We took a trip after work on Tuesday to get all of the basic fall essentials for the outside of the house. Naturally this included mums and pumpkins...oh and a chiminea that Rich just had to have. We also snagged some Indian corn, a mini haystack, a few corn stalks, and some gourds. All in all it was a pretty successful trip and really made the front of the house ready for all of those trick or treaters that we never get...
And because I was feeling particularly festive, I even did up the bar cart with new black and orange paper straws and some pumpkin accessories. I also changed it up by keeping the top of the bar focused on cold weather necessities, like whiskey, bourbon, gin, and a hot toddy mixer. Oh, and a little Veuve because A.) Champagne is always needed and B.) the colors matched -- so obvs.
Lately I've been itching to throw a party. I know we just had a casual Fourth of July fété, but maybe because we got stuck with unbelievably lousy weather I'm still in the mood to do something.
It also might be because it's almost Fall and we have about ten of our friends birthdays coming up, or maybe it's because I'm ALREADY planning for our BYOP 2014 (you can see last years here.).
Whatever the reason, I've been collecting inspirational pictures on Pinterest and other places online if for no other reason than to fill the planning void I've been feeling...
Don't these pics make you wanna call up your nearest and dearest and entertain the Hell out of them?
This past week I've finally felt like myself again...and it's been about a month. I'm back into the swing of things after getting back from Cali (house is in order/back to my normal routine) and just all around I'm feeling like I'm in a pretty good place.
I have one of my oldest friends bridal showers this evening. She's my first friend from high school who is getting married, so for some reason this wedding is making me feel superrrrr old. Especially since we will be having the shower at her Mom's house, which was THE party house in H.S. -you know the one-. I'm really looking forward to spending my Friday evening celebrating her and her upcoming wedding.
Also, in case you live under a rock, this Sunday is Father's Day. I was going to do a few gift suggestions, but since I still have NO IDEA what I'm getting my own Dad, I figured who am I to start giving out advice?! But if you need some good suggestions check out this post, this post, or this post for some A+ ideas.
Easter is one of my fave holidays. I know it can be considered kind of a boring one as you get older, but let me explain...
1.) I get my annual fill of Reese's Eggs, which for some reason are SO MUCH BETTER than Reese's Cups. How is this possible? They are made of the same things you say? I don't know, I don't make the rules but they are light-years better, and that's just the way it is, so come March/April stocking up is a necessity.
2.) The Saturday before Easter, my mom, sister and I dye three dozen eggs for the hunt the next day (more on that in a sec.) We try and make them as pretty as we can, but usually just end up writing cheeky things on them about each other and everyone else with that white crayon -or maybe that's just me...-
3.) Oh, so did you catch that comment above, 'for the hunt'? Yup that's right, my family still has an Easter egg hunt, even though my sister, the youngest person at our Easter celebration, is 22 years old. I'm almost 30, and every year we have a full blown hunt complete with prizes. I. LOVE. IT. My Dad goes outside and hides the eggs we dye the day before all over the front and backyards. Then we all start from different exit doors in the house and Go!when he tells us too. It's absolute competitive madness -maybe only to me?-, super fun, and makes me feel like a kid again. Rich thinks it's crazy, and every year claims he's not going to participate, but my family usually badgers him into it. Oh, and did I mention I always win?
So whatever your traditions encompass this Sunday (church - sorry, having to get dressed up - yuck, or if your Jewish - n/a) I hope you have a Hoppy Easter! <--- see what I did there? HOP, like a bunny!
Yes, today is St. Patrick's Day, and we all know the deal, you eat corn beef and cabbage, you go to the bar regardless of the fact that it's a weeknight, and you drink things you wouldn't normally; Guinness, Jameson, car bombs...even green beer. All acceptable and pretty much mandatory today.
The other thing that's mandatory is wearing something green. This can be a problem because let's be honest, who has green clothes laying around? I'm pretty sure I don't know a single person who considers green their go-to color, but fear not I'm here to help.
As far as I can see there are a few ways to go about this rule today, so let's dissect and find the best drinking uniform for you:
1.) The Classic
This is probably the most common of all the options. Consists of a green shirt that has white writing across it with some clever Irish themed phrase. Usually accompanied by shamrock stickers on your face (almost always near the eyes), and maybe some coordinating mardi gras beads. All items are pretty easy to find, and surprisingly enough (or not, depending on how you look at it) are probably on the end cap of an aisle at your local grocery store -seriously-. If this is the route you choose to take, I'm partial to t-shirts by Mark's Art. Anyone that does a Mean Girls reference is alright by me.
2.) The Overachiever
This is when planning your St. Paddy's Day outfit gets competitive with planning your Halloween costume. See: boas, flashing light headbands, wigs, and a trip or two to American Apparel. This type of display is typically reserved for parade days, but if you want to get home from work later and put green streaks in your hair, I'm not going to stop you. In fact I'll probably see you out and be jealous of how fun you are, look at my lame outfit and wonder why I just can't seem to get on that level...ever. Just keep in mind there is a fine line between an outfit and a get-up, and that you're most likely leaning towards the latter...
3.) The Fashionista
Going this route involves commitment, and maybe even more so than our overachieving friend above. This is when you make a commitment to a higher end piece that you know will probably not see the light of day again until next March 17. You want it to look like you just had that green J.Crew sweater just hanging in your closet, but we know you didn't and that's fine. Wearing a more expensive green blouse or sweater says, I'm here to party, but I'm not the party. The only downside is you're probably, no you're definitely going to get something spilled on you, so don't get all mad about it and just come to terms with the fact that you'll be seeing your dry-cleaner this week.
4.) The "I'm not wearing green" person
Bottom line, you're being a dick. If you think you're too good to put some green on, stay home. It's a fun holiday, and you're already sucking the fun out of the room trying to be 'anti' or whatever sh*t you're trying to prove. If this is the path you choose to take, in the words of my friends Mark's shirt:
The hubs and I don't ever do anything too special for V-Day. It's not that we're anti-Valentines or anything like that, it's just kind of feels like New Years Eve to us. Everyone feels all this pressure to go out and do something and make it AMAZING, that it always just ends up feeling forced and a little... bleh. Let's be honest, the best nights are the ones you never saw coming, you can't plan that sh*t.
So whether your plans tonight involve a romantic overpriced dinner with your sweetheart, or sitting home with your dog/cat watching a movie and waiting to go to bed, I hope it's a good one and that it's over as slowly/fast as you want it to be.
Anyways, in honor of love day, I've rounded up a few things that I am currently, well, loving.
1.) The fact that hemlines have come down. I think it's super chic looking if done right, and isn't as in your face as a mini can be sometimes. Bottom line, anything hitting at the knee or just below, I'm into it.
2.) Two words, Breaking Bad - I know I know, I'm a little late to this party but OMG! Was I living under a rock for the past few years or what?!? We've watched the entire series on Netflix this past month and are legit obsessed. We still have the final 8 episodes to go, so SHHHHH!!!! Oh, and we are definitely getting these.
3.) My girlfriend Amy's delectable stuffed french toast. It's to DIE for and definitely makes you want to go run 5 miles after you eat it, but it's totally worth it. Paired with a (few) peach bellinis? Divine. Recipe on Monday!
4.) Ugh, this bag, that color. I'm obsessed, it's gross, and I came THISCLOSE to ordering it last night, which makes absolutly no sense because there's about $20 in my checking account at the moment. But hey, that's what AmEx is for right? Right? Anyone????
I think I may have mentioned this before, but in case you missed it, I LOVE CARDS!
And I especially love Valentines. I don't mean those cheesy Hallmark cards at your local drugstore. I mean specialty cards that are reminiscent of old school Valentines. Obviously, the end all be all of the perfect Valentine would be to make it yourself, but these days who has the time? Plus there are so many options out there that it's basically impossible to not be able to find a card that speaks directly to your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/friend/family/booty call or anyone else you wanna treat to a card.
So this Valentines Day, don't just send a text message or a *throw up* e-card of sorts. Put a little effort in, pick out a beautiful card and mail it to your loved ones. It will be such a surprise, and is sure to brighten up their day.
Hell, I've done half of the work for you below by picking out some of my favorites.
I made a few resolutions to myself this year as opposed to making just one. That way if I fall short on one, or two, I have back up. And since we are halfway done with Janaury let's check on my progress:
RESOLUTION # 1 - WORK OUT
Ugh this one. Like everyone else in the world I made a resolution to get in shape. The problem is, I hate gyms, I don't really want to work out with anyone else, and it's too cold to run outside here in Connecticut right now. Oh, and I don't like running. I've been watching the show 'Toned Up' on Bravo lately and those girls are ripped so I decided to check out their YouTube stuff the other day. FYI, they look like that for a reason, working out is way harder than I remembered. I gave up about 3 minutes in and promised myself I would do it again the next day. That was two days ago...
RESOLUTION # 2 - GET A JOB THAT YOU LOVE
So quitting my job was the first step, and I accomplished that, so one point for me. Finding a new one is proving to be mildly difficult. I'm not sure if that's because I'm not trying as hard as I should -I could get used to this housewife stuff- or if there really hasn't been anything I've found that peaks my interest as of yet. Regardless I do check online and brainstorm on what I would want to do everyday. I'm hoping I can just come across something fun and lucrative and it will just work out. Fingers crossed.
RESOLUTION # 3 - COOK MORE
I made this resolution for two reasons. One, I really want to be a good cook. I'm by no means a bad cook, but I just want to broaden my horizons a little more and have a plethora of recipes under my belt I can whip together at a moments notice. My mom is an amazing cook and I strive to be like her in this department. Two, I'm not sure if you know this or not, but going out to eat 4-5 nights a week is EXPENSIVE. I recently joined All Recipes which is an awesome website for home cooks, with recipes by other home cooks. You can search for recipes by ingredient, save favorites to your 'recipe box' and read tons of reviews with tweaks and helpful hints. I've been doing pretty well with this resolution and hope to keep it up. It's a little annoying having to run to the grocery store everyday to get ingredients that I don't have just laying around the house, but hey it's something to do.
RESOLUTION # 4 - TAKE MORE PICTURES (SERIOUSLY)
I'm not one of those people who is super into pictures. I Instagram, maybe once a week and I never, ever take selfies. I don't even really like taking pictures when I'm out with my friends and I always feel like I look forced or awkward when posing. But one day I was on Facebook and I pushed the "2013 Year In Review" button. The only pictures that popped up were from my wedding, which was in 2012! Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want to take pictures to exclusively post to social media, but it made me realize that I don't have very many pictures of Rich and myself together or doing anything with our friends. When we're out I always brush off the opportunity to take pictures and say I would rather 'live in the moment' and I feel like I'm missing evidence of some awesome memories. This year I want to take more pictures, but I'm going to need some supplies first. Maybe one of those iPhone printers (like this one) or maybe even a nice camera (maybe this or this) to assist me in my new adventure.
What were your resolutions this year? Did you make more than one so you have some cushion, or do you just pick one and go at it 100%?
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