2012 Resolutions, Update

Happy Leap Day everyone! I think it's important for you all to know that I have down absolutely nothing exciting or out of the ordinary on my extra day. I hope you did. It’s been 2 full months since I made my resolutions. I thought you’d like to see a little update, a report card if you will, on how it’s going.


Stop spending money on Tall Caramel Macchiatos. Since the start of the New Year, I have not gone to Starbucks once. (Ok, that's a lie. I wrote this post a week ago and since then my espresso machine has mysteriously stopped working. For the past 5 days, I've been good and only had tea, but today, I broke down and stopped at Starbucks. But I figure, since it's Leap Day, it doesn't really count. I mean, next year, Leap Day won't even exist!) Not counting today, (which I won't because it doesn't exist 3 out of every 4 years), my homemade, morning latte has now become part of my routine (which, for me at least, is the only way to make a successful life change). And once I "troubleshoot" (seriously, that was the exact word the Customer Service Rep at Cuisinart used) my beloved espresso machine and hopefully have it back up and running, my routine will be restored. I bought a large bag of espresso beans for $25 and even after making a latte every weekday morning (I weirdly prefer tea on the weekends), I haven’t used nearly half of the bag. So, this new little habit of mine has helped me save enough money for…


Buy a pair of Frye Boots. …these gorgeous boots: 


Use coupons. I finally found the perfect solution to my never-remembering-to-use-coupons problem: Ziploc bags. Seriously. I took all the coupons that were laying around in my purse slowly expiring and put them all in one little sandwich bag. It reduces clutter and for some odd reason, makes me more mindful to use them. I have absolutely no idea why this might be, but hey, it works. 


Get a hubcap. I get a big fat FAIL for this one. At least so far. Did you know hubcaps were like $50? If I had known that, upon arriving home and seeing my hubcap missing, I would’ve gotten right back in my car and retraced my route to find it myself. $50? Seriously? For something that doesn't even DO anything but make your car look respectable? I might resort to asking for one for my birthday in April. I’m all for restoring my car to its rightful state of unghetto-ness, but there are so very many things I could spend $50 on…like 12.5 Tall Caramel Macchiatos.




And finally, for the last day of Beauty & Inspiration, here is a beautiful quote on life. Here's to being thoroughly used up.

Source: shaunaniequist.com via Amy on Pinterest

Wanted: Page-Turners

I'm sure you've all heard the big news by now: JK Rowling has announced that she is writing a novel for adults. To say I am giddy with excitement would be a severe understatement. Like everyone else in the world, I loved the Harry Potter books, got lost in the stories, wished I were a wizard (yes, as an adult – whatever, don’t pretend you didn’t), marveled at Rowling’s imagination, and hungered for more each time I finished one. I am beyond excited to read her next novel. I'm hoping it’ll captivate me just like Harry Potter did because right now, I am in serious need of a good page-turner.

It’s no secret I love to read. Part of this blog is even dedicated to that passion. I love finding a book I can’t put down, that I think about all day long, and get completely and utterly lost in. I can’t wait to finish it and yet I don’t want it to end. I finish and instantly become depressed. No other book will ever intrigue me like this one. No other book will captivate me like it did. No other book will be as good. But books like this are rare. Say what you will about the Twilight books, they were page turners. I couldn’t stop thinking about them during work, out with friends, while driving. More times than I’d like to admit, I arrived home from the train station not knowing how I had gotten there, because I had been so lost in Twilight daydreams while driving. The same goes for The Hunger Games, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Help, to name a few. I’ve read a good number of books since I put those down and have enjoyed many of them, but none have captivated me like those did. So hearing this news about a new Rowling book has me jumping up and down with glee. I have high hopes for Rowling's new book, but in the meantime, I need something else to read. Any suggestions?

A Surprise

Duke left me a nice little surprise in my gym bag this afternoon: his favorite toy, a ball of tin foil. He hides his foil ball in our shoes, under the bed, under the radiator, under the rug, so seeing his toy in my gym bag this afternoon made me laugh out loud - drawing stares from the other women in the locker room.

What Do You See?

Source: mmht.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

Polar Bear Plunge, Seaside, NJ, February 25, 2012

Members of Team Freezing Bulls before jumping into the Atlantic Ocean at Seaside Heights, NJ to benefit The Special Olympics.

Day 24

Source: weheartit.com via Amy on Pinterest

{Sigh.}

C is for Cookie

It’s that time of year when you’re forced to rethink your habits and vices, test your willpower, and (for you Catholics) forego meat on Fridays. That's right, the Lenten season is upon us. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been to church in a very long time, so when Kurt asked me on Tuesday what I was giving up this year, I was surprised to learn Ash Wednesday had arrived so quickly. As I’ve mentioned before, I give up something for Lent every year. I’m no longer as religious as I once was, but as the saying goes, old habits die hard. Plus, it’s a way to test my willpower (of which I have very little when it comes to food). This year I racked my brain for something good to give up. Last year it was chocolate, the year before I vowed to only use one sugar in my coffee or tea (I usually use 2-3). I’ve also given up elevators, chips and dip, all sweets (never, ever again will I do this one. It’s too all encompassing). I try to give up something I’ve been indulging in a bit too much, but at the same time, it needs to be something that I CAN give up for 40 days.

I narrowed down my options to pizza, cookies, and buying lunch. Giving up pizza is next to impossible for me. We live within walking distance of a pizza place, so I indulge at least once a week, sometimes more. It’s the cheapest option around and at least a little healthier than fast food. Giving up bought lunches would be silly since I rarely eat out anymore for lunch, so that left cookies. Good. Cookies. I can do that. I’ll eat cookies if they’re there, but I’m not a huge indulger (unlike my former roommate who used to wake up in the middle of the night with a cookie craving and would eat almost an entire bag in a sleepy stupor). Ok, so I’m a huge indulger if they’re Girl Scout Cookies – Samoas to be precise, but I can say no to just about any other cookie. And then I realized on Tuesday, one day before this ridiculous test of willpower was set to begin, that we still had almost an entire bag of double stuff Oreos in the pantry. That just would not do. Since Kurt has agreed (against his will) to join me in my Lenten fast, we had to figure out what to do about those cookies. We couldn’t have them sitting in the house for 40 days getting stale and throwing them out and wasting them was just out of the question. So, we did what any two people our position would:  we finished the bag on Tuesday night. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it. Now, our pantry is wonderfully free of temptation. I understand we probably could have given them away, or fed them to the ducks on the lake, but this really was much more fun. Plus, I've found the best way to get rid of a craving for awhile is to overindulge to the point of being sick. Now, just thinking of Oreos makes me queasy.


Beautiful Thing, Day 23:
While browsing Apartment Therapy, I stumbled across a blog called Little Green Notebook  by an amazing interior designer. So, for your beautiful thing of the day, you get a whole blog's worth of beautiful things. I love her style. So. Much. Color! I cannot wait to buy a house so I can steal her ideas use her designs as inspiration.