Tag Archives: favorite things

Game Day Gorgeous

07 Thursday Jun 2012

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It goes without saying that I’m a big fan of dressing up on game day. In my opinion, I have no excuse to EVER wear a jersey when I can rock a dress with accessories or another fabulous combo.  I love this part of being a southern girl. You can look good, love the game, AND throw a kick ass tailgate party.  So last fall, I asked the amazing ladies of Elva Fields to design me a custom piece of jewelry.  I had my beautiful orange necklace with a blue brooch, and two other fabulously glam orange necklaces…but I was also looking for the opposite – a truly navy necklace w/ dark orange accents. Variety is the spice of life!

The elegant ladies of Elva put up with my picky requests, my rejection of the EXACT shade of Auburn orange brooch they found me (yes, it was absolutely Auburn burnt orange, not Texas burnt brown orange – do you know how hard that is to find? – but not the look I wanted on this necklace) and finally, months later… Game Day Gorgeous was created.

Game Day Gorgeous:  Polished lapis lazuli with vintage orange celluloid and coral flower ornaments with gold vermeil and lapis clasp.

I’m in LOVE.  It is absolutely exactly what I was looking for.  The quintessential Auburn game day necklace. A one of a kind collectible piece of perfection. I love you, Elva Fields!

A side note:  I was wearing a different Elva piece today and a co worker stopped me in mid sentence and said, “I normally don’t even notice a woman’s jewelry, but I have to tell you that necklace is GORGEOUS! I can’t stop looking at it.”  I gave him the website so he could get his wife a present for her birthday.  A few hours later, another co worker demanded I tell her where I got the same necklace after claiming she couldn’t focus on our conversation because she kept STARING at my necklace thinking, “PRETTY!!” Elva’s pieces are just plain AMAZING.

Domestic Diva & Favorite Things: Grandma’s Flank Steak & Consumme Rice

05 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by in Cooking, Entertaining, Favorite Things

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This week has been insanely busy every single “school night” so I’ve tried to not make plans on the weekend so I can rest.  This doesn’t mean I’m not being productive, it just means I’m not committed to anything…  It gives me time to whip up something yummy.  I decided to use my Grandma’s Flank Steak Marinade with some chicken breasts (because I didn’t have any flank steak in the house!).  Then I realized I’d never posted this recipe and this needed to be addressed.  This is a family recipe from Gator Dad’s Momma.  Its been a favorite of mine since I was little and there were many special occasions when I would request this be made.  Without further ado…

Meal: Grandma’s Flank Steak Marinade w/ Consumme Rice, Bleu Cheese Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms, and salad.

Flank Steak Marinade:

  • 1 large flank steak, tenderized
  • 1 tsp ground ginger (I have also used fresh ginger)
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 TBSP sugar
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium soy)
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic finely minced or pressed
Marinate the meat over night or all day in the marinade.  Grill. Serve. Enjoy!  This marinade also is divine on chicken and on pork.  Its a great option in any circumstance really!
Consumme Rice:  The perfect side with the steak!
  • 1 stick of butter (I use light butter)
  • 1/2 of a white or yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 1/2 cups of minute rice
  • 1 can of beef consumme soup
Saute the onion in the butter until translucent. Add in the rice (yes, when its still un cooked) and sauté till moist.  Add in the consume soup and simmer on low for 25 minutes.  Enjoy!  ***I have made this with whole grain brown rice and reduced butter. You have to cook the rice with the right amount of liquid so you may need an extra can of soup mix and this will cook longer, per package directions.
Balsamic Blue Cheese Marinated Portabello Mushrooms:
  • 2 large portabello mushroom caps, cleaned of the gills and sliced into strips
  • Light Bleu cheese vinaigrette (you can find it in your grocer’s refrigerated section with the other fresh dressings)
Marinate the mushroom slices in the bleu cheese vinaigrette for 1-2 hours and grill with the steak for the last 5 minutes.  You can also cook them inside on a foreman grill or using a grill pan.
Serve the whole meal with a nice salad using a fresh, homemade balsamic vinaigrette with lots of fresh vegetables (remember to use all the colors for a healthy, hearty salad) and top with fresh bleu cheese crumbles to tie in with the portobellos.  Its a very robust meal, so I suggest serving with a light dessert like sponge cake or a sorbet / light gelato. Pair the flank steak with a big, fruity Cabernet Sauvignon and ladies, you’ll have a great date night.  My old roommate got this recipe/menu from me and still swears by it.
ENJOY!!

Favorite Things: Elva Fields

04 Friday Nov 2011

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I may be a tad obsessed. I have had flings with jewelry designers before.  There was a very misguided phase a few years ago when I was a big fan of Stella & Dot.  Their quality went down hill faster than a boulder on a greased slope and I stopped accepting invites from “friends” that I hadn’t heard from in over a year to come see their stuff at a “party”.  Then I discovered Elva Fields.  A sorority sister of mine had posted some gorgeous pictures on Facebook from her event planning company and I was obsessed with the necklace she was wearing.  It was seriously FABULOUS.  She’s a petite little brunette with a pixie cut and here she was wearing this bold, ornate, huge necklace and ROCKING IT.  I had to know where she got it.  She told me the website and the rest was history…

ELVA FIELDS

Elva Fields,  you are my muse.  I literally choose outfits to feature your creations.  I have literally NEVER gone a day without getting a compliment (often times multiple) on the necklace I have on.  I have an extensive jewelry collection and between the pieces from Baubles & Bling (which are also fabulous, just a very different style!) and my Elvas, I struggle to give love to my other pieces of jewelry.  All of her designs are one of a kind. I will not see another girl on the street wearing my necklace.  They are mainly made from vintage pieces and re envisioned finds that she designs herself.  I love to wear her necklaces because I know that I will feel great and be fabulous.  She does have sales at the end of every season and if I can stand watching my darling favorites from the latest collection sit out there daily and not be at risk to be bought, I’ll wait.  Otherwise, my precious (said “a la Gollum”) will come home to live with me.  I scroll through her archives and mourn that I missed out on buying some of her gorgeous necklaces.

Here are a few from my personal collection:

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Do you LOVE?

I have ordered a custom piece in navy blue square lapis lazuli beads with dark orange accents.  Its taking them a while to find the orange, but I’m patient and I know they will get it PERFECT when its done.

Favorite things?  Oh yes.  I love me some Elva!  These are pieces that I will wear at any age.  I will hoard them.  I will open my closet door and visit them.  I will style outfits around them.  They are beautiful and I’m so glad I found this site!!

Domestic Diva: Takin’ back the closet…

30 Sunday Oct 2011

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So I’ve now lived in my town house for over 5 years.  It feels like I moved in yesterday.  I STILL haven’t decided what colors I want to paint the downstairs. I’m over the use of the color red as my accent color.  And I finally, FINALLY, started getting rid of the years and years of stuff I’d accumulated.

Step 1:  Attack the closet.  We’ve firmly established that I am an accessory whore. I also never seem to throw anything away.  I still had the pair of white shoes I wore ONCE for my sorority initiation in 199x! What. The. Hell?  So I took action and cleaned out 22 bags (TWENTY-TWO!) of shoes, boots, bags, and clothes that I probably should have gotten rid of years ago. Am I ever going to wear that short plaid pleated skirt (a la Catholic school girl?) that I wore with a turtleneck and boots in my 20′s?  Probably not. I seriously hate it when people don’t dress appropriately for their age and I’m officially 35. What about all those Bridesmaids dresses?  Yes, I had kept all of them – just like 27 DRESSES, and I was never going to wear a single one of them EVER again.  Buh-bye. I also really take good care of my stuff, so most of it was in very good condition.  So I donated it all to Goodwill.  Someone hit the jackpot.  There were designer hand bags in there that had never been used!  The after affect?  I can actually walk into my walk in closet.  VOILA!  Shoes? Organized. Jewelry & accessories? Easily found and sorted. Hair accessories? In clear apothecary jars from West Elm so I can see exactly what I’m looking for (and they are pretty!). I’m a very happy girl.  It is so much easier to get ready.  I found things I’d FORGOTTEN I owned! Now I just need to get the clear shoe boxes from Container Store so I can see my shoes and I’ll be all set!

Favorite Things: Fabulous Friday

23 Sunday Oct 2011

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As most of y’all know, I have an obsession with accessories.  Of all kinds.  Purses, shoes, scarves…but I have a particular fondness weakness for jewelry.  I love bold jewelry.  Some people claim its too much for them.  I prefer a simple outfit with clean lines and a pop of color or a bold statement piece to go with it.  I tweet a lot about my love of Elva Fields and her magnificent artistic line (I now am the proud owner of 7 of her necklaces) but today’s blog is all about some Baubles & Bling.

My dear friend, Girlyfriend, has excellent taste.  She and are are sort of the polar opposite on the spectrum.  She sees something she likes, I’ll normally say something like, “Thats pretty, but I’d want something with alittle more drama.” She’s classic Tiffany, David Yurman, and pearls.  I’m more classic lines with a modern twist.  We often go shopping together and end up buying the exact same thing, but wear it completely differently.  So when she started selling jewelry a few weeks ago, we sat down and started looking through her pieces.  She thought that if she and I both loved an item, she’d be onto something.  She was right!

On Friday, she hosted her first Baubles & Bling party at her house.  She’s also a tremendous hostess, so any excuse to attend one of her soirees is normally not turned down.  But she went over the top with the decor and the displays of jewelry.  I’d come by early to get a sneak peek (and to put aside a few pieces for myself early, ahem) and help set up.  Here are a few of the shots from the party (please forgive the quality of the pics at the party, I forgot my camera and these are via my blackberry):

The best part?  Nothing was over $35.  I’ve spent a stupid amount of money on some Stella & Dot pieces that weren’t as nice as some of the stuff she’s got.  You can follow her on Twitter:  @BaublesBling and she’ll be standing up her Facebook Page soon.

The last few photos are a few of the pieces I bought for myself, gorgeous aren’t they?  I loved the Paris Locket / Pocket Watch.  Its on a long pendant length chain and comes in an aged sepia tone or silver.  The multi tone necklace is perfect to be layered with a few other metallic pieces I already own.  And the bling, ohh the bling.  I don’t wear a lot of bling in the summer because bright accent colors are more the norm.  But in the winter when your outfits are mostly black and need a little pick me up?  Bling is the thing, baby.  Enjoy!

Favorite Things – The Wish List Edition

12 Sunday Dec 2010

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This time of year, we all give in a little bit (ok, in some cases a lot) to our inner 5 year old and put together a wish list.  I’m trying to be good because I’d like to get some new furniture for the downstairs (new couch, chairs, coffee table, and kitchen table set) so I haven’t hit the stores this year like I normally would.  A new couch is expensive, yo! 

So, I’m indulging my inner fashionista and Martha Stewart by sharing my wish list with y’all.  Don’t say I’m not a giver.

  • BCS National Championship Tickets to see Auburn vs. Oregon on January 10th.  Its not much, right?  Just a single ticket – heck, I’ll sit by myself!  I just want to be there!
  • Auburn 2011 football Season tickets.  I used to go with friends every year, I’d like to start doing so again.
  • Swarovski Crystal Snowflake ornaments – Yes, I got this year’s ornament already, but I love the little mini stars that match.  I have started a collection now and I look forward to sitting on the coach and seeing them sparkle amongst the branches.  I plan to have a whole tree of crystal in the future, but for now I enjoy having them as the stars of my tree.
  • An Aero Garden for my kitchen.  Growing herbs indoors (no more worrying about getting bugs out of the herbs and being able to grow them year round!) sounds awesome to me!
  • I love my Uggs and my Fuggs (faux Uggs) but when its wet outside or when I’m watering, they get soaked and then I can’t wear them for a few days till they dry out.  These Hunter boots would be perfect for gardening and cold winter puppy walks. 
  • An Apple iPad – I travel a lot for work and it appears I will be doing even more of it next year.  Carrying two laptops with me on the road would be impossible, so having an iPad to tuck into my briefcase would be perfect.  I’d still keep the Kindle because you use them (really) for totally different reasons and I’m a huge reader, not a light reader (which is more where the iPad reader app lands due to battery life and back light issues). 
  • A misting fan for the back deck – I love to entertain and I love my back deck, but unfortunately its intolerable out there for the summer after about 11:00 a.m.  A misting fan would be PERFECT.
  • Shug ate a chunk of my Z Gallerie silk duvet cover and its been rapidly falling apart since then.  I think the best solution is to keep the duvet, but get a nicer blanket to go over it but not to be used for day to day use (so he won’t snack on it while I’m asleep!).  This West Elm set is gorgeous! 
  • New garden pruning shears (since mine have disappeared). 
  • Getting my back patio pressure washed by Gator Dad!
  • An outdoor rug for the back patio (after it gets pressure washed) like this one.  I have dark orange cushions on the dark brown wicker to tie into the terra cotta silk drapes in the dining room, but I think I may go with teal accent pillows next year to kick it up a notch. 
  • Stella and Dot Jewelry – I have quite a few personal favorites in this year’s collection:
    • The Garden Party necklace has been discontinued but I have wanted it for years.  Its now discounted!
    • The Metropolitan Mixed Chain necklace is one of my favorite ways to accessorize – taking one genre and mixing it with its opposite – I love the juxtaposition of the chains and flowers.  Its bold, sassy, and totally me!
    • The Charlotte Statement Necklace (sensing a trend here??) – I love pearls and the flower and gold chain sets this apart.
    • Cute little charms to add to my current necklace.  Bee charms.  Clover, crystal, and horn charms. 
    • I saw this braided Petra bracelet at a friend’s Christmas brunch last weekend and was in instant WANT.  Its bold, its a statement piece, and I love it!! 
    • The girl selling Stella & Dot had these clover earrings on and there is a matching bracelet.  LOVE!
  • A group vacation with my friends!  Maybe Napa or another cruise??  Something that I don’t have to plan.  That would be awesome.
  • More of my favorite perfume by Jo Malone – Nectarine Blossom and Honey. 


I hope everyone gets their wish list for Christmas! 

Game Day Fashion

29 Sunday Aug 2010

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For the uninformed (i.e. Yankees or the unfortunate souls who have never been to the South during football season), we don’t just know our football, we live it.  I went to a concert at Chastain on Friday night with my fabulous friend, Awesome Aggie :::dubbed::: (can you tell where she went to school?) and met some of her fabulous friends.  Between the 6 of us, we had a wide variety of schools covered (even two Bama fans – and no fights broke out – it IS possible to maintain the peace!) and the best part was enjoying an evening with a group of gals who KNOW their football.  But this isn’t uncommon in the South.  We are all eagerly looking forward to this weekend as the kickoff for college football.  However, Southerners don’t just show up at games in t-shirts (well, some people get lazy, but 80% is a fair number) we dress in our school colors.  As a Southern Belle, there is NO excuse to not be pretty and spirited.  My friends and family can attest to the fact that I will snap up anything classic in Navy and Burnt (dark) Orange.  You can never have too many navy sun dresses and orange accessories!  I even snap up the dark orange cashmere and adorable beanies JUST in case its terribly cold on game day.  Heck, one of the most expensive handbags I own (and I am a purse whore!) is a burnt orange Italian leather hobo that is lightly fringed – a great marriage of classic and edgy.  Its so soft its like butter.  The ultimate fashionista game day bag!  And yes, I am still looking for that elusive navy blue wool coat that’s perfect to pair with an orange scarf for November games.

But I digress.  I just bought a pair of adorable and comfy Oka B shoes (the fashion arm of my favorite flip flops, Okabashi) in Orange with a Navy grosgrain ribbon.  I got an adorable navy Anne Taylor Loft sun dress.  I have my orange accessories ready to go.  Its game day in the South, people!! 

In honor of this season, a new favorite things College Football edition!

  • Oka B College Themed Flip Flops:  They have them for almost every color combination.  Adorable!  The red and black are particularly cute, ahem, so you know, NYC Bro can buy a pair for Candy Girl.
  • The preppy look is back (for some, it never left!) but I love that we see more of this look on campus on game day.  The best purveyor of this look is Pennington and Bailes.  Miss YankeeSouth, Alex P. Cheatin’ NEEDS an Auburn pair of these!  Like now!
 
  • This Cocoon Sleeved Cardigan on Anne Taylor’s website is seriously making me DROOL.  
  • This petite twilled poplin jacket would be adorable on Miss Yankee South. 
  • This chick is identifying the untapped market for Game Day dresses!  Some of them are super cute!
  • Unfortunately, Tru Colors Apparel’s website is undergoing a makeover, but some of their game day apparel is really great. 
  • This little website called Gameday Boutique was founded by two sisters with an eye for game day fashion.  I was seriously about to buy a burnt orange sweater wrap but its sold out.  Wah! 

So just a few of my new favorite things, game day style!  I drank a bourbon and coke last week just to get in the mood!  Smells like football!

Checking in

22 Saturday May 2010

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Hey y’all.  Its been a week.  A tough one, at that.  I’m personally ok, but some people I know and care about have gotten some pretty bad news lately and it just seems that the hits keep on coming.  For those of you who read this blog, you know I don’t share your personal business without your permission so I’ll just say this, my dearest friends, you are in my thoughts and prayers.  You know I’m here for you no matter what.

So I will focus now on the positive.  More favorite things.  The shiny sparkly things that keep me focused on the good stuff.

New favorite things for the end of spring – think local!

  • Atlanta Fresh Greek Yogurt – I think its safe to say that if you ever open my refrigerator or my parents fridge, you will almost always find yogurt.  If you don’t see it, its because we are due to go back to the store.  Without a doubt, the family favorite is Yoplait…until now.  Momma Gator, prepare yourself to be jealous.  Because I’ve found a yogurt that has habanero pepper in it…and it is DELICIOUS.  A co worker turned me onto it last week.  I was in her office and she literally couldn’t put down her yogurt to finish a sentence.  She was snarffling it down, like it was going to disappear.  Finally, she apologized and showed me the container.  A local greek yogurt that was a combination of Mango, Pineapple, and Habanero.  I went to Whole Foods that afternoon to pick up an ingredient I needed to make a recipe and decided to grab a few just to see what she was talking about.  OMG.  OMY! (Oh My Yogurt!)  Not only is it local, delicious, and nutritious but it has 3 times the protein of a Yoplait yogurt.  Yes Momma Gator, its more expensive, but honestly its worth the extra $ because instead of being a supplement or part of a meal, its filling enough to be the meal!
  • Okabashi Flip Flops – Momma Gator had emailed me about these about a year or so ago but I’d never seen them in stores.  On my 2nd trip back to Whole Foods last week (to get more yogurt!) I discovered a display of them in the middle of the aisle.  They are made in Georgia, dishwasher safe (which makes so much sense for flip flops!  Why hasn’t anyone done this before?), eco-friendly, recyclable, have a 2 year guarantee, and are half the price of Crocs.  I snatched up a pair to try them out and I’ll be damned…they are comfy and just what their website promises.  Looks like I have a great, sensible gift to start giving!  Momma Gator – they come in PINK too!  Shug just HAD to get in the picture.  He’s so used to being the star of the show. If I get the camera out, he assumes that he’s going to have his picture taken.

So that’s it.  I’m off to start digging the back garden beds.  I have two hydrangea, twelve hostas, six billberry ice tradescantia (spiderswort), 2 Japanese ferns, and three ginger orchids to get in the ground.  They are all root plantings (except for the hydrangea) so I have to get them in the ground this weekend in order for them to start to thrive (and bare root plantings shouldn’t be out of the ground for long!). 

Favorite Things – The Spring Edition

28 Sunday Mar 2010

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So some of you may have noticed that I didn’t post my March Madness picks this year.  After a lot of mental debate (5 minutes) I realized that I really didn’t give a crap this year so hey, lets write about what I actually care to pay attention to.

Without further ado, the Favorite Things – Spring Edition!

  • The Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Soap – FINALLY someone realized that our hands are paying the price for our OCD anti-bacterial (Ohmigod, flu germs!) natures.  I carry the little gel bottles wherever I go when I travel and I will admit that Momma Gator instilled some pretty darn Obsessive Compulsive habits in my when it comes to cooking.  I can easily wash my hands 6-10 times when cooking.  So discovering that Bath & Body Works had finally expanded their moisturizing version of the anti-bacterial line made me a very happy girl.  Then I hit a sale!  $3 each, plus I had a coupon.  EUREKA!  I stocked up for the year.  I got Coconut Lime Verbena, Wild Honeysuckle, Nectarine Mint, White Citrus, and Kitchen Lemon scents.  This will easily last me for a year (or more).  
  • My Archipelago Botanicals Soy Candles – I also placed my yearly order for my favorite candles.  I’m big on scents (can you tell by my choice above?  Or my perfume obsession over Jo Malone and the ability to LAYER scents?  I’m all over that!) and I love nothing better than to get home from work and light a scented candle to fill the whole house with the aroma of the day.  I tend to like scents for seasons, so this year I bought Honeysuckle for Spring, Mojito for Summer, Orange for Fall, and Caramel for Winter.  They smell so wonderful and each of the scents is one that I love for personal reasons.  Honeysuckle is one of my favorite scents to stumble across when walking with friends along roads or paths in the park and then you’d just hit this gorgeous scent and it would trigger a memory.  Mojito, because it always reminds me of tropical beaches and my South Florida friends.  Orange because my family in Florida live in the midst of orange groves and I always knew we were close to their house when Momma would point out the smell of orange blossoms on the air.  Orange blossom honey is still the best in the world.  Citrus just has this clean, wonderful scent.  Finally, Caramel because who doesn’t like a warm, smooth, sweet smell in the middle of a cold winter? 
  • My new Delsey luggage.  My old carry on bag had lived out its life. It was now too big for some planes overhead bins, the zipper was getting stuck all the time, and it was time for a new bag.  So I went with Consumer Reports recommendation for the best bag and I was not disappointed.  They said Tumi was the best (we all know this!) but that the best bang for your buck was the Delsey Helium Fusion 22274 model.  So I bought one (in black, of course).  Its fabulous, y’all!  I fit all my stuff in that sucker (including hanging clothes) on my last trip down to Florida.  A pair of sneakers, a pair of heels, hanging bag, all my toiletries (and some were NOT travel sized!), workout clothes, etc.  

In other news, Walkin’ Girl’s directorial debut of The Vagina Monologues was a HUGE success.  I’m very proud of her.  She took the play in a completely different direction this year with the venue choice all the way down to the way they staged it.  Job well done!  Rock Star ended up out front selling va jay jay cupcakes (well, Angry Man called them C*&^-cakes but I don’t use that word) and va jay jay candies while I pimped the raffle tickets when the people got back to the private room where the play was being staged.  Although it wasn’t an ideal situation (the staff at the Havana Club clearly didn’t understand the concept that noise carries and that we could hear them in the other room talking and laughing, I had to go ask them to be quiet twice during the performance) but the cast did an amazing job and then we all enjoyed a few drinks at the bar afterwards.  A few of us even got up on the stage for a little impromptu bootie shakin’.  

Favorite Things – The post Christmas Edition

26 Saturday Dec 2009

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Ok, did ANYONE notice my made of awesome Chrismas icon?  I saw it and HAD to have it.  I mean, who doesn’t love Captain JeanLuc Picard of the USS Enterprise TNG??  Heh.

So did y’all have a very merry Christmas?  The Sassy Fam sure did.  My holiday was made perfect when my FAVORITE Christmas movie, White Christmas, was playing in an all day marathon on AMC.  I got to watch parts of it all day. I still cry at the end when they sing for the General.  Then came Christmas morning…  First off, having a puppy in the room for Christmas is kind of like having a baby who doesn’t really know what is going on and all they want to do is play with the wrapping paper.  But Shug (who is officially 10 months old today!) is technically 5.83 years old in human years (following the fuzzy math logic that 1 dog year equals 7 human years) so he knew what presents were his when we gave them to him.  Bless his little fuzzy heart, he was in puppy OVERLOAD.  Squeaky toys and treats and ANOTHER FRISBEE OMG!  Within 3 hours, one toy had been completely destroyed and literally the only thing remaining was the squeaky ball that had once been covered in cloth and had been a cute penguin’s head with a Santa hat on it attached to a crinkly tail.  Merry Christmas, puppy!  NYC Bro gave him a UGA toy that Gator Dad bought for him to give to me.  Wrap your head around that one, folks.  Only in THIS family can a Gator buy a UGA toy to be given to an Auburn dog.  It was a tug toy made with a tennis ball (yey) and a strap with UGA logos all over it (boo!). 

Never give an Auburn dog a UGA toy:

GOOD BOY.  

The humans in the family also had a very good Christmas.  I surprised Gator Dad with tickets to see Mamma Mia at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta for Valentine’s Day weekend (assuming he’ll take Gator Mom, of course) and Gator Mom and I are going to go see Mary Poppins together in May as part of her Christmas present.  NYC Bro made out like a bandit, per usual.  I also did quite well.  I got a new digital camera (as evidenced above!) and a Tom Tom GPS for my car.  After much debate, I went with the John Cleese celebrity voice over Mr. T for my every day directions.  I love Monty Python and Mr. T yelling at me all the time would get old, fast.  I also downloaded a free Cartman impersonation which wasn’t very good and will probably soon be deleted.  But Alice the CX-9 is now pimped out with her nav system (we have named the nav system Lois) and an Auburn trailer hitch cover.  Gator Momma also loved her UF colored picnic basket and matching fleece blanket from Madame Monogram.  Friends of the family came over for a fabulous Christmas dinner and we played games afterwards (Catchphrase) during which I had to tell my inner competitor to chill the hell out after I got a bit frustrated during the first few rounds.  After that it was all good.

So, my post Christmas Favorite things??

  • My new Canon Powershot SX120 IS.  Its a tad bigger than regular pocket sized digital cameras because it has a huge 10x optical zoom lens so I can get the shots I want, even from far away.  
  • My Tom Tom GPS.  I’m pretty darn good with directions and hardly ever get lost, but in this day and age its always nice to have a friend with you.  Now I have Lois, my trusty Tom Tom navigation system (who speaks in John Cleese’s voice).  The best part about it is that its small enough to tuck into my briefcase when I travel so I don’t have to get their bulky and often unreliable GPS systems when I go to Denver, Knoxville, or Tampa (or God forbid, Minneapolis).  If I travel to Europe, trust me…you do NOT want me behind the wheel.  
  • Madame Monogram.  What a great little site!  Her prices are incredible and her products can’t be beat.  Its my Go-To spot for new babies because her little onesie outfits and bibs are just adorable and affordable.  (I got a truly heinous zebra striped Snuggie for Christmas…I wonder what the Madame can do with that?  Huge initials on the front in hot pink, perhaps?  I mean if you’re gonna go, GO HARD.  Gator Momma’s idea of a gag gift is to give me stuff like that.  She knows that animal prints give me hives!)

I didn’t get a Swarovski star for the tree this year so I’ll have to go out to the after Christmas sales and find one (I’m serious about having a tree covered in Swarovski stars – it may be a SMALL tree…but damnit I’m going to have one) for 2009.  I think they sell them at Bloomies.  Time to head over there at lunch next week.

I hope all of y’all had a wonderful holiday full of fabulous Christmas joy (or Hannukah or Kwanza joy).  Now its time to look forward to the New Year and BOWL GAMES!!!!!

p.s.  HAPPY 10 months, Shug!

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