boy am I ready to get back into the swing of things. I've got to finish our school shopping this weekend and do some sewing on Miss B's uniform.

 

We're taking a trip to the zoo tomorrow with my lovely BF, his sister, and all the kids in their family. It should be a fun filled day, nothing like wearing the kids out during the day so they will sleep well at night. I have made the conscious decision to stay in this weekend as well. I will not be partying it up this weekend, I need rest!! I've been going non-stop all summer so I'm staying in this weekend and looking forward to it!

 

For those of us that do not want to stay in though I wanted to share my top 5 things to do in or around Memphis this weekend:

 

 

1. The Sunflower River Blues Festival in Clarksdale, MS - This is a free three day festival featuring an abundance of very talented local musicians. Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi All-Stars will be performing as well as a plethora of other performers. It should be a great weekend with lots of great music. And it's free!!
2. Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone at The Orpheum Theatre - Tonight at The Orpheum in their Summer Movie Series they are showing the first Harry Potter, how exciting!! It would be a great night to go downtown with the kids, grab some food, and then see a great movie at The Orpheum on the big screen. Children's tickets are $5 and adults are $7.
3. The Rolling Stones at The Levitt Shell - Now don't freak out and think the Stones are actually performing. This month at The Levitt Shell they are presenting an Indie Film Festival featuring all the old greats in concert for your enjoyment. This week they are featuring The Rolling Stones in two concerts Rock and Roll Circus and Some Girls. The Levitt Shell may be my favorite Memphis to-do. You can bring your own food and drink and watch great local bands or even music legends all for free. It's family friendly and just an all around amazing time.  
4. Blind Wine Tasting at Salsa - On Saturday's from 1-3pm Salsa restaurant is partnering with Great Wines and Spirits to offer a blind wine tasting through August 31st. They pick the wines and you enjoy! The price is only $10 which is a steal for any wine tasting.
5. Food Truck Rodeo - Every Sunday at 12pm through August 31st The Food Truck Alliance teams up for The Food Truck Rodeo. These food trucks park and you get to taste each and every one of them. It's great fun for the family or for a cute day date. You pay the cost of food and they do this every Sunday at Shelby Farms.

 

 

 

So with all that to do you have no reason not to get out and about this weekend!! I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend, I know I will. :)

10 Things I Wish I Could Go Back and Tell a Young S

 

 

Just the other evening I was thinking to myself about things I wish I could go back and tell a young me. I was reminiscing about the past and people that have come and gone and how my life had changed for the better. At least once a month I always think about the path I'm on in life and where it's headed, weird I know.

 

Anyway so while I was having my monthly life planning session with myself I started to realize how much heartache and drama I could have saved myself if someone.....oh say future me had walked up to me, slapped me on the head, and said listen to this because it will change your life. I probably wouldn't have listened anyway but having a daughter makes me want to do the exact same thing for her when the horrid teenage years approach our lives. So without further ado, here are the top 10 things I wish I could go back and tell young S.

 

 

1. Learn to Let It Go  - In my younger days I was awesome at holding grudges and using my anger to get what I want. Little did I know though I came off as a raging bitch and only the people that really loved me wanted to be around me. In my adult years as I have grown leaps and bounds I've learned not to sweat the small stuff.
2. Constantly Challenge Yourself - I think this goes without saying but in this day and age I feel like for some weird reason kids feel entitled and want everything given to them. If you aren't constantly challenging yourself to be better and do better you will always be stuck right where you are. I would tell a young me to go out and grab life by the horns and hold on for the ride.
3. Learn to Love Unconditionally - Everyone has their first love and of course the love of a close friendship, however for me I didn't learn to love until much later in life. I'll admit that I never felt real and true love until the day Miss B graced my life. I've probably only been in real love once maybe twice. So I think if I could go back I would learn how to wear my heart on my sleeve a little more. I'd learn to not be so cold-hearted and embrace love for what it is.
4. Learn from Lost Loves and Friendships - This was probably the greatest lesson of all that I have learned in life. I would constantly make the same mistakes with friends and significant others until I learned to see what the lesson was and the mistakes I had made. I was constantly dating the same people over and over again and surrounding myself with dramatic friends. Once I learned to let go and figure out where I went wrong it was easy to cut the fat and right the wrong.
5. Don't be Dramatic - Being a young girl this is almost nearly impossible but it is also one of the most annoying things in the world as well. Dramatic girls are so overly annoying and rarely do people like them. I can admit to being one of these girls at some point or another in my life. Thank goodness I left it in my teenage years though and I haven't looked back once!
6. Do What Makes You Happiest - Don't follow the crowd just because you are afraid no one will like you. In the end, do what makes you happy because those that love you always will and those that don't support your decisions don't matter. I don't think you should ever have to compromise your passions because someone does not agree. If it really makes you happy then your real friends and family will support you because they only want the best for you.
7. Be Yourself - This one probably goes without saying but I think it's also commonly missed as well. It took me well into my late 20's to finally realize and accept the person that I was. In that there were also some changes that took place in order for me to come to terms with my wonderful individual personality. Your friends and family can change you sometimes for the better or worst. It takes a strong individual to be un-swayed by the ways of the world. Once you are comfortable in your own skin you can conquer all and be un-swayed.
8. Be Mindful of What You Are Putting Into Your Body - I think one of the most valuable and eye opening experiences I've learned is what all is really in foods. Our food especially processed food is piled high with cancer creating chemicals, hormones, and pesticides. I have learned so much about real food and eating clean and how important it is for your body to function properly. I'm now educating not only myself but Miss B in hopes of her making the correct decisions for herself when she is my age and younger.
9. Pick a Lucrative and In Demand Career - In my rush to just be done with college I picked a career that maybe is not as lucrative as I thought it would be. I've been in banking since I was 18 and sometimes it seems like it is a black hole. I'm always really envious of those people who sat down and researched what they wanted to do with their life and then actually followed through with it. I would have loved to do something with dance but I knew immediately that would not pay the bills, shame on me because many of my old dance friends are out there working and making a living as a dancer.
10. Create a Long Lasting Bond with Your Family - The one thing I miss the most in my family is the closeness. Both my mom and dad's side of the family are not close with one another. I long for that good old fashioned family fun where everyone genuinely enjoys each other and has fun with them. I have cousins but we are not close at all nor do I think that we like each other which is sad on multiple levels. I hope that when I gain another family when I choose to marry that family will be close and awesome and enjoy each other's company. I think it's a great thing to have.



 



SYTYCD Top 14 Re-Cap

Last night the Top 14 dancers took the stage with some amazing performances. I thoroughly enjoyed the Top 14 group number choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and Dmitry Chaplin. I knew the minute I saw it that a ballroom choreographer was involved. I absolutely loved the collaboration between two different genre's of dance.

Moving on to the competition - after the bottom 6 results were revealed we all knew that: Alexis, Mackenzie, and Jasmine were in danger for the girls. Nico, Curtis, and Alan were in danger for the boys. Curtis was injured so he did not compete last night. Alan, Curtis, Alexis, and Mackenzie were all in the bottom last week too. It's never good when you are consecutively in the bottom week after week. It raises your chances of going home tremendously.

The performances that I most enjoyed last night are as follows in no particular order:

 Alexis and Nico - I absolutely loved this piece and thought it was so beautiful

I also loved Mackenzie and Paul's jazz number I thought it was very sexy and seductive. That's just how I like my jazz danced. :)

My last favorite number of the night was Malece and Alan. I absolutely loved their salsa, it was filled with all kinds of tricks and body pumping moves. I gasped a few times throughout the number.

My favorite group number of the night was the bullying piece. I was so excited to see such a national issue being raised on a dance show and being portrayed through the art of dance. Bullying is such a huge issue in today's youth and I think this piece was a great outlet to get the word out to an even bigger audience.

I also want to give a shout out to Anna Kendrick. I have hated most of the guest stars all season because they are not informed about dance and in my opinion are not qualified to judge the contestants. With that being said, Anna was really honest and seemed to know her stuff when it came to judging the contestants. I commend her for speaking her mind and sounding intelligent. She was also hilarious too. :)

So who do I think will be in the bottom next week? Most likely......Tucker, Jenna, Jasmine, Alan, Paul, and Mackenzie. I know the judges are in love with Mackenzie but if she is in the bottom for a third straight week I think the judges need to let her go. I think Alan will likely go home from the boys side.

What were your thoughts on last nights performance??

A Weekend for the Books

 

This past weekend was one of the best I've had in a great long while. Mainly because it was my birthday weekend and I was surrounded and showered with love by all my friends and family. There is nothing better than having everyone you love hang out and spend time with you. It's not too shabby when they give you presents either, let me just tell ya! :)

 

 

Thursday was my official birthday and my work friends got me a beautiful cake that we devoured and we also spent some time with my mom that evening where she showered me with tons of presents. Thanks Mom!! We also went out to dinner that evening at my favorite local Cajun/seafood restaurant The Half Shell. If you haven't been you need to go and check it out, it's really really good. I had the catfish Pauline and it was divine!!! So yummy and fresh.

 

 

 

Friday was a workday but I'm not sure how productive it was. I was in much anticipation for my party that evening so I had delicious food, drinks, and good times on my mind the entire day. So after a full day of work I headed home to put my party dress on and head out for some good times with my fabulous friends. I decided to celebrate my birthday and my most favorite Memphis hangout ever. If anyone knows me then you know I am only talking about Mollie Fontaine's in the medical district. This place is absolutely filled with that old Victorian, rich, and luxurious feel. It also has a midtown edge to it as well. They also boast some of the best food in Memphis as well. Their truffle fries are absolutely to die for and their mac and cheese is delicious as well. Really you can't go wrong with anything you get there. Most of their dishes are small plates so you can easily order a few different things and then just share. I figured I'd share a few pics from the night. We had an absolute blast and I'd do it again every weekend, just maybe not as many shots. :)

 

I wore a hot pink chiffon one shoulder number for the night and paired it with my gold sparkly heels. I also accessorized with a gold bangle. :) The dress I grabbed on a steal from Macy's it was only $15 but was retailed for $98.

 

 

 

 

Saturday was a major day of rest and taking it extremely easy. To say I was hungover would be a huge understatement. I believe most of my friends were in the same misery I was. We aren't 21 anymore kids, that's for sure!!!

 

I finally started feeling better around 3:30pm. Yes you read that right, 3:30pm. I put the first food in my stomach around then and I felt fine after that. Hey it was my birthday!! Let me live people!! I stayed in with Miss B Saturday night and we had a girls night. We watched Disney channel and hung out in the living room for the most part.

 

Sunday I geared it back up though and we were off to the races again. My best friends husband had a big get together in Mississippi for his birthday on Sunday. A major 2-lane slide was rented for the event and there were plenty of people out to celebrate with him. It was so much fun and after a minor drama fest at the top of the slide Miss B had a fun time too.

 

 

 



 

 

All in all I think it was a great and fun weekend. I want to thank all of my loved ones for coming out and celebrating with me this past week and weekend. It is now back to the real world and getting geared up for Back to School business. It has really crept up on us but we are going to try and be as prepared as possible in these next three weeks.

 

 



The Universal Girl Problems

 

 

Happy Monday friends, I hope your week is off to a great start. I'm feeling a little under the weather today and hope I can kick this ugly feeling before Thursday. Thursday is my birthday, yahoo!! I'd hate to be sick on my birthday.

 

 

Anyway so over the weekend my lovely 6 year old daughter gave me the first of many tests regarding self-esteem and self-worth. My darling daughter asked me point blank and flat out while we were getting dinner last night if I thought she looked fat. It took me for a shock but once I gathered the initial jolt I knew this would be one of the first tests in raising a girl. I quickly answered her and said you are absolutely not fat! You are a healthy, growing, and beautiful little lady. I told her as long as we all exercise and eat healthy we would have nothing to worry about. I also explained that what we put into our bodies fuels us so it's important to only put good nutritious food into our bodies.

 

She took that statement and I guess she felt good about it because that was the end of the conversation for us. However, it constantly played out in my mind just how early self image starts within girls. She is only 6 and is already worried about how pretty and skinny she is. The media disgusts me when it comes to raising a daughter because I know they are the ones influencing young impressionable children to look and act a certain way.

 

So I made a vow yesterday that I would be more involved and more aware of what she is watching be it TV shows or commercials. I would also be more active in building up her self esteem and making sure she knows and is reminded on a daily basis just how wonderful and beautiful she is.

 

 



What a Whirlwind of a Week

Apologies for my extended absence from the blog here......we have been so busy both at work and home I have not had a chance to post.
 
I wanted to share a very special event I attended last Wednesday night though. I totally think it's not only worth sharing but completely complimenting on as well.

A local chocolatier by the name of Phillip Ashley hosted a "Chocistry" event last Wednesday night at Iberia Bank on Poplar Ave. It was from 6-8:15pm and was an absolute delight and joy to attend. Phillip Ashley's website describes the event below:

TOURING TEQUILA

The highly anticipated designer chocolate and tequila tasting has arrived!!!  

The ultra-chic and contemporary Iberiabank will be the site for this evening filled with amazing chocolates, unique tequila, wonderful cuisine and Latin jazz.  There will be five flights of our spicy line of designer chocolates paired with tequilas that will open you up to a new world of this popular spirit.

Scott Smith, proprietor of the Wine Market, will present five amazing tequilas.  NB3/The Chocistry Project will provide an atmosphere filled with the sounds of Latin inspired jazz.  Simply Delicious Caterings will prepare a spread that will get you ready to truly explore the spirits...

Click on the green links to purchase 

SOLD OUT...SEE YOU IN AUGUST!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

6-8:15pm 

Iberiabank 

4894 Poplar Ave

Memphis, TN 38117

Those were my delicious chocolates to try, I didn't snag a picture of the tequila, I was too busy drinking that! :) The tequila we tried though were all three levels of El Mayor which was the blanco, reposado, and the anejo. The lovely men of The Wine Market made their own tequila liqueur with a blend of lime leaves and Ed Hardy tequila, it was quite delicious. Our last tequila was the Patron Café and it was absolutely divine! 

             

So Phillip would get up and tell about the chocolate and what was inside of it and then the men of The Wine Market would explain the tequila and why it was paired with each chocolate. My girlfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to another Chocistry event very soon.

 

Phillip has the tastings monthly - August 15th is the next event and it will likely be held at Iberia Bank again. The tasting is of course chocolate paired with bourbon. Pritchard Distilleries will be the spirit maker of choice for that event. Tickets usually run about $45-$50 for 5 chocolates, 5oz of spirits, and appetizers. He is a local business owner and such a nice guy so get out there and support our local Memphians. :)

 

 

SYTYCD Wednesday Recap

 

As my favorite show has returned for the summer season I can now officially don Wednesday's SYTYCD re-cap days. Each Wednesday I'll be blogging here my thoughts and critiques for the season 10 performances. This week was the first real week of live competition. It was obvious to me who the standout's are and those who will be easily left behind unless they kick up their game.

 

As each couple were announced I noticed that I had forgotten some of these kids already, obviously they did not leave a lasting impression on me. I also have already picked out my favorite guy and girl back two weeks ago when the 33 dancers made it through to the green mile. Of course my favorite guy and girl made it through, I'm usually pretty good at picking the ones that will make it on the show.

 

So let's start re-capping already!!!! The first live competition show opened up with a NappyTabs hip hop routine for the top 20 with some awesome cameos from the judges and choreographers. I loved this behind the scenes routine and thought it was done really well. Take a look below and see if you agree.

 

 

The couples performances were quite good this week. I thoroughly enjoyed Amy and Fik-Shun who closed the show with a Sonya Tayeh routine. I was impressed with Fik-Shun's dedication to contemporary when he is a street dancer. While Sonya was light with the choreography for Fik-Shun I feel like he still tried to commit and really go for the performance. Amy as always was flawless and as expected to be because this is her style of dance. My favorite quote of the entire night was after this performance and Wayne Brady said: "Fik-Shun whenever I want people to take my seriously I also take off my clothes and dance with a white girl." I died laughing.

 

 

My favorite performance of the night though was a Travis Wall routine performed by Malece and Jade. It was a jazz routine and I think it was wonderful. Once again, the choreographer's curtailed the dance towards Malece's strong points and to make Jade look good as well. It was extremely well performed and I enjoyed it immensely.

 

 

 

Now onto the dancer's I think that will be in the bottom. It's not that they aren't good dancers I just feel as though they are forgettable and did not dance well their first night out.

 

 

Nico and Alexis I think will both be in the bottom and Alexis may be the first girl to go home. I know that hip hop is not either of their styles but this performance looks like they just gave up. It was not a good performance and they looked like kids trying to be cool.

 

 

I also did not care for this Tyce Diorio piece. I think one of these two will be in the bottom if not both of them. I think Tucker is an amazing dancer but he is forgettable, I had completely forgotten he made the top 20 until I saw his face. Something about me doesn't quite like Jeanna. I think behind the scenes she may be a bit of a prissy and cocky. She strikes me as that type of person.

 

I can't find the last video but whoever did the jive was a little all over the place too. It was rough to watch.

 

We shall find out next Tuesday who goes home first!!

 

 



Can the Grizz Do it Again?

 

 

Anyone that remotely knows me knows that I am an avid sports watcher, especially when it comes to the Grizzlies, Saints, and LSU. Those are my go to teams and I am rather loyal. I went to numerous Grizzlies playoff games this year and openly admit once they lost I haven't watched one ounce of basketball since.

 

So yesterday when the Grizzlies announced the new coach's name I tuned in rather intrigued. We had been interviewing several candidates including: George Karl (Denver Nuggets), Ed Pinckney (Chicago Bulls), Alvin Gentry (Los Angeles Clippers), and finally Dave Joerger (Memphis Grizzlies). The Grizzlies management team decided to pick Dave Joerger and keep the coaching staff in the family. It also doesn't hurt that Dave Joerger is more than happy to play ball with the new changes that the management have in mind. Lionel Hollins was not down to play the statistical and analytical game of basketball with the new ownership. This was ultimately his demise.

 

Joerger has quite a season to live up to if you recall the hometown team made it to the Western Conference finals this past year. It was also the most wins in one season in franchise history. Many records were broken and we hope to continue that trend in the 2014-2015 season.

 

So without further ado I give a big Memphis welcome and shout out to the new Grizzlies head coach and former assistant coach Dave Joerger. Dave let's go out there and bring home a finals trophy next year!!

 

 

Goooooooo Grizz!!!!!!  

The Crazy Lady in Me

Have you ever felt like this? I feel like this currently and I haven't really even committed to anything yet! 

So I guess I hit a stroke of genius in the past two days or I'm a huge glutton for punishment - I'm not quite sure which yet but follow me along this whirlwind of crazy.

When things pile up in my life it drives me nuts. Just ask my co-workers who have to deal with me if I have more than 10 pages of paper on my desk. Oh yes, I'm that anal!! 

So I've been looking at all the piles around my house that I've been too busy to tend to. Not to mention to hundreds of pins on Pinterest (which by the way you can follow me on there @S157947) that I haven't even remotely touched!! Yes pinned projects I haven't done bother me too. Told ya I'm crazy. :) 

Therefore, I have devoted the rest of this year to doing what I have neglected for the first half of the year. I've decided to break it down into monthly to-do lists in hopes of accomplishing all these goals by year end. This is going to require me to be committed pretty much all the time. Lets hope the train doesn't derail in the first month out of the gate.

Currently my to-do list from now until the end of July reads as follows: 

The first set of to-do's are parenting to-do's I really need to hone in on and accomplish. Now depending on B's commitment to said to-do's these may trickle down through the months.

- Get Miss B swimming

- Get Miss B to ride without training wheels on bike

- Nightly reading with Miss B to enhance reading skills

Phew!!! I'm hoping to get the top two accomplished pretty quickly by putting in some serious time and effort. The third will be a continued monthly effort because reading is highly valued in this household.

Now for some personal to-do's for myself:

- Clean out closets and sell as much on EBay as possible (leftovers to Salvation Army)

- Pinterest weekly household project (check out my Pinterest to see what I'm referring to)

- Work Out at least 4 times a week

- Budget accordingly for all bills/expenses

My hopes are that I will be completely organized and a little bit richer with all the selling and budgeting I have going on for the next month. I'll keep you up to date here so you can see what I'm doing weekly. B picked out the Pinterest household project this week so I will post that after we finish that this weekend. Woohoo! 

Think I've bitten off more than I can chew? Or do I have a good idea in theory? 

Memphis International Airport: Not the Monopoly It Once Was?

 

 

Many of you may already be aware of the change that is taking place at our major airport. However, for those of you that are not, Delta Airlines will be exiting Memphis International Airport as their local hub. Unfortunately, this will mean 230 jobs to be cut once they completely vacate the hub they now secure. The light at the end of the tunnel and what most Memphians are hoping for is cheaper airfare. Delta has been charging higher flights and cutting destinations for years now. They will reduce the number of flights from 90 to around 60 in September of this year.

 

Delta was asked why they are de-hubbing their Memphis location and they stated that Memphis was an unprofitable location for a hub operation. My thoughts on that are they are absolutely right - especially when they are cutting flights and charging an arm and a leg for ticket prices.

 

 

In the meantime, starting in November Southwest Airlines will officially take over AirTran and also offer two new locations for non-stop flights. Many Memphians are rejoicing over finally seeing Southwest come to town. Many frequent flyer's drive to Nashville or Little Rock to save on ticket prices flying out of Memphis. It just makes sense that people want to save and now with the welcomed addition of Southwest we have more options. The non stop flights will travel to: Chicago, Houston, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, and Baltimore/Washington.

 

 

I for one will hopefully be taking full advantage of the non stop flight to Orlando in the Spring of 2014. We are keeping our fingers crossed in our household for a spring break trip to Orlando (i.e. Disney!!!!!!) If all the ducks fall into place we will gladly be hopping on a plane to ride non-stop to Orlando for out flight. All thanks to AirTran/Southwest mind you.

 

 

What do you think about Delta leaving and the new additional non-stop flights that Southwest will now offer? Will this be beneficial to you?