Two Wheelers

Stripes. No Surprise.

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

I love stripes. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I literally CANNOT turn down a good striped dress. And don't give me that "horizontal stripes" stuff. Side to side is my very favorite. Don't be scared of the stripes. Looking French is always good, oui?

I can't wait to wear this dress with sandals in the summer. (When I wore it this week, it was one of those 70 degree days.) True, I can't STAND the summer temperatures and generally try to dress in as much sleeveless-ness as possible, but I also freeze indoors, so the long sleeves will keep me comfy in the office, mall, supermarket, etc. This could also work different ways in the winter, with a vest thrown over it, or an oxford shirt underneath, or even with jeans!

Week One: Savings Success!

2012-02-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

It's working! Since I started doing outfit posts last week, I have not set one foot in a store shopping! Not even looking. Instead, I did all my looking in my closet and kept all my money in my wallet.

I appreciate everyone putting up with all my outfit posts. Sometimes I feel like it's vain or show-offy to plaster all those "hand on hip" pictures of myself online, like some self-satisfied clothes horse, but doing those posts helps keep me accountable to my pledge to start using what I've got right here at home. Each morning is a new opportunity to be creative in my own closet, knowing that I'll be taking those pictures when I get home.

So put up with it a little while longer, ok? Think of it as doing me a fiscal favor.

T

Boca Baby

2012-02-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

At 27 years old, I'm nowhere NEAR retiring, so you might find it a little odd that this outfit looks like I stepped right out of the retirement community in Boca. But since I like it, maybe I need to look into Florida as a retirement option...

What makes it worse is that in this outfit at lunch, while I was mall walking, most of the people I was passing were younger than me.

And these. These cat eye sunglasses didn't help either.

I have to say, I think I look ah-mazz-ing (Happy Endings, anyone?) for an 80-year-old.

T

Heads Up

2012-02-08T07:16:00.000-08:00

So, looking at blog hits the other day, I noticed that the least popular of my last few blog posts were the outfit ones, so here's something NOT related to clothes and more related to some cool stuff I added to the house.

First up is my fave. Yes, it is a white horse head. I love white. I don't have a particular affinity for live horses, but apparently I like their heads. (Ceramic ones, not The Godfather ones.) I have a much smaller, silver one in the guest bathroom. He's actually more like a chess piece. But this giant horsie is like a wild, untamed stallion, hair blowing in the wind. He was a Christmas present from my mom.

I love him so much, I wrote a hiaku about him.

Pretty white horse head

Living atop my dresser

You make me happy

Another present that makes me happy. Mercury glass PLUS honeycomb??? Perfection.

And my next project is this W. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it...ok, just kidding. I'm going to paint it white.

I paint everything white, remember?

T

The Best, Blingiest Shoes Ever

2012-02-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, this post is really all about the shoes. I've worn this striped dress/white oxford combo before, so it's really nothing new. But these shoes?

These shoes are wonderful. They're the Darby glitter loafers from J.Crew and I got them on sale (!!!) because J.Crew shoes are spensive, y'all. But I had my eye on these babies for a while. And it wasn't hard to keep my eye on them because they. are. shiny. And super comfy and so well made and sleek. And even though the shops are really moving into spring, the whole "men's slipper" trend this winter really got to me. Hopefully, slippers and loafers will still be en vogue next winter.

And as for my outfit pictures...sigh. These pictures are not awesome. I know that. They are warm and grainy b/c they are so dark before I photoshop them, and yes, I did get a flash for Christmas, but it is just not working in the spare bedroom for some reason. I will work on finding a better place to take pictures.

Heart Me

2012-02-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

Sigh. The title of this post only reminds me of the adorable J.Crew sweater I was not able to get this holiday season. It sold out the day after Michelle Obama wore it to a basketball game. Boo.

But these cute little Valentine heart decorations cheer me back up just a little bit.

I got the Valentine scrapbook paper for 40% off at Hobby Lobby, so my entire Valentine's decor only cost me like $1.50. And the string they're hanging on? Dental floss = free.

Some cute little hearts taped to my mercury glass votives make me feel all lovey-dovey while I watch TV. Shout out to my broken-eared owl!

Valentine's on a budget! Next up, Easter. My mom got me the cutest widdle bunnies!

T

Stripes, Spots and an Arm Party

2012-02-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, not a true "arm party." That's a fun way of saying that you're wearing lots of bracelets, watches, etc on both arms. But I'm usually a Just A Watch On Only One Arm kind of girl, so to have a watch with a (gasp) bauble-y bracelet and (double gasp) more bracelets on the other arm, well...maybe it's just an arm "bumped into you at the mall", but it's def something different for me.

Leopard on top, Kermit the Frog on bottom

2012-02-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

Leopard. I have such a hard time spelling that. I literally have to remember it now as Leo Pard. That's the only way it doesn't come out something completely different.

I pulled this post's outfit directly from one of my favorite pictures on the previous web rollout at jcrew.com.

I was obsessed with green pants and a leopard top. I managed to capture the actual J.Crew leopard print (albeit in cardigan form AND the print is much less yellowish in real life than in the picture), but I just couldn't bring myself to spend $80 on a pair of green pants. Although they would be super well made, high quality pants.

But I found I COULD bring myself to spending $20 on some green stretch pants from Wet Seal when I finally found a pair there that wasn't a ZERO or ONE, which in real lady pants world would be like -2 or something like that. Not a Wet Seal kind of girl am I.(I guess channeling Yoda is fitting, b/c he was green, too.)

Alas, I did not want to teeter around in red high heels as I've recently developed a slight allergy to high heels, so I opted for my short heel, long pointy toe black ones. I grabbed my Target menswear/Michael Kors-inspired chunky watch and an old Banana Republic factory bracelet and called it an outfit.

Bubbles

2012-01-30T20:23:00.000-08:00

This necklace...oh, this necklace. I LOVE it. I am so proud of my little ebay find, which may or may not be a J.Crew bubble necklace knockoff coughcoughmaycough. But it wasn't $150, so thumbs up. I wore this outfit to the Capitol in Montgomery for the State Combined Campaign Awards. I love dressing up sweatshirts, and this is yet another example of that. I'm also wearing my very favorite pants in the whole wide world, J.Crew Minnie pants. I would live in these...very Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie on the Dick Van Dyke Show. Greatest pants invention ever. But apparently my shoes are so pointy, they can't even fit into the picture.

Speaking of the Capitol, I would love nothing more than to go exploring in dtown Montgomery. I have never been except for work related events, and since I'm me, I'm always running late or in a hurry or in heels or it's hot and so I never get to. Maybe one day.

T

The Polka!

2012-01-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

Polka dots, that is. With a sweatshirt, even! This is one of my favorite tops combined with a skirt I've had forever, so I'm so proud to have "shopped" my closet for this outfit! Not so happy about the fact that I was able to wear this skirt without tights or boots...in January. Sigh. It's going to be another long Alabama summer, isn't it?

New at Old Navy

2012-01-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

I've been a little spendy lately, and the brakes are being applied tout de suite. And while I've racked up some very impressive new pieces in my wardrobe...said wardrobe is huge. Like, I was telling my mom the other day that I could probably wear an entirely new outfit every day for the rest of the year based on what I already own. Not that I would never actually commit to doing that, because the shopping is almost as much (if not more) fun than the wearing. But definitely less. New philosophy: Less is more...money in the pocket.

So while taking pictures of new things at Old Navy is not really conducive to saving money, I'll be happy to report to you that I did not purchase a single thing pictured. I just went to look. Looking became trying on. Trying on became a great idea.

Instead of PURCHASING the items I found and loved, why not just SHARE them? Sharing is free and perfectly healthly for everyone, unless it's germs or bad news or something icky like that. So I've decided, that when I find something pretty amazing, I want to ~~spend YOUR money, not mine~~ amaze everyone else as well.

I've also decided, in an effort to be more creative at home (and less whiny about less new clothes/shoes/jewelry), to take pictures of some of my favorite outfits. It makes dressing up in the morning fun, and makes "closet shopping" seem cooler.

Butterfly dress: They had this styled with a long, red blazer. Almost linen-ish. Could very well have been linen. I didn't try it on with the blazer b/c I thought it looked a bit "old English country lady", but this dress def needs an anchor. The butterflys are very cartoony, and it needs some serious. Unless you're Zooey Deschanel. Then maybe. I've paired these with some lovely rain boots. What? It could work.

This was my faveeee. It's just a regular blue-striped boatneck tee (actually the back and front are two different colors, so it's actually got a bit of "special" to it), with a sleeveless shell over it. The pearls are my own. They are fake. Brandon is super happy I wear these fake ones instead of the real ones he bought me a few Christmases ago. The shell is a bright poppy color and very light sweater-y. Not a very tight knit. Almost remided me of raw silk, but I looked and it wasn't. I was really, REALLY in love with the shell. That's probably why I look so cocky in this picture. I'm like "Yeah, this is one awesome shell." Didn't really need another striped tee. Oh, who am I kidding? I love stripes and could totally use another striped tee. I just didn't love this one very much.

The shirt...has BIRDS on it. I have been looking for a shirt with weird things on it (silhouettes of horses, birds, a giant odd-shaped heart etc.) forever. And it was at Old Navy the whole time. I did like the cream colored blouse more (those birds were blue and yellow) but they did not have one in my size.

This was my outfit for the day, copied directly from an old J.Crew magazine cover using pieces I already owned!! And the old lady hairdo was courtsey of the rainy weather we were supposed to get later in the day. And these things. These are amazing.

It's a jeans and t-shirt blog kind of day

2012-01-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

More changes. Change is good, right? The truth is, I get tired--annoyed, even--with my blog background. I just can't seem to find a nice, simple template. I'm a nice, simple girl and I want my blog to coordinate with me. That's the whole point behind a blog design anyway, right?

So I've gone to the dynamic view provided by Blogger because I have no idea what I want or how to get it. I changed the colors and some of the fonts, but that's all the customization it's going to get for now. It's not perfect. It's too generic. But I have a chance now to showcase larger pictures, and I kind of like how it looks like a "real" website. You will have to click into each post to see all the pictures as the dynamic view only shows the first one. Also, reading chronologically is more "left to right" than "top to bottom" now.

I like clothes. I like to wear different kinds of clothes, different outfits. Apparently, so does my blog. I'm just changing my blog's outfit.

An analogy in action.

Brando must have been extra "nice" this year

2011-12-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

For Brandon's first Christmas Eve with my family, he sure got a lot of attention. Especially from the ladies. The, um...little ladies.

Maybe it's because he's so handsome. Or he's got a real way with words...like the ones in little people's books.

Maybe it's his fancy phone that makes noise.

Maybe it was because he was such an excellent pacifier-holder and runny nose wiper.

But I'd like to think it was because these two sweet girls wanted to make his first Christmas Eve extra special.

As if we all didn't make it special enough.

How To Get What's Under My Tree

2011-12-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

First of all, if you are a robber or a burgler, this post is not about how to break into my house and steal my presents. So you can leave now.

But thanks for stopping by!

Nope, this post is about how I chose to wrap my Christmas presents this year. I'm big on wrapping Christmas presents and I love, love LOVE everything about pretty paper. But I like to change it up every year, with different themes or color schemes. Last year, it was all about Initials:

But this year, I wanted my presents to match my overall decorations, so I chose to go silver and red. I got all my wrapping paper from Target. It's the "premiere" kind with glitter and sparkles. I've never had glittery or sparkly wrapping paper before. It's a little messy. Then I picked up my very favorite ribbon in the whole wide world--slightly see-through 1.5 inch red wired ribbon from Michaels and a smaller 1/2 inch red ribbon trimmed in silver as a backup. I also got a little miniture "paint can" of very plain paper board gift tags from Target.

Now here's where it gets all awesome. Pretty much the only thing I bought this year to decorate the house with were lots and lots of red, silver and white Christmas balls in various sizes and finshes--matte, shiny, glittery, etc. I had a lot of the smaller silver balls left over and so I decided to use them on my Christmas presents as a nice little finishing touch. And I'm very glad I did, because this year's Christmas presents may be my very favorite presents of all time.

I'll probably say that every year. I'm really into wrapping presents. I probably enjoy wrapping more than buying or giving. In fact, for the past few years, I've offered my wrapping services to family members who needed help just so that I could have something else to wrap.

It's bad for a while after I run out of Christmas presents.

But at least until this weekend, I have these beauties to look at, until family and friends tear into them and wad my pretty paper up into balls and stuff them into their garbage cans. Maybe I can at least get my ribbon back...

It's a wrap,

T

Oh Christmas Tree...

2011-12-17T22:49:00.000-08:00

The very best thing about a lazy December day is spending it in the warm glow of a Christmas tree. Even better is spending it in the red and green glow of our Christmas tree.

It may not be a "real" tree, but since it is, in fact, physically sitting in the corner of my living room at this very moment, I'd say it was real enough for me.

T

Why do owls even need ears?

2011-12-16T20:18:00.001-08:00

Let me tell you a story...

One day, I went into TJMaxx looking for treasures. Back in the home section, I found several mercury glass owls, just like these that I wanted from West Elm. But instead of $14, these were only $5! A bargain!

But there were no silver ones. Only gold. And I didn't want gold. But I really, really wanted an owl.

So what happened the third time I walked down that aisle trying to talk myself into needing that gold owl?

I saw a whole other stack of them on a bottom shelf. Could there be...?

The first one I pulled out was indeed silver, but it had a broken ear, so I reached for another. But it was gold. Another...gold. Gold. They were all gold.

The only silver owl was the one broken ear.

But as I looked at the little broken silver owl, I had a thought--"It doesn't look so bad," I told myself. "And maybe since it's broken...I can get a discount!"

So I took it up to the counter and asked the cashier if I could get a discount b/c it was broken. She took it to the manager. As they talked, I got my money out of my wallet. I was ready to own that broken owl.

And that's when the manager told me that they couldn't sell me the broken owl, because it was dangerous. I left empty-handed, owl-less and confused: a store....wouldn't sell me something that I was totally ready to pay for, broken or not.

Fast forward two weeks, when I visited TJMaxx again. There, on a shelf, was my dangerous, broken owl. This time, it would be different. This time, I would beat TJMaxx. This time, the owl would be mine.

I took it up to the cashier. I waited nervously as she rang up the owl, practically sweating as my transaction was approved, biting my nails as she carefully wrapped up the owl.

Almost fist pumping the air when she handed me the receipt and the bag. The bag containing my silver mercury glass owl.

It wasn't until I walked out of TJMaxx resisting the urge to skip across the parking lot that I realized I was delirious with happiness about successfully purchasing a damaged knick knack.

Sigh,

T

Sticks and stones...well, just the sticks

2011-12-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been over to my house? If you have, you know I like white. White picture frames, white vases, white plates, white rugs, white pillows...I even have a white couch and arm chair. I love white in my house.

But there are some things I love that aren't white. But that's ok.

Because they can become white.

Brando jokes that white spray paint is a commodity in our house. I really don't argue with him. Because I do use it a lot. I mean...a lot.

So when I decided I wanted two giant sticks spray painted white to go in my living room this Christmas, Brando didn't blink.

He was totally cool with these sticks, too.

I think I married the right man.

Peace(s of sticks),

T

Better than a Sweater

2011-12-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

Two Twelve Days of Christmas posts in one day? Does that make it...24 Days of Christmas?

Nevermind.

The next piece of holiday happiness I would like to share with you is this picture of me and Brandon.

It's our very first Christmas picture together as Two Wheelers. We're wearing Live United t-shirts because we took it for our WUW Christmas card (which came out today by the way and is adorable!). I'm glad our boss asked us to wear Live United t-shirts instead of Christmas sweaters because then I'd be in the picture by myself.

So yes, if you bought Brando a Christmas sweater this year, you've still got some time to exchange it for something else.

Feliz Navidad!

T

Oh, Deer!

2011-12-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

It's the very first ever Two Wheelers Twelve Days of Christmas!

Technically, the first post should have gone up yesterday, but in my defense, the internet was down last night. So I'll be doubling up today.

I just wanted to share a little holiday tidbit each day until Christmas--something that makes me feel all holly and jolly about the season. It could be a person, place or thing. It could be totally random. Some of it may be a little weird. But if it jingles my bells, then it's going on here.

Today's piece of holiday cheer may not look so cheerful to you, but it is one of my very favorite decorations in my house--and may even remain up year round!

It's my deer antlers!

I've wanted white deer antlers forever. What I really wanted was a paper mache deer head from West Elm. What I didn't want was to pay $100 for it. But then I thought, "Hey, we live in the SOUTH. Surely someone's got some deer antlers laying around?" So I asked my father-in-law if he happened to have some antlers laying around.

And he did.

Except they were attached to the rest of the skull.

I didn't take a picture of that. Deer skulls are pretty creepy. But my Brando was able to chisel away the, err...face, and what was left was a pretty nice rack!

Of antlers.

Cheers,

T

Christmas Colors

2011-12-02T23:07:00.001-08:00

I just recently found out from Real Simple magazine (I think) that my Christmas decoration style was "Scandinavian." Maybe it is, but I would have said it was more "West Elm-ian." Here is a little Christmas preview of my Christmas decorations--whatever style they may be.

Craft Cabinet Update

2011-11-07T21:34:00.000-08:00

The craft cabinet is no more. And I'm not loading any pictures because it is just too sad.

Brandon and I had this really great idea (in theory, apparently) to turn an old media cabinet into an awesome wrapping paper/stationary/crafting cabinet. Well, the idea was actually mine originally, but Brando put the finishing touches to it--he planned to drill 3" holes inside for super custom wrapping paper holders! I was so. excited.

But, alas...

The cabinet pieces just couldn't hold up to the hole-sawing. About halfway through, pieces held together by dowels just...crumbled.

Like my dream of a custom craft cabinet.

Sad.

T

A Crafty Cabinet

2011-10-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

A project I'm really, really excited about is underway already at the Wheeler house--my very own craft cabinet! The star of this project is getting primed and painted, and will soon be ready for some very special modifications that will make it truly "crafty"--and will make me soooo happy.

Meet the cabinet, before:

Please ignore the tacky Christmas decorations from college. Actually, don't ignore them. They will make the after so much better.

The cabinet actually has doors that are folded back (we never closed them in college b/c I swear the TV was on all. the. time) and the back is missing b/c I think it must have once held one of those really big TVs. You may remember those if you were born in the years before flat-screens.

I can't wait to show you the finished product!!

Sometime. :)

T

Free Art!

2011-10-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

Taking an idea from one of my favorite blogs, Young House Love, I decided to make some really personal--and totally free--art tonight while watching PopUp Video on VH1 (I have found an overwhelming love for the re-launch of this show).

Back when Brando and I got married, I made a black and white copy of the date, June 24th, from my Peanuts daily calendar. I thought I could use it in a scrapbook or maybe even some art. Well, months later, I found it in some papers that need to be filed and decided that 10:30pm on a Tuesday night was exactly the right time to do it. (I still haven't adjusted to "normal" hours after my two weeks out at Army Fleet Support for work, apparently.)

A couple of scissor snips later, and I have created art!

Hey, look! I'm art, too!

A close up of the comic strip from the day we were married, June 24th:

(Comic transcript: As Linus plays with building blocks, crabby sister Lucy comes by and kicks them over. As she walks away, Linus says, "How can you sleep nights knowing that you're driving me crazy?")

So. totally. fitting.

T

The Answer...

2011-09-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Ta-da! I turned sticks, a tacky trophy and a dingy old basket into awesomeness!

Sticks:

Trophy art:

Basket o' Paper:

And some indoor fall decorations:

I'm hoping to do some Halloween decorations later--some spooky ghost trees like Mom used to make when I was little.

Is fall here yet? Yes....yes, I think it is.

T

A riddle...

2011-09-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

A basket, a bundle of sticks and a trophy from the only beauty pageant I've ever won...

....plus white spray paint (a commodity as important as toilet paper in our house)....

....equals what?

Show you later,

T

It's Fall, Y'all!

2011-09-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Fall is finally here (right? I'm not good with dates) and I am so excited to finally get my very first decorations up on my very own front porch! It's a very nice front porch, if I do say so myself.

I planted the needle boxwoods and asparagus fern earlier, but all the decorations go very nicely with them, don't they? And isn't the door hanger from Artist Tree a-maz-ing?

Next up, Christmas! But let's not wish away the days--I really want to enjoy fall!

T

More House Hugs

2011-09-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

When you were little and waiting in expectation for something, like going to Disneyland or Christmas morning or the first day of school, did you parents tell you how many sleeps were left until those things happened? (Or if you were a five year old waiting for the Pizza Hut man to get to your house, how many episodes of Mr. Ed you had to watch?) I still love using that expression 20-something years later.

So how many sleeps are there until X-Mas??

It doesn't matter.

Because if I get to spend those sleeps in this bedroom...

...Christmas can take it's sweet gingerbread time.

Those people who are not FedEx brought me a present!

2011-09-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

I have a great love for a few things in the decorating world--white couches, fuzzy pillows, chevron, mercury glass....and Parsons desks. Remember that little white beauty in the living room that so stylishly and sturdily supports my equally stylish Mac?

Well, her big sister arrived today!! Check her out:

Why is the brand new desk the "big" sister? Because only a mature, grown-up Parsons desk would have...

....a drawer!

The next project for the spare room is to transform an old media cabinet into an awesome craft/gift wrapping cabinet! Can't wait!

If I only had reeeeeealy long arms...

2011-09-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

Did you ever just want to hug something because you love it so much, like my sweet cousin Mahayla does when you tap dance on the kitchen floor for her and make her laugh so much she has to just squeeze you because she doesn't know what to do with all that happy??

I felt that way about my living room the other day, but because I can't figure out a practical way to hug a living room, I took pictures of it instead.

Funky graphic pillow from Mom paired with my favorite fuzzy pillow

The Mac has a prominent position in my living room. And yes, that is a mustache pillow. I made it myself :)

The preferred hangout spot of Brando and Taylor

My fav Pier One bookcase and really tall vase

Pretty flowers and a really wonderful fall candle from Bath and Body

The summer place setting on my dining room table

Then I was feeling the living room love so much, I took a picture of my new bookcase in the land of Spare Oom.

Hammered metal candle holders on clearance at Wal-mart with a painting by...my mom! She's good, right?!?

Another Ann original

Have you hugged your living room today?

This Chore is Not a Bore (oh, how lame.)

2011-08-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, two big pieces of household cleaning magic showed up at my house. A brand new Maytag Bravos washer and dryer from Home Depot. I was so happy to finally see them...ever since June 24th when I officially moved in to the house, I've had to cart mine and Brando's laundry to the laundrymat I call Mom's House. Not that I didn't enjoy hanging out with Mom during those washing sessions, but I really wanted my very own washer and dryer. After all, they really "make" the laundry room, don't they?

Washing and drying clothes has always been my favorite chore. I like clothes, so it sort of makes sense. But really it's my favorite because almost the entire process takes place in front of my television.

Observe:
a) put dirty clothes in washer
b) go watch tv
c) move wet clothes to dryer, put new dirty load in washer
d) go watch tv
e) take dry clothes out of dryer
f) fold in front of tv
g) repeat, with more tv watching in between each laundry task

Can you vacuum and do that? I don't think so.

Even better, my washer and dryer SING to me when I turn them on and off. They are that excited about washing and drying my clothes. I also love the smell of Tide detergent and Snuggles dryer sheets, so the laundry room is my favorite smelling room in the whole house.

However, I've hit the one snag in my favored chore. See, I like clothes, right? And I have a lot of them, guys. A lot. So I wouldn't really "run out" of clothes for weeks. WEEKS. My laundry basket would fill up to the brim and then since it was in a corner, it would begin to creep up the wall before I needed to wash clothes.

Not so, now that there's a Brando in the house.

He doesn't have quite as much to choose from in the clothing department as me, so he requires weekly, WEEKLY laundry-doings.

Ask me in a few weeks if laundry is still my favorite chore.

T

Update: I fell Monday night before I could remove the last batch of Brando's blue jeans from the dryer. That's how relaxing doing my laundry is.

Two Wheelers!

2011-08-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hope you enjoy the new blog layout and name! When I saw the layout on Cutest Blog on the Block, I knew I had to have it. I am in luuuuuuuuv with chevron stripes. Seriously. If you check out my Pinterest For the Home board, you'll see what I mean. Chevron, in the words of one of my favorite bloggers, Sherry from Young House Love, is my jam.

As to the name...I really liked Oh, Well...Tat's Life! and didn't really want to let it go, but I realized how adorable Two Wheelers is and just couldn't resist. And if we ever expand our family (like add a houseplant or share custody of an adorable chihuahua), the name can be changed and will still be just as cute. But I still love Tat...so if I continue to sign my name as Tat, that's why.

CHEVRON EVERYTHING!

Tat

I'd Like To Shop For Me Again, Please

2011-08-01T13:54:00.001-07:00

After what feels like years, the "New House Spell" has finally broken. The "New House Shopping Spell" that is. See, everyone that knows me really well knows that I'm a clothes horse. I literally cannot say I've ever met a striped shirt I didn't like. But for the past month, every extra dollar I found myself with automatically went to something for the house. I didn't even think about clothes or shoes or purses or anything for me--it was all giant glass vases, Pier 1 bookshelves and white anything for Jeb. (I'm thinking about naming him/her/it that. Will have to run it by Brando, though.)

Well, the first J.Crew fall catalog comes in the mail, and the house can just sit there for all I care. Because have you seen the new bright jewel tones for fall?? And the schoolboy blazers?? The lepoard print????

Oh, for the days when I could blow out my wallet on a whim-induced trip down to Destin. But, alas, shopping bags filled to the tippity-top with goodness have been replaced with a husband, a mortgage, a van on its very last wheels and a back yard only half-grassed and totally un-private. So I now have to save mah pennies until I can finally have a fantastic Labor Day shopping spree. Then start all over again for a Day After Thanksgiving extravaganza.

I certainly wouldn't trade my wonderful (really, guys, he's pretty awesome) husband who totally deserves a homecooked meal that includes vegetables, which he's getting tonight if I don't screw this one up too, or my beautiful house, Jeb, for mere clothes.

Although these lepoard print kitten heels are super nice, paired with some cuffed toothpick blue jeans, a white shirt...

...and this red jacket.

I love these vivid pants.

Oooh, and this dress.

*Sigh* It's good to be back. I know the mall has missed me.

Our First Fourth

2011-07-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

For Independence Day 2011, our first holiday as Mr. and Not Legally Yet But Sometime This Week Mrs. Wheeler, we wanted to do something special--something other than just sit at our wonderful new house and do yucky chores. So the plan was to go swimming at my parents and then have a wonderful steak and baked potato dinner. I waited in delicious anticipation the whole weekend.

Well, it almost happened the way we planned. We never did actually get to go swimming--in fact, we kind of substituted it with shopping, which I was pretty ok with. But there was thankfully no change of plans in the menu--we totally got to eat steak and the very best baked potato I've ever had in my entire life. We then wrapped up the evening watching some fireworks at the Shelley's.

I love living in the USA and being an American citizen. I am so grateful that we were able to celebrate Independence Day with our friends and family, and I hope that God continues to have his hand on our country.

Independence Day is not New Years, but if it were, I would make a resolution to wear more makeup. I spent the entire weekend bare-faced. Sorry, brand new husband.

The Grill!

The Grillmeister

In advance, the only good pictures I took were the outdoor/food ones, so I hope you're not reading this hungry...

....because these pictures are delicious.

Dad loves hot dogs more than steak.

Married feet :)

Fireworks can be an amusing distraction from playing with a milk jug.

Kasey and Mahayla

Hope everyone had a nice 4th!

Ode to a Nissan Quest

2011-06-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

I got married this weekend. More on that later when I find the time to pull out the camera, find the USB cable cord in the moving boxes, and then actually sit down and upload the pictures onto my computer.

And then edit them to make me more beautiful-er.

Brando, too.

Coming back from Target at lunch today, where I bought yet ANOTHER piece of furniture that needs to be assembled, instead of griping and complaining about nuts and screws and WHERE IS THE PIECE LABELED "G"??!?, I thought about how lucky I was to actually have a vehicle that has been capable enough to almost single-handedly (single-wheeledly?) move my entire life from Walden Pond in Headland to Kennesaw Gap in Ozark. That Nissan Quest has hauled everything from my extenstive clothing collection to an entire Ikea full-sized sofa!!! (Ok, so it was in a box, but it was still a whole sofa). Seriously, the van has almost literally held my entire life inside its little sliding doors.

Check out this sweet ride.

So here's to you, 2002 Nissan Quest mini-van. You may have almost 250,000 miles on you. You may run hot when I have to sit in fast-food drive thrus too long which causes you to begin blowing out hot, sticky, annoying air that makes me question my ability to make it through this summer alive. You may only get 17 miles to the gallon on a very, very good day. You may not pause my cd at the exact spot that I cut your radio power. You may not be cool (both literally and figuratively).

Fashionable yet functional interior.

But you're still my Quest. And if I do indeed want to make a quest one day....well, you won't be the vehicle I take because I'm really not sure if you could handle anything longer than a 2 hour trip there and back. But you'd be the one I came home to.

Until we save up for something else. Then I'm not sure what happens to you. But I appreciate you just the same.

I go to pieces...

2011-06-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

We've been busy at the new house, especially in the "furniture assembly" department. Even though the home decorating process is new and exciting, I'm pretty sure I never want to put together anything else ever in my entire life. Even assembling a sandwich seems like a lot of effort these days. If you had to make a grilled cheese based on some of the poorly translated instructions I've seen this weekend, you'd have one slice of bread between two pieces of cheese. And then the butter would be inside your ear.

My dysfunctional grilled cheese tv standwich

But Brando is handy, and even though I honestly haven't had much to do with any of this, he's pulling the house together like a champ. The blinds are up, the mailbox is in the ground, the kitchen table, tv stand and accent tables are all put together.

The Ikea couch and chair arrive on Wednesday.

Did I mention they arrive in boxes? Boxes that contain their multiple pieces? Yes, we will be assembling a couch and chair sometime this week/weekend.

Hopefully the grilled cheese will come out right this time.

My New Fake Nephew

2011-06-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the real reason why not closing and not getting married last Friday was ok by me and Brandon:

Meet our brand new fake nephew, James Bryan Cox IV, or Baby Jay.

I am an only child, which means that I have no brothers or sisters who could gift me with nieces and nephews. But that's ok, because God gave me a best friend who might as well be my biological sister.

High School

College

Britney

A and Jay

And since Adrienne might as well be my sister...well, her child might as well be my nephew.

Your Fake Aunt Tay loves you, Baby Jay.

P.S. Before you go, please take a moment to look at how adorable this little hat is. Thank you.

Our House

2011-06-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that I haven't posted in a while. It's because I've been avoiding you. Because you're all jinxes.

Not really. But sort of.

While I'm not superstitous or really believe in "luck", I do have a silly belief in the Jinxing Ratio. To me, the likelyhood that you can jinx an event increases in direct proportion with the frequency that you talk about the aforementioned event. (I also have a Ceiling Fan/Car Motor/Windshield Wiper/Anything Mechanical That Has Moving Parts Or That Makes Noise Consistantly And That Includes You, Server At Work That Never, EVER Ceases To Run Phobia, but that's not really relevant to this post. Sorry.) Therefore, the blog silence.

I was completely justified. Everyone knew that we were closing last Friday and getting married that afternoon. And while, ultimately, I'm kidding about the Jinxing Ratio....we ended up neither closing nor marrying last Friday. Imagine that.

Baby Jay was born, though. That made up for it. More on that later.

It was all the banks fault that we didn't close. But even though it caused some drama that day, I think that it's worked out for the best--which is really the case of everything that you leave in the Lord's hands, isn't it? Because we successfully closed on our house yesterday with no sweat (not literally--it was like 102 degrees outside, so some sweat was involved) and even got to do the inaugural Wal-Mart trip for supplies to get the house tip-toppity for moving in. We have plenty of time to get the house set up before we get married. I have more time to pack. And shop.

See? Things really do work out for the best.

T

Candy Bars are Serious Business

2011-04-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was my very best friend Adrienne's baby shower. There was plenty of good food, friends and family. Oh, and presents. Lots of presents. Adrienne had a great time.

Candy Bar Memory was a big hit (thanks, Adrienne's sister-in-law Lisa!). What is Candy Bar Memory, you ask?

Ok, I'll tell you.

You are so lucky.

Candy Bar Memory is just like the old memory games you played as a child. Remember when you laid a deck of cards all face down, then took turns flipping over two at a time to see if you could match up the cards? That's the essential gist of Candy Bar Memory.

Pictures of various candy bars are cut out and glued to a sheet of poster board, two of each variety. Then numbered cardstock covers are taped over the candy bars to hide them. Each person gets a chance to name two numbers and try to match up the candy bars. Winning is the best.

Because the prize is the candy bar you matched up.

Oh, yes. This is an awesome game.

In the beginning, people were just trying to find a match. At the end, people were desperate to get their favorite candy bar. It resulted in a couple of tense moments. Like this:

Or this:

I totally got the Almond Joy. AND the Baby Ruth.

The momma-to-be won the last bar. Since the party was for her, we didn't mind her bragging about it.

Ok, maybe we minded a little.

T

It's a Wonderful Night for Eyebrows

2011-04-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

On really blustery days like this, when you just know that there's a mighty storm coming in, I'm always reminded of one of my absolute favorite Dr. Suess cartoons. I don't know if it was a very popular one, but it was a 1977 Halloween special called Halloween is Grinch Night. It's kind of creepy, but I remember this Dr. Suess cartoon more than any of the others I watched as a child, save for How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Does that mean I was a creepy kid?

Best quote from a cartoon ever: "It's a wonderful night for eyebrows."

Hope your eyebrows have a good night tonight,

T

Cooking Success Story

2011-03-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

I am not a great cook. I've ruined Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese before. There are only a handful of recipes that I can pull off--and many more that have only narrowly escaped disaster.

At least we found out that the smoke detector in our college apartment was fully operational.

So last night was a real breakthrough for me. I wanted a quesadilla SO BADLY--that crisp, lightly fried tortilla around ooey gooey melty cheese, cut into delicious little triangles perfect for dunking in some cool sour cream.

I wanted it so badly I decided to make them myself. How hard could it be? (Note: This phrase is normally the equivilant of the redneck's last words--"Hey, watch this!"--for me in the kitchen. Not this time, though.) And why stop at just tortilla and cheese? Why not add something like....shrimp?

Yum.

So we went to the grocery store and got everything, then headed home and proceeded to create this:

Now, this is just a simple iPhone picture. The lens cannot capture how wonderfully delicious this humble-looking quesadilla actually was.

This not-so-humble cook was very pleased.

How I did it--which is with absolutely no method at all, so the explaination below is going to be really great:

(Sarcasm is not one of the ingredients, fyi.)

Flour tortillas
Monteray Jack and Cheddar cheese, shredded (one block was enough for 3 ppl)
Uncooked shrimp
Cumin
Cayanne pepper
Garlic salt
Salt
Black Pepper
Butter and/or Olive oil

On like 4 or 5 on your heat setting, melt a pad of butter and a dot of olive oil (or just one of the two--we used both. Not sure why) in whatever you would normally use to saute something. Place shrimp in pan and sprinkle with all the seasonings. How much of each? I have no idea. I just gave everything a good sprinkling. Let them cook on one side first, then flip them over. It doesn't take very long at all. Then cut the shrimp into bite-sized pieces. If they're small, you could probably leave them whole. Set aside in bowl.

In another pan (or the same one cleaned out), lightly butter or Pam the bottom. Heat to 4 or 5. Place tortilla in the bottom of the pan. Then place a layer of cheese, then shrimp and then cheese again on the tortilla. Keep it centered in the middle, or it will leak out the sides and burn in the pan and completely ruin your entire quesidilla!!!!! Just kidding, it will just smell like burnt cheese and annoy you. If it happens, scrape it off and carry on. When the bottom of the tortilla gets a little brownish in spots, place another tortilla on top, and press down, letting the melted cheese stick to the top to create a nice bond between the two tortillas.

Then flip those suckers over as best you can. Really, get creative here. This part was kind of chaos for me, so maybe you can find an easier way than a mad dash to flip it over, shrimp pieces and cheese flying everywhere. Fry until the other side is lightly browned in spots. Take it out and put it on your plate.

Cut in fourths. Put a dab of sour cream in the middle.

Eat it.

Great, now I'm hungry again.

T

Vintage Ann

2011-03-24T13:53:00.001-07:00

Last night, Mom handed me an authentic pink coral necklace I had seen many times as a child when rifling through her momento box. Mom never wore/wears jewelry, so it was always kind of fascinating to me to play with her few "baubles."

"Do you want this?" she asked. "I used to wear stuff like this all the time when I was younger."

Did I want it--a vintage coral necklace of my mother's? Probably one of the few pieces of jewlery of hers that I will ever be able to have?

Uh...yes, please.

My Mom Totally Gets Me

2011-03-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Most of my friends and family know that I am just a little bit in love with Robert Pattinson, the star of the Twilight movies. Especially my mom. She's totally used to being made to watch all this late night appearances, entertainment news interviews, trailers for his new movies--whatever. So when she stopped to run into Publix last weekend and I stayed in the car, when I shouted out at the last second: "Mom, if you happen to see Robert Pattinson dressed like an Amish person with a crocodile slung across his shoulders, would you pick that up for me?..."

...she didn't bat an eyelash.

P.S. She came back with it, too. And yes, that is Robert Pattinson and he is wearing a crocodile.

It's all coming back...

2011-03-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

I was checking out some of the new arrivals at Gap online today, and ran across something that took me right back to elementary school...and right back to the best outfit of my life (at that time).

As a 3rd grader at Headland Elementary, at least once a week if it was warm, I would pull on my denim shorts with the colored patches. These shorts were a prized possession, actually purchased by my mom at FULL PRICE from the mall. Those shorts would then get rolled up as high as humanly possible (or as high as my mom and my teacher would allow them to be--and this was BEFORE the invention of Britney Spears, so I guess girls have always, always wanted their shorts to, indeed, be short.) But perhaps, in an unwitting attempt to downplay the shortness of my colorful shorts, I added a sleeveless denim button-up shirt. Yes...denim on denim. I KNOW. And it was--get this--tucked in. This wonderful outfit was then completed with a belt, my white leather Keds and a french braid that would be completely frizzy in about five minutes and made my ears even more sticky-outy than they already were.

Best outfit ever.

So imagine the nostalgia that rolled over me when I saw this:

I really, really want this shirt. It's like fashion has come a full circle since 1993--not only are denim sleeveless button ups actually cool again, but so is denim on denim (but only if the denims aren't the same washes, i.e., a lighter denim jacket with dark denim blue jeans is ok, but jacket and jean in the same wash tends to look a little boy bandish. In the Gap picture, however, the denims do match; maybe they were trying to create the look of a denim jumper. *shudders*).

Third Grade Taylor was cool before she even knew what cool was.

T

Desperately Seeking Garden Stool

2011-03-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

So it's almost spring, and I've probably been outside working in our yard maybe once or twice--if that. And when summer comes, forget it. The sun is too bright, my skin is too fair, sunscreen is too icky, and it's southern Alabama, so its just. plain. hot. But I still want one of these:

They're called garden stools, and I imagine they are for sitting on while you garden. But apparently, gardeners really want to be sitting pretty while they work, because these babies are pretty gorgeous for just digging in the dirt.
They are also pretty expensive. The stools above are from Pier 1 and they're like..wait for it...$100. And that's a bargin. The ones I've seen on Amazon and Target are like $150-$200! Why is everything I see and like always expensive? (Seriously, I have this problem with purses at TJMaxx--every purse I grab and go "Oooh, I like this one" is always one of the expensive ones. Every. single. time. I've stopped looking at them, it's happened so much.)

So here's hoping that they'll sit at Pier 1 until they go on clearance. Which will only happen if nobody wants them.

And who would want those ugly old garden stools anyway? That's right, no one.

Exactly.

T

UPDATE: I found a really cheap one--only $50 at TJMaxx in PC yesterday. However, this is what it looked like:

Yeah, I didn't get it. I mean, I'm really just stepping foot into the whole DIY scene (at least, I plan to, once me and B-Dog find a house and I have to start filling it with things...), so I wasn't sure about the flower decals--if you painted over them, would they show through the paint? If you sanded it down, would it mess up the ceramic? These are the kinds of questions that didn't have answers as of yesterday afternoon, so I walked away without it. Plus it wobbled a little, and didn't have nearly as many neato hole designs as the other versions. I think I'll keep looking.

Because You Need To Know This

2011-03-10T18:31:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do you guys a big favor and remind you that Britney Spears' new album will be coming out on March 29th. It's called Femme Fatale, a title I'm not super crazy about--but what I AM super crazy about are all the songs and snippets I've heard so far. You've probably heard the first single, "Hold It Against Me" on the radio by now. The video for HIAM is out, too, and it's only a little weird, which in today's Lady Gagaland of music videos is a pretty rare thing. The second single, "Till The World Ends", leaked a little early, but it's already number 2 on iTunes. It's awesome. Brit Brit (known unaffectionately by a certain gossip blogger as Fried Chicken, which I find hilarious) also said that she was going on tour early this summer. Will I be going? Umm, yes.

I am really into Britney and on top of all her new releases, but I wasn't always so hip and happening. (Apparently, I'm still not, because I just used the words "hip" and "happening.") In fact, one childhood faux pas that sticks out. Do you remember in the 90's when Mariah Carey was who our parents listened to? Well, obviously not my parents. Picture it: Headland, 1993. 9 years old. I was on the playground at school with some friends who were talking about how cool that "Dreamlover" song was.

The "Dreamlover" song in question.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "I know that song."

And then proceeded to sing this:

How, HOW, in the world did I make that mistake? My best guess is that I caught the old "Dreamlover" on one of those oldies infomercials. Regardless, I am still embarrassed about it to this day, not only because it showed how pitifully uncool I was, but because the old version is STILL the one that pops into my head first today.

So the moral of this blog post is go be cool and listen to Britney Spears. Try "Hold It Against Me" first. And that's THIS "Hold It Against Me":

Not THIS one:

Tat

Oh, yeah--I changed my layout

2011-03-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

But only because I am terrible at Photoshop or any other kind of layout-making software, and it was really late one night and I just couldn't make anything awesome, so I got lazy and started searching for something that some random stranger had already made and that probably a million other 20-something girls use as their background too, but it had mirrors and birdcages because those two things so obviously go together and I thought, "Oh, hey--mirrors and birdcages and light blue. I like that," and so I picked it until I could summon the strength to do better.

And then I took a screen shot of if. Yes, here is a picture of something that you're already looking at right now:

If there is irony or any other kind of symbolism in that, I'm too depressed that HIMYM is not new tonight to find it.

T

I Need This...

2011-03-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

Anyone have any idea where to find a lovely white cake stand like this Pottery Barn version?

The couple on my new favorite blog, Young House Love, have one and they use it all the time, not just for cakes, but for anything really. (Here's their cake stand being all spooky last Halloween.) And now I want one, in the same absolutely random way I wanted a bell jar. Just because. (I found my bell jar for only $8 at TJMaxx. Scooooooooore. Here's to crazy whims that don't cost much.)

My quest for a white cake stand has only led me to TJMaxx so far. Nothing there. I've looked online at Target (They only have one white stand that's out of stock online and says "limited availability" in our store, which confuses me greatly--either it's THERE or it's NOT. Or does this particular cake stand come and go as it pleases? Target employee: "Sorry, ma'am, but the white cake stand decided to run down to the beach for a three-day weekend...he's spontaneous like that.") and Wal-Mart. No dice...well, actually, Wal-Mart does have dice. Unfortunately, I don't need any dice at the moment, but it's good to know where I can find it, I guess.

It's official--White Cake Stand Hunt is on.

UPDATE: White Cake Stand Hunt is off. I acquired it today at lunch. Thanks to Jessica for pointing me towards Wal-Mart and to Target (and/or the bad weather) for keeping the white cake stand away from the beach today. Limited Availability apparently means that I only left one there for you guys to get. Don't speed getting there.

And in Payless, I had an Epiphany...

2011-02-25T23:32:00.000-08:00

This little beauty came in the mail last week, in a package much larger than you could expect--but I guess Banana Republic knew how mad I would be if my brand new Sailor Knot necklace was all, well...knotted up, so the big box gave it plenty of room.

I love this little--well, it's a bit chunky actually, so I guess big--guy. I found him (not quite sure why he's a him, but just go with it) in my latest Instyle magazine, met him in person at BR in person a few weeks ago, and from that moment on, schemed to find as many ways as possible to get him at a discount. He was the only purchase on my mind for a whole week. I was single-minded in my quest for this necklace--so much so, that I forgot to shop for anything else. And that gave me an idea...

I shop alot. (Actually, "alot" is wrong, isn't it? Funny blog post about the misuse of "alot" can be found here.) Multiple times a week, each week without fail, unless I'm sick or otherwise trapped in my house. And it's not just clothes, it's shoes, jewelry, purses, belts, makeup, home decor--well, it's really anything that can be purchased with money (I'm not much for bartering). And I'm more of a grazer--a little here, a lot there, a little bit more in between--which usually results in many shopping bags full of many different things in the back of my van. (And having the van doesn't make things any easier--do you realize how much space I have to fill with Gap, Limited, Dillards, Pier 1, TJMaxx and Target bags???) And even more surprising than the amount of loot that ends up going home with me? My credit card bill.

But focusing on a single item? And finding all the ways to make it cost less? That was actually kind of fun. And super rewarding when the item being sought finally arrived. So that's what I'm going to do from now on--find things, only one or two at the time, so that instead of grazing (like a cow), I'm stalking (like a lioness--because honestly, who wouldn't rather be a lioness than a cow?). And trying to find the best deal, so that I'll save money.

So what will my first prey be? Some preforated shoes like these J.Crew booties:

J.Crew

I already found a peep-toe version of them today at Payless (where I actually formalized this hunter-gatherer approach to shopping):

Payless

Not quite the same, but the general ideas (lace up, preforation) are there, and their peeptoed which makes them even cuter. Also cheaper than the more similar Vince Camuto version that I would really like (and may get if I can ever a) find them, and then b) find them on sale):

Vince Camuto

Also at Payless was a version of these J.Crew suede sandels:

J.Crew

Payless

Both these options are waaaaay cheaper than their J.Crew cousins, and since they probably aren't timeless (certainly not the preforated booties), that's a good thing.

I also really want some chunky wedges just like my mom used to wear in the 70's. Oh, yes--flared jeans are back, but now they call them "wide-leg trouser jeans." Yeah, right. You are totally bell bottoms. *Updated: Scored a pair this Presidents Day, on sale for $20. Thanks, Abe. Oh, and I used a nifty coupon app called Coupon Sherpa to get an extra 15% off. Oh yeah.

But my next big ticket item to be stalked is this necklace from Ann Taylor:

I haven't seen any knock-off versions around yet, but I haven't really looked, either. So if you see one somewhere, or stumble across an Ann Taylor coupon you won't use, tell me. Like, immediately.

It's beautiful outside. Enjoy it with preforated booties and tassle necklaces!

T

See a penny--err, a dime...

2011-02-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

In today's lunch change (I'm trying a new "cash only" thing) I received a funny dime. Thanks to the new iPhone, I googled it as soon as I got to the car.

It's a Liberty dime from 1942. These were minted from 1916 until 1945, and are also called Mercury dimes because people assume that's Mercury on the head--actually it's Lady Liberty wearing a winged cap. Could have fooled me, Lady Liberty.

You can read more about Liberty dimes here, if you're nerdy enough.

Imagine all the people who've had this dime in their pockets or change purses over the years. Imagine the very first person to hold this penny back in 1942. Back in 1942, the United States was involved in WWII. My late Grandpa Thames was a radio operator on bomber planes in WWII. Kind of a special dime, huh?

T

Cute Things

2011-02-14T09:43:00.001-08:00

Now that I have this awesome phone with it's super high-tech "blog it when you see it" capabilities, I want to share things I see that are cute or noteworthy in some way. Not that my opinion is the end all be all, but when something's cute, it's cute!

These floating flowers at Nip and Ernie's? Cute.

Valentine's decorations

2011-02-13T15:06:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share the cute and easy decoration I made for my Grandma Thames' room.

I got the idea from Better Homes and Gardens. I just bought scrapbook paper (only 19 cents a piece!!) and some ribbon (only $1 !!), cut out hearts and strung them together--so simple, affordable and adorable! Best of all, She said she liked them, and that's what matters most to me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Panama City

You'd think it was a baby...

2011-02-08T12:55:00.000-08:00

Finally got my Fedex package this morning. Will not say anything about not getting it yesterday b/c it wasn't their fault all their electronic devices were out and also because Fedex pays the bills at Casa Thames. What could it be??? *grins uncontrollably*

It's my new iPhone 4 from Verizon!! HOORAY!!

I was going for this really cool picture within a picture thing with the reflection on the iPhone as it was coming on, but right when the camera flashed, the instructions to plug the phone into the computer popped up. Oh well, at least it was working!

So I am now the proud owner of a new iPhone 4. Now all it needs are some awesome apps, a protective case, and a little touch of Tat to make it truly mine.

As my co-worker Jessica said, "My life is about to change."

T

Essie at Wal-mart!

2011-02-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Trollin' the aisles of Wal-Mart yesterday, I made a great discovery:

Essie Nail Polish is now sold at Wal-Mart! At Wal-Mart!! Better news? Instead of paying $8 per bottle at Ulta, it's only $7.75, which saves a whole quarter. I know, right? So it's not a major deal, but I love getting the good stuff on the cheap--even it if is only 25 cents on the cheap.

Yes, I know that even with the whopping 25 cent discount, it still sounds expensive, but drugstore brand polishes are like $5 anyway, and I usually end up hating them or they chip easily and I never wear them again. That's a waste of $5. When I get a good Essie polish, I use it until it's gone--it doesn't even have time to get that funky discolored bottle. Plus, Essie has a wide, wide range of colors. I bought Ballet Slippers yesterday and I can't wait to wear it. It's the perfect pale pink.

Just sharing the good news!

Britney Spears = iPhone = Twilight

2011-02-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

My iPhone is in Dothan! After a long journey (with icy delays in Memphis which kept me from getting it last week), the phone I've been waiting almost 2 years for is finally here!

It's really about darn time, too. Here are a few Signs I Was Totally Ready for the iPhone:

1. The Blackberry is so old, it is now only really good at making calls--as in "dialing the actual number on the keypad and pressing call." The ancient track ball has lost the ability to scroll down. Do you know how important scrolling down is? You don't realize that it is pretty much absolutely necessary to EVERYTHING YOU DO until you can't do it anymore.

2. When I first saw this Verizon iPhone commerical, I got chill bumps.

No, Verizon. Thank you.

3. I treated the Verizon iPhone rumors with the same reverence normally reserved for Britney Spears and Twilight. Yeah, it was that important.

4. It took all my willpower not to stay home today and wait for the Fedex man to arrive.

So yeah, "ready to get the iPhone" is actually kind of an understatement.

T

Tonight's the night...

2011-02-02T12:33:00.000-08:00

Do you know what today is??? Yes, it's probably time for a new Modern Family*, but it's also the night I've spent years dreaming about...

...tonight's the night I order my iPhone 4 from Verizon.

Yes people, it's finally here. And at 2:00am tonight (ok, so it's technically tomorrow, but I'm not really a technical person, so whatevs) I am going to wake myself up, get on my computer and cross my fingers that the Verizon website doesn't go down. (By the way, Verizon, I see what you've done here. You've put the preorder time at 3am EST so that it's midnight on the West Coast. Well played, Apple.)

Hopefully, they will start shipping the iPhones out immediately, so that I can get that sweet piece of life-altering technology in my grasping little hands as soon as possible.

So tonight, after a carelessly thrown-together meal eaten in front of the television watching Modern Family** (and Cougar Town if it actually comes on) followed by another classic episode of Dallas*** (You must watch Dallas if you've never seen it from the beginning. J.R. and Sue Ellen are the new thing at the Thames house) and then it's off to bed for 3 hours of dreams before the big order.

Wish me luck!!!

T

*Are you not already watching Modern Family? You must watch Modern Family. It's about a modern family. Obviously.

**Seriously, watch this show.

***I seem to be a bit bossy about your television viewing habits. My bad.

Baton Rouge

2010-12-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, Adrienne and I headed on our last big "girls only" roadtrip before she has her baby. Usually we head to Atlanta to see Britney Spears and do some shopping, but this time we decided to go somewhere we've never been before--Baton Rouge, La.

Why Baton Rouge, you ask? Well, it's an amazing city, the state capital of Louisiana, home to lovely Civil War-era architecture, rich with history and also heavy with upscale shopping centers, great restaurants and really pre--

Oh, who am I kidding? Baton Rouge is where they're filming the next installment of the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn. All those other things I mention? They were more like perks, like wonderful sugary icing on a very delicious--probably blood-red velvet--cake. (Did you see the Twilight reference in that metaphor? I guess if I have to ask, it's not a very good metaphor.) If Breaking Dawn hadn't been there, neither would we.

Still, it's really good that Baton Rouge has all that other stuff because we didn't see a single Twilight star. But more on that in a minute.

The trip itself was pretty uneventful, except for a major traffic jam on I-10 in Mississippi....

....and a small freakout when we got off onto I-12 and the Garmin told us we still had 85 miles left until BR. We had already been in the car for about 100 years at this point.

When we finally made it, all we wanted to do was eat at an authentic Cajun/Creole (I have no idea which is which, I just know if it has crawfish on it, it must be Louisiana food) restaurant. We had NO CLUE where to eat, so we spent about 30 minutes trying to find a restaurant that I read about on the internet. When we finally found it, it turned out to be the Cajun equivalent of a Cracker Barrel.

I am still ashamed of making Adrienne eat there. But if we had stayed a little longer, apparently there would have been dancing on the tables, which is actually kind of cool, if not a little un-hygenic. Ok, a lot un-hygenic.

The rest of the weekend was filled with shopping, shopping, SHOPPING and visiting Raleigh Studios at the Celtic Media Center. Louisiana is on its way to becoming the "Hollywood of the South" and they are making lots of movies here. Breaking Dawn is the biggest one so far, but they are also filming a movie right now called "Battleship", based on the board game, which stars Liam Neeson, Taylor Kitsch and Rhianna. It was really interesting to see all the "Hollywood stuff", especially so close to home--this is not something you see every day when you're from Alabama.

Like I said, we didn't see any Twilight stars, but we came really close. While Nikki Reed and Liz Reaser were at the Mall of Louisiana around 5:30pm on Saturday, we were directly across the street in our hotel room resting and watching tv--because we had been at the mall earlier that day. In fact, while we were riding around looking for somewhere else to go around 4pm, we thought about going to a movie but decided against it--who goes to a movie on vacation???--so we ducked into a few more shops and then headed back to the hotel. Guess who was at the movies? Kellen Lutz. Guess what time? 4pm. Sigh.

Oh, well. Better to have been thisclose than for them to be completely out of town while we were there.

Some pictures from our trip:

The soundstage where Breaking Dawn is supposedly filming

Main entrance into Celtic Media Centre

A movie set--it looks like an old Western or downtown scene--probably not for BD

Another set

How cool! Can't wait to see whatever movie this was for! Apparently there was a pool in there, too.

Giant greenscreen area--we thought at the time it was for Battleship, and I think I've heard recently that we were right!

Louisiana state capitol--the tallest capitol in America

The old state capitol

The old governor's mansion

The Capitol Center Hilton in downtown BR. It is on the National Historic Register of Hotels. Also where Rob and Kristen stayed before they began filming BD.

Adrienne and the old state capitol

Adrienne on the beautiful staircase in the old capitol.

Again, me.

Beautiful stained glass dome in the capitol.

Hall of Governors, where they have portraits of every LA govenor.

Adrienne and the Victorian Christmas tree.

And lastly...me.

This is how much I love Christmas.

2010-11-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

My cuticles hurt.

My cuticles hurt because I spent 3 hours last night painstakingly stringing Christmas lights onto each and every branch of our ancient (i.e., 1980's) Christmas tree. This involves weaving the lights in and out, in and out, up and down every branch, from the very top to the very bottom.

We string the lights because we don't want one of those new super easy, super convenient pre-lit Christmas trees. Taking the easy way out of Christmas decorating? No, the easy way is usually never the preferred Thames method. This character trait was established centuries ago, when my great-great-great-however many greats-grandfather Friendly's parents decided to name him Friendly. Yeah.

We don't want a pre-lit tree because we have an extensive collection of Hallmark ornaments, dating all the way back to whenI was born--and some from before. Many of these ornaments are heavy, or long, or bulky--they would weigh down those wimpy, bushy, new-fangled pre-lit trees or a real tree. Our tree is strong--it is essentially metal wires with some plastic greenery on them. It can hold ANYTHING. So no matter how time-saving and stress-free a new pre-lit tree would be, we could never replace Old Faithful. (Or Sir Sheds-a-lot. Seriously, one day there will be no plastic needles left.)

We have an extensive collection of Hallmark ornaments because each year we collect them represents a new year that the Thames family celebrates Christmas together. The Holiday Barbie ornaments that were my very favorites growing up. The funny Winnie the Pooh ornaments that are my Mom's favorite. The FSU ornaments that Dad collected every football season. The Office ornament that Brandon bought to go on the tree. That Peanuts bulb with Snoopy and Woodstock ice skating that I took a bite out of when I was little. (This event, by the way, is totally caught on camera because my mom was too busy trying to take the perfect Christmas card picture to realize that I was about to eat glass. I looked for those pictures last night, but they mysteriously vanished from their album...)

So my cuticles hurt. But it's for Snoopy. And for Piglet. And for another year of Christmas together as a family, staring at the twinkling lights of a very perfect tree. That has most of it's needles.

Christmas the year I bit the Snoopy ornament:

The Shop-ocalypse--I've made peace with my God and those around me.

2010-11-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

Today is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and my brave mother and aunt and I are firming up plans for our Black Friday shopapoolza. We will be heading down to Destin after Turkey Day dinner to shop at the outlet mall when it opens at midnight (although some stores are opening earlier--click here if you're planning on ~~losing your ever-loving mind~~ going, too!) Yes, for the chance to be the 146th people in line to get into the J.Crew store at the first minute of Black Friday, we will gladly treck the 2 and 1/2 hours to Destin, shop our little wallets out for 2 or 3 hours, then head back to Dothan, hopped up on custom ordered expresso drinks from the nearest McDonald's ("Could you please put a little more caffeine in that drink? I need to be able to shoot lasers out of my eyeballs. Can you make that happen?") and hopefully beating the sunrise.

Or at least making it back before Wiregrass Commons Mall opens at 5am.

Or at least making it back, period.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T16:54:00.001-07:00

People were finally on to me...they realized that I was desperately trying to make it onto that website full of blog posts that are all excuses as to why they haven't been posting lately--the one that I really wanted to share with you, but can't remember the site name and even almighty Google has failed me. So I guess this is just another excuse.

Sigh.

Well, since the jig is up, I guess I can actually get back to blogging. Like the fall theme? Well, don't get used to it. It's only there until A) I find a new awesome design for my blog, B) fall is over and it's time for Christmas or C) next year. But it's appropriate now, because I'm posting my Halloween pictures!

This year I went as a lion tamer, except I couldn't find a lion.

But my aunt Jan did have this wonderful leopard, so I decided to be a leopard tamer instead.

But then I changed my mind halfway through the night and decided to be Britney Spears.

The leopard didn't appreciate that very much.

Brando decided to come help hand out candy. He ended up keeping count of all the trick or treaters that stopped by. Grand total of 67. There were about 40 other things going on in Headland that night, so we didn't have as many as in years past.

Love this little puppy dog trick or treater! My friend Amy brought her son Eli over to see me. The experience of meeting a leopard tamer/Britney Spears wore him out, though, and he was ready to go home.

I had absolutly no reason to dress up for Halloween this year--I could have sat in the driveway in my blue jeans and a sweatshirt and handed out candy just as easily. But that's boring. I love dressing up and BONUS, the costume was only $30 from Target. Well, $25.50....it had a button missing so I asked for a discount. Saving money, people!

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

The end of 2010...and now I start posting again?

2010-11-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness that Blogger finally got their own template thing-a-ma-jig, because my skills with html are seriously lacking. "Seriously lacking" sounds so much better than "non-existant." I recently discovered the new Blogger stuff, so I will be making some cosmetic changes soon, but until then, please accept this blue background with white page and black writing as a humble token of my willingness to do something more awesome eventually.

But hey, I actually did some stuff and even *gasp* TOOK SOME PICTURES, so I will post my Halloween exploits shortly. It was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

And I just did.

Getting Back on the Bloggy Track

2010-06-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

It's really ~~ironic~~ ~~pathetic~~ funny that only a couple of posts ago, I talked about how I was really going to start blogging on a more regular basis, and now it's June of 2010 and there's 5 whole months in between this post and the last. First of all, I'm sorry. Second of all, those who truly know me should have known better--it's your own fault if you were disappointed.

So I've opened my mouth about how much I like blogging (and I do, just apparently not here) and now I'm going to have to put my money where my mouth is (which is just disgusting, don't ever put money in your mouth, you literally have no idea where it's been) and update this blog more.

It's not just peer pressure that's making me do it though. Finally things in my life seem to be moving in that wonderful forward direction and it would be great to document it. Plus, I've got some adorable new cousins that you guys need to meet. Virtual wallet full of photos, y'all.

Prayers for Hati

2010-01-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

The news reports are worse each time you read them...hundreds of thousands feared dead. It seems so unfair that things like this can happen, but prayer is key. Please pray for the people in Hati while they recover from this. Pray for families that lost loved ones, pray for the little children, pray for the injured, and pray for the country to rebound. God is in control.

New Moon DVD Artwork

2010-01-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

So Amazon.com has the New Moon DVD available for pre-order this morning! Very exciting day for Twilight fans, especially because we are in the middle of a big, huge drought of information! So this sort of helps us get our "fix" for new stuff!So, talking with my favorite Twilight Friend (can I name her? I don't know yet!), we decided that we liked the cover. Alot. We even broke down the "Subtle Nuances" of the cover, like how Bella is closer to Edward than she is to Jacob, which obviously symbolizes her choice between the two. *SPOILER ALERT: She chooses Edward. It's always been Edward.*

There is no release date on the Amazon page, although I have seen indications that the release date in France is March 18th, which is around the same time that Twilight came out on DVD last year.

The New Look!

2010-01-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the world did not change overnight after I changed the background on my blog page. I am so sorry if I overhyped the event! But you like the new look, right? I thought you would!

I got it from The Cutest Blog on the Block (totally original, I know, but their stuff is so cute!). I really like this because I am a big fan of calm, neutral colors. Plus, I really like grey! In fact, I like it so much that one of my first child's names will probably be GREY, with grey walls in the nursery...no kidding. But that is so far away that we aren't really going to go there. (But if you steal my baby name, I will hunt you down. Because that's how strongly girls from the south feel about baby names, even for babies that aren't even an idea yet.)

Hope you enjoy the new look and that it is easy on the eyes! I have another post for today about the NEW MOON dvd artwork that showed up on Amazon this morning--it's great! I am so excited about all the fantastic movies that are coming out this year--it's going to be awesome! AND it gives me an idea for another post...

Happy (Belated) New Year!

2010-01-08T13:08:00.001-08:00

Whoo-hoo! 2010, baby! Yeah!

I know that I haven't posted in FOR-EV-ER, but since 2010 is a brand new year, I have resolved (yes, resolved--but not as in resolution--I haven't made any of those this year!) to update more frequently. This year is going to be really exciting, so everyone needs to hear about said excitement. From me. On this blog. (I should also resolve to get more people to actually read my blog. Hmm...*adds to list*)

I want to re-vamp my blog too, so get ready for a new look! I got an iMac for my 25th (YES, MY TWENTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY--celebrated in both pork loin and Twilight fashion!), so I really want to spend more time with it, getting to know it, and getting it to help me make awesome things. I want it to become my new best friend. *Sorry Adrienne! Ok, fine, you can help me think of things to write about on here. Feel better?*

Can't wait to write random things for everyone in 2010!

The new bathoom: The Reveal!

2009-08-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

In the words of Miss Britney Jean Spears (whom I'll be seeing again in 8 days--more on that later), "It's been awhile...I know I shouldn't have kept you waiting...but I'm here now."

So I haven't updated in forever, and I know that all 4 people who read this blog have been really upset about that. But I finally uploaded the pictures of my brand new, totally finished bathroom! Guys, I don't even remember when the bathroom remodel even started, but I know that I love the results!

And now, for the first time ever online (I'm pretty sure my bathroom has never been on the internet before...), I present the brand new Thames guest bathroom:

Everyone who comes into the new bathroom says, "You are sooo lucky you found that shower curtain." And they are right...the blue green in the curtain EXACTLY matches the blue-green countertop, which I was not handy enough to attempt to change. But I like the color, so it all worked out in a perfectly color-coordinated way.

This is the infamous light fixture. (Infamous because it was a major pain to put up. AND as soon as we got it up, one of the sconces fell and shattered, and it took forever for the replacement to come in.) Was it worth all the trouble? No--but at least it looks purty.

I love my Victoria's Secret robe that was a Christmas present from my parents years ago! I'm so glad I have a cute way to display it!

More redecorating spoilers!

2009-06-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

I swear, I am not dragging this process of bathroom redecorating out to tease any of you. I would be more than happy if it were already done and I was taking lavender bubble baths in my swanky new spa bathroom, like, yesterday.

But alas, I am a Thames and that means stuff gets done slowly and with great effort.

This past weekend, we did have a breakthrough, and now there is only ONE MORE THING left to do before the bathroom is complete! It's just such a shame that the "one more thing" will be "a huge pain." More on that later.

To bring you up to speed, this weekend the following tasks were accomplished: light fixture replaced, all towel rods/rings installed, shower curtain rod back up (finally!), hinges and knobs removed from cabinets, new shower curtain and towels displayed neatly. And cutely.

Cute towels--check.

Matching shower curtain of cuteness--check.

By the way, the new light fixture? It was a nightmare. First, Brando and I went and picked out a beautiful light from Lowes on Saturday. It went up pretty easily, until it was time to put the globes on. Then we discovered that the globes touched the mirror. So the light had to be uninstalled, repackaged and taken back to Lowes the next day.

So the next day rolls around, and we don't have any problems getting a new light. Where the problems do begin, however, is trying to get the support plate for the light to line up with the metal box thingy already in the wall. Which it doesn't. Of course.

The light fixture from Hades. It is lucky that it is so darn cute.

So off we go to Lowes again, because there is not ONE SINGLE SCREW NUT in our entire house. We are not tool people. We have the basics, but apparently that doesn't include nuts. We basically had to come up with our own way to get this light mounted on the wall. (Our way only included 2 extra screw nuts, but required a whole 'nother trip to D-town. Awesome.) We eventually did--after one entire day's worth of work. Brando is very handy, so that means that it was really that hard to do, not that we were lazy and took breaks because he didn't. (Notice I said "he.")

Cabinets before

Cabinets after (approximately--they are less red than the picture shows)

So after all that, the bathroom looks almost like a bathroom again. Except for the fact that all the cabinet doors are missing. Why are they missing? Because the "one more thing" I mentioned earlier is the sanding and restaining of the cabinets. They need to be darker to go with everything else in the room. I think its going to be awful, but I know the sooner that we get started on it, the sooner I will be smelling lavender and steaming up the mirror.

Guys, that could be weeks...

Teaser...

2009-06-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

So, I know that a few weeks back (on April 28th to be exact), I posted about my big, bad bathroom remodel. When I last mentioned it, the wallpaper was down and we were ready to move on to the next phase! So when, you may be wondering, will you get to see the finished product? Of course, we'd be finished by now, right? I mean, it has been well over a month since the wallpaper was removed--so I should be showing you some awesome "after" photos pretty soon, right?

Well, if you know me and my family, it should be no surprise that, in fact--NO, we are not done yet. We work ridiculously slow, and by slow, I mean we spend some nights (ok, many nights) lying on the couch watching Miss Marple, and not even worried about that silly bathroom! We're not lazy people...we just get sidetracked!

I am happy to say that in the last week, things have progressed very well in the bathroom redecorating department. (I guess me and the madre got our second wind.) The walls were primed and painted. Take a look at this teaser photo of the finished wall color:

Ok, I know what you're thinking (well, you might not be thinking this, but I was, so just roll with me, 'kay?)--why is the bathroom painted Paper Bag? Isn't that chocolate milk brown the same color that EVERYONE paints their living room/bedroom/hallway/etc? I thought that bathrooms were some of the only rooms where you could get creative with colors and whatnot? So why not yellow, or blue, or green?

Two reasons (and they are incredibly practical):

1. The bathroom has a blue-green counter top, and since we were only going for a bathroom redecorating project and not a remodeling deal, I had to choose a neutral, complementary color. Let's just say Paper Bag looks awesome with the counter top.

2. I love this color.

(Told you it was practical.)

Brando is coming this weekend to put up the towel racks, new light fixture, etc. Before he gets here, we will work on finishing the trim, painting the ceiling, and starting to paint the cabinets. So, knowing us (and the fact that Roseanne is now on TV Land every night) it may be a while before those "after" pictures get posted. Don't give up on me, you guys.

Happy 83rd Birthday!

2009-06-01T09:35:00.001-07:00

My favorite photo.

Today would have been Marilyn Monroe's 83rd birthday, had she not tragically died on August 5th, 1962, from a accidental drug overdose. (That is what I believe her death was, by the way--an accident.) Today, Life magazine posted some never before published photos of her before she was super famous. Check out the photos at http://www.life.com/!

This MM photo started it all...Norma Jeane was working during WWII at the RadioPlanes Munitions Factory, when an Army photographer took her picture and encouraged her to become a model. She became one of Blue Book Modeling Agency's most successful models.

Plus, Julien's Auctions will be auctioning off many, MANY Marilyn items this summer! I really wish that I had the $$$ to get some of this stuff--clothing, furniture, receipts, etc! You can check out the catalog at http://www.juliansauctions.com/ (start at page 84-84).

The necklace MM wears here is one of the many items for sale!

I have loved Marilyn Monroe for a long time. One of my earliest memories of watching television is sitting in the living room with my mom, watching this beautiful blonde Barbie doll/woman dance on a giant pink stage in a Pepto-pink gown and gloves, singing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend." But I was a teenager before I really started paying attention to her. I have shelves of Marilyn Monroe biographies and picture books. I have almost (almost!) all her movies on VHS or DVD, and cd's of all her songs. I even dressed up like Marilyn for Headland's homecoming week 2 years in a row--and won both times!! (I think it was the actual impersonation that pushed me over the top...)

Marilyn singing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" in the movie, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Senior year, 2002, imitating "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" MM

So I am really a fan, not just of her movie persona, but of the actual woman. The Marilyn who read books, who took night classes because she didn't want to feel uneducated, who practiced take after take because she really wanted to get the scene right, who loved and lost and had her heart broken, who was under-appreciated by her peers, who loved children but never could have any of her own--I like that Marilyn best.

Please check out MM's at http://www.marilynmonroe.com/ if you want to learn a little more about her.

Happy birthday, Norma Jeane.

Obsessions

2009-05-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

Oooh, a very dark and twisty title for this blog. I never thought of myself as a dark and twisty girl, but I had a moment of self-awareness last week---I am capable of the most rapid and spiraling obsessions (In my head, I just thought the word "obsessions" with a French accent. It sounds more mysterious and less like a perfume that way.) Let me explain...

Obsession--The Fragrance

Ok, once I say this out loud (or type it into the blogosphere, whatever), I can never take it back. So here it goes....

I love Twilight.

Estimated Taylor reading time: One Day

To Harper Lee, Truman Capote, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie and F. Scott Fitzgerald, plus many, many more--I am so sorry.

This was my "sorry face" in college. It looks about the same now, except older.

I never thought that I would read the Twilight series. I have always had an aversion to following what everyone else was doing in regards to literature (I guess I'm a literary snob. I don't like being a snob, but there it is...) When Harry Potter mania hit, and all my adult friends and relatives were reading the books, I shrugged them off. "I like the movies," I said, "I'll just watch those." But I eventually jumped on the bandwagon (after the last book came out, so I missed all the craziness)--and of couse, the books were soooo good!

I should have learned my lesson then--Don't judge a wildly successful, millions of copies sold book and movie franchise by its adoring, cape-wearing, wand-flicking fan base. The truth is, I wanted it to seem like I made the choice to read a book for myself, not herded into a fad with the rest of the masses. (I know...snob. I can't stand it. *Shame*)

Love this kid.

The exact same thing happened with Twilight. It was a huge hit, everybody was reading it--and I could not care less. Why would I want to read a book about a high-school vampire falling in love with a clumsy plain girl (cheese fest), let alone use up perfectly good hours of my life reading the entire series? I couldn't even say that I would watch the movie, because I heard that it was awful acting. (For those who don't know me personally, Bad Acting--note the capitalization--is my biggest entertainment pet peeve. You cannot make me sit though most Lifetime movies.)

My friend kept offering to share her copy of Twilight with me, encouraging me to read the whole series. Ugh. Finally, on a trip where I would need something to read, I agreed to use some of my down time to check out Twilight. I bet I sounded so condescending.*
*See "sorry face" above, ARC!

Can you say obsessed (this time without the French accent)? Those books were AWESOME. I was an idiot.

Edward Cullen. Boys, hide your girlfriends. Seriously, he may bite them.

I read the first chapter of Twilight on a Saturday afternoon, and really got into reading the rest on Sunday. I was a lost cause by then. Monday I was heading to K-Mart on my way home for lunch to pick up the second book. Tuesday I stopped by Barnes and Noble and got the last two, resisting the impulse to buy an Edward bookmark. (You should've heard that argument in my head...) When the week was over, I was finished with the series, including the unpublished Midnight Sun manuscript online. I hunted down the movie, and only shuddered through a few lines of horrible dialogue. (Spidermonkey? SPIDERMONKEY???) So far, I've watched it twice. Since last week. Twilight soundtrack? In my cd player right now. Detailed e-mails to friends analyzing certain chapters? Oh, yes.

Look. How. CUTE!

Edward and Bella's tale is now one of my favorite fictional love stories. One of the reasons I enjoy it so much is that the Twilight author, Stephanie Meyer, loosely based her books on the plots of some of my favorite classic love stories. Pride and Prejudice (my all time fav) is Twilight. Romeo and Juliet = New Moon. Wuthering Heights is the theme behind Eclipse. Etc, etc, etc. So at least I can find some literary value in these books.

Who needs literary value when you have Edward Cullen?

Now I don't know if I can wait until November to see the second movie. It comes out the day after my birthday. (Did they plan this just for me? I like to think they did.) So I guess I've already got my party planned. I will turn 25--a quarter of a century old--and ring in that milestone with a theater full of 13-year-olds.

Maybe if I only speak in a French accent, no one will recognize me. Je suis si désolé, Jane Austen.

Beach Trip!!!

2009-05-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

About once a year, when we are just getting into summer (but before it gets unbearably hot), I want to go to the beach. I was born at the beach and lived in Florida for five years, but I have never been a beach bum. The beach to me is very hot and crowded, I definitely don't have the skin for it, and there are sharks in the water that can eat you for either breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are not picky.

But last weekend, I went to the beach with some of my favorite people: Brandon, my best friend Adrienne and her husband Bryan. We stayed at Ft. Walton Beach, about 10 miles west of Destin. We were there Friday-Sunday, and we did a lot of shopping, boogie boarding, eating, and hanging out on the balcony until we all were about to fall asleep. It was very peaceful and un-crowded. It was so good, in fact, that I think I may want to go to the beach more than once this year.

With my best friend, Adrienne before dinner at the Old Bay Steamer. Everything is steamed there...did you know that??? We must have missed that part. Have you ever had steamed crab claws? :) Just kidding, it was good AND healthy.

This is my love, Brandon! I am trying to get him to go on more trips, but he is really busy with work right now. I have a hard time getting him to take pictures (which is sad, because I am a picture fiend), so I really enjoy when he takes cute pictures like this.

This is Adrienne and her husband, Bryan. We love hanging out with them because they always like to do the exact same things we like to do! Plus, they are hilarious! I love my friends!

Oh, yes, I was protected from the evil sun. First beach trip EVER that I did not get sunburned!

Pepsi Throwback Challenge

2009-05-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so my dad came home from Panama City the other night with a challenge to me, the family Pepsi connoisseur. (Oh, yes--I am definitely from the Pepsi Generation.) He had heard about Pepsi coming out with a new version of its signature cola, called Pepsi Throwback. The gimmick of Pepsi Throwback is that it is the same recipe used "before I was even born," according to my dad. The reality is that it is sweetened with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, which "is the devil," according to my mom. It also has retro packaging.

WouldI be able to tell the difference? I did a taste test to find out. It was not blind, because I wanted to actually know which one I was drinking. I will try the blind taste test later.

First up, Pepsi as I have always known it:
It had been in the refridgerator for a few days, so it was ice cold and refreshing--just the way I like it!

Now for the Pepsi Throwback:Now, to be fair, the Pepsi Throwback had only been in the fridge for a few hours, so it was not as cold as the original Pepsi. That was probably the largest difference I noticed. The Pepsi Throwback was only a teeny tiny bit less sweet than original Pepsi. It was as if a thumb nail-sized piece of ice had melted in the glass--hardly noticeable at all!

I give Pepsi Throwback 5 stars! I will definitely pick one up the next time I'm at the gas station. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Flowers!

2009-05-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago, my mom and I took a break from the bathroom remodeling to add some color around the pool! (Actually, it was more like a sidetrack...while at Lowe's picking up primer and rollers, we walked through the garden center and I got hooked on gerber daisies!)

So I picked out some pretty flowers and a big bag of potting soil, and Ann and I went to work planting them in the cement pots out by the pool. I only know the names of two of them--sad, right? The only background checks those flowers went through were a) Ooh, they're pretty!, and b) they like full sun. And the flowers are lucky I did that, or they would've fried out there.

Here are some pictures of the daisies, zinneas, and those other ones. :)

Our chunky angel hanging out by the pool.

There was a little petunia from last year that was trying to grow in the lower left-hand corner (you can see its little leaf sticking out from the herb in the middle). I didn't have the heart to dig it up...luckily! Some bloom-encouraging fertilizer cocktails later, and it GREW!!! In one week, it had filled up the corner AND has a FLOWER!!!

My favorite planter--I love this color combination!

I am so glad that I held out a little longer for an awesome camera! I am still amazed when pictures turn out like this!

2009-04-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

I am in the middle of a remodeling project...me, Brandon, and my mom have been taking the wallpaper off the walls in my bathroom, and are getting ready to paint it! Taking down wallpaper is not as hard as I thought, but it is certainly annoying.

Here is the offending wallpaper:

It was so cute back in 1992...

While it IS true (in my bathroom, at least) that warm water and a sponge are all you need to take wallpaper down, it took too long for me. So Brandon and I went out and bought a wallpaper scorer and the removal solvent, as well as a couple of scrapers. That worked faster, but it was still a pain. For my walls, the paper removal process consisted of these steps:

Step 1. Somehow remove the actual floral wallpaper from 1992.

Step 2. Now remove the backing that you left behind when you only ripped off the facing of the wallpaper.

Step 3. Now go back and find the glue that is left on the walls.

Step 4. Hide the gianormous holes you tore into the drywall from Brandon and your mother.

Step 5. With too many to hide, ask Brandon or your mother to fix the gianormous holes you tore into the drywall.

So as of last night, ALL the offending wallpaper, its backing, and its glue are gone! The walls have been sanded (!) and wiped down(!!), and we are ready to prime, baby!

Here are some before pics (before paint, after wallpaper removal):

So, I like detective novels...

2009-04-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Dame Agatha Christie, the "Queen of Crime"

So I mentioned in my last post that I liked to read. One of my favorite authors is Agatha Christie. She was an English crime writer who wrote over 80 detective novels, her first published in 1920 and last in 1976. Only the Bible has sold more copies than her novels have!! Never in a million years would I imagine myself settling down in bed at night to read a good murder mystery--but her books are awesome! You NEVER know who does it, and they are entertaining right up to the end--plus, they are so old fashioned and English-y. I love it!

David Suchet as Hercule Poirot

Her most famous character was her Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. He was featured in 33 novels and 51 short stories. He is my favorite character-- fussy, vain, dressed to the nines with shiny patent leather shoes, had fabulous mustaches, an egg shaped head that tilted sideways when thinking, and green eyes that would glow when he reached the solution. (Not literally glow...it's not science fiction). He didn't go around looking for "the footprints or the cigarette ash." Instead, he would examine the crime and the suspects from the psychological angle. Poirot boasted several times of the ability of his "little grey cells" to solve the crime from a comfy armchair in his apartment--and then he would proceed to do so!

Joan Hickson as Miss Marple

The next most popular character (and my second favorite also) was Miss Jane Marple, an elderly spinster from a small English village. She solves crimes by recognizing parallels between the suspects and people from her own village. For such a prim lady, she had "a mind like a sink," and was always prepared for the worst in every one--and was usually proven right.

Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple

Both Poirot and Miss Marple were made into television series in the 80's/90's, and still continue on today. David Suchet is considered by many to be the quintessential Poirot. My favorite Miss Marple actress is Geraldine McEwan. I have all the Poirot episodes and all but one set of Miss Marple's on DVD, and they are all excellent viewing.

Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple

The whole reason for this post was because I just found out some exciting (to me) news!!! PBS will be showing two brand new Poirot and three brand new Miss Marple episodes this summer!! The Poirot episodes, once again starring David Suchet, will air June 21 and June 28. The Miss Marple episodes, starring newcomer Julia McKenzie, will air July 5, 12, 19, and 26.

With all the great summer movies, book and DVD releases, and television series, this summer promises to be pretty awesome!!

About TAT

2009-04-22T08:02:00.001-07:00

Just some random things about me...

1. I read A LOT and have an entire wall full of books in my room. I hate those built in shelves, but they do come in handy. My favorite thing to do in the whole wide world is read.

2. My thumbs can bend backwards at 90 degree angles. I look funny giving a thumbs up because I don't realize that thumbs up shouldn't look like that.

3. I am engaged to Brandon Wheeler from Rutledge, Alabama.

4. I was a big "pretender" when I was little--in fact, I don't know if I really did anything as "Taylor Thames" growning up. I was always a spy, or a superhero, or a movie star, or a singer, etc, etc. Car trips, grocery runs and family reunions were never boring, and this was before portable dvd players.

5. I love my name. I have accused my mom for years of naming me after 80's/90's singer Taylor Dane (they sound very similar), but actually my aunt Pam suggested "Taylor." I could have been Lily, which actually would've turned out pretty nice, too. But my mom decided to go with the alliteration, just in case I was ever famous.

6. Birds are my favorite animals. Red cardinals are the best and I have a little collection of statues or stationary with red cardinals on it--really fun at Christmas time! I think I'm like a bird sometimes...

7. My favorite bird was my pet parakeet, Maxwell Smart Thames, or just Max for short. I received Max and his girlfriend 99 (I named them after the 1960's show Get Smart) after my great grandmother died and before I started 3rd grade. I remember that because on the first day of third grade, we had to draw a picture and tell a little bit about ourselves. I told everyone that my great grandmother had died and I had two parakeets. 99 was supposed to be my favorite because she was pure white (like that pony I always wanted and never got, I guess), but she was not a nice bird--she bit me several times. 99 had some heath problems and died during bird surgery. So then it was just me and Max. I probably didn't take care of Max as well as I should have because I became a teenager (i.e., selfish) and more interested in other things, but me and Max stuck together until I was a sophomore in college. I had that bird from the age of 8 until the age of 20--TWELVE YEARS. That is a long time for a parakeet. He got sick right before I went to Troy and I was holding him when he died. I cried like a little 8 year old.

8. I love Britney Spears and went to her latest concert in Atlanta! Best trip ever!

9. My best friend is Adrienne and she lives almost 2 hours away from me :( But I am blessed to have the rest of my best friends in the same area: Amy, Cathleen and Diane! We all try to have lunch together every week. I never appreciated friends as much as I do these four girls! We are not YaYas because we are pretty sure that is copyrighted--instead we are Yeyahs! I love them all!

10. My fiance Brandon has a chihuahua named Daisy. He did not choose Daisy--Daisy decided that she would be Brandon's. She is a pit bull living in a small chihuahua body to strangers, but she is the cutest dog I have ever known! She's big fun in a tiny collar!

11. When I was in middle school, I had bangs that started at the top of my head (I am not kidding) and went across my entire forehead. I also used Sun-In the wrong way, so for a while, I had orange hair. But this was about the same time that Nicole Kidman did Practical Magic--and I looked exactly like her. She became "my" movie star, and I still smile when people say that I look like her.

12. The weirdest, funniest things happen to my friend Amy. She is just one of those people.

13. I was born in Panama City, Florida, spent five years in Jacksonville, Florida, and started kindergarten in Headland, Alabama. I was one of the only kids without a southern accent and I talked like I was 30. I finally developed the drawl, but am still surprised when people comment on my accent--I think, "I don't have a sout...oh wait, I do."

14. My first car was a 1988 Buick LaSabre. It was red--and so was everything on the inside. Everything.

15. I am related (by marriage, so not technically...) to Truman Capote, one of my favorite authors. My cousin remembers seeing him at a family reunion.

The First Post

2009-04-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally decided to do a blog. I have my reasons, and since this is MY blog and I can do what I please, here they are:

Reason 1. Everyone else has a blog.

Reason 2. It is easier to type on a blog than write in a journal--and has cool graphics, pretty pictures, feedback comments, easy editing capabilities...it's just better.

Reason 3. Coming up with interesting content for this blog will spark more creativity. And maybe help me do more interesting things so that I can blog about them.

Reason 4. I knew that it was time to take the next technological step. After all, the last new social networking thing I joined was Facebook, back in 2005 or 06. So I could choose between a blog or Twitter. I don't want to Twitter yet, because it's essentially the same thing as updating your Facebook status, minus the picture albums.

That's all for now (I guess it will take a little while longer for Reason 3 to kick in...). If I come up with any more reasons why I started this blog, I will post them later. That's what having a blog is all about, after all.