All Things Loved In January

1. Let me tell you about glittens--half glove, half mitten, full of warmth! I've never even heard of glittens until my youngest sister Amanda gave me a pair for Christmas, and now I'm a glitten convert! I don't have pictures of my actual pair, but here are some pictures I found from a Google search. You can wear them as mittens OR fold the top down, secure it to the little button by the wrist, and have your fingers exposed so you can do things that require a little more dexterity--like texting. Brilliant!

2. The inauguration of President Obama--what an amazing day!



3. My BFF Jamie Louise coming down for a little weekend visit! From catching up over overpriced bottles of beer, to cheap cans of Miller Lite, to warding off Random Weird Guy, not to mention hours of girl talk with a little Kate and Leo thrown in--we had a blast!



4. "Gives You Hell" by The All American Rejects--I cannot get enough of this song!

5. I'm running again! So far it's going really well--a few twinges of pain here and there, but nothing significant. I've been taking it slowly, resting in between runs, cross training, and strength training--so far so good! I'm looking forward to the weather (someday!) warming up so I can hit the pavement instead of the treadmill, but for now I'll take what I can get. I'm tracking my miles in the right margin of my blog (scroll down toward the bottom) so you can follow my mileage. So far I'm 33.5 miles into my goal of 400 miles for the year--only 366.5 more miles to go! How are all my other running readers doing so far this year?

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6 Things You Need In Winter

1. A full tank of gas.
2. A cross made out of popscicle sticks, stolen from a nursing home.
3. A laundry basket full of dirty clothes.
4. A 5th Avenue candy bar.
5. The Amish

6. One Clydesdale horse.
It's all the genuine horsepower you need to get your car pulled out of a snow-filled ditch the good old-fashioned way, when stranded with a family that doesn't believe in motorized vehicles (see #5).

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Outfit of the Day

I've been receiving reader requests over the past couple of months, asking me to show some of my favorite winter outfits. But to be honest--I've kind of been ignoring them.

Now before you unsubscribe, please hear me out! I had my reasons. The first one being that on most winter days you'll find me in jeans, a turtleneck or crew neck sweater, and high-heeled boots. Nothing too exciting or especially blogworthy. Now I do have some winter outfits that break my jeans & a sweater mold, but the thought of doing a large post of my favorite outfits (like the one I did last summer) was very overwhelming. That's A LOT of self-timer action with the good old camera and A LOT of smiling. Not that I'm not a happy smiley person, mind you, but the cheeks get sore after a bit.

So here's what I think I'll do--and hopefully it will make everyone happy (you, me, my cheeks, and my camera). On those days that I do make an effort, I'll try to remember to snap a couple pics to post. Here's an example...

This is what I wore yesterday for work and a lunch with my friends Beth and Elise:

Dark Jeans--GAP ($30 on clearance)
Tweed Vest--GAP ($10 on clearance)
Ivory Cardigan--Old Navy ($5 on clearance)
Burgundy Tank--Express
Tan Suede Stiletto Boots--DSW


I love this vest--and I can't believe how cheap I got it for! I think it was originally $60 and I only paid $10--gotta love that. I pretty much have no waist, but this vest has such a great shape and structure that it gives me one.


So that's what an "outfit of the day" post from me might look like. How does that sound? And can we can all agree that I don't need to be smiling--or even necessarily looking at the camera? Or possibly even crop my head out of the picture entirely if I so choose? Do we have a deal?

And PS--please keep the reader requests coming! I really love hearing from you all and am happy to help out when I can!

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5 Things You Need In Winter

I've learned many survival skills while braving years of Wisconsin winters. The following is a series of posts on things that have come in handy for me during those blistery winter days and nights. Enjoy!

1. A full tank of gas.
2. A cross made out of popscicle sticks, stolen from a nursing home.
3. A laundry basket full of dirty clothes.
4. A 5th Avenue candy bar.

5. The Amish.
Now maybe on a different late winter night in college, you do make it out of your apartment without falling asleep (see #1) and you're heading back home. And there's a winter storm warning in effect, but surely bringing your college roommate with you cancels that out.

Or maybe it doesn't?

About an hour into your drive you realize: Wow! This is really bad. We should turn around and head back. You're in the middle of nowhere, so you turn off the highway at the next road to execute a perfect Y turn.

Or not.

You hit ice and go sliding off the road, getting stuck in a snow-filled ditch.

What do you do?

This scenario seems vaguely familiar, so first you check your backseat for some dirty socks and sweaters. Check. Full tank of gas? Check. 5th Avenue candy bar? Check. But dammit all to hell where's that popsicle cross?? It's okay, it's okay--you've got your roommate with you. She's Catholic. That'll do.

Now time for the big decision--do you stay in your warm car and wait until daylight for someone to find you--and from previous experience you know your car can run idle on a full tank of gas for at least 6 hours--or do you start walking to try to find a phone? You're in the country--and now on a backroad--with no sign of life in sight. You decide to walk for help and find a phone.

You give your car keys to your Catholic roommate for safekeeping and start your well-practiced trek through the snow-covered countryside. When you spot a house down the road with a snowman out front you say to your roommate: "A snowman in the front yard must mean they have children. I doubt people with children would be murderers." So you decide to knock on their door and wake them up. As you get closer it looks like there's a light on inside, and you wonder: "Who in the hell would be awake at 4am??" and start doubting your 'snowman = not murderers' theory. But then you see a lit kerosene lamp through the window. And that kerosene lamp--coupled with years of family trips to Indiana--has shed some light on the situation.

Who would be awake at 4am? The Amish.

You are overjoyed with relief as you realize they're already awake so you don't have to feel bad knocking on their door--and there's no way they're murderers! You are beside yourself with glee as you bound up their front walk to call someone for help in the comfort of a warm, safe home.

And then it hits you.

Amish people don't have phones.

No. Amish people don't have phones. But what they do have is the most amazing and unmatched hospitality you could ever encounter. They took us in, warmed us up, and invited us to join their family for the biggest breakfast I've ever seen on a table. We visited until the sun came up and the snow storm had passed. And then they pulled my car out of the ditch and we were on our way. What began as one of the scariest nights in my life turned out to be one of the most amazing. I'll never forget that experience or that wonderful family.

Which brings me back to my #5 Thing You Need In Winter! Stranded in a snow storm at 4am? Find yourself some Amish people.

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The 2009 SAG Awards

You may not have noticed yet, but I am an awards show junkie. I love them. Look forward to them every year. And cannot get enough. The Oscars are my Super Bowl--without a doubt--but to really appreciate the Super Bowl you've got to watch the playoff games. That's where the Golden Globes and last night's Screen Actors Guild Awards awards come in. Now the upcoming Grammy's? They're kind of like my Super Bowl half-time show--I only care about one small part (to see if Kathy Griffin takes home the iron)--but I'll watch the entire thing to ensure I stay current on my pop culture in case someone flashes a nipple. (The smart money's on Miley.)

So here are a few of my thoughts from last night--which are not all fashion-related this time. Because let's face it--the actors tend to phone it in on the fashion front when it comes to the cable awards shows.

I don't even watch 30 Rock, but I think we can all agree that as long as Tina Fey is on TV, she's got the Best Female in a TV Comedy award in the bag. The other gals shouldn't even bother showing up. Just stay home, drink wine, and catch up on TiVo like the rest of us. Or maybe they should show up, but not buy a dress. Or pay for a stylist. Or even comb their hair. Hey--it worked for Meryl!


Now I don't know how this has happened, but I've become an Anne Hathaway lover. It just sort of crept up on me. One day she's on my list of people whose calls I'd screen (along with telemarketers, my college alumni association, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and anything coming in at bar time), and the next day I'm joining her fan club! Okay, not really. But I am smiling when I see her. Which means I've come a long way. Do I think she looked particularly amazing last night? Not really. But seeing her made me smile, so she's going in the blog.


Now this guy? Come on. What is he thinking?? I know he's the "comeback" actor of the year and all, but he just took Anne's place on my Do Not Answer list.


I thought Evan Rachel Wood's dress was pretty, but I didn't think it was blogworthy--until I saw her shoes. I love seeing boldly colored shoes that don't match! I only wish she'd have kept her clutch a different color, too.


I thought Teri Hatcher's Monique Lhuillier dress was really lovely--I just wish it had been on someone else. It didn't seem very "Teri" to me.


And my favorite everything of the night--Kate Winslet. I just love this woman. Her Narciso Rodriguez gown was perfect--stunning color, stunning cut. I especially loved the shoulders. And I'm so happy she won!! Not to mention her 2 Golden Globe wins from 2 weeks ago! She seems so genuinely thrilled and honored to win that I get all emotional and teary-eyed right along with her.

All photos from http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/redcarpet/2009_sag_awards/index.html.

STOP THE PRESS! I have one post-initial publishing addition I need to add! I just clicked on a yahoo link for the SAG Awards and found this picture of Marcia Cross. WOW! I totally missed her last night. This dress is absolutely gorgeous--I love it!

(And hmmm...it kind of reminds me of my high school Homecoming dress--maybe that's why I love it so much?)

So who else watched with me? What did you think? Did your favorites win?

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So Long Christmas

Well, it's official--I finally got around to taking down our Christmas decorations. How sad to see our beautiful tree stripped of all it's glitz and glory. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!


But the good news is--in 10 months I'll be putting it all back up again!

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Ah Yes--Another Mortgage Reminder

Lest we forget we're homeowners after our crazy college kids weekend--on Monday morning we woke up to a burst water pipe in our basement. Thankfully G's functioning level was better than mine post-Sunday afternoon's Power Hour and accompanying festivities, so he was able to take charge.

Here's a before picture of the bar area. A very early before picture, I might add. Our liquor collection has since multiplied--which tends to happen when left unregulated by real adults.


When G realized the wet spot of carpet in front of the bar area was not drying up (we thought it was a spill at first because the spot was small) he walked outside and discovered THIS just below the window above the sink--water that was once pouring out the side of our house, FROZEN in time.


G quickly went to work removing our bar cabinetry so it wouldn't sustain further water damage and called an emergency plumber.

Nice and dry before pictures:

And the wish-we-were-still-renters after (click to enlarge):


You know--I've been thinking. The only thing our work out room was missing was a countertop and stainless steel sink running through the middle of it. Problem solved!


This is our current state of affairs--the plumbers came in, shut off water to this area, and are currently drying everything out with these incredibly loud fans that have been running 24 hours a day since Monday afternoon.


Hopefully tomorrow will be the last day for the fans. Then it's on to the repairs--and paying our insurance deductible. Ah, the joys of being a homeowner!

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Congratulations President Obama!

There's not much I can say about the much celebrated inauguration of my 44th President that hasn't already been said, so let me just add this:


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Three day weekends make Sunday the perfect day for drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol in the G&D household. Now before I get into the events of yesterday, let me fill you in on some of the back story.

For starters, my mom got me this beverage dispenser for Christmas this past year. I used it for serving lemonade at Christmas dinner, but it's fancier than my tastes so I'm having a hard time finding a use for it other than that one day a year.


Then last Thursday my friend/co-worker/future A.A. companion Jill & I had our agency's annual holiday party--the one night a year we all get together, drink too much, and say inappropriate things. So when one of our co-workers noticed a large jar filled with pineapple and vodka on the end of the bar and asked the group, "Want to do a shot?" our answer was a resounding "Hell yeah!" The shot--called a "Stoli Doli"--was one of the smoothest shots we've tasted so we pumped the bartender for more information. Turns out it's as simple as adding fresh cut pineapple to vodka and letting it "infuse" for 3-4 weeks before drinking as either a shot or a martini. Jill and I looked at each other and said, "We should totally do this." And then Jill exclaimed, "Oh my God! That's what you should do with that beverage dispenser your mom got you!" Genius.

So yesterday, Jill and her husband Shane came over and the 4 of us celebrated our three-day weekend like we were college kids again. Jill and I got to work on our Stoli Doli martini creation--1.5 liters of vodka and 1.5 cut up pineapple slices. Shane thought we needed to re-name it in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and our much appreciated 3-day weekend, so after a few beers and a little discussion we decided to call it the "I Forgot My Dream" martini. Mmmm...can't wait to enjoy it in 3-4 weeks!


Next on our list of acting like we're not adults--a Sunday afternoon "Power Hour" while watching the football game. Have you guys ever done this before? Jill and Shane are old pros, but this was my first time. You do 1 shot of beer every 60 seconds for 60 minutes. A friend of Jill's made her a CD of 60 songs that play for 60 seconds each, so every time the song changes you take a shot.

Jill & Shane--also known as "The Instigators."



Ugh. You'd think this college-educated woman would know better. I'm paying for each and every one of those shots today.

We ended the day's festivities with bowling, and a little Dance Dance Revolution.


I successfully forgot I was an adult with a mortgage...until the next morning afternoon when I woke up to this:


Ahhh...someday we'll grow up. Right?

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Baby It's Cold Outside!

Even with her sherpa-lined winter coat on, these negative double-digit temperatures are just way too cold for our poor little Chaser-girl!



Hope the temps start warming up soon! At this point, anything above freezing will feel toasty!

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2009 Golden Globes Fashion

Things have been busy this week, so I'm a little behind in catching up with my news and world events. Of course by "news" I mean E! News. And by "world events" I mean the Golden Globes. Now that I'm up to speed, I've found I have issues with some of the "fashion police" feedback I've been hearing--so now it's my turn to sound off.

Maybe my tastes have gone goth since slipping into my Twilight coma, but I thought this Carolina Herrera look Renee Zellweger sported looked absolutely gorgeous! Poor Renee has been raked across the coals for this fashion choice, but I really liked it.

(Now her sour facial poses on the other hand? Thumbs down.)

Eva Mendes's gown got mixed reviews, but I thought it was beautiful!


Another fashion "don't" according to E!'s fashion police--Anne Hathaway. I have to disagree. I love this dark navy blue against her gorgeous pale skin. Or maybe I just love seeing a pale celebrity? This could be, considering I'm sporting some very pasty "winter white" skin at the moment--which just so happens to stay with me all year round. I love that she embraces her paleness. I'm hoping this trend starts sweeping the nation and I can put away the sunless tanning lotion for good! Psst--pale is the new tan. Pass it on.


This look got 2 thumbs up from seemingly everyone--except me. Now I love me some Drew--don't get me wrong! And her dress is absolutely beautiful and looks stunning on her. But the hair is just way too much hair for me. It looks like she walked off the scene of her Never Been Kissed movie, threw on a dress, and walked the red carpet.


See what I'm saying?


Okay, now here are a few of my favorite looks from the Golden Globes the critics and I both seem to agree on.

Eva Longoria Parker looked amazing in this red Reem Acra.


The shade of yellow of this Elie Saab gown looked beautiful on Laura Linney with her skin tone and hair color. Loved it.


And my favorite dress of the night was hands-down, without a doubt, this gorgeous white J. Mendel gown worn by the lovely Kate Beckinsale. I love this dress so much I want to marry G all over again and have it as my wedding gown. Of course no one will be allowed to hug me because I'll be too concerned they'd squish my neckline. Nor would I be able to sit. Or eat for months beforehand. But it would all be worth it for this beauty!



So those are my favorite gowns--and one not-so-favorite hairstyle. What did you think? Since I'm late to the party I missed all the gossip from earlier this week--sound off and tell me who you thought were hits (and misses)!

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