Tag: Obsessions

Aloe Vera Ice Cubes…How Have I Never Thought of This?

Are you feeling the summer burn?

Down here in Florida we have officially entered the dog days of summer. It is hot…like fry an egg on the sidewalk hot. Despite this fact, however, we still find ourselves loading up the car, ordering some Publix subs, and hitting the local beach or pool.

Since we were little, people have drilled the value of sunscreen into our stubborn heads. Yet somehow, we forget to put it on, forget to reapply, or forget that baby oil is still not a valid alternative. We end up burnt.

For days following these burns we barely survive while doing the following things:

Taking ice cold showers

Walking around saying “Ouch” at every step

Peeling and itching like a mad man

Claiming that we’ll never go into the sun again (until next weekend)

And finally, slathering ourselves in aloe vera

Ahh, aloe vera. A delectable nectar bestowed upon us by the plant gods. A frequent user of the stuff since childhood, you can imagine my surprise when I realized I’d been missing out on a pretty incredible summer life hack all this time. Frozen aloe vera cubes! Continue reading “Aloe Vera Ice Cubes…How Have I Never Thought of This?”

Secret Life of a Book Sniffer

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In my opinion, there’s a whole lot of things that smell fantastic. Babies, lavender, and the entire season of fall come to mind as some top-notch selections. None of these, however, can beat my favorite scent…books.

Yes, that’s right…books. There is just something about paper and ink that intoxicates the old senses. It’s not just the books themselves, though. It’s the locations that are filled with them. Picture this for a moment – you open the door to your local Barnes & Noble and are immediately engulfed in the scent of a decadent cocktail made from freshly brewed coffee and Eau de paper. Delicious, right? Continue reading “Secret Life of a Book Sniffer”

Cheap Wine That Doesn’t Taste Like Sour Grapes

I recently saw an article on Buzzfeed that discussed some different wine options for under $15. As an indulgent lover of all things vino, I was pretty ecstatic. To my surprise, however, the list left me feeling a little disappointed.

Don’t get me wrong…there were definitely some good options that I’ve been known to partake in from time to time (Who doesn’t love a good bottle of two buck chuck?) Overall, though, I felt like they left some major players out of the game.

So grab a class, and pop the cork – here are some of my favorite budget-friendly bottles of grape.

Beringer

Throughout my experience as a wino, I haven’t met a bottle of Beringer that I didn’t enjoy. Whether you’re interested in the classic labels or the Founders Estate varietals, the most you’re going to pay is around $10 a bottle. If you’re a fan of sweeter wines, I highly suggest trying their white merlot. Continue reading “Cheap Wine That Doesn’t Taste Like Sour Grapes”

Our Transitional Twenties

By legal standards, they tell us we become adults at 18. While we may have had the esteemed honor of registering to vote and buying lottery tickets, I think it’s safe to say the majority of us were a far cry from “adults” at that age.

Then we enter our early twenties and by all accounts that should, in and of itself, make us adults. At this point, however, a decent number of us are still focused on late night cram sessions and scoring big in the next beer pong tournament. There are a couple of blasé years in the middle where we’ve graduated college and are edging our feet into the water that is first jobs, new apartments, and sophisticated drinking aka cocktail hour after work.

Then suddenly, if you’re anything like me, you are on the cusp of thirty and realize you still don’t know what you want to be when you grow up. At this point, many of us are married with at least one child, and it suddenly hits us like a ton of bricks. Over the past couple of years, something changed and we really did become adults. Continue reading “Our Transitional Twenties”

In the Name of Ransom

Two of my greatest passions in life are books and art. So when one man decided to combine the two and create a brilliant world for us to play in…my head just about exploded! A collector of old photographs, Ransom Riggs has developed quite the inventory of unique and unusual pictures from days past. For some of you that may not remember, there was a time not so long ago, when Photoshop did not exist. While there were still ways of manipulating an image, the technology was a far cry from that which we know today. Alas, this post is not a lecture on the overuse of photo editing techniques…this is merely an introduction to images like these:

Continue reading “In the Name of Ransom”

Frozen: A Temptress Extraordinaire

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I did something terrible yesterday; something that there’s just no coming back from. I watched Frozen…twice…in a four hour period. I bow my head in shame.

You see this damn movie has been out for almost three years now, and despite the constant flutter of songs, quotes, and merchandise, I’d managed to escape its grasp. No two ways about it, this movie pissed me off. Who did these little Elsa and Anna idiots think they were? Being compared to the Disney greats like Belle and Ariel; it’s blasphemy I say. So strictly out of principle, I stood my ground and vowed never to see it. In fact, one of the first parental decisions I made upon finding out we were having a girl is that she would never fall victim to this godforsaken movie’s wicked claws.

I’d seen what was happening around me. There was a never-ending flow of Frozen themed birthday parties and Halloween costumes. The toy aisles were overrun with strangely misshapen snowmen and reindeer. And don’t even get me started on the song…I was convinced my ears would bleed the next time someone uttered those three little words (I won’t even write them..there will be no sing-along happening here!)

But alas, it seemed as though the odds were stacking up against me. When my friend Katie (a fellow Anti-Frozen team member) called to say she’d watched it, I realized there was a chance I may be the last person on Earth who was missing out on some extraordinary secret. So I did it…I set up the DVR and recorded the stupid movie.

I told myself that I wasn’t doing it or me. After all, I’m a mature adult that is capable of not watching some silly, little Disney movie. I was simply being a kind and responsible mother. How would it look if my poor child showed up somewhere and was completely out of the loop? At ten months old, that would clearly be devastating to her social standing.

So during playtime today, I put it on…just as background noise, you know? Very quickly I realized that my young child had no interest in watching this thing. Thank goodness…she wasn’t getting sucked in. I had dodged a bullet. Except what did that character just say? Where were they going? How’d the damn snowman get there again? Suddenly it was nap time and I graciously hit stop on the DVR, turning instead to some high-quality adult television.

But wait…what was that nagging? I began to realize I was anxious to continue watching. I mean, I had to find out if she chose Kristoff or Hans, right!?! So I did it. I finished the stupid movie and then, within a couple of hours, I’d restarted it for a second viewing.

So there you have it, folks. My life is officially over and I am just another weak-minded statistic. I don’t know how I fell so far, so fast, but the answer is yes: I want to build a damned snowman!

Now leave me to my Frozen-filled misery…it’s about time for me to watch it again.

5 Years Since We Said “I Do”

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Today marks five years since the first day of the rest of our lives. No matter how much time goes by, I still can’t believe how lucky we are to be living such a beautiful life. While we’ve certainly had the ups and downs that couples are so accustomed to, I still live each day knowing that I have the best possible partner by my side.

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I’m forever grateful that we found each other and I can’t imagine a more caring, compassionate and supportive person to call my husband.

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This excerpt is from my favorite book “Jane Eyre.” It was read during our wedding ceremony and every line still rings true today.

“I have for the first time found what I can truly love–I have found you. You are my sympathy–my better self–my good angel–I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my centre and spring of life, wrap my existence about you–and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one.”
—Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

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Ryan is my rock and from now until forever I will continue to vow my love and loyalty. Happy 5th Anniversary to my sweet husband! You make Haddie and I’s world such an extraordinary place.

Orphan Train – Christina Baker Kline

I’ve been a complete and total failure in the book department lately. I have only read 1 and a 1/2 books so far in 2016, certainly not a personal best. I can practically hear my Goodreads Reading Challenge taunting me from afar. Alas, life has been keeping me pretty busy. I solemnly swear to the gods of literature that I will attempt to redeem myself, but for now, I can, at least, say that the one book I read in its entirety was a good one.

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Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline, was written to pull at your heartstrings. Slightly predictable in parts, this was a story that needed to be told. Jumping between time periods, this book tells the tale of a modern day teenager who is attempting to survive our flawed American foster system and a girl from the past who barely survived the New York orphan train in the late 1920’s.

This story brings us face to face with the vicious childcare system that so many babies, toddlers, and young children find themselves thrown into. This is not to say that every situation is a bad one, but the terrible experiences had by the characters in this book seem to be more common than necessary.

I couldn’t put this book down. It is such a beautiful portrayal of hope and perseverance. I feel that I learned so much about this area of American history. I’m almost ashamed how little I knew before. So if you’re looking for a truly good read, I’d highly suggest you give this one a chance.

Happy reading!

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole…

Don’t ask me what started it, but one of the biggest obsessions in my life is party planning. Ever since my own wedding, I’ve been infatuated with all things event. There’s just something therapeutic about taking a million little details and turning them into something beautiful and unforgettable. You may have noticed my absence from this little verbal sanctuary the past couple of weeks. Well that’s because I was helping to put together one of the most amazing parties I’ve ever had the chance to be a part of…an Alice in Wonderland themed bridal shower.

One of my best friends, Elena, is getting married next month, and I have the extreme pleasure to serve as her matron of honor. For years and years, I’ve known that if given the chance to throw her a shower it would undoubtedly take place in Wonderland. There’s just something about this whimsical tale that screams Elena (not to mention, it’s one of her personal favorites!) When she and her amazing fiancé got engaged last New Years Eve, I was beyond ecstatic. Not only was my friend marrying the love of her life, but I’d finally have the chance to plan this shower I’d been dreaming of.

After months of planning (okay, let’s be real…I’ve been scheming for years), her shower took place this past weekend. It was just as beautiful as I’d hoped it would be, and the bride was over the moon. Here’s some party pics for you to drool over!

Our gorgeous table was set-up outside by the bride’s parents pool.

We found a variety of old teapots that we spray painted gold and filled with gorgeous flowers.

We took plastic costume hats and turned them into our own adorable versions of the Hatter’s 10/6 hat.

The cake (courtesy of CG’s Cakes) featured edible versions of the book’s classic black and white illustrations.

This party was truly an affair to remember. I’m still so happy that I had the opportunity to be a part of it! Now bring on the wedding!

Stars Hollow, Here We Come!

Sometimes in life, there are moments where we need to stop for a second and ask ourselves WWASPD…what would Amy Sherman Palladino do? Since the unfortunate, and untimely, demise of Bunheads, however, there’s been a huge hole in most of our hearts where Ms. Palladino’s fast-talking, intellectually stimulating characters used to live. Her sage words of wisdom are a thing of the past, and we’ve been forced to mourn what once was and move on…or have we?

Rumor has it that Netflix is coming to our rescue once again! The same corporate giant that so lovingly returned our friends over at Arrested Development, is reportedly in talks to resurrect Gilmore Girls! Oh be still my beating heart! The Lorelei’s of the world may be coming back to us and our starry-eyed fandom may have cause for celebration once again!

I’m trying really hard not to get my hopes up. This is still one of those “in the works” type of situations and could honestly go a million different directions, and in all reality, we know how reliable the rumor mill tends to be. However, on October 19th (yes, I’m a stalker), the lovely Lauren Graham oh so coyly tweeted that while she can’t confirm any rumors, she also can’t deny them. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to take that as a, “Oh hell yes, the girls are back in town!” Gather your friends and an enormous amount of junk food…I think there’s some binge watching in our futures!