Taking a break

Well, we're back from the beach (actually Sunday).

I'm taking a break from blogging. Will be back soon. Just have alot going on right now.

At the Beach

On vacation!

WTH!

As we were driving down the road about 2 weeks ago, I'm flipping through the radio stations and my daughter starts singing to one of the songs

Sipping whiskey out the bottle,
not thinking 'bout tomorrow
Singing Sweet home Alabama all summer long
Singing Sweet home Alabama all summer long

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwIGZLjugKA

I'm thinking WTH!! You are 9 years old!! You can't sing along to a song about whiskey!!

Now, don't get me wrong... I really like this song. I think Kid Rock is a displaced Southerner. I mean, he's from Michigan and he's singing about Sweet Home Alabama. Something is wrong about that. Anyway, I digress.....

I don't think she understands what's she singing, but she is an Alabama girl at heart. It's bad when she knows what it means to stand for the national anthem. (ha! how many of you understand that reference?)

Happy Fourth. Off to see the family, eat some great seafood, and just relax!

what i'm wearing

Real Housewives in the A-T-L!

It's not Birmingham... but it's close!!! (credits to People.com)

The Housewives are multiplying!
First the O.C., then New York City and now Bravo is heading south to debut The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The newest installment of the franchise will follow the lives of five women– from athletes’ wives to single mothers–as they lead busy, glamorous lives in the new South.

Here’s a sneak peek at the leading ladies:
• DeShawn Snow: Married to NBA star, Eric Snow of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Snow and her husband and their three boys just moved into their dream home. In addition to her social and familial duties, Snow chairs her own non-profit organization focused on improving the self-esteem of adolescent girls.·• Kim Zolciak: This single mother of two is working on recording her own album with Grammy-winning producer Dallas Austin and looking for love.• Lisa Wu Hartwell : Type A personality, maybe? Hartwell has her own real estate firm, jewelry and baby clothing lines and budding acting, modeling, and writing careers. And, oh, she’s married to NFL player Ed Hartwell and has three kids– the youngest just a toddler.

• NeNe Leakes: Leakes makes her home in the upscale Sugarloaf area of Atlanta with her husband Gregg, a real estate investor and business consultant, and their two sons. She donates her time to various foundations and hopes to open a luxury boutique hotel in the very near future.

• Sheree Whitfield: A single socialite/fashionista who lives in Atlanta’s coveted Sandy Springs area, Whitfield juggles a busy home life with three children and her latest business venture, a clothing line called “She by Sheree.”

Bravo will air a 30-minute preview special of the series on Wednesday, July 30, at 12 a.m. ET/PT.

YP

This is where I went last night. Boy, did I feel old!! I had not heard of YP (Young Professional) groups until about a year ago. We never had anything like this when I was 25. I worked the booth for the American Cancer Society and met alot of great prospects. The turnout was way more than they had expected.

Tonight, we have a sitter and we're going on a date! Hope everyone has a great weekend! Our plans: Pool, (drink), pool, (eat) pool.....you get the idea.

dress advice

What do you think about this dress for an event that states "cocktail attire"? The dress is a shiny/foil-like linen and there is a thick row of sequins on the "V" neckline. I'm just concerned that it's not dressy enough. I have some gold heels similar to the picture. I did not go to the event last year, so I don't know what others will be wearing.

Please give me your honest opinion as I certainly don't want to be under-dressed.

tofu

Friday, we went to one of my favorite local restaurants. Their food is so different than all of the other chains and quite reasonable. Plus, we know the owner and that always helps.

Then we went to Whole Foods to get Tofu Shirtaki noodles. I learned about these noodles from the Hungry Girl book and email newsletter. I’m going to start back on Weight Watchers as soon as I get the motivation. I have low will power and need a lot of encouragement to get going. I just hate meal planning and constantly going to the grocery store. Plus, it makes it difficult for my husband and daughter, since they don’t eat what I prepare and usually it’s just one serving. I know, excuses, excuses. But I totally have to get in the right frame of mind to start counting points and keeping track of my eating. My goal is 25-30 pounds. About 5 years ago, I did WW myself (no meetings) and got down to a size 6. Of course, I gained it all back (and more!) I did go to meetings a couple of times last year, but I didn’t like that. I have the materials and will do everything on a spreadsheet, and weigh myself at home.

Saturday and Sunday both were quite uneventful. I pretty much read all afternoon and evening on Saturday. I could not put the book down. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

Back at work today. I have a planning meeting tonight for our upcoming American Cancer Society Late Night Gala. Hope everyone has a great week!

Flat Iron

Can anyone give a recommendation for a flat iron? I know there are some really good "professional" ones out there, but I really don't want to spend $100. I am thinking $25-$40.

Give me your thoughts....

Wednesday's outfit

Boston Proper

Is is just me, or is Boston Proper the official wardrobe of The Real Housewives of Orange County?

Boston Proper

Real Housewives

What do you think?

Today's outfit

bad blogger

Ok, so I'm still loving my new job and everything has been going great this week. I'll be back to blogging soon!

This week

This week has been quite crazy. I won't be able to post until next week. This is my last week at my current job. Also, we have our Jazz Festival this weekend, and I start my new job Tuesday.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Funniest. Book. Ever.

today's outfit

today's outfit

invitations

I would like an invitation to read the following blogs:

chronicle of a happy housewife
shoppingwiththepreppyprincess
cbmcd.blogspot.com/

Thank you!

Weekend Recap

Finally got around to doing my weekend recap.

My daughter had a soccer tournament this weekend to finish off the season. Whew! I'm glad the season is finally over. We played Friday night and twice on Saturday. I kept thinking all day about relaxing Saturday night with a good wine and my TIVO. However, we went to our neighborhood pool to cool off and ended up hanging out with some new neighbors who already were there. Our neighbors moved in about a month ago, but they have been going to our school and church, plus the mom was my daughter’s cheer coach this year. My daughter ended up spending the night with their daughter and we hung out at their new house until around 10:00.

Sunday, Mr. H took our daughter to the end-of-the-year soccer swim party, while I stayed home and worked on our school sports banquet slide show. This will be your typical sports photo recap set to music. I’ve always said (in another lifetime) I would love to learn to do video editing- like they show at the end of the NBA basketball games, etc where the videos/photos match the words of the music. So, here’s my chance. I’ve got to get it done before Friday, so I’ll be busy this week. The parents have really been responsive and I have alot of great photos.

Also, I previously mentioned I had some exciting work news! I am leaving my job of 9 years to go work for a non-profit. I will be working in Corporate Funding and Donations, so this will be much different than where I’ve been currently working. I’m really looking forward to getting out of the office more and using my marketing and PR skills. It’s been quite crazy around the office lately and needless to say, everyone was shocked, but very encouraging. I should have made the move sooner…

Hope everyone else had a great weekend. Don’t forget Gossip Girl and CSI: Miami season finales tonight and Grey’s Anatomy 2-hour finale Thursday night. I’m getting The Hills on Netflix so I’ll have something to watch this summer.

I can't find photos of my pants and sweater, so here's just my shoes and purse.

Fore!

Last night, my husband and I attended the Hoover Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, located at the Regions Charity Classic. The Regions Charity Classic is a Senior PGA Tour event held in Birmingham for the last 16 years. The Ross Bridge course is a beautiful course and we are very proud to have an event of this caliber in my town! The tournament was initially sponsored by Bruno's grocery and that was my first employer upon relocating to Birmingham. I was able to volunteer for the tournament several years ago and attended the pro-am. This year, due to soccer, we are unable to attend the tournament. I am disappointed because you get to see some great golf.

Today's outfit

Today's outfit

Havaianas

Love these flip flops! I could wear them all day. Instead I must wait until the weekend. Last year I bought several pairs of these and found some for my daughter as well at Marshalls.

They are offering free shipping with 3 pairs or more.

http://www.havaianasus.com/index.html

new car

Today, I'm getting a new car. It's not actually new... it's used- a 2004, but it's new to me!

I can't wait!!

jcrew

Jcrew free shipping on $150 or more.
use code SHOPSUMMER

Addicted to....

Ok... I admit.

I have an addiction

to

http://www.smartbargains.com/

They keep sending me emails like, "Mrs. H... we've picked out these fabulous size 7.5 shoes just for YOU! or here's another,

"Mrs. H... we've found something you will just adore".

yet another,

"Mrs. H... we have a feeling you'll LOVE this bargain!"

After I get those emails, I'm in over my head. You see, I signed up for their Smart Shoppers club (I think, $20/year). I'm supposed to get "exclusive" access to upcoming sales and be the first to know! It's my own personal shopper. I must admit, the prices are great and they have alot of petite sizes which are a necessity on my 5'2" frame. Also, they have designer stuff as well. I just can't seem to quit looking at their emails. Here are some latest purchases:

Gucci.... these are going back. They are way too big and make my face look like a bug.

La Rochere Fleur de Lis goblets and juice glasses.

These are great! I love anything with a fleur de lis... pays homage to New Orleans, which holds a special place in my heart... more about that for another time. Plus, my husband put his seal of approval on them. He likes that they are heavy and substantial. Who knew a guy would care about the weight of a glass?

Anyway... I'm giving you advance warning. Don't do it... don't even think about subscribing to the email sales notices. You have been warned!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

I decided to begin a blog since I'm getting inspired reading about other people's lives, thoughts, dreams, and daily events.

So you may ask, what's up with the blog title? As an avid viewer of The Real Housewives of the OC and New York City, I have often thought it would be neat if Bravo TV created "The Real Housewives of Jefferson County". Jefferson County is home to Birmingham, AL, where I live. However, since it's unlikely that Bravo will come to Birmingham in the near future for it's next reality TV show, I decided to create a blog with the title. (Here's an invitation to Bravo TV.... you are welcome in Birmingham anytime and I will personally be your tour guide to help you find the next cast... as long as one of those cast members is moi!)

The title is also somewhat misleading. I am not actually a housewife. But, Bravo also didn't use the title correctly either, since several of their "housewives" actually do work full-time. I also work full-time and have since graduating college. I should have some more exciting work-related news later this week. I can't divulge too many secrets just yet!

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day and I'll be back with more soon!