.a.splash.of.happy.

hello lovers!  so to have been absent for so long.

i have moved on to a new blog .a.splash.of.happy. Please join me there and alex at room it up.

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!