Do These Go?

I'm going to the beach after Christmas and will be packing this J. Crew final sale swimsuit*.

I wonder if I should buy the matching shoes**.

* This top has like, no coverage. I have to be verrry careful. I usually don't have this problem.

** I'm kidding. But how funny would I be?

Shopping Guilt

I had put myself on a No Shopping Spree of sorts over that past several months. Not that I did a ton of shopping to begin with, but in reviewing monthly spending reports I could see I spent $150 one month, $200 the next, etc., without really remembering what I even spent it on.

Don't get me wrong, I've bought clothing for myself recently. When I went to Boston, I made not only one, but two shopping trips to H&M. (How could you not? We don't have H&M in Texas. Plus, one of the visits was to load up on hats and scarves because I was freezing my butt off.)

So with the holiday season upon and us and DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! everywhere, I've checked out the sales but have abstained from getting myself anything for the most part. What I've learned is that there will always be another sale, and if I just remove the item from my shopping cart, I will most likely forget about it later. (I did miss out on this one fabulous pair of boots though. But there will always be another amazing sale! Plus, I've been telling myself that it will be even better after Christmas.)

I saw a mention today that figleaves.com is having a 90% off sale, so I checked it out. And found DEALS! DEALS! STEALS! We are talking $30 underwear reduced to $1. (I really wished I had seen this earlier, as a lot of good stuff/sizes are sold out.) So what did I do? I ordered $70 worth of bras and underwear. It was so hard to pass up - one bra was slightly off my normal size, but it was $1. How could I not get it? I could donate it to Goodwill if it's not right.

I tried for a while to get my order amount down. I could use a few new bras, but did I need FIVE more right now? Why do I feel so guilty about spending? I added it all up, and it was $400 worth of merch for $70. I saved $330! (Oops, it's not savings unless you save it.) I easily have an extra $70 to spend. And it's not like underwear is a want and not a need. (At least not for me.)

I think it's because I chose to focus on shopping and reducing the amount of things that come into my life. Dining out is an even bigger budget buster, but I've only halfheartedly been trying to reduce that expense because it's easy to get sucked into eating out for lunch to get out of the office or wanting to meet up with friends for dinner and drunks. I could easily save that $70 by cutting out a few dinners AND having my new unmentionables.

I've been reviewing my 2008 financial situation lately and trying to make some goals for 2009 and set a better budget. I almost think I need to add a special budget category of money that I can and should spend, guilt-free.

Do I Know How to Pick "Symbolic Colors of the Future" Or What?

Pantone has announced 'Mimosa' as 2009's influential color. (See MSNBC article - this is big news!)

And what was the color of the year in 2008? Blue Steel Iris.

Am I just totally with it, or what?

The Best Man Will Never Live This Down

V. funny video. I hope I could laugh about this, but I'd be pretty mortified.

I Asked My Husband for Hangers for Christmas

Seriously! I decided around 11:30 last night when putting away some laundry to clean out and organize my closet. (I know, I'm crazy like that. My mind revs up at night when I should be getting my beauty sleep, which explains why I'm always so tired. It's a vicious cycle.)

When I got married, I inherited DH's lovely mix of non-matching, mostly wire, hangers. (Now, I have some of these buggers too, but the majority of mine were of the matching, white plastic variety.) I feel like they are taking over our closets. So unsightly. So I spent last night hanging up the huge pile of my clothes that had made their way to the backs of chairs (funny how they like to migrate there) with the remaining white hangers I could shore up. In a fit of passion, I ran into our bedroom, where DH was dozing with a movie on and yelled "All I want for Christmas are MORE WHITE HANGERS!"

And I'm serious. I asked for no gifts this year. But I will make an exception here. James, I will not put you in the doghouse if you get them for me, like in this funny video:

I put back my tops in color order* and noticed that I have absolutely no purple in my wardrobe, other than the lone purple dress I bought for engagement photos. I've never really liked purple unless it's more blue than purple, but it's grown on me lately. Since it's such prevalent color this fall, I've made it my goal to add some plum and aubergine** to add some diversity to my closet.

* Any tips on the best way to organize your closet? I have such a hard time! Some clothes are reserved strictly for work, some I wear both at working and going out/weekends, some are going out only, etc. Color seemed best to me because if I think of something specific I want to wear I can at least find it.

** Are these the same shade? I am very unversed in this hue.

So Sweet

If I ever have a baby girl, she's wearing this hat:

I really want something made out of this pattern - I love it!

Just Like the Apothecary Storage Units of Yore

Haverty's makes a card-catalog look-alike. I feel like Phoebe in "The One With the Apothecary Table".

Why My Husband Thinks I'm Addicted to the Internets

Addicted to (Pretty)Porn: One Woman's Story

I'm a recovering wedding photography addict (seriously, it's amazing), but now I've moved on to interior design blogs (must build a beautiful nest!), personal finance blogs (must build a good nest egg!), and the personal blogs of others who seem as addicted as me.

Google Reader, I curse you for feeding my addiction.

"My, this is a refreshing way to get loaded"

Happy (belated) Repeal Day! In honor of this, I wanted to share my new favorite cocktail: the Stoli Doli. Introduced to me during my trip to Boston, I had to wonder where it's been all of my adult-drinking life.

It tasted just like fresh pineapple (my favorite fruit, btw), albeit a nice, loosening-up, happy, let's-dance-on-the-bar pineapple. Vodka with pineapple juice will never be the same; I've been ruined forever.

The ingredients are simple:
1 fresh pineapple, cut into pieces
1 (750 milliliter) bottle good quality vodka (I'll try Stoli first for authenticity)

The directions are simple:
Place the pineapple pieces into a large container, and pour the vodka over them. Cover, and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days. Strain out pineapple, and serve vodka over ice with a pineapple garnish.

Oh, yum! I need a cute container like this:

Z Gallerie, on sale for $35

Dear Santa: Please bring me one of these so mama can infuse her vodka in style.


Apparently the Capital Grille has made the drink famous, so we will be hitting it up for an upscale happy hour one evening so I can get my fix.

Winner of the Dallas Observer's Best Cocktail:

Understand something: The best cocktail isn't necessarily the one we drink
every night. Then the winner in this category would be "Whatever alcohol is
brown, in our cupboard and you can pour over ice." No, this category is reserved
for the sort of drink that men and women can consume and say to themselves, "My,
this is a refreshing way to get loaded." With that being the criterion, the
winner is clearly the Stoli Doli at C-Grille. On the bar you will see a huge
container filled with "jet-fresh" (meaning they're flown in the day they're
picked, or somesuch) Dole pineapples, to which is added many, many fluid ounces
of Stoli vodka. This marinates for five to seven days. The resulting nectar is
served chilled in a cocktail glass or, if you prefer (as we do), in a tumbler on
the rocks. Especially in the summer, but at all times of the year, this is a
killer cocktail.

Coveting: Passport Covers

I've been wanting something pretty to cover that passport that I use all the time pretty infrequently. Imagine my surprise whilst browsing Neiman Marcus's "Gift Ideas Under $100" when I see this:

NM, $26

What? Do these go together? I'm all for aspiring to the matching bra-and-panties thing, but I didn't know I needed to match my thong to my passport as well.

And it even comes in black! Weird or what?

What I'd *really* like is NM's monogrammed passport cover, $35 but not currently available

J. Crew's $17 option

Now, I know I post about a lot of things I covet, but I am trying not to buy a lot of things I don't actually need. Think of posting pretty pictures of things as a release, if you will. After posting about this pretty satin clutch, my friend Megan surprised me by picking it up for me at Ann Taylor Loft on Black Friday for like $12. But here's the thing: I don't need it. I really don't. I know it's a small amount of money we're talking about, but I've been taking a long look at all of my little purchases and seeing how they add up to a lot. Plus, I already have a lot of clutches that I don't even use. (Although no pretty, pretty pink satin one.)

I also know that small little indulgences are good for the soul. So maybe I should put a monogrammed passport cover on my Official Wish List*.

* Official Wish List: A categorization above "coveting" of pretty things that I really, really want and would love to be surprised with at any time.