Glitter Thursday- I like free things

I'm attending a Christmas party on Saturday night and have been fretting about what to wear for an embarrassingly long time.My sister has had the same issue and ended up with a sparkly, peach colored mini before finding a pretty dress that trumped it.

Lucky for me, I happen to be the same size as my sis so, naturally, I swooped in on the skirt:



I think I shall pair her with sky high black heels, black tights, a slouchy sweater and my new black and white polka-dot clutch from Anthropologie. Pics to come!

What would Clark Griswold do?

I'm a self-professed Christmas lover. I get a secret thrill when i see decorations go up in department stores in October, I plan my cookie trays months in advance, and (with a little difficulty) I do a full-out dance routine in my car when 'All I Want for Christmas is You' comes on the radio. SO, why is it that I've been so grumpy this year? I'm not exactly sure why... except that being an official adult takes it's toll some days, which isn't a very good reason.

I did, however, figure out how to make this disgruntled-ness disappear. On Sunday, My family was basically re-enacting the scene from 'National Lampoons Christmas Vacation' where we were driving home, tree strapped to car, and along comes an angry driver who promptly begins tailgating us and illiciting many an angry swear-word from my father. It dawned upon me then, that I must watch NLCV in it's entirety should I have any hope of awakening my inner Christmas spirit. Alas, it did just the trick. If you're having this same dilemma: do I choose to be happy or angsty for no apparent reason this holiday? watch NLCV and use the Griswold's as a reminder that you are not alone...

Without further ado...

Glitter Thursday- Tis the season....

I put up with winter-y weather for exactly 1 month every year... that is the month of December. It's the time of year when the snow stays pretty and white, everyone looks sprightly in their winter coats, and there is an abundance of sparkle. Yes, for a glitter lover like myself, this time of year is just glorious. Since, the holiday party invites are starting to roll-in, I figured I'd share a few of my blinged-out holiday-party must-haves...

1. The quintessential sparkly eye- grab yourself some 'wet and wild' sparkles from the drugstore and pair with this nude lip-color and consider yourself smokin'

2. I just love how understated this blinging manicure is. holiday ready and office appropriate- win.

3. A girl can dream... This Anthropologie 'Polished Platinum' dress, for a mere $388, speaks for her pretty-little-self.

4. Top your look off right with this metallic lace head wrap from ban.do

5. Aaand finally, don't forget to be the perfect party guest... wrap a couple of these glimmery ornaments around a bottle of wine for a gaw-geous hostess gift


Incidentally, I would be elated if any of these items ended up underneath my tree... just sayin'

Glitter Thursday- An Ode to the Bracelet I Did Not Buy

Last night I was fortunate enough to receive an invite to an event at the J-crew Copley Place store. Tom- the head of womens design for the company was in attendance, along with tons of jcrew fanatics, dressed to the nines. All-in-all, it was an unbelievably fab event.

I am, however, in a deep state of depression this AM as I did not walk out the door with the worlds prettiest, sparkliest bracelet. I tried this stunna' on:



...and had to be physically dragged out of the store before I could slap any plastic down to buy it (thanks Kelly). Hmmmm me thinks it could be time to apply for a part time job at that joint for the discount.....

The Charles River and Toscanini's

My, how tardy to the party this post is..... Super busy just trying to make my way up the ol' corporate ladder during the day then consuming exactly 0.5 glasses of pinot before passing out on my couch every night- Yes, it's true, being 24 and living in a big city is just as fabulous as it sounds...

Believe it or not, I did leave my apartment in Brighton recently. I didn't just stop there though, I traveled all the way across the river to Central Sq. in Cambridge. It's kind of unspoken between the post-grads in Boston that crossing the Charles River is a lot to ask of a person. I can guarantee that if you ask someone of my age and financial status to come "hang" across the river, you'll be met with the exact following response:
1. A long sigh
2.You'll be asked for an explanation of what is so great that it requires sitting in Harvard traffic
3. WILL there be parking? If not, don't waste my time. And, no, I'm not taking the green line to park st, then just hopping on the red (or vice-versa for my Cambridge/Somerville peeps), i'd rather spend that hour napping
4. Most likely, I'll end the convo by trying one last time to have the friend in question just come to me... but I'm also a pinch selfish at times. Sue me.

I digress, anyways, I went to Cambridge to help a friend complete his "I am the1%" Halloween costume by scouring through the Garment District. After we found his garb, I decided I wanted to look for costume ideas at the salvation army down the street (PS never went out for Halloween due to a random rib injury- made a drinking game out of Hocus Pocus instead- we'd sip our wine any time the witches acted confused by modern times). Never made it to the salvation army because we stumbled upon Toscanini's instead.

Toscanini's is a little shop specializing in gourmet coffee, quirky ice cream flavors and bistro-type eats. My P.I.C and I sampled peppermint mochas made with hot fudge; they were insane- you literally had to use a spoon to scoop out leftover fudge when you had gotten through your drink. Then... we sampled their ice cream.

I truly believe that, every once in a blue moon, some mysterious greater power is all, "I'm over watching Amy curse in her car as she sits in traffic and blasts angsty Tay Swift. Whilst funny, it's also pitiful. Maybs, I'll help her cash in those karma points she earned when she waved for an extra paper towel to emerge for the lady behind her in the paper towel line this morning..." The ice cream at Toscanini's, my friends, was definitely a reward for some good karma. I sampled the 'brown butter pumpkin sage' flavor while my friend tried the 'goat cheese brownie'. Both were close-your-eyes-and-make-an-awkward-stomach-rubbing-motion-in-public incredible and completely worth the voyage across the bridge.

What pumpkin ice cream & peppermint mocha heaven  looks like

more pumpkin ice cream heaven...

brownie goat cheese titillating-ness

random pic from our trip to Toscanini's. How does one not  file  away such strangeness in their iphone as a fun convo-starter at parties? 

Glitter Thursdays

Let it be known far and wide that I am not a fan of Thursdays. People treat Thursdays like the weekend is just around the corner and drop casual pleasantries to eachother like, "Hey, it's Thursday- on the downslope, huh? Yeah!" or "Thirstay Thursdayyyyy!" But they're completely wrong. We have 2 more days, people! Not to mention, my days of Thirsty Thursdays have, for the most part, turned into me weighing the delicious thought of a few margs with friends against the idea of having to get up early on Friday... womp, responsibility. Even my favorite stores like the J-crew outlet act like it's basically the weekend, sending me taunting e-mails telling me to buy things that I can't even buy until the store opens on Saturday!!! Sorry, J-crew factory outlet, 2 days of waiting is just enough time for me to talk myself out of buying this necklace... maybe....errgh, it would look smashing with many different outfits...

The only thing that Thurday signifies to me is that I still have 2 more days of waking up early, 2 more days until I can become comatose in front of some sort of Bravo marathon, and 2 more days of traffic... don't even get me started on the traffic. Thus, it's time to give my Thursday blues the boot via my favorite embodiment of pure happiness: GLITTER!!! Glitter is all that is right with the world. Whenever I'm thrust into a situation involving glitter, my thoughts instantly shift off of anything negative. I mean it's kind of hard to be a pessimist when all you can focus on is finding elmers glue and an available surface you can smear the stuff on then glitter-ify within an inch of it's life.

SO- I present to you 'Glitter Thursdays'. Every Thursday I shall find a new sparkly item that extends it's lustrous hand and lifts me of out my not-done-with-the-workweek rut, to share with my many readers.

So let's start 'er off right. This weeks feature is perhaps the greatest item that's ever been engulfed in glitz: My Steve Madden Glitter Pumps


I got these babies last Christmas and have, truthfully, only had 1 occasion to wear them on. But if you include the many hours of playing dress-up alone in my room, then you can consider these puppies more than worth the investment. Also, you don't even need to wear them to have fun. You can just hold them up to your light and watch it dance off the millions of multi-colored sparkles.

Another perk of these shoes is that, if you don't receive them as a gift like me, then you can spend minimal amounts to have your very own pair. The interwebs is full of glitter heel DIYs like this one, as well etsy shops that'll pimp out your shoes for you at a fraction of the Steve Madden price.

Now, cue the harps, if anyone's looking to provide me with a glitter heel upgrade for say Christmas 2011, look no further than right here. Siiigh.

Fall and Budget Failure

oh m'lordy, I've been too scatterbrained to sit down and write a proper blog post in awhile- forgive me? bffs still? 4eva? Welp, I have some fall treats for you which should help.. they're really nbd except, OH YEAH I CARVED A SCARY-CAT-PUMPKIN

MEOW

Anyone who knows me (or who has even past me grumbling getting into my car the past few frosty mornings) knows I'm not so-much a cold-weather type of gal. I believe my best friend, Michelle ,put it best when she described me as "too precious to be cold" on Sunday. That does not mean, however, that I reject all that is autumn. Actually, based on the below images I've captured over the past couple of weeks, some people might even refer to me as a fall-champion...

twinkly pumpkin displayed at my parents abode

perdy fall trees

apple crisp. been doin lots o' bakin' due to the cold weather lately. Cue peculiar-ly tight pants

I love nothing more than a soy latte  when it's cold in the  morning.  this beverage choice will  switch to a peppermint mocha come mid-november

artsy pic of my boots and coat I took at Keith's soccer game. I was trying to look busy on my phone so I wouldn't have to run after the soccer ball that had just flown by me. dangerous stuff, those soccer games...

pumpkin beer and a hot dog  at Oktoberfest in Somerville this past weekend. This feast was followed up by more pumpkin beer and nachos. Again, cue tighter pants.

So, as you can see, when it comes to the changing of seasons, I'm winning. What I'm not winning at is money management. Could have something to do with my affinity for lattes and shoes..... but what I think it really is, is "the man" taking a swipe at me. And while, admittedly, "the man" keeps me in a comfortable supply of forever 21 and skinnygirl margs, he sure knows how to break a girls heart when he takes it away. What I'm saying is, once again, I need to cut back on some (every) things. Which is what leads me to my newest blog project, entitled: Amy's actually-using-the-groceries-I-buy-instead-of-wondering-why-all-of-my-produce-has-gone-bad-as-I-stuff-leftover-sushi-into-the-fridge get rich quick plan. It's pretty self- explanatory. I've found a few recipes to support this scheme and made this chicken ropa viejo recipe last night and it came out great, left me with tons of leftovers and was only about 300 calories... cue pants loosening?

13.1

So the day came and went and it was beyond perfect. I knew I'd feel relieved proud to have accomplished something that seemed so completely out-of-reach just 12 weeks ago, but what meant even more was the support from my family and friends throughout the process as well as on race day. So, yes, the run was fairly miserable and the non-stop hills and unexpected mid-80s weather did not make it any easier, but hey! I finished and had such phenomenal people running with me and waiting for me at the finish line.

That said, this post is dedicated to my family and friends, to whom, i make the following two promises as my gesture of thanks for your support:
1. After a bad run, when teetering on the edge of a high school gym class flashback/ flood of tears, I promise to remember that I'm now a half marathoner. Hopefully that should spare you all from my "mood"
&
2. Fear not, none of you will have to lay an eye on my blackened runners-toenail for another second. I'll be painting over it. Originally, I viewed it as a trophy for all of my hard work but now that I have a MEDAL (nbd), I can now see it for what it truly is.....

Thanks again to everyone for coming out!

best moment ever- FINALLY finishing

me exactly 2 seconds after finishing the race. Just the picture of  radiance

amazing poster created by my BFF, Michelle. Check out her amazingly  addictive blog  here !

Mac & cheese, banana bread, and 1 day to go....

So. AaaaaaaaaAAaaAaaaaaAh, the day of reckoning has almost arrived. Yes, the BAA half marathon is TOMORROW...... Fastest 12 weeks ever. There are no words for how nervous I am but luckily I had some cookin' to do today to keep my mind occupied. My awesome boyfriend is hosting a BBQ for my running cohorts: Kelly and Callan and I, right after the race. I offered to come baring a few goodies. Decided to go with Mac and cheese since we're gonna deserve us some cheesy goodness after burning a couple thousand calories. Also, whipped up some banana bread since I've had a ton of bananas lying around in an attempt to "up my potassium"- runners term, very technical.

Anyways, I used this recipe for the Mac and Cheese: http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2011/09/extra-creamy-mac-cheese-quest-for.html
and as you can see below, it came out super creamy and delicious


For the banana bread, I used this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giadas-weekend-getaways/flours-famous-banana-bread-recipe/index.html  We only had brown sugar to use so the bread came out a little dense but the taste is absolutely dreamlike. What a happy little mistake not having regular granulated sugar turned out to be. I'm imagining this recipe made into some sort of banana bread pudding with homemade whipped cream in my very near future.



Then, there's every 1/2 marathoners most important pre-race meal:

Week 12

This side of 12 weeks ago, I was TWEAKING out about running 13.1 miles. Now, running this half marathon (this coming Sunday, eek!) seems to be the simplest thing I've got going on. I've got all of my gear ready to go and I've run 12 miles as my furthest distance to date. I know I can do this. Or, rather, this thing is barreling at me like a freight train sooooo looks like i'm running it. Now go ahead and ask me if anything else in my life is this simple..... it ain't. Oh well, keeps me on my (swollen) toes, I guess.

In other news- it's fall. I've decided I'll tolerate the colder weather if it continues to look like this after a 12 hour work day:

After the marathon's passed, it's time to start doing autumny-things. I think the below inspiration should help:

Cider donuts- fall's one and only food group, in my book

pretty blushy neutrals

 please let this entire outfit be only $25

Have an inexplicable urge to get my Martha Stewart on with a pumpkin or two

Oh heeeyyyyyy double digits

Ran 10 painful miles on Sunday. Brought my shiny, new fuel belt and tried out one of those gu packets and everything. Was even able to pull my bones and joints together enough to run 3.5 miles tonight. I can tell ya this... I think I like these shorter runs. I was raging after work today for whatever reason and most of my angst burned off around mile 2. The longer runs prove to be a little too much time alone with the crazies in my head. Anyways, what I'm saying is, maybe I'll keep up this jogging shindig once the marathons' passed. Maybe. But, if you think for a second i won't be taking a week off from mapmyrun.com, shorts that ride up, and profuse sweating, you're sorely mistaken.

GU

Hit the 9 mile mark with my friend Callan on Monday night. So proud of us but, dear god, do we need to invest in fuel belts. Running that far without water is a. not a bright idea and b. makes me melodramatic to the point of yelling obscenities at slow cars and bikers who cross my path. Also, according to my new-found running gurus at work, it's time to start "gu-ing". "Gu" being a sugary, energy-producing gel that comes in such flavors as chocolate (barf, pass- in no way shape or form do I want any sort of thick lactose notion at any point during this run) and margarita (... I can dig it). You're supposed to down these things at least a couple of times during the 13 mile death trot  awesome jog for spurts of energy. Anyways, apparently they're a godsend, and let's face it, I can always use a good burst of energy, so what-the-hey why not "gu" a little?

Side-Tables, Cape Cod, and Arm Chafing

Firstly, the long overdue "after" photo of the sidetable I re-did (aka re-painted and slapped a gorgeous, new Anthropologie handle onto)

Wud-up Martha Stewart:

Secondly, Cape Cod proved to be as relaxing and needed as expected. It's hard to go wrong with perfect weather, endless ocean and the September issue of Vogue at your fingertips...

I'm just hoping the below artsy pictures will last me through the looming cold weather that's slowly starting to creep her way into MA. Un-invited. What a bitch.

Tiffany blue toenails- still shamelessly sporting these in open -toe  pumps around the office

Charlie- livin' the life

burnt caramel ice cream from P-town . Obviously devoured half of it before breathing and stopping to take a pic. 

Lucy stayed in her carseat for, almost, the entire week

stairs to and fro the beach... i chose to shimmy down the side of the dune instead . In case  I went head over heels, I decided smooth sand would be preferable to old wooden stairs

sunset on our last night. sigh. 

Now, onto my favorite topic: running!!!!! Relieved to say things have progressed slightly from my last post on this subject. I was able to run almost every day whilst on vacation due to the fact that a. I could run whenever the hell I felt like it (as opposed to the 8pm-ers I have to pull on normal weeknights after work) b. the Cape has the CCRT- a path that marks every 10^th of a mile which was really convenient. Plus, however far up the path I’d go, I’d obviously have to run my ass the same distance back so I’d never get the chance to quit in the middle as I often fancy doing.  Things  progressed enough that I was able to bite the bullet and run 8 miles this past Sunday. Gotta say, it’s a pretty cool moment when your body allows you to pull off something like that.

                                                                                                                         

Not to say that my body isn’t turning on me in other strange ways. I went through a serious bout of underarm chafing about a week ago. This did not phase a fellow co-worker/marathoner, who told me it’s perfectly normal… so, weird, but OK- at least it’s not my thighs. ALSO, the same co-worker warned me about toe-nails coming off and let’s just say I’m on the verge of that one. Apparently, this one’s due to my shoes being too tight. This is easily true considering my feet are screaming by the time I’m done running so it looks like I’m on the market for some (NON-EXPENSIVE) new running shoesies. Admittedly, I was just going to try and man-it-out with this current pair until my roommate reminded me that if I let my toenails fall off due to the fact I’d rather buy cute fall boots, then people would seriously judge my priority setting abilities and think I’d hit some sort of low in life. So, WHATEVER, I’ll buy new sneakers…but dear god, don’t let DSW have some sort of boot/ loafer-pump endcap while I’m there. I don’t think  it’d be fair to ask me to resist that.

Bitching and Moaning

Haven't written in awhile due to sheer embarrassment. Why am I embarrassed? Because it seems that I have counted my chickens before they hatched... or, however that saying goes. 2 weeks ago, i was rambling on about how my half marathon training seemed to be getting easier but, alas, I have completely jinxed myself.

The cramping/ side stitches are back with a doubled-over-illness-inducing, painful vengeance  and (a new development) I feel as heavy as an elephant with each step I take. So, as the title of this post would suggest, I'm completely frustrated.

I got into this knowing it isn't going to be easy. I didn't enter it with the mindset that I want to do it to lose weight, or to show off a 13.1 sticker on the bumper of my car, or to even impress any of the people at my company who are participating. I am doing this for myself. I'm the queen of self-doubt and I figured, what better way to quiet my bitchy little inner demons than by completing something that always seemed out of the question. I'm trying my best to do this the "right way." I'm sticking to my training schedule as much as possible and I'm trying to watch what I eat (admittedly, I've dropped a couple pounds. Win.) but, I'm in no way progressing and it's becoming increasingly difficult to rally my inner cheerleaders.

Now that I've made it abundantly clear that it's high-time to stop feeling sorry for myself, it's time for a new plan of attack:
1. Use vacation to Cape Cod next week to get back on track
2. Figure out how to demolish evil cramps forever
3. Finish every single run... even if I have to walk
4. Chill out

fdshfsjklaksivjusoj. OK. Wish me luck.

Case of the Mondays

Feeling slightly blah today. Had a perfect, lazy summer weekend that seemed to end way too fast. My friend Ashley helped to remind me that a positive attitude may help me through this day. Thus, I've decided to use my lunchbreak to share things that get me "jazzed" as this yogurt in front of me and the run that's on the horizon ain't doin the trick.

1. sharkweek- 'nuff said
2. DIY projects. just started the makeover on this sidetable for my new bedroom yesterday: It isn't quite completed yet but I thought I'd post the 'before' as a teaser:

3. mercury glass- stared at these puppies at West Elm for a solid 15 minutes the other day (may have to go back and purchase ASAP):

4. Martha Stewart brand glitter:  http://www.michaels.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts%E2%84%A2-Fine-Glitter/pc0898,default,pd.html ; wanna glitter paint a cat?!?! because you can: http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/glitter-painting
5. this sweet picture I just discovered in my phone of  Charlie:

If Giuliana Rancic can do it...

Hokay. Don't want to jinx anything but this running thing is becoming ever so slowly (we're talking molasses slow) less akin to chinese water torture. I'm still not really where i should be stamina-wise and there are still some obnoxious cramping issues, but it seems like my body and mind are starting to make peace with this process and for that I'm VERY hesitantly grateful-ish. I think G. Rancic best expresses my feelings on half-marathoning in this emotional clip, circa season 2 of 'Giuliana and Bill': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHh_bj6kBkY . I mean, there are some blatant differences between G and I - namely, her "physical challenges" being the IVF treatments she is recovering from, and mine being the layer of fat around my thighs and mid-section that severely  hinders my aerodynamic abilities... but I think we all get my point. PLUS, I take it as a personal challenge to one day be as fabulous as G, and if I can't afford Intermix, then this damn marathon's gonna  have to do for the time being.

Now- on to the NYC trip. As usual, it was an absolutely fantastic time filled with out-of-this world theater, excessive food & drink, and an un-planned visit with 2 of my best friends from college, Katie and Tracy, who happened to be in town on the same weekend!

The main things I took from this trip are:

1. I need a camera because taking pics on my iphone ain't cuttin' it

2. I need to find my "Barefoot in Paris" cookbook because the french bistro fare at cafe Bari (see image of toasted baguette with avocado spread and fresh-squeezed lemonade below) reminded me of my days studying abroad in Paris

3. i need more glittery clothing 

4. I want to know when i became "that girl" who takes pictures of walls

5. if I don't find the recipe for the caramel and coconut cupcakes that we sampled from Magnolia Bakery, nothing in my life will ever be OK again. 

Enjoy-

3.