It Creeps In

I'm still not into the holiday season. I can't wait for it to be over and the new year to be here. But despite my lack of cheer I have let a little festiveness creep in this month.

A little Christmas magic. When I have kids I plan on making them go outside to sprinkle this on the front lawn on Christmas eve.

The other is a candy cane vase that I saw on pinterest. It the only traditional Christmas thing I have on display in my house. I think it turned out pretty cute.

And that's all she wrote for Christmas 2011...

Happy Holidays all!!

Orange

It's been a long month or so. Heartbreak is terrible no matter how old you are. I'm not quite in the blogging mood yet but I wanted to share something fun (and wanted to try the blogger app).

I'm not feeling very christmasy so I've not gotten any of my decorations out. But I figured the one thing I love is my Syracuse Orange basketball. So I figured I'd celebrate that for the holidays...

So I made an orange theme tree. I used orange and white lights, painted "s" on blue ornaments, made orange bows, got a ribbon made for the tree topper. My favorite part is the orange and blue swag for the tree skirt and the little chalkboard.

It may not be a traditional tree but it makes me smile. And they are ranked #1 this week!

Let's Go Orange!!

Goodies by Green

Well, I have nothing really nice to say at this time.  So I'm not gonna say much.  I'm having a really, really hard time right now.  But in an attempt to not let one of my favorite "holidays" go by and an attempt to cheer myself, I made some cute treats to give to friends.  I saw this on pinterest in the summer.

Graham crackers, mini Hershey bars and ghost peeps

 Put them in a plastic baggie and tie it with cute ribbon. 

 And you've got a festive s'more. 

Let's hope this will help me with some good karma. 

Soon. 

Fingers Crossed. 

Happy Halloween!!

Boom.

Hello blog friends!  It has been a long time, I know.  I hope there are people that are still out there to read.  I'm not going to try to capture my life in the last two months or so.  But I will say that since early August, my life has been more wonderful and happy and interesting than it's been in a long, long time.  And also filled with so many confusing emotions that I can't do justice in a blog post.  But the one thing I do know is that I'm in love.   And that's all I'm going to really say about this for now.  I promise I'll talk about it another time.  But for now, I'm gonna keep it to myself.   I'm not saying this to be secretive and weird.  I've just always wanted to use this blog as a place to record the things in my life.  And I couldn't leave this out.  Especially after my long absence from blogging.  And don't worry, I'm pretty sure he's in love too.  It's just not something I want to share details about yet.   Another day.

And in between all of my feelings I've discovered, I have done some stuff too.  Work has been CRAZY!   I've never felt more work related stress than I have in the last few months.  I'm teaching a freshman transition course and it's so time consuming that it's put a damper on my real job responsibilities.  I need more hours in the day.  I've been so stressed in the last few weeks that I haven't even painted my nails.    Boys and work really stress a girl out! 

I was looking through my iPhone pictures and realized I have lots of stuff to catch you up on.  I'll start with the important stuff.  My favorite new accessories.  Duh.

I had to have this bag.  I call her the Orange Beauty.  And I'm pretty much in love with it.  I try to coordinate as many outfits as I can to this bag.  Lovely, right?

 And on my way back from Maine (another post) I picked up this wallet.  Michael Kors outlet style.  I believe I put this on my wish list a few months ago.  And the good news is I finally got to retire the Vera Bradley that I'm SO over.  No more Vera for me.  It was a phase, and I'm done now.  The consignment shop is gonna love me. 

I've discovered I need many new fall clothes but just haven't had the motivation to do any shopping for that.  I've been much to busy being crazy about a boy and working.  Good for my budget, bad for my closet.

 I think I may have some blog motivation again. I'm pretty distracted by other stuff right now but I'll do my very best. For tonight, I'll leave you with a picture of my favorite fall decoration.  My Syracuse pumpkin.  Love.

I'm going to make a list of the things I need to blog about...but first some sleep. 

Thanks for sticking with me!!

Hello

I will be back, my friends.    I will catch up on your blogs too.  I just need to get my blog motivation back.  And when I do, it's gonna be good stuff. 

Pinky Swear.

Happy Tuesday!!

August...

I'm the worst at blogging this month. I was really into the challenge but I've had kind of a crazy month. A good month. So good that I suck at blogging. This is my attempt to let you know I'm still alive, and I'm doing well.

A few fun things to share from the month:

The local county fair. We were nerds and won stuff (stuff that was given to Jill's dog for toys).

We had a fun time on the Blues Train...again. Don't worry there are still a few more train rides this fall. But this was a good one.

And I brought back big hair into my life. I got off the curls for a while but they are back, my friends. Back again.

So that's that. I have lots of other fun things to share (and to actually finish up the challenge) but tonight I'm gonna lay on the couch and be happy about the way this summer is ending.

Happy Tuesday!!

Local Love

Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat

I guess I could say a number of nice restaraunts.  But really though, my all time clutch place to eat at anytime of the day or night is a local pizza place, Sal's.  I've been going there since college. It's the perfect 2 am slice of pizza you'll ever eat.  Promise.  Yum.

Looking Forward

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to

I'm not certain that I'm going but the possibility alone is making me happy.  And it would be with my girl, Courtney.  Sounds like something that we should make a reality.  On August 27th.

Dream House

Day 16: Dream House

I'm not really a fan of this topic today.  Why?  Because houses are houses to me.  I have lived in a lot of them throughout my life.  I don't get attached to houses.  There are a lot of beautiful houses out there.  I'm sure I could google search some  houses and slap one on this post and call it a day.  But the truth is...I think houses are merely a space.

I'd much rather tell you what I want in my dream home:

• A cozy living room with a fireplace.
• A kitchen that is big enough to have a couch.
• A bedroom with a balcony.
• Porches with rocking chairs
• Cats running around inside and dogs running around outside a big yard with a nice fence.
• Friends and family stopping by to hang out anytime.
• Sounds of laughter and fun.
• HUGE closets for all bedrooms.
• Places to relax and enjoy life.

I'm sure there are a thousand things I could say but I want to have the kind of home that everyone feels welcome.  When a person walks into my home, I want them to feel like they could live there too.  I want it to be the kind of place that you wish you could be when you feel stressed.  You won't need to take off your shoes before you come in.  The focus will be on the people, not the perfection of the cleanliness.  It'll be decorated really cute with attention to detail.  Warm & happy.  That's it.  Home sweet home.  With a cool name.  Because all homes deserve a clever name. 

Happy Tuesday!!

Satisfied

Day 15: A moment you've felt satisfied with your life



I'm not sure there is just one moment that I've felt satisfied with my life.  It's in many moments.

• It's laughing with my friends.
• It's a text message that makes me smile.
• It's coming home to two little cuddly cats that want to sit on my lap.
• It's a student that tells me I made a difference in their life.
• It's remembering fun times in my childhood.
• It's the children that are in my life because my friends have let me be an "aunt"
• It's my cozy apartment after a long day.
• It's singing loudly in the shower.
• It's taking a walk
• It's creating something.
• It's a warm cup of coffee.

It's a thousand little things everyday.  Because even when things are tough, the little things are what makes my life satisfying. 

Diet Coke

Day 9: A habit you wish you didn't have


I don't have many habits that I can really think of.  I got rid of several in the last few years.  I'm sure I still have habits that I'm not really aware of that are bad or irritating, but the one I'm thinking I wish I could break myself of is..diet coke. 

I try not to drink too much, so it's not like the worst thing ever, but I know that the artificial stuff isn't the most healthy for me.  So eventually, I'd like to not drink it.  But until then, it's gonna happen and I'm going to embrace it.  Just not more than one a day. 

Lloret de Mar

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

I feel like this post should include pictures.   Back in the day I was a lucky girl.  I got to go to lots of great places.  And I wish I had been older to truly appreciate what I was experiencing.  Although, I feel like it might have been good that I didn't because it helped me learn about the world in a very different way than some of my friends. 

My senior year of high school I got to go to Lloret de Mar, Spain for my senior trip.  It was amazing.  I still think of this trip and remember how much fun it was. 

I wish I could be there right now.



And I thought it was totally normal to go to Spain for my senior trip. 

Now Showing

Day 7: Favorite movie

I don't know if I really have a favorite movie, but one movie that I could watch whenever it's on TV is Legally Blonde.  And it's not because it's a girly movie.  I really like the message it sends.  I think it's very empowering.  The moral of the movie:

"You must always have faith in people.. and most importantly.. you must always have faith in yourself"

How can you not feel good when you watch Elle Woods figure out she's great all on her own.  Good stuff!

Baby Face

Day 6: A picture of you as a baby

A highly evolved sense of fashion starts early.  Case in point.

Best of What's Around

Day 5: A song to match your mood today

Well, it's ironic that this was the topic today.  Because I woke up and heard a song and I then proceeded to listen to it about 75 times.  Does that happen to you?  Sometimes I fixate on one song that seems to be the answer to all of my life philosophies for the day. 

And today it's an oldie but a goodie.  Dave Matthews Band:  The Best of What's Around. 

And the reason it matches my mood today.  Because the lyrics really sum up how I feel lately.  Life is definitely not perfect (and never will be) but I have good people in my life and I will always make the best of what's around.   My favorite lines:

"Oh you could say she's safe.  Whatever tears at her. Whatever holds her down. 

And if nothing can be done  she'll make the best of what's around"

AND

"And if you hold on tight to what you think is your thing you may find you're missing all the rest"

And both of these lyrics are ringing true in my life right now.  Besides, it's a good song for the car on a great summer day!

Day 4: Your parents or siblings

My parents.  I'll share a little about them.   They've been together since they were in high school.  I was born during their senior year.   I attended their graduation AND their wedding.  I was ten months old when they got married and they've been happily married ever since.  I share this because I think it's great that they've been able to work at it and be happy together for some many years.  I've learned a  lot about how I want to be treated in a relationship from watching them.  I hope that I find a man that is as honorable as my father to his family.   It's good stuff.  They gave me a great childhood and I'll always be thankful to them for that. 

Happy Thursday!



First Love

Day 3: Your first love

I thought about trying to be clever today because I wasn't into this topic.  But I decided to just keep it real.  Because we've all had a first love and every love story deserves to be told.  No matter what the ending looked like.

When I was 15, I was certain that my first boyfriend was my first 'love'.  Turns out--not so much.  But like Taylor Swift sings "when you're fifteen and somebody tell you they love you you're gonna believe them."  (I heard that song this morning while I was getting ready--how funny).  He was definitely not my first love. 

And after a few more boyfriends (I was kinda cute in high school), I met the person that earned the title of my first love.  I had just turned 17 and he gave me 17 pink roses and told me he liked me.  I told him I liked his friend.  He didn't really care to hear that.  But within weeks I realized that I didn't like it when he talked to other girls and I didn't want him to go out with anyone else.   And before I knew it, I couldn't think about anyone else and he was my boyfriend.  And then I fell in love.  Big time.  He made me laugh, he made me feel good about myself, he wrote me love notes.  He once told me that he would write me a rap song if we ever got married. And he believed I was beautiful--he told me every day.   He was everything that the 17 year old I once was wanted.   We had a very intense relationship.  We couldn't get enough of each other.  We graduated from high school and moved back to the states.  We did the long distance thing while I was in college.  We broke up once and got back together during freshman year.   Then after a lot of trying and crying, the 4 year relationship was over during my junior year.  It broke my heart.  I've never been so sad in my entire life.   I spent the second semester of junior year in sweat pants and a pony tail writing letters that I never sent to him.  We did talk a few times--once in my senior year (he asked me to move to be near him) and again when his son was born.  But I've never seen him again.  He lives in another state so there is no chance of running into him.

But I don't like to dwell on the end because he was my greatest lesson I've learned.  I will always think of him fondly.  I don't think I ever want to see him again because I don't want our story to have any additional chapters.  But the important thing about my first love is that no matter who I have loved since him and who I will love in the future, the 17 year old part of me will always love him the 17 year old part of him.  And that's the part of the story that I always want to remember. 

 The End.  :)

The one thing that I still have of his is this shirt.  I just feel bad throwing it out.  It lives in the box of my high school stuff. 

 



What's in A Name?

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

 

I started this blog in 2008. After I spent a good amount of time reading my friend, Angie's.  And totally mocking her for it.  But something about blogging was fascinating to me.  I liked how people shared parts of their lives in this format. 

I wanted to try it out.  I just needed to see where it took me. I remember spending an entire night sitting at the computer trying to figure out what to name it.  That seemed like a big decision.  It needed to be something fun, clever and catchy.  And it needed to suggest what a reader was going to get.  

And after A LOT of thinking--I remembered a funny e-mail that my friend, Cristina, had sent me a few years ago.  She sends hilarious e-mails with top ten lists, ideas for our faux image consulting business.  And one of the e-mails included a list of shows that we'd feature if we had our own TV network. This was my favorite:   (Well, actually Eyebrow Emergency was but that wouldn't make a good blog name)

"Lipgloss Lounge" - a 'what's new and hot' in cosmetics both pricey & cheap. We discuss in a comfy loungey environment, with lots of pillows and plush things and coffee. Makeovers given using the new products. Sponsored by Starbucks.

Bingo.  I had found my blog name.  Because I wanted this blog to be a place for my friends (and family) to catch up on the random things in my life.  The things that I'd talk about if we were having coffee-- the random topics, the silly things that happen, fun memories, and everything else in between.  Nothing too heavy.  I wanted it to feel like I would actually talk about the things I write about if I was talking on the phone to a friend/family member. 

And now three years later, I feel like I love the name even more.  Despite the fact that I don't get a lot of comments or I don't have over 100 followers, I feel like I'm actually staying true to what I wanted this  blog to be--a place for  my friends/family/blog friends to get some random chatter about my world. 

Hopefully with a cup of coffee in their hand.

Thanks to Cristina for the supplying the inspiration for the name!  xoxo

High Maintenance

I spent the day running errands.  I go back to work tomorrow.  I don't know where this month has gone.  It flew by.

Anyway, I had a hard time deciding on a nail color today.  I was going to go with an old stand by then I remembered I had a secret stash.   Jill got me a collection of Sephora by OPI for my birthday this year.  I love this collection.  It's so much fun

I chose High Maintenance.  It's a nice bright orange/red.  And I love the name.  Haha. 

Happy Monday!!

What color are you wearing?

Challenge Accepted

I had an excellent weekend in Memphis.  I got in late last night so I haven't downloaded pictures or unpacked my suitcase yet.  Don't worry, I'll be getting to that this week.  I want to share it with you.

  I'm taking today off so that I can get some stuff done before I head back to work for real this week.  And it's Mani Monday so I have to share a nail polish.  BUT since it's the first day of a new month I wanted to start this today too. 

My friend over at Life in the Slow Lane, put this on her blog and it looks like fun.   I thought I wouldn't do another challenge again after the photo challenge from February but this one is a little different. We'll see how it goes.  Please feel free to play along.  Here is the outline of the days.

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

Day 3: Your first love

Day 4: Your parents or siblings

Day 5: A song to match your mood today

Day 6: A picture of you as a baby

Day 7: Favorite movie

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

Day 9: A habit you wish you didn't have

Day 10: Something you're afraid of

Day 11: A TV show you're addicted to

Day 12: Something you don't leave the house without

Day 13: Goals

Day 14: A picture of you last year - how have you changed?

Day 15: A moment you've felt satisfied with your life

Day 16: Dream house

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to

Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat

Day 19: Something you miss

Day 20: Nicknames you have

Day 21: Something you could never get tired of doing

Day 22: What's in your purse?

Day 23: Favorite board game

Day 24: Something you've learned

Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Day 26: Your Dream Wedding

Day 27: The city you live in

Day 28: Something that stresses you out

Day 29: 3 Wishes

Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Let's Get Started...

Day 1:  A recent picture of yourself and 15 interesting facts

1.  When I pack to go away I always try everything on and make an outfit before I put it in a suitcase.

2.  I don't like seafood so I say I'm allergic to it so that I don't have to discuss my dislike for it.

3.  I'd like to write a book someday. About something really cool.  I have some ideas. 

4.  I hate when girls wear cute dresses and ruin it by wearing old navy flip flops.  Come on.

5.  I want another tattoo. A very tasteful, easily hidden one.

6.  I've learned a lot about myself in the last 3 years that I didn't know. I'm stronger than I thought I was.

7.  Arrested Development is one of the funniest and smartest shows I've ever watched.

8.  I always wished I had a sister.  Probably like every girl that doesn't have one.  But I've picked a lot of friends that feel like sisters.  :)

9.  I worry about how I look a lot.  Probably too much.

10.  Music is my boyfriend.

11.  I eat oatmeal with banana or strawberries every morning.  With my coffee. 

12.  I'm still trying to figure out what I'm really good at so that I can use it professionally.  (Seriously, I want to do consulting on the side of my current career so I'm not saying I'm not good at things just what my niche will be in my professional/personal life)

13. It takes me a long time to think someone is special enough to fall for them.  It explains a lot about my single status.  ha. 

14.  I love it when I laugh so hard that I cry.  It's one of my favorite feelings.  Ever.

15.  I have a hard time coming up with interesting facts about myself.  The End.

Before & After

I came to the realization this week that I not only have a great adoration for nail polish, I've become a big fan of another kind of paint as well...spray paint.  This month I've spent a lot of time outside spray painting a variety of stuff.  I swear the neighbors probably think I've lost my mind. 

In my defense (not that I need one) I have been saving some of these projects since last year.  It's hard to spray paint with snow on the ground.  And sometimes I just need to change something up.  Either way, it's been spray paintingpalooza around here.

And since I've been sticking close to home this month and don't have much to blog about, I figure I'll share some of the stuff I've changed up with the magic of paint. 

This chalkboard was a picture frame (was black before) and the glass got a few coats of chalkboard paint.  It's in my guest room. 

 This chest was purchased last summer at a yard sale.  It sat out on my porch for the last year.  I finally decided to bring it inside.

 It's now a window bench.  The cats LOVE this.  I'm making a pillow or two out of that fabric soon.  It's on my summer project list.  The bench holds blankets that I use on the couch. 

 This old sewing bucket was $4.  My friend, Sabrina, has one similar and hers was so cute that I wanted one. 

 I decided on black.  I like the way it turned out with the stripes.  It currently lives in my living room in a corner near the couch.  I am going to use it for remote controls and coasters.  Or it's just gonna sit in the corner being a space filler.

 I got this birdcage a few weeks ago for the mantle in my bedroom.  I wasn't in love but for $5 I thought I could figure out what I could do with it.  (I'd like to paint the owl but I feel bad doing that because my Grandma gave him to me, but I wish he was white)

 Now I actually really like this birdcage.  It's way cuter this way.  And it goes better with my new black/white color scheme. 

Speaking of the bedroom redo, I just got this jar for the mantle too and used music sheets with ribbon for a little something different.

This is the new bedroom "look".  I just hung up this window above the bed this week. (Thanks, Dad!)  The wall isn't yellow, it was just bad lighting that day.  It's actually khaki.  I would love to paint, but I'm running out of summer.

It's been a busy month of of projects around here.  I have a few more things on my list before I go back to work next Tuesday.  I could get used to being at home all the time...but I'm not sure I can afford all the spray paint I'd have to buy to keep myself busy.   Ha!

I'm off to Memphis to go to St. Jude tomorrow for a few days!  I'm excited!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Merino Cool

I really have vacation/furlough brain.  I completely forgot to post on Monday night for Mani Monday.  It's okay, I didn't even have polish on that day because I decided I'd spray paint stuff AGAIN. 

I picked up this new color yesterday.  Merino Cool by Essie. 

I like it a lot.  It's probably going to be a regular (well, as regular as I get). I'm a big fan of Chinchilly by Essie and this is a few shades deeper than that.  It's got a purple tint to it so it's really creamy and pretty.  I think it's good for a year round wear.  I know it's traditional to wear bright colors in the summer but I don't really buy into that.  I've been wearing bright colors a lot lately and when I put this on I immediately loved it.  It's kind of neutral so it looks good with a tan and it will look good in the winter too.  The one thing I don't usually like about Essie (although it's my second favorite brand) is that it's pretty thin.  But this color is creamy enough that two coats covers great. 

All in all, I'd recommend this color as a staple in any nail polish collection. 

Caves & Trains

I can't believe the weekend is over!  Not that I'm going to work tomorrow but I still can't believe the weekend went by so fast.  It was a nice weekend.  I'm actually really tired today so I'll be hitting the sheets right after I finish sharing.

After spending Friday night doing laundry, I got some good sleep and woke up early to hit up a few yard sales.  I didn't find any treasures, really.  I did find something fun for my Dad though.  I was home by 10 am and headed to "work" for the day.  And my work this summer is taking students on fun trips.  We were scheduled to go to Howe Caverns as a large group but we made the trip optional so only 3 students went with us.  Actually, it was nice to have only a few students.  They seemed to enjoy it.  So did Gillian and I.  (it's nice to have a friend to go do these things with in the name of work)  I have lived in this area for 14 years and never been to the Caverns.  It's been on my to do list for a long time so it has officially been checked off now.

Heading to the caverns. 

 The tour is about 80 minutes long.  We took the traditional tour with walking and a boat ride.  They also offer a lantern tour but we needed more people to do that. 

 Gillian and I before we headed in to go on the tour. I love the view.  This is part of the reason I put up with the snow in the winter.  Central NY is so pretty.

  It's 52 degrees year round so it was absolutely wonderful on such a hot day. And Saturday was HOT.  Here's a look at stalactites or stalagmites or whatever the tour guide told us.  I can't remember and you probably don't care.  It just looks cool.

 Here I am being a geek standing on the bridal alter.  I guess people have weddings down there. Interesting.  I wonder how they set up for that.  Dang, I should have asked.

 It was a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. 

After the cave tour, we stopped at a BBQ place called Rubbin Butts.  It was delicious.

 We headed home after this to get ready (well, Gillian and I) to head out for the night to go to one of my favorite summer activities...the Blues Train.  I love this train and the band is the one that played at Jill's wedding so it's really fun.  The train was packed and it was HOT out.  It didn't even really get cool after it got dark.  Good thing for cool beverages.

The band doing their thing. 

 Me, Jill, Gillan and Luke (from the band) We were pretty sweaty.

We actually stayed out later than I expected after the train.  So today was a sleeping in, being lazy kind of day.  I got to see my Dad though, that was good. 

Next weekend I'll be going to Memphis.  Yay!

Hope you all had a great weekend!  Did you do anything  new and interesting?