A Slight Obsession with Halloween

I personally blame Walt Disney Pictures for bewitching me into making my favorite holiday Halloween. Hocus Pocus is one of the best things about Halloween, and if you try to argue that point, then you can just click here and the good people at Buzzfeed will walk you through why I'm right. After doing the math in my head, Hocus Pocus came out when I was 7, and I loved Halloween far before that.

I can remember dressing up in costume from a very early age, since I could dress myself. A princess. A parrot. A pirate. A bride. I just loved to put costumes on. My first dance recital costume reminded me of Minnie Mouse, so I wore it all the time. My first cat was a black cat named Spooky. Poor little Spooky was catnapped 2 weeks before Halloween when I was 6 years old. My mom and I had 6 little wooden pumpkins that we'd decorate with sharpies every year. Of course we'd have to paint over them each year, but that didn't matter. Decorating was an art. Cobwebs, black lights, etc...Even in college, I decorated the door and windows of my tiny little 10x10 room in the sorority house.

Now I have a place of my very own (with my roommate/boyfriend/life partner and pooch). Luckily, they don't mind the decorations, or my need to watch Sally and Jack in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Did I also mention that my 10,000th day on this Earth will be on Halloween? What are the odds? How cool is that? Cooler than a polar bears toenails if you're as obsessed with Halloween as I am.

So let me show you what I've been up to in terms of Halloween crafting. I've added a few things to my Pinterest DIY list, and actually completed Number 29 - Pinterest Projects!

1. Glass apothecary jars. These little babes were made from a combination of glass vases, glass and wood candlestick holders, terra cotta trays, ribbon, paint, and a buttload of hot glue. Yes, "buttload" is the correct form of measurement.

2. Candy Corn Wine Bottles.
Step 1 - Drink lots of wine.
Step 2 - Scrape off labels.
Step 3 - Spraypaint white. Then yellow. Then orange.
Step 4 - Touch up as needed.
Step 5 - Enjoy your creation.

3. Painted Pumpkins. I think I need to get a better close up so you can see how stinking cute these little guys are. I bough 3 pumpkins from the farmer's market...each was $1. What a bargain. The biggest one has black chevron. The middle child pumpkin has a white stem, white polka dots and tiny black x's. The tiniest of all the tiny pumpkins has black and white stripes.

And look who it is.....Little Freddie Monster wondering: a) why momma is outside
b) why I'm not outside with momma
c) is it time to put on my Hot Dog Halloween costume yet?
d) is it time for food yet?
e) all of the above

 My guess is E.









Last but not least, project numero quattro (number four for all you non-Spanish speakers)....Wooden Spooky Plaques. Granted, they look more happy than they do spooky. There's 4 in total, but Mr. Spider/Bat is not finished yet. A spider doesn't really scream Halloween, but that's what Pinterest told me to do. I'm thinking about giving him RedBull - so he can get wiiiiiiiings and be a bat instead. Then he will join the likes of Mr. Pumpkin, Mr. Frankenstein, and Mr. Casper on the shelf above my TV. Right in front of the cinnamon broom....ahhhhh the smells of fall.

Beware: I'm sure I'll do another Halloween post, complete with costumes, recipes, and other spoooooooooky shenanigans.

Until next time,
L

The Only Constant is Change

I'm about to drop some knowledge on y'all. Get ready. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus was the genius behind the quote "The only constant is change". I know, I thought it sounded a little like Dr. Seuss too. Instead of sharing with you my Top 10 Dr. Seuss quotes (is it weird he's one of my favorite authors?) I'm going to talk about change. More specifically, changes to my list.

When this list was created, the first 80 or so flowed out of me like wine at an Italian wedding (or a Junior League meeting - whichever you prefer). Breaking it down by weekly, monthly, and yearly goals was a stretch. Instead of being authentic, a lot of things seemed forced. Either that, or I just gave up completely. So I'm doing a little editing of my list. Meet the new members of the gang -

12. Feel beautiful, comfortable, and confident in my own skin
89. No booze for one month

90. Vegas, baby

91. Go home for my 10 year reunion and not HATE it.

92. Learn how to drive a manual car

95. Find and stick with a good skincare regime

The six new and improved additions are meant to improve my life. Wearing my retainer twice a week, although beneficial to me and anyone gazing at my pearly whites, is not as important as going balls to the wall in Vegas. Or learning how to properly take care of my face. Or learning how to drive my bf's manual Audi.

And now I leave you with not one, but two of my favorite quotes from the good Doctor....

Until next time, 

L

Saying No to Love

It's not what you think. Me and the bf did not break up - even though after the few weeks we've had, I'm shocked he's still around. I'm about one crisis away from a full on mental breakdown, AB style.....yowza!

Moldy old apartment - sick for 3 weeks, but allowed to break lease (yay). 2nd degree burn on upper thigh due to rogue hair wand being placed on bed (no, it wasn't me...I know not to put something 400 degrees on a polyblend comforter where someone could potentially plop down on). Move into new apartment - which floods 20 hours into our lease thanks to a loose hose on washing machine. Then normal stressors like work, being a puppy parent, and really just life in general. Ugh.

This entry relates to "Saying No to Something I'd Normally Say Yes to" - or the second half of number 78.

Many many moons ago...back in my sorority days...lived a smiling, giggly, beautiful, bubbly, charismatic brunette (nope again not me. I was bleach blonde back then) who all the girls wanted to be around, and obvi the guys too. She was one of my sisters, and to be more specific my Secret Little Sister (SLS to be sneaky)- my bad, secret's out now D. 

As the story goes....boy meets girl, girl flirts with boy and gives him "Sweet Kisses" on the cheek (PS those are the best thing in the world...I digress), boy and girl become and item, eventually they get engaged, married, and live happily ever after. By the way...the pic to the right is their first official picture as a couple, remember D?

This is where my story comes in. Thanks to the stressors in my life - see paragraph one - I can no longer attend the Big Day. Something about flights shooting up to $550, my inability to sit on my burn for an 8 hour drive, etc...So I am mournfully having to say No to my SLS on her wedding day. I've set up some FaceTime dates with the bridesmaids and demanded that a small gift be given to my sweet SLS on her big day. So this little post and picture montage is dedicated to her, her future hubs, and me - obvi. I had to cut down the picture selection from roughly 1000 to 6. 

Sorry I can't be there D, but I'll be there in spirit...throwing popcorn and twerking like it's my job. Again, in spirit. Because if I did that at your wedding, it would be embarrassing. I'm just glad I got to jump on board the Hot Mess Express aka her Bachelorette Party and show you some moves. Wishing you and K all the love and happiness possible. Love you both.

Until next time, 

L

So sweet you might get a toothache

 I don't know how many times I can say it without sounding too pathetic, but my boyfriend is awesome.

Why? Let me just give you a little example...

He asked to take me to lunch today, since he has Fridays off (pshhh cushy government job). So typically he picks me up and we go somewhere. Today was different. Today he decided I needed to be adventurous. Today he surprised me. Which I should mention, never happens.

He sent me a couple texts, as I waited outside in the sweltering heat -


...Clearly I was super happy about it. Meh. So I walked to the park. He then instructed me to enter the gates and turn right. Off in the distance, I could see his big, shit-eating grin because he knew he successfully surprised me. And on top of all that, I get to check number 44 off my list (have a picnic in Piedmont Park).

Jimmy Johns, Wheat Thins, Diet Coke, SmartWater plus him on a blanket under the shade. Couldn't have asked for a better lunch date!

Until next time,

L

MIT - The Life for Me.

I'm not quite sure when it happened, but it did....I became domestic.

Meal planning, crockpotting, baking, cooking, sewing, painting, crafting - you name it, I do it.

I honestly blame Pinterest. Access to so much information at my fingertips. Craft projects. Home improvement projects. Food projects. Projects on projects on projects. It's like I have a legitimate excuses to be a MIT....a "Martha-in-Training. "

So my list has 2 sections dedicated to the art of Pinterest. Number 29 allows me to make 10 Pinterest-Inspired projects, while number 28 calls for me to get my Pinterest on in the kitchen.

So here are some of the projects that I've produced the past couple weeks.

Projects:

FSU Fabric Corkboard - It makes me cringe having to touch the colors garnet and gold, however I'm afraid it's something I'm just going to have to accept since my sister and life partner are Noles. These little babies I made for my sister. Her 18th birthday and first week of classes took place this week. She hasn't received them yet, but I'm fairly certain she has better things to do than read her big sister's boring ol' blog!

Painted Wooden Sign - I've seen this done a couple times on Pinterest and I fell in love. Believe there is good in the world - Be the good. Truer words have never been spoken. This is hanging in the master bedroom and the first thing I see when I wake up (other than my sweet little puppy, barking uncontrollably to be let in the bed). It was pretty simple to make - attach wood together (I used my staple gun and hot glue gun); stain wood; paint wood; nail hangers on wood; hang up and enjoy!

Cork Framed pictures - If you recall, the bf and I did a booze+painting class a couple months ago. Well I was staring at this giant bag of corks he brought me (his Dad owns an Italian restaurant....woohooo free corks) and the thought came to me. Slice a cork in half and hot glue to the canvas. So that's what I did. I personally LOVE the way it turned out.

Chevron Bathroom Sign - Wash. Brush. Flush. I was looking at decorations for our bathroom and couldn't find anything I realllllllllllly liked, so I decided to make my own sign. There was a really helpful link on Pinterest that basically dumbed down how to create your own Chevron. All in all the project took 2 or so hours and another 24 hours for the polyurethane spray to dry. Gotta use that spray if it's going in a moist space!

My Pinterest inspired cooking has been going SUPER awesome. Everything has turned out super yummy. Here are a few of my favorites!

Pizza Casserole - Before you get all judgey, I'll have you know the base of this is entirely cauliflower! It was SO delicious. The leftovers were even better than the meal itself!

Cheeseburger Quesadilla, Bacon and Garlic Sauteed Green Beans, and Sweet Potato + Flaxseed Chips. This was kinda all over the place but it was AMAZING. I'm salivating just thinking about this one.

Spaghetti Squash Skinny Alfredo (with chicken and steak - couldn't decide which protein we wanted, so we had both). The squash was easy enough to bake, however, I cooked it too long and it was quite mushy. The homemade alfredo sauce was on point though. I'm giving this one another chance!

Southwest Calzone  with Sweet Potato + Flaxseed fries- This calzone thing. Ermaghed. So delicious. It's super easy to make and is sure to please! The secret ingredient is using fresh pizza dough to wrap the food up. It provides an amazing texture. Okay, I want one right now. As you noticed, I'm on a flaxseed kick. Hey, it doesn't taste bad and its pretty good for you. I say that's a win-win.

So anyways, this is what I've been up to. Channeling my inner-Martha. I have a couple more projects up my sleeve. Can't wait to share them with y'all! Happy cooking & happy crafting, friends!

Until next time,
L

Welcome to the Wild Wild West...coast

Because I can't help myself (attaching YouTube vids to many of my posts), please enjoy some Will Smith while I share with you my first trip to the Wild Wild West....Coast. This allowed me to check quite a few things off my little list. For starters: numbers 6 (travel to the West Coast) and 20 (visit a new state).

Here we are...over a month after our trip. It has left a lot of time for reflecting on the awesomeness of the WWWC (wild wild west coast), and lots of time to create this masterpiece: our trip in 2 minutes and 44 seconds. It's pretty badass, and I'm not just saying that because I live with the guy. And he also takes some pretty great pictures too. It's pretty impressive that a brainiac (like him) can be all artsy fartsy (like me). Before I bore all of you to death with mushy love crap, let's get back to the high and low points of the trip.

High Points:

Seattle. All of it. Never a dull moment. Oh wait, I can think of one...it was just when a bum chased me and my future sister-in-law down for all our spare change - he was quite aggressive. Other than that, Seattle was perfection. The food was great (specifically the freshly made Italian pasta at Spinasse). I also loved going out on Lake Union for a couple hours by boat. If  you're looking to spend some time with the wind in your hair and on the water, I highly recommend The Electric Boat Company since they not only give you a Captain's hat upon departure, but they kindly upgraded us to a premier boat for freeeeeeee. I got to see the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat which was basically the best part of my day - which may have beat out a trip to Pike Place Market watching people catch fish (flashback immediately to The Real World: Seattle), the first SBux, and a mani/pedi at Julep...please open a store in Atlanta. Kthanksbuhbye.


There are certain things a Southern Belle East Coaster like me could never imagine. for example, flying into an airport and seeing snow covered mountains. Hiking for hours at a time and not even reaching your final destination. Let's go back to the mountain thing again. I was practically glued to the airplane window, as excited as a little kid (who didn't grow up in Central Florida) first trip to Disney. "Oh my gosh. Is that a mountain? Whoaaaaa it's so big! What mountain is that? Oh dang...another mountain in the distance. Ahhhhh there are soooo many mountains!!!!"

The food. And the beer. Everywhere. I easily gained 5lbs on my trip. Easily. How could you not when you have amazing places like VooDoo Donuts, Grilled Cheese Grill, Tutta Bella, the world famous Garlic Fries at Safeco Fieldand on your mealplan, not to mention a plethora of local brews to wet your whistle. My only saving grace to gaining more than 5lbs was the amount of walking we did.

The Seattle Sounders Game. Okay, I know what you're thinking....MLS......gross. But the thing about it, this game may have been the craziest and most fun sporting events I've ever been to. We sat one section away from the diehard fans, who had a designated person leading cheers, chants, and songs the entire game. We were also in the 3rd row behind the goal, so that helped. The best part about the experience was after the game. There was a player who had been traded to the opposing team, but had so much love an respect for the fans that he removed his jersey and took a bow with the rest of the Sounders, who all welcomed him over with open arms. I mean, it was incredible. I don't care if you think the only reason to watch soccer is for David Beckham, I highly encourage you to go to a Sounder's game (at home) if given the chance.



Low Points:

Going to Vancouver the same week as Canada Day. Everything was closed by 8pm. Not to mention the tourists who couldn't ride a bike to save their life. I nearly got in 3 bike accidents over the course of the 1.5 hour bike ride around Stanley Park. Maybe I should give Vancouver a try again. On another week. When it's not Canada Day, aye. I mean, the scenery was lovely after all...

The homeless people in Portland. I mean, sometimes you had to do a double take to realize they are in fact just grungy looking, and not in fact homeless. However, we went for a leisurely stroll along the waterfront the Sunday morning we were in PDX and witnessed Park Services people walking around waking them up. Did I mention, the waterfront smelled like pee?

The lowest of all low points:

Denver Airport. *Cringe* Which is where we slept the first night of our vacation after our flight was delayed....then delayed some more....then delayed again...then as we have begun boarding, our pilot has "timed out" and is not able to fly. And there's no hotel airport, so one who have to go into the city. By the time we would arrive to the hotel, pay $100 extra bucks, we'd get 3-4 hours of shuteye and have to make our way back to the airport for the 6am rescheduled flight. Dear Denver Airport and Southwest Airlines, you are on my shitlist.

Here's the silver lining though....the AMAZING staff at the Westin Portland made our stay super special - allowing us an 8am early check-in (when we finally made it) and then slipping this in our room while we were away (complimentary, of course...for our travel troubles). The sneakiest sneak of all...my boyfriend. June was over, which marked the end of my birthday month and the bottle of bubbly was the last thing I could officially claim during my month-long reign as "Birthday Princess".

So to sum of our trip to the WWWC, it was wonderfully amazing. I can't wait to move go back to Seattle. And yes, Portlandia on IFCis the real deal. If you haven't, please watch. You can thank me later.

Until next time,
L

Pay it Forward

Pay it Forward. Not only a semi-decent 2000 drama/feel good movie starring Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, and Kevin Spacey, but also a quite interesting concept, and the theme of this post.

In summation, this concept can best be described as, "You can't pay anyone back for what has happened to you, so you try to find someone you can pay forward." - Anonymous. There is even a dedicated day to do this (April 24th), yet I was unable to help with this specific thing on that specific day.

I feel very blessed in my life right now. Great family, friends, boyfriend, puppy, job, social life so it is only fair to pass my blessings on to someone else. Oh, and I also get to check #85 off my list, because I'm helping to fulfill someone else's goal or dream. Let's get started, shall we. Meet my friend Dayton.

Her and I went to the same college, were very active in our (rival) sororities, and have an affinity for shopping, competitive anything, accessories, Junior League, and wearing wedges, despite our height. We weren't besties (or friends for that matter) in college, and even go off to an interesting start....

I was the captain of my kickball team and our dear friend recruited her to play. All he said was, "She's really athletic, really competitive, and kind of a bitch so I think you guys will hit it off."
I knew who she was. She was in charge of her sorority's recruitment the year I was in charge of all of sorority recruitment. Even though it had been 3 years, I wondered if she'd remember me and how I fined the crap out of them for having too many balloons and a ridiculous ice sculpture during one of their parties. So I was a bit nervous. Then came the moment I dreaded, our kickball meet-n-greet party. She walked up to me and in her best mean girls voice said, "Didn't you used to be blonde?" We were best friends by the end of happy hour.

When I still lived in Tampa, we would walk Bayshore discussing how cool it would be to open our own boutique some day. Be our own boss. Get to try on awesome clothes. Make wearing bows both acceptable and fashionable for older women, as we aged gracefully in the sun and fun of South Tampa. Then I moved. And she took up sketching. Who knew she could draw? It turns out, she could do more than just draw.

By this point, you're probably wondering what this has to do with my list, and if I'm being paid to ramble on and on about this Dayton girl....so let me break it down for ya.

She turned her sketches into something real. Something tangible. Something beautiful. It took a lot of hard work, time, energy, and money but the finished product is quite extraordinary.

Me, Day, and Loren on a Derby Pub Crawl <3

I was lucky enough to be  a passenger on the Dayton K journey. She shared some of her first sketches, logo ideas, fabric samples. And of course, I ate that shit up. Especially the part when she told me she was naming a dress with a giant bow on it after me (in conjunction with my other bestie, Loren...it's only fitting we're paired up together). Her vision is amazing, and so incredibly marketable - you want young, yet classy, but fun and vibrant...oh, I have just the dress for you!

Dayton has drained her savings account to do something she loves and has always wanted to do. She has busted her ass to save, save, save.  Not many people have as much courage, willpower, faith, or determination to do something as amazing as chase a dream. Oh, but Day does.

I want to help Dayton realize her dream of owning a successful dress line. I mean sure, I want all of the dresses, but I also want YOU to want all of the dresses and for YOU to share them with your friends. And I want your friends to want all the dresses and share them with their friends...and so on and so forth. So here I am, making a little blog post. Next, I'll be pinning these dresses like a crazy person. Then tweeting. Perhaps even Instagram if I'm feeling frisky. After that, maybe a tattoo. Talk about branding, huh?

Without further ado, I am pleased to introduce you to Dayton K. Look around. Add to cart. Checkout. Enjoy. Share  Pay it Forward.

And, because I'm feeling extra generous/excited/proud of my girl, if you buy the Lizzy-Loren dress any time before the clock strikes 2014, send me a picture (via any means of social media - I have them all) and your address, and you will receive a special surprise in the mail from little old me. Yay!

Now get out there and get some Dayton K!

Until next time,

L