A Lovely Life

You know when you're in a conversation and someone uses a popular movie or television show as a reference to what they're talking about?  You ever know someone who NEVER gets the reference because they haven't seen that show?  Yeah, I'm that girl.  For some reason, I've managed to miss out on some of the world's most popular t.v. shows of all time.  Don't get me wrong...if it was a popular show in the 80's I'm there!  Cheers and The Cosby Show among others. I often play a little game I like to call: "Helen hasn't ever seen this show and doesn't get your reference at all so just give up".  Also known as: "a day in the life of any of my relatives, close friends and coworkers". Here's a list of just a few examples of shows that I seriously haven't watched.  Seriously. Friends The Sopranos It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Lost Seinfeld Curb Your Enthusiasm The Office Modern Family Now, this isn'

The weather was really gorgeous on Saturday and I knew early in the week that I wanted   needed to get on my bike.  I needed the exercise, the release of stress and the fun of riding with a friend in a new area.  Y'all, I'm ashamed to admit that it was the first time I actually rode from our now former shop.  Not sure why I've been so scared to ride in town, but I'm glad I finally did! I called our ride the "Tour of Homes" because we rode by some ridiculously gorgeous homes.  The weather was perfect and sunny and all I needed were some knee and arm warmers.  It was great getting back out there and I'm thankful for a friend who will stay with me no matter how slow I am.  ;-) Along the way, we stopped and snapped a couple pictures at The Swan House .   After lunch and a shower, I decided to head out and do something I rarely get to do: SHOP!  I was on the hunt for some fun Spring stuff as well as some basics and did pretty well.   I'm lear

Since J and I started the new year with a better approach to eating and exercise, I've found myself even more conscious of diets, exercise plans, health food blogs, etc.  I see these things in my news feed on Facebook or in articles on blogs I read.  Most recently, I've heard more about this growing movement for women to embrace their bodies for what they are.  I hate that this is even a "movement" and not the norm, but I've gotta say I'm happy to see it. I listen to a local radio morning show on my drive into work and after I've gotten settled at my desk.  It seems like they've been doing more segments lately with weight loss challenges, interviews of women and men who are overly body conscious and most recently the No Body Shame Campaign .  They interviewed the woman who started this whole thing the other morning and she was really inspiring and lovely.  After years of struggling with weight and bouncing from 130lbs up to over 300lbs, she realized

I got through certain periods of time when I find a slew of videos that I become addicted to.  Most are funny and make me laugh, some make me think, others inspire me.  Here are a few of my favorites lately. The Facebook video of Breaking Bad character, Walter White. (I loved seeing everyone's videos, by the way!) Cat Tries to Apologize.  Gets me every time.  A Tribute to Mothers Everywhere!  Original video here . If you grew up in the 1990's, this commercial gets it DEAD ON.  Brilliant, Microsoft! This kid is adorable and incredibly talented!

I love celebrating all the people in my life whom I'm so thankful for and love so much.  Each year I get more and more excited about Valentine's Day because each year, J and I add a little to our traditions and I LOVE traditions! We've spent most Valentine's Day dinners at home with each other.  It's quiet and the relaxing feeling of skipping a crowded restaurant.  This Valentine's Day was no different, but we kicked it up a notch by making crab legs and mussels!  They were easy to cook and fun to eat, but I highly suggest against waiting until the same day to run to Whole Foods to get what you need -- MAD HOUSE, y'all.  Either way, it was delicious and a little messy and we had a good time together.  We spent the rest of the night on the couch with Frank watching movies.  Now THAT is how I like to spend time with my sweethearts. We really don't buy each other gifts on Valentine's Day.  There are 2 reasons for this: 1.  We're

Atlanta got hit with another massive winter storm on late Tuesday night.  Luckily, we didn't have a situation like last time .  The city was prepared for what they were saying was going to be a "catastrophic" Winter event.  WHAT?!  More catastrophic than the million cars jamming the roadways just 2 weeks prior?  What "they" were worried about were downed trees and power outages due to heavy ice.  While many people lost power over those couple of days, I think it could have been WAY worse!   Knowing all of this we, like most people, were prepared to be indoors for a couple of days.  We did our grocery shopping on Sunday as we usually do and I grabbed some wine extras for "just in case" on Monday.   We woke up on Wednesday morning to a mix of freezing rain and snow that lasted all day.  Frank really loved the weird stuff on the ground and got extra excited when we started getting ready to go outside. What was so weird about this storm was

I feel like people either LOVE Valentine's Day or they HATE it.  I'm the former.  I love all the pink and red and hearts and candy.  I love that there's a holiday to celebrate one of life's most amazing emotions: L-O-V-E!  And I'm not just saying that because I'm married. In fact, one of my favorite memories was when I was single.  My bestie, E, and I made Valentine's cookies and home made cards and "anonymously" delivered them to our friends and family around town.  It was a fun way to show everyone that we were thinking about them. J and I have started a tradition of just doing cards and a yummy dinner in to celebrate.  We like the quiet of it and that we can focus on each other.  It's nice to be casual and just spend time with my sweetheart.   Even though we don't do gifts, I came up with a great idea that I'm pretty excited about!  I'll post about it later, but I'm pretty excited to see his reaction.  I've been w

While giving my buddy a bath Sunday afternoon, I snapped a couple of pictures and got one of my absolute favorites: This made me laugh out loud.  His sweet face is just priceless sometimes! He's slowly learning to  love  tolerate bath time because I give him his "million dollar" treats throughout the process.  They obviously aren't a million dollars, but they aren't cheap.  They are, however, completely worth every penny because he loves them and will do just about anything for them...like stand still while getting a bath. He makes me laugh and I love capturing little moments like this.  He's our buddy, for sure! “Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.”  -- Milan Kundera

This Monday has me in a good mood.  Who knew?!  Usually, I find myself with a "case of the Mondays" where I'm just coming off a nice, relaxing weekend and trying to get back in the swing of things at the beginning of a new week.  Today, however, I'm ready for a fresh start and a new beginning.  I'm optimistic that this week will be positive and will bring good things.  There's no real basis behind it and I'm looking forward to it anyway! Here's a to a great week, y'all! "You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down." -- Mary Pickford "Let go of yesterday. Let today be a new beginning and be the best that you can, and you'll get to where God wants you to be." -- Joel Osteen Thanks to www.brainyquote.com for the awesome quotes!!!

I've mentioned before that I've been loving some green smoothie action lately!  I found this great website that has a ton of recipes and advice for getting a daily dose of green yumminess!  I love that they're super easy and don't take a ton of time.  I thought I'd post a couple of my absolute favorites because, why not?! Almond Butter & "Jelly" 2 cups of spinach or kale 2 cups of almond milk 2 cups of frozen grapes 4 tablespoons of almond butter Blend greens and almond milk until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again. Kiwi Strawberry Twist 2 cups of spinach 2 cups of fresh squeezed orange juice (if I don't have enough oranges on hand, I do 1 cup of orange juice and 1 cup of water as a substitute) 2 cups of frozen strawberries 2 ripe kiwi, fuzzy skin removed 1 banana Juice of 1 lemon Blend spinach, orange juice and lemon juice until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend again. Both of these smoothies s

Yesterday wasn't the most challenging day I've had at work, but it was up there.  After the fire  that took our shop, things have been pretty intense.  Winter is typically a time for me to relax, recoup and mark random things off of my to-do lists.  This winter has proven to be quite different with those lists getting longer and my job getting more complicated.  There are good days and bad and yesterday wasn't a good one. Today, however, was!  I've been working closely with a new customer who recently purchased a top of the line women's bike that made everyone in the shop drool with envy.  She decided that her boyfriend, who's also an avid cyclist, needed a new bike as well.  And, so, surprise mode began!  She knew which bike he was lusting after...a gorgeous, Specialized S-Works Venge with top of the line components.  This thing was THE bike, y'all.  We made a plan to order it for him without his knowledge so that we could take her sweetie by surprise.

After spending literally MONTHS suffering through a book I just couldn't get into, I was desperate to find something that kept me reading.  After asking for suggestions on my Facebook and Instagram accounts, I found the Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom.  It did NOT disappoint!! It's a book set in the late 1700's, early 1800's on a tobacco plantation and follows two main characters, Lavinia and Belle.  The book begins when Lavinia is a small white girl who was orphaned on a ship from Ireland.  With no parents, she was taken home by the plantation master and given to the slaves to be cared for.  Belle, who is the plantation master's illegitimate daughter, becomes one of her main caretakers, but we quickly find that isn't just Belle who becomes young Lavinia's family.  The slaves are a close knit group and take Lavinia in as their own with love and grace.  As we watch Lavinia grow from childhood to adulthood, we're exposed to both the tragedy and resili

I love food, y'all.  LOVE. IT.  I've said time and time again I'm convinced that God gave me a 6'1" frame because I eat like football player... Eating isn't my only favorite thing about food.  I love to cook it, too, and I find myself constantly searching for new and exciting recipes.  Since J and I started the New Year with the goal of eating better and getting healthier, I've found myself on an even bigger hunt for healthy food recipes that taste good and give me some variety.  I cannot eat the same thing over and over.  I can do leftovers only if they were just too good to be true for dinner the night before.  If they weren't, my poor husband is left to eat them. It's taken awhile to figure out what works for us as far as healthy eating and we're still trying to get it right.  Here are some lessons we've learned so far: 1.  Our house is usually void of any snacks other than nuts and fruit.  We love to snack in this house and this gi