Genie in a Bottle

I am currently poor. This does not change my taste. Not in food and certainly not in clothing and shoes. Now, I am poor for a good reason I suppose. This guy....


This does not mean that I still can't want. It does not mean j.crew stops sending me the stupid email reminders of all the things I want and need so badly that are 20% off and FREE SHIPPING if you order by 10:13am tomorrow, or that Anthropologie's prices sink to my affordability scale when I walk through the door. Nope. So here I sit at my desk, 2009 style. I KNOW! It's truly a shame, right? Yes, I am aware of how bratty I sound and no, I will not apologize! :)

The real point of the matter here is that why in the HECK do these things I like have price tags for that of the rich and famous? There really isn't a purpose for this sort of inflation on the simple things in life I need. For instance....

I spot these and like them. Check the price. No thanks. Also available in teal if you're interested? This is the sort of things I'm running into lately. They are not made by Christian Louboutin for crying out loud! (A stretch, I know. And about Louboutin's, please check out this pair. $6,295. Yeah, you read that correctly. I'll make you those for half price! Deal?)

Honestly, I wish someone would just dispose of my wardrobe and a new one would appear! Where is freakin' Aladdin and his genie when ya need them? Can't a girl get some new threads?? I could certainly put that magic carpet to good use as well with my mad travelling habits. ....but on the brightside, I'm sure if I were kicking it with Aladdin, I would not be wearing Frye wedges with a dress from Anthropologie. I would look like a fool with jet black hair and MC Hammer pants.... I'm just sayin'.

Symphony Brownies

I have recently prepared these brownies for book club as well as RB's birthday. They are a big hit! (Thanks, D) They are EXTREMELY easy and very tasty!! An added bonus: Paula Dean makes them so you get that extra boost of cooking confidence!

Ingredients:
1 (17.6-ounce) package brownie mix with walnuts
Vegetable oil cooking spray
3 (6-ounce) Symphony bars with almonds and toffee chips

Directions:
1. Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions.
2. Line a 13 by 9-inch cake pan with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil cooking spray. (Very important to spray!) Spoon in half of the brownie batter and smooth with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Place the candy bars side by side on top of the batter. Cover with the remaining batter.
3. Bake according to package directions. Let cool completely, then lift from the pan using the edges of the foil. This makes it easy to cut the brownies into squares.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

So I have been busting my tail to get this book, The Help, finished to return to Auntie in order for her to have enough time to read it before our next book club meeting. Yes, I am a 25 year old book clubber. Another blog for another day! (Nashville ladies, I'm thinking we should start one!)


This book really took me by suprise! I loved it! I remember the day I picked it up and opened the first page to begin reading. The grammar was that of an African American woman living in the 1960s. After adjusting to the flow, I was so happy she narrated that character like she did. It allowed the reader to get further involved in the character's life. Jodi Picoult attempts this sort of thing by changing the fonts and such with each character. It makes me crazy and I refuse to read her books now. Not the case with ol' Kathryn. (Not to mention she doesn't change characters at a nauseating rate.) I didn't think I was going to be able to read an entire book written in the dialect of a 1960s maid in Jackson, Mississippi but it really made the book what it is. Aibileen, Minny and Miss Skeeter are fun characters and you can't help but care about their futures.

I won't blab too much about the happenings because I wouldnt' want to spoil book club for those who haven't read and some who likely won't read this book. Good vacay read! Enjoy!

Got a little change in my pocket...

No looking on the bright side necessary today, my dears. It be Friday! I will say that I have become bad, again, about wishing the week away for the weekend and not really enjoying each day as I should. I continually make a promise to myself to stop focusing on the weekends and live in the present but I'm certain I'll become better with this whole scheme in less than a month! So until then, I live for the freakin' weekend!

Hopefully everyone has some rowdy plans. Several of my people are running in the Music City Half-Marathon tomorrow morning and I give them big props!! GOOD LUCK MY LOVELY LADIES! Instead of being at the finish line like a good friend should be, I will be making the trek North to see RB. This weekend RB becomes a year older so I figured I would go up for a visit and see if anything new is happening in the corn fields of Illinois.

D and I were just discussing (on the Gchat-o-sphere) those shows we used to look forward to on Friday night. You had your regulars like Full House, Family Matters, and Step by Step, assuming you could stay awake until 9:30pm. But what about the ones that got away? Dinosaurs. Hangin' With Mr. Cooper. And don't even get me started on some SNICK. I LIVED for SNICK. Are You Afraid of the Dark? Nope, not me! But that's a whole different day and today, is Friday! (Full House theme song, just to make sure your Friday begins on the right foot!)

As I aged, my people and I realized Friday nights could be spent at a more risque' venue. Enter Magic Wheels. The only good thing I can say about my time at Magic Wheels is at least it was exercise and a big dose of seeing people behave in ways I knew inappropriate for our age. I witnessed, learned from their mistakes and even chuckled a bit at their actions while taking a break from the rink to enjoy my dill pickle. After that phase came the Ouija board. (Probably more of a digression.) I still think LShep moved that little Ouija thing but if not then I spent my Friday nights speaking the spirits in the graveyard behind her house. Our mother's were so proud!

I certainly hope everyone enjoys their 60 hours of freedom this weekend! And Happy Birthday, RB!

That Time of the Year Again, Ladies

So my dear friend, D, spoke to me from the Gchat-o-sphere today and told me I should blog about finding the perfect swim suit. I decided I would be perfect for giving this advice. Everyone who knows me knows I have the perfect bikini bod, a crisp, golden tan at all times (see last entry) and can always be found wearing that perfect suit.... you're welcome for that little chuckle. Men will never understand the thought and work that goes into picking the perfect suit. Especially with all those choices nowadays! (Can we please discuss the "one-piece" with the disgusting strip of material down the front and back? Talk about some killer tan lines!)

Now, if I know my girl D, she's thinking, "If only my rear end could be as perky as my boobs and as tight as my curls, I'd rock a thong on the lake all summer." While that might be entertaining for those of us who tend to poke fun at individuals in thongs, I think upon her quest for the perfect suit, she has ruled that one out for this summer.

Bandeau: This is the newer hotness. I say newer because those crazy one-piece "things" are popping up all over the place. I am a big fan of the bandeau. Here is my favorite suit of the season.


It can be found here. It is also a small fortune. Another point of interest is that I am not top heavy in the least. With that being said, you best be careful where you go diving with one of those mothers on! It is very likely to be ripped from your body at Mach 10 speeds, never to be seen again. This, my friends, is quite the predicament! No bandeau equals, well, topless.

Topless: Dear 8 pound, 6 ounce baby Jesus, Please make this option go away. Amen. This is just bad all the way around. Sure, it's legal in Mexico and other ridiculous places to go topless but SPARE US ALL. It is always the women that have no business exposing their goods who take advantage of this legality. Okay, maybe not always but I'd bet on a large percentage of the time.

Halter: Always a good option. Tie the top a bit tighter to give that extra lift so many of us not-so-blessed ladies desire.

Bottoms: I am partial to the bottoms with the sides that tie. This isn't to say I prefer "string bikini" bottoms. No sirree! You can get a good tying side bottom that doesn't create the dreaded muffin top and still has the coverage most classy, quarter of a century old girls such as myself prefer. Roxy and those surfer-esque brands are going to be a little skimpy on the rear end coverage. Take it or leave it, but don't say I didn't warn you! You could end up like this chick...

One-piece: I'll throw the ever popular tankini in here also. These are required for those working as lifeguards or camp counselors and those who just feel more comfortable behind threads. I have noticed quite the cute selection this year! Love this one from J.Crew!

I certainly hope my coverage of the hard-to-avoid swim suit will benefit a few. It is certainly not rocket science. Chances are, you look just fine. ....But on the bright side, you can always invest in a super cute cover up! And don't forget that SPF!

Roast your insides?

Ok. So I've been going to the inside-roasting bed for a few days now. Each year I vow to myself I will not get back in that wrinkle/dark spot causing, dead skin smelling, cornea burning tunnel of bright lights and year after year, I return. I make excuses for myself like, "but if I don't go, then I will fry on vacation" (true story) or "I need some vitamin d." I even go as far as to tell my people how horrible it is for your body and they should lay off. So guess what. That makes me a hypocrite. Now don't get me wrong. Some people really take that bed of bulbs a bit far. Freakishly tan YEAR ROUND or for our entire friendship is a bit much. They know who they are. But, I'll admit, there is just something about the place that draws me back visit after visit, 6 minutes after 6 minutes (I can't imagine the condition my skin would be in if I actually stayed the entire 20... Sheesh!). Maybe it is the smell of the "tanning" lotion or the question mark surrounding the color of my skin upon departure of Tan-N-Go. Golden brown or embarrassingly burnt (usually a nice crimson color...hey, it sorta turns into tanish color). I guess the point I am trying to make is I still hold out hope each year that this, my friends, will be my summer to tan. So assuming my insides don't fry and I don't get crows feet, this could be my summer! But on the bright side, no matter what tan (sometimes orange)complexion my Mystic spray might give me, it'll always be there for me, keeping me melanoma free!

...but on the bright side

Blogging: seems like a pretty rowdy concept if you are doing something cool like getting married, selling something, making fun of people, adopting a child, etc. These are all reasons friends of mine have created blogs. I am doing none of the above. If for any reason at all, I am blogging to waste time, vent and maybe even to make myself a tad bit more interesting. More importantly, I'm blogging to increase positivity within my own mind...

Enter the blog: ....but on the bright side. I've always been one to sort of think things through too much and even become extremely negative about ideas and people just simply by thinking too much about it. Recently, it has occured to me that there is always a bright side. It might take us a while to figure out what that might be, but it is definitely there. My blogging experience might change directions over the course of its life, however short-lived it might be. My thoughts behind it is simply to share my "positive views" on these not so "positive" occurences in the lives of 25 years young individuals such as myself.

Current situation: house, job. You see, I just purchased a home in a town I do not currently reside in or even have so much as a job. Crazy? Probably a little. Did I think too much about this purchase? OBVIOUSLY not or I would not have made such an extremely rash decision. ....but on the bright side, I LOVE IT! It's perfect and I KNOW I will be so very happy there. Another bright side (woohoo! big step, there's more than one!), I get to live with one of my best friends and exactly 3.5 miles from another one and have plenty of sleeping space for all the others! Yep, looks like this one will turn out A-OK!

As for the job situation, I'll be posting that bright side when there is one to post.... Until then, I'm decorating in my mind.