Classy and Fabulous: My Life Post-College

Happy Place

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:38:00 +0000

Seriously, I think I have a problem. (Not a serious problem.... this is a lighthearted post. Be happy.)

My name is Sarah, and I'm a raging shopaholic.

I woke up today and my first thought was - "I wonder if I could fit in some shopping today. Maybe a quick trip to Hobby Lobby or TJ Maxx."

It's not even that I enjoy buying things - sometimes I just enjoy wandering through a store just looking at stuff.

Although let's be real, I damn well enjoy purchasing things too. My credit card bill is proof of that. Ouch! (Although as a disclaimer I feel that I have to say that I pay my bill in full every month.... which means, according to the news, that I might have to pay a new yearly fee or something like that? BS, I say. Might have to cancel some of my cards if that happens.)

Ok, where was I?

Shopping. I like it. It takes me to my happy place. Which I'm beginning to think is not such a good thing.

How do you find your happy place? For your credit cards sake, I hope it's not at the mall. Like me.

Happy 21st, Baby Brother!

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:42:00 +0000

If he's 21 now... does that make me old?? (PS Don't you love that the only recent photo I have of us together is from last Christmas. Geez.)

Thank you for all of your sweet comments on my post yesterday.... big big hugs to all of you. I want to reply to all of you individually but that would lead to much weeping - so we'll see about that.

I believe that if I attempt to write a real post now I'm just going to end up rambling.... so everybody have a fabulous day, ok??

xxo

P.S. Who thinks I should call him right now at 6:45 AM and wish him happy birthday? Think he'll be awake? Hahahahahaha

Mom, I Miss You.

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:51:00 +0000

2 Years. 17,520 Hours.

Sometimes it feels like a long time. Ages, even.

And then, on days like today, it feels like nothing. Seconds.

I still can't believe you're not here anymore.

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I always wonder if there is something wrong with me. Everywhere I turn, people always tell me: "she's always with you." "You are never alone."

And in my heart, I believe it. I hold onto it. Even though, in my head, I didn't get it. I didn't "feel" it.

Signs. Proof. As a person who is skeptical, I'm always looking for it. I look for butterflies. Bright flowers. Rays of sunshine. Anything...

I'm ashamed to admit I couldn't find it. The sign. The little piece of something tangible that proves you're still here. Still with me.

Last night, I picked up my phone as I was going to bed. Instead of the time on the screen, there was a picture. It took me a second to figure out what it was. It was a picture of your headstone. Clear as day, a sign.

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There are so many reasons I miss you.

I miss you because you made our family even. Being outnumbered by boys and testosterone sucks. They just don't get it.

I miss you because you always knew the right thing to say. It's just what moms do.

I miss waking up on Saturday morning and shopping without a purpose. It's not the same without you.

I miss having the glue that holds our family together. You were the one who made all of us make sense.

But most of all, more than anything, I miss that things keep happening without you here. I miss the fact that you'll never know my future husband, whoever he is. I miss that you won't pick out my wedding dress. I miss the fact that I might have kids someday, and you won't be knitting them baby blankets. I miss that you can't tell me to grow up, or get a life, or get a job. I just miss you.

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If I could have anything in the world, any one thing, I know what I'd pick in an instant.
I would have you here, rubbing my hair and my back while I cry. Telling me that it's ok to cry, but that everything's going to be ok. There's no substitute. No friends or boyfriend or relative can do it the way you do, the way a mother does. Moms don't look away, or wish they were somewhere else, or wish I'd get over it already.

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If you're reading this, I apologize that it's a jumble of... everything. I could probably write it for days and never finish.

But I do have one important thing to say. If you're reading this, I need you to listen.

Take that picture today. One of you and the kids, or of you and your parents. Of you and your mom, you and your BFF, you and your sister. You may not look the way you want to look, and you may not be as skinny as you could be/should be... but it doesn't matter. That picture might someday be worth the whole world to someone, so don't let the moment pass you by.

Sarah and Mom, August 2007. Our last picture.

Hug everyone you love just a little bit closer today. For me.

You can read last year's post here.

Happy Shopping

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:36:00 +0000

Yesterday was a good day - a nice, relaxing day. Yay! I didn't get a ton of clothes but let's be honest - I didn't really need a ton... what I really need to do is get my closet cleaned out and actually wear the clothes I do have... but that's a topic for another day.

So I got this sweater dress from H&M. They had one left in gray, which is what I really wanted, but it was too too small. I love the purple though...

I think it needs a belt, to be honest. Right up under the bust. Definitely.

I also purchased the leggings I'm wearing in that picture. Twitter told me to buy Ann Taylor Loft leggings because they are the best. Seriously, just don't remind me I paid $27 for leggings. I bought 2 pairs of adorable jeans for that price a couple of weeks ago. 2 pairs! I know I'm going to get a ton of use out of them - so I'm excited.

I guess the only other top I got was from Ann Taylor Loft as well. It got talked about a lot on the fashion blogs a month or so ago... and apparently the store listened. They had tons of them on clearance for $10 - score.

The color I got is the cream color... but now I want the black. I mean, it's only $10....

And that's the only clothes I got. It seemed like I had bought more.. but I guess not.

I ran into TJ Maxx to look for some random gifts and saw this dress. I'm not kinda obsessed with it..... what do you think? I know some people might claim it's the ugliest thing they've ever seen.... but I think with a black long sleeve t-shirt underneath and black tights... it could be cute.

Ok, yeah, it makes my thighs look huge. Whatevver, I love leopard.

Also, red velvet cheesecake. Nom nom nom.. No wonder my thighs are h-uge.

When I arrived home yesterday, I was THRILLED to see my 6pm.com order had arrived. If you follow me on Twitter you may remember that I tweeted like an insane person on October 29th because 6pm started their weekend sale of Nine West shoes early.

So when it started my dad and I were watching TV. I was calmly scrolling through my tweets when I saw 6pm's tweet that they were starting the sale early (instead of at midnight). I got excited.

I was ranting and raving about how I wanted boots. My dad was like "snow boots?" and I was glaring at him and probably telling him he's an idiot.

So I explain what's happening while putting the leather boots I want in my cart. It says there are only 2 pairs left. While I sprint for my wallet, they sell the 2 pairs. Boots gone.

At this point, I am twittering with about 50 people telling them to BUY NOW, REGRET LATER because my BOOTS ARE GONE. I find another pair I like, but I'm nervous about the heel.

At this point, my dad is standing over my shoulder shouting BUY NOW, BUY NOW... but since the site doesn't have free shipping I wanted to make sure I got all the pairs I wanted in 1 transaction.

Are you exhausted reading this yet? Cause I am.

Anyways, long story short, my shoes arrived yesterday. *Cue happy dance.*

And here's what I got.

Nine West Adriano Boot, Black Leather. These are gorgeous, soft, and fit well. The heel's a bit higher than I wanted (3.75"), but they're still great. Can't wait to wear them.

Nine West Kazan Metallic Flat. Nice, soft leather and they don't hurt my feet. SCORE!

And the Nine West Gabriela in brown reptile leather... something like that. I love these shoes - they look SO rich in person...

Unfortunately, as you may be able to see, they're too small. My feet are absolutely sandwiched in there - even though they are my normal size 7.5. Not sure if I'm going to return them or what... I wish I could exchange them for a size 8!

So, that was shopping. Not gonna lie, I'm a little exhilarated from the shoes. Does ANYTHING beat buying real leather boots for $20? I think not.

Have you had any spectacular buys lately? I'm always on the lookout for more stuff (that I don't really need)... so please, tell me your deals. I will oh and ah over them with jealousy.

Have a fabulous day! I'm off to the Land of the Boilermakers to wish my brother a Happy 21st Birthday!

A Serious Post About Shopping

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:27:00 +0000

The title of this post made you confused - right? I mean, how serious can shopping be - right?

Well.

A couple of weeks ago when I told you guys to "Ask Me Anything," a few of you asked me about fall fashion or fall clothes.

And I wanted to answer. I love fall, and I love fall clothes. But for some reason... let's just say that the cat got my tongue. I felt like I had nothing to say.

So what's this all about? It's about my mom.

Since I was about 13 years old, my mom and I fought. We were so similar that we clashed on a lot of things.

But there was one thing that brought us together: shopping, and clothes.

Depending on the time of year, we would get up early on Saturday morning, put on our comfortable shoes, and head into Indianapolis for a day of shopping. It was "our thing." We sometimes had a plan of attack - buying Christmas or birthday gifts - and sometimes we just wandered.

It was my favorite. Friends would invite me to spend the night on Friday nights and I always hesitated - because I knew that my friends would sleep past noon and I would wake at 8 am and want to run out the door to get my shop on.

We didn't always buy much - in fact, sometimes all we bought was lunch. We always had bourbon chicken from a Chinese restaurant - and we split it.

I got some of my favorite things on those trips - a powder blue tweed coat, my favorite black pumps, and all of my prom and formal dresses. And, of course, since I was her daughter, my mom paid for a ton of these clothes - even when I was in college and should have been paying for my own clothes.

If there was no reason to buy me clothes and we found something really awesome, she would buy it and save it for my birthday or Christmas. In fact, that was how I "made a Christmas list" - we just went to the mall and picked out what I wanted. Christmas shopping complete.

So, that brings us to today. My mom's not here anymore and, though I still like shopping, it's different now. I have the hardest time shopping.

I don't shop well with my friends - their issues distract me from looking for myself. Either they're too broke to spend money or they really need X, Y, or Z for tonight... I just can't focus on me.

It's different now. If you see me at the mall today - I'll be wearing flip-flops. Why? Because I have a hard time finding comfortable shoes I like. Because my mom would have been the one to push me to buy something warm for my feet. Because my mom would have spent the money she would have set aside for herself making sure I had shoes that I could not only walk in but be comfortable and cute in.

When I went to write a post about fall fashion, I realized that my closet is seriously lacking. I could have gone to a bunch of store websites and pulled out some of my "fall picks," but I always prefer posting real-life pictures. It brings the clothes to life when I can see them on a a real person's body.

So there you have it. The truth. I love clothes, and I love shopping. But, today, shopping for myself is different. It feels selfish, not practical. I feel badly for spending money - even when it's my own, hard earned money.

I don't feel badly about not having the nicest or the newest clothes. I don't even particularly mind not having the best shoes for the weather.

I just miss my mom.

So today, I'm heading out to the malls. Hopefully I have some luck... and of course, I'll share anything that I do find.

P.S. I wrote about potentially ditching ditching my beloved Nars Orgasm blush today at Chic Critique.

Happy Halloweenie!

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:08:00 +0000

So, Halloween. I love it. When I was a kid, I remember thinking that I always had the most special costumes because my mom made them.

It's true that my costumes were special, but I just learned that my parents didn't dress me up until I was three - when my brother was 1. Apparently my first 3 Halloweens weren't that important. Geez!

This is when I was 2 - no costume, just an awesome face. This was my first Halloween dressing up. I'm not even sure we Trick-or-Treated. I was a princess, obviously. My brother was almost 1 and a skeleton.

The next year has to be one of our legendary Halloweens. The pumpkins are Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street - awesome, right? My brother and I are Raggedy Ann and Ragga Andy. A-dorable. We wore these costumes for 2 years because... hello, awesome.
This year we were clowns. My mom made these costumes and we won "Most Colorful Costume" awards at some party. Mickey the pumpkin won too.
This year we were with my cousin, Minnie Mouse. I was a princess (again) and my brother was a cowboy. This costume also got a repeat the next year because what girl doesn't want to be a princess again?
Next year - Pocahontas (the blonde version) and a Pirate. Awesome.

This year I was 9 - and I got my first store bought costume. Cheerleader - how original, I know. And also, this was the year my brother and I stopped posing together for pictures.
By the time I was 10, I was apparently too cool for Halloween. I was a hippie, and I'm pretty sure this was the last time I trick-or-treated.
And also, this was my brother's costume for that year... tell me this isn't a hilarious mad scientist.

Go over to Sarah's post and see her awesome Halloween costumes.

Did you have awesome costumes as a kid??

Happy Halloween! I hope your night is spook-tacular! (Also, our power went out for 3 hours last night. I was convinced it was some prank and - not gonna lie - I was waiting for a slasher to come bang on the windows. Yes, I'm 23 years old and I'm afraid of the dark.)

Friday Tag Game

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:30:00 +0000

Miss Southern Susan tagged me last Friday for the Friday Tag Game.

1). What were you doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago I was 13 years old in the 7th grade. In my opinion, the 7th grade was really a good year for me and I think, looks-wise, I was pretty.

Other than that, I was a good student, a cheerleader, and pretty boring.

2). What 5 things are on your to-do list for today:

Groceries.
Call insurance company (shoot me now!).
Laundry.
Organize my life (o wait, this is on my to-do list for life....)
Call BFF and make sure she's still alive.

3). Snacks you enjoy:

* Popcorn
* Cookie Dough
* Ice Cream
* Yogurt
* Candy candy candy

4). Places You've Lived:

Hometown, Indiana and South Bend, Indiana. Exciting, I know.

5). What are 5 Things you would do if you were a billionaire?

* Shop.
* Buy a nice house on the outskirts of a city.
* Hire a personal trainer.
*Hire a personal chef.
* Shop.
And also, go on vacation.

And now the most important part! The ladies I "tag" are:

P.S. Miss Ratpack and I will be posting our favorite childhood costumes tomorrow.... and maybe not-so-childhood costumes. Either way, if you want to join us, let me know and we'll all link up, ok?

That's Banana (Bread)

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:06:00 +0000

Yesterday, due to a surplus of bananas, I made banana bread. Have I mentioned how much I love baked goods? Cause I do.

And because I love you, I am going to share my super-secret family recipe. Except, I really don't think it's secret at all. It's probably actually very common. But delicious.

Delicious Banana Bread Recipe

1/4 Cup Shortening (Margarine or Butter)
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
2/3 Cup Mashed Bananas (I just use 2 bananas, no measuring)
2 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Buttermilk (read on if you don't have buttermilk - I never do)
Up to 1/2 Cup Nuts (I never have any good nuts on hand)

Cream Shortening and Sugar
Blend in egg, then bananas.
Add dry ingredients and milk.
Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350* for about 50 minutes.

So what if you don't have buttermilk?

A good substitute for buttermilk can be made with milk (I use skim but I don't think it matters too much) and either lemon or vinegar. To make a cup of buttermilk, use 1 cup milk and 1 Tbsp of lemon or vinegar. Mix well and let sit for a while. To make enough for this recipe, I use 1/4 cup milk and 1 tsp lemon juice.... and then I have just a bit left over.

I'd take a picture of this lovely banana bread so that this post wouldn't be so wordy... but that would be a lot of work.

Happy Thursday!

P.S. If you'd like to join me, I'll be posting some awesome vintage halloween pics of myself.... because I had some awesome costumes. Who wants to join me? Not sure if I'll get to them tomorrow or Saturday, but they are going to be awesome.

Sephora Friends and Family

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Heh, I got off to a rough start this AM and forgot I was supposed to be subbing over at Chic Critique. Oops.

I actually only ordered 1 of the items I featured over there - the last one... but the other two have been tempting me - and there's still time to save 20%.

So go check it out and tell me what (if anything) you ordered (or are going to order) during Friends and Family 2009.

Sorry for the double posts!

Hey Punkin'

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:39:00 +0000

Halloween has always been big business in our house. Since I was a little girl, my mom hand made our costumes almost every year.

Following with that theme, pumpkins were a big deal in our house - and everyone pitched in to help.

In the early days, my brother and I could only be trusted to do guts removal.

But apparently, once you became a 10-year-old you were able to be trusted with those little orange knives.

Predictably, I chose the cuddly designs while my brother chose the scary designs. I think that trend carried through our entire childhood.

And then there was one legendary pumpkin - it had the neighbors runing for their cameras.

"Scary Caray."

(For those of you who didn't get the reference, that would be Harry Caray - of the Chicago Cubs). It's pretty clever, isn't it?

I felt the pressure this year to deliver something good... but let's be honest, creativity isn't my forte. One turned out good, one.... well, it was a good effort.

What do you think?

Ok, so I'm not exactly a pumpkin master... but they took a long time and I gave it my best shot. That's what counts, right?

Did you (or do you still) carve pumpkins? Do you use fancy carving kits or create your masterpiece freestyle??

P.S. The poor picture quality would be due to the fact that I took pictures of pictures. Oops.

Flashback

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:09:00 +0000

Yes, today was supposed to be a fashion post, thanks for asking. Fortunately and unfortunately, I finally went to the doctor yesterday after being sick for 2 weeks. Turns out I have such a bad sinus infection that all the pressure in my head was building up in my ears to the extent that I was starting to have (temporary) trouble hearing.

So I got me some antibiotic horse pills and should start to feel better in a couple days. Whew.

Back in the good old days (about a year ago), I used to have a "Quote of the Week" every week.

You see, I LOVE quotes. I have a word document 47 pages long that is filled with quotes - from books, from famous people, from not-that-famous people, from movies, and from Starbucks cups.

Either way, I love me some beautiful words. Even if I don't have that many myself.

So the quote of the week for this week comes from Along Came Polly. Didn't much love the movie, but I do love this quote.

"Let go. Move on for your life. It's not about what happened in the past or what you think might happen in the future - it's about the ride for chrissakes. There's no point in going through all this crap if you are not going to enjoy the ride. And you know what? When you least expect it, something great might come along. Something better than you even planned for."

Do you like quotes? Do you have a favorite? I'd love to hear it.

And I make no promises about a fashion post tomorrow. It seems like that kinda week.

"I Really Like You"

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:08:00 +0000

Hello, lovelies.

Yesterday on Twitter I sent out an innocent little tweet.

I believe I may have started a (small) wave of nostalgia that only girls can understand.

I am looking for a copy of Dream Phone. I know Susan says she has a copy but I want to cover all my bases. So if you have one you want to sell me... I'll pay good money for that game!! The ones on eBay are selling for like $50!

Did you ever play Dream Phone? Do you understand the awesomeness of that giant pink phone?

Did you think Steve was the hottest guy in the game? (Cause he totally was.)

By the way, if you haven't played Dream Phone and have no clue what I'm talking about... the game is a cross between Clue and um, well I dunno the other one. You have a list of potential traits that could belong to your dream crush, and then you call up a whole list of guys and they help you eliminate these traits until you can narrow down your crush to one guy.

You call that guy and he (hopefully) exclaims, "You're right, I really like you."

I know, riveting.

So do you know the awesomeness of Dream Phone? And, more importantly, do you have a copy you want to sell to me? Cause I'm not even ashamed to pay for it.

Happy walk down memory lane... and Happy Monday!

Giveaways

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:03:00 +0000

Hello, lovelys.

I don't normally post on Sundays but there are 2 fabulous giveaways happening around the blogosphere and I just felt compelled to make sure you knew about them.

Pink Julep is giving away a $30 Macy's Gift Card to celebrate her 300th post. You can enter that giveaway here.

Cole at All the Small Stuff is giving away a HUGE batch of stuff in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

So you should enter those fab giveaways... and have a very fabulous Sunday!

Good Blogger, Bad Blogger

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:45:00 +0000

Ok, so I have received a bunch of awards from a bunch of really fabulous bloggers... which is good.

But I've been letting them pile up for a couple of months... which is bad.

So this might be a long one... and a boring one. Sorry about that guys!

The first award I received was from Aly at Living My Story.

So for this I'm supposed to name 5 things I'm obsessed with. This is easy!

Target.
Belts for fall.
Apple Betty.
Fall TV
Makeup - all kinds.

The next award I received was from both Etta at Adventures in Holy Matrimony and The Dishy Decorator.

For this award, I'm supposed to tell seven random things about myself.

I used to watch The Sound of Music movie over and over. Loved that movie to death.
I also learned to play a couple of the songs from the Sound of Music on the piano... even though I can't really play the piano.
As a child, I used to love to swing on my neighbor's swingset. Then, one day, I suddenly became too motion sick to really swing... now I can't swing high anymore.
Swimming is one of my favorite things in the world, and yet I've never had a pool. Boo.
My childhood doll was named Dollie. I still have her, although she looks a bit worse for the wear.
Baking is like therapy to me.
Though I like to bake chocolate chip cookies, I really don't like them. Too much chocolate.

The next award I received was from Susan in the South.
I'm supposed to name 7 things about myself that are awesome... but I think I'll just ask you to refer to the list above. Cause nobody wants to read 7 more things about me.

Next, I received an award from Etta from Adventures in Holy Matrimony and mWm.

And I have to answer this survey with 1-word responses.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your hair? ponytail
3. Your mother? angel

4. Your father? floor*
5. Your favorite food? cobbler

6. Your dream last night? none
7. Your favorite drink? margarita
8. Your dream/goal? ???
9. What room are you in? family

10. Your hobby? blog
11. Your fear? loneliness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? married
13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something you aren’t? genius

15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? camera
17. Where did you grow up? IN
18. Last thing you did? blog
19. What are you wearing? fleece

20. Your TV? on
21. Your pets? none
22. Your friends? love
23. Your life? unexpected
24. Your mood? cranky
25. Missing someone? friends

26. Vehicle? Daisy
27. Something you’re not wearing? hat
28. Your favorite store? Target
29. Your favorite color? pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? now
31. Last time you cried? today
32. Your best friend? all
33. One place that I go over and over? Target
34. One person who emails me regularly? none
35. Favorite place to eat? home

And last but not least, the last award was from Lucky in Love.

I can't bear to choose who to tag for these awards, and you know I think everyone reading this is FABULOUS... so I'm giving these awards for all of you.

I am so lucky to have such a fabulous group of readers - I love you all!

Happy Saturday!

Extreme Makeover

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:07:00 +0000

So I finally cut my hair... try and contain your excitement.

So the reason for the title of this post is the fact that Extreme Makeover Home Edition is building a home just north of my house.

The house has been demolished and they started building last night. Unfortunately, it's been pouring rain for the past 7-ish hours. A couple of my friends want to go out and cheer on the builders but if this rain never lets up... I'm not so sure we're going to make it out there.

Beyond rebuilding the house, the literally thousands of volunteers are pouring into the local Domestic Violence Shelter and are building 3 homes for Habitat for Humanity in the area.

It just warms my heart to see so much good when you hear so much bad on the news.

Maybe I'll have to head on over for the reveal and see the amazing work that they do this weekend.

Have an awesome weekend!

How Cheeky

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:50:00 +0000

I know I was supposed to write about fall and fashion today... but let's save that for next week, shall we?

Ok then.

Seriously, today I have a little rant for Victoria's Secret.

Dear Angels (if I can call you that),

I try to enjoy your company. After all, you employ one of my favorite people in the whole world (Heidi Klum). You continually come up with fun patterns and products, so I try to see the good.

However, we've got to talk.

I recently walked into one of your stores looking for underwear. I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I was looking for basic, boring cotton underwear for working out.

So I, being the experienced shopper I am, head for the stuff I want. You of course have some salesgirl trailing after me trying to explain the concept of a 5/$25 sale. I say thank you and other nice things but I can't shake this kid. No worries, she can trail along behind me.

Can you predict what happens next? They don't have 5 pairs of anything I remotely want in my size..... hmm, what to do?

So I tell the sales associate sorry but your store just doesn't have what I'm looking for.

Not wanting to lose a sale, she points me towards the PINK section. I explain that the Ultra Super Duper Low rise doesn't really work for my long torso-ed self, but she is waxing on about them.

And then she tries to tell me how awesome cheekies are. How comfortable, how awesome.

And my friends? Cheek-y underwear. Are not awesome. Especially when they come in 3 versions: cheeky, very cheeky, and ultra cheek-a-riffic.

The purpose of the cheeky, I believe, is to look like brief/hipster/boyshort type underwear while allowing your butt to hang out the bottom of them.

But, in my opinion, you know what they are? Thongs, with about 4 inches of extra fabric in the back.

Perfect for getting wedged up your @ss.

Which is exactly what I told the salesgirl as she stared at me with I think a mixture of fear and probably more fear.

So Victoria's Secret? Let's pretend like this whole "cheeky" thing never happened. K?

P.S. Are there cheeky underwear lovers out there? Am I missing something? Cause I'm not all that upset to be missing giant wedgies but if there is some other benefit... let me hear it!

Let Your Freak Flag Fly

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:35:00 +0000

In one of the questions yesterday, I couldn't think of any hidden talents.

I still don't really have a hidden talent but I do have a freaky, um, talent?

Throughout my whole life I've had allergies, and in the past few years they have become increasingly annoying.

So my allergies cause my sinuses to plug up. And when my sinuses are not working, I can blow air out of my eye.

As in, when I blow my nose, air bubbles come out of my tear ducts.

Do you have any weird bodily quirks? Or am I alone in my freakdom?

Please, make me feel less weird. Or not.

Round 2 - GO!

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:37:00 +0000

Ok kids, I'm gonna make these ones quick because I felt like I was quite ramble-y yesterday. So: go!

Katiesperk asked:

What Saved By the Bell character would you be?
If I gave you $10,000 to spend what would be the first thing you bought.

I would definitely be a cross between Kelly and Jessie. In reality, I'd probably be more of a Jessie than a Kelly. I used to watch an episode of Saved by the Bell every single morning before school. I was on at 7 AM and we'd leave for school at 7:25. That's a lot of missed final scenes right there.

And if I had $10,000... well that would be an awesome day. First thing I'd do is quit job hunting until after Christmas, that's for sure. Boringly, I'd probably give $1000 to the nonprofit I ran in college... but that's not exciting. The first FUN thing I'd buy would be shoes. (Hate to take it in this direction but here it goes..) Since my mom died, I have had the hardest time buying shoes - I always feel like I'm wasting a bunch of money or that I'm being impractical with my purchases... so if I had a big chunk to spend, I'd definitely buy several pairs of shoes. Boringly practical, but true.

Classy in Philadelphia asked...

How do you keep such a fabulous attitude?

In general, I just try my absolute hardest to see the bright side of things. For example, being unemployed sucks... but on the bright side, I've had a bunch of opportunities to spend time with my friends which I wouldn't have had otherwise.

On the other hand, I'm not always sunshine and roses. In fact, I realized yesterday that it was the first day in 2 weeks - 14 days! - that I hadn't cried once. I try to make this blog a "happy place" to come - even though I am a prime example that life isn't always bright and shiny.

The easiest way to keep a good attitude, for me, is to realize all the things I have that others would kill for - a roof over my head, a family who loves me, tons of clothes, great friends... And when I DO start feeling down on myself? I start to think of the different places I've volunteered - homeless shelters and after-school programs - and how happy those people seemed. Definitely puts my trials and problems into perspective.

Heather asked...

What's the best birthday present you've ever received?
What has been your favorite birthday so far?

I honestly am not sure about my best present... it's weird, because I know I've been the recipient of some pretty awesome presents. In general, my family doesn't really go over the top with things. As opposed to some of my friends, who've received laptops and cars and other "big ticket" items for their birthdays, I really always just got clothes and other smaller things I've asked for. Boring, but true.

My favorite birthday has been those at college. It was fun to be around a bunch of girls, going out to eat in a huge group ("table for 20 please"), and just celebrate with all my friends. Plus, the bride from the wedding last month shares my birthday, so that always doubled the fun.

SLJ asked...

Have you been on any dates since you and the Boy broke up?

And then she went on to say really nice complimentary things about me but it felt weird repeating them here, because that would be vain.

No, I haven't been on any dates - for several reasons. First, I honestly don't know many guys. Any guys I do know, like a guy I went to school with that I ran into at the mall, constantly ask me about The Boy and when we're getting married... so that doesn't exactly put me into the "dateable" category.

In reality, the small city/town I live in isn't the best for meeting people who are ever going to leave this place - so I'm ont even really interested in dating anyone here. In the next few months, I'll move into Indy and get settled there and will maybe open myself up to dating a bit more. For now, I'm happy being a spinster.

Brown Eyed Girl asked.... (also, she's new around here so HI BEG!!)

What's the perfect fall outfit?
What's your most embarrassing moment?

I'll post about outfits later this week - I've got too much to say for this post.

And my most embarrassing moment.. honestly, I can't think of one. I am one of those people who constantly pokes fun at any big goof-up I may have... so I think I tend to minimize how humiliated I feel and forget about them. I'm racking my brains here but I can't think of any.

I know that both in college and high school I wore horrible shoes - heels a lot of the time - and I have slipped on more wet staircases and icy sidewalks than I can even remember.... but I always laughed it off. Even the time where I'm pretty sure I pulled a muscle in my thighs so hard my eyes were watering.

Shannon asked.... (she's new here - hi Shannon!!)

What's your favorite thing to do - do you have any hobbies?

Um, shopping is my favorite thing to do, I'm ashamed to admit. I also enjoy reading - chick lit books and magazines are my favorites.

As far as hobbies, I love to bake (cookies, cakes, etc), craft, and, um, this blog. It's become quite the time consuming hobby.

Krista asked...

What fall/winter fashions are you most looking forward to?
Do you have any hidden talents we don't know about?
What are your big Top 3 things you want to do in life?
Ever traveled anywhere fabulous? Where would you like to travel?

I'll post a fashion post later this week...

I don't think I have any hidden talents. I mean, I don't keep anything hidden on purpose. I developed "double jointed" knees when I was in middle school and even though I've lost a ton of my flexibility, I can hyper-extend my knees grossly car. (Wow, that's an exciting "talent!") Honestly, my only real "talent" that I can think of is doing makeup. People are always impressed how nice I can make them look. Ok, clearly I'm talentless.

My Big 3 sound kind of lame...but I honestly, since I was a little girl, dreamed about being a mom. So I'd have to say 1 and 2 are getting married and having kids. I know that's probably not a great "reach for the stars" kinda thing... but I just have always always dreamed of those 2 moments. As for number 3... hmm.... well I can't believe I'm actually going to put this out there considering it really just came into my head - but I'd like to write a book. Not sure what about yet... but wow, my Top 3 is lame. Sorry folks!

And I talked yesterday about travel - I've never been anywhere cool. I've been to Canada, the Carribbean, and a big majority of the states - that's it. And I want to go to Greece.

Cole asked...

What's your favorite and least favorite holidays?
What is your dream job?
If you had a baby RIGHT NOW, what would you name him/her?

My favorite holiday would be the 4th of July. I would love to be married on the 4th of July - or have fireworks after my wedding. I LOVE fireworks. I also adore Valentine's day because of all of the red and pink. I love me some tacky heart decorations!

My least favorite holiday would have to be... hmm... maybe Christmas. Something about that time of the year, especially now that my mom is gone, is just so sad. I always cry when I hear certain songs, and the holiday just isn't the same without her making dozens of cookies.

My dream job would be writer or editor of a magazine - prefferably Glamour magazine. My other dream job would be wedding planner - I'd love to help people make their dreams come true.

Baby names. I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I have an account at BabyNames.com. And I have a list of saved names that I love. Unfortunately, I have The Boy's name after all of them. (Seriously, sometimes I just wanna SHAKE MY FIST at the universe.)

But I can only hope I have sextuplet girls and no boys... because I can't for the life of me name a boy. He'll just be "that kid.

So, the names:

Emma Grace (has been my standby favorite since 7th grade - not even kidding).
Clara (not sure of a middle name - but this is my dad's dad's mom's name - and I think it just has that old world charm).
Lilly Ann (I babysat a girl named Lilly once and constantly just said her name cause I loved it).
I also like the girl names Addison Ann, Isabella, and Sophia. I don't want my kids to have names as boring as Sarah. (Sorry to the other Sarahs out there).
I had the boy name Jack on my list but it was because it was The Boy's grandfather's name.. but it's getting deleted now.

So there you have it. I think I answered every single question.

If you have any other burning questions.... let me know!

Happy Tuesday!

P.S. I have NO CLUE what is wrong with the font and I've spent way too much time trying to fix it.. sorry!

Makeup and More

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:52:00 +0000

Hello ladies!

Not to spam you twice in one day... but this is important!!

First, I posted over at Chic Critique about my eyeshadow find... MAC crew, brace yourselves.

And I thought I'd let everyone know that Sephora is having a Friends and Family event starting today. I haven't made my order yet so I don't know that it works for sure... but the coupon code FF2009 should give you 20% off most items at Sephora.com. I believe the code works through mid-November but I read on some other sites that some items might sell out.

Off to fill up my shopping basket...

I've Got Answers!

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:14:00 +0000

No, I haven't found the solution to world peace yet... but I do have some answers to the questions you guys asked on Thursday.

And here we go...

Whitney asked...

Do you miss The Boy? Do you have hopes of ever getting back together?
How is your dad doing? Has he been on a date since your mother passed? Is he the same person or is he changed?

Ok, first question.
Yes, I still miss The Boy. For 6 years, he was my one and only confidant. He was "my person" (shout out to all the Grey's fans out there!). He had the all-access pass to my hopes, my dreams, and my disappointments. Since we broke up, I have mourned the loss of that confidant.

It's definitely getting easier - there are days that I don't think about him more than once. But then again, there are still days where I obsess over the fact that we haven't spoken since July and it really upsets me.

For me, it's going to be a long process of trying to get over him. I'm sure I'll write more in depth about it soon.

As for getting back together... in some ways, my heart would jump at the chance. In my head, though, I know that it's best to wait for the guy who wants me. So we shall see...

As for my dad - he is different now. In the past, my mom took care of so many aspects of our lives, we didn't even have a concept of how helpful she was. He is still working to come into his own as the sole parent. He hasn't gone on any dates that I know of. He's a very introverted person and not social at all, so it does worry me a little bit. He's very healthy and active so I know he has a very long life ahead of him... so I suppose it will happen eventually. It has been very strange to go from a family of 4 to a family of 3, let's just say that.

Michelle asked...

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?

This is a great question!! I have to be super honest here: I've never really been anywhere! In fact, I didn't have a passport until the spring of this year. (Ironically, I bought it because I wanted to be all prepared for a fabulous trip with The Boy - either an engagement trip or a honeymoon. Ohh how times have changed!)

If I could go anywhere... I'd probably pick to be anywhere in the world where I could get all of my college friends together. Knowing that the Wonderful Wedding Weekend was the last get-together we had planned.. I'm sad cause I know I won't see them all together anytime soon.

But if I could go anywhere fun? I'd pick the Greece - specifically the coast, or the Islands. I just want to see the little whitewashed houses with blue roofs. (Roofs? That sounds so strange.) And obviously I want to see the beautiful Greek Ocean.

Natalie asked.... (Natalie's new around here - HI NATALIE!)

I was just wondering what short term goals you have and where you see yourself in a year?

Natalie, I haven’t got a freaking clue. I am jobless (careerless, if I have to be honest), clueless, and generally so confused. I’ve got this fancy college degree (speaking of which… where the heck is my diploma? Hmm… oops.) in Marketing… and not a clue what to do with it. Something’s gotta change soon… so stay tuned!

Megan (winner of my Birthday Giveaway!) asked…

What was your major in college?
What is your favorite store to shop at? (Clearly, she's a woman after my own heart!)

My major in college was Marketing. In actuality, I feel like I really should have recieved a degree in nonprofit fundraising - but that's a whole 'nother question.

As far as my favorite store... that's a tough one! I shop most frequently at Target, TJ Maxx, and Forever 21. I'd say half of my wardrobe is from those 3 stores. If I had lots and lots of money (fingers crossed!), I'd probably shop at Nordstrom and Macy's. Nordstrom because the customer service is just awesome, and Macy's because I can always find something there (read: shoes).

Anon asked...

Do you work part time at all?

Honestly, no. I worked a part-time job at the mall all through college and it was way hectic. I would get calls at 9 AM asking if I could work at 10 AM. The hours were erratic and some weeks I didn’t work at all. Other times I’d work until midnight – on my first big night I worked until 2 AM. 2 AM!! Because I’m supposed to be looking for a job, I felt like I couldn’t handle the tumultuous-ness of a part-time work schedule… so I haven’t been working at all.

If I don’t figure something out in the next couple of weeks… I will probably be getting a part time job. We’ll see. Right now I’m lucky enough to live at home and not have to worry about everything. So we shall see.

Ok, I think if you’ve made it through this long of a post…. Well, you are clearly dedicated. I’ll hopefully finish up tomorrow…

Happy Monday ladies!

We Have a Winner

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:26:00 +0000

And we have a winner of my birthday giveaway!!

With entry number 121, the winner is Megan from Tales of the Trees!

Congrats Megan!! And again thank you to all of you for your sweet comments on all of my birthday week festivities... I'll be back on Monday and I'll get to answering some of your questions from Thursday's post.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Falling Into Fall

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:42:00 +0000

First of all, thank you for all the awesome questions on yesterday's post. I am too sleepy to sort through them today but I'll start answering them first thing next week!

The leaves have been falling here for weeks and I've got the Halloween decorations up, but for some reason I haven't been feeling all that "fall-ish."

Last night, I finally got into the fall spirit. Thanks, in large part, to this large bowl of Apple Betty.

(Side Note: every time I say Apple Betty people give me this crazy eyed look and ask what the hell a Betty is. So I googled it for you. Apple Betty is crustless apple pie. So there. )

So I'll admit it - my favorite thing about fall is the food. And the scents (ie vanilla, pumpkin - homey scents).

What's your favorite thing about fall??

And remember that all of your comments today enter you to win The Middle Place. Giveaway ends Friday at midnight!

Today's birthday girl is Natalie, so go wish her a Happy Birthday, will ya?

Have a fabulous weekend!!

Post-Birthday Hangover

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:12:00 +0000

Well my birthday came and went with no major excitement. Is it me, or do birthdays after 21 just not have the same festive tone?

So somewhere along the way yesterday I realized that I have a bunch of new followers (hi people!). And because I'm ~~lazy and sick~~ awesome, I think it's time for another round of Ask Me Anything.

So go for it. Ask away. If you are too embarrassed go ahead and ask anonymously.

I'll probably answer all your questions but if I don't feel like answering one... I probably won't.

And remember, of course, that all of your comments enter you to win The Middle Place. Hehe, I'm tricky like that.

So ask me something... anything. And while you are thinking of an awesome question, go and tell
Chatham Happy Birthday. (Just 1 more birthday this week, and then we're finished. It's a marathon, not a sprint, people.)

Have a very Happy Thursday!

Happy Birthday to Me!

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:09:00 +0000

Last year on my birthday, I woke up to a decorated apartment - there were balloons, streamers, and signs everywhere. There was a list of Top 10 "Sarah-isms" that made me laugh for weeks.

I woke to a boyfriend, best friends, and the promise of a day filled with fun. Oh yeah, and school. Ick.

Today, I woke up to a quiet, empty new "home." Everything is different.

Life is not at all how I expected to be... but I guess life is teaching me that life doesn't always work out the way we had planned.

But in the end, even though my life is far from perfect, I am happy to have awesome friends and family to share my day with.

Here's to a fabulous and fun-filled year ahead... may it contain many unforseen new adventures.

P.S. Do you ever look at old pictures and wish you were still that adorable? Yeah, me either.

Seriously, It's All About the Cake

ClassyFabSarah@gmail.com (Classy Fab Sarah) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:55:00 +0000

Growing up, birthday cakes were a big deal in my house.

While many of my friends dreamed of Dairy Queen cakes and fancy grocery store sheet cakes... I did not.

Growing up in my family, we always joked that if you were really "loved," you got a homemade cake. To this day, I hate overly-sugared grocery store cakes and ice cream cakes just don't hold a candle to a fabulous homemade cake.

This year, my dad wasn't too excited to make a big cake for the two of us to eat... but we convinced my brother to come home from college to eat cake with us.

So our typical cake is a boxed cake mix - any flavor. This year I used traditional white cake (feel free to freak out - but I don't really like chocolate cake).

So I mixed up the batter and then decided to get a little crazy with food coloring.

And so I ended up with these. I split the batter into 3 rounds instead of 2, so I reduced the cooking time a bit.

After baking them, I frosted it up. The frosting is actually the thing that makes this cake special to our family - it is SOO tasty.

And the final product?

Delicious!

First off, I have to say that I was ~~a bit~~ inspired by this post when I decided to create colorful layers. I am not that creative on my own.

Second, the frosting recipe. It's the most important part of the cake!

Ingredients:

8 oz Cool Whip
1 Box Instant Pudding (I use White Chocolate).
1 Cup Cold Milk
1/4 C Powdered Sugar

To make the frosting, just mix up all the ingredients except Cool Whip in a mixer for a minute or two. Gently stir in the cool whip and voila - delicious frosting. It's a bit runny when you first mix it up, but it firms up as it refrigerates.

So there you have it... MY special birthday tradition - the good cake. Cakes from the store just aren't the same.

And I guess it's only fair to say that I took a 4-ish year hiatus from this type of cake for cheesecake. And since I'm the only one in my family who likes cheesecake.... I would end up eating a 12 inch cheesecake by myself. In about a week. Seriously, it was a sickness. Which is why we had to go back to regular cake.

So I want to know... what kind of cake do you have for your birthday? Do you have any other special birthday traditions?

And most importantly... want to share a piece of it with me?

P.S. Remember that every comment you leave this week enters you to win a copy of The Middle Place. Comment away!

P.P.S. Go wish Sarah (not me Sarah, a different Sarah) a Happy Birthday!

And last but not least.... I just wanted to let you know that Whiter Image is running a 15% off promotion through the month of October with the code Image1. Also, if you use that code they will donate 10% of all sales to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Ok, now I'm really done! Happy Tuesday!