Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

So yesterday was kind of yucky and cold outside and I was worried my day at the races was going to be ruined today. But they weather was perfect!! It was sunny, 70 degrees, and fabulous. I gave myself $20 to bet with and I left with $23.70 at the end of the day. Not too shabby since I have no idea what I'm doing. The Arkansas Derby is in a few weeks so after that there won't be anymore live races until next year. I can't believe racing season is already almost over. Whew time flies! Below are some horses at the track.

Chuckle

Well, I'm not gonna lie I was a bit disappointed by the movie (although that Robert Pattinson guy is super delish). There were so many important parts in the book that they totally left out. And granted I'm not the target audience, but the velveeta cheese factor was a bit more than I could bear. Now I think our group was probably too rowdy to really take the movie seriously last night. Ladies drinking champagne and then watching a movie meant for teen girls means the movie does not really get watched too much. So I rented it again today from cable to be sure I was giving it a fair chance. It was a bit (and I mean a tiny tiny bit) better. I'm hoping a new director for the next one means a better movie is on the way. Here's a spoof of one of the cheesier scenes in the movie and it is real funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sILnTjYlNxc

Twilight

So for those of you who were once like me, ignorant to this phenomenon called Twilight, the DVD was released last night. After store visits in Memphis yesterday which included a detour to Hot Topic (whew did we look crazy in there: four ladies in suits buying Twilight merchandise, we were sure we were the oldest people in there) the shirts have been bought (an I dreamed of Edward Cullen for Merry and an I Heart Boys who Sparkle for Andrea, no shirt for me I can think of other things I want to spend $24 on) and we are ready for the DVD viewing party.

When I joined the jewelry team at corporate in November it was literally the week after the movie had come out and I had no clue what Twilight was. I had seen the previews for the movie, but I thought it was some horror flick. Oops. All my new coworkers were OBSESSED with Twilight and a little horrified that I had not read the books.

I tried to hold out for a little while, but I finished the first book last night (I'm pretty sure they wouldn't even let me watch the movie if I hadn't read the book) and I have to say it was pretty good. I'm interested to see how they incorporate all the fantastical fiction stuff from the book into the movie. I mean he's stronger than a human, can run super fast, and sparkles when he's in the sun.

So of course our party is themed for Twilight-ish things. I'm making deviled eggs cause who doesn't love a theme? And at last I kind of get this Twilight obsession. I still need to read the rest of the books before I become a die hard fan, the first book didn't get really really good until the last 200 pages. I guess I need to find someone to borrow the second book from.

False Alarm

So its cold again. 45 degrees and raining. I'm thinking that dang groundhog may have been predicting even more than 6 weeks of winter left. I have a bad case of the winter blahs, so what better to do than purchase some of the spring clothes from J.Crew that I've had my eye on? Best part, they're all on sale! I'm warming up the old debit card and I hope these banish your winter blues too.

This would be perfect for work or church. Or any time that I needed to be a bit dressier. And I love the cool grey color, but the chiffon fabric makes it light and airy.

I love love love these sandals! They are so adorable, but the metallic color makes them not too sweet.

A dress to wear to my best friend from college's wedding. She's getting married in April. Hmmm, note to self will need sweater for inside the church.

Spring has Sprung

So the weather here has been living up to its token joke lately "Don't like the weather in Arkansas wait a day and it will change." I started out the week wearing cashmere and boots, and it almost hit 80 degrees today. I think there is rain in the forecast for all week, but you know what they say about Spring showers and the resulting flowers, so I'm not going to be too down about that. I'm just holding out hope that it stays springlike and that by this time next week it won't be snowing like it was last Saturday.

Enjoying spring in a new house and neighborhood is exciting. I like being away from the perfectness of apartment grounds. When Eddie and I enjoy our evening walk there are new flowers to see in each yard and it at looks different. I don't have a clue about flower names, but I think I might try to learn. I also think I might need to get my hands in the soil soon. Does anyone know when you can start planting with certainty that your plants won't freeze to death?

The Bradford pears that screen our little complex from the street are in full bloom. Interestingly they smell totally different here than they do in Texas.

I have no clue what this is, but it is growing right by one of the gates leading to outside the grounds and it is just so cheerful looking.

Now these I know and I think I might plant some for next year. They are all over the neighborhood and I really think daffodils might be my new favorite flower.

Eddie was having huge issues about the fact that I was outside without him. Stay tuned because soon the bushes by the pool will be blooming full of pink flowers like they were when I looked at this condo a year ago. It was part of the reason why I wanted to buy.

PS Did anyone read the article about Melinda Gates in this month's Vogue? I think after reading it I might be a little obsessed with her. She's insanely rich but totally grounded, does amazing things for the world everday, grew up in Dallas, and is making sure her children do not grow up to become another Paris Hilton. What a woman!

My sweet boy

Now I may be biased but I feel like Eddie is pretty cute all the time. But by the time I try to capture the cute things he does on camera he moves and the moment is gone. Imagine my surprise when I found him sleeping like this the other night. Yes he is under my bed peeking his little face out from under the dust ruffle. I was even more surprised when I left the room, got my camera, turned it on (it makes a noise that never fails to get Eddie going), and took not one but two pictures of him and he never moved. I guess he was all tuckered out.

Drumroll please...

The closet cleaning went very well. I ended up filling four trash bags full of stuff that I will now donate. I also emptied out an entire suitcase of bras (22 in all) that I had never unpacked since I moved almost a year ago. In my defense I used to be a bra buyer for a department store so I got lots of freebies that sometimes were not really my taste (pink neon swirls comes to mind). But I feel very liberated. This morning I was able to see everything and pick out an outfit pretty easily. So trying on everything in my closet taught me some very important lessons. Hopefully they'll help someone else out there too.

Lesson #1: TRY IT ON!!! This is by far my worst offense. There were several items that I put in the "donate" pile that I had only worn once or (gasp) never worn at all. I picked it out in the store, didn't try it on, tried it on at home, and then didn't like it. And since I am horrible about taking things back they just languish away in my closet never getting worn. So now I am going to try things on in the store and if I order it off the internet I have to be better about sending it back if it doesn't fit.

Lesson #2: If it doesn't fit now GET RID OF IT! Going from an active college life to a desk job gave me a few extra pounds that I've been working to loose. Nevertheless there is no reason for me to save my going out shirts from college for the day that I'll fit into them again. Would I even wear them if they did fit. No! My style has grown a little past Express spaghetti strap tops these days and won't it be a nice reward to myself to buy new clothes in a smaller size once I loose that weight?

Lesson #3: If it is shrunk, faded, deformed, pilling, or a somewhat less than version of the way you bought it GET RID OF IT! I had some sweaters and shirts that I am ashamed to admit I still wore even though they had seen their best days quite some time ago. Even basics like white shirts don't last forever. Yellow armpits are never flattering.

Lesson #4: If you think you look awful every time you wear outfit X GET RID OF IT! I had a shirt that every time I wore it I felt like the queen of frump. But I continued to wear it because it was in my closet and it was easy. Why did I torture myself like this? I'd like to say I had a good reason, but it was just plain laziness. And considering I work in the fashion industry that is just shameful. All people are not meant to wear all styles and that outfit is never going to look good so just chuck it.

Lesson #5: Find the styles that you like and look good in and stick to that. For me that is cardigans (I mean who doesn't look good in a cardi), V-neck tops, boot cut pants, and A-line skirts. Dresses are good too as long as I stick to lesson #1. From now on I am going to look for those silhouettes when shopping. Trying something new isn't out of the question as long as I try it on first, but I think half the battle is finding what looks good on you and making wardrobe out of those pieces. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it!

So there you go. I hope these lessons help you, it took me 25 years to learn them, but I guess it's better than 50!