OMGG

Oh my Gossip Girl! It's ba-a-ack!

Anyone else ....
....think the wait for new episodes was entirely too long?
....can't wait to see the Lily spin off episode in a few weeks?
....think Blair needs a serious hair intervention lately?

No? Just me? You don't secretly think Monday's aren't all that bad so long as there is new Gossip Girl to look forward to?

Oh, well, then. Carry on with your dreary, drama-free grown-up Monday.

Don't mind me, I'll just be over here trying to contain my giddy inner school-girl while I count down the minutes until we find out what this is all about....

{sneak peek via People.com}

Because he's smooth like that....

Last weekend on the way to the airport, I told Nate he wouldn't have to bring me a souvenir from his trip if he'd just bring me a Starbucks espresso brownie from the airport. I am crazy for those things and they can only be found in airport Starbucks. I am only slightly ashamed to admit that I will take great pains to fly through Atlanta or Chicago just because I know I can my grubby little paws on one (or half a dozen, but who's counting?).

Nate does not understand my obsession and tries his best not to encourage my manic Starbucks habit so I had no illusions that I would actually get one.

We hadn't been home five minutes when I was already eyeing the gift bag he'd been carrying. I oh-so-casually asked if he'd brought me anything and could it perhaps be in that bag right there?

To which he grinned slyly and pulled out this...

WTH?

And then it hit me what it was....


Kinder Eggs! The world's (well, at least Germany's) greatest chocolate! When we traveled through Europe in college, I practically lived on Kinder Eggs, Twix and Sprite. The eggs are milk chocolate on the outside, white chocolate on the inside and when you break them open, there's a cute little toy inside. I had totally forgotten about these things, but Nate had remembered how much I loved them. Aw!

It was almost enough to make me forget about the espresso brownie that I didn't get....until he reached into his other bag and....TADA!!! One little square of chocolate and espresso heaven, just for me, all the way from Chicago.


Because he loves me like that....

Eye Candy

{Image of Channing Tatum via VanityFair}

You know you go to Starbucks too often when...

...you get personal invitations to attend their training classes!

Did you know that there are different levels of barista? I didn't, until this morning. Apparently, there are your basic green apron kind and then the 'coffee expert' kind that wear black aprons.

So I popped in to Starbucks while I was out avoiding cleaning my house running some very important errands. To say that I am a regular there would be an understatement....they all know that I work from home, write a local blog, and even that Nate is away for the week. Don't judge.

Anyway, my favorite barista, Sarah says to me, 'I have something for you and I know it's kind of weird but I'm going to give it to you anyway'.

I am fairly certain that my face lit up like a five-year-old's on Christmas Day. What can I say, I'm easy like that.

It was an invitation to her Coffee Master seminar to qualify for her black apron.

I'm not sure whether to be super excited or embarrassed that I am there so often I now get invited to training nights.

Wonder if there's free coffee at this shindig? Keeping fingers crossed....

Someone please hold me back!

Guess what just popped up in my inbox? Good Lord, please save me from myself.



Their new spring collection is in and I was in L.O.V.E when I was there last weekend but I knew Nate was right outside, so I showed incredible restraint and just walked away with two sale items. However today, Nate is half a world away and I have an entire Saturday to myself...when the husband's away, the wife will pay.....

I've developed kind of a thing for prints lately, which is totally out of the norm for me - I am normally a solids kind of gal. Who could resist this springy poppy skirt, though? And that watercolor flowered dress will be mine before the spring is over; it's not a matter of if but when (and maybe a little bit of how much thrown in).

I need another coat like I need a hole in my head, but how can you resist this adorable trench coat? I am not much for the recent plaid trend, but I am mad for this white and black beauty. And since a return to an office seems to be in the cards for me, I could definitely use a power color like red in my work wardrobe.

See, honey, I need this stuff! It's for the job.

If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen freezing my credit cards in the ice cube trays....

Sound off

If I hear one more person say I don't need to worry about my job situation because I'm extremely 'hireable', I think I will scream.

I know they are just trying to be reassuring but it is not helping. I have been looking high and low for six weeks now - revising my resume, writing the best cover damn cover letter ever, spending hours on the internet scouring for jobs, sending out literally dozens of resumes, networking my little fanny off and not a single, flipping phone call. Not even a wrong number.

My head knows that I am blessed because we are fine financially without my income. Things could definitely be worse. But my ego is not too fond of the idea of being labeled 'unemployed', even for a short period of time. I take a lot of pride in the things I have accomplished and where I've managed to get in my five short years with my company. It is hard to imagine starting over somewhere else and being a nobody again.

Okay, rant over.

Sparks will fly again!

{image via perezhilton.com}

Ooooh! Look who's back on Gossip Girl! The deliciously devilish Georgina Sparks! I'm giddy as a high school girl waiting for the new episodes to start next Monday!

What's up, Sugarpop?

Sadly, no new episode of LOST tonight. WTH?

Don't they know us LOSTies are dying to know what happens now that Sawyer has seen Kate for the first time in three years?

Since the execs at ABC are torturing us with an extra weeks wait, fill the hole in your Wednesday night line up with this fun little game.

Happy birthday, Barbie!

Today she turns 50, but I swear she doesn't look a day over 25!

Say what you will about the unrealistic expectations set by her, ahem, assets....I loved Barbie as a little girl and I am none the worse for wear. I spent many blissful hours making up elaborate scenarios for my Barbies to act out. My most vivid Christmas memory is of the year my sister and I got the magnificent three story Barbie Dream House, complete with spiral staircase and elevator. My Barbie lived the glamorous life - a hunky GI Joe husband, a limo, a pool, a stable and the largest Barbie clothing collection known to mankind.

On second thought, maybe Nate does have Barbie to blame for my shopaholic ways....

But, Honey, it's for charity...

I know I'm supposed to be on shopping hiatus, Honey, but this one is for charity. You wouldn't want to deprive the poor children now, would you? Think Nate will buy that?


Join me this weekend (March 12-15) in GAP's Give and Get charity promotion. You shop at any of the GAP family of stores (GAP, GAPkids, Banana Republic, Old Navy) and get 30% off of your in-store purchase. In turn, GAP will give 5% of your total purchase amount to the charity of my choice, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Do your part for the economy and help fund the fight against blood cancers (and get some totally cute stuff for yourself while you're at it!).

Click here to print my friends and family coupon!

Perfect Day

As usual, the weekend flew by way too fast and a new work week has arrived. I'd like to say that I'm not complaining because I'm just happy to get a paycheck, but that would be a bald faced lie - I am not at all pleased to see a new work week come, paycheck be damned.

We had an unprecedented Saturday here - neither one of us worked the whole entire day! Woohoo! I am often a Work Widow on Saturday mornings. Nate gets up super early, even on the weekends, and more often than not I wake up to find him gone, getting in a few extra hours in the lab. And my work has taken up more than a weekend or two over the last several weeks. Needless to say our 'To Do' list is a mile long, the house is a disaster and neither of us has been too pleasant to be around. So with Nate's business trip starting on Sunday, we decided to play hooky all day Saturday - no work, no cleaning, no laundry. Just the two of us, doing whatever tickled our fancy.

Numero uno on my list? Sleeping in! Which I did like a champ until 10 o'clock, while Nate went for a seven-mile run at the local park as training for the torture Mini Marathon he's signed up for in May.

We had plans to meet friends for lunch at a place that wasn't too far from the mall - how very convenient (at least for those of us who enjoy malls)! After much cajoling, I finally convinced Nate to head out just a tiny bit early and let me do a little shopping. I have been keeping my shopping in check for the last six weeks, so I was practically salivating at the thought of going to the mall! I managed to be a very good girl and only bought two things, one of which was on clearance. Plus I had a 30% off coupon that was good even on sale stuff. Score! It would have been a crime not to use, right?

I got this super soft yellow tee. I don't own anything this lovely butter yellow. I'm super excited to dress it up for a date night.


As if letting me out of my shopping cage wasn't enough, Nate also went to Starbucks with me after lunch. Yes, seriously! Those of you who know Nate, know this is basically unprecedented behavior. He gives me grief on a daily basis about my, uh, 'habit' and usually refuses to set foot in one as a matter of principle. But someone at work had been raving about the 'Chow tea' and said he should try it. I laughed in his face politely told him it's actually Chai tea and I would be happy to treat him to one with my fancy Gold Card. There are several kinds and I gave him my thoughts on the ones I had tried, trying to steer him towards the Apple Chai, but he wanted Berry, so Berry he got. After one sip he pronounced it 'piss in a cup' and drank less than 1/4 of his Grande cup. But, hey, I've got to give him credit for even going. Baby steps, people, baby steps.

We took advantage of the gorgeous weather and grilled steaks, asparagus and potatoes for dinner, then watched one of Nate's favorite movies, Road Trip.

All in all, a fantastic day and one we need to repeat more often!

Mommy's little helper

For the last several days, our house has been like Grand Central Station. I am receiving boxes and boxes of paperwork from all of our various offices that are being shut down. Yesterday by 10am, we'd already had a visit from the UPS guy, FedEx, DHL and a certified mail delivery. This constant parade of visitors, of course, sends the dogs into a tizzy.every.single.time.

By 9pm last night they were ready to call it a night, but I was making good progress on the sea of paperwork threatening to swallow up my desk so I was burning the midnight oil.

Lola at 10:00pm.
Time for bed, Mom? Come on let's go.

________________________

Lola at 10:45pm.
Seriously? Still working? Sooooo sleepy.

______________________

Lola at 11:30pm
Can't...make...it...another...minute...must.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

You know you work too much when....

{image courtesy of dinkycow}

...instead of counting sheep, you recite Vehicle Identification Numbers to lull yourself to sleep.

It's a rough life...

...to be a dog in my house.

I went out to the kitchen a few minutes ago to make lunch and this is how I found Oliver on the couch in the living room.


I took three pictures and he didn't move a muscle. He was totally sacked out. So cute!

Retail is the best kind of therapy

I was having this 'text' discussion with my little sister, Amy, earlier this week. Retail therapy is the therapy that keeps on giving. Who needs to waste $150 on an hour long session exploring your Freudian issues, when you can blow that dough at the mall and reap the benefits every time you use your new stuff? Where do I sign up?

Alas, since the big layoff looms large on the horizon, I am no longer indulging in my favorite pastime. This weekend's version of retail therapy included a trip to Sam's Club. Woohoo. Good times.

If I were shopping this weekend, though, here's what would be on my Wish List.

I need another pair of shoes like I need a hole in the head, but I would love to add a pair of purple heels to my collection for spring. Not these by Steve Madden in particular, but something deep or bright purple, in a four inch peep toe. Not that I have given it any great thought, of course.


Maybe it's my longing for Spring, or the approach of St Patrick's Day, or the fact that wearing green allows me to pretend my hazel eyes are at least slightly less boring, but I am wanting an emerald green scarf in the worst way. I have had my eyes peeled for weeks, but can't find one anywhere.


Now that I will no longer enjoy the free book hookup at work, I'm going to start wearing my library card out. But when my favorite author cranks out a new one, I hate the idea of being number 124 on the wait list. Unfortunately for me, I hate the idea of shelling out $24 for a book even more, so I will take my place quietly behind number 123 and wait my turn.


And since you can never underestimate the power of pampering, I'd gladly drop a wad on a day at the spa. Massage, facial, and pedi, anyone?