No Caffeine = Massive Headaches

Another major December event: I have officially given up caffeine. This means that somehow my life will go on without the following items:

Picture from Lemon Toast

I am actually not a coffee drinker - I know, ironic since I am Brazilian - my drug of choice from Starbucks is a Vanilla, Soy, No Water, Chai. OMG! It is so good. But, no more!

Picture from Zetson

I believe the above picture needs no explanation. Oh so sad.

Now, if you've ever been addicted to this drug like I currently am, you know that by living without the pictured items above I am agreeing to live with a massive, pounding, horrible, blinding, I could keep going, but you get the point, HEADACHE!

I've been clean for 4 full days. The headache is becoming bearable. Somehow, life will go on.

:o)

Cookie Exchange and Christmas Decorations

December was such an exciting month, I can't believe it is almost over. I have tons of things to share, thus why you are about to read a very long post.

First order of business: Let me tell you about this little shindig I had a few weeks ago. I read an awesome blog entry on one of my favorite blogs ever, Design*Sponge about a Cookie Exchange. (If you'd like to read about my inspiration, please click here. Note that this entry was written by one of Design*Sponge's guest bloggers, Ashley English, from Small Measures - also, a great blog - a fellow North Carolinian.)

Back to the point, after I read this entry, I could not stop thinking about this great party idea. Americans are so smart, a whole party revolving around the idea of eating cookies - I love it! So, since I want to blend in as much as possible, I wasted no time in sending my little E-vite to every woman I know who lives within a 30 mile radius.

The party was a success!

17 wonderful ladies brought 4 dozens each of "to-die-for" homemade cookies:

1. Reindeer Delights
2. Peanut Butter Black & Whites
3. Pecan Fingers
4. Coconut Macaroons - MY FAVORITE!!!
5. Reeses Cup Cookies
6. Gingerbread Cookies - Won for Most Creative!
7. Italian Wedding Cookies - My 2nd Favorite!
8. Raisin Drop Cookies - Won Best All Around! Way to go Grace!
9. Sugar Cookies with Butter Cream Frosting
10. Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chips & Pecans
11. Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies - Won for the Best Story of Why You Made These Particular Cookies
12. Graham Cracker Treats
13. Glazed Butter Cookies - My Cookies. I got this recipe from another blog I follow, Lottie + Doof, it was part of their 12 Days of Christmas cookie recipes. 
14. Inside Out Chocolate Cookies
15. Ginger Snaps
16. Creme de Mint Squares
17. Christmas Biscotti

If you are ever looking for a new kind of party to throw, this is such a great an easy party to host, and at the end of it, you end up with tons of cookies to enjoy.

Here are the details:

• On the E-vite I explained the rules: 4 dozens each, has to be homemade, and please bring a container to take cookies home.
• I had plenty of non-sugary snacks for guests to munch on: a platter with a large variety of cheeses, nuts, dried fruits, spreads, crackers and bread. 
• To drink we had coffee, hot tea, chocolate milk, and Mulled Cranberry Wine. 
• After guests mingled and ate plenty of goodies, we went around and shared why we chose to make the cookies we brought. Then we tried a little bit from every cookie so that we could vote for the Best Cookie. I'm very competitive, so there was no way I was going to have a bake off without prizes.
• After all winners were awarded (Christmas ornaments, to stay with the Christmas theme) everyone went around the table and collected 3-4 cookies from each platter.

It was so fun! Oh, and of course, it helped a lot that I finished decorating the house for Christmas about 30 minutes before the first guest arrived ;o)

A few shots of the fireplace and mantel.





The fat Christmas tree we picked out - I love fat trees!





Our pup sleeping by tree, isn't she adorable? And a detail shot from the tree.


In the kitchen I decorated the window ledge above the sink and the chandelier.

Soon I will post about the rest of my crazy, fun December. Stay tuned!

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!
See you in 2010!

:o)

Asheville - My Heaven in NC!

Asheville, NC holds a very dear place in my heart. There are so many things that make this city an amazing place: amazing restaurants, awesome art, great people, Windy Gap, drum circles, amazing local breweries, breath taking mountains, and as you can see, I could go on for pages.

I just wanted to take the time to share with the few of you who read the crazy things I sporadically post on this blog,  a few pictures I've taken this Fall and Winter while I visited Asheville.

The Blue Ridge Parkway in September:

Windy Gap, a Young Life camp in Weaverville, right outside of Asheville. This is where I met my hubby, 6 and 1/2 years ago. These were taken last week.

Our Save the Date for our wedding, was taken at the bench above.

Every time I go to Asheville, I have to eat at Doc Chey's. In my opinion, best noodle restaurant ever!

Here are a few links for you to check out, if you'd like to know more about these places:

• The Blue Ridge Parkway
• Windy Gap - Young Life
• Doc Chey's 

Things I Am Thankful for:

And, thank you Wordle.net for helping me create the Word Art above.

Happy Thanksgiving!

New Moon Countdown - Awesome!

Short and sweet:

I wish I had found this amazing gadget a long time ago, but better late than never. Please enjoy the countdown to New Moon - I know I am.

:o)

Help Me Be a Workaholic

I know it has been a while, I am sorry for not sharing the many thoughts I've had sooner. But, as the title of this blog entry implies, I am having a hard time figuring out how to balance everything in my life right now.

The sad thing is, I don’t have that much going on, I know that:
• I have a job that demands a normal amount of time and dedication – no crazy 60 hours a week job like some of my friends have (you know who you are ;o)
• I am married – no kids. And my hubby is great at helping out with the work around the house so I don’t feel overwhelmed.
• I have a dog – who is not a puppy anymore.
• I (we) own a house that has lots of projects – but none of the projects need to be done right away.

See, no craziness that would completely overwhelm me to the point that I completely shut down and feel like I can’t do anything. Well, wrong! I feel completely overwhelmed right now, and the only solution I can come up with is becoming a workaholic.

Wikipedia defines a workaholic, as a person who is addicted to work. So with the goal in mind of becoming "addicted to work" I have made a plan. Here is a weekly schedule I created in order to achieve this goal:

Monday – Friday:
5:00 AM:
Running with the dog - I've read (and heard) that if you work out in the AM you have more energy during the day)
6:00 AM:
Get ready for work and have breakfast
7:00 AM – 6:00 PM:
Arrive at work an hour early, so I can get a lot of work done! Have a 30 minute lunch, so not to waste time with useless things, like food. Stay at work an extra hour, to get even more work done.
7:00 PM:
Get home and take the dog to the dog park. While at the park playing with the dog, plan dinner so I can get home and start making it right away, so not to waste time.
8:00 PM:
Have dinner while I am cleaning the kitchen, folding laundry, sweeping the floor, vacuuming, or whatever else needs to be done.
9:00 PM:
Work on a house project - finishing painting the master bedroom, guest bedroom, all molding and doors.
10:00 PM:
Write a blog entry and spend some quality time with Hubby.
11:00 PM:
Plan the next day's outfit so not to waste time. Then go to bed, as close to 11pm as possible.

Saturday:
6:00 AM:
Running with the dog - I've read (and heard) that if you work out in the AM you have more energy during the day)
7:00 – 9:00 AM:
Clean house, completely, from top to bottom.
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM:
Help Hubby with the front and back yard work. 30 minutes for lunch - no need to waste time, even on Saturday.
2:00 – 6:00 PM:
Work on a house project - finishing painting the master bedroom, guest bedroom, all molding and doors.
7:00 PM:
Take the dog to the dog park. While at the park playing with the dog, plan dinner so I can get home and start making it right away, so not to waste time.
8:00 – 11:00 PM:
Have dinner, clean the kitchen, then go to the craft room. Stay there doing all kinds of projects until I am so tired I can't keep my eyes open. Go to bed then.

Sunday:
6:00 AM:
Running with the dog - I've read (and heard) that if you work out in the AM you have more energy during the day)
7:00 – 9:00 AM:
Breakfast, and work on any house project that needs attention, inside or out.
10:00 AM:
Get ready for church.
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM:
Church and lunch. I am allowing myself an hour lunch today - come on, it is Sunday.
2:00 PM – 7:00 PM:
Do work for my job. I want to be prepared for the week.
7:00 PM:
Take the dog to the dog park. While at the park playing with the dog, plan dinner so I can get home and start making it right away, so not to waste time.
8:00 PM – 11:00 PM:
Have dinner, clean the kitchen, then go to the craft room. Stay there doing all kinds of projects until I am so tired I can't keep my eyes open. Go to bed then. Oh, and let's not forget - write a blog entry.

Doesn’t this sound like a great plan?

;o)

Gray Skies + Rain = Polka Dots

I do not like rainy days. Blame it on the fact that I am Brazilian and that I have tropical blood running in my veins, but rainy days don’t make me happy. I know there are people out there (like my husband) who love them, love the sound of the rain hitting the roof, love the sound of thunder, love the smell of wet dirt, etc. Well, not me.

Luckily, there are 2 things that make rainy days bearable to me:

1. The special rainy days where the sun decides that no matter what, he is not going away. He will fight through the nasty clouds and find away to shine through. Yes, those rainy days, that sadly don not happen often enough, make the other gloomy days bearable.

2. For all the other non-special rainy days, there is one thing that I do that makes the day a little more bearable. When it rains, I get to wear polka dots:

And these polka dots, have made the last few days, a bit less gloomy.
 
PS: I’d like to thank my personal photographer, who just shook his head at me when I said: “Hey babe, will you take a picture of my boots?” But he still did it without asking any questions. Thank you.

If I Pondered, Than You Should Too!

I usually hate these kind of lists, but this one caught my attention. It made me think about these everyday things, that you normally don't stop to think about. So, because I stopped to ponder these things, you just might like to do it also. Enjoy!

Oh, and these are only my favorite questions.

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth ?
Popcorn and Coca-Cola - my favorite 3pm snack while at work.

4. Name someone who made you laugh today?
My pup and my hubby this morning - they were both being so sleepy-drunk-cute. Love the mornings with them.

6. If you could move somewhere else, would you?
Yes, but I honestly don't want to. And I love that I feel this way.

11. When was the last time you cried really hard?
I think it was Monday night, or Tuesday night, honestly I don't remember. It's all ready forgiven and forgotten.

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?
If I stay true to the question - my hubby, I think. But, since I consider my pup part of the fam, she was the last victim of my camera frenzy.

14. Was yesterday better than today?
Yes, so far. Today has been very stressful, but it is Friday. I have no idea what the evening has in store.

15. Can you live a day without TV?
Yes, please! But, do I believe in a week without TV, sadly no.

16. Are you upset about anything?
No, pretty chilled right now.

18. Are you a bad influence?
This is a very funny question for me to answer, because if I am truthful the answer is probably yes, but I think my "bad" influence is always needed ;o)

20. What items could you not go without during the day?
My glasses, some form of caffeine, a noise maker - meaning: Ipod, Pandora, radio, TV, etc - I hate silence!

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say?
"Yes, I haven't moved since we last talked." - Hubby. This was the answer to my plea to make homemade ice-cream tonight (Friday) instead of last night (Thursday). He was sitting in traffic after getting out of NCSU's football game.

28. What song is stuck in your head?
I'm writing this while Sine I've Been Loving You by Led Zepplin is playing, so that's what's in my head.

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who do you want it to be?
Johnny Depp - that's the only person I'll allow to scared the crap out of me by knocking on my window at 2am.

30. Wanna have grandkids by the time you're 50?
Hell NO!

31. Name something you have to do tomorrow?
Have to do: Nothing - which is orgasmic to be able to say that. Want to do: Lots - clean the house, finish painting master bedroom, go shopping for fabric for curtains, play with my pup, hang out with my hub, read, etc.

32. Do you think too much or too little?
Talk too much, therefore, probably think too little.

**

Bedroom Inspiration

Finally, it is time to work on the master bedroom. After one year in our new house, we started to work on our master bedroom this past weekend. The hardest paint decision we've made so far, but after lots of sample colors, we decided on "Catalina Coast" - a beautiful blue-grey color.

I hope you approve of my mood board below:





















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500 Days of Summer - WOW!

Finally, another great movie is made, thank you Marc Webb.

"this is a story of boy meets girl ... but you should know, this is not a love story" - Narrator

The movie starts with the Narrator preparing you for what is to come.  The main actors are introduced: Summer (Zooey) and Tom (Gordon).  Zooey Deschanel is one of my favorite actresses right now, she is so captivating. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt has come such a long way from this:

10 Things I Hate About You

The movie tells the story of 500 days spent (or sometimes, not spent) with Summer, Zooey's character. The story is told in such a creative way that you find yourself completely sucked into this (not) love story. The chemistry bewteen Zooey and Gordon is so intoxicating. 

All emotions were extracted from me: I got mad, I laughed, and I cried. What else can you ask from a movie? Oh yes, there are 2 more things you could ask from a movie: to have an amazing soundtrack, and great fashion. I am listening to the soundtrack as I write this blog, it is perfect. In regards to fashion, I want to own every single outfit Summer wore.

Just a great movie!

**

Welcome!

I decided that it was time for me to join the blogging world. This blog will be used as an outlet for me to share all things that help me become who I am today.
I hope you enjoy.
Happy reading!

**