Southern Belle Charm

Christmas Pretties!

2011-01-15T21:17:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite things that adorned our Christmas tree in 2010...

Every year, the season ends too soon. Always looking forward to pulling out the pretties for the season and never looking forward to putting them away.

World Needs More Lizards

2009-07-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,
I haven't been around for quite a while because I have been working like crazy. I was in Cocoa Beach, FL two weeks ago (yes, working) and took some great pictures.

All I can say is that the world needs more lizards! I interrupted their afternoon rendezvous right in the middle of the parking lot. They were going at it for so long that I had time to run inside and get my camera. I certainly never expected to see this in front of the condominium building!

I call this the real "wildlife" of Florida!

Sweet Tea Party

2009-03-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all,
Once again, I have been a terrible blogger! However, my life has been consumed by the tea party movement sweeping the nation as the Nationwide Event Coordinator. I am also one of the Co-Chairs of the Atlanta Tea Party. I am thrilled and honored to be part of this historic movement. However, I am perplexed about one thing and am hoping some of my friends can help...

If you are having a tea party in the south, does it have to be sweet tea?

You thoughts are comments are welcome!

Happy Birthday Count Chocula & Coco Madamoiselle!

2009-02-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all!
I hope everyone is having a great weekend! It seems to go by too fast for most! The day is almost over, but I need to wish my beautiful chocolate puppies a Happy 5th Birthday today! It is hard to believe they are five already! It seems like just yesterday they were babies! I know that have had a great day and have been indulged with lots of delicious treats and many many belly rubs! I wish they knew how much joy they bring to our lives! We are truly blessed to have them in our family!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from their early years! I wish they were still little and fluffy! They are big lovers now! I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I love my puppies...always my babies!

This is my favorite picture of them...taken one day while we were out washing the car and working in the garden! Total heavenly chocolate bliss! What's not to love about puppies?

Happy Birthday to Count Chocula (milk chocolate) and Coco Madamoiselle (dark chocolate)! Mommy and Daddy love you!

Longing For Spring To Play In the Dirt

2009-02-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all,
It started off as another cold rainy winter day in Hotlanta. However, this afternoon it warmed up enough to usher in the first signs of spring! Late this afternoon, the skies grew dark and it became eerily still and calm outside. Soon after the calm, we were greeted with superb thunderstorms featuring super size hail, gusting and howling high winds, tornado warnings complete with blaring emergency sirens, pounding heavy rain and a magnificent light show. You know what this means? Spring is right around the corner! Woohoo!

I have to admit, I haven't felt really inspired to write much lately, but do feel the need to express myself in a creative way. Thus, I am happy to bring you a collection of pictures from the Southern Belle archives. Of course, if you know me, you know these pictures are going to be something to remind us of spring and warmer days! I will just call these photographs my flower and insect collection!

I have taken all of these photographs myself in the past three or four years and all of these flowers are in (or were in) my own garden! Although I HATE bugs (mainly the ones in my house), these little insects in the garden are my friends! I am anxiously awaiting the time of year where I can play and dig in the dirt, while socializing with the keepers of my garden! Today's tumultuous weather indicates gardening weather is just around the corner!

I hope you enjoy my pictures! If you have some pretty gardening pictures to share, please email them to me at southernbelleblog@gmail.com. I would love to do a blog post with guest's pictures in the near future.

Butterfly Bush with Bee

Double Impatient

Zinnia & Butterfly

Morning Glory

Hydrangea

Cosmos ~ Big Guy Always Wins!

Fuschia

Just Because...

2009-02-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

My sweetie bought me the most beautiful bouquet of light pink roses enhanced by a darker pink along the edge of each petal. They are gorgeous and so fragrant. Of course, anytime you are handed one rose or a bouquet of roses, the first thing you do is smell them. They are every bit as fragrant as they are beautiful!

Baby Belle asked him why he bought me roses and his reply was a simple, "Just because..." He truly is the love of my life! I wish I could by him a Porsche "just because"!

I love to photograph flowers and since Spring has yet to arrive, my Roses did a great job as a subject! I am dedicating this blog post to my Mom to say "I Love You" because she will love this post! Where do you think this Southern Belle developed a passion for flowers and gardening? From my wonderful Momma!

Which picture is your favorite? Please post your favorite in the comments section. Also, if you like to photograph flowers, what is your favorite flower to photograph? Mom, I am looking for your comment especially! I look forward to hearing from all of y'all!

Thanks for visiting! Have a great night y'all!

Photograph One

Photograph Two

Photograph Three

Photograph Four

Photograph Five

Photograph Six

Photograph Seven

Photograph Eight

Photograph Nine

Photograph Ten

Photograph Eleven

Photograph Twelve

The Southern Belle Family's Favorite Recipe!

2009-02-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all,
I know last week I told you I was going to give you a fabulous recipe and I have not forgotten. I have been very busy over the past week trying to contact elected officials to get the porky pig stimulus package stopped. Unfortunately, it was passed today, but there is still hope. The bill is now in conference and has to go back to the house and the Senate before being sent to the President. Anyway, I will praying for divine intervention in this case.

I also have been playing outside in the dirt over the past several days! It has been so beautiful, it is hard to believe last week it was like the frozen artic tundra. I am definitely ready for spring and this week has been the perfect teaser! My chocolate labs have enjoyed it too! Mr. Southern Belle and I took the poops on a long walk on Sunday...between 2-3 miles. Needless to say, we were all whipped! We need to be doing that on a regular basis! Everyone slept like babies on Sunday night! To be honest, I don't know when this gorgeous weather is going to end, but I will be perfectly content if it stays warm until spring officially starts! I hate winter!

So, onto the recipe I promised you! This is not my own recipe, but one from Paula Deen! Paula is one of my favorite celebrity chefs from Food Network! I have never met her in person, but from what I see on TV, she is one of us...a true Southern Belle! I just love her! I absolutely feel like I could invite her over and feel very comfortable with her in my kitchen! Of course, I would love to go to her kitchen too!

Anyway, this recipe is for a salad dressing that my family absolutely loves! Mr. Southern Belle loves salad, but he usually doesn't eat salad dressing. The first time I made this dressing, he asked me to send the recipe to his Momma so she could make it when he visits! Then, Baby Belle (aka Princess) fell in love with the dressing. Needless to say, they fight over it now. She comes home from school (college) and takes all the dressing back to school with her! She tells him, "Have Mom make you more!" I always make in a double batch at least, sometimes more!

The recipe below includes the ingredients for the salad, but we eat it on every kind of salad. Our favorite salad is spinach, red onions, walnuts or almonds, feta cheese, and some type of fruit (either strawberries, mandarin oranges, raspberries, or blueberries). If you would like to make a meal out of your salad, I recommend roasting a chicken breast with olive oil and Italian seasoning and then dicing it up to put on your salad. Bottom line is that I hope you enjoy the dressing with the food of your choice! Let me know how you like it friends!

Spinach, Strawberry, and Hearts of Palm Salad
by Paula Deen

Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Level: Easy
Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients
* 1/3 cup cider vinegar
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 small red onion, grated
* 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
* 1 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and torn into pieces
* 1 can hearts of palm, drained and chopped
* 2 cups strawberries, stemmed and sliced
* 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
For the dressing, combine the vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a small non-reactive saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat and let cool to room temperature. When cooled, whisk in the oil, onion, poppy seeds, dry mustard and paprika until thoroughly combined. Set dressing aside. In a salad bowl, combine the spinach, hearts of palm, strawberries, and walnuts. When ready to serve, add some of the dressing, and toss gently. Serve the remaining dressing alongside the salad so diners may add more, if desired.

You can also find the recipe here.

Thanks guys and dolls for visiting! Enjoy the recipe! If you have a recipe to share, please send it my way! Talk to you soon!

Southern Belle

P.S. The picture above is not my picture, but was borrowed from Paula to show you the scrumptious salad! However, the poopies are mine!

Long Dreary Days of Winter!

2009-02-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all,
Long time, no chat! Sorry that I haven't been around much! I am getting back in line after my older sister sent an email this morning cracking the whip! Haha! Thanks sis! No, in all honesty, I have become addicted to Facebook and Twitter. First it was Facebook and then I really got into Twitter when Obama and the Pelosi/Reid thug gang started pushing the crap pork sandwich down our throats! I am sick of their shenanigans and the fear tactics they are using on the American people. I am sorry! This blog isn't about politics, but I needed to vent a little. I have been posting on my political blog if you are interested. You can read that blog here.

Anyway, not much has been going on in the past couple of weeks besides trying to get through the dreary days of winter. I had a birthday on the 24th that was nice. My sweetie told me to pick the place and we would go and I chose my own house! We had a Sushi appetizer, followed by a gorgeous steak dinner with the best 'tater I have had in forever! Yummy, yummy in my tummy! I can taste that 'tater now with mushrooms and onions...oh my! It was delicious!

So, not much else going on. I was busy with eBay for several weeks, but don't have any listings right now. I need to get busy with that today! I sold my Little People Cabbage Patch doll, Charlotte Thea, two weeks ago on eBay. It was kind of sad, but I know she went to a great home. She is now living in Milwaukee and has many brothers and sisters. I hope she is having fun and staying out of trouble!

I just want to say Happy Birthday to my dear friend Eve today! I hope she has a fabulous day and does something she wants to do! I will raise my glass to her this evening. I hope you will too!

Alright, I will run now, but will be back later. I am going to give you a very special recipe later today, so please check back in this evening. I hope you all have a great day and stay warm!

Ciao!
Southern Belle

P.S. If you want to follow me on Twitter, please tweet me @aSouthernBella! Bye y'all!

A Beautiful Day!

2009-01-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all,
I just had to post what a beautiful day it is here in the south! I am absolutely loving this weather! I just wish it would last a little longer. I am so ready for spring! I hope you all are having a good Friday and are looking forward to the weekend! Happy hour is an hour away! Today is so nice we could even sit on the deck and have a glass of wine! You know where I will be soon! Talk to you later guys and dolls!

Southern Belle

Week In Review...Favorite Cookie Recipe!

2009-01-22T19:56:00.000-08:00

Hi Y'all,
I hope all of you have had a good week. Mine has been kind of depressing because of the weather...I hate winter! The older I get, the harder winter gets for me. I hate January and it is really taking a toll on me this year. Usually, I am OK if the sun is shining, but not so much anymore. I guess my old bones need to feel the warmth! When I was flying, it was not such a big deal because I would pick up a trip to the Caribbean every couple of weeks and it would pull me through until my next trip to some place warm. However, this year has been really tough. Even though my birthday is in January, I am hating this cold and dreary month. Every year I hate January and February, more and more. What about you? Do you get seasonal depression? I really need to sink my toes into the sand about now! I can feel the warm breeze blowing my hair as I lift my cold drink to my lips. Oh, I am sorry! Back to reality!

Anyway, I have had a long week. My sweetie was out of town for the beginning of the week, but thankfully, he returned home last night. He is usually gone from Monday to Friday when he travels, so I am glad he is home early this week. I just hope it warms up a bit for the weekend. We do not have any plans as of now, but if the weather is nice, a trip to the park makes all the difference!

I know some of you have been checking in regularly and have even sent me emails asking about my next post. I felt bad, so I wanted to let you know why I have not posted this week. Well, to be quite honest...the Obambi inauguration, in addition to the January weather, has thrown me off track too. Not so much because he is our President, but because I am sad to see President Bush leave. I know so many people hate him and have been so disrespectful to him, but he has kept us safe since September 11, 2001. I don't know about you, but I personally felt safer at the beginning of the week than I do today. All I can tell you...well, as a flight attendant who was flying on September 11, 2001, my daughter didn't know if I was dead or alive that entire day. She was in 6th grade and spent the entire day wondering if her Mommy was OK. Can you imagine the terror and horror that those events of that day inflicted upon her life? To this day, she remembers vividly! I can't even imagine myself! Thankfully, I was safe, but I will never forget her anguish. No person, child or adult, should ever be subjected to that terror and horror...and her Mommy was alive and fine. Her Mommy finally came home a week later (I couldn't get back into the country). Can you imagine the families that experienced the same terror and horror, yet their loved one never came home? It breaks my heart to this day.

So, when people want to bash President Bush and talk trash about him...take it somewhere else. I don't want to hear the vile come from those that have no respect for him. I am sorry, but I have every right to feel that way and say those words! I am thankful that President Bush kept my family safe all these years and I am grateful that we had such a kind and descent human being as our President. I truly believe in my heart that he loves this country and always did what he thought was best for her. If you disagree, I respect your right to disagree. But don't bash me for respecting my President. As a matter of fact, we should all respect our President...whether or not we agree or disagree, that is the southern way...be respectful! That should be the way of every US citizen. We should all respect our President. That is just the way it should be! You may not agree with every position the President takes, but every US citizen should respect him. After all, I believe in treating others the way you want to be treated.

Enough said there! That should have been placed on my other blog! Haha! I just wanted to let you know I am alive and well. On another note, I have received some very exciting news that I will be sharing soon enough. No, it is not about me! I will spill the beans soon! Promise!

In the meantime, I wanted to leave you with a favorite cookie recipe that we love in our house. When the Princess was cheering at LHS, I made about 6-8 dozen cookies every Friday for her squad. I made an assortment of cookies for them, but the cookies that were always eaten first and disappeared the fastest, were the Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies by Paula Deen. They are like little mini chocolate cakes! Ooh La La! Can you think of anything better? I can't unless it is a bathtub of chocolate at my disposal...with a little hazelnut...OK, Nutella it is!

So anyway, everyone in my entire family loves these cookies! When the Princess went back to school earlier in the month, I made her a bunch of them to take back and share with her roomies. I hope she shared with them! She has been taught to share! We made them at Christmas too...among many other occasions! If you ever need a cookie that everyone will love, these are the cookies! If they don't like them, send them to our house! I hope you and your family enjoy them like we do! I keep a frozen batch of dough in the refrigerator at all times now!

OK y'all...I will be back over the weekend. Let us pray for warm weather. Thanks for checking in with me! I hope you are all well and good!

Nite!

Southern Belle

CHOCOLATE GOOEY BUTTER COOKIES
Ingredients

* 1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
* 1 stick butter, at room temperature
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
* Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Busy Weekend! Night Y'all

2009-01-18T22:36:00.000-08:00

Hi Y'all,
It is late and I am getting ready to sign off for the night but wanted to say hello before hitting the hay! I have one more load of laundry in that needs to finish...at 1:40 a.m.! I need sleep!

So, it was a busy week and weekend and that is why I have not posted an entry. I will post tomorrow after the week gets underway. I am trying really hard to get all of my laundry done and the rest of Christmas put away. I am sure I will have time this week because I refuse to turn on the tube for the nauseating inauguration fiasco...I cannot even go there! Why did it have to turn into a whole weekend event? Why not just Tuesday? If you don't know how I feel about Obami, then you can check out my other blog here to give a clear picture! Enough said!

So, what did you do this weekend? I hope you all had a great weekend! We survived the cold and I am so ready for summer! I am over this cold and dreary winter!

Sleep tight y'all! Don't let the bed bugs bite!

Southern Belle

The Winner is...

2009-01-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

Congratulations "Auntie Donna" on your win of the Starbucks gift card! There were not many that commented on the blog, but I did receive a number of emails. All entries were placed in the pretty crystal bowl and the winner was picked at random! Please check your email for information on how to claim your prize!

The pictures were a seashell, granite counter tops, tostito chip, dog fur, and dry lentils! Some of you were very close, but no one guessed the tostito chip! Thanks for playing! Next time, I will not make it difficult for you to play...you will not have to register with Blogger in order to leave a comment. Sorry about that y'all. I will post another contest soon!

If you have any ideas or suggestions for future contests or giveaways, please email me at southernbelleblog@gmail.com.

The above picture is courtesy of Lumaxart.

Last Day of Contest! Enter Now!

2009-01-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all,
Today is the last day of the contest! If you win, you will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card! Please click here to see the pictures and enter the contest! All names will be entered even if the answers are not correct. Also, I have changed the way you post your comments and you do not have to have a Blogger account to enter. Good luck everyone!

Traveling Like a Rock Star...Princess and Designer Luggage!

2009-01-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all,
Sorry I missed all of you over the weekend. It was a short weekend and I really didn't have time to stop by and visit. I hope you had that glass of wine without me! I had mine without you and trust me...it was well deserved!

Saturday was a day filled with laundry, cleaning, errands, etc. I was on a roll and feeling like I had accomplished so much Saturday...I had big plans to do some serious purging on Sunday! My goal was to load up our midsize SUV or my "Roller Skate" as my friend calls our car! Yes, I do have friends! Anyway, I was going to load up the car and make at least one trip to Goodwill! That is a good goal, right? Well, we loaded up the car and it was packed to the gills! But it wasn't for a trip to Goodwill as planned...instead, it was a trip to take the Princess back to school! Originally her Dad was going to take her back to school. Then on Saturday night at 9pm, he informs her he cannot take her the following day! Mom and James to the rescue! Of course we would take her! Except, actually, we didn't take her, just her stuff!

My, oh my! You have never seen so much sh*t in all of your life! As a matter of fact, you really couldn't see all the stuff because it was packed in storage tubs. But let me tell ya...Princess had a lot! I commented early on that I felt like we were traveling like a rock star...imagine Beyonce or Mariah Carey with all of their Louis Vuitton trunks, except these trunks were of the Sterlite and Rubbermaid line! Not quite the same!

Well, I have a plan! You see, we had to bring all of the "Sterlite" and "Rubbermaid" luggage back home because there is absolutely no place for the Princess to store these mammoth pieces of plastic...all 8 of them! So, next time, before the trunk pieces return to transport the Princesses belongings on the next trip, they will be designer! They will be designed by her Momma, Southern Belle, and have cute little "LV" logos painted all over them! Won't she just love that? Maybe I should do my own line and paint a "SB" logo all over them. After all, she is the baby Southern Belle!

Back to the trip, don't think for one minute that she only had the "Sterlite" and "Rubbermaid" transporting her designer duds and accessories! Oh no! Girlfriend also had her large and medium size pink and white polka dot luggage too! Not to mention...blankets, pillows, and TV. Then there were the 3 or 4 bags from Trader Joes with yummy food and beverages for the Princess. We even had two coolers full of frozen and refrigerated food!

See, the Princess did not want to ride the whole way back to school with her parents, so she rode with one of her sorority sisters and a roomie as we followed along with all of the luggage. I guess James and I were Porters for the day! Oh yeah, her roomate's luggage had to go in our car too because there was no room in the convertible her sorority sister drives. In all honesty, it is a little convertible and there is not much room in the car, but the Princess couldn't have even fit herself and her belongings only in that car! I thought I had a problem traveling light...well, Princess needs help! She is going to have to sell some of that sh*t before she comes home or else she will have to rent a U Haul!

We drive into the dorm parking lot and pull up to the curb to unload and I watch in amazement as all the other students are unloading their cars with maybe two bags...ok, sometimes three bags. Then there were those carrying in their 5 or 6 Walmart bags too! Here is my Princess with her 8 "Sterlite" and "Rubbermaid" trunks, suitcases, coolers, etc. and I am wondering where is she going to put all of this stuff she has brought with her!!! Certainly, she must be renting dorm room closet space from one of her roomies! Yeah right! I don't think so! All she can tell me is not to worry, it will all fit!

At that point, I was not only worried about how it was all going to fit, but I was also wondering how many trips it would take us to get it all upstairs to the top floor of the dorms. No worry there Mom! Princess and James take the first load upstairs. I stand there looking like "Stupid Mom" while all these kids mosey their way to the dorms with their lightly packed roller board luggage and a handful of Walmart bags of food and necessities. I never saw anyone twice because they only had to make one trip! It is a good thing because I stood there for a while before help arrived. After what seemed like an eternity, the Princess rounded up an entourage to carry her designer trunks and duds upstairs! Once inside, I was safe from the "Crazy Lady" stares that were cast my way while I stood on the sidewalk. Next time, I will carry Princess' belongings and she can stand there with all of her trunks and luggage! At least she is cute!

Once inside, it took a couple of hours to get it all unpacked! She did fit most of it into her tiny dorm bedroom, but she did send several things back with me...although, not enough that it filled a whole trunk! We decided before we left that Princesses wardrobe is large enough that she can make it through the entire semester without doing a load of laundry! By the way, two of the trunks were full of shoes, with several new pair of flip flops to add to her collection! What can I say? She is my daughter!

Sunday was a long day, but worth it for my Princess! We had a good trip and many laughs. She is definitely glad to be back at school, but her Momma misses her tons! There was a 25+ degree difference in temperature of home (35 F) and school (61 F) last night when we finally got back to the ATL! Not sure why she needs so many "Puffy Jackets" as she calls them, but hey...at least she has a choice in color! For a woman, it is all about having choices! Today has been a day of recovery and tomorrow will be getting back into the swing of things around here...maybe a day to fill the "Roller Skate" with goodies for Goodwill!

I am looking forward to relaxing and watching "24" tonight! It is one of my favorite shows on TV and I cannot wait! I really missed it last year when the writers were on strike. If you have never seen it, you can catch it tonight at 8pm on Fox.

Gotta run! Have a good night y'all!

Southern Belle

P.S. The picture of the car was taken after it had already started being unpacked...we were not able to see out the back of the glass! When I pulled out my camera, she said,"Mom! Don't! You better not put this on your blog!"

Lazy Friday Night!

2009-01-09T18:58:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all,
It has been a long day, but thank God for the sunshine! I am ready for the weekend! How about you? I am about to go catch up on Brothers & Sisters and Grey's Anatomy. I need to free up some space on the dvr. What are you doing tonight?

I hope you all have a great weekend! Relax and do something fun this weekend with a loved one. Hug your babies tight too...mine is going back to college this weekend. Her momma is sad and will miss her tons and tons! But she says, "I'm ready to get the hell outta here!" Be a good girl and study Kylie. Don't party too much! Yeah right!

I will be posting some pictures tomorrow, so come back and visit. Let's have a glass of wine together tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by tonight. See y'all tomorrow!

Oh yeah, how about that game last night? GO GATORS!

Southern Belle

Save the Ta-Tas Y'all!!!

2009-01-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

Have y'all heard of the hip and chic clothing brand "Save the Ta-Tas" that raises money for breast cancer research? It is a great cause that is very dear and close to my heart after losing my grandmother to this awful illness. She became ill from breast cancer in the late nineties and eventually lost her battle after the cancer spread throughout her body several years later. The very sad part of her story was that she didn't tell anyone of her diagnosis for quiet a while. Had someone known, she probably would have been able to be treated and may have lived a little longer.

Also, one of my very closest and dear friends Schera was touched by this illness several years ago. When we found out she was sick, we were all shocked and stunned. Afterall, we are too young to be touched by this beast. We were so very wrong. Fortunately, she is a very strong and wonderful person who has overcome the battle and is doing well! I love you Schera!

You have probably been touched by this sickness too. "Save the Ta-Tas" is a great cause that we can all support because it has touched so many of us in some way! Please go to this link and enter the contest to win this wonderful gift basket donated by the organization! It doesn't cost you a thing...all you have to do is enter a comment on her blog. This fabulous organization has already donated over $202,000 to breast cancer research!

I just love the saying, "save the Ta-Tas!" It makes me smile every time I hear it or say it to someone else! I have entered and hope you will too!

You can find more information on "Save the Ta-Tas" here.

Save the Ta-Tas y'all!

Southern Belle

Relaxing with My Sweetie and My New Google Phone! Cant Post to My Blog From G1! Oops!

2009-01-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Oops! Was going to post last night from my new Google phone, but I could only post the title to the entry? What is up with that? I thought I would be able to post from my new phone, but I guess not. If I am able to figure it out, I will definitely let you know! This makes me a little upset!

I want to get a cover for my phone, or a "skin" as they call them. What color should I get? I am a girly girl, so of course I love pink! I also love zebra striped! Guess what I just found...a pink and black zebra striped skin! Now that would be cool! Look at it here. What do you think? Do you have a skin for your phone? I guess I could get several...just like a girl needs lots of clothes and accessories...my phone does too!

We are going to Taco Mac tonight to watch the Gators beet Oklahoma in the BCS Bowl Championship! That will be so much fun! Thursday nights are fun at Taco Mac...free beer glasses for their beer of the month! As a true Southern Belle, you know I love college football! So I am sad tonight is the end of the season. January and winter are depressing enough. Without the sound of Saturday football on the TV, it is hard to get through the weekend! Sorry, but professional is just not the same.

Well, I gotta run. Just to update you...I am almost finished with my first "yarn" hat! It is looking cute! I will post a picture tomorrow or Saturday. It is taking me longer than I thought. That is OK! As long as it is cute! Oh yeah, my sis Jana, said she would be honored to wear one of my "yarn" hats! Jana, it is on the way!

Have a good one tonight y'all! Go Gators!

Southern Belle

The Question!!! What Time Are You Asked?

2009-01-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Real quick, do any of you get the question, "What's for dinner?" everyday of your life? OK, well I don't get it every single day because when the boy is out of town he doesn't ask...unless he is on his way home and will be having dinner with me! LOL!

However, I am asked this question so often that my dear friend Amy and I use to tell each other each time we were asked so we would know who asked first...her boy, J.A or my boy!

Sometimes, I am even asked before he finishes lunch! My usual response..."I'd suggest food!" Other times, I ask first thing in the morning to beat him to the punch!

Southern Belle

Where Does the Day Go? I'm In the Weeds!

2009-01-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all,
This will be a quick entry because the day is almost over and I have accomplished almost nothing! OK, so I have tried to catch up on emails and I did post my first contest on this blog, but I have so much more to do. It is only a matter of time until the daily question, "What's for dinner?" is either skyped, texted, or asked through the wall of the boy's office! So what is for dinner? I have boneless chicken breasts ready to be cooked, but am not sure how I will cook them just yet! Any ideas? If you have a favorite recipe, please send it my way! I remember my Mom used to make the greatest chicken casserole when we were younger, but I think it had sour cream in it and the boy doesn't do sour cream. I am going to email Mom to find out for sure.

Meanwhile, before I am off to work on other endeavours, I want to show you my knitting! See the little bit of pink knitting on the needle? I did it all myself with instruction only from the book. OK, so maybe James and my sis Ashlie are right...maybe I do have ADD! I went to Michael's last night with Kylie to get the yarn to finish my hat and while I was there, I bought a kit to teach myself to knit without a loom! So, as soon as I came home, I started teaching myself and couldn't put it down! Well, Kylie and James did make me leave it at home while we went to dinner. But as soon as we got home, I started knitting again! Kylie was sitting with me on the sofa and said, "Mom, what is wrong with you? You are only thirty something! Not seventy!" Children! They know it all!

Well, it is great that I am learning to knit sans loom, but I need to get back to my hat on the loom! Then what about the embroidered blanket for Kylie? WHOA! Slow down Southern Belle! I need to prioritize don't I? Do any of you do this...go from one thing to another? It makes James crazy!

I will be back next time with pictures of my hat! I promise! Then tomorrow I will do Kylie's blanket! In the meantime, I am off to the races! I have got to get my eBay listings up that I didn't post on Sunday night and finish up several other things. I have to get out of the weeds!

Southern Belle

Contest ~ What Is It???

2009-01-06T10:14:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all,
My first contest begins today and will end at midnight on January 13th! I will announce the winner on January 14th. The objective is to identify the objects in each of the pictures below. In your answers, please be as specific as you can. Some of these are easy and some are not so easy, but I am sure you can figure them out! If you have any questions, please post a comment below or send an email to southernbelleblog@gmail.com!

The winner will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card! All correct answers will receive one entry into the pretty crystal bowl for a random drawing. You may receive an additional entry for each person that you refer to the contest if they mention who referred them in their post! Easy enough, huh? Hey, if you don't like Starbucks, you can always use the gift card as a gift!

Please post your answers in the comment section below. The boy that doesn't wear "yarn" hats will draw the random winner from the pretty crystal bowl on January 14th and the winner will be notified via email. Good luck!

Knitting My First "Yarn" Hat!

2009-01-04T12:23:00.001-08:00

Hey Y'all,
I didn't post yesterday because I was out running around most of the day and was tired when we did get home. James and I went and spent our Kohl's cash, did some returns, and had lunch at the Atlanta Bread Company. I love eating at the Atlanta Bread Company, but it is expensive. We don't eat there often and if it had been James' choice, it would have been Wendy's!

So, when we got home, instead of starting my embroidery right away, I came downstairs to take a power nap while watching the Falcons play in the wildcard playoff game. I ended up starting a project I have wanted to start for a long time and worked on it until midnight! I started just yesterday to teach myself to knit and my first project is a hat! Our night was a quiet one...I was knitting while James and I watched the playoff games and then James played his video games during halftime of the two games! Exciting night, huh? Oh yeah, the excitement was the two glasses of wine I had and James enjoyed a few Sam Adams! I think we are getting old...James is anyway! The wine I had was some Pinot Grigio that my sister Ashlie gave me for Christmas and it was mmmm, mmmmm good! Thanks sis! I will have to post the type of wine later because it was very good!

As far as my knitting goes, I have started with a loom that is easy to make scarves and hats. I want to learn to knit without a loom, but figured this is the easiest way to begin and teach myself. If any of you know how to knit and want to teach me, I would be a great attentive student. My Grandmomma used to crochet all the time when we were younger and I have thought of asking her to teach me to crochet, but I really don't know if she is up to teaching me. I will have to give a her a call this week! I think I would be a very fast learner...we will see. In the meantime, I love the loom! It is great to be able to do something while watching TV that is mindless and doesn't strain my eyes! Of course, I am making James crazy because I go from one thing to another! He asked me last night, "So are you going to knit or embroider? You go from one to the other!" I just laughed and thought to myself, "I am woman! I can do both!" LOL!

Well, I must run now. I am working on my eBay and want to finish up my hat today. If I complete it tonight, I will post a picture. I asked James last night if I knitted him a hat, would he wear it and he told me, "Hell NO! Who wears yarn hats?" I laughed my a*s off at his reply! I told him I will put a face on his hat with a pom pom on top and he said he would wear it if I made it a long hat with a pom pom on the end...like a ski hat! I will have to come up with something creative just for my sweetie! If I can somehow put something "Porsche" on the hat, he will wear it regardless of how goofy it looks! The picture above is of my hat in progress. I ran out of yarn, so I need to run down to Michael's. I wish Walmart carried yarn, but that would be too convenient! If you have any ideas for James' hat, let me know. I am including a picture of him in his Porsche about to do an autocross race just to help generate ideas for his "yarn" hat! I guess people that drive Porsches definitely don't wear "yarn" hats! Well, there is a first for everything! LOL!

Well, I will talk to y'all later. Be sure to check back this evening or tomorrow for pictures of my hat. I am not sure the first hat will be for James, but I am definitely making him one! Also, tomorrow I am starting a contest on the blog that should be fun. More to come tomorrow! Do something creative and relaxing today!

For a good laugh, be sure to check out James' brother, Pete's blog about the VW Scooby Doo Mystery Machine trip! They are having a blast on their way back to Florida! Have fun Pete and LeeAnn...or Shaggy and LeeAnn! Sorry you missed the ATL! Count Chocula wanted his picture in the shaggin' wagon!

Ciao!

P.S. "Survey Says..." There is a survey on the right hand side of the blog...please answer my survey!

Happy Birthday Jeffrey! & Weekend Fun!

2009-01-02T16:32:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to my brother Jeffrey! He is a gorgeous strapping old man at the age of 36! Isn't he? From what I hear...all the girls in Savannah think so! Jeffrey, I hope you are having a relaxing day and enjoying that Turkey I sent you! Happy Happy Birthday to YOU! Your card is in the mail...right along with your Christmas card you will be receiving next week! LOL!

Today has been a quiet day at home. I have been cleaning a little and attempting to do some laundry. I have also finished up our Christmas cards that will be sent out tomorrow! Yes, what is the point, right? Well, I started them, so I had to finish them! Better late than never! Look for your card in the mail soon! They are on their way...promise!

James has been engrossed in this new video game today. He got it last week and is trying to play it until it wears out! LOL! I don't know the name of the game, but it looks to be in a dungeon and there are potions involved! Sound fun or enticing? I don't think so...it is definitely not my cup of tea! But he seems to be enjoying the game and it keeps the puppies calm because they are laying right next to him or at his feet.

James is just a big kid! He loves video games, but he hardly ever plays them. It seems that the only time he ever does play is around the holidays when he is off of work and it is cold and dreary outside. Otherwise, he is golfing or competing in some type of Porsche event! You know him...he loves his cars more than he loves me! Just kidding! Did you know his cars have names? His red Porsche is Roxie and the gold Porsche is Goldie! He loves to take them on dates and usually I am not invited! Ha! Ha! He likes blonds, red heads, and brunettes! What a fickle boy!

So, I am trying to decide what to list on eBay this weekend. I always try to start my listings on Sundays and then they last for a week. The thing is that to do one listing, it takes a (little) while. You have to take the pictures, load them on the computer, upload them to the picture hosting service and then get the HTML code to post them in the listing! Then you have to write the descriptions and create the listings! I use TurboLister to create my listings and it usually goes pretty quickly because I have a template set up that makes it easy. However, if I were to try to show you how I do it all, your head would spin! eBay is fun and I do enjoy selling on there, but because I am such a perfectionist, it takes me longer than the average bear! I like to create fancy schmancy listings with coordinating colors and backgrounds! I guess it is the creative side of me.

Many of you know that I sell a lot of vintage items and I love to sell vintage lingerie. Believe it or not, vintage lingerie sells extremely well! Usually, vintage items sell very well! To give you an idea of what I sell...I bought this fabulous vintage "Pinup" swimsuit this past year at the thrift store. It was a gorgeous suit in mint condition! I paid $2.00 - $3.00 for the suit and ended up selling it for close to $100.00! Yeah, I did pretty well with that one! Now they all don't do that well, but it is nice when they do! Another hot seller is vintage panties...yes, "Granny" panties! Can you believe that? It is true and guess what? It isn't always women buying them...a lot of men buy them to wear them! Don't ask me because that is all I know! But they are called "Sissy" panties! Yep, it is true! Look on eBay for yourself! Crazy world, huh?

My problem lately is that I have so much stuff here and it sells better if you have take your pictures with someone modeling the clothes. Well, my model that I had tentatively hired over the holidays bailed on me! Her name is Kylie Jane Kremer and it seems her social life is more important! Anyone know her? LOL! If you have seen her, please call me! I am offering a reward! If I could just pin that child down for a couple of hours of her time! It just doesn't ever seem to happen. I guess I could get my Mom or one of my Sisters to model some of the jewelry, but they are all so busy and Mom lives so far away now. I sure wish she still lived right around the corner! Miss you Mom!

So, this weekend we will be watching football and I will be playing with my new toy I got for Christmas...the Singer SES1000 sewing machine! It is the greatest machine because it is a sewing machine, embroidery machine, and serger all in one! Talk about fancy schmancy! I just love it because it does so many great things. All of the fancy stitches are incredible. I have not completed a project yet, but hope to embroider a blanket this weekend for Kylie. When I get it done, I will show pictures. I am going to embroider it with her sorority logo...Phi Mu! The blanket is navy blue fleece and I will use bright hot pink thread. I hope it turns out pretty!

Also, tomorrow I will be making a trip to Kohl's to spend my $50 Kohl's cash that has to be spent by tomorrow. I listed it on Craigslist for $45, but no one has called or emailed. I would rather have the cash, but it looks like I will be stuck with Kohl's merchandise. I am telling ya, the older I get, the less I like to shop! Oh yes, Bath and Body Works is also having a sale on their Wallflowers, so I may stop by there too. The sale ends Sunday, so I need to get there sometime this weekend.

Hey, one more thing...do any of you have a Facebook page? I do! I have never used it, but Kylie finally approved me as one of her friends a couple of days ago! Yippee! I have been "requesting" to be her friend for months and she has never approved my request. Well, I guess it was a late Christmas present, because I am now her friend! So, I have a total of 3 friends...Kylie, Kylie's friend Holly, and my sister's friend Andi! Hip Hip Hooray! I hope I get some other friends soon! Andi "wrote on my wall" that my page needed help! I am working on it, but it is time consuming just like anything else! Can I make it fancy schmancy like my eBay listings and my blog? I am going to have to find out what my options are...but I promise no music when the page loads!

I hate when music plays when the page loads on eBay listings, websites, and MySpace! What the heck? What if you are at work and shouldn't be on that page? No way! No music for my online adventures! Although, I always tell James, "My life would be more dramatic if I always had background music playing!" Just kidding! My life has enough drama in it from the Kremer's! I don't need anymore! More details to come from that storyline! and let me tell ya, it is high drama! I just need to write a book to tell all! Stay tuned!

So, what are you doing this weekend? I hope you do something you love to do! Check back tomorrow for an update...maybe I will have my first embroidery project complete!

Happy Birthday Brother! Love Ya!

Happy New Year! May All Fountains Overflow with Champagne!

2009-01-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all my friends and family! I hope you all had a fabulous and fun New Years Eve! I hope 2009 brings you and yours good health, happiness, and prosperity! May we all find more time to share with each other in 2009!

Many of you know I had another blog going about politics back in the fall. After McCain lost the election, the wind was taken right out of my sails and I have not blogged in a long while. This doesn't mean that I am still not interested in politics or current events, but I just haven't been blogging. Trust me, there are many shenanigans that are going on in the political world that offers some very good writing material! Maybe I will venture back there soon, but in the meantime I have started this new blog. My intentions are to offer a lot more about my life and world than just my political views and commentary! Some of you have suggested that I keep writing, so I have started again! I hope you will follow this blog like you did SouthernBellePolitics. I will try to make it interesting and entertaining for y'all!

So, the new year is upon us! Thank goodness! James and I have had a good holiday, but I am glad is finally winding down. Every year we say we are not going to get caught up in the hype and commercialization of Christmas, but we always get sucked in during the week before Christmas. It is really my fault because I am the one that gets sucked in and then James has no choice but to follow! Poor little fella! LOL!

No, in all honesty, I fall into the "trap" because of my beloved Kylie. I thought this year would be different since she is now a college student...and officially an adult, but it just doesn't happen that way! Will next year be different? I sure hope so! But everyone that knows me, knows that as much as I love Kylie, she loves gifts and material things even more! Yes, I know! I am to blame for creating the girl that loves shoes and purses in every color! Well, partially to blame...there are others that I will share the blame with too! Regardless, I am afraid this is one of Kylie's loves that is here to stay! May she win the lottery soon, marry wealthy, or be very successful in her career so that she can buy her own shoes, purses, accessories, electronics, and pay for her own upkeep! LOL! Girls ain't cheap...at least true Southern Belles!

Back to my point...don't get me wrong, I do love Christmas, but I do not love the pressure to buy gifts and get everyone exactly what they want! Let's face it, when you get to our age, if you want something, you go out and buy that little something that your heart so desires! Don't you? I do!

Yes, I know, it is different with little children...that is what the magic of Christmas is really about. But when those little children grow into adults, it is just not that much fun anymore! Especially when the big kid toys cost much, much more and if you don't find out exactly what they want, they will be disappointed in their gifts. So there goes the surprise element because the big kids now know what their gifts are each year! Guess what...next year there will be a surprise! The surprise will be we won't be here!

Sorry, but I would rather spend money on a vacation frolicking in the warm ocean breezes and sunshine, than to buy a bunch of gifts and then sit at home with gifts in cold, windy, and dreary "Hotlanta!" I do love my family and friends and I love spending time with all of you, but it seems like no one slows down to spend time together. I think next year, we will take a vacation to someplace warm and see you all when we get back!

I hope our plans for a future holiday vacation don't hurt anyone's feelings, but my feelings are hurt now knowing I could be somewhere warm if I had not fallen into the Christmas commercialization trap! After all, none of us are beating down each others doors to spend time with each other! My doorbell hasn't rang once in the past 4 or 5 days! The last time it did ring, it was 11 pm and it was Kylie stopping by to show me her bad hair cut that she hates! She wasn't here to visit, but to bend my ear with her bitching! LOL! Just kidding Kylie! You hair cut is actually very cute and flattering to you. Not to worry sweetie, it will grow back out soon!

I promise, next year after I spend some time absorbing all the rays I can get while sipping frilly drinks with umbrellas and the sand grinding between my toes, I will be in a better frame of mind to brave the wind and cold while visiting all of you upon my return! You will probably hate me and my gorgeous radiant tan...but hey, you will have all of your presents while I have my tan! That is fair! You can't have it all!

Of course, if you want to come with us to sunny warm places, by all means, you are welcome to accompany us! However, there is one rule...no presents allowed! Unless it is liquid and drinkable! The more, the merrier!

Happy New Year to all of you! May you each find laughter every day in 2009 and may all the fountains overflow with champagne!