Nov2

A Zillion and One Things

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A Zillion and One Things

Let’s see, what have I been doing the past two and a half weeks???? I can only begin to recall the many zillion things by writing a list, so here goes….

1. Baked and decorated a Dora the Explorer cupcake cake. (I promise some day when I’m saner and I know this day may never come,I will post pictures. It’s a Dora the Explorer pumpkin patch complete with cornstalks and fences and pumpkins! A-DORA-ble…seriously!)

2. I completed my first round of grad school classes…completed one project, one presentation and two comprehensive finals over two days (yes, my mind hurts just thinking about it).

3. Spent my first Halloween with BVB. We passed out candy to the little trick-or-treaters and although the weather was pretty rainy and cold, we had a pretty good turn out! (I only have about 40 bags of pretzels left. Do you think I can just save them for next year? I kid.)

4. Celebrated fall at BVB’s cousins’ farm in O-H-I-O! Complete with hot tubs, hay rides, bon fires and moonshine (dangerous, I know. But it just tastes oh soooo good!)

5. Watched my little brother, Cody, play his last football game as a Golden Eagle. He cried, we all cried. (This is not headline news…we’re a family of criers.) I was so very proud of him though…he’s become a remarkable football player and young man.

6. Created a Gumball Machine pumpkin and won “Most Elaborate Pumpkin” at our office Halloween party. (I know it’s hard to visualize but I promise there will be pictures posted soon. My words just cannot do it justice, but I’ll try anyways—just image a giant pumpkin with assorted colored gumballs painted all over it resting on an upside down flower pot that was painted red to resemble the gumball base. See, you’re lost already. Like I said, I suck with words.)

7. Attended the “Best Places to Work” luncheon and am proud to report that Lamar Advertising was voted THE BEST PLACE TO WORK IN PITTSBURGH in the Medium size category. Way to go team!

8. Oh, and we had an early Thanksgiving this year at my parents house. Gary is off to LA sometime within the next week (he’s really picking up and moving and I’m glad because now I have a reason to go visit him and the sunshine-y warm weather! ) and of course we had to arrange to have Thanksgiving three weeks early so we could all be together. I heart my family.

Alright, I’m exhausted just thinking about it all. And mostly sorry I have not done a better job posting about all these wild and crazy adventures. I promise I will catch up over the next few days.

Promise. Pinky Swear…..with a kiss. (But not really, I only kiss my husband because he loves me and cleans up the apartment when I’m at school.  If you want to clean for me, I might consider kissing you too.  Just kidding….kind of. )

Xoxo

S

Oct17

Isn’t it funny…

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Isn’t it funny…

Isn’t it funny….that before you were engaged, the thought of wearing a ring (any ring at all for that matter) on your left ring finger was unimaginable (even one of those fake ninety-nine cent rings because you didn’t want to give any potential boys the wrong idea!)

Isn’t it funny….that when you got engaged, you’d find yourself staring at your left ring finger for hours on end admiring how beautiful your hand looked, wondering how on earth you went through life for 24 years without that glorious rock!

Isn’t it funny….that once you’re married, you stare at your matching wedding band and engagement ring and think, god that engagement ring looked so lonely before and you find yourself periodically checking to make sure both rings are there and if for some strange reason (say you’re showering) and the rings aren’t nestled on your left ring finger, you have a small heart attack knowing that they SHOULD be there and your entire hand feels strange until (you’re out of the shower) and you put those rings right back where they belong.  Yes, you can breath a sigh of relief because all is right in the world again.  Your rings are safety nestled side by side.  Just like you and BVB for the rest of your lives.

And to think, there was a time when there was never a ring at all.  Yea, that’s just funny.

xoxo

S, V to the B.

P.S. Full credit for the photo above belongs to BVB himself.  He’s a photographer when he wants to be (and he rightfully earned it because I made/forced him to accompany me all over the streets of Erie in the dead of winter for not one, but three Photography assignments in college. love you BVB for putting up with me!!)

P.P.S Okay, there is no photograph of our beautiful wedding rings pictured above because its on my camera and the battery is dead and of course I can’t find the charger for my battery.  Shocking, I know.  And to think, I call myself organized.

 

Oct9

Not so much…

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Not so much…

At precisely 1p.m. yesterday I realized why I never dye my hair.  I will recount the reasons why at this time:

1. I sit in a salon for over two hours (after waking up early on my precious Saturday morning), the majority of which is spent  with aluminum foil stuck to my forehead  and year old magazines as my only form of entertainment.

2. After sitting for two torturous hours my hair has to be washed (that’s not the torturous part, I actually quite enjoy this part because its like a mini head massage) but then of course has to be re-washed because the new assistant leaves half of the dye in my hair (Why me???)

3. I have to sit and wait for another ten minutes as my stylist has another appointment to take care of (she probably did not anticipate that my hair would take two long, painful hours to dye.  Trust me, neither did I sister.)

4. Finally the big reveal and what should have been my new fall ‘do looks exactly the same as when I walked into the salon a few hours earlier.

5. I sit in complete shock that I just wasted two and half hours of my life and my hair color looks EXACTLY the same while my stylist gushes on about how great the color looks (Is she looking at the same hair as me????)

6. She charges my credit card for $100. I cry, I throw a fit, I refuse to sign.  Oh wait, that was all a day dream.  I smile, sign and leave the salon only to drive home and unleash the wrath of a pissed off and broke woman on poor BVB.

So for the sake of my marriage, I’m never dying my hair again.  And when I do find the urge to do so again (and I’m sure I will because I get bored easily) someone send me a link to this post and we’ll all save ourselves a lot of time, money and hair heartache.

Forever a brunette,

Sissy

Oct5

As the season changes, so does my hair color?

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As the season changes, so does my hair color?

As many of you brides (or soon-to-be) can attest, maintaining the shape, color and style of your hair is absolutely paramount for your big day (along with about a million other small details like eyebrow grooming, manicures and tanning). So from the day that ring was on my left hand, I vowed to grow-out my light brunette mane in preparation for the wedding. I scheduled my hair-cuts exactly 8 weeks apart (okay, I’m totally lying about that point. I usually always (and I mean ALWAYS) neglect my hair maintenance, but for this special occasion I tried my darndest to really take care of my hair. So I would say I got my hair cut about once every three months. For whatever reason, I’m always getting my hair cut around a holiday. It’s a strange cycle —4th of July followed by Halloween and Valentine’s Day—and I’m not sure how it worked out like that, but it just does. I guess it’s some egotistical way of looking good for all the holiday festivities.)

Anyways, I digress. After a year and four months of growing out my hair just to trim off the smallest half inch in the world, I have decided it’s time for a change! And the most sensible change would be to chop it all off (bobs are totally chic right now and I’ve done that once or twice before) but I’m not really sensible. Instead I’m going to venture into the world of hair color. Let’s take a walk down haircolor memory lane….I’ve been through the bleach blonde highlighting phase for basically my entire four years of high school, and not less than a year later as a freshmen in college I went through the do-it-yourself dark brown phase. Oh, and how can I forget the umpteen summers I spent dousing my hair in Sun-In (Thank God I was not one of those girls who turned their hair orange. Normally I just got a blonde, sun-kissed look and now looking back I do realize how lucky I was. That could have gone terribly wrong.) Since college I have toned down my look a lot and really just let my natural color grow out vowing never to dye my hair again…..until today. Well actually this weekend….my appointment is on Saturday. Yes, I already made the appointment and that’s basically like writing it in stone, it’s going to happen.

So you haven’t even heard my genius plan yet. What shade am I going to go this time? Bleach blonde or dark brunette??? Actually I’m going to try a combination of both–it’s called ombre. It’s a new style (and by new I mean I’m only really learning about it now, but it’s been popular for like a year.) that only highlights the major strands framing your face in a lighter shade than the rest of your hair. Clearly my description is pretty poor, so I’ll give you a few examples.

Exhibit A: Rachel Bilson (and this is the picture I’m taking to the salon)

Exhibit B: Some other random girl who is famous but I don’t know her name but want her hair.

So in t-minus three days I’m going to be a celebrity (well more like a celebrity look-a-like who is in no way, shape or form famous for anything), but at least I’ll have a new fall look that that will satisfy me until next season!

What do you think? Am I crazy? (you can say yes, I won’t be offended)

Xoxo

S

Oct3

Sweaters, tights and boots, oh my!

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Sweaters, tights and boots, oh my!

Somehow over this past weekend, the temperature in good ‘ole Western PA dropped a whopping 25 degrees!  If summer didn’t officially feel over before, it has now come to a screeching halt and all semblance of sunshine, tanned legs and flip flops are gone. Tear, whine, cry, wailing. Yes, that’s me throwing a fit. What about all my sundresses and precious open toed heels?? Bathing suits and jean shorts?? I’m not ready to put them away just yet! But Mommmmmm, I don’t wantttttttttttttt to.

Okay, I’m going to stop whining now.  Lest I have to put my beloved summer clothes away, at least I know it’s time for cleaning out my closet (not literally because I’m kind of a pack-rat and can’t throw anything away but more figuratively shoving a few things to the back corner so I can bring my new fall favorites to the front for my viewing pleasure!  I blame this whole semi-hoarding thing on my mother.  I think it’s genetic…trust me, you should see our garage.)

And when I realize that my fall wardrobe isn’t so much of a wardrobe and more of a sad collection of worn out sweaters and sole-less riding boots, I feel this painful urge to go on a wild shopping spree and fill my hearts desire with as many sweaters, tights and boots (oh my!) as humanely possible.  Then my practical left brain said to my not so practical but fashion forward right brain “Hey buddy! Slow it down a bit, your dreams are bigger than your bank account!”

So instead of rushing out to the nearest mall and charging way too much money to my credit cards, I ventured to the internet for some shopping pleasure.  Thanks to Piperlime, I was able to find all of my must-have fall items in one place!

I love this carefree boho look . It’s perfect for layering on those first few chilly fall nights!

A cross-body bag is a must for my fall wardrobe!! I love that it frees up my hands to do other things like… I don’t know, complete a sudoku puzzle or knit a blanket (scratch that last thing, who are we kidding, I don’t knit).

Want to try out the new animal-print inspired trend this fall but are too much of a scaredy cat?? (Get it??? Cat? Animal print? Okay, I’ll stop).  A pair of leopard print flats can spice up any outfit without going all Cat Woman.

This menswear inspired jacket can make any fashionista look put together!

And last, but certainly NOT least…these amazing Kenneth Cole wedged boots.  I am IN LOVE!  Perfect for a chunky sweater and jeans or dress it up with a frilly skirt and tights! Clearly the most versatile piece for fall! (I say that like I’m an expert or something. Really I’m just picking out things I like and pretending I know a lot about them. Clearly I don’t. )

Well thats all this fashionista has for today.  I hope you enjoyed and (if your left brain says okay) were inspired to find a few things to buy this fall :)

xoxo

S

 

 

Sep30

Knock Me Naked

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Knock Me Naked

When I first saw the recipe for Pioneer Woman’s Knock You Naked Brownies, I decided right then and there THAT was a recipe a girl could learn to love!  I didn’t have any time for that loving just yet so I decided to mentally store it in the back of my mind (with a lot of other random facts and recipes, none of which I seem to be able to recall when I need them. But that’s beside the point…).

So as I was preparing my mental shopping list and dragging BVB up and down every aisle in Wally World last night (as part of mine and BVB’s “let’s be an actual married couple” evening.  He loved it, I know he did.), I decided I could use a little chocolate in my life and what better way to satisfy this ever present need than with THAT brownie recipe.

I’ve been right about a lot of things in my life (BVB may or may not agree with that previous statement, but oh well) and I have never been more right about these brownies!  I whipped up a batch today at work (for a Thursday afternoon pick-me-up) and boy, did they ever PICK ME UP!  I inhaled two of the most delicious brownies I’ve ever tasted.  So much so that it resulted in a state of pure, sugary, chocolate and caramel-coated bliss. Chocolate chips, pecans, and caramel are now my favorite food groups.  The only food groups, in fact.

I had every intention of capturing the baking process but it slipped my mind until I was putting the pan in the oven to bake so I scratched that idea.  Instead, I decided I would take a fabulously staged photo of the finished product.  Well, somewhere between slicing, inhaling and licking the last few crumbs from my fingertips, it must have slipped my mind again.

I apologize for that.  But it kind of stands as a testament to how TRULY AMAZING the brownies are.  I suggest you try them pronto!  And don’t feel guilty when you devour the whole tray by yourself (it happens to the best of us).

Lacking will-power in all sense of the term,

Sis

Sep28

New Girl my New Favorite

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New Girl my New Favorite

Thanks to the grad school classes that occupy the beginning part of my week, I am not home for two nights of excellent television programming. Before you all start feeling sorry for me, just know that I have this miraculous invention of technological genius called a DVR. Thanks to that wonder machine I am able to record all of my latest TV obsessions (including Most Eligible Dallas, The Good Wife, and Heart of Dixie). And although I absolutely adore the shows I just mentioned, there was one new show I was particularly PUMPED to watch (Yes, I just said pumped and yes, I know it’s completely inappropriate for my age but I don’t care).

Anyways, back to my point. This show is NEW GIRL with Zooey Deschanel! I’m not sure if you know her previous work but she was the absolutely hilarious roommate in the SJP and Matthew Mcconaughey movie “Failure to Launch” as well as the love interest of Jim Carey in “Yes Man” (You know the one about the red bull. I love red bull! RED BULLLLLLLLL.) So even though she’s been on the “scene” (and by scene I really have no idea what I mean besides she’s been around here and there for a while) for a good bit, this new TV show has finally put her in the spotlight role!!

If you haven’t checked out the pilot episode you should, for many reasons:

1. The montage of Dirty Dancing references as well as the concluding scene where three grown men sing the theme song “The Time of My Life.” (I laughed so hard I cried).

2. The “Douche-bag jar.” Enough said.

3. Jess’s insistence that her life is a Broadway show complete with random outburst of s-o-o-o-n-n-n-gggg. Yea!

4. Two Boobs Johnson.

I’m just now settling in to watch episode two and I’ve got high hopes for Jess and the gang.  Apparently other people do as well, I just read the show has been invited to stay on FOX for an entire season! WHOOP! WHOOP!

Super ex-c-i-t-edddddd (I’m not as good at it as Jess. You just gotta watch it to understand it.)

Sissy

 

Sep24

Our second closet, I mean bedroom.

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Our second closet, I mean bedroom.

Let me warn you, the following pictures are NOT pretty—not by any means.  These are photographs of our “small bedroom” or as I like to call it, “BVB’s second closet”.  You will see he has a highly advanced organizing system that has taken over the entire room and turned the futon into a clothing rack.

My mission in life (among many other things like end world hunger, promote world peace, and…..ahhh scratch that, I gave up that pageant thing a long time ago) is to make this poor small bedroom a live-able space.  I have visions of a small office area where I can one day sit in peace (away from the television and Sportscenter) and compete my grad school work and write to all of you!  I’d love to see some artwork on the walls, doors on the closet to hide all of BVB’s clothes and ya know, maybe just see the carpet that once lived beneath all those clothes. Sigh a girl can dream.

BVB will blame this disaster area on my choice of a bedroom set.  The tall stackable dresser in our bedroom is apparently not big enough (“the draws are so smallllll” I can hear him complaining in my head right now!) so he uses the additional media dresser in the small bedroom to hold more of his clothes.  And by hold, I mean he rarely ever puts any clothes away so both dressers usually end up half empty and the floor remains more than half full!


Okay, now that you’ve got the background, I’m going to let you in on the activities of this fabulous Saturday.  BVB and I have promised one another to make it a day of cleansing!  Our schedule of events:

1. I will be in charge of cleaning the bathroom (yes that means the toilet too, ewwww!)

2. I will complain about having to clean the bathroom and repeat “this is grosssss” a few times for added effect.

3. BVB will be cleaning up his mess of a closet, I mean bedroom.

4. I will have to remind BVB to clean up his mess on several different occasions.

5. And if there’s time (I hope there is!) we are going to make a trip to IKEA to purchase a desk and bookcase to spruce up this room a bit.  I know it will only be a small sprucing, but come on, anything is better than how it looks now!!!

I would appreciate your support during this process, as I know Rome was not built in a day and clearly this bedroom will not be organized in one either.  I’ll provide updates whenever I feel like we’ve really made some progress (don’t hold your breath).

Dreading this whole bathroom situation,

Sissy

Sep22

Outside the City Limits

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Outside the City Limits

Sometimes it’s just so nice to get outside the city limits and smell the fresh air.  The gorgeous rolling hills and cotton candy clouds don’t hurt either.  I snapped this picture on my camera this past weekend.  Of course I had to fix it up a bit in Photoshop and I used Pioneer Woman’s Action set to make it look snazzy.  If you haven’t checked out her post, YOU SHOULD.  Like yesterday.  You’ll thank me for all the amazing goodness these actions will bring to your photos, trust me!!!  Oh, and get outside a bit this week, it will be good for your health.

Yes, I’m worried about your health.  So just do it.  It’s kind of like one of those things your Mom always said to do just because she knew it would be good for you (like don’t hold your face in that position or it will stay like that forever, or don’t swallow apple seeds because an apple tree will start to grow inside of you. Yea, you remember that one. Getting some fresh air falls right in between those two)

Your second mother,

Sissy

 

Sep21

I know, it’s been a while.

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I know, it’s been a while.

I have been thinking about all of you.  You might not know it because I haven’t posted in three, almost four days, but I swear I’ve been thinking about all the things I could post about!  I swear it on Twinkies and all things holy!

You remember that mental list that attacked me last week, well I had to eventually start checking things off it.  And well, thattttt took me about four days.  It was exhausting, painful at times, and hardly rewarding in the end, but I’m certainly glad its over.  For now.  There will be another list formulating in ohhhhh roughly 7 hours when I wake up tomorrow morning. BLAH.

On a brighter note, I have good news to report.  Jennie (and Avery) absolutely loveddddd their thank you notes.  I have posted a picture of some of the lovely ladies at the shower including the blushing mommy-to-be.

Awwww, isn’t that just precious.  We love Avery already!!  It was an absolutely gorgeous shower and I’m still dreaming of the yummy spinach, feta and onion omelette I devoured.  (Preceded by chicken dumping soup and a cranberry, walnut, feta salad.  And followed by a slice of vanilla cake, a cute onezie shaped sugar cookie and a cup of coffee)  Yes, I remember good food in great detail.  I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

Well I’ve got to sound off and try to get into bed before midnight a night this week.  I’m hoping that night is tonight! (fingers crossed if I would stop typing and just post this thing already, I’d probably be halfway to dreamland by now)

Until next time (and I promise it won’t be four days!!!!!) I bid you farewell and adieu! (I don’t know where that foreign language just came from but it makes me think of the Sound of Music. Or was that Au Revoir??? Who knows.  Either way, I’m saying goodbye.)

xoxo

Sis