Baby Shower Placecards

I was so excited to celebrate my friend's Nikki & Anthony's new addition at the baby shower.  I offered to create placecards for the party.  Since "pink elephants" was the shower theme I decided to of course make pink elephant placecards.  I used this template and printed it at 80% size to create the small elephants.  I used pink glitter paper for the head/ears shape and plain pink cardstock for the body.  I used an x-acto knife to cut the shapes, cutting 1 head/ear shape and 2 body for each placecard needed. 

To assemble the pieces I used a glue stick to connect the two of the "body" pieces together, folding one of the body shapes down so the cards would stand after connected.
Due to the texture and thickness of the glitter paper I used a hot glue gun to attach the head/body pieces to the top.
For the tail, I used plain pink string.  I cut each piece of string 1 inch in size, then I put a small knot on one end to keep the string fro coming apart.  I then used a glue stick to attach the tail to the center of the placecard.
I finalize each placecards with the guest's name written in silver paint pen.

Favorite Things

Prosecco Flute $4.95 

This is such a little thing, but it took me a long time to find.  Most traditional toothbrush holders have space to hold 4 toothbrushes, but if you're single you only have 1 toothbrush at your bathroom sink.  This inexpensive glass from Crate & Barrel is a small flute with a short stem, making it perfect for a single person's toothbrush holder.

Pumpkin Cookies

I grew up eating my mom's homemade pumpkin cookies throughout the fall and enjoying the last seasonal batch of these autumnal favorites for Thanksgiving.
This weekend I'm heading to the Birkshires to volunteer at the 4th annual Judy M. DiCicco Golf Tournament and dinner.  As always I bring a few batches of cookies.  This year I decided to switch it up and bake both chocolate chip and these pumpkin cookies.
I do have a few tips for any of you that would like to try and make this recipe.  They both involve the icing.  First, move quick! The icing sets fast so keep the heat on low incase you need to make it softer.  Secondly, if while first making the icing you may need to add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of butter.

1 cup Sugar
1 cup Unsalted Butter
1 cup Canned Pumpkin
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Raisins
1 cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)
Mix the sugar, butter, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until well combined.  In additions add the baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and flour until well combined.  Mix in the raisins and walnuts.
Icing-
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoon Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 cups Confectioners Sugar
Combine the brown sugar, butter, and milk over medium heat in a small sauce pan until butter melts.  Remove from heat and mix in confectioners sugar and vanilla.
Quickly icing the cookies.
Enjoy!

What's In My Makeup Bag

The only makeup I carry in my bag during the day our my lip products.  But I decided to share with you all of my everyday makeup favorites.

I like to start my morning makeup routine with MAC Studio Finish Concealer.  It's a great product, I've been using it for years, it includes SPF 35, and it's not too oily.  I use The Body Shop's Lipstick/Concealer Brush.
After my concealer, I use a makeup wedge to apply MAC's Face and Body Foundation.  It's a thin foundation, so it doesn't feel too heavy.
Next after giving this layer a few minutes, I apply Mac's Mineralize Skinfinish Powder.  I use this as my bronzer, which is easily my biggest makeup addiction.  I use the Essence of Beauty Blender Brush from CVS.  This brush only costs $7.99 and it is without question my favorite bronzer brush.  I've tried more expensive brushes and I don't like them because they are small and seem better for blush.  This is a large brush, and it lasts a long time.

I start my eye makeup with my favorite eye liner Mac's Purple Dash Eye Liner.  As any blue eyed girl can tell you, purple makes blue eyes stand out, so this deep purple eye liner is the perfect frame for my blue eyes.
My eye shadow starts with Mac's Naked Lunch Eye Shadow.  I cover my entire lid with this color as a base.  Next, I put Mac's Shale Eye Shadow on the outside edge (both top and bottom) of my lid.  To finalize my lids I put Mac's Trax Eye Shadow on the outside edge (top only).  Then I blend the two colors.
I always coupon my mascara (unless I have a special event).  Although Maybelline Colossal Volum is my everyday favorite, right now I am using Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume.  Which I will say the formula of this mascara is great, but I'm not a huge fan of the brush it comes with because it's too oversized to get the corners.

I carry this above lip products with me all the time.  I can apply all four quickly or just a few of them whenever I need a touch up throughout the day.  Of course I start with Mac's Prep and Prime, I've talked about my love for this product before and it hasn't changed.  It keeps your lips from getting dry and it helps your color last.
  Mac's Subculure Lip Pencil is my daily lip liner, it's a similar color to my natural lips, so it's easy to blend.
My favorite daytime lipstick is Mac's Creme de la Femme.  It's one of their "frost" lipsticks so it's not too shiny, and the color isn't too bold so it's great to wear during the work day.
Finally, my lip gloss Mac's Cultured lip gloss.  It's my go-to product throughout the day.  Mac's gloss isn't sticky like other brands and the slight tint of pink is just enough color to finalize my lip look and makeup look.

Clearly, I'm a MAC girl.  I've been using their product for a long time and I still love just as much as the day I first got it.  Have you ever tried any of these products?  What are some of your favorite colors?

My Fitness Pal

As I've mentioned before, the summer was kinda rough for me partly due to the extreme heat.  No amount of AC made the gym tolerable for me, plus I wasn't eating very well.  So it's time to get back on the band wagon...
Thanks to my friend Dani, I learned about my fitness pal.  It a great website that helps you by logging all your food and exercise intake.  My favorite thing about the website is the food tracker, all you have to do is type in the brand (ex. "Trader Joes", Chex Mix"...) and it will automatically have all the nutrition facts for that food.
I long on throughout the day to log all my food.  It's a great website!
If you want to follow me on my fitness pal... beantownbabe07!

Riccardo's Ristorante

Today my parents surprised me this afternoon and said they could stop by this evening for dinner.  I called my favorite restaurant in the North End because I know I can always get a reservation.  The food is amazing!  Since it is located on North Street (not Hanover Street, the main street of the North End) it is typically easy to get in.
Although, I've been trying to watch what I eat I had to cheat this evening.  I got the "Pollo Exquisito" (Chicken sautéed in a light egg batter topped with imported Prosciutto di Parma and Mozzarella cheese. Finished in a Marsala wine sauce.).  As always, it was delicious!
My parents and I had a nice evening out, and enjoyed some delicious food in the North End.

*Tip:  If you are interested in dining at Riccardo's, you can purchase a discounted gift certificate at restaurant.com

Keira & Chris' Wedding

I first met Keira in college, since we both studied interior design we had a lot of classes together.  Her and Chris met at a "June Birthday's" party, and they have been together ever since.  I was lucky enough to attend their special day.  Both of them are fun, creative people so I was looking forward to fun and unique ideas at their wedding.  I was not disappointed.

The perfect cake topper for a graphic designer and an interior designer.  So adorable!

For a guest book, everyone put their thumbprint on this drawing of a tree (which Keira drew herself).

The place cards were one of my favorite details of the evening.  All the place cards had small buttons on them, which said something about their personality.  (Of course mine was a picture of Martha Stewart).  One of the other nice touches was all around the reception they had photographs of different family members on their wedding days, it was a great way for them to honor where they came from.
If you're wondering what the long slips of paper are in the vase at the end of the table, they are wedding mad libs.  It was a fun activity for guests to complete and leave for the couple.

It was a beautiful day, best wishes for Keira and Chris!

Mini Muffins, Perfect Carpool Snack

Tomorrow I'll be heading to a wedding in Gloucester, MA.  A few of friends decided to carpool up to the wedding together.  Since we'll be driving up during brunch time I decided to make chocolate chip banana mini muffins.  I used this recipe and switched it from a loaf to mini muffins (since they will be easier to eat in the car).  To switch the recipe to mini muffins bake for 10-13 minutes.  I also folded in 1 cup of chocolate chips to give the muffins a sweet brunch taste.

To make the treat ready for the wedding festivities, I placed a few in cellophane treat bags and tied them with a chocolate brown ribbon.
Yum!

Tart Deco

Just a quick post to show off my new favorite nail polish.  It's Essie's "Tart Deco".  I've gotten this color a few times when I treat myself to a mani & pedi, yesterday I finally picked up a bottle for myself.

Rock n Roll All Night

Here it is, my new favorite clutch!  This Zara "Studded Evening Box Bag" is the perfect evening bag for me.  It is the perfect bag to add a little rocker style to evening wear, and it's casual enough to use for a regular evening out.  I already used it for one of my college's friend's bachlorette party here in Boston, and I planning on using it at her wedding on Labor Day weekend (photographs to follow).
A little over a year ago I found an Alexander McQueen clutch with a similar rocker/evening wear style but at $3000 it was clearly out of the question.  Ever since I've been hunting for something like it that I could afford.  Then as I was waiting in line at the register at Zara I looked over and out of the corner of my eye I found this bag.  Although $89.90 is more then I typically like to spend on an evening bag (since they don't get used as often as other handbags) I couldn't pass it up.

Couponing Tips

One of the things I enjoy most is couponing.  Coming from a family of five, I remember my mother couponing when I was a kid.  When we went grocery store, she would hand me a bunch of coupons and say, "go get these, meet me in the next isle".  I'm happy to say it is one of the values I've continued to enjoy as I've grown.  Just yesterday I had one of my best couponing days at CVS, below are the items I picked up while on my lunch break.
- Dove Shampoo 12oz (Reg Price: $4.99)
- Dove Conditioner 12oz (Reg Price:  $4.99)
(Above items were on sale 2 for $6.00)
- Neosporin .5oz (Reg Price $6.29)
- (Qty 2) QTips 170 count (Reg Price $3.19 Each)
The total for all these items at regular price would have been $22.65
After sales and coupons I only paid 71 cents

I notice a lot of articles online with couponing tips, so what are my tips?
- Don't be brand loyal, be store loyal.
The above transaction is a perfect example I make purchases at CVS on a consistent basis.  Which gave me several "Extra Care Bucks" coupons to put towards this purchase.
- Think about how much you are spending, not how much you are saving.
Often even the after coupon price of a brand name product will not beat the price of a store brand product.  Target brand products are usually as good, if not better then brand names and often they are cheaper.
-Store your shoes, not your groceries.
As any city girl can tell you closet space is a premium so there is no need (especially when living alone) to use up a majority of your storage space storing products that you get at a good deal.  Depending on the product, I typically don't have more then 2 or 3 in storage no matter how good the deal is.
-Free is free.
This is the one rule that will make me break the rule above.  It doesn't happen often but every once in a while there will be an item on sale and I have a coupon, when put together the item is free.  For this reason I clip almost every coupon in the Sunday paper.  Even if it's a product I know for a fact I have no use for (ex. body wash for men) I'll buy it if it's free and either give it to a friend or donate to a charity.

Long Time Gone

Hello Beantown Babe!
It's been a long time since I've update, almost all summer for the most part.
As I'm sure you all know it's been quite the summer this year.  The heat has been crazy!  Everyone that knows me can tell you, I'm not a huge fan of the hot weather.  But I did want to update all of you on summer of my summer fun...
- I went away to the Jersey Shore with my family for a week.  It was great to get away for a while.  I even got to visit my friends Nikki and Anthony on my way home.
- Mad Hatter Bridal Shower.  This was one of the cutest bridal shower themes I've seen in a while.  Everyone was asked to wear "fun headwear" to the shower (which knowing the bride's love for costume parties was perfect).  Even the food was decorated with cute little "eat me", "secret potion" and other things like in Alice in Wonderland.
- I've been volunteering a lot lately.  It's been so much fun!  Just this past Saturday I was helping out at the CCFA (www.ccfa.org).  The CCFA's Camp Oasis was starting and before the kids hop on the buses to camp, my job was to help them check in and check in all their needed medicine.
The other big volunteer effort has been collecting raffle prizes for the 4th annual Judy M. DiCicco Memorial Golf Tournament.  I've been a part of this since the first year, and I'm happy to see that's it's been getting bigger every year.  And thanks to many of the local Beantown businesses, we will have lots of great raffle prizes this year!

I promise to write more in the upcoming days/weeks!
I have a lot of fun things coming up, weddings, baby showers, cute DIY projects, and couponing tips & trips!

5 Things: Signs of Warm Weather

With Boston being a cold weather city, there are a few things I'm always on the look out for to know that the spring season is upon us.
1.  Margaritas.  Margaritas are tasty any time of year, but as soon as the weather starts to get nicer they seem to be on every restaurants drink menu.  It's a good thing.
2.  Sam Adams Summer Ale.  Without question, the day I see Sam Summer on draft in one of my favorite bars is always one of my most exciting moments of each year.  This might sounds sad to some people but it's my favorite beer.  It has a full yet light flavor, but it's only available for a few months every year.
3.  Dining Outside.  Clearly no one is eating outside in the winter, but at the first sign of spring every Bostonian seems to be fighting for a table outside.  One of the reasons I love Boston so much is almost every restaurant has large windows that slide completely open out onto the sidewalk.
4.  Boston Red Sox.  This year Fenway Park is 100 years old, which officially makes it a historic landmark, on top of that the Red Sox also have a new manager this year... lots of excitement for Red Sox fans!  Baseball is popular in cities all over the U.S. but no city is like Boston when it comes to their baseball team, any sports fan can tell you... Red Sox fans are hard core.
5.  BBQ.  Who doesn't like grilled food?  Not only are grilled foods some of my favorite, but BBQing and grilling is a great excuse to get together and hang out with friends.

12 Goals for 2012

Oops! Sorry this post is a day late!
1.  WORKOUT REGULARLY...  As you can tell from some of my recent posts I've really been getting into my workouts.  Spinning class is my favorite.  Although I will warn anyone that hasn't done spinning before, walking down stairs onto the subway, or upstairs to your apartment doesn't feel too good afterwards.
2.  UNSUBSCRIBE... About a month ago I thought I was basically done with this one, but over the last month or so I've gotten a bunch of junk email.  It's a never ending battle.
3.  TAKE A VACATION... Well, my family is taking their annual beach trip in June.  So I'm looking forward to that.
4.  SLEEP IN MY BED... I've been doing really well.  The last two weeks I've gotten out of the living room and made it to bed almost every night.
5.  STAY CLUTTER FREE... This kinda makes me laugh because I just spent the whole morning putting away clothes and cleaning up.  I think my new part of this goal is going to be keeping up with my laundry, so by the time I do it I don't have as much to put away.
6.  VOLUNTEER MORE... The CCFA walk is the first weekend in June, and honestly I'm getting kinda frustrated because I haven't gotten as many donations as I thought I would, but there is still some time so hopefully I'll think of some good fundraising.
7.  DRINK MORE WATER... I've been going to spinning, enough said.
8.  TAKE MY VITAMINS... Not so good on this one.  Hopefully I'll have a better report for all of you next month.
9.  LEARN FRENCH... Last month I said "I hope I'll have something better to tell you next time", I don't.  This goal will be my focus for the next update.
10.  SELF-TAN... I was good for a bit, but as soon as I stopped I went back to being pale.  It's kinda frustrating.
11.  OPEN MY MAIL... My mail got rather stacked up over the last month while I had the workers in the apartment, but now I'm back on track.
12.  WEAR MORE SKIRTS & DRESSES... I've been looking pretty a few times a week at work.  I'm so glad I've kept this up, it even helped me get a date!

Fashion Mission: Gym Clothes

I've been getting really excited about working out recently.  It has made me realize that I need more clothes for working out.  If you're like me, I don't like to spend a lot of money on clothes that a majority of people see and that I spend sweating in.  In Boston, everyone seems to love Lululemon, but they are really expensive (work out pants are around $98!).  On Saturday while I was walking around Boston I popped into the Gap and I found the pants above on sale, I even got the matching tank top on sale!  These are my favorite for working out, they are made of a stretch material, and the fabric is made to absorb sweat (which makes me want to work out longer).  The fit is "Sexy Boot", I think boot cuts are the most comfortable they give plenty of space for your legs to move.

Fashion Mission: Work Shoes

Finding cute and comfortable work shoes have been a constant mission of mine.  I am on my feet all day, and it is important that I do not use uncomfortable shoes that make my feet hurt as an excuse for not going to the gym.  This past Saturday I was surprised when I found these super cute work shoes.
These are the Michael by Michael Kors Viola Mid Sandal, and I'm pretty excited about them.  Although they have the cuteness of a "going out" heel, they have a small "work wear" heel which makes them great for going straight out directly after work.  I wore them yesterday for the entire work day, so yes they pass the on my feet all day test.

Beantown Babe Blackout

This was the scene in the Back Bay earlier today.  A large transformer caught fire and smoke started to go all over the neighborhood.  Where was I?  I was a work, only 3 blocks away from the fire.  Here's the crazy part, I didn't even know this was happening.
I closed my store and headed to the gym (woo hoo! 12 goals!).  Just as I was finishing up on the elliptical the entire gym went dark.  Everyone started looking around, one guy said he was just watching the news and heard about the fire.  As soon as I left the gym I quickly realized something big was going on, because it wasn't just the gym it was everything, everywhere.
The Prudential... DARK
The John Handcock Building... DARK
Street Lights... DARK
Traffic Lights... DARK
All this caused cars to go crazy trying to get out of the city, as I tried to walk back to work to get my things.  Leaving normally lit up Newbury Street to look like this:

That's right just a few lights from cars.  I waited at work for a while for everything to calm down.  Since the subways in the neighborhood were closed down, I started walking.  I walked all the way down to the Aquarium where I finally hopped on a train and headed home.
It will surely go down as one of the most interesting commutes I've ever had. 

12 Goals for 2012

Here it is, March 12th already!  So, here's the update on my 2012 goals!
1.  WORKOUT REGULARLY... I am excited to report that I have finally canceled my old gym membership (although close to my apartment, I found that I never went after I got home).  I have recently joined the Boston Sports Club, it is only a block away from my work.  It makes it a lot easier to workout, I go there straight from work, therefore no excuses.  I just started last week, and I've already worked out three times.
2.  UNSUBSCRIBE... This goal is basically complete.  After the first few weeks of unsubscribing, it's great to only see the mail I want.
3.  TAKE A VACATION... As I mentioned in my last update, I went away for a few days to visit some of my friends in New Jersey.  I had four days off, it made all the difference in the world.  I felt so refreshed and revived afterward. 
4.  SLEEP IN MY BED... Still nothing!  The pro is one of my friends is moving in with her boyfriend, between them they have more televisions then needed so they are letting me have one for my bedroom, this should help.
5.  STAY CLUTTER FREE... I've remained pretty good with this goal.  I've had contractors coming in and out of my apartment, which has become a really good reason for staying clutter free.
6.  VOLUNTEER MORE... My work with the CCFA is going well.  I have sent out dozens of letters to local businesses asking for gift in kind donations.  Also, my friend Nicole (who is on the "Thomas' Tummy Tamers" team) and I are having a game night themed dinner party.  We are having in a "supper club" style of dinner, where everyone that comes is asked to make an anonymous donation.
7.  DRINK MORE WATER... Since I've been working out over the last week or so, I've done much better with drinking more water.  I normally have one liter a day.  Also, just yesterday I purchased soda for the first time this year.
8.  TAKE MY VITAMINS... Alright here's the truth, I take my vitamins about 70% of the time.  But, I'm doing better than I used too.
9.  LEARN FRENCH... There are some people that I know that learn languages, and other people that struggle with it.  I struggle with it.  Hopefully by my next update I'll be doing better.
10.  SELF TAN... Ick!  I'm so pale right now.  Thankfully Boston is starting to get it's first days of spring-like weather, which is just the push I need to get into the self tanning routine.
11.  OPEN MY MAIL... I've been able to keep this up.  I'll admit I have a small stack of unopened mail, but much better then the stack of mail I used to have back in 2011.
12.  WEAR MORE SKIRTS & DRESSES... I normally wear a dress about once a week or so.  Now that the weather is getting nicer, it is going to get harder to keep this up... making it even more important for me to self tan.

Five Things

One of my favorite things to find out about in magazines and blogs is other peoples lists of things they like, so I decided to share with you five of my favorite beauty products.  For this list I tried to pick items that aren't too expensive, and many of you may not have tried before.
1.  The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask - $22.00
I worked at The Body Shop for a while in college and this was one of the few items that I have kept going back to purchase.  It works well on the occasional breakouts, and it has a great cooling feeling.
2.  Nivea Sun-Kissed Radiant Skin Gradual Tan Moisturizer - $9.99
It's no secret that I enjoy self tanning.  Throughout my years of experimentation with different self tanning products this one has become one of my favorites.  Since it is a gradual tanner is helps to keep dark spots, and orange skin.  I use this one on my legs leading up to weddings.
3.  Bath & Body Works Midnight Pomegranate Hand Cream - $10.00
Since I work with the public, live in a city, and am constantly on the go I wash my hands a lot throughout the day.  To keep my hands from drying out I like to use this hand cream, it has a light fruity scent, and isn't too oily compared to others.
4.  MAC Prep & Prime Lip - $15.00
My dear friend Megan is engaged to a man that just happens to work for the company that makes my favorite makeup, MAC.  On one of my visits with them, he gave me this product and I've been hooked ever since.  I have had many of my friends ask how I get my lip color to stay throughout the day, this product is the answer.  I start with MAC Prep & Prime, then lipstick, then a little gloss.
5.  Sally Hansen Pumice Foot Polish, Lavender - $6.42
Since I work on my feet all day they take a beating.  Using this product weekly helps to feet my feet smooth and from getting too rough.
*Bonus Tips* There is almost always coupons for Nivea lotions in the Sunday paper.  Sally Hansen coupons can also be found in the paper, or in magazines.  The Body Shop puts out Groupons a few times a year, keep an eye out for these so you can stock up.

No Single Should Be Without...

Although transportation home seems like something everyone needs, it is extra important for a single girl.  It is always important for a single girl to make sure she has a safe way to get home.  When you are single you often have nights that take you all over the city, so it is important to ensure you never rely on others to get you back to your apartment. 
In Boston, the T is the cheapest way to get around town.  It is my preferred form of travel, but unfortunately the T stops running at around 12:30 (depending on the line), so it is extra important to save some of your cash from your night out for cab fare.  Anytime I go out for a night that I know is going to be a late night out I put the cash needed for cab fare in my back pocket to ensure I will not use it on drinks or cover charges. 
Since after last call cabs are hard to get, I always try to hop in a cab in the middle of the street so they can't say "no I'm not going there" and drive away.  Everyone seems to have their own way, and special location in town for getting a cab after 2AM, my tip find your own way, it's fun trying.  Also, if your cab drive attempts to drive extra slow just to get extra money from you, don't be afraid to speak up.  This is your place you are going too, so tell them the fastest way, and if you want them to drive faster let them know how much cash you have.... "I have $18 it's either going into the cab fare, or towards your tip, if your want a good tip please drive faster".

What's In... My Closet

With much thanks to my dear friend, Dani this is the start of a new series of blog posts called "What's In".  I will share with you different areas of my home and life.  First, is my closet.  I know at first look it looks like a big mess, but it's actually pretty organized.  Anyone that lives in a city (particularity an old city) can tell you, closet space is tough to find.  Thankfully I live on my own.  So the two closets in my apartment are all mine.

The above closet is my "coat closet", which is located in the living space of my apartment.  I use this closet for all of my holiday decorations, wrapping paper, vacuum, tools, clothes, and all those other little extras.  I have two large canvas file boxes on the top shelf to store all of my handbags.  I adore my handbags, so I wish I could have them someplace that I could see them all, and switch styles more often.  This closet all stores all of my formal dresses, suits, coats, jackets, and blazers.  On the inside of the door, I have all of my hats (mostly different styles of Red Sox baseball hats), fingerless gloves (I refuse to ever wear gloves that have fingers), and of course all of my scarfs.

Now for my bedroom closet.  From left to right:
- Scarfs & Belts
- Going Out Shirts
- Button Ups
- Work Pants
- Non-Denim Casual Pants
- Denim
- Dresses
I use the inside of my closet door to hang my go-to cozy lounge wear, my blow dryer, and pajamas.

I'll be the first to admit it, my shoe collection is larger then most people I know.  In my old apartment in the suburbs I was spoiled with two bedroom closets, one of which I used as a shoe closet.  The top shelf is full of all of my designer, and delicate shoes (the silver bin is used for my extra bed sheets).  What can I say, pretty shoes just make me happy.  I've been known to toss on a pair of pretty heels while I cook or clean, even when paired with sweatpants amazing heels always make me feel sexy.

More shoes on the outside of my closet door.  I put off getting one of these to hold my shoes, but as you can see I have more shoes then space.

And finally, MORE SHOES!  The floor of my closet is filled with all of my boots.  I also stacked up two crates on the floor for additional storage.  I use the bottom one for all my sneakers (since I don't wear them very often), and the top one for all of my flip flops (99% of which are Havaianas, my favorite).

12 Goals for 2012

How am I doing with my 12 goals for 2012?  I'll be honest, some better than others. 
1.  WORKOUT REGULARLY.... I have yet to work one even once!  I know it's really bad.  But, please if anyone has any tips on how they be on their feet all day at work and then still seem to workout PLEASE let me know!
2.  UNSUBSCRIBE... I've been doing really good with this one.  I can't tell you how nice it is to check my email and half of the number emails then I used to have.
3.  TAKE A VACATION... I am going away for a little weekend this coming weekend, I am looking forward to catching up with some friends, and getting out of town for a few days to recharge my batteries.
4.  SLEEP IN MY BED... Why is this so difficult for me?  I've still been sleeping on the sofa every night.
5.  STAY CLUTTER FREE... This has been great.  I've been so much better about taking a quick moment to hang up my clothes, and put them away.  To help I've added a small bookcase in my room with baskets for extra clothing storage.  This why after I do laundry there is enough room to put everything away.
6.  VOLUNTEER MORE... I've really been enjoying my volunteer work with the CCFA.  I'm looking forward to the Take Steps walk on June 2nd, and all the fun fundraiser projects I have planned leading up to the walk.
7.  DRINK MORE WATER... I have cut back a lot on my soda intake.  As I have been trying to drink more water and less soda, I have been drinking a lot of sparkling water (my favorite is with lime).
8.  TAKE MY VITAMINS.... I've doing good with this one.  It has also helped that I haven't skipped breakfast as much as I used too.
9.  LEARN FRENCH... Wow, French is a really hard lesson.  Whenever I sit down and work on my Rosetta Stone I think I'm doing pretty good, but my the next day I can hardly remember anything.  But I am getting better, I can remember words, but I'm still having a hard time at putting them together to make a sentence.
10.  SELF TAN... I've self tanned a little bit.  I've done a pretty nice job by using the Nivea Sun-Kissed Radiant Skin lotion, it very lightly and slowly tans your skin.  So it's great to use once every 3-4 days to keep from getting too pale in the winter months.
11.  OPEN MY MAIL... I would grade myself with an "A" for this one.  Compared to stack of junk mail that used to pile up at my door, there is nothing!  I have been great about separating out my junk mail on my way up the stairs in my building, and tossing it before I even take my coat off.
12.  WEAR MORE SKIRTS & DRESSES... I have been having a lot of fun with this one.  The great thing about dressing a bit cuter at work from time to time is that I don't hesitate as much as I used to about going out for a bit directly from work.  I used to ALWAYS insist on coming home to change first.

I will post another update next month.  Also, I promise to blog more this month!

No Single Should Be Without...

Welcome to a new series of blog postings!  "No Single Should Be Without..." is a fun suggestions for items that no single person should be without.  I discovered a fantastic grocery item, Ronzoni Pasta Portions.  Sometimes it seems silly to make pasta on a weeknight in by myself.  It can get a little tricky, most of the time I make more than I need for myself, and once the box is open it it takes a long time before I go back into the box.  Plus, I think we all have those times that the pasta box rips open and I end up wasting most of the box.  The joy of the Ronzoni Pasta Portions is that each box contains 3 small packages of boil in a bag pasta.  They are easy to prepare, only take 3 minutes to boil, and makes calorie counting simple (300 calories per pack).

12 Goals for 2012

Welcome to 2012!  Thanks to my wonderful friend Danielle I have come up with 12 goals for 2012, and will update all of you on my status of these goals on the 12th of every month!
1.  WORKOUT REGULARY
I'm good with working out once I get a routine going.  But the last time I had a good routine was in the spring of 2010.  This year I want to get back into the routine.
2.  UNSUBSCRIBE
I try not to give out my email address too often, but yet I still seem to get tons of junk email that I don't want.  But instead of unsubscribing to them, more often then not I simply delete them.  So this year, I'm going to unsubscribe.
3.  TAKE A VACATION
I'm great at taking a long weekend here or there, but I almost never go on a real vacation.  Although I have already planned to use some of my vacation time to go to the shore with my family, I am determined to go on a trip this year for ME.
4.  SLEEP IN MY BED
Ha, ha... No I'm not a slut, I stay in my apartment every night.  But I can't remember the last time I actually slept in my bed.  I have a habit of falling asleep in my living room every night.
5.  STAY CLUTTER FREE
This goes along with number four.  Every time I get ready to go out, I end up trying on a bunch of outfits and instead of putting away the outfits I don't wear I toss them on my bed, and end up putting them away once a week. 
6.  VOLUNTEER MORE
I always wanted to do as much as I could to help others, but I've realized I am not doing everything that I can.  I have decided to volunteer with the CCFA (The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America).  I have had crohn's since I was young so I'm well informed about the cause, and it is a cause that is close to my heart.  This is without question my single biggest goal for this year.  I've already done well starting with my volunteer work, I'll keep you updated as we go on throughout the year.
7.  DRINK MORE WATER
I'm a big caffeine addict, it starts with a coffee in the morning, a diet soda with lunch, and another at night.  The only water I ever seem to have is the ice from my iced coffee and soda.  I think cutting back on my caffeine will be tough, but if I can at least have more water I wouldn't feel quite as unhealthy.
8.  TAKE MY VITAMINS
I'm suppose to take vitamins everyday.  But over the last few months I've forgotten more often than not.
9.  LEARN FRENCH
Working for a French company, almost every email I receive for work is in French, and I don't know what any of it says.  It's even worse when I am on the phone with people from France, most of them know just enough English, and I don't know any French... it's pretty frustrating. 
10.  SELF TAN
Everyone that knows me knows I love self tanning lotion and spray tans.  But unless I have some type of event to prepare for I never keep up my faux tan.  But life should be enough of an event to be tan for.
11.  OPEN MY MAIL
Every night I come home from work, pick up my mail from my mail box, walk in the door, and toss my mail on my dining room table.  Then I go back once a week at the huge pile of mail and pick out the catalogs, toss them in the trash, pick out the bills and set them on my desk to be paid, anything else remaining stays sitting on my dining room table collecting dust.
12.  WEAR MORE SKIRTS & DRESSES
I love skirts and dresses.  So why don't I wear them more often?  It goes right along with number ten.  I am freakishly pale, so if my legs haven't been self tanned I don't feel comfortable in a skirt or a dress.