Laughs for Ladies Nights

As we have all continued to grow up since our early days of entry-level jobs and internship projects, our PR Girls crowd has gotten more refined in our get-togethers. And by refined, I really mean, simplified.

Early days of happy hours at local restaurants shifted to our single girl apartments, where the wine flowed cheaper and we tried out new appetizer recipes. Now, we have shifted things to our homes, while the husbands are tossed out for the night. Fancy appetizers have given way to quick runs past the store for prepared hummus and chips to add to a few "semi-homemade" treats (since we all know that the wine is the true star!).

We don't go out for PR Girls nights very often anymore. Every so often, though, we break habit and head out onto the town. A girl's gotta live it up every once in a while, after all! Plus, it's fun to throw on some heels and sparkles and have a true ladies night.

We did just that a few weekends ago, ditching the men and hitting up our former stomping grounds over at East Andrews. We weren't heading out for a crazy late night at the bar, however. Or at least, not totally :) We went to have a few good laughs at the Atlanta Improv Theater! 

About the Improv: Founded by Budd Friedman in New York in 1963, many know the Improv from the A&E show “An Evening at the Improv”. Over the decades, the talent who has played center stage include Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, Jamie Foxx, Adam Sandler and Dave Chappelle, to name a few. Today, the Atlanta Improv Comedy Club & Dinner Theatre hosts national touring comics with up to five shows per week.

The comedians that performed the night we attended definitely brought the laughs. The headliner act was my favorite. Ryan Singer had a fun blend of topics that appealed to the mixed audience there that night -- something that's important to me. I enjoy comedy, but don't want to hear raunchy or off-color jokes all night. I like it when a comedian can read the audience, and blend jokes together, from witty to raunchy with a little silly throw in.

One thing to note for your visit is that the Improv has a full food and drink menu. There is a two drink minimum (not hard for us to hit that, ha) and then the food comes from fellow Andrews Entertainment District restaurants, including Stillhouse, Cellar 56, Czar Bar and Stout. Good to know in case you are combining dinner and entertainment for date night at the 8PM show, or have a case of late night munchies at the 10PM show. We stuck with easy champagne and wine, but the full bar looked promising, too.

All in all, it was a great change of pace for the night! We finished out with late drinks at the bar downstairs, part of the old East Andrews -- pretending to be 22 again, but smart enough now to know that the easiest way to head home on a late Friday night is to call Uber ;)

More info: 
56 East Andrews Drive NW Atlanta, GA 30305
(678) 244-3612
www.theimprovatlanta.com

Disclosure: I was compensated with tickets for the Improv, but all opinions here are my own. 

Future Becomes Reality

You know how sometimes life can sneak up on you, and all of a sudden, weeks have flown past since you last saw your friends and family? That's how I have been feeling this month. January, a month notorious for the winer blahs, (attempted) exercise regiments and snow days, sure hit me over the head this year. A bad respiratory cold knocked me out for almost two weeks, including a few sick days at home. Busy days and some travel sped me forward another week. Snow days and the epic Atlanta traffic nightmare that resulted locked us all down for a few days.

And bam, now here we are, a week into February and my oh my, I can already feel the spring itch. Are the daffodils blooming yet?!

Something else that surprises me is that I have now been married for almost a year. 10 months, and if time continues at its current pace, we will be at a year in just a blink. Over the last number of months, I have been feeling a little "off" here on the blog, and truly, I think that it's been all part of the settling down that's happened after the wedding. The honeymoon effect has been in full swing, and we have be growing into our home in Buckhead, just enjoying being the Lehmanns. It's been awesome, and this site, well, it has just slipped past me a bit :)

This blog was created when I was still new to the neighborhood, and it was the perfect outlet for all of my design/decor desires, cooking attempts (some wins, some not!) and my new budget-focused life with the new mortgage under my belt. Now? The blog is morphing into something a tad different. It's not something I have planned, but I know that change is right around the corner. No longer am I just a "Buckhead Betty," spending nights on the town with my ladies before date nights every weekend. Those ladies are now married, some with kids and others with little ones on the way. Most of them have mortgages now, too, so budgets are tighter while all those plans for the future are becoming actual reality. Some have moved away, while others have moved OTP.

As for us? Date nights have been stretched out to special occasions, while we save up for what we are terming "the next big thing." Don't judge, but it's not uncommon that we have a "nice little Saturday" at Costco and Home Depot ... and we are ok with it! Meal planning meets pre-planning while the husband finishes out one last semester of night classes for his Masters. Entertaining must be in my blood, because I love having our friends over to the condo, vs. meeting up on the town.

Life just keeps going. As does this blog, in some form or another. It's never been a DIY blog, a cooking blog or a budgeting blog. It's been a lifestyle blog ... of my own life! And it will continue to be just that. I wouldn't change any of this for the world. I turned 30 last year. If 29 was any indication, 30 is hopefully going to be a good one. That "next big thing?" We have some ideas. More to come in the coming months! But right now, we are going to continue to focus on "us," and today. And today, I am ready for the spring, and with it, the change that it always seems to bring :)

Don't Forget: Cocktails in the Garden

As the summer winds down, there are a few weeks left of the fabulous Cocktails in the Gardens events over at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I speak from many years of experience that these evenings are one of the best ways to spend a lazy late-summer evening with friends or loved ones! This has been one of my favorite no-brainer memberships to reinstate each year.

Buckhead Betty tip: Use your admission to go towards a year-long membership by stopping by the membership tables on your way out. You will pay for it in three visits, and the first one is already done! A dual-membership is even easier to pay off, and you get easy (and free) date ideas for a whole year, hooray!

Cocktails has been a PR Girls fav for years!
Note to self: don't stand next to the tall girls in photos ;)

The Cocktails events typically run through September, when they then switch into Scarecrows in the Gardens mode and serve up seasonal beers, instead. Equally as fun, but it gets cooler at night pretty quickly, so stop by in September in order to enjoy the last few warm evenings :)

Get more info for your visit here: http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/ 

Note: I did not receive any compensation in exchange for this mention. I just love this place and want to share the info with you, reader friends! 

OOTD: Virtual Girls Night

Girls and their clothes. It never gets old creating outfits and having fun dressing up! It's well known that girls don't dress for boys, either -- they dress for other girls!

Tonight, I had one of two Girl's Nights scheduled for the week, this one with a dear friend from college. Meet Lindsay, my partner in crime from our six-week Madrid study abroad program.

Side note: Oh Fanta from Spain, you are so much better than Fanta here in the States. Why can't they replicate that recipe here?! 

Lindsay and I spent a lot of time "studying" in Spain way back then ... at the bar across the street from our dorm. With "Bluuuudy Maryssss" as the bartender called them. Don't be fooled -- we went to our fair share of classes and local business visits as part of our program. But we also ran into some famous people while out on the town at nights:

Oh hi, Ice-T! Or "Mr. Ice-T Sir" as we addressed him, ha!

Lindsay is a blast, so I never pass up the chance to hang out with this old friend! I made sure to put on a nice outfit this morning in honor of the occasion, and you know, maybe blow out my hair rather than wear it dirty ;)

Dress: Target, Blazer: LOFT, Shoes: Nine West, Belt: JCrew

I also threw on some fun earrings, just for the occasion.

Earrings: Stella and Dot

Sadly, my friend has had a crazy day come up at work, so we have to postpone our evening. Now we are both sitting here in cute outfits today, with nowhere special to go tonight.

Doesn't this card just sum it up perfectly? :)

Source: someecards.com via Katherine on Pinterest

So instead, we took shots of our outfits and texted them to each other and had a virtual mini "date" at work, ha! I am loving Lindsay's ring. And her manicure - check this out!

Lesson learned: don't let a "wasted" outfit day get you down! Even if you can't publicly post about your outfits like me (ha!), share them with friends or snap a shot and recreate the look later. It'll be just as good the second time around. And virtually is better than not at all!

Have you "wasted" an outfit recently?

And to Lindsay: Can't wait to see you next week instead!!

 

Cocktails, Canapes and Cookies

Tonight is my Third Annual Girls Night Holiday Cookie Exchange! 

Get your own fab e-invites from Punchbowl, my personal fav source.

I think you might remember the after-video and photos from a few years ago of the ladies in action? This year, I am hoping for nothing less than another night full of wine, laughter and precious time spent with some of the busiest and most-fabulous gals around town. I am so thankful that they have all chosen to block off a night on their crazy holiday calendars to spend together, too.

To keep things simple for this party that has grown to house 20-30 guests, I always ask the girls bring their own wine and two dozen cookies to share and exchange. This keeps costs down for me as the hostess, but also ensures that we will have plenty to share just in case the unexpected (though totally expected, at this point, since we all know how our crowd works!) few extra gal pals tag along.

I will be supplying my special mulled wine to start the party off, along with a selection of "savory snacks," aka insurance that the girls don't get sugar- and wine-high on totally empty stomachs, resulting in extra-unpleasant headaches the next day :) This year, I am making my mom's marinated cheese recipe with crackers, which sits overnight and then inverts onto a serving platter. Easiest day-of appetizer prep, hands down! I am adding to that my guac two-bites, which are festively-colored for the Christmas theme, and some cheesey sausage balls that I made and froze on Monday and will throw into the oven to finish tonight.

Other than that, I let the party run itself! Christmas music cued up on Pandora through the TiVo, festive decor all around the condo, and an open door that guests are welcome to let themselves into. Friends and more friends are always welcome; there is always guaranteed to be at least one new face among the crowd. The wine is free-flowing, as is the laughter.

I will be back this weekend with a photo recap of the evening, and if you are lucky, a recipe or two from some of my guests for their fabulous cookies.

In the meantime, do share: what are your go-to favorite cocktails and/or appetizers to make when hosting a party? 

Move Along, Move Along

It's a natural thing of life - friends grow up and move away. After attending high school and college right here in Atlanta, and then finding my first job and my first home here, too, I have seen a lot (read: A LOT) of friends make big life changes and move away. Some went abroad for school, and some went up and down the coastlines for fun. Others got married and moved outside the perimeter (OTP, gasp!) for a big home and a few acres, while some shifted cross-country for their dream jobs. Most of the time, I have been more excited for those friends and their new opportunities awaiting them than I have been sad (or even mad) about them leaving. After all, today's world of texting, Skype and Facebook might even keep me "closer" to them while they are 1,000 miles away than I'd be with them here nearby!

Monica and Chandler were only moving 10 minutes outside
the city and everyone fell apart :)

This doesn't change the fact, though, that it stinks. It just plain stinks. I miss my friends. I miss having people to just "meet up with" when I need a gal pal (or a drink, for that matter!). I miss seeing the girls out and about on the weekends, or even just seeing them once a month or so for dinner. Compared to the man's group of friends, too, all of whom are still here in town, my friends are far and even farther away. I am one of the few left that has an ATL zip code.

I absolutely love my life here in Atlanta, and wouldn't have changed a thing about it if I had had the chance. I would never have had the opportunity to have the career I do, nor own the home I do, if I was in another part of the country. I am closer with my immediate family than I ever was, and I got to start this very blog based on my world here! Plus, I get to go to home football games whenever I want, and I can even take the MARTA there. How sweet is that?

But in the end, it's still bittersweet. I just heard last week that another close friend of mine is moving away, and these feelings have all resurfaced again. I can only imagine what it's like to be from a small town and have everyone move away, because here I am in a BIG town and it's still really hard to witness that!

In the meantime, though, I am still meeting even more new friends. For a while there, I almost was at a point where I didn't feel like I needed to, because I was blessed with so many great gal pals. But now, more than ever, I realize that there is never an end to making new friends. Sometimes you need the new ones more than you'd ever guess. And sometimes, just sometimes, you just need a ten-minute call with that oldest BFF to make everything around you seem a-ok :)

Books for the Betties

Are you a reader? Do you love to pick up new books, and turn each page, getting wrapped into the story?

I am an avid reader, and over the past few years, have been trying to return to my reading roots by dedicating a few minutes at bedtime to my latest novel pick. True, it's ridiculously hard to want to read once your head hits that pillow at the end of another long day, but I have found that it's both peaceful and stimulating, but ultimately it helps me sleep all that much better, even with just 15-minutes spent on that next chapter. Plus, if you join your local library, reading is a FREE option for how to spend a lazy rainy day.

Somewhere along the way, I joined Good Reads, an online community/social network dedicated to reading. At first, all I was able to add to my queue were the chick-lit pink-covered books, because they were just so gosh-darn easy to get through. More and more, though, I saw that friends and family were venturing on to bigger and bigger novels, so I upped my game, too. I added Edgar Sawtelle to the list, and absolutely loved the quietness of the tale of a mute-boy growing up in the extreme Northern US on a dog-breeding farm. The Memory Keeper's Daughter depressed me but made me think hard about how people interact with each other and how the choices they make can change lives. I devoured The Help and Water for Elephants before they were even being made into movies. And sure, I added a few more of those pink-covered books to the list; they were too much fun to ignore :)

My Good Reads queue. I slowed down a bit earlier this year, as you can see :)

My grandmother has belonged to a book club for many, many years. Only recently due to her health has she not been able to physically attend the meetings, but that doesn't mean she has stopped reading. Grandma goes through books at warp-speed, and I am often finding out about the latest bestsellers from her when we chat on the phone. I am inspired to think that even when I am her age, I will still be keeping my mind fresh and active through reading!

Our hostess put together an
amazing spread!

But I had never really considered joining a club until recently, when an extended group of PR girlfriends suggested that we formalize one. I immediately said yes. I knew that I already loved time with the gals (and wine...) and so why not try and combine that with my own goal of reading more (and reading more new things!) ?

This past week we had our first book club meeting to discuss The Red Tent, which was ironically the last book I had actively updated in my Good Reads queue. I finished it in early Spring and loved it, and loved even more discussing it with the ladies, each of whom brought her own unique perspective to the table. The book is largely looped into the stories of the Bible, and each of us talked about how we saw the fiction-based-on-fact book playing out in real life in today's society. All of that plus some lovely food and company, and it was a great first meeting!

The next book for our club is TBD, but I am reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in the meantime, and am loving it. I can't wait to hear which book is next for the club!


What are you reading right now? Do you belong to a book club?

Bachelorette Business

Living in a high-rise in Buckhead, I am pretty much game for any opportunity that arises where I can play hostess. So when it came time for us bridesmaids to figure out a Bachelorette party plan for our dear friend, Laurie, I of course offered up the condo as party-central!

After a consult with my mom (the original Malone party planning guru!), I decided that a poolside soiree with a tropical theme would be a fun way to kick things off. She was fabulous and put together some fantastic themed party supplies for me to use. Since it's about 80-bajillion degrees here right now, I played it safe and assumed we'd be spending at least half of the day upstairs, seeking relief from the sun. I hung up some fun streamers and decorated the tabletops.

An ice bucket full of sodas and white wine was ready for the gals when they needed a break from the margaritas we'd be having at the pool. I also had champagne (buy it on the cheap at Trader Joe's) chilling in the fridge for a lingerie surprise later in the day. 

In prep for our girls night on the town, I picked up some pink (duh!) swag for everyone to wear. A pink lei would showcase Laurie as the Bachelorette, while we 'maids had some fun light-up rings and name badges (on which we of course wrote our alter-ego names!)

Down at the pool, I reserved a corner for us to relax and chat for the afternoon in the sun. I love the cute chalkboard sign that my mom let me borrow - I announced our Bachelorette theme there for everyone at the pool to see! Some fun candy-striped straws worked perfectly for the margaritas on the rocks (everyone knows you drink faster through a straw...) and flip flop and flower cut-outs kept the tropical theme going. We even had pool toys on reserve in case the gals got a little crazy. Koosh paddleball, anyone?!

The party wouldn't have been complete without the food, though! Since we were planning on a fun night out complete with dinner, I kept the snacks light. Oriental Salad filled up adorable Chinese food take-out boxes, which I then kept in a cooler, and fruit kabobs were on standby for a healthier snack.

Some people like salty and some like sweet when they drink, so I was sure to have both on hand. Chips and a pineapple salsa for the first group, and then fantastic cookie bars for the others! The recipe I used was a hit, so enjoy it with your next gathering - I have included it below :)

After our day in the sun, we celebrated Laurie's last days as a single gal with champagne and girly gifts before heading out for some Ormsby's bocce fun and Cosmo/Lava dancing. 

Congrats, Laurie! We are so excited for you!

Macadamia Coconut Cookie Bars
Via Rachael Ray

1 package dry sugar cookie mix, prepared to package directions
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup white chocolate chips
Softened butter or Pam for Baking, to prepare baking dish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To cookie mix prepared to package directions, add nuts, coconut and white chocolate chips. Butter/spray a 9x12 baking dish and press cookie dough evenly into a thin layer across the bottom. Bake bars for about 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven, and cool slightly. Cut into squares, remove with spatula and serve.

Notes from KJM: it may be my oven, but my bars took closer to 20-25 minutes to bake. Just follow the "lightly golden brown" rule and yours will turn out great! Chill the bars overnight to firm them up for a party.

Friends Forever

I had a rare night at home alone with zero plans this week. Zero things to do (minus that laundry over there ... hmmm I am ignoring it. Done!), zero things on my mind (more or less ha) and zero things holding me back from some serious time with some old besties.

They were wondering where I've been.

It's been way too long since I watched this show. During the past weekend's Bachelorette festivities, one of my two (yes, I own two) sets of SATC trivia games got pulled off a shelf while we were prepping with champagne. I had so much fun re-living some of the more random pieces of the show with our speed rounds of the game that I couldn't help but pop the DVDs in this week.

The selected DVD, random though it was, proved to be perfect, because it brought up the few episodes where Carrie is post-Berger (ie. Post-It Guy) and getting back to girl time with her ladies. Miranda makes it back into her skinny jeans after having a baby and avoids her ex's new girlfriend, Samantha is risque as always (she's my fav) and Charlotte gets engaged and married to her second husband, who proves to be way better of a fit for her than the first fling.

A few episodes of this stuff later, though, and now I want to go on the record to say that I would be ok with scheduling in (to our already way overly crazy planners) a few ladies brunches in the near future. Any of you fine ladies out there in? Let's do the whole Mimosa and Bloody Mary lazy Sunday brunch thing. I'd be willing to skip a late night or two to save up for it. Both the money and the energy, that is. I realize that we aren't like 70, but I will be the first to admit that weekend mornings are sacred - valuable time spent on the couch with the Sunday paper and coffee! But some well-planned outings here and there might make them all that much more fun.

Men. We can meet for beers. I don't like to discriminate, after all :)

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By the way. Can I live in the SATC sets?

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Decor notes for my future millionaire dream home, that's for sure.

Nashville Here We Come!

Last night and this morning, I had a great time catching up with the lovely ladies in town attending and participating in BlogHer Food. Many shouts to @runwithtweezers @foodformyfamily @onceamonthmom @unsophisticook @frenchfoodiemom @VeggieConverter @pameladonnis @hoosierhomemade and everyone else that made my Thursday evening and Friday morning so full of cheer and bloggy goodness!

This afternoon, I am embarking on yet another ladies-gathering, but this time we are hitting the road to Nashville! It is time to celebrate one of my BFF's Bachelorette weekends. We have so many fab things in store for her to send her off out of singledom in style. I can't ruin the surprise by listing out our plans here yet, but I will definitely share details about the weekend next week once we return.

For now, I leave you with some fun pictures of Annemarie and me over the years -- love you girl!

Hats and High Tea

One day, I will be one of the lovely ladies at the Derby with my massive hat atop my head, sipping a mint julep in the stands.

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Because if I wanted the in-field experience, I can get it on the cheap right here at Atlanta Motor Speedway...

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Until then, I will have to make due with attending similarly fantastic events around here where I can wear a fabulous hat and live the high life.

Enter High Tea. A tradition often reserved for Ladies Who Lunch and grandmothers, this Sunday afternoon outing has gotten even more popular for the younger ladies crowd with recent infatuation of certain British celebrities ...

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Luckily for me, Wendy at ATL Events put together a gals outing for us over the weekend, right in our backyards at the Four Seasons in Midtown. Park 75 does a lovely tea service, complete with cucumber sandwiches, pastries, scones, lemon curd and oh yes, tea. I had the chai and it was divine!

But nothing would be complete about a high tea without the hats. We dressed the part, and pulled out all the stops for our mid-afternoon fun! 

Sarah, Katie, me, Nicole and Wendy at Tea! Thanks Wendy for the picture!

I paired a green J Crew halter dress with linen Nine West pumps and a Panama Jack hat, to keep things springy and simple. I have yet to purchase one of the bigger Derby hats, but this one went from beach to Buckhead with the addition of some jewels and makeup!

For those of you looking to have High Tea around Atlanta, there are a number of affordable and chic places. A quick list is here, but hit up @ATLEvents for her recommendations, as she is a High Tea fan!

Thanks Wendy and ladies for the wonderful outing!