On the brightside..

Sometimes I feel like a nut... Sometimes I don't...

2011-03-11T09:55:00.001-08:00

Eee gads.. I can't stop shopping for MOH dresses. I sent back the one shouldered taffeta J Crew (ok.. I've been meaning to send it back). Why? I'm not a huge fan of taffeta and it fit me like a sausage casing.

So.. A few weeks ago I'm surfing J Crew's 30 percent sale when I meet Seraphina:

She arrived at my home a few days ago. I love her, but I'm not 100 percent fond of how she is lopsided (see photo: No, it's not how the model is standing. It is how the dress is built).

.. I still love her though. Like I said though, I can't stop shopping for the perfect dress. By the time August hits I'm going to have a million cocktail dresses in my closet.

Wednesday Wants

2011-01-26T17:41:00.000-08:00

I've decided to revive Wednesday wants. So here's the line up this week:

ASOS Twist Top- I'm a little bummed they don't have my size :(

Peppermint Sugar Scrub body polish- $8.50

BR Heritage beaded double V Neck Tank- 79.50

ASOS panel jersey dress- sold out :(

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!

2011-01-25T11:00:00.001-08:00

I've never been a shoe girl. For the past few years I've lived in Crocs brand ballet flats like these:
This year I've updated my shoe wardrobe slightly. I've added fit flip boots (for those cold VA nights), a pair of FRYE brown boots, and som MBT walking shoes. Waahoo. Look at me go. What I need now is a pair of shoes to go with my bridesmaid dress for the wedding.

I'm currently deciding between these two little beauties at Kate Spade:

What do you think? Yay? Nay? Suggestions?

Picking my MOH dress

2011-01-24T20:13:00.000-08:00

In my last post I updated y'all on my sister's engagement. She's given me power to choose any dress I like, though it has to be a neutral color. Here's what I'm considering:

Celosia- Simple Silouettes $295

Nanine J Crew - $99.00-$150.00

7594 Watter and Watters- $230

I have a confession. I already purchased the J Crew dress. They were having the big 40 percent off promotion and I couldn't help myself. The dress is beautiful, but I'm not sure if it's the right dress for me.

We'll see. Until then, back to the drawing board.

Why I've been MIA

2011-01-24T20:09:00.001-08:00

My last post was Oct 22nd. On October 23rd my grandfather passed away. I miss him quite a bit.

It's been 2-3 months since his death and much has happened. BOH (my sister- we call her Big Ol' hilary) is engaged and I've stopped shopping (as usual that's a blatant lie! But! I am curving my spending). Anyway, I'll begin posting again sporadically.

Stay tuned!

Blue Print Cleanse {Day 1}- What the hell was I thinking?

2010-10-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

The title says it all folks.

It's 2:29 in the afternoon. Here's my day thus far:

7:15 A.m.- Wake up! Check email, feed the kitties, weigh myself on the wii (down 1.5 lbs from yesterday- probably water as it is that time of the month), got dressed, drank some warm water as directed by BPC instructions.

7:31 A.m.- Left house with water bottle and BPC Bottle #1 i.e. the green juice.

How is the green juice?

At first, it wasn't so bad. It tasted like something, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I figured it out half way to class- a spicy sweet pickle puree. I dislike sweet pickles greatly. I drank a little under half the bottle and could not drink anymore (I was in class holding back my gags)

9:00 A.m- Get out of class head to post office and errands

10:30 A.m.- back at home- write a few business related emails

11-now- Nap. I fell asleep on the laptop (I was up waay past my bedtime last night watching hulu).

2:36 p.m.- Bottle numero dos is staring at me. Bottle 2 is called P.A.M. and contains filtered water, pineapple, apple, and mint.

*cracks open bottle, takes sip*

Drinkable. It's not fantastic- but it's not bad either. But.. the more I drink, the more it grows on me. If I had to name the flavor, I'd say pineapple mint. No chaser needed.

Juice 3- Green Juice (yuck)
Juice 4= Spicy Lemonade (like the master cleanse, but tastes better.)
Juice 5= More Green juice
Juice 6= Cashew Nut Milk (I'm very excited for this- I've had a sip and it tastes like rice pudding :D )

Overall, at this moment I regret going on the cleanse because I'm not going to be able to drink the green juices in their entirety (I'll maybe be able to get down half a bottle per sitting) so I will not be reaping the full benefits.

I'll let you know how I feel tomorrow.

Blue Print Cleanse- Who's with me? (I have a coupon code...)

2010-10-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

On Monday I went back on the medifast diet. I blogged about it earlier in the year and had major success losing 3o some pounds in three months. In April my husband graduated OCS and was back home for awhile, there were celebrations, events, etc.. I stopped my diet.

Did the weight stay off? I'm amazed to say most of it. I gained back nine pounds between April and now. But I deserve those nine pounds (and probably more)- I've been eating like crap.

Since Monday I've been dropping a lot of water weight- and you know what? I feel better. I've been diet coke free for two weeks, eating my diet food, and missing food that is bad for my body like the desert misses the rain (anyone know that song?!). I'm having terrible, sometimes uncontrollable, cravings.

A few weeks ago I recieved a 30 percent off coupon from Calypso.com to try the blueprint cleanse

aren't the bottles pretty?

The blue print cleanse is relatively expensive. For a three day cleanse it's $150 something + $60 for overnight shipping. Crazy, right? The shipping cost can't be helped- the juices need to be sent overnight. As for the $150 in juice- it is my understanding these bottles are packed with pounds and pounds of organic vegetable and fruits. Did I mention I got 30% off? I'm a sucker for those percentages.

As I sit typing this, 18 bottles of juices are in my fridge waiting to be devoured. I start tomorrow. I will be doing the second level of the cleanse "renovation." Sounds scary, eh? I've been preparing myself this week by cutting out some of the meat (I have been on medifast so I've been eating a good portion of protein at night) and eating more vegetables.

Do I expect to lose major weight in three days? Of course not. I expect this to help curve my cravings, maybe make my skin glow (?), and a challenge. I'll be chronicling my three day journey right here in my blog. Wish me luck!

And if you're interested in giving it a go- BPC sent a 20 percent off coupon to my inbox. Coupon Code: SOBEROCTOBER

grrr.. Etsy...

2010-10-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

I received a comment from someone who purchased a piece of furniture from the same seller as I on etsy. I'm not going to tell the whole tale- but it was a scam. I also ordered a custom dining table from another etsy seller- also a scam.

Kind readers- please be wary of who you buy from on etsy. Make sure they have 10+ positive feedback and if they don't make sure you pay with a credit card or paypal that makes disputing a transaction easy. Etsy customer service is of little help- they refer you to this form and that, nothing ever comes of these forms. One of the seller's started a new shop after I scammed and I reported that shop- etsy has done nothing and more people are being scammed.

Beware how and who you give your money to.

Awesome etsyness {and whine of the day}

2010-08-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today I finally was able to get a hold of the storage company. The soonest they can deliver our belongings is on August 10th- we close this Wednesday. That means another week on the air mattress and I won't have anything to cook with :P I miss having more than three changes of clothes.

In other news, I purchased an return address label stamp from etsy seller NoteTrunk. $24.95 for something Adam and I will cherish forever. This is our first purchased home- we probably won't live in it for more than a few years- but still. I have this idea to have one of these babies made each time we purchase a new house. Maybe someday our grandchildren will think we're awesome (or wonder what snail mail is).

Away Message

2010-07-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

Adam surprised me and moved up our closing from the 10th to this Tuesday. I'm in a mad dash in an attempt to get ready to drive back down to Virginia on Tuesday. We won't have internet immediately so posting will be light (errr.. non existent) for a little while. We will be broadcasting from Virginia shortly.

These are a few of my favorite (etsy!!) things!!! singing

2010-07-31T22:50:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been obssessed with etsy.

I've been looking for a coffee table forever. I had actually given up the search when I did a random search on etsy and EAMESREVIVAL popped up. I picked out this table:

They're actually going to remove the gold thingies on the bottom, stain it to match my other furniture, and make it to fit my specifications (much smaller). I die. I even have a tray to put on top of the table so things don't fall through. I feel oh so grown up!

More Etsy Love:

4 Pack All Natural Essential Oil Soap Bars (Elegant Rose)- $20.00

LOVE LOVE LOVE the peppermint ice. It's tingly and oh so nice. My husband is a fan as well ;) Also check out her bath bombs. I'm into mint and peppermint- but the grapefruit is great as well. I'm not a bath person so I break them up and put them on the shower floor for a nice smell.

Wrap Skirt-Elegant Flattering Classic and Casual Asymmetric Handmade Skirt by Tasi Fashion- $59.00

Me and jersey have got something magical going on. This year I have bought so much jersey. You may also consider checking out this seller's:

Raglan Wrap Dress- $(I don't remember the price and it has sold- but I'm sure she can make another one)

I'm the worst kind of liar..

2010-07-31T22:40:00.000-07:00

Soo... in my last post I imposed another shopping sabbatical. Ha! That lasted a few hours.

It was late. I was alone. I started looking on hautelook.com .. and BAM! Before I knew it I was ordering a must have item.

In my defense, it is like nothing that is in my closet. Nothing. And I have an extensive closet.

Tart Breanne Top- $49.00 (I had a ten dollar credit + UPROMISE gave me 16 bucks!)

It doesn't look like much in this photo. It's styled rather poorly and not being worn correctly (hautelook had it right, unfortunately they removed the photo). I love it.

Another self imposed shopping sabatical.

2010-07-26T11:04:00.001-07:00

Today I was looking over my last seven months of purchases and have decided I have spent waaay too much. :) Sooo.. this blog is going to turn back into its old self consisting of the items I drool over and love (as well as some purchases). I'll also be blogging a little bit more about our new home and how we're decorating. I hope you stay tuned!

30 percent off at J. Crew

2010-07-26T10:47:00.001-07:00

I'm sure 99 percent of you know J. Crew is offering 30 percent of on final sale items if you spend $150.00+

I have a confession.

I'm not loving J. Crew as much as I once did. Maybe it's because my style is becoming a little less preppy and a little more.. I don't know what to describe it at. What I've been buying lately consists of Anthropologie and designer ebay finds (DVF, Nanette Lepore, Butter By Nadia). I still like J. Crew- but some of my recent purchases have be disappointing quality wise.

My recent Anthropologie purchases (sorry for the small sizes!):

Everywhere Dress: Sold out

Midnight Petal maillot swim suit- Sold outSprinkled and Shined Tank- Sold out
Magnolia Blouse-Sold out

Bedroom Vision

2010-07-24T23:44:00.000-07:00

Our bedroom staged:

My vision:

Living room: Vision

2010-07-24T23:41:00.000-07:00

I just splurged on a new couch- but we've been saving for months to make this happen. I feel it's important to create a space where you feel comfortable and enjoy being in. After coming home from a long day of school/work Adam and I like to make dinner and watch a movie- sometimes I go online and Adam play's Wii or XBOX (we're so cool).

So.. Here is out living room (not our furniture):

These are the pieces I would *like* to put in this space (the only for sure is the couch. Adam has vetoing power on the rest):

I'm considering an ivory rug in lieu of the gray to help the space appear brighter. The curtains we are using will be ivory curtains- again, the space is small so we want it to be bright. I'm looking for a way to bring color into this room- someday Adam and I will be re-painting the space but not for a few years. We figure why fix it if it ain't broken.

Any color suggestions?

Bought our first big boy couch (and bed too!)

2010-07-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

Meet Reese:

This is our new couch. Reese will be replacing our old, stained, dilapidated ~~couch~~ love seat. We're super excited- this is our first "big purchase." When we were in college all our furniture was from walmart of furniture clearance centers. To furnish our first place cost approximated $2500 dollars. It's a lot of money but that purchased: bed, mattress, dresser, couch, tv stand, dishes, silverware, plates, linens, towels, rugs, cutlery, pans, pots, cups... you get the idea. We were young people building a home from scratch.

Meet Portica:

Portica isn't replacing anyone, but she's beautiful. Our first "bed" was a walmart platform I bought for 79.95 +shipping. It was broken within six months. We used it until we moved out of the old Detroit apartment. For two years we were sleeping on our mattress and box spring. Classy. Since June (when the movers came to take our stuff) I've been on an air mattress. The air mattress is where I'll stay until August.

These were two of our "splurges." Adam and I sat down and discussed a budget to furnish our new place. After deciding we wanted quality over quantity I started shopping. I quickly realized quality is expensive. We decided to invest in a good bed and sectional. I can see this sectional staying with us for 20+ years as well as the bed. I consider them investments.

I'm currently hunting for a coffee table on craigslist and am relying on west elm for carpets, window hardware, and dining chairs. We're spending more than we would like ~~we would like to spend zero~~, but as my dad once brilliantly stated, "your home should be comfortable." ~~And he's as cheap as they come.~~
I'll be posting photos when the items arrive. Don't start holding your breath- they won't be arriving until late September/Early October.

I'm baaaack!!!!

2010-07-24T23:19:00.001-07:00

Sorry everyone. I stopped blogging in February as the diet was getting to me. All in all I lost 30 lbs I've kept off for 4 months and am about to go at it again to lose the remaining 20. I also got REALLY busy after February.

What have I been doing since my last posts?

Well... Adam graduated Navy OCS and we moved from Michigan to Virginia Beach! Adam is currently deployed and I am in Michigan- long story. Short version: We bought a condo, the deal fell through ten days after closing (shady), so we bought a new condo we're waiting to close on. For the past seven weeks I've been living at my parents, sleeping on air mattress, and roughing it with only three changes of clothes (all of our stuff is in storage).

Other changes are I launched a photography business and am back in school for something totally unrelated.

Overall, things are great- I've been cutting down my shopping (that's really a blatant lie), but that doesn't mean I don't have things I drool over.

It feels good to be back!

Weekly Weigh in- 4 weeks on Medifast (sort of)

2010-02-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

Before announcing the results I would like to apologize for a few things. 1. I promised reviews, tutorials, pictures- essentially I promised awesomeness that I have not delivered. I am very sorry. The awesomeness is on it's way. It's been an odd week I will not elaborate on - but I've got fresh raspberries in the refrigerator that MUST get used so the Macaroon's are coming soon! 2. This weeks weigh in sucks. I'll admit I cheated this week. My sister and brother both took me to lunch on different days. I did my best to follow the rules- it's not the same as eating at home though (I found out I'm not allowed to have pineapple- which I ate on both occasions.. oops..). Oh.. And during the failed macaroon tutorial I ate a few of the rejects..

So without further adieu.. This week I have lost 1.1 lbs for a total weight loss of 18 lbs for my first month.

My thoughts:
I'm ok with the results. I did cheat and I haven't been following the exact medifast plan. I eat their meals when I'm hungry (2-3 a day) and have my lean and green portion. The medifast diet is really strict on carbs (you're not allowed fruit or even onions!)-I haven't been true to it. Occassionally I eat a few grilled onions on my salad. This week I need to get back on it and be a little stricter with what I'm eating. I'll probably also go back to weighing myself everyday- but will only post on Thursday.

My goal when I started this was to lose 50 lbs by the time Adam graduates OCS (in 9 more weeks) I'm four weeks into my diet and have already lost 18... 38 more to go.

Coming Soon...

2010-02-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

My new DSLR Camera arrived today AND we're expecting a HUGE snowstorm meaning I might be off Tuesday/Wednesday!! Do you know what that ultimately means? Macaroon tutorial!!!! BOH and I attempted the recipe Saturday night and it was a complete failure.. this time I have a feeling.

I just hope the snow holds off until tomorrow afternoon, Roxanne has a vet appointment. If I can figure out how the DSLR works (haven't used one since highschool.. well I've never used one. In high school we used film in our Nikon's) I'll post some photos!

BOH's new wedding.

2010-02-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

So.. BOH and Ginger are kaput. It's for the best, and she is doing well. She deserves better. Anyway, new start means a new wedding inspiration board. It will change when she finds someone, but for now, I can dream. This one was inspired by the sunset.

Daily Love

2010-02-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

I've become much more internet savvy since getting married. While organizing my bookmarks which are perpetually always unorganized because there are so many I came across this link:

Rare Device- Very thin gold ring- $80.00

This would have been the perfect wedding ring for a girl like me. When searching for our rings I had two criteria my own (... ok three): 1. White Gold 2. Moderately Priced 3. THIN band.

What I ended up with was a white gold band that was 2.5mm thick (the thinnest I could possibly find at the time) that cost around 50 dollars. Only now do I find the PERFECT wedding band in the ring pictured above- and it comes in white gold! Pfft...

Is it already Thursday? Medifast weigh in #3

2010-02-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

Typically I weigh myself everyday on this diet, but the past week I haven't had the time and when I don't lose weight it's always kind of a downer and I get frustrated. To counteract my frustration I decided to follow through with weekly weigh-in's instead.

*drum roll*

Since last Thursday I have lost 3.7 lbs. For a total weight loss of 15.7 lbs in 3 weeks. I am fairly pleased. I have ten weeks until Adam comes home from OCS, although he may go to baby SWO school first (Surface Warfare Officers either go to a 3 week school for "job training" or the Navy throws them directly on a ship and they learn while they work) In which case I will have another three weeks on my diet.

Until next week...

Until my camera is back... Enjoy some key lime meltaway's

2010-02-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

I thought I would leave you with a post from my other blog that's about being married to the military/our married life in general. It's mostly a journal I guess. This blog is a bit superficial filled with all my wants and desires... but I've got to put this stuff somewhere. And what's life without a little superficiality? Really.

So.. without further adieu I give you Key Lime Meltaway's:

We picked up a bag of limes some time last week that were getting old ( I must say, they were some of the juiciest limes I have ever come across). So the decision was made to give my mom's recipe key lime (or in this case plain old lime) meltaways a shot.

These cookies are tart with a hint of sweetness on the inside, coated in powdered sugar on the outside. NOM NOM.

Yield: 5 dozen (but I doubled the recipe)

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Grated zest of 4 tiny or 2 large key limes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (a.k.a. 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy (you can use a plain old bowl and hand mixer.. of if you're really feeling feisty do it by hand) Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy.

Before the lime juice/zest/vanilla

After the lime juice/zest/vanilla.. sooo perty.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined.

3. Between two pieces of parchment paper, roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour.

4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment (ok.. so I just greased my sheets).

5. Place remaining 2/3 cup powdered sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Remove parchment from logs; slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.

6. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, just three or four minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat (I used a bowl). Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Well-ah! Enjoy!

Make sure that when you zest your limes the zest is small. I couldn't find the zester so I used the zest side of a regular grater- my zest was sort of big and didn't taste the best in the cookies. Overall, this isn't an amazing recipe- but it's pretty good for something that tastes light and is slightly sweet.

My camera is still on the fritz...

2010-02-03T13:43:00.001-08:00

Sooo.. My camera is still on the fritz so I have to put off my anthropologie/RueLaLa *hisses at the thought of Ruelala customer service* reviews, macaroon making tutorial, and dying tutorial off until my new camera arrives. I snagged the Canon Rebel Xsi off of ebay a few days ago and have been patiently waiting for it ever since!