Weekend Doodles (Giveaway)

This weekend I am doing a whole lot of relaxing. I went to a play last night on campus and today I'm spending the day cleaning, doing laundry, scanning photos and catching up on celebrity gossip magazines. Oh, and watching the Season Finale of The Tudors. Tonight I'm hanging with my girl, Cristina at her house. She's making some pizza and we'll probably play a little Rummy 500 or watch a movie, OR we'll complete our plans for world domination. You never can tell with us.

I've decided that it's time for me to have another little giveaway. It's nothing fancy but I think both of these things are fun and useful. One is a cute notepad (from Real Simple) to hang on the refrigerator. (it has two columns...to do and to buy) and the other is a set of Vera Bradley note cards in Medallion.

The envelopes. Cute huh?Leave a comment and share the best thing you are doing/did over the weekend and I'll do a drawing on Tuesday night.

Have a great weekend!

My Whole Life Has Been A Lie...

Okay, so not my whole life, but my weight watchers life. At Applebee's.

My friend Jill told me about this a few days ago and today I read this article about the class action lawsuit against Applebee's and WW because the fat grams on the WW menu are grossly underestimated. Garlic Herb Chicken, for example, is featured as having only 6 grams of fat. Tests showed 18 grams. Yikes. That's quite a difference.

Just when you think it's safe to eat out on program. I ate there a few times in the last few weeks and I ordered, what else....the Garlic Herb Chicken.

Next time...I'm getting a burger.

How I Spend Cold Winter Days

On Sunday I spent 6 hours watching The Tudors Season 2 on Netflix. I adore learning things about the Tudor era and particularly Henry VIII. I love reading historical fiction about this time period so I was pumped to get hooked on this show last year. I know it's the second season but I don't get Showtime so I have to wait for it to come out on DVD to see it. I still have to watch the last three episodes (Queen Anne's days are numbered--yikes) but I have to say that even though I know how the story goes, it's riveting to watch. Have you seen it? If not, rent season one. It's that good. I promise.While I love spending hours watching TV, I hate to just sit there with nothing else to do. I always need some sort of project. So during the Tudors marathon, I worked on a pink baby blanket (for my Great Aunt--she is a foster mother)

I also decided I needed to make a little frame for Valentine's Day. I guess watching King Henry order beheadings makes me feel crafty.

The Way It Should Be

"Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."

~ Richard Bach

(Kim, me, and Shannon in college)

This weekend I attended the baby shower of one of my college roommates, Shannon. I attend baby showers all the time (it seems that way) but this one was really special for me. Shannon and I haven't spoken in a long time (6ish years) and recently reconnected via Facebook. I was thrilled to be invited to her shower at all considering the time that we've gone without seeing each other. I've missed her and Kim (our other roommate) tremendously through the years. Shannon and Kim have maintained a very close friendship through the years, being in each others weddings, and being involved in the special life moments. Naturally, Kim was at the shower as well. The way it should be.

I could try to justify what happened to our friendship but I won't. It was awful of me to let them walk out of my life and not try harder to keep them there. I have missed a lot. Kim got married and has a beautiful little girl now. Shannon got married and is having a little boy soon. It breaks my heart to know the things that I missed along the way. But for some reason it had to be that way and I can't look back at the would-haves, should-haves, could haves. It is what it is. It's life. And sometimes it's messy and unpredictable.

But walking into the room and seeing Shannon and Kim, every apprehension I had melted away and I felt like life made sense. It made me smile to watch Shannon get uncomfortable opening presents (she always hated the spotlight) and to watch Kim chase after her two year old (Emily) whose fingers were in the cake. It was so wonderful to be reconnected with two people that mean a lot to me.

Shannon opening presents

Emily Grace helping to open presents (She was so cute with her little Uggs on)

Emily eating the icing from the cake. She's just too cute!

Us at the end of the day. (I was not having a good hair day)A few hours doesn't erase the last 6 years of not speaking but I felt like I was able to let go of some of the guilt that I've felt about that and replaced it with hope that we can move forward and be in each others lives from now on.

The way it should be.

Roxy Joins Club 33

Happy Birthday to one of my greatest friends, Beth!

(Here she is getting her hair done on her wedding day)

Beth and I go way back...

A long time ago we came up with nick names. I was Ginger (for obvious reasons) and she was Roxy. We even sponsored the "Ginger and Roxy Show" at the end of the year to give awards to our co-workers. We were cool. Duh.

Today as Roxy enters Club 33, I thought I would do a sampling of "Ginger and Roxy" through the years.

We went to college together. We were both elementary education majors. Neither of us are teaching right now. Here we are at a party during senior year.

After graduating, we both decided to become Residence Hall Directors at the college we attended. This is at Cristina's (She went by Heidi) wedding.Here we are with one of our colleagues at a social event. Ginger and Roxy played as hard as we worked. We went to graduate school together too because "We All Learn Better Together" Here we are at graduation. I won't be able to see Beth today on her B-day but I did get to go see her last weekend (it was a very short visit) but I had fun hanging with her and her adorable children. Colleen was very interested in the Vera Bradley wallet I gave Beth. Happy Birthday Roxy! I hope you have a fantastic day!

Don't worry. We're still cool.

Wake Up Suzy

One of my pet peeves is Christmas stuff being left out after Christmas. I can deal with it until January 1st and then I'm done.

Last Saturday I was over at my friend *Suzy's house having some pink champagne with a bunch of our friends. To my horror, her little Christmas tree was still proudly displayed on her table.

Yes, blog friends, it's true. There were still stockings hung on the wall with care.

When I mentioned (mocked) this aloud, my friend shrugged and rolled her eyes at me.

I think I died a little inside.

She stepped out of the room and we (I think Jill helped me with this task) took immediate and decisive action. The little cute tree was carried into the bathroom and placed it in the tub. And we/I laughed hysterically over this. (Looking back, it's not really even funny, but pink champagne really makes me giggle)
The stockings were thrown into the laundry hamper. We thought we were so sly (I mean, look at how proud we were of ourselves)Suzy walked in to the room. Looked at me. And asked, "you put the tree in the bathtub didn't you?"

Damn!

But at least the Christmas tree is now taken down.

Mission accomplished.

*Names have been changed to protect the blogless.

The True Test

Yesterday I spent the day watching coverage (we have a TV in the office) between meetings. And of course, I shed a few happy tears as Obama was sworn in and the during the inaugural address. (I swear this isn't a political post--keep reading)

So with all of the crying, I really put my new eye liner to the test.

A few weeks ago, my friend Cristina posted THIS and it got me thinking about how stale my makeup routine is. I always use a pencil liner and insist that this is the best option for me. Like Cristina, I love makeup. It's no secret. In fact, I spend lots of time in Rite Aid (and now Walgreens) looking at makeup options. (lately, it's been with Melissa after we've gone to get Dunkin Donuts) So this weekend after being inspired by Cristina I picked up this liquid liner.

I really like it. And after all the crying yesterday, it held up well. I mean, it needed to be freshened but it was good when all was said and done. In the afterglow of my makeup enlightenment, I was in Walgreens last night and decided I would follow Cristina's lead and got the powder eyeliner. I tried it this morning. Love it. Love it. Love it.
I recommend trying something new in your makeup routine too. It almost makes it exciting to get up and get ready for work.

Thanks Cristina for the inspiration!

44

I may not be sitting in DC this cold morning, but I can feel just as excited as if I were. I woke up and quickly turned on the Today Show coverage. I didn't leave for work until I had seen the Obama's enter the church for the prayer service. I've been waiting for this day for a long time (or it feels like a long time)

Those that know me in real life know that I love politics and news and I love talking about it with friends. I'm also a big Obama supporter. I was excited about him back in 2004 when he spoke at the DNC and was thrilled when he was elected President in November. Thankfully my place of employment understands the need for us to watch the inauguration today so we are ending our meeting early and watching it in the office at 11:30. I can't wait.
(On a completely girly side note, I have always been fascinated by the First Ladies of our country. When I was in third grade I went to Yorktown Battlefield (I lived in VA at the time) on a field trip and when we went to the gift shop most of my little friends bought something about the battlefield, or something to remember the trip. Nope. Not me. I went straight for the book with the beautiful portraits of the first ladies. And I've saved it all these years. I'm not sure why, but I always loved to learn about these strong women. And it's been my secret (maybe not so secret) dream to be the first lady myself someday. So anyway, I was in DC a few years ago and picked up the new edition of the First Lady book. I am excited that I'll have to get ANOTHER one in March when I go to DC because it will have Michelle Obama featured. It's a sickness, I know.)

So today on this historic day I want to embrace the excitement, happiness and hopefulness that I feel, even if I'm not in DC.

Pink Shower

Since I moved around during my childhood, my cousins and I didn't spend a lot of time together but my cousin Geri is only two years younger than me so we kept in touch through letters and she ended up going to my college when I was a junior. I loved that we got to spend that time together and could share some fun memories back then.

I still don't get to see her as much as I would like (and sadly she only lives an hour away) but I was thrilled when I found out she was pregnant with a little girl. So I ventured to her shower this weekend. She looks great and was so excited about all the cute pink clothes that she opened. Pink and Purple--two of my favorite colors. Luckily, the blanket I made her had both in it.
She was so cute opening the presents.

I'm so glad I could go and shower the mother-to-be with pink cuteness. I'm excited to meet little Lily so that I can tell her how lucky she is is to have my cousin as her mommy.

The End...

of the weekend, that is.

It was a GREAT one filled with friends, family and fun. I still have to get all my pictures downloaded from my cousin's baby shower and all the other fun that was had.

But first I need to say a big THANK YOU to Jennifer over at The Pink Chick for the very generous giveaway she sponsored a few weeks ago. I got it last week but haven't had a chance to give her a shout out. I'm so excited to wear the cute slippers and pamper myself with the yummy smelling lotions. Thanks Jennifer! And I haven't had the chance to mention this cute blog award from Ms. Attitude at Life with Attitude. Her blog is so much fun to read so you should check it out.It's been a really stressful week at work because we've been facing staff downsizing. My position is safe but some of my colleagues were affected so it's been difficult. I never thought I would face this while working in higher education so it's a true wake up call. I am very thankful for my employment and for the other blessings I have in my life. So while I may often write about silly, shallow things, I understand the complexities of real life and try to remember how truly lucky I am.

Tomorrow there will be lots of pictures but for now I'm going to follow Sadie's lead and get some sleep. Isn't she cute?

Hotties in the Cold

It's crazy cold out. The kind of cold that makes me put on leggings under my pants with socks pulled over them. It's true. Please don't call Stacey and Clinton.

But Jill, Melissa and I kept warm last night by attending a cover band that was playing on campus. We were skeptical because it meant that we were going to miss American Idol for this event. I'm happy to report that the band was good and definitely worth it. (They ended with NSync's Bye Bye Bye--enough said.)

Here we are after the show. Jill had a major crush on one of the band members.

I wonder if this means we are Go Go groupies now...

A Few of My Favorite Things

I went shopping recently and had fun buying things that I don't NEED in my life but things that satisfied my girly shopping WANTS for the moment. Here are a few of my favorite purchases. If you know me, they are pretty predictable.

A mini flat iron. Yes, it's true. I can now throw this in my purse for those hair straightening emergencies. Actually, I thought it would be good for bangs. It is. A few new lip gloss flavors. You can never have too many. Especially banana flavored.

And of course, I picked up a cute new bag. But this may be my favorite in a long time. I wasn't going to get the monogram but the ladies at the store convinced me that it would be cute. And they were so right. I love that they monogram right in the store.

Hair products, lip gloss and handbags.
What can I say...I'm a creature of habit.

Club 33

Happy Birthday to my good friend Angie!

Angie always tells everyone that I'm older than her (it's only by one month) so I wanted to make sure I welcomed her to Club 33 in style. I hope you had a wonderful day!

I Did It

It's been a busy weekend/beginning of the week. Today was the funeral for my Great Grandma. It was very nice to hear the kind words about her. Thanks for all the nice thoughts for my family. I appreciate it very much.

I will be back in action tomorrow, but I wanted to share a big thing from Saturday. I got a fun little prize at WW. How fun is that?

Who knew that getting a magnet for my fridge would be so motivating...

Great Grandmother

My Great Grandmother passed away this morning. She was 98 years old. After my mother called me, I sat for a moment digesting this news. I want to be sad because that's what you feel when someone passes. And I do feel sad. But a part of me feels that I'm glad that she be at peace. I believe that she'll finally be reunited with her husband and children that she lost and all the friends that went before her.
And I keep thinking of her being 98. She was able to see her children, grandchildren and great children grow up. And while I didn't see her often, I remember what it felt like to to sit and have tea with her in her kitchen when I would visit. It must have been incredible to have seen so much and to see four generations in the room at the same time.

So today I just want to pause and think about her and her life and how lucky I feel that I even knew her at all.

Taste Buds

I have always had very specific food tastes. I was a pretty picky eater throughout my childhood. For example I didn't like the sauce on pizza, I couldn't take it when there were onions or peppers in anything. I hated any white and creamy cheese. Yuck.

In the last few months, I've noticed that my food tastes have changed yet again. I know this happens because I've been eating sauce on my pizza for many years now and my favorite pizza topping is now peppers and onions. And I'm not sure if this is linked to the changing of my eating habits in general but I've made a big food discovery recently.

Hummus. I love it. It's delicious with veggies. It's delicious on a bagel or sandwich. It's just delicious. I can't get enough. Yum! And of course, I can't forget my feta. I was ALWAYS anti-crumbly cheese but a few years ago, I tried it and have been in love ever since. I think just about everything tastes better with feta.
And because I'm on a food related topic, I found these at the store yesterday. Banana Nut Cheerios. I have never liked Honey Nut Cheerios BUT I love anything banana flavored so I needed to have them. Yum!

What are the foods you love?

Ice Ice Baby

Today we got an ice storm. You may recall how I feel about snow. My thoughts on ice are even worse. But I'm not complaining. I don't have to drive to work. I just slap on my trusty YakTrax and walk to my office.

Have you seen these things? I hadn't until the end of last winter when I discovered them on QVC.

They might be one of the best inventions. Ever. They go with just about any shoe and are relatively inconspicuous. If you experience winter weather in any form, you must own these.

In my youth I fought any practical solutions to winter weather but now that I'm a little wiser and have less tolerance for the winter, I am a fan of anything that will help me cope with snow and ice.

I should get a shirt that says YakTrax Forever.

I'm only kidding. I think.

Awww Thanks

I've been a bad blogger this week. It's been busy with getting back into my work mode. My list is getting longer and longer already for things I need to accomplish at work. But I'm rested and ready to tackle it.

Today I was realizing how much I love the blogging world. I admit I wasn't completely convinced that this is something I would enjoy back in the summer, but I have found it to be so much fun to keep my girls involved in my daily life and to meet so many new, fun people out there with like interests and funny stories.

And ironically, right after I had these warm thoughts, I received a package with Woodwick Reed Diffusers from Kelly at Simplistic Treasures from her recent give-a-way that I was lucky enough to win. Thanks so much, Kelly! I love the scent and am excited to start using it.

And to add to the blog lovin' I received an award from two of my fave bloggers: Jill at JadedJillSpeaks and Ms. Attitude at Life with Attitude. Thanks Ladies!

The award states "This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I know that MANY of you have already received this but I want to pass it on to:

Ruby Red Slippers

The Randomness of Meghan

The Pink Chick

Simplistic Treasures

From the Desk of Mrs. S

Always Organizing

Muttering and Musings

Misadventures of a Newlywed

Thanks for providing me with lots of blogging fun!

Back to Reality

I had a great 10 days away from work and my normal routine. Tomorrow I head back to work. It'll be nice to get some projects organized for the spring semester. It'll provide a nice distraction from wondering what's going to happen with Edward Cullen. I just finished New Moon (the second book in the Twilight series) and P.S. I can't believe I'm reading these books after I judged.

Since I got back yesterday afternoon, I've been busy. I had to unpack and organize, went on a marathon grocery shopping trip, stopped at my office to hang up a new bulletin board, run some errands, baked a cake and wrapped some presents for birthdays and baby showers. I'm tired tonight.

Anyway, as you might recall I was debating bringing this desk here, but I did (well actually my father hauled it over for me). I like it but I've got to figure the wreath thing out. I needed to fill in the empty space until I do. This time of year always makes me want to change things up or work on projects around the house. This is the small chest of drawers that will eventually live here in my apartment as well. I just have to finish sanding it and then paint and replace the knobs. I can't wait to work on this when it's warm out. I was at Michael's crafts on Friday and picked up a few new Valentine's decorations. I don't really go crazy decorating for V-Day but I thought these were cute and not too cheesy.

And my big project that I have wanted to work on for awhile now is scanning ALL of my pictures from the pre digital days. The problem is I don't have a scanner. I had one but I never used it so I put it in storage. Long story short, I had to trash that scanner today. I decided to buy a new one so I ordered this and I should have it within the week. (Am I the last person in the world to get a scanner?) I figure scanning every picture I have will occupy me during these cold winter months. I hope you all had a great weekend!