Prayers for Newtown

The events of December 14^th are indescribably horrific. I keep thinking we’re all just supposed to wake up from this massive nightmare any second. This morning, when sorting through the many news articles concerning Sandy Hook, I was profoundly moved by the following excerpt (taken from this article on CNN.com):

Grace McDonnell would write messages for her mother in the bathroom window. On the first day without Grace, the bathroom fogged up and mom glanced at the window. And right there was a message from beyond the grave. The little girl had drawn the peace sign, her favorite symbol. Above it was a heart with the words: "Grace, Mom."

 Grace McDonnell was amongst the young victims that day. As 2013 approaches, I resolve to keep Grace’s message and spirit, as well as the 25 other victims, their families, and the heroes of Newtown, in my thoughts and prayers. May 2013 bring peace, kindness, empathy, and friendship back into this world- where the simple  idea of valuing love over hate seems to have gone astray.

My Strange December and Merry Christmas!

Yes, I'm still alive. These past few weeks have been nothing less than pure insanity. INSANITY I TELL YOU. Somewhat out of the blue I was offered a dream job with the only catch being that I had to start 2 days later. Ever since, I've been in this whirlwind of finishing up my former job, training for my new role, Christmas shopping, and trying to sleep every now and then. I promise I'm not complaining-- how cool is it when these kinds of opportunities present themselves? I'm just more or less stunned by the surreal-ness that has been the month of December.

In an effort to get through at least a few of my holiday post ideas, today I've decided to share my holiday wish list that I threw together one afternoon in a moment of utter brain-deflation. Ya know- that's when your brain can't take anymore so you maybe just hop on polyvore.com for 10 minutes and pull together a dream board of gifts you wouldn't hate finding under the tree?...No one else does that? Well then...

In all seriousness , I know this post doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what's important this time of year. So before scrolling through my list of dream goodies may I just tell you all that I hope you have wonderful holidays and that you're able to put aside everyday stresses, relax, reboot a bit and fully enjoy being with the ones you love. Merry Christmas!

2012 Christmas by amychat featuring chanel lipstick

Print dress
factory.jcrew.com

J Crew cashmere cardigan
jcrew.com

Hunter boots
$130 - coggles.com

J Crew satchel handbag
jcrew.com

J Crew flower statement necklace
jcrew.com

Smashbox
nordstrom.com

Chanel lipstick
nordstrom.com

Capri Blue Mercury Glass Candle
anthropologie.com

Latte Bowls
anthropologie.com

Canon EOS 1100D 12 Megapixel Digital Camera and 18-55mm Lens
$645 - littlewoods.com

Glitter Thursday- Shine bright like a diamond but don't be that girl

One of my favorite parties to go to every year is my company Christmas party. The reason being that the people watching is fantastic! Technically that's an un-Christmasey thing to say but don't you dare act like you don't know what I'm talking about. There's flat-out nothing like witnessing an over-served colleague thrust and flail around to 'Jingle Bell Rock' on the dance floor in a mini skirt that leaves little to the imagination. 'Tis the gift that keeps on giving.

This year, my holiday events have taken shape in multiple forms: the company Christmas party, swanky work "celebration" dinners, and good old fashioned parties with friends. Since I'd like to look festive for each whilst maintaining a certain level of pride (especially at the work related functions...let's be real friends, as long as you don't exceed your 2 drink tickets then you're probably golden), I've planned out the following outfits that should not only help me avoid perturbed glares from my boss, but are also equal parts glittery (it's the holidays, gotta do it) and pretty.

Well I made it through day 2

but now I'm off the detox. Embarrassing, I know.

 I guess one of the reasons I write this little bloggy is to report on the strange, poorly timed occurrences that frequent my life. The following is a prime example.

 I made it through yesterday (day 2) pretty well. I  was even able to make Matt Shepherd's pie for dinner without breaking. The only thing that was weird  were these cold-like symptoms that I mentioned in yesterday's post. To be honest, I'd been feeling like crap since before the detox and figured juicing just made the symptoms worse for the first few days. Cut to me at 4:30 this AM, doubled over with a sinus headache and congestion that was less than cute.

As I drove into work today the headache was so awful that the road became blurry so I booked it to my doctor's office. As a quick sidenote, something I've never mentioned in this forum is that I'm prone to sinus infections and have had one on and off since September (why I've waited this long to go to my PCP about it is beyond me. lesson. learned), Long story short, now I'm on what can only be described as horse pills and have steroid spray for my nose which causes "minor nosebleeds". Lovely. When I asked the doc if I could continue on my detox she snorted at the question and I left the office slightly defeated and slightly  thrilled that I was now allowed to inhale some of the delicious mango I picked up at Trader Joe's yesterday.

So I'm sorry guys, I'm going to make another go of it after the holidays. My summary of the experience (the 2 whole days I made it through) is actually positive! I was definitely feeling less bloated and can confidently say the juice filled me up. I was never hungry, though I did realize I just missed the social aspect of eating-i.e. walking with friends to get candy in the afternoon, grabbing a latte in the morning, etc.

So let's all get through Christmas and I'll go back to posting on things like cookie recipes then I'll give another wack at 'er once we hit the new year. OK time to crawl back into my sick bed. I bid you all Adieu.

Juice detox day 1: Grumpy but still alive!

Alright folks, yesterday marked day 1 of this 10 day juice detox and  thus far I'm feeling real sluggish which is supposed to be completely normal for the first few days of this self inflicted torture experiment.

Why would you do this to yourself, Amy? I'm so glad you asked (that's a lie, i'm too tired to be glad about anything right now. Don't take it personally). Well, apparently this is the stage where toxins are flying out of my body left and right (hence the word detox, doy). Basically, not only am I shocking my body with a dramatic new diet, but the nutrients in all of the raw fruits and veggies I'm taking in are wreaking havoc on the junk that's been chillin' in my system for oh, ya know, my whole life. Womp. On top of the sluggishness, I'm experiencing some cold symptoms which are also supposed to be common side effects. Awesome.

Luckily, I've got my sister doing the detox with me so we can moan and groan through these first few days together. Here's the thing, Brooke is one tough cookie. If one of us is broken by this thing, it'll 100% be me. She may have already had to talk me off a cliff this AM as I bitched about the correlation between wanting a few chips and how life just isn't fair.

OK much more to discuss but this post is getting a wee bit long. Get excited for the day 2 review comin' atcha tomorrow. It's supposed to be the hardest day of the detox to get through so yeah, just thrilled about the next 12 hours. For now, enjoy the first few juice recipes I've tried out (listed below), as well as a few pics!


1. Joe Cross's (aka the guy who starred in the documentary 'Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead) Mean Green Juice Recipe:

• 6 Kale Leaves
• 1 Cucumber
• 4 Celery Stalks
• 2 Green Apples
• 1/2 Lemon
• 1 piece of ginger

2. Pink Delight (taken from this site)

• 8 ounces watermelon
• 4 ounces strawberries (if frozen thaw first)
• 4 ounces raspberries (if frozen thaw first)

*Pink Delight is best when made in a blender and then strained before drinking

Outrageous Thanksgiving Recipes

The feasting super bowl is upon us. Tomorrow our great nation unites via the heavenly combination that is stuffing and stretchy pants, and we shall rejoice.

Yes, I know that I have a 10 day juice cleanse coming up and I fully intend on prepping for it correctly,blah, blah, blah. But Thanksgiving is right up there with Christmas as my fav. holiday so enjoy it I shall. Since we have Thanksgiving #2 tomorrow (#1 was this past weekend in Upstate NY with my family, including this gorgeous cousin o' mine), and #3 is on Sunday, I've been hitting pinterest hard looking for both classic Turkey day recipes as well as a couple with some twists to try out this weekend. Here are the ones I'm drooling over as I shove non-fat greek yogurt in my mouth and try to pretend it's pumpkin pie (find all recipes on my 'Eat, Drink and be Merry' pinterest board):

A Spatchcocked turkey- admittedly not even interested in the recipe, just the word "spatchcock"

Quite possibly the best use of leftovers ever

Light and tasty 'leftovers quinoa salad' for when my pants won't zipper on Friday 

Pumpkin Bread Pudding-Or as I like to call it: Amy's "who needs pride when you can shovel leftovers whilst sitting inside the fridge door" midnight snack 

Popovers-(1) rip off chunk of warm popover (2) push loved one out of way (3) dip in gravy boat (4) repeat

Martha Stewart aka my homegirl's "Leftover" Shepherd's Pie

Cranberry Cosmo- because excessive family time is hard

Clam chowder and my attitude problems

I can be a bit "uppity" at times. One of these times was last night. I'd finally found a solid 2 hour window to work on my apartment and start getting through my last few boxes so I set to work. After awhile I looked around at the explosion of stuff that had gone off around me and felt a child-like meltdown start to set in. That's when my dear, patient beau suggested that I "cook something" since that always seems to calm me down. Feeling utterly defiant, I was all, "ummmm no, i don't think so" and then proceeded to pout and stomp around about nothing in particular for another hour. Finally, i became bored with my mood (most likely due to the lack of attention I was receiving from said beau) and decided to make clam chowder with buttery, toasted croutons (find the recipe here). I dunno if it was the delicious chowder or the goblet of wine I paired with it but the night started looking up after that. Did I tell Matt (said beau's real name) he was right in the end? psssht child please.