Baby It's Cold Outside

The weather is changing here in NYC. For the first time here, my face is cold, my hands are cold, and my ears are cold. I know that "cold" hasn't even started though for the winter.

But with the cold wind also comes the Christmas season! E and I went and bought our tree the other day and trekked it right on home fully equipped with some garland as well.  Our tree is all set up with lights, a star on top and some red berries. We even watched Parenthood (while crying of course) and strung popcorn!! I have never done that before, and it was really fun to do. I made the center piece for our table, and the wreath as well! Of course Mamba and I needed to have some new stockings, so glitter pens were purchased and I went to town :)

E and I plan to have a Christmas Tree lighting party. We are inviting about 15-20 people to come and drink wine, eat treats, play games, and each person is asked to bring a home made ornament to place on the tree before we light it up :) Doesn't that sound like fun?!

I love NYC, and the people I am meeting are great. So friendly, but I still miss my sisters and my friends oh so much. I can't wait until family and friends come so that I can share what I have come to love about the city with them, and find new places as well.

Still can't up load photos (booooo blogger) so when I do there will be a flood of them I am sure!!

OH and I am done painting my room "Jamaican Bay" teal and "frolic" pink. I found a rug at Urban Outtfiters to match the colors and bring in some greens, reds and browns.

Mamba and Toby are actually playing now! They chase each other and run around. But every now and then Toby's claws get the better of poor Mamba and thats when I find her cuddled up in my bed :/ Poor little kitty cat.

OH and the other day I went to Michaels to buy white chocolate peppermint candies, candy molds and Oreo cookies to create a yummie yummie treat!!!

I miss reading Harry Potter, I miss Sister Sundays, and I miss Paradise Bakery cookies :)

Love, B

Start Spreading the News...

For some time now Frankie singing "New York, New York" has been my ring tone. I have loads of pictures to share, but can't figure out the how tos just yet. But it feels so very odd to have not been on my beloved blogger in so long. So where should I begin?

On Wednesday night two weeks ago, I sat around my kitchen table in Chandler Az and laughed and chatted with my three very best friends and my sister dearest. I cried a rather ugly cry when it came time to say good bye to each of them. And in many ways I don't think it has STILL hit me that they are not right around the corner from me.
The flight with mamba my darling brave kitty cat was...trying. On both of our nerves. The calming meds laughed in both our faces and did little to actually put her to sleep. In fact on a rather particularly shaky landing into Chicago it was both incredibly sad, and funny in a way only a delirious woman such as myself could find funny when mamba projectile vomited out of her kennel on the plane. yep.. I was that girl.
She is so happy now though in her new digs, and his making less and less hissing sounds at her new buddy Toby..my new roommates female cat.

I love New York. It i exactly what I wanted it to be without it trying too hard. I came at just the right time to still see the beautiful changing leaves and have the fun brisk walks with colorful scarves and cute shoes. SHOES! Oh the shoes. How they have let me down. I am not sure if I'm the only one, or if no one else is talking about it. So let me be the first. MY FEET KILL. I mean this in a very real way. Waiting in long lines at amusement parks feet has NOTHING on this feeling. Hiking all day in poor quality shoes have NOTHING on these feet. These feet burn they hurt so bad. Throbbing would be better then the amount of pain I get in my feet. If You say "try inserts" I might just come through my screen and strangle you..a little. Because I have currently THREE different kinds in my one pair of shoes. So. Sex in the City can suck it because ain't no way I will be jaunting around town in high heels for the look of it. I'm getting all "working Girl" in this bitch and wearing practical ugly shoes with a cuter pair hidden n my giant baglady bag.
Well... that was a rather unexpected rant. Needed however.

I have started to train at the Tequila Bar and Resturant and I love it.  work with some very nice and talented people. Singers dancers acters.. everyones got something. Except this girl (me) who is an  massage therapist :) There have been a few celebs who have come in which is fun and also a test of just how creepy one is. Such as when the girl from Boy Meets World came in and I had to resist the urge to reach out and pet her hair. I didn't of course.. but man did I want to. Ugh red flags right! lol

I have learned three things thus far about New Yorkers. One: they aren't that mean.. and if you are being yelled at by one of them you probably deserve it. Just like the woman I yelled at on the street three days in of being here.. you just cant STOP in the way of everyone come on now. Two: They aren't looking up not because they are jaded and no longer appreciate the view of the buildings.. its because we are trying to not trip, or step in something sticky and yucky. And Three: Theyre kinda awesome. I cant explain the last one. But when I was riding on the subway one day tired and unwilling to give my seat up to anyone, I watched and joined in as everyone in the car got up and gave their seat up to the tired and cold runners of the New York City Marathon runners complete with a round of applause each time more got on. They surprise me, delight me, and inspire me.

So glad I have arrived. So glad that I have you all back too :)

I will write again soon..must go paint my bedroom!

 I will also be catching up on all YOUR wonderful blogs too so look for those late comments !

Love-B

{happy face}

This is Mamba.

My cat.

 And my love.

This is Mamba being pretty much no help at all this past weekend.

 But isn't she a peach?!

{NOT so peachy? Cat hair on my luggage :/}

 My sweet sweet bestie A sent me this picture {not sure where she got it} but she said that it reminded her of me in NY.. Aww.. sweetest thing ever right? I know. it is now my screen saver! You know it :)

I have had some amazing conversations with my momma lately. I love her soooo very much! She is wise, but she is HILARIOUS and we laugh until out faces hurt most days on the phone. I will miss being a drive away from her when I move next week.

..isn't she so beautiful! Always with a flower in her hair!

My momma at my bestie "StoBirds" wedding.

Seriously... who else literally kicks up their heels like my momma!

***

Words for thought..  

..and Ritz Bitz Cheese are apparently my food for thought as I have eaten so many of them I will soon become a Ritzbitz myself according to my mother if I do not stop eating them. Can't help it though. it is the perfect Emily Dickinson and Harry Potter reading breakfast lunch dinner snack!

I have two feelings on the topic I am about to sent a link to.
One: I don't want to ruffle feathers, and I don't want nasty grahams from peeps on here either. I especially don't want people to be offended.
Two: isn't my blog. Since when is this for anyone else? And besides if you feel the same, or maybe have never thought of things in this light before.. perhaps this will lead you to ask some questions..

It is along the same lines as the documentary I posted about "The Cover" awhile back.

For a while now {since before I became a vegetarian} I have felt that zoos and places like Sea World {***} are just not the best environments for these animals or creatures. I see the benefits to humans of these habitats and have enjoyed going myself as a child and young adult. But for the past several years now after hearing story after story of these animals attacking trainers, or children who are throwing objects at them {you ass hat child! and you ass hat parents!} they are the ones who are being further punished by being put down.
 I feel the article I read on Yahoo explained my feelings on it better from PETAs stand point regarding their lawsuit against SeaWorld.
Read it here, and tell me what you think!??

{***} I do not include habitates for endangered species where the goal is to rehabilitate the animal back into the wild, or protective parks that let the animals roam feeling and naturally in the grand acres and acres and acres of land.

Happy Hour Every Hour

all from

Tonight I am going to meet some old guy friends of mine for some good old fashion Happy Hour!

Secrets shall be shared of the crazy weeks past over a cocktail...

 {ok, technically it will be a beer. I'm a beer girl}

But my biggest secret.. the one I will not be telling any of the dudes...

The secret I can't get out of my mind?

..

No. I have not read the books. Yes. I plan to.

Movie extravaganza begins tonight! HIZAH!

I went online to Ethan Allen and they tell me {and because I believe any quiz I take to be true {yes. including cosmo} I am a mix of Classic and Romantic style. I think that the picture below includes both. Don't you?

How nice to wake up from a Harry Potter Watchathon on such cozy pillows, how nice to crack open the first book to read with the sun light filtering in from this window, and how fresh the room would smell with the giant arrangement of flowers... 

Also, in recent past it has been shouted at me {read ass hat roommate} that I am a cat abuser...

This is the most redonkulous thing I have been called in my 24 {almost 25 years September!} of Life...

Re...Donk people

{see} {see} {see}

It makes my soul hurt thinking that someone will pet my cat in the wrong way, not address her like a real human in conversation, or not bend down and kiss her tiny little noggin when she gives you the "Hey, kiss my tiny adorable noggin" look.

LOL ok is that not the cutest little cat face you have ever seen??

Here is on of my Mamba darling to compare... I know.. ADORABLE!

mine

smp

Alllllllllllllllllllllllrighty then!

I am going to trot off now-- "Trot! Trot trot" --{S&theC}

Happy Hour then Blockbuster for a HP night..

{apologies to the roommies {except the *@! one} for all the shouting that is sure to come from my room tonight}

Then its reading time Saturday. Laundry Time. Return books and check out new one time. And get dressed up and head out on the town time.

Sunday bring more movie watching time. More sister time. And much, much more cat cuddle Grey's Anatomy watching time.. of course!

What are your plans?

 

Ya Know...

I love all animals. I do. But I love my cat. She is adorable. Cuddly. Feisty. Funny. And asks how my day is every.single.day. And yes, I have full on conversation about just exactly how my day went! I know many of the blogs I read they have cute little dogs, and I do love me a puppy.. but all this cat time has me with cats on the brain!
A few weheartit.com cat pictures I found that illustrate what I love about them for the cat lovers out there :)

(yeah I pretty much just discovered weheartit hence why I am posting a bunch load of  pictures from their site these days.. I'll chill out with it soon bahaha)

And this is my beautiful little love bug Mamba

yeah her collar or "necklace" as we call it in our family is blinged out :)

So cute! Find someone-something cuddly this week to curl up with and nap, watch a favorite show, or read...

Baby of the Family~ looking forward to a week of every kind of love

.Full.

Wednesday is my day off, hence why on Thursday morning you all get a flood of my comments on the posts I missed out on. I finished "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell" with mamba the cat napping between chapters.

Please don't hate me girls, but this book made me laugh out loud into my empty, still, and quiet room more then once. Although this guys is horrid, he has some funny insights, and stories I never in my wildest of all wild dreams!

I do not recommend this for many. Read at your own risk.. very Dante.

**

So today after work I am getting my hair cut. I am not sure if I want to get it colored or not.. and I still haven't decided on the cut either.. I know.. Im one of 'those" clients.

But to my hairstylist credit she always gives me what a want.. even if it is in code.

Her assistant however, do not! I hate when I get her. My HD knows this and has stopped letting this other girl do very much besides wash my hair.. even then.. ugh. she just bugs.

She has a constant MK and Ashley kissy face look on her face the entire time. Says "huh" to EVERYTHING and if she happens to elaborate on a subject she will end her statement with an "..en stuff.."

She is a dud.

That is all.

***

OK so BEHOLD! ALL the colors my hair was this last year lol:

(Picture taken in Texas in July) 

Really red. like.. fruit punch red people. But would you believe this is JUST what I wanted? probably not. Who would. ME!

Each year I go and do something/see something new

Last year I decided to go to the Jazz Festival in New Orleans. It was awesome. pearl Jam. BB King and so many more. I had a dream a month or so before of myself.. listening to the music. Happy as a clam. Sitting on my sweater on the damp grass.. Giant glasses on, face to the sun, super red hair.

I lived the dream... Then let the color fade out..

(Side note Picture: this picture is of my sister in Texas. it is one of my all time favorites of her. is she not the cutest person you have ever seen in you life? I know.. me too!)

 

(picture taken in September)

This hair color doesnt have a name.. its called.. faded.. copper ish. but also.. kinda pretty. I liked it.

(Picture taken December)

I took this picture in the park with my sister and dog Marlee. Its much much darker now. My natural hair color

...

Shhhh.

 Is SUPER ashy or "mouse" brown. I already have a few greys people. I both love them.. and raise an eye brow at them in the mirror in the morning.

As far as cuts go.

I really want bangs! I think they are so cute when they are blunt cut with long hair:

These two lovelies make it look so easy.

But I NEVER want to style the bangs. So that makes me a bang wearing no no.

But I am not sure what else to do??

I have been growing my hair back out for so long. I want to cut it when I move to NYC in some adorable way.. but for now! I have no idea.

 help.. ideas?



Welcome Back, Welcome Back

Ah the new work week. No more holidays, shopping days, or laying in bed and eat pie... days.

That is, until this weekend ;)

Let us get the previous week recap underway and out of the way shall we?

Wednesday: was lousy with Gilmore watching, *cat camping, and general running around to shop-ness.

(*Cat camping is something of a mixture of games I play with my Mamba. "Kitty taco" where she is "tacoed" with the blankets from my bed while I screech "KITTY TACO" at the top of my lungs, and she enjoys the hammock like ride. The "I will hide from you to keep you from meowing in my face this morning" game which is.. pretty self explanatory. I love my cat dearly but when she is yelling at me on mornings where I CAN sleep in past 9 it is not appreciated. So sometimes when I feel crafty, and a little creeper.. I slowly disappear under my covers when she isn't looking.. then proceed to surprise attack her when she least suspects it and she is then kitty tacoed until I am laughing waaaaay to hard at myself and cat to continue any longer.)

- I know... your glad you asked right :)

Thursday "Turkey Day" or as I called it "Side Dish Day": started early at 8:30 (early for a holiday any way) and started to make more whoopie cookies and frosting (which came out a little strange) and three pies (two apple/one pecan). My lovely sister Amanda came and picked me up to see Love and Other Drugs around one. The movie made me cry and really want to perm my hair to look like Ann Hathaways'. After the movie I finished the pies and headed to a family friends house where they ate, I drank and all were merry. Around 7 we made our final stop at friends house #2 the "kid house". ADORABLE! I love them all. All cracked out on Thanksgiving food and toys, everything!

My sister and I got home around 8:30 when I started in to make our sides from scratch. Garlic and sour cream mashed potatoes, marsh mellow yam bake, and green bean casserole. YUM! We watched Avatar and ate till we were cross eyed.

I rolled home late.

Friday: I regrettably woke up at 4:45am and made the chilly decent out into the sale world. All in all I got a new pair of sneakers, am down my personal (expensive) VS jacket someone shimmied out from under my arm, movies, books and thermals.

I happily left the mall madness for this little face:

Audrey's most adorable boys needed to be fed and loved on, and it is soooo what I needed too.

I napped and spent all of glorious Saturday in bed at home with cozy socks on. More Cat camp was had.

Sunday I decided to shake things up a tad. Just a tad. and travel south to Tucson so see my other most amazing sister. Thing is, she is currently keeping a watchful eye on my *dad.

(*This is causing many noggins to be scratched, jaws to drop because I do not have the greatest relationship with my dad. Or much of one to even categorize as such. But it went well. That entire visit is a post all in itself. 

The weekend was full, and relaxing at the same time.

Hope everyone had a great time with first time hosting duties, visiting family, and getting those deals!

From the looks of it you all did just that.

Welcome back to the work week!



DIY Weekend

These are some pictures from my recent trek across the desert to see my cousins and Grandpa.

Even though I prefer the ocean, woods, or a good city sky line, the desert can be pretty!

Beers poolside with my gramps. I think each of us grandchildren have one as soon as we are old enough ;)

I realize pictures of old men aren't as lovable to those who don't know them. But Rex (left) is about 92, adorable, mean, and looks a little like a bird, yes?!

*

*

My wonderful cousins. How I love them so. We felt a little like we were taking prom pictures before I hit the road lol. That's what happens when you haven't seen them in a few years, "Ok, now one with me in the middle!"

***

PHOTO BOOTH! Ok a slightly crazy version of myself arrived fashionably late for my sisters party on Friday night. "Audrey" and I, along with "Underwood" fashioned a back drop for the entry way. And although not all the girls were ready for their close up, my ladies and I hammed it up (sorry Audrey, I said Ham)

You can't see our "Girls Night" writing in this picture.. but there was also a cream colored bow ;)

***

For many years my family chose a family members' name out of a hat and wrote a letter to them, and created a way to present it to them for Christmas. We got pretty out of control for something that was created to save money. Quilts, videos, tapestry, treasure chests were all made by my crafty family each year.

Ideas still come and go even though we no longer do that for Christmas. In fact we have taken more of the "Aren't we all a little too old to be sending gifts for Christmas?", or the "I flew out here to see you, that is your gift" approach to Christmas. Which is more then fine. But for birthdays, what we call "non gifts" are still welcomed on this day.

 Example: my mothers birthday was this past week. A complex lady with many hidden talents and interests makes it both fun and varied when making her something. My sister traded in many of her books in exchange for a gift card to one of our favorite places to shop called Changing Hands. Along with several pretty, smell good things. I decided to create sort of an inspirational piggy bank. That's the only way I can explain it.

Here are my thoughts to arrive at this idea via my iPhone pictures. (MAN I love my iPhone!)

Walking around Fabric stores and down rows upon rows of ribbon at Michael's.

I bought a small piece of fabric and cut a slit in the middle, and textured the sides of it. This piece went over the top of a smooth jar to serve as the opening to put money in :) I sewed the slit with green matching thread to make sure the slit wouldn't get larger as time goes by.

I bought this ribbon to tie in a bow around the neck of the jar along with little cream colored tags to write my "Happy Birthday" messages on. I also sewed on  little charms.

With millions of magazine cut outs of images I knew she liked, beaches, Africa, Ireland ect. I made a lay out first...

Since the "Piggy Bank" is to serve as her Travel Savings, I also decoupaged on coins from around the world (why do I have coins from other countries laying around... no idea) as well as some pretty cobalt blue glass beads.

Starting layer by layer I put the images in place, and layered on the coins and glass pieces. I don't have a picture of the finished product.. "whats that all about?" I know. I can sneak one in the next time I'm over there.

also, this is my helper... awe isn't she sweet!

Ok officially longest post EVER. But so much to get caught up on. Pheww.

Taking back porch

On any given Sunday you can be sure to find me burrowed in my bed of hand crafted quilts and pillows, cat hair included. This is the one day a week I can sleep in and enjoy lying still with no where to go. The occasional bitch slap awake from Mamba is to be expected any time I sleep in past 7am. But on Sundays even she enjoys the lazy mood in the apartment. We' e had this routine down for months now, and until last Sunday it was uninterrupted bliss!



It started before the sun came up... that high pitched chirp. A chirp so loud and so piercing that it woke me from a dead sleep. I love sleep like I love members of my family. Waking someone from said deep sleep, is punishable by pillow thrown at your face... hard. However, this was no time to whip my pillow out the balcony doors and into the tree... no, no time at all. So instead I chose three very unlady like words to string together and yelp the phrase a few times back mocking the small beady eyed branch clinger. But this was not nearly enough. The bird chirped louder, and more frequently forcing my two feet to land flat on the ground.



I had a plan, a dream if you will, that my next counter strike would be both rewarding and entertaining. I caught Mamba looking out the glass doors with the same furrowed eye brows and disapproving look. So I called her down off the bed and slowly slide the slider open to the balcony and let her loose! Her cat like instincts kicked in right away. She slithered along the side of the wall.. she ducked down under the lounge chair.. she.. she hid. Ok, so her cat like instincts were those of a pampered house cat more than the jungle beast I had in my dream..but I still had hope. "Stalking her prey" I thought. I walked away to leave her to her business of bird scaring.



I went about my morning brushing my teeth, cleaning up last nights feast by the comfy chair, and washed my face. I could still hear the bird, and if at all possible it was getting louder. I glanced back to see Mamba run into my room, and behind my legs. She was literally hiding behind my ankles now from a bird! A bird! This was not only against nature but against house rules.

I would have none of this.



I plucked her up into my arms and marched her out onto the balcony where the bird sat, perched and all too full of himself on the railing. I didn't stop "rawwwwr"ing while waving my cat in the air at the tree until I realized I was doing so with an audience. What you've never seen a woman in her nightie shaking her cat in the morning air before? Common people, get real.

Movement In My Sheets

There must be a major change coming, or I have already made that major change. In any case there is a change in the sheets....not wind.

Easy to spot, and has been my defense since I was a small child on why my room looked like "a war zone" (Come on really? Does it?) I.. am a burrower. I surround myself with things I love and what comforts me. Ever since I was a wee child, you could find a number of dolls, bears, silk sheets, soft towels, books, music, in a fortress of blankets on my bed. I slept with it all. And what didn't fit spilled out onto my floor, apparently in a "war path" like disarray. I have some what tamed this nasty habit of bringing favorite objects into my bed, mostly because I end up with a book corner in my eye in the morning. But also because I'm trying to be the grown up I "should" be.

(For the record:Hate the word should, loath it even)

But there is another bedroom habit I have. As I have grown older I find that I mostly get this from my mother with whom I have been on the other end of many 'a sofa chairs rearranging living rooms until it was "just so", before she would go on to the next project. But I have taken this to a weird level in which I rearrange my bedroom corresponding with change in my life. Bad break up? New school? New house? New season? New way of thinking? Ideas? Hair cut prompting new attitude? You can find me in my room no doubt pushing my bed across the room with my back to the bed and feet firmly pressed against a near by wall for leverage.

But I can usually feel it coming on.. like a sneeze. I brace myself and start to draw rectangular rooms and props on napkins, paper and anything I can scribble out new layout ideas on.It is just an impulse. With any bad break up, for example it is routinely: ice cream, followed by a night out with the girls, and then in the morning bright, ok maybe not early, I am sweat pants clad and on the move in my room with music blaring. Everyone knows this.

But today I had no clue. There was no tingling in the nose, no 'Ah ..Ahhh. Ahhhhhh' before the 'chooo!' And yet here I am mid arrangement in my room. Tables pushed out from the wall ready for its new home. While I look into Feng Shui ideas, I am left wondering..what changed? No break up, new thought process, attitude, or hair even. It isn't Spring. I am a bit annoyed that I couldn't feel it coming this time. Is this how it is going to be from now on? No warning? Has my weird habit shifted into something else? Or am I getting to be that efficient that I am rearranging before the change? hmm. Doubtful. I am also a procrastinator to the very core of me. I am procrastinating right now with you before finishing my rearrangement...see that's not it.

I think I have decided, sitting here with time to think now. That I would like my bed to be at an angle... there isn't much of a choice seeing as how I have lived here two years and already rearranged three times. There are only so many walls..and God forbid I move back to an old pattern, ew. That would be like resorting back to old habits. And we can't have that now can we? No.

-Burns..on the move.