I'm Back!!!

Oh my hell, drear reader... are there any of you still out there?  This poor little blog has been suffering abandonment issues and I can't afford a blog therapist.

Oh, that's better.  Nothing like a bulldog train to boost morale.  So, here's what happened.  I got crazy depressed.  Unfortunately, I have a genetic predisposition for depression and it's something I have struggled with since I was a child.  Let me tell you first hand, y'all, depression coupled with CFS is a potentially deadly combination.  I am beyond fortunate to have an incredibly supportive family, an amazing husband, and the best dog ever.  Also, we've had Cooper up in this piece for over a week.  Bulldog heaven.  

So, here's what happened: I sunk into a bout of depression and I didn't really know why I was so depressed.  This only served to make me more depressed.  I felt helpless and useless and too exhausted to get pissed off about it.  Eventually I started pulling myself out, but I crashed.  I tumbled fast and furiously back into days of lethargy spent in bed snuggling Guy with intermittent bouts of crying and a lot of wasted time on my iPad.  Finally I returned to the land of the living and it was hectic because I had basically been neglecting everything for weeks.  I had a buttload of catching up to do.  And now I am catching up with you!  

So, let's wrap-up the last three weeks!

WE ATE STUFF:

Monday: I had to work, so we got sandwiches at Subway.  I finally admitted that I hate Subway. 

Tuesday: I made an awesome quiche!  Secret ingredient = Stovetop Stuffing.  How can I hate Subway and love Stovetop?  Because it's stuffing... STUFFING!

Wednesday: Chicken Enchilada soup

Thursday: No one remembers.  Seriously.  

Friday: Blood orange sangria... yeah, I ate alcohol soaked fruit for dinner.  It was delicious.  

Saturday: Fend for yourself because I worked.

Sunday: Papa Murphy's veggie and pepperoni pizza.  I made caramelized onions with swiss chard too.

Monday: My husband went to see the Jazz play (I was too depressed to leave the house) and I had leftovers.

Tuesday: Again, no one knows.  We have NO IDEA.

Wednesday: We took my handicapped brother to Kyoto *drools*... I forgot to mention that we babysat him for a week.

Thursday: Chicken roll-ups with homemade pesto and mascarpone and spinach fettuccine with vodka sauce.

Friday: Spaghetti squash with kalamata olive and meat ragu.

Saturday: Work and pizza.

Sunday: leftovers

Monday: I had a farewell dinner for my friend who headed out to LA.  We went for tapas at Finca... OMGZ!!!  So divine!  The water glasses are the bottom half of empty wine bottles!

Tuesday: Chicken Gloria with peas and cauliflower mashed "potatoes".

Wednesday: Shredded chicken tacos with black beans and caramelized onions and swiss chard.

Thursday: Work and chicken souvlaki from Crown Burger.

Friday: Work and a gyro platter from Crown Burger.

Saturday: Work and chicken souvlaki from Crown Burger.

Sunday: Meatloaf and potatoes at my mom's.

As always, hit up my Pinterest for recipes!

And that's my please-forgive-my-neglect face.  Let's be friends!

xoxox

I Can't Stop Doing Your Holiday Shopping for You

I have corrupted my household; this morning my husband was singing "Never Say never" by the Biebs.  It's a Biebs Christmas (and every day) up in this piece.

Guyguy fell asleep in front of the heater this morning while I was getting ready for Xtend Barre.  Asleep sitting up... be still, my beating heart.  And in a "people sit" no less!

I HAVE NEWS SO DAMN EXCITING IT REQUIRES ME TO KANYE WEST THIS SCHIZZZ... THE AMAZING ERICA WEINER OF ERICA WEINER JEWELRY DID AN INTERVIEW FOR THE BLOG!!!  Erica is a fellow Vassar alumnus and she's majorly bad-A.  Trust me.  This will be the first in a series of interviews for the blog.  The totally dreamy noses and eyes from D.S. & Durga are also working on one... well, really Durga because she is another Vassar babe.  Mary Ping, the genius behind Slow and Steady Wins the Race (and the tour de force behind my wedding dress!), is on the ticket too.  Vassar babes are the most babe of all the babes... I'm not biased or anything (winky guy emoticon or whatever).  I seriously know the coolest of the cool, y'all, and you need to know them too.  LET'S DO THIS!

In the meantime I have another small list of holiday gift ideas for you and this one's not from Anthro.  I have totally been using my posts for Anthro gifts to get my own shopping done and I'll use this one as well.

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I must reiterate the awesomeness of Smith's Rosebud Salve.  I finally had to buy my husband his own tin, so he'd leave my supply alone.  Do I smell a gender neutral stocking stuffer?  Damn straight I do.  Not even the faint smell of rose can un-neutralize it.  And it comes in more scents!  are you a Rosebud purist, a minty rose, a menthol and eucalyptus, or strawberry kind of gift giver?

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This is a dry brush and I wish I were more diligent about using mine.  People claim all sorts of results from the dry brush, which was an ancient japanese and greek ritual.  I can attest that this is an amazing way to slough off dead skin cells.  This is gross, but holiday-y; it looks like it's snowing dead skin in your shower.  It was recommended that I not use the dry brush before bed time because it gets your circulation going and that wakes you up.  I would agree with this claim, but I'm not sure that this stimulation also gets rid of the ol' cottage cheese because I am totally inconsistent about using my dry brush, something I intend to change.  Here's the deal: don't get this wet... it's a DRY brush.  Get all good and nekkid in the bath or shower and proceed to rub in circular motions over your whole body, excluding the neck and face.  I like to go top to bottom personally.  I follow immediately with a shower.  It really does feel cleansing and you can get a good dry brush for under $20.  I bought mine at Scentsations in Foothill Village in Salt Lake.  You will find an endless supply of body beautifying and SCENT-sational gifts for men and women alike in there (pun... gross... went there... would totally go there again).  Support small business, ya'll.

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For some stupid reason I couldn't find a photo of the Sabon product I love most, but how cool is the store?  Their Orange Ginger Shower Oil (it's a shower gel with essential oils in it... and these really are ESSENTIAL) is pure heaven.  First off, it doesn't dry you our because of the oils.  Second, this scent is divine.  I find it both invigorating and relaxing.  I'm really sensitive to smells (and everything else, apparently) and this one smells the perfect amount of strong in the shower and washes off to just the faintest and yummiest trace afterwards.  I would totally kiss it on the mouth.  They have other scents, but this one is just to amazecraze for me to bother caring about anything else.  For serious, Matil.

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Oddly I could not find this Kiehl's deep conditioning treatment on the Kiehl's website, but I found it on the Nordstrom website (after I'd already bought it at Nordstrom).  This is a big fat tub o' hair repair.  Seriously, I think it will take me a couple of years to use it up.  I started sleeping with it in my hair, leaving it on for 24+ hours.  After a few of these treatments, at least a week apart, I went on to using it once a week in the shower, rinsing completely before getting out.  I am now down to every other week.  Man alive, this stuff is awesomesauce!  And it's only $25.

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I am so in love with all things orange blossom, especially this fragrance from Jo Malone... We are going to get all crazy about fragrance with D.S. & Durga soon!!!  I always stick to a light scent when it comes to perfume.  This one is really light.  I am married to the original Alfred Sung for 16 years, which has been discontinued... curses!  But I keep the little bottle of this guy in my purse for quick fresh-ups.  It layers softly and nicely with other light scents.  Sometimes I just spray it in my car when I need a quick break from the smell of stale dog... what's mine is Guy's.

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I've written about this baby from Sephora already.  If you are prone to chapped lips, live in a desert, or are often facing the elements, you need this.  Just kidding; I don't care who you are, you NEED this.  It's SPF 15... whoa!  I put it on before bed and my lips are still soft in the morning.  They also make this in a range of tints.  The tint is subtle, but enough to make you look less corpse-like when "wearing" a "natural face".  It's the only amount of colour I apply when wearing a dramatic eye.  I would definitely buy the clear (pictured) for a guy... unless he prefers tint.  Duh.

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Did I not make it clear that everyone needs a Clarisonic Mia?  Give it.  Get it.

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Oh, La Mer!  If you have the cash, you could be the best gift giver in town!  And I swear on my own grave that it's worth every penny (trust me, I'm a mortuary heiress... dead serious.  Oh yeah, I totally went there... again).  I know this last suggestion is pretty extravagant, but I've been loading you up with reasonably priced gift suggestions and I have more to come.  Stay tuned!  

Totally rad interviews are on their way!  With totally rad gift ideas to boot!

xoxox