happy birthday blog!

it has been 367 days since alex and i started this little blog and i have enjoyed every minute of it.   however, due to some personal stuff i am going to be taking a break.

hopefully alex can continue to post in my absence. 

wish you all a merry christmas!!!

xoxo
Anne-Marie

winter break!!!

finals are over.  

i am still awaiting my VCLA score, but so far i know i got 88% correct so i'm hoping that's passing!

whats on the list for winter break: staying in bed extra long today with my Hanukkah present from ALEX!  don't you love the new print. 

get it here: room it up

it is doing wonders for me today:

making my first morning of break amazing; next on the list coffee and Cheerios!!!!!

tonight i am seeing Coco Before Chanel at my friendly neighboorhood cinema.   maybe my french skills will kick in and i will not have to read ALL of the subtitles.

perhaps i will bring my knitting project with me!  i'm making alex an infinity scarf!!!

FINALS

so ironic for me to write about finals on POST college project but i must. 


oh gradschool why can't you be more like undergrad???


in undergrad i had a fabulous study nook in King Library.  it was glorious and i could watch the squirrels and snow and wander aimlessly during study breaks.  Food was allowed and was availble for purchase.  it was heaven.

now i am stuck at the words LOUDEST starbucks because i cannot bring my coffee into the library and cannot leave my things unattended because they WILL get stolen. just like my id - i did not blog about this saga because it was too tragic- which has been found and i can return to the rec!!!

Even with my hotpink earplugs in (can you see them above they are a life saver!!!), i can tell you every problem the people at the table next to me have with their co-worker (she is not present) and what they are going to do to get her fired...  The "boss" just told them their plan will not work because it involves falsifying records and that it is acceptable to take your PTO when your child is sick... SERIOUSLY. oh wait i just found out all these people are managers...

would it be rude for me to ask them to A. lower their voices, B. LEAVE or C. stop being so LAME



In other news it is getting colder here in va, no snow in the forecast, but colder is nice.  Yesterday, a large brown box showed up at my house from room.it.up.  i won't be opening it until Christmas so you too will have to wait to know what is inside.  Today a brown box arrived from Kate Spade, i will not get my hopes up this is for me (last year i did and was disappointed).

update on the managers meeting: the "boss" will not be checking his blackberry over his break, he keeps referring to it as leave.  all others are encouraged to call and message him but he will not be responding.  he followed this up by saying he needs to know if the others make any important decisions they need to speak to him first.  (this sounds like M.SCOTT)  boy do i not envy any of these people. 

hope you all are being more productive than i!

procrastination...

did you watch glee last night????  AMAZING.  lisa had us rewind it and watch certian parts again.  i was consumed by the fact that qinn (in all her pregnant glory) had on my favorite winter coat from a million seasons ago!  props to the BR!

here was the most amzing part incase you missed it:

ombre hair?

do you get who what wear daily e-mails?  if so then you saw the ombre hair e-mail blast that just went out.

your thoughts?

I don't know about this trend.  in middle school my computer teacher had this look and we called her rainbow head.  granted hers was a peroxide mess going from dark to white the comparison is there.  as a fashionable middle schooler i know this look was WRONG. 

however, i do think that done correctly ombre hair can look very natural.  but agree with many of the comments on who what wear daily that this is not a new trend nor is it fashion forward (my hair naturally does this ever fall/winter as i let my summer sun kissed/chlorine lighten hair grow out).

maybe celebrities are forgoing their highlights to sympathize with the economic downturn...

ELF YOUR SELF

a tribute to my sissy!!!



















also payback for the 2000 photo booth pictures of her and 2 i-movies!!!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Gossip Girl

IT'S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if you did not watch it on monday... buy it on i-tunes NOW.  best $2.99 you can spend this week!!

hope you are warm or dry like alex today!  here its raining and i know in chi-town and elsewhere it is SNOWING and very cold.  stay warm!!! 

i phone

as many of you know, i long for an i-phone but will not give up my free verizon service.  (thanks lisa and pa-thug!)  however, my need for an i-phone just grew to a large gaping hole in my soul.

today i got an e-mail from kate spade telling me taunting me with their new i-phone app.

are you in love? because i am.  hopefully alex has already downloaded it (its free! my early chanukah and christmas gift to you fine reader with an i-phone/i-touch)

let me know how it works out.  i can be reached on my second generation motorola razor...

winter wishes

below are the three items i'm going to be asking Santa for (he only brings three b.c that's what the baby jesus got)

can be purchased at The Laundress

can be purchased (with free shipping) from Tory Burch

can be purchased at lululemon

what are you giving as gifts this holiday season???

Gossip Girl

you know i love gossip girl.   however, i must confess i have been speaking poorly of this season (even comparing it to season 3 of THE O.C.) 

However, monday night's thanksgiving episode has given me hope!  (also did you notice how hot nate was???)

SPOILERS BELOW if you have not watched do not read any further!!!!!

not only was eleanore waldorf back and dorota preggers but serena is off on another wild ride and blair is eating pie again!!!!!  it was a glimpse back into season one and i was in heaven! (i would have liked to see eleanore pregnant as she was in the books -they baby's name was yale!)

back to how hot nate was... i would have picked him over trip any day ... sorry trip. 

it is killing me to know what was in that letter and i think they might keep it from us for a while... any ideas????

do you think trip will really leave maureen?  what is lilly hiding ????  when is nelly yuki coming back?

i cannot wait until next monday.  also blake lively is on SNL this saturday so we don't have to go a whole week w/o gg!!

speech

are you watching obama's speech?  what do you think???

this and that

it's almost december!!!!

tonight, i am going to bed hoping that the rain outside turns to snow and dreaming of snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes! (yes i am aware that it does not snow in southern virginia in december, but a girl can wish right?)

also, to put me further into the holiday mood pa-thug and i made a batch of Christmas cookies!


also, an update on our training: we finished the 10k just under 70 min!!! not 1/2 marathon pace but good for our first run together!

here is our official picture as we crossed the finish line (don't you love how my dad was sporting MIAMI!!!)

happy thanksgiving!

image credit

hope everyone is having a great thanksgiving and getting very full off of good food!!!

thanksgiving cooking

last night alex made some delicious cupcakes... hopefully she will post about them soon.  if you follow her on twitter you saw the pic of JC loving a pumpkin cupcake.


at my house lisa (with my help) made hot chocolate cupcakes!  her cowoker at work loved hot chocolate and its her birthday.  we are waiting to eat the extras until k-dawg and grandma and grandpa get here!

 

got the recipe from CUPCAKES GALORE by Gail Wagman  (it was a birthday present from MLF!!)

Missing AJH

so many of you are beginning to make the long journey home for turkey day!!!  for the first year in 5 years i am staying put!  I am tres sad about this because this is also the first year in a few that i will not be picking AJH up from UD and transporting her home. 

our trips home in summary:
it was my senior year at the most amazing place on earth and her (ajh) freshman year and she stayed up all night on tuesday crying with her roommates becuase it would be the first time that year they would be separated.

FAST FORWARD ONE YEAR: i arrive at UD to pick AJH up and she is a wee bit hungover and smells like stale bar, she also made me stop at 4 exits looking for panda express because it was the only thing to cure her illness (irish flu).  We ended up getting a feast at Wendy's (they gave us the wrong order and our order!!- it was karma for paying for the cars behind us on the toll-way!)

I will miss her this year as she is not coming home.  perhaps i will have an extra gimlet or 3 for her!

girls weekend

its just me and lisa at home this weekend.  pa-thug and k-dawg have gone camping with the boy scouts.  Poor pa-thug.

tonight we are having buffalo chicken dip.  in college alex and i used to make this on tuesdays and get a 1.5l of sauvignon blanc.  this was not only classy but good on the waist line.

i am currently boiling the chicken and only wish lisa would let me drink a bottle or two of wine... i guess a gimlet will do!!!

recipe for buffalo chicken dip
1 pkg neufchatel cream cheese (low fat cream cheese)
1 can of chunked chicken (this grosses me out to no end so i boil chicken breast and shred them myself)
hot sauce (tonight we are using franks red-hot wing sauce)
cheddar cheese
blue cheese dressing

(if you have ever made sky-line dip (ohio people!!!) or chilli dip the prep will be familar)

decide if you want to cook in the oven or in the microwave (i always choose oven but its up to you!) if you choose oven turn to 350 and pre-heat!

take a glass dish such as a pie dish or a 9x13 (again this is your call) glass dish and spread the cream cheese on the bottom.
poor blue cheese dressing to cover all of the cream cheese
in a bowl put the chicken and put in hot sauce to taste (if you like heat add more!! with all the dairy do not be afraid to coat the chicken well!)
dump the chicken on top of the blue cheese
top generously with shredded cheddar cheese.

place in over and cook for 10 min until all cheese is melted or microwave (covered) for 5 min increments until cheese is melted. eat with chips!!!!

a picture will follow after we are done! (i told you i would add picutres!!)

swirl

did you all sign up for daily candys new sample sale website???

Alisha Levine is the first sale and i am loving it!!! to bad i can't buy anything... (sad face)

lazy mornings with good friends...

we all know that i do not have a job and do basically nothing on MWF, so while laying in bed today i was chatting with Alex while she was at work.  this was the highlight of our conversation and pretty much encapsulates our conversation.

hopefully i can get a job soon...

New Obsession

Over the past week I have developed a new tv crush:  Mad Men.  I just ordered season 2 on amazon.com and plan to watch this weekend, as I am almost done with season 1 episodes.  I even got JPC to watch too.  Below is a picture of one of my favorite characters: Joan.  Seriously great drama.  Great Fashion.  What's not to like?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  AMH is currently on her way to Chi for the wedding.  Hopefully she posts some pics when she returns!

plung-a-way

have you all been seeing these folksy commercials for this product plunge-a-way?

its a "plant" to hid your plunger in the bathroom.  you have 3 options the banana plant, the palm plant (these too look a lot alike) or an ivy plant.

anyway they have a facebook group too.... its the second like in the google search.

would you buy this???

nor'easter

so there is a nor'easter moving off the coast.  being the hypochondriac/weather follower that i am i have deiced this should occupy my life until i leave for chicago. weather.com says:

good thing my i know how to properly accessorize my hunter wellies!

perhaps in another life i would warm up my visa and purchase this to properly ride out this east coast situation: vinyard vines

she just looks so happy in a jacket that insinuates impending doom or just 4 days of rain and strong hurricane force winds!  perhaps the winds will propel us to chicago FASTER!!!

Wedding Season

for most of you wedding season has ended, for me it is about to begin!  for the next 13 months i will have the privilege of celebrating the nuptials of 6 friends!  The wedding marathon begins this weekend and ends in what can only be one of the best new years ever celebrations of my life on 12/31/10.

i don't know if this is true for any of you but i feel that wedding season is shifting from summer to fall for my loved ones and personally i am quite excited!  fall and spring are the most beautiful times of year with all of the new growth of spring and the leaves and bright oranges and browns of fall.  The robust colours of autum are some of my favorites and with it being the season of thanksgiving is there a better time to celebrate the joining of two individuals?


the best part of the upcoming wedding season is that 2 of the weddings will also be a celebration of homecoming for two soldiers overseas.  Both my cousin and my dear friends KMW have had the most unimaginable task of sending their loved ones over seas to fight for our country!  I cannot wait to celebrate with them!

i cannot wait for everyone to start having babies!!!!!

rant.

while we try and keep this blog a happy positive place i have a rant to share with you today!

last night my parents, my brother and i ate at Fellini's.  with all of us being new the the area we rely on the suggestions of friends and co-workers for places to eat!  we arrived and were told there was a 25 minute wait.  there was no waiting area except by the front door and it was quite chilly out side.  so we attempted to move to the bar.  i started as my mother went to get my brother and father.  as i made my way to the bar i was GRABBED by the hostess.  she litterly put her hands on me and yanked me backwards.  She told me there was no room for me at the bar.  Ok, i can accept that, EXCEPT just after that i watched 3 groups of middle aged people walk to the bar with out being stopped!!!!  During my 30 min wait for a table, i only once saw the hostess stop another person and that was a twenty-something couple, possible college students.

I approached the hostes and ask to have a word with her where i shared my observations.  She became hostile and continued to touch me.  Told me she did not have time to police the bar, but that was what she was doing to keep anyone not middle aged away.

I would have left but my parents insisted we stay.  I will NEVER go back.  if you live in the norfolk-virginia beach area DO NOT GO to this restaurant.

Oh and one other thing: THEY ALLOW SMOKING!!!!!  so not only was i treaty rudely but i was exposed unwillingly to a carcinogenic.  

rant over, enjoy your sunday!!!

facebook.

over the past week i have been doing some life evaluation.  hence my sever absence from postcollegeproject.  as john mayer says it i'm having a quarter life crisis.  to he honest this has probably been going on for the past 2 years. (does this mean i'll live to 96??)

to alleviate some of the stress in my life i have decided to quit facebook.  i have done this in the past for a week or so at a time but this time i think it might be for a while.

i have weighted out the personal pros and cons for my life and for me it is the best choice.

I was one of the original facebook members.  It came out in 2004 my freshman year at miami and [lucky?]  for us miami was one of the original schools with access.  that's right facebook used to only be open to a few colleges!

i can now be reached at twitter, on the blog and in e-mail!!!

art we love

how insane is this?

all credit to rune guneriussen

you owe it to yourself to get lost on that website for 10 min today!!! 

busy week.

the curse of the procrastinator is that everything is more exciting then the task at hand.  my tasks for the week in a very important order are:

a. go to post office
b. study for test 1
b. see julie and julia (this could move down one...)
c. take test 1
d. go to class
e. VOTE!!!!
f. study for test 2 (and do the 6 chapters of reading that i just cannot DO!)
g go to class
h. take test 2

i got up at 7am to start on this nonsense and have been looking for jobs.  my life has come to resorting to looking for jobs as my procrastination tactic.  pathetic.

in more glorious news... I am loving my set of kiehl's rare earth .  no i did not purchase these they were my prize for winning the contest all of you so lovingly voted for!!!! 

10.31.09

currently obsessing

This afternoon Kate Spade (another one of AMH and mine's - many- obsessions) sent out an email introducing an artist they have started to collaborate with; bella foster.  The illustration (as seen above) in the email was so cute I decided to hop on the website and check out the new desk and wall calendars featuring artwork by bella.  So adorable.  I must get my hands on one before 2010 starts.  Yes, I know this is still months away.  If you get a chance you should also check out some of bella's work online.  Great things!

(pictures from kate spade email and online)

to defriend or not to defriend?

today one of my good college friends posted this interesting link on twitter.  it really makes you think.

i must admit i am an avid defriender and feel no shame in the act; however, the only people i am defriending are not actual friends.  (this sounds defensive i know).  do you really need to be friends with that girl on your freshman hall that you did not talk to but once on the first day of college because she transferred at winter break???  or how about that kid from chemistry 101 who friended everyone in the 300 person lecture?

I also defriend (on accident) a lot of sorority sisters who got married without my knowledge.  oops!

But it goes both ways.  after college ended, i was defriened by a friend of a good friend.  (is the word friend starting to look funny to you too?)  my friend was very hurt by the defriend and i was upset i would no longer be able to follow what this person was doing as we went our separate ways.  this defriend was done maliciously and i think was a bad move.

personally, i like to reduce the amount of access a distant friend has to my information using the privacy features.  that boy you had a great time with at the ZBZ/Gama Psi/Kappa Tau/Omega Chi 4-way (enjoy the greek reference) really does not need to or care to see all the pictures from your family vacation or your cousins wedding, and he probably wont be looking for them, that girl in your pledge class will be!

please read the CNN article yourself and let us know what you think!!!

A House?

This morning I woke up to receive an email from my dad containing an article from CNN saying that it is likely that the senate is planning to extend the First Time Home Buyers Credit --- to April.  Ok, now how who wants to buy me a house?  Pretty Please!

Kiehl's love

as you know by now i have a few obsessions in life.  one being kiehl's.  a few weeks ago i won a contest hosted by them on twitter @kiehlsNYC (they are always having contests so you should follow them!!  (make sure you are also following alex marie @achauss and i @anne_mariehugh!)
as my prize i was able to pick of one their new Acai Damage-Repairing products for FREE!!!

i picked the Açaí Damage-Repairing Serum.  lisa (my mom) and i have been using it inconsistently over the past 2 weeks and i must say i am very impressed!!!  she used it first as i am so careful about what i put on my skin and wanted to have nice skin for my visit to see MLF.

she was v. put off by the sent at first but has grown to love the product.  i did not really mind the sent that much (years of using any and every acne medication will do that to you).  we both started wearing it at night and i have moved to putting it on after my shower in the morning (i use my acne topical cream at night).  this morning i was so pleasantly surprised at how most of the red bloch-y-ness was missing from my face.

i must admit that i was bracing myself for something completely different.  when i heard this was an antioxidant i was prepared for a serious breakout as all my impurities where drawn from my face.  how wrong i was.  i have not experience a breakout at all and i have less blackheads!!

As for lisa she is now a huge kiehl's fan and keeps asking for that stuff that smells and has noticed smaller pores.  She has also started using my second ever kiehl's purchase Over-Night Biological Peel and is very happy with the results!

xoxo?

AMH and I were true GG fans from the beginning.  She read the books, and introduced me to the series our sr year of college.  I have loved the show and been a big fan from the start.  This season, however has got me worried.  While I still love Blair and her cattiness I'm wondering where this season is going.  While I have yet to watch the episode from last night, these are the primary questions I have for this season.
1.  What is with Serena?  Is she going to go to Brown?  Is she still in PR? - I just can't get into that one.
2.  Nate's Drama.  So over it.  And PS what is with that new haircut he was sporting in last week's ep?
3.  Georgina- Where did she go?  Did Dortota do her off for good?
4.  Chuck and Blair.  Can't they just be together? - together without that dumb 3some game
5.  Where are all of B's headbands? - i miss them
6.  How much longer of this Hillary Duff plot?

Tonight I'm going to catch up on the last episode.  Let's hope some of my q's are answered and the show's plot starts to improve!

xoxo alex marie

i gotta feeling

Hey all!  We were so inspired by amh's post below we decided to do a little blog spruce up.  What do you think?  It's still a work in progress, but until we're done watch this fun video below.  It's bound to brighten up your day.  Hello power of Oprah!

the r-word

now that i am in school for education i am learning about a lot of new things.  i have a child and adolescent studies class which i am not a fan of.  A. its from like 4-7 on thursdays, B. my brother is the case study for like everything we talk about (and his teacher is in my class so that makes me feel awkward) C. my teacher is very vanilla.

last thursday we were talking about disabilities and how the book we using uses the r-word and many people in my class were outraged.  (most of my classmates work in special education).  i was supprised that the word could evoke such emotion when used in a clinical setting.  i know how much outrage it can cause when used as an insult.

i challenge all of you to stop using the word as an insult and take the pledge!

photoshop

i have been really into editing pictures in photo shop recently.  i secretly wish i was an expert photog. and was photogenic so i could fill my life with awesome pictures.   here are some thing i have been working on:

the original:

the Polaroids are from:  poladroid and it now works on pc too!

 

 

what do you think???

sunday ritual

 hope all of you took time to go to post secret today. 

the work frank continues to do is amazing and so inspiring.  

miz.

i am sick and miserable.

watching my favorite TV show the tudors and its my only saving grace.

if you have never seen an episode i suggest you buy them now!!!  back to season 2 disk 2.

jcrew 2010

Well the crew does it again. Lucky.com was recently invited to the Jcrew showroom to see some of the Spring 2010 looks. i die. seriously die. Click here to see the posting by Lucky. What a fun friday surprise!


(photo is from here.)

inspiring spaces

There was a recent post on one of AMH and mine's favorite blogs: Made By Girl, showing this inspiring living space. I have been on a heart/love kick lately in the likes of home decor (i.e: my previous post on Etsy, etc...). Click the link below to see the posting about Veronika's tres lovely space.
Veronika

holiday countdown

At my job I have had the holidays on my mind for about a month or so, even though I know this is annoyingly early. However, I was super excited to get an email today from one of my favorite inspiration spots, CB2. They just released their new Holiday Flip Catalog! love it. Also gets me in the mood to start thinking about what I would like this year for the said holidays. Possibly that new mbymj cross-body bag I have been coveting? possibly....

thanks daily candy!

if you ready daily candy today you saw these:

perhaps JC and MLF would like this!!!

more can be found at raredevice.net

love!

just in

i just got my last birthday present from the ups man!  oh how i love him and his little gifts.

(they are all actually from lisa and pa-thug)

a patagonia full-zip re-tool jacket and i have one word: LOVE

witty comment of the day

This was my dear friend JR's gchat away status today. Thought it was witty enough to merit a posting.

♫ JR: Thank God they found balloon boy, I was afraid that Michael Jackson was ordering take out from heaven.

twitter FAIL

I hate when this happens.

HOOPS and YOYO BLOG!!!

in college my housemate holly (said very slowly) introduced me to hoops and yoyo.  she used to take study breaks in her room (she was pre-med and is now in med school) and listen to them.  which was unsettling the first few times at 12am.  soon we all joined in (you can send them for free via e-mail, my fav.  you smell GOOOOD!!!)!  even mlf is in LOVE with hoops and yoyo and gets a few cards a year from me to bright up law school!


now you can have hoops and yoyo all the time!!! they have a blog and from there you can get their pod cast!!!

i really enjoyed when yoyo called the halmark vp!

take a listen it will make your day tres better!!!!

fall spruse up!

lisa took me to bed bath and beyond armed with a fist full of 20% off coupons and a mission: to make my nook of the house tolerable.  i think it was a success!

i have looked at the website but cannot seem to find my purchases.  First i got a set of 10 plastic shoe boxes.  these are life changing and i suggest you go buy them now!  they were only like $8.99 plus the 20% off!!! 

Second we got these mesh cubes.  you can create them anyway you want and they were like 18.99 plus 20% off!  lisa is picking up another one of the metal build-able cubes.  the green thing is going to be a great catch all for just putting things down before filing them away in their place.  (you can also see my new cupcake cook book and kate spade style!!) while this is nothing too classy it makes my nook so much more bearable.  hopefully we will move into a real house soon!!!!

here is a picture of the ceramic squirrel candy dish my mom and dad got me for my birthday!  the candy is from them and from my good friend holly!  yummy!!!!

i guess you can also see my love of kiehl's in this!!!

writers block

sorry i have been absent for a while with my birthday and trip to cincinnati i have been busy/boring/unmotivated. 

here is a run down of what has been going on with pictures!
in cinci MLF and i went to a pumpkin patch.  this is our yearly ritual and even though we are far apart we have never skiped a year!

 

we named her constance.  she lit up the october night nicely (yes i am aware this was tres early!)

we also went on ride the ducks in cincinnati.  it was tres brilant.  you go in a boat (that also drives on land) built in WWII (by women!!!)

this was not our trip... ours was mlf me and 4 octogenarians, and it was cold and rainy.

here's a picof mlf with his duck quack-er (everyone gets one!)

we also went to montgomery inn for dinner and visited AJH at college!