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Well, not really weekend. More like Thursday and Friday snaps. But this past weekend felt sooooo long, am I right? This summer, Mike has been making some of the most delicious litte pizzas. This is one he was making for lunch on the 4th. Homemade dough, a touch of olive oil, basil and cherry tomatoes fresh from the garden, homemade mozzarella (yes, my hubby makes the best mozzarella cheese!), and topped with some freshly grated parmesan. Yum! As always, when anyone is doing anything, Bella is underfoot. That's just how she rolls. Last weekend, Mike went to his softball game and it took him longer than I had anticipated to get home. I was sitting at my computer when I heard him come in and I asked if he had run to the store. He walks into the dining room holding a bouquet of flowers. "Yes! Because I thought you might want these." What a sweetie! I was soooo swoony that my husband had brought me flowers just because. I was super bummed that I ...

Well, I was a TOTAL FAIL. [ source ] These were my February Resolutions . Did I succeed? Complete Frugal February without cheating. At all.  NO. This one was such a big fail that I made a whole video about it. I'll post the link here as soon as I upload it. Do not skip Ladies' Bible Study.  PARTIALLY.  This was almost a success; I only skipped once! (Well, twice, actually. But that's because I joined a second bible study and skipped them both this past Tuesday. In my defense, I was doing taxes.) Do homework for Ladies' Bible Study.  YES. Totally success. I did my homework for both bible studies! Go to the gym at least twice a week.  NO. Hahaha. Total fail. I've been to the gym twice this month. And that's counting the time I plan on going tonight. Take Bella for a walk in the park at least twice a week.  NO. Well, I just totally forgot about this resolution. Keep up with my daily cleaning schedule.  PARTIALLY.  I m...

So, Mary had this idea to do something called Frugal February. Basically its where you get to buy nothing fun for a whole month. Luckily it's a short month...and I've already paid for February's Ipsy Glam Bag . Frugal February is actually quite the blessing. See, I made a bit of money selling stuff from the Target + Neiman Marcus collection on eBay and now that money is burning a hole in my pocket and this newfound makeup addiction is tricking me into thinking I want to buy very expensive eyeshadow. Instead of wasting my money, I'm going to focus on my February resolutions. Yeah, I've decided to have some monthly resolutions so I can have more specific and hopefully accomplishable goals. February Resolutions: Complete Frugal February without cheating. At all. (We've already decided that any gift cards we currently own do not count as cheating. I will spend that $6 at Walmart SO WELL.) Do not skip Ladies' Bible Study. Do homework for L...

On Monday , I won a PetSmart gift card from work, so my sweet little Bella got this adorable tee that I've had my eye on. She loves it and jumped up and down when she saw me come home with new doggy clothes. I'm SO not kidding. She's such a girly girl. A girly girl, that is, who eats grass, chews sticks, and rolls around in the dirt. Tuesday , Bella and I had a great run at our downtown park. We did a total of 4.13 miles in about 65minutes. Minus 5-10 minutes for playing around. And let me tell you....my dog actually jumped in the water. My dog. Who hates water. What made her do this? Well, obviously, there were DUCKS WHO NEEDED CHASING!!! She chased them into the water and then stood at the edge, watched them for a moment, and then jumped in after them! I was like, "Woo! Yay, Bella!" And then she immediately regretted her decision. [Seriously, if she could talk, I thinks that what she would have said.] So, she swam right back to the bank. ...

Next step in recipe: add two lightly beaten eggs. So, go to fridge and get out--- Wait. Where are the eggs from the CSA? I knew we had at least a few eggs left in the carton. They can't be gone! Ask Mike, who is showering, if he has seen the eggs. No. Look for eggs again. Look at counters, look in freezer (hey, it's possibly I was absent minded), look again in fridge. Ask Mike. Again. Did he use eggs, perhaps in one of his yummy meals? No! Hmmm... Look high and low. Again. No eggs. Check old eggs from the grocery store. Old eggs are, in fact, old. Blech. Ask Mike again. Maybe he remembers what he did with the eggs now? Pulls back shower curtain, looks at me and says, "Are you kidding me?" No. In fact, not kidding. I really need those eggs. Go back to kitchen. Stand at the island. Read the recipe again. Look down next to my bowl. See carton of eggs from the farmers market. I am basically a genius.

[ source ] So, today marks the beginning of week #4 that I have been waking up before the sunrise to meet up with three other women and go on a 3-ish mile walk/jog around a local university campus. My alarm clock goes off at 5:30AM (giving me 10 minutes of sleepy time, 5 minutes of getting ready time, and 15 minutes drive time to start out walk by 6AM) which is SO DANG EARLY. It's so early that, as we're getting back into our cars after our three miles, the sky has that sun-kind-of-is-kind-of-isn't-up look to it.  Actually, that was before daylight savings time.  Today, the sun rose after I finished my walk AND went grocery shopping. Oh, did I mention that if we don't show, we owe the group $5? Money is a great motivator for me! [ source ] My main goal in getting up and exercising is not, in fact, the obvious fitness benefits. It's the up and at 'em that I really need. And trust me, nothing wakes you up like a three mile walk in 35º ...

cardigan: ny&co white cami: ny&co slacks: target belt: plato's closet shoes: they used to be Mary's ;) necklace: gift from Mike bracelet: diy Forgive me if I look tired in this photo, this was taken at the end of a lonnng day. I was up at 7AM to take a little girl to school (odd jobs FTW) and headed straight up to my mom's house to pick up my pants. (Thanks for hemming them, Mommy!) I came home with the pants and my own sewing machine. I guess I can take a hint... I had a job interview at 1pm that I was VERY excited about. I really wanted to look grown up as people sometimes wonder if I'm old enough to buy alcohol. The belt was added last minute because grown up doesn't have to equal undefined waist. By the way, this cardi? SO glad I purchased it. Also, you wouldn't believe how difficult it was to find a decent, long sleeved, not boyfriend-style cardigan. But, happily, I took advantage of NY&CO's buy one get one 50% off sal...

There were a lot of names to choose from. Lizzie Lauren Cutie Pie The Kookenator Casper Spooky Lorelei Goethe (pronounced Gerta) Chaucer White Cloud Ricochet Ivory Flash Sandy Marshmallow Freiheit Foto Betty White Trudy Leisel Greta "Auto des Feuers"* Nail Salon  I was going to post a poll this morning to ask you to vote for your favorite. But then, I changed my mind. Why bother? Maybe it's because she knows me so well. Maybe it's because of her confidence. Because as soon as I saw this name, I knew it was it--even though I gave her a hard time about it. ;) Cute and quirky and exactly what I was looking for! Thanks to Lauren, Max, Leo, Gretchen, John, Adam, Mary, Amy, Brian & Holly for all your fabulous suggestions. :) *Car of the Fire

...well, I don't have a name for her yet. Its my new-to-me car. A 2004 VW Passat. Super cute and German. Sounds like someone we know? Hmmm...  Thank you to my super amazing husband for finding this car. And thank you to whoever bought that 1998 Toyota Corolla that we almost bought. ;)  For the first time in my life, I'd like to name my car. My sister has named her cars over the years (like Roxy the Ford Probe) and I've known others do to so as well. I'm in love with my new car and it needs a name. Went to Yankee candle today with a fabulous bogo coupon . Decided to also get something to put my car in the holiday spirit. Any name suggestions would be appreciated. Something cute.  ♥ Lauren suggested Lizzie, Lauren, and Cutie Pie. In case those are on the very long list of potential names you're about to submit, you should know that I didn't want any of them.

Last week, while I was taking these pictures , something happened. My camera stopped. It just stopped working. When I pressed the shutter button? Nothing. When I tried to auto-focus? Nothing. Oh, dear. This was it. The day that I had feared would come, but had hoped it would take it's time coming. Yes, my Canon Rebel XT --or, rather, Mike's, since it was technically his camera--died. In fact, in the post I linked to above, you can see me sitting next to my camera in the last post. That's because I had to finish the photos with my point &shoot . our used-to-death Rebel Our rebel lived a good life. It's done more traveling than lots of people I know! It's been to Bangladesh (several times!), Afghanistan, Japan, Thailand, India, Peru, Czech Republic, Austria, and Turkey. It's also seen me through quite a few photo shoot in my burgeoning photography career. I learned how to shoot manual on that camera (and, by the way, never went back. If you have a DSLR,...

I don't think I have ever accomplished my New Year's resolutions. Though, I don't think I ever made any significant resolutions. Aside from the yearly, "I shall touch my toes this year!" Which, by the way, I fully plan to do this year. You know that phrase, "new year, new you." Well, this year, that's kind of my resolution. And not just for fitness--for all facets of Tiffany. And taking que from a Glamour tip--I think it was Glamour, at least. BTW, thanks Anne Marie, for giving me your old Glamours. They entertained me while I was sans internets for a whole week. Anyway, the tip was to not go extreme on your resolutions. Example: I would like to do the Couch to 5k program...not run a marathon. In fact, I don't want to run a marathon EVER. So, here are my resolutions. Eat healthier . I have never ever made a resolution in reference to diet because, duh, I'm a skinnie-minnie. And while, in the past, I didn't think I needed it, th...

I like crape myrtles ( lagerstroemia ). They're good southern trees, they flower every summer, they come in pink. Of course I like them. I really wanted a crape myrtle at my house. I had crape myrtle blooms on the arch at my wedding. Who doesn't like a tree with masses of pink flowers on it? No one, that's who! I don't like white crape myrtles. Because they usually look like this... Actually, that one isn't nearly as bad as the ones I see along the highway. The ones that are supposed to be white but rather look quite brown and ugly. Yuck! We had a dying crape myrtle in our yard and had it cut down last fall. There was a few inches of stump left and guess what happened? The thing started growing! I was so excited. I really really love pink and purple crape myrtles. They are SO beautiful! Imagine my disappointment when I saw white blooms popping up on my crape myrtle. Ugh. Really? But more and more blooms have been popping up, and I don't think I...

Secrets secrets are no fun Secrets secrets hurt someone Ever hear that? I don't remember where I heard it, but to me, it's just a poem about someone who is jealous that they don't get in on the gossip. The person that is really hurt by the secret is the person that holds it inside. What you discover from PostSecret is that these secrets, when released, are so liberating for the secret keepers. Mike and I just got back from the PostSecret event. We bought the cheapest tickets, but because the center wasn't full and because there would be an open mic at the end of the presentation, we got to upgrade. Level A tickets for a Level C price, thanks Frank! It was pretty much Mike's first exposure to PostSecret except for a postcard or two that he may have seen on my weekly perusal of the PostSecret blog. I loved Frank's stories and the whole event sparked some interesting conversation between us. (More about that later, because it's a heavy blog that I can't ju...

It's pretty much assumed that many men do not notice when women sport a new 'do or buy a cute new outfit. Unless, that is, the woman points it out for them. My husband, however, has some observant friends! A few times in the past, his best friend (and best man!) has mentioned my hairstyle. Did you get it cut? It looks nice. Or hey, you're wearing your hair curly today, that's a good look! (Speaking of my hair, I'm in dire need of a haircut. Where did these split ends come from?) Another of his friends made my day today when he said, "I've noticed that you have quite the shoe collection." Which, actually, isn't really that accurate--I wear flip-flops 90% of the time. However, we do see each other at church when, of course, I'm doing things a little nicer. And, of course, his daughter tried on several pairs of my high heels when their family came over for lunch the other day. I love getting a random and unexpected compliment! So, today, why n...

Do you remember that rhyme: I don't wanna go to Mexico no more more more ... The official rhyme's second line says there's a big fat policeman at my door door door , but I don't remember anything about a policeman. In Guam, I'm pretty sure we said some other word. Maybe the Chamorro word for policeman. Eh. That song kept coming to mind with the whole Swine Flu pandemic scare. My boss, the doctor, is currently reading "The Great Influenza" which is about the 1918 flu pandemic which killed up to 100 million people in a two year period. Apparently, the particular strain of H1N1 known as swine flu is related to the strain of H1N1 known as the Spanish Flu that caused all those deaths. So that's why everyone was up in a raucous. After all, healthy adults in Mexico were dying--this could have been the next big one. It wasn't, but why did a hundred people in Mexico die? "Poor hygiene" my boss said. Wash your hands, yah? Even the kiddos know that-...

I love being a student. I love it even more now that I'm not at the local two-year/tech college. Yes, it's a good school, but it's a temporary place. It's a half-way point for many students and in most cases, people don't bother to get to know one another. I enjoyed my classes and my teacher and the education I was getting. My last semester there, I even made friends with a few classmates. But mostly it was a come-and-go place. Nobody really hung around for long. Now that I am at what I like to call a "real" college, I really love being a student! It helps that I'm in my major classes. I have something in common with the people in my class. We have several classes together. I have the same teachers that I had last semester. It's nice. I also really enjoy the limbo of being a college student. For the past three years, I have been a part-time nanny and a full-time college student. It's a very comfortable place for me. While I'm eager to move ...

I haven't really been too excited about going swing dancing lately. It's just been blah, blah, I might as well go. Last night, I was tryting to decide what to do. Study? Work on my scene analysis? Read one of the cute chick-lit books I just checked out of the library? Veg on the internet all night? Nah. I decided head to a college for their Monday night dance. I tossed around the idea for a few minutes... did I really want to drive fourty-five mintues to the dance? Did I even really want to go dancing? Blah. So, I changed into my swishy pants (a must!) and headed out. I'm so super glad I went. The dance was attended by a lot of beginner's from the college's swing classes, but the energy in that venue was fantastic! Also, there were a few fantastic leads* there that I haven't danced with in ages. See this photo? (That's me and friend/swing instructor at an event at the Fox Theater in Atlanta.) See how I'm in the middle of a huge laugh? That's how I ...

Eight months ago, when I moved into my current residence, my bedroom took a serious downsize. My old bedroom was about 2 to 2.5 times the size of my current one. I had a desk, a coffee table, two sets of shelves, a club chair, and a queen size bed. I also had plenty of room to spare. I had a closet the size of Rhode Island. True story. I moved in with three other girls and I couldn't very well have all of my personal decor all over a house that wasn't solely mine. I was now fixed with the problem of cramming all my bedroom furniture and all my personality in to a tiny 9X10 room. And so I did. And it was cramped. And I eventually stopped complaining and got used to it. Yesterday, however, I decided that I was going to de-clutter and rearrange my bedroom. Today, after shopping around at Target and K-Mart (more on K-mart later!) I came home with the tools I needed to organize my bedroom. And so I did. I got rid of my: desk, desk chair, club chair, faux-black iron shelf, and severa...

Today, during my first ever foray into a newsroom, I came to the very obvious conclusion that I need to write more. A few weeks ago, at a "Media Day" event at my school, I met a reporter from the local newspaper who invited me to stop by the newsroom sometimes. Today, I did just that. I was there for almost three hours talking to reporters, hanging around the copy desk, and watching tomorrow's paper get put together. As I walked into the newspaper building escorted by that reporter, we began to exchange the usual pleasantries. He asked me how I was doing. "Good!" I replied, ever perky. He gave me an odd look and said that it had been an "interesting" day in the newsroom. Indeed, it is an interesting time to be someone who wants to go into print journalism. I was researching Gannett for a school project when I came across news about layoffs within the company. Huge Gannett layoffs are happening this week and I had the unfortunate timing to show up on th...

Yesterday at Target, Mike and I wandered up and down the Halloween candy aisles on two separate missions. My mission was to find candy corn. Result? Epic fail. The only candy corn was some "gourmet" mango flavored candy corn. "I don't want mango flavored candy corn!" I demanded. "I want candy corn flavored candy corn!" Is that too much to ask? No. What was particularly annoying about this was that the Halloween candy aisles had lots of pictures of candy corn. As seen in this picture I found on flickr: [do you see that runner? that's candy corn, I tell you! false advertisement! at perfect Tiffizzle eye-level!] While I was on my vain hunt for candy corn, Mike was on a hunt for the bag of candy with the perfect mixture of fun-sized treats. You know, one of those monstrous sized bags of candy that is particularly convenient if you plan on handing out candy to the masses of monsters on All Hallow's Eve. One minor hiccup, though, is that Mike...