weekend recap and elmer fudd hats

ok. So we all know Pinterest is amazing. it shows us how to bake amazing eight course meals with only three ingredients at half the calories and teaches us how to make a gorgeous reupholstered storage ottoman using a newspaper and hot glue gun.... but what is up with the "women's apparel" category? I mean, I love the outfits and all, but I do not qualify any of those 5' 10" 105 lbs. 20 year olds as passable for what I am supposed to envision myself looking like in tights, a mini and booties. and how do leggings, a chunky open cardigan and low wedged boots qualify as a "winter" outfit!? c'mon ladies, if you really knew about real winters, you'd know that anything short of a fur lined Elmer Fudd hat (which, by the way, gives your "victoria's secret waves" hair STATIC!) and a shin-length parka from Fleet Farm is just not enough! 

here, in a less cynical version - I love the outfits but am less than captivated with most of what I see because at this point, it's all the same. leggings, tights, or "sweater tights" can only be worn so often with mini skirts or "tunic length" floppy, "cozy" sweaters. I'd like to see more variation - and not on gals who have toothpicks for legs. you all look adorable, but it's just not realistic. and I know someone could point the over the knee boot at me and ask why I don't make up my own outfits to share and go Pin-wild with online, but let's be real... I just don't have it in me. I don't have the time, creativity, fashion sense, or full length mirror with great lighting to pull this fantasy into the reality i (try to) live in.

aside from being annoyed yet impressed with Pinterest lately, i've tried a couple new juicipes (Juicer + Recipe = JUICIPE) and have been thoroughly satisfied with the outcomes (today? carrots, celery, ginger root, apple and a handful of spinach. DELICIOUS. no joke!!). Orange Theory has still been handing my tail to me a couple times a week and I am planning on upping my membership to monthly unlimited! yes. loving it.

last weekend was a great weekend - James's parents came up all the way from Oklahoma! unfortunately I was sick Friday through Sunday morning, but we still managed to have an enjoyable time and show them Minneapolis, St Paul and even southern Minnesota. I took Olivia to the football game Saturday and had the best time with her. She is such a goof ball and makes me laugh and definitely made me forget about feeling sick for a few hours. After the game we went to the farm with Ma and Pa Kilian and my parents and had some hot dogs, burgers and watched football and the Breeders Cup. We were home at a reasonable hour and passed out once our little heads hit the pillows. 

All in all, it's been a great November so far (holding my tongue regarding the Elections!) and I am looking forward to moving right along into a wonderful December and Holiday Season.

pics from the fun...

babysitting Olivia at the game. she was very well behaved.

olivia being a lioness...wearing my furry scarf. rarr!

"duckie, put me up there!" 

"no hunny, you will fall off!"

"no I won't. I will sit up there!"

and...she fell off.

me, baby O and James after the Breeders Cup. 

Our horses lost. wah wahhh.

Tomorrow I get to go to Olivia's school and be her "special guest" for the day! She asked me to be her special guest! swoon. that made my week. I've never looked so forward to going to school, until now! (except maybe in 9th grade when I had a mega crush on a certain someone. ahh. memories.) I am excited to see her school and experience Olivia interacting with her school friends. 

Oh - I almost forgot another highlight since my last post!

I hopped a jet to Paris right-quick. 

just for the day, you know. no big deal. 

ooh la la!

Happy no-more-political commercials!

three weeks till thanksgiving! and pantless PRIDE.

it's the final countdown!....until Thanksgiving, that is. mmm, yum. I cannot wait to see Pinterest blow up with (even more) ideas and insane creations to celebrate the brown holiday. yes, the brown holiday - and I'm not talking UPS. it's the brown holiday because of obvious reasons... we brown out on thanksgiving eve, turkeys are mostly brown (at least in my head), pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes are mostly brown, autumn ales are mostly brown, the trees and grass are brown... so it's the brown holiday.

still wondering what "brown out" means? think about it. the night before thanksgiving, what do TONS of people do (who don't have kids, most likely)? duh, hit the bars! so you don't black out, you.... got it?

so Halloweenie weekend was pretty dang fun. James rocked a handle bar mustache (REAL!) and paired it with a COP shirt and other appropriate accessories, Cody was a PIMP, Karin was a foxy FOX, Kristin was a taxi CABBIE driver, and i was a KITTY. we stuck to the Lyndale Avenue bars and had a ball! the night flew by. so much fun!

Cop. Kitty. makes sense.

 

Kitty. Cabbie. also makes perfect sense.

I do have to be honest. I did not wear pants on Saturday night. I can't help it! A couple years ago I went to a Lady Gaga concert and my life was forever changed. how? well, because I did not wear pants to Gaga - that was my first pantless outing - and it was awesome. i wore, basically, bikini panty bottoms with suspenders and a blazer and - well it was Gaga so we wore whatever our Monster hearts desired!! and to think, I was one of the more conservative outfits of the dresser-uppers at the show! what a hoot. so if you ever get the chance to go see Lady Gaga, GO! and leave your pants at home! anyway, Saturday I wore undergarments for my outergarments. of course! it was fun parading around town in what looked like a leotard. i love halloween, and this is a new reason (just one of many) why! meow.

the best part of halloween is no longer the dressing up, the candy, or carving pumpkins. the NEW best part of halloween is this:

I'll have some CHEESE, please!

Yes, of course that would be miss Olivia! how cute is she!! what a perfect mouse...the one and only mouse i want in my house! squeak!

one of my friends shared this amazing pic with me - any OHIO STATE fans out there will dig this!

 I MEAN COME ON! that is so bad a$$. I'm so proud.

O-H!!    I-O!!

Sunday morning after the witching hour we went to brunch - of course - at Town Hall Tap near Lake Nokomis. here's a pic of half of our breakfast menu... my favorites!!!

delicious!!

Something new James and I have been exploring is thanks to a documentary we recently watched, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly DEAD!" It's basically about a man who saves his own life by cutting out his partying, fast food, eating out, unhealthy habits, and switches to consuming only juicer "meals" for 60 days. he lost something like 85 pounds and gained a healthy new lifestyle. he also inspired a man along his journey to do the same, and the two of them have inspired thousands of people (at least, I'm sure!!) to make healthy adjustments - or UPGRADES as I call them! - in their own lives. James and i decided we should do more clean eating, at least on the weekdays, to help detox our bodies and help fill up on nutrients. We are pretty healthy eaters, as is, but what got me is the chance to detox our bods. get out all that crap we've been collecting over the months, YEARS, and reboot! my booty could use some rebootin', if ya know what i mean. wink WINK. 

new juicer - Breville - and this is a mixture of carrot juice and kale. 

we added ginger root and lemon and it was AWESOME!! 

it tastes delicious and refreshing and i want more! 

mmm! this was just celery, lemon, and apples. also DELICIOUS!

aside from halloween, the new juicer, and the cutest mouse in the universe, that's all for this week. hopefully tomorrow i'll have more to add about some other things going on lately and whatnots. 

thankful thursday... yes, i know. i am thankful for the opportunity to wear NO PANTS to bars and not get thrown out on the streets. oh, what a feeling of FREEDOM! thanks to all the women before me who fought to "wear the pants." I hope you're not rolling in your graves as I celebrate finally NOT wearing pants. glorious freedom.

on that note...

God Bless AMERICA!

see ya

Vikings lose, but I WIN!

boom.

HELLO WEEKEND!

birthday boy oh boy!

HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY to JAMES!

Yesterday was James birthday....which we celebrated with Pizza Luce, cupcakes, presents, wine and a great documentary. Yes kids, that's what happens when you have birthdays beyond your mid twenties. documentaries.  

YES, I serenaded him!

mmmm! his very own pizza! I hope he made a good wish!

(that was my niece's advice: make a good wish. ha!)

I woke up extra early (pat myself on the back) and made the Birthday Boy fresh beignets and donuts for breakfast, and packed his cooler with cupcakes to share with coworkers. I hope he felt extra special on his big day! or at least slightly embarrassed...I'll take either.

the other day i spotted something interesting, yet gross. for anyone who knows me, i despise crocs. they embody all that is wring with america. they are the lazy shoe. the grungy shoe. the lame excuse for a shoe. a shoe that tries to pass itself off as more than what it truly is. here is what i assume to be the latest attempt at being a fashionable shoe...

repulsive! just because they are pink 

does NOT make them cute or fun or even interesting.

at least they don't have those stupid charms on them!

seriously, folks...what is up with these things? if you're wearing crocs, you may as well throw on a pair of pajama pants or zubas and tie your hair back with your favorite scrunchie. please america! let's stop the Frumpy Movement! I don't even want to know what kind of bacteria flourishes in these spongey things. naaaaasty.

so, hate to be a brat, but....guess i just am.

that's all for today...now we're off to cheer on the Minnesota Vikings (...speaking of outdated and questionable fashions such as Zubaz)!

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!!!!!!! yes.

say hello to my little friend...

hello there, my friend Friday! you sure got here in a hurry this week - thanks for that hustle! 

wow this week flew by! busy at work, busy at home - good things! saturday will be a fun time out in northfield for James' football game, then we're having folks over at "the farm" for food and a bonfire. should be great. 

i have definitely seen some crazy things this week. I tried nabbing a pic of a Rascal with RIMS, but my camera app was just not 'with it' quick enough, so i missed out. I did, however, see the cutest and funniest thing while i was walking to target one afternoon -

view from the skyway overlooking the intersection

this lady is walking across the street with her kids - 2 of whom must have gotten new chairs at Target...and this is how they were carrying them! on their heads! it was so darn cute and funny i couldn't resist snapping a pic! I was definitely the crazy lady giggling in the skyway that day... so worth it though. they were even cuter in person!

dangerously delicious. do not buy them. 

ok buy them. 

but have a few and ditch the rest, 

or find it on your hips and bum next week!

have you heard of these? candy corn M&Ms. yes. it's like heaven+rainbows, but in my mouth! they are amazing. i am going to make pumpkin bars and put them in the mix - should be delicious! and definitely worth gaining weight over...well, maybe not...but I am certainly going to be playing with fire on this one.

on my way home from work the other day i saw something so funny i almost laughed my way through a great photo opp! do you see what i see? .....

on the corner of Lake & Blaisdell, which is White Castle...

thats a Minneapolis Fire Dept. truck (duh) parked in front of White Castle. normal, for the most part - firefighters gotta eat too! - however...HOWEVER!!!....note the "Heavy Rescue" labeling on the truck! haha, get it? heavy rescue called to the White Castle! Must have been their new Jalapeno popper burgers! whatever they are called - i had one, maybe three, and they are delicious. and they definitely made me heavier!! oye!

lastly, for dinner last night, James and I got a little experimental - in the kitchen!! we took a crack at making up our own BLT-zza! and we were pleased with the end result. pizza crust + smidgen of BBQ sauce + B (baked in the oven, even! and grease blotted OFF! YES!) + L + T = no leftovers!

bakin' bacon!

mmmm. BLT, Pizza, BBQ all together? Yes PLEASE!

tonight should be a low key night of prep for tomorrow (think i am making a few desserts and possibly even Bushwhacked Jello shots! mmm!), a relaxing yet sweaty workout, and maybe even a movie... I am thinking Snow White & the Huntsman on the couch or Argo! decisions, decisions! guess i will let time and James decide.

happy weekend! friday is my new BFF.

busy busy....quick update!

back again. let's be honest. it's been made clear to me that blogging-on-the-regular is not my forte, if you know what I mean.

things that have been happening lately? let me tell you...my house finally made one giant step forward by recently acquiring not only INTERNET, but also, and more astounding, APPLE TV. YES. it's so cool... I don't know how it works, but it does. and it works in my house, on my TV, which might be the most magical thing of all.ever.and ever.amen.

ok so maybe that's a little overkill, but for those who know me, I am not the most technologically advanced person (but I DO have an electric toothbrush at least!), so having the WWW is pretty awesome and the Apple TV is just plain impressive! I've so far seen tons of TV shows I never even knew existed!! isn't that exciting? it's like adding mental clutter to my brain. just what i need!! 

another very exciting thing in my life - something that I love way more than WWW and Apple TV goodness - OrangeTheory FITNESS. oh my oh my gosh. First, thank you to my lovely neighbor Jill (ok, and Rick) for turning me on to my new favorite addiction! I highly encourage you to check out OrangeTheory Fitness (OTF) if you're into working out, sweating, pushing yourself to your limit, being awesome, kicking butt and getting your butt kicked. It's a super fun and intense workout that involves getting you into your fat-burning heart rate zone ("orange zone") and pushing yourself to -and beyond!?!- your known limits. The class is one hour quick and consists of a rowing machine (your booty will thank you!), the treadmill (half of the class time - hope you like HILLS! and bring a sweat towel!), and floor exercises (i love when it's referred to as "the floor" and "floor exercise" because it makes me think, just for a second, that I'm a gymnast!) which really are abs, weights, Bosu ball, medicine ball, resistance training, etc... Anyway, it is a fabulous workout and so far I'm in love. lust. love and lust. I want to go all the time and when I'm not there, I am thinking about being there. so, whatever that means, that's where I'm at.

one more very significant thing going on partially in my life involves my two very great friends, Kristin and Scott.... you would now refer to them simply as THE GOOLSBEYS! Congratulations on a B-E-A-utiful wedding day and marriage! Kristin and Scott "tied the knot" on Saturday, October 13th in St Paul, Mn. What a glorious day!! everything went as perfectly as possible and i am very certain that every single person had a BLAST! I am so happy for Scooter and KG....now they will head to FIJI (YES,  FIJI!!!) for ohhh, you know... a couple WEEKS! how awesome. I'm so happy for them both and slightly jealy of Fiji....ok, completely jealy.

Kristin and Scott G!

me and James...after a few drinks (and I think he's chowing on Jimmy Johns?)

Monique, me, Meredith and Kristin...pretty!!

James and Monique....something on their face??!

so that's it. next up I have to brainstorm a great halloween costume for myself (and James). I've just been so consumed with tons of other things that i've had almost no time (and brainpower) to come up with something great. Might just be another year of the Cat or Mouse or Bunny or Mummy (I love all those costumes, so I don't mind!!). we will see. James already shot down my Mickey & Minnie proposal, so I guess I've got to do better than that. but seriously, how funny would it be to see James as Mickey Mouse!! haha!!

tonight's agenda includes: baking pumpkin chocolate cookies for James to share at work, a workout session (likely a run outside), and hopefully kicking around a few new -and improved- halloween costume ideas. tomorrow morning will be another 5:30 AM workout at Orange!!!! go check it out!

cheers to a happy wednesday and here's to a speedy thursday and friday!

i still have a pulse.

oops. wow, i've been a little bit, umm, absent lately. so much has happened in the last couple weeks/since my last post... yet everything is still the same.

I've been so busy with work and at home and have quite simply been too tired to write or to even think of what TO write. I know this comes as a surprise because my life is just so thrilling, it would seem as though i have endless adventures to log, blog and clog. ha, maybe not.

so what have I been getting into lately? well, i had another anniversary of turning 21 years old, i will say that much. so we had a little "fall party" in slight conjunction with the ol' day-of-birth celebration, and it was a great time! we had folks over to our house (failed to snap any pics of the simple yet effective set up/bar) then scooted to Gasthof's for Oktoberfest!! let's see... at the house we had spiked warm cider, vodka soaked gummi bears (delicious), plenty of food and a rather impressive (brush yo' shoulder off) boozey table/bar spread. i may have over done it, again. I cannot help myself! I have an extreme personality, meaning i cannot do pretty much anything in moderation. therefore, we had about 5 different flavors of schnapps, oodles of mixers, pumpkin, caramel, apple, vanilla flavored everything, jagermeister (yeah, I know!!), and even glow in the dark Kanye West glasses for party favors. anyway, it was a really fun night and i think the only pic i have is of the vodka-bathed (BLOATED) gummi bears. which were delish - incase i failed to mention (which i know i didn't).

other than the party, we've just been enjoying Carleton Football (go knights!) on saturdays and then "whatever" else on the weekends. maybe going out, maybe staying in watching college football... we hit Town Hall Brewery for brunch to celebrate my dad's birthday (and mine) and James and I went again last Sunday (YES, that is 2 Sundays in a row! blushing...) and had more delicious food and a fun time.

My yummy beer + Olivia's chapstick 

(found it in my purse) 

= hydrated lips and happy belly!

anyway, this is all i've got for right now because I have a few other tasks to get finished. no major news to report...just a speedy HELLO and I AM STILL ALIVE.

Oliva's picture day 2012!

Olivia being a back seat diva while 

driving to James football game last weekend.

I really love spoiling her.

Shopping in Target... 

more or less consisted of buying sh!t 

we don't need and playing hide & seek 

in the racks with O-girl. so mature, I know.

oh, i guess this is something awesome and pretty much worthy of posting on the interwebs:

friggin awesomely delicious and FULL OF SUGAR!!!

i ate one and was more than satisfied. will share the rest.

worth the $3. buy them.

ok, time to run and watch the presidential debate. haha, just kidding. my mind has been made up for the last four years. catch my drift?

happy wednesday.