winter say what?

You guys. I think the earth just ceased to spin upon its axis. I'm sort of, maybe, kind of, a little bit...looking forward to some cooler weather. Like, chilly weather.  Like, jackets and boots and pumpkin bread and blankets sort of weather.

What just happened? Seriously. 

I abhor winter.  Like, everyone who knows me? One of the first things out of their mouths when I say I'm moving to Philadelphia? "Um, you hate cold weather. It's really cold there!"

And they are no longer right.  I do hate cold weather!  Jackets are annoying, boots require a certain cut of jean, scarves are nice in theory, but quite constricting in actuality...personally, I like the freedom to go outside and water my plants or walk the dog without a whole lot of outfit preparation needed.  And one of my favorite things?  When it is fuh-reezing in the grocery store, but it's exactly one million degrees outside?  The best feeling in the world is to climb in a piping hot, stuffy car. That's how much I like the heat! Mmm. (And to think, all this weirdness is free)...

At any rate, I have spent most of my life toting the merits of the sunshine.  And heat. And a general need to be in city with a minimum temperature of 75 degrees. Well, friends, times are a-changing.  Because the past week or two? I've been getting crazily sort of excited about winter!

First of all, I bought red jeggings.  There are so many things wrong with that statement. That I bought jeggings is pretty scary.  But fire-engine-red ones? Bandwagoneer, my friends.

They look like this:

...except they aren't cute and from J.Crew. They are cute and from Marshall's! Dang, girl. I also got a sweater, some new jeans, and a cardigan. This is a big deal in my www. (Oh, you thought that meant the interwebs? Warm weather world. Durr.)

Secondly, I've been eyeing pumpkin-containing recipes on Pinterest for weeks now.

I really want to try these waffles. <-- link Wonder if the whole wheat makes them tough?

Or maybe this squash soup. <-- link Mmmm. Definitely making this one.

Or perhaps a cake, <-- link which looks so delicious, I'd probably have to eat it for breakfast.

Seriously, what has come over me? Ugh. Moving on...

Third, I've been avoiding going outside during peak heat hours.  Insanity. I love being outside. I especially love heat! And here I sit, with it being nearly ninety degrees out there, fanning myself in the air conditioning. Good gravy.  I've really lost it.

Someone send out a search party, will you? If you don't hear from me in awhile?  Probably best to look in the Tundra and/or the North Pole first.

things i'm lovin' lately {beauty}

Here's a few things I've been loving lately!

1) Kiehl's Photo Age Corrector Deep- Action Exfoliating Cleanser $22

Seriously.  Be amazed.  At first, I thought it left a funky residue on my skin after washing...and then that funky residue did something great to my skin. My skin feels super clean, soft, and smooth. The only downside: it works best when you remove your makeup first (not a 2-in-1 product).

Where to find: Kiehl's Online

2) Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner $22

Two of my good friends (and fashionistas) used this long before I did.  Whenever we were together, I would be all, "Give me that eyeliner!"  Finally one of them bought it for me for my birthday-and I'm obsessed! I used to have a horrible time with eyeliner...it either a) smudged so terribly I looked like I was on drugs, b) was so faint it couldn't stand up to my monster eyeballs, or c) didn't smudge and looked nice, but required the removal of no less than fourteen layers of eyeball skin to get it off at night. (Gross). Bobbi Brown for the win!

Where to find: I get mine at Saks 

3) Philosophy 'Hope Springs Eternal' Deep Sea Revitalizing Mask $25

This might be my favorite thing of all, but it comes with a catch.  I'm worried Philosophy isn't making it anymore! As my Gran would say, "Oh, horrors! (Alternatively, "Oh, hauras!"). I recommended it to a coworker, who told me she couldn't find it at my go-to spot, Ulta.  Sure enough, she was right.  I found some online at Nordstrom and bought, um...several. It's a weird, green, salty, smelly goo. And it really works. I use it once or twice per week. Oh well: I suppose if they stop making it, I'll just plunge my face into a deep sea.

Where to find: You tell me! (Please. Tell me. My face will revolt without this mask.)

4) Laura Mercier Secret Concealor $22 (No, everything on this list is not twenty-two dollars.  Evidence: #5. Zing!)

Dark circles are a problem for me. Always have been.  (You should have seen me in college--between the smudgy eyeliner and dark circles, it's a wonder anybody let me become a nurse. "Good morning, Mr. Jones.  I'll be your nurse today, and I solemnly swear not to steal your Percocet. What's that? You don't believe me? Well, you will in 2012...because I'll have found makeup by then.")

Where to find: Always available in many shades at  Sephora 


At any rate, this concealer is fabulous.  It hides wonky eye circles without making me look like a highlighted raccoon.

Ahem.

Someone should have told Eva she looked like this guy:

Happy Friday Y'all!

on organization

Firstly, raise your hand if you like the new look! Got the template at The Cutest Blog on the Block. I think it suits me :)

Now, let's talk about organization. (And all God's people said, "Amen.")

Amen.

That was easy.

NOT.

See, the thing is...I love organization.  In theory.  In practice, it's just irritating. Irritating enough that I've actually googled "personal assistants, Austin, TX." It's the truth, man. (Sorry I keep calling you "man."  It just fits. Like a square peg into a square hole. Not a round hole, because that wouldn't fit. A square hole. Which, by definition, wouldn't be a hole. It would be an opening. Holes are round. Hello, doughnut holes. To clarify. Excuse me. I'm done now.)

Ok, I'm starting over.  That just got weird.  Sorry about that. But, I actually have had that little Google moment I told you about.  (And then I got a ding dang grip.  I mean honestly. You know you have a problem when you think, at the ripe old age of twenty-six, that your modest income and single life necessitate an assistant.) Don't worry, I promptly got a grip. See, like I was saying, I really appreciate organization.  (It just doesn't come naturally for me.)

I mean, I grew up with two of the most organized, efficient individuals this side of the Mason-Dixon.  Shoutout: my mom and sister.  And I'm here to tell you: it is in their DNA.  There has got to be a gene for that. (Which, excuse me, the Human Genome Project failed to identify.  But whatever.) I was just not born an organized person.  I was born a disorganized person who reallyreallyreally likes organization and wantstobeorganizeddarnit!  Now, I'm really making myself sound like a hot mess.  I mean, I will tell you, I'm a bit...accident prone. Ahem. And, yes, I run late a lot.  And forget things at home. But, I'm not a total waste of space.  I think I do a pretty good job of holding it together.  But, I'm going to let you fools in on a little secret.

It's all lies!  Lies, I tell you!  I really am a hot mess! I just have a little system that I've tweaked over the years. And thank goodness for systems.  It goes like this:

-Write everything down.  Seriously, everything.  If you think you're going to remember it later...you are not an elephant.  Ergo, you will forget.

-Use the iPhone calendar that you've stared at for the past few years.  My life changed once I started using that thing.  My work/school/life calendars all go in there, and it makes for a really quick go-to reference.  It also interfaces with my email and MacBook calendars, which is handier than I originally thought.

-Have a filing system.  This, too, changed my life.  My mom and sister, those smarties, have filed everything that's ever happened to them.  It's nice to have a different file for everything...for example, receipts. When my apartment got broken into, it took minutes for me to provide the police with serial numbers for my stolen items.

-Periodically go through areas where stuff seems to accumulate.  For me, this is my closet and my desk. About twice per year, I go through my closet and make a keep/toss/donate pile.  (Did this last week!) For some reason, I like to keep my hoarding private.  As in, I don't hoard in my living room in plain view. I shove things in my closet until my poor closet can't take it anymore. So every once in awhile, I have to do a closet recon mission.

-Make a pact with yourself about cleaning.  It goes like this: "If I don't have the house cleaned by ______, then I'm going to call the cleaning company to come.  Which means money taken out of my fun (shoe/manicure/eating out) budget for the month." Having a clean house is like yoga for my mind. I seriously cannot function in a mess.  But, I'm a huge procrastinator. So my motivation is dollars.  Is it worth it to me to pay for someone to clean my house, and then have less dough for the fun stuff?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  But the end result is the same: my house is clean either way!

-Take a few minutes at the end of the day to tidy up before going to sleep.  This might mean folding laundry or emptying the dishwasher. For me, it sometimes means just picking up the junk that's scattered around my apartment.

-GET A PLANNER!  Take it wherever you go, and write everything in it.  I would be lost without a planner.  I've tried to live without one, and it really only works when I'm on vacation. If I have a schedule, I need a planner.

I saved the best for last! Enter: my new customized Erin Condren Life Planner! I am seriously so excited about this thing.

 Isn't it cute?!  It has monthly and weekly pages.  It also comes with a bunch of tabs for appointments, birthdays, vacation, meetings, etc.  You can customize the heck out of this thing.  I just did my name and picked a color scheme.  But you can add photos, too!

I did add notepads to my order.  Aren't they fun?  They stick right in the back of the planner.

So, the planner is definitely a win.  It's big, but not too big to fit into my purse. It's sturdy and should last me for the next long while.  I ordered an eighteen month calendar, and I wish I'd ordered more! You can find the planner here: http://www.erincondren.com


Any other organization tips I've been missing?

Hope everyone is having a good week.  Happy Wednesday!

i'm alive, i swear!

Well, so much for starting a blog...and then (epic) FAIL. Whoops.  I did actually intend to keep up with this thing in the beginning. So here goes! I'm back at it :)

I've been a busy little bee lately! Here's a list of mini-updates.

-I had fun in the hill country with the fam + sister. I've gone to SA twice in the past month, which is pretty on par for my joint custody arrangement with my sister (ha).

-I accepted a job in Philadelphia! (More on this later).

-I got to see some lovely friends for Labor Day. Excuse the rolls around my middle.  Those will be dealt with shortly. (Um. After I eat the doughnuts, obviously.)

-I've been on a trendy nail kick. I guarantee I will look back on this and think: "Why did I do that?" But for now? Success!

That's it! Ha. Jus' kiddin'...

I've done more than that, I promise. But those are the important things! I've loved getting to see my sister and my friends! Talk about separation anxiety. In the past month, I've also:

-had my car break down twice in two days.  Also, Jeepy wanted to stay at the dealership so badly that he decided to break something else while there. So, I go to pick him up, and he's all "PSYCH!" Yeah, that was fun. Being an adult has its drawbacks. I mean, sure, there's the wine and ability to make your own bedtime. But $600 of "routine maintenance" in two days? Sheesh! 

-had my apartment broken into. Goodbye personal items I once cared about! Hello, smashed door frame and general creepy feeling.  Thank goodness for friends who will take you in at midnight and thank goodness for renter's insurance.

-had multiple things in my apartment break and/or cease to function. Within a two week period, the shower has broken, the A/C has broken, and the door is still janky. Can you tell I'm ready to move?? Haha. Thank goodness for nice maintenance guys.  (Who, incidentally, swear they aren't sick of me yet. I ply them with cookies. Manipulation with baked goods. Works like a ding dang charm.)

What's a sister got to do to get a break around here? It's been an interesting little month, to say the least. Let's just say, I won't be playing the lotto anyyyyyy time soon.

What's everyone else been up to lately?

***And, I promise, more regular posts. After all, did I not say I started this so as to have a nice journal for myself one day?