Weekly Splurge!!

So I know we have established this plan where I buy one item a week for myself, and that I'm supposed to focus on makeup first and then move to another area- but I couldn't help myself!!
I was enjoying some rare alone time, browsing home accents and I found this oil painting...



It inspired me to dream up a whole new living room scheme with warm colors. I'm picturing long drapes in a spice/drk orange and throw pillows in silver & crimson.

I've also never been much of a "flower" art girl and I love the fact that the picture is something as modern as a city but is depicted softly instead of some harsh, gritty downtown picture.

I also found some really cool modern table lamps for my living room with a warm yellow shade. (Darker than it appears in this pic from my phone)



Is it coincidence that the lamps I want are accenting CITY landscape artwork in a totally different store from the one I had JUST bought my painting from?

...I think it's more like DESTINY. ;]

...But no, I didn't buy the lamps. =(
I would have to bring lunch for a whole freakin month to get the lamps on this weekly budget plan... but I AM considering taking one for the team!! lol

A month of ramen noodles and leftovers is a small sacrifice for a baller ass living room!!

I'm so NOT HOOOOOOOOOD-ie

Hey Bloggers and Bloggettes!! :)

It's super slow at work here on Christmas Eve.
Lyn's off today so I don't even have a gmail chat buddy. =/
I guess I will catch you guys up on the past week and present you with some of the random conversations that Lyn has to sit thru! lol! enjoy...

We've been super busy around the house this week- stuffing presents under the bed and hiding them in closets from the kids until we had time to wrap them.
Last night we finally got the last presents wrapped after watching Johnny Depp in "Secret Window"... I don't remember watching that movie before, but now I have to go find that Stephen King book! It was pretty good!!!

I bought my chuck roast for Christmas Dinner and got the recipe from my mom last night- hope it turns out to be a great Holiday Feast!! Last night I made a rub of olive oil, basil, rosemary & thyme and coated the roast. Then I sliced white pearl onions and garlic on top. It's going to marinate all day today, and then tonight I will put it in the roaster on low for 9 hours covered in carrots, celery & potatoes. Sounds amazing, I just hope it turns out like my mom's!!

So last night while we are wrapping gifts, Tre randomly says "You know, you don't have that much casual clothes... Why don't you get some hoodies or something?"

And now I'm pondering what he said b/c I have a lot of time on my hands...and that's what women do!! Guys think for about 2 seconds about what comes out of their mouth, but we spend a whole day dissecting what they said!

Follow along with me if you are bored too. lol

This is true. I don't have many casual clothes b/c 80% of my week is spent in an office, so most of my wardrobe is business/business casual.
And as you guys know from my previous post I've been doing a serious overhaul in trying to do things for myself, but casual weekend wear was kinda low on the list.

But it is probably a good idea to invest in more comfortable gear. In my former years, most of my weekends were spent clubbing, so even back then my weekend clothes weren't casual.

But now my weekends outside of the home are mostly spent at Publix, Costco & Lowes.
Not that I'm complaining! I rather enjoy a more relaxed, homebody lifestyle, but I should have a wardrobe suited for it.

But then where to shop for HOODIES??
I certainly don't want to go stores like Aeropostale, A&F, and Hollister. I'm pushing 30 soon- I would feel really retarded picking out the same outfit as a 14 year old (lol!), plus the smell of all that damn cologne in those stores gives me a freaking headache!!!

I'm browsing around online now at hoodies, b/c HEY- I GOT TIME. haha
I've posted pics below- help me with some opinions please???!!
Or if you guys know a good place for a 28 year old to buy some casj weekend gear, holler.
(Lyn, if you tell me to go to Wal-mart I will kick you! haha)

...And I'll be back soon with Christmas pics!!

Love, Peace & Hurrgrease,

Angel

_____________________________


ehhh, so not quite sure how I feel about any of these, but I'm not really a "hoodie" person. Help, prease!!

The PLAN

Okay, so in reading that last post I’m not too happy with where my head was at that day.
Don’t you hate it when you have those moments of vulnerability where you doubt yourself?
Fortunately I’m one who when faced with challenges analyzes the situation and determines a solution by strategizing and goal setting...
(In a nut shell, I’m a planner!)

I’ve been brainstorming a solution to my issue.
I’m sure other young mothers out there can feel me on this one…

Problem: How can I make sure I am keeping myself up without experiencing the self-imposed guilt that I may be taking away from my family by doing something for me?

My Solution: Ok, so here’s what I’ve worked out.
Since buying a home I’ve limited myself to eating out only 3 times a week.
An average combo meal is around $6.60, which 3 times a week is $20.
I have decided that instead of eating out on those 3 days a week, I will bring lunch from home EVERY day of the week, and using that $20 a week budget to buy something for myself.

That way I won’t feel as if I’m taking money away from my family b/c it is money I’ve already budgeted to spend.
(And I’ll also be improving my health by staying away from fast food! LOL)

I also enjoy the "little" pleasures in life and the thought of getting a small gift every week makes me smile. =D

My job isn’t far from Perimeter Mall, so one day a week I will go there on my lunch hour and purchase an item for myself within a ballpark of my $20 budget. After I make my purchases, I can come back and let you guys know how the product worked to feed my blog addiction. ;]

I’m thinking I will start with re-upping on some new makeup. I’m running out of my current stock and was hoping to try some new products.

…And this solution began TODAY!! Haha
I went to Sephora at lunch and copped a new blush!!
Super Orgasm by NARS
It’s this really pretty peachy pink blush with gold flecks.
It looks really good with my skin tone…. $25!
(OK, so I went a little over budget… but I did say “ballpark”!)




As soon as I got in the car I put the blush on and it gave me a gorgeous glow… Looks like I’ve been naughty! Hopefully that’s not sending off the wrong message with me being gone an hour for lunch… =P

Anyways, I’m super happy with the product, I feel good about the purchase and guilt free!!
Can’t wait to tell you guys about my next splurge adventure!!

♥Angel

Christmas Wishing...

So I spent my entire lunch at the mall today.

I was supposed to be looking for candles and ended up lost in rows of makeup, lingerie and snazzy peacoats.

Why do I torture myself?

How come you always see a million things you want when you're window shopping, but when you go shopping with your pockets loaded, nothing appeals to you??

I can hardly remember the last time I TRULY splurged on myself..
OK, so maybe it was last Christmas... [lol]- But I don't really consider that splurging as much as just catching up. I bought things that I NEEDED and had put off as opposed to buying frivolous things simply because I wanted them.

It seems like the kids always need something, there's always something we need for the house, unexpected costs come up and then extra money sometimes doesn't get spent as wisely as we plan, i.e. Bulk Junk Food purchases at Costco and my extensive Juicy Couture SOCK collection which has YET to be rivaled (don't ask!).

I feel like somehow in the midst of it all, I lost myself.

The selfishness of a life prior to children has disappeared to be replaced by the Martyr who takes pride in knowing she does for everyone in her family but herself.

Now when I'm at a point in my life where I've met the most accomplishment thus far and should be the most self-satisfied, I feel as if I lack the confidence I deserve because I'm not doing myself justice.

THE CLASSIC STORY
Beautiful young women.
who mature into busy young mothers.
who begin to live for others.
and give up on taking care of themselves...

Is this the reason women my age hit a quarter life crisis?

mood today: indescribable

The Pillow Dilemma

Man, I never thought selecting pillows would be such an ordeal, but now that I'm really focusing on personalizing the house, it seems like I've spent more time on this decision than on my medical benefits. =P

So what to do?

I have a neutral leather couch, dark mahoghany hardwood floors and neutral sand walls so there is definitely need for a color to spice things up- However the entire house is a warm sand tone (including the baseboards and trim) so I really want to keep true to the natural vibe of the house.

My style tends to lean towards contemporary/modern, but I want a cozy enviro for the kids and family too.

Help!! lol
Here are a couple of different ideas I'm leaning towards. Hoping you guys can give me some feedback so I can figure out which style I'm leaning toward... Thanks!

So this is my living room...





I really love these metallic silver linen drapes from Pottery Barn. The linen material will stay in line with the natural vibe I want, but the fact that they are silver metallic gives it a modern twist.


And they also have these chocolate paisley linen throw pillows with the paisley print in a soft metallic gray. I can use modern mini-art frames with the silver and brown tones to accent the room and tie it all together...

I'm afraid the brown will be too much... well, BROWN in comparison with the floor and walls. (We want to keep the walls the sand color b/c our fireplace mantel is the same color and we like the way it blends into the wall- see below) But I do like the visual contrast of using lots of different patterns in the mini-art and also the paisley print is interesting...




Should I opt for bright multi-colored pillows in a modern print by KOKO and accent the rich tones by encorporating the color in my barstools?




Or do I opt for large, comfy organic pillows from West Elm in soothing tones and then accessorize with metallic elements in the room (therefore allowing me to keep the metallic linen curtains I'm so partial to!! lol)




Gahhhhhhhhhhh!! I'm so torn.

The Annual Gingerbread House Party

Our family knows Christmas is right around the corner once we get the invite for the Annual Gingerbread House Party!

Ms. Jeannette goes above and beyond each year, creating a "base model gingerbread house" for the kids and letting them add their choice of candy to decorate.
Each year she always has a different personalization for the gingerbread houses to make it extra special.

This year is no exception! She made a campfire next to the house made from cinnamon sticks and a ember blaze of candy corn! [see in pics below]








The kids had a great time listening to Christmas Carols while they worked, eating as much candy as they put on their houses, and sharing in the excitement of the Holiday Season...

Dream Bedroom

Hopefully this can become a REALITY in the new year!!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at our house this year...

Not quite what I had in mind, but seems like it was a success for the family.
The kids ended up going with my mom out of town to visit my grandfather, so the house was surprisingly quiet. It's funny how as a parent you sometimes pray for peace and quiet, but when you do get it- you don't know what to do with it!!

I found some pretty neat fall-themed tabletop items for my Thanksgiving centerpiece, though I still don't have a proper servingware set and my table which seemed size appropriate for my apartment wasn't quite suited for our large extended family. I ended up having to use our poker table and it was impossible to find a nice tablecloth to cover a 72" round table AND the metal legs. =P

..Aside from the fact that everyone ended up in the living room watching the football game during dinner, so my table setting went totally unnoticed. :-X








Luckily the food was delicious! Mom and Pops did the Turkey, which took alot of stress off of me considering I've never basted and cooked a turkey before.
I found a cookbook from The Blue Willow Inn, a former plantation that was converted into a buffet restaurant. I figured it's IMPOSSIBLE to go wrong with southern comfort food recipes from a plantation! lol (And I was right!)
My collard greens and mac & cheese turned out QUITE Scrumptious!









Idea for Potential Thanksgiving Table Setting

-Cookie Jars as a table centerpiece filled with Fall Flavored Cookies
(Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut & Toffee, Dark Chocolate & Walnut)
-Modern shaped simple serving plates
-Candles in fall scents




Credits: Jars from Swoozies [swoozies.com]
pear shaped/scented candle- pier 1 [pier1.com]

Back on Blogspot!

Okay, since Lyn reactivated her blog, of COURSE I had to reactivate mine… because I’m her follower. LOL
(y’all didn’t know she is the one in charge huh? The short ones are always running thangs behind the scenes!)

Anyways, getting pretty excited about our housewarming for our new home this weekend! We already got a few presents but I’ve been told by a certain PARTY POOPER (*ahem* haha) that I can’t open them until tomorrow, so tonight will be like Christmas Eve to me! Can’t sleep, tossing and turning, shaking the boxes trying to figure out what’s inside…

I’ve posted a picture below of what the family room looks like now, but we are slowly adding things on so this should just be a work in progress. Right now we are still getting furniture and electronics, but I can’t wait to start bringing in some décor to personalize the house!




I don't know everything I want to do YET, but these baller ass lamps are high on my list! (Though I would have to add some color to the lampshades)



Which reminds me- this housewarming is right on time! There are still so many things that we need for the house that we don’t have yet!
I thought I was loaded on household goods from my apartment, but I guess until you actually move in your own home, you don’t realize how much of a BIG difference it is between stuff you need for an apartment versus a house.

Being a homeowner feels like being a part of a whole new world I didn’t even know about! It’s kinda funny, things we are interested in now that we never cared about before…

Latrail’s new favorite hangout spot is “Lowes” and I’m meeting up ppl at “Linens and Things” instead of the club! LMAO

Then there is always that friendly competition with the Yun Family to see who can outdo whom
(Lyn, you might have won the battle on “baller curtains” for now, but I’m coming for ya SPRING 2009!! LOL)…

We DID take y’all on the Flat Screen tho’, admit it! =P

Another exciting thing I didn’t anticipate is spending the Holidays in our own home!
I’m sure a lot of you don’t know about my undercover “Arts and Crafts” addiction… (must be the white side in me!)
But I get “Holiday Crazy” with themes and kid’s projects- hopefully I can find the time and money to do them all!

So I guess this blog is going to be related to different projects I want to try at the house, or holiday related projects, or some of my other “gay but cool” new hobbies!

TTY next week when I update with some housewarming pics!!

-A