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1. Thank You Veterans.  Especially today, and each and every day. God Bless you all.

The Election. Regardless, it is over. No more “Ohio” or “Pennsylvania” for four more years- at least three and a half anyway. I call that a cause for celebration!

3. No More News. I have had it! I was a news junkie in the weeks and  months leading up to the election.  Radio, TV, and Internet were all sources of my addiction…I also abused the apps on my iPhone. I even used good old-fashioned magazines and newspapers to get my fix.  Bottom line: if it was news related, I was watching/listening/reading  it. I. Am. Done. No more. I started my day Wednesday watching GMA . I watched a piece on gel manicures:  at home kits vs the salon (the salon kind are WAY better). I also learned how to poach an egg.  Totally mindless. It was awesome.

Witness
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4. Cold Mornings. I go to the gym before work. I maintain it is less painful because I am not really awake.  Also, I get a certain level of smug satification from knowing that by 7am I have dominated the day. The worst part, by far, is getting out of my warm, cozy bed. Dark and cold are great for sleeping for a reason, my friends.  As much as I abhor cold mornings, I find myself praying for freezing temperatures.  Last year, we did not have a ‘hard freeze’ in Georgia, which meant that all of the bugs- mosquitos, ticks, roaches and fleas for example- were not killed. We have had a MESS of bugs as a result this summer, and I am not excited about the possibility of another buggy year.

5. The Battle Of The (Potty) Bowl. Is over! I reign victoriously! Last Thursday, we told Emma she was not going to be wearing pull ups anymore.  She was donezo. I am so pleased to report that she did not call our bluff; and while she has had a few accidents, she hasn’t looked back.

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6.  TV Without Cable. I think we might be ready to cut the cord.  We have an Apple TV (iTV?) and Netflix, and are finding ourselves almost exclusively using them for our TV viewing.I do not watch anything on live TV (see #2) except for Real Housewives (Atlanta and OC. I really tried Miami; I really really did.).  Thomas likes USA Network, but is having a hard time justifying the monthly bill for just one channel. If anyone has done it, please let me know how you did and how happy you are!

Sadly enough, the summer-to-winter clothes swap isn’t fun, despite my self proclaimed OC-Do.

To start the process, I first have to get all of the bins out of the Scary Place (aka the storage attic). Things stored up there multiply at night. I swear I would not even recognize most of the crap that currently resides within the attic’s dirty, dark space.  Everything up there is dirty, and it’s always really, really hot or really, really cold. It’s like a terrible third world country up there.

It’s scary up there!
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Hauling all of the bins down is much easier in theory than in execution.  As stuff multiples up there, the bins get heavier each time I get them down.  Also, most of the bins are broken in some way- a missing handle, a cracked side, etc.  Due to the bins’ structural issues, every single one of them explodes while I am wrestling them down. Every. Single. One.

Once all the bins are down, the real fun begins.  The first step is to clean out the closest of all  the off season clothes. This is very difficult as Atlanta does not have clearly defined seasons- for example; today’s high (in early November) is 80 degrees but the ten day forecast is for the 50’s. Thirty degree temperature shifts in a single day are the norm around here (which also makes getting dressed each morning a challenge). Nothing is more frustrating than having wool sweaters in your closet when the weather dictates a bikini as a more appropriate weather-friendly outfit. After I have pulled all of the seasonally incorrect clothes, I have to hang up all of the seasonally CORRECT clothes.

The Morning…
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The Afternoon

This is when the debate portion of the program begins.

Instead of being excited about all of my wonderful clothes, I get Mad. Mad because my Old Navy sweaters have not transformed themselves into Banana Republic cashmere.  Mad because I took the easy way out last season, and instead of sorting through everything and making a large donation to Goodwill, I just dumped things into bins (this also ensures everything is extremely wrinkled). These “non clothes” are what stand  between me and a fabulous wardrobe …that and the checkbook it would take to fund said wardrobe.  (Donations totally accepted.)

Please please turn Old Navy into Banana Republic
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1.  Cake and Champagne.  Is my most favorite meal of all time.   Every year on my  birthday, this is what we have for dinner. It is amazing.

HappyBirthday To Me

2. Petit Fours.  Are the New Cake, in my opinion.  My husband’s family takes their cake VERY SERIOUSLY, and for good reason. His Aunt Judye makes the most amazing birthday cake in the whole wide world.  It is a white cake with frosting; its’ simplicity is its’ genius.  I had to marry into the family before they would release the recipe.  HOWEVER, I do not have as much of a sweet tooth as I once did (finally, some good news about getting older!), and while still amazing, Aunt Judye cake is a little too sweet for me. Enter petit fours. Elegant, delicious, and just the right size.  Publix has the market cornered, they have the best petit fours; no other bakery even comes close.

3. My Favorite Bartender. Every one needs to have a few key people in their life.  A good hair stylist, doctor, accountant, and well-connected friend all come to mind.  I believe that a great bartender, one who knows you and has your drink pouring as you walk into the restaurant is also a Must Have. Mine is named Matt, and he has the Kendall Jackson Chardonnay waiting for me by the time I get to the bar.  It is amazeballs.

4. CD Liner Notes.   I was in the car, attempting to sing along to a Pearl Jam song. I say attempting because I have no idea what Eddie is actually saying.  Back in the day, I would have pulled out my CD case, unfolded the liner and memorized the words, so I could properly sing along with Eddie. These days, I guess I would You Tube the song and hope for the best… Funny to think that my daughter will live her entire teenage career without pouring over liner notes…

No 5. Chanel. I have worn Coco Mademoiselle for years. It is my signature scent. I have been anxiously awaiting the day when I am Sophisticated and Elegant enough to switch to No 5.  My godmother (who, truth be told, is more like my Fairy Godmother  because she has introduced me to things like David Yurman and Kappa Kappa Gamma) sent me my first bottle of Chanel No 5 for my birthday this week.  It’s official: I have arrived!

6.  Pumpkin Rice Krispy Treats. Seriously, is there anything cuter?! Emma and I made these Friday night, and by MADE I  mean  I played defense while Emma attempted to eat everything in sight- cereal, marshmallows, icing, and tootise rolls.  Smart kiddo!

1. Sex and the City. I will watch this show anytime it is on. It doesn’t matter if there are only three minutes left. It doesn’t matter if I have seen it four thousand times. This show was so iconic and so universal- it is rare to meet someone who doesn’t like it.  What is today’s version of SATC? I don’t think there is one.

I love every single episode.

2. Sex and the City The Movie.  Everything that I just said about the TV show… only flipped. I hated this movie! The brilliance of the show (to me) was the messy endings.  In real life (at least in my real life), things do not work out perfectly all the time… Also, I hate the musical score. It makes the whole thing seem less real and more movie (which I guess is the point).

3. That Mother. Thursday, I had to take Emma to the doctor. She was a disaster rather poorly behaved. I was That Mother Who Could Not Control Her Child…. And I was out of options. If I spanked her (yes, we spank. You can discipline your child however you would like to. This is one of the ways we discipline ours.) I risked DFACS (Department ofFamily and  Children Services) being called on me. If I ignored it, I was making everyone else’s life miserable. I was That Mother. I will not be as judgmental to other mothers, especially in the candy aisle again.

4. Sage Magazine. In case you missed the 12 Facebook status updates and the 189 tweets, I am a published author! Woop woop! (Page 87!)

5. Pumpkin. I love pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin candles. I love pumpkin bread.  (I understand Starbucks has a great pumpkin coffee thing. I hate Starbucks, so I have no firsthand knowledge of this drink.) However, there is such a thing as too much pumpkin… While shopping at Trader Joe’s, I came across pumpkin beer and pumpkin chai tea bags. I love Oktoberfest beer, so I was really excited for the pumpkin beer. I have vanilla chai tea every morning, so I was sure I would love the pumpkin tea. Oh, how wrong I was! The beer was so pumpkiny I am surprised I did not have strands of pumpkin in my teeth. Even Thomas could not drink it, and poured it down the drain (a small piece of him died). The tea, which boasted nutmeg and cinnamon, seemed more promising. It was not. The cinnamon was so strong it was spicy… and the pumpkin flavor was again so overwhelming. A total FAIL on both counts.

6. Missing Puppy. Emma’s special lovey is a small stuffed puppy. She has spent one night away from Puppy since she was born. Well, one night until last night (and tonight). She has misplaced Puppy… thankfully we have Puppy #2 and Bonnie Bunny in residence. Last night was fine. She was up extra early this morning, but sans tears. Wish us luck tonight!

Do you ever wonder What Might Have Been? If you made different choices, where would you be today? I’m thinking along the lines of “It’s A Wonderful Life”…

In another life, at another time, I would have been a writer. In my wildest dreams, I might have written The Great American Novel. In my dream (please don’t ruin my dream!), famous novelists lounge around in silk pajamas, eating bons-bons and sleeping until noon.

In real life, I work for a great company and I am very satisfied with the career path I have chosen, so I do not waste a lot of mental energy on the whole Jimmy Stewart line of thinking.

 
That being said… I am featured TODAY in Sage Magazine!!
I KNOW!!
I have learned a lot since I first started Julia’s Math. I went into this project with the Field of Dream Mentality: If You Build It, They Will Come. Sadly, this is not the case.

On Twitter (@Juliasmath) yesterday, I saw the following tweet from the SITS Girls (Established community of 40,000+ fabulous women bloggers. Blogging tips, featured bloggers, paid posts. The Secret to Success is Support. Join the movement.): “What is one thing you wish you had known about blogging when you first got started?” I replied “how much networking there is to promote your own site”. While I am brilliant and funny and witty (my parents, husband, and best friend all totally agree), people weren’t coming.
I learned to “blogwork”. I have made new friends, and I have found that there are, in fact, people who (kind of) think like me! One of the new ‘friends’ I have made is Lauren From Texas. Sage Magazine is her project, her baby, her brainchild. She put an offer on her blog for anyone who was interested in contributing to email her with their ideas… so I did.
And she LOVED IT!
So, today I will ask you loyal friends to read Sage. I will also ask you to freak out just a little bit when you see my name (AND PICTURE!)…
Happy Friday!

PS Check pages 86-87