Rooms that I love

If only white were a practical color with two kids, two dogs and two cats........

If I could have one dress from the Oscars....

It would be this one that Penelope Cruz wore at the 2007 Oscars....
Everything about it makes my heart go pitter patter. The color, the cut, the fabric..everything.

My other favorite dress of all time is this...
My girl, SJP, this is one of the most incredible dresses I've ever seen. I miss Sex and the City, the girls, the clothes, the cosmopolitans....even when the clothes were wrong they were so right....
I can just tell you if my abs looked like that, I'd be rockin that outfit everyday.

Warmer days are coming?

I know I'm not the only person that feels this way, but jeez its been a LONG winter! I've had it with the cold and the snow. I know I live in the mid west and this is how it is, but c'mon already. Today, it's snowing...again. My doormat today..

I'm dreaming of sunny, warm, long, hot days. I'm waiting for the day when I open the door and feel the warm air hit my face instead of being pelted by snow and ice. These memories are getting me through....

Plans are made to be changed....

It's been an interesting week here. Thursday I was on my way to Pittsburgh and my car died. And of course, it died not here in Ohio but in Pittsburgh. Ugghh!!!! Sitting in the turning lane....car...dead. So, to make a long story short..got car towed to repair shop..parents brought me back to Ohio..found out car needs new transmission...$3500. Ugghh!! This car has been the ban of my existence not to mention my wallet for awhile now and I've been wanting to get rid of it but not sans transmission.

Looks cute and fun sitting there but just try to buy tires, replace your headlight or get an oil change. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching. What I've learned from this car purchase. Unique = expensive. Honestly, at this point, after how much money we've put into it, I would love to set it aflame and roast marshmallows while watching it burn but for obvious reasons that just can't happen.

Ok, I'm done ranting. So, cut to the chase, I need a car. Saturday we cancelled our Valentines day dinner reservations and headed to Pittsburgh to try to buy a car. We couldn't get the deal closed with the dealership so back we went to Ohio with not much accomplished. Searched auto trader and thought we would go out Sunday in Ohio and see if we could find anything as a backup while waiting till Monday for the dealer in Pittsburgh to get back to us. And then,





It was love at first sight. Cross your fingers I won't feel like the deal is closed till I'm driving it off the lot but hopefully that will happen in the next day or two.
I will be so excited to have a car thats easier to maneuver in with the kids and I don't need to worry whenever I see a snowflake in the sky. Oh please, oh please I promise I won't ask for anything for a very long time (ok, so we both know thats not really true) but I need a car!

By the way, Happy Valentines Day honey, I don't know what I'd do without you. Our takeout Chinese complete with candlelight and wine was the perfect Valentines day dinner. I love you, thank you for helping me get through the last couple of months with that piece of junk and helping me get a new and hopefully more reliable and less expensive vehicle.

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach

I'm not sure if this old adage is true or not. My husband has been looking at me like I'm a little crazy lately as new menu items keep popping up on our dinner table. I blame this on my new job (at the cooking store) and finding all these products that I've lived my food sheltered life without. Last night it was a frittata, or as my husband called it a western omelet.

I haven't had much of an opportunity to cook up until now. I've always thought of cooking as a social experience, spending time with the people you love, catching up on the day. In my mind it isn't fun to make something great if there isn't anyone to share it with. So, with all that said, I never thought I could cook but to my surprise I can. I'm not saying I'm up for my own Food Network show but there have been more successes than failures. And that, to me, is a huge success. I'm going to keep on experimenting....tart anyone?

To spend or not to spend...THAT is the question

I've been thinking alot about money lately, especially my spending habits and what I choose to spend my money on. I know I'm not the only one, everyone goes to work everyday with bated breath wondering if they themselves or their coworkers will have a job at the end of the day. What is important, what will enrich my life, and by enrich my life it may be as superficial as will these boots make my days this winter a little happier. Today, in this economy, is it ok to be superficial or should we be restricted to the necessities? I received my March issue of Real Simple yesterday and this question seems to be a very relevant topic. This magazine is my absolute favorite. It puts a smile on my face when I pull it out of the mailbox. One of my favorite parts is the editors note page which always strikes a chord with me and this month was no exception. Here is an excerpt...

I don't know about you, but I'm having a really hard time figuring out how or when to spend money these days. Almost every one of us has suffered in some way from this recession, but one weird fallout for me is a new cognitive dissonance that goes something like this: Everything is on sale! I should be taking advantage! versus Do not spend a single unnecessary dime, because the amount of money our family spends on food alone every week nearly gives me a panic attack!

I went through this same back and forth with myself yesterday in Target. I had been eyeing up this pair of boots for most of the winter and there they were on sale and not just any sale a 75% off sale. They had my size and I put them in my cart with a smile on my face...$8.54..what a deal! As I made my way around Target checking out the home decor, an argument was going on inside my head. The old me, who would have never given a second thought to $8.54 boots, was now confronted by the new me, who was questioning whether I needed another pair of boots no matter what they cost. I tried to ignore this "new me" but somehow I couldn't, she was probably right. I went and put the boots back on the shelf and smiled knowing that I had made the right decision.

This months issue of Real Simple is about how to live your life on less. How it's not necessarily about sacrificing but making smart decisions...like putting the boots back!!