Wednesday Date Night

Tonight we were back again at the movie theater for date night. There's no happiness like the feeling I get when I hand over a Hamilton for two seats to an evening show!

Yes, I had to Google who was on the ten dollar bill.

Anyway, for the time being, allow my Wednesday nights to serve as research for YOU because I plan to discuss movies I really like. I'm just a wealth of crucial movie-going information. My gain is.. well.. your gain.

And ohmygosh do I have a good one for you: Law Abiding Citizen. It was so gooooood. A real thinker. Great for the guys and gals! Here is the trailer (try to act like you don't have a tiny crush on Gerard Butler):



Also, I was trying to explain this commercial to a friend earlier and she hadn't seen it. It is by far the cutest commercial ever, and I hate commercials:



I double dog dare you not to smile after watching :)

50s

Is there an era of history that you just WISHED you would have lived in? My friend and I were recently having this conversation... which were the best decades in American history? At the time we were debating whether the 80s or 90s were better. Of course, I said the 80s!!

To me, there is an even better decade.

I wish.. WISH.. I could have lived in the 50s.

I want to be a real life "I Love Lucy", which is my favorite tv show ever. I own every single episode on DVD.

I talk to my grandma all the time about living in the 50s. She got married in the 50s and at the time was working at the local telephone company. I love to look at her pictures because she totally rocked the 50s cat-eye glasses, red lipstick and peep toe shoes!

Myself in the 50s

What decade do you wish you could have lived through???

Weekend

Can you guess what I did this weekend?



I went wedding dress shopping with my friend. And I was photographer extraordinaire.

I also cheered when the Yankees made it to the World Series.

Hope you had a good weekend!

Fall Has Fallen

My Fall decorating plan is a very complex scheme of putting out and removing various pumpkins, spiders, pilgrims, bouquets of sunflowers, spiderwebs, squash and crows all at the right moment to commemorate each of the Fall holidays! It takes a lot of planning and timing, so of course Joe takes absolutely no part in it whatsoever. ;-)

So... here are some of my favorite Fall things...

The table with a gigantor pumpkin that I bought bare and painted

China hutch with a few punkin' touches

How about a jar in baby white pumpkins? And look very closely at the lighting fixture in the background - see the crow? Eeek!

I love white pumpkins

Sunflowers are a must because, afterall, I do live in Kansas. Cliche, huh? I love how Boomer is all "Oops.. am I in your shot?? *pose cute so maybe I get a treat*"

An actual pumpkin pie pumpkin that I will encourage Joe to use in a homemade pie (he makes one every year!). In the back I've got a crystal vase with corn in it.

Date Night

Joe and I found out that our downtown movie theater has $5 movie night on Wednesday. Isn't it funny that we think $5 is cheap for a movie - can you not remember when it was $5 full price and we thought that was *outrageous*?!?!

So.. last night was date night. First, we were celebrating the fact that Joe could stay up to see a late movie because he didn't have to do rounds on his patients until 8am this morning. Normally he has to be up at 4 so that was cause for HUGE celebration! Haha!

Here are the ingredients for our date night:

2 loaded baked potatoes from McAllister's Deli. Hold the olives. Extra Ranch dressing on the side.
2 for Couples Retreat. I love Vince Vaughn so I LOL'ed at several parts. Pretty good and funny for the guys too!!


Back home for two servings of Serendipity's Frozen Hot Chocolate from a mix I bought at Williams Sonoma. I swear, this is almost as good as the real thing but you don't have to go to NYC or Vegas to get it!!!

What are the elements of your favorite date night??

Wishful Wednesday

I'm following along with The Seattle Smiths blog today and participating in Wishful Wednesday!!

If I were going on vacation tomorrow I would want to go to Ireland!

I've always wanted to rent a car and drive along the coast of Ireland, stopping in pubs to eat and touring castles!

I do get to go to Italy in less than a month though!! I'm going for work and I'm bringing with me my mom and my aunt! :)

Baseball

Tonight Joe and I grilled some chicken on our new grill and sat in front of the tv with the windows open and watched the Yankees vs. Angels baseball game.

Oh the joy of fall!!

There is nothing better than a good baseball game. I know everyone has moved onto football about now but I'm still holding on! I am a huge Yankees fan and I'm pretty sure they're going to the World Series this year. I used to convince my friends and my sister to skip school with me in high school to go to ALL the Yankees games when they came into town to play the Royals. And I just know if only I had been introduced to Derek Jeter during that time we would be married right now. And Joe knows this.

And there's no love like the relationship that exists between me and stadium food. But that is a whole blog post in itself I'll save for another day.

Nowadays, I'm able to convince Joe to take me to a Yankees vs. Royals baseball game at least once a year. However, there is one problem. He's a Royals fan. So every year, we each dress up to support our respective teams. And yes, we get heckled when we walk into the stadium. But there's some things you can't compromise on even when married to someone!!

Yankees. vs. Royals, Spring 2009

What Are You Really Thinking?

1} I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
2} There is a great need for sarcasm font.
3} How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
4} I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
5} The only time I look forward to a red light is when I want to text.
6} Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.
7} I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
8} I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
9} How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said or really care?
10} What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
11} MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood and honestly they just confuse me.
12} Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
13} I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
14} Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….
15} I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16} Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…

I'm back home from lots of long hours and long work days in Colorado. I'm going to be busy getting my house ready for my upcoming birthday/housewarming my friends are throwing me in a few weeks!

I have lots of rooms to finish decorating before the big paaart-taaay!!

3 Day Weekend

I am just getting settled back into work in Colorado after a THREE day weekend. And I got to go home to help the hubby celebrate his birthday!

On Saturday morning Joe had to do rounds at the hospital so I cleaned the house (ohmygoodness - men CAN'T keep a house clean while us women are away - right ladies?!?) and got stuff together for his birthday dinner. His parents came down that afternoon and we watched football and visited and I fixed dinner. It was SO GOOD after eating out and junk all week while I was on the road. I'll have to share the recipe here - it's one of our favorites and includes chicken loaded with carmelized onions, bacon and cheese. If this is bad I don't wanna be good!! Haha!

I also produced a poor job of a birthday cake out of the box. But it was good and I don't think my stomach knew the difference after that chicken!

On Sunday Joe was on call at the hospital so I went and hung out with him while he had some down time and then that night we saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Yes, we were the only adults there without kids! This was one of my favorite books as a kid. The movie didn't follow the book at all but it was still really cute.

On Monday we finally went to pick up the grill Joe wanted for his birthday and I flew back out to Colorado Springs for work. I'm so glad it's my last week here. I think I'll have a full month off before I get to go to Italy - leaving on my birthday!!

Online Window Shopping

Who doesn't love window shopping online?

The stores never close. You don't have to park your car two miles away and drag yourself into a crowded mall. You can stare and admire something as long as you want and no one cares or gets in your way. You can add something to your cart and put it back as many times as you want and you don't have to walk across a store to figure out where you picked it up in the first place so you can put it back where it goes. It's fabulous!

Here's my Top 9 Most Wanted:
clockwise from top left

1. Toshiba Mini NB205-N311 (amazon.com, $400)
2. Classic Tall Ugg in Sand (nordstrom.com, $180)
3. Comptoir S. Pacifique Vanille Extreme Eau de Toilette Spray (sephora.com, $53)
4. Hayden Harnett Ibiza Flight Tote (haydenharnett.com, $200)
5. Keyboard sticker (target.com, $10)
6. MAC 5 piece makeup brush set (brush511.com, $50)
7. Urban Decay Ammo Eye Palette (sephora.com, $36)
8. Gallery Leather 2010 Planner in Teal (barnesandnoble.com, $15)
9. Paula Deen Cookware (walmart.com, $100)

Birthday

Today is one of my favorite days of the year.

It's the day we celebrate my husband's entry into this world. It's a major holiday to me - I love celebrating birthdays for other people and this one is just my favorite.

We have celebrated SEVEN birthdays together and this is the first time we've ever been apart for one. BUT I'm going home this weekend!!!

COOL FACT: I was told once that October 6th is the most common birthday in America. Do you know of anyone who has a birthday today???

Wanna hear something weird? This picture was taken last year when we met Joe's parents for dinner for his birthday. Then, we were living in Oklahoma content and his parents were in Missouri so we met at the obvious half-way point - Wichita, KS. Now... we're living in Wichita, KS because of how UNPREDICTABLE life is. If you would have told me when this picture was taken that we were standing just miles away from our future home I would have called you crazy!!!

Anyway, Joe I love you. With every birthday that passes by I just think about all the years we've spent together and wonder how we will celebrate your birthday 5,10,20 or 50 years from now!!

Must-Have Makeup

Since I just did a post on organizing your makeup, I thought I would do a post on must-have makeup, my favorite makeup items and the stuff I pack when I travel! Since I travel for a living, I pack VERY light so only my "holy grail" items get to come with me. Haha! Here are my favorites, if you're interested, YOU should do a post on what your favorite makeup items are and link back here in the comments. That way we can all get ideas too :)

I am a major makeup whore, meaning I buy lots of stuff but very few things I actually re-purchase or use on a regular basis. These are things that have made the list for me!

starting in the top left and working my way around clockwise...

1) Jovan White Musk perfume. My BFF got me hooked on this in high school. I've bought other high end perfumes over the years but I always come back to THIS. The scent is so feminine and a bit vanilla-y and I *always* get compliments on this one. Plus, it's so cheap and you can get it at Walmart.
2) OPI nailpolish. The two colors that always come with me are Linkin Park After Dark (almost black and very chic!) and O'Hare and Nails Look Great (the absolute perfect red - took me years of searching to find this one!)
3) Maybelline eyeshadow in Chai Latte. This palette is perfect for a day look or night look and I think the colors are perfectly neutral.
4) Almay Face Brightener foundation. This is the wildcard. I think it's now discontinued, but I stocked up last year and literally cleaned the store out. I have tried SO MANY foundations because I always want a fresh, dewy look and I hate a total matte finish. Real skin is NOT matte!! :) If you can find this online or on Ebay, I highly recommend you give it a try!!
5) Makeup brushes. I have a ton of brushes but the THREE that I travel with are a blush brush (mine is from Trucco), a fluffy eyeshadow brush (mine is from Kmart) and an angle brush (mine from Mary Kay).
6) Last Blash mascara. This is my go-to mascara. I was so glad to switch to this after years of buying $30+ high end department store mascaras!
7) Lacross tweezers. I try to pluck stray hairs once a week or so to keep up with these caterpillars that think they're my eyebrows. ;-)
8) Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum. This, right here, is magic in a bottle. I put it on at night around my eyes and on my forehead and on any blemishes. My skin is TIGHT and blemishes are GONE by morning! My husband has even taken to using it on blemishes because he saw how awesome it is. And this is the man who won't use any products besides Dial soap. This stuff even healed a burn I got from a styling tool. I'm telling 'ya - magic!!
9) Trucco blush in Cherry Pie. I used to use only cream blushes because, again, I prefer a glowing-dewy look but my sister turned me on to this palette and I won't ever go back! I use all 4 colors to contour my cheeks and it gives the perfect fresh cheek. Don't be scared with how "loud" the colors seem! They're really pretty on!

This is my typical toned-down work look on the eye:

So now I want to see what YOU use! Comment here so I can come visit you!

And in response to a question I had regarding my jewelery stand with the bird on top - I got it at TJMaxx. :)

I think I'll do another post soon with packing and travel tips since I'm on the road so much. Hopefully this would be helpful to those of you going on vacation soon or traveling for the holidays!

Oganize Your Bathroom!

I'm in Colorado for work - I got sent on a last minute trip. I've got a question for you: how do you pronounce Colorado?????

a) Colo-"RAD"-o
b) Colo-"ROD"-o

I'm definitely in the (a) category but I'm noticing the "natives" are in the (b). Hmm...

I'm VERY bummed I have to be here (I get it, it's my job, but I'm allowed to be bummed - right?) because I'll be here for 2.5 weeks with only one weekend in between at home AND I'll be GONE for my husband's birthday! We've never spent a birthday completely apart and the thought is just depressing.

This weekend I spent a couple hours organizing my makeup. I had so much makeup lying around my bathroom it looked like Sephora threw up in there! I was sick of it!

First, I sorted through everything and threw anything away I didn't like or stuff that was just old. I had makeup I had bought in high school. I put everything away in a drawer-tub I got from Walmart.
I tried to be creative and come up with cute names for the drawers. And YES I used a label maker! Haha!

I also have tubs for medicine and samples I collect when I'm traveling.

I collected all my makeup brushes and put them in a wine glass on the counter.

I put nailpolish in a cute box under Joe's sink (because I'm totally out of room under mine!)

I had random jewelery lying around (stuff I tend to wear a lot) so I put them on a stand on the sink.

I also want to show you come cute CHEAP shoes I found at KMart. Have you given KMart a chance lately? Because they totally have some Country Living home goods and cute shoes!

And do you like this hat I got from Charlotte Russe? I have bought hats like this A LOT and I never have the courage to wear them in public. I actually wore this one out though!!

Happy Friday everyone!!