Stronger than yesterday (or last episode...)

Let me just get one thing out right now: I do not like Britney Spears. I do not like her music. I do not like her conduct. I do not like her lifestyle. But bitch can dance. So, to set the record straight absolutely: Britney Spears is not a singer. Britney Spears is an entertainer.

That said, I found it quite interesting to hear her songs performed by people who can, ohidontknow, actually sing. Shocking, really. And I was transported back to the late '90s and early '00s, even though I was never a fan when she was actually relevant (I think I was the only teenage girl that was all meh, whatevs over her). And I have to say that, though I generally despise the "it was all a dream" cliche cop-outs, I liked how the elaborate dance numbers (aside from the pep rally) were all in the participants' heads. It couldn't have been as detailed and costumed had the Club performed the songs for realsies.

I was pleased to see that the episode spotlighted Brittany, because she is both a great singer and an incredible dancer. Also, hilarious.

In agreement with Husband's observation, did you notice how pathetic Schue got this episode? He didn't even really need the Terri cameo that kicked him verbally in the 'nads and cemented his pitiful immasculinity (that isn't a word, but it seems to fit him in this instance). Hopefully he grows a pair and punches out skeevy Stamos' lights in the episode three.

We can all dream, can't we?


Overall, a stronger episode than the first, but I don't feel the show has hit its groove yet. The conflict is disjointed and the characters' motivations are unfocused. But I'm still so glad it's back.

Daily Eye Candy

Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh...

What is causing me to hyperventilate this morning? Could it be the intense chill in the air? My husband's incredibly perfect bottom? Or perhaps the water that I just spilled down my frontside?

No, my friends, it is this stunningly gorgeous Clinton Trench from Anthropologie, $188. Please hand me a brown paper bag, if you would be so kind...

Daily Eye Candy

Love this chic Cascade Knit Pencil Skirt from New York & Company, $19.97. Pictured here in "darkest grape." Seriously, what is it with me and purple lately?

Wedding #2

Our wedding season this year was short; a bit of a nice reprieve from the marital onslaught of last year's spring/summer/fall. Our second and final wedding took place last weekend just an hour away from our home, and it was a lovely affair: simple, crafty, and sweet.

The wedding ceremony was held outdoors. Normally I abhor outdoor weddings because there is just too much left up to chance, but this evening ceremony turned out perfectly. The weather was warm and the sun dipped low enough not to blind the assembled congregation just in time.

I loved the nature-inspired, personal touches that appeared throughout the decor. Guests sat on picnic benches on an expansive lawn of soft grass, and these hanging glass jars of wildflowers lined the aisle for the ceremony. (Something tells me these would be right up BlindIrish's alley!)The decor featured fall specialties, like pumpkins and squash (many spray painted for added luster).These candles were placed at each pillar of the huge covered gazebo where the reception took place (just steps away from the ceremony area).The head table featured this arrangement. I love the monogram!The cake sported "Star Wars" toppers, and I adored the song to which they cut the cake: "Grow Old with You" from "The Wedding Singer" with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.The groom looked dashing in the casual suit, and I loved that he and the rest of his groomsmen wore sandals! (The bride went barefoot.) Those are three handsome gentlemen!My favorite touch of the entire affair was the picture frames hanging from nearby trees. Such an interesting feature.
The happy couple.Congratulations, Drew and Kristen. We hope you grow old together.

Daily Eye Candy

Here is some ridiculously stunning eye candy that I would never in a million years be able to afford (or at least justify!): from the Corail Collection. These incredible golden pearls come from a very specific farm in the South Sea.

I die.

Wedding #1

I promised you a less self-centered post that focused on the beautiful wedding we attended in mid-September, yes? Voila!

Husband has been friends with the bride since gradeschool, and she stood up for him three years ago on his side of our wedding party. Additionally, I simply adore the bride and her three equally lovely and sweet sisters. I cannot say enough good things about those women.You see? You can just tell from this picture that the bride is the most adorable person in the whole wide world! (Next to the third sister, pictured in the stunning black and white dress, who just happens to be one of my best friends!)

But I digress to the important issue at hand: Look at the dress! She made her wedding dress herself! She is not only beautiful and kind, but also talented! I wish I had gotten a picture of her wonderful bright red high heels concealed beneath the satin. And that is her mother's veil, a tribute to "something old" that made me melt!

She, who deserves all the happiness in the world, married in a pool of sunlight (and in record time for a Catholic wedding, might I add).The day was filled with details that made each part special. From the flower girls' baskets...
...to the sleek, Asian-inspired decorations that adorned each reception table......and the design! Such wonderful design!...and the beautiful cake with crafty turtle toppers.And there was dancing...
...and laughter......and so many good, wonderful friends.Congratulations, Mary and Eddie. We love you and wish you everlasting happiness.

My backpack's got jets

After a long, hard day at the office (bounty hunting for Jabba the Hutt, to finance his 'Vette), sometimes all The Fett wants to do is come home, put his feet up, and watch a little television.
Isn't that really what we all want?

Daily Eye Candy x 2

First, because the weather has turned chilly and has left me with the distinct desire to curl up beneath a soft, warm blanket with a cup of cocoa, I bring you the Petite Cozy Ruffle Cardigan from Banana Republic for $98 in light gray heather and taupe heather ($69.99 for the gorgeous teal "Pacific color!).Isn't "cardigan" just the best word in the English language?

Additionally, because I just cannot resist, I bring you the Linen-silk Bustier Dress from J. Crew, $99.99 for select colors. While the neon peach and white options are lovely, this black plum color stopped me dead in my tracks. Oh, how I wish I had a wedding to which I could wear this dangabit dress!
What is it with me and purple dresses lately? Sheesh!

Giving me a reason to live

Glee is back, baby! Husband and I are extremely fortunate to be friends with a couple who are just as big of Gleeks as we are. And the best part about them? They have TELEVISION. I know, revolutionary. Even better? They invited us over to watch Season 2's premiere on their TELEVISION. In color and everything. We love them more than words.*

So the show itself? I have some mixed feelings, as I knew I would. They have to generate a lot of conflict and drama that will be able to play out for the rest of the season (wtf was the deal with Santana's boob job? I don't think she got one in real life [in spite of Maxim], so I don't get it...). They have to introduce new characters and endear them to the audience (I'm loving Coach Bieste, she touches a special soft place in my heart in spite of her gruff manner). And they have to make sure to still give us plenty of kick-ass music (however, no comment on "Billionaire"...but props to Artie for "that Bieber cut's got to go" line).

Overall, I'm still in love. Maybe the honeymoon is coming to an end, but I'm not ready to get out of bed, change out of my lace teddy, and shower off the bodily fluids. I've got a couple more rounds left in me. How about you?



*You must understand, Husband and I don't have cable or even an antennae to pick up the local free channels. We have Netflix, which keeps me happily sated, and we only really miss television on nights like the GLEE SEASON 2 PREMIERE. Does that make more sense now? Good.

Friday Fashion: Going to the birds

I'm almost positive that I've done a Friday Fashion on bird feeders before, but I just found one that inspired me, so you're going to get more today! This is also a reminder to keep your bird feeders filled as winter approaches and it becomes harder for the animals to find delicious nuts and seeds! I don't keep my bird feeder filled often enough (though I'm much better about filling my hummingbird feeder), because Husband thinks that the dropped seeds cause weeds (well, probably...), but my parents have always been avid bird feeders, and I think it is a wonderful hobby. My favorites are goldfinches. You?These are the feeders that I fell in love with. I love how they imitate nature while feeding birds and also acting as a landscaping ornament! You would definitely need a cluster of at least three for a nice effect...perhaps these will be on my Christmas list! Cattail Feeders from the National Wildlife Federation, $19.99 each. P.S. Check out the National Wildlife Federation's site anyway; they have some wonderful gift items that "inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future."I am digging this Red Hot Egg Bird Feeder, $135. It also comes in blues, greens, yellows, white, and even pink! (Actually, I love every single thing on this site, this was a hard choice!)Finally, a little fun never hurt anyone. Give your birds a scrumptious treat from this adorable Ceramic Cupcake Bird Feeder. Comes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry (hilarious!).

Happy feeding!

The Purple Dress

I never really cared about the color purple. It was never my favorite, but I felt rather ambivalent. Pretty, but not Red! or Yellow! or Angsty Black!

And then I got married. To a man with a colorful last name.

And I took his last name because I didn't have any major feminist qualms with the tradition, and his last name was a lot easier to spell than mine. Plus, I could add the useful little phrase "Purple. Like the color" after saying my name for a hostess or receptionist. Like someone who would say "Smyth. With a 'y'" or "Fox. Like the animal." Husband always joked that, when asked how to spell his last name, he could sarcastically reply, "Got a box of crayons?"

But, I digress. I got married. And took his last name. And got a little sensitive about it. Especially wearing the color. I didn't own any purple clothing, save for one shirt that remains under contention (it's pink, I tell you. PINK!). But on a shopping trip with my cousin, we browsed through the pretty dresses at the mall and I fell in love with a dress. A purple dress.

It was on sale and in a deep, rich jewel tone and had an empire waist and flattering chest gathering and POCKETS! IT HAD POCKETS! This was a revelation. I was aware of the trend (which, frankly, is probably well out of fashion by now), but I never really got it. Pockets? Pockets belong on pants, on shirt fronts, on purses. Pockets on a dress? Pishaw! But my eyes were opened and I saw, hallelujah.

Plus? We just so happened to have been invited to a wedding in which one of the bride's colors was purple! And I was going to be one of the greeters at the wedding! How cute would it be to not only wear a dress that I loved, but one that matched the day's decor? PRECIOUS, GODDAMMIT. So I tried on the dress, and hemmed and hawed, and texted the maid of honor to make sure the bridesmaid dresses weren't purple (See? I'm considerate. Also? Self-conscious.). And I left the store without it. Because it was purple. But then I went back a week later, and I snatched it up and tried it on over and over again before the wedding because gah, purple.

And I don't think one person made the connection.Granted, it would probably look better on someone else, preferably someone who is not Slouchy McSloucherson, but it's cute, right? Right? Please validate me so that I can go on living.

Forthcoming will be more on the wedding itself in a far less self-centered post. Promise, promises.

Daily Eye Candy

Michael Kors Sequined Camouflage Tee, $59.62.

I don't get how this is camouflage, but whatever, I still like it, in a white-trash, redneck kind of way.

Daily Eye Candy

Studs make you look exponentially cooler.

It's a proven scientific fact.

Coming back up

So apparently I can't be bothered to post anything new unless it involves copious amounts of whining on my part. But here you go.

Like everyone else in the world right now, I've been sick. Sick, sick, sick. And Husband was sick, too. Both of us. Moaning and napping and pumping ginger ale directly into our veins this weekend and into Monday. And I still feel like a steaming pile of roadkill. But, as I am wont to do, I put off going to the doctor until today. If you will recall, this does not usually work in my favor (see: double ear infection). But, anyway, I went, and was diagnosed not with some nice weak bacteria that the local populace has been passing around like communal wine, but some kind of gastroesophageal-acid-reflux-somethingorother. All I gathered was that my stomach is trying to burn me up from the inside out. So they gave me some kind of Satan's piss that numbed me from stem to stern and sent me trotting back to work with a prescription for an antacid. What? I don't even get the delicious bubblegum Amoxicillin? I feel jipped.

Anyways. This post doesn't have much of a point aside from: WAAAAH.

But here's something I haven't showed you yet. My parents' house is on the market. Tell your friends...

...please, dear God, tell your friends. And your family. And your acquaintances. And those strangers you met on that street corner in the wee hours of the morning. They looked like they had a good credit score.This is the outside. There's grass. And trees. And outbuildings. It was built around 1900. Quality craftsmanship, I tells yas. If anyone could have destroyed this house, it was me during my awkward and uncoordinated childhood. The house is still standing in spite of my best efforts.
This is the living room and sitting room. Look! Hardwood floors! Original woodwork! Lovely big windows! Ignore the rugs, my mother chose them and then chose to leave them. You're welcome to burn them once the keys are yours!Look! A dining room! More original wood! Built-in china hutches. It's a woodstravaganza! A lovely enclosed porch! Look out the expansive windows, chew your sprig of hay, tip your hat, and say, "It's good to own land!"

MLS #9946463

7 DAYS AND COUNTING...

...AND 2ND SEASON IS GOING TO BE ON, BITCHES!

Daily Eye Candy

I am totally digging these decorative ceiling tiles. They are stylish, unexpected, paintable, and Styrofoam. I know. But don't think this is some kind of Home Renovation Nightmare in the making. These look impeccable when installed. And there are so many from which to choose! $7.29 each.

Ohaithere

Same old, same old. Except for a few belated birthday shout-outs from the end of August, particularly my beloved Lester and my Daddykins.Hope you had a fun birthday, Dad.So glad you are here and we could all celebrate together. Love.