I Want to Send a Shout Out...

Happy Birthday to my friend Kammie (brunette).

Birthday dinner at Do Di Yo's was divine.

Would highly recommend the snapper!

MJ (center) was there 

and we all enjoyed a friend of Kammie's reference 

to instead of "Facebook's News Feed" 

but rather, "Facebook's Puter Outer."

Made my night.

Happy 26 Kammer (a.k.a. Barr).

Oh, and my lovely Andrew.

This one is Cosby's brother

and I don't get to see and hang out with him enough.

Marley and I wish you a very happy birthday!

What Should My Super Hero Name Be?

For the past couple of months,

all light have a starburst glow.

Let me try and paint you a picture.

I'm guessing if you drove down this street,

you would see the lights as they appear below.

If I were to drive down this street,

the lights look like this.

Not just at night,

any light source,

any time of day.

So after a 3 hour eye exam,

I discover not only that my vision is 20/15,

but as my eye has changed shape as all experience due to age,

instead of decreasing in performance,

my eye's shape changes have increased my visibility

causing me to see more of the light ray than the average human eye.

Seriously?

While thrilled to learn I have no true vision impairment,

there is no true solution to resolving starburst or light ray vision

which cause headaches and driving at night mildly difficult.

I just knew going in I either had:

1. astigmatism

2. brain tumor (should never let Google diagnose you)

Fully embracing my fate,

I had even tried on some glasses at Lookmatic.

While none of the options were something I was strongly considering,

I did love the idea of the Virtual Try-On!

I wish there was an identifiable name for this

that is just as common and widely understood as astigmatism.

What should my super power name be?

I'm thinking something with starburst...

Deflated

My problem is this:

I've forever been one of those classified people

with a constant, scrolling mental "to-do" list I seem to keep 

but feel I'm inadequately maintaining.

A part of me thinks perhaps my perceived time allotted

for tasks is greatly skewed and definitely way off.

I'm really working on prioritizing

 and halving what I would naturally tend to think

 I could do in a certain amount of time.

Does anyone else do this?

Nasty Gal

Yes, it's a legit online web store

with trendy, affordable clothes and accessories.

Funny story how I got there...

a coworker told me about the site at work while away from my desk.

By the time I got back to my computer,

I typed in an incorrect variation of the intended store's URL

which as you can imagine took me to, well, 

not an online store and definitely lacked clothing, ahem.

After the work computer lockup catastrophe and mild embarrassment,

I added the below to my shopping list!

Chevron Collar Necklace

Piza Necklace

Badlands Woven Belt

Wild Night Beaded Clutch

Scalloped Cutout Dress

Kelsey Platform Wedge

Caballero Ankle Boot

Wish I Was There

cape

Have You Seen This?

Of course I'm partial being a Stella & Dot stylist,

but how could you not be in love with our Spring Collection necklaces?!

1. Gold Brass Bead Leather Bib Necklace

2. Bahari Necklace

3. Pegasus Necklace

4. Bianca Tassel Necklace

5. Serenity Necklace

6. Zahara Bib Necklace

7. Campari Necklace

Mobile Mood Board

The time has come for a wardrobe revamp.

Tossing "what was I thinking" items was the easy part.

Ramping up to a closet closely mirroring the above will take time.

However, with great determination and thought,

I built the above image and have saved to my phone.

When shopping and trendy distractions present themselves,

I will simply access my mobile mood board

and cross reference the item in question to my new determined style.

a.k.a. - Fashion for Dummies

They Lie...

See all the wood to the girl's immediate left in the image below?

Assuming the firewood is not photoshopped

or temporarily placed for this shot,

this girl must have 5 times as many roaches.

While I love my wood burning stove,

wood transportation/storage is beyond cumbersome.

I would love to store extra wood in such aesthetically pleasing ways featured here

however, living with insects is not an option.

In case no one has any indoor storage suggestions,

please tell me where I can purchase the Piet Indoor Stove!

Chimney free,

burns ethanol in place of wood,

can be placed anywhere,

brass reflector to inhibit smoke/soot

and decision-maker fabulous gold punch and Dutch silhouette that I must own.

Heavenly.

Pillow Talk

As I continue to search for the perfect bedding,

I keep returning to this exquisite etsy store.

Blonde to Brown

I finally did it.

Food Coma White Chicken Chili

Winter = White Chicken Chili.

Although my kitchen has exhausted numerous recipes,

Cha Cha's has remained the one to beat for several years.

Well Cha Cha move over

because not only did I find a less fattening version,

easier to assemble (only one item to chop)

but tastes just as good,

I give you my meal the other night.

Recipe Share

Makes: 11 1/2 cups

Total time including prep work: 30 minutes max (unless your'e a turtle)

Grocery List

1 large sweet onion

2 garlic cloves

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 cups of shredded cooked chicken

2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth

2 (4.5 oz) cans of chopped green chiles 

1 package white chicken chili seasoning mix

3 (16 oz.) cans of navy beans

Prep

Dice onion.

Mince garlic.

Saute onion/garlic in hot oil using a large Dutch oven.

Saute onion/garlic until tender.

Stir in chicken, 

broth, 

green chiles, 

seasoning 

and 2 cans of navy beans.

Mash the third can of beans gently.

Add mashed beans to mixture.

Cook Time

Bring to a boil.

Stir often.

Cover.

Reduce to simmer.

Stir occasionally.

Do this for 10 minutes.

Now ready to eat with your topping of choice

and can be served as soup or a hearty chip dip.

Have any good recipes?

Please share with me!

Ashley

January Desktops

Oh my,

I'm behind on providing January's desktop art.

Download here

Download here

Download here

Download here

Download here

Eww, I Feel Gross

After an 11 day vacation

with Christmas and New Years in the middle,

I should eat January meals with this

and step here every morning.

Miss. Genius Scale only displays weight lost or gained.

Keep the minus signs coming and fast!

The first day of 2012 could not have been better spent

than lunch with two close friends

and an Ikea adventure in Atlanta.

In good foodie hands,

Bonny and Jake took Cosby and I to Ormsby's.

With a rustic, tavern feel upstairs

and bocce ball downstairs

believe it or not,

the food out shined the atmosphere.

I perfectly ordered

chicken tomato sausage, fresh mozzarella, basil

and red onion on a poppyseed bun

with a side of fries and pickle spear.

Delicious and delightful way to begin 2012.

Hope your start has been even better!