Almost Ready

I know I promised for a give away this weekend but I haven't found the right prize quite yet. So please stay with me on this one and I will put up the rules on my 100th post. (TOMORROW's POST).

I've had a pretty busy weekend and past few days; and so many really great pictures to share that I'll have to put up tomorrow. Tonight I need to get some SLEEP!

3 Columns

Ok which one of you lovely ladies wants to share with me step-by-step on how to add an additional column to my blog without losing any information??? I can be bribed!!

First GIVE AWAY!!

I am only a few more posts away from my 100th and I thought to celebrate I would try out my first bloggy give away!! I have had so much fun the past few months getting to know all of you ladies in blogworld and I thought as a thank you I would choose a gift from one of my favorite stores as a present for one lucky reader! I haven't decided what it will be quite yet but I assure you that by Sunday I will have the gift up and posted for the drawings to begin! Stay tuned....

Dinner By Design

Me making meatloaf

Carey, Me, Daniel and Anna

Me and Carey making pasta

On Wednesday afternoon one of the publishers of a magazine that my work advertises in treated our whole team to a special 'thank you' event for partnering with them in 2008. We went to a place called Dinner By Design and cooked together for a few hours. Dinner by Design offers a variety of different meals to choose from and freeze. The whole idea of the company is to save time cooking at home and cook here. So you go in choose 6 different meals (each serve 6-8 people) and put them in containers to freeze. I took home so many freezer boxes of meals that I could hardly even fit them all in my freezer. I made a meatloaf, calzones, penne pasta, chicken pot pie, mojo chicken and a mushroom stuffed chicken breast.

It's definitely a fun time and would be a great date place or even a place for the whole family to get together and cook their own meals. It isn't the cheapest option for meals, I think it was something like $130 per person, but you do take home 6 different meals and they even offer to split them into two dishes if you only have a few people at home.

My freezer with all of the goodies piled in!

New Boots

I couldn't get myself to pay the $120 for Hunters this year; so I have settled with a little less obnoxious pair than the JCREW stripe and have traded them in for a pair of plain black tall Targets.

Much easier on the eye than the last pair. (see below post for pictures of the three day relationship I had with those)

Products Before Bed

Recently I have discovered Clinique Moisture Surge and Neutrogena Advances Solutions Facial Peel. Both WONDERFUL products to add to the repertoire of bottles, spritzers, creams, sprays and gels that I already have stock piled in my bathroom.

I was first introduced to the facial peel by Nina who said that it worked wonders on her skin and really did make her look younger. So obviously I went to pick it up on my next target excursion, unfortunately it is $20 a bottle which for me is a lot to spend on a facial cream especially from Target. So I put it on my Christmas list and allowed my aging skin to wait a few weeks later so I could test out the product on Santa's tab. Nevertheless, I am now hooked and will be a faithful customer for years to come.

The Clinique cream has been a great help to my dry winter skin and doesn't leave a gritty residue or leave my face feeling too oily. It is a very light cream, similar in texture to the Neutrogena actually, and soaks into my face very naturally. I swear it makes my face feel ten times smoother! I highly recommend both creams for smoother and softer looking skin. (That sounded like a Cover Girl commercial. Sorry!)

Hung Over and Not Ready to Sing

I went out with a few coworkers last night and stayed out waaaaaaaaaayyyy too late for a Tuesday night. I woke up with a splitting headache and my eyes hurt every time I blinked. I hopped in the shower and swaggered my droopy butt downtown to work with the hopes that nobody talked to me or looked at me the entire day.

I got to work just in time to remember that today is Wednesday again and for the next 8 weeks or so Wednesday's are going to be my death! As you all know I have my choir class each week from 7-8:30ish and last week I had a less than stellar first performance leaving me up again this week for round 2 humiliation. Let me just say this, I do not feel well today and I am borderline emotionally unstable possibly on the verge of tears if I don't get sleep and more Excedrin soon. So everyone please pray that I can just blend into the back row of this class tonight and maybe he will just forget all about me and I continue on with my plan of 100% lip singing.

FREE MAKE UP TODAY!!!

If anyone hasn’t seen this yet big department stores such as, Neimans, Macy’s, Nordstroms, Saks, Bloomingdales, Dillards and Carson Pirie Scott are giving away a BUNCH of free make-up and perfume today as part of a $175 million class action lawsuit filed against them and many cosmetic brands. They are giving away the products until they are out of stock. I was just at the Macy’s on Michigan Avenue and the line was long but only took about 15 minutes to get through. Here is a brief list of the products available and the department stores offering them. There should be signs everywhere in the stores alerting you about the lawsuit and where you can get the products. All they ask is that you sign your name before you are given your chosen product.

The stores owned by the Retailer Defendants that will be participating in the settlement product distribution are the following:
• Bergdorf Goodman
• Bergner’s
• Bloomingdale’s
• Boston Store
• Carson Pirie Scott
• Dillard’s
• Gottschalks
• Herberger’s
• Macy’s
• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom
• Parisian
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Younkers

The products:

• Boucheron (USA) Ltd.:

Femme Eau de Toilette (1 ounce/30 ml)
• Chanel, Inc.:

Coco Mademoiselle body lotion (3.4 fluid oz)
• Christian Dior Perfumes, Inc.:


J’Adore Eau de Parfum (15 ml)
• Clarins U.S.A., Inc. (customers will have a choice of ONE of two products, while supplies last):

Clarins Energizing Morning Cream (30 ml) OR

Clarins Beauty Flash Bomb (30 ml)
• Conopco, Inc. (distributed by Coty, Inc. on behalf of Conopco, Inc.) (customers will have a choice of ONE of three products, while supplies last):

Calvin Klein Euphoria Bath and Shower Crème (6.7 oz)

Vera Wang Princess Body Polish (5 oz)

Lovely Sarah Jessica Parker Shower Gel (6.7 oz)

• The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (customers will have a choice of ONE of two products, while supplies last):

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair (15 ml/0.5 oz)

Clinique Moisture Surge (30 ml/1 oz)
• Guerlain, Inc.:

My Insolence Eau de Toilette (15 ml)
• L’Oréal USA, Inc. (formerly known as Cosmair, Inc.) (customers will have a choice of ONE of eight products, while supplies last):

Lancôme UV Expert 20

Lancôme Cils Design Pro Mascara

Lancôme Fatale Mascara

Lancôme Courbe Virtuose Mascara

Lancôme Primordial Skin Defense

Ralph Lauren Romance Shower Gel (6.7 oz.)

Giorgio Armani ACM Shower Gel (6.7 oz)

Lancôme Hypnôse Shower Gel
• Parfums Givenchy, Inc.:

Very Irresistible Givenchy Eau de Toilette (15 ml)

HAPPY SHOPPING!! Only one make up and one perfume per customer (at least that was the rules at Macy’s) I believe this goes on for the next five to ten days if I remember right.

Hoppin' on the Savings Train

I started another savings account today on HSBC Bank Online. This is my "new" thing to do this year and I am going at it full force. I have put a freeze on all new purchases unless they are 100% necessary. (ie: groceries, rent, tuition, heat, tampons etc.) I have even filled out another direct deposit form to have additional money from paycheck directed toward this account in addition to my normal savings. My goal is to save $15,000 in this account by December 31, 2009. I haven't decided what this money is going to go for yet, but I can only assume with college graduation approaching in the next three months I will have plenty to put it toward.

Either way it's time for me to get serious about saving and this is the way I'm going to get it done. I am finished with the impulse Banana purchases and the drooling over JCREW cashmere. (Well at least for a little while until I can get a good chunk saved up)

So if all of you wonderful blogger friends who frequently share about the super cute Lilly dresses or the Louboutin heels that are on sale this week could please get on board and put a hold on all that talk for at least 6 or 7 months that would be great!!

Washing Dark Denim

I bought a few pair of dark denim jeans from JCREW over the past few months and they all bleed onto my skin and other clothes even after washing at least three times. Does anyone know how to stop the color from bleeding? I always wash them inside out and in cold water. I've heard that soaking in vinegar might help, but I'm reluctant.

First Weekend at Home

This weekend is the first weekend that J and I have been at home in almost a month! With the holidays and his sisters wedding we have been running every day it seems like. So today we slept in until 10 (which is super late for us), J made breakfast in bed and we watched Entourage until 10 minutes ago. I'm still sitting in my pajamas and am just starting to think about shower. I love it!!!

Every Artist Was First An Amateur....

I'm trying to keep telling myself this! I decided to take a choir class this semester for one credit hour and try something a little bit different than the average lecture style class. I looked over the syllabus and the course requirements to be sure that no solos were required to pass the class. Looked all fine and dandy and I even emailed the professor to be sure, he said, "nope you can if you want, but noone has to." Well come to find out that he is a BIG FAT LIAR!

I walk into class about an hour ago wearing my God for saken bozo boots, my long North Face parka with smeared mascara and a ratball on my head, looking like I just got off the crazy train. I'm the only one without any singing experience and the only one who has never been in a choir before. So not off to a great start, but still on board to try something new and go outside my comfort zone.

Well that didn't last long at all. About ten minutes into class he says, "Ok now that we have gone over the requirements of the class I'm going to go down the list and each person will get up and sing for a few minutes in front of class to show us all your "range""

I'm sitting in my chair thinking is he out of his F#$%@@#@ mind! I am not getting up in front of this class to show anyone my range of anything!!! So after the first few people get called and we make our way down to the R's of the alphabet I am sweating like a pig. I know it's going to be my turn to sing any minute now and I'm sweating, shaking and feeling my grilled cheese dinner on its way back up.

I get up in front of the class and stand there not knowing what to do with my hands or feet or anything and I'm just staring out in my bozo boots looking like I'm about to vomit. He asks me to repeat after him while he sings along with the piano, "Do.. Re.. ME... Fa... So... Fa.. Me... RE.. Do" And I proceed to sing, "Do...Re...Me..Fa..um whats the next one?" IT WAS AWFUL!! I FORGOT THE WORDS TO "DO RE ME!!"

So he says, "Don't worry I also teach the children's choir and we just use numbers,so try this 1...2...3...4..5..4...3...2..1.." At that point I had lost all respect for myself and just prayed to God he would just decide if I was an alto or soprano and spare me the humiliation any longer!

So I am now at home enjoying a cold Heineken and trying to forget that experience just happened.

The funny thing is that I can get up in front of a group of people and give a speech or presentation and not worry about it. But apparently that isn't work across the board. I'll be sure to get back to you next Wednesday when he wants me to get up and try again to get a better feel for what type of singer I really am. God help us all when that day arrives.

Rain Boots

As you all know I am now obsessed with Hunter Wellies and want them more than anything, but I am having a hard time justifying wellies for more than $30! I have been going the past few days to work in my tennis shoes so I don't ruin my heels and they just aren't getting the job done in this snowy weather. So I ran across the street to JCREW on lunch and just said give me whatever wellies you have in a size 7. The only pair they had were bright yellow and purple striped. And I am so desperate that I actually purchased the stupid things. I wore them out of work today and my boss peaks his head out of his office and said, "Where are you going to direct traffic?" I put my head down and ran out the door, only to be further ridiculed by another colleague on my way to the elevator. Needless to say I think I may need to return them tomorrow and start considering what grocery's won't be coming home with me this month so I can purchase the real deal boots.

I'm almost embarrassed to post these.

"There's Too Many Words......"

I was talking to my mom this morning about the Hunter Wellies that I am thinking about getting (at which point she said, “Are you nuts? You can’t pay $100 for rain boots unless you live in Seattle.” – don’t ask) Anyway I told her to go look at them on my post from last night to see what she thought. So I’m sitting on the phone with her and I can hear her reading off the titles of the posts and just scanning over the ones without pictures and moving down the line commenting to herself about the photos. “ohh cute that’s from the wedding….oh yea there are the boots…..oh that’s a nice pair of earrings…..” She never mentions anything about what I actually write. Come to find out that she doesn’t actually read my blog. She says the posts are too much reading!! Apparently she only goes on my blog to look at the headlines and pictures. I don’t think any one of my posts have totaled more than 150 words!! What does she want from me!

So now I am going to make a conscious effort in posting at least one picture to each post and keeping the word count below 85. Sorry to those of you who enjoy actually reading what the pictures are about. She cracks me up every time!

I figure if I post her picture here that may intrigue her to read on. Maybe that's the ticket....maybe in each post I should upload a picture of her somewhere and make her think I'm talking about her!! It will be like "Where's Waldo" right here on my blog!!

Morning Bus Ride Reads

I have given up on people watching on the CTA bus lately because it has become so absurd that I just can't take looking at that nonsense before work in the morning. (See post Public Transit for more details) So I have decided to take this 30 minutes each day to catch up on books that I have been wanting to read, but haven't had the time or patience.

I just finished, The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss and Women & Money by my favorite financial guru Suze Orman. I would highly recommend Suze’s book and not even waste your time with The 4-Hour Workweek. I read it because my good friend Tom was quoting lines from it left and right and treating it as if it was the Bible. I thought, well Tom generally has pretty good judgment so maybe I should give it a try. WRONG. The book is all about how to be more productive in your personal and professional life by cutting corners, outsourcing to online assistants, dumping your work on other people and only be available to colleagues when you want to be. Now I don’t want to sound too critical because there are some good things that he suggests that could be applied to the average person’s life, however for the majority of the book it was just useless antics that would never work for the average person. Not realistic or helpful in my mind.

Now Suze’s book on the other hand maps out very attainable financial goals and calls on resources that every women, rich or poor, has access to. This book is a month by month plan on how to become more financially stable and the best part about it is that she starts with the basics and writes in a way that makes sense in real life situations. Which is nice for me since I don't know very much about the financial world. I think that every woman should pick up at least one of Suze’s books throughout her lifetime. Love Love Love it!

Entourage Addict

My new addiction!

I know it’s been on TV for a while, but when you don’t have a working TV it makes it hard to stay on top of the new shows. J and I have been watching Friends season’s one through 10 for the last two years over and over again to the point of a disgusting obsession that leads to a Friend’s quote at least 5 times a day. NOT KIDDING. It’s really despicable actually, but anywhoo were onto the next chapter in our TV lives – Entourage. I think it is one of the most entertaining shows I’ve seen in a long while! (Now take this with a grain of salt because this really doesn’t say much since the only shows I keep up with is Grey’s, Private Practice and old seasons of Friends.) If you haven’t seen the show I highly recommend it for a little before bed amusement.

Hunter Wellie's

I've been looking for a new pair of boots on Target.com for the past few days to replace my old black rain boots and can't find anything....UNTIL this afternoon when I fell in love on Nina's blog with Hunter Wellington's!! I want one in every color and in every style!

Anyone own a pair let me know what you think!!

Wedding Pics From St. Louis

Here are a few photos from Angie's wedding this past weekend.



J and I at the reception looking over downtown.

Tim (J's younger brother) and his mom.

J and I on the party bus taking photos in 20 degree weather!

Monday Comes Again

It's 7:30 AM and I am sitting in my robe with a wet towel on my head running at least 20 minutes late for work! And instead of rushing around to get out the door I feel it necessary to blog. I have missed you all so much while I was in St Louis enjoying some 50 degree weather for a few days! (For all of you southern followers that is like a heat wave compared to the Chicago weather lately!!!)

This is my first official work week that I will be working all five days since before Christmas. So needless to say I am having a hard time opening my eyes and getting my butt out the door. The holidays were such a fun time this year an dI'm so glad that I got to spend them at home with my family in MN and get the chance to see J's family as well!

J and I flew in late last night from St. Louie and fell into bed 10 minutes after waking in the door. So I still have plenty of unpacking to do and haven't even gotten a chance to look at the photos form the wedding. But I will hopefully have a chance later this afternoon to upload a few.

I start my first day of my last semester at school today and couldn't be more elated to say that I will be a college graduate in less than 5 months!!!!

More to come please stay tuned.....

Meet Me in St. Louis

Just finishing up at work and getting ready to hop in the car with J, his brother and his fiance Ann. I decided on a plain black cocktail dress for the wedding but bought a cute handbag from Banana Republic to spice it up so it's not so lame. Hopefully I will have a few good photos from the trip to share with you on Sunday when we fly back into Midway.

J's family lives in a suburb or (the county as J says) and is so far away from the mainland that there is no cable internet service available to blog. And God knows I do not have the patience for dial-up so I will be taking a blogger hiatus until Sunday evening.

I hope you all are enjoying the New Year and I will be sure to catch up on my morning reads starting next week!!

Wedding in St Louis

I posted a few weeks back about what to wear to J's sister's wedding this weekend in St. Louis and it is now three days before we have to leave and I still don't know what I'm going to wear. I have one last chance today to go look at the mall next door during my lunch hour and if I don't find any good deals I will have to resort to jeans and tee. (AKA: one of the million boring little black dresses I have hanging in my closet at home)It's just not as fun to wear a dress that you have already worn when you have the opportunity to purchase a new one!! I'll keep you posted on my lunch break finds.

Believe in Me<3g - Blog Award

Meghan over at Believe in Me<3g gave me the lemonade award!! It was so nice to receive while I was home at Minnesota over the holidays. So a BIG THANK YOU to Meghan for thinking of me!! If you haven't checked out her blog you should stop over today!


1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.


I'm giving the award to all of you who commented on my blog the past few weeks and were so sweet in posting condolences when my grandmother passed away.

Grandma's Funeral

I am finally home in my own bed after spending two weeks in MN visiting my family and friends. Don't get me wrong I had a wonderful time and so much fun seeing my mom, but there is just something about being able to wake up in your bed in the morning and not have to worry about anything.

As you know my trip to MN was extended a week longer because my grandmother passed away on my dad's side of the family. I want to thank everyone for the very kind support last week and the wonderful comments you left me! It was so nice to know that you were all thinking of me and praying for us during the busy holiday season!

My grandma had been sick for a few months with a variety of different cancerous tumors taking over her body. She had gone on home hospice care a few days before Christmas and passed away the day after. It was a bittersweet end for everyone in my family;she was one of the most caring people to have ever walked this earth and to have to see her in pain was difficult for us all.

J was able to come up to MN on Tuesday for her funeral and was such a trooper. My dad's family can be a bit overbearing and obnoxious at times and this occasion was no different. My aunt Mary, who is beyond inappropriate at times with her nosy questions, managed to ask J everything about his family history, to his personal feelings on love and life throughout a two day span. It is a miracle that J hasn't broken up with me because of it! Next we come to my 7 and a half foot tall uncle Tim who, at the funeral, decides to dress up as Donald Trump's long lost brother with a mismatched collard shirt and tie straight from the 80's. To top it off he was somehow chosen to get up and speak on behalf of the family during mass, and God I wish I could write what he said, but I don't think it would do it justice. Let's just say he left us all scratching our heads and speechless. Finally, the big kicker of the family - my father. J and I walk into the funeral home Tuesday night and we are making our way around the room when all of he sudden I hear a loud chomping noise. I look around the room to find my father talking to all of grandma's friends while digging in his pocket and pulling out a variety of Christmas candy and gum!! He's yappin' away while popping lemon heads and red hots into his mouth like he is at a movie theater!!! I couldn't believe it until about 30 minutes later I found him and my 4 year old brother in another room of the funeral home playing hockey and diving for goals as if they actually had a puck and sticks!! But as always J took it all in strides and it was great to have there for support.

Regardless of the bizarre behavior displayed by the greater part of my family - the service was beautiful and the priest had such wonderful things to say about my grandma. She would have been so happy with the way everything turned out and not shocked for a second by anything that happened.

I do want to share one last quick story about my grandma that Father Joe shared during his sermon last week. My grandma was a woman who attended daily mass everyday for the past thirty some years. She knew the priest and church community very well. Father Joe had come to her house a few weeks back to give her her last rites and pray with her as she was becoming increasingly ill. Father Joe walked into her bedroom to pray over her and she looked right up at him and said, "You know Father, this is the first time that I have ever had a Catholic priest in my bedroom before!" Father Joe said that he has never laughed so hard while visiting a dying friend before.

I love that story so much because it just shows that even though she was in so much pain she was still her same old self. She still had her sense of humor and was OK with letting go of her life here on earth and letting God take her home to heaven.