Is it New Year's Yet!?

New Year's Eve is pretty much one of my favorite holidays.

It's the one holiday where I get to take off work since nobody else does!

Last year was spent in the gorgeous city of Chicago.

This year...

[via]

BOSTON!

My big brother moved to New Hampshire at the end of July, only 45 minutes from Boston.

I'll be there from December 29th - January 2nd.

[via]

I think I'm almost as anxious about the trip as I am about what to wear!

[my dress, terrible pic]

[shoes!]

What are your plans for New Year's Eve?

Have you been to Boston?  Any tips for me? ;)

So What! Wednesday

 

This week, I'm saying SO WHAT! if:

 

• I'm starting my Body by Vi 90 day challenge TODAY, the day before Thanksgiving.
• I was totally using the "I have a 4 year old roommate" as an excuse to buy junk food at the grocery store... hello chocolate milk!
• I decorated the bank for Christmas already.  Actually, almost 2 weeks ago... So what if I like to come to a pretty work environment?
• I bought those sweet knock-off Frye boots from Target & now I have no idea what to wear with them.
• We finally got a washer at the house but no dryer... so I improvised.  I set up the mobile hanging rack against a wall & directed fans at it.  Perfection, & probably saves electricity!
• We're having a pajama party on Friday, the first party in our new house!  It's so that we can wear comfy clothes after binge eating on Thursday, duhhh. ;)

What are you saying SO WHAT! to this week?

Head on over to LifeAfterIDew & link up!

Boot Fetish.

Boots are hot.

There are SO many styles to pick from.

I usually fill my shoe addiction with my JustFab purchases every month.

[Fifi was added to my collection this month.. for $39.99, you can't go wrong.]

Then, I stumbled upon these Frye look-a-likes on Target's website!

[Mossimo Genuine Leather Engineer Boot, $59.99]



With a price tag much, much lower than the Frye boots... should I?

Target does have Free Shipping over $50 & BOGO on boots!

...I'm in trouble.

Book Club Friday: The Pawn

Today, I will be reviewing Steven James' The Pawn.

[via]

Book Description, via Amazon:

Special Agent Patrick Bowers had only met one man who made him truly afraid. Until now. When he's called to North Carolina to consult on the case of an area serial killer, he finds himself in a deadly game. Cunning and lethal, the killer is always one step ahead of the law, and he's about to strike again. It will take all of Bowers's instincts and training to stop this man who calls himself the Illusionist. And just when the pieces start to come together, Bowers realizes they're not quite adding up. Can he unravel the pattern and save the next victim? Or will the Illusionist win the game by taking one of his opponent's pieces? Thrilling, chilling, and impossible to put down, The Pawn will hold suspense lovers in its iron grip until the very last page.



My Review:

Crime fiction is pretty much the only genre that I used to read.  I'm a sucker for shows like "Criminal Minds", "Dexter", and "NCIS".  With that, I'd like to say that I'm a pretty good judge for books like this, and Steven James is one of the best.  The Pawn is the first book in the "Patrick Bowers Files" and it will not disappoint.  The descriptive elements in the novel are phenomenal.  Upon researching to write my review, I learned that a fifth book was released in the series in September, and I cannot wait to download it!

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars!

Go read & link up!

Have a fabulous weekend =)

Changes.

Do we ever really know what's in store for us?

I've been thinking about my future a lot lately, and what I would like to accomplish.

Things have ended with the guy that I was seeing.

I can't help anyone that refuses to help themselves.

Not to mention the new "celebrity" status that he achieved...

((being on the Maury show does NOT make you a celebrity))

My roommate is going through a divorce right now.

They had a child together and are fighting over custody.

I testified in court today supporting my roomie.

I'm scared to get married.

Terrified of having a child/children.

What if someone tries to take my baby away someday?

Heather, you are superwoman to me.

I cannot believe how strong you are through all of this.

Let me ask you this...

Why do we date people if we know that we will never marry them?

Are we wasting time?

Should we still keep our options open if we're in an "exclusive" relationship?

Should we only date people that we can imagine marrying/having children with?

Book Club Friday: The Help

[via]

The Help

Kathryn Stockett

Product Description: (via Amazon)

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

 

My Review:

It took me a couple of days to get into this book.  I had a hard time with the dialect in the beginning (most of it is written from a Southern black woman's perspective.)  However, once I got a fourth of the way through the book, I couldn't stop reading.  The Help opened my eyes to the past and how much things have changed.

 

5 out of 5 stars.

 

Read a book & link up!

Car shopping.

Gas is expensive.

We all know this.

Fueling a large SUV that only get 14 MPG is extremely expensive.

[not mine, but exact replica, via]

I love my Jeep Commander.

Love, love, looove.

However, it's not entirely necessary for me to have that large of a vehicle.

90% of the time, it's just me cruisin' around in it.

I'm talking about a vehicle that can hold 8 people.

So, I will be test driving some new cars this weekend.

Here's what I have in mind...

[2010 Subaru Legacy, via]

[2010 Ford Fusion, via]

[2011 Hyundai Sonata, via]

[2010 Suzuki Kazashi, via]

I am going to be picky.

I will only buy the car that I fall in love with.

I'm leaning towards the Legacy, because they are all equipped with AWD.

That is pretty much a necessity with Midwest winters...

Do you find fuel efficiency to be an important factor?

What else do you look for in a car?

Wish me luck!

xox.

Movin' on up!

Exciting news!

My bestie, Heather, is now my roomie!

After quite a disastrous search for a 3 bedroom house that we can afford,

we found one!

It definitely needs some cleaning, but it will be super cute when finished.

So, upon this major decision... I need to create a budget.

Enter blogging entries....

I'm creating a budget page to track my terrible spending habits.

You will see every penny that I make and where it goes.

I honestly NEED to do this.

I have seen so much success through blogs of other girls tracking their spending habits and becoming more frugal.

I WANT TO BE THAT GIRL.

Do you have a budget?

How do you stick to it?

I'm going to need some support through this!

Just Fabulous Update!

You remember, I'm sure...

I talked about JustFab a couple months ago.

It's a shoe subscription website.

And it IS fabulous. 

Let me show you a peek of the shoes that I have received so far...

[cherise]

[kellan]

[hadley]

[addisyn]

[lulu]

Mmm hmm... gorgeous-ness.

My first pair was 1/2 price, and this month I may have splurged and got three pairs (buy1get1 for addisyn & lulu!)...

I absolutely love every pair that I have received!

I should take a picture of the shoes when they arrive... they are packaged so cute and come with a JustFabulous bag to keep them in!

Two of the pairs (Addisyn & Kellan) are actually Chinese Laundry heels, and at $39.95/pair, you really can't go wrong.

Okay, so if you are as obsessed with shoes as I am, I highly recommend JustFabulous.

If you don't like the selections in your boutique (which are e-mailed to you at the beginning of the month), you can check out their Facebook page and search the shoes by name based on other user's reviews.

Honestly, I haven't purchased any heels from my boutique yet...

If you can't find anything that you like for the month, just "Skip this month" by the 5th and you won't be charged.  Otherwise, they will just credit your account for the next month!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! =)

Join here!

I am not being compensated for this post, these are my personal recommendations =)

The links posted are to my invitation

Hey girl, heyyy.

I hate my lack of internet.

The only internet that we now have at home is mi-fi off my mom's cell phone... and she is rarely home at the same time as me.

I could hit up some places with wi-fi, like any normal person would try... but... I'm lazy.

And I've been keeping busy with new friends, a little travelling, and perhaps a boyy. ;)

I spent some time in Chicago with my best friend, Russ (see above.)

I had purchased my plane ticket back in May when Southwest had their 40th Anniversary sale for less than $100!  What a steal! ;)

I also apartment hunted while I was in this gorgeous city (which I fell in loovee with)

Might be relocating sometime in the near future!

[tall, dark, handsome is my bestie's hunk. ;) ]

&& I went out with my girl friend, Angie.

[this is back at home..]

[dress target, looove it]

Aaaand, I went shopping. =)

I got some super cute dresses in Chicago!  I'm sure you'll see them soon!

I hope everything is well with all of you!

xox.

The Number 23.

Hello!

It was my birthday on Wednesday. =)

I got to spend it with my lovely girl friends. <3

&&Tequila is not my friend, whatsoever.

Dress, Forever21  Shoes, Madden Girl  Watch, Michael Kors

I also wanted to show you some of my recent purchases.

I treated myself to the watch for my birthday =)

EOS Lip Balm is ah-maze-ing.

I'm testing out these RejuviCare Hair & Nail Formula vitamins.

I want my hair to look like the above pics all the time.

Book Club Friday!

Book Club Friday,

I have missed you.

I am addicted to The Hunger Games.

I previously wondered what all the hype was about,

now I know.

[via amazon]

Book Description: 

"Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place. "

My Review:

READ IT.  NOW.  I can't believe that this series is marketed as teenage literature, but it is fantastic.  I fell in love with Katniss immediately.  I blasted through the first two books in a week, and am on the third now.

I just came to say hello!

My yearly bonus at work has finally arrived!

Sooo... I went shopping. ;)

Notice anything different?

Mmm hmm....

I splurged and bought myself some gorge extensions.

I figured I would save a lil' moola though & sewed the clips in myself, which ending up being an epic fail.

I sewed them in backwards.

So I assembled my own little sweat shop of my 2 best girly friends to sew them on. =D

Don't worry, I paid them in gummi bear shots (delish)

[with more pieces... please ignore the red eyes, apparently my computer can't edit phone pics?]

Aaaand. I bought my birthday dress. ;)

[sneak.peak]

&&a manicure that will make you smile (or keep me smiling all day...)

Made with Sinful 'Savage' and Sally Hansen's 'Set the Stage'

Have a great week everyone!!

<3

MIA.

Please don't mistake my absence for a fabulous vacation.

Don't get me wrong, I had some fun.

But there was also a lot of stress.

Pipe Dream was great, I need to get the camera developed.

My mom & Mark had an awesome time on their honeymoon in Sturgis.

My mom's dog is a beeeetch.

 She made it a point to jump the fence at least once a day.

A friend took me to dinner one night,

I got home to a flooded house.

NO JOKE.

Over a foot of water in the basement.

Basement = my domain.

Good things about vacation...

I got lots of sleep.

I watched quite a few movies.

I got to hang with my girls.

Oh, I lost internet access at work.

BOO.

That's where I *secretly* do did my blogging.

I MISS YOU.

I hope to become consistent again.

Fail.

I went shopping.

I avoided clothing impulse buys though, and I'm proud of myself for that.

Plus, I get paid tomorrow... and I like to think that I deserve a treat every payday. ;)

[buy it here]

Terrible quality pic, my apologies.
Pretty little bikini for this weekend.

Okay, can you tell that I'm excited for Saturday!?

What could possibly be better than floating with your best girl friends, drinking tasty beverages, and prowling for guys.

Well, that's a typical weekend for us, minus the water.

I will be making my signature drink, Panty Droppers! =O

I also bought a waterproof disposable camera to capture the exciting moments.

I couldn't find a floating radio though...

Also purchased at Target...

a mini e.l.f. haul!

[buy here]

essential beauty school 32-piece eyeshadow palette $5

I repeat, 32 eyeshadows for $5!  Very good pigmentation and looovely colors.

(I purchased Vol.2)

I hadn't been wearing eyeshadow lately, just thick teal liner... this purchase will change that.

 

[buy here]

studio waterproof lengthening & volumizing mascara $3

I didn't have any waterproof mascara, so I'll test this out this weekend.

[buy here]

studio contour brush $3

I have heard SO many great things about the studio line of brushes, so I picked this up to apply my new eyeshadows.  I LOVE IT.  It's perfect.

So What! Wednesday

This week, I'm saying SO WHAT! if...

• I'm stupidly addicted to a couple few games on my phone... including but not limited to fashion story, bakery story, WWF...
• I've been eating leftover meals from dinner for breakfast every morning... healthy, right? (potato soup this morning!)
• I'm going to look for a new inexpensive swim suit tonight to wear on the float Saturday... VS swim suits & river water just don't mesh.
• ^^ that means I will most likely fail at my "not shopping" goal
• I've been pulling off the high bun like it's my job 'cause it's wayyy too hot/humid lately
• One of our customers loves us & brought me flowers today for my birthday (early), &for Sarah so she wasn't left out ;)

[our pathetic attempt @taking a pic together!]


 

What are you saying SO WHAT! to this week?

Head on over to Life After I "Dew" &link up!

Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.

[lovelies]

top &skirt, younkers shoes, madden girl

I attempted to do a fancy manicure on Saturday before going out.

I started with black nail polish, and was going to do the tye-dye effect (dipping nails into water with polish swirled around...) and it was a total disaster.  By the time I removed all of that polish, I only had an hour before I needed to shower, which didn't give me enough time to do a solid color, so I just splattered over my base coat.

Wow, so here you have it.

It could be better, but could've been worse too.

p.s. I couldn't wait and ordered my shoes already...

KELLAN will arrive in 4-7 business days! =D