Pull it Together

Ok. Here we are Day 4 of The Plague. I feel like I am finally on the tail end of it. Yes I was up all night coughing and I feel like my lungs are afire BUT I do not have a fever and the sinus-y part of it seems over as well. Left to deal with? No voice, sore throat, shit in lungs.

Easy peasy.

I am working from home today armed with Mucinex, Dayquil and lots of liquids. I'm trying to book a doctor appointment for later this afternoon just to confirm that I don't have bronchitis. I can't afford to f around becuase my BIRTHDAY PARTY is tomorrow night and believe you me I wouldn't call that off even if I still did have a fever. After spending my actual birthday miserable and semi-coherent I deserve a fabulous night out with my fabulous friends at a fabulous place. Right? RIGHT!

So F you, disgusting flu and chest cold. You can't keep me down!!

::::::UPDATE::::::

WELL I am certainly glad I decided to go to the doctor today AND I am glad that my regular doctor wasn't in so I saw a rando doctor who was like "um, why does Dr. So and So always give you Nasonex when you clearly have asthma?". Say what? Oh yes, the reason that when I get a cold I get knocked on my ass and have a cough for WEEKS. And why I cough more at night even if I sleep sitting up. And why sometimes I feel like no matter how deep a breath I take I can't get enough air in.

That right there is some asthma.

In my case it is mild and intermittent which means I just need to do the whole 2 puffs, 2 times a day while I have this cold and I have a fast acting one for when I wake up hacking to death in the middle of the night, but since I'm taking the OTHER inhalers that shouldnt even happen. And in the future when I get a cold, if I start using the inhaler immediately then I won't have this long drawn out abomination of a chest cold. AND other than when I am sick I don't even have to use the inhalers. So boo yeah to that.

THEN I went to my parents to finally see my mom who came back the other day from her two months in Lebanon-Paris-South Africa and I missed her tons so it was really nice to see her and of course the loads of goodies she brought back were fun too...the BEST of which is a good sized chunk of her friend Beatrice's jewelry collection (Andy are you reading this?). Basically Beatrice is my mom's best friend since they were 2 and she has always been a style icon to me (total jet setter, works for the Agence France Press, has lived all over the world, dates men with names like "Pirate") and the fact that she just gave me a bunch of her FABULOUS funky necklaces and earrings and bangles is just the bees knees if you ask me. Yeah I said it. the BEES KNEES.

So my birthday is a turnin' around! Work it out!

Happy Birthday To Me

I'm ringin' in my 29th year with this:




And this:



I think it just about evens out!

If you need me I will be laying in bed with my new bracelet on and little balls of Kleenex stuffed up my nose.

Local Winos - Support Local Wine

The Wall Street Journal's annual Open That Bottle Night is almost here and a fantastic wine from a local winery is one of the finalists!

Open That Bottle Night, this year on February 28th, is a night to pop open that bottle of wine you bought for a special occasion. Life is too short to put off special things, right? And it doesn't have to be the most expensive wine or the rarest wine..just a bottle of wine that means something to you. The wine columnists at the Wall Street Journal want our help in determining which of their special wines they open and one of the four finalists is Westport Rivers Winery 1999 Brut Cuvée, a delicious sparkler for which the winery is famous and a wine that many tasters mistake for champagne (including Adam and I).



Massachusetts wineries know how to throw down!

I went to the winery over the summer, after a day spent at Horseneck Beach and blogged about it. . It is a gorgeous spot and anyone in the MA/RI area should check the Westport Rivers Winery and attend one of their free tastings. You can support a local business....and get a little buzz. Or check out the website and shop online!



So please click this link and vote for the Westport Rivers Winery 1999 Brut Cuvée. Especially in this economy, it's important we do what we can to support local business. Especially those in the business of making booze, oui?

And this Saturday, celebrate Open That Bottle Night and crack open a bottle of something special just because!

How to Burn Water

No matter your culinary aptitude, there are certain kitching skills I think universally acknowledged to be something everyone can handle.

Boiling water.
Making toast.
Heating up a frozen pizza.

Although after the other night I wouldn’t take any of those for granted. Especially the last one.

This week I have felt un peu under the weather. There is this nasty bug going around my office and the thing with me is I rarely get fall down drag out SICK for a few days but rather I will feel a little sick for a week or two. I can’t tell if this is because I have an awesome immune system or a shitty one but to be honest I would rather be REAL sick for a few days then just feel mildly shittty for 10 days. I mean let’s just get it over with! Anywho so yeah, not feeling my best this week. Which translates to No Way Am I Going Food Shopping or Cooking Anything For Dinner.

And since Adam has had hockey or class every night this week there's not much he could do either.

So this week has been a week of ordering out, taking out and heating up frozen dinners. On Wednesday, this dish was a frozen Freschetta pizza. Now, I am a bit of a frozen pizza aficionado: I have had DiGiorno, Kashi, Stop and Shop brand, California Pizza Kitchen. All have their plus and minuses. I had not had Freschetta before so in the name of trying something new, that’s what I purchased on Wednesday night at the mini-mart on the way home.

When I got home I read the directions: remove plastic wrap and place frozen pizza on cookie sheet in preheated oven (400 degrees). Bake for 17-23 minutes. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes.

Easy enough! So I did exactly that only when I removed the pizza from the oven, after letting it sit, I found it EXTREMELY hard to cut.

WTF? I thought. It’s not burned. Why is it so touch?

Ohhhhh well that would be because I skimmed over the part of the directions that said “remove pizza from cardboard disc and THEN place on cookie sheet in oven”

Cardboard disc!!!!

So yeah, my pizza had baked into and basically enveloped and fused to this cardboard disc and that’s why I couldn’t cut it. But it’s not like we had anything else to eat in the house (well nothing that I was interested in). And I refused to let Adam order us a pizza from across the street. Instead I used a serrated knife to cut mostly crust less chunks from the cardboard mess and served it in bowls.

May I present my new creation? Almost crust less pizza bowls!



Appetizing, oui?


Thankfully we went to the Sam Adams Beer Dinner at Tavolo last night where they make a MEAN pizza. And I don’t just mean they serve it sans cardboard..


click for more pics!

So yeah, hopefully this is the only installment of this series and I don’t come back in a few weeks with how I set my kitchen on fire trying to make toast (which would be really sad since toast is probably one of my favorite foods)

Live in Color

I am a big fan of wearing black.

Black wrap dresses. Black tops. Black pants. Love it all for a variety of reasons. Black goes with everything. Black conceals stains thus prolonging the pre-laundry life of the article of clothing (what? I'm a scrub). Black is slimming and flattering.

Black is great!

But sometimes I feel like I hide behind black. I feel out of sorts, I'll just throw this black shiz on and I'll look pulled together and it's fine. Of you know, I could lose a few lbs so I'll wear black and feel skinny. Or I hate everything in my closet today so I'm throwing on this black dress that looks nice. It's all well and good but living your life in monotone is no good, even if that monotone IS such wardrobe staple as the black.

I had this realization at the Talbots Outlet over the weekend (I am all about epiphanies in clothing stores this week!). While trolling for a dress to wear to Eileen's fabulous "Share your VD" Valentines Day Party, I assumed my usual position of traipsing around the store with a black sheath, a black tank dress, and a black lace wrap dress draped over my arm. All fail safe styles in a fail safe color. But then this red dress crawled out from the Sample Rack and hooted at me. "Yoo hoo! Look at me! Aren't I festive?".

I looked at the dress and loved the fabric and cut but the color. BRIGHT RED. I don't feel safe out of my black zone. Would I look like a tomato? How can I rely on this fire engine of a dress? But I figured there was one left and in my size at that so why not.

I tried on the other dresses and sure they looked fine. Wearing a cool black dress always makes me feel fabulous plus it instantly takes of like 10 lbs. What's not to love about that? But the red dress? Was vibrant! And audacious! And FUN! And everything those cool black dresses weren't.

And you know sometimes I feel like I am the fun fire engine red dress in a sea of cool little black dresses....so I figured why the f not. So I bought it and I wore the hell out of it that night.

And I LOVED it.

So as I sojourn forth on my spring shopping? I'm stepping out the the black shadow. It's time to live in COLOR. If I need something slimming I'll just puff on a cig (ha!).

So this is what I have been keeping in mind over the last few weeks on my shopping excursions and as a result there is a rainbow of newness hanging in my closet.

And it feels FABULOUS.

Epiphaminis: Mini Epiphanies

I throw the word "epiphany" around a lot because let's face it, it's a fun word! ( I'm also a fan of the phrase "Moment of Truth" becuase of it's Lifetime Television for Women connotation but that's neither here nor there)

Traditionlly an epiphany involves realizing some kind of essence of truth about something. Such as, realizing you are not an olive skinned goddess but a pale skinned plebe (note: my plebian-ness has nothing to do with my having pale skin I just like saying it). But other times these are just mini little realizations, something I like to called Epiphaminis.

These are a few I have had recently.

* Name brands may not also be better but when it comes to White Out Correction Tip? Bic or Die.

* Diet Root Beer tastes exactly the same as Non Diet Root Beer, however this is NOT true of Ginger Ale.

* Wearing a jaunty hat does not make you yourself jaunty. This especially applies to dudes.

Decidedly not jaunty.

(image from holycats.typepad.com)

Jaunty!

* Living in fear of being laid off from your job is like living in fear of dying. If its going to happen, nothing you can do will stop it so may as well enjoy the time you have left wherever you are. Pits in the somach are so passe (this is what I keep telling myself).

* Buying wine in bulk really does save money, even if at the time you feel like you're spending a lot. If you break it down bottle for bottle it can be a steal!

What about you? Any mini epiphanies lately?

A Whiter Shade of Pale

I had a moment of truth at the Clinique counter.

This was shocking not because I was having a moment of truth in the middle of Macy's (I have had several moments of truth in Macy's before. That time I realized that since I broke my foot last summer my right foot has gone up almost a shoe size (yikes). Or that time I thought I could wear a petite shirt if I just went up a size (that does not work, especially if you're a tall gal unless you are into looking like you borrowed a child's suit jacket). But the fact that it occur ed while buying makeup was quite a shock.

First of all, I have never been much for foundation/coverup. While I take my freckles with a grain of salt, the skin gods have made up for it by giving me relatively blemish free skin and also I can barely be bothered to moisturize let alone throw another layer on up there. But as I get older, I see what a difference a little more time spent on getting ready for the day can do for your morale and decided to give this whole foundation thing a try. So I popped over to the Clinique counter when I was at the mall and asked the sales lady what she could do for me.

After listening to what I wanted (something really light, not make-upy with SPF) she recommended something called "Almost Makeup" and produced a few tester tubes to apply and see which shade worked best. After slathering on a little of each one, she said "A ha!" and told me she had found my perfect shade. I was thinking it was probably "Medium" or maybe "Neutral"

Nope.

Fair.

FAIR!

F*cking fair. She who is half Lebanese and apparently totally self-unaware has to use the LIGHTEST foundation shade that Clinique makes.

I, as you can imagine, did not conceal my shock and shame at her statement. "Are you sure!?" I asked her. "I mean I know I'm not dark but I can't be that light. Seriously? The lightest shade?". She assured me it was true and when I looked in the mirror I had to admit it was true.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being pale. I love pale porcelain looking skin I just tend not to think of myself that way. Really I just can't reconcile my heritage. I think I'm an Arabian princess but I'm actually an Irish street person. I'm like Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin at the beginning of Beetlejuice.....hanging out with people thinking I'm alright but really I'm a GHOST. But there you have it. I am FAIR. I said it and it's fine. If I were any fairer I couldn't even buy foundation at Clinique. I would have to go to Casper's.

So what does this pale beast do when faced with this particular moment of truth?

She toddled right over to CVS to indulge in a little denial.

Ahhhhh. Much better.

Le Weekend

That image pretty much sums up my weekend. Lots of drinking and eating awesome(ly bad for you) food with a splash of nausea thrown in. I feel like a gal of 23!

Hope everyone who has the day off is enjoying it! 

A Golden Girls Valentine's Day

(picture from Matthew Baldwin's Flickr)

Blanche: I do love the rain so. It reminds me of my first kiss.
Dorothy: Ah, you're first kiss was in the rain?
Blanche: No it was in the shower.
***
Blanche: I treat my body like a temple.
Sophia: Yeah, open to everyone, day or night.
***
Blanche: There is a fine line between having a good time and being a wanton slut. I know. My toe has been on that line
***
Blanche: Oh girls... I'm just in ecstasy. My body is tingling all over. You will never guess what just happened.
Sophia: We know what happened. Let us just guess what part of the Middle East he's from.
***
Blanche: Are you implying I lost my virginity at an early age?
Sophia: I'm just saying you're lucky Jack-&-Jill magazine didn't have a gossip column.
***
Blanche: You know what I hate doing most after a party?
Rose: Trying to find your underwear in the big pile?
***
Rose: When men see that you shave your legs above the knee, what does that say to them?
Blanche: Hopefully it says, '"Touch my leg!"
Dorothy: That's in case they miss the tattoo that says the same.
***
Blanche: Rose, honey, there's something I have to say to you. It's just two little words but, they are the hardest two little words in all the whole world for me to say.
Rose: "Not tonight"?
***
Blanche: Dorothy, wait up you just walk so fast.
Dorothy: I'm in a hurry!
Blanche: It's not sexy! A woman should take tiny delicate steps as if to say "Yes, I may be slower than you, but maybe I'm worth waiting for.
Dorothy: Blanche, my mother is missing, it's the middle of the night, you have to excuse me if I don't have the roaming gait of a nymphomaniac.
***
Sophia: If I met a man who was over seventy but still looked half-way decent, I'd be on my back faster than you could say, "I've fallen and I can't get up!"
***
Blanche: Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go take a long, hot, steamy bath with just enough water to barely cover my perky bosoms.
Sophia: You're only gonna sit in an inch of water?!
***
Blanche: Girls, we can't fire her now. She's making me an aphrodisiac.
Dorothy: Use vodka and black underwear like everyone else!

Fierce Sperm

I am becoming entirely too OCD about my eyebrows.

I pluck them myself and don't really have any interest in getting them waxed because ( I know I am weird) I actually like doing it. Apparently too much since I have gone from plucking once a week to a few times a week. But I mean there is nothing worse than catching a glimpse of your upper eye area in the mirror and thinking 'Christ, it be jungle!". And it's never a good thing when applying eye makeup has you thinking that soon the Gypsy Moth caterpillars will be upon us again.

The thing is, just as under plucking is gross, over plucking is just as gross. I learned this in 10th grade. My uber-fabulous boyfriend at the time (who would later SHOCKINGLY turn out to be gay) taught me two important lessons within the first week of our relationship

1) I should work the green eye shadow more often.
2) I really need to do something about my brows.

Up until then I had never plucked. It had never even occurred to me. I took his advice very seriously though and sat down one day after school with my mom's makeup mirror, an ice pack and some tweezers and went to town. And kept going to town. And emerged from town with a look that I can only describe using terminology I learned on from a fellow Tweeter. They looked like fierce sperm.

And this look was noticed and ceaselessly commented on the next amongst my friends, hidden deep within such compliments as "Woah what happened to you?" and "Why do you look weird?"or my boyfriend at the time's "Um what did you do!?"!

I learned my lesson that day and endeavored to improve my technique and leave at least more than a line of single hairs. And I think I have it pretty under control. Actually, I usually get compliments on my eyebrows and am occasionally asked where I "get them done" (I refrain from saying, during SweatPants time on My Bed). But this week, I had a lapse and went a little overboard reigning in the stragglers.


(they are not THAT light in real life. don't worry)

I wouldn't say it's quite "fierce sperm" level...but definitely "anorexic quotation marks"

Note to self: Step away from the Tweezers!!

The Lazy Girl's Guide to Blogging

I've been trying to think of something interesting to blog about all day. Should I do a play by play of my weekend? Ehh if you care about that kind of thing you can stalk me on Twitter. SO what else is there on a boring Monday to occupy our time with.

I know! A "What I Am Into Lately" list! Good times!

So, What AM I into lately?

Mac & Cheese (especially the ones at Fat Cat and Fox & Hound)

Tipsy-shopping on Etsy

Getting my car washed weekly (and then having it snow or rain two days later)

The phrase “You got it, dude”

Using foundation for the first time (Clinique Almost Makeup)

Tupac's All Eyez On Me

Headbands

Black Beans

The Food and Wine section of http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artsandliving/foodanddining/

Re-reading classics thanks to Book Club (this month it’s The Great Gatsby)

Sending cards/letters/snail mail

The best hairspray ever

Chenin Blanc (a nice change if you like Pinot G)

ChapStick 100% Naturals

Never wearing socks

And now I invite any other lazy bloggers out there to do the same list. Let me know if you do!

A Night Out In Quincy: The Tweet Edition

(read from the bottom up)

Are we friends on twitter? We probably should be. Don't you want to be privy to my bitchiness at all times?

In other news our first time home owner's class went well. It was quite informative and instead of finding out, as I feared, that we will have to wait years to be in a decent condo in a decent neighborhood close to the city it actually seems like we can do it sooner rather than later. Yay for that!

We decided to blow off steam after class the best way we now how - at karaoke! It was an odd crowd last night but we still had a great time. Probably because no one else was singing but the DJ and Adam and I and some guy I think was probably on luudes. Good times!

Adam and I have resolved to visit one Quincy bar we have never been to at least once a week, since we tend to go to the same five bars all the time and that is getting a little tired. Plus it's good to set goals for one's self. Especially if said goals involve drinking. Anywho last night it was this tiny bar that is two blocks from our place but that we have always been scared to go to having been admonished by more than one person that if we didn't grow up in this neighborhood, we have no business at that bar. Well last night on our way home we decided, what the hell. If we get shanked at least I will have something to blog about. So we went in and the people could NOT Have been nicer. Also nice was the fact that 1 glass of pinot grigio and 1 budweiser cost $5.50 total. Sacre bleu! Nothing wrong with that.

Ok now back to nursing my hangover. Happy Friday!

The Big Bang

Do you think it means you're psychic if you were always pretty sure something would happen to you and then suddenly one night it does?

Not necessarily, I suppose. Especially if many things were done on purpose but still somehow inadvertently to lead up to that event.

In my case, this event is my Pyrex casserole dish exploding all over my kitchen last night.

This story actually begins Tuesday night. I had used the dish to cook some ham and by the time dinner was done it was kind of late and I was in an "F these dishes" state of mind. Truth be told I am almost ALWAYS in this state of mind. I hate doing dishes with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. But until we move into a place with a dishwasher this is my lot in life (and Adam's lot increasingly more often).

So the thing about me is this: I am all about appearances even when faced with a pile of dirty dishes that I don't want to do. So I rinsed the plates and pot off and stacked them neatly in the sink to be tackled the next day. As for the Pyrex casserole dish I baked the ham in? I just stuck that back in the now cooled oven and resolved to wash it the next day. That way even though I am obviously a filth monger my kitchen looks reasonably neat.

Not the smartest idea, it turns out.

So fast forward to LAST night. I get home from a harried and way longer than it should have been trip to the supermarket and after I put everything away and did the dishes in the sink I decided it's frozen pizza night. So I turn on the oven to 425 and, knowing that my oven takes a long time to heat up, I go into the bedroom to watch a DVR'd House episode while I wait for 20 minutes or so.

I must have zoned out a little because the next thing I know I hear the key in the door and it's Adam arriving home from class. Coincidentally at this exact moment I realize it smells like burning maple syrup in our apartment and that the hallway is kind of filled with smoke.

SHIT!

I spring up and into the kitchen as Adam walks into the midst of me apparently trying to burn the place down. I open the oven door and smoke comes billowing out. It appears that leftover maple syrup and mustard glaze causes QUITE a bit of smoke with it burns. Who knew? So while Adam busies himself unplugging the smoke alarm we know is about to go off and opening windows, I turn the oven off and open the oven door, fanning it with an oven mitt. A few moments later Adam comes back in.

"You haven''t taken that out yet?" he asked
"No can you do it? I'm scared...." I replied
"Why are you scared"
"Because I've heard that Pyrex can explode"
"Oh so you want it to explode in MY face, not yours!"
"I think my fear might set it off, you're not scared so YES".

So he manned two Ove-Gloves, held his face away and removed the now black-bottomed Pyrex from the oven. I held my breath until he placed it on the counter.

It didn't explode.

SUCCESS!

We both sighed with relief and I went to turn the oven BACK on so I could get the pizza cooked. When I turned around Adam was pouring a pitcher of water into the steaming Pyrex.

"Uhh I don't think you're supposed to do it I think quick changes in temperature are what makes it explode"

"Oh are y..BANG!!!!!!!!!!!"

Before he could even get his statement out that mother exploded EVERYWHERE. Chunks of Pyrex were propelled across the room, across the counter, into the sink, brown mapley-steaming hot water streaming onto the floor. I screamed as though it were my own head that exploded. And then, naturally, began hysterically laughing.

"OMG I TOLD YOU" I could not resist saying.

Adam, once he recovered from the shock, replied that though it created a giant mess, the actual explosion was actually kind of cool and since neither of us was hurt (well except for 1 hour later when a rougue piece of Pyrex became lodged in my foot but that's neither here nor there) then it's all good we suppose.

And you know, I always KNEW this would happen someday. Everytime I removed that dish from the oven, horror stories of Pyrex exploding and chunks of it being embedded in someone's thigh flashed across my mind. Of course this was not nearly that bad but be ye forewarned, if you read this story and thought "That will probably happen to me someday?"...

IT PROBABLY WILL!

Pink Shoe Driving School - Lesson #1: That Weird Triangle Sign

Alright class settle down. It's time to get started on our first lesson of the day here at Pink Shoe Drivng School.

It has come to my attention that there is a road sign out there that has a number of you perplexed. You seem, for the most part, to have the stop sign down. And I am mostly pleased with your performance vis-a vis traffic lights (although maybe a refresher course on what constitutes a yellow light is in order). But it appears the Yield Sign is causing much confusion among you.




I know I know. The big, bad triangle can be VERY perplexing. To make things easier here is a definition of the word in the triangle.

yield
Pronunciation: \ˈyēld\
to surrender or submit (oneself) to another

Ok now Let's start with a pop quiz.

You are driving on a secondary road that runs parallel too and then merges with a main road. This pesky triangle sign is on your side of the road as you approach the main road. What do you do?

a) Speed up and try to pass whoever is already ON the road.
b) Come to a complete stop with your blinker on and wait for some good Samaritan on the main road to stop and let you on
c) Check for oncoming traffic and, keeping in mind that those on the main road in this situation have the right of way and you do not, then do this weird thing called merging where you ease your way onto the road, in what I like to call zipper fashion.

I will give you a hint, it's not a or b.

Every day I feel that I am either stuck behind someone doing B or almost killed by someone attempting A when I think that the word "Yield" is pretty blunt as to what is expected of you when that sign is present. Yield! Submit! Stop driving like a scaredy-cat or a roided-out jerk! There IS a happy medium and it's called JUST BEING A GOOD DRIVER.

I have decided to vent my frustrations not by basely gesticulating at these drivers but rather by concocting a condescending blog post.

Sorry I did not mean to yell at you.

In any case you're homework assignment is to attempt to successfully yield while driving today. You will know you're doing it right when there is no horn blaring behind you and no finger waving in front of you.

Three Great Finds

This was quite the busy weekend around here. Friday Adam and I went to our beloved Rock Bottom in Braintree for one last dinner + beer before they closed permanently on Sunday. So sad!! From what our waitress told us the mall would not renegotiate their rent and it had become so expensive that their rent was DOUBLE that of the Rock Bottom in Boston and so they were unable to make themselves solvent. She also told me that word on the street is Crate and Barrel and William Sonoma are going the same way at this particular mall as well as the 99 Restaurant. I bet they are regretting their decision to throw a bunch of money at building a Nordstrom now! I feel like the South Shore Plaza is trying to become something it

s not....but we’ll see what happens. In any case Rock Bottom in Braintree was always a great place to have a nice meal and some excellent beer and it will be sorely missed.

Saturday I hit the road early for a day of much needed clothes shopping. I hit Macy’s, Talbots Outlet, TJ Maxx and Target. All in all I managed to score 1 pair of shoes, 4 shirts, 1 pair of jeans, 1 black and white wrap dress and 1 black trench coat for about $150 total. Not too shabby at all! Then at night we attended a party at Somerville Tapas restaurant Dali (which I still contend has the most flattering lighting in the area). The sangria flowed like wine and the food was delicious!

Sunday we woke up early and headed out for some research. We would like to be in a condo in the next year or so, so we looked up some available properties in the areas we liked and did a bunch of drive-bys, checking out neighborhoods. We’re actually trying to move even closer to the city and found some GREAT places...one in particular that would be perfect for us location wise. However, Adam is probably going to be changing careers in the next year, and his new career MAY require him to be a resident of the city we currently reside in..so we’re not definitely buying anything just yet. Once we know more concretely whether we have to stay in Quincy, we can seriously look. But for now it’s more of a reconnaissance mission. And we’re taking a first time home buyer’s class on Thursday so that should be fun. Or at the very least informative.

Anywho I made a few discoveries over the weekend that I thought I would share.

First of all, before we went to Rock Bottom on Friday we stopped into Bin Ends in Braintree to stock up on wine for the week. They have a fantastic selection of affordable wine AND seem to always be hosting free tasting. That is my kind of thing. Anyway as I was checking out, I was offered a re-useable wine bag that if purchased for $1, I could bring back whenever I shop and receive a discount on the wine I buy. I love combining environmental friendliness with drinking!


The bag is perfect for wine since it has 6 compartments that keeps the wine from banging into each over and falling over. I found them online as well so if you are a bulk wine buyer I suggest checking them out!

Secondly, we have the knot collection at Banana Republic.

I just love this style. Simple but chic, glam but understated. I scored the necklace in silver. LOVE. I’m trying to buy more “every day” jewelry ( I have a lot of “statement” pieces but not very much office friendly jewelry. Unless I worked at a cocktail party (I wish!)

Thirdly, not really a discovery but a moment of brilliance. For Christmas I received a cute makeup bag. Now, I already have probably at least ten makeup bags from shopping the Clinique and Estee Lauder counters when they are in gift but I did find a great use for this slightly larger one.



A stash for my emergency flats. I am a girl who loves to wear heels but who cannot tolerate wearing them for terribly long. So I keep a secret pair of flats in my car and if I’m at a party or out to dinner I can run out and change my shoes so that I did get to wear my cute heels but I am not bitching about how much they kill me all night. If I have a large enough bag I will even just throw this case in the bag and bring them in with me. The makeup bag is big enough that I can fit a pair of flats and in most cases the pair of discarded heels! Parfait!