Yard Sale Chic: Dreaming of a New Bag

(Image Above: Martine Sitbone - Large Tote)
(Image Above: See by Chloe - Flapjack Bag)
(Image Above: Paul and Joe - Casimir Tote)
(Image Above: Kooba - Janine Shoulder Bag)
(Image Above: Botkier - Violet Runway Hobo)

I have been wearing the same Marc by Marc Jacobs bag since my birthday in November. As much as I adore the purse, I am wanting something new. With the economy on the rocks, more and more luxurious bags are going on sale. Now my only dilemma is to get a smaller bag or the same size bag? People say my bag is massive, but I like that it carries my umbrella, lunch, and an extra pair of shoes. I don't think I could carry anything smaller on a daily basis. What are your opinions of the above bags?


(Images above via shopbop and Neiman Marcus)

Summertime Tease

What is up with this weather? Hot one day, cold another day, humid during the day, freezing at night. Summer is so close I can taste it (in the form of a melting ice cream cone).

(Image to the right is from Jenkinson's Boardwalk at the Jersey Shore...a perfect pic of nostalgic summertime fun).

Trailer Park Lounge

My friends and I decided to go to Trailer Park Lounge for a little WT (white trash) drinking and eating. Basically, this place serves PBR from the can, strong margs (although very small in size), hot dogs, burgers, tater-tots, all of which is served with plastic utensils and Styrofoam plates (very non-environmental, but it adds to the atmosphere and theme of the restaurant).

Speaking of the atmosphere, not only does the food make you feel like you are at an outdoor BBQ, the decor is filled with Elvis', a large juke box, half an Airstream trailer, astroturf, plastic pink flamingos, old 50's commercials playing on a black & white TV, waiters in mullets, etc. It kind of made me want to tie my blouse into a belly shirt and have my cleav hang out all while shot-gunning a PBR and smoking a cig.

So yeah, this place was overpriced ($8 for grilled cheese and tots and $8 for margs), but it was a fun place to hang with some friends. And believe it or not, I didn't find it over-the-top and annoying. Actually, it reminded me a lot like bars I've been to in Indiana!

(Image via podolux)

My Future Wedding Photo

This is exactly how I want my wedding photos to look like; quirky and fun. I also love that this wedding party exemplifies a little bit of old and a snid-bit of new. How fun-tastic!

(Image via Cafe Mode)

Songs I Love: Daniel

Bat For Lashes - Daniel

Not only do I love the styling of Natasha Kahn (lead woman of Bat For Lashes), I love her voice! It reminds me of Enya/Heart/something wonderful. This song Daniel makes me want to put flowers in my hair and dance in circles with my arms out.

(Image via Refinery29)

Atticus - Weeks 11 & 12

Baby boy is getting biiigggg, just about twice his birth weight now. My fav pic is of Atticus sleeping on his daddy with Sam the bird on his butt!

Aloe

My parents have an aloe plant (pictured left - apparently my parents use a plastic spoon as a mini shovel?), and after a weekend in the sunshine, I am thinking it may be a good idea to raise one of these fellas. Nothing better than some fresh aloe on the skin! It's also great to drink....yes, I said drink (but don't go sucking down your aloe plant, because only a certain variety plant is drinkable).

Trivia Night at Dempsey's

Went to my first trivia night at Dempsey's in the East Village and boy was it a good time. Now, I am definitely one of those people that think they could stand a chance on Jeopardy (Junior edition that is), but I found last night's trivia questions VERY tough. Hell, it made me feel like an iiidiot. Oh well, our team didn't win the grand prize of a $25 bar tab, but we did win for best handwriting (high five Third!), of which the prize was a Word Search for Idiots book (which I got to keep). Oh, I can't forget to mention that our team's name was an homage to the season finales of all our fav shows....Dancing With America's Next Top Idol.

Day Drinking

Beautiful days like this make me want to hang out with friends on the patio of some Mexican restaurant and drink sangria, mojitos, and margs. However, I'm in my freezing cold office and working til 6. Boo!

(Image is from a day in Park Slope with the girls at Barrio.)

What Can I Do With These Brussels Sprouts?

I buy veggies that are on sale, thus buy a lot, then I get home and I'm not quite sure what to do with them. I just got done with a plethora of brussels sprouts, and ended up eating them for 3 nights in a row. One night I boiled them and put them with my pasta (not so good); then the second night I sliced them and cooked them with mushrooms, craisins, pecans, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. This was so good that I made them again the third night. Nonetheless, 3 days in a row of anything will keep you away from it for awhile.

Season Finales

Tis the season for the finales of all my favorite shows. Yes, I'm a bit of a TV nerd, but it keeps me from spending money. So this is what I think....

*Lost: Most loved it, I wanted more closure. Last season, some got off the island, but this season a lot of nothing happened. I was a bit upset with the following... Sun and Jin did not reunite, No one is really in love with Juliette, Is Jack crazy or not?, Is Ben a good guy or not?, What is the deal with Locke? Can any questions be answered?!!

*Gossip Girl: SPOTTED...An awesome season finale ending with high school graduation.
YES...Chuck and Blair!
SO...Georgina, Dan, and Blair are all going to NYU? Serena will be at Brown? How will this work out?
HOORAY...Lily and Rufus are finally engaged!
UH-OH...Looks like the long lost son will be around the next season.
BLAH...I'm sooo over Nate and Vanessa (not that I ever cared about their boring story line).

P.S. I found myself oooing and ahhhing over Blair's headbands (No, I'm not over the headband thing...I love them still...don't judge) -- especially the gold rope one.

*One Tree Hill: This was a tear-jerker for me. A finale with a 99% of happyendings, except for Dan being hated by everyone in his life. I wish everyone could forgive him before he croaks! I'm just happy that baby Sawyer has BOTH parents. I'm happy that Brooke tells Julian she loves him. I love that Brooke's mom is being nice. I'm excited for Nathan to be in the NBA...finally. And the happy list goes on and on.

Soooo I'm embarrassed to admit this, but there are more finales that I've watched and loved, but choose not to discuss (in order for me to not look like a complete loser). Oh-me-oh-my.

(Image via cwtv.com)

Songs I Love: By Your Side (Neptunes Remix)

Sade - By Your Side (Neptunes Remix)

I'm bringing it back old school again! I love Sade with her smooth vocals and I love The Neptunes with their amazing mixing abilities. What a match made in remix heaven! Now I came across this song during the Napster days in high school and I have loved it ever since. This was the song I played in my car when I was feeling a bit sad, but wanted to feel good. Bingo! This song has it all.

FEED Fashion

If you have watched the most recent season of The Real Housewives of New York City, you may remember Alex McCord trying on a corset made of 3 FEED bags made by designer Maggie Norris. FEED is an organization that makes 100% organic cotton burlap bags that are sold worldwide in which one purchased bag = feeding a child in school for one year. A pretty great cause I must say, not to mention a trendy reusable bag to haul any goodies you may have.

Well, to my point of bringing all this up...
The Whole Foods in Chelsea has a window display showcasing 8 or so designs made with these FEED bags. They are very cool, very unique, and 100% Green. Awesomeness.

Cricket in the Closet?

I've been hearing a very loud cricket noise every morning this week, so naturally I thought we had a cricket friend staying with us for awhile. So I had a few extra minutes this morning and decided to find the little guy, and to my dismay, I realized it was my roomie's alarm! No wonder I never heard the creature at night time. Well, at least we don't have a bug problem :)

Dumb-Dumb of the Week: Jon & Kate and the Poor 8 Little Kids

This news is old to those who are celeb gossip freaks, but to some people's surprise (I had an inkling this would happen) Jon from Jon & Kate Plus 8 is cheating on his wife, Kate, with a 23 year old teacher. These rumors were allegedly started after some photos of Jon going into a car with the woman got out. Not only that, but the woman's brother told the press that he hears some booty slapping going on in the bedroom next door and knows it is the 2 of them gettin' it on. Now I am appalled that this could be happening. Those poor children! However, Kate is quite the controlling, belittling, biotch on the show, and I don't care much for her. Then again, what do I know about raising 8 kids, 6 of which are sextuplets and the other 2 being twins. I guess I would be captain insano-biotch also. Nonetheless, it's a sad story and I wish them the best.

(Image via yahoo.com)

Atticus - Weeks 8 & 9

From my cousin's email, "Atticus is 2 months, 1 week and 3 days today. At his 2 month check up he weighed in at 12 lbs. / 10 oz. and was 23 1/2 inches long, which puts him in the 75th percentile for both."

I just love seeing this boy get bigger and get cuter.

Love Robster

My BF (Rob) and I love lobsters, so when I came across this photo I automatically thought about my love, my Robster.

(Image via Dlisted)

Booji

Here I am thinking the term "booji" had something to do with being rich or having luxurious things. I guess I was completely wrong because according to urbandictionary.com what I thought to be correct is the exact opposite of what it means. Shows how much I know about social class terminology.

1.	booji	103 up, 18 down
	From the French term Bourgeois, which means middle class, assuming everyone else is from the lower class. Materialistic. My sister's new boyfriend thinks she's booji just because she lives in Marin County, but she's keepin' it real tho!

(Image via highsnobsociety)

DVR

I do not have cable TV in my apartment (and I haven't for almost a year). Yet to my surprise, it has not been bad at all. However, the one thing I do miss is DVR. Even with every day poor people TV, there are times I would LOVE to record a show and watch it later. But NO, I need to watch the "live" version or I will miss it.....like tonight when I will miss Gossip Girl. Boo.

(Image via Westword)

Paper Foldables

My friends and I are loving these awesomely fun paper toys (like paperdolls from back in the day, but way cooler) from paperfoldables.com. They are freakin' hilarious and if you are ever in an awkward situation (and are carrying one with you in your purse for any reason), they make quite the conversation starter.

Happy Day

The weather is lovely, the mood is light, my belly is full, the boss is away, and I will see my love today. Oh what a happy day it is!

(Image via When Skies Are Grey)

Guess Who?

Can anyone guess who this young man is? A little hint...He will grow up to be one of People mags most beautiful (numerous times), he blew up as a star in ER, and was once the Batman.

(Image via Dlisted)

One of the Best Days of College

One of my best buds (and sorority sister) is a sports FANATIC, whose birthday just so happens to come around the Superbowl each year. This lead us to have an annual Kayla/Superbowl party each year which was ALWAYS one the BEST parties of the year. We celebrated with my pledge class and the same group of frat boys, who always knew how to be great hosts.

The first party was definitely the best one, when in January, the weather was 60 degrees! We started the day out drinking, which lead to ALL people blacked out before the game even started! This occurred during the pregame show where we decided to play lots and lots of drinking games....one of which consisted of each person chugging their drink then taking a lap outside of the house. Then we decided it would be a good idea to put some meat on the grill. This was the biggest disaster as you can imagine we were all quite drunk by this time. Ground beef was being thrown at each other and onto the house, people falling over one another, the burgers going up in flames, the grill master not cooking the meat all the way leading some to bite into a raw piece of meat. Speaking of meat, our friend Jeffers chucked a raw burger (that Courtney pre-ketchup'd) at a girl who then took her white shirt off to wash the stain out in the kitchen sink. I came back the next day to pick up a few stragglers who had passed out there, only to find a flock of crows feasting on all the food we threw around outside.

Ahhhh the memories...or lack there of.

(Above photo is a perfect depiction of what was going on that day/night... BJ fighting the flames on the grill, Theo laughing - not helping - Kiley and Courtney who have fallen to the ground yet managed to keep their beers in their hands.)

Mother's Day

This Sunday (May 10) is Mother's Day 2009. It breaks my heart that I will not be able to be with my mom on this happy day, nor will my dad or brother. This means my mom will be home alone with the puppies...like usual. Sheesh, I'm about to tear up at my desk because it makes me so sad. My mom is the most selfless, loving, wonderful woman I know, and I love her with all my heart.
**Sigh**Tear**

Atticus - Weeks 5,6, and 7

My little second cousin is growing up! Unfortunately I have yet to meet the little guy, which leads me to say that being far away from my family is the most difficult thing about living in NYC. Anywho, isn't he just the cutest? I have sent him mostly 0-3 month clothing and he is already getting too big for it. Good thing I work with kids' clothes until a size 5T!

Freaky-Deaky

I was walking home the other weekend and came across a very interesting exhibit by NYU. Part of me laughed because these beheaded creatures looked like Muppets, and part of me was mortified for the same reason. I love Muppets...with bodies and without blood.

"Gifts We Give Ourselves"

My friend Courtney passed along one of her daily oms, which gave me a smile on this dreary day. I know I blog about how awesome my friends are quite often, but I can't help it.

Gifts We Give Ourselves
Friends

Good friends enrich our lives in so many ways. Through a magical combination of similarities and differences, friends offer us the opportunity to know ourselves as we are and help us grow into who we want to be. Our similarities attract us to each other, comforting us with familiarity when we see ourselves in them. When we are drawn to those we admire, the same recognition is at work, unconsciously acknowledging that these people possess qualities that we ourselves possess. By acting as mirrors, friends help us define who we are by reflecting our selves back to us.

Friends also help us know ourselves through our differences. Differences allow us to see other options and make choices about who we want to be. Sometimes we are drawn to those who appear to be our opposites, and we learn to accept the parts of them we love and the parts of them that don’t resonate with us, thus allowing us a valuable learning experience. By expanding our understanding to include others’ experiences, friends help us accept others. By understanding when someone’s life differs from our own, we can learn about ourselves in contrast. There are times when we see in friends what we don’t like about ourselves. That mirror reflection may be hard to take, but a good friend helps us find ways we can change and supports us in that choice.

Part of the joy of friendship is the feeling that we are accepted just the way we are, with no need to change. It is a gift they give us, and one we can give back every day. Ultimately, we choose friends because they make us feel good about ourselves and life. Through tears and difficulties, friends help us find the laughter. When we find those special people who offer us that perfect combination of comfort and stimulus to grow, we are very fortunate. Friends, those wonderful companions that walk with us through life, help us define and refine who we are and who we choose to be every day.

(Above photo is from my Junior year at IU with a few of my pledge sisters)

Derby Day in DC

I spent this past weekend in DC, where we partied like we were at the Kentucky Derby. The DC area has their own derby at the same time called Gold Cup, but we decided not go to that and hit up a few local parties instead. We got all dolled up in our Sunday's best, wore big hats, ate Kentucky Fried Chicken, and drank Mint Juleps. Although it was a bit rainy, the weekend was an overall success!