ShUt it Down

After two snow days last week, I shoveled my driveway and dug out my car and was ready to get out of town for the day. My destination--Syracuse to see the big Villanova game with my friend Beth and her husband Kevin. I was going to this game no matter what kind of weather I had to drive through, but I'm really glad it wasn't snowing anymore.

Before I left, I made sure all of the important things were taken care of. Like making sure I had had the most spirited nails possible. Beth painted hers when I got there.

After drinking some orange champagne and hanging out with Beth and her adorable children, we got ready to head out to the Dome.

Our seats were crazy high up but it was fine. We could see. The only bad thing was the hike up the stairs. Whoa. I think we worked off the beers we drank.

So happy! And check out the bows in our hair.Orange everywhere.
Final Score. yay!
I finally got the "Shut it Down" shirt I wanted.
It was a great night and I was so glad to see Beth and her family. Thanks B for thinking of going to this game and having a birthday to make this possible. :) And give Ryan and Colleen a big hug from me--I can't wait to see you all again.

For the rest of you--LET'S GO ORANGE!!!

sNOw Work Today

Today I was home ALL day for a snow day. I woke up--took one look outside and knew that I wasn't going to be driving anywhere today. I hate snow but every one in awhile it's nice to be able to use it as an excuse to stay inside and do absolutely nothing. And that's what I did. My agenda included watching movies, cleaning up a bit, eating, and watching the Olympics.

I wore my PJ's all day, drank a lot of coffee and didn't brush my hair. It was nice. But I really need the snow to stop because I have big plans for Saturday in Syracuse.

Here is the most productive thing I did today: take pictures.

The sign by my house. The view from my deck up the street.From the back deck. My car is somewhere under there.

The big tree outside. It's kind of pretty.
The deck. I can't wait to actually sit out here with a cocktail and flip flops on.
Club Chestnut

And I'd like to report that it's STILL snowing.

For the record--if snow had a facebook fan page--I. would. not. join.

Stay safe and warm out there!

K--Love

"Given enough coffee, I could rule the world"

I can't believe I haven't written about this yet. I love me some coffee. Like happy-ever-after kind of love. I usually go to Dunkin Donuts each morning before work and pick up my large coffee before I head to work.

A few months ago I was introduced to the joy of the Keurig coffee machine because my friend at work put one in our office. I fell in love. It makes the most perfect cup of coffee ever. I hate making a pot of coffee at home for just me. It's a waste because as much as I love coffee, I can't bring myself to consume an entire pot. Well, I could but I shouldn't. Anyway, at some point I became obsessed with getting a Keurig of my very own. I wrote about how I wanted one on facebook and my aunt told me she had one and would send it to me. How great is that? (Thanks Aunt Midge!)

So I got it and she even put some extra stuff in too. Some K-cups and the reusable filter...Wow, she's incredible. So far I LOVE it and have no idea how I survived before it. I love that I can get up and it takes under 3 minutes for me to get my liquid personality. Amazing.

So thanks again to my aunt for being so generous.

I'm pretty sure that Dunkin Donuts is wondering where I am...

Happy Tuesday!

You're The Best!

Today has been busy but good. This the busiest time of my year. I swear I could work 24 hours a day and not get everything done. But I'm more focused than I have been in recent months so that's been helpful.

I have to share this wonderfully funny thing I picked up over the weekend. Borders has all calendars on sale for $1. I wasn't really in need of a calendar but I found this and could not resist. It's hilarious! It's called "It's All About Me, All Year Long" Each day you can rate your level of self involvement, jot down you brilliant ideas, read conceited cues, create your me-me-me mantra, etc. I'm telling you, whoever created this is completely clever. To the maximum.

I mean "people who just don't get me today" and "'I'm hot today because..." Hilarious. And actually strangely empowering. Maybe if we spent a few minutes thinking of reasons why we're wonderful, we'll stop allowing others to make us think differently. I mean, obviously this is meant for funny but there is a hint of self empowerment too. See how clever.
Besides narcissism is fun. Face it--if we don't think we're great, no one else will. :)

So why are you hot today?

My Idea of Hell

Because I've done nothing exciting all weekend (I worked and did errands) I don't have anything especially fun to share.


But since I spend so much time telling you all about the things I like, I figured I would share the things that make me cringe. Because we're all friends here. And I think it's time you know what makes me truly uncomfortable. Like, REALLY uncomfortable. And if you like these things, don't get offended. It's for fun. Just don't be surprised if I erase your name from my blackberry. For good.


1. Chipped Nails--I can't event bring myself to show an example. It's that awful to me. I don't understand--if it chips, take it off. It's simple. There is no need to display your laziness. Just don't paint your nails. Come on.


2. Cottage Cheese--terrible. There is no need to eat something that looks like this. Gross. (And I don't suggest EVER googling the image results for cottage cheese. I almost barfed.)


3. Scrunchies--They had their fifteen minutes of fame in the 90's. It was a simple time--we just didn't know better then. All we needed was the elastic--no need to scrunch anything around it.
4. The Snuggie--a trend I will never get down with. It's called a blanket, people. And if your arms get so cold trying to read a book--I suggest putting on a sweatshirt and turn up your heat.

5. Crocs--I can see this if you are a medical professional. For anyone else, really? And don't get me started about the little charms you can put in your stupid plastic shoes. boo.

6. Tie Dye--I have no inner hippie. I think it's because it's messy looking. I won't judge anyone that likes this one though--its' just not my thing.

So, that's where I stand on these things, my friends. These are the six things that would make up my personal hell. Oh, and it would be snowing there too.

ha ha!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Psssssst I Heart You.

Today was a long day at work. We had the student organization fair and it's sorority recruitment time too so I've been running around all day. I came home at 8 pm, ate dinner and am watching the Olympics. I didn't even use the elliptical today and I should be doing work but I needed to take a break from that stuff tonight.

Instead I wanted to share a few beauty products that I am pretty sure that every girl needs to know about. Why? Because it's fun.

First, I love this stuff. Pssssst is a dry shampoo. It's perfect for the days you don't wash your hair. It freshens it up and makes life much easier. I use it after I work out so that I don't have to sport a ponytail for the rest of the day. I imagine it's probably really good for camping too. I read about this in a magazine a few years ago and ordered it. Luckily I've discovered that they sell it at Walgreen's. Outstanding!

Second, I recently came back to Mary Kay eye makeup remover. I didn't mean to stop using it, it just kind of happened. I tried a store brand and was less than thrilled. (For someone that loves mascara as much as I do, I really need a good eye makeup remover.) So I decided it was time to reunite with this. I'm sorry I thought I could do it without you Mary Kay. I can't. I won't make that mistake again. And because I mentioned that I purchased two new nail polish colors this weekend, I had to show the other one. It's called Conquistadorable Color. Cute right?What products are you loving?

Hope you are enjoying your Wednesday!

Catching Up

I spent last week NOT working. I thought I was going to get so caught up on work projects while lounging around the house but instead I actually focused on relaxing. The only things I worried about were working out, what to eat and what movies I was going to watch while I drank coffee. It was wonderful. Sadly, it went by too fast.

I had friends over to watch the Opening Ceremonies for the Winter Olympics on Friday night. I adore the Olympics. I tend to enjoy the summer games more (probably because I hate snow) but I get excited about the games in any case. But so sad about the tragic death of the Luger.

Valentine's Day was pretty good. I am not one of those people that gets all beside myself if I don't have an actual valentine. I think it's a fun holiday no matter what. I try to do something fun every year. This year a few of my friends went out to dinner. It was a lovely night with the girls.

Cristina and I Me & Emily
Alisha & Cristina. And my tradition is that I buy myself something for Valentine's Day. This year I bought two new nail polish colors. Two bottles of OPI for $2.60. (There was a buy one get one half off for OPI at JCPenney and I had a $10 instant coupon).

This one is Dim Sum Plum. I say it's Dim Sum Delightful.

My only dark moments of Valentine's Weekend came from Syracuse losing to Louisville on Sunday. It's only the second loss of the season. I hope this humbles the team so they buckle down as we get ready for Madness that is March....

Anyway, hope you all had a great weekend filled with fun! xoxo

Finding my Inspiration in the Pages...

Remember a few months ago I was talking about how I wanted to try this style out? Well, I did and I love it. I've mentioned I'm all about the leg wear this winter so i was happy to have another new look. Of course, it's not exactly like the model (I wish) but it's as close as I'll get. In any case, I wanted to share it. And because I often talk about my binder of ideas from magazines, I figured I'd share that with you. I read a lot of magazines (especially on the elliptical) and I find lots of things that inspire me to try new things in fashion and home decor. I recently organized the binder in a more efficient manner. Try not to be jealous.

Here is the binder that houses the brilliance.

There are 5 sections right now:

1. Fashion/Beauty (Mostly things I want to try--looks I'd like to achieve)

2. Stuff I want to Buy/Try (makeup, nail polish, books, things from catalogs)

3. Home Decor/Organization

4. Health/Fitness (ideas for new exercises, workout programs)
5. Interesting articles that I may want to read again or share

Did I mention that I have this week off from work? It's fun to be at home doing these kind of things.

Happy Tuesday!

Football and Friends

I had a nice weekend. Friday night I worked late and came home and went directly to bed. It was a long day.

Saturday--after a lovely morning of going to WW and brunching with the girls, I ran to the mall for a bit and then spent the afternoon in my office catching up on work. I have a lot to do before the spring semester starts and I've found that the weekends are an ideal time to get stuff done because no one is around and I can turn up the music and get it done. After I finished up there, Jill and I went to Cristina's to watch a movie. We watched Sunshine Cleaning. Good movie--I enjoyed it.

Sunday morning I layed in bed for a bit to watch a movie and then I got a good workout in for the day. I came home to clean and watch the Syracuse game before I headed out to get some stuff for the Super Bowl. I had some friends over for the game. We had good food and had a nice time.

Game Time!

Cristina and Sam (both were pro Saints)

Lizz was multi-tasking by cutting out Save the Date cards.

Sam was keeping himself entertained. Tim (Sam's Dad and Cristina's husband) & I. J-Rock trying to get the cork out of a bottle of champagne.
The spread--the crowd pleaser was Cristina's buffalo wing dip. AMAZING! I need that recipe. I always thought my pizza dip was the best thing at parties but this wins my vote from now on.
Jared, Lizz, Emily, Jill, Gillian, and Alisha. A nice ending to a nice weekend. What did you all do for the Superbowl?

Also, I wanted to say Happy Birthday to one of my bestest girls, Courtney. She's fantastic! I adore her and hope she had a great day! I wish I could have seen her.

If I Were...

I'm at work laminating and copying things so I figured I'd do this little exercise that I got from Ms. Attitude. It looks like fun!

If I were a month...I'd be September.
If I were a day of the week...I'd be Thursday.
If I were a time of day...I'd be sunrise.
If I were a planet... I'd be Jupiter--but I have no idea why.
If I were a sea animal...I'd be a dolphin.
If I were a direction...I'd be east.
If I were a piece of furniture...I'd be a rocking chair.
If I were a liquid...I'd be COFFEE!
If I were a gemstone...I'd be an emerald.
If I were a tree...I'd be a Christmas tree.
If I were a tool...I'd be a hammer.
If I were a flower...I'd be a daisy.
If I were a kind of weather...fall crispness.
If I were a musical instrument...I'd be a bagpipe.
If I were a color...I'd be GREEEEEENN! (Shocking--I know)
If I were an emotion...I'd be joy.
If I were a fruit...I'd be a banana.
If I were a sound...I'd be child's laughter.
If I were an element...I'd be silver (Ag)
If I were a car...I'd be a Honda Civic.
If I were a food...I'd be pizza with onions and peppers.
If I were a place...I'd be Paris.
If I were a material...I'd be cotton.
If I were a taste...I'd be banana flavored.
If I were a scent...I'd be pleasures perfume.
If I were an object...I'd be a handbag.
If I were a body part...I'd be a leg.
If I were a facial expression...I'd be a crooked smile.
If I were a song...I'd be the song you can't get out of your head.
If I were a pair of shoes...I'd be Manolo Blahnik Mary Janes.


What would you be?

Happy Saturday!

SUper Excited

Many of you know that I love Syracuse basketball. I am a little bit of a freak about it. I was in grad school when they won the national championship in 2003. I watch every game or at the very least obsessively check the score on my phone until I can get home to watch. SU is having a pretty good season so far. (I'm pretty convinced that what shirt I wear determines the outcome.) So I was pretty happy when my friend Beth (another HUGE fan and fellow alum) asked if I wanted to get tickets for the Villanova game on February 27th. Um, of course. So she got the tickets and I was pretty excited.

Then this morning I came to work and logged on to facebook to find that my favorite shirt company was selling this shirt:

Because it's now SOLD OUT! It's going to be bananas (I guess I should say oranges, huh?) at the Dome that night. I can't wait. Thanks Beth for ordering those tickets when you did! You are my hero.

Here is my Otto flag that hangs outside on my back door area. Let's Go Orange! I'm SUper excited for the rest of the season and the Villanova game!

Me + These=Sittin' in a Tree

Okay, so I've been out of commission again. I'm going to blame it on a boy (okay I guess he's a man--whatever) He's been a huge distraction for MONTHS and no, he's still not my boyfriend. (Maybe that's why I'm so distracted--I've been too busy scheming) Anyway...that's another story for another day. I just needed to explain my lack of creativity or ability to blog.

But I've got a new attitude now and I have lots of things to write about. The main premise of this blog is supposed to be for me to share things that I talk to my friends/family about. Since life is so busy I don't always get to share the "girl talk" kind of stuff with friends unless I see them on a daily basis. I say this because I've had a lot of insecurity around this blog because I don't want people to think I'm completely shallow or only care about material things. I guess I like to keep it light because it's more fun that way. And since you never know who reads it, I don't want my deepest feelings to be on a public forum. You know? Right. Exactly.

So that being said, I have to share with you two things that I currently want to obtain. It's been a while since I got a new bag (whoa--I know).

First it's Vera. I have been kind of over her in the last year. Aside from my gym bag (the Miller bag), I haven't carried a Vera bag in awhile. The spring colors came out recently and I just love this green one. It's called Sittin' in a Tree. I also still adore this Imperial Toile pattern and have yet to get it. It may be my favorite Vera. Ever. I really need to own this for the spring. (I don't necessarily want either of these bags in a tote form but I like to show it as a tote for viewing pleasure) And then today I was flipping through my LLBean catalog and saw that the Patchwork Madras tote is back. I tried to find it last year at the LLBean store in Maine. To no avail. BUT, I REALLY want this. I think I'll get it in the large variety and use it for a gym/work bagDon't worry though. I would NEVER carry any of these printed bags at the same time. Clearly.

Wow. It feels good to be a girly girl.

Happy Tuesday from the Lipgloss Lounge!