Short and Sweet

Hello world! Remember me? I'm that girl that writes on here to an imaginary audience.These past couple of days have been busy, busy, and more busy. Do you ever feel like there just isn't enough time in the day for everything that needs to be done? That's what I'm experiencing at the moment. Alot of...

Reading

Starbucks Studying

And trying to find a balance between being:

However I am happy to say that I am loving my classes so far. All of my professors are excellent and seem like they will be helping in making this semester flow as smoothly as possible. I don't ever want to leave San Jac! Lame, I know. But the instructors are just so much more pleasing and helpful then those are able to be at the universities. Speaking of "help..."

This past weekend I took my mother to lunch and to see The Help. The movie was so great! One of my new faves! We laughed and bawled throughout the whole movie. I know I had said that I wanted to read the book first, but I couldn't stand to wait any longer to see the movie. It's a must see for everyone!

Finally, gossip magazines and E News have been showing pictures from the Kardashian/Humphries wedding. I was getting a little bit frustrated because I didn't want to have to wait until October to view them when the wedding will be aired. Kim looked beautiful, of course. Is it just me or is there a strong resemblance between these two...?

I have a new obsession...plants. Along with baking, I now feel the urge to plant things all the time. The sad thing is, I have nowhere to plant all of my ideas. Scott finally listened to me and with a lot of convincing, he decided that he would rather just move into a house instead of building one. Thank you God! So he's been looking online to get ideas of what we would like and where we would like to live. Here are a few plants I WILL be having in my yard!...if I can...when I get one :)

Pear Tree

Lemon Tree

Apple Tree

Crepe Myrtle

And there are a few others but those are the main ones I'm wanting at the moment!

Fall is 22 days away!!

TaTa for now!

G is for Gossip

Hey dolls! Todays blog will be a bunch of random thoughts. As you may already know I am a reality tv junkie. Mainly a Bravo tv junkie but an avid watcher nonetheless. I am especially drawn to The Millionaire Matchmaker and the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Something about the drama really draws me in. I don't really have much drama in my life (thank you, Jesus!) so I get to enjoy it all from the crazy men and women who agree to do a reality show.

 Lets begin with Ms. Patti Stanger shall we...? Has anyone else been watching the new season of The Millionaire Matchmaker? Patti looks fabulous I must say! She is looking skinny minny and not to mention, she HAS to have had some sort of surgery done to her face. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but I'm thinking it had to have been a lift of some sort...face, eye, brow? I have been looking online to see if I can get info from an interview or celeb source but...nothing! I WILL get to the bottom of this but until then...go on with yo' fab self Patti! I just love her brutal honesty.

"Blood is thicker than water."- A Jersey motto! Since day one of the Real Housewives of New Jersey Season One previews, I knew I would be hooked. P.S from now on I will be referring to this show as RHONJ in case you aren't hip on the Bravo lingo yet :)

Anyways, the RHONJ girls are by far my favorite housewives. I could go on and on for days about why I can't stand any of the other housewives seasons but I'll spare you all the details. The Jersey housewives to me just seem to be more real and down to earth. I love that they are all big on family and moral values yet still have that edgy-ness and drama that keeps us viewers interested. I think if I had to choose a favorite housewife, it would have to be a close tie between Jacqueline and Caroline.

Caroline is such a good mother and you can tell that she really cares for her family and friends. She seems to be the most level-headed and understanding one of the group. Poor Jacqueline...God love her. She has let her daughter Ashley run wild and it's now coming back to haunt her. I feel bad for her because you can tell she wants to be a good mother and is trying her best...NOW. Ashley is probably the most disrespectful person I have ever seen and the sad thing is, Ashley feels like she's doing nothing wrong! Once she gets a chance to review the season and once she actually grows up, she'll realize she has made a huge mistake! I had to pick my jaw up off the floor and relax my face ( I don't want wrinkles) when I saw this week's episode. Completely shocked at the way she was speaking to her mother. In my household, you would've gotten popped in the face for speaking that way. Times have changed haven't they. On a brighter note...Dina Manzo is back! LOVE her!! She is hosting her own show on HGTV called Dina's Party! I WILL be watching!

Enough about my Bravo tv infatuation...I'm also obsessed with Juicy Couture at the moment. I've always been a fan but lately I'm loving EVERYTHING Juicy I see! From their perfume to their little luxuries, I'm obsessed.

This perfume and the open hinged mirror behind it...yes please!

This laptop case. How cute is that! I want!

These Birthday Panties! Love! So something I would wear :)

I find it being no coincidence what-so-ever that my initials and Juicy Couture's initials are the same. Everytime I see something Juicy with that JC on it, I feel drawn to it by some magical force! Ok. I'm exaggerating...but you now have a taste of my love for Juicy! I'll leave you with this Juicy Questionaire :)

1. THE WARDROBE ITEMS CURRENTLY IN TOP ROTATION: Skinny Jeans, Maxi Dresses, and Striped Tees

2. IF I COULD OWN ANY PIECE OF COUTURE PAST OR PRESENT IT WOULD BE: Anything Chanel

3.  A TREND I WILL ALWAYS SIT OUT: Cross body bags (I don't care if it is from Coach)

4.  YOU’D LIKE TO TAKE ME OUT TO DINNER, I SUGGEST: Somewhere very quaint and casual. Or when in doubt, always Sushi


5. THE CAUSE I’M MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT: Save the children foundation

6.  THE SIGNATURE LOOK I WILL ALWAYS RETURN TO: You can never go wrong with a little black dress

7. IT’S 10 P.M. ON SATURDAY YOU CAN FIND ME: At home, with a glass of wine and a movie


8.  MY GREATEST TALENT IS: Cooking? I'm not afraid to try new things or difficult recipes 


9.  MY STYLE ICON: Kim Kardashian. She dresses very sleek and stunning and shows that you don't have to be super skinny to have style. I love that even when casual, she still looks fabulous.

10. MY CURRENT NON-FASHION OBSESSION: Baking 


11. YOU ASK FOR MY NO. 1 STYLE TIP, I SAY: 3 S's Simple, Sassy, and Stunning

12. THE BEST GIFT I EVER RECEIVED: Life

13. MY FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION: I haven't been many places, but of the places I've been I'd have to say New York! 


14. MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS PLACE IS: The fashion, the food, the shows...it really is the city that never sleeps

15. YOU SAY JUICY TRACKSUIT, I SAY: Must have!

16. MOST RECENT PURCHASE: Black flats

17. THE LAST SONG I LISTENED TO: Alicia Keys No One...never gets old

18. THE LAST JUICY BOOK I READ: Georgia Bottoms

19. THE LAST RECO-WORTHY MOVIE I SAW: The Lincoln Lawyer. Seen plenty since then but none RECO-WORTHY


20. MY CURRENT GIRL CRUSH: Maria Menounos. Love her book, love her style, love her positivity, love her!

21.  FAVORITE NAIL POLISH COLOR: OPI's At First Sight. An elegant nude with a pink nuance

TaTa for now!

Back to school

Hello again! I'm going to try my best to keep up with this blog on a regular basis. It's somewhat of a release to be able to share my thoughts, feelings, style, interests, and so on...to an imaginary audience :) I had been going back and forth with myself on whether or not I should delete my Facebook. So instead of completely cutting ties with the cyber world, I finally made up my mind and decided to keep my account. I was going to delete anyone who wasn't family, people I've known since I was young, actual friends, or my old drill team girls. I can't stand the random friend requests from people you have never seen before in your life and the TMI status updates by people from high school that you've accepted only because you didn't want to have an awkward situation in case you may run into them again in the future. Is that just me...? More than likely. So, I will now no longer be afraid to deny random requests and have whittled my friends list down drastically. I'm SO ok with that!

Moving along...school is back in session! I miss being a kid and having all the back to school excitement. Seeing your friends again for the first time since the Summer started. Anxious to see who your teacher is going to be and if you will have anyone you know in your class. Laying out your clothes the night before and making sure everything is perfect from the bow in your hair down to the shoes on your feet. Again...just me? Anyways, I'm excited that Fall semester will be starting on Monday but it's no comparison to the fun had in elementary, intermediate, and high school. I'll be honest, I am a little nervous about this semester. I'm taking 15 hours! I've never taken more than 12. I figured what would it hurt to add one more, hopefully not my sanity. One of those classes is a Saturday class. Blah, I can kiss my weekend time goodbye. Oh well, I definitely need to get the ball rolling if I ever plan to get my degree! I have made a list of some brain foods that I will be sure to indulge in this coming semester. I'm going to need all the extra brain power I can get...

1. Salmon 

2. Green Tea

3. Acai (Ah-Sigh-EE) Berries

4. Vegetables

5. Coffee

Hopefully with the help of these few things, this semester won't be as difficult as I am anticipating. I've talked about food now it's time for the fashion. Here are some of my back to school basics:

In order for to have a successful semester, I believe a girl needs to start out on a fashionable foot! It wouldn't be perfect without: A great pair of flats, to complete a stylish look. We all know that with all the back and forth walking across campus, heels just aren't the most reasonable thing to be wearing. Jeans or leggings, they keep you covered and you can down play an outfit when paired with a dressier blouse. Modest-in-length shorts---come on girls, we aren't in high school anymore, no more booty shorts. Since the weather is still pretty warm at this point, if jeans aren't your thing opt for shorts instead. A nice neutral cardigan, they are so versatile and perfect all year round! A blazer, simple and solid. I choose neutral colors that will go with any colored ensemble. Simple tees, easy to match with and keeps a sleek stylish look. A super cute and yet again, neutral, tote bag to carry your books in a more fashionable way. Scraves, because I'm obsessed. Oh and that other bag in the picture...that's the Michael Kors bag that I'm dying over at the moment! I WILL be getting it one way or another!

TaTa for now! :)



WARNING: Super long blog post!

What a weekend! I am so happy to FINALLY be sitting in my bed, in my pajamas, drinking a glass of wine. I have not been able to just rest this whole weekend. Lets have a recap shall we...? Grab your glass of wine and sit back and listen to me beyotch...oopsie I mean explain.

Begining with Friday...long work day as usual. I had been looking forward to 6:30 p.m since I had arrived at work that morning. It had been a long week for everyone including the kiddos. I think I speak for everyone when I say I'm SO ready for school to be back in session! So after a long day and an especially busy week, I decided to treat myself to a manicure :) Scott would be on his way to LC and to fill up the time between then and him arriving, I would get my nails done. It felt fabulous! I was the only one in the salon and besides the sounds of the intruments being used to perfect my nails, I finally had some peace, quiet, and alone time. Scott and I had planned on going to see a movie that night but by the time we were ready to head out the door, we realized that there would be no way we would make it to the theater in time. Blah, I really wanted to see The Help! So instead we decided to go to Blockbuster and see what they had to offer. A whole lot of nothing! We ended up renting Hall Pass which I did not want to see from the day I had seen the previews for it forever ago. Not only did it get bad ratings, but the crude humor just isn't my thing. I am a tough critic though. I don't tend to like the movies that other people think are hilarious. Buuuut we decided to give it a try anyway. Mistake! It wasn't funny. Good movies are hard to come by these days. In my opinion anyway...

Saturday morning comes in no time. I wake up and immediately begin cooking breakfast. I made bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches on sliced tuscan bread. They were YUMMY! :) As soon as Scott and I got done eating we were immediately out the door to go get birthday presents for the party we were taking my niece and nephew to. Completely forgetting it was tax free weekend....we quickly found ourselves sitting in traffic around Baybrook Mall. Also, mind you, we were supposed to be meeting my sister at 3:00 p.m half way between her house in Cypress and mine in League City at the Papadeaux's restaurant near Reliant Stadium. Long story short we got the gifts, made it to Papadeaux's, and back home just in time to get back in the car and head to the party. I was begining to get a just a little tired at this point. The party was great, the kids had a good time, the were on their best behavior, and used their best manners :) Towards the end of the party, Rylan started getting restless and wanted so badly to go swimming. Poor baby. Remember in the previous post, they were supposed to have a swimming pool and water slide but due to League City's water rationing it just wasn't possible. I felt so bad because he was so looking forward to it and I had opened my BIG mouth and told him we would get to go swimming but it just didn't end up that way. So...I decided to take them to my friend's apartment pool after we had left the party so they could get their swimming fix. They had a blast. Scott was such a good sport and helped me out so much! He played "shark" with Rylan while I was playing with Keegan on the stairs and we would switch and he would take Keegan to the deep end and I would play "shark" with Rylan. We were all beat by this point!

Sunday came and it was Scott's birthday! I woke him up and cooked him my special french toast and eggs :) De-lish! After breakfast it was time to get the kids and ourselves ready to head back to Reliant by 3:00 to drop my niece and nephew back off with my sister. Remember that steak and shrimp, chipotle lime corn on the cob, couscous, salad, and carrot cake I was supposed to make...? Ya, that didn't happen! Scott and I were both exausted and decided that we just wanted something quick and easy. So on the way home from dropping the kids off, Scott and I stopped at Pei Wei for a late, simple, birthday lunch. We LOVE that place! I still wanted to attempt to make the oreo cake balls though. That thought quickly turned into..."How about we try to make birthday cake pops?"-Scott. Another long story short...the cake part turned out great but the pop part...not so much. We were so crunched for time that they pretty much just turned into birthday cake balls dipped in white chocolate. The taste, as a whole, was great but the overall presentation was not up to par. I am SUCH a perfectionist...you would have thought someone had just rained on my parade. I was so upset that I didn't get to take my time, make them perfect, have them displayed properly, and exactly the way I wanted them. My whole attitude changed. Scott was so sweet, he kept telling me "Oh wow! These are so good. Thank you!" I knew he was just trying to make me feel better though and in all honestly, he did. I was very disappointed that my weekend didn't go according to plan, but now looking back on it, it wasn't so bad. It could've been worse and I'm thankful that it wasn't! I really need to work on realizing that everything DOESN'T always have to be perfect... Meh, maybe tomorrow ;)

On a side note, Kim Kardashian FINALLY got married! She and NBA player Kris Humphries had a private yet lavish ceremony in front of an elite list of friends and family in Montecito, California on Saturday the 20th. E! will be airing the wedding sometime in October. I will be watching! :)

Scott and I went into Kirklands today and they had out their fall decor! LOVE! Fall is about a month away! I'm MORE than ready!!

 I'll leave you with this Fall survey...

 What is your favorite thing about the fall? The fashion and the weather

What is your favorite fall dessert? Pumpkin Spiced Lattes from Starbucks accompanied by a piece of pumpkin loaf. Yum!

Will you be carving pumpkins this year? Most definitely

Have you ever bobbed for apples? Actually, no.

Do you decorate your home for fall or Halloween? Of course!

Do you still go trick or treating? If no, how old were you when you last went? No, I'm not sure the exact age but it was in middle school...and I felt too old.

 Is it cold enough to snow where you live yet? No and it probably won't this year : /

 Have you seen your breath in the air yet? No but I can't wait to!

Did you go to any corn mazes? No, I'm realizing that I'm missing out on a lot of Fall traditions!

 Do you drink hot chocolate in the fall? Yes. Godiva makes delicious hot chocolate!

 What is one thing you love about the fall? The festive foods

 Have you ever made a scarecrow? In school, not a real one :)

Have you ever jumped in a leaf pile? Yes!

What reminds you of fall the most? Homecoming and football games

Do you have a favorite show that comes out in the fall? There is a new show called Suburgatory that I would like to watch

Can you still go swimming in the fall where you live? Unfortunately, yes

 Do you eat candy corn? Yes and the pumpkins too :)

 Have you had a caramel or candy apple yet? Nope, can't indulge yet!

Time for another glass of wine...

A weekend of celebrations!

Today is my parent's 28th anniversary! I am so blessed to have my parents still together. These days, it's very common it seems for couples to not stay together and the divorce rate is at an all time high! Fortunately for me, I don't have to do seperate holidays, seperate birthdays, and have a his-hers-yours-mine-and-ours type of family. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that type of family, I just see it as a blessing to have my parents together and am very thankful that I have the family that I do. Love them!! My parents are such positive role models. My dad is very hardworking and has a great work ethic, I think that might be where I get mine from ;) and he is also very laid back and easy going. My mother is the type that will bend-over-backwards, be there for you no matter what, whenever your down, be there cheering you up kind. I love that about her! She had the best job ever growing up, she got to be a stay at home mom until she realized that her kids were getting older and she wanted out of the house. I see myself and Scott acting alot like them. Hopefully we will one day be able to look back on our 28th anniversary and looking forward to many more. Here is a picture of my parents:

Along with my parents anniversary, one of my very good friends Ashleigh is having a birthday party for her 4 year old Avah and her 1 year old Adrien! Both her kids were born on the same day! How convenient is that?? Ash and I are always trying to get her kids and my niece and nephew together for a playdate, Rylan is 3 and Keegan is 2, so Scotty and I are going to be taking them to the party. I guess this can be a trial and error situation to see if we can handle having kids of our own in the future haha! The party was supposed to consist of a water slide and a kiddie pool since the summer is coming to an end, but good 'ol League City won't be allowing that to happen due to mandatory water rationing caused by the complete lack of rain we have had this whole entire summer! :( Oh well, the good thing about children's parties is they don't need all that jazz to be happy. They are completely satisfied with just having presents, cake, and ice cream readily available.

And last but certainly not least, tomorrow is Scott's big 2-7. It's crazy how time has just flown right by. I remember getting him this beautiful cake made by the Cake Lady for his 25th and driving it from League City to Austin praying that I didn't get into a wreck or make a sharp turn because I wanted it to be perfect when I gave it to him. That cake lasted all of 45 minutes MAYBE and it was completely gone! I didn't even get a chance to take a picture! After that I realized I would never purchase one of those again, I would just do it myself! Luckily for me baking turned out to be one of my most favorite things to do! On his 26th I made him a black velvet cake with homemade frosting and it..took...forever!  This year I am making oreo cake balls and he also asked for a carrot cake? Random! Whatever, hehe it's his birthday and if he wants a carrot cake, I'll give the man a carrot cake. Here is a picture of Scott and I when we first started dating:

and here is a picture of us now

I wouldn't necessarily say our looks have changed that much but man how we've grown!

Happy Birthday to you...Happy Anniversary to you...

TGIF...tomorrow

Whew! It has been ONE LONG week! I'm so glad that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that light is Friday! Monday morning, after a great weekend spent with my sister, her family, and Scott, I woke up to the absolute worst sore throat ever. Little did I know it would turn out to be strep! Ew. I NEVER and I repeat NEVER get sick! My perfect health record came to an end and I was forced to stay home from work Tuesday. Soooo with no other option, I had to miss work and catch up on my Desperate Housewives episodes. I know, how awful right? :) Well you would think that with it becoming a 4 day work week for me, this week would have flown by...not exactly. This is my moment to vent...have you ever felt like Cinderella while other people just get to sit back on an imaginary chaisse lounge, sipping a glass of their favorite cocktail, watching you do all the work? That's what I feel like almost EVERYDAY at my job. Luckily for me since being in summer school, I'm only part-time but on days when I don't have class, you might as well hand me a broom and a mop and start singing "Cinderella." It's always the SAME people cleaning. I know this might seem like a petty situation but it's very frustrating when there are other people who are there all day not to mention and don't lift a finger! We work at a daycare, I get that there is cleaning that needs to be done, but haven't these ladies ever watched Wonder Pets? "What's gonna work, TEAMWORK" the kids sing it all the time! Anyway, enough of the rambling and beyotching, I just wish everyone knew how to do their job as good as I do ;)

On a brighter note, as you will quickly find out, if you don't already know, I'm COMPLETELY obsessed with fall! The fashion, the food, the smells, the holidays, etc...I am SO incredibly happy to say that the fall season begins Septemeber 23. We are almost a complete month away!! On the 23rd I want to walk out of my front door and feel EXACTLY this way

Highly unlikely, I know, but a girl can dream can't she? Also I'd like to add a few more things to get you in the mood as well 

Worked didn't it? :) I hope and pray it starts to cool off before then. I don't know how much more of this heat I can stand. I honestly feel like the girl in the Perrier commercial

I'd also like to add a recipe that I can't wait to try! With all of these upcoming seasons I really get in the baking mood. After all, Paula deen does say "Baking seasons begin with a Pie!"

Apple Crunch Pie with Red Wine Caramel

Ingredients:

1 pre-made store bought pie dough round
8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup prepared caramel sauce
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
4 tablespoons red wine

For the Crunch Top:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Press pie dough into 9 inch pie plate, crimping or fluting the edges. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with flour and cinnamon and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together prepared caramel sauce and red wine. Set aside.

Prepare the crunch topping by adding all the ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and using your hands to cut in the butter until crumbly looking. Set aside.

Remove pie dough from refrigerator and begin pie assembly by layering the apple slices and the caramel red wine mixture. Put 1/4 of the apple mixture in the bottom of the pie dough. Top with 1/4 of the caramel wine sauce. Repeat process with the remaining apples and caramel sauce.

Dot the top of the pie with the cubed butter and prepared crunch topping. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking an additional 30 minutes or until browned and bubbling. Allow to cool 30 minutes before serving.

And so it begins...

The blog about none other than myself, my life, and all that implies. First things first, I'd like to explain my blog title. My fabulous yet doesn't-always-know-the-right-thing-to-say boyfriend of mine Scott, thought one day it would be funny to give me a nickname. After I had been OBSESSING over my body and how I just wanted to get back to my fab fit self, he said to me something along the lines of  "Just don't lose that butt, Jordashian!" Again, his 25 year old mind (at the time) doesn't always say the right thing and although I was trying to get back into shape, I knew I had a little "junk in the trunk" and couldn't help but laugh and think that it was the most creative thing he had ever come up with. It has been an on going joke ever since. Anways...I know that my life to some is completely unimportant and irrelevant so I will probably have no viewers, but I decided to take a chance and start the blog regardless. If all else fails, it still gives me a chance to gossip, vent, post recipes, pictures, and etc. The typical girl things we do. I promise I'll do my best not to be completely drab! So I guess to start the process here's a few things I'm enjoying at the moment:

Cooking/Baking

Desperate Housewives

Bath & Body Works Country Chic

Starbucks Birthday Cake Pops

Moving right along, Scotty's 27th birthday is on Sunday. 27! Can you believe that? I'm dating an old man ;) jk but seriously I can't believe it sometimes. So instead of going out to dinner, he was sweet and said he would rather have me cook for him. He knows I'm all domestic now and I think he is secretly putting my cooking to the test to be honest...but hey, I'm always up for a challenge! If the man wants a good home cooked meal, then a good home cooked meal he shall get! I'll show him! Hehe. Anyway the menu as per Scott, will consist of:

Steak and Shrimp

Chipotle Lime Corn on the Cob

Couscous

And last but not least, a "hearty salad" <--- Direct quote from him by the way

Needless to say I will have my hands full and my ability to throw it down in the kitchen will definitely be put to the test this Sunday.

Oh well, my motto for the moment is "Live Well, Laugh Often, Cook Much!"