Without Further Ado

I've been remiss to not announce the Carolina Pad giveaway winner until today!

So, without further ado (and with the help of Random.org), congratulations goes to...

Nutritious is Delicious!!!

Send me an email, and we'll get you set up with $35 worth of Carolina Pad products!

Enveloped

I've always been responsible with my limited income, but two weeks ago I adopted the old-school Envelope Method of budgeting. Each week I withdraw a set amount of cash and divide into the following envelopes: Food/Household, Eating Out, Gas/Transportation, Clothing, Entertainment, Fabric/Sewing. The idea of the system is that you'll think about each and every purchase you make more purposely than if you were using your debit card. You can dip into other envelopes for a purchase if needed, but when the cash is gone... it's gone.

So far, it's been great. It really has opened to my eyes to how many thoughtless purchases I make at Target, the grocery store... really anywhere. I now know exactly where my money is going. HOWEVER, being extremely anal and OCD and Type A, the system has caused some issues and "that girl" moments. For example, last week at Target I picked up a tank top (Clothing Envelope), protein bars (Food/Household) and blank CDs (Entertainment). I had the cashier ring each up separately, so I could pull from each individual envelope. Yes, I'm a rule follower. I know the other patrons behind me were none too pleased about having to wait as each transaction was complete. Nor were they smiling as I apologized profusely for the myriad of envelopes scattered across the register. Even when I explained that it was part of my budget. Sigh. Oh well. My bank account is thanking me.

Furry Friday

While I try to get my brain functioning enough to write a real post, enjoy these overly adorbs snapshots of Miz Sadie, who watched America's Next Top Model with me on Wednesday and has been in a posing mood ever since.

She also thinks you're really lame if you don't enter my Carolina Pad giveaway.

A Question & An Answer

Many of you asked about the Mr. T necklace I was wearing to meet Ave over the weekend. Well, I pity the fool who's never been to my favorite Charlotte store JT Posh. In fact, just yesterday I stopped in and found a pair of Rock & Republic skinnies for $30. Hard to beat! Seriously, if you live in Charlotte, or if you ever visit, hit me up. I'll take you. I have coupons.

Secondly, here's the question of the day: Do you think your "blog persona" accurately represents who you are in real life?

My answer is yes, but I think if you met me in person you'd realize that I'm much nicer than I think this blog portrays. You'll also find that I find myself in awkward situations even more often than I share here. And I'm probably more insecure than I let on through this little slice of the blogosphere. How about you?

P.S. Don't forget to enter my Carolina Pad giveaway!

Give It Away; Give It Away; Give It Away Now

Y'all know that I'm obsessed with office supplies. When I was in school, my obsession was school supplies, and that love has only grown as I've transitioned into the "real world." Thankfully there are more options than ever to help me beautify my workspace. From precious file folders, monogrammed note pads, flower-shaped Post-Its, colorful planners... the possibilities are endless. When you're on the kind of budget that I am, though, you need supplies that are cute, but also cost savvy. Enter Carolina Pad. These goodies satisfy every craving and wish I could have for organizational, writing and office tools.

Carolina Pad is currently sold in Target, Walmart and other retailers, and has been featured on episodes of 90210, Greek, and 10 Things I Hate About You. If that doesn't tell you enough about how amazing these products are, consider that both Miley Cyrus and Carrie Underwood have been spotted out and about with Carolina Pad products.

Prettifying my desk currently?

Simply Chic file folders (completely drooling over the houndstooth print), organizational folder, and note pad

Pattern Play decorative tab dividers

Whimsical Flower composition book and folderHot Chocolate binder and notebook

So what does this mean for you??? Well, Carolina Pad has been gracious enough to offer one lucky Polka Dots & Protein Bars reader with $35 worth of merchandise of their choice (and considering how incredibly reasonable everything is... that's a lot)! Seriously, does it get any better? Since this is one of my favorite giveaways to date, you'll have multiple chances to enter. Here's how:

1 entry - check out Carolina Pad's Web site and leave a comment telling me your favorite collection.
2 entries - be a follower of PD&PB and Hems & Hers.
3 entries - be a follower of SuZeeBee.
4 entries - follow Carolina Pad on Twitter.
5 entries - follow me on Twitter.
6 entries - blog or Tweet about this giveaway.

The deadline to enter is Sunday, September 27. The winner will be announced Monday, September 28. Good luck and get excited!

Reunited and It Feels So Good

Friday night was the highly anticipated reunionwith Southern Sunshine after two long years. It was basically everything I could have hoped for and more. We met in Chapel Hill and enjoyed a leisurely dinner at Carolina Brewery and a wonderful bonus surprise of a quick visit with my sister!

Before arriving on Franklin Street, however, I needed some quick beautification. I hit the road immediately following work and was ick nast at it's finest. Thankfully I had thought to throw my makeup, brush and flat iron in the car with me. About half an hour outside of Chapel Hill, I needed to stop for gas. I wheeled into the Flying J Travel Plaza, filled up and found myself a nice parking spot. I brought my hair and cosmetic necessities with me into the bathroom and set up shop. I was looking so much ickier than I had initially thought, so I set to work washing my face (the hand soap provided in the bathroom and paper towels... it ripped my skin off), wetting my hair in the sink, then re-blowdrying it under the hand dryer. Unfortunately, the hand dryers were positioned very low to the ground, requiring me to squat underneath as I finger dried. As I was squatting, four people came into the bathroom. When they saw me, three gave me odd looks, and one turned around and left. When my hair was fluffed and in a dryer state, I plugged in my straightener and went to work styling. I also reapplied my make up and continued receiving strange (and, yes, dirty) stares. In fact, one woman came in the bathroom three times over the course of twelve minutes and just gawked at me. They must have thought I was preparing for my night shift on the street corners of Carrboro.

All in all I'm thrilled I spent the extra time getting pretty because Southern Sunshine looked nothing short of gorgeous, although, with her, that's par for the course. We paused long enough to snapped a few shots of the event, and hopefully you'll see that the truck stop tune up did me well.

That Girl

Oh my gracious. It is with a heavy heart that I confess to sinking into the deep, pathetic pit of past "that girls." Today, I became "that girl" to which many a post on this very blog have been dedicated; I became "that girl" that rankles my ire; I've become "that girl" I despise.

I always, always, always bring a magazine with me to the Y (and it's always something light and fun - celeb gossip tabloid, fashion mag, Sports Illustrated, something enjoyable). I need to have something covering the display in front of me, and without it, I'm worthless. Enter today: I reach the lockroom and realize that I am sans publication. Never fear, I reassure myself, there is sure to be something remotely interesting in the public bin (this is rarely the case... National Geographic, Baby and TIME are the issues left stranded... but nonetheless I tried to fortify my flagging motivation).

I must have done something extra wonderful today, because my eyes feasted on issue after issue of Marie Claire (the two most recent), In Touch (also the two most recent) and Glamour (from May). As my eyes did a rather sketchy dance around the room to see if anyone was watching, I horded each and every issue for my own use. When other girls came and rifled through the bin, I wasn't a bit guilty that I had stockpiled five issues on my elliptical, while they walked away empty-handed.

After all... all's fair in sweat & war, right?

That's What Friends are For

My dear friend Kat, a new client of Hems & Hers has been oh so supportive of my little venture and created a Hems & Hers fan page on Facebook! Seriously, folks, she's the best. Click here to the view the page and become a fan, or simply click on the box in my side bar.

So Fresh & So Clean, Clean

Yesterday my boss asked me to Windex some binders. Not because she's a germophobe but because she didn't like the way the smudges looked. I have never been so proud of my education.

True Story Tuesday - Salt & Pepper Spray

In November of last year (pre-blog... I know... it shocked me too), the Polka Dot Palace was broken into and multiple items were stolen. Thankfully, sweet Sadie May was unharmed, but it was a terrifying, frightening and traumatic experience, nonetheless.

Immediately after the incident, Little and Daddy armed me with pepper spray, which was both nerve-wracking and empowering. For a few weeks I kept it unopened in my purse. My theory being that if a "bad guy" were to approach and threaten me I could say, "Halt, do not come any closer and force me to open this package of pepper spray and proceed to spray it at you."

As I was explaining this one night to a family who I regularly babysit for, the husband (who also happens to be a partner at my dad's company) insisted that he open it for me. I relented, and was secretly thankful he was doing so. After he had it free from its plastic prison, he handed the spray to me and read the instructions aloud. As he read, my hand automatically followed his words, unleashing a torrent of pepper spray upon him and his wife.

As the kitchen filled with the acrid substance, we were all crying, hacking, wheezing. I tried to apologize. Profusely. As my lungs bled. The husband tried to assure me it was okay. As his eyes were disintegrating. His wife did not look amused. Even aside from the massive stink eye she was sporting. Needless to say, it was quite a while before I heard from the family again.

Silver lining: We now know exactly how pepper spray works. And trust me when I say... it's nasty business.

D.Y.I.N.G.

Okay, okay, okay. I can barely contain myself. It has been practically two years since I've seen this girl. I think (knock on wood, wood-like substances, anything hard...) that the drought is finally over. A date is set for this Friday... food, drink and reuniting. One of the sweetest, most genuinely caring and sincere people I have ever met, aHr is truly one of my greatest friends. We have shared many, many a dinner and prayer over Zaxby's Zalads and many a night up late chatting in the 3' x 3' box-room-thing we shared in our sorority house. To celebrate the closing of a Sunshine-less two years, here are my top 5 favorite things we have shared...

Picture taken November 2007 - our most recent get together.

5. Crafting - from card stock to grosgrain to canvas picture frames, we spent many hours creating masterpieces and works of art. Ave had a greater gift than me, and it's one of the things that makes her such an extraordinary teacher.
4. Anno Domini and Amy Grant medleys - as great as her crafting skills, her vocal ones are even more divine. A member of NC State's Christian acapella group, she would rehearse in our box-room-thing while I pretended I could carry a tune and harmonize with her. We embraced our shared obsession with Amy Grant and rocked out regularly to "Baby, Baby" and "Galileo."
3. Cookout milkshakes - if you lovelies don't have a Cookout in your vicinity, you are missing out terribly. Thick, creamy, full of real fruit, cookies, etc, Cookout milkshakes are God's gift to me (and my friendship with aHr). I allowed myself two per semester (banana pudding shake, please), and my favorite person to share them with (besides Baby Sis, of course) was/is Ave. One of my favorite memories is traveling to Western Blvd. to get shakes my last night in our room-box-thing and relishing in the dessert and equally sweet conversation that followed.
2. Blogging - if it weren't for this pint-sized powerhouse, Polka Dots & Protein Bars would never exist. Truly. Before PD&PB's conception, my inbox was regularly filled with links to preppy blogs, wedding blogs and cupcake blogs. I was hesitant when Southern Sunshine first encouraged me to begin my own, but with a bit of prodding, pushing and peer pressure (the holy trinity of p's, natch), I discovered one of my favorite things in the world: Writing mindless entries and submitting them into the blogiverse.
1. Judging People - few people outside of Lobster are truly capable of "getting" the fact that I love, adore, totally enjoy judging people in real life and, especially, on reality TV. The problem with most people is that they take everything I say at face value and get offended. Not my darling Ave. She quickly became one of my favorite to watch TV with (and that's saying something).

Can't wait to see you, sweets!

Rule #24

If you decide to go green and use previously printed paper to print new documents, it is crucial to make sure that none of the stacks you insert into the printer are stapled together. If you forget, and the printer begins making horrendous noises and dying, simply go to the bathroom, count to 30, then slink back to your desk and pretend you don't know what's going on.

Giving It the Boot

Guess what's on the way to my front door???

These pretty pieces of footwear. I would still love a pretty, pretty pair of gray leather, but for now, these will do. My only fear is not knowing how to pull off the bootie or what to wear it with. Hmmm, could be interesting! And while they look to be the exact same color in the pictures, I'm assured one is more camel while the other is more chocolate. We shall see.

Incon"vein"ient

I have to go in for another vein procedure in about an hour. I'm expecting multiple, multiple injections near my lady bits, so you'll excuse me for not looking forward to it one bit. My decrepit veins are the medical malady that never ends. I started this bloggity blog the evening of my first surgery in December, in which one of my veins was completely removed. Yuck.

I thought I had finally shed my compression hose, but alas, they'll be back on these stems by 2:30. Fabulous. The silver lining is that I'm excused from work for the rest of the day.

In other news, I'm dying for some riding boots. Maybe today is the day I get them... as a pity party prize perhaps? Where can I score a gorgeous pair for a gorgeously low price?

Moonlighting Monday

So, as I know I've explained before, I'm always looking for a creative outlet - blogging, sewing, cooking, baking, and... children's book writing? Yep, that's correct. I wrote my first... a little ditty entitled Bonnie the Bee and followed it up with the sequel Bonnie & Wally. I would love to get published, but, of course, have not the slightest clue as to start that process. Nonetheless, I thought it might be fun to mix things up and share with you, Bonnie the Bee. Clearly, I'm not cut out for illustrating, but I would love any tips or feedback you lovelies can offer!

There once was a little bee named Bonnie who loved being a bee. Her favorite colors were black and yellow. She also loved stripes! She lived in a cozy little beehive way up in an old oak tree. All day the bees would fly in and out of the hive carrying pollen to turn into gooey, sticky, yummy, golden honey.When Bonnie's wings got big and strong, she was allowed to go collect pollen too. Bonnie was soooo excited. She loved all the pretty colored flowers: red poppies, creamy daisies, and yellow and black Black-eyed Susans that matched her.Bonnie's very favorites were the pink tulips. She loved diving in between their soft, rosy petals and getting pollen. One day Bonnie started to sneeze. Her eyes itched and watered, and her skin broke out in funny red bumps. Even her usually perky buzz sounded stuffy.Bonnie's mom took her to see Dr. Bumble, the bee doctor.After running many tests, Dr. Bumble told Bonnie and her mom that Bonnie was allergic to flowers.The doctor gave poor little Bonnie some Bee-nadryl, and Nurse Honey gave her a small shot, but Bonnie wasn't allowed to go play in the flowers anymore.To fill her days, Bonnie drew pictures of all the pretty flowers that she had seen.Soon she had used up all her crayons, and her room was covered with her pictures.She didn't know what to do with all of them, so she took them to the Bee-tirement Home where all the old bees, who couldn't work anymore, lived.Bonnie's pictures made the old bees very happy, and their smiles made Bonnie happy again too.Soon everyone in the hive was buying Bonnie's pictures, and she became everyone's favorite little bee. Bonnie was a celebri-bee!Bonnie didn't think about her allergies anymore either. She was too content making other people happy to feel sorry for herself.

Home Sweet Home To ME

Despite being a North Carolina State alum, my blood runs orange. Born and raised in Knoxville, my roots there are deeper than ever (trivia fact: the track at UT is named after my great, great uncle). I was fed a steady diet of games at Neyland Stadium as a tot, and try as I might, ACC football never did quench my thirst for the party that's an SEC game.

Last season was full of heartbreak. Frustrating losses, a terrible record, and ultimately, the departure of head coach Phil Fulmer, who was like a kind, old uncle - he was an integral part of my football fandom.

But, there is a season for everything, and I hope that this season is Tennessee's rebirth as a football powerhouse. Under the disciplined and demanding (and super cute) tutelage of new coach Lane Kiffin, the "Big Orange" is being redefined. And I, for one, can't wait to see Rocky Top run through the Power T at 12:21 today.

The One in Which I Ask You to Judge People

Yesterday my dad sent me this knowing that it would raise my ire. And he was right. Ire it did raise (because, clearly, the Duggars are way better than the Gosselins. Fashion not withstanding - girlfriends need a shot of Hems & Hers in their lives). After perusing the article, however, I realized one very important factor that Mr. Ryan forgot to raise. Who would win in a hairy showdown between Kate and Michelle (granted, Kate has recently gone to extreme measures to make amends for her coif). I'm leaving that up to my darling readers. Who's more smokin', and whose 'do would you rather rock?

KATE


MICHELLE (needless to say, it was very hard to find a picture of Miz Duggar ridin' solo)