Dear Santa .... Round One

Dear Santa,

I noticed you have started placing your Christmas paraphernalia in stores already.  I assume this means it is acceptable to start sending you my List (s).  There will most likely be multiple editions, they are meant to be 'in addition to' not 'in lieu of' previous lists.

Let us begin:

A shiny DSLR.

A classic Burberry trench coat. 

Dior 'Copacabana' Sunglasses in Havana (the black is too harsh on my face).

I'll let you get started on these first few things and get back to you later.

xoxo,

C

Added Reactions!

I added reactions to my posts!  So, if you love me - but not enough to leave a comment - maybe you love me enough to just click a box?

We are now featuring :
Like It, Love It, or Gotta Have It

Um, yeah - those are also the sizes at Cold Stone, because if we are being honest, my life really does revolve around ice cream. 

walk in and dream...

Since I can no longer plan my wedding, and don't have a house to play with yet...I will play with my amazing imaginary house.  When I was little we used to play 'shopping'.  We each brought our own Sears Big Book (you know that one that weighed like 16 pounds?) to the babysitter and would pick out all the things we would have in our future lives - everything from clothes, to furniture to strollers.
This is kind of like that - I pick out all the things I would put in my house.

We will start with the most important room .... the walk-in closet.

The walls would be painted in 'Rain', it's a very sophisticated blue - not 'baby' or 'tiffanys' - it's just got a hint of gray.  White crown molding would run around the top of the room with blond hardwood floors.  The navy velvet fainting couch would be slightly angled in the corner, for times when my wardrobe gets overwhelming....also helpful for putting on shoes ;) .  Along one wall would be built-in shelving and drawers....I love drawers in closets.  The doors would be white with glazing and lit from behind.  The large mirror would lead gently on the wall (angled because it makes me look skinnier).  Behind the fainting couch I would put a photo montage in the brushed silver frames from Crate and Barrel - maybe framed vintage fashion sketches?  Or maybe our wedding photos?

If When I get this I'm pretty sure I will never leave. 
*Special note to the Boy: please note there are no room for your clothes.

Credits: Rug from Overstock.com; Mirror from Pottery Barn; Wall Montage from Apartment Therapy; Closet from Ikea; Silver Frames from Crate and Barrel; Fainting Couch from Urban Outfitters; Chandelier from West Elm.

Am I missing out?

I just saw different 4 boys carrying bouquets of flowers in all of 15 minutes.  Is there some holiday I must tell gently remind the boy to buy me some flowers for today?

Dear Antenna Bender...

Dear Antenna Bender,
That was unnecessary....and uncalled for.
I bet what you didn't count on is that the radio actually comes in better - so, HA! - even though you made my car even crappier than it already is your mission has ultimately failed.

xoxo (not)
C

Wanted: Accountability Buddies

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I haven’t exactly fallen off the exercise bandwagon because it’s hard to fall off if you never really got on. I ran casually jogged beside the bandwagon a few times, often thinking about jumping on, but I’m more of the girl that watches that bandwagon from the side of the road and waits to see if said bandwagon would possibly throw candy in my direction.
It has been a delicious couple of months since our wedding.

Honeymoon = all inclusive resort with amazing food and drinks
BFF’s Wedding = again delicious food and socializing
the Boy’s birthday = cake/ice cream
my birthday = cake/ice cream again (and we aren’t talking slices here people, we are talking whole cakes)
life = ice cream at night because I can
Halloween = candy at every corner.

This weekend’s quote from the boy: “Hun, you are eating those Oreo’s at an alarming rate”.

To sum it up I like food waay too much, and I’m starting to feel myself expanding (and not expanding with joy or love, mostly with Halloween candy and carbs) and that is no bueno.
I generally operate on an entirely irrational system of rewards and punishments. Basically it goes like this – if you go for a run you may reward yourself with a treat; if you neglect said run you can still eat that treat because you will most likely go tomorrow. I have complied so many excuses to avoid physical exertion of any kind (its cold/its dark/my shoes are in the other room/I need a new playlist/etc.) and since I have all these goals/conversations/punishments in my head no one else knows about them and I cannot be held accountable.
So I have a plan to have a plan.

My plan is to do the C25K …. again. (aka the Couch to 5k – but using only the letters I think makes it sound more difficult, like P90X.) This time I won’t get irrationally upset when they make you take that 2 mile leap that seriously comes out of nowhere.

Anyone want to join? I need accountability buddies. Don’t get scared, it’s still only a plan to have a plan – we don’t actually have to do anything YET ….baby steps, baby steps.

you need glasses...

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The boy really needs glasses.  He is aware of this but refuses to get them.  Each day I come home I find his chair* slightly closer to the television.

Sometimes if I am feeling spiteful I move the chair back, not a perceptible amount - but far enough so he cannot see the score of the game.  I find it amusing when he has to ask me what the score is and then I get to make up new scores.  3's, 6's and 8's can all be used interchangeably and he does not know.  This also goes for 1's and 7's and 4's and 9's.

*yes, he has a huge tacky recliner solely dedicated to him.  this would be #1 reason we need a basement in our house - so his furniture can live down there and not where people can see it.

on weight loss...

I like to take my rings off and put lotion on my hands. When I put my rings back on they slip and spin around on my finger and it convinces me that my fingers are skinnier and that I have lost weight.

jet pack vacuums

Sometimes when I stay late at work (like tonight) I get to watch the cleaning crew.  Today I noticed they they have strap on backpack vacuums in lieu of regular vacuums, which basically look like jet packs, and pretty much equals awesome.  I would definitely clean more if I had a jet pack vacuum to wear.

Note: I really do love my vacuum, but it it does not translate well into a pretend jet pack.

UPS Conspiracy...

I think the UPS and the garbage guys are involved in a conspiracy against me.  On the rare occasion that I receive a package 9 times out of 10 it will come on a Wednesday evening.  Our garbage gets picked up on Wednesday morning.  Generally I have to open the package the second I get through the door due to uncontainable excitement and after I have retrieved my prize I am likely to leave said packaging as is...ie right in front of the door, where I must kick it to exit our apartment for the next 6 days.

Note: I am not complaining about getting large packages.  I will deal, I just think this could be coordinated better.

Note to Self : Foot Lotion

Today I made the mistake of putting lotion on my feet at work. I often have my shoes kicked off under my desk and noticed that my feet felt rather dry….so I lotioned them up! Unfortunately, the lotion had not fully absorbed by the time lunch came which made for a rather awkward walk to get a sandwich where I was struggling to keep my shoes on and they kept slipping and sliding off anyways. I can only imagine what I looked like. I tried to keep them on by clutching my shoes with my toes, which half worked, but now I have the worst foot cramp in my left leg.

Note to Self: Do not lotion feet while wearing shoes with slippery insides. In fact, maybe you should just keep your shoes on at work.

Dear Lunch Lady...

Dear Lunch Lady,
I really do appreciate that you take the time to pull out what you deem to be unacceptable lettuce when making my sandwich. I do not like the really stalky pieces and clearly you do not either. This makes me happy. I also enjoy that you crush the croutons on my chicken ceasar wrap so they are more manageable. I get crouton deliciousness in every bite and the roof of my mouth doesn’t get cut up.

Xoxo,
C

the house search begins...

The boy and I looked at houses this weekend with our Realtor. It was severely depressing. Boston has no real-estate crisis. The three homes we requested to see on Tuesday, were all under agreement by Saturday; two of these were on the market less than a week, apparently we have ‘Good Taste’ (as quoted by our Realtor).
I think good taste really means less than $300/sf which is apparently a bargain just outside of Boston.
He took us to see a few others he thought we might be interested in - we were really not, but we went along anyways.

House #1 – FAIL
$342,000; 1600sf; 3 bed/2bath


- Laminate flooring in a new addition = why would you spend money on a new addition and put in laminate flooring? What does that say about the quality of the new construction?
- 30” wide staircase leading upstairs = I do not need a daily reminder of my girth by making me feel like I am too fat for the stairs.
- basement from 1890’s = foundation built of stones, not cement and I’m pretty sure that’s how snakes, bugs and mice get in – no thanks.

House #2 – FAIL
$330,000; 1600sf; 3 bed/1.5bath

- 1 level of living = just doesn’t feel ‘homey’
- Very awkward flow = 2 living rooms separated by the heating system for the house – who designed this?
- “New” Roof = Yes, I see it says you installed a new roof, why didn’t you replace the gutters which are clearly falling off and missing in some areas which has lead to the window sills rotting in multiple locations. I don’t trust you.
+ Large backyard in good neighborhood

House #3 – Half FAIL
$400,000; 1200sf; 2 bed/1 bath

- Quaint bungalow with open plan, but quite tiny.
- There were NO lights anywhere, seriously.
- Radiators = the most noisy form of heating IMO.
- Kitchen circa 1920 complete with faux wood laminate.
+ Fantastic original molding and wood floors.
+ Bordered on two sides by preserved land.
+ Very cute street.

Note to Self: Stop watching Property Virgins where people are putting down less than 10% and getting really cute houses for only a quarter of a million.

definition

classically modern (adj) – first you have ‘classic’, it speaks about a good foundation, proportions and details. then you have ‘modern’, it negates any antiqueness, allows it to be fresh, with clean lines and bold colors. 

it is being elegant, without being formal or stuffy.  it is having a strong sense of design and style without being trendy.  it is timeless.

or at least that is what I tell myself.