L is for Lovely

(click picture to enlarge & see all of its fabulousness)

Sometimes I will see a cute letter L, you know, made from fabric or wood or something at places like Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie or a local craft fair and I will think I need it. Then I will think but what do I need it FOR? Then I came across this fabulous use of the letter L in decorating.

Isn’t it soooooo cute? I also love that spiral open-air staircase. I used to have one just like it in my old condo and I miss it. If I ever design a custom-built home, it is going to have that staircase somewhere in the house.

This picture is courtesy of Beki at the fabulous blog Artsy Crafty Babe.

Best of 2009

I got this idea from Amber (another idea from Amber - she has the best ones!). To find out about the Best of 09 Blogging Challenge, click here.

But I am not formally going to participate, and I thought I would just pick and choose which ones I will do for the month of December. I am all about making my own rules, you know!

December 1 is What Was Your Best Trip in 09?

I had to stop and think about what trips I took this year. I feel that I did LESS traveling, but I had to flip back through my calendar.

In May I went to Vegas. It was my first time there EVER. Eric and I stayed at the Paris Hotel and I remember eating a lot, drinking a lot, shopping a lot. Walking a lot. Going to see Donny & Marie (such a great show) and Cirque du Soleil. Hanging out by the pool. Meeting my friend, Will, for dinner one night. Going to the spa. A gondola ride at the Venetian. Playing the penny slots – a gambler I am not. But Vegas is about so much more than gambling. I think, like everything else in life, it is what you make it! And I made it about shopping, drinking, eating and relaxing!

Shopping At Chanel in Vegas

Over the 4th of July weekend we went to New England. We stayed at Eric’s parents’ house in New Hampshire for most of the trip, but we had one night in Boston and one day of shopping in Boston. Plus one fun filled day in Salem—well, it was fun til I tripped in the parking ramp and broke my toe! Otherwise, we spent time at the lake and watched the fireworks over the water.


Cutest Pet Boutique in Salem, Mass.

In August, Eric and I took a road trip to West Des Moines, Iowa - my old hometown. I got to hang out with Amber and we saw Julie and Julia (the movie). I did some shopping at Jordan Creek. I met girlfriends for lunch. I attended the Iowa State Fair. And I briefly caught up with another old girlfriend, my dear friend Leigh Ann who I recently got back in touch with through Facebook. It was my new car, Daisy's, first road trip and it was a blast. (Shockingly, no pictures???!! What the!)

And finally in October we went to Southern California for my birthday weekend. We stayed at the Radisson in Newport Beach and rented a convertible and I did my favorites- shopping, drinking, eating and relaxing. Got to hang out with one of my best friends, Jodan, in Laguna. Saw Marilyn Monroe and Farrah Fawcett’s graves in Hollywood. Had a delicious Red Velvet Cupcake from Sprinkles, of course.


Beautiful Laguna Beach!

Out of those trips, my favorite had to be the California trip because I always love going out there and just feel so at home, but all of the trips were fun and I am glad I took them!

Tempting Tuesday Shopping

Regrettably, I did not participate in this year's Cyber Monday. Shocking I know.



But I can't bear to think that I don't have any fun packages on their way to me so today has been dubbed Tempting Tuesday and I proceeded to use two of my gift cards from my birthday in October.



One was from Barnes & Noble and the other one from Macy's.



From Barnes & Noble I got the new 50th Anniversary Barbie book, "Barbie: All Dolled Up: Celebrating 50 Years of Barbie".



I already browsed through it at the book store and it is full of delightful pictures and replicas of rare memorabilia. I can't wait!




And from Macy's I chose a Betsey Johnson charm bracelet. It has a bunny and a snowflake and a mitten and a heart. How cute is that?




Here is the description:

Dress up with a little holiday spice. This Betsey Johnson bracelet features glass pearls, crystal accents and an array of charms including a bunny, mitten, snowflake and heart. Set in antiqued 14k gold-plated mixed metal.

Random Meme

I borrowed (okay, stole) this from Amber at a Little Pink.
Hopefully, she won't mind!

Current Book(s):
I just finished 3 books, “How Starbucks Saved My Life”, “Home Safe” by Elizabeth Berg (love her writing!), and “Hungry” by plus-sized model Crystal Renn. All 3 were really good books. Now I am onto my next book, whatever that may be.

Current Music:
Satellite radio in my car – I split my listening time between Hits on Channel 1 and then I listen to the 70s, 80s and 90s, and also Lithium (alternative) and Boneyard (the really hard rock station—ha!).

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure:
Internet shopping while at work. I am so bad! Kate Spade jewelry. McDonalds new Holiday Pie.

Current Colors:
Red as in my red Kate Spade bag, perfect for the holidays. And purple. I have a Kate Spade bag in that color as well.

Current Obsessions:
kate spade, little dogs, Anthropologie, Philosophy Eggnog Bubble Bath, and Christmas lights

Current Drink:
Caribou’s Apple Coffee Cooler—but pretty sure it is gone now that it is December – boo!

Current Song:
Leighton Meester’s new song “Somebody To Love”.

Current Movie:
There are two movies coming out that I want to see. The first one is with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker, “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” and the other one is Alec Baldwin & Meryl Streep called “It’s Complicated”. Both come out this month.

Current TV Shows:
Million Dollar Listing, Real Housewives of Orange County, Gossip Girl, 90210, Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives—that is my line-up right now.

Current Wish-List:
A second dog, a white Louis Vuitton bag, and a Porsche. That’s about it for now! Oh, and diamonds.

Current Needs:
I need someone to get the tar off my car (I ran into some road construction). Poor Daisy!

Current Triumph:
See below—I triumphed over that zit. Thanks to a good dermatologist & an emergency appointment.

Current Bane of my Existence:
A big zit. But a little cortisone injection can work miracles.

Current Goal:
I don’t have any goals right now. I sort of want to be goal-less.

Current Indulgence:
Mince pie with brandy sauce, McDonalds holiday pie, chocolate covered cherries and marshmallow Santas. Tis the season.

Current Blessings:
My friends, my husband, my pets (not necessarily in that order!)

Current Slang or Saying:
Happy Holidays, of course. (I am a receptionist!)

Current (Fav) Outfit:
Any dress over black leggings with my low-heeled black suede boots.

Current Excitement:
Hmmmm…. I NEED something to be excited about. I don’t have anything right now. But I will. Don’t you worry.

Current Mood:
Fidgety + a little sleepy – ready to go home. Oh, and run to Target. When the sun sets so early it makes me tired!

My Twitter Cloud

According to Tweet Cloud, these are the words I use most on my Twitter account. And probably the words I use most on my blog, too!

Kinda fun!

Maiden Minnesota - 2009

As someone who enjoys shopping and drinking wine and socializing and jewelry and fashion and candles, etc., etc., of course I had to attend the Maiden Minnesota Event a few weeks back. I meant to write about this a few weeks ago....but as you may have noticed, the theme of my blog lately is procrastination. I don't know what has happened to me.

So to recap, Maiden Minnesota is to benefit the arts and showcases the designs and wares of women-owned companies in the Twin Cities area. This year it was held at the super-elegant Graves Hotel in Downtown Minneapolis.

I was especially in love with the Eggnog Latte candles by Illume. Love it! So yummy for the holidays. Illume candles are available at Anthropologie and Bloomingdale's.



And the long fingerless gloves by Annie Fink. (Similar to those below, but not exactly.) Actually, Annie's are called arm sleeves and are much longer, and were worn by Lindsay Lohan on "Ugly Betty". Click on the link to see what I am talking about and read more about Annie. Each of her sleeves comes with a tiny red heart sewn on the inside of the wrist!!



And, finally, all things Hollywood Fashion Tape. Yes, they are based in Minneapolis, which I never even realized. They are the "stars' secrets to preventing wardrobe malfunctions" and they have everything from body shapers to oil blotting papers to ballet flats. Click here to see their shapewear model! Yes, she really did walk around all evening dressed like that. But she was darling. She was a model!

I Am Famous

(kidding!)

But my little bio is on AliShops.com now. The picture is still a big red X, but her web designer is working on that.

I am officially a shopping assistant. I thought maybe you would want to see the bio:

Lesli LeJeune grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa and moved to the Twin Cities to attend Lowthian College of Design where she studied interior design, fashion history and fashion merchandising. She's a receptionist at the corporate office of the Thymes, a Minneapolis-based bath and body company and lives in Hudson, Wis. with her husband, four cats and a naughty Pug. When she isn't working, blogging or caring for pets, Lesli loves to shop: Nordstrom, Von Maur, Anthropologie, Target. Ridgedale is her favorite mall; 50th & France is her favorite neighborhood. But any place with Kate Spade bags or Nanette Lepore dresses is worth the drive.

I Seemingly Skipped Over Halloween!

I know it is Thanksgiving tomorrow.

I DID celebrate Halloween.

I DID hand out pre-packaged joy to all the neighborhood ghosts and goblins. Until the handle on the screen door broke & Eric announced Trick or Treating 2009 was over!

I DID dress Noodles as a Hot Dog Bun.

Below are some belated pix (as always click to enlarge):

California, My Birthday, Etc.

I started to write this post well over a month ago. But what I can say, I have really been procrastinating! I found it in my notes.

Over the weekend of October 10, I was in Southern California, one of my most favorite areas in the country and where I someday will live. It was my birthday weekend and my husband and I flew out there to celebrate California style!

We flew into LAX , rented a Mustang convertible (a really pretty burgundy colored one) and then drove to Newport Beach where we spent 3 nights at the Radisson. I probably go out to California at least two or three times a year. For one thing, my husband has an office in San Diego and if he gets sent out there for work, you don’t have to tell me twice to tag along. So as a result, I am pretty familiar with the area. I know how to get around and where to shop!

This trip was not supposed to be a work trip for Eric but he did schedule one teeny-tiny conference call, which turned into a 4-hour phone marathon. Not to be daunted, I took the convertible to Fashion Island in Newport Beach and also paid a visit to Sprinkles Cupcakes. When I got back we TRIED to go to lunch at Eric’s favorite Mexican place in Irvine, but on the way there he got an emergency call and he literally spent the whole meal on his phone with his laptop on the table tapping away—ugh!!!

Later that night he made it up to me. No, not like that—ha ha!! He took me to South Coast Plaza and I got a new charm for my Tiffany bracelet and a new watch.


JODAN AND I IN LAGUNA

I also got to spend one of our days in Laguna Beach with my good friend, Jodan, and her boyfriend, Donny. They live in Ontario (east of LA?) and drove down to spend some time with me, celebrating my birthday. We had a really nice lunch at Las Brisas, overlooking the Pacific, and then we walked around Laguna for part of the afternoon window shopping. Okay, I am the only one who did some ACTUAL shopping. One of the things I bought was a really yummy smelling soy candle by Makana Candle Studios in Laguna. The fragrance I got was Coco Mango.

After a stop at Starbucks, Jodan and Donny were on their way

JUST SOME PRETTY SHOTS OF LAGUNA BEACH

In the evening, Eric and I went to Downtown Disney and it is always just fun to walk around there. Of course, I had to get a Mickey Mouse t-shirt. Yes, of course, it is pink.

I KEPT RUNNING INTO DAISY'S CALIFORNIA COUSINS!


On our final day, I decided it was important to visit Westwood Cemetery. I wanted to see the famous wall crypt where Marilyn Monroe is buried and in my research, I discovered that Farrah Fawcett is buried just across the lawn.


MARILYN MONROE'S CRYPT - PEOPLE PUT PENNIES IN THE NAMEPLATE


FARRAH'S GRAVE - SHE HAD A DOZEN RED ROSES - FROM RYAN?

So that wraps up my birthday trip to California. I am ready to go back! Maybe at Christmas?

It's The Little Things - Giving Thanks

For the entire year of 2009, I have been participating in Days of Grace 365, in which I listed 5 things I was grateful for each day. I often fell behind and then would play catch up, but I did it for approximately 240 days and then I really fell behind in September and tried just listing 5 things for each week. And eventually I gave up.

Not that I am not still grateful—I am. I just learned that it is really hard to be disciplined enough to write down 5 things for each day. So, hey, I fell short by 125 days, but that is better than nothing….and it really did make me stop and take notice of the little things that make me smile. I consider it an experiment.

Here and there, I still plan to tell you what I am grateful for. I just don’t want to follow such a strict schedule. I am bad at anything too regimented!

But as this week is Thanksgiving, I definitely need to give thanks and tell you some of things in my life that I am grateful for.

Without further ado:

I am grateful for kittens, cupcakes, fashion blogs, blogging friends, all friends, old friends, new friends, chocolate covered cherries, snowflakes, little dogs, dogs in clothes, dogs in handbags, shoe shopping, clothes shopping, on-line shopping, fun packages and cards in the mail, thank-you cards, birthday cards, Christmas cards, just because cards, watercolor paintings, fashion illustrations, sea shells, falling leaves, sunsets, thunderstorms, shiny hair, skipping, laughter, hugs and the sandpaper tongues of cats.

And those are just a few of the little things I am grateful for.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Thursday I plan to get up and watch the Macy’s Parade in my pajamas. Friday my mom will be here for a weekend of shopping and pie and wine.

Hope your holiday is full of the people and things you love!

Two Fashion Blogs I Am Loving

I recently (as in really recently, like this past week!) came across not one, but two fabulous fashion blogs and I am in love with both of them.

Check them out!!

Glammed If You Do, Glammed If You Don't

&

The Chloe Conspiracy!

You will thank me for referring y'all to these two blogs.

You're welcome!

Mitten Fail

So I have checked Bloomingdale's multiple times today and they are still not letting me order the Kate Spade mittens, although it says they are in stock. But I contacted customer service and the very, very nice lady (excellent Bloomies customer service) informed me that there were zero available to order NOW, but to keep trying. So I did keep trying, but so far no luck.

And while I will try again tomorrow and the next day and the day after that, I am going to need some cute mittens pronto so how about these Betsey Johnson mittens with the cute, dangling pom-poms?? Would you believe I tried to order them twice at the office and both times the website locked me out? WTF???

But I think I can order them now, from home. Wish me luck.

Kate Spade Mittens

I wanted these mittens and now BOO they are sold out. They seem to have been sold exclusively at Bloomingdale's because I can't find them on the Kate Spade website nor at Nordstrom, Von Maur or Neiman's, and now Bloomingdale's has zero to sell. I know, because I called the Bloomingdale's customer service.

How cute would these have been?

I am not giving up!!

Super Secret Project - Part 2

Way back in June I wrote about this.

And then I heard back last week and I met Allison Kaplan of Ali Shops for coffee!! She is so nice and is living my dream--she has parlayed shopping into a career!

And my exciting news is I will now be working as an unpaid intern for Ali. I am going to try my hand at reviewing a couple of local stores, and will be helping out at an Ali Shops holiday party at Spalon Montage in Edina.

I am so excited. That is perfect for me, don't you think?!! You should all go check out Ali Shops!

Over The Top!

I got the Over The Top award from Amber all the way back on October 17 so I am just now accepting it-thanks, Amber! Of course, you are Over the Top, too!!

1.Where is your cell phone: It is on my desk, to the left. It is a pink Blackberry. I have a contract with Verizon until March 28, but I desperately want to break it and get an iPhone!!!

2.Your hair: Brown with lots of blonde & red highlights, not quite halfway down my back anymore—not quite. I had 4 inches cut off in September. Still long though.

3.Your mother: I love my mom, but half the time she makes me crazy. But I love her tons—all these years later I am learning to deal with her. The secret—don’t tell her anything to upset her!

4.Your father: He died right after the New Year in 2002. I miss him everyday. He was my hero.

5.Your favorite food: Anything to do with cheese and potatoes!

6.Your dream from last night: It was horrible—I dreamed that my Pug, Noodles, was lost, just roaming around all these hills, and I was calling him and I could hear him, but I couldn’t find him! I was really glad to wake up and find him snuggled up next to me!

7.Your favorite drink: Non-alcoholic: Coffee & Dr. Pepper; Alcoholic: White Wine or Peach Daiquiris

8.Your dream/goal: To live in Southern California with my husband and lots of pets and a convertible and a fun career in interior design, or maybe writing for women, or to somehow find a way to incorporate shopping for a living into my life.

9.What room are you in: I am at work (hey, I can multi-task!)

10.What is your hobby: Reading, writing, blogging, traveling, decorating and shopping.

11.What is your fear: Huge fears of house fires and blindness

12.Where do you want to be in 6 years: See #8 above!

13.Where were you last night: At home with my husband, he was watching football and basketball and then baseball—he kept switching to all these games—boring!! I was taking a nap.

14.Something you are not: Pessimistic or cynical or unfriendly – I am a very positive, open, outgoing person.

15.Muffins: Are best with cream cheese

16.Wish list items: A white Louis Vuitton bag, a huge diamond ring from Tiffany, a Porsche convertible, another trip to Hawaii, a Shih Tzu dog, and a beach house.

17.Where did you grow up: I grew up in Iowa, at first in the suburbs and then later on a farm and then back to the suburbs.

18.Last thing you did: Folded an invoice and accepted a courier package.

19.What are you wearing: I am wearing a floral top from Nordstrom’s junior department, a short black sweater over that, a jean skirt, leggings, and my 4 inch-heeled Jessica Simpson black leather boots.

20.Your TV: We have 4 – a big-screen plasma in the living room, another TV in the bedroom, one in the basement by the elliptical, and then Eric has one in his office.

21.Your pets: cats and a Pug—I think I will always need to have at least one of each

22.Your friends: I am lucky to have so many!

23.Your life: Is pretty calm right now—I think it is about to start to get busy with the holidays. But it will only get as busy as I let it—I plan to enjoy myself!

24.Your mood: Okay for a Monday—just getting back in the work groove and getting used to the time change

25.Missing someone: I miss my dad and my cat, Chloe, every single day and know I always will

26.Vehicle: In August I sold my 2005 silver Mitsubishi Eclipse convertible and bought a light green 2008 W Beetle convertible that I named Daisy. But I still miss my stick shift. Daisy would be perfect if she wasn’t an automatic! But I am loving her heated leather seats this time of year.

27.Something you're not wearing: Underwear. JOKING!!!! I am not wearing earrings. Or socks.

28.Your favorite store: Nordstrom, Von Maur, Anthropologie and Target

29.Your favorite color: Pink, lavender and yellow

30.When's the last time you laughed: I laugh all the time.

31.When's the last time you cried: I don’t remember offhand—probably reading a book, or remembering something about Chloe.

32.Your best friend: I don’t have really one best friend—I think that I have a lot of best friends.

33.One place you go over and over: Target—I swear I am in there 4 or 5 times a week!

34.One person who emails me regularly: My friend, Sttaci

35.Favorite place to eat: Joe’s Garage—I love their mashed potatoes with blue cheese cream sauce, and their Japanese egg rolls—dee-lish!!!

I'm going to pass this award on to:

Sttaci at Yes There Really Are Two Ts

Andie at Sweet Southern Spirited

Kate at East Coast Girl in a West Coast World

Janet at Slice of Pink

Michelle at Just Jump

Current Obsessions

I got this idea from Amber over at Girl with the Red Hair about what she is obsessing about.

I personally am currently obsessed with ...

Million Dollar Listing on Bravo TV - I love Josh

Candles - I have to have them burning on my desk at work and at home

Dragonflies - I have decided they are magic

Pie - this month Bakers Square comes back with my favorite - mince pie with brandy sauce!

Twitter - I have the urge to constantly update with the most random thoughts

The reed diffusers at Yankee Candle in the autumn fragrances

Ugly Betty -it is good again

Eyebrows - I think everyone should have well-groomed eyebrows

Finding It

I just finished Valerie Bertinelli’s latest book, “Finding It”, her follow-up to her first best-selling weight loss memoir, “Losing It”.

I did enjoy the inside glimpse into her life and everything she did to lose 40 pounds. This book was more about the maintenance aspect of her weight loss and her figuring out what had caused her to gain the weight in the first place, and how she is going to keep it off by working at becoming the best person she can be.

I admire her and like her whimsical writing style and her sense of humor and optimistic outlook. I plan to leave a great review for her on Amazon.

One critical reviewer said on Amazon of her latest book:

One gets the impression that she dots each handwritten "i" with a smiley face or a heart.

And to that I say, what’s wrong with that??!! I mean, I do that, too!!

New Perfume Launch

Hello Kitty Woman is a fragrance aimed at adult women not children. It was devoped by perfumer, Corinne Cachen, and includes notes of toffee apple, vanilla, grapefruit, raspberry, plumeria, rose and licorice.

This perfume is launching this fall, but I have yet to figure out who will be carrying it. I think the bottle is a little plain for Hello Kitty, but I admit I am curious—I do like a good, sweet perfume and, of course, I am a big fan of HK!

Can this compete with my favorite, Pink Sugar?

Zazzle!

I think I just like saying that name, Zazzle!

They sell many things on this website, such as T-shirts, bumper stickers, mugs, etc., but one of the best things they sell are customized postage stamps. You know how sometimes the postage stamps you get at the post office are just a little bit boring?

At Zazzle you can make your own stamps from photographs or their selection of holiday stamps. I had to get these cute vintage-inspired Halloween stamps. It is true they are slightly more than you would pay for regular stamps. I think I paid $18.80 for a sheet of 20 stamps (you do the math!) but they are worth it because they are so cute!

Bad, Bad, Bad Blogger

I am a bad, bad, bad blogger. This is how bad I am.

I have not done my gratitude list since before the week of Sepember 21st. I am not good at doing it daily like Michelle. Although I have routinely fallen behind before, I've always managed to play catch-up.

But this time I am 5 weeks behind and instead of putting extra-added stress on my brain (ha!), I had the brilliant idea that I would just do gratitude for each of those weeks, five per week, instead of five per the last 35 days.

That might be seen as seen as cheating, but it is my blog, so my rules!!

Week of September 21 I was grateful for:

Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting
Apples with blue cheese
60s fashions
Fall
Libras

Week of September 28, I was grateful for:

Visiting my mom in Iowa
Fall leaves
A great job performance review (although our salaries are frozen)
Rainy days
Plane ticket to California

Week of October 5

Jelly Belly jelly beans
Birthday emails for free coffee, ice cream and lip gloss
Pink Snuggie
Surviving Warehouse Sale
Actually having fun at Warehouse Sale – I was a natural on the cash registers!

Week of October 12 (my birthday week)

Grateful for:

My birthday spent in Southern California
Sprinkles Cupcakes
Shopping at Fashion Island in Newport Beach
Many birthday cards, presents, and wishes
My new Tiffany bracelet charm (this one is a handbag)

Week of October 19

A zebra print Snuggie
A super important email (to be revealed in a further post)
Good news for my friend, Sttaci!
A successful day of shopping on Sunday
60 minutes on the elliptical – woo hoo!

And The Winner of My Fall Giveaway Is ...

I assigned everyone a random number (extra numbers if you follow me on Twitter, mentioned my contest on your blog, or if you follow me over on the right-hand side of my blog).

And then I went to a random number generator website and the number chosen was ....

27!

Which is Sttaci. Who, by the way, wrote a lovely description of why she loves Fall!

So congrats, Sttaci, and your fun fall goodies we will be on their way to you sometime this weekend, when I go do some shopping!

Happy Fall!!

Retail Hell

I just finished reading the above book and I LOVED it. It was written by Freeman Hall, who has worked at Macy's and most recently Nordstrom in the handbag department. In this hilarious book, he refers to his store as The Big Fancy.

If you have ever worked retail or even maybe if you just love shopping or handbags, I think you will like this book, told from the perspective of the salesperson.

Each chapter is full of hysterically funny stories of his experiences in working in the designer handbag department at The Big Fancy with quite a cast of characters.

I recommend this book for a quick weekend read or maybe to take with you on a plane trip.

Amber, I finished this book last night and it is in the mail, on its way to you. I hope you like it as much as I did. I am sure you can relate!!

Pink Snuggie

I gave into the pressures of society or consumerism and finally bought a Snuggie. I have been looking for a zebra-striped one, but they seem hard to find right now, but I came across a pink Snuggie and I ordered it today.

Snuggie will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this blanket to Breast Cancer Research.

It should arrive next week!

You can get your pink Snuggie here.

I am thinking about getting my husband one for his birthday also since he is always cold. Not pink though-ha!

And do you know they also sell Snuggies for dogs?

How cute would it be if Noodles and I had matching Snuggies? Can't you just see it!

A Fashion Set

(CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE)

I made this fashion set today. It represents my favorite color purple and a lot of things I would really buy. I am especially a fan of Rebecca Taylor and Marc Jacobs.

You can go here to make your own and be entered in a contest to win a $250 gift card from Piperlime. The judge is Rachel Zoe. Love her!

I know I could have done better, but this was just my initial effort and just for fun!

Items in this set

Shoes: Steve Madden Merriee - Purple suede
$90


Rebecca Taylor Date Me Top - Vintage lavender
$260


Wrap Star Hand Stitch Embroidered Scarf - Pansy
$47


Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Pretty Nylon Little Hobo - Grape ape
$158


Rich & Skinny Bellissima Flared Jeans - Patriot vintage
$176


Rebecca Taylor Ruffle Me Up Long Cardigan - Oatmeal
$295

All items available at piperlime.com

There Is Actually A Kind of Shopping I Don't Like!!

I am not a big fan of grocery shopping and I never have been. I distinctly remember when I was single I would go grocery shopping and only spend $17 a week. I bought things like potato salad, a box of cookies, a couple of yogurts and a frozen dinner or two, and I was good to go. I didn’t care about cooking then and I still don’t.

But now I am married and every Sunday we go grocery shopping at Kowalski’s in Woodbury (really pretty Italian architecture and they have a Juut Salon with Aveda products). Eric makes sure that we have all the staples like milk, butter and eggs which I never would have purchased in the past. He also makes sure that we spend $100 plus and have lots of food in the cupboards. He likes to cook and I don’t. He likes to eat meat and I don’t.

But he was in Seattle over the weekend, so on Sunday I decided to venture out to the grocery store on my own. I went to Byerly’s in Eagan and remembered again that I do not like to grocery shop and this is what I had in my cart: A container of cheesy hash browns from the deli, a trip to the salad bar, a slice of white cake with white frosting (it reminded me of wedding cake), a small container of vanilla Haagen Dazs, a birthday card and some Halloween cards. Grand total $18.49.

Afterwards I went to TJ Maxx and spent twice as much as I did on groceries. Normally that store is so disorganized and jumbled, that it makes me literally break out in hives but it is in the same shopping center, so I decided to check it out. I bought a Breakfast At Tiffany’s painting on pink canvas (the one where Audrey Hepburn has her cat draped over her shoulder; a really famous pose) and a box of Barbie high-fashion greeting cards that I think will work great for thank-you cards for all those birthday gifts I am going to get next week. Hint, hint, hint!!

VW Bug Ornament

Last year I was hoping to get one of the super-cute VW bug ornaments that Pier 1 was selling at Christmas time. Remember the cute commercial where the little bug jumped off the tree & raced around the living room?

Well, I went to Pier 1 in Woodbury right after Thanksgiving, and was dismayed to find they were already sold out.

You can read all about my disappointment here.

Well, you all know that since then I have bought my own real-life VW Beetle convertible in Gecko Green that I named Daisy.

Which brings me to the point of my story. I recently became acquainted with a lovely girl named Niki who has been on a very determined search to find one of these ornaments. She went to all of the trouble to create a MySpace account just so she could send me a message about the VW Beetle ornament.

To make a long story short, she had one but her cat broke it and now she is trying to track down another one for her friend and I am not telling the story nearly as well as she did. But I know she is on a desperate search for another one of these ornaments and I am trying to help her.

So my plea to you is: if you or anyone you know has one of these ornaments and would like to sell it to Niki (at a reasonable price), please email me at Lesli13 at Hellokitty dot com, and I will pass your message along to Niki.

She is so sweet and we are now Facebook friends (we are pretty much done with MySpace!). Hope you can help out a fellow VW Bug lover. She has a real-life VW Beetle too, by the way--she calls it Lucky Bug. How cute is that?

So please let me know if you have any leads on this hard-to-get-your-hands-on ornament!

Happy October!!

It is October and it is my absolute favorite month--it has my birthday and Halloween and pumpkins and apple orchards and apple cider and caramel apples and chilly weather and red and gold leaves and witches and black cats-and I love it!

Don't forget to enter my Fall Giveaway here.

I found some Philosphy Candy Corn bubble bath at Sephora that is going to be perfect to include in some lucky girl's surprise package.



P.S. If you have won a prior giveaway on my blog, you are still eligible to play again!!!

Yummy James Franco To Guest Star On General Hospital!!

It was announced today that actor, James Franco, will be guest starring on the ABC soap "General Hospital", beginning November 20 during the all-important sweeps. I have loved him since his days as Daniel on "Freaks and Geeks", but of course, he is also known for playing James Dean in the bio-pic as well as his roles in "Spiderman" (he was Harry) and the loveable stoner in "Pineapple Express".

Love him!

Executive producer Jill Farren Phelps says it's "an honor that an actor of Franco's caliber would choose to spend some of his valuable time in Port Charles."

A New Barbie Store

I admit I am kind of excited about this. On Friday, October 2nd, a new Barbie store is opening at the Mall of America right here in the Twin Cities just in time for the holiday season. Barbie is still fabulous at 50 and it has been her year with lots of marketing events celebrating her 50th birthday. Who can forget the pink Barbie VW Beetle or her pink custom made Malibu beach house designed and furnished by Jonathan Adler? (all real life sized).

It is somewhat of a test store that will be open through Christmas or maybe longer, depending on how well it does. Is there a need for a year-round Barbie store? One Barbie is sold every 3 seconds, making her the most popular doll in the world.

The store opening coincides with a Barbie retrospective exhibit of Barbie fashions & her careers. Both the store and exhibit will be open through March at the Mall of America, in Bloomington, MN.

Other temporary Barbie stores have been in Bloomingdales in New York City and Fred Segal in Los Angeles, and there is only one permanent Barbie store--it is in Shanghai, China, and is a 6 level store modeled after the American Girl stores.

Twitter

I go back and forth on this, but I just made my Twitter private again. In other words, I protected my Tweets. You used to be able to see them over on the sidebar, but I have deleted them.

I did this because it just came to my attention that somebody that I don't necessarily want to read my Tweets has been. Soooo.......for now.....they are private.

You can request to follow me on Twitter here and chances are, I will approve you!

I also took down the links to MySpace and Plurk because I just don't spend that much time there anymore.

A Spooktacular Giveaway

Here is a chance to win some Halloween goodies.

Check out Michelle's Spooktacular Giveaway here.

***And don't forget my own Fall Giveaway below as well!!***

Cherry-licious!

PHILOSOPHY CHERRY CHRISTMAS BUBBLE BATH

I bought this on Saturday at Nordstrom--apparently, it was the very first day it was available and OMG, it is delicious!! And comes in a super cute bottle.

A Fall Giveaway

I am inspired by other bloggers & all their giveaways and I haven't had one since summer (or was it spring?) so it is time for another Pretty Random Thoughts Giveaway.

I love, love, love Fall, so in honor of this fabulous season, I am doing a Fall Giveaway. I am thinking a Starbucks gift card, a fall fragrance candle, maybe some Philosophy bubble bath in an autumn scent, some Halloween chocolates. I don't know! I will put something really cute together--I love shopping and I love putting together theme gifts.

So here is what you have to do. Leave me a comment and tell me why you love Fall. That is one entry (one point). If you decide to follow me over on the right sidebar that is another entry. Please let me know if you are going to start following me or let me know if you are already a follower. I am not above bribery! Thirdly, follow me on Twitter and get another entry (point). Again, please mention that you are following me on Twitter.

Oh, and one last way to earn another entry, mention my contest on your blog and be sure to let me know that--another point!

This contest will close on October 13th at midnight (which just happens to be my birthday!) and I will announce a winner some time on October 14th.

P.S. If you have won a prior giveaway on my blog, you are still eligible to play again!!!

A Fun Giveaway

(Picture from Park Avenue Princess)

Park Avenue Princess is having a fun giveaway over at her blog.

One lucky winner will receive a Tiffany blue, silver or black clock coffee-to-go cup set with a $5 Starbucks gift card and milk chocolates.

To enter: Tell her who are 5 people living or dead that you would most like to have a dinner party with and why.

This is what I said:

I would choose Tiffany blue because to me it just embodies everything Tiffany—the color of the shopping bags and the little boxes!

As far as the 5 people I would like to have a dinner party with—my answer probably changes from day to day. And there are so many people I would choose, but if I would narrow it down to 5 today I would say:

Rachel Zoe, the stylist—I think her style is amazing and I would have her style me after dinner, if she would be so kind!

Kelly Ripa; I think she would be so fun to sit down with and have a conversation, plus she would definitely make me laugh. And she is a Libra like me.

Karyn Bosnak, my favorite blogger and author of “Save Karyn”. Another person who would make me laugh and she is a Libra, too!

Alicia Silverstone, one of my most favorite actresses and star of my favorite movie, “Clueless”. She has a new book coming out in October about being a vegan. And, yes, I have to say she is a Libra, too!

Last but not least is Tori Spelling. I loved both of her books and I think she would be great to have dinner with. I think she would have so many stories and we could talk about Pugs!

Of course, it was limited to 5--I really could have thought of a lot more than that. My dinner party would be bigger!

So enter the giveway at Park Avenue Princess--a lucky winner will be drawn on September 26th!

Fun New Boots

I got these open-toed boots last week after seeing them featured in this month's issue of Lucky magazine. I love them!! I didn't care that my friend, Trish, said they reminded her of Prince and/or Stevie Nicks. I got them.

They are fun. And surprisingly comfortable and I have received a lot of compliments on them. They also makes me about 5'7"!

Third Week of September Gratitude

PRETTY YET SCARY DRAW BRIDGE IN STILLWATER

September 14 – 235/365

Monday Night TV Line-Up
Rachel Zoe
Gossip Girl
My husband can watch football while I am happily in the bedroom watching my own shows
The Kennedy Women by Laurence Leamer—what an amazing book, all 800 pages of it!

September 15 – 236/365

I think the new season of 90210 is off to a great start!
I can’t believe both 90210 & Melrose Place are on the air again—it is 1995 all over again!
I got my Sun Country ticket vouchers today!
And my purple suede boots
Love getting fun stuff in the mail

September 16 – 237/365

Wednesdays are good for “Lottery Changed My Life” on TLC
Sometimes (most of the time??) Chinese food is disappointing—remember, always order cream cheese wontons
Getting a good fortune in my cookie – “You will always be surrounded by those who love you.”
Friends who say they can’t tell you have gained 5 pounds (what nice liars!)
Knowing you can lose those 5 pounds before it turns into 10!

September 17 – 238/365

My car broke down but I got a rental car
Not a cute convertible
But it gets me from Point A to Point B
Loving my new purple suede Scarlett boots featured in this month’s Lucky magazine
And also my black knit hat

September 18 – 239/365

My car is fixed and I no longer have to drive the rental “soccer mom” car
I am able to bring my dog to work
And he is pretty quiet!
And sort of annoying everyone afterwards at the car dealership
But he got a dog treat!

September 19 - 240/365

Lunch at Red Lobster
A new tube of L’Oreal Mascara
And a bottle of Revlon nail polish in a really dark shade
Cute Halloween cards for all my girlfriends
And a $1.00 witch hat from Target

September 20 – 241/365

Lunch on the patio of Nacho Mamas
Pretty, scenic downtown Stillwater
Taco salad
Margarita
We got across the bridge before the drawbridge went up—that thing always freaks me out!

Second Week of September Gratitude

September 7 – 228/365

Grateful for another day off
Getting a free Melrose Place T-shirt at the Fair
Warm, melty mini donuts—dee-lish
Walking around the fair with my husband—it is still fun after all these years (the Fair and my husband both, I mean!)
Cotton candy


September 8 – 229/365

Season premier of 90210
And New Melrose Place
A pedicure
Addicted to Beauty on Oxygen
My DVR because I can’t keep up with all my TV shows!

September 9 – 230/365

Happy Hour
Still getting carded after all these years!
My fun pink & green sun glasses
Seeing my former boss, Kelly again—she moved far away to Dallas
Taking my friends for a ride in Daisy! (my VW Bug)

September 10 – 231/365

Winning two free round-trip tickets on Sun Country Airlines
I love winning contests that are random drawings
Deciding where in the continentental 48 states I should/could go!
Telling my husband I told you so because I KNEW I was winning this drawing, baby!
And I can hardly sit still in my chair—it is gratifying to be this excited about something!

September 11 – 232/365

8 years after 9/11 – just taking time to remember and to be grateful for what a really wonderful, free country we do all live in
And to be grateful for a fantastic, amazing city like New York—there is nowhere else like it in the whole world
Freedom
And, of course, the great shopping in Manhattan

September 12 – 233/365

Getting my hair done by Elise
A really pretty updo
Attending a wedding with my husband
Wearing a super-cute dress from Forever 21
Wine and my very own special vegetarian plate!


MY HAIR WAS REALLY FANCY IN THE BACK BUT YOU CAN'T SEE IT! THIS IS MY FOREVER 21 DRESS--CLICK TO ENLARGE

September 13 – 234/365

A Sunday drive to my mom’s house
Brunch with Eric and my mom in Marquette
Which is such a quaint, cute little river town
My husband is so good to my mom and generous
I am grateful for my mom even though I realize we are exact opposites in most ways!

Gratitude for the First Week of September

I sat down and basically realized I am so far behind on gratitude that I need to come up with 5 things for which I am grateful for each of the past 21 days. Or if I do the math – 105 things to be grateful for! Eek!!

So let’s just go back to the first week of September. Just realize I may be grasping at straws to remember what happened on each particular day so I may be throwing out some random things as I tend to do!

September 1 – 222/365

The cute costumes for dogs for Halloween
Honeybee dog costume
Hula Girl dog costume
Devil dog costume
Or what about for people? Southern Belle costume complete with lace hat!

September 2 – 223/365

My company lets us do 8 hours of volunteer time per year
I again did Art Buddies
And then we had pizza
And wine
And ate outdoors on the Pizza Luce patio

September 3 – 224/365

Last day of the work week
This is a 4-day holiday weekend coming up
And I planned to relax (and I did)
I also went to the Minnesota State Fair
And, of course, did a lot of shopping

September 4 – 225/365

Super cute boots for fall
Booties with ruffles
Booties with decorative buttons
Purple suede boots
Black suede boots from Jessica Simpson

September 5 – 226/365

Rediscovering Forever 21
And Vanity
And Charlotte Russe
I still like the teeny-bopper stores for trendy fashions
And cute accessories

September 6 – 227/365

Sunday is one of my best TV nights
Ruby
Drop Dead Diva
And it used to be Kendra
And Denise Richards

Thanks for bearing with me while I remembered things I was grateful for 3 whole weeks ago! My lists will get better, I promise!

Tagged: What Makes Me Feel Sexy

A week or so ago (or maybe longer—I have been a bad blogger) my pal Amber tagged me.

Here are the rules:

* Write 5 things that make you feel sexy
* Post a pic if you dare!
* Pass it on to 5 lovely bloggers

First of all, wine makes me feel sexy. You know relaxed! I prefer white wine over red.





Having my hair professionally blown out & styled definitely makes me feel sexy. And put together. I sometimes get a blowout every week! And I have 3 regular hair people so somebody can always fit me in.




Thunderstorms make me feel sexy. I think it is all those ionic charges in the air. We haven't had a good, old-fashioned thunderstorm in a long time!




A moonlit beach. It is sexy. And romantic. I hope to go back to Hawaii this winter, which is where I got married and honeymooned.




A tropical vaction in the winter. What could be sexier. I am a big advocate of winter getaways to warmer climates.




I am not going to tag anyone, BUT if you decide to do this, let me know.

Up, Up and Away

A few weeks ago I was browsing the internet for flights to California. I was thinking I wanted to go there for my birthday in October. So I was on the Sun Country Air website and I saw that they had a presence on Twitter and later that week they were going to do a random drawing of all of their Twitter followers and that person would win 2 FREE ROUND-TRIP TICKETS to anywhere they fly in the continental 48 states.

So I started following Sun Country Air on Twitter AND not only that but I had a feeling, a definite certainty, that I was going to win the tickets for my birthday flight to San Diego. And sure enough, I did!! I received an email on Thursday and had the vouchers in my hand by Tuesday. Pretty cool, huh!

So my advice to you is to follow Sun Country Air on Twitter. They will do another drawing next month. And they fly to all the warm places like Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and San Diego. And lots of other cool cities like New York, Seattle, Boston, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

60s Style

Be sure to watch Oprah today. She is doing a whole show about 60s fashions and "Mad Men". I am OBSESSED with the clothes from that era! She is doing Oprah's Favorite Things from the 60s, including swell gadgets! January Jones will also be on as a guest as well. I set my DVR.

You Can't Teach a Poodle How to Crochet!

My mom has NEVER been on the cutting edge of technology. Her camera still uses film (no digital for her), she doesn't have a cell phone, she doesn't have caller id, voice mail or call waiting on her home phone. She does love her satellite TV but she never would have tried it if I hadn't given her a gift subscription for one year of DISH TV.

So I don't know what Eric and I were thinking, but we decided to get her a laptop so she could email and play games, maybe do some net surfing. Specifically, we got her one of those little netbooks and then Eric paid for a two-year wireless contract with Verizon.

We took her the computer last weekend on a sunny Sunday. We drove down to northeast Iowa and took her to brunch in Marquette and then we went back to her house and Eric proceeded to set up the computer and then I attempted to give her lessons in Yahoo email.

I felt reasonably sure she understood, but I still had some serious doubts. I especially do now because here it is Friday and she has not answered any of my emails--hee hee!!

The first thing that popped into my mind is that teaching my mom how to use email is like teaching a poodle how to crochet. In other words, next to impossible. She has had a couple of computers in her life, but they have never been hooked up to the internet. They were old computers that were given to her--one from my uncle and one from one of her girlfriends. She didn't have internet on them, she strictly used them to play games like solitaire and to keep track of her monthly expenses like cigarettes and bird seed!

So now I am wondering if the netbook was too advanced for her. After all, it did involve clicking on her wireless network, minimizing the screen, going into Internet Explorer, opening up her Yahoo account. Oh, I don't know!

Sometimes I wish I had a savvy mom who knew out how to Twitter, blog and Facebook--well, maybe I take that back. I just wish my mom knew how to email!! How about everyone else? Do you have a mom who is technologically challenged, or do you have a mom who is too involved in internet life? A mom who friends you on Facebook and follows you on Twitter? I think there should be a happy medium!

Old Fashioned Minnesota State Fair Fun

FAIR FUN

On Monday Eric and I attended the Minnesota State Fair on the last possible day before it closed for the season. Those 12 days (or is it 10??) go so fast! I had already been to the Iowa State Fair, but I HAD to hit the Minnesota Fair just because I did not get my favorite mini donuts at the Iowa Fair. Yes, that is seriously the main reason I went--those warm, sugary, melty donuts!

I made sure we got there really early, just after 8 a.m., and got in line at the Catholic Church diner on the fairgrounds to get our "church breakfast". I love going there early and getting breakfast and coffee before the fair gets too busy--and too hot. It is just fun and plus if you eat a big breakfast of hashed browns & scrambled eggs, you aren't that hungry for much else.

Well, except donuts.

Which I got later in the day.

After breakfast, we walked all over and just looked at things. Yes, it is always the same things every year and it is pretty much identical to the Iowa State Fair, but it is still fun. Plus, the people watching and the fashion don'ts are so fun! I will say that the WEIRDEST outfit I saw was a teenage girl a little on the heavy side wearing kind of short pink shorts and underneath she had on flesh colored footless tights. Okay, it just looked odd!! It honestly looked like she was wearing pantyhose under her shorts and it made no sense because it was kinda hot and sticky.

We went to the Minnesota State Lottery booth because I had to get some scratch tickets. Lately, I have been obsessed with the show on TLC called "The Lottery Changed My Life" and I am CONVINCED I am going to win the Powerball or a scratch ticket or something. Well, I did win $2 in the Kitty Cash, Doggie Dough scratch ticket--hee hee!

We stopped at the political booth so I could show my political affiliation. If you know me, you know what that is.



Then a mimosa.

And we looked at some riding lawn mowers. Don't ask me why. I think it was just a photo opportunity!



The best part of the Fair was a local TV station was giving away Melrose Place T-shirts. Of course, I had to get one!

We browsed the International Bazaar which is always interesting--practically every country you can think of is represented. I like especially looking at the Asian booths because I collect Lucky Cats and I am also intrigued by the Russian booth--I like those Matruska dolls--you know where the dolls fit inside of each other and each doll is progressively smaller.

I am not a fan of any of the Midway rides EXCEPT I do like the Merry-Go-Round and the Ferris Wheel, but I just looked at them this year. I really do like carousels though. I think both of those rides, the Merry-Go-Round and the Ferris Wheel are just cool and old-fashioned and romantic. I hate any of those rides that make you want to throw up. Just give me the old-fashioned kiddie rides.

So anyhow we spent about 3 hours total at the Fair before Eric said he'd had enough. I had to agree--it was just starting to get hot and crowded--and Eric has a thing against crowds and I have a thing against heat!

Til next year. The Renaissance Festival is next.

A New Blog To Follow

Andie of Sweet Southern Spirited has a recent addition to her many blogs. This one is her weekly wardrobe journal in pictures. Check her out at What Andie Wears. I think it is going to be so fun.

This is what Andie says:

Recently, I've come to the realization that I shop too much.

Rather than keep TELLING myself that I "need" another pair of black pants because they are on sale at Macy's for $11.99- I'm going to prove to myself, that I DO INDEED have a decent wardrobe that can be worked with despite what I keep telling myself. I am going to attempt to NOT BUY any new clothes and wear ONLY what is in my closet.

This is my path to finding new and exciting ways to wear what I have and make the most out of what I've got. It's going to be hard, I'm sure I'm going to slip, but I'm going to do my best to stick to my plan.

I hope to post my daily outfits (mostly on weekdays, but sometimes on weekends, too!) so that I can see what things I wear most often- what WORKS and What DOES NOT.

I love this idea and wonder if I should do one of these myself? I can definitely relate.

Some Doggie Fashion

So when I was recently in West Des Moines, shopping at Jordan Creek, I found this cute T for Noodles from Just Dogs. He is also sporting a new daisy print leash (to go with my car, Daisy!) and I got him a peanut butter lollipop as well. He loved it. The treat anyway.

New Melrose Place

Is anyone else excited for the season premiere tonight of the New Melrose Place? I loved it the first time around, so I have high hopes for this new show. I was a little slow to warm up to the New 90210 but now I am into that too.

So the jury is still out, but I am hoping the New Melrose Place will be something to look forward to every Tuesday! One of my favorite characters was Sidney (Laura Leighton, an Iowa native BTW) and she is joining the new cast.

I am excited!

More Gratitude

STRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIKE! - I CREDIT THIS TO MY LUCKY PINK BALL & CHARDONNAY

214/365 – August 24

Optimism
A new season of Rachel Zoe
Alicia Silverstone has a new book about vegan diets (love her!) coming out in October
Cindy Crawford is on the cover of the new Redbook (love her too!)
Coffee, coffee, coffee

215/365 – August 25

Bowling party
Getting a turkey -yes, me, I got 3 strikes in a row & I am not even a bowler
Pedicure
Pizza & wine with friends
Macaroni & cheese

216/365 – August 26

My new pink flat iron
Being congratulated for my bowling expertise (hee!) at the company meeting
Having the house to myself while Eric is in Chicago
Reading a good book you don’t want to put down (in this case, "How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls" by Zoey Dean)
Moving up on the waiting list at the Library

217/365 – August 27

A massage
End of the work week
Real Housewives
Eric is back from Chicago
Looking forward to the weekend

218/365 – August 28
Being stuck at the car dealer for 5 hours – not grateful for that, but grateful that I brought a book!
And that stupid check engine light does seem to finally be fixed!
Flirting with the VW salesmen for fun & to pass the time
Stopping at Bruegger’s on my way home to get a veggie cream cheese sandwich
White peach sangria


219/365 – August 29

Shopping
A coffee cooler at Caribou
Boy shorts
A cozy hoodie
Watching the Ted Kennedy memorial & experiencing history

220/365 – August 30

Getting my hair done with Richard
Brunch at Pier 500 with my husband
99 cent mimosas
Cool, fall-like weather
Sleeping with the windows open

221/365 – August 31

Excited for fall
Another episode of Rachel Zoe
Re-watched Devil Wears Prada just for the clothes
Fun new shoes
Wearing jeans to work

I Am Still Grateful!

MMMMM ... salad!

207/365 – August 17
My sense of humor
Laughter
I did not get stuck with the dishes (we take turns at work)
Friends who listen
Friends who sympathize

208/365 – Aug. 18

A day off even if does involve an annual gynecological exam
The exam is over – yippee!
And my blood pressure was fine—sometimes I get anxiety
I weighed less than I did last year at this same time, okay 2 pounds, but still
I have a wonderful nurse who really listens


209/365 – August 19

Actually glad to be back at the office, so much better than the doctor’s!
Getting highlights with Kat
And then a blowout and style with Richard
Eric walked Noodles for me
Home at last and my bed

210/365 – Aug 20

An unexpected phone call
A new outfit which I call my professional secretarial outfit—it involves charcoal dress pants & a vest
Being nervous & surviving
Last day of the work week
A new episosode of Real Housewives

211/365 – August 21

Dinner at Chicago Speakeasy with my husband (the most amazing salad bar in the Midwest)
Visiting Des Moines and all my friends
A movie with Amber – Julie and Julia – so cute!
Taking my pinchy shoes off!
Falling into a comfy hotel bed


212/365 – August 22

Shopping at Jordan Creek
Finding a cute T-shirt for Noodles
Lunch at On The Border with Laurie and Coleen
Going to the Iowa State Fair with Amber
Catching up with my good friend and former roommate Leigh Ann after all these years!

213/365 – August 23
My mammogram results came back as normal – big sigh of relief!
Relaxing on the couch
With Lifetime TV movies!
My Sunday night shows….Ruby
And Drop Dead Diva

The Secret & Betsey Johnson

So I recently re-read The Secret and if you haven't read it yet, you really should! It is all about the power of positive thinking and manifestation. Whatever you think about, you are creating in your own life. Thoughts are energy.

So I really, really want a second dog in addition to my adorable Pug, Noodles. I want a little girl dog. I think she should be a Shih-Tzu and I have already named her Betsey Johnson (after one of my favorite designers).

So I made my screensavers on both my home and work computers a Shih Tzu, to help with the whole visualization process.



And I took it even further and already purchased her a yellow sundress because one of the things you should do, according to The Secret, is to act like what you are wishing for has already happened. So I bought a dress even though I have no one to put in .... yet!!





You would think after all these postive thoughts and visualization that I would have my new dog by now. But I have a big obstacle called my husband. But you know I will get around that! He would love a new dog, a new addition. Honestly!

Bad Blogger & Happy September!

I realize I have not blogged since August 17 and am now quite behind on my gratitude list as well.

Anyhow, first of all, Happy September! I love this time of year--it is sort of like the time of year to turn over a new leaf, a time of fresh starts. I suppose it is the whole back-to-school thing even though I haven't done that since 1996! I still go to Target even to this day and buy some notebooks just for fun (I can use them for journaling). It also makes me want to to do some back-to-school clothes shopping and I have been doing a lot of shopping, but I guess that is nothing new for me!

I have been buying just some trendy things & some accessories at Forever 21, Charlotte Russe and Vanity. The teeny bopper stores. I mean, I look at the clothes and they don't seem to be of really good quality, but for basics like T-shirts and hoodies and leggings, I think they are okay. For my investment clothes shopping, I still prefer Nordstrom. I would rather spend a little more (or a lot more) and know I am getting quality.

But I am not a snob--I am an equal opportunity shopper. I think all stores have something to offer, even if it is just a trendy, of the moment bracelet. And I did buy a few sundresses and a cardigan at Forever 21.

My husband sent me an absolutely beautiful arrangement of fall flowers yesterday. Giant sized sunflowers, orange roses and yellow orchids, and then there are all kinds of things like berries and types of grasses mixed in. It is really quite stunning. I am looking at it now, and it makes me smile!

Finally, I had 3 to 4 inches chopped off of my hair. I needed a really good trim. My hair was getting so long that I felt like a country music singer or a hillbilly! It is still long--I wasn't brave enough to go to a bob; it is a little below shoulder length. Plus, my hair grows so fast. I just wanted to go a little shorter for fall. A little bouncier.

So that is about it for me. I have more to write and will continue to play catch up. I hope I can be a better blogger this month!

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!

Ta Dah - All Caught Up!

204/365 - Aug 14

Lunch with friends
Finding a parking space
Grilled cheese and wine
Pasta salad
A nap

205/365 – Aug 15

Fun scrapbook class although the teacher was a tad bit impatient
BBQ with neighbors
Crack dip
A frozen dessert concocted from strawberries, Oreos and Cool Whip – how can you go wrong
A great, loud thunderstorm and a good soaking rain


206/365 – Aug 16

Brunch at Keys
Mimosas
Eggs
Shopping at Target
Relaxing with a book

More Gratitude

200/365 - August 10

The color pink
Putting on my Tiffany jewelry
My Marc Jacobs daisy watch
My tiny daisy toe ring
Naming my car Daisy!

201/365 – August 11

Picking up Eric at the airport after his 10 long days away in Jamaica
All the tiny bottles of shampoo & conditioner from the Ritz
Knowing that Eric will get up and feed the cats at the crack of dawn, not me!
A good night’s sleep
My black & white skirt and a new pair of leggings

202/365 – August 12

Dinner at Applebees
Mashed potatoes
Shrimp
Sangria
Glad that Eric is home!!

203/365 – August 13

Leaving work early even if it was for a dentist appointment
Look mom no cavities!
And my dentist gave me a painting that I have long admired (or at least studied) since he was remodeling his office
Minute Rice—because it is so convenient and so fast, like it says, Minute Rice
It’s the weekend – woo hoo!

Last Weekend's Gratefulness!

197/365 - August 8

Rainy day, perfect for reading
Egg salad sandwiches from Starbucks
And pasta salad from Caribou
Thunderstorms
Realizing that the check engine light only came on because my gas cap was not on tight enough!

198/365 - August 9

Getting rid of the world’s ugliest, biggest zit
Marathon of Legally Blonde I and II
The Dish on Style Network – I love Danielle Fishel—she always makes me laugh, you go, Topanga!
Snuggling with Noodles and the cats because Eric is in Jamaica
I am grateful that we do not have half the heat & humidity of Jamaica—heat index there was 122 degrees and Eric played golf in it

199/365 - August 10

Brunch with Sara, Donna and Souvanny
Bellinis
A new necklace from Tiffany
Kai perfume
The Galleria

Delayed Gratitude!

My gosh, can I even say how far I have fallen behind on my gratitude. I feel like an ingrate. Yes, I do!

193/365 – August 3

I am grateful for those cute daisy stickers they make just for Beetles
Excited that I can play my iPod in my new car
Glad my brother got his birthday card—I had to mail it all the way to New Zealand and I kind of waited til the last moment
Grateful to finally have figured out my convertible top—it is tricky compared to my Eclipse
Grateful that I have a sport mode in my automatic transmission—it makes all the difference (but I still really, really miss my 5-speed manual transmission)


194/365 – August 4

Season finale of Tori and Dean
Picking up my wedding ring after having to leave it in the shop to have the prongs tightened—I had a loose stone!
Catching up on last season’s 90210—I missed a lot, am now catching up
How exciting is it that there is a new Melrose Place this Fall!
Glad I didn’t have to attend National Night Out and glad I am no longer a Board member of our HO Association –never again, people! Now know I am not cut out for politics—I am tooooo nice!!


195/365 – August 5

Homemade chocolate chip cookies
Giant yellow sunflowers
Finding a temporary home for my friend’s cat after much emailing & networking
Tacos
Losing 2 pounds without even trying???!!!



196/365 – August 6

Grateful for another weekend
Finally watched the season finale of Samantha Who and it was so good and will soon be out on DVD
Happy Hour with co-workers and a big turnout
Grateful for finding a parking space
Grateful for a job I love

It's Time For Something On A Stick

It's State Fair time - that hottest time of August when the Iowa State Fair begins followed by the Minnesota State Fair. I usually try to go to one or the other, or some years even both.

So just for fun, I found a list of all the available State Fair food that is available on a stick. Anyone for Chicken Lips On A Stick? I know that sounds disgusting!! How about you? What would you eat on this list?

Frozen s’more on-a-stick
Chocolate-dipped cake on-a-stick
Chicken club on-a-stick
Buffalo chicken on-a-stick
Chocolate-covered peanut butter round on-a-stick
Chocolate-covered key lime round on-a-stick
Carmellows on-a-stick
Pretzel rods dipped in caramel or chocolate
Pickle on-a-stick
Pork chop on-a-stick
Corn dog
Cheese on-a-stick
Cajun chicken on-a-stick
Sesame chicken on-a-stick
Carmel apple
German sausage on-a-stick
Teriyaki beef on-a-stick
Corn on the cob on-a-stick
Cotton candy
Veggie dog on-a-stick
Turkey drumstick
Nutty bar
Fried pickle on-a-stick
Hot bologna on-a-stick
Shrimp on-a-stick
Chicken on-a-stick
Monkey Tails (chocolate covered banana on-a-stick)
Taffy on-a-stick
Honey on-a-stick
Ice cream Wonder Bar
Deep fried Snickers bar on-a-stick
Deep fried 3 Musketeers bar on-a-stick
Deep fried Milky Way bar on-a-stick
Deep fried Twinkie on-a-stick
Lamb on-a-stick
Meatballs on-a-stick
Deep fried hoho on-a-stick
Fudge Puppy (waffle drenched in chocolate syrup and topped with whipped cream)
Chili Dog on-a-stick
Funtastick Pork on-a-stick
Dutch letters on-a-stick
Turkey tenders on-a-stick
Deep fried hot dog on-a-stick
Chocolate covered cheesecake on-a-stick
Potato Lollipop (4 thick slices of russet potato deep fried and on-a-stick with dipping sauces)
Pineapple on-a-stick (Fresh pineapple dipped in funnel cake batter and deep fried)
Chicken lips on-a-stick (breaded chicken breast smothered with hot sauce, served with blue cheese dressing).
Cornbrat on-a-stick (bratwurst dipped in corndog batter)
Frozen fudge brownie on-a-stick
Ice cream cookie sandwich on-a-stick
Rock candy on-a-stick
Salad on-a-stick
Hard-boiled egg on-a-stick

Weekend Gratitude

Friday, July 31 – 190/365

An early morning hair appointment at Spalon Montage
Cookie & coffee at Spalon
Laughing and chatting with Elise while she curls my hair
A day of shopping
Not having a car payment in the month of August means more shopping

Saturday, August 1 – 191/365

I picked up my new car today (woo hoo!) and said goodbye to my old pal, my faithful Eclipse convertible—we had some great times
Another day of shopping—what can I say, my car wasn’t ready til 4:00 and they sent me off to the mall
A foot massage at the mall which in theory sounds good but it actually kind of hurt—but I was grateful for the convenience factor (and the warm towels) but probably wouldn’t go back to this particular location
I found a super cute cookie jar at Macy’s and a matching bunny cream pitcher and sugar bowl—I hope they are not too grandma!

Sunday, August 2 – 192/365

This has been a fun weekend of getting a new car, lots of shopping and eating out at different restaurants with my husband
Somebody made me a balloon animal!
A marathon of “Bridezillas”
Another marathon of “Say Yes To the Dress”
An all new episode of “Ruby”

And More Gratitude Coming Up At You!

Monday, July 27 – 186/365

Finally being able to wear a dress again after a horrendous rash has finally disappeared
Never taking shaving my legs for granted again (or complaining about it either!)
Grateful for hope and optimism
Re-reading The Secret and relearning the lessons
A new dress

Tuesday, July 28 – 187/365

First half of season finale of Tori and Dean
A pedicure
Happy Hour with co-workers
Champagne in a can and tater tots
Getting a phone call you thought would never come

Wednesday, July 29 – 188/365

Getting my car, getting my car, getting my car! (I just had to say it again)
Grateful when a company meeting doesn’t last too long
Getting fun packages in the mail
Tomato soup
Laughter


Thursday, July 30 – 189/365

My new Hello Kitty necklace from Etsy
And also an equally cute Hello Kitty necklace from Avon that I had kind of forgotten about
Diet Sierra Mist in Grapefruit
And speaking of pop, those tiny cans of Dr. Pepper are the best because I can never drink a regular sized can of pop
Maxi dresses are so cute

Weekend Gratitude

Friday, July 24 – 183/365

Grateful that I did not kill myself driving in a hail storm on the way to the car dealership
Grateful that my car had no hail damage whatsoever
Grateful for compliments on my hair
Grateful for my husband’s patience with me
Grateful that it is Friday and I get to sleep in tomorrow (or, no, I don’t I have an appointment, but still grateful for the weekend)

Saturday, July 25 – 184/365

Grateful for my car salesperson, Greg, he is awesome
Grateful for Gecko Green VW Beetle convertibles
Grateful that the car I wanted has hail damage (but not my trade-in) so I am getting a deal
Grateful that they are fixing the hail damage and I will never be able to tell it had a few dings here & there
Once again, grateful for my husband’s patience & tolerance and for going along with something he doesn’t 100% agree with

Sunday, July 26 – 185/365

Grateful for coloring – so relaxing
Grateful for salad bars
And mac & cheese
For Sunday evenings and relaxing
For Sundays shopping for groceries with my husband at Kowalski’s Market

Belated Vacation Update

So over the 4th of July weekend, Eric and I flew out to New Hampshire to visit his family and celebrate his mom's 60th birthday, which was really very special because she survived a brain tumor and hysterectomy, chemo and radiation and surgery all in about the past year and a half.

We didn't get to Manchester until fairly late in the day on Friday so we just relaxed at his mom and dad's house and his sisters and their husbands and kids came over and we ordered Li'lCaesars Pizza. That used to be my favorite. Do you remember when it was square and they had Crazy Bread?

We sat on the deck and I got bit my first mosquito of the year.

The next day was Saturday and the 4th of July. After getting my coffee at Dunkin Donuts (which I have to do every day when I am on the East Coast) we had a short visit with Eric's grandma who is amazing. She is like 80 something and still lives in her own house and is sharp as a tack and looks way younger than 80s. Then we drove to Jen and Chris's house in Weare, which is on a lake. It is an old A-frame with an open plan and big comfy furniture and a hot tub and big deck and boat dock overlooking the lake. It is the PERFECT spot for relaxing family get-togethers. I love sitting by the lake and sipping my wine and reading a book.

There was a barbecue and wine and then it rained so we were stuck in the house for awhile. Then the sun came back out but it was decidedly cooler and before it even got dark I had to put my sweatshirt on over my swimsuit cover-up. By the time it was time for fireworks, it was really cold. Chris started a fire and the kids ran around with sparklers and two of the neighbors had spectacular fireworks over the lake. It was almost a competition between them--who had the coolest fireworks. I got bit by some more mosquitos.

The next day was our day in Boston. Eric and Chris and a couple of the kids went to the Red Sox game, and Jen and my niece, Riley, and I went shopping. First we all had a lovely lunch at Cheesecake Factory and then we split up to either go to the game or go shopping.

Riley is so cute. We got along great and had so much fun shopping. I think we have a lot in common because I can easily relate to a 6-year-old girl. I love Hello Kitty and princesses and pink and ice cream, too! We are both such girlie-girls.

Well, it was quite the afternoon of shopping and I was actually ready for the baseball game to be over and then we all met up again. Eric and I separated from everyone else and went to the Westin Hotel where we had a really nice dinner--I had the best clam chowder and what else? Yes, wine, of course! Then we spent the night at the Westin and the bed was so heavenly comfortable and there was a big bath tub all to myself and a lighted makeup mirror and I had my bath bomb from Lush and it was just relaxing.

Because, let me just say, staying at Eric's parents' house is not nearly as comfortable. We all have to share one bathroom and Eric and I have to sleep in a teeny guest room which doubles as Eric's dad's computer room and the bed is tee-tiny. I toss and turn when I sleep in that bed. In fact, I ended up sleeping on my arm one night and I swear my thumb was numb for days. Like I pinched a nerve. So I really enjoyed that one fabulous night at the hotel in Boston.

The following day, Monday, was our fun day in Salem. Eric and I spent the day browsing the cute little, quaint shops in the magical, historic seaport town of Salem and had a lovely lunch at Victoria Station, my absolute favorite restaurant there. They have a great salad bar. Oh, and wine!

***Salem*** was actually the scene of my broken baby toe though. We were coming out of an elevator in the parking garage and I was focused on looking for our row number so I could find the car and I didn't realize there was a step and a big drop-off. So I kept walking and suddenly it was thin air. I twisted my ankle and fell on my baby toe when I landed on the ground. It really hurt, but I didn't cry. I spent the rest of the weekend hopping around and my foot turned black & blue and my toe looked (well, still looks) like a little sausage. I am learning it takes about 6 weeks for a broken toe to really heal and it doesn't really heal faster if you do the elliptical and wear inappropriate shoes like high heels.

***I will do another post all about Salem

And then Tuesday was Eric's mom's actual birthday but really the whole weekend was a celebration and lots of family time for her. We took her to lunch at Olive Garden and it rained (it was kind of a rainy weekend) and then we sat around the house and chatted and watched HGTV before it was time to head to the airport.

So that was our trip in a nutshell. You all know that a few days after we got back I also got that dreadful rash on my legs. So it wasn't a totally perfect trip but still, it is always good to get away! See some pictures below. Click to enlarge.


MY NIECE RILEY SHOPPING IN BOSTON - I PICKED OUT THAT FLOWER FOR HER TO WEAR IN HER HAIR FROM H&M


THIS IS A REAL ALLIGATOR HEAD FROM SAVANNAH, GEORGIA - I THINK CHRIS'S SISTER GAVE IT TO THEM-THEIR BOAT DECK IS IN THE BACKGROUND - SEE HOW PEACEFUL!


I LOVE THIS OLD FASHIONED BICYCLE - I ALWAYS SEE IT IN SALEM AND IT ALWAYS HAS SOME SEASONAL ARRANGEMENT IN ITS BASKET


MY FAVORITE PET BOUTIQUE IN SALEM - PENELOPES!


NOODLES & I - REUNITED



NOODLES - HOMEWARD BOUND


YES, ERIC TEXTS AND DRIVES!


NOODLES GOT A COOKIE FROM SALEM! IT WAS A CAT BUT THE HEAD FELL OFF

A Promise in August

A promise to myself and any readers I still have left .... this week I am going to be updating my blog. I got my new car and have been so involved in that, so I have not been blogging. I did a little writing in my personal journal but mostly I have been focused on my new car. First I didn't think I was getting it so I promised myself a consolation prize (aquamarine ring) and then I found out in the middle of a work happy hour that I was getting it. But then I found out it would not be ready til Friday. Which turned into Saturday, and then Eric left for Jamaica which means I have a million things to do around the house.

So while my new car & I are bonding and I am getting used to driving an automatic (good-bye stick shift!) and figuring out where everything is (what does this button do?), I also plan to update my neglected blog.

I want to tell you about re-reading The Secret and "my new dog" and my trip to Salem (yes, all the way back in July) and catch up on gratitude.

So Happy August!!

To be continued ...