I have much to be thankful for this year, a fabulous family, awesome friends and kick ass shoe collection (just kidding…kinda).
I’m starting to reign in my tendency to live in the future and enjoy the present. I always say I’m going to do that, but recently, I’ve really been focusing in it and it really is awesome!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!
I know, could have have come up with a more boring title? In my quest to revamp my workspace, I figured the first thing I need is a good, comfortable chair. I want something upholstered, no arms and cute. A couple months back, I found the perfect chair at TJ Maxx, but the Hubs nixed it thinking we would be moving soon. Now it's gone and I'm totally bummed. Here's a couple that are more living room chairs, but I'm wondering if they would work at the right desk.
so this is probably going to make myself sound pretty horrible... but who doesn't sound horrible once in awhile on the internet? everyone. that's who.
i walked into today's bodypump class about five minutes early, surprised that nearly all the spots were taken. relieved, i did find one spot near the front and yes, while most people do not like being in display for the rest of the room to see, i don't care.
i even have a hole on one of my butt cheek which i have to patch up. but as it's mainly a class of women, whom will see me completely naked after the class in the locker room (and vice versa), does one hole, showing my baby blue panties really make a huge difference?
i don't think so.
as i was saying, i like being up front. not because i like being on display (not caring about who sees my bum with the hole showing that i'm wearing baby blue coloured panties and WANTING to show said bum with the hole that's showing blue panties are two completely different things), but because it helps for me to be close to both the instructor and the mirror. just so i can stay focused and on time. and i don't have some one in front of me that's completely off beat, mucking me up.
i hate that. it's my pet peeve. let that be a warning - if you're going to take a spot in front of me, you had better be awesome.
anyway - the class was packed! and as i didn't look around all that much, i didn't realize that half the class was made up of teen girls until the instructor welcomed the students of some catholic school, where they were participating in the class for the day as part of their gym excursion.
and in the middle of the week, outside of summer vacation, i'm just not use to seeing anyone younger then the age of 23 at my gym - and the 23 year olds are usually either trainers or fitness instructors. the rest of us clientele are usually in our 30's and up. these girls were YOUNG! you know - young enough so that THEY needn't be ashamed for gushing over twilight actors.
now, this is a hard class. and while i've been going to this strength circuit training class from hell since september, i'm still working on increasing the plates of the bar that i use. and the last thing i need are a bunch of teens laughing and pointing at me while snickering to each other, "hee hee - look at that older lady there struggling with half the weight i'm using! and she's got a hole in her pants! YOU CAN TOTALLY SEE HER BLUE UNDERWEAR!"
but something amazing happened. because as we started to do the warm-up, and i couldn't help but to see the reflection of those behind me from the wall mirror, i realized that these teens were actually using 1/3rd to even as low as 1/4tr of the weight that i was using. and they were struggling! like - they were just dying and we only had just done the warm-up!
so it's horrible for me to say, but i enjoyed it immensely as i doubled up my plates for the squats while they were all taking breaks numerous amounts of times, panting and making faces like, "you have GOT to be kidding! she wants us to do what now?" they were having 10 times harder of a time then my first class.
and then i really looked around and saw that some of the regulars are actually older then i am and loading up way more weights.
it gave me inspiration - that with age, we actually can become stronger. and that women today knows what it takes to be kick-ass if they want to be.
okay... so maybe this epiphany was somewhat tainted over the fact that i got to feel better about myself through the struggle and pain of a bunch of teens. but i hope, at the least, that these girls saw a future where they too, can achieve this type of strength and determination.
after all, us old farts know a thing or two about life. :)
I have been looking for a crossbody bag for almost a year! Geez, who knew I was so picky? Truth be told, my first choice is the Balenciaga Arena City Classic in either Praline or Gray. I didn’t even know you could get an extra long strap to make it a cross body until I saw the fab Tam rock it as a cross body. But let’s face it, a soon to be part timer doesn’t have that kind of cash to throw around, especially when said part timer is planning trips to Vancouver and Europe (maybe I’ll finally buy my beloved Balenciaga in Paris?).
A super generous vendor gifted me with a $200 Nordstrom gift card. AWESOME! The two bags I’m eyeing happen to be available at Nordstrom! Serendipity I tell you.
The first is the Coach Hailey crossbody Cat blogged a couple of months ago. I really like the chocolate brown version, but I’m completely smitten by the plum colored bag! I’ve been looking to add a red handbag for a pop of color to my (mostly) neutral wardrobe, but when I saw this bag, I realized a plum color would complement my wardrobe much better then red. It even perfectly matches my Hi Speed Cardigan!
The second option is the Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Natasha crossbody flap bag. I wish it came in a gray or charcoal, but the black works too. It has a vintage feel to it and looks cute on. It’s a great basic crossbody.
J Crew, you need to stop. Srsly. Yes, I KNOW today is the final day to take advantage the 20% discount + free shipping on all shoes and boots. Yes, I know my beloved Nottingham flat boots in Mushroom are included in the sale. However, I can’t buy you just yet. A) We’ve adopted three families for Christmas and B) I have a handbag to buy.
A couple of weeks ago, you probably heard me kvetching about how pathetic your paltry $50 discount was on the boots. I mean really, 17%? Lame. You called my bluff and upped the ante to 20% AND threw in three shipping. Touché J Crew, touché. However, I’m going to have to hold off.
My epic search for the perfect cross body bag is nearing a close. I cannot justify buying both the boots AND the bag. Although my fiscally responsible ass will probably curse myself in a couple of weeks when the boots are all gone in my size, I’m just going to have to take that chance. I’m going start working part time soon; I can’t go around throwing money at boots and bags. SHEESH!
So please, I do not need FOUR emails reminding me, “HURRY! SALE ENDS SOON!” I KNOW you are on sale, but please respect my attempt at being fiscally responsible. Srsly.
i guess you could say that today has so far been all about me.
when your husband is out of town for a good part of the day and your kid is sleeping over at your parents' place, wouldn't you make it all about you? damn right!
after my bodypump class, i did a bit of shopping. mainly - christmas wrapping paper, christmas gift bags and some gift-tissue to go with the bags. but while i was at it, i made a point to stop at the shoe company and winners to finally treat myself to some ankle boots. i'm so happy that i did. the one i got at winners is basic but sleek - fine, black leather, squared-off toes and thick heels (more practical). the one i bought at the shoe company is nice and shiny! and really, just for fun - mainly to wear with jeans:
the last thing i did before heading back home was to treat myself to a manicure. it's been way overdue.
i went to one of those drop-in, fast places that only charge $15 for a basic manicure. i've come to the conclusion that the quality isn't any different from some of the more expensive spa's. the extra $10 i have payed for those upscale places have just been that - an upscale place where the ambiance is all very nice and pretty.
the colour? shiny, dark blue, baby. :)
will be sporting them tonight when doug and i head out with friends for some wining and dining.
and i love my boots.
House hunting is on the backburner….again. Hubs decided not to take the job in SF (more on that later), but with everything up in the air, how lean the market inventory is and what this guy says, we’re holding off. HOWEVER, should the perfect house pop up, we’re ready! All our ducks are in a row, fab credit, down payment and debtless, so you hear that perfect house for us? We’re ready for you anytime you pop up! READY! Too bad some bastard investment firm with 50% or 100% down will snatch you up. Jerks.
Living at home is proving pretty awesome, the most being paying down our debt. We spent most of '09 debt free until June when the Hubs charged new computers/office stuff for thenew venture, but we paid that off last month. Anytime I start to get a little impatient and think we should just get our own place, I remember that I'm super grateful to my parents for our situation. It would have taken us a lot longer to accomplish our goals if it wasn't for them. However, being a boomerang kids does have its drawbacks.
One, I don’t really like to cook. I can, but my mom’s usually in the kitchen at the same time and meh, when there’s already dinner already bought/made by her, why bother? The drawback is that the Hubs isn’t too keen on eating Vietnamese food every night. So, I try to cook. Turkey meatloaf and macaroni bakes are my staples. I don’t know what it is about our kitchen, but it’s not conducive to cooking for me. Maybe the feng shui is off or something. *shrug*
Two – decorating. Every time I pass by a Crate and Barrel or pick up Elle Décor I bum out because I don’t have our own space to decorate. Or do I? We held off buying new bedroom furniture anticipating buying a home, but now since that’s probably a year off, why not start now?
Our two nightstands and dresser atrociously UGLY. OMG, I hate them so much. The Hubs FINALLY bought his new TV after talking about it for AGES. When we went to Best Buy and he while he was hemming and hawing, I may or may not have blurted out “JUST GET IT!!!!!!” So now that he has his beloved TV, we can start on stuff for the room.
I really need to work on my desk situation. What I have now is totally cramped. Here’s what my perfect workspace would look like (yes, it includes the Birkin! J)
I love the neutral palette with pops of color. I get bored fairly quick, so I can easily change the look and feel of the space with just a few things. Love it!
First, we're happy to announce that the team has identified and fixed the issue with the YouTube conduit; you can now find and add videos from YouTube to your library and posts. As always, thanks for your patience!
The other news we have today is about a new addition to the Six Apart family: TypePad Micro, a new free level of TypePad that is streamlined for microblogging. We see a new form of blogging emerging that lives between the quick status updates of Twitter and Facebook and the long-form posts of "classic" blogging; TypePad Micro is designed to meet that need. You can read more about TypePad Micro in Chris Alden's post on the Everything TypePad blog.
A lot of the new capabilities we've added to TypePad this year were actually inspired by some of the best things about Vox: favoriting, member profiles, a dashboard to follow other bloggers, and easy ways to post content from other social media sites. But the things that make Vox different from TypePad are still there: Vox has always been -- and still is -- the best place for "friends and family" blogging, where you're in control over who sees what. TypePad, on the other hand, is built for the blogger who wants, no, craves, attention.
Do you have a passion or interest you want to share with people beyond your Vox neighborhood? If so, we'd love it if you tried out TypePad Micro. Maybe you've always wanted to start that obsessive blog that's just about waffle restaurants. Or want a place to share videos of your favorite band (Jonas Brothers, anyone? Anyone? ...). TypePad Micro's great for those topic-specific blogs. Take it for a spin and let us know what you think.
On the Vox front, our designers are working on some cool new themes (coming soon!). We'd also love to hear your thoughts about where we should take Vox in the coming year. What are the key things you'd like to see for Vox? If you've had a chance to use TypePad this year, what are the features there that we should bring over to Vox? And, if you're thinking big thoughts, how could we connect the Vox and TypePad communities in order to bring together bloggers and their shared passions? Your feedback is really important to us, so please leave a comment here, or shoot me a message.
And again, thanks for your patience as we found and fixed the YouTube bug!
~ daisy
I have yet to book our tickets for the Olympics or for Europe, but I am busily prepping for the trip and I by prepping I mean shopping around for awesome coats & jackets. =P Here are the contenders.
J Crew’s Stadium Cloth Winnie Jacket in Bold Butternut. I normally shy away from yellow as it tends to wash me out, but I can’t resist the bright hue and adorable detailing on this jacket. It has the military jacket vibe that everyone is so hot for now, but subtle enough that it won’t look dated next season.
Anthropologie’s First Frost Coat This baby has 4 ½ out of 5 stars according the 46(!) reviews online. Everyone seems to love it. It’s super cute, but I don’t know if it warrants the price tag as it looks a little bit too casual.
Anthropologie’s Checkered, Please Jacket. I didn’t give this jacket a second thought when I first saw it, but then Kim over at Anthroholic gave it a rave review and it looked great on her. It’s uber cute, but ¾ sleeve jackets/coats always throw me off because, dude, what’s the point? However, after I saw how she styled it with long sleeve blouses I thought, “Duh, why didn’t I think of that?” Also, it just went on sale today, it may be too good to pass up?
J Crew’s Wool Ribbon Script Coat. It was love at first sight when I spotted this coat in the
catalog. It read of a really pale
lavender in the catalog, but IRL it looks more dirty dishwater. The Coal is also gorgeous. We shall see.
Anthropologie’s Freshly Fallen Coat. I love this coat, the color, fit and details are fabulous! I am a bit concerned that I’ll tire of the rosette detailing, but isn’t it gorgeous?
we were sitting in the living room, doug and i, while chaeli was playing pinball on the wii with my aunt.
out of nowhere, we hear chaeli yell out, "ALRIGHT! ROCK 'N ROLL!"
rock. and. roll.
i have no idea where she got that from
***
at the zoo, chaeli went up to the educational table, which are always manned by volunteers.
she stood there for a few seconds and then asked the lady, very loudly i might add, "DID YOU KILL ALL THESE BUTTERFLIES AND BUGS? JUST TO SHOW IT ON THIS TABLE???"
ack!
***
for such little person, she clogs up the toilet the MOST in our household.
