All Things Loved In May

1. Pedicures. My fabulous husband surprised me with a gift certificate for a pedicure earlier this month, which I thoroughly enjoyed cashing in. Pedicures are truly one of life's greatest pleasures.

Not my feet--but yes, my dream.

2. Outdoor dining. I love outdoor dining when the weather starts warming up, and this month I enjoyed my first outdoor dining experience of the year on Madison's famous State Street. Great food, wonderful views, and certainly lots of interesting people-watching!

State Street, Madison, WI

3. The month of May saw my first ever Chinese restaurant experience. Now don't get me wrong--I've actually tried Chinese food before (my roommate in college came home with chicken fried rice one time and I had a bite)--but this was my first time being brave enough to go to a Chinese restaurant and order my very own entree. I went with the chicken fried rice (go with what you know, right?) and I really liked it! Granted I picked out all the carrots, green onions, and peas, so it was literally just chicken and rice, but that's still a big step for this picky eater.


4. Summer reality TV--namely So You Think You Can Dance and The Bachelorette. I just love these guilty pleasures!



5. Reading. To prove my time is not completely consumed my reality TV, I've also been doing a lot of reading this month. I'm currently engrossed in Change of Heart, by Jodi Picoult. It's about a convicted murderer on death row whose dying request is to donate his heart to the sister of his victim who needs a transplant. Like all of Picoult's books, it's so hard to put down!

Pearls & Bows

I had my camera all set to snap pictures and in walked Chase--ready for her close-up! I got better shots of the outfit than these two pics, but I couldn't resist using these ones with our little diva girl. I should've thrown a strand of pearls on her, too!

This tank top had the bow already sewn on--I just clipped the stitches on the left side of the bow, separating that half from the tank so it would overlap the cardigan.

Jeans: GAP
Cardigan: New York & Company
Tank Top: H&M
Shoes: Nicole (from DSW)
Necklace: Target
Pregnancy: 8 weeks
pgeightwks

Needles Make Me Nauseous

A few years ago I was at my doctor's office for a yearly physical. She gave me a clean bill of health and was about to send me on my way when she suddenly stopped and asked, "How old are you?"

"Twenty-four," I said.

"Oh, okay," she replied. "We have patients get their cholesteral levels checked at age 25."

"What does that entail?" I cautiously asked.

"Just a simple blood draw."

Hearing the words "blood draw" makes me almost pass out cold. When I don't respond she goes on to ask, "When do you turn 25?"

I quickly consider lying, but she was glancing for my date of birth in my chart, and I figured if she made it through medical school she can probably manage simple math, dammitalltohell!

"Tomorrow," I quietly answer, sinking into my chair and cursing the day I was born.

"Oh!" she brightly replies. "Well in that case, you could get your blood drawn today, since you're so close to turning 25. I'll call down to the lab."

"NO!" I plead. "No, that's okay! I have a fear of needles," I explain. "I'd rather wait until my next appointment. I think I need a year to mentally prepare for this."

She waits for me to start laughing or give her some sign that I'm kidding, but instead I'm eyeing the room for a puke bag and an exit. Before I leave I schedule my next appointment for a year later--the following September.

In August I call to cancel my appointment and reschedule for November, giving myself a two-month extension.

In November I cancel and reschedule for February.

In February I cancel and reschedule for April.

In April--over a year and a half later--I finally muster up the courage to keep my dreaded appointment. Everything goes well and my doctor is wrapping things up and getting ready to leave when I breathe a huge sigh of relief and think: OMG, she forgot! I'm off the hook!!

Not so fast.

"Oh!" my doctor exclaims. "I have a note here that you were going to get your cholesterol checked during this appointment. Are you ready for it?"

"No."

She laughs and says, "It'll be okay! I promise it will be over before you know it."

"Isn't there a written test I can take instead?" I negotiate.

"It doesn't work that way," she reasons.

"BUT I EAT OATMEAL FOR BREAKFAST EVERY DAY!"

"Just get it over with," she bargains, "and I promise you won't need to do this again for another 5 years."

So I suck it up and get my blood drawn, narrowly escaping a complete and total pass-out. A week later I get the validation I was looking for--a letter stating my cholesterol levels are excellent. I add it to the file of evidence I'm compiling to prove my body is a cholesterol happy zone. I'll be ready for her when it's time to re-plead my case at age 30. Or by the time I actually keep my appointment...at age 32.

Spring Dress: Keep or Return?

I recently got this cute springy dress from Target but I can't decide if I should keep it or send it back for someone 10 years younger than me to purchase.


I was originally hoping to wear it to work (we have a pretty casual office), but now I think it's too short for that. So what do you think? And if your vote is for keeping it, any ideas on where I could wear it?

Needless To Say

The phrase "needless to say" annoys me.

Example: Last weekend we did x, y, and z. Needless to say, we've been busy.

If something is really "needless to say" then why say it? And if you're going to say it, then why preface it with "needless to say"?

Can anyone unlock this mystery for me? Or at least commiserate??

Needless to say, this is driving me to drink.

Heavenly Ring

I just picked up this Dream Angels Heavenly Bloom Ring from Victoria's Secret, and I have to admit--it's a little piece of heaven. It's so pretty topped with a cluster of pearlized gold-dotted flowers, but slide that top and you'll find a little pot of Heavenly Bloom solid perfume inside!


Now I'm not going to lie to you--this cocktail ring is LARGE, so it's not for the timid. But I have the smallest hands of any grown woman I know, so if I can pull it off, anyone can. Here I* am modeling this beautiful ring below:


*Okay, okay--maybe not so much me, as it is Miranda Kerr, Victoria's Secret supermodel. But I'm sure you can agree the resemblance is uncanny. Especially in a bikini-clad side-by-side comparison--you'll just have to trust me on that.

Bad Hair Day

I am vain. This comes as no surprise to any of you, I'm sure. I've said it before and I'll say it again--I already have enough of the 7 deadly sins covered that I’m not about to start pumping the brakes when it comes to vanity. Vanity which was put to the test yesterday after a very unfortunate incident. I always knew it was bound to happen one day, but that doesn't make it any less painful or any less surprising. No matter what you read in magazines, or what you see on TV, it's just one of those things no one can prepare you for.

My hairdryer died.

(please pause for a moment of silence)

The morning started out like any other morning, with no sign of the tragedy that was ahead of me. I hopped out of bed bright and chipper. Got a quick workout in, and then jumped in the shower for a refreshing cleanse. Then I slapped on some makeup, combed some volumizing foam through my roots, grabbed my handy round brush and my trusty hairdryer---the only two styling tools I use--flipped the switch...and FAIL. Nothing but a light stream of cold air came out. Not even enough to dry my hair, let alone style it.

I had a brief fit of panic, wondering if I had enough time to run to Target to get a new hairdryer, get back home in time to finish styling my hair, and still make it to work on time. Yeah right, I realized looking at the clock and cursing Matt Lauer and his boy-next-door charm for sucking me into at least 20 minutes of mindless Today show watching. So I considered my two options--I could easily salvage my soaking strands by putting them in a ponytail, or throwing them into a sassy updo. I was grabbing for the bobby pins when a third option started creeping its way into my wet head:

I could do nothing.

I could just let my hair air dry, leave it down, go to work, and spend all day with it completely unstyled.

"NO WAY IN HELL!" my vanity cried out in terror, while also assessing that I needed more eyeliner.

But option 3 was already winning out as I decided to put my vanity to the test and embrace the death of my hairdryer as an opportunity for a little humility. So out the door I went--wet head and all--ready to face the day and test my vanity with my self-prescribed bad hair day. (But not before wrapping a rubberband around my wrist first--just in case.)

And because I know you'd all be curious to see, here you go--my bad hair day in all its glory!


As you can see, the right side is doing some frizzy sticking out thing, while the back alternates between flipped in, flipped out, flipped left, and flipped right. And the right side? I can't even talk about the right side. I think it's trying to morph into The Rachel. And did I mention that the top was all crusty because I had put hair product in before realizing my dryer had died? Yeah, that was sexy.

Well I'm happy to report that I made it through the entire day without breaking down and using my emergency rubberband. It also bears mentioning that I didn't get teased by my co-workers. I didn't receive any weird looks from strangers, small children, or their animals. Traffic did not come to a screeching halt when I drove past. And I wasn't even photographed unflatteringly by paparazzi! And the craziest thing of all--the sun came up this morning and the world is still spinning on its axis. Which means I successfully and officially made it through my bad hair day!

My vanity has passed the test and will now be rewarded with a new hairdryer. Got any recommendations for us?

Candy Apple Salad

This recipe--compliments of my sister Amy--is the perfect summer salad! It's incredibly easy to make, and oh-so-delicious. It tastes just like a caramel candied apple!

What You Need
Apples
Snickers Candy Bars
Cool Whip
Instant Butterscotch Pudding Mix

Directions

1. Chop up about 5 large, crunchy apples into bite-sized pieces.
   
   
2. Add Snickers pieces--about 8-10 snack sized Snickers bars are good.
   
   
   A tip for getting your Snickers from bars to pieces--throw them in the freezer (still in the wrapper), once frozen take them out and beat them (while still in the wrapper) with the flat end of a meat tenderizer. Then cut off the end of the wrapper and you have perfect little Snickers bits for your salad! (And the larger bits are good for tossing in your mouth while no one is looking.)
   
   
   
3. Mix 1 package of butterscotch instant pudding mix (just the powder) with 1 small container of Cool Whip. Add this to your big bowl of apples and Snickers, and mix it all together.
   
   
   
4. Chill until serving.

And that's all it takes! Quick, easy, and sure to be a hit. I don't even like apples, but I love this recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Parade of Homes--Purple Bedrooms

This 3,908 square feet 2008 Parade home was built by Premier Builders, and is located in the Southbridge neighborhood of Waunakee, WI.





I liked the colors in this room--lavender, black, white, and silver. It reminded me of my friend Allison's guest bedroom.



I wanted to steal this black & white houndstooth chair!

Would You Rather Wednesday

Our local radio station has "Would You Rather Wednesday" where they ask 2 questions, and you have to chose one or the other. I'm posing this morning's question to all of you!

Would you rather:

NEVER be able to use the internet EVER AGAIN?

-or-

Lose an eye and have to wear an eye patch for the rest of your life?

Americana Outfit

I must have been feeling patriotic on this day. I've got the red, white, and blue covered. No stars (can polka dots substitute?) but I do have stripes. And of course, my new aviators--can't get enough of them!

Pants & Sweater: GAP
Jacket: Max Studio
Bag: Dooney & Bourke
Shoes: Nicole (from DSW)



I love the buttons on the pockets of these navy trousers.

Real Life

1. Blogging on the sofa--a typical nightly scene in the G&D household.
   
   
2. My T-shirt quilt. This is one of my favorite possessions and is pretty much on the couch with me at all times. My mom made me this quilt as a surprise high school graduation gift. She slowly hoarded T-shirts from sports I'd played, camps I'd went to, and other extra-curricular activities I'd done while growing up, and made them into this quilt. My guests then signed it in permanent marker at my graduation party, writing little notes and well wishes. Not only does it hold immense sentimental value--it's also the most comfortable quilt ever! So comfortable, in fact, that G tries to sneak it from me when I'm not looking. After a few years of that, I finally had my mom make him a T-shirt quilt of his own this past Christmas, so now we each have one!
   
   
3. Three things I like to keep close at hand--a glass of wine, my favorite Nerds candy, and the TiVo remote.
   
   
4. My GAP cropped ankle-zip jeans don't look quite so cute with my knee-high boots off.
   
   
5. I keep the extra leaves for my dining room table under the sofa. Here you can see one peeking out.
   
   
6. My beloved Nike cross-trainers. At the time this picture was taken, those shoes had been sitting in that very spot for about 2 weeks. Completely unused.
   
   
7. Our poor carpet, which is now stained beyond repair because Chase--our diva greyhound--has a habit of going to her food dish, putting kibble in her mouth, and then walking into the living room to empty the kibble onto our formerly white carpet, where she then eats (almost) all of it--leaving just enough little kibble crumbs behind to drive us nuts.

So that's a little peak at "real life" for all my fellow voyeurs out there!

Thank You for the...What??

This thank you card had us cracking up last weekend! It was written by my friend's daughter Gracey who recently turned 7 years old, thanking her aunt Angela and her uncle Aaron (whose nickname is Buck) for their birthday gift--a T-shirt with a horse on it. But at first glance it looks like the card reads: Thank you for the horse shit.


I can't look at it and not laugh!