Are you ready for some football???

Monday Sunday night party.

In our household, football season is long, really long. And around this time, I am beyond tired of watching it. After the (endless) college rivalry games, the bowl games, the tradition of watching hours and hours and hours of football every Sunday, I look forward to the Superbowl for one reason and one reason only: I get my husband back! :)

So, last year we started a tradition where we invite our closest friends over to the house to socialize watch the game. And since some attendees are much more serious game watchers than others [I cannot even remember who won last year], we set it up in two rooms so that the guys hard-core fans are in one room and the girls more casual attendees are in another, and this way everyone has fun.

And speaking of having fun, food is key! Well fed guests= happy guests. So, this year, your hostess with the mostest, has some yummy apps planned. Here is what I am envisioning:

Tex Mex Salsa with Homemade Tortilla Chips

Sweet BBQ Meatballs

Veggie Tray
Superbowl Cupcakes (So how awesomely cute is this!? I just love when I can girlify manly sports!)

And, last but not least, Charlie will not be neglected on Super Bowl Sunday. He will be sporting this hip doggie football jersey :) I will take pictures, no worries.
So what are all of you doing for the big game? Are watching it from the comfort of your own home or going out? And what are you watching if you're not watching the superbowl?

*Snow Day!*

Oh what a day! This morning they declared a ‘snow emergency warning’ for the city of Columbus, which meant all residents must stay indoors and avoid driving. This level foresees that those who violate it are arrested.

You don’t have to tell us twice. We didn’t move off the couch all day.

So, I’ll take a break from lounging to share a little snow day fun with you. :)

I love snow on trees...

the little man waiting to come inside- he was freezing!
how could I say no to that face?

my favorite little mug :)

Charlie's Got Style

First of all, thank you all for your compliments and sweet comments about our little guy. Charlie and I really appreciate it :)

However, recently, I have been spending hours a few minutes online shopping for a full wardrobe few things for munchkin.

Here is what I am thinking:

Pretty cute, huh?

Hubby calls it excessive, but I call it necessary. I always thought putting clothes on dogs was for decoration until yesterday. We took Charlie out and he was shivering like a leaf. Hubby is still totally against walking a "little dog with clothing." But I think the items in the pic above could be considered "manly" enough to walk the dog in public with. Right??

I can only imagine the abuse our bank account is going to take once we have kids. Geesh.

To my blog readers...♥

This past Saturday, we welcomed a new addition to our family!!!

...I present to you our precious wiggly, cuddly furbaby Charlie. He is a 2 pound, 8-week old, King Cavalier Spaniel. :) Words cannot express how absolutely ecstatic we both are to have this beautiful bundle of puppy love! Our little man is incredibly gentle, kind and smart and he is adjusting nicely!

Here are a few pictures of the love of my life :) ♥

I will continue to update the blog as we follow Charlie’s tentative footstepts (or is that pawsteps?) into adulthood. So stay tuned!

Blast From The Past!

Yesterday afternoon, I was trying to create more space on my computer. How a person like me runs out of space on their computer is beyond me - I email, blog, watch reality TV, and that's about it.

Anyway, I was going through all my pictures, and I found the most wonderful thing: Pictures of Matt. Old pictures of Matt. Baby pictures. Glory!I thought I should blog about this, but only to be fair, I threw in some old ones of me. Enjoy this wonderful trip down memory lane!

love the chubby legs

Happy Friday- a few more hours and it's the weekend!! :)

Dear friends,

I love you all dearly, but please stop getting engaged.

So far this year, we have 5 weddings to attend. Not only does this mean 5 weddings, but it also means 5 showers and 5 bachelorette parties. This then translates into having to find dresses for all of these events. Sure, I can re-wear a dress once but I will not be THAT girl that is wearing the same dress in all the pictures.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love weddings...I mean like love love. And I am so happy that my friends are in love and am honored that they want us there to share with them this special day. But what's wrong with 2010....or 2011.. or maybe even 2012? I'm just sayin'!

Now I am not kidding when I say that I have threatened the lives of my friend’s current boyfriends. Sure this may sound mean, but under these circumstances, necessary and they’ve been warned. :)

Edited to Add: Hubby on the other hand, has these thoughts on the matter:

So excited!

Two things this morning:

1.) My unhealthy obsession with damask continues… Hubby and I, I am considering redecorating our bedroom. Above is the look that we I absolutely adoreee and just must have! Don't you love it? The answer is yes.

However, husband thinks "it’s too expensive." We're dealing with completely different shopping habits than my own here. But, he is starting to slowly come around.

His exact words last night were, “I've learned I can't go wrong if I just let you decorate.”

Good man :)

2.) On another note, thank you so much to a fabulous blogger [and mommy-to-be!], Newlywed Stilettos, for introducing me on her blog. It totally made my day! :) If you found your way here from her wonderful blog, welcome and thanks for stopping by!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day :)

End of an era

As we say goodbye to the era of W and president bush the master of malapropisms, we are left behind with a legacy littered with pearls of wisdom mangled meanings, misplaced modifiers, mispronunciations and downright questionable word choices. (bushisms).

In honor of that record, I offer you a brief compendium of some of the most memorable Bushism. Enjoy! :)

"They misunderestimated me."
"I can only speak to myself."
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
"I think we agree, the past is over."
"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."
"Will the highways on the internet become more few?"
"I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right."
"Do you have blacks, too?" —to Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso
"This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating."
"I'm the master of low expectations."
"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."
"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."
"I glance at the headlines just to kind of get a flavor for what's moving. I rarely read the stories."
"It is white." —after being asked by a child in Britain what the White House was like

“I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things."

Hello, Mr. President

In just a matter of hours, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. I am excited to embark on a new path: a path that will lead us to peace; a path that will lead to health care for all children; a path that will lead us to more affordable higher education and last but not least, a path that will lead us to worldwide respect rather than hatred.

I am so proud of our country and of so many people who showed up to cast their vote November 4th. I hope that everyone, regardless if you voted for Obama or not, will use the victory to talk about this being a prime example that every one of us can truly be anything we want to be :)

This is a GREAT MOMENT in History and my 1 little vote helped make it happen.

Now here are some pictures from the Obama rally I attended in August '08.

Hope you all have an obamazing Tuesday!

Just another manic lazy Monday

I’m home from work today b/c of MLK day, and I plan on doing nothing all day.

No cleaning. No laundry. No cooking. Just occupying the couch and catching up on my shows.

I love lazy days like this.

Hope all of you are having a happy Monday! :)

See, I'm a real wife - I cook!

I hate to obnoxiously boast brag, but today I cooked not only one but two (edible) things. *tosses hair* My wifey abilities are through the roof, if I say so myself.... To put it in perspective, when my husband met me, I considered hot pockets a real dinner, ok? Luckily, he was not much better. He pretty much only sustained life on ramen and Bud Light.

So, today marks another successful cooking adventure to help bolster up my limited confidence!

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Ham & Shells Casserole

Ingredients:
1 package medium pasta shells
3 large onions, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon Crisco® Light Olive Oil
1 package (9 ounces) fresh spinach, torn
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3-1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook and stir onions in oil for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Add spinach and rosemary; cook 1-2 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in ricotta and goat cheeses until blended. Drain pasta; place in a large bowl. Add the ham, onion mixture and sauce; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 package miniature peanut butter cups
DRIZZLE:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon shortening

Directions: In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. Roll into 1-1/4-in. balls. Press a miniature peanut butter cup into each; reshape balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. For drizzle, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Night Out!

Well, tonight hubby and I are heading to dinner with about 30 of his coworkers and their significant others. I am very excited. I have only met a couple of his friends from work and cannot wait to meet everyone else. It's going to be nice to be able to put faces to all the names.

And, in honor of my recent discovery of Polyvore, (i'm hooked!) here is the outfit I will be wearing.

Well, I have finally managed to cram my lipgloss into my tiny little 'going out' purse, and it looks like we’re ready to head out!

Ciao! <3

I need help. In more ways than one.

There is a secret about me that I have not told you about… yet. Today, I am deciding to enlighten all my readers by giving you a glimpse into my crazy other life.

I am a part-time wedding planner (in addition to my grown-up 9-5 job).

I know, I know - you're shocked. But I'd be lying if I said that I did not enjoy LOVE planning my wedding with every little bone in my body. I have enjoyed it obsessed about it so much so that I cannot let it go. I have tried… and tried… and tried. I can’t do it. Every Friday night I fall asleep thinking about girls getting married that Saturday morning and praying for good weather. I still subscribe to wedding magazines. I look creep on people’s wedding pictures more than appropriate. I’ve worn my wedding dress in public around the house a time or two several times since the big day. Just to name a few.

So, to fill my very obvious addiction, I have fully immersed myself into planning weddings for other ladies.

Planning the big day can be summarized into three words: vision, strategy, and execution. The three words that I happily embrace with all of my type-Aness. So, this, and the fact that I planned my own wedding by myself from beginning to end, makes me very qualified to do this job.

And tonight I am meeting with one of my current victims clients. Her wedding is in May and tonight we are discussing details. We met once before over coffee and she is such a sweetheart. I am honored and flattered that she asked me to help her plan the most important day of her life. I cannot wait to see it all come together and I am ready for the challenge. And the fact that someone is paying me big bucks to take control put in my two cents…. What could be better than that?! Not to mention that the proceeds from my side gig go to our travel fund which brings us one step closer to vacation! Yippie! I will keep you updated on this adventure and will, of course, share pictures in May!

Now for some comic relief, here is a quick list of how you know you should be a wedding planner:

• When you tell someone the wedding colors are Chocolate Brown and Robin's Egg Blue, and they ask what those look like, you look at them like they're the crazy person.
• You take it upon yourself to tell all of your engaged friends which locations to look into, despite the fact that they already have their location booked.
• You use words like candelabra, boudoir, and color palette in your everyday vocabulary.
• Suddenly, $30,000 doesn't seem like that much money.
• You know the term STD means Save the Dates, duh.
• The women on Bridezillas don't seem that crazy anymore.
• You go to weddings and spend your night comparing every detail of that wedding to your own, and embarrass yourself by saying stuff like, “Remember at our wedding? Our cake tasted much better!”

My life officially hates me.

As I was walking sliding to my car this morning, I slipped and went flying. literally. It was quite spectacular actually.. I haven’t taken a dive like that since my high school days when I fell down a whole flight of stairs… in front of say… 3,000ish people. Thankfully, this time, no one saw me. But being the most uncoordinated, unbalanced, awkward, ungraceful and clumsy human being, I still managed to make quite a scene and some awkward noise with it that sounded like ‘garhagrah’. My rear end then proceeded to hit the wet, cold sidewalk pretty hard.

sweet moves. go ahead and laugh at me. I’m okay and it's funny.

But I do have to say, this was was not my fault... entirely. I place part of the blame on my adorable red patent mary jane pumps I happen to be wearing. I they don’t do well in snow.

Don't judge me.

Seriously?

Well, we got six inches of snow in the last few hours. Yes, six. It's ridiculous. Work let us out early, but driving home during a blizzard is another story. But blizzard isn’t how my fave weather guy describes it. He calls it a "wintery mix," aka a nice frozen cocktail full of snow, ice, sleet, and rain. Fun. Now what’s even more fun is that my 10 minute drive home took years 45 minutes. And walking around in half a foot of snow is kind of fun, but not when you are wearing flats. By the time I made it from my office building to the car, my feet were two solid ice cubes. They have fallen off are still unthawing.

Gotta love these bitterly cold, dreary, and never-ending Ohio winters.

As if that weren't depressing enough, I saw the weather forecast [below] and came to a realization: this is the farthest north I will ever live. Mark. My. Words.

Single digit lows are not my friend.

Now I am off to turn up the thermostat, and pretend like i'm on a hot, sweltering, exotic island. I'll take a pina colada, please!

p.s. Here are some pics from today's events for your viewing pleasure :) (these were taken in the middle of the day. more snow fell shortly after.)

hubby in shoveling action

i'm still trying to figure out why he looks so thrilled to be out there.

Things I’m totally buying loving this week.

♥Blonde bobs. I’ve been there, done that (several times in my life) but they are so cute, sassy and classy and I just might be wanting one again.

♥Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks. Heaven on Earth. I am addicted. it is like crack.

♥That we will have a new president this time next week. Happy dance.

♥Two Words: Bump It. One of the greatest things I have seen. EVER. These are hair volumizing inserts that I am mildly obsessed with. I ordered mine today. However, I did opt for the midsize bumpits instead of the 'Hollywood'. The latter borderlined Amy Winehouse’s beehive.

♥So what is black and white and lovely all over....DAMASK! It is my new obsession. My love affair with this pattern started while planning our wedding. I’ve been hooked ever since. My latest love: These stunning damask plates from Target. must. have. them.

As I type this post I slowly visualize my bank account painfully depleating.

Really, where do the weekends go?

Aghhh, it’s already Sunday night. I am drinking wine beer and watching the Golden Globes football. I am dreading going to bed because when I wake up it will be Monday…

But, on a good note, I did see Bride Wars this weekend with my bff (of course!) and I am not ashamed to say that it was one of the funniest chick flicks romcoms I have seen in a long time. But, I have to admit- I love really bad movies. Strike that. I love really bad romantic comedies. And my love for Kate Hudson dates all the way back to her RESOUNDING performance in what I would argue is the best romantic comedy thus far of this millennium. I am speaking, of course, of "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (That scene with the ferry gets me EVERY TIME.)

If I could choose someone to play me in a movie about my life, it would SO be her. Very egotistical, I know. But, you have to admit, she is adorable.

Overall, Bride Wars = Two Thumbs Up

Side note- ladies do NOT, and I repeat, do NOT take your boyfriend/fiancé/husband to see this movie. The three brave men in our movie theatre that agreed got talked into watching this 'girl drama’ spent the entire time a.) sleeping b.) in the ‘bathroom’. So do yourselves a favor, save the $10 and go see it with a gf.

Finally

I promised to show you our finished cabinets. It’s taken an entire month week, a lot of patience and the last remaining piece of our sanity, but at last - we have fully functional, freshly painted kitchen cabinets.

And now I have to give credit where credit is due. Mad props to my husband for his mad cabinet painting skillz… Me on the other hand, I helped a lot little. But, I did go shopping while part of this went on, of course. So I can take only take a little bit of credit for what’s happened with our kitchen this week, but I am happy to report that I DO have a really nice new purse :)

Well, since I know that you all have been losing sleep wondering how they turned out...here you go! (for befores, scroll down or click here)

(notice the new cabinet hardware!)

the first time I ever operated a drill

the look of determination

while I drilled, he measured

and, Ta Da!

The kitchen is now complete. And I promise that this is the last post you will have to read about my house decorating woes for … oh, how about forever? Because that sounds good to me right about now :)

Drum roll, please!

The hubbs and I have been married for exactly 110 days (don’t ask me how I know this!) Being the crazy that I am, this is the first thought that crossed my mind this morning. I woke him up to fill him in on this exciting milestone and he just mumbled “That’s great” and went back to sleep. I am letting it slide. But I hope I get a nice piece of jewelry more enthusiasm from him when I get home.

What could be better than spending the last 110 days in wedded bliss with moi? Anyhow, I am excited. Really excited. Life’s good great! :)

Here are a few of my favorite married life things:

I love how he looks at me with so much love and adoration
I love the memories we have made together so far (our honeymoon, my 25th surprise birthday trip to Chicago, first holidays as Mr+Mrs)
I love how I love him more today than I did on our wedding day
I love when we dream together
I love how goofy he is and how he makes me laugh every day

And here are a few pictures from our journey as hubby+wife:

Hawaii :: sigh, i want to go back::

halloween '08

November '08: Wedding in Pittsburgh

December '08: Weekend trip to Chicago for my 25th birthday

I hope everyone's having a fantastic Thursday! We're almost there ya'll.