How??? How are we at season 5? We don’t know, but we do know that Julia goes on her first rant in forever. A Southern one no less. Oh! And Mary Jo is getting hitched! No, she’s not, psyche, made you look. [enter shrug emoji] Speaking of 90s lingo, we’re going all out in this week’s “Extra Sugar” where we’re going to get a little nostalgic about possibly our favorite decade.  But first: we can’t have an episode about the Tour of Homes without sidebar-ing on…the Tour of Homes.  (If you're just here for the DW chat, skip forward to about 6:41.)

After a nearly two-and-a-half year journey with us, we have done it: we have reached the 90s. The decade that makes us nostalgic for things we’ll never get back: SNICK, Delia’s, and Blockbuster…the elasticity in our skin.  In this week’s “Extra Sugar”, we pay homage to this era that shaped the two women you hear blather on every week (you’re welcome and sorry about that). We’ll also pay special attention to the year it is in season 5 of Designing Women: 1990. Oh, and we’ll probably throw in a Grits Blitz to see who can actually remember 30 years ago.

The ladies have a big surprise in store for Anthony’s “dirty 30”, but y’all, he’s been hinting at VCR all week! Sounds like we need to sidebar about the WORST birthday surprises. Meanwhile, Bernice is horny and Suzanne hasn’t quite learned her lesson about brandishing weapons. Come back later in the week for an assemblage of reunion stories: the sweet, the funny, and the downright unbelievable.

Anthony meeting his dad in episode two had us thinking about “reunion” stories of all stripes: family, friends, lovers, and classmates. And with that in mind, we’ve assembled a roundup of some of the most interesting ones we could find: from the funny to the sweet and the utterly bizarre.

It’s been a rough week, y’all. Charlene quit. She and MJ had a big fight. But, hey, they both feel like bad moms and inadequate, so all is well in the world. Meanwhile, the whole gang is abused by a pint-sized client who comes to blows with Suzanne.  Come back later in the week for an “Extra Sugar” dedicated to the plight of stay-at-home parents.

In this week’s episode of “Designing Women”, Charlene straight-up quit Sugarbakers. She decided the “put-on-an-outfit-with-shoulder-pads, tease-your-hair, leave-your-baby-with-a-nanny, and head-into-the-office-for-the-day” lifestyle just wasn’t for her. She needed more time with Olivia. More time for play dates. More time for snuggles. More time for…her programs. The whole shebang. We’re calling this week’s segment, “Stay-at-Home Parenting: All The Work, None of the Pay.” Let’s talk: a brief history of parents who do not work for pay, particularly changing trends for dads; pros and cons of staying home; the invisible tension between parents who do work for pay and those who don’t (and how to break the tension!); and a few self-care tips for any parents who stay home, so it doesn’t feel like one, long Groundhog Day.

Oooh! We don’t remember the last time we saw Julia this riled up! Jury duty and rule follower Charlene are standing between her and dinner with President Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter.  We’ll sidebar on radio contests in honor of the hurtin’ Charlene, Suzanne, and Anthony put on the record store after winning a radio contest. Then come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” dedicated to the South’s most infamous jury trials.

Poor, poor Julia. Our consummate Southern lady has the opportunity of a lifetime - a fine dining opportunity with THE CARTERS. Basically Southern royalty. Instead, she finds herself sitting in a dingy conference room, watching a bunch’a’losers eating baskets of fried cheese before they all retire to the Fair Price Motel which was NOT the nicest place she had been. All trying to give an Atlanta citizen the right to a fair trial. It was all so deeply unfair. Oh, the irony. But, what is fair, is the opportunity this episode of “Designing Women” gave Nikki to flex her true crime investigation skills! She’s bringing us two lesser-known Southern criminal trials, as well as a couple of unusual crimes that are, shall we say, a little scattered, smothered and covered?

We’ll sum this one up in three words (and a couple of symbols): Suzanne + Anthony = Love.  When we’re not swooning over these two, we’ll pause for a “Salina’s Sidebar” about auctions because people have bid on some weird stuff and we just have to talk about it. Come back Thursday for a very special “Extra Sugar” on Mary Mac’s Tea Room – an Atlanta institution known for its Southern comfort food. This inevitably – and edible-ly (?) leads to a “Nikki’s Nibbles” discussion about the best meat and threes in the city. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have to go lie down because our Roseanne Barr Disease is acting up.

Happppppy Halloween! While the kids are out gathering their candy tonight, we offer you this ear candy: a special ghoulish, extra spooky, Extra Sugar! In episode 1 this season, we talked about the oldest houses in Atlanta. But we didn’t talk about the specters who saunter the halls of these historic homes. The apparitions who abide the walls of these well-lived manors and mansions. The poltergeists who… Well, you get it. Old houses+ghosts=spooky Extra Sugar.

Welcome to the segment that left both of us a little hungry after recording. In honor of the hot and bothered crowd of ladies all hopped up on two-for-1 daiquiris from the Ruffles and Bows tea room, hootin’ and hollerin’ for our boy Anthony during the bachelor auction, let’s talk all things “Atlanta tea rooms.”  Ruffles and Bows may not have been a real tea room in Atlanta, but Mary Macs - a true Atlanta staple - IS a real Atlanta tea room. And there are a few other ATL spots where folks can get their “tea room” fix today - but in the 1940s Atlanta sense of the term “tea room.” We’ll get into it…

A Halloween episode?! YES. Our time has come. The whole gang is having an impromptu sleepover in Charlene’s new haunted house with pranks, ghost stories, roasted marshmallows, and of course, a grumpy Julia. (She hates sleepovers, y’all, she is very mature.) Anyways, you know we have to celebrate “Spooky Season,” so we’ll break in the middle to talk about the origins of Halloween, including some Southern connections, and celebrations like Día de los Muertos (including a good one right here in Atlanta).  Come back Thursday for a very special “Extra Sugar” where we’ll chat about scary stories and urban legends, with a Southern twist, of course.

This week was all thrills and chills on “Designing Women” - something we never knew we’d have a chance to say. As the ladies spent the night in Charlene’s spooky house, they told two urban legend stories around the living room campfire. They weren’t totally new to us - the girl in the prom dress who was never really there at all! And the hook hand hooligan grabbing on to cars while couples are making out. But, it got us thinkin’ about whether there were even more tales we don’t remember or that we’ve never heard.   And, boy are there. Let’s discuss some of the spookiest, most mystifying urban legends from the South, as well as a funsies from Massachusetts, the home state of the spooky season.

Our ladies get houseguests – and a glimpse into their future – when Mary Jo’s childhood teacher and her cantankerous friend run away from their slightly scary nursing home. Now: is this one pure shenanigans, or is the show giving us something truly deeper to consider?  Come back Thursday for an all-new “Extra Sugar” inspired by Olivia’s brief modeling career. (Big Hint: we’re talking about child models + Nikki surprises Salina with a Grits Blitz, so play along!) Come on y’all, let’s get into it!

Ah, sweet Charlene. In this week’s “Designing Women” episode, she was once again sucked into the mystic allure of fame. But, this wasn't like all those times before - from the designs on being a country and western singer, or when she thought about being a lady preacher, OR when she wanted to be a jury foreperson. No, this week’s dream of fame is a bit more removed. A bit more vicarious. A bit more…stage mom. That’s right: this one is all about Olivia. Petite. Charming. Her little bald head gleaming in the limelight. A Star is Born indeed. Which got us (or at least, Nikki) in the mindset of baby and child models. So, let’s fall down the rabbit hole on child models a little bit and why not play a Grits Blitz along the way!

Stuck in a rut? Run from it. That’s Mary Jo’s plan – she drags Julia along. We guess that means we’re coming, too, but don’t expect us to jog while we do it.   A running-themed episode inspired a sidebar where we’ll dig into Atlanta races and legendary runners. It has a history all its own, y’all! Like Julia, we also can’t get enough exercise, so come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” about workout trends throughout the years.

This week’s Extra Sugar is inspired by Mary Jo and Julia’s stint in the jogging world – and Julia taking it a little TOO serious. Like 2010s crossfit serious.  That’s right, y’all, we’re talking about fitness trends. We’ll probably admit to more than a few. Some are flat out hilarious, and there are time stamps galore. This one is just for funsies.

Charlene is having a rough time. She’s going to take some college courses, so naturally, Julia and Mary Jo insinuate she’s, oh how would Suzanne put it? Ah! Has more boobs than brains. Then her professor hits on her in THE MOST awkward way possible.  Meanwhile, we’re jazzed they’re threading episodes but have some questions about this timeline. We’ll also sidebar about three (Southern) psychologists who fundamentally changed the way we look at the world. And, then, it’s finally happening. We’ve patiently waited for an opportunity to do a “Sweet Tea & TV After Dark” – and it has arrived. Come back Thursday for "Extra Sugar" - it’s the Hite Report, y’all. NSFW nor children.

Waaaaaaay back in season 3, we agreed it was time to do a Sweet Tea & TV After Dark after Designing Women referenced a very sexy report. (Hey, reports can be sexy. Probably.) That’s right, y’all, we’re talking about The Hite Report, a landmark 1976 study all about female sexuality. Some of the findings are NSFW, or the kiddos, so you’ve been warned. (Also, maybe not for Salina’s grandparents because it’s just too much for her brain to comprehend.) We’ll talk about why this report was so important, the woman behind it, the backlash she faced, and how much things have changed in the last (nearly) 50 years.

No, no, no, noooooooo! Not another WWII fever dream. We understand Bill’s been sent on a top secret mission and Charlene’s scared, but do we all have to suffer? Yes, yes we do.  Meanwhile, Anthony gets the gang wrapped up in some Florida lottery scheming, so we’ll sidebar on some good (and bad) winner stories.  And then come back on Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” where we’re gonna shake things up and talk about one of our favorite current shows (which is incidentally all about the past) – The Crown. It’s the last season, y’all, so catch up and talk through it with us.