Clocks

Does anyone else think that large collections of things are kinda creepy?

{collections by museo ettore guatelli from world of interiors may 2010. I found on the blog wit & delight.}

Seriously....creepy. I couldn't live there. The first time I met the boy's grandparents he left me in the basement for like 45 minutes with his grandad. I got the grand tour of his clock collection. Hundreds of antique clocks. Literally. Hundreds. He fixes them up and restores them and they all sit around and just tick, tock, tick tick, tock.....

If I were a Hollywood movie producer and was making a scary movie, it would include a room full of clocks. Seriously.

It's a good thing I'm not a mother....

...because I can't even give my blog any TLC. For some reason I feel like I've been super busy lately. I spent the weekend of the 17th in St. Louie for a bachelorette party -- Southern Charm was there too!

{Me, the Bride-to-Be, and Southern Charm}

We both love that city. It has so much culture and self-identity. I think it's the ultimate baseball town. Plus it always feels a little like home since my dad's family all lives there! The strangest part of the trip was driving right past my exit for home...if only we had a little more time!

Last weekend I was in Georgia for a 3 day weekend at the lake. It was gorgeous on Friday -- about 88 degrees, hardly a breeze, and no one else out on the water. We spent 4 hours just laughing and relaxing. Everyone even got in the water at some point! (Polar bear plunge, anyone? Brrr...) One of the guys was being an absolute riot, as you can see in the picture:

{MIML might recognize this as an old friend of hers!}

Overall, a successful weekend. We even took a few good pictures that are frame-worthy! Now if I could just get around to printing pictures for the new place.....

{My handsome date and I before dinner}

Speaking of the new place -- I STILL don't have a move in date yet. The building is supposed to be completed by May 20, and we need to be in by May 31. Knowing how I usually like to have a plan for things like this, it's causing me a little anxiety. But once we're in, I'll be happy to lounge by the pool and work on getting a little color. I know tanning = skin cancer and yada yada yada...but I practically GLOW I'm so transparent. Case in point:

{Milky is not an adjective I want used to describe me.}

And looping it all back around to the title about mothers -- what does everyone do for their mom's in celebration of Mother's Day? I'm clueless! I've debated taking a trip home that weekend, but I'm not sure what to get my momma!

Little Black Shirt

Oh little black shirt,
Oh little black shirt,
Where did you come from?
Where do you belong?
I went to do my laundry
And you just came along.
Preparing to dry load #2
And there's a little black shirt-
An extra-small from JCrew.

I laughed and asked KB, too,
But alas, she hasn't a clue!
To whom do you belong?

If none pipes up to claim you,
You don't have to be alone.
I'll just pack you in my boxes
and take you to my new home!

(Basically, if you don't understand my poetic skills here...I found an XS black JCrew tee...crew neck. It was in my laundry. I found it as I went to put my second load in the dryer, so it wasn't left in the washer or dryer. I have noooo clue how it got in my laundry. Any takers?)

Warning

Just a warning to my (five) dear readers. You probably won't hear from me for the next few days, because some of my besties will be in town! I'm so excited to see them!

We'll be going here:
And doing a little tailgating like this:
And it's going to be great fun! The weather forecast is sunny and high 60's. I haven't decided what to wear yet, but regardless...it's who you're with, not what you wear! I baked up a batch of lemon drop cookies last night, and the cooler is already out. I just need to fill it up :)

Happy Friday!

Simply,
MJ

Have You Seen These?

When I picture "pre-portioned" plates, I usually picture those divided ones that keep your mashed potatoes and gravy from running into your macaroni or green beans. But there are lots of new dishes on the market to help people portion out their food. Am I just crazy for thinking that these things are kind of cool? These Slimware plates look like normal servingware, but the design helps you portion your meals properly. Makes me go, "Why didn't I think of that?!?"

{Image from website}

These Measure Up Bowls are another "so obvious I should have invented that." They help you measure out food (without getting your measuring cups dirty) and control portions on a daily basis. Perfect for counting calories, dieting or maintaining a healthy weight.

{Image from website}

I seriously wish I had the funds to buy some of these dishes! I think being conscious of exactly how much you are eating would be a good tool -- no excuses for overeating. Eventually you would be able to "eyeball" what a normal/recommended portion should be. No more daily binge eating (hello sorority house dinner buffet)!

So the moral of the story is -- I need to come up with an invention like these. And I'm a huge nerd for thinking these are cool. Thanks for reading.

(P.S. Both of these things I found from the blog Buttoned Up)

Easter Recap

So I was an abandoned child for Easter. My parents took off to Florida without me -- (okay, okay I was invited, but opted not to use up my vacation days to hang with my parents, aunt, uncle, and tween-age cousins) -- so I had nowhere to go! Lucky me, this young man offered to let me come home with him Saturday and Sunday :)

{He's a stud, isn't he? Haha}

His parents made us a delicious breakfast (scrambled eggs, sausage, toast) and dinner (ribs, grits and coleslaw). We went out with some of his high school friends, which was actually a lot of fun! We also spent a little time riding his 4-wheeler.

{Safety first!}

And we played with the pup! She seriously can be endlessly entertaining sometimes. Not to mention her frisbee chewing and ball deflating abilities, the boy discovered this fun new game.

{Yep, all you need is a hose!}

And the pup basically chases it and tries to catch all the water in her mouth.

{One of the many ears of little miss grace-less}

Not only entertaining, but seriously, how can you resist that face?

{The Gremlin herself...}

I got a little sun myself -- it makes me look forward to the sweet summertime so much!

I love spring :)

Hope you all had a blessed Easter!

Simply,
MJ

Success!

For those who didn't know, I have been coordinating an event for work the last few weeks. (I'll attribute my lack of blogging this week to that!) I'm happy to say that everything went off without a hitch, minus the coffee not being quite ready when the event started.

{Yum! Fresh from a local bakery}

I guess next time I know to:
1. start the coffee earlier and
2. buy a medium blend instead of a dark blend. Oops. It had a little bite to it.

My 2 coworkers and I aren't BIG coffee drinkers, with me being the one to drink it the most. They kept asking me to be the taste tester for the coffee. Little do they know, I've always had K-Mac or KB to make it for me!
And then it is drowned in 1.5 cups of milk, microwaved on high for 3 minutes and 30 seconds....and frothed to perfection with 6 pumps of syrup.
(Yep, KB leaves me instructions, with the premade coffee.)

{Milk or juice, anyone?}

We had about 70 students come through. Which is pretty good for college students for an event from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.!!!! I mean...look at that line at one point!

{Registering for my fabulous prizes!}

And look who else stopped by!!!

{She's awesome for coming, that's fo sho!}

Hopefully this is something that we can make a regular event . . . this was our first attempt. I'm just glad that it wasn't an epic fail! I was a nervous wreck all week about it.

All photos are courtesy of work... Hope you've all had a great week!

Simply,MJ