Friday Randoms

1. The parking lot of the apartment building where I live is under construction. The 6 week project is well beyond 6 weeks and it's inconvenient.  I realize this is a first world problem.  Now, the concrete in the public areas of my complex is being re-stained.  So I have to hop around stained concrete and maneuver around construction.  I'm very happy it's finally Friday.

2. J.Crew Factory added some new items to their sale.  I've been shopping off a dedicated list this year.  If it's not on my list, I try not to buy it.  A chambray shirt is on my list. So, I bought it.  I hope it's as fabulous as I think it's going to be.  I'll keep you posted.  Psst... it's still on sale.

Via

3. Do you watch Downton Abbey?  I don't want to ruin it for those who have not yet watched it (Why haven't you watched it, yet??).  So, all I will say is that I could not sleep after the finale on Sunday. It's awful for my emotions.  I will say one more thing. I was stunned.

4. I think I'm going to cut my hair. How's that for random.  If you look at the picture over there on the right, you can see that my hair is pretty long.  It reaches about the middle of my back.  I'm not making any overly drastic changes.  I would like it just past my shoulders.  I just need a little change and hopefully less fuss in the mornings.

Something like the cut below.

Via

5. I hope you have a great weekend.  Ours is very busy.  I leave you with a cute picture of Lola.

Bzz: Cafe Escapes

I'm a bzzagent, which is a type of WOM (word of mouth) campaign program.  You sign up for it, take some surveys and are invited to campaigns.  I’ve been participating for quite a few years now and I really enjoy it.  You get invited, they send you the product (or coupons), you try it, spread the word and report back. I was recently invited to the Cafe Escapes campaign.  I was sent two boxes of keurig k-cups to sample.

Chai Latte: I absolutely love chai lattes.  This particular brand was very good.  It's a great way to enjoy a cup at home without fussing over tea bags, milk, etc.

Milk Chocolate/Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa:  I'm a big hot cocoa fan.  It's a great way to warm up on a cold day.  I liked the milk chocolate, but the dark chocolate was a little too chocolate-ly for me.  I added marshmallows, of course.

Cafe Mocha: I have not yet tried this.  I'm not a huge cafe mocha fan, so I'm dragging my feet here.

Cafe Vanilla: This coffee is very light and slightly sweet.  My husband even liked it and he takes his coffee plain and black.

Cafe Caramel: It was a little too sweet for me.  If you like sweet coffee, then it's the perfect indulgence for you.

I will definitely be purchasing a box of these k-cups.  They go great with a cozy chair and a good book.

*Disclaimer: I was provided these products through bzzagent, but the opinions provided are my own.

Prabal Gurung...

Last Saturday (February 10th) I stayed up so I could purchase a pair of wedge sandals from the Prabal Gurung/Target Collaboration.  Okay, I actually took a power nap from 11 pm - 12 am, because I'm old.  I got up at midnight and logged onto my laptop.  I opened the Target webpage and hit refresh every five minutes.  I also got distracted a lot (Facebook, Pinterest...).  Between 1:30 am and 2:00 am (CST) the collection slowly started popping up when I hit refresh.  I immediately purchased the wedge sandals.  They were delivered on Valentine's Day and I have to say that I couldn't be more pleased.

I will be pairing them with an outfit very soon for the blog.  Now I just have to wait for warmer temperatures.  Did you purchase anything from the latest Target collaboration?

Salad in a Jar

Having a salad for lunch is so quick and easy when work is super busy.  You don't have to heat anything up. Usually when I plan to have a salad, I take about 4-5 different containers to work and then I mix it all together in a bowl.  It's such a hassle.  I discovered this 'salad in a jar technique' a while back on Pinterest.  Follow me here.  This is such an easy lunch to put together.  I put all my jars together on Sunday and then every morning I just grab a jar and off to work I go.  The key is to keep the lettuce as far away as possible from the dressing.

via 

I included some of my favorite things in my salad in a jar: honey mustard dressing, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, bacon, blue cheese crumbles, almond slivers, boiled eggs, lettuce mix.

When you are ready to enjoy your salad, just shake the jar and pour into a bowl.

Enjoy!

Lola turns 7

My Dearest Blog Readers,

I've had quite the weekend.  Sunday was my birthday.  I got to sleep in the big bed with the man and the woman and I got the best cupcake ever.  To wrap up the day I cuddled with Sheldon on the couch and watched the Grammy's.  I hope you all have a great week.

I belong here.

This is very true

Delicious!

Let's not be wasteful.

Until next time,

Lola

It's finally Friday

I know this is usually Lola's day, but her birthday is Sunday so I told her she can blog on Monday... as a gift.  I also realize that I haven't blogged all week.  I think I have mixed emotions about it, to be honest.  This blog is a hobby.  I don't do it as a side job and I don't do it hoping to make some extra cash.  This is clearly the case because I don't even have ads.  When my life gets really hectic and I get stressed and overwhelmed, my blog suffers.  I've been putting in a lot of work hours (hello busy season), while still trying to maintain somewhat of a normal home life - which is hard when you get home at 7 and want to go straight to bed and pass out from exhaustion.  I know this sounds like complaining, but it's really not meant to be.  I'm just keeping it real.  I've also had some setbacks because I read some pretty awesome blogs and I've started comparing my blogs to others and that is just not something I should do.  This is my space on the internet to share things and I really should focus on what I want to say/share/etc.  It's rough, though.  I'm me and that's all I can strive to be.  So for today I've decided to share some information about me.  I really want to bond with my readers (you).   Here we go.

1. I was born in Texas and I've lived here my whole life.  I think it's funny when people think they can fly into one location in Texas and plan day trips to other locations.  For example, someone had tickets to a game in Houston and knew a person who lived in Lubbock.  So, they asked the person from Lubbock if they could fly in and stay with them and then just drive to the game in Houston.  Houston is a 10 hour drive from Lubbock.  Texas is big, y'all.

2. I'm from a little dirt town although I relate more to city life.

3. I've been married for a little over 2 years to a man I met in college, but we didn't start dating until after college.

4. I have a dog who is very much like my child - as if y'all didn't already know that.

5. I'm an only child, but my mom was a very young mother so we grew up more like sisters.  She was the older, bossy one.  She still is.

6. I leave the last bite of almost everything I eat or drink.  I have no idea why.  It both annoys and pleases my husband.  He always ends up eating/drinking it, but he doesn't understand it.

7.  I still have the same car that I bought when I was in graduate school.  It's going on 7 years and still gets the job done.  Plus, no car payment.  That's definitely a bonus in my book.

8. I once tried to pass off my library card as proof of identification to a highway patrol officer.  I was pulled over for (allegedly) speeding and my license was in the back pocket of the jeans I wore the night before to a Seal concert.  Those jeans were laying on the floor in my apartment.  I apologized profusely and even told him my license number (because I'm weird with numbers like that).  He gave me a warning.

9.  My husband is kind of quirky and hates even numbers.  Seriously.  The volume on the TV has to be an odd number.  He microwaves things on odd numbers.  So, just for him I have decided to stop at number 9, even though technically this isn't even about me.

Thanks so much for reading my blog.  Have a great weekend.

Lola. Dog

My Dearest Blog Readers,

I apologize for my absence last week, I was still under the weather.  I am feeling much better this week, thank you so much for your concern.  Let's talk about what's been going on in the world.

• The Senate passed the debt limit extension.  Seriously?  Now I know this action leads to x action which leads to y action that is really good for xyz... etc.  But seriously?  The only thing I see here is that this gives Congress more time to negotiate upcoming budget talks.  In my mind this is a continuation of kicking the can down the road.  

• Hey, John Kerry was voted in as Secretary of State.  Hillary had her ups and downs, but those are still some seriously major shoes to fill.

• Project Runway is back!  I know, it's been a billion seasons and the only major designer to emerge from this series is Christian Siriano.  I just don't care about all that.  Zac Posen is filling in for an 'over scheduled' Michael Kors.  I love Michael Kors, but Zac Posen?  I'm super excited for a little change.  Speaking of change, hello group challenges for the entire season.  This is especially interesting since we all know that group challenges bring major drama.  There will be a group challenge in every single episode.  Hello drama.  Plus, all the contestants have already said they do not work well in groups, to which I say - How have they survived in this hard, hard world thus far?

• I will end with this: David Beckham has signed with PSG and (hello!) will donate his entire salary to charity.  Swoon.  I just hope this doesn't mean he's uprooting his lovely family and moving away.  I like Victoria Beckham being close by... in case she wants to hang out, or something.  You never know!

Until next time,

Lola