8 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.
7. A shovel.

8. A vacation!
G and I discovered long ago that the best way to survive winter is to take a break from it at least once year--like the one we're about to take! This past month has been ridiculously busy and incredibly stressful, and I am so excited to be leaving for a much-needed vacation! I'll be back next week to fill you in on my fun in the sun, tell you all about my Oscar Party on Sunday night, and share with you some newfound lessons learned on having bangs. Hope you all have a great week--be back soon!

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The 2009 Academy Awards

Oh how I love me some Academy Awards--and this year was no exception! My first-ever Oscar Party was a hit (more on that to come) and I was so happy* for Kate Winslet's first Oscar win! It was such a great night--but there was one part of the evening that came up a bit short in my opinion:

The Oscar fashion.

Was anyone else left feeling underwhelmed with this year's gown selections? What was the deal?? I'm guessing they got word that I was getting my own group of glamour gals together for Oscar Night so they decided to phone it in. I get it. And I don't blame them.

I blame their stylists.

Now I'm generally a positive person by nature, so I don't want to dwell on my least favorites--but I do feel the need to point out a few:

Beyonce and Halle are absolutely stunning women--there's no doubt about that--but I just wasn't feeling the black and gold combination. At all.

Love Reese. Love her movies. But I'm not loving this black and blue number. Ouch.


It looked to me like Jessica Biel needed JT to help her bring sexy back. Yeah.


Without question, the biggest fashion offenders of the evening had the be the 5 former Best Supporting Actresses who awarded Penelope Cruz her Best Supporting Actress Oscar this year. For the first time ever I found these women painful to watch.


Now that's enough of the not-so-good. Let's move on to some of my favorite looks of my favorite night! I thought Alicia Keys looks stunning in this pink gown. So pretty!


Okay. If you didn't already know this about me, now you do. I am an Angelina lover. And a Brangelina lover. I love her. I love him. I love them together. And I want them both to adopt me. Now that doesn't mean I don't love Jen--let's get that straight right off the bat! I love Jen like I love blue jeans, tank tops, and flip flops. And I love Angelina like I love designer handbags and stilettos. All things very much needed in my life--and all equally loved, just in different ways. That said, I'm guessing this will come as no surprise to you, but I thought my favorite designer handbag looked incredible on Oscar night!


I was loving all the pale dresses of the evening--Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, SJP, and even Tina Fey. But my hands-down favorite look of the evening went to my newest love--Anne Hathaway. Now she may not have taken home the Oscar, but over this past year this gal skyrocket from my Do Not Call List to my Christmas Card List. And she may or may not have made a few movies somewhere in there. Anne--I love you. Come visit me anytime! (Bring the dress.)


So those were my picks for hits & misses of the evening--who were yours?

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*So happy = me clapping like a fool with tears splashing into my Mike & Ike candy-filled martini.

Care To Live In A Cave?

Have you seen the Cave Home for sale on ebay? Over 15,000 square feet on 2.8 acres. It's pretty incredible!






And do you really need to clean if you live in a cave? I think I'm sold.

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Outfit of the Day 2.19.09

One more clothing post before we move on to more exciting things--like Academy Awards coming up--Eee!! This was yesterday's work outfit:

Black turtleneck sweater--New York & Company
Tweed skirt--Gap
Faux suede knee-high boots--Target



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Outfit of the Day 2.18.09

Outfit of the Day 2.18.09

The only thing worse than taking pictures with a self-timer is asking G to take them for me. Cue the wine. I intended on cropping my glass out of the picture, and realized afterwards that unfortunately that wasn't going to work. But then I thought--meh, what the hell? This picture's still usable--and certainly more me!


Okay, back to business. This is what I wore to work yesterday:
Black dress pants--New York & Company
Grey silk blouse--Gap (clearance $12)
Ivory sweater--Old Navy (clearance $5)
Black belt--it's old, so I can't remember.
Stiletto boots--DSW


I liked the idea of pairing this feminine silk ruffled blouse with this grommeted leather belt and buckled boots. I thought it was an interesting mix of soft and hard.


These boots are so old, but I love them!



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7 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.

7. A shovel.
You may be wondering when "4 wheel drive" is going to make it's appearance on this list. Well the answer is--it's not. Why? Because I don't have 4 wheel drive. Oh no. I brave my 100 Inches of Snowfall Madison, WI winters in a 4-cylinder Ford Focus. And in college--like in numbers 1 through 6 above--my ride was a 3-cylinder Geo Metro hatchback with tires barely larger than a golf cart's. Nope, no 4 wheel drive for me. Real winter road warriors throw a shovel in their backseat.

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Parade of Homes: Charming Craftsman Style Home

Built by Design Shelters and located in the Blackhawk Neighborhood of Madison, WI, this Arts & Crafts/Craftsman style home features 4,718 square feet of living space, 3.5 baths, a sauna, his & hers master bedroom walk-in closets, granite countertops, walk-in pantry, exercise room, 3 fireplaces, & a 3.5 car garage. In other words--plenty of space and features for your whole family--and everyone else on your current block!



I loved these house numbers:


Custom built-in breakfast booth:


Walk-in pantry:


Granite countertop and island place setting:




The master bedroom. They did a really pretty paint technique on just the wall the bed is on--it looked like they painted it blue, then thinly dragged a cream glaze over it, and then dragged on a brown glaze a little thicker. The other 3 walls were a solid light cream color.


I was a big fan of this guest bathroom--loved that tile work and linen cabinet. So pretty!


Interested in seeing more? CLICK HERE for a virtual tour of this home!

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You Know It's Dry Outside...

...when you use more Static Guard on your hair than you do hairspray.

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Countdown to the Academy Awards!

The 81st annual Academy Awards are a week from today, and I CAN'T WAIT! Historically I spend Oscar Night laying on the couch in my sweatpants, eating popcorn and drinking wine while drooling over Hollywood's most glamorous people--but not anymore! I've decided to switch out my sweats for satin. I'll still be glued to the couch, watching with my wine and popcorn in hand--only this year I'm doing it in a fabulous evening gown! Why should the stars get to have all the fun? And since glamour loves company, I invited a handful of girlfriends over to join me! My first Oscar Party--so exciting!


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Dancing Queens

As a Christmas present for two of my favorite people--my friends Jill (pictured below on the left) and Beth (below, center)--I decided to arrange a little surprise evening for the three of us. With our hectic schedules we weren't able to get together until earlier this week, but it was worth the wait! All I told them ahead of time was to be ready for me to pick them up after work, and to bring some workout clothes, their tennis shoes, a banana, and a stuffed buffalo. (I tried to throw them off with those last two--I'm tricky like that.) We kicked off the night with some delicious appetizers, wine, and lots of laughs. This was not the "surprise" part of the evening however, as virtually all our nights out begin (and end) this way. But hey--if it ain't broke, don't fix it!


Next up--the surprise! Beth and Jill were trying for weeks to guess what I had planned but I waited until they were sufficiently liquored up to spring it on them. My sister-in-law had told me about a new place in downtown Madison called Dance Fabulous, where they teach you dance choreography to popular hip hop songs. She had gone there with some friends over the holidays and had a great time. After hearing about it I knew I wanted to get my girls together to try it out! We arrived a little early, which was fine because once they found out what I had planned it was decided one last drink at the bar around the corner was necessary. Back at the gym we changed our clothes and warmed up to Beyonce's Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It):


We did our best to learn the choreography...

...but eventually the wine won out and we just started making up our own moves.


Jill says "I might not be able to dance like Christina Aguilera, but look what I can do!"


We did a good job making fools of ourselves but had a lot of fun--and a new found respect for Britney Spears!

One more highlight of the night was this gift I received from Beth. She surprised me with this binder filled with every single one of my blog posts to date. I couldn't even believe it! I was absolutely overwhelmed with emotion that she would think to do that for me and take the time to make it happen. Thank you so much Beth (and her husband Jason!) for all the work you did on "The Project." It is a gift I will cherish forever!


I really do have the most amazing friends, and it was such a fun night to show them how much they mean to me!

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Pucker Up, Baby!

With Valentine's Day coming up, who couldn't use a more kissable pucker? Well you're in luck--my friend Beth (this Beth, not this Beth) is doing a blog giveaway! Two lucky winners (and one of them better be me--which means there's still a chance for one of you!) will win a Watkins all-natural Lip Tint. Just visit her blog Good Tastings, tell her about your favorite Valentine's Day gift, and you're entered to win! Entries must be made by 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, February 12th and the winners (meaning me--and maybe you) will be announced on Friday. While you're there be sure to check out her other great Watkins products--and tell her D sent you!