Buckhead Betty ... on a Budget

Busy Betty Bees

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:52:00 +0000

This weekend has been outright LOOMING on my calendar for weeks. And I mean looming in the best sense of the word, because this is the weekend full of THREE, count 'em, THREE major events, two of which I have had a strong hand in planning.

Busy bees, anyone? Witness:

I am ready for tonight with my new Bauble Bar Bee earrings!

Event #1 - Georgia Tech Fifth Annual Night at the Symphony, tonight with the ASO. I am so excited for this! I have been helping with this event for the last three or four years. I think this might be my last year heading things up... next spring, after all, I may or may not have a much larger event on my roster, ha! But it has been such an absolute pleasure to work on this event each year and meet so many new fellow GT alumni! We are having a pre-party at Shout! and then heading across the street for one of my favorite pastimes, the symphony. I love watching the cellos play!

Event #2 - Some much-needed gal time tomorrow morning with the bride-to-be, Meg! She and I are going to do some serious pre-wedding prep and have a mimosa or two while we are at it :) I can't wait to see her get married next weekend!! Note: this wasn't a real "event" so it has a .5 straight ahead...

Event #2.5 - VaHi Summerfest tomorrow afternoon! I love this 'fest and Oysterfest SO MUCH. Tomorrow's festival is a laid-back vibe. If you head over there, be forewarned, you will sweat through 100% of your clothes. Virginia Ave. gets zero breeze. As long as you are ok with sweating it up with the rest of us, you will have a blast! Grab a gyro (they are awesome) and check out the art and handmade jewelry before relaxing in a shady spot by the bands.

Event #3 - Pints for a Purpose on Sunday afternoon, Red Brick Brewery. Back in it's second year, we are raising funds for the Shirlock Foundation on Sunday! Tickets are still available, and they come with raffle tickets - prizes include an iPad, gift cards to local restaurants and tons of great swag. Won't you join in? Grab your ticket today at shirlock.org or check out the event on Facebook.

Friends wearing orange for Shirlock at the 2011 Pints! Can't wait for Sunday's event, it's going to be so fun.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!!

Pie Time

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Wed, 30 May 2012 02:15:00 +0000

Even though I have been crazy-busy, spending time together at home at night cooking a good meal is one way I have tried to add some balance back into my world. We both love to cook over here, so dinnertime is a perfect stay-at-home date night opportunity. It is nice to have a beer or a glass of wine, turn off the phones and laptops, talk about what happened that day and really just sit down and relax. Good food makes it all the better, and so when I can pre-plan out a few meals on a weekend, it makes it easier to sit back at the end of the day and just make whatever is scheduled on the menu. It also cuts down on the impromptu "I am tired and want pizza" nights. Cough. Tonight. Cough.

Last week, we went almost the entire week without eating any meat, just by accident. I attempted to have a nice balance of meals, but from mushroom soup to veggie chili, meat just wasn't calling to me when I picked out the recipes last Sunday. What's awesome, though, is that we didn't even miss it. We tried out three new recipes, found two keepers (that mushroom soup was ehhh) and I had some fantastic, healthy leftovers for lunches, too.

Believe it or not, that pizza above is made out of cauliflower! This pizza crust was a bloggy find that I pinned and nearly forgot about, but my mind kept coming back to it. I am so glad we tried it, because it was healthy-ish (note: there is definitely some cheese involved) and it leaves room for some experimentation when we make it again.

Things we learned and/or I have noticed in the original blogger's comments since making it:

1) A pizza stone, while helpful for regular crusts, didn't do much for this crust. Ours did not hold up to picking up and we had to eat it with a fork and knife casserole-style. Next time, I am going to stick to the nonstick pan they recommend and see if that makes a difference. The recipe does note that it's not a sturdy pizza though.

2) The crust has a lot of natural moisture. Put another pan below it in the oven in case it drips at all (ours did), or use a jelly roll pan instead (a pan with edges). Some readers suggested squeezing out excess moisture from the riced cauliflower too.

3) There is so much cheese in the crust, stick to lots of healthy, natural toppings and sliced mozzarella instead of grated cheese. You really don't need much more than that. We used basil and canned tomato sauce and it was heavenly.

4) Triple the proportions of the recipe to make a full-sized pizza. We used almost the entire head of cauliflower this way, but it definitely ups the cheese and egg count, so be sure to count that in any calorie or WW points! You will get a lot more servings out of it this way.

Enjoy! You can find the recipe for this great cauliflower pizza crust here with Lauren Conrad, but originally here over on Eat. Drink. Smile. (love that blog! This cauliflower recipe sounded fab, too.).

Patterns of Possibility

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Mon, 28 May 2012 18:35:00 +0000

It's been so much fun being a homeowner. I have been in the condo for just about four years! I can't believe it sometimes. It seems like just yesterday my parents came along with me to the closing where I signed a bajillion papers, and then we popped open a bottle of champagne and stood (there was nowhere to sit, ha!) in the new place, dreaming of all that it would be.

Fast forward all these years later, and a lot of our friends and family have been busy buying homes of their own. It's been cool for us to check out the new places and watch as these homes transform from empty to cozy just like ours did with the additions of some furniture, some paint and some love.

This weekend we stopped by a local urban development with some relatives to check out their new townhome. While their place is still just beams and see-through "walls," the model home was fully decked out for us to check out and get a sense of what their finished product will look like. The home itself was gorgeous, but what really grabbed my attention was the fabulous decorating the realtor had done.

Can I just move in tomorrow? That little sitting room looks like a perfect blogging spot for a mid-afternoon break.

Seriously, it's as if they know me. This whole place was amazing. The colors and patterns are exactly what I would do if I was starting all over again. Don't you just love the grays and yellows and creams? It's all so cheerful!

That circle couch? Oh. My. Goodness. I have found my new love. Too bad that would take up a majority of the condo's living room, ha! I will keep this one in mind for "the next home" down the road sometime.

Hitting up model homes is a great way to find some great ideas for your own home, even if you don't have the means to re-do an entire space. After seeing the rugs in that townhome, I realized that a new living room rug would "complete" our own new look (I have been thinking looks like this or this or this), and that has moved up on the decorating priority list. The window treatments were also inspirational, and were easy-looking enough that I could potentially make my own! Summer project anyone?

Coming up tomorrow -- a foodie experiment that I can't wait to recreate and tweak! Here's a sneak peek:

Just A Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:29:00 +0000

It's the weekend, y'all, AND it's a three-day one!

Enjoy it, everyone!

Tie Me Up

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:13:00 +0000

Even though I love accessories, there are some that are perplexing to me. Chunky bracelets are one category. I physically can not type while wearing them, so most days I wear to them to/from my desk, taking them off as soon as I sit down. Need a new Diet Coke? Put them back on. Time for a meeting? Gather up the bracelets and stack them back onto my wrists. It seems silly, but it's functional while still being fashionable, so I don't really care.

The scarf is another one of those things. I have collected a few pretty ones in the recent years that are meant to be worn year-round and indoors (as opposed to their cold weather sisters), but I always seem to be fiddling with them slash half-choking myself when I wear them. Some of my friends throw scarves on effortlessly. And I could never figure it out.

Thankfully, Pinterest has helped me.

Source: scarves.net via Katherine on Pinterest

I think I shared this site a while ago, but as most things are on Pinterest, I kind of forgot about it until I sat here on the second straight scarf day, annoyed with the thing I had decided to have hanging around my neck. I did a quick Pinterest search and voila, I found a solution.

It adds a different look to this scarf, which I have previously worn just wrapped around my neck a few times, sometimes tight, sometimes loose:

Today, I tried the "fancy braid" and really like it!

Fellow scarf love-haters, I urge you to try out one of these new "looks" for yours and add a new dimension to that outfit!

Lazy but Crazy Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:20:00 +0000

We've got a busy few weekends coming up, there's just no way around it. Days full of brew tours (buy a ticket today and help a great cause!), symphony nights (Love the orchestra? This one could be for you, too, not just for GT grads), weddings, showers and parties.

Totally fun, right? Yeah! But in the meantime, I made sure to spend this last weekend, the one weekend in the near future with absolutely ZERO plans on the agenda, however the heck I wanted :)

Besides lots of sunshine, TV-time and general sitting around (usually with a drink in hand, don't judge), the best part of the weekend is when I picked up this bad boy:

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That's right. After about five years of Blackberry Mc-lovin', my beloved Torch wasn't holding a battery charge anymore. Since I had already replaced the battery once, I decided I could use my upgrade eligibility and make the big jump. And I am so glad I did!

Now I am finally part of the world that includes Words with Friends, Instagram, the Pinterest app and fun custom covers. Speaking of covers, I ordered my own off my fav Erin Condren last night and can't wait for it to arrive. In the meantime, I am warming up my Instagram skills. LOVE this app! Why oh why didn't they figure this out for Blackberry earlier?!

I made meringue! Love that stand mixer.

Instagram and this new phone shows off the condo's paint job much better!!

Homemade pie and soup (and wine...) on a Sunday evening. We are so grown up ;)

So friends, add me to your world. Follow me on Instagram at @bheadbettyonabudget!

Weekday fashion

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:47:00 +0000

Stripes plus dots don't usually add up. But when you tie them together with a common neutral, like my orange heels and necklace, they become one!

PS. Yay I got an iPhone!!

Similarities

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:14:00 +0000

I ran across this small condo re-do today on HGTV.com, and was surprised and delighted to find that not only is it the home of a fellow A-town lady, but she chose to do similar things with her city home's decor that I did in our condo, too!

I mean, doesn't this ...

look eerily similar to this?

Obvs the flowers on the table help :) I love how she uses the bright end tables, and how she brought in the yellows from the painting with the bright bamboo chair and the patterned pillow!

This makes me love our new condo look even more!

60's, Meet WW

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:41:00 +0000

I don't know when I turned "old," but the 10PM showtime of Mad Men on Sunday nights is officially too late for me. Sure, the show ends at 11PM, but then I am sitting there with my mind racing, wondering about the plot from that night's episode and the cryptic previews for the next week's. By the time I am finally falling asleep close to 11:30 or midnight, yep, that 6AM workout just isn't gonna happen.

Instead, we have started watching Mad Men on Monday nights at an earlier hour. Yes, go ahead and do that mental or real eye roll. I don't care ;) This way, I get to enjoy the show AND hit the gym early the next morning, too. And for me, this is one of those life sacrifices I am trying to do more often. Trying being the key word.

Hold me to this one - I AM going to spin class tomorrow, I AM! :)

While I love even the oddest episodes of Mad Men (and if you aren't a viewer, trust, there are some oddball ones), last night's episode really struck a cord. Betty Draper, housewife extraordinaire, is now a divorcee, remarried, bored with her new life ... and oh my, she is overweight and on WEIGHT WATCHERS.

I honestly forgot that WW has been around for that long! I cracked up as I realized that the show was focusing in on her weekly meetings. Those suburban women were sitting there lamenting the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday (the same things we women do today) and the very end of the show featured Betty eating a bite of stuffing, feasting on that single, solo bite she had allowed herself.

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I got back on WW last week. As you frequent blog readers know, I am on-off-on-off-on the program, going hard for a while (2010) and then light during other times (2011). I know it works, having seen serious Freshman-15-Removal followed by Pre-Brother-Graduation-Momentum. I have a high school reunion coming up this summer, and I am already feeling better about myself because of those WW sessions than I did when I graduated high school.

However, I have found that maintaining things is hard unless I ...

A) Work out regularly. This should be a no brainer, but I can come up with excuses to skip a workout with the best of them.

B) Don't eat sweets. I have discovered there are days when I need a Highland Bakery cookie. It's a cookie the size of my head. And I NEED IT. And then I am good for a few weeks without it. Today was one of those days. And tomorrow I shall spin as a result.

Me, back in the day.

Me, post 2010 WW!

C) Cut out the booze. Ughgghghgh this is hard. But it is nearly mandatory for me to lose.

D) Keep the momentum, even when life gets hard. Busy work days equal less time to work out, and also equal higher likelihood that I will binge on easy food like pizza.

But that's where the genius part of WW comes in. I can control things if I can keep track of things I eat. Or drink. Even though I had that cookie today, my week is not ruined -- I am just going to hit the gym extra hard tomorrow :)

It's all about the balance. And since I am trying to balance out my life enough right now and keep on blogging here with you, you all get to be the first to hear that I am balancing out the diet right now, too :)

Off to sip some water before bed. See you kiddos in the morning. And I will already have burned a few hundred calories by then. Sweet!

Solo on a Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:11:00 +0000

For two Fridays in a row, I have come home from work and have vegged out solo.

And you know what?

It's been awesome. Besides trying to reach my goal of getting to that early AM boot camp class each Saturday morning, my early-nights-in have included some of this:


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And this:

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And always some of this:

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A gal's night solo? Sure, it can help you get up early the next morning and hit the pavement. But sometimes, all you really need to make a great night is some really fabulously-shallow virtual company.

Wine optional :)

Happy Weekend!!

OOTD Shots

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:30:00 +0000

As always, even though it is itching into the 90's outside, the indoors at the office remain breezy and cool. Layers are still key, even in the spring and summertime!

Here was what I wore yesterday. I threw this together at a very early morning hour before heading to the dentist, and in retrospect, was really happy with how it looked! First, the whole shot. I will admit the colors here are not that great to distinguish it ... but imagine the texture combo of the hearty jeans and jacket with the silky shell layered underneath ...

Jeggings/skinny jeans: Target

Gray military jacket: LOFT (one of my all-time fav buys!)

Purple silk shell: LOFT

Heeled gold and brown sandals: Nine West

I combined an assortment of jewelry today. The beaded bracelet (LOFT) tied into the shirt, but then the snake chain necklace (H&M) tied into the gold-accented sandals. Together, it all worked.

Ssss! This necklace has been fun to add to my outfits. It was only about $10 at H&M this spring.

Oh and um, not the same outfit, obvs. But I got a new hat at the beach last weekend, and took a picture while there to capture the newly-reappeared freckles and the Folly Beach hat! :)

Venues with a View

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:43:00 +0000

It's been a busy week or two over here in mystical land of Wedding Planning, and primarily, so far it's all about the big wedding reception venue. We had the Cathedral lined up within days (we Catholics don't mess around!) but now it's time to match up that one special place to go with it for our parrrrtay :) Up North, they stick to venue halls and hotels, primarily, but down South, there's the whole added factor of historical homes, mansions, outdoor spaces and even a neighbor's barn down the way.

Just a note: while romantical for some, I will not be having a barn wedding. I plan on buying a fab pair of designer heels, not boots, to go under my dress :)

All of this venue hunting has me thinking -- what are some inspirational reception venues from the movies? Of course, I immediately thought of ...

When Harry Met Sally's big urban-venue NYC wedding for their besties. Truth: part of me wishes I could do a NYC wedding, and I know my Northern fam would love it, too. But my oh my, if we all think ATL is pricey compared to the 'burbs, I can't even imagine Manhattan.

And who can forget Steel Magnolia's Pepto Bismol pink-perfect tent reception?

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Those ladies. They kill me. Always gossiping about something. That movie could have easily been set in Roswell, GA ;) Just sayin'.

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Ariel got hitched on a boat. Definitely not ideal if it's hurricane season, to say the least, but quite glam for those people close to the water. Too bad I live in land-locked Georgia. The only state that can be so close to yet so very far from the water at the same time. Ughghhg.

Father of the Bride (both of them) did a backyard reception. Remember the opening scene with the dad sitting there, the house destroyed around him? Love it.

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Heather on Pinterest

Oh man, any of the weddings in The Wedding Singer ... ha, hello, New Jersey in the 80's! Hilariously accurate and heart-warming for me at the same time. This movie was all about the reception hall.

Source: google.com via Lynda on Pinterest

The Godfather? Almost, almost my favorite venue! Only at the Godfather's huge Staten Island complex, though, of course, could they have fit in what looked like 500+ guests.

Source: entertainment.time.com via MoviePass on Pinterest

But speaking of hilarious wedding movies, I think one of my all-time favorite wedding venues was the main one from Wedding Crashers! I love love LOVE the New England home and mansion they used - from the elegant dockside happy hour to the post-wedding sailing trip. If I was a NE gal? Yep, that's where I would get married, too.

Source: google.com.au via Cheryl on Pinterest

Vince Vaughn can come, too.

What about you? What are some of your favorite wedding movie moments and spots?

I'm Here...

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:07:00 +0000

I didn't die or disappear. I have been here all week, actually. But I have been feeling like this:

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So blogging and other social fun was not in the cards for me. And while I certainly would have taken the place of the sad little girl above (love the little guy with the top hat!), I have been a busy, busy bee this week. No rest for the weary! Each night, I have been almost literally face planting into bed like a certain small, fluffy dog.

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How was your week, friends? What are the big plans for the weekend ahead? I have a Hot Toddy in my future, I believe! :)

A Gallery of Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Even though we unexpectedly found the new oversized picture for above our living room couch, I knew that I still wanted to use all of our black frames in some form of a gallery wall. Luckily, our hallway left much to be desired after painting it the pretty new gray-blue color. The one print I had hung there looked almost lonely. So one evening (the night I got engaged, actually, I just didn't know it yet!!) I sat down with a bunch of newspapers, some scissors and some tape and planned out where the pictures could go:

After shifting and moving some of the placeholders around a bit, I was pleased with what my eye saw. I should note, the free-form placement? A big deal, y'all. You are looking at Katherine-Loves-Order OCD girl here! It helped me to keep all of the shapes within a general "square" shape, though.

A few days (and a ring on my finger, LOL) later, I sat down to fill in the creative gaps while my resident live-in Handyman got to work with the hammer drill to get the holes drilled for the photos.

Side note: Live in a highrise with poured cement walls? We can share some tips, if you ever need them. Goodness gracious, gallery walls + cement = crazy hard hammer drill workout.

I had some of the frames already filled, but some needed some pizazz. I also wanted to add some color to the whole black/cream/white theme. Scrapbook paper came to the rescue with just the right amount of complimentary themes.

Then, let the hanging begin!

Here is the finished product. Minus the spot on the lower left. Where Brad "got into a fight with the concrete wall." Hammer Drill, 0, Concrete Wall, 1. We will fix that later :)

I wanted to keep some of my M.C. Escher prints, so I picked out two of my favorites to incorporate onto the wall.

I also used a spare oversized map (long story) to cut out parts of the world we want to visit someday.

At the bottom of the wall, I framed a piece of sheet music from one of my cello drill books. Mwahaha no more practicing that sonata anymore!

I particularly love the view of the gallery wall from the kitchen. Without any lights on, it adds some brightness to the end of the "hallway" where our washer/dryer and coat closet are.

And when I turned on the flash, it especially showcases the change in paint color that happens from the kitchen into the hall. The kitchen is a shade lighter, but it flows so well that you might not even notice it at first glance without the help of a camera flash. Our painter? Amazing job on that line, sir. Amazing. Especially since that corner is curved AND textured concrete. Amen.

The last thing I really love about our new hallway is the red-orange photo frame I hung around the peephole, Friends-style.

This one's for my BFF, Laurie! She is a Friends fanatic! The plain white frame was $4 at IKEA, and with so many cool, neutrals going on in here, I knew I wanted a pop of some color here and there. The gallery wall has a few similar pops of red, as does the living room. So I picked out a bright spray paint and went to town.

Well, that's that! What do you think? You have seen the entire place all done up. I hope you love it as much as we do.

It's been fun to live in a place that now seems so hotel-ish. It's amazing what some paint and some pictures on the wall can do for a place, isn't it? :)

Brand New Living Room!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Yep, my bright, sunny yellow wall. A welcome respite from the beige that preceded it, this wall represented all that was "me" when I realized I owned this here condo and could paint things whatever. the. heck. I. wanted!

But then I got tired of it. It lacked sophistication. It lacked style. And ultimately? It was hard to match against with anything other than black and white. Sure, my houndstooth chair and white sofa were fine with it, but forget any new throw pillows or blankets! Yellow is a seriously hard color to complement.

So when it came time to choose colors for the living room, I knew I wanted to glam things up to a 9.8. I wanted to take advantage of what is a naturally-bright room from sunshine and 10-foot ceilings. Time to go --- DARK.

Hooray!! I am sooo in love with this room now. The color first is what wows me. On the swatch, it was pretty, but on the walls, it is quite stunning. We kept the ceilings and trim shades of beige, and so now you really notice just how high things are in here. We chose Whale Gray 2134-40 from Benjamin Moore:

Also, that print above the couch? We randomly came across it while at IKEA. This print, as huge as it is, was only $50. And it came framed! I figured, even if it becomes one of those over-used IKEA prints, there is no loss, because it was only $50. We can always upgrade later. In the meantime, a shot of our ultimate favorite city is the perfect accessory in our A-town home.

The new color on the walls meant that the couch needed some jazzing up, too. After a good steam clean, I went out and picked up some new throw pillows from Ross. My favorite is the gray zebra print one, but I honestly really love how they all go together while being so different even more.

Since the room is now much darker, the evening vibe gets super chill in here. I think the late-night look is almost as cool as the daytime version!

Last but not least, St. Thomas the Fish also got a little decor fix in his corner. We have another IKEA print (circa 2007) hung over his tank.

So, what do you think? Does the new blue-gray look high-rise appropriate??

Stay tuned for more. I have one more big post to share with you this week!

Blues and Grays and Greens

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:31:00 +0000

And brown cabinets that look like this in both rooms, too:

And floors and carpets that looked like this:

Add to that, a master bedroom full of greens and browns:

Whatever colors I chose, I had to choose wisely. With a place the size of this, too many colors might make the place seem smaller than it actually is, but then colors had to complement the natural fixtures and textures we already have in place.

Thankfully, I found three (yes, three!) colors that flow nicely from room to room -- so well, in fact, that you really wouldn't be able to tell that they are different at all. I know this because my party guests testified this over the weekend!

While I will reveal the entryway and living room colors tomorrow and Friday, today I wanted to showcase the dining room/kitchen and bedroom/bathroom colors I chose. You already saw a bit of the first with my book wreath post:

The dining room and kitchen have the same light blue-gray shade to them. Someday, I will get a grown-up camera to better capture these colors, but for now, here they are.

Imagine that "Gourmet" sign hung-up. It's our last hole to drill :)

It's so nice to have some color amongst the appliances and cabinets in the kitchen. It pulls everything together.

This is the color of the living room and dining room, Gull Wing Gray 2134-50 from Benjamin Moore:

To complement the browns and greens of the bedroom and granite, we chose a brown-gray for the master suite, Benjamin Moore's Winter Gates AC-30:

And here is how it turned out!

I love how glamorous the bathroom now feels. It was so plain before.

Ignore all the items on the bed - I was so excited once the painting was done that I couldn't wait to snap a shot! :)

Clutch: the new color all but camouflages the obnoxiously-placed circuit breaker box in the master.

Of course, now that the walls were painted, it was time for some hanging to happen! I made some templates for our degrees, since they are very different shapes. This helped us pinpoint exactly where to use the hammer drill.

How lovely! Since both of us work in cube-world, it's nice to have a place for these beauties at home even without a true home office.

Coming tomorrow: a living room reveal! In the meantime, what do you think? Do you like the first two color choices?

Bookly Decor

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:20:00 +0000

This week I am doing a mini-house tour of our brand-new condo look! We have been busy painting and decorating, stepping up this 1,000 square feet in the sky into something that is grown-up and geared-up for 2012 and beyond. I am sooo thrilled with the results and can't wait to show you what it all looks like!

Before the days of Pinterest, I was a Google Reader "star" person extradordinaire. In fact, even just thinking about the number of blog articles I have starred in my lifetime from hundreds and hundreds of blogs, bookmarking them for future inspiration or resource, makes my heart palpitate a bit, because I know firsthand that I likely will not be checking out most of those stars anytime soon (or ever again). Maybe I should go back and start pinning some of those articles instead ...

There were a handful of starred articles, though, that I kept going back to again and again over the years. My friend Living with Lindsay's 2009 article about a book wreath was one of them.

I loved how she took something so simple -- a paperback book and a craft wreath -- and turned it into this statement piece! Plus, I love to read, so I knew one day, I'd like to have this wreath in my home, too. Too bad, though, I had all beige walls. A beige wreath on beige walls just wouldn't do.

UNTIL we got the condo painted :) :)

As soon as the paint was dry on the walls, I started scheming on what mini-decor updates I wanted to do around the house. First on my list was making my own book wreath! Lindsay's tutorial was really easy to follow. I sat down with a nice glass of wine one night after work and got to work. A few touch-ups the next day once the pages had set, and I was done!

I am loving the unique texture and depth the wreath adds to the wall. Plus, I love that I made it myself! I feel so crafty :) It looks nice in the corner by my cello, too. That wall was always so awkwardly bare.

Thanks Lindsay, for the inspiration!

Have you crafted decor for your home recently? Was it a pin redux, or just homemade inspiration? Do tell!

Happiness Is...

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:03:00 +0000

I won't lie. These last seven days since getting engaged?

Source: anditslove.tumblr.com via j jump jennifer on Pinterest

Yep. A lot of that.

Source: Uploaded by user via j jump jennifer on Pinterest

I have pretty much been floating around in a bit of a haze.

Source: hautemamasfaves.tumblr.com via j jump jennifer on Pinterest

Sure, I have lots going on and lots to do.

Source: mylifecoachsparkles.blogspot.com via j jump jennifer on Pinterest

But when I get a moment here and there, I find myself smiling wide and just staring into space.

Source: marvelouskiddo.blogspot.com via j jump jennifer on Pinterest

I think that's a pretty good sign of things to come :)

Source: my.opera.com via Tina on Pinterest

Soupy Slow Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I've got a winner of a crock-pot soup for you today!

I have been rocking through the recipes in my Fix It and Forget It cookbook, which features TONS of recipes made just for a slow cooker. A lot of the recipes are similar and most often can serve simply as inspiration for you as you learn how to best throw things together for a slow cooked meal. The beauty of crock pot meals are that they are also extremely flexible beyond the variable cooking time. Don't like that vegetable? Skip it! Want a cheesier soup? Add two cans of the cheese-based condensed soup instead of one.

This recipe was just one of those meals for me. I wanted a basic minestrone soup, so I found and used a recipe for inspiration. I skipped the usual pasta and instead used the suggested barley, which kept things really low-calorie but super hearty. You could add in or substitute red kidney beans, zucchini and many other veggies.

My key to maintaining my weight during the week most often depends on healthy lunches, and soup is my go-to for a quickie lunch that fills me up. I made this crock-pot meal overnight, dealt out servings in individual containers the next morning, and took one with me for lunch while freezing the rest. Then, throughout upcoming days and weeks, I have a supply of healthy soups to grab in the morning, no defrost required. I just let the soup sit through the morning at my desk before heating the container for four-five minutes in the microwave for lunch.

Enjoy!

Minestrone Soup
Adapted from Fix It and Forget It

Source: laurenslatest.com via Gay on Pinterest

Makes six-eight lunch servings

2 boxes of Tuscany-blend chicken broth
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 Spanish onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 dry barley
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 Tbsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. rosemary
28 oz. can diced Italian tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Optional: stir in baby spinach once soup is done, and/or top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Meal Surprises & a Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:00:00 +0000

In typical spring fashion, I have been trying to balance an insane social schedule with an attempt to maintain/improve my physical health. Early morning sleep-in sessions have gradually been replaced with some personal training and boot camp sessions, and any evenings I skip the usual glass of wine help the cause, too. I have a beach trip coming up at the end of the month (Congrats, Meg! Can't wait to celebrate with you!) so I have been hitting the pavement once or twice a week for a run, too, to make sure my body looks bikini-ready.

On top of all of that is the never-ending struggle to eat healthy, well-rounded meals. I have skipped out on official food tracking of late, but have been trying to keep the health mentality in mind when selecting foods and meals to make during each week.

While I am a coupon-clipper amateur, I do pride myself in finding great ways to stretch my weekly food budget, which varies from $30 up to $80 depending on how many meals we are eating at home that week. So you can imagine my glee when eMeals reached out to me to test drive their meal-planning system!

Here's a little about the system:

eMeals relies on a team of experienced meal planners, writers and editors to create
new dinner menus every week that are designed around grocery store sales, seasonal
specials and diet preferences. For as low as $5.00 per month, subscribers download a
recipe plan for the week with a matching aisle-by-aisle grocery list. The easy-to-follow
recipes usually contain fewer than seven ingredients to allow for prep times of less than
30 minutes. It also helps families stay within a predictable budget by being prepared
with a detailed list to use at the grocery store.

The eMeals program has over 30 meal plan options to choose from and provides a
consistent and reliable approach to food budgeting by factoring the weekly cost of
ingredients into each menu plan.

I got to select my meal plan of choice, which gives you options for different large grocery stores as well as nutrition level and family size. Plus it shoots out the weekly coupon and BOGO specials along with an expected budget total.

Publix Meals for Two meal plan, here we come!

I headed out this weekend to go shopping for my first list of items. This is what a plan looks like. This is a sample - the full plan is customized per week and is completely filled out just for me:

We have busy weeks with a few evenings of night school for the S.O. and usually a few nights out for yours truly. So I usually shoot to cook at least four meals at home per week. That gives us enough food for lunches and some to enjoy on leftover nights, and if we are in a bind, I usually have something in the freezer, too. This week, we are low on everything (including freezer meals) and plan to eat at home more than last week, so it's restock time!

I used my seven-day printable list from eMeals to pick out my favorite five meals for this week to pick up at the store. I just crossed of the items/meals I didn't need. The meals look really tasty, and include well-rounded sides like salads and veggies. It has some great variety (I hate getting into cooking ruts). The shopping list was supposed to cost around $60 pre-tax if I stuck to it exactly. I skipped about $10 items' worth, but then got an additional $35 of re-stock staples like cereal, salad dressing, paper towels and a Publix sub (ok, not a staple, but it was lunchtime!). I am pretty impressed with the amount of food I brought home for $90 including all that extra stuff. All of the prices were dead-on, and it was really easy to follow the list and pick out exactly what I needed. I can't wait to have these five meals this week!

Are you interested in eMeals for yourself? Well, you are in luck! eMeals is graciously giving away a three-month subscription to one of my readers! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to quickly and easily enter.

Can't wait to win? You can also sign up here for your own subscription, and use the code BLISSDOM when you register to get 15% off your plan! :)

And don't forget that you can also check out the eMeals blog for recipes, tips on how to simplify your life, organize your days and plan family fun.

Are you ready to win and save money on your weekly shopping trips?! Best of luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: eMeals partnered with bloggers such as me to help promote their meal subscription services. I received a meal plan test account from eMeals in exchange for this promotion. This post contains affiliate links. The winner of the giveaway in this program will be randomly chosen and gift card fulfillment will be handled by a third party.

An Announcement!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:59:00 +0000

I usually don't make excuses for when I inexplicably drop off the face of the planet from my blog ...

But this time, it deserved one.

I am ENGAGED!!

To this guy:

You may have seen him around here before.

First picture together in 2008, awww.

He is awesome :)

I don't usually share much about my S.O. here on the blog, but in case you didn't already know, his name is Brad. We have been together since 2008.

We are so excited to start our new lives together!

And you better believe I will be sharing some budget-friendly fabulous event planning ideas along the way, too :)

So stay tuned, friends, this is going to be a fun ride!

Shoe Extravaganza & Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:51:00 +0000

I am excited to share this special sale and giveaway today with you, my readers, because this gal knows a good deal when she sees one :)

Are you a fan of Ross Dress for Less? Here in Buckhead, our Ross Dress for Less store is in a great shopping strip that also has a few home goods and crafting retailers, so for a young homeowner like myself, it's a shopping haven for someone on a budget. I love swinging in every few weeks to see what new bargains are available. From couch pillows to kitchen items, Ross always has designer and brand name fashions for men, women, kids and home - all at 20-60% off compared to department stores! Yes, please!

Thanks to the lovely people at Ross, I headed over to our local store for a mini Tuesday-pick-me-up shopping trip. I had worked out beforehand, so I figured, why not reward myself? Plus, the shopping spree seemed like a better alternative than "rewarding" myself with even more Easter basket goodies ;)

Right now through April 30, Ross Dress for Less stores in the Atlanta area are holding their annual Shoe Event, where you’ll be able to find every style of shoe you and your family will need for the spring and beyond. Being a gal who can't resist a sale on shoes, I was sure to explore all that Ross had to offer. I am here to attest: they had some fantastic name brand deals.

I can't share which brands are which, but if you know me, you know these heels were right. up. my. alley. I couldn't decide if I liked the white or beige version better. Both would be cute for work or play, dressed up with summer dresses or down with skinny jeans.

I love the zip-up on the back of these name brand black patent sandals. I actually have a pair or two that look very similar to these at home. They are great for that girls night on the town, but also can be dressed down for work with a conservative outfit on top.

Boat shoes, anyone? I loved these name brand snakeskin ones. How fun! These would be great with black capris or shorts and a tan top.

All of these shoes run for $75+ at retail price, but at Ross, they were no more than $30! Other namebrands I saw ran for $130 retail and were on sale at Ross for only $50. All in all, depending on your shoe size and the store you head to, I can tell you that you are certain to find a great buy at your local Ross.

Are you ready to go shoe shopping? Ross has been generous enough to offer one of my lucky readers a $25 gift card all your own! Enter below using the Rafflecopter widget, and I will select a winner at random. Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: Ross Dress for Less partnered with bloggers such as me to help promote their annual shoe event. As part of the program, I received a gift card of my own. The winner of the giveaway in this program will be randomly chosen and gift card fulfillment will be handled by a third party.

Baubles to Boot

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:09:00 +0000

You all know me - I can't overlook a good deal. And when a company is practically giving away things, I always -- always -- stop by for at least a look.

This trait of mine drives the S.O. absolutely bonkers, by the way. Just try and speed me through the aisles at Tar-jay. You can't rush sales, I tell ya. You just can't.

This week, I unsubscribed from about 20 sales/deals emails. Waking up each morning to a personal Blackberry inbox with 40 unread emails was really getting to me. That is just not a great thing to see first thing in the morning before even brushing your teeth. Sure, some were legit (related to the blog and some of my volunteer organizations) but they were getting buried (and I mean buried, two-week response delay times right here) under all that absolute junk. I love hearing about good sales, but some of these emails were just overkill. I am not actually trying to spend all of my money right now at LOFT, Banana, the factory outlets, Williams-Sonoma, random hair salons, massages, Target ... as you might otherwise have assumed when checking out my old inbox.

All those unsubscribes later, and I am a happy camper. But in the midst of saying "remove me from your email list," I actually signed up for a new service. One that has been making its way around my friend network, and one that is a natural fit for me. Enter the BaubleBar Buried Bauble.

Every Friday at 11AM ET, members of this email list get a special heads-up about the latest discount on one special item. You use the clue to find the right piece of jewelry over on BaubleBar's (adorably chic) site, rather than having to guess and click all over the place trying to find the one item marked down to $10 (yes, $10).

While the bigger flash sale sites appeal to me, I honestly am not one to drop $150 on a designer set of jeans, but $10? I can swing that in a hot minute, especially on statement jewelry.

Fact: most of my jewelry hasn't cost me more than $15-20. You don't need to spend a lot to get a lot. Witness: today's necklace from Kohl's, a Vera Wang line that was clearance for something like $10.

So what did I buy today? Two of today's Hidden $10 Baubles (regularly $24 for one) ...

And these adorable Bee studs ($24)!

Hello gameday! I am set for both an Auburn (wearing both together for a fun look) and a Tech game with these purchases. Even better? I used my new member discount on the earrings, so they only cost me $14!

Have you joined BaubleBar yet? Their deals seem great, and even if you aren't always in the market for jewelry, you might find a fun Friday buy here and there to make this extra email subscription worth it :)

PS. I really liked my entire outfit today, so here is an OOTD shot for you - glam up your casual jeans with fun heels!

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. BaubleBar did not contribute to this post in any fashion.

Push-Up Sweets

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:09:00 +0000

In the blog world, I have a lot of role models. Gals who post once or twice a day, every day (how do you do it?), girls who work in teams so they can cover all that is fab, and gals that have stepped outside of the box and are doing their own thing.

Courtney over at Pizzazzerie is one of the latter. She rocks her own job managing her massively awesome entertaining website, and she also just put out her first book! On top of it all, the gal is planning a wedding (one can only imagine it will be amazing since party planning is her forte). Seriously? How does she does it? No matter how much I schedule in "blogging time" on my planner, the days get to me and time slips away. Each time I read one of Courtney's or the other girls' blogs, I get re-inspired, though!

I had the pleasure of meeting Courtney briefly at Blissdom, but I am more excited to talk more with her right here in my very town! She is doing a book signing tour of her new book, Push-Up Pops, and the tour is stopping in Buckhead next weekend.

Yes, you are correct. It's THAT Tori Spelling.

This book would make an amazing bridal shower gift (making mental notes for some of the ones I have coming up this year ...) or a fun Mother's Day gift for a creative mommy. Forgo the cupcakes, mini pies and burgers - push-up pops are the newest "it" thing for parties.

Hello adorableness. Photo credit.

Here are the details:

What: Book signing and demo from Courtney Dial, blogger at Pizzazzerie and new author of book, Push-Up Pops!
Where: Swoozie's in Buckhead, 4427 Roswell Rd NE
When: Saturday, 4/15 at 2:00pm
RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/events/341171485921816/

Looking forward to seeing you again, Courtney! Does anyone want to meet me at Swoozie's that day?

Hidden Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Malone) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 02:46:00 +0000

Earlier last week, I received an email from Urban Daddy with the same title as this post. "Hidden Pizza and a Wine Tunnel in Buckhead." Though I was seriously intrigued with just that title alone, it wasn't until I received an invitation to scope out this new spot for it's soft opening tonight that I knew I had to stop by and see what all this buzz was about! And oh am I so glad I did!

Here's the quick run-down of our town's latest newcomer, STG Trattoria, straight from UD:

Once you do manage to get a beat on this place (it’s not visible from the street), you’ll quickly find yourself in an arched tunnel of an entryway surrounded by brick and endless racks of wine bottles. Consider it foreshadowing.

Because just to the end of that tunnel and to the right lies a massive, U-shaped communal table facing an open kitchen and those two Acunto wood-fired pie ovens. Take a seat, order some wine on tap or a Reviver Pop (it’s absinthe, Cocchi Americano wine, lemon juice and tonic) and get ready for a show.

That show: brought to you courtesy of a couple of Sotto Sotto and Abattoir vets who’ll be busy putting the perfect char on your margherita, judiciously kneading your pasta and assembling charcuterie plates like surgeons.

I was so happy to be included in tonight's preview of this cool new restaurant. The atmosphere was swank and the crowd was see-and-be-seen Buckhead.

While tonight's party was standing-room only, the restaurant will feature seating around this high-topped U-shaped table that faces into the open brick-oven kitchen.

I love restaurants that feature windows into the prep areas. It was cool to watch the teams pull together the appetizers being passed around tonight.

If the small bite tasting menu from tonight was any indication, we are in for a treat when STG Trattoria opens! My favorites included the meatballs and the oven-blistered pizza. Nom nom nom.

Local friends, keep an eye out for the grand opening of STG Trattoria! It's sure to be a great new neighbor and addition to the Buckhead dining scene :)