Somewhere In Between

JenniBean Reviews {Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake Mix}

2011-12-12T22:58:00.001-05:00

As a self-proclaimed cupcake connoisseur, I had high hopes for the Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake Mix from Williams-Sonoma, so when I started my marathon baking session tonight (another round of Andes Mint Cookies under my belt…in the literal and figurative sense as those Christmas Cookies are starting to add Christmas lbs!), I couldn’t wait to try the finished product.

Per the product description:

“Red velvet cupcakes have the signature scarlet hue and are made with Callebaut chocolate for depth of flavor and generous amounts of butter for richness; recipe for cream cheese frosting included.”

While I’ve never tried Sprinkles cupcakes (though, I feel like I have just from the sheer number of times I’ve seen founder Candace judge Cupcake Wars), I’ve heard that no one’s recipe can compare to theirs, and the product description left me a believer.

Unfortunately, the finished product did not live up to the high expectations.

The consistency of the batter was incredibly thick and much more dense than I am used to with a home made batter (the recipe called for the addition of 2 1/2 sticks of butter, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. of vinegar and 2/3 cup of milk to the prepared red velvet mix), but it made for an easy time filling the cupcake liners.

I baked the cupcakes for 18 minutes on 350 (as opposed to the 20-25 minutes per the recipe), and removed the cupcakes when they formed domes and sprung back to the touch. Even though I removed the cupcakes 2 minutes before the recommended time, I still felt they tasted a bit overdone. The cupcake I tasted had almost a scrambled egg taste, and the consistency was just off. It tasted as if I was eating a cake inside of a waxy exterior (and the cake was not as moist as the package promised).

The frosting recipe; however, was divine. I’ve made cream cheese frosting variations in the past, and this simple recipe did not disappoint. The consistency was thick and creamy, and the flavor was pronounced without being too overpoweringly sweet.

Overall, the cupcakes were decent, but not what I would have expected for a Sprinkles cupcake. Granted, I can’t judge the Sprinkles Bakery merely on their at-home mix, but if I had the choice, I would choose Magnolia Bakery (and their Red Velvet Rockette Cupcake!) over Sprinkles in a heartbeat!

{Magnolia Bakery – November 2010 after seeing The Rockettes}

Savoring Sunday {Defining Moments}

2011-12-11T21:36:00.001-05:00

Sunday is such a bittersweet day for me. It will always be my favorite day of the week, but I will always spend my Sunday’s mentally counting down until I have to be back at work Monday morning :/ Fortunately, this week will be so filled with work and personal commitments that Sunday will be back before I even have a chance to miss it! Today, we’ve:

Met the adorable Kobi; Fiancé’s ~~best friend’s~~ brother's newborn son.

{He looks like he’s got the fever, right!?}

(Holding Kobi just exacerbated my baby fever…but we have a wedding to get to first! At least that’s what Fiancé is telling me to cure my immediate fever}

Watched our boy, Tim Tebow lead the Broncos to yet another win! His 4th quarter/OT victories take me back to our Gator Getaway for the Gator’s Homecoming victory in 2009. Goooooo Gators!

Discovered my new favorite breakfast (even thought this was an after dinner snack) combination: Toasted Cranberry English Muffins with Nutella. Unfortunately, the Cranberry English Muffins are limited edition for the holidays.

{Good thing I planned ahead and have 3 packages of Cranberry English Muffins nestled in the freezer!}

Andes Mint Cookies {The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap}

2011-12-11T17:25:00.001-05:00

It’s no secret that I have a bit of a sweet tooth (make that, sweet teeth – I swear, every tooth in my mouth craves sugar, and craves it hard), so when the opportunity came to participate in the first annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, my sweet teeth chattered in delight!

The dilemma for me came down to which cookie to make. While my first thought would have been my go-to Christmas Cookie Confection, I wanted to try something new that incorporated a classic taste with a bit of a twist (not to mention, I just recently shared the recipe for my Chocolate Oatmeal Surprise Cookies, so I needed a different recipe to keep up with the Secret Santa feel of the swap).

As I got to thinking about some of my favorite desserts, my mind immediately found its way to the Andes Mint Cheesecake that I can never say “no” to at my favorite Mexican restaurant. The result of this minty musing became Andes Mint Cookies (a classic Chocolate Chip Cookie base with a Minty Mix-In in place of the chocolate chips).

Andes Mint Cookies

Recipe adapted from Andes Créme de Menthe Chunk Cookies

1/2 cup salted butter – softened (I used Smart Balance to lighten up the batter, but did not fully soften so that the cookies would hold their shape)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract (for an extra minty flavor, replace 1 tsp. vanilla extract with 1 tsp. mint extract)
2 eggs
10 oz Andes Créme de Menthe Baking Chips (or, chopped whole Andes Mints if you can’t find the baking chips – and if you want some whole mints to snack on while you bake!)
2 2/3 cups sifted flour

Preheat oven to 350.

In a Stand Mixer (or, use a large bowl and an electric hand mixer), cream butter and both types of sugar until blended.

Add one egg at a time, blending thoroughly until combined.

Add Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt, and mix until combined. Pour in Andes Mint Pieces and stir to blend.

Sift flour and add flour a 1/2 cup to one cup at a time and mix only until combined (avoid over mixing, or you will have tough cookies).

Chill for approximately one hour (dough will be crumbly).

Form dough into 1”-2” balls and place 2" apart on a silpat (or parchment paper) lined cookie sheet, slightly flattening each of the balls. Bake for 8-10 minutes, only until slightly brown on the edges. Cool cookies on pan for up to 2 minutes before removing.

This recipe makes approximately 4 dozen cookies. I hope Carol at Lucky Zucca, Alexis at Lex's Life as a New Wife, and Chelcie at Chelcie's Food Files enjoyed their cookies as much as I enjoyed making (and eating that 4th dozen!) them!

JenniBean Bakes {Overnight Oats & Oatmeal Scotchies}

2011-12-08T22:54:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Jenny at Love Eat Run, Brigitt at cook with b, and Mads at La Petite Pancake, the only thing on my mind this week has been cookies (and my expanding waistline due to said delicious, divine morsels)! If I wasn’t worried about fitting into a certain dress 9 months from now, I would have devoured every last cookie as soon as I opened the packages from The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!
You would think that all of the cookies in the apartment would have quelled my desire to bake more, but there is something about this time of year that ignites my cookie fire, and it won’t be extinguished until I am rolled off in a cookie coma sometime after December 26th! If it weren’t for the extra bag of Butterscotch Chips in the cabinet (left out of a Banana’s Foster Bread recipe I tested Thanksgiving Day), I probably could have held off baking until next week, but I digress…
Oatmeal Scotchies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened (I used 2 Sticks of Smart Balance)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats (I used Old-Fashioned)
1 11-oz. package Butterscotch Morsels

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and sift into a small bowl. Cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time until blended, followed by vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and Butterscotch chips. Form dough into 1-2 inch round balls and place 2 inches apart on a Silpat (or parchment paper) lined baking sheet. Slightly flatten the balls and bake 8-10 minutes (bake 7-9 minutes for chewier cookies). Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. (Adapted from Toll House Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe)

{Festive Holiday Tin courtesy of Jenny at Love Eat Run}

Four dozen cookies later, and I am still in the mood to create. In an effort to curb my cookie cravings and incorporate some nutritional value to my unyielding cookie diet, I decided to try my hand at Overnight Oats (as hungry as I have been at work lately, I figure a change in my breakfast routine might be in order!).

Mint Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats

3/4 cup Old-Fashioned Oats
3/4 cup Mint Chocolate Coconut Milk
1 Package Plain Chobani Greek Yogurt

I can’t wait to taste the outcome in the morning (I’m thinking of adding a small dollop of Nutella to round out my Oats)!

What is your favorite Overnight Oat combination?

New World Bistro Bar

2011-12-05T23:21:00.001-05:00

With a dessert menu that features Nutella Mascarpone Moose, Creme Brulée of the Day, and an ever changing Ice Cream Sando, it’s no wonder New World Bistro Bar has rapidly become my favorite restaurant (giving Bobby’s Flay’s Bar Americain and his Red Velvet Brownie with Cream Cheese Ice Cream a run for its money!). We may or may not have ordered and eaten all three desserts tonight (if my ever-expanding waistline is any indication, then I guess the bulge speaks for itself!).

{Nutella Mascarpone Moose – “don’t you wish you had a pillow made of this stuff!?”}

Ever since our first dinner at NWBB two weeks ago, I have not been able to get the Nutella Moose (and Carnitas!!) out of my head, and tonight was the perfect night to satisfy my creamy craving. With a menu unlike any other restaurant in the immediate area (light gastro pub fare with a creative twist), Fiancé and I decided to order our own version of a tasting menu to sample the different selections.

Drinks

Brooklyn Lager for Fiancé

My Maine Mojito for me (Hangar One Blueberry Vodka with Muddled Blueberries and Mint, Mint Simple Syrup, and a splash of Soda)

Blueberries and Mojitos are separately high on my list of favorite things, and this combination elevated my love for both individual components to a level usually reserved for all things red velvet. Not an easy feat!

First Course

Korean BBQ Pork Belly with Kim Chee

Wild Boar Ribs with Pan Made BBQ Sauce

After inhaling the Pork Belly two weeks ago (and singing a song about “Pork Belly In My Belly” in the car on our way to the restaurant), Fiancé insisted we will never go to NWBB without ordering this dish (it’s just that good). Tonight was no disappointment. And who knew Wild Boar could be so tender?? (I do NOT enjoy ribs, but promised I would at least try everything we ordered, and I found myself going back for more than just my initial taste).

Second Course

Pork Carnitas with Arepas and Jalapenos

Cage Pan Blackened Stingbeans with a Double Mustard Creole Remoulad

Ordinarily, the only pork I eat is when it’s fried crispy in a B.L.T., but after trying the Pork Carnitas two weeks ago, I have found myself wanting for more than just bacon. Fork tender pork is smothered in a Verde salsa topped with jalapenos and accompanied by the perfect crispy confection. As for the Stringbeans, well, I’ll leave those to Fiancé (waxy beans and me just do not mix, no matter how good the seasoning and sauce).

Third Course

Purple Haze Shrimp with a salad of ginger, pineapple and red cabbage

Poke-Sters (shucked oysters topped with a poke of tuna)

One thing I love about this menu is the “Ric-Ter” Scale which denotes how spicy each dish is. On the Ric-Ter Scale of 1-1o, the Purple Haze Shrimp scores a 9, which means it had just the right spice for our taste buds (Fiancé douses all of his food in Sriracha sauce, and it still isn’t hot enough for him!). I tried the Poke-Sters on our last trip, and left them all to Fiancé tonight (even though he says I ate them wrong and only tasted the Poke, leaving my “Ster” for him on the shell).

Dessert Course

Chamomile Blood Orange Creme Brulée

Chai Ice Cream Sando

Nutella Mascarpone Moose (the big one!)

I. Love. Creme. Brulée. So much so, that we are considering the addition of a Creme Brulée station at the wedding! When we looked up at the Dessert Board and saw the creme brulée offering was Chamomile Blood Orange, it sounded too complex not to try, and our amazing server, Zak, obliged (even after our first trip when we ordered the very last Mint Chocolate Creme Brulée that he had his eye on). As Zak described the Ice Cream Sando of the night, (Candied Walnuts and White Chocolate Chips baked inside of a Maple Oatmeal Cookie with locally made Chai Ice Cream flanked in between two cookies), my mouth salivated and we ordered up both confectionary concoctions.

You would think that two desserts for two overly-stuffed patrons would be plenty to satisfy our culinary curiosity for the night (but, you would be wrong!). The more we talked to our server, the more inclined we were to order the Nutella Mascarpone Moose – full-sized, as opposed to the tapas style we initially tried (the best feature of their dessert menu is the tapas option so that you can get a taste of the different delicacies without feeling too gluttonous). Fiancé finished his meal with a Double Macchiato and Sambucca, while I finished mine with a mental note to hit the gym tomorrow night.

“Only I Didn’t Say ‘Fudge’…”

2011-12-03T23:23:00.000-05:00

The tree is up, decorated, and it finally feels like Christmas in our apartment!

I absolutely adore the whimsical feel of our tree, and how it combines the traditions both Fiancé and I grew up with, along with the new traditions we’ve started together. For him, it’s the Hallmark Keepsake Football Players that he’s been collecting over the last 20+ years; and for me, it starts with my “Baby’s First Christmas 1982” ornament, and continues with my collection of “A Christmas Story” ornaments.

{Ralphie Parker Saves The Day}

{Poor Ralphie’s One Chance}

{The Leg Lamp}

{Oh…Fudge}

The “A Christmas Story” ornament collection serves to remind me of a long standing tradition my sisters and I enacted as kids. When the three of us shared a room together, we used to stay up all night on Christmas Eve coloring in Christmas coloring books until it was time to wake up and open presents. We’d stay up coloring and watching movies until one year, we turned on the 24 hour marathon of “A Christmas Story,” and never turned it off! As we’ve grown older and started our own families, we’ve kept this tradition close to our hearts, and it seems the Parker family has forever invaded ours (as evidenced by the ornaments, the Monopoly game that rests under the tree, the pint glasses, the T-shirts we wear to bed on Christmas Eve, and the annual 24 hour marathon).

Do you have any favorite ornaments and holiday traditions?

Friday Night Finds {Gourmet Gifts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth}

2011-12-02T23:14:00.001-05:00

Nothing sounded better to me tonight than a nice, relaxing night curled up in front of TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress marathon with this month’s Brides Magazine in tow…until I got home from work and discovered another round of cookies had been delivered to my mailbox as part of The Great Food Blogger Cookie Exchange!

Thanks to Jenny at Love Eat Run, and Brigett at Cook With B, the stockings aren’t the only thing stuffed around here!! After inhaling more Butter Toffee Oat and Dark Chocolate Hershey Surprise Cookies than I care to admit, I’m in a bit of a cookie coma, and my sugar high has me thinking about satisfyingly sweet gifts for Christmas!

2012 Martha Stewart's Cookies Wall Calendar (English, German, French,..., $13
Candy-Filled Gold Jewelry Box in New Year's at Dylan's Candy Bar, $150
Temp-tations Old World 16-piece Oven-to-Table Set - QVC.com, $48
Sprinkles Cupcake Mixes | Williams-Sonoma, $15

For Your Grandparents: Every time I’ve seen this set on QVC (I have an epic affinity for this channel during the holidays. Don’t judge!! ), I can’t help but think how perfect this would be for Fiancé’s Grammie. After losing nearly everything (save for a few random trinkets that survived the Aftermath of Irene), a complete set of multifunctional bakeware is practical and festive for holiday baking!

For The Baking Novice: Not everyone has the time or patience to bake the perfect red velvet cake from scratch, so who better to assist Betty Not-So-Crocker than Sprinkles’ Red Velvet Cupcake Mix. The premeasured dry ingredients make compiling this cake as easy as flicking the switch on your Kitchen-Aid! The mix comes with a near fool-proof Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, so even the most inexperienced baker can feel like a culinary connoisseur.

For Your Co-Worker: Cookies make everything better, so what better way to brighten up someone’s office space (and monotonous work week!) than to provide 12 months of Martha’s Cookies! In true Martha fashion, you’ll find presentation ideas and full recipe cards to test throughout the year (and maybe use for next year’s Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap).

For Your Best Friend (or, the splurge for yourself!): Candy and jewelry married in a festive gift box? What’s not to love!? If it’s from Dylan’s Candy Bar, you know it’s got to be good, so why not share the love with your BFF, or treat yourself to the ultimate girly-gift that looks as good as it tastes!

What’s on your gift list this year?

December Delights

2011-12-01T22:09:00.001-05:00

Nothing ushers in the feeling of the holidays quite like the first of December. The days are a little shorter, the air a little crisper, the Christmas songs a little louder, and the pants a little tighter (thanks in part to the incredible bloggers who participated in this year’s Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!).

This December, I am most looking forward to enjoying my first and only holiday season as an engaged couple, long overdue get-togethers with old friends, and giving Martha Stewart a run for her handmade-holiday money!

December Delights:

{You know it’s Christmas when Starbucks brings out the red cups filled with Caramel Brulée Lattes}

{Baking Spirits Bright – the apartment will be rampant with the aroma of fresh baked goods, including these Christmas Cut-Out Brownies}

{December wouldn’t be complete without remnants of A Christmas Story throughout the apartment!}

{The tree went up Sunday, but we’re just now getting to decorating tonight}

{Candy Cane Manicures – because the tree’s not the only thing made for decorating in December!}

{There is nothing more delightful this December than being engaged to my love, and my very best friend!}

What’s delighting you this December?

Sephora Splurge {All About Eyes}

2011-11-07T22:21:00.001-05:00

Most mornings, I’m more likely to hit snooze within 5 minutes of the time I need to leave for work than I am to put any significant effort into my looks (with an office better suited for a dog pen than the aisles of In Style, a polished look isn’t exactly a necessity. Seriously.Can.Not.Wait. for the new office to be built this spring!!).

While I would much rather spend those extra precious minutes snuggled in bed, there is something about a little bit of make up that puts just an extra air of confidence into my day and starts me off on the right side of the bed (just watch out for the days when I start on the wrong side of the bed – it’s not pretty!). Last week, I downloaded the Sephora app on a whim (while impatiently waiting for the bug to remove itself from my Pinterest app) and eagerly counted down to Friday when I’d have a chance to hit the Grown Girl’s Candy Store.

After one of the more difficult weeks I can remember at work, there was nothing a little eye candy couldn’t cure:

SEPHORA COLLECTION Moonshadow Baked Palette - In the Dark ($50 Value)..., $28
Sephora Favorites Lashstash ($133 Value) Lashstash, $45
Laura Mercier Mini Kohl Eye Pencil Set ($67 Value) Mini Kohl Eye..., $32

In a family of four women, three of us are, or have been professional make up artists (I’ll let you guess where I fit into the equation.) I prefer make up that can be applied, quickly, easily, and look effortless versus my sisters and mom who can make any face look runway ready. After testing out Vincent Longo’s Wet/Dry Diamante Eye Shadow Quad in Cassia a few years ago, I’ve been fruitlessly searching for another shadow that was as easy to use and as effective in looking natural when applied quickly (and, let’s be honest, when still half-asleep) since Sephora discontinued the line. The SEPHORA COLLECTION Moonshadow Baked Palette was exactly the shadow I was looking for. While the colors aren’t an exact match, they are close enough to the Vincent Longo collection, and include some sultry, deep shades for the upcoming holiday season.

For those days when I want to add a little extra definition, the Laura Mercier Mini Kohl Eye Pencil Set is the perfect compliment to my new shadows. As the only one of my sisters to have brown eyes, the deep plum and jade shades work to bring out the gold flecks in my eyes, but would be equally as complimentary on my blue and blue-grey eyed sisters.

And what eye would be complete without the perfect mascara? Even on the days when I hit snooze one too many times, I always make it a point to wear at the very least, a little tinted moisturizer and mascara. Mascara is the one miracle make up that instantly refreshes and makes me look awake. The Sephora Favorites Lashstash is what really enticed me to take a trip to the store, and was the one item I could not leave without. With ten mascaras (including 2 full sized mascaras), this is absolutely the beauty deal of the season (one full sized tube of Christian Dior DiorShow mascara – my favorite – is $24.50, so to get 10 for less than the price of two DiorShows was impossible to pass up).

What are your beauty picks this season?

Holiday Recipe Exchange {Chocolate Oatmeal Surprise Cookies}

2011-10-09T20:24:00.001-04:00

Six Christmases ago, I was 1800 miles away from my family, my friends, and the Christmas traditions I had cherished for 23 years. With nothing but time and an empty apartment on my hands, I passed the time by baking (and, in turn, eating everything I baked!)

About a week before Christmas 2005, I wandered into Target in search of some sort of Christmas-y fulfillment. What I found, however, was what would become my new favorite Christmas Cookie (which is obviously paramount to fulfillment, because what life isn’t complete when you’ve got the perfect Christmas Cookie to nibble on? )! Hidden on a dark shelf, behind all of the Christmas tchotchkes just waiting to entice the last minute shoppers was a pint jar full of oats, flour, sugar, and Ghirardelli chocolate chips. I scooped up this hidden gem and hurried home to bake. The result was nothing short of decadent and delicious, as I stumbled upon what would become a Christmas classic.

After six years of attempts to adapt and recreate the scrumptious jarred jubilation I stumbled upon one lonely Christmas, I’ve finally perfected my

Chocolate Oatmeal Surprise Cookies:

YIELD: 4 Dozen

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz (or 2 sticks) Butter (softened)

1 1/4 Cups Packed Brown Sugar

3/4 Cups Granulated Sugar

2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

2 Large Eggs (room temperature)

1 1/2 Cups Flour

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (add more to taste)

3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats, uncooked (substitute Quick Oats if that’s what you have on hand)

1 1/2 cups Ghirardelli MILK Chocolate Chips (it’s important to use milk chocolate chips to get the right taste!)

1 1/2 cups Dried Sweetened Cranberries

Coconut Flakes (*optional*)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter, sugars and vanilla on medium speed (using a stand mixer, or with an electric hand mixer). Beat in eggs until light and fluffy,

Mix in flour, baking powder and salt on low speed until combined. Add in cocoa powder until well blended.

Fold Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips evenly into batter. Add dried cranberries until all ingredients are incorporated.

Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with parchment paper or a silpat. Form dough into 2-inch balls and line cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake for 14-16 minutes until edges brown (cookies will appear doughy – they will continue to cook when you take them out of the oven. It’s always best to underbake by a minute or so to get the right, chewy consistency)

Let cool on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes.

Serve & Enjoy!

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Exchange sponsored by Scharffen Berger.

Monday’s Are For {Cold Stone Catch Ups}

2011-10-03T22:26:00.001-04:00

For the last three weeks, my best friend from college and I have been dancing around our schedules trying to pin down some face time to catch up. The last time we got together (for a much needed spa massage & vino), we promised that we wouldn’t let as much time pass between this and our next rendezvous. Fate, however, had other plans.

{Halloween 2004 – The Dark Angel & Wonder Woman}

Though we’ve had to reschedule tonight’s date night more than once in the last 3 weeks, it was definitely worth it to sit down with my college BFF and catch up over Birthday Cake Remix! Roo (a nickname born out of our college days as “Chicken & Rooster”) and I have been through more milestones in our friendship together than any other person I know. From a shared affinity for broken engagements (to the joy of becoming engaged again!), a daily routine that found us in line at McDonalds in lieu of Quantitative Business Applications (including one trip that found our bumpers tangled in the busy intersection dodging the police that were called to the scene of the fender-bender), an epic Spring Break trip to Panama City Beach (I’m pretty sure there was a foam party and bought with alcohol poisoning involved), endless nights dancing to anything and everything Ja Rule & J.Lo came out with at Sneaky Pete’s (which was exactly as shady as the name infers!), Roo and I have been through it all.

Between mouthfuls of ice creamy goodness, we mused about how much our lives have changed in the last ten years that we’ve been friends, and how we’d give anything to have the opportunity to appreciate what freedom we had when we had it all those years ago. As we recounted some of the memories that made us who we are, I couldn’t help but picture us, ten years from now, sitting in one of our cluttered kitchens, surrounded by rambunctious kids, recounting nights like tonight. Roo said, “We better enjoy it now! In ten years we’ll look back and think how lucky we have it now!” Sure, we can look back tonight and think of how much easier our lives were ten years ago, but I can promise you that ten years ago, I would have called my life anything but easy (complicated, maybe, but easy? Never crossed my mind).

It’s comforting to know I’ll always have someone in my life who has been there (not just with me, but for me when I needed her most) for every major milestone of my adult life and who I can always truly be myself around. Regardless of how much time passes between the precious time we do get to spend together (which is a far cry from the days we were inseparable for days on end back when our college schedules were influenced far more by our social calendars than anything else), Roo will always be someone who I can run up to and hug as if we just walked out of Statistics and pick up where we left off before class started.

Friday Five {September Favorites}

2011-09-30T21:58:00.000-04:00

It’s hard to believe September will be over in a matter of hours! As much as I love the month of September, its conclusion brings about a welcome cool down (or at least an end to the humidity that’s been plaguing the area and my unmanageable hair!), the return of gorgeous fall foliage, and ushers in a wave of Holiday Bliss unlike any other time of year (so maybe my inner Clark Griswold gets the best of me and I bust out my Christmas cheer a bit earlier than most, but can you really blame a girl!).

On my iPod…a combination of Michael Bublé and “All I Want for Christmas is You” Radio on Pandora.

The first time I ever heard Michael Bublé, it was love at first sound! My love for Bublé almost cost me the small down payment on a house earlier this year, when I inadvertently bid on a package (including dinner before his show, a limo to the show, BACKSTAGE passes, and front row seats) at a charity gala this year. I raised my paddle for the first bid, and as the auctioneer continued to accept bids, he loudly proclaimed, “Going once, going twice, SOLD, to this table for $5,000!” while pointing directly at me. Mortified, I didn’t know what to do and thought I was on the handle for 5 grand, while Fiancé gave me the evil eye from across the table. Fortunately, my boss was at our table and cleared things up stating that it was not my paddle, nor the paddle of anyone else at our table (I think his wife may have accidentally shot her paddle up before realizing the total bid was at $5,000) so the auctioneer re-opened the bidding. I felt like all eyes were on me from that point on and swigged back another glass of champagne in hopes to make myself invisible (or at least feel invisible). When all was said and done, the Director of the gala came over to me to let me know the winning bidder had offered to take me to the concert with them! I politely declined, swigged another sip of champagne and Fiancé and I (along with BFF Tiff) bolted out of the gala empty handed.

Since then, I’ve resounded myself to listening to Bublé on Pandora or on my iPod only so as not to jeopardize my bank account (or my relationship!). Whenever I’m in a particularly foul mood, I always turn to Bublé and Christmas Music to pull me out of my funk, and this month was no different. I may be a hypocrite, what with calling out Macy’s for their untimely Christmas display and then listening to Christmas music…but how can you feel anything but Jolly when listening to All I Want For Christmas Is You (my foot instantly starts tapping as soon as I hear the first “Iiiiiiii, don’t want aaaaa lot for Christmaaaas…).

On my CD Player…Girls In White Dresses by Jennifer Close

{via Goodreads}

The book world was a buzz with the release of Girls In White Dresses, so I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as the opportunity presented itself. So far; however, I’m not as impressed as I’d hoped to be. The story lines seem a bit played out to me (the familiarity of the story – women struggling through the ups and downs of life, all while attending bridal shower after shower and wedding) intrigued me with the promise of a “fresh and witty” take on the subject, but I feel like Candace Bushnell already did this, but better. The most recent chapter felt exactly like the episode of Sex and the City where the girls head out to Connecticut for their friend Laniey’s baby shower, right down to the appalling behavior of the guest of honor at the shower. Maybe I’ve just seen one too many episodes of SATC (twelve times too many!) to be anything but jaded when it comes to revisiting themes that have already been done (am I starting to sound like Miranda now, or is it just me!?).

On my Nook…the October issues of Women’s Day, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, and Martha Stewart Weddings,

When I was little, I used to stealthily confiscate my mom’s magazines from the mailman before she had a chance to thumb through them, and imagine myself as one of the women who needed the advice of Redbook’s writers on how to make a Perfect Pot Roast. Fast Forward 20-some years, and the little girl in me is still patiently waiting for the digital delivery of the magazines I once stole from my mom to my Nook. It’s funny how this part of my life has come full circle – I went from the girl playing make believe housewife with her mom’s collection of grown up magazines, to a full fledged domestic-goddess-in-training living out the advice (and cooking up the recipes) strewn along the pages of the magazines I once treasured so much.

On my plate…B.L.T.’s (Because everything’s better with bacon!)

In the beginning of the month, Fiancé and I spent one Sunday in the kitchen making food for the week ahead, while munching on simple B.L.T.’s. It is fitting that I would spend the last day of the month enjoying a B.L.T. with my Dad at Grandma’s (one of our favorite restaurants since I was little, if not simply for the ever-changing decor to match the seasons…and some ridiculously delicious Dutch Apple Pie!). We both lamented that we could eat a B.L.T. everyday if the opportunity presented itself (unlike certain other foods that we could easily tire of after eating once a week), all while relishing the fact that we had another Daddy Daughter Date Night under our belts. Everything’s better with bacon, but nothing’s better than having your Dad there to enjoy it with you!

On my agenda…Slumber Party with My Nugget!

Whenever my computer is anywhere in Ari’s line of vision, she immediately spits out the phrase, “I want to do my taxes, please” (She is nothing, if not polite!). We’re not sure where she got it from, but something about typing and playing games on the computer makes her feel like she is doing her taxes (if only they were that fun!). Who knows, maybe one day after constantly barraging the computer to do her proverbial toddler taxes, she’ll grow up and become an accountant the same way I grew into a magazine fiend.

What are your September Favorites?

Craving Comfort {Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto}

2011-09-29T21:34:00.001-04:00

Is it just me, or is this week dragging on longer than the Red Sox/Orioles game last night? (Fiancé is a huge Yankees fan, and last night was a waiting game of epic proportions to find out who they’d possibly be facing in the ALCS). Between an intensely packed work week (complete with a run in with my reverse-cougar crush Bill Clinton!) and a nasty cold that is invading my every orifice, all I could think about when I got home was comfort food.

Since we polished off our homemade Chicken Noodle Soup within days of making it, I had to scrounge through the kitchen to find something quick, easy, and comforting. Enter my girl, Giada. After flipping through a few recipes in Giada’s Kitchen, I stumbled upon Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto. This dish combines the robust fall flavor of the squash with the creamy comforts of vanilla infused risotto, and was ready in just about a half hour.

The risotto is definitely filling enough on its own as a main dish, but for extra protein, I pan-grilled some leftover Honey-Lemon Chicken from Tuesday’s dinner and topped off the risotto. The result:

A creamy blend of seasons with citrus summery chicken and sweet, nutty fall squash to cure my comfort craving!

Pinterest Project {Nutella Hot Chocolate}

2011-09-29T18:52:00.001-04:00

For this week’s Pin It, Do It, Share It, I decided to take on one of the most delicious looking pins that incorporates two of my favorite things: Nutella and Hot Chocolate!

Until only about a year and a half ago, I had never eaten peanut butter, or any spread resembling a peanut butter spread. I had myself convinced that anything “nut” related was out of the realm of possibility of my taste buds. Let me tell you, the decision to dive into peanut butter (and other nut related spreads like Nutella) has been nothing short of delicious!

Until Pinterest, I was rather uninspired with my use of Nutella, only breaking it out as a dip for my apples, or as a spread on my Honey-Wheat English Muffin with Nutella and Sliced Bananas (seriously?! Best. Breakfast. Ever!).

{via Pinterest}

After seeing this pin, and the EASY recipe that accompanied it, I knew I’d found my new favorite use for Nutella!

Nutella Hot Chocolate

Inspired By Pinterest, Modified By Jennifer (Serves 2)

2 Cups Light Chocolate Silk Soy Milk (my lack of tolerance for Lactose led to this substitution, but regular milk works just fine!)

2 Spoonfuls of Nutella (add more to taste)

Pinch of Cinnamon

Directions

Pour 1 cup of milk into a saucepan on medium heat.

Add the Nutella and whisk until blended.

Stir in remaining 1 cup of milk.

Add a pinch of Cinnamon and whisk until hot and smooth.

Pour mixture into two mugs and ENJOY! (Whipped Cream and Mini-Marshmallows optional!)

I think I may have found my new favorite winter treat (even if it is a few months early!).

What are your favorite Nutella Recipes?

What are you Pinning this week?

Savoring Sunday {First Fall Weekend}

2011-09-25T20:09:00.000-04:00

{via Pinterest}

As much as I love the lazy days of summer, I am even more ecstatic for the return of crisp fall afternoons and cozy autumn nights! After seeing the above picture on Pinterest earlier this week, I couldn’t wait to dive right in to my own Fall Bucket List. Today has been one of those crisp fall afternoons (thanks to the blasting central air that is still running through the apartment), and to celebrate the season, I’ve:

Devoured (not-so) homemade Pumpkin Pancakes (straight out of the box-mix from Target!) for breakfast. The combination of the spicy pumpkin with the sweet syrup (leftover from one of our final summer trips to the Farmer’s Market) made for the perfect morning treat.
Said goodbye to our sunny summer tablescape (goodbye white plates, hello jewel tones!) and replaced it with our fall tablescape:

Started a pot of homemade (straight off the bone) chicken stock for Fiancé’s Chicken Noodle Soup (nothing tastes quite like fall in a bowl than this soup!).

Tomorrow night, I’ll be tackling 3 of the items on the Pinterest Fall Bucket List when Daddy Daughter Date Night goes to the Apple Orchard!

What are you doing to celebrate the change in seasons?

Wedding Planning Weekend {Save The Date}

2011-09-25T15:36:00.001-04:00

Without fail, every single time I pull out a wedding magazine for inspiration, Bentley decides he needs to creep in and have a look. Not to be out done (and the queen of jealousy whenever I show affection to the cat), Ruca always finds it necessary to get in on the action, too.

As I thumb through the pages of this month’s Brides Magazine, I am thinking about everything that we still have left to do to plan. I’ve been feeling pretty confident since we have the date picked, the venue, and the dress, but as I read through the suggested checklists of what to do when, I am starting to realize that we are a bit behind with just under 12 months to go.

I have an overall vision of what I see for the actual day, but the idea of sitting down and planning everything out is a bit daunting (especially considering the amount of money it’s going to cost to pull off any vision!). Fiancé has been very involved in the planning so far, and I am hoping we can continue to have a united front as the planning continues.

This morning, we sat down to look at a few ideas for Save The Dates when we stumbled upon (and couldn’t help customizing) this magnet:

As silly as this one is, it is the epitome of “us” as a couple, and it looks like this is the winner! I’m a bit nervous that it isn’t formal enough to convey our vision for the actual wedding, but that’s what the invitations are for (right!?)! I sent a text of the proof to my sister and my Long Distance BFF and both of them were on board with excited “YES’s”!

Speaking of my LDBFF, I didn’t realize how hard it would be to plan a wedding without her here to help! When I lived in Nashville, she was the only person who could keep me sane, could reign me in when I was too close to getting out of control (ah, the good old days of functioning on 2 or so hours of sleep while working a full-time job, holding down 2 internships, and drinking like it was a career!), who would be there in less than five minutes at the click of a phone call when I was feeling homesick, and the only person who was my family when I was miles and miles away from my own. Sure, we talk on the phone and text ideas back and forth now, but I know if she were here with me, this planning process wouldn’t be as overwhelming (because who can be overwhelmed when they’ve got Mexican food, strawberry cupcakes, and late night fajita runs with their BFF?).

{At least Bentley & Ruca are here to offer their (competing) support!}

Inspired By {Giada De Laurentiis}

2011-09-23T19:52:00.001-04:00

The last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind and it’s been difficult to balance the excitement of planning the wedding with the stresses of our daily lives. On Friday night, Fiancé and I decided to spend a leisurely night snuggled up on the couch just relaxing and watching TV. As we flipped through the channels, we landed on The Cooking Channel and stumbled upon a rerun of Giada At Home. Intrigued, we ~~watched~~ salivated as Giada whipped together a variety of “fast food” inspired dishes (delicious meals that could be prepared quickly and offered an alternative to traditional fast food restaurant meals). Two episodes later, and I was hungry!

Hungry and inspired. My craving for a delectable home-cooked meal began to eat away at me, so I grabbed Giada’s Kitchen off the bottom shelf of our Dining Room Book Shelf and thumbed through for culinary inspiration. Within a half hour, I had most of this week’s meals planned out, and couldn’t wait for our Sunday grocery trip.

{Giada’s Asparagus Lasagna – The inspiration behind my Healified Turkey & Asparagus Lasagna!}

Sunday night, Fiancé and I danced through the kitchen as we diced, chopped and browned our way to a week full of Giada-Inspired meals. By the time 9pm rolled around, we finally sat down to enjoy crunchy BLT’s and homemade Mediterranean Tomato Soup, while Monday’s dinner found it’s way to the refrigerator begging to be baked. My Healthified version of Giada’s Asparagus Lasagna was a welcome treat on Monday night (I swapped much of the cheesy aspects for my homemade tomato sauce & a sundried tomato pesto), and provided enough food to give us leftovers throughout the week (and then some).

By Wednesday morning at work, I was salivating at the thought of dinner…Chicken Scallopini with a Saffron Cream. Most of the time, I use the recipes I come across as inspiration (after years of being the pickiest eater ever, I’ve become a bit of an Iron Chef at adapting recipes to my personal taste), but this recipe was too good to change.

The aroma from my kitchen Wednesday night left me drunk with hunger, and I could not wait to dive in!

{I added Giada’s Parmesan Crusted Veggies to complete the meal}

Tonight, I’m tackling Giada’s Turkey Osso Bucco. As I type this now, I have to be careful to protect the keyboard from the drool that is threatening to spill over from the smell (one of Fiancé’s antique champagne glasses – passed down from Grammie & Grampie – has already been a casualty of this meal. Woopsie! Guess it’s a side effect of the Cupcake Prosecco I’ve been sipping on as I prepped our dinner!).

{Before the Cupcake Prosecco Casualty}

{Mmm…almost ready!}

{All that’s missing is my Jalapeno Corn Bread to sop up all that deliciousness!}

What are you cooking this week?

Pin It, Do It, Share It {Or, A Lesson in Pinterest Addiction}

2011-09-22T19:45:00.001-04:00

My name is Jennifer, and I am a Pinterest Addict.

Seriously?! Let’s not even get into how much time I spend pinning! From wedding inspirations (funny how I created a “Wedding Day Desires” board more than a month before actually getting engaged!), to dinner desires, to crafty projects I wish I could find the time to complete, Pinterest had me at the first pin!

The fact that I can organize all of my favorite web finds in one place makes me inherently happy, and provides me with much needed inspiration! Currently, I have 8 Pin Boards, ranging from Wedding Inspiration to JenniBean Bakes-piration, and I pin like it is my job! I’ve only made a few items that I’ve pinned, but after reading Domestic Chicky’s latest post, I’ve decided to Pin It, Do It, Share It!

As if Pinterest didn’t already provide me with more inspiration than I have time to tackle the inspiration, I’ve decided to take on Domestic Chicky’s challenge, and master at least one Pinterest Project per week. So far, I’ve made one dinner recipe based on one of my very first pins (and discovered a new blog to devour daily!).

{Stuffed Zucchini – one of the first pins I ever “liked”}

Another thing I’ve discovered since joining Pinterest? I may have a slight obsession with all things Mason Jars (and my love for all things fall has been highlighted with the majority of my recent pins). I have a feeling this week’s project will be in the form of a Mason Jar – whether it be of the craft or edible variety is still up for debate!

What are you pinning?

August 20, 2011 {We’re Engaged!}

2011-09-19T21:25:00.001-04:00

By the time we woke up on Saturday, August 20th, I was so refreshed from one of the best nights of sleep I’d ever experienced (thank you, Best Western Cooperstown, for the most comfortable mattress and sheets I’ve ever snuggled into) that I almost didn’t want to get out of bed. Luckily, ~~Boyfriend~~ was persistent and eager to get to the docks so that we could spend a beautiful day on Otsego Lake fishing (the last time we went fishing on the lake, the only thing we caught was a nasty sunburn, so we were hoping the fish would bite today).

We battled our way through the lines at breakfast (many of the teams from this weekend’s baseball tournament were staying in our hotel, and it was an all out battle to get to the Belgian Waffle maker!) and sat down to enjoy a leisurely treat. ~~Boyfriend~~ was out of sorts, and seemed more than just eager to get outside (a little impatient, even, but really, who could blame him!).

We made a pit stop at the Hall of Fame to pick up a dashing Under Armor pullover for ~~Boyfriend~~ to wear on the boat (I caught him eyeballing it on Friday, but he didn’t want to part with his hard-earned dollars on a present for himself, so I made sure to treat him!). As we were checking out, ~~Boyfriend~~ said to me, “Thanks, babe. You didn’t have to do that. I’ll have to redeem myself later today.” I had no idea what he was referring to at the time, so I just said, “It was nothing! Besides, you bought me my cozy Cooperstown sweatpants yesterday!!”

{He looks so proud of himself here…and I look like Casper the Sun Deprived Ghost!}

In typical “us” fashion, the fishing trip didn’t exactly go off without a hitch. We drove past our favorite dinner spot, The Otesaga, on our way to the boat rental office. After waiting on the dock for about ten minutes, ~~Boyfriend~~ called our old pal, Gary (who we rented our boat from two months prior on our first lake excursion) who proclaimed he was “down by The Otesaga. I thought that’s where you said you were staying!” Not one to be deterred (especially not on this day), ~~Boyfriend~~ told Gary we’d drive down and meet him there.

As we walked across the grounds of The Otesaga to the dock, I not-so-subtly proclaimed to ~~Boyfriend~~, “You know I want to get married here one day, and since you won’t propose to me, I’m thinking of proposing to myself and inviting you to the wedding” (I wonder if he was having second thoughts about proposing after this gem of a comment!!). With a quick chuckle, we scooted over to find Gary sitting in the same shiny red boat we had taken out two months earlier, ready to see us off.

~~Boyfriend~~ gave the engine some juice, and we were off. Since we were launching from The Otesaga docks, I asked Boyfriend to pull close to the hotel so I could snap a few pictures from this vantage point.

{I snapped this shot of The Otesaga as soon as we pulled in front of the resort}

{This is the spot!!}

I turned around after snapping this picture, camera in hand, and said, “Aw babe. I was gonna take your picture but I turned around and you’re butt’s in my face” (Seriously, I was full of foot-in-mouth comments all weekend!). Right as I said this, ~~Boyfriend~~ turned around, and that’s when I noticed the shining box in his hand. Before I could comprehend what was happening, ~~Boyfriend~~ started to open the box (conveniently hidden in the tackle box that had been glued to ~~Boyfriend’s~~ side all morning) and I blurted, “Is this really happening?!” It took me a minute to catch my breath and comprehend that my best friend, my love, the one person I can’t imagine my every day without, was down on his knee asking me to marry him. Through tear-streaked sobs, I said an enthusiastic “YES!” (Fiancé and his sister bet whether or not I would be a cryer - she won that bet hands down, as I was a blubbering mess for at least two hours after the proposal!)

{WE’RE ENGAGED!}

Soon after I said yes, Fiancé and I burst into excited exasperations of how he kept it a secret (he had the ring for over a month! If it were me proposing, he would have had the ring within minutes of me purchasing it, or I would have called him as I was picking it up…as evidenced by all of the Christmas presents he's received in October!), how I’m pretty much an ass for making the pre-engagement comment about how he’d never get around to doing it so I’d have to propose to myself (…aaaand the comment the night before that if he ever did decide to propose, Cooperstown would be a great place to do it since it’s our place…oh yeah, I was full of ‘em this weekend), and just how excited we were to be spending the rest of our lives together!

{A perfect fit}

The rest of our time on the water was spent relishing in the fact that we were now engaged (When a large boat of passengers passed by our boat, and Fiancé yelled out, “She said yes!” with so much enthusiasm, I felt like my heart was going to spill over).

{“King of the Castle, King of the Castle”}

For the last four years, Fiancé and I have grown up and grown together, and I couldn’t be happier or more proud to call him my fiancé. No one else makes me laugh (the belly kind of laughter that continues long after the subject is considered funny), no one else makes me melt just from walking into a room, no one else gets my quirky moods (and puts up with them!) quite like him, no one else makes me strive to be a better person the way he does, no one else makes me feel as if everything will be okay as long as we are together like my fiancé, and I am the luckiest person to have him in my life. When I picture my future, I see him by my side…still laughing, and still making the best of all the hiccups life throws our way (let’s face it, we wouldn’t be us without the hiccups and the wrenches in our plans).

Cooperstown {Or, That Time I Got ENGAGED!}

2011-09-19T19:18:00.001-04:00

In the last five years, I can count on one hand the number of days I have taken off from work (which is why August 19th was a huge milestone for me – the first real “vacation” day I planned to take all year). As ~~Boyfriend~~ and I geared up for a long weekend away at our favorite place (Cooperstown, NY), I woke up early and headed in to work to tie up some loose ends before falling off the grid for the weekend.

I was not at all prepared for the phone call that came to my desk within a half hour of sitting down (one of many things I was not prepared for this weekend). “My car was towed.” “WHAT!? What do you mean ‘your car was towed’?” After a brief explicit-laced exchanged, I left work to pick up ~~Boyfriend~~ in an attempt to rescue his car.

*A little back-story: the apartment complex that we live in only allows one parking permit per apartment, regardless of how many occupants. Pre-Irene, the parking situation was atrocious to say the least. The night before our vacation, I spoke with the property manager about the fact that there isn’t even visitor parking available by the time ~~Boyfriend~~ and I get home from work. The property manager assured me that we could park along the pond (as we, and at least 4 other cars, had the night before) as long as we were not blocking any cars in defined parking spots without being towed. Apparently, she changed her mind.

After arguing with the towing company for at least ten minutes (and getting beyond worked up), I told ~~Boyfriend~~, “I am so sick of this! I don’t even want to go to Cooperstown anymore. Why don’t we just spend the weekend packing up and find somewhere new to live!?” My declaration was met with fury as ~~Boyfriend~~ stated, “You don’t want to go to Cooperstown with me? Really? I’m going to get my hair cut, and when I get back, you’ll be packed and we are GOING to Cooperstown!” (Funny how a week before the flood I was already thinking about moving out of our apartment…talk about foreshadowing!). I didn’t understand it at the time (but I would by Saturday morning!), but ~~Boyfriend~~ was in a fury like I had never seen (it seems a certain piece of jewelry had been stowed away in a box inside of ~~Boyfriend’s~~ golf bag…which was conveniently stored in the back of his car…the car that was TOWED the day he planned to propose!).

The drive to Cooperstown was punctuated with the sound of golf-ball sized hail as it pelted off of the roof of my CRV.

{The hail made it nearly impossible to see as we drove into town}

By the time we rounded the bend and made our way on to Main Street, our earlier morning guffaw was a distant memory, and ~~Boyfriend~~ and I were ready for our weekend getaway.

{Not even a hail storm could dampen our spirits}

Obviously, a few drinks were a necessity after the stress of the events leading up to our arrival, so ~~Boyfriend~~ indulged in a Rare Vos, and I treated myself to a champagne split at a cozy (more importantly, dry!) cafe along Main Street. Once we settled in at the hotel, we decided to spend Friday night channeling our inner-twelve year-olds as we played a round of mini golf, swung for the fences at the batting cages, and drove a few laps in the go-karts.

{Where’s John Sterling with the call? Positively Swishalicious!}

By the time we released all of our pent up frustrations in the batting cages, we were famished and decided to head next door to the Redneck Bar-B-Que where we devoured some of the tastiest food I have ever encountered (Fried Green Tomatoes? who knew they were more than just a movie title and were such a delicious delicacy!!). It’s no surprise that by the time we ate ourselves into a food coma (no thanks to the smoked Catfish Po Boy!), we were ready to call it a night. Little did I know, this would be my last night as someone’s girlfriend…

Say YES to the Dress!

2011-09-15T22:19:00.001-04:00

There are few things more important to a bride than finding the dress (say, finding the groom, for example!). There is nothing that transports you into the mindset of a bride quite like slipping on a delicately embellished gown that just screams, “I’m getting married!”

Within days of getting engaged, I had already spent hours nose-deep in the latest issues of The Knot and Brides magazines before setting eyes on the dress. The allure of the dress was undeniable, and I knew deep down in the pit of my stomach that this gorgeous creation would be the dress.

I called the closest bridal shop, and to my dismay, they didn’t have the dress. Of course, the sales consultant assured me they had hundreds of beautiful dresses to choose from, and I could always order the dress if I didn’t find something else to my liking (but how could I not find something else just as awe-inducing as the dress, asked the naive sales consultant).

Armed with a picture of the dress and a little hesitation, my best friend and I made an appointment at the dress shop that promised me a wide selection of incredible dresses (what we were met with was a mediocre selection of pretty dresses…but none that invoked the same feelings I got just looking at a picture of the dress).

Our trip wasn’t too futile, as I learned what I definitely didn’t want (anything strapless, lacey, or too embellished), and enforced the fact that I did NOT want a traditional veil.

{Lace+Strapless=Out of the Question}

{Channeling my inner-Carrie Bradshaw…I think I’ll opt for a simple Birdcage Veil and leave the fanfare to the fashionistas}

{Getting closer…but it’s still not the dress!}

By the time we left for lunch, I was feeling a little deflated (none of the dresses made me feel like a bride). Would I end up just settling for something that seemed right just because it fit well, or would I find something that made me feel like a bride!?

After doing a little research on the designer’s website, I was excited to find that there was an authorized dealer somewhat nearby that actually had the dress in stock, and made an appointment for Thursday at 6pm. As the days dragged on, I couldn’t stop thinking about the dress. Even my dreams were haunted by the vision of how I wanted to look when I walk down the aisle to marry my love.

The anticipation in the car was palpable as my mom, best friend and I navigated our way to the dress shop. “Um, the address is E. Main Street, but E. Main Street just ended. Now what!?” For the next 20 minutes, we drove around aimlessly as I got worked up to the point where I proclaimed, “I don’t even want to try it on anymore, I just want to find my way OUT of here and get home!”

A few quick turns and short stops later, we found the other Main Street and our eventual destination. I turned to my best friend and nearly broke out into a fit of uncontrollable giggles at the site of the storefront. “Did we just enter Vera’s Dress Shop!?” The bestie wailed, “well I THOUGHT this was the place I was thinking of, but I didn’t want to come right out and say ‘it’s a dump!’ on the off-chance it was the one other dress shop in this town!”

Undeterred, we walked through the musty home for wayward mannequin’s and into the “bridal” section (behind the sea of sweaters from the Woolworth’s Collection circa 1967). The laughter that I had a hard time stifling nearly erupted when the sales consultant proclaimed, “Let me just put down a sheet in the room before you try on the dress” (Really!? What kind of place were we in!?).

All of the earlier frustrations and judgments fell away as soon as I stepped into the cascading fabric of the dress. I made my way to the 3-way mirror and modeled the dress I’d been dreaming of since getting engaged nearly 4 weeks ago. Nearly in unison, my mom and best friend agreed with my earlier vision that this was indeed the dress. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but the dress I was wearing was considered ivory, and the shop had a white sample in a smaller size if I wanted to see the contrast. Not one to pass up an extra opportunity to ogle my dream dress, I happily obliged.

As I was changing out of the ivory and into the white, Madonna’s “Borderline” came screeching over the speakers. “Mom, how fitting! My favorite song from when I was little!” My mom laughed and shared a memory of how I used to run around the house singing the words along to “Borderline…”
With a faded memory hanging in the air like a whisper nearly a lifetime away, I couldn’t help but think ahead to all of the memories I’ll be making, and one day looking back on in the dress.

{Oh yeah, this happened!}

Postcards to the Universe

2011-09-14T23:10:00.001-04:00

Dear Marshall’s,

In my never-ending quest to find the most unnecessary ways to spend my hard earned dollars, I know I can always count on you to provide a smorgasbord of splendor.

Your unwavering support of my financial dalliances has never been more appreciated than this past Sunday. After a relaxing morning, and serendipitous stop at Starbucks (remind me to send a love letter to the genius behind the Salted Caramel Mocha, thankyouverymuch!), I made my way inside your welcoming doors in search of a new Fall staple to update my tired wardrobe. Never one to disappoint, you put your best man forward, when you sent Michael Kors to woo my wallet.

Touché, salesman, touché!

Your$ Truly,

The Marshall’s Maven

Dear Macy’s,

Seriously!? Already!?

At this rate, I’ll have a new bathing suit from the Summer 2013 Collection by Halloween!

In A Calendar Conundrum,

A Not-So-Seasoned Shopper

Dear Price Chopper,

Even though I nearly let my impatience with the Extreme Couponer in front of me boil over, you brought me back down to a reasonable simmer when you thrust your Better Homes & Gardens Special Issues in my line of sight, and tempted me with these culinary creations:

Pumpkin-Parmesan Risotto? Yes, please! Tuna-Fennel Pasta Salad? Don’t mind if I do!

Salivating At The Sight,

JenniBean Bakes

Dearest Wine Wednesdays,

The honor of your presence is cordially invited to return to my life as soon as possible. Preferably in the form of Prosecco.

Awaiting Your R.S.V.P.,

The Vino Vixen

Nook Color Review: In September

2011-09-11T20:26:00.001-04:00

When I woke up Friday night at 1 am (contorted & cramped on the couch with Fiancé after we fell asleep watching HGTV a few hours earlier), I hadn’t planned on diving into a new book on my Nook. My plans stretched as far as the short hallway and included an Excedrin Migraine (thanks to the bottle of Veuve Cliquot Fiancé and I indulged in at dinner earlier in the evening) and a long night’s sleep.

Thanks to the caffeine laced Excedrin, I found myself still stirring and wide-eyed an hour later as if it were 2 in the afternoon, rather than 2 in the morning. With Fiancé disinterested in anything but uninterrupted slumber, I found myself grabbing at my Nook in search of my next great read. I hadn’t even remembered that I purchased In September until I opened up the Nook Shop and saw the suggested similar titles. Intrigued, I clicked on the details and read the following description:

“The interwoven destinies of two women, born a generation apart on different continents, are connected by events that occur throughout the years during the month of September. Amanda and Rani both grow up in South Australia but never meet until their paths finally intersect in New York City where they are caught up in the tragedy that will change the world.”

{via Goodreads}

Seeing as how the 10th anniversary of September 11th was only a day away, I felt compelled to read this title. The 610 pages was daunting at first, but by the time I’d finished the first chapter, I knew the story would keep me intrigued as long as it went on.

When Fiancé woke up to get ready for work at 7am, he looked at me, bewildered, and questioned, “have you been reading this whole time!? Did you ever go back to sleep?!” Yes, and no. Sure, the effects of the Ecxedrin stayed with me most of the night, but it was the story that kept me awake and wanting to know every detail until I finished all 610 pages at 8:30 that Saturday morning.

The novel starts out in NYC on a Tuesday morning, and introduced me to Rani and her fiancé, Ben, along with Amanda and her husband Alan. As I got acquainted with these characters this September morning, it was hard not to think ahead to the events that were sure to come. By the second chapter, I was transported back to the 40’s to a time before Amanda was born. The novel paints a distinguished and detailed picture of Amanda’s life; so much so, that I felt like she could have been someone I grew up with (as the novel progressed, it felt as though I was experiencing the life events right alongside Amanda). Amanda’s story is intertwined with that of Rani, who does not encounter Amanda until the two are full-grown women, both living in New York City.

I remember exactly where I was on the morning of September 11th, 2001; it’s something I will never, ever forget. Even though I was roughly 150 miles away from the Towers when the planes hit, reading the experiences of Amanda and Rani on that morning brought me right into the center of the tragedy. This poignant and profound novel told the story of two lifetimes, and how they collided on a day that brought together an entire nation of united individuals.

Everyone has a story about September 11th. This particular story, which is more than just a story about two women personally affected by the tragedy, is one that captured me from the very first line. Written with a poise that does not delicately skirt around the inevitable details of the events that changed our nation forever, In September is a novel that elicited a deep emotional connection with the characters, and will be a novel that I remember long into the years to come.

The Aftermath of Irene {Part 4}

2011-09-03T16:53:00.000-04:00

{Part 1} {Part 2} {Part 3}

{Our submerged apartment on the news Tuesday morning}

Once we made our way safely up the mountain to my boss’s house and my office, our soggy motley crew attempted to make ourselves comfortable (MUCH easier said than done). I could not concentrate on anything when I got back into the office, and my anxiety was as rising as quickly as the flood waters. We stayed the night in my office (my boss’s house is GORGEOUS and the office on his property has a bed, so at least we had a comfortable place to sleep), and when it was time for work the next day, I had the dog and cat as extra officemates.

If I thought I was stressed Monday, it certainly didn’t compare to Tuesday throughout the day. When my boss came into the office in the morning, he mentioned that he didn’t sleep at all (me neither…) because our dog kept him up barking. My guilt skyrocketed because I hate to impose on anyone, let alone my boss!! Our dog has never had to sleep outside (she’s spoiled and she loves her snuggly cage), and that night, she was outside all night in the pen with my boss’s dogs and apparently she was vocal about her discord with the new temporary digs.

Couple my gilt with jumping out of my seat every five minutes to make sure my cat didn’t run outside into the woods that surround my boss’s house, and the shiver of paranoia that ran down my spine every time Ruca barked at an unwanted office guest, and I was a complete train wreck a la Britney Spears in her head shaving days! I told ~~Boyfriend~~ that I was too stressed and uncomfortable staying and imposing on my boss and his family (who assured me we weren’t an imposition, including his young son who exclaimed, “we LOVE having company!”) , and that we needed to find somewhere else to stay that night.

Daddy to the rescue! My father recently moved his business into a new space, complete with a two room area upstairs that houses my sister’s old bed! We packed up the CRV with our two small bags, the pets, and our exhausted, Gypsy selves and made our way to my dad’s shop after work. Neither of us slept very well that night, but the pets were happy, and I got to spend a little extra quality time with my Popsicle! At least there was a sliver of a bright spot in the week!

By Wednesday, ~~Boyfriend~~ drove me to work (which was enjoyable to spend the morning commute together), and I put in a 12 and a half hour day waiting for ~~Boyfriend~~ to pick me up (if we ever had a thought of selling one of our cars to save money for a rainy day, this 12+ hour experience made my mind up that we MUST have 2 cars!). After stopping at our favorite Thai restaurant for sushi and some much needed drinks (I have had more to drink this past week than I have in the past year!), we decided to drive through the road blocks to see what condition our complex was in.

Finally, the water receded enough that we could move ~~Boyfriend~~’s car (which, miraculously stayed 100% dry!! in a sea of cars that were completely washed out!) and we decided to peek into our building. The scene was not pretty (nor was the smell…raw sewage coupled with pond stench was NOT appealing in the least bit), but we decided we would stay the night in our own bed in an effort to get some sleep (regardless of whether the FD and PD cleared us for entry).

{The stairs to our apartment Monday before the water was above an inch; and Friday, after cleanup began}

We are beyond fortunate that our apartment is on the third floor and none of our belongings were ruined. The same can’t be said for our neighbors on the first floor who lost everything. My heart breaks for them, as I can’t imagine how hopeless they must be feeling now, as it’s been a stressful week for us, and we were simply displaced for a short time.

{The entry way to our building}

{Damage from the first floor apartment into the entry way}

Although we are back in (for now), we are scrambling to find a new place to live within the next (less than) 2 weeks. The management company does not plan to do any more than ripping down the drywall up to the point where the water damaged it, and replacing just that area. They are not accounting for the mold that has already started to grow (and will no doubt work it’s way up the remaining walls, etc), and we just aren’t comfortable staying here anymore (the rain in yesterday’s forecast nearly gave me heart palpitations for fear we might flood again). If we can be moved out by September 16th (extended yesterday from the 9th, thank God!), we will not have to buy out of our lease, and we will be eligible for receipt of our security deposit.

The last two weeks have been full of change for me (and ~~Boyfriend~~ FIANCE!!), and the next few weeks (and year of planning!) are sure to bring plenty more. I am so thankful that we are safe, together, and suffered minimal damage (especially compared to those who suffered such great losses – like FIANCE’s grandparents who lost their house that they have lived in for over 40 years). We are truly lucky, and blessed, and much more prepared (and hopefully, less naive!) should we be struck with another natural disaster.

The Aftermath of Irene {Part 3}

2011-09-03T10:05:00.000-04:00

{Part 1} {Part 2}

Waking up Monday morning was exasperating to say the least. The view from my bedroom window revealed a brown, soggy mess with no green (and no ground) in site. Both ~~Boyfriend~~ and I contemplated staying home from work, but he had a car being delivered at 9am, and had to get to work to make the sale. I have the capabilities to work from home, but our power was still out, and working from home was not an option. I called my boss to let him know that ~~Boyfriend~~ and I were working out a way to get out of the complex, and I would be in touch when I could. As ~~Boyfriend~~ got ready for work, I headed downstairs with him to survey the damage. Not only was I unprepared for the view awaiting me, but I was completely unprepared for how to handle myself in a natural disaster, as we obviously underestimated Irene and her wrath.

{The stairs to our apartment at 7am Monday morning}

Sunday night found us calf deep in water in our parking lot, but Monday morning found us knee deep as we attempted to make our way out of our complex.

{By 8am, the complex parking lot was completely submerged, and our formerly dry residence was now considered Waterfront Property}

At this point, panic hadn’t yet set in, but I was on the verge of a complete emotional meltdown. I called my boss to let him know that ~~Boyfriend~~ couldn’t get his car through the water, so he took my CRV to work. My boss (who lives only 2 miles from me) offered to pick me up so that I wouldn’t be stuck in the house with no power and nothing to do all day. Even though he lost power as well, his house and my office are on a generator, and I could at least use the computer (but would be without internet).

30 minutes later, I answered my boss’s call saying that he could not get his truck (with wheels nearly the same size as me) through the water, and his request for me to meet him at the front of the complex. This is where the anxiety started to rise, but I put on my shortest pair of shorts, an old pair of flip flops, and started to wade my way to the front of the complex. It hadn’t even been a half hour since ~~Boyfriend~~ had left, but the water had already risen significantly.

{This was still at one of the more shallow points of the parking lot}

{The obstacle ahead}

{The view of me wading to work from my boss’s truck}

Once we made it to my office (a journey that ordinarily takes less than 5 minutes, but on this day took 30), I settled in for a few minutes and tried to contemplate our next steps. Rather than get myself worked up, I caught up on a few accounting matters that didn’t require the use of anything but my computer, and the quiet of a deserted office. A few hours into the day, my boss informed me that he heard on the radio that Lock 7 (one of the locks that provides a dam along the Erie Canal) was compromised, and could possibly break due to flooding. If Lock 7 broke, my entire complex wouldn’t just be under a few feet of water; it would be washed away!

I called ~~Boyfriend~~ to fill him in on the news, and he immediately said we need to get back home and get our animals and some clothes out. The urgency in his voice took my meltdown from somewhat concerned to Titanic level proportions. Within an hour, he met me up at my office (after breaking through road barriers along the way closing every possible route to get to me, and our home), and we piled into my boss’s truck to finally evacuate.

What we encountered when we pulled onto our street was devastating. The street had been closed off right in front of our complex due to flooding that was now cascading across the road. My boss could not get his truck through the water on the street, so he let me and ~~Boyfriend~~ (who was outfitted in my boss’s fishing waders) out to made the trek through the water.

It is amazing and still incomprehensible how quickly the water rose. By 2pm, as we made our way down the street and into our complex (our building is in the very back), we were waist high in icy cold water and raw sewage. It took nearly 30 minutes to get through the water to our door, and as we opened the door, we found the water had risen well above the first two steps (a far cry from the water that trickled in a mere 7 hours earlier). We rushed around the apartment packing bags with as much clothes as we could for fear that the rising water would not be kind if we waited much longer. After securing my cat in the carrier that has gone unused since getting it, and letting the dog off of her leash, we made our way back into the water and trudged forward…

The Aftermath of Irene {Part 2}

2011-09-03T09:05:00.000-04:00

{Part 1}

After losing power, ~~Boyfriend~~ and I decided to head to his mom’s house since it was still too early to go to bed and we didn’t have enough flashlights to stay home in the quiet (how I wish I would have taken advantage of the quiet to get some sleep, as it would have been the only sleep I got all week). The drive to ~~Boyfriend~~’s mom’s house was much different than our earlier Storm Chasing efforts, as the streets were a mess and trees were down everywhere. One of our favorite summer spots is right on the river, and as we drove by at 8pm on Sunday night, the parking lot was submerged in water. Again, we naively assumed this would be the extent of the damage they would see. Little did we know that less than 24 hours later, Jumpin' Jacks would look like this:

We continued to drive along the river to his mom’s house, and stopped on the bank to watch the high waters flow. As we got out of the car, it was incredible to feel the utter strength of the wind as we struggled to keep our footing.

When we arrived, we settled in with a bottle of prosecco and enjoyed time with the family. The enjoyment was a bit strained, though, as ~~Boyfriend~~’s grandparents live(d) in Middleburgh, NY – one of the area's hardest hit regions, and it had been hours since anyone was able to reach them. Once we received word that Grammie and Grampie were safe, we consumed our wine, ate homemade chocolate chip cookies, and decided we would head back home for the night (again, we figured since the rain had stopped and the wind was the only element whipping around we would be safe).

We were not at all prepared for what we would be returning home to…

Water levels had risen and made their way into our parking lot, so much so, that we had to remove our shoes and roll up our pants if we had any hope of salvaging our clothes (the one day of the summer that I chose to wear sneakers left me barefoot to trudge through all that lay below the murky water). We had enough sense to move ~~Boyfriend’~~s Infinity from his spot in the door-less garage to the parking spots in front of one of the back buildings. As frustrated as he was to drive his car 100 yards through the calf deep water, this was the best decision ~~Boyfriend~~ and I made through this entire weekend.

Annoyed and soaked, we climbed up the stairs to our 3rd floor apartment and settled in for the night. Even though we were a little soggy, our situation could have been much worse…

The Aftermath of Irene {Part 1}

2011-09-02T21:05:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, Boyfriend (though, I can’t technically call him that anymore…more on that later!) and I started our morning off earlier than either of us would have liked. Sunday is the one full day a week that we have off together, and the one day a week we can sleep in. Thanks to a bladder more suited for Sophia Petrillo than a normal, healthy 29 year old, our morning started off at the crack of dawn with a trip to Urgent Care (well, waiting 2 hours for Urgent Care to open while ~~Boyfriend~~ perused the web for extravagant Audi’s and other cars well out of our means).

As soon as the doors to Urgent Care opened, I breezed inside while ~~Boyfriend~~ waited in the car (thanks to torrential downpours from Hurricane Irene, ~~Boyfriend~~ didn’t want me to drive by myself in the storm). Let me tell you, the optimum time to see a doctor is in the midst of a tropical storm when the waiting room is empty, the nurses are bored and thrilled to have a patient, and the doctor isn’t pulled in the direction of every patient vying for their undying attention! As I waited for the doctor to come back into the room with my prescription, I suddenly found myself in utter darkness (and just as quickly, the power flickered back on – gotta love the state requirements for generator power in a medical facility!).

By the time I got back to the car, ~~Boyfriend~~ and I decided we would head to the mall to browse the aisles of Williams-Sonoma before stopping out for breakfast. Thanks to some seriously in-the-know friends on Facebook, we learned that the mall we wanted to cruise (along with almost everything else in the area) was closed for the day in preparation for Irene. At this point in the day, it was hard to understand why everyone was prematurely closing, especially since this is Upstate New York – we never actually get hit by Hurricanes or other Natural Disasters (except for the fluke earthquake that struck just 5 days prior) and it was only raining with a little extra wind.

{Amateur Storm Chasers…if only we knew what was still to come}

We decided to drive around the area and do a little storm chasing (we were already out anyway, and I just got new tires the previous week, so we were “prepared”). At 10:30am, our storm pursuits were futile, as the only storm we encounter was rain (and by rain, I mean the type of downpour more suited for Niagara Falls than Upstate) and some trees that leaned a bit. As word came in that the weather was expected to get worse, we decided to head home (but not after stopping and driving through the local Audi Dealer to allow ~~Boyfriend~~ to drool over the cars that could be…and a diner lunch in case we didn’t have power when we got home). We stopped at Wal Mart to fill my prescription and pick up a movie to watch (on the off chance that we had power) and made our way home.

Midway through the movie, we heard a knock on our door (which struck us as odd, simply because you can get in to our building without a key, so it was probably a neighbor). When we opened the door, the hallway was full of neighbors, and a Volunteer Firefighter was telling us that there was a Voluntary Evacuation in effect. We all questioned the seriousness of the evacuation request, and were told that it was our decision, nothing was mandatory. At this point, ~~Boyfriend~~ and I chose to head inside and finish our movie. The rain had come to a stop, and we still had power, so we didn’t think it was necessary to leave (OH, how naive we were!!). There was marginal flooding in our back yard – the complex is built on a wetland with a small pond, and the pond water had risen slightly (this SHOULD have been our cue to leave, but we chose to stay). We quickly made dinner (southwestern corn soup, nachos and chicken quesadillas thrown together with leftovers) and ate leisurely while we anticipated a possible power outage. It was not until 7:30pm that our power finally went out – hours after the rain had stopped.

Hindsight is 20-20, and looking back, we should have taken this opportunity to evacuate…but really, as the rains had stopped, we didn’t think it could get any worse!

Friday Five {Take A Moment for Mikey}

2011-08-12T22:26:00.002-04:00

On my Mind…Peanut Butter Pie Friday for Mikey and Jennifer Perillo

Until yesterday, I had never heard of the blog “In Jennie’s Kitchen.” After Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers listed Jennie Perillo as one of four women that inspires her, I had to click through and read for myself. I was immediately struck by the poignantly heartfelt post Jennie wrote about the sudden passing of her husband, Mikey, and her request for readers to make Peanut Butter Pie this Friday and to share it with someone they loved. I could not control the tears streaming down my cheeks as I read through this simple request, and hope that the support of the blogging community can ease some of the immeasurable grief Jennie is sure to be enduring right now.

While I did not get a chance to make Jennie’s Peanut Butter Pie, I did take time to make Chocolate-Peanut Butter Refrigerator Cookies with the man I have loved since the day I was born, my father.

If Jennie’s story has taught me anything, it is that life is a precious gift that should not be taken for granted, as our time is not guaranteed. No matter how busy I may think I am, I owe it to the people I love (and to myself) to make sure they know how much I love them.

On my iPod…Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight & The Pips

There is something about this song that makes me want to SING (of course, by sing, I mean, belt out “LEAVING…on a midnight train to GEORGIA” in the most obnoxiously off-key voice with exaggerated hand motions that I can manage). For years, Kristopher and I have gone into full sing-off mode (followed by uncontrollable fits of laughter) in the car whenever this song has come on to the radio. The song has wrapped itself around the core of our relationship and has become the one defining song that so perfectly says “us” based on the memories alone.

On my Nook…The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

Last month marked the first inaugural meeting of my book club (my inner Hostess with the Mostess had a fit of epic proportions when the first meeting set to be held at my apartment happened the night of the summer’s worst thunderstorm, and left me locked inside of a BJ’s Wholesale club that lost power…an hour before the meeting was to start!) and this month, Tiffany’s pick is The Choice. I’ve read A Walk To Remember, and The Notebook (…pause, take a moment to picture Ryan Gosling as Noah Calhoun…you’re welcome), so I have high hopes for this offering by Nicholas Sparks.

On my CD Player…The Castaways by Elin Hiderbrand

As soon as I finished The Island last week, I walked right into the library and grabbed the next Elin Hilderbrand Audiobook I could get my hands on. Already, The Castaways has me far more intrigued than The Island, and I am officially adding Elin Hilderbrand to my Author Adoration list!

On my Plate…Chicken Milanese

More than 10 years ago, I discovered one of my all-time favorite dishes at a small Italian restaurant in a town I had never heard of (let alone pronounce), and ever since then, I have been hard-pressed to find a Chicken Milanese dish better than the one I first had at Villa Valenti in Wynantskill, NY. Even though I’ve been in full on housewife mode (no thanks to hours of watching Real Housewives reruns) having homemade meals on the table for Kris when he gets home from work at night, last night was the exception. Kris wanted steak, and I wanted nothing more than to lounge on the couch and watch Big Brother. Since we have DVR, and I was in no mood to cook, we took a ride around the corner to the Capital District’s version of Little Italy at Cornell’s. Even though I claimed not to be hungry, I ravaged every last morsel of my Milanese. As delicious as it was, it still does not come close to the Milanese at Villa Valenti (but it does come close!).

Friday Five

2011-08-05T21:29:00.000-04:00

On my iPod…Remind Me by Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood

From the very first guitar riff, I knew this would be a song that would take hold of me and not let me out of its grips. Thankfully, I’ve got my iPhone to play it on, otherwise I might be in a situation reminiscent of my adolescence when I used to play my Boyz II Men tape so often that the words warbled together like a drunken Jersey Shore cast member after too many shots.

There is something so sensual about the music combined with the familiarity of the lyrics (“so on fire, so in love; way back when we couldn’t get enough; remind me…”) that stays with me long after the song is over.

On my Nook…The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed

“Birth and death are the two occurrences in a person's life that seem to say one thing: we are not the ones calling the shots. "The only consolations are love and best friends." That's what Mina told me two days before she died.”

Not surprisingly, my affinity for grieving protagonists continues with The Summer We Came to Life. What started as a quest to download as many breezy summer-themed books as I could quickly turned into an emotionally engrossing journey through the eyes of a Samantha who finds herself at a crossroads in her life while mourning the death of her best friend. Though I may not be grieving the loss of someone I love, I find myself relating to the emotional gauntlet Samantha finds herself in as she tries to discover where she truly belongs in her life (is anyone ever truly happy with where they are in life? am I the only one who questions this?).

On my CD Player…The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

Driving is one of my least favorite pastimes, so I always look to find a way to make my daily drives less mundane (only having to drive 2 and a half miles round trip for work each day certainly helps!). One of my favorite ways to beat the bore out of a road trip (whether it be 2 miles or 200 miles) is to pop in an audiobook and escape for the duration of my drive.

Last year, I spent a small fortune building my audiobook collection, but this year, I’ve traded dollars for swipes of my library card, as two of my local branches have a significant audiobook selection, one of which included The Island.

I have a slight obsession with all things related to Cape Cod ever since visiting West Dennis Beach my sophomore year in high school, and I have been eager to plan a trip back. Seeing as how there is no vacation in the immediate horizon for me, the next best thing is one of Elin Hilderbrand’s many novels about the island of Nantucket (not far off from the Cape). So far The Island has delicately woven the story of 2 generations of Cousins women with the essence of island life so much so that I can almost smell the salty air every time I step into my CRV.

On my Plate…Fresh Fruit Smoothies!

Coffee and I don’t exactly have the most stable of relationships (a mere two sips of a Starbucks Frappuccino and my leg will shake and twitch like a fiend), so when I need a morning pick me up, I reach for a fruit smoothie.

It all started with a trip to Marshall’s where I found an incredible deal on a Sharper Image Bullet Blender. I made one smoothie, ONE, and the motor broke. Never one to be dismayed, I hightailed it to Target and bought myself a chic purple tumbler to transport my frothy treats, and dusted off the bulky blender I bought myself two apartments ago.

This week’s flavor of the week? Blueberry Banana!

On my Mind…Injustice

I will never understand why people in positions of power feel the need to abuse their power and status, simply because they can. A subordinate at my company was involved in an unfortunate incident today; one that will have a significant impact on the rest of his life.

Unfortunately for this person, they were targeted by someone in a position of authority (outside of the workplace) who was able to use this authority to smear the reputation of this person and cause detrimental harm to this person’s life.

The incident was reported by several news outlets, and the “facts” presented were an inflated story simply from the point of view of the person in the position of authority. As a former student of journalism (I completed my internship at one of the news outlets that reported the inflated version of the story), I am appalled at how this incident was reported. The reports from multiple outlets were so convoluted and misrepresented the facts of the incident so much so, that this person’s life will forever be haunted by the incident. How can those who reported this incident be so cavalier with what they reported? While we may live in a country that believes Innocent Until Proven Guilty, this does not hold true in the court of public opinion.

When I first heard of the incident, I read the report and watched the news story and was immediately judgmental of the subordinate. I formed my opinion based on what was presented to me. After hearing from the subordinate, it became clear that I rushed my own judgment, and I was struck with how I’m sure I won’t be the only one.

The fact is, news outlets present what they want people to know. Everyone has an agenda, and everyone is pushing their agenda. Hard. Now that this story is in print, it exists forever. We live in a period where once the publish button is pressed, you can’t take back what has been written. The words presented today will forever haunt the subordinate who was misrepresented. We, as a society, don’t make apologies for our misrepresentations, and often times will not admit when we have misrepresented something (right Congressman Weiner?). It is unfortunate that in this time of “instant gratification” (I myself am thoroughly engrossed in this lifestyle thanks to my iPhone, Nook, and other technology that allows everything at the tip of my fingers the second I want it to be), with a rush to be the first to report something, people are trampled and can have their lives ruined along the way.

Salted Caramel Surprise Cupcakes

2011-08-03T18:39:00.000-04:00

When it comes to cupcakes, I fancy myself a connoisseur (years of consuming every red velvet I can get my hands on will do that to a girl). Sure, I like a strawberry or rainbow chip cupcake every now and then, but when the occasion presents a need for a cupcake confection, you won’t find anything less than Cupcake Wars-worthy if I have anything to do with it.

Last Friday was certainly an occasion that called for cupcakes as it was Kristopher’s birthday, and there was no way I was going to let him settle for store-bought or simple. When I first asked him what kind of cupcake he wanted for his birthday, the first word out of his mouth was “vanilla” (Clearly he had a momentary lapse and forgot who he was talking to). As many times as he’s begrudgingly sat through hours of episodes of Cupcake Wars with me (“Babe, this is the worst show on TV.” He’s obviously never seen The Office if that’s what he thinks!), I expected more from him! I started to throw out a few of his favorite flavors to see if maybe he was just drawing a blank on the spot, and before I could say peanut butter, Kristopher came up with this creation:

Vanilla Cupcake filled with Peanut Butter Ganache & Topped with a Salted Caramel Buttercream and PB Ganache Dipped Pretzel

Now THIS was a cupcake I could get on board with!

{Nothing but fresh, local ingredients…and 2 bags of Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips = Boyfriend’s Dream Cupcake}

{I took a small shortcut and settled on a boxed White Cake – doctored up, of course with a dash of pure vanilla extract. Ordinarily, I make everything from scratch, but I wanted to focus on all of the components in and on top of the cake rather than the cake itself since I knew the rest would be Kristopher’s favorite part.}

{Homemade Caramel required almost as much attention as a newborn…}

{…but the end result was so worth it!}

{After whipping together a salty buttercream, I drizzled my homemade caramel into the mix to create a Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting}

{After cooling (shortcut – 15 minuets in the fridge straight out of the oven) the cupcakes were prepped for the “surprise” using the tip of my frosting bag}

{Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips, Heavy Cream and another dash of Vanilla}

{“Surprise” Peanut Butter Ganache Filling}

{The finished product, topped off with a PB Ganache Dipped Pretzel Stick}

What is your favorite cupcake flavor?

Sentimental Summer: DDDN

2011-08-02T21:52:00.000-04:00

There is something about summertime that puts me in a perpetual sentimental state where one minute I am completely in the moment, engaged with whomever and whatever is in front of me, and the next…I’m far away, lost in the memory of a summer long since past.

Tonight was no exception. On the drive home from DDDN (Daddy Daughter Date Night), I made the drive that’s become so familiar I could detail every curve with my eyes closed, when the sight of the setting sun transported me to a summer night spent swinging on the hammock in my family’s old back yard. In that instant, I was no longer driving, but gazing up at the sunset with my sisters (and an American Girl doll or 4) tucked in close to me, as we watched our mom brush away the lingering hairs from tonight’s grilled corn on the cob, and our dad throw a sinker down and in to the sweet spot of my brother’s Rawlings glove (the hand-me-down signed by “Curly Ducket”).

No sooner was I swaying to the breeze in my backyard hammock when the fleeting memory set as quickly as the evening sun, and I was there in my car on 7 West, driving back to reality.

What is your favorite sentimental summer memory?

August Aspirations

2011-08-01T18:10:00.005-04:00

For me, August has always been a bit of a bitter-sweet pill to swallow. Bitter in that August's arrival means that summer is steadfastly winding down (with the onset of another Upstate NY winter on the horizon); but oh so sweet in that there is still one full month left of summer sunshine, and all that summer's bounty has to offer.

This August, I plan to...

Savor Sundays at the Farmers Market. From the fresh produce, coconut-spiced black tea & lavender cookies, handmade pasta (and the perfect pesto companion), to the crisp Summertide wine? Nothing feels more like summer than a Sunday Stroll through the Farmers Market (Except, of course, crafting & consuming a delectable dish straight from my favorite cookbook...)

Conquer those three bins full of seasonal clothes that have taken up residence in the spare room. Clutter makes me cringe. My Type-A personality gets the best of me if an object is even slightly out of place (Monica Gellar's got nothing on me!). You'd never know it, though, by walking into my spare room (Apparently, my inner Regina Falange hijacked my personality this summer), as I've gotten more than a little lax in my home upkeep this summer. For the first time in my life, I've lived by the phrase, lazy days of summer, and lazily let the spare room turn into the clutter closet.

Go to Camp. As a kid, my summer mornings were spent braiding lanyards (I could box stitch like my adolescent life depended on it), exploring the likes of the wooded playground, playing four square with the boys, and dancing the Tootsie Roll at day camp. As much as I enjoyed my mornings, I always spent my afternoons pining away at the thought of going to an overnight camp. Flash forward 20+ years, and staying overnight at a camp is not exactly at the top of my "must do" list these days. Though a lot has changed in two decades, I've finally decided to step out of my comfort zone & back into my adolescent mindset to join all of my friends on their annual pilgrimage to the lake for a weekend of camping (only now, we're trading lanyards for liquor around the campfire).

I could go on...but I'm content to let the lazy days of summer take over from here!

What are your August Aspirations?

"I lub you tew!"

2011-05-04T20:23:00.005-04:00

Dear Baby Bear (aka My Little Nugget),

It amazes me how four little words delivered in the most delicate balance of southern belle and pipsqueak can alter my world so completely. Thank you, Ari, for sweetening up what was undoubtedly a sour day.

I never guessed that trading in True Blood reruns for Sesame Street On Demand and "Watch the Buzz!?" would be my idea of the best kind of night, but when you walked in and said, "I lub you tew!" little doubt remained in my mind. I only hope that as you grow older and trade in Elmo for Elmer's Glue and everything beyond, that you remember your date nights with Rona!

Remember snacking on our Chicky Chicky Pizza that only Rona knows how to make (as you get older, you'll realize that just about anyone can make a chicken quesadilla, but for now, this pizza belongs only to Ari & Rona), remember watching the blooper reel with Buzz and Woody (and that "Jessie's so bunny!"), remember dancing with Elmo, Zoe, Grober and Beesay, Kelly & Michelle as they sing about a new way to walk (walk, walk), and remember sipping on choco treats before Mommy comes to pick you up.

Keep these memories close to you, because nights like tonight are the nights that I will always cherish...even as you work your way through the "Terrible" Two's. Nights like tonight will be the nights I look back on when you walk in to your first day of kindergarten, and dance in your first recital (even though you've been putting on recitals for all of us since before you could walk, Baby Gaga!), and get behind the wheel of your first car. Nights like these will always remind me that there is nothing that I love more than being your Aunt Rona (and when you're older and finally watch "Look Who's Talking" with me, your Mommy, and Aunt Emo...you'll understand where the nickname Rona came from). Remember these moments, Ari, because these are the moments that sweeten up my every day. Above all else, simply remember that I lub you tew, Ari!

Snuggle-lovin' always,
Rona

Kate Spade Collection - Rainy Spring Sunday

2011-04-17T21:13:00.001-04:00

Kate Spade Collection - Rainy Spring Sunday by JenniBeanJLD featuring satin pumps

Wine Wednesday and the Wisdom of Chang's

2011-03-31T17:49:00.005-04:00

Nothing enhances the feeling of life happening around me (and passing me by far too quickly) quite like the monotony of my regimented work week: wake up, work 10+ hours, grab a bite to eat, fit in the gym when I can, shower, in bed early (usually after passing out on the couch the minute I sit down), waking up for a few minutes to greet my love when he bounds home from another late night at work (just to fall right back to sleep as quickly as I half-woke up), lather, rinse, repeat... My only weekday reprieve arrives in the form of Wine Wednesday with my closest confidant.

After a quick lap around the Macy's dress department, my best friend and I stopped in to PF Chang's to delve deep into a bottle of Chateau St. Michele (followed by the always necessary champagne split) and the weekly round up of our most recent musings. While I expected the usual chatter about work and our love lives, I didn't expect The Wisdom of Chang's to momentarily halt our conversation. As Tiffany cracked her fortune cookie (snatched from behind the bar no thanks to our less than observant bar tenders), I was amazed at the poignant accuracy of the sentiment: An hour with one friend is worth more than ten with strangers. How right you are, PF Chang's. As monotonous as my weeks are, filled with hours at work among strangers seemingly defining my life, one hour with my best friend (or my love on a night like tonight when we somehow manage to have a night off together) is enough to reinvigorate me, and allow me to take the time to slow down (if only for a brief moment), than 10 (or say 50 thanks to work) hours with strangers.

Savoring Sunday {Spring Edition}

2011-03-20T21:39:00.001-04:00

After a long and unforgiving winter, I have been more than a little anxious to get out and enjoy a carefree Sunday celebrating the start of Spring with my love. What better way to start a new season than with:

Sizzling Fajitas and Carnitas (accompanied by a margarita or two) with my love at our favorite little Mexican haunt (endless chips and salsa abound)

A trip to the impeccably delicious Fresh Market for healthy treats and a gorgeous freckled Orchid (to breath some fresh air into our stuffy winter-worn apartment)

A brisk evening trek along the Mohawk River with our little family and two new pair of Rollerblades begging to be broken in (mine in Tiffany Blue, naturally!)

I couldn't help but revel in the scent and feel of the crisp Spring air and the warm(ish) rays of sun that accompanied the new season as if I was grasping for the memory of our perfect Spring Sunday to last just a bit longer. At least I have the memory of the day, because this morning, I woke up to this out my office window:

Oh, New York!!

NOOK Review: Emily and Einstein

2011-03-16T19:47:00.010-04:00

There was a time B.N.C. (Before NOOKcolor) that I used to fill my nights wandering the vast Utopia that is Barnes & Noble admiring the endless supply of books and magazines (and of course, a red velvet cupcake from the Cafe). Those days have been few and far between due to the late nights at work, fitting in time for the gym, and becoming a self-imposed recluse thanks to this unforgiving Upstate winter (most people catch a cold or the flu this time of year; me? I catch the Winter Blahs).

In an effort to shake off the W.B.'s, I headed out to Barnes & Noble last week for a literary pick-me-up. As expected, B&N didn't disappoint (this may or may not have anything to do with the velvety red goodness I inhaled the minute I walked through the doors). Even though I have my pick of most any book or magazine I could want at the tip of my staunch fingers (seriously, my manhands make it ridiculously difficult when attempting to navigate the touch screen keyboard!) on my beloved NOOKcolor, there's something about picking up a book and hearing the unmistakable crack of the hardcover when you open an actual book that gets me every time. On this particular trip, it was the book Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee.

Synopsis (From Barnes & Noble):

"He was a man who didn’t deserve a second chance. But he needed one…
Emily and her husband Sandy Portman seemed to live a gracious if busy life in an old-world, Upper West Side apartment in the famous Dakota building. But one night on the way to meet Emily, Sandy dies in a tragic accident. The funeral isn't even over before Emily learns she is on the verge of being evicted from their apartment. But worse than the possibility of losing her home, Emily is stunned when she discovers that her marriage was made up of lies.
Suddenly Emily is forced on a journey to find out who her husband really was . . . all the while feeling that somehow he isn't really gone. Angry, hurt, and sometimes betrayed by loving memories of the man she lost, Emily finds comfort in a scruffy dog named Einstein. But is Einstein's seemingly odd determination that she save herself enough to make Emily confront her own past? Can he help her find a future—even after she meets a new man?"

I'll admit it, I am a sucker for a good cover! and this cover had me at the proverbial hello. I don't know if it was the blooming flowers behind the park bench (hello Springtime! are you here yet!?), the vibrant pink print on the black background, or the cocked head of the adorable Jack Russell (the resemblance to my dad's dog, Reuben, is uncanny!), but something about the cover of this book would not let me walk away from the display. Couple that with the fact that it's a story about a widow (I don't know what it is, but I have a strange affinity for any story involving a grieving widow) and I am in heaven (no widow pun intended). Can you say, WINNING!

From the minute I put down the book jacket, I knew I had to read Emily and Einstein. I exited Barnes & Noble almost as quickly as I entered, and dove straight into my NOOKcolor when I got home. Of course, I had to finish my current NOOK Book, Baltimore Blues, first (which, had I not come across a book I had to read rightthissecond, I may never have gotten through it...not one of my favorites!) before I could start my latest must read. I have a hard time starting a book and not seeing it through until the end (even if it was just $.99 as the February NOOK Special, I was not about to waste my hard earned cents!), and I was determined to read Emily and Einstein as soon as possible.

I can usually gauge how I like a book by how quickly I read it, and I was done with all 321 electronic pages in a matter of 3 days (3 days that included an afternoon of Toy Story with my niece on repeat, more loads of laundry than I'd like to admit to, two 10 hour work days, one of which was followed by an hour long meeting of the planning committee for the American Cancer Society's Gala of Hope, a dinner date with my love, and a Daddy Daughter Date Night...all in all, three extremely over scheduled days). The more I read Emily and Einstein's tale, the more I wanted to read. Some of the reviews I have since read claimed the book was predictable, but I found it to be heartwarming. While there were elements of the story that were obviously outside the realm of the real world (without wanting to give away much of the plot, I'll leave it at that...), I found the story to be a very honest look into one woman's journey to self discovery. Something I can more than relate to at this specific point in my life (aside from the widow aspect, clearly). Give me flaws, give me introspection, give me a clumsy protagonist I can see myself in, and I'll give you a satisfied reader (how very Vonnegut of me!).

The Weight of Silence

2011-03-06T20:48:00.003-05:00

"I'm at a loss for words..."

Not exactly a phrase I'd been familiar with before this time last year, and yet, that phrase defined almost an entire year of my life. It's easy to find the words when everything goes according to plan, or even when the plan veers off course, as long as the outcome is good. It's when things are difficult; when everything seems to be crumbling around you that the words stop flowing freely. Almost as if the words revert to a place deep inside to avoid becoming as damaged as the environment they could be brought into.

To say 2010 was a difficult year would be a gross understatement, but the weight of silence has been a heavy burden. A burden that I am ready to lift, ready to move on from and break my silence. It's good to finally feel like myself again...

Cupcake of the Month: Snickerdoodle

2010-01-18T19:19:00.005-05:00

It's no secret that I LOVE to bake (if it wasn't apparent before Christmas, I'm sure the Kitchen Aid, cupcake necklace, baking pans, new apron, cupcake accessories, and Martha Stewart Cupcakes that Santa left under my tree gave me away to anyone show wasn't 100% convinced). To me, there is nothing more comforting than biting into a homemade morsel of goodness after a slaving in front of a warm oven.

Of course, the only thing better than baking treats is eating them (and what's a treat if you can't share it?)! So my dear readers, in honor of my love for baking, I'm starting a new feature here on Somewhere In Between - The Cupcake of the Month!! From Tiramisu, to Lavender, to Red Velvet (my personal fav), to this month's pick, Snickerdoodle, the possibilities are endless.

{Cupcake display box by Wilton}

The Snickerdoodle first stole a piece of my heart back in 7th grade Home Ec class, when Mrs. Mauer handed out a crisp sheet of white paper with the cookie recipe that turned me from a choc-a-holic to a sugar fiend. The spicy combination of cinnamon and sugar had me at first bite! Since January is about new beginnings, I thought, why not bring new life to a much-loved cookie recipe and combine it with my love of cupcakes! The result - an intensely dense and moist spice party topped with just the right amount of a decadent 7-minute frosting!

I love trying new flavor combinations - brownie cupcakes with lavender frosting (the cupcakes I'll be making for an upcoming bridal shower) is one I'm looking forward to tackling - and I'm looking for suggestions (no more box-mixes for me!). Is there a flavor you want to see me bake? Let me know at somewhereinbetweenblog(at)gmail(dot)com, or here in the comments!

What flavor would you like to see featured next month?

Savoring Sunday {Keep Calm And Carry On}

2010-01-03T11:40:00.005-05:00

Keep Calm And Carry On. I can't think of a better outlook than this simple phrase from the cover of my new journal (and many a British War poster) to start my 2010. I've never been one to make resolutions going into the new year, though this year, this saying resonated with me, and I've resolved to Keep Calm And Carry On with everything this year has to offer.

The thought started after I took the time to look back at my archives, and I discovered a person I almost didn't recognize. I became someone who let every little thing wind me up to my core to the point where I lost the joy in the simple, everyday pleasures I used to take comfort in.

I'm excited to see what this year brings, and to really challenge myself to follow through with my resolution to Keep Calm And Carry On, starting with taking the time to do the things I really love, and bringing the joy back to my everyday life.

This Sunday, I am savoring:

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Made with my beloved Kitchen Aid Mixer from my beloved Dad, and baked in the new Wilton Pans Boyfriend's sister gave me for Christmas.
Writing for ME. Another task I resolved to follow through on this year is taking the time to write every single day - whether it be here on this blog, in my 2010 journal, or in the notebook that follows me everywhere.
A Wedding In December, by Anita Shreve. I can't think of a better way to unwind than getting lost in a new book on this blustery Sunday afternoon.

What do you resolve to do in 2010?

How The Boyfriend Stole Christmas...AGAIN

2009-12-15T21:52:00.003-05:00

It's been 370 days since it last happened, so I thought I was in the clear. This year, there was no way Boyfriend would figure out what I got him for Christmas, and it'd be impossible for him to get himself the same gift. There was no way I'd be spewing the words, "you ruined Christmas," through tear-streaked sobs this year! At least that's what I thought!

Against my advice last year, Boyfriend took it upon himself to go out and buy It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (Season 1 & 2) on DVD a mere 2 weeks before Christmas. I didn't exactly come out and say, "Don't buy Always Sunny," but I did say, "Don't buy anything for yourself in the month of December!" but alas, Boyfriend didn't listen. You see, I have a tendency of getting overly excited like Kristen Wiig's Aunt Sue character on SNL with the inability to keep presents a secret. So you can imagine how thrilled I was that I've made it to December 15th without giving away the news of what I got Boyfriend (at least not to him).

It's been a financially difficult few months, so in lieu of a spectacular Christmas (I have a penchant for going a bit...overboard), I have had to practice great restraint in order to stay on a Christmas budget. Rather than spending a lot of money on a large gift, I decided to do something more meaningful that I knew he'd appreciate.

I had a great idea for the beautiful Seiko watch Boyfriend bought on a cruise vacation he went on the year we first started dating. Unfortunately, the watch band broke, and the original jeweler who was supposed to fix it managed to get the pin not only stuck, but rusted into the watch! It's been broken for over a year (and Boyfriend just broke his other watch), so I thought if I could get his watch repaired, he'd be more than pleased, especially since he hasn't thought about his Seiko in months (surely there was no way he'd attempt to get it repaired himself!).

I let Boyfriend's mom and sister in on the plan, and picked up the repaired watch on Saturday. I replaced the watch in the Seiko box just inside of our bureau (I assumed hiding the watch in plain sight would be perfect - if I removed the box to wrap it prior to Christmas, Boyfriend would get suspicious!). Everything was going according to plan, and not once have I had the urge to spill the beans and allude to Boyfriend what he'd be receiving (unlike the first year we started dating when he received his Christmas present in November because I was just too anxious to hold on to it!).

That all changed at 3:05pm today with a brief text message from Boyfriend's mom. It started with her asking if I'd like to compare gifts, as we tend to think alike and she wanted to avoid us purchasing the same present.

I literally couldn't even pay bills this month so all I could afford to do was have his watch fixed. At least we know there won't be any duplicate gifts!!

"Well, don't freak..I think u should know he brought me the Seiko and asked me to get it repaired for him for Christmas. So we need a plan."

Need a plan!? Need a plan?! What I need is for Boyfriend to stop stealing Christmas!! I could feel my heart sink as I read her words on my Blackberry (while also calling in payroll for two companies...not exactly the best time to receive this kind of news, as not only do I go overboard with gifts, but I also overreact at the most inappropriate of times!). I frantically finished my payroll call and proceeded to dial Boyfriend's number...six times before he answered.

As collected as I could, I murmured, "I am so upset with you right now. You might as well stop back at your mom's on the way to work and get your watch because IT'S ALREADY FIXED. That was the ONE thing I was able to do for you for Christmas."

To which Boyfriend replied, "I ruined Christmas, again."

What's funny about the situation is the fact that Boyfriend's mom tried everything to take the watch from him without him seeing it already repaired in an attempt to repackage it without me (or Boyfriend) ever knowing of the conundrum. But true to form, Boyfriend couldn't leave well enough alone and insisted on showing his mom exactly what needed repair.

"This pin usually falls right out, but huh. Right now it must be stuck in place. But it does need to be fixed!"

Clearly, it's been so long since he's looked at the watch that Boyfriend didn't even realize what was wrong with it (the pin not only broke inside of the band, but it was rusted inside and beyond the repair of the jeweler he went to.).

As deflated as I was, I made sure to tell Boyfriend that not only was his watch repaired, but the pin was lasered into place (with a full warranty) so that it couldn't possibly break again.

So much for my feeble attempt to at least have a gift waiting under the tree for Boyfriend on Christmas morning! Boyfriend seems to think all is well in the name of Christmas, and there is no reason I should be mad because it would have been the perfect gift since it's what he wanted anyway. He doesn't get it! I've completely lost the wind in my sails as part of the joy of giving him this present was the fact that I knew it was something he needed/wanted done, but wouldn't get done himself (especially working with limited to no funds). In an effort to avoid this now-traditional Christmas spectacle, I think I need to resort to waiting til the very last minute on Christmas Eve to plan a gift for him (this goes for Valentine's Day, and any other gift-giving holiday, too). Now, I have less than 10 days to plan a creative (and ~~inexpensive~~ free) gift idea (and find the time to execute it) so that our tree isn't barren on Christmas morning. Any ideas?

Savoring Sunday: A Christmas Story Told Through Cookie Sundays

2009-12-13T18:10:00.005-05:00

Nothing says Christmas like the aroma of four and a half dozen of my trademark Cranberry Christmas Surprise Cookies (a recipe I concocted and perfected one lonely Christmas in Nashville, 2005) filling the apartment on a chilly, snowy Sunday.

As I baked batch after batch, I started to think about some of my favorite Christmas traditions - two of which are pictured above. The first, is obviously my cookie obsession, which has now turned into Cookie Sundays in my very own Christmas Story. And while we're talking about Christmas Stories, let's talk about my all-time favorite, A Christmas Story.

What started out as a silly tradition between me and my sisters (staying up all night on Christmas Eve watching every showing of the TBS 24 hour A Christmas Story marathon, coloring the night away with a fresh box of Crayolas and festive Christmas coloring books) has now evolved into a full blown obsession! From the 24 hour marathon, to the special edition Monopoly board that resides under the tree all season, to Ralphie decked out in his chaps and Red Rider hanging out on my tree, and finally, with the Christmas Story wrapping paper and tags that adorn the pretty packages exchanged between my family (including the Christmas Story boxers my sisters and I surprised our Dad with last Christmas!!), it's safe to say the Parker family is deeply ingrained in our family Christmas traditions!

What are your favorite holiday traditions?

Change {of Address}

2009-12-13T17:21:00.005-05:00

Catch up on my best moments of 2009 starting here. Don't forget to check out Gwen Bell's Blog to join the challenge!

December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?

Change is often difficult, but if you allow it, change can also be extremely empowering. Freeing even, especially when that change is made to the place you live. It seems any change made to what you consider a "place" that makes it feel like home is the most transcendent. For me, the best change I made to the place I live was changing the place altogether.

In moving, I left behind a broken friendship, memories of the first home my niece ever knew (as well as a strained relationship with her mother/my sister due to the financial and living arrangements), and the haunting ramifications of one of the most painful situations I've ever endured while living in that apartment. With all that was left behind, there has been so much to look forward to: I can't say our friendship will every be restored, but the fences have been mended between me and my ex-roommate now that I've moved out of our old abode and moved on with my own life; my sister and I are closer than ever now that we each have our own space without the tension that money often causes within families; and I have a home with Boyfriend.

I feel at home for the first time since leaving the red brick house on Sherwood Forest that I once shared with my entire family. I believe in the saying that home is where the heart is, and that home is what you make of it, but sometimes, your heart can't truly be home if the place you live has been riddled with situations that have chipped away at your heart. Sometimes the only thing left to do is pick up the pieces and move on (and move to a new home). And that's just what I've done in 2009.

Santa, Can You Hear Me?

2009-12-13T13:05:00.006-05:00

...I have been so good this year! And all I want is one* thing...(courtesy of My Only Wish This Year, by Britney Spears).

Items in this set:
Faith Pixie Heart Print Slipper Boot
shu uemura Eyelash Curler
Singer Portable Sewing Machine - 2250 : Target
2105-1420 - Wilton Perfect Performance Ultra 5-Piece Boxed Bakeware... (Though, I found this exact set for only $14.99 at Marshalls!)
Non-stick 3-Tier Stackable Cooling Grid - Wilton

What are you wishing for this Christmas?

There's No Place Like {Barnes & Noble}

2009-12-11T19:54:00.008-05:00

Catch up on my best moments of 2009 starting here. Don't forget to check out Gwen Bell's Blog to join the challenge!

December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

Hands down, my favorite place for the "I can't even keep track because I've lost count" year running would have to be Barnes & Noble. But not just any Barnes & Noble, my Barnes & Noble on a Sunday - the one with the Starbucks Cafe just to the right of the magazines when you breeze through the front doors. I adore my worn out, over sized chair just behind the cafe, tucked in between the cookbooks and the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the passing traffic.

Nothing makes me feel more like myself than grabbing a Martha Stewart Living Magazine (okay, okay, so I'll throw a few US Weekly's & People's in on occasion just to quench my gossip-lust) and a stack of can't wait to crack open books and diving in while enjoying a tall, non-fat raspberry mocha and the dull hum of fellow bookworms pondering their next great read.

Not to be outdone, my favorite free-standing Starbucks takes a close second for almost the same reasons. I swear the booth facing the grand window has an imprint of my bony bottom from all the nights I needed an escape after a long night a work, or a long overdue gab-fest with an old friend! There is something to be said for escapism, and the familiar atmosphere of Barnes & Noble (and, of course, Starbucks) is just what I look to when I need an escape.

Sounds of the Season

2009-12-10T22:24:00.010-05:00

Catch up on my best moments of 2009 starting here. Don't forget to check out Gwen Bell's Blog to join the challenge!

December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?

I've never been a believer in the term "love at first site," but "love at first sound?" well, that's a different story! If it's possible to fall in love with the smooth stylings of another person's voice, then call me twitterpated and play me some Michael Buble. I know, I know...I'm a bit late to jump on the Buble train, but after seeing him on the Rachael Ray Show earlier this year, I was a bit bajiggity (bonus points if you get the movie reference!).

It's been a long time since I've gone out and bought a CD, but couldn't help myself when I came across Michael Buble's Christmas classic, Let It Snow, one lazy Sunday at Barnes & Noble. Sure, some might argue with naming a Christmas album the "album of the year," but purchasing this album brought me to my clear favorite for artist of the year, so in my book, it takes the prize!

To The Tune of "The Climb" {Or, That Time My Life Resembled a Miley Cyrus Song}

2009-12-09T21:43:00.006-05:00

Catch up on my best moments of 2009 starting here. Don't forget to check out Gwen Bell's Blog to join the challenge!

December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

June 1st, 2009 began the biggest (and by far, the best) challenge I could have anticipated this year. Surrounded by piles of boxes and a shared vision of home, June 1st marked the day Boyfriend and I moved into our first apartment together.

The decision to move in together was not something that we declared would happen at any point in our relationship, it just fell into place at the exact right time. Back in October 2008 when my roommate moved out, Boyfriend and I briefly discussed why we shouldn't live together at that point (I never wanted it to be a "roommate" situation where we lived together because we had to financially. I wanted it to be a decision we made because we wanted to live together), and we shelved the idea. It wasn't until nearly 8 months later that the idea came up on a whim after my office cleaner mentioned the remarkable deals at a brand new apartment complex less than a mile down the road. I had all but dismissed the idea of us moving in together until we actually went to view the apartments together. The idea solidified when we went shopping for furniture and put down a deposit on the place we now call home.

The past six months have completely exceeded my expectations of living with Boyfriend. Actually, I don't think I really knew what to expect living with him, but I know what I did not want to happen to our relationship. We've been fortunate in the fact that living together has brought us closer together, rather than driving a wedge in between us. I've learned more about myself living with Boyfriend than I ever learned living alone, or living with another roommate for that matter. It hasn't always been easy (we're currently still saddled with the financial ramifications of the brief period of time Boyfriend was unemployed before landing his near perfect job), but it's been worth it.

{A Moment of} Peace

2009-12-08T21:41:00.003-05:00

Catch up on my best moments of 2009 starting here. Don't forget to check out Gwen Bell's Blog to join the challenge!

December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?

Not surprisingly, my best moment of peace in 2009 took place on a Sunday. More than any other day of the week, Sundays allow me to take solace in my alone time and reflect on the week that was (and prepare for the upcoming week). My peaceful routine usually consists of a few hours wandering the aisles of Barnes & Noble, lost in a latte and the pages of a good book; however, one such Sunday led me to a different place - a place where I felt completely recharged after nearly suffocating within myself.

Sometimes, a moment of clarity - breaking away from the mundane and routine - is necessary before reaching a state of peacefulness. My peace was found below a canopy of fall foliage away from work, away from Boyfriend, away from the decisions I'd made, and in a sense, away from myself.

How do you find peace?

A Very Saucy SITSmas!

2009-12-08T00:15:00.005-05:00

Many of my favorite must read bloggers were discovered via The SITS girls over at The Secret Is In The Sauce - a network of fabulous female bloggers dedicated to supporting each other through comment recognition. If you haven't already, you should check out SITS and discover a pool of witty, talented, and dedicated female bloggers! Merry SITSmas to all of my SITS girls!!

Best Blog Find of 2009 {Kyla Roma}

2009-12-07T22:12:00.005-05:00

Catch up on my best moments of 2009 starting here. Don't forget to check out Gwen Bell's Blog to join the challenge!

December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.

Some weeks, my schedule is so hectic that I don't even sneak a peak at my Google Reader until the count is 1000+. It is those weeks I make it a point to scroll down to Kyla's blog, even if just for a brief escapist look at her incredibly inspiring life in the Canadian Prairies, before even considering reading anything else.

I had seen Kyla's name appear in the comment's section of some of the other blogs I regularly peruse; however, I never actually clicked over to her corner of the interwebs until she was the Featured Blogger on 20SB, and I haven't clicked back since.

Kyla Roma blogs some of the most honest, inspiring, and genuine posts I've read all year, and I can't believe it took me as long as it did to find such any incredibly relatable blog. It's finds like this that remind me there are people all over this world who come from different walks of life, but who think, feel, and live like me (or how I aspire to live!).

If you haven't already discovered this gem of a blog, I urge you to click over to Kyla Roma, and I promise you won't be sorry!!

Savoring Sunday: Baking Spirits Bright

2009-12-06T23:04:00.000-05:00

After a particularly bleary day, nothing quite brightens the Christmas spirit like homemade sugar cookie dough and royal icing (Martha's recipe, of course) cut out and decorated with Boyfriend. This sugar-coma inducing endeavour will no doubt become a part of our beloved Christmas traditions, now that we're living together. Tomorrow night - trimming the tree!

And Since We've No Place To Go, Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2009-12-05T15:08:00.004-05:00

Although I seem to be battling a bit of a cold/flu/throat irritation, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect morning to pick out my first real Christmas tree with Boyfriend. Growing up, my family always had an artificial tree, as Baby Sister Kelly couldn't have a real tree in the house without her asthma kicking in.

By the time I moved to Nashville, I was too poor to purchase decorations, or even a table top tree (this continued my first Christmas back in NY when I covered my walls in lights to make up for a lack of decor!!), until finally giving in and snagging a pre-lit artificial tree of my own for my apartment last year.

Now that we've moved in together in our own apartment, Boyfriend and I decided to start our own Christmas tradition with our first real cut Christmas tree. As we strapped the 8 foot Balsam Fir to my rugged Tucson, the first significant snowfall of the season danced its way onto my windshield (*a few rouge flurries fell two days ago for about 30 minutes, melting the moment they hit the ground. Today, it's STICKING!!).

Nothing puts me more in the Christmas spirit like a sweet smelling tree, and the sight of fresh fallen snow (though, I'll be happy to see the snow melt away just as soon as Christmas is over!).

What holiday traditions get you in the spirit?

After You

2009-12-04T20:38:00.007-05:00

Catch up on my best moments of 2009 starting here. Don't forget to check out Gwen Bell's Blog to join the challenge!

December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

After You, by Julie Buxbaum was undoubtedly the most intriguing novel I devoured in 2009. From the first moment I cracked the spine open and inhaled the captivating smell that only a good book can procure, I couldn't read fast enough.

Much like Buxbaum's first novel, The Opposite of Love (a novel which spoke to me during one of the most harrowing experiences of my life in a way that sometimes, only characters that were created by someone else, can), I found myself deeply invested in the lives of the main characters, and seduced by the progressing story lines. By the time I reached the final chapter, I was almost melancholy at the thought of leaving these characters behind. This was the type of novel that I had to digest before starting another (for fear that the next wouldn't live up to the unachievable standards set by Buxbaum). I am impatiently waiting for the next release from one of my favorite authors!

What was your favorite book of 2009?

I Live For Little {Restaurant} Moments

2009-12-02T20:22:00.004-05:00

Catch up on my best moments of 2009 starting here. Don't forget to check out Gwen Bell's Blog to join the challenge!

December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

I don't consider myself much of a foodie (I consider myself more of a "sweetie" - as in, this girl LOVES anything having to do with sweets - from preparation to consumption...though, I digress), but every now and then I relish (oh yes, pun intended) the opportunity to treat my taste buds to a divine dining experience.

Never one to turn down a fabulous feast, I had a hard time narrowing down my favorite restaurant moment of 2009. There was something to be said about the intimacy of dining with Boyfriend over Surf & Turf Tempura Rolls at 677 Prime for our shared birthday dinners (courtesy of a gift card from The Boss - otherwise, our shallow pockets could barely have afforded a glass of water). But then of course, I couldn't forget the hilarious irony of a couple's dinner out with some of my favorite people and their significant others at a quaint Italian restaurant on a frostbitten winter evening. Something about good food, great company, and a vintage bottle of red turned an otherwise fickle Wednesday night in the dead of winter into an evening we all still reference to this day, with hopes of coordinating our schedules for another rendition before we're struck with this year's first snowfall.

Despite how deliciously satisfying the aforementioned moments remain in my memory, there is one restaurant experience that trumps all - Shadows On The Hudson. Touted as "Cosmopolitan Dining on the Hudson," this dining restaurant truly lived up to its cleverly crafted slogan. From the undeniably posh decor (including what Boyfriend refers to as the "Diddy Room" - an all white Winter themed room), to the stunning views of the setting sun on the Hudson river, everything about this restaurant transposed me to a euphoric state often reserved for those with an abundance of free time and wealth (something I have clearly been lacking in 2009!). I can still taste the remnants of the two Raspberry Mojave's that danced their way down my throat and solidified their place among the greatest tastes I've ever encountered. The true pièce de résistance came at the end of our meal when Boyfriend and I shared an amazingly decadent Bananas Foster (which I emulated in our own kitchen this past Saturday).

What was your favorite restaurant moment of 2009?

Best of 2009 Blog Challenge

2009-12-01T21:57:00.007-05:00

Is it December already? I feel like the last time I really sat down and thought about my year was back in January, and that feels like minutes, not months ago.

After a pathetic run at NaBloPoMo this year, I decided to take part in the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge (if you're a member of 20 Something Bloggers, you've no doubt seen the post on their blog). Who doesn't love a good year in review with 200+ other bloggers discussing the same prompts that made their year!?

December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?

Jacksonville/Gainesville, Florida - 10/16/09-10/19/09. Just like everything else I attempt to carefully plan down to the last detail in my life, the Gator Getaway was anything but perfectly executed! What started as a long overdue vacation and seemingly perfect birthday gift for the Boyfriend quickly turned complicated as Boyfriend lost his job less than a week before we took off. With every last dollar allocated to some facet of our first vacation together (including Boyfriend's salary), pairing it down at the last minute became one of the biggest tests of my patience (and our relationship).

As stressful as the status of our finances was at the time of the trip (and directly following), there's no way I would have forgone the memories made for a little financial security. Given the chance, I'd take the exact same trip again, hiccups and all. That's the true testiment of the Best Trip of 2009!

It's Not Thanksgiving Without a Trip to the ER

2009-11-28T21:36:00.004-05:00

Who needs turkey when you've got a tube of Insta-Glucose to satisfy your Thanksgiving taste buds?!?

Just as I have every Thanksgiving for the past 3 years that I've been back in New York (and countless others prior to moving to Nashville), I woke up early Thursday morning with every intention of delivering Thanksgiving dinners to those in need. It's become somewhat of a Thanksgiving tradition among myself, my Dad, and Baby Sister Kelly now that we've all gone our separate ways for the actual dinner (between new wives, boyfriends, fiances and life in general, one big happy Thanksgiving get together has been near impossible!).

True to form, the morning started with a bit of a hiccup, as I received a phone call from my Dad informing me that he and my sister had to turn around and head back home to pick up my sister's ID (the state troopers wouldn't allow her in the parking garage without proper ID). I patiently waited in the long line of volunteers and made small talk with a mother-daughter duo in front of me. We were discussing the wonders of Starbucks when my Dad and sister finally made it inside, IDs in hand.

As the talk shifted from coffee to Coach purses, I began to sweat and feel a bit dizzy, so I removed my down jacket and made a seat out of our tupperware container (to carry all of the meals). Not wanting to cause a scene, I told my family that I had to get to a bathroom soon, or there was a good chance the contents of my stomach would spoil the meals of all those in line. Keeping with the spirit of volunteering, my sister offered to take me to the bathroom and we were just out of line when I slurred the words, I can't see, Kelly. I can't see. With those words, my mouth went numb, my ears started ringing, and next thing I knew, I was down for the count.

Without missing a beat, Baby Sister Kelly came to my rescue with a move now dubbed the Swoop & Save, as she managed to stealthily catch my limp figure as I went down. Apparently, a heroic ginger man saw what was happening and slid his jacket in the exact spot my head was set to land on with alarming speed and amazing timing. As I opened my eyes, I saw Yukon Cornelius's twin (Thanks for your jacket-pillow!), and a state trooper named Dan.

"What's your name? Can you tell me how old you are? My name's Dan."

Jennifer. 27. What just happened?

So much for not wanting to cause a scene! A small assemblage of people surrounded me, as my Dad, sister and random strangers helped me outside to await the arrival of the ambulance. The next few minutes were a blur until suddenly, EMTs, state troopers and a faction of firemen surrounded me. I didn't register what was happening until I felt a prick on my left pointer finger as one of the EMTs attempted to test my bloodsugar levels.

"You're not a bleeder, huh?" he asked as he stuck my finger two more times resulting in a small dot of blood. "Blood sugar is at 62."

Is that bad? I managed to spit out, completely oblivious to the gawkers and gatherers.

"You don't want your sugar to dip below 80, so I'd say it's not good."

With that, I was suddenly presented with a royal feast of Insta-Glucose (the promise that "It tastes just like frosting" was clearly a farce, as all I could taste was a congregation of chemicals dancing on my taste buds) and two stale dinner roles.

Within minutes, the EMT performed another stick & prick to make sure my sugar levels were rising - now at 112, my sugar had nearly doubled, and yet I still found myself strapped to a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. (My Dad and sister stayed behind making small talk with a handsome trooper who joked that I had no credibility with him as my syncopal event was probably a scam to get to the front of the line. Once he learned my last name - one shared by a famous relative who was a notorious bank robber in the Midwest back in the 30s - he joked that I must be the distraction as our other cohorts were probably off robbing a bank! At least everyone else was laughing...)

Can someone find my glasses? I can't see anything and I don't know where I'm going!

"You won't want to see what's about to happen," was clearly NOT the reassuring statement I was hoping to hear!!

A short ride, and a few more finger pricks later, I found myself in emergency room B29, the exact room I was in 5 years ago when I had a similar black out (right in the middle of Sunday service at my church. Remind me to take up bingo and find a board with B-29!). Within minutes, my dad and sister joined me, and we entertained the nurses (and of course, the doctor who tried to keep a straight face through our dialogue until finally joining in) and swapped stories of all the holidays one of our family members has spent in the hospital (Baby Sister Kelly was a sickly child and takes the title on that one). My Dad slyly reminded us, "It's not a competition you know!" as we joked about who's holiday hospital visits were more extreme.

Following a normal EKG, blood tests and a few more pricks to my tender fingers, we were discharged and free to go on our Thanksgiving way. Unfortunately, we never got to deliver the meals this year, but at least we were together. Here's hoping next year's Thanksgiving is just as exciting without landing anyone in the ER!

NaBloPoNO You Didn't!

2009-11-24T17:49:00.002-05:00

As I sit here, attempting to type this post for the fourth time, I've come to realize that apparently, the universe did not want me to participate in NaBloPoMo this year (clearly, my family aren't the only ones who think I talk too much. My own laptop has defiantly silenced me for nearly two weeks!).

I'll keep this short for now, as I never know when my laptop will spaz out and turn black (just as I'm in the middle of a sentence that hasn't saved). By next week, I hope to have it fixed, and I'll do my best to catch up on all the posts missed from NaBloPoMo (oh yes, that's a promise!)!

Have a FESTIVE and Fabulous Thanksgiving :)

A Case of the Herp, and Why Everyone Should Own a Pet Carrier

2009-11-12T23:49:00.004-05:00

What started with a slightly panicked phone call ultimately resulted in a pretty sick kitty and a shitty night (literally...but we'll get to that).

I was sitting at my desk this afternoon, going through paperwork and preparing for a meeting tomorrow, when my phone rang, and Boyfriend's picture popped up.

"Something's wrong with Bentley."

"What do you mean? What's wrong with him? Is he okay?"

"Well, his left eye is watering, and he just doesn't seem like himself."

"Is he okay right now, or do you think I should call the vet?"

This banter continued a few minutes more until I promptly decided to schedule an appointment with my extra grande cat's favorite vet tomorrow afternoon. If it had been anything serious, surely Boyfriend would have urged me to leave work and immediately head to the vet, right?

I counted the last few hours and impatiently waited to get home to my kitty. He was just as cuddly as ever when I walked in the door, so I assumed tomorrow's appointment would be fine. Bentley nuzzled against the back of my legs as I made stuffed-baked potatoes and swayed to the musical stylings of Michael Buble radio (my favorite Pandora station!). After two hours of baking, I sat down with my kitty in my lap to catch up on the rest of Grey's season two, when I noticed that my extra grande cat was not only sneezing, but now his breathing was short, shallow, and quick. Not wiling to take any chances (he is my baby, after all!), I scooped my kitty up in his favorite blanket (a green & holly print chenille blanket I bought the day before I adopted my kitty!) and drove the 30+ minutes to the 24 hour emergency pet hospital.

Tears streamed down my face as I sped through speed traps and traffic circles assuming the worst. My last trip to the 24 hour emergency pet hospital resulted in bringing a kitty in, and coming home empty handed (RIP Dexter), so clearly, I was wishing for every other outcome. Once inside, my fears were a bit calmed when the vet techs explained that Bentley's breathing seemed normal, but to hang tight and the doctor would be in. Soon, my sister arrived to keep me sane throughout the three hour visit, and we waited...and waited.

When the doctor finally saw us, she surprised my poor Bentley with a rectal probe and a herpes diagnosis. Go ahead, re-read that. My.cat.has.herpes. But it's not what you think. Herpes in felines affects the respiratory system, and presents the same symptoms as colds in humans, so there's no need for major concern (except the fact that he's a 15lb kitty and should ideally weigh 12lbs. That doesn't seem like much, but losing 3lbs when that's 1/5 of your total weight is quite a bit!).

My heart rate slowed significantly when I was told I could bring Bentley home with me right away and would just need to monitor him. I loaded Bentley and his blankie into my car and headed home. No less than five minutes into the ride, my lap got extremely hot, and suddenly all I could smell was ammonia. IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING? Apparently, three hours in the confines of a sterile vet's office led Bentley to evacuate his bladder all over my lap as I still had at least 30 minutes to drive home. Things couldn't get any worse. And yet, they did.

Not only was I covered in my cat's ammonia-laced urine, but now Bentley decided to release his bowels, too (no doubt payback for the rectal thermometer). Not only does my cat have the herp, but now I've become a human litter box. Just as impatiently as I counted down the hours to get home to my sick kitty, I'm now counting down the hours until Pet Smart opens so I can purchase a Pet Carrier should the need to transport Bentley arise again in the future (shit on me once, shame on you. Shit on me twice-and you're going back to the shelter!! {of course, I don't mean that, but you know!})

No-Waste November: FAIL

2009-11-10T22:34:00.004-05:00

While I have managed not to eat out once yet in the month of November, I couldn't resist the gravitational pull of Barnes & Noble tonight. Initially, I told myself I'd just go in and peruse the magazines like I used to do every Sunday and make a quick break. That was before I realized all of the holiday issues were gracing the newsstand!

Though I've never read an issue of O Magazine before, I had to pick up the December issue (I love, love Ellen and watched, all year, as she made it her personal goal to be on the cover of O with Oprah!), if only for the cover. Next up came Women's Day, a monthly favorite of mine as an eager 8 year-old who'd tear into my mom's subscriptions the minutes the mail man delivered them to our mailbox. I doubt I've picked up a Women's Day in almost 20 years, but something about the holiday issue hypnotized me into adding it to my must-buy pile.

And who can resist Rachael Ray (ok, other than Boyfriend. I'll have to hide this one or check for it in the trash if Boyfriend finds it!)? The majority of my go-to recipes have all been tested out and perfected with inspiration from 30 Minute Meals and The Rachael Ray Show.

By this point in time, I already had it in my head that I'll be making many of my Christmas gifts this year, so of course I couldn't pass up the gorgeous cover that was practically jumping into my already full hands of Real Simple Magazine. My original intention was to sit down and read through the magazines at the B&N cafe, but all I could think about was getting home to finish season two of Grey's Anatomy (I'm officially hooked!). So, off to the checkout I headed...

As usual, I didn't quite make it to the cash out as immediately as I had hoped, as I took a detour to the music section to pick up Michael Buble's Holiday CD. How can I be expected to read all of my new holiday magazines if I don't have a little mood music (after seeing Michael Buble on The Rachael Ray show last week, I have officially been swooned!)? Besides, I scoped out the CD at Target first (where I proudly walked out empty-handed!), and not only was the disc $2 cheaper at B&N, but I also saved an additional $.80 with my Member Discount (thus justification for adding the CD to my purchase pile, and the reasoning I used to convince myself that No-Waste November isn't a complete fail)!

Suitcase of Memories

2009-11-09T09:53:00.006-05:00

*This post is LONG overdue, seeing as how Boyfriend and I arrived home nearly a month ago, but better late than never!*

Armed with a tall Caramel Apple Cider and an Elizabeth Noble novel, I couldn't wait to take off on my first vacation away with Boyfriend after what seemed like two years of planning! While flying isn't something I particularly enjoy doing (the only redeeming quality is the ability to peruse Sky Mall uninterrupted!), I successfully avoided a Mile-High Meltdown...

...until we reached Baltimore and had a near miss for our connecting flight. As usual, Boyfriend was laid back and told me I was worrying too much and that I should just calm down and relax; but I just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. We sprinted to our connecting flight's gate (as instructed by the flight attendants and the reader board in the terminal) with barely enough time to line up with our boarding group. Ever the worry wart, I looked wide-eyed at Boyfriend and said, "I don't think this is our gate."

"It is, Babe. Stop worrying."

Luckily for me (or maybe not, depending on how you look at it), I find it nearly impossible to relax, and I couldn't resist asking the man next to us where he was flying to. "Norfolk" was his prompt response, to which Boyfriend and I grabbed our carry-ons and dashed, Home Alone style, to the appropriate gate. I had no intention of jetting off to Florida via a stop off in Virginia! Once I knew we were seated on the proper flight, and only 90 minutes away from sunny Florida, I started to settle in a bit, especially when the flight attendants made the announcement, "Welcome to Southwest. There are plenty of seats in the back so come to the back where the hot tub is hotter, the beer is colder and the flight attendants are older. We allow smoking out on the wings where our motto is, if you can light it, you can smoke it." The sassy attendants on this flight (complete with fake teeth and a Gator Chomp thanks to my Gators gear) eased my stress and allowed me to think about one thing: TIM TEBOW!

We were almost in the clear until we snatched our luggage from baggage claim and waited in the humid line for a rental car. Apparently, no one in the state of Florida wanted to rent me a car! Never mind the fact that I had the money available in my checking account to pay for the car, or that my driving history is squeaky (ok, maybe not squeaky!) clean, but because I made a few mistakes paying for a wedding that wasn't nearly 7 years ago, my credit wasn't good enough to rent me a car. What does my credit report have to do with driving a car!?! By the second rejection, I was severely deflated and convinced that Boyfriend and I would have to start walking right away from Jacksonville to Gainesville if we ever wanted to make it in time for the Gators Game. But alas, the man with the thick accent felt a twinge of compassion, and called in a favor to a friend who ran a rental counter a few miles away from the airport. Apparently, King Rental Car doesn't care about your credit (or your age like other rental agents) and they'll rent to anyone!

As expected, the game was incredible. You haven't experience a college football game until you're in the throes of The Swamp with 83,000 people cheering and hi-fiving you after every big play (and in the last seconds when the Gators pulled through to score a field goal for the win!).

Perhaps my favorite part of our Gator Getaway wasn't the game itself, but the time away with Boyfriend (particularly on the flight when I looked over at Boyfriend and realized, "this is our life together," with an elated smile) just the two of us. Willie, the homeless veteran who we met down at Jacksonville Landing, solidified my thoughts when he saw us walking hand-in-hand and yelled, "Now that, that's romance! Like Bill Cosby and Felicia Rashad. That's true love and you need to hold onto that."

You know what Willie? I think I will hold on. Tight.

Savoring Sunday: A Smorgasbord

2009-11-08T14:19:00.001-05:00

There is nothing better on a perfect Autum Sunday, complete with a cloudless azure sky and 64 degrees of crisp breezes than...

Waking up to the smell of fresh baked blueberry muffins. The aroma of blueberries still lingers in the apartment, and reminds me why I love baking so much!

Grey's Anatomy has taken over my life! Up until yesterday, I'd never seen an episode so Boyfriend's sister and I started from the beginning and stayed up until 3:30 am watching all of season one. We've got season two and a bottle of wine to get through today. I'm officially hooked.

Faith Train Depot at my church. I bypassed regular service this morning to help out in the children's ministry for the second week in a row, and it couldn't be more rewarding. My inner teacher comes out, even if only for an hour a week.

Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole:
1 lb chicken breast
1 package of flour tortillas
1 can of red kidney beans
1 jar of HOT green salsa (Mrs. Renfro's is perfect for this recipe)
Dusting of Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cube chicken and season to taste (I prefer the smokey sweetness of Paprika and Tabasco sauce) and saute until almost cooked all the way through. Set aside.

Cut the flour tortillas into 1 inch strips (hint: use a pizza cutter or kitchen scissors). Add olive oil to a saute pan and place the 1 inch tortilla strips into the pan (about 60 seconds on each side until crisp). Remove the tortilla strips and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

In a casserole dish (or in a pinch, a large, oven-safe pot), layer tortilla strips, chicken, kidney beans, green salsa, and a sprinkle of cheese (add to taste). Continue to layer until you fill the casserole dish. Cover the top layer with a sprinkle of cheese.

Bake for 20-30 minutes (until cheese turns a golden brown). Serve with tortilla chips.

What are you savoring this Sunday?

No-Waste November

2009-11-07T23:19:00.005-05:00

Every year, the month of November sweeps in full of chaos, and usually leaves me wondering, what just happened? Between Thanksgiving, end-of-the-year madness at work, volunteering, and preparing for the rush of the upcoming holidays, the month of November seems to whiz by in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it haze.

This year, I've taken on the November rush with a systematic plan, and the motto, No-Waste November. Similar to Kyla's proclamation of goals for the upcoming month, I have decided that this month, I will...

Not eat out once. Boyfriend and I have gotten so used to the convenience of grabbing something to eat after work (who wants to cook after a long, stressful day?) that it started to seem like there was never any food in our apartment, and that we were eating out for every meal (or grabbing take-out to eat at home). I put together meal plans, made a grocery list, and tackled the grocery store last weekend with a fervor usually reserved for ordering chips & salsa from Chilis. It's only been a week, and already I adore having home cooked meals (and leftovers!), and spending more time at home.

Devote more time to the things I love and spend less time on activities that aren't satisfying and fulfilling. I've been a bit, wound-up, if you will lately and I feel like it's taken its toll on my health and on my relationships. I need to stop stressing about things I have no control over and stop letting the little things get to me.

Send paper Christmas Cards (thanks for the inspiration, Kyla!). I used to love sending and receiving Christmas Cards, and I feel like this tradition has fallen by the wayside these last few years. This is the perfect opportunity to slow down and enjoy the spirit of the holidays without letting it just whiz by. I can't think of anything more relaxing than opening a box of whimsical Christmas Cards with a glass of eggnog and Michael Buble's Christmas CD swooning in the background.

Create a holiday budget and stick to it. I tend to go a bit overboard on the holidays because, clearly, I've got a bit of Buddy The Elf Syndrome. This will be the most difficult goal to achieve unless I make a list of gift ideas ahead of time and stay on course (every year, I devise a plan but always seem to find one more present that would be perfect! and before I know it, one more present turns into 20...).

What are your plans this month?

Restraint in a Time of Recession

2009-11-06T23:05:00.008-05:00

Regardless of the state of our economy, Boyfriend and I are in the midst of our own Recession (though on a happy note - Boyfriend found a new job!! He started Monday and he is so much happier than he was at his old job. I knew losing the other job was a blessing in disguise, even if he couldn't see it at the time).

Living on one income for the better part of a month has been difficult, but we've managed (actually, quite comfortably, after we returned from Florida. Florida? That was another story!!). That's not to say there haven't been times that I desperately wanted to stop off at Barnes & Noble or Target after work (anyone who has ever been to either store knows that it's impossible to leave without spending a minimum of $50), but I knew that we had to scale back in order to stay afloat.

Tonight was no different. Boyfriend and I were lucky enough to get tickets to this year's Ski and Snowboard Expo (free of charge thanks to a friend of mine from work who also happened to recommend Boyfriend for his new position!), so we made it into a fun date night. As we walked through racks of snow jackets and pants, Ugg boots, and vendors from every ski-able mountain within a 4 hour driving radius, I could hear the budget voice inside my head in a not so subtle whisper warning, "you just paid the rent! And you took a month deferment on your student loans so you could afford to eat while you were in Florida. Now you owe TWO months by next week. STEP AWAY FROM THE SNOWBUNNY OUTFIT."

It didn't help matters that the salespeople were pushy, and the price was slashed by $100! (impossible to find at the start of the season unless you attend these expos!), or that Boyfriend told me just how adorable the jacket looked. I started to think, I've been wearing the same jacket to snowboard for the past 9 years since I first started. I could use an upgrade. But as quickly as my mind imagined riding the lift to the top of Jiminy Peak in my soon-to-be new ensemble, those thoughts vanished when I thought about how expensive our winter hobby is. As much as I'd love an upgrade, I don't need one. I'd hardly get enough use out of it this year to justify buying an entirely new snow ensemble (the price of lift tickets continues to skyrocket along with the price of gas to drive to the mountains). While Boyfriend will surely find the time (and money through any means necessary) to ski regularly this season, I'd be happy only strapping my snowboard on two or three times. Besides, my 2-sizes too big Columbia jacket, and 1-size too small Columbia snow pants keep me just as warm and dry as any new outfit could.

Though I didn't snag my dream snowboarding outfit, Boyfriend and I didn't walk out empty handed. One vendor promoted gift ideas/stocking stuffers from their Adirondack website, and of course we couldn't pass up their homemade fudge!! Chocolate-Raspberry Swirl, Praline Crunch, and Cookies & Cream Fudge all found their way into our shopping bag (for under $10!). Ever the jokester, Boyfriend had been looking to find a face mask that he could pull down when he wanted to talk (instead of the full mask that he has to keep his face warm now), and stumbled upon this gem:

From one level of vendors above where I was standing, Boyfriend tried this on and said, "Babe, what do you think!?"

"It's ridiculous," was my obvious response, to which Boyfriend replied, "Good. I'm getting it."

As hideously hilarious as it is, I think it'll be twice as funny when I meet Boyfriend at the top of the mountain with the face mask I plan on purchasing. I'm pretty sure the Hulk Hogan Face Mask on me would trump Boyfriend's Grill Face Mask any day!

Total Cost of our Friday Date Night: $20 and more laughs than either of us could count!

I Want To Be A Part of It - New York, New York

2009-11-05T00:03:00.005-05:00

Peace has finally been restored to our apartment now that (in the words of John Sterling) Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeee Yankees win!!

{Image via ESPN}

This postseason has been a roller coaster of emotions, as Boyfriend tends to take every game (who am I kidding? every pitch) personally. Cut fastball inside to end the inning (with the Yankees batting) and suddenly Boyfriend "can't watch this anymore!" Three outs, and an A-Bomb, from A-Rod! later, and Boyfriend's faith in the Yankees is rejuvenated to the excitement of a little kid on Christmas morning. That's the beauty of baseball (and Boyfriend!) - no matter how deflated you may feel, there's always hope for another batter or another pitch (or another season - sorry, Phillies) to step up to the plate and become a hero.

Let the count down to Spring Training begin!!

What Ever Happened to The Good Old Days of Mike Sever and Boner Stabone?

2009-11-04T22:22:00.007-05:00

As I watched my niece light up and nearly maul my laptop the second I told her "Elmo's inside!" (sesamestreet.org evokes a reaction similar to what Boyfriend's reaction will be if the Yankees pull through and win the Series tonight*fingers crossed*), I couldn't help but think about classically great TV from my own childhood, and how TV these days just doesn't seem to compare.

Evident by my niece's reaction, one show that seems to transcend time is, of course, Sesame Street. But aside from Sesame Street, what does my niece (and a whole generation of children born in the Hannah Montana era) have to look forward to?

Certainly not the likes of Romper Room and Zoobilee Zoo, that's for sure. The only show I can think of that is somewhat similar, yet still pales in comparison, is the seizure inducing color splash known as Yo, Gabba Gabba! I shudder to think about a whole generation of kids that will never know the likes of Mike Sever and Boner Stabone (oh, how I commiserated with Carol Sever - she was every Judy Blume character I related to embodied into the perfect on-screen companion - right down to the tormenting older brother!).

What ever happened to the glory days of:

Romper Room. I adored Do-Bee the bumble bee!!

Zoobilee Zoo. Magic and wonder are waaaaiting for youuuu.

Growing Pains. As long as we've got each other, we've got the world spinning right in our hands. Baby you and me, we gotta be, the luckiest dreamers who've ever been dreaming.

Reading Rainbow. Butterfly in the skyyyy. I can go twice as hiiiiiiiigh!

Salute Your Shorts. Camp Anawana. We hold you in our hearts. And when we think about you - it makes me wanna fart! - It's I hope we never part, now get it right, or pay the price!

Legends of the Hidden Temple. Just once, I wanted to trek through Olmec's temple!!

{Image via Wikipedia}

After school on the Disney Channel. When it was a paid network - I used to live for the "Free Preview Weeks", featuring Kids Incorporated followed closely by MMC (The Mickey Mouse Club - the Britney, Justin, Ryan, and Christina years...) I still remember sprinting home from Mrs. Nutting's 4th grade classroom, purple & grey bunny TrapperKeeper in hand, racing to the living room so I wouldn't miss a second of the afternoon line up.

What were your favorite shows growing up?

Author Adoration {Elizabeth Noble}

2009-11-03T22:22:00.007-05:00

As a self-professed bookworm, I struggle to find the time to read all of the books that have slowly been piling up on my Goodreads "to-read" list. I find that my "to-read" list is growing exponentially opposite in comparison to the amount of free time I have.

With so little time to devote to my favorite hobby, I have to be really invested in every book I read. Though I hate not finishing a book I've started, if I can't get into a novel within the first chapter, I tend to abandon it faster than Paris Hilton abandons her latest chihuahua (Bunco Babes is the latest casualty - which is a shame, as it was a free book thanks to Goodreads Giveaways!). Much the same way I abandon an author I can't get into, I tend to devour everything I can get my hands on from the authors I adore. Most recently, Elizabeth Noble ranks on my radar as an author obsession!

The first Elizabeth Noble book I picked up was The Reading Group, on an impulse trip to Barnes & Noble. I started this book on the plane ride to Florida (subsequently continued on the flight home), and devoured the last few chapters almost as soon as we stepped off the plane! The character development was intense and meaningful, and I really cared about what happened to the characters (the last book that touched me like this was After You by Julie Buxbaum). If I don't care about the characters as they develop, then what's the point of reading about them?

True to form, the second Elizabeth Noble book I chose (and am currently reading), Things I Want My Daughters To Know, is just as enticing as the first I read. While I am only about halfway through this novel, I am deeply invested into the lives of the characters, and can't wait to finish (though I am usually disappointed when I finish a book I love because I don't want it to end!). Based on these two novels, I can say with conviction that Elizabeth Noble has joined the ranks of some of my other favorite authors (Julie Buxbaum, Allison Winn Scotch, Jen Lancaster, Louisa May Alcott, Anna McPartlin, Jennifer Weiner, Emily Giffin - oh, how I love chick lit!).

How do you choose your next "to-read" selection?

November Nourishment {Dream Kitchen}

2009-11-02T06:00:00.007-05:00

I tend to be desperately domestic when it comes to the holiday season. As soon as November rolls around, my mind starts whirling with thoughts of baked goods, list-making, rearranged furniture, and hours spent perusing the Williams-Sonoma catelogue. Nothing puts me in the holiday spirit quite like a comforting kitchen filled with the aroma of home-cooked deliciousness!

If I had unlimited funds (and unlimited time), my kitchen and dining room would resemble the interior of the latest Williams-Sonoma catalogue with each changing season. However, if I had only one season to choose from, I would carefully select pieces from the Thanksgiving Collection every year. There is nothing more satisfying than a slow roasted chili (served in pumpkin and acorn bowls atop a maple leaf plate) followed by the perfect pumpkin pie (adorned with various pie crust cut-outs in the shape of my favorite fall foliage).

This year's collection is as inspiring as any I've seen over the last few years. Individual pocket pies in the shapes of apples and pumpkins? Perfection! My goal this November is to fill our apartment with the warm feeling that jumps off the pages of the Williams-Sonoma (and Pottery Barn for decorative accents) catelogues on a budget.

Sure, I may not own the uber expensive (and drool-inducing) filled pancake maker, but I can whip a batch of Bisquick into an equally delectible creation for less than half the price (chalk it up to my obsession with the Food Network, and hours spent watching Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee). Not to mention the ridiculously reasonably priced decor found at The Christmas Tree Shops and I'm on par for a very budget friendly nourishing November. (Recipes and Fabulous Food Finds to follow!)

NaBloPoMo 2009

2009-11-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

Over the last 30 days, my presence here has been a bit sporadic (1.7 posts per week average? unacceptable!). Fortunately, today marks one of my favorite times of year: NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). That's right, 30 posts in 30 days. I've been keeping notes on everything that pops into my head in my notebook that follows me everywhere, so I have plenty of material; the only thing I lack is time.

Last year, I managed to complete the challenge without skipping a beat. It was difficult (I went the whole month without realizing I could write posts in advance and schedule their publication at a later date - something I think will be key this year!), but rewarding nonetheless.

If you're up for this year's challenge, stop by NaBloPoMo, and add your blog to the blogroll!

Le Sigh {Rainy Day Must Haves}

2009-10-29T19:12:00.006-04:00

It was a typical Tuesday evening that started with a routine Daddy Daughter Date Night trip to Target. The rain fell in sheets behind the glass window panes, and my sisters and I fell madly in (material, consumer) love with the hat. The Hat caught Lilo's eye first, and with that cheeky glance in the poorly-lit mirror, my sisters knew it was love. Belly Boo admired the hat as it polished off Lilo's bad-ass look, while I was too distracted in my search for an orange and white striped t-shirt (to complete my Juno Halloween look) to notice.

Like the hat *equivalent of a DKNY dress - you know it's not your style, but it's right there, so you try it on anyway* (bonus points if you know the reference!), I covered my auburn locks with the hat - half expecting to laugh at the ridiculousness of the reflection - only to be taken aback by the adorable quirkiness brought on by the unexpected accessory.

As any savy shopper (and a chronic sufferer of Buyer's Remorse) would do, I went home empty handed and debated the pros and cons of purchasing the hat. By Wednesday morning, I couldn't stop daydreaming about the wardrobe possibilities. By the time I left work, I knew what I had to do. My key barely turned in our door when I bombarded Boyfriend with, "Do you want to go to Target with me! I need lady-part supplies, and maybe a hat & sweatshirt, too!"

I expected Boyfriend to jump for joy at the site of this instantly classic wardrobe staple, but was instead met with the face of someone who just drank Milk well past the expiration date. "That is the ugliest hat I've ever seen." So said the man wearing a Jorge Posada jersey and sweat pants (I'm just saying!!).

Le Sigh. My love of the hat forever remains unrequited. What's the use in buying an adorable accessory if the one person you're attempting to impress is repulsed at the site of it!?

Boyfriend's reaction won't stop me from building my Rainy Day Must Haves around the wardrobe staple every woman should own (even if it is only on Polyvore!). Oh, the possibilities!

What are your rainy day must haves?

Rainy Day Reprive

2009-10-28T21:01:00.006-04:00

{image found here}

There is nothing more perfect on a cold, rainy day than a kiss from my love to warm me to my core. I was fortunate enough to sneak away from work, even if just for fifteen minutes, to meet Boyfriend for a midday kiss (and a quick lunch from Subway) that warmed not only my core, but my mood for the rest of the workday. It's the little things that get me through the long days...

How do you keep warm?

Pieces of Me

2009-10-27T09:08:00.007-04:00

I feel most like me when I'm curled up under my green chenille holly-printed blanket, nose-deep in chick lit, with my cat by my side. It's times like these I feel most inspired, most free.

What about all the rest of the time?

On any given day, I could be multiple versions of myself (but not in a schizophrenic, I hear voices in my head kind of way), rarely culminating into the me I feel most comfortable with. These versions are just slivers of the multi-faceted me that only a few of those closest to me are privy to.

At Work. Sometimes, I can't help but feel suffocated at work. I love my job and what I accomplish everyday, but if you were to ask Boss, or the boys I work with daily, I don't think they'd have the slightest clue of the me behind the organized, diligent do-gooder who always gets the job done with ease and efficiency. To them, I'm just one of the guys - the girl who can talk circles around most of them when it comes to baseball and football, and the girl who can go toe-to-toe on sports trivia. I can't help but wonder if the really see me.

With Boyfriend. Boyfriend is one of the select few who really knows and understands me (and loves me anyway!). With Boyfriend, I don't have to hold back my giddy excitement when I ramble on about my latest obsession. I don't worry what he'll think of me when I ask him questions that, clearly, make him wonder what runs through my head ("So, then what exactly is cappuccino? Espresso and foam?" "Babe, for someone so smart, I can't believe you just asked me that question!" ... It's a valid question!! I love espresso as much as the next girl, but if someone could please explain the difference between a cappuccino and a latte, I'd appreciate it!). I never worry that Boyfriend will feel cut by one of the slivers of me, but still find myself holding back when it comes to the next facet...

At Church. Surprisingly, church (especially lately) is one of the places I feel I can be most openly and honestly myself. I don't have to hide my faith, or feel like those around me are uncomfortable with the views I have and the things I am inspired to do. It's this sliver that people are least likely to see.

With Friends. I have some of the most amazing friends anyone could hope for - but those friends are few and far between. Sure, I've got a lot of acquaintances and people I call my friend, but I can count on one hand those (who aren't my sisters or Boyfriend) who truly go the distance when it comes to friendship, and have the most complete picture of who I am.

With Family. To them, I'll always be the LOUD, oldest sister with a major case of middle-child syndrome. The chatty nurturer whose crazy antics can liven up any situation. I love my family more than they realize, and more than I could ever express, but sometimes I wonder if we're all just playing into the roles that we think were defined for us long ago, and wonder if we'll ever let each other break free from the confines that accompany those roles.

In each instance, I'm a refined version of me, and never quite amount to the complete vision I see for myself. Sure, I'm a little rough around each of the edges, but with enough polish and work, all of the sharp contrasts come together to form the multi-faceted personality that makes me who I am.

What pieces make you who you are?

Currently Coveting {Necklace Edition}

2009-10-23T23:51:00.012-04:00

Though I'm not much of a jewelry afficionado, lately, I find myself coveting the perfect decolletage decoration. For years, I religiously wore the above Paloma Picaso necklace from Tiffany & Co (a purchase I treated myself to on Valentine's Day 2004 when my roommate and I were card-carrying members of the Broken Heart's Club, and I told myself I didn't need a man to buy me jewelry!) until an unfortunate electrocution incident.

No, your eyes aren't fooling you. You read that right: electrocution incident. It should be pretty obvious by now that I'm not exactly the most graceful of gals, and I've accepted that my clumsy ways are merely a part of my charm (at least that's what Boyfriend tells me!). I was getting ready to take a quick shower, no doubt frenzied about work or the time, when I remembered I had my precious necklace on. Sure, I'd left it on in the shower a time or two before, but I was attempting to be cautious and preserve the metal on this occasion. I unclasped the hook with care, and hung my necklace around the Glade Plug-In that filled my bathroom with the unmistakable scent of Hawaiian Breezes to keep it out of reach of my mischievous kitty. Mere seconds after I stepped under the shower head, there was a startling BOOM and a smell that elicited paralyzing fear. You see, my mischievous kitty couldn't resist the hypnotizing sway of my dangling necklace, and as he swatted at the charm, the sterling silver chain touched the active metal prongs of the plug-in and singed through my beloved necklace. My decolletage has been free of decoration bar a few flecks of glitter from my Ralph by Ralph Lauren lotion since the electrocution.

Now that I've had a few years to recover from the "incident," I find myself tuning into Cougar Town weekly to see what adorable necklace Courtney Cox will be wearing each week, and have finally decided it's time to give my girls some company that doesn't come in the form of unwarrented glances from men who think my eye level resides below the neckline.

I am currently coveting...

{Elizabeth and James Breast Cancer Awareness Necklace - not only is this inspiring necklace adorable in it's rose-gold covered glory, but Shopbop has decided to donate $15,000 to Breast Cancer Network of Strength. Style and Support? What more could my decolletage ask for!?}

{Courtney Cox on the set of Cougar Town - picture via Just Jared- in a gorgeous Jennifer Meyer gold circle necklace.}

{Jennifer Aniston's character in Marley & Me - image via PopSugar - also in Jennifer Meyer.}

{My price point doesn't exactly scream Jennifer Meyer Jewelry like Courtney Cox & Jennifer Aniston's does, so I'll stick with this Emitations necklace resembling the one Courtney wears.}

{Another Emitations find, this circle in circle necklace suits my fancy.}

What are you currently coveting?

Fall Favorites {Frostbite Edition}

2009-10-12T21:02:00.003-04:00

Though autumn is still in its infancy, it seems as if winter is planning on an early arrival. Ah, yes. Nothing like the bitter kiss of Jack Frost on my open bedroom window to catapult me into a chilly Monday morning!

At least I'll be prepared for tomorrow morning - all windows in the apartment are closed, I've got extra blankets on the bed, and I've located my ice scraper. If only I could drag my cozy, snuggled self out of bed early enough to actually scrape the frost off my Tuscon windows and still make it to work on time! Farewell, Fall. You'll be greatly missed!

Life Is Full of Interruptions and Complications

2009-10-10T18:25:00.002-04:00

With exactly one week left until a vacation that's been nearly two years in the making, the last words I expected to hear from Boyfriend as he called me on his way home from work were, "I got fired/quit tonight."

I have complete faith that everything will work out, and that this is actually a blessing in disguise (Boyfriend has been unhappy with his job, and particularly the owner of the restaurant, for quite some time, but never wanted to leave his position as the money was just too good to walk away from). Though this interruption comes at a time that complicates our plans for next week (I've put every extra dime I have into the first vaction I've taken since returning to Nashville for a quick weekend visit 3 summers ago and have no wiggle room for extra expenses), I can't help but feel that it's the right time for a change for Boyfriend, and that maybe without this unexpected push, he may never have left the comfort/security of his position at the restaurant.

I've done everything I can to assure Boyfriend that we'll make it through this obstacle with as few battle scars as possible, and even called in a few favors to set up an immediate job interview for him. That's not to say I'm not slightly nerve racked. I've carefully budgeted out each dollar that I take in versus the bills we have not only individually, but now with living together, and it's a scary realization that we may come to a point where we struggle just a bit. We're fortunate to have each other to support one another through this time, though support doesn't get the bills paid!

Just as there's no map to help navigate the memories we make, there is no notification to pardon the interruptions in life. We just have to be prepared to take another route when the one we've mapped out runs into a dead end.

Remember The Time{s Union}

2009-10-03T20:12:00.005-04:00

I stumbled upon this article I wrote for the Times Union newspaper (ten years ago when I spent my senior year of high school interning at the newspaper) as I was searching for my Halloween decorations this afternoon:

Class of 2000
Grandma's legacy: love of live
By JENNIFER {redacted}
Special to the Times Union

We moved in with my grandma when I was in sixth grade. I knew it wouldn't be hard to adjust to the situation because she was already a big part of my life. We had lived just three doors down from her for two years.

Her house was a little smaller than our previous home and now, with seven of us sharing the same living space, we all had a few sacrifices to make.

Her perspective on life was much different from mine, and I loved to see things through her eyes. With grandma around, I felt a new sense of family values. She also looked at things in a humorous way. When I began to see how funny she was, I started to spend more time with her.

Every day with grandma was like a new adventure. The first time we went to get groceries for the family, we walked the two miles to {Local Grocery Store}. I thought I'd have to slow my pace for her to keep up, but I was wrong. I had trouble keeping up with my grandma. It was the first of many adventures.

Probably my favorite new encounter was the very first trip to Off-Track Betting. This was like a whole new world - uncharted territory just waiting to be explored. I felt privileged because my grandma brought me to a place that many kids my age never got to see. It became routine to go to and watch her play the horses. Even now, I vividly remember the musty old smell of the building and the maroon-and-blue patterned carpet that smothered the floor.

By middle school, most kids are embarrassed to be seen with their family in public, but grandma and I would take frequent trips to {local} Mall, and I would shop with her for hours. She would try on everything from floral printed shirts to different shaped hats and skirts. She had a way of sprucing up any situation to make it more interesting. Even hours of plowing through the petite department at J.C. Penny became as interesting as any TV program that my peers could have been at home watching.

Like OTB, bingo was like a whole new world. When the doors closed behind us, we could forget about everything else and just have a good time. My grandma fit in well with the rest of the bingo goers. She would smooth her cards out in front of her, place her good luck troll off to the side, and supply an array of bingo dabbers to cover the numbers called. Many times, she would buy me my own cards to take a hand at the game. I would imitate her every move, and avidly wait for the numbers to be called. I rarely won but had just as much fun playing the game with her. At the end of the night, we would leave the smoke-filled room and return home.

By the time I was in seventh grade, grandma had been diagnosed with cancer. When I heard the news, I couldn't bring myself to say the word. As upset as I was, I knew I had to be there for her, just as she had been for me any time I was sick. Our family made the decision to have her stay at home, rather than move into a hospital. She was more comfortable there, and it made it easier for everyone to cope with. The nurses from the hospice would visit our home in shifts, helping to care for grandma. I hated seeing her in such pain. I think it hurt her worse seeing me upset, so I would have to be strong for her. I wanted her to be in as little pain as possible.

In April of that year, I was on vacation from school, and we were watching the news. It was the year of the Oklahoma City bombing. Even in her pain, her caring persona showed through, and she expressed sorrow for the victims.

In the middle of the night that last week in May, I woke up suddenly. I could tell something was wrong but was so paralyzed that I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. Then early the next morning, I woke again, to the shuffle of footsteps and the quiet buzz of voices I didn't recognize. I pulled my covers over my head, knowing why the people belonging to the voices were there. Grandma passed away in the night.

Most kids grow up barely knowing their grandparents. I was lucky enough to have my grandma around and to experience life through her eyes. Mostly, I remember her as the woman who taught me so much about appreciating the little things in life, and turning everyday life into an adventure waiting to be explored.

Though I only found one of the decorations I was initially looking for, I found so much more when I rediscovered the first article I ever had published, and my grandma's love of life!!

Did I Mention It's Award Season?

2009-09-30T18:07:00.012-04:00

Over the last year and a half, I've stumbled upon some of the most hilarious, enthralling, and captivating blogs on the web. Blogging has been such a community experience for me, and I love the interaction I've encountered along the way. I take comfort in the fact that I can read about the experiences of others, and know that I'm not the only one who has ever felt a certain way, whether it be through the posts on other blogger's sites, or through the comments on my own posts. Thanks for being a part of this journey with me (Alright, alright. Enough with the schmoopiness already, and on to the awards!).

Thank you to Being Brazen, Amber at A Blonde Bride & Her Boo, and Chanda at Rambles, Rants, and Raves for bestowing me with the following awards (each requires me to post something about myself that I may not have previously mentioned on here):

1. During a game of hide and seek with my brother and his friends when I was 3 or 4 years old, I tripped on a glass Coke bottle, fell through the basement stairs, and "cracked my head open." (Thus beginning my lifelong battle with extreme clumsiness!)

2. I have a wicked crush on Marlon Brando circa On The Waterfront, and Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow thanks to the History of the American Cinema class I took back in college.

3. I have a very short fuse, and I'm attempting to consciously lengthen it before my wild temper gets me into trouble!

4. If I could have dinner with any person (alive or dead), it would be Audrey Hepburn (though I am sure that is pretty obvious!).

5. When I was in 5th grade, I started a classroom library with some of my classmates. We made pockets in the back of our Christopher Pike and R.L. Stein books and "checked out" books from the shelf our teacher set aside for us. I hope to one day start a children's reading program/charity to provide books for kids who don't have the same opportunities that my classmates and I were fortunate enough to have.

6. I tend to get impulsive and repetitive, particularly with food. If I want a Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Salad from Quiznos on a Monday, I can pretty much guarantee that I will stop at nothing to get it, and I will continue to get the same salad for lunch everyday for a week (or until my next compulsive culinary craving hits!).

7. I feel the subtleties of adulthood creeping up in my daily life. I'm slowly settling in to my "nesting" phase where I'm more homebody than social butterfly.

8. My fall "must see TV" lineup includes: Dexter, Cougar Town, Mercy, Modern Family, and Vampire Diaries (I have to find my vampire fix somewhere, even if it means the CW, now that True Blood's off the air until next summer!).

9. My go-to movie for a good cry is always Beaches. Boyfriend came home from work Monday night and found me, midway through a full body sob, as Bette Midler sang "...because you are the wiiiiiiind beneath myyyyy wingssssss..."

10. Though I've mentioned it numerous times before on here, Tuesday is the one night of the week I always look forward to because it is always Daddy Daughter Date Night.

I am sharing the blog love and passing all 3 awards on to the following fabulous bloggers:

Amber (Girl With The Red Hair)

Katie - Can I Just Say

I Keep Looking For the Slightest Sign That You Might Miss What You Left Behind...

2009-09-26T22:50:00.005-04:00

Some days (without warning), I revisit the 18 hour drive that brought me from the heart of (what I thought were) my dreams back to the life I had known in NY. Usually, it's the first few notes of a song that transpose me to that lonely car ride I took nearly 4 years ago. Most recently, it was Dierks Bentley's Settle For a Slowdown that transported me from the 40 minute drive home from one of my best friends' house to the front seat of 'Magnet' (my 2001 silver Honda Civic that was quite the magnet for getting hit by other cars) driving north on I-65.

"But your wheels just turn down the road ahead. If it hurts at all, you ain't showed it yet. I keep looking for the slightest sign that you might miss what you left behind. I know there's nothing stopping you now. But I'd settle for a slowdown..."

It's rather fitting that this song brings me back to that car ride, as it is by one of the artists that was on the label I interned for just before I left (Capitol Records), it was the song I played on repeat amid the ultimate Nashville heartache, and it was a #1 single in the months proceeding that fateful ride. I put up a front on that ride home, acting as if it was the best decision I could make (when in reality, it was the only option I had), feigning strength and courage for over 1000 miles as I attempted to convince myself that there was no looking back.

But I do look back. I can't help but wonder how things might have turned out if I had stayed, even a few months more. Life wasn't perfect in Nashville, but it was pretty idealistic. There are situations and people I'm happy to have left behind (being broke is never optimal, and neither is dating someone who marries the mother of their child within a month of your break-up!), but there are friendships and opportunities that I look back on often:

...the best friend I've ever known, Amee, is still in my life -but picking up the phone and sharing everything will never be the same as driving around the corner to laugh over chips & salsa and all of the trouble we caused!

...a promising internship at Capitol Records. Who knows what my career path would have been had I worked my way through the ranks of intern to paid employee.

...speaking of paid employees, the freelance work I did at CMT (it all started with the original internship that brought me to Music City) was nothing short of fulfilling. I can't help but think about how significant that experience was (particularly working the CMT Greatest Duets Concert when Carrie Underwood made her debut after winning Idol!), and how I may never have such an opportunity again.

I hate to say that regrets hang heavy on my mind, especially because I'm a firm believer in the sentiment that everything happens for a reason, but sometimes I can't help but think about how different things may have turned out if I'd never left Nashville. Though, just as quickly as I'm hit with a wave of nostalgia, the song ends and I'm right back where I belong - nestled into the comfortable life I've built back in NY.

A New Look

2009-09-24T18:13:00.007-04:00

Whenever I start to feel stagnant in any part of my life, I look to infuse something new and exciting to bring back the spark. New hair color, new clothes, new zip code... new blog design.

A big thank you goes out to Hannah, at Sherbet Blossom Designs, for helping me redesign my home on the web. If you're in the market for a blog overhaul, I would highly recommend Sherbet Blossom Designs! Once I filled out the initial questionnaire as to how I wanted my blog to look, I grabbed my sketchbook and started drawing. I can't tell you how utterly shocked I was when I opened the first proof email and found an almost identical rendition of what I had sketched out and pictured in my mind!

What do you think of the new design!?