LilyPop's First Birthday!

As of right now, my books are in (they had been at the office of our apartments for assumingly almost a week. I don't know if they ever planned on informing me of that or not), my homework is done and I'm not as much of an idiot on InDesign and SPSS as I thought I would be, my sicky thing is much better (but not completely), and all seems right in the world.

This weekend was my niece (best friend's baby) Lily's first birthday party! She turned 1 on the 14th, and her party was sunday. She is truly the best baby ever, and I don't think it's just because I'm biased. She has such a fun personality and the prettiest big blue eyes! I am a little sad, however, that her hair is getting longer and she doesn't look like she has a mohawk anymore. :-(

Saturday night I went over to visit for a while, and gave her the plush fish Kelly (Sew Me Some Love) made for her.... which she ADORED! Then her mom, dad, and I went over to a friends house where the guys taught us to play Texas Hold 'Em. Let me tell you, the innocent "I don't know how to play" thing comes in handy when it comes to bluffing. I'm already working up a plan to be a pro hustler ;-) Too bad the game wasn't for any money, because Em and I would have won big.That is... after I realized you could only play five cards. One round, I tried to play "Three pairs", but two of the pairs ended up being good enough to beat everyone else anyways. That would have been nice to know AHEAD of time. I also almost won a round bluffing with a pair of sixes, only to be beat out by Emily, who was only holding a pair of sevens. These guys thought we were insane... but hey, it wasn't real money, why NOT get crazy?

Sunday I went over to help decorate, and three rolls of streamers basically beat me ten to nothing, though I must admit somehow it came out o.k. in the end. Lily at first didn't know what to make of all the attention/decor, but loved the balloons. She's also practically a professional present opener by now, and loves doing it! The only real issue comes when it takes too long to unwrap and she loses interest in favor of previously opened toys.

 

(Precious in her birthday outfit- already obsessed with cell phones)

(A girl has got to have her birthday shoes!)

She was a dainty little cupcake eater until we put some in her mouth, at which point she chowed down a little more. I had the idea to try giving her a lemon (I feel like all babies should have the "lemon experience" and all mothers/aunts/grandmas/etc etc should have a million pictures of it), and somehow someone decided to give it to her right after cake. What a shock that must have been... sugar, sugar, sugar, SOUR! Surprise! My camera had died by then, so only mobile pictures... but still, so cute. She actually kind of ended up liking it and kept trying more!!!

Somehow, someone got the idea that Emily's mom (Grandma) had been spiking her punch... and the rest of us quickly followed suit. Obviously no one had enough to get even tipsy, but it did make the punch a bit better! 2pm on a Sunday and we were all drinking at a 1 year old's birthday party, classy, right?

I wore my new AE cardigan, and paired it with a tank I haven't worn since possibly Hawaii! And of course, my new necklace and favorite black flats!!! My apologies for my inability to take a decent 'self-timer' picture. Thanks to lighting, lack of good places to set the camera, etc etc, it just didn't happen. Might be time to consider a tri-pod! (I'll also have to apologize for the abundance of pictures- when it comes to Lily it's way too hard for me to just pick one or two! If you're friends with me on facebook you know this weekend resulted in around 80 pictures!)

Outfit

Cardigan- American Eagle

Tank- GAP (I think)

Cami- The Buckle

Flats- American Eagle

Necklace- Italy!

New Clothes, Recovery, and NBC Drama.

Well, I got ALL of my American Eagle order today, which is fantastic! Not so fantastic is that I ordered my books before I ever ordered those clothes, and with "2-3 day shipping" they still aren't here yet. And did I mention that they're being shipping from BLOOMINGTON, IN? Yeah- I had them shipped. Because the little money it cost to have them shipped was beyond worth not having to deal with the mess of parking and waiting in line for an hour while feeling like I should be on my death bed. T.I.S. is a MESS at the beginning of every semester and I wanted nothing to do with it. And they can surely expect one angry as hell call from me, which will hopefully result in NO shipping charge whatsoever.

I love love love all 3 things I ordered from AE, and can't wait to get pictures up! The fleece sweatshirt is perfect- SO soft, not too thick, and with leggings it will be the best lounging around the house outfit ever. 

I'm also starting to feel a little better, finally... I went to the doctor yesterday morning, who told me it was not a sinus infection, but just a bad cold made worse by my major dust allergy (Great thing to be really allergic to, right? No avoiding that one). She hooked me up with the GOOD Sudafed (Ya know, the kind you can apparently make meth out of... in turn requiring you to fill out PAPERWORK just to buy it?), some Afrin nose spray, and told me to start actually taking my Zyrtec. The nose spray is amazing... apparently my nose had been completely swollen shut, and within a minute of taking that I can actually breathe! This, I consider a good thing. So all in all, I'm still exhausted and sniffly and sore all over, but that almost seems perfect compared to how I was a few days ago!

In other news, I can't help it- I am obsessed with this Conan vs. Jay vs. NBC saga... and I think the best part is how GOOD these shows have gotten in light of all of it. Obviously Conan is my favorite, but Leno interviewed Jimmy Kimmel on his show last night, and it was kind of awesome. "Listen, Jay- Conan and I have children, all you have to take care of is cars! I mean, we have lives to lead here, you've got 800 million dollars, for god's sake, leave our shows alone!" I'd sure hate to be working PR for Leno or NBC right now. Conan's PR guy on the other hand can probably just take a month long vacation with the masses flocking to "Team CoCo."

So, here you go: Jimmy Kimmel on Jay Leno's 10 @ 10, referencing this NBC mess in nearly every single question.

"The best prank I ever pulled was I told a guy that—five years from now—I'm gonna give you my show. And then when the five years came, I gave it to him, and then I took it back almost instantly."

First Day of School!

Nothing exciting here today. No new shoes (at least not the kind appropriate for class), and definitely no new crayons. Though I guess I have a new 5 subject notebook I took from my brother's endless supply of school stuff at home. Today pretty much just consisted of a violent head cold and me getting tricked into taking another Statistics class. That would explain why when we signed up, they just listed the class number and no name. First words out of the professor's mouth? "I'm not going to lie to you, this is a statistics class. Plain and simple." Oh, great. On the other hand, regardless of what it is, it's required so I guess at least I am taking it sooner than later.

I also somehow managed to get myself into some real clothes and put on some sort of makeup, though the "dressy" look with the dress was really just so I could wear leggings and be comfy. Also shown is my winter coat, which I finally bought after experiencing some ten degree days over break. It was originally $250 annnd I got it on clearance for $65, so I'd say that's a win. It's a litttle big, but I think once I add a belt we'll be good to go. (I know the actual outfit pictures are kind of dark and it all looks like one color. AH! I'm ready for my real camera to be back!!!!)

Dress and Gray Zipper Leggings- Old Navy

Boots- Ugg

Coat- Worthington

Bracelets- Forever 21

On the bright side, I do love my professors. They're all pretty funny, even the one who talks with his eyes closed and tends to ramble a little bit. In the statistics class, we were discussing a case regarding student drinking and IU's reputation as a party school that we'll be studying, and our professor informed us that he too is definitely a binge drinker. "Back when I was your age, I didn't know what it was LIKE to drink less than a six pack!" He then said something along the lines of, "Now I love bourbon. Gets ya there faster and it doesn't take as much! I'm not married, I tried that whole thing once, now I've just got a great girlfriend who bought me a bottle of crown for Christmas. I downed four or five shots and had a great Christmas Eve!" Please keep in mind this guy looks like a clean cut, nice guy, business professor type, and that's really the last thing we saw coming, but he basically had us all about to pee our pants from laughing so hard.

Really, advice to any college educators out there: ALCOHOL REFERENCES ALWAYS DO THE TRICK. Especially at a school ranked in multiple listings of party schools, drinking/drug citations, and even one apparently called "Reefer Madness". Keeping it classy, Indiana. 

I'm most excited about the class "Creativity and Communication" because, OH, WAIT, it basically is all about playing on Photoshop and InDesign and doing the fun things you'd never immediately think of when you think of business... the whole reason I'm allowing myself to be put through the ringer of the Kelley School of Business in the first place. I especially like that my professor graduated from Kelley, worked in retail, went back for her MBA, and then worked in Realty doing marketing for new home construction and essentially doing interior design before teaching this class. Hi! Over here-- dream life!!!! Maybe she can give me some tips on how to get the exact same jobs she did... because that's not creepy at all. 

My day was cut a bit short when I decided to skip History of Rock. How very rock and roll of me, right? Well, I'd been sitting through my other three classes as THAT GIRL who's sniffling and coughing and shaking, looking like I either needed to be at home in bed drinking tea and eating chicken noodle soup, or maybe in a rehab facility detoxing from some kind of hard drug. (Definitely the first, in case there was any confusion, though based on the washed out look I'm rocking in the picture above, I couldn't blame you for wondering) I was sure I wouldn't make it until 9pm in Rock, so after assuring I had someone to get any notes from I booked it home for some bed bonding time. (Oh did I mention my first professor went ON and ON about how you should stay home or far far away if you're sick, because he absolutely does not want to be sick too? Yeah. My bad for trying to make it to class. I had to stifle my sniffles and coughing the rest of the class to avoid some kind of confrontation. I kind of like these attendance policies swine flu has brought about)

I'll leave you with this link to an article about Conan's decision regarding the whole NBC debacle. All I have to say is, you tell 'em, Conan. Last night David Letterman and Craig Ferguson were cracking me up with their commentary, and I honestly just feel bad for all these poor talk show hosts caught in the middle of this mess.

Two For One: Kelly Alex Outfit Post.

First thing's first: KELLY'S NEW CAMERA IS AMAZING! It takes SUCH good pictures even in the most horrible lighting. So we took advantage and took a few pictures before we left on our errands today.

(We even managed to figure out some way to do timer pictures in the back yard area, despite neither of us owning a tripod!)

Outfit
Dress: Old Navy
Ribbed Leggings: Target
Boots: Trusty old Uggs
Purse: Nine West
Belt/Necklace: I don't even remember!

We didn't quite make it to all of our destinations for errands, since my Sudafed was wearing off and I felt like I was border-lining death, but we did at least make it to brunch (more like dinner at that point), JoAnn's, and Wal Mart. As always, I bought way more than necessary at JoAnn's. They always have way too many cute scrap booking things on sale, so I bought a few new pages for Dane's Senior Memory Book, a few for my continuing scrapbooks, and some embellishments, as well as a mini 12-page book to do for my best friend Emily's daughter's first birthday. I have so many cute pictures of Lily, and those mini scrap books are so fun and easy to do! I'm sure I'll have trouble keeping it within the 12 pages!

At Wal Mart I finally picked up the frames for the Lady Gaga photo shoot in Elle, and I really like the way they turned out! The close up picture was a 2 page spread, with the other page mostly just consisting of her hair and background, and I thought it would be cool to do a split-frame of that in 2 frames. However, the "crouching" picture was on the back of the second page, and I REALLY liked that one, so I just settled for the 3 separate pictures. I think she is just absolutely fascinating and bizarre, and the pictures were really fun. I like them above my desk much more than the previous poster of Times Square that had been hanging there.

I've still got a few more little decor projects I want to do for my room. I'm in the market for some kind of black bookshelf, or I guess just one I can even paint black, because the current space I've got for books just isn't cutting it! I've got a little shelving unit that is actually an entertainment center which I think I'll take home to my room at my parents house if I can find something good to replace it with, just for the sake of not overcrowding my room. It drives me crazy when there is too much furniture!


It's been hard for me because of the way it is set up (and the fact that my bed wall is painted as a focal point, above) makes it hard to do much rearranging of furniture, which I'm used to doing at least every other month normally! I suppose I'll just settle for re-organizing and re-doing wall decor, and maybe adding some curtains in the near future. ;-)

AMERICAN EAGLE CLEARANCE!!!!

So I woke up at 8 o'clock this morning with my throat practically closed up and as sore as it could get, thanks to this ridiculous little cold or whatever it is I've picked up the last few days. This, naturally, would happen on the day Kelly and I had plans to brunch, run about a million errands (WalMart, JoAnns, Job Hunting, Sam's, etc etc etc), and go to the gym. Luckily Sudafed combined with advil and some pretty strong coffee have severely reduced the unpleasantness, and now I'm just pretty stuffed up... so I think we will at least be able to do a (VERY) late brunch and run the errands. I'm hoping this sick stuff with straighten itself up by tomorrow, or it may just have to deal with the fact that I'm going to the gym anyways.

However, much to MY delight, we were discussing Kel's American Eagle thermal and decided to get on the website and see if they had any on sale... AND THEY HAVE SOME AMAZING CLEARANCE SALES RIGHT NOW! Unfortunately no thermals, but I did order a cardigan, a fleece sweatshirt for lazy days, and another sweater.

The best part is that with 3 items or more, shipping is free, and I also managed to find another 15% off code on Promotion Code! (The code is 56079843, but if you plan on using it get on it because it doesn't specify when it expires!) I've really become quite a fan of googling the websites that give you good discount codes for all types of stores! That website was particularly nice because it gives the dates the code was last said to work based on user feedback, as well as the average amount saved by users!

In the end, all of these ended up each costing only $17, which is a pretty good steal for things that were originally $30-$50! I have really been in need of some more sweaters and a cardigan, so to say the least I am REALLY excited! I'd really recommend checking out the sales if you have any interest in AE, because they've got everything from pea coats to underwear to hats and necklaces on clearance!

Now I'm off to attempt to make my sick self look somewhat presentable so Kelly and I can be functioning members of society today. Since she's back AND has a brand new camera, maybe we'll have a 2 for 1 outfit post later!!!

The Very Opposite of Hat Hair.

My hair, when straight, is quite suitable for hats (though I think my head is kind of big). However, when I've got the wavy/curly thing going on... it's a bit difficult. When I ventured myself out of the house earlier today to clear off my car and go get coffee (any excuse to get out), I figured a hat and scarf would be appropriate.



I broke out my purple scarf I bought while in India two summers ago and paired it with my AE hat that I think I got back when I was a freshman in high school, or maybe even younger. (complete with fuzzy balls on top!) I really don't wear hats all that often because I've got so much hair that it usually just sticks out from under the hat in a desperate escape attempt, so you'd think the hat was bought this year. Actually I think the most it's ever been worn was the week I got it, around Christmas, and I wore it for practically a week straight, only taking it off to sleep or shower.


My car turned out to be much easier to free... it really just needed a MAJOR dust off because luckily there was no ice involved. It was still a bit of a (freezing) process, but didn't take much effort. After getting coffee I went for a little drive around Bloomington, and I drove down by Griffy Lake. The lake was COMPLETELY frozen over and there were a ton of people out ice fishing on it! I know this is something people around here frequently do in the winter, but I personally don't know if I'd be quite so daring. Haha. The woods were really gorgeous with all the snow though, so it was a really pretty drive!!!

(Ice Fishers!)

Now, my darling roommate Kelly is FINALLY almost home, and we're going to the IU Basketball game against Illinois tonight. My guess is we'll lose, since we're ranked second to last in the Big Ten (Actually 11, and potentially 12 if they add Mizzou! By the way Purdue, sorry for your loss today.... PSYCHE! My cousin IS one of their top players, but I go to IU and that is precisely where my loyalties lie!). Either way, it will be fun to go to a game, since I've really only gone to maybe one since freshman year.

"Snowed In"

Ok, so I'm probably not REALLY snowed in. But my car IS buried in what I imagine is somewhere around 6" of snow, and as I said before, even if I manage to dig it out, the chances of it getting out of the parking lot are slim. Plus, I guess I don't really have anywhere to go anyways, besides perhaps a quick trip to Wal-Mart to get some frames (Lady Gaga in Elle, with some really cool pictures I want to put in cheap frames for my room), and that's on the complete other side of town so I just don't really see it happening.

It is STILL snowing, pretty much continuously for going on 36 hours or so now. Last night the snow looked like glitter sprinkling down from the sky and was just gorgeous, and it's a shame I didn't have my real camera to get a picture of it. That in and of itself is another story, as it is FINALLY back to Best Buy from getting fixed, but I of course am not in town to get it, so I guess I'll have that back next weekend when I return for Lily's first birthday party.


Today has consisted of watching way too much TV (Though our HBO channels have some really good movies on that I've got set to DVR!), giving myself a manicure and pedicure, and working on my little brother's Senior Memory Scrapbook. He's only a Junior, so he's got over a year until it's due, but if his is anything like mine (and it's looking like it will be), it's better to start early! I ended up with two HUGE scrapbooks, and I think his will probably be one huge book or two smaller books. Thanks to the hectic schedule of last semester, it's been a while since I've done much scrap booking, and it's been a bit difficult to get myself back into the swing of things. I got a few pages done but mostly just spent a while looking at all the pictures I have together for it. Dane, my brother, was seriously the cutest little kid ever!!!


I think I'm getting ready to pop open a bottle of The Little Penguin Pinot and order a pizza or something unhealthy like that, because I certainly cannot start this year's diet without one last go at one of Bloomington's fine pizza establishments. That being said, I'm SO ready for Kelly to get back so we can get in the habit of regularly going to the gym!!!! And just so she'll be back, because I've missed her so very much and haven't REALLY seen her (Aka as much as two people living together should) in almost two months now! Nothing about that is ok.

Finally Finally the Christmas Picture Post.

I know it's a bit late but I'm finally getting around to sharing some of the goodies I got this year. It's occurring to me that I have several posts I meant to do somewhere along the lines of break and just never got around to, so maybe the next few snowy days will help me get around to it.

The MUCH ANTICIPATED Steve Madden Merriees. They fit like a GLOVE and I am absolutely in love with them. And especially in love with the fact that I managed to find them for a great sale price (for my mom- I guess I basically did my own Christmas shopping this year).

Steve Madden Fiesstaas. Also long awaited. These are going to take a bit getting used to because they're a little higher than my usual heels, but I absolutely love them as well.

Vera Bradley Weekender!!! I had originally wanted the small duffel, but they were sold out in the pattern I liked, so I ended up with this instead- and I think I love it ten times more! More pockets/zipper compartments, and it will be the perfect airplane carry on!

Lolita Lolita Lolitas! I think I've mentioned these before (Martini ornament from the Christmas Decor post), but they are truly my favorites! My aunt got me the "Five O'clock Somewhere" wine glass and my Dad got me the "Zebra" martini (We got him the Indy and Chicago martini glasses). Excited to add them to my collection!
They've got all sorts of great things that make perfect presents- check them out here. You can usually find a lot of their stuff at Hallmark's as well.

Of course I don't go any holiday without adding to the DVD collection. This year, The Hangover, Public Enemies, and Inglourious Basterds. All WONDERFUL movies. I also picked up Wedding Crashers, Red Dragon, The Prestige, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose (brand new for the used price, and buy three get one free!) with a gift card from Coconuts in Evansville, IN, where they sell used movies, guarunteed of course.

The domestic side of me was also fulfilled with an 8" Chef's Knife (ONE OF MY FAVORITES!), wine glasses, an apple corer, and Torani Caramel Syrup and a Paring knife from a gift card I won at Evansville's Kitchen Affairs.

This is a series recommended by my mom's hairstylist Mindy, and I thought it was pretty decent. It's essentially about a "Vampyre Finishing School", but also kind of portrays Vampires to be magical in a sense. It really just seemed like what would happen if Twilight and Harry Potter produced an offspring. They seem to be written towards a younger audience, but they were fun to read, and only too about a day each. There are also two more in the series I have yet to pick up.

I really liked/needed all of my presents this year, so I'd say it was a very very good Christmas! (Yes, even the Chiefs shot glass and bottle opener that my dad and brother used in an attempt to make me a Chiefs fan). What was YOUR favorite present this year?!

BACK TO BLOOMINGTON!!!

Well, ladies and gentlemen, that mess above is what I drug in out of my car upon arriving back in Bloomington yesterday afternoon. Do I pack too heavily? Most definitely. Especially upon considering that I didn't use half the stuff/clothes I brought home. But you know what? I was gone for a month, and it's better safe than sorry when it comes to having the proper attire! I even managed to make myself unpack EVERYTHING last night, which normally doesn't happen for a few days.

At first I was questioning my early return back, because I found out we were FINALLY supposed to get close to 3 inches of snow at home, but much to my delight the forecast here was 4 to 6 inches. I think at this point in time we've got around 3, and it's still coming!!! I know this isn't a lot for those of you in most wintery places, but I LOVE snow and it's the first big one of the year, so I'm very excited about it! I went to the grocery when I got home yesterday to make sure I was ready for a few relaxing days in. I think I'll start working on some more of my brother's Senior Memory Scrapbook here in a bit. Right now I can't even keep myself from looking out the window every five minutes.

Luckily I'm like a five year old on Christmas morning, and I couldn't keep myself asleep for long this morning, because they started bright and early shoveling the sidewalks and plowing the parking lot. Honestly, I don't think it would have normally woken me up anyways, and it's so nice to live in a complex where they do that and do it WELL! Last year they mostly just succeeded in making the parking lot and sidewalks one big ice skating rink, and I could hardly get my poor little Mustang (NO traction on any snow or ice of any sort, hell, even rain) out of the parking lot most wintry days.

I'm also enjoying the colder apartment, because my family's house gets a bit warm. With no overhead fan, or fan of any sort, to move the air around it can get a bit stuffy and difficult to sleep. I'd much rather it be cold and pile myself under layers and layers of blankets, which is exactly what I did last night! Now I believe I'm off to bed with my coffee to watch some movies and stare out the window, because upon my last inspection I discovered the snow is coming down EVEN HEAVIER now! Hooray!!!! I think I definitely need to live somewhere with more frequent snowfalls when I get out into the real world :-).