Floral jeans. They are in this season, I had them on, but were they working? Only one way to find out — snap a photo and text it to my mom for approval. But as I was about to hit send I realized she was busy and wouldn’t be able to respond, so I bought them anyway. (Let’s hope they work, because I’m wearing them as I type this.) But the whole floral-jean-purchase-without-mom-approval really got me thinking. I am very fortunate to have a mom who, not only pays attention to trends, Read more [...]

An Ikea wreath, used gift bags, a holiday fleece blanket, half burnt candles, a collection of colored glass vases. These are just a few of the hundreds of items lurking in my basement, awaiting my attention. Each time I pass by the basement door it’s like a collection of pointy-toed heels and handbags of yesteryear are calling my name. And as spring approaches, I am tempted, but something gets in my way. Trust be told, whatever is in the way, is likely what has caused many of the basement Read more [...]

I can only image what my journalism law professor thought as he opened my email and began to read. “I was hoping to have our exam scheduled for March 18 pushed back to the following class given that I am of Irish heritage and will be celebrating on March 17.” At the age of 21 one doesn’t care much about professional reputation or the fact that the professor may take such a dumb request into consideration when grading said exam. One cares about celebrating St. Paddy’s Day at the bar Read more [...]

Fluffy and pink, you pop them into the microwave for one minute, slip them on your feet and instantly a wave of relaxation comes over you. I’m speaking, of course, of microwavable slippers. What? You don’t have a pair? Run. Don’t walk, to the store to buy some. They are heaven. They were also a Christmas gift from my better half. Chronic cold feet is a real problem for me and apparently when Matt saw a commercial for slippers that could fix that, he rushed to the store to buy them. Read more [...]

For a year solid I carried around an index card with a list of items: Wedding dress; designer jeans; swimsuit. The idea was every time I wanted to eat something that was “bad” for me I was to pull out the index card and the list was supposed to remind me that those items or looking skinny in those items, was more important than what I was about to eat. It worked. For a while. But the thing is, most of the time that index card — instead of serving as an inspiration — served as a tool Read more [...]

I can predict it just like I can predict that a certain Mexican fast food restaurant will always screw up my carryout order. Every year about three weeks before Christmas my better half says to me “What do you want for Christmas? I mean, what do you get for the girl who has everything?” I am sure he feels very clever saying it year after year, and to be fair he’s sort of right. I’ve lived a very fortunate life filled with very few unfulfilled wishes. But let’s be honest, every Read more [...]

Before the turkey is even prepped, you will find my better half sitting at my parents’ breakfast bar with a mission. There he sits— Black Friday sales flyers strewn about, a pad of paper in one hand, a pen in the other. I’m going to blame myself, because that seems like the easiest way to explain why this manly man has an addiction to Black Friday shopping. I spent my teens and early twenties working retail, so I had yet to experience the joy, the excitement, the pure adrenaline rush Read more [...]

The second I spotted the hot dog costume I knew it had to be mine. Okay, well not so much mine as Yeti’s. (And before you ask yourself “is she really writing about her dog again?” I’ll remind you that I haven’t written about Yeti since June and he’s the cutest dog in the world.) Anyway, the hot dog costume — it’s a winner and also the first piece of Halloween garb I bought this season so it was exciting on many levels. You see, when it comes to the best of autumn, I have Read more [...]

You know you have an awesome job when you find yourself shopping for a vintage popcorn and snow cone machine at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday. You see, one of the best things about my job is that every day is different. Now, I know a lot of people say that, but how many people can honestly say they have — on the clock — shopped for hot pink sequin chair wraps and Aqua Net. I have, and as the fun continues at M3 Group and Capital Area Women’s LifeStyle Magazine I can only imagine the shopping lists Read more [...]

There exists a home video that if you ask nicely (or ya know, just walk in the front door) my parents will gladly show you. It’s their favorite. I was about 6-years-old and I was sledding and, well, I fell off of my sled, lost my glove and nearly lost a hand. At least that’s what one might think was happening if you only listened to the audio. There I am lying in the snow saying in a very dramatic way “my hand, my haaaaand, my hand.” What can I say? Snow is cold. For all I knew I was going Read more [...]

The first day my aunt’s pool was open it was filled with water from a fire hydrant — It. Was. Cold. Of course, I don’t really remember this, because I was only about 3 years old, but the way the story goes, I was so eager to jump into the pool that cold water or not, I did it. The photographic evidence says it all. There I was in my water wings, with blue lips, having the time of my life. The fact that I was only six months old when my parents started me in swim lessons is the only Read more [...]

Some may think that sleeping on the floor next to your baby to soothe him in his new environment is going a bit far. My husband Matt is not one of those people. Perhaps I should clarify the fact that the baby in question is of the furbaby variety — that’s right, our baby boy is a four-month-old, 4-pound Shih Tzu/Maltese puppy named Yeti. When I met Matt one of the things that attracted me to him was his inherent paternal instinct. With both of us being the oldest of four, we each came to Read more [...]