Change of a Dress...

Hey everyone, I've officially moved to wordpress.
So if you are coming here through blogger, please redirect to www.graciefabulous.com by clicking there...

If you follow me in a google reader or something similar, you'll have to delete, but please remember to add me back!!!

Nothing really will change about my blog except the formatting,ect - all backstage stuff!

Wearing Mascara dot com giveaway

Hey everyone, head on over to www.wearingmascara.com and check out her 200+300+WordPress switchover giveaway ... she's super funny to read and does a great job at updating her blog early and often!

Here's a peak at the prize...

Smashbox Cosmetics Master’s Class Vol. 4 Rescue Beauty Set:

Sweet right? Smashbox always amazes me with their products, innovations, and value (this set is a $175 value!). 

Switching to WordPress

Well, I'm trying to switch to housing my blog on WordPress... so {IF} my site goes down for a bit please bear with me!

If anyone has any pointers, that'd be great too!

I've transfered everything and registered my name and all, but can't get it lead to the new format.

Thanks!

Race for the Cure 2009

Have YOU registered for the Ozark Race for the Cure {if you live here that is...}?

I've registered, and YOU need to too.

It's so easy - just go right here: http://www.komenozark.org/ and sign up!

Race Day is one week from Saturday = April 25th and YOU need to be there to run, walk and cheer on the entire crowd as everyone races toward the cure for breast cancer...

This is your one free pass to quit reading my blog {but do come back} and go register!

If you have registered, either here in Northwest Arkansas or anywhere else, let me know...

Bunco Etiquette

According to the World Bunco Association[1], Bunco began as a progressive dice game in England, later being imported to the American West as a gambling activity. It was not until after the Civil War that it evolved to a popular parlor game. The Association states that during Prohibition, Bunco as a gambling game was re-popularized and the term "Bunco-Squad" was born, referring to law-enforcement groups that busted up Bunco Gaming. Bunco as a family game saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s. Although re-released in 2005 with a tagline reading "The game that's sweeping the nation," sales were initially low though senior citizens and young adults alike have found interest in the game[
In recent years, the game has seen a resurgence in popularity in America, particularly among suburban women. As it is played today, Bunco is a social dice game involving 100% luck and no skill (there are no decisions to be made)[2], scoring and a simple set of rules. Women who are part of a Bunco club take turns as the Bunco hostess, providing snacks, refreshments and the tables to set up the games. The hostess may also provide a door prize. Small amounts of money can be involved as well. The object of the game is to accumulate points and to roll certain combinations. The winners get prizes (provided by the hostess or pooled from the club resources) for accomplishments such as the highest score, the lowest score, or the most buncos. Prizes frequently center on themes associated with the game such as fancy dice, dice embedded in soap, t-shirts featuring illustrations of dice, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunco

So there’s your brief history of Bunco...

I’m not saying our group is better than the definition, but we roll a pretty good dice game once a month. The hostess normally has a theme which the prizes are part of, and we have 3 prizes – Winner, Loser and Travel – which is the last person to roll a full bunco of a predetermined #. And she ALWAYS has alcohol…

• I’d now like to address a few etiquette “by-laws” if you will:
  It’s always polite to “pass the dice” to the next person in succession at your table. This is a pretty subtle move, but a gesture to let the next person know “hey, it’s ok to grab the dice” otherwise you’ll probably get your hand slapped. It’s very much similar to the black jack dealer showing that all bets are in and the next portion of the game is beginning – if that makes sense… it does to me.
• Another politeness is that the other 3 at the table should count along {out loud} the number of rolls/points the roller is up to – and it helps to do it in a sing-song fashion, the cadence helps when Bunco becomes Drunko. We’ve also determined to that this will come in handy if we ever have to teach a toddler to count… to about 6 – we’ve got that covered!
  

{thanks to AB for highlighting these "rules"}

I love going to Bunco each month, it’s fun and relaxing and as you read in the definition, there is no skill nor thinking involved which is great! My mom played Bunco when I was little {like 3 and 4}, it was a huge ordeal when she hosted, she always made perfect little party treats and I always got to taste them! The highlight of the evening was that my dad and I got to go out to eat Chinese food which NEVER happened since my parents were pretty poor back then. In hindsight, however, Chinese food in Southeast Arkansas probably wasn’t such a treat, might should have been scared of that…

What did the Easter Bunny bring you?

Pretty sure he brought me 5 more pounds - seriously we ate all day long on Sunday - it was great! =)

After Mass we went to brunch at Savor with my parents and sister, I had crab cakes Benedict and dark chocolate creme brulee - it was so very good! Then not 4 hours later, we went to eat at MZ's parents house with his parents and his aunt and uncle from Florida, we had a ham and all the fixins' - again another tasty meal and I just can't say no to home cooked meals - so of course I did not. 

It was such a dreary day on Easter there wasn't much else to do except eat and take a nap and we sure could scratch both of those off our list!

On Saturday, my mom and I worked at the M&N Augustine Foundation 16th annual Easter Feed for the homeless and hungry. As expected this was the biggest year ever - we served over 5,000 meals between those who came in to eat and the meals we shipped out to those who would not have a hot meal over the weekend like the Meals on Wheels recipients, the women's shelter and the jails.

It's such a rewarding event and I love participating each year!

A very Danish 30th Birthday Party

Last weekend we headed north to Kansas City to celebrate AD's 30th Birthday. It was a blast. I never pick to go to KC but always have a blast when I'm there. I love the theory of the Plaza and all the open air shopping and patios in bars and restaurants. We stayed right on the plaza and the weather on Saturday was gorgeous - a bit windy, but so nice to walk around and people watch and grab a beer or two at few local places.

That night we headed out to Mexican food at exactly what AD wanted - cheap fast 

and GOOD - it was all of that with great margaritas! 

After dinner we headed to the Power and Light District where there were some fabulous bars, we started out at Fire Fly, which is considered a modern day "speakeasy." You had to go down a long hallway to get to the main bar - no passwords required but still... We go there just in time to secure some of the best seats in the place and our entourage took over! After a couple of hours, we moved on to 180 which had a great martini called the Grapes of Wrath - here's a pic of me and Courtney enjoying what is probably well after our first one...

It was a tasty blend of Ciroc Grape Vodka, white grape juice and champagne - and those are not olives (EWWW) they are frozen grapes! Yummo! Also ironically appropriate as MZ thinks just buying a bottle of white grape juice and pouring vodka in it would be cheaper than the wine I drink - I'm not sure if that's mathematically accurate, but after that martini - I'm sure willing to try it! I think the trick is to get everything uber-cold! 

MAYBE SOMEBODY READING THIS WILL GO AND MAKE THAT HAPPEN...

Here's a couple more girly pics and of course a picture of MZ and me... 

Sunday was bitter cold in KC - quite a drastic change from just a few hours before because I sure didn't remember it being that cold when we left the bar - but I also couldn't tell you where that bar was... anyway - the Plaza was dead so we were excited about our chances on getting into Cheesecake Factory for brunch. We tried to have snacks there on Saturday afternoon and there was a 30 minute wait for just the two of us, even at the bar! uh no thank you...

There was absolutely no wait and we had a delicious brunch of eggs Benedict with grilled tomatoes and spinach and MZ had bbq bacon burger, and we had to get cheesecake - we just got it to go from the start, had a few bites and hit the road. When we were leaving KC it was SNOWING! Very hard to believe we were in shorts and tank tops and sandals the day before. 

It was a great weekend and I'm so glad we all could get together to celebrate!

 

Sex and the City Movie widget

Snuggie - more like an August blanket

A while back I became enthralled with the Snuggie, also the combination of the Snuggie and the ShamWow = a SnuggieWow (that didn’t take off though...yet!) 

I resisted the urge to “call now” and even passed up the offer of the free book light, but then I found the “as seen on TV” aisle at Walgreens... I bought a Snuggie - bought one for Lindsey too. I was so excited to get it home and snuggie up on the couch.
So that evening MZ and I sat down to watch TV and I to try out the Snuggie. It was a total let down. It’s so thin and flimsy and pretty much worthless. It's also a very ugly blue color - Walgreens did not have the maroon, although that color would have been even more like the chanting monks.
I deem it only appropriate as a light throw potentially to be used in August with 93% humidity.
MZ just pretty much made fun of me unmercifully (and still does) for my very silly purchase, and I actually have to agree with him. It was an impulse buy I totally regret.

BACON! You need it.

I haven't written about a work adventure in while... so here's something we've been up to!

BACON BACON BACON!

Wright Brand Bacon to be exact!

Here are a couple of breakfast creations designed and orchestrated by Aaron McCargo from the FoodNetwork, he's the host of Big Daddy's House and he also won The Next FoodNetwork Star last season.

He was here to do some video shorts for our websites this week. He made a bacon stuffed french toast pocket and bacon egg cups with mushrooms and herbs as a few breakfast options, 2 of the other recipes was a chicken roulade and hamburger roll both of which are of course wrapped in bacon... proving the well known fact that you REALLY CAN wrap anything in bacon. Try it - you'll be amazed!

I love doing the videos, there is so much prep work that goes into them and the attention to details is something I really LOVE! Setting up each table setting is probably my favorite part, that and saying ACTION, QUIET ON THE SET & THAT'S A WRAP! 

If it ain't broke... don't break it just because you can

I sometimes wonder if some people just pick something to "call out" or change because they feel like they should put their 2 cents in on a decision. I can't say I'm not guilty of this, but there's a strong change that at times some people take this power way overboard!

I've been in meetings where a group is reviewing concept designs and after everyone has gone around the room and given feedback, someone feels the need to say something totally off topic or something that goes against the entire groups thinking. I know - it could happen, that not everyone agrees on an idea - it should happen, but the moral of the story is don't wait until the very end. Voice your opinion early and constructively.

The same goes for complaining just to complain, I'm more guilty of this than the above noted. 

So, with all that said, I'm hoping by getting back into my blog and writing more that will help with my own complaining. I know I'm very blessed in my life. I have a wonderful boyfriend - who gets the most of my complaining and I can't be appreciative enough for his listening to me. I'm very grateful to have job in this economy, especially knowing that my old team at my previous company was eliminated - things do happen for a reason. I have really great friends of all walks of life that definitely keep me grounded and learning every day.  I'm lucky to have my entire immediate family in such close proximity, even though that streak of luck is not always so evident. 

New Computer Day

Woo Hoo!

Today I got to pick up my new computer! I got a new MacBook and I'm so excited about it.

I've always been a fan of macs and am very happy to be a proud owner of something that can drive all my gadgets more efficiently.

I'm also hoping that this will help to boost my inspiration (if not readership) of my blog here - hopefully with my a renewal in writing if will expand in many ways!

I'm going to try and post something at least 5 times per week - that's my goal...

Now off to set up the rest of my programs and transfer files and music, etc.

The next reality show, right in my back yard – Can you survive as a Walmartian?

I’m watching Running in Heels on styleTV – if you haven’t seen it, it’s an intern group competing for a position at Marie Claire magazine in NYC. There are some bitchy contestants and daring and crazy stunts disguised as tasks to test the gusto of the competitor/ applicants. Pretty good show all around and glad to see that Nina is breaking out of the Project Runway bubble. Lots of glamour and travel and fun and partying – makes life in the real world in a real job seem like that’s what it’s all about. Stressed to these girls is whether or not they get invited to the red carpet event of the afternoon, whatever!
New idea – do a reality show job interview at the Walmart home office in Bentonville. Bring a slew of “qualified” applicants to a dry county in Arkansas and have them work 12 + hour days in the retail behemoth that is Walmart. Everything that goes on in that building is amazing and has a lot to teach unsuspecting jobbies! There wouldn’t be the glitz and glamour, that’s for sure. So if for some reason, anyone reading this has any pull in the realm of reality shows, I’d love to pitch the whole of my idea!

Breakin’up is hard to do…

Neil Sedaka was so right – it is hard to do, but I feel it has to be done.
I must break up with my hair girl! Unfortunately, she does a stellar job so I can’t fault her there. The problem is that I NEVER EVER know how much she is going to charge me.

6 weeks ago I had my hair done and she put a bit more brown in it, did a quick razor cut to thin it out but not cut any length off it and waxed my eyebrows, for all that she only charged me $70. I just figured since I didn’t get a full cut and “style” change that was the reason for the lower price. Well I went in last week and asked for the VERY same thing, telling her how much l loved it and about the compliments, I got from the original cut.

So she did the same thing sorta, it’s a bit lighter, so not really what I asked for but not something that was worth complaining about because it looks super good. No length cut off, nothing fancy. $109???
Yeah I was shocked! I couldn’t believe the up charge. A $10 difference might be one thing, but $40 is a lot of money!
I’m sad – I don’t know who I’m going to go to now – I really trust her with my hair, unfortunately I do not trust her with my finances!

Wait, is that Walt from LOST in that commercial?

It sure is! Malcom David Kelley (aka Walt from LOST) is in my new commercial. Again, not really MY commercial but I was there for the entire process, so I feel fine in saying MY commercial. See previous posts…

Here are what some people are saying about it as well…
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/messagetopic.asp?p=11904024
http://boards.ign.com/lost/b8147/176834073/p1/
http://forum.lostpedia.com/showthread.php?s=339bf816e7733fa12e066f6d07ca955d&p=1250012&mode=threaded#post1250012
http://www.thecoconutinternet.com/showthread.php?t=7562
http://forums.scifi.com/index.php?showtopic=2323232

You can see my commercial linked here:
GRACIE’S AWESOME COMMERCIAL!

Super Star Conference Call

I can’t really quite say who yet, but I just had a conference call with a someone who I consider to be quite the star – but remember, I’m a bit of a nerd.
It would be a real treat to work with this person and I think it was really cool of them to actually be present on the conference call and express their equal excitement to be able to work with us.
Sorry that this is pretty vague – well I guess it’s really extremely vague but if I told you who it was, I’d probably have to kill you – or at least it would ruin a future blog post since I don’t want to (legally bound not to) mention their name just yet.

Something to think about in the land of CPG marketing…

As CPG/ Big Box teams get leaner on the inside of corporate walls, do agencies benefit? Are they getting more business and thus hiring more people? Or are they just piling more work on their account teams, therefore creating stagnant design and ideation?
So who really suffers? Do consumers – the end result of all marketing campaigns suffer because they aren’t fed the mega-multitudes of commercialization that they are used to? Do the agency team members suffer because they are working on the same brands with no new ideas? Does CPG branding suffer because no matter what is “launched” it’s not going to move the needle in the mind of the consumer because they aren’t told to love it? Consumers are so used to being told exactly what they want to hear and need to love – I sometimes wonder if anyone can really think for themselves when it comes to products, etc – not at all pertaining to life choices and things of that nature – purely commercial and often frivolous impulse items. Don’t get offended – I still think we’re all capable of making intelligent choices – but it’s an interesting study to see what purchases impulse marketing actually creates in the minds of consumers. Trust me, I’m just as guilty when it comes to impulse buying! I’m drawn to shiny objects and flashy packaging just like anyone else.
Another thing to consider on the flip side… If there are less marketing dollars available in the land of the CPG, less internal marketing talent, then does that equate to less talent available in the agency world? If you can’t pay for the exquisite marketing we are all accustomed to, then what happens to the agency team that isn’t going to create the elaborate campaigns any more – you really do get what you pay for, product wise and creative wise!
Further thought... Do the CPG/ Big Box unemployed now become consultants for projects they were once working on? So that expands their portfolio and creates a broader knowledge base for everyone involved, including probably their former employer – wonder if they ever realize the talent they let go?It’s an interesting time in the marketing world – just as it is with any job group. The things that are happening in the marketing worlds are really crazy – it seems as if so much is going back to smaller budget ideals that are now costing an arm and a leg to create that “home-done” feel. I’m very eager to see what the recession does to so many marketing campaigns going forward – people still need to create ideals that are going to sell sell sell but at what cost to the companies and to the consumers.

Day 5 of no shopping (for myself)

Well I’m still alive… the lack of shopping has not cause my internal organs to explode or my wallet to brutally maim me, so that’s a good thing! The hardest part so far has been when I check my mail and get all those shiny coupons and flyers about sales GOING ON NOW and so forth. My co-workers are pretty happy, they are now the recipients of all the coupons and reward things I receive in the mail. I think it really won’t be as bad as everyone makes it out to be – and yes, most people were overly shocked when told what I was giving up for Lent – comments such as “we really will fall deeper into recession now, are you going to survive, etc.” were made in my general direction. Whatever, I can do it! It also helps that there are clothes in my closet that still have the tags on them – so it will still be like new clothes – new to you (if you see me out) at least.
I did have to set foot in a retail establishment this weekend – I had to pick up items for an upcoming video shoot. So I went to Pier 1 to pick up some plates and place settings. There is some RANDOM stuff in that store for sure! For instance, there were these chickens that when you squeeze them, a thing that resembles and egg expect to find in Pier 1 – the gal at the counter said they were extremely popular. I vote no on that… that’s just gross!

Coke Lite and Manolo Blahnik

http://www.shoeblog.com/blog/manolo-blahnik-for-coca-cola-light/

http://www.coke-light.de/

www.shoeblog.com

Happy Mardi Gras!

Today is a day of indulgence, of care free-ed-ness, of partying and whatnot… Since tomorrow starts Lent where everyone and their dog normally “gives up” something as a statement of sacrifice. I know it’s always something we’ve participated in in my family – my mom always gives up something like chocolate or wine or carbs – the things that keep her sane and we’d actually prefer she stay on those as that what she considers self-medicating. My dad (not Catholic, not even religious) gives up drinking from Monday through Thursday, and then makes up for it on the weekends. And I’ve never really kept up with what my sister gives up. I normally give up cokes --- however this year is different!

I also think that Lent is a good way to redeem yourself if you’ve already f’d up your New Year’s Resolution. So if you were going to quit smoking, were going to start exercising more, blah blah blah, now’s the time to do it all over again.

So this year, I’ve decided to give up something that is going to be really hard for me!you may want to sit down for this…..
I’m going to give up shopping! No shopping for me for 40 days. No online shopping, no going to the mall, no browsing at Target – no frivolous, unnecessary shopping! This also means that when I go to wherever to get groceries (which I’m going to try to keep to a minimum) I will not succumb to impulse buys … no I do not need the newest hairspray, no I do not need the newest mascara and so on and so forth. I’m going to try and not even set foot in the HBA section. Nor do I need to buy the newly advertised CPG item in the grocery section – simply the basics will be bought off my grocery list.

I had my own laissez bon temps affair last night at Sephora – I had to return a few things that sure didn’t look the same in normal light than the did in the uber crazy Sephora light, and then I added a few things to my basket. I think that beats the heck out of getting smashed on hurricanes tonight!
I’ll try and keep posting about my adventure in non-shopping, unless that further depresses! I hope to get a lot of projects done around the house that I’ve not done or have half started and I also hope to save a ton o money!

Let the good times roll!

CUPCAKE giveaway!!!

Check out this give away and her blog!

Great read - makes me miss Dallas for sure!

(click on the image)

Thinking about making a change

I'm thinking about changing a couple things in my social media world.
1. I think I'm going to delete my myspace account.
2. I'm condsidering moving my blog to word press from blogger.

The first is pretty much a no-brainer, I never ever check my myspace and pretty much everyone I know is on facebook now and I like that forum much better. The only thing is that I have so many pictures on myspace, so I would have to transfer them all over to facebook - or not - I guess it really doesn't matter. I just like to have access to all my photos and that's a great way to always have them available!

Switching to word press from blogger is a bit different. I don't know that much about blog publishing to begin with and I had quite a tough time just taking off the .blogspot that I'm a bit hesitant to make such a leap. it seems like everyone I know who uses word press really enjoys it and the pages look better overall. If anyone out there has any suggestions one way or the other, that would be most helpful.

I'm gonna think about both for just a bit longer and see what I come up with, hopefully any blog changes won't be noticed outwardly...

No Smoking in the boys room – or anywhere else, if I had my way

http://www.arcleanair.com/brochure.html
It’s state law in Arkansas that you cannot smoke in restaurants or other public indoor places and I’m totally OK with that. The law also states that you are not to smoke within 50 feet of an entrance to a building that is designated non-smoking, unless otherwise stated. I’m not sure about the laws and regulations for allowing smoke breaks in the work place so there is only so much I can say about the amount of time spent outside the entrance to our building at work with people puffing away less than 50 feet from my face.

I never got into smoking, I tried, I failed, it’s probably better that way. I know people that are social smokers and only smoke when they drink, I know people that smoke all the time – that’s fine, whatever your choice is. However, I choose to be around those people when they smoke and I know they are all very courteous in their smoking and everyone appreciates it!

Amendment/Addition thanks to Kirby at GGI (find her here: http://goodgalsinc.blogspot.com/)! She left a comment that reminded me I had not finished my entire thought process here!

When I lived in Dallas, everything was smoke free, even the bars! You could get a ticket for smoking in the bar - which I personally think is a phenomenal idea! It was always hard to come home and go out with friends, that was when smoking was still allowable anywhere in Arkansas. Now it's so weird to be out of state and be asked "smoking or non-smoking" at a restaurant! I can't imagine...

That is one of the reasons MZ and I tend to hibernate in the winter and not go out. It's fine to go out to the bar in the summer when all the doors are open and there's some sort of ventilation but when everything is shut up in the winter, it's no fun to come home and smell like lung cancer - I'm assuming the combination of heavy cigarette smoke, stale alcohol and crowds of people is what lung cancer smells like!

But I have to come to work, I guess I could walk the mile around the building to not enter through where the smokers smoke, but I don’t think I should have to. I’m also curious as to why at 8 am they are already taking a “smoke break” from work? Then again at 10, lunch time, 1 and 3... it's like clock work!

That also brings up the constant battle of do people who don't smoke get slighted because they don't have a need to take a smoke break? Seriously, I've have meetings be held up because people were finishing a cigarette!

Anyway you can clearly see how I feel about this. I don't care what you do with your body, but it does seem to bother me that you do it on what is considered to be my time.

New G Commercial

We all know I’m a Coke girl – but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new G commercial (Gatorade - parent company Pepsi). I do enjoy Gatorade most, when it comes to sports drinks and you just can’t beat G2! We found that Sam’s Club had the lemon lime (fave) cases on sale this weekend for $6.16 – super steal, especially when the competition was $18.46 for a case!

They used sports stars and put them in the characters of Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail. It is toooo funny, and I’m very impressed by their marketing prowess here with this new ad. We saw it when we were watching SNL on the TiVo and actually rewound to watch the commercial and then watched it again! Genius! I sure hope that it get some airtime in primetime.
Here’s the extended version, and to learn more about the campaign and search for the holy G, please visit www.misisong.com.

Happy almost Valentine's Day

25 + things...

I hate this sort of thing for the most part – let me start by saying that much – everything in my life is random – I planned it that way! But it seems like this is the new “IT” thing to do on FaceBook (and I'm tired of getting "tagged") and AV put hers on her blog to go for double duty – smart cookie!
And in true over achieving form, I’ve listed more than 25 things – HA!

1. I have different groups of friends, and I actually don’t think they’ve ever met for the most part. I have my friends from the more educational side of college, the friends from the party side of college, my BenCo friends aka the baby mammas, the dry county girls or the Bible Study Buddies, my friends from football aka THSC girls, my friends from the Dallas years and then MZ’s group of friends that I have somewhat assimilated into and then a few random friends sprinkled throughout.

2. I have 2 belly buttons – or at least that was my super fun party trick when I was about 5… When I was born, my esophagus was not attached to my stomach and I have immediate emergency surgery and was then affixed to a feeding tube directly inserted into my stomach so the scar looks like another belly button and this is totally what I would tell people when I was little – also what my parents would tell people as they had no clue what to do with a baby – no seriously, my dad loves to tell the story of when I was about a week old and my mother awoke asking “what’s that sound” to which he replied – I believe it’s a baby – oh shit –it’s our baby – my mom asked well what do I do, make her stop crying –he said she should feed it…. And there began my constant struggle for attention.

3. I love to travel but HATE the security line. Flying is not the fear, I’m terrified of the security line I don’t know why, I’ve got nothing to hide but they aren’t always very nice and I need about 4 more arms to hold all my stuff I have to take with me…

4. I actually really liked working for Walmart in my 5 years there– there’s something about being able to say “I’m Walmart, that’s why.” I don’t regret that I’m not there anymore, but I did enjoy my time there.

5. Contrary to all my friends’ beliefs – I do want to get married and have kids some day, just not today, maybe tomorrow... Their kids are plenty and I love to be able to give them back. I will love my kids but I do not have to love random misbehaving evil children I see out and about – that’s their parents fault they act like that. If you have bad kids, don’t leave the house till you figure out what to do with them to make them act somewhat decently.

6. I’m a pack rat, but I’m getting better – really. I realized that some people are bigger pack rats than I could ever dream of being when I had a garage sell this past summer and made over $1000 – I got rid of so much stuff and I actually felt like a burden had been lifted. So I’m going to have another one in the spring. I tried to sell some of my clothes to resale shops recently but have realized I’d rather give them away than get screwed at some place that is just going to jack the prices up.

7. I love fresh flowers. I love to go to the farmers market and get fresh flowers and bring them home and just look at them –it instantly makes your house seem cleaner and a better place to be.

8. I love my blonde hair – that’s really no secret though. I honestly did have blonde hair till I was about 20 years old… then it turned brown – I probably have some grey now too, but I’ll never know and I plan to keep it that way. It never fails, whenever I meet people that I have had some type of phone/email business relationship with, most people are always quick to say: “You’re blonde?” as if to say, you seem smarter on the phone. It’s also normally followed with “and you’re a lot younger than I thought.” I take this a compliment – it’s always interesting what people think you look like – I do the same thing – but thanks to Google and FaceBook – it takes a lot of the guesswork out of it. I’ve gone a bit browner this time and might keep it for a couple of months, but you know as soon as summer gets closer – back to blonde in a snap!

9. It seems like I’ve gotten this question a lot lately– how did you and MZ meet? We met in a bar… it’s a great story actually, I’ll tell ya later!

10. I love to be in charge – again, nothing new there. Nevertheless, I really like to be in control of things, which I guess is actually different from being in charge (although I like that too). I just like to know what’s going on and what’s going to happen next. I also love to drive - no matter what. MZ is proably one of the few people that doesn't make me nervous if I'm in the passenger seat (which is most of the time). I totaled 3 cars in an 8 month period so I'm a big gun shy when it comes to car wrecks.

11. I love love love Dave Matthews Band and am sad that MZ does not – that’s one of the few things we don’t agree on. So I guess I’m actually really very lucky that we do agree on so much and have quite a bit in common. I had been to at least one DMB concert every year since I was 19 except for last summer.

Are you really reading this –there may be a quiz!

12. I love the smell of fresh cut grass and dirt; I also love the feeling of washing my hands when they are really dirty. I mean washing ones hands is good on all counts but really a good feeling when they are super dirty from working in the yard or something.

13. I’m obsessive about people’s birthdays. I love birthdays all the time and think they are very important to celebrate. I always make sure to call or text or email or send a card for your birthday if I know when it is. If I don’t know, then how can I celebrate it? I also LOVE to celebrate my birthday – some may call that selfish, but its one day a year that’s all mine so too bad. And I’m really super glad that MZ doesn’t mind all the celebrating for me, he’s a great sport about it!

14. I’m also equally excessive about thank you notes – a written thank you note means so much!!! I write thank you notes for everything – it might sometimes be too much and I hope it doesn’t weird anyone out, but I think it’s very important to write a brief note at least to say THANK YOU for something someone has done for you or given you, no matter how small.

15. I know nothing about wine except that I like super sweet wine – Moscato and Rieslings tend to work out well for me. I actually would rather just have a gin or vodka tonic anyway. But sometimes I do feel pretty inadequate when I don’t know what to order. MZ and I have gone to the Wine Tasting event at the Walton Arts Center for the past 2 years, but I don’t think I’ve learned too much except that I keep on drinking the same things…

16. Sex and the City is the answer to everything. You really can literally relate EVERYTHING IN LIFE to Sex and the City. We had a fabulous party to celebrate the movie and now that there’s going to be a sequel, I’m already starting to think of even more fabulous ideas for the next party in 2010!!! My very most favorite episode is from season 6, episode 9: A woman’s right to shoes (aka no shoes, no service). It’s the once where Carries shoes get stolen at the baby shower and she registers herself for new Manolo’s. “… and what, if I don’t get married or have a baby, I get bupkis?” I feel like that a lot of the time. I also like when Harry says “you know what we need to bring back in this house: cocktail hour."

17. I love to cook, but hate to clean up after myself. I'm a pretty darn good baker if I do say so myself, and I was making cupcakes before cupcakes were cool.

18. I have an odd obsession with stationary and pens and especially Sharpie Markers. MZ once bought me a whole slew of Sharpie Markers at Sam’s Club as a prize! I have more note cards and post it note pads than I could ever use, no matter how many thank you cards of nice little notes I write.

19. I’m very glad I started my blog, and yes, I’m going to promote it – duh, have you met me? So for more info, check out http://www.graciefabulous.com/. I started it when most all my friends were starting their blogs about their weddings and their kids, I started mine just because I had something to say, nothing against babies and husbands but that’s not what makes one’s life complete, only an added bonus.

20. I’m very judgmental about marketing campaigns: TV, digital, print - whatever. I would love to work on so many accounts, because yes, I honestly believe they would do better if I was on their team. Unfortunately, that is not the market that exists in Northwest Arkansas, and I don’t see myself moving away anytime soon.

21. I love old school country music – it reminds me of my childhood and going to my uncles and grandparents farm. It normally makes me sad whenever I hear it.

22. I would love to start my own party planning business, I have a ton of fabulous ideas and I do love to host a party! However, I feel the market is pretty saturated right now and people aren’t nessisarily looking to shell out money for someone else to plan their party. I love to have parties for my friends, wedding showers and baby showers and everything in between, clearly I would never charge them, but I’d love to expand and do it full time. And I already have a partner for cake baking and decorating! Someday...

23. Halloween is my most favorite holiday followed by St. Patrick’s Day and the 4th of July. I love creative costumes and creep decorations at parties!

24. I like to go to sleep with the TV on and now I’ve pushed this habit on to MZ – sorry baby.

25. I took French for almost 5 years and might be able to barely survive if thrown in the middle of France, but probably not. I should try and pick it back up and I should really probably learn Spanish…

26. I’ve had my writing published in national journals and a few pieces have actually won awards. Also, I was the youngest student (at the time) to attend the finals of the Arkansas Sate Geography Bee – can you say mega nerd?

27. I’m Catholic and I plan to raise my future children Catholic, but I don’t really like some of the newer things going on in the church right now. I went to mass every day of my life in grade school and there have been so many changes, it makes me think: What's the point, why make so many drastic changes, what was so wrong that you had to switch it up? That’s one of the reasons I don’t go to mass as much as I should – but I feel like I’m OK with my relationship with God.

28. I love NYC and Chicago much more than I think I could ever love LA. I like Santa Monica a ton, but will probably never make enough to actually enjoy living there. I think I could enjoy NYC or Chicago more, no matter how much I made.

29. I’m a severe coke addict – coca cola that is…

30. TV jewelry commercials make me gag – they are so sad and depressing. I hope anyone out there, male or female does not think that because it’s on TV the recipient of your piece of jewelry will like it – chances are they won’t. Any type of jewelry should be a statement or expression of sentiment, not mass-produced! Especially time marking pieces like engagement rings and wedding sets – they should be special and classic and mean something equally to both involved.

31. I could probably live out of my desk at work, but don't know it - I’m prepared for anything – really … anything! Try me.

32. I rip the pages out of magazines and organize them into groups. It’s better than saving the entire magazine… I have all types of pages saved into different segments. It’s just like having great big storyboards if you lay them all out. I also create shopping lists from them.

33. I collect all things Absolut (vodka) I used to have my dining room wall covered in them in very neat rows – it looked awesome – I was also in college so we were enamored by all things alcohol, but it’s stuck with me.

So, that might be more than you ever wanted to know about me.

Off to NYC and other ramblings from the 2 hours and 38 minute flight...

Dear who ever makes (and abides to) the rule to take away my UNOPENED water bottle at the airport fully knowing that I’ll now have to go and repurchase the same damn thing at the pitiful excuse of a “restaurant” for more than 3 times the initial cost:
I am not fond of you!
I’ve been allowed to bring in unopened bottles of water before, hell, at LAX I got made fun of because I thought I had to toss my newly opened Coke bottle – apparently I could have taken that with me through security with no issue.
I understand there are rules, I do – that’s why I take painstakingly arduous efforts to make sure all my mini items of product are well labeled and fit EXACTLY in my specially purchased clear plastic zipper bag – I just can’t bring myself to use a Ziploc back each time – they rip and then I just have to throw them away. Therefore, I got a lovely heavy-duty bag at Sephora – aka the store that sucks you in worse than Walmart or Target.
Sincerely,
$3 poorer with less water

I’m off to NYC for the 3rd time in about 5 months – I do love NYC! This time I’m going up to help out with another media tour for one of the product lines. Robyn Flipse will be promoting some healthier recipes using some of the products that not too many people know about and we are hoping to create more of a buzz around. So if you live in any of these TV markets, look for her Tuesday morning on your local news: Lubbock, Savannah, Huntsville, Lincoln, Topeka, Cheyenne, Flint, Atlanta, Roanoke, Baltimore, Wichita, Alexandria, Phoenix, Albuquerque – or if you ever catch the nationally broadcasted Daily Buzz… you’ll find us there.

P.S. – Dear small toddler on the plane 3 rows in front of me: Thank you for not screaming the ENTIRE flight, 1/3 of it is just the right amount of blood curdling screaming.

Valentines Day Flowers --- it's a Saturday folks!

We’ve been debating this topic at the office and among other social settings.
Will there be a strain on the business of Valentines Flower Deliveries since V-Day falls on a Saturday this year?
It makes sense that there might be – OR will there be a mad rush of last minute calls and rush orders to get the flowers in on Friday during the workday?
Just a topic to think about – so make sure you plan accordingly if you plan to order flowers.
If you live in the Central Arkansas Area, make sure to call Ari at Little Black Dress Brigade (see link at right) – Mandy and she will be creating spectacular arrangements and they are providing free local delivery with a $50 order. They do flowers for everything, not just Valentines Day so keep their info handy!

Leslee's Baby Shower & Saturday night

Saturday night, a bunch of girls met at Noodles for a surprise baby shower for our friend Leslee. She thought she was just coming out to dinner since most of the girls husbands are in Vegas on their revenge trip they planned while we were living it up in NYC back in December.
She was so surprised – it was too cute. We all went together and got her a super cute diaper bag and the a few other items as well. I got her a pair of Heelarious Baby’s First Stiletto’s. I know, they are completely useless – babies can’t go to the bar… but they are freakin’ cute! They are basically like little infant shoes but have about a ½ inch heel on them. The ones I picked out were Zebra print since I heard that Leslee and Marty are doing an animal print theme for baby Shayne’s room. I can’t wait to meet her! As I’ve mentioned many times before – I love other people’s babies, for a few hours at least.
After dinner, a few of us girls went to the Wine Cellar for a drink or 5. Then we further split up and went our separate ways to meet up with other groups.
It was a fun evening and great to be able to share in Leslee’s glee of her baby shower. She is truly the sweetest, most gracious person I know and her little daughter will be just like her, I’m sure of it!

Saturday: Shopping, running and 1 non-sprinting dog

I went shopping at the Promenade in Rogers on Saturday. It was gorgeous weather so the open-air mall was really nice –and not toooooo crowded. Lauren went with and we did some serious economy supporting. I’ve found it useful to keep lists of things I want to buy (thanks iPhone feature). So, I have a list for Sephora, the shoe store and other trendy items I may be looking for at a bargain steal, etc. This way I hope to avoid too much impulse buying. So on my Sephora list I had Makeup Forever Smoky mascara, which I came to love a few months ago when they had the trial package of about 10 mini mascaras. This is great item for a couple of reasons: you get to try out all types of mascara AND then you have travel appropriate sizes of your faves.
We headed to Sephora with the hopes of not being sucked in by a sales person with their pretty and shiny trickery of testers and samples! Well shit – I came out with way too much stuff – all of which I HAD TO HAVE AND WOULD OF COURSE CHANGE MY LIFE FOREVER! Or at least until I ran out and I went back to get my fix and they have discontinued the line but have something even better and more expensive so it must be good– I swear, Sephora is like what I imagine crack cocaine or heroin is like! Glad Sephora doesn’t leave track marks – although I’m sure they’d be happy to sell me some type of concealer for it!
I also scored some other fab finds at Francesca’s and Forever XXI. We also picked up baby shower presents for the upcoming evening. I also got some super cute clothes for baby Milo and not-baby Stella. I got Milo a rocker shirt and some overalls which are too cute and a good way to relate to Milo’s grandpa’s (MZ’s dad) caretaker Jack – he always wears overalls!!! Although I heard he wore shorts and t-shirt the other day. For Stella, I got a super cute and very preppy pink and green plaid skirt and sweater set. She will, of course, be adorable in it! Hey, that’s what pseudo-aunts are for!
After shopping and lunching at PF Chang’s – and knowing that I’d eat a big dinner I HAD to go for a run on Saturday afternoon. So Presley and I set out for our normal path – we’ve added an extra loop around the lake and have now taken to attempting to sprint what I claim to be the last quarter mile straight and flat stretch. Presley is NOT a sprinter. I literally have to drag my 60-pound dog down the street. She tries so hard, and then looks at me with disgust as if to say: I hate you mother – I prefer to remain fat.
We almost caused a woman to run off the road she was laughing at us so hard. I did determine it might be partially to blame on the nerd harness I make her wear (the dog, not the woman driving the car). Sunday, I hooked the leash to the front of the harness rather than the top so that it doesn’t make her legs drag… we are a hoot to watch run – I know… I can only hope that it either gives all onlooker s a good laugh or makes them realize that anyone can “run” or at least attempt it.

Hi, I met you a few years ago, would you like to go on a date with me?

It’s been a stressful few weeks, especially for MZ. His parents still do not have power, they have been staying at his house, and no one can accurately tell them when they might get their power turned back on. Also, MZ was in Kansas City most of last week for the Sam’s Club year beginning meeting, so he has definitely had his hands full – and his house.
Friday night he called to ask me out on a date, it was so very sweet of him! We went to dinner and movie and had a great time! He was very proud of himself, as he should have been! It really is the little things in life that make people truly happy!
It was great to just get to sit and talk about the week since we hadn’t seen each other in what seemed like forever! We decided that date night was a fun thing and we should do it more often and that sitting in the house realizing that we don’t have any food and then going to dinner out of necessity did not a real date make. Another thing we established was that we are both way too old to go to the movie on a Friday night. WOW, I guess I was too sheltered as a teenager, as I SURE wasn’t allowed to go to the movies that late at night, not even when I could drive myself. There were some kids there that could not have been more than 12 years old…. And that made me feel super old!
Those darn, pesky kids….

But I was very happy to be out of the house by ourselves, it was a great treat. He’s been so patient with his parents being at his house and abiding to their routine, I’m so impressed. I know I’m a brat and can admit that I don’t always make things easy and sometimes I just give up. I realize it’s way too easy to take things for granted and just get mad and take my aggressions out on him, and for some reason he still puts up with me! =)

I hate you Punxatawney Phil

Dear town of Punxatawney,
Yep, I said it, I've had it with your beloved rodent and his handlers with their top hats and tuxes? Really?
I can not, will not, handle 6 more weeks of winter. I want and need spring to be just around the corner.
Although I know either way, it's really the same thing but still, this BS about seeing the shadow or not - it's a sham I say.
I'll take a sunny, warm patio please!
Get it right next year.

Thanks,
gt

Dear town of Punxatawney,

Yep, I said it, I've had it with your beloved rodent and his handlers with their top hats and tuxes? Really?

I can not, will not, handle 6 more weeks of winter. I want and need spring to be just around the corner.

Although I know either way, it's really the same thing but still, this BS about seeing the shadow or not - it's a sham I say.

I'll take a sunny, warm patio please!

Get it right next year.

Thanks,

gt

Timbbbbbbbbbbbberrrrrrrrrr.........

Saturday I sadly watched as ALL the trees in the yard were cut down. It was absolutely WILD to watch. With all the destruction, there were tree "specialists" literally trolling the streets in their big trucks with chainsaws and ropes in the back ready to work, and for a very high cost for sure.

It had to be done though... some of the trees could not stay up in their precarious position and there was no way any person without super human tree scaling capabilities could get on top of them with out go-go gadget extensions!

These guys just hopped up in the trees and started cutting away. They were more careful with the ones that could be saved but the ones that had to come all the way down - they just chopped away. It almost looked like they were cutting the trees out from under them and jumping down till they got back on the ground.

Also on Saturday afternoon, I went with my mom to bring food to some of her students families. She teaches ESL (English as a second language) and knows that most of her children and their families are very poor. So we went to Walmart and got some milk and cereal and sandwich stuff and some fruit and canned vegetables and took it around to their neighborhoods. It was amazing to meet the kids and their families. Some of the kids had suggestions of who else might need some food and they offered to share what was being given to them with others and hopped in the car with us and led us to where they knew there were people in need. It was very humbling and amazing to see the compassion of these 6th and 7th graders even in their own time of their families need. Even though I still didn't have power back at my house, I instantly became very grateful for the wood burning stove and gas range and the ability to cook and heat up water if I wanted, and took away all the boredom that I had felt for the past few days...

The remainder of the day light hours were spent learning the true origin of the game pick up sticks, as that is what we did... for a very long time! The city will be picking up all the debris but first it has to be stacked up on the side of the road. Here's the fort I made... it's super tall, taller than me for sure and as wide as the entire property line. And this is JUST the from the front yard.

It seems as if most people have their power back, about 30,000 people in Northwest Arkansas still do not have power. MZ's parents are in that #. They are at his house, it works out well because he's in Kansas City for the Sam's Club Year Beginning Meeting for most of the week. I know they are very ready to get back in their house and their routine. I pretty much hit my thresh hold of powerlessness after day 4... I would be freaking out right now without power. I finally had to give up and take a shower over at Zack and Lauren's house. I had had enough with boiling water to wash my hair and then sitting in front of the fire place to dry out...