Thursday, January 26, 2012

Peeling Back the Layers

I've started so many posts, but just can't figure out what to say.  I feel like I'm in such a wonderful place right now, with so much opportunity ahead of me.  It's just that everything feels....well.....ahead of me. 

It's as if there is nothing happening today that is interesting enough to talk about.  Wow.  That sounds pitiful.  But seriously, let me explain.  Yesterday I got up bright and early and headed to a local Food Lion.  This particular Food Lion is closing, and everything in store (other than alcohol and tobacco) was 50% off starting yesterday.  I grabbed my coupon bag, and headed out the door. 

I was at Food Lion for probably 3 hours.  I spent $200.  I saved about $300, thanks to my coupons.  I came home and my housekeeper was here.  Yes, you heard right.  I don't have a job, but I still have a housekeeper.  Shush.  I don't want to hear it.  So my housekeeper and I chatted for about an hour, while I put my groceries away.  It was past lunch time, and so I had a late lunch.  And then little Louis needed some snuggles.  And before you knew it...TEN was leaving work and wanted to know if I wanted to watch a movie. 

You see where I'm coming from, right.  What in the heck am I going to write about that? 

I've been job searching online today.  Looking for something that I think would inspire me.  Something that would make me want to better myself.  Something that would challenge both my mind and my soul.  I started pacing through my house.  Down the main staircase.  Down to the basement.  Back upstairs.  Then I decided to take photographs of the things that made me smile. 

I still don't have any idea what I want to be when I grow up, but here's what I found worth smiling about today....


(my deep freezer!!  definitely the best $75 i've ever spent in my life)


(seeing this sucker packed to the brim, and knowing that I won't go hungry for a long, long, long time...)


(oh yes.  those are breakfast sausage patties that you see.  mmmmm....i'm all about some breakfast these days!)


(part of the personal care section of my stockpile)


(sauces and soups and such...)


(TEN remarked that we needed to find a recipe that would use soy sauce and worcestershire sauce.  because i have even more in another stash :-o)


(paper products)


(laundry supplies under the counter...)


(...and on top of the counter)




(this is my view every morning at 8:30am.  please notice the 3lb hand weights.  my arm muscles are getting out of control.  i'll bee up to 4lb hand weights in no time. hehe..)




(some of my formal gowns.  sometimes, while on my treadmill, i stare at them.  and i remember the balls i wore them to.  and what wonderful things happened.  always good for a smile)




(random montage of old halloween costumes.  another good walk down memory lane)




(rando Russian musical instrument that my dad found and bought.  it has all of this Russian writing inside, and is probably worth a mint.  wonder if pops would mind if I sold it?  hmmm....i'll meditate on that.)




(what i refer to as my "wine cellar".  yes.  i really do call it that.)




(portrait my parents had painted of me once upon a time.  aren't i cute?  i'm pretty sure that had Toddlers & Tiaras existed back then i would have walked away with Ultimate Grand Supreme.  WORK IT TOOTIE!!!)




(this is a photo of my dad.  he was younger than me here.  sometimes this picture makes me smile.  sometimes it makes me cry.  i just wish i could talk to him.  in person.)





(i don't even remember this time in my life.  this is the home in Florida where i grew up.  i didn't realize that we hadn't always had the huge screened in porch, the deck and the pool.  amazing, since i look like i should be old enough to remember that.  dad's rockin the seersucker pants and some mad hair.  this little pup is Piper.  he was my first westie love.)





(dad & i in the hammock.  i have this hammock now.  it hangs in my back yard in the summer.  laying in that hammock is one of the things that makes me happiest in the world.)





(my mother sent me this picture in this year's birthday card.  i can't help but laugh every time i see it.  look how demanding i am!  for a minute i thought i was giving someone the finger, but i'm sure that can't be so.  i'm probably saying "give me that knife so i can cut myself a piece of this damn cake!!")





(the downstairs bathroom where i get ready each morning.  i'm not really sure why i get ready downstairs?  it is definitely cooler in the summer, and i think i feel like i don't use enough of my house?  it has 4BRs and 2 full BRs and it's just me here.  regardless, it's my "get ready room")





(another shot from the downstairs bathroom)





(this is my kitchen, and my most favorite room.  i wish it were bigger, and that i had an island, and newer cabinets...but whatevs.  it's mine.  and it's where everyone congregates.  and where all of my mad cooking skills are put to use.)





(my parents in Europe.  i think this was their honeymoon.  i love my mother's suit!)





(my upstairs bathroom.  my mother's bathroom is all white, and i love it.  so...i copied her!  white shower curtain.  white tile floors.  and blue accents.)





(this little man is the first thing i see every morning when i walk out of my bedroom)




(speaking of my bedroom, this is the "accessory" get ready space)





(here is the "which purse shall I carry?" space)




(belt or no belt today??)




(my home "office".  this doesn't really make me smile, it actually makes me laugh.  hysterically.  for some reason?)





(one of my spare bedrooms.  well, one corner of it anyway...)




(and here's me!  the new me.  the me that doesn't really look a whole lot skinnier, but whose legs feel so much stronger!  and whose arms are starting to have some definition.  someone who isn't sure what the hell she is going to do with her future, but she's pretty darn sure she's looking better and better in her leggins.....)

So there you have it.  I've got Mumford & Sons Little Lion Man on repeat, and I won't get tired of it for a while.  It's a song that I've always liked, but when I listened to it yesterday I realized that it had a different meaning for me these days.  It's empowering somehow?  I was singing it at the top of my lungs a few hours ago when the mail lady came.  I'm pretty sure I scared her half to death......





T

Monday, January 23, 2012

Ladies Who Lunch

Is there anyone out there?

Just kidding.  I know you are all there :)  I've been reading your blogs from my blackberry, and keeping up with your lives, but just not commenting.  BUT NOW I've got a wireless internet router for my tablet (yes, yes...I was living in the dark ages), and so I can comment!!  And blog!!  Woohooo.

I mean, heaven knows I couldn't be bothered to go into my home office and sit at my PC.  Can we say LAZY BONES.

I've been interviewing for jobs, but still haven't found anything that "inspires" me.  Am I being too picky?  I guess at this point I feel like I can still afford to be picky.  Six months from now, if I still haven't found my dream job, I'll probably jump at the first opportunity I get.  Let's hope that isn't where I find myself. 

The craziest part is that I stay completely busy all day long.  I thought I would search for jobs, apply online, have an interview or two....but mostly I thought I would be bored out of my mind!  Reading books, eating bon-bons and talking on the phone.  You know the drill.  But I find myself to be just as busy, if not more so, than before!

I've been playing the lottery.  I'm pretty sure I am supposed to win and just be independently wealthy :)  I've become on of those "Ladies Who Lunch", and surprisingly I find it suits me.  Why did I ever think I needed to be challenged on a daily basis?  To push myself to every possible limit to prove how competent I was?  Psht.  No thanks.  I'll just have a Waldorf Salad and a glass of Pinot Grigio, thank you very much.

And there you have it.  True Confessions 101.  I want to be a Lady Who Lunches, and who has her hair done and nails done and spends her days on the tennis court and at the spa.  Oh, and who gets on the treadmill every morning to assure that all of those lunches don't go right to her hips.  I've been doing that you know.  Treadmill every morning.  Bright and early.  Yay for me.

So I'm making an effort to start blogging again.  I need to make a list so that I can remember just what I've been up to lately.  Surely something dramatic or exciting has happened?

We did go to the Black & White Ball again this year....


T

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Hardwood Floor HELP!

And here I thought I was going to be blogging away once I finished my last day at my job (December 30).  I thought I would have all of this free time to catch up with everyone else's blogs, and to get back into the swing of things.  WRONG. 

That isn't to say that won't happen after this week (fingers crossed), but boy have I been busy!

One of the things that was most important for me to accomplish this week was to take down my Christmas decorations.  I did that yesterday, and last night TEN helped me lug my Christmas tree to the curb.  AND THEN....

You can only imagine the reaction I had when I flung back the living room carpet to sweep and saw this....


Apparently my tree stand LEAKED onto my hardwood floors :(  I checked the stand, and there were water droplets on the bottom.  Directly into the garbage that tree stand went, but alas...what to do with the water damage?

I took a picture and told TEN that I would post it on the blog, and ask for help.  I just know one of you has some advice.  Can this be fixed?  I've left the rug pulled back to let the wood "dry out", but other than that I'm at a loss.

HELP!

T

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Christmas in New York

I finally had a chance to get my pictures off of my camera, and to clean them up a bit.  There are more pictures (and some with me actually IN them), but they are on my mother's camera.  I'll share those once I have them :)  I was quite pleased with some of my pictures, and they definitely tell the story of our trip...for the most part....

The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park:







I walked around with my head in the clouds, literally, for most of our trip.  I love some of these pictures!







I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed with some of the "Christmas" windows.  They lacked, well, Christmas.  I know that everyone doesn't celebrate Christmas, and that's just fine with me.  But the windows have ALWAYS been decorate for Christmas.  Don't get me started on the Lady Gaga nonsense at Barney's.  Blech.

Bloomingdale's had a fantastic theme for their windows, but of course I didn't take any pictures.  Why, you ask?  Well, because Bloomingdale's was far too busy taking OUR pictures.  To put on their Facebook.  Seriously.  Check it out HERE...

Macy's was festive, of course.  They never let us down :)


Van Cleef & Arpels had window displays, but their theme was "Famous Balls".  No Christmas to be found, but I did find this window featuring Truman Capote's infamous Black & White Ball.  We have a Black & White Ball of our in Smalltown, VA, modeled after this ball, so I had to take a photo...even though it wasn't a Christmas window :(



All hail C. Wonder!  Their window was quite festive :)




We had to visit Rockefeller Center to be sure it really was Christmas.  And of course, it was :)





And then THE PALACE.  It was certainly Christmas there!






Inside of Macy's was a most exciting display!  I had heard rumor of it, and set off to see it with my own two eyes.




There were all types of pups featured, but of course I had to photograph the westies.  For Louis.  He was quite pleased :)

Other than these westie prints, here are a few of my other favorite things....


(found at C. Wonder)

(found at a shop in Soho, I believe?)

Wow.  I'm beginning to realize that I didn't take half as many pictures as I thought I did.  Oh well!

This little pub was down the street from our hotel, and we stopped in for a pre-dinner cocktail on Saturday evening....





On Monday, we saw a display of New York's finest.  Well, their cars anyway!  Does anyone else think it's comical that they are parked in front of "Chase"??  Yes, I know that is as in "J.P. Morgan", but still.  Police Chase.  hehehe....




I completely forgot to take photos of our fabulous dinners at Chin Chin & Balthazar.  And I showed you this photo yesterday of our lunch at Cafe 745 in Bergdorf Goodman:



Both of our dinners, and lunch, were absolutely spectacular!!  I had the Steak Frites at Balthazar, and let me just tell you that I have not stopped dreaming of it since.  Absolutely DIVINE :)

At Chin Chin I had the Crisped Indochine Beef.  It was quite good, by I enjoyed my mother's spicy chicken much more.  Well, that and the people's Crisped Orange Beef beside us.  Yes.  They shared.  Gotta love New York!!

We had the most lovely time, and were thoroughly exhausted as we packed our bags and hailed a cab to take us back to the train.....

One last Christmas tree to bid us farewell, at Penn Station.



T