No Way José!

FINALLY THE TUSCALOOSA RECAP: Brought to you by the makers of procrastination!

So first off let me apologize for taking not one, but three? weeks to recap about my amazing weekend in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. When I say work has been crazy, I haven't been lying.  With working late hours and coming in early there has been no time or energy for anything, much less blogging. I hope that this thorn in my side of O.T. actually comes to a halt soon, even though I've loved the extra money in my pocket.

Anybenjamin! For the record I've only ever been to one other college football game, it was a championship game held at the local university here in my current hometown. I've never been to a big SEC team's game, a Big 10 game, or even to a game at my own alma mater. It's fair to say that other than one professional football game years ago during pre-season (Skins vs. Eagles) I've never truly had the LIVE FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE! That was until a few weekends ago.

Shortly after receiving these in the mail...

{see the little Trojan helmet, yes, these are visitor tickets won off ebay - for a bad ass price!!!  You never would have known we were in the visitor section, the entire stadium was red and white all over, minus the very lower rows of our section that were gold and royal blue}

As soon as I held the tickets in my hand, I started to get excited - not on the outside mind you, but on the inside. I've always been a girl that's a bit of a "glass half empty" type. I just try not to get too emotional until it's absolutely necessary. Needless to say that true excitement factor started brewing the night before we were to head to Tuscaloosa. This made it difficult to sleep - I had visions of McElroy and Trent Richardson dancing in my head.

We woke up bright and early - thankfully I did all the real "glamour" work the night before. Toes painted a lovely shade of gun metal gray, hair straightened with a hint of red reflecting in it, outfit all picked out, koozies packed into our new rolling cooler and over night bags prepared. To give you an idea of how much we flew by the seat of our pants on this deal... we had no formal place to sleep that night. We were heading to Tuscaloosa on a hope and a prayer that someone we were friends with there would give us a place to rest our head. Our original plan? We were going to set up a bed in the back of my Jeep Cherokee complete with sleeping bags... one downfall, an hour into the trip I realized we forgot out pillows. No worries, we planned on being drunk off a Crimson win anyway so we'd be fine. 

The ride was long, but enjoyable. Half way through I fired up the iPod. While spinning on random it landed on a Grateful Dead song. It seemed so fitting. Riding with the windows cracked the weather was a brisk and comfortable 70 degrees, unheard of in Alabama this time of year, but then again it was really early in the morning. Mike and I decided to tune up the Dead's greatest hits and roll on through to Tuscaloosa.

We made one pit stop to grab a couple of red bulls and a pack of razors. I'm sure the girl at the counter thought I was crazy. What was the razor pack for? Don't worry I wasn't going to shave my head like a Munk Tebow, I was actually aware that I had missed a spot shaving my armpits that morning and I knew it would drive me insane all. day. long. if I didn't handle it... Trip to the bathroom, swipe of the razor, $5.00 later and I was good to go. Seriously, would have driven me insane in my tank all day knowing that stubble was there - *issues?*.

From there it was on like Donkey Kong - we arrived soon enough into the great town of Tuscaloosa. The town was still a bit sleepy but the game day buzz was alive and well. The town was all decked out in red and white and most of that was on each and every person we saw on the street. With every passing minute we were in town the crowd grew and grew. Mike and I parked up the road from the central strip of the town and walked to our first destination. The Houndstooth. Truth be told I was really craving breakfast, but there didn't seem to be anywhere on the main strip providing eggs, cheese, and grease for me to down... instead we opted for a 10:30 AM brew and a bbq sandwich both were amazing and the perfect way to kick off game day.

{hers & his breakfast of champions}

I don't know why I didn't think to take a picture of our great view. From where we sat to enjoy our breakfast the street of the strip was right in front of us, great tunes were playing on the outside speakers of a bar across the way and in the distance above the downtown buildings we could see the very tops of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Then again... look at what's in front of me... I was hungry and this was the ONLY thing on my mind... well that and the fact that I was about to rip the overhead television off the wall if they mentioned Tebow's name one more damn time!! Sorry Gator fans and Bronco lovers I'm over him... O-V-E-R-OVEROVEROVER!

{My first view of the Stadium driving by... EEEE GIDDY!}

After a meal and waiting on Mike's younger brother J.O. to meet us we decided to walk around a bit. Like I said the entire town was buzzing with excitement. I wasn't sure what to expect in coming to T-town, I had no idea what the surrounding areas looked like, no clue what it meant to tailgate at the school and no idea where we were supposed to go and park. While walking I discovered that basically if you owned property close to the strip or the stadium you could make BANK selling parking spots. Seriously... $20 a pop! Many of the kids in the area will take their cars elsewhere and sell their spots in their apartment complex on game day, smart move kids! Thankfully we didn't have to worry about parking, instead Mike's sister-in-law's family lives in Tuscaloosa about three blocks from the Stadium and her brother-in-law is an employee of the school. This was perfect. Not only did we have a secure place to park the Jeep but remember my comment about sleeping in the Jeep, at least now if we did, we'd have a secure and quiet neighborhood to do this in. And yes, we're just that ghetto. WHAT? WHAT?

One's we arrived at the A's house we were able to hang out with Mr. and Mrs. A and their adorable little girl K, as well as Meet Mr. A's family who was in town for a visit. So far the morning was perfect the sun was bright and shining the weather was perfect (although in retrospect a black tank top was a super bad idea! I was getting a bit too hot outdoors most of the day due to it), and we were surrounded by friends.

We finally met up with J.O. and his girlfriend B and made our way over to where B's family was tailgating. Remember when I said I had never tailgated, or been to Tuscaloosa, well I was shocked to find out that people actually not only let you buy a spot to park your car, but will rent you a spot to park your RV as well! Random parking lots all over town were loaded to capacity with RV's, campers and cars.  B's father has his spot rented for the entire season and it's a great place to set up camp! Right near campus and you can see the Stadium as clear as day from the lot. Prime tailgating spot. I guess I was expecting one huge parking lot for the tailgating, close to the stadium. A place you could wonder around and see people - I guess I was thinking more along the lines of pro-ball, not college ball. In the end it was rather interesting getting to walk around campus and see all the tents set up on the Quad and all of the students partying and wandering around before game time.

We spent the early part of the afternoon before the game at B's family's RV enjoying free food, lots of tasty snacks and other games on the big screen. This definitely was the perfect Tailgating camp complete with it's own bathroom. No searching for a public restroom needed. Here we are, probably into our 3rd beer of the day... I think, but who was counting? Not me.

Hanging with the B Family In Tuscaloosa... you can see the stadium wayyy back behind my head}

After we got our fill JO and B wanted to give us the tour of the campus. B used to go to Alabama and knew just where to take us. We enjoyed not only the campus but the Bryant Museum as well. It's nice to be a part of this schools huge history...even if I've only officially been a fan for the past 4-5 years. I got a little weepy in the museum, maybe it was PMS or maybe it's just that he was quite a coach and it is quite a legacy but I just enjoyed every moment of it. I also found out that "The Bear" coached for one year at the University of Maryland. That made me smile, being a girl from Maryland and all that.

{Me, Mike, JO & B outside the Bryan Museum via rolltide.com}

NOTE: I forgot my houndstooth scarf I planned to wear for the game! GRRR!

{view of the Bear's Desk as it was in his office at Alabama}

Hey Packer fans I know it's hard to see but he does have a Green Bay

Mug on his desk filled with pencils.

{Can you tell how excited Mike was taking pictures in the museum?

He took a TON but I won't bore you with all of them.}

ROLL TIDE!

{Campus Landmark The Denny Chimes}

After our tour it was time to get our drink on. The four of us walked downtown and hoped in and out of a few of the great bars on the strip. Most were extremely packed which is to be expected on game day but we found a great little underground bar, the Bear Trap to get some drinks, some air conditioning and some good conversation before heading to the game.  I was introduced to "Baby Bombs" this weekend by B and JO. I had no idea you could get a Jager Bomb in a mini size!!! Much easier to deal with and much easier to walk after drinking as well!

{Mike & I before heading inside for the game}

{Me & B sipping on water. How cute is her outfit?}

Soon after our cocktails it was GAME TIME! Mike and I were so excited we could hardly contain ourselves. Walking into the stadium we caught the end of the Spirit Parade with the Cheerleaders, Big Al the mascot and most of the Million Dollar Band! I think I was about as excited as the 8 year old boy in front of me about all this, thankfully I'm potty trained or there might have been a mess on the floor!

I won't lie... I got chills walking into the stadium. It was loud, it was bright, and it's beautiful! We found our seats and holy CRAP were they awesome!!! Thank you again Mike for bidding on them and thank you Ebay seller for letting these go!

I wish I could give you a better idea of our seats, they were great and we were right where the Tide ran out onto the field. It was great, minus one thing.

See the lady in the foreground... see the mini couple behind us in the background... yep... we don't look smashed in there but we were. TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT!  There could have been a bit more room for us, but what can you do... they're benches. I now have a smaller ass (thank you P90X) and I'm the one paying the price for it. It was close for comfort but the crowd was loud and ready for a great night - the Tide delivered!!!

Stupid shadows messing up my cute pictures! Before Game Time!

FINAL SCORE: ALABAMA 48  / SAN JOSE  3

The entire game was amazing!!! I hated to leave it but by the middle of the fourth quarter I realized if we wanted to eat anywhere locally after the game, we needed to leave early and get a seat ASAP at a local place. We met up again with JO and B (they had different seats) and we made our way to a great little bar in town Buffalo Phil's. You all know me and chicken wings and buffalo sauce it's hard to pass up so that's exactly what I got... only I got tenders instead of wings. It took us 15 minutes to get a table, but once I ordered dinner it took them 5 minutes to bring it to me! (I'm sure it was under a heat lamp but seriously, CARE? They were good, juicy and 100% devoured in minutes!). Add to this a visit from Mr. and Mrs. A and we all had a great time sharing some laughs and drinks to end a great day.

My only disappointment with the evening was that apparently the whole town parties the night before the game, not after. That makes NO sense to me... if you have a great game you're supposed to party it up afterwards and celebrate but I guess because all the kids celebrate the night before.. they're too pooped to party again that next night. FOR SHAME! We didn't turn in early, but we didn't exactly WOOP it up that evening either.

After a long night of hanging out, and seeing the town thankfully we were able to crash at B's family's condo in Tuscaloosa. Her whole family hadn't shown up as originally planned so we had run of the couch which I was SO thankful for. I may say I'm a tough cooking but the jeep was TRULY a last resort  in my mind.

The next morning was a bit rough. I slept in my contacts, not the smartest move at all. Mike and I are the types that wake up and we're ready to go. We had to wait to get JO up to take us back to our Jeep and on our way back home.

All in all we had an amazing time and we are already planning our trip back. We don't have tickets for the Homecoming game but we figured we would have just as much fun hanging with B's dad at his RV watching the game and friends at their tent on the quad that we wouldn't need tickets. The atmosphere alone is worth the fun!!! We've been warned we need to come the night before the game this time though... so we shall see.

So tell me - have you ever been to a big college game? Who's your favorite team? And remember let's all be respectful here! I will be the first to say I'm not a fan of Florida, but I don't down any of my girls and guys personally if they are fans.

HAPPY FALL & FOOTBALL! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

fixation friday: pumpkins

Happy Fall Everyone!!! Not that it actually feels like fall here in the South. Seriously, the other day it was 104 degrees outside. 

Dear Mother Nature,  Turn down the heat bitch!

Since I'm in a festive fall mood the one thing I can't get enough of this time of year, or for the next few months is PUMPKINS! So todays fixation is all about the lovely plump balls o' fun this time of year brings! I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with pumpkins but I do get a bit giddy when I see them start to pop up in stores and on shelves in the "Halloween/Fall" section. I get so anxious I always go to the stores too early for Halloween and Fall goodies. If they can put out Christmas stuff before they put out Thanksgiving things, why can't we have Halloween stuff in July? Just saying...I wouldn't mind one bit. This year I went to Target a few days too early - there were twitter reports that Target had set out their Halloween stuff and I was ready to rock. Unfortunately my little town of Alabama is a bit slow in many ways and this is one of them... Halloween candy does not mean you've started to display Halloween merchandise in my opinion. I'll probably be returning this weekend and stalking the stores much like a mom would stalk the toy store for the latest "IT" toy of the season for Christmas. If only we had an actual Halloween store, then I'd be in heaven.

This however isn't about my fixation with Halloween, it's about my insane love for pumpkins and all that entails. So here goes.. in no particular order...

What always gets me geared up for Fall in general and PumpkinFEST is usually the announcement that Starbucks has started their seasonal flavors with their Pumpkin Pie Spiced Lattes.

{crack in liquid form} via google

I am not a huge Starbucks person. *GASP* ... IIII KNOW! I'm just not. The coffee is amazing and I had my chance to sample this delicious treat last year while in New Orleans for Halloween.  Yep, that's the last time I had Starbucks, 1 year ago and I went all the way to New Orleans to get it. We don't have one here locally and the closest one we have is probably about 45 minutes away. Take it easy, we do have a couple independent coffee shops here locally and I adore them, no fuss, no corporate identity and loads of charm and delicious coffee. I'm not knocking the 'bucks it's just not my end all be all coffee joint.

That being said since I am Starbuck-challenged my only other comfort for my Pumpkin Pie Spiced Coffee craving is to A) hit up a local gas station and partake in the "instant" variety that will do in a pinch,  B) hit up the local adorbs coffee shops here in town OR C) pamper myself with my favorite Pumpkin Pie creamer...

{slurp, slurp, slurp, BURRRP, slurp} via google

I don't know when Walmart is going to get on the ball and actually start carrying this stuff. It's already September 24th and there is NO sign of it in the stores. I thought about hitting up the other local grocery stores and Target but thought that might be a slight too much like an addict and figured I could be patient and wait. I mean hell they already have egg nog in the coolers!!!

My fixation doesn't stop at coffee, it goes on and on and on - it's a thrill for my tastebuds this time of year so here's a run down of the yummies I love!

PUMPKIN PIE!

What's fall and the holidays without Pumpkin Pie? I don't want Pecan Pie, and I sure as hell don't want any other type of pie... I was raised on Pumpkin Pie and that's what I want to eat! Although I do want to try some sweet potato pie this year! I might also brave a pumpkin cheesecake recipe I found last night as well!

{Yeah I want some punch n' pie!} via google

Little Debbie Snackcakes - Pumpkin Delights

BLOW YOUR MIND GOOD! These don't really taste all that much like pumpkin to me though. Pumpkin pie barely, but mostly like some good spice cookies like my mother used to make every holiday when I was a kid. Bottom line though if you like pumpkin and you're watching your figure, don't bring these home!! Shana girl I'm warning you now - they are like the Oreos... Don't DO IT! I won't be buying these this year for that exact reason. I ate a whole box last year in one day!!!

{via google and amazon.com if you can believe that!}

Pumpkin Pasta

 I know you're thinking, EWWW GROSS! But seriously, if you like squash you will enjoy Pumpkin Pasta. Especially this Recipe from Mom Advice, it sounds SO good. I tried to make a recipe from Rachel Ray last year and Mike was not impressed, but I haven't given up hope. I'd also love to find a great Pumpkin Ravioli recipe so let me know if any of you know of one!

via The Lovely Mom Advice

PUMPKIN BREAD

Much like the pie, it just is SO yummy to me. Forget the banana bread, at least until this season is over!

{no nuts for me, thanks!} via google

PUMPKIN BEER & BEVERAGES

Sure you can eat lots of great Pumpkin things and their pretty to look at, but they are also delightful to drink! I can't wait to try the Ale below. Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale it sounds right up my alley. I've had other great Pumpkin Ales and I really love Blue Moon's Harvest Ale. 

{Liquid yummy!} via google

PUMPKIN PIE MARTINI

I wrote about these last year and still I'm coveting the flavor! I hope to enjoy more than one of these this year.... I wonder if any of my local watering holes will be on the ball with these.

{Pie in a glass - I'll take two!} via google

After all those delicious treats you're no doubt tired of hearing about pumpkin but guess what, I've got more!!! You can't just please your stomach and not your eyes or nose, right?

BATH AND BODY WORKS GOODIES!

Between all the great candles, soaps and lotions I'm set for the whole season. I actually have to talk myself out of going inside the store for fear I'll spend my entire paycheck. I do have good control in there most of the time considering *fun fact* I used to work at Bath and Body Works for years while in college and I can't bring myself to pay FULL PRICE for anything in the store. This time of year makes it difficult.

B&B HAND SOAP - I NEED THIS ASAP!

{scrub a dub dub pumpkin spice tub} via google

Bath and Body Candles - YUM!

OK so none of these are Pumpkin Scented but I assure you they have about 3-4 different flavors of pumpkin scents this year and all smell amazing. My favorite candle though has to be the Autumn one. It seriously reminds me of playing in the woods around my home as a child and I think I'll need to buy about 8 of them this season!

{I always love that these say not to eat the candles} via google

You can't have Halloween without Costumes

KITTY PUMPKIN WEAR!

{Pleased or poised to kill?} via google

My cat, Angus the Rock Kitty would murder me in my sleep if I dressed him in such craziness! I won't lie thought it's really freaking cute! I love pumpkin costumes, especially on chubby babies!

 Last but never least... the best part about Pumpkins is...

DECORATING WITH THEM!!!

{via google}

I am head over heels for white pumpkins but really any pumpkins this time of year make my heart sing. I was so disappointed that our pumpkin plant didn't last through the hot summer. Truth be told it was epic and the plant was huge, we even had 1 single pumpkin that grew, however due to planting our seeds too early in the season and some random animal in our backyard eating at it, our little Great Pumpkin didn't survive. Better luck next year!

I hope you all enjoy this time of year - I've vowed I need to make it to the pumpkin patch this year because purchasing pumpkins from Wally World just isn't as fun!

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE! And I surely hope it starts to feel like the season soon for all of us!!!

What is your favorite pumpkin item, and/or part of fall?

celebrating my first year!

Where has the time gone? Today my blog celebrates it's first birthday/anniversary, however you'd like to look at it!

via google

I've been reading back on some of my old posts wanting to see not only what I've already discussed but to get some inspiration to bring this blog back full circle. When I started this journey I was mostly concerned about my blog having a cohesive theme. I like diverting from the whole domestic thing once in a while but at the same time that is what brought me here - reading home improvement blogs and home decor blogs. That being said I never thought I'd meet or make friends with so many great people via the blogging community. Sure I met my current boyfriend on myspace.com and I've made friends through forum boards in the past but I had no idea how tight knit we would all become. I'm so happy we have and I'm thankful for your friendship and support everyday.

I thought I'd dig back into the D2BD time capsule and publish my first post again. It still rings true and I want to get back to as much of the domestic stuff as I possibly can. It's almost fall again and that's the time that I nest the most and cook and bake as well.

Thank you for all your support and thank you for making this the best first blog year ever!! oxox

SEPTEMBER 6, 2009

Daring to be Domestic in life, I am a Domestic Goddess… In Training.

We all have to start somewhere right? I don’t know where this surge of wanting to be such a homemaker came from. Maybe it hits you at a certain age, or time in your life. For me this bug hit me about 4 years ago. I had just moved from home, to a new state and into an apartment with my boyfriend. My first place – to decorate and make my own, or “ours”. After living here for almost 10 months, I had been laid off from my job. I’ve never been laid off or fired in my life! My self esteem took a big blow. After the first month without work I felt hopeless – applying where ever I could to get work. After the second month and a few freelance graphic design jobs, but still I felt depressed. During this time I started to watch the Food Network. I’ll admit I’m head over heels for this station and most of it’s tv personalities. I started to find comfort in learning all I could about cooking. Three months into unemployment, feeling better emotionally, I finally secured a job to help me feel better financially.

The Food Network obsession continues, to this day. I’m so thankful to have finally learned how to cook. My mother would be so proud. I never cooked or came near the kitchen much when I was younger unless it was to snag a sweet treat she was preparing for us. I never had any interest I was always a tomboy and would rather play outdoors than be in the kitchen, or house for that matter. My mother often joked about having dreams about me claiming to cook something for her – only to find out the dish I was serving was warm sugar water from the microwave – talk about faith in your child *wink*.

My boyfriend, I believe was eternally grateful that I learned to cook – I think the nights of Hamburger Helper and box meals were starting to get to him. The only other thing I truly knew how to master was spaghetti with store bought sauce (which is still a staple in my kitchen but I’ll get into that later).

Food Network naturally lead to my HGTV obsession. Once you make the kitchen the heart of your home you realize the other parts need just as much attention. HGTV has turned me into a DIY type person (I’m also hooked on FLN – Fine Living Network, and all their DIY shows). Add to this obsession tons of blog posts by fabulous DIY people – I’ve truly morphed into a foodie and a DIY freak these days and I LOVE IT!

I call myself a Domestic Goddess in training mostly because well – I’m still in training. I’ve come a long way but there are still many more things I can do. [Note: I hate the word diva, so Domestic Diva was not an option].

I want to share with everyone great projects I’ve done, things I’ve cooked, things I’ve eaten and things I see on a daily basis that give me inspiration, pleasure and often times that I crave and cant’ afford. So if you’re willing to read, I’m willing to write. Be patient I’m new at this – I hope we can learn so much together.

I’m currently renting a home with my boyfriend – yes we are still together and I love him more than I could express. Since we rent most of my projects will be ways to fix up your rental home without making your landlords angry [and may even make he/she smile with glee that you're bumping up their potential to rent the home for more when you leave] – simple things, things that won’t cost you an arm and a leg [let's be real none of us can afford to spend, spend, spend right now]. I also may touch on things I am all about from fashion to television – it will be a mash of intrests so hopefully you can keep up! [And want to!!!]

So get out your aprons, your tools, your crafting fingers set – and be sure to locate a great hobby store in your town! You’ll need your eyes to be focused on reading because I can be long winded at times, but I’ll do my best to keep it short and sweet!

Join me on my journey as I try to achieve true Domestic Goddess Bliss… or at least Dare to Be Domestic!

fixation friday: houndstooth

It's that time again - FRIDAY!!! I know I've been away for the while and for those of you that care, I apologize for the hiatus. Work has been non-stop and crazy as ever. Add to that the fact that by 8:00 at night after being at work since 7:00 am that I don't even want to think about computers much less look at one, you will understand why I haven't written. Well... that and the fact that I've spent the past week watching the first season of True Blood and now I'm totes addicted.

Anysucker, I figured that since this weekend marks the end of summer and and the start of my favorite season fall, that I would talk about one of my favorite patterns and what it truly means to me and the great state of Alabama. That pattern is houndstooth.

Houndstooth has been trendy for a few years now but if you live in Alabama it has a much deeper meaning to fashion that it does say in New York. Years ago the tide was riding high they were under the command of a legend in these parts by the name of Paul "Bear" Bryant. He's is said to be the greatest coach to ever walk the earth by most Alabama Crimson Tide fans and while I never watched him in action on the tv screen, the stories alone are those made of folklore. Seriously, he's as big as Paul Bunyan in these parts, maybe even bigger. In some circles I'd wager to say he's right up there next to Jesus, ok maybe one rung down, but still, damn close.

The Bear • via google

I wish I could give you great details as to why his nickname was "Bear" and I wish I could give you more vital stats on him, but alas I can't. What I can tell you is, this man is one trendy s.o.b. See his hat, it's his trademark. Mr. Bryant always wore a suit, tie and coordinating hat to each game. It's his legacy, as much as his winning football seasons with the Tide were. Houndstooth was the most popular pattern he wore.

When the pattern became trendy again in fashion and home decor, I noticed it popping up all over the place around here locally. And quickly it became the pattern of choice for many Crimson Tide merchandisers. I think it's a great way to honor Bear's contribution to Alabama's athletic program and the college as well. I wonder if Nick Saban will start a trend, you know besides winning seasons and all. It's nice to see the football team back on top, even though I can only take credit for being die hard fan for about 2 full years now, it still feels awesome. Everyone has to start somewhere.

And yes, if you are wondering... Paul "Bear" Bryant is the coach in the movie Forrest Gump. This movie is also the reason I chose to pick the side of the Crimson Tide when I moved to Alabama. Had Forrest been an Auburn Tiger I might have picked differently. *wink*

So Mr. Bryant made houndstooth trendy here in Alabama, but what about the rest of the world? I have fallen hard for this pattern, and I actually own a winter coat covered in it. I thought I'd share some of my favorites displaying this pattern in some great ways.

The Bear Hat • via google

The look that started it all. These are HUGE in Alabama. 

I have always wanted one but wouldn't feel comfortable sporting it.

You can add to this list flip-flops, koozies, hair bows, earrings, scarves (which I'll be sporting at the game), gloves, trust me, if you can print on it, or sew it, it's rocking houndstooth here in the state of Alabama.

via West Elm

I am head over heels for these curtains! I love that they are brown as well, instead of black and white, they'd be a bit less obvious for an Alabama fan but classy and the same time.

via google

The dress in the center - I die. And the coat, don't get me started I'm head over heels for it.

via google

Seriously, this makes me want to make a baby right, meow!

via google

Where were these when I was actively snowboarding?!?! Hands down the coolest pair of googles ever made. EVER!

via google

If I could stand to strut in these for an entire tailgating day and a football game, I would. I adore these!

via google

Ok so this is a bit over done but seriously if I had a basement or a man cave place this would totally work for me. I also like that it's muted and neutral. It reminds me of a gentleman's lounge (not a strip club mind you but a place where men would sip brandy and talk with pencil thin mustaches about the dames that they met the week before). 

via google

If you have a man cave, you have to have a lady haven. These would be perfect. I hate pink, for the most part but I'd totally rock these in a dressing room of sorts in my own home if given the chance.

via google

I'm pretty much head over heels for these two chairs. I want to flank my fireplace with them and dress them up with crimson red pillows. HEAVEN!

So what do you think? Houndstooth, awesome or tacky?

In other news: It's "TUSCALOOSA OR BUST" for Mike and I this weekend. I'll be all RTR! and living it up!!! I can't wait to see the Walk of Champions and to see our team after our SEC Championship win! RTR BITCHES!!!! We may have to sleep in the back of my Jeep for the evening but I'm going with the flow and going to party like I'm in college again - or at least try to hang.

SEC 2009 CHAMPIONS via Google

SUCK IT GATORS!!! (Sorry Sonja, I love you girl!)

And I can't wait to see the 2009 Heisman winner Mark Ingram

(He's going to be out for the first game due to injury but I am excited to see him)

Mark Ingram - dawwww adorbs! • via google

HAVE A GREAT LABOR DAY WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!!