Monday Edition on A Tuesday: My Favorite Things

I had so many responses about the cute lunch tote that I am giving away (Enter here) that I thought I would make it my favorite thing! It's true! I do love a cute lunch tote! Some people may think that using a brown bag is a little more economical-not me! A lunch tote may cost a little bit of money but having a cute lunch tote makes me want to take my lunch to work! Anything that motivates me to take my lunch to work instead of eating out is a great investment! It helps my budget and my waist line!!!!

Here are a few of my favorite lunch totes!

The above lunch tote is from wrapables.com. It can be yours for $10.95 or for free if you win my give away!

These totes (above) are also available at wrapables.com for $24.95.

These precious monogrammed lunch totes are available at stitchatlantic.com. It is a little pricey at around $35.

This precious lunch tote looks just like a cute purse. It is available at fortunoff.com for $30.00.

I guess you could always have fun with a old school look! I definitely had this lunch box as a kid!

And this one too!

Did you have a favorite lunch box as a kid?

Weekend Re-Cap!

I don't have much time to blog today since my day is filled with meetings. However, I had to do a quick blog about my weekend. This weekend was so busy, but it was so much fun.

Friday night after work Michael and I headed to Atlanta to celebrate my brother-in-laws (Michael's brother) birthday. It was great! I had a wonderful time spending time talking to Matthew and all his friends. I even had some bonding time with his precious girlfriend. Below is a picture of me and the birthday boy (please note that the red eyes on Matthew are from him getting something in his eyes, we didn't drink that excessively).

Michael and I stayed at Matthew's house that night. We slept in late, and then went to a wonderful brunch with our friend Martin. Below is a picture of Michael and Martin from Friday night. I don't have any pictures from brunch. :)

When we got back to Athens Saturday afternoon, we celebrated the birthday of one of our friends by grilling out at his house. Him and his wife were such great hosts! Another couple we are friends with was also there, so we had a fun, relaxing night.

Sunday I went to lunch with my friend, Erin. After lunch, Erin and I took a trip to the pet store. We had so much fun playing with the puppies. We played with the sweetest Lhasa Apso puppy. He looked a lot like the picture below. He was so fat and fluffy!

Sunday night, Michael and I attended The Taste of Athens. Sampling the different foods, wine and beer was amazing. Of course, we ate way too much, but I think everyone there did the same thing! I just wish I didn't have to weigh in at Weight Watcher tomorrow!

The Taste of Athens also hosted a silent auction. At the silent auction, I fell in love with a terra cotta pigeon. It was precious, and it had a great story behind it. I stalked the pigeon all night long to ensure that I was the highest bidder. Below is a picture of my pigeon.

Here's the story behind the pigeon that made me love it so much!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend! I hope you had a wonderful weekend too! I'm not sure I am going to have time to do my usual Monday post, but if I don't I will definitely make up for it tomorrow! Have a happy Monday! I'm off to another meeting!

The Best Giveaway Ever

TheTale of a Southern Belle is having an amazing give away! She is giving away a trip!!! Enter here!!! Oh, and if you win, please consider taking me! :)

Cutting Corners Give Away

My give away is scheduled to end on Friday, February 27th. Be sure to visit the Cutting Corners post and leave a comment with your money saving tips to enter. The more tips you share, the more times you will be entered to win. Here's what you could win:
A cute insulated lunch tote, so you can look stylish while saving money by bringing your own lunch to work.



A reusable water bottle to help you save money and the planet! Oh, and it is really cute too! Don't you just love the pink tree and the fact that it is dishwasher safe!



And a $10 Starbucks Gift Card because we all need to splurge every once in a while!!!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

Happy Monday and Happy Presidents Day! I don't have the day off today, but I don't mind much. Work has been pretty entertaining today! Heather and I decided to take a break from the normal lunch, and we went to a local pharmacy to eat lunch at their soda shop counter. It was so much fun! I always enjoy eating there. It makes me feel like I live in Mayberry.

This weekend was a great weekend. I came home on Friday to find a package from Jules at Chic and Pink! I was so excited when I won her fabulous giveaway! Thanks again Jules!!!!! Jules is just the sweetest!!! If you haven't visited her blog, make sure you do! In all the excitement of playing with my new things I forgot to take a picture. However, if you go here you can see what I won!

Michael and I had a fabulous Valentine's. It was pretty low key! Michael had to judge a mock trial competition, so he was gone until late afternoon. When he came home, we went to a very late lunch and then took a little field trip down the road to see the baby lambs at The University of Georgia's farm. The baby lambs are so cute!!! They are always a favorite of mine this time of year! We weren't very hungry when dinner time rolled around, so we went to a little wine and coffee bar instead of going to dinner. There we enjoyed the romantic atmosphere along with a couple of glasses of wine and a cheese tray. It was perfect! As promised, I made Michael chocolate covered pretzels, and he surprised me with a very nice bottle of red wine.

Staying with the theme of Valentine's Day, my favorite thing today is a book that my minister had Micheal and I read before we got married. I know many of you have heard of it and even read it. It is called The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. This book really opened my eyes and helped Michael and I learn to communicate better. It even helped me to get over a few issues that I harbored from a very bad time in our relationship because I finally understood the reason our relationship was so rocky during that period of time. This book is a great tool in any relationship! Heck, I would suggest reading it even if your single!

Happy Valentine's!!!

It's 4:30! Only 30 minutes until I get to go home and begin the weekend! Why it the time ticking by so slowly!!!!

Michael and I don't have anything special planned this weekend. We are just going to enjoy a weekend together! I do have a few surprises up my sleeve, but nothing too exciting! Maybe a yummy breakfast for my honey and of course his chocolate covered pretzels.

In any case, I just wanted to write a short post to wish all of my blog friends a very Happy Valentine's Day and a wonderful weekend! I also wanted to mention that I haven't forgotten about my giveaway. I am just in the process of collecting all the wonderful things I plan to give away. If you haven't entered my give away make sure you do so here. Also, make sure to stayed tuned for the reveal of what I will be giving away! Have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Be My Valentine!

My husband and I decided not to buy each other gifts for Valentine's Day since we are trying to stick to a budget. Instead we are celebrating by going to dinner and spending quality time together. It doesn't take money to make your special Valentine feel special! Here are a few budget friendly ideas I found! Oh, and I'm keeping it PG! You can use your imagination with the R rated gifts!

1) My husband loves chocolate covered pretzels, so I am making him gourmet chocolate covered pretzels.
2) Make chocolate covered strawberries, pair them with a bottle of champagne, and enjoy with your sweetie!
3) Pocket Full of Pink shares how to make homemade chocolate kisses on her blog!
4) Leave little love notes all over the house for him to find as he goes about his day!
5) Make a list of all the reasons you love him.
6) Surprise him with breakfast in bed.
7) Plan a surprise trip to a local zoo, park, or museum.
8) Go for a drive together.
9) Start a savings account that is designated for trips or other special activities that you would like to take or do together.
10) Give your sweetheart homemade love coupons that they can redeem for back massages, etc....
11) Rent a romantic movie, cuddle on the couch, and share popcorn or ice cream.
12) Make a scrapbook full of your favorite pictures and mementos from your relationship.
13) If you don't have time to make a scrapbook, give him a box full of pictures and mementos. Go through the box together and relive good memories!
14) Make him a C.D. of his favorite music!
15) Frame your favorite picture of the two of you and give it to him to put on his desk at work. Hide a little love note between the picture and the back of the frame to tell him about later.
16) If it's cold, cuddle in front of the fire and roast marshmallows.
17) Have fun cooking a romantic dinner together!
18) If it is warm weather, go on a picnic. If it's chilly, have an indoor picnic!
19) Share your favorite bottle of wine! You can pair it with a cheese tray and candle light for a fun Valentine's date.
20) Make a powerpoint slide show of your years together.

What are your budget friendly Valentine's Day gift ideas?