Make Mine a Mojito...HAS MOVED

Blog update!

2009-09-09T18:20:00.002-05:00

I have been getting emails asking where I ran off to. In case you missed the memo, I now have my own domain.

You can now get your mojito fix at www.makemineamojito.com.

Come over and play!

bittersweet

2009-04-13T22:51:00.000-05:00

This is a bittersweet moment for me. This will be my final post on makemineamojito.blogspot.com {tear}.

After much consideration, I finally bit the bullet and bought my own domain! While I am thrilled about my new site, I cannot help but feel sad for abandoning my old one.

I have turned off the comments on this blog and my profile has a new address.

You can now get your daily mojito fix at:

MakeMineaMojito {dot} com

It has been a fun ride and it is only going to get better! I would love it if you would join me!

Love,

Mojito Maven

fast & furious

2009-04-13T14:50:00.006-05:00

Is it bad that after Easter brunch Mr. Mojito and I went to see the new Fast & Furious movie and that I actually liked it? I am going to blame my inner teenager who still has a crush on Paul Walker.

It is not exactly your typical Easter Sunday movie, but whatever. I think even JC would appreciate the action and cars.

P.S. For those that asked, I did try the gelfite fish, and it was, in fact, disgusting.

gelfite fish

2009-04-09T16:15:00.004-05:00

Tonight I am celebrating Passover with Mr. Mojito’s family. One of the traditions of Passover is to eat gelfite fish during the Seder.

What is gelfite fish?

It is a disgusting fish patty sold in glass jars and packed in jelly made from fish broth.

In traditional recipes for gefilte fish, the fish is first deboned. Next, the fish is ground together with eggs, onions, flour, and matzoh meal or challah until it is a fine paste. The paste is then stuffed into the skin of the deboned fish, giving it the name gefilte or “stuffed”. The whole stuffed fish is then boiled with carrots and onions.

Wait, that does not sound appealing to you? Do not worry, it sounds revolting to me too.

My husband swears that gelfite fish is really good. I am going to have to disagree.

luann has a blog?

2009-04-09T15:26:00.005-05:00

Count-less LuAnn de Lesseps is never one to disappoint. Ever.

First we have the privilege of watching her weekly on the RHNYC. Next, if we need a refresher course on class and manners we can refer to her book, Class with the Countess, as a useful resource. AND now she is offering her wisdom on her blog!

I assure you I am not kidding. Run, do not walk, over there right now to see it! I am sure each of you are hitting your 'Refresh' button waiting for her next update.

She actually discusses the ending of her marriage and also leaves us with a helpful piece of advice when dealing with relationships:

Tip: When a man breaks up with you, be as noble and dignified as you can. Realize that better times are ahead and that the future holds many wonderful opportunities. Sometimes a break-up is a blessing in disguise.

Did you find this advice useful? Well you are in luck because at the end of each blog post LuAnn provides a tip that all well-mannered and classy people should follow.

A HUGE thank you to Sarah for pointing out this little gem!! It made my day. I owe you.

fail, j. crew

2009-04-08T12:56:00.006-05:00

I recently purchased the Metallic Cotton-Linen Pencil Skirt in lavender from J. Crew.

J. Crew describes the skirt as:

A stunning statement skirt in cotton/linen with a metallic-foil print. Perfectly tailored with a classic pencil shape, incredibly flattering with a lean, leg-lengthening silhouette. Pare it down with a simple top and cardigan for the office, or play it up with a frilly blouse and loads of accessories for an evening out.

Sounds wonderful right? WRONG.

This skirt is awful! The texture of the skirt completely ruins it. The skirt has a very flattering fit, is true to size, and has a beautiful color, but the metallic-foil print makes the skirt feel like someone took a paintbrush and coated this skirt in metallic paint. It reminds me of vinyl patio furniture. No bueno.

This skirt will be returned to J. Crew this weekend!

FAIL, J. Crew!

bathroom etiquette

2009-04-07T16:02:00.004-05:00

When I think of bathroom etiquette this is NOT what comes to mind:

“If you get pee on the toilet seat, bathroom floor, or stall, clean it up! If you peed all over your bathroom at home would you just leave it there? Doubtful. We are professionals and work in a professional environment. Act like it.”

This sign was placed on the inside of every stall, above every sink, on the door to the bathroom, the trashcan, and on the paper towel dispenser. PEOPLE, we get it!

Are you sure I work in a professional environment? Have you met my cube neighbor? And how exactly does one get pee on the stall when sitting down to go to the bathroom??

Just another typical Tuesday.

charleston pics

2009-04-06T18:17:00.006-05:00

Here are some pics from our fun filled weekend in Charleston!

de-ni-al

2009-04-06T12:51:00.007-05:00

Denial \ de-ni-al \ n (1528):
1. An assertion that something said, believed, alleged, etc., is false.
2. Sacrifice of one's own wants or needs; self-denial.
3. An unconscious defense mechanism used to reduce anxiety by denying thoughts, feelings, or facts that are consciously intolerable.

Yep, that pretty much sums up my current state of mind. I have been sitting here in shock since I arrived at work this morning.

To say that this past weekend in Columbia and Charleston with BEB and GRITS was AMAZING would be an understatement.

Some observations:
1. Erin’s home in Columbia belongs in a home décor magazine.
2. Erin has the cutest baby bump I have ever seen. She makes me almost want to be pregnant. Almost.
3. Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka might just be my new favorite drink (sorry mojito).
4. GRITS has coined several terms that literally made me spit out said sweet tea vodka.
5. I need to win the lottery so I can buy a beach front home in Charleston. I am now accepting donations.
6. Shrimp and grits, biscuits and gravy, fried pickles, fried green tomatoes, and red velvet cake. WW and I were not friends this past week.
7. I swear we walked a half marathon in 2 days.
8. I am going to steal (errr borrow?) Erin’s new Louis Vuitton bag.

I promise to post pictures once I download them from my camera. Until then, here are some pictures I stole from Erin…

I cannot wait until our next trip!!!!

off to charleston

2009-04-01T20:56:00.012-05:00

cussing…good for the soul

2009-04-01T11:03:00.009-05:00

NOTE: On an unrelated topic, it is clear that most people do not realize that when they leave an “anonymous” comment it is not actually anonymous…hello Google Analytics! I do not have a problem with differing opinions, but I refuse to listen to them when they are hidden behind the veil of anonymity. If you have something to say STOP HIDING because I know who you are anyway. Say what you mean and mean what you say!

Also, several people have emailed me asking how I know this so I plan on doing a Stat Counter/Google Analytics tutorial when I get back.

I have heard all the criticism…

It reduces respect people have for you.
It shows a lack of character.
It is immature.
It reflects ignorance.
It represents the dumbing down of America.
It offends people.
It makes people uncomfortable.
It is disrespectful of others.
It illustrates abrasive and lazy language.
It is not constructive.

Yes, cussing could be all of those things…BUT maybe, just maybe, cussing is actually good for the soul (right, Nina?).

Cussing is like the perfect comfort food…ooey gooey macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, shrimp and grits, or mashed potatoes and gravy. Cussing can be the perfect remedy for a CRAPTASTIC day.

Sometimes spewing out a few choice words is a wonderful form of therapy. It is cathartic. It is liberating. It relieves stress.

Cussing can also be plain, jolly good fun. You can even be creative with curse words…asshat, assclown, and asstard are some of my personal favorites.

Funnily enough I have friends that say, "God bless it" or "Dagnabit!" when their tone is totally, "Dammit!", "Oh shit!”, or “Ah hell!”

I never cuss on my blog (well, until today). However, in my everyday conversation I do sprinkle in a few choice words.

Come on…fess up. Cussing can be good for the soul.

count-less?

2009-03-31T08:13:00.008-05:00

STOP THE PRESSES!

Page Six of the New York Post is reporting that RHNYC "COUNTESS" LuAnn de Lesseps has split from her husband because he has been having an affair with an Ethiopian woman in Geneva. Oh snap!

Can her book still be called Class with the Countess? I think not.

LuAnn begs to differ. She has apparently told friends that, no matter what, "I will always be the countess."

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT.

Glorious I say.

Note: I truly do think it is heartbreaking when ANY marriage fails (especially when children are involved), but this was just too ironic not to post about.

champagne

2009-03-29T18:14:00.007-05:00

Kate's wedding can be summed up in one word...champagne (or alcohol in general)!

Champagne + Chambord (x2)
Champagne + Raspberry Puree (x1)
Champagne + Peach Puree (x2)
Milk and Cookies Cocktail (x2)
White wine (x1)
Orange Blossom Martini (x1)

Yeah you can do the math...totally worth it!

Kate, I still have a crush on your wedding. It was truly breathtaking, and you looked absolutely stunning. Thank you so much for allowing Mr. M and I to be a part of your special day!!

Slynnro, Maggie, Me, KATE, Evan

P.S. Mel from I Pick Pretty??? H-O-T!!!! I had so much fun hanging out with you at the after party!

austin bound

2009-03-27T10:04:00.006-05:00

This weekend Mr. Mojito and I are heading to Austin for Kate’s Wedding!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats Evan and Kate!! We are so happy for you both!

Some of my favorite bloggers (Slynnro, Maggie from Eat, Drink, Marry, and Millytini) will be in attendance and I cannot wait to engage in foolishness with them. AND I may also get to meet the wonderful Mel from I Pick Pretty!!!! I am so thankful blogging brought all of you into my life!!!! You girls are the best.

For those who are interested in the Maxi dress situation…I did not win the original dress I bid on. The other chick outbid me at the last second. BUT I did decide to bid on the same dress in a different color and I did come out victorious!! YAY SUCCESS!!!

Here is the dress I won...

Here is the dress I bid on originally...

AND our new bed gets delivered this morning!!! Woo hoo!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

xoxoxo

i am addicted to eBay!

2009-03-26T10:50:00.005-05:00

At the start of February I was an eBay virgin. I never used to understand what all the hype was about. Then I decided to hop on the Fit Train and lose some weight and now none of my clothes fit. Since I am not exactly Mrs. Moneybags I decided to join the world of eBay to see what kind of goodies I could find.

And now I am a complete eBay addict.

It is like I see the words “new with tags” or “over 75% off original retail” and I become a completely different person. I see hundreds of shoes, dresses, jewelry, and tops that I CANNOT possibly live without. And why pay full price for a $225 J. Crew dress when I could get it for $39 NEW WITH TAGS???? Glorious I say!

You might also say that eBay has made me insane.

Take today for example. Remember how I have been searching for the perfect Maxi dress? Well I found one on eBay and lucky for me I was the first bidder with only 12 hours left! The stars were aligning perfectly…until this other chick decides to outbid me!! GAH. Now I find myself yelling at my computer screen, mentally cursing this other bidder, and plotting ways to bring her down!

I am telling you that if 2:30 PM rolls around and I am not the proud winner of the most perfect Maxi dress ever, I will hunt that other bidder down and steal it from her.

Just saying.

P.S. I will post pictures of the Maxi dress once I am victorious because I do not want anyone else bidding on it :)

UPDATE: She outbid me. BUT luckily there is another dress that I love so I am going to bid on that one and pray that I win!

weight watchers wednesday

2009-03-25T11:04:00.002-05:00

Today is truly a HAPPY DAY in Mojito land!

It took 5 months, almost 30 pounds, tears, falling off the fit train (twice), sweat, vegetables, 100 calorie Smart Pop popcorn, several splurge meals, and mojitos, but I FINALLY accomplished my WW goal.

I have mentioned several times that I gained a RIDICULOUS amount of weight after my wedding in a VERY short time. I finally hit rock bottom and decided to join Weight Watchers when I actually popped a button off a pair of black dress slacks…Yes, I POPPED OFF A BUTTON I had gained so much weight (and yes I have no idea why I am admitting this on my blog). Talk about a serious self esteem crusher.

For the first time I am going to share my weight with the world...

May 25, 2008 (my wedding day): 118 lbs.
October 25, 2008: 148 lbs.
March 25, 2009: 121 lbs.

Now the real challenge begins…maintaining my weight.

Weight Watchers works.

RHNYC drama

2009-03-24T22:00:00.006-05:00

Did anyone catch the preview for next week? Bethany and Kelly are ready to claw each other's eyes out, Silex and Ramona have an all out brawl, and apparently Jill is going to punch out Ramona's husband, Mario.

DRAMA...LOVE IT!!!!

UPDATE: I just heard Simon say he "has made himself surgically incapable of getting [Alex] pregnant." SICK, SICK, SICK.

he strikes again!

2009-03-24T11:02:00.005-05:00

The infamous toe nail biter strikes again…

Sadly it is true. The gem of a man I have the pleasure of working with EVERY DAY never fails to DISGUST me.

Except this time he has upgraded (or downgraded depending on your tolerance level) to using an electric razor to trim his facial hair (with no trashcan underneath him) during his lunch break. AND in case he did not get everything the first time he is now using tweezers to pluck hairs out of his face and then placing them in a pile on his desk.

Oh and his computer monitor doubles as a mirror…Klassy! I swear I cannot make this stuff up.

For those that have asked how this man can possibly still be employed at my company I honestly have no idea. I think management figures he is 2-3 years away from retirement and a technical genius so it is easier to just tolerate him until he leaves.

sweat puddles

2009-03-23T08:37:00.004-05:00

Scene: You are at the gym on a treadmill/elliptical/stair climber/bike. You are deep into your cardio workout when a man with a sweat band on his forehead and wrists gets on the machine next to you.

He starts off slow at first and then rapidly picks up his pace. And then it begins. First there are just a few drops of sweat on his forehead. Next his arms become covered in sweat. You yourself have a little perspiration going on so you think nothing of it (stupid move on your part).

Then he starts breathing really heavy and you look over to see what looks like rain coming down. You look up to the ceiling to make sure there is not a hole in it and then you realize the guy next to you is sweating so much he is dripping sweat EVERYWHERE and it is causing puddles of sweat on the floor that are so deep you could lose your leg. But oh no, it does not stop there…the sweat is now starting to invade on your space.

Now you have 2 choices:
1. Look away, try not to gag, and pretend you do not see it.
2. Interrupt your workout by moving to another machine away from the rain forest man (assuming there is another machine available) and pray that you do not step in his pool of disgustingness.

You do the smart thing and move machines. When you are finally done with your workout you look over to Mr. Sweat at the end of the machines and see that he has left…except not really…he left a treat for the next person. Clearly he thought the next person would like his sweat pools so he failed to mop them up.

Listen, if you are going to sweat like a monsoon just hit ground please be courteous and clean up after yourself.

fort worth dog show

2009-03-20T22:23:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday everyone! I am happy to report that Mr. Mojito is finally HOME! YAYAYAYAY

Tomorrow we are spending the day at the Fort Worth Dog Show. The breeder of our future puppy will be showing some of her award winning Cavaliers and wanted to meet us! We are so close to getting our furbaby I can hardly stand it. I think I will be putting a poll on my blog so people can vote on potential puppy names because we are still so undecided.

=

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

new bed!

2009-03-19T14:08:00.005-05:00

You may remember this post where I was deciding what I should do with the money from my tax refund and performance sharing at work. The results were divided between saving the money, buying the bed, or if there was enough money left over, do both. Sadly only one person said I should buy the diamond stud earrings.

So what did I decide to do?

I put 1/3 in savings, 1/3 went to my shopping spree, and the final third was used for the Restoration Hardware bed!

I just received a phone call from RH that our bed has shipped and will be here in a few weeks!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAY. I guess it is time for me to put our old Ikea bed frame up on Craigslist.

Hello Lover...

And our old Ikea bed...

not a fan

2009-03-18T15:18:00.010-05:00

I am already prepping myself for the vast amounts of hate mail I am about to get for this post...

Confession: Lilly Pulitzer and I are not friends. We just do not mesh. At all. I know many of you LOVE Lilly, but she is just not my cup of tea. Lilly reminds me of what a child should be wearing and not a grown adult.

I have tried to like all things Lilly, but I always end up running straight for J. Crew or Banana Republic. I even almost bought a shift dress a few years ago, but when I went to the register I started having a panic attack and had to quickly leave the store. I have not set foot in a Lilly store since.

Now please do not misunderstand me…I love me some pink and blue (I am not so much a fan of green on me), but I am just not a fan of Lilly. I guess I am more of a subtle person (as in I do not wear clothing that has watermelons, fish, seashells, lobsters, crabs, sea horses, monkeys, elephants, swirls, or any other random beach item or animal you can think of). I like to look great but not overly stand out, and wearing a Lilly print definitely makes you stand out!

I think it is obvious that there are two camps in the world of blogging (or at least among the blogs I read)…those pro Lilly who can be slightly over the top and those who wear everything else (and I feel like we are far in the minority). Please tell me I am not the only person NOT on the Lilly bandwagon?

shopping spree

2009-03-18T11:47:00.005-05:00

I received several comments and emails asking me to post what I purchased during my mini shopping spree...I hope to add some fun going out clothes and shoes in the very near future! I also cannot wait until the late spring/early summer line from J. Crew is out!

Seven Jeans

Hudson Jeans

Maxi Halter Dress from Express

J. Crew

J. Crew

J. Crew

J. Crew

Ann Taylor

Ann Taylor...I also bought a black patent leather belt to wear with it.

Ann Taylor Loft

luann is at it again...

2009-03-17T21:37:00.005-05:00

Is LuAnn seriously giving Bethany dating advice? Gag me.

Oh and apparently according to LuAnn, "Guys are fed up with women being too equal with men." She is kidding right?

frumpy

2009-03-17T14:30:00.003-05:00

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like every item of clothing you own is frumpy and you instantly need a new wardrobe?

Yeah I am having one of those days…except it seems to be lasting for weeks. I am not even kidding when I say have spent more money on clothes this past month than I have since I graduated college. Since we were saving for the wedding, a house, basic furniture, and student loans, I felt guilty about buying new clothes when I should be using that money toward something better. SO, as a result of my self-induced guilt I have not really bought clothes (except for the occasional work shirt or dress pants) for the past 2 years! I am slowly remedying that problem...

6 new dresses? Check.
3 work cardigans? Check.
2 pairs of jeans? Check.

I still would like to get some fun going out clothes and SHOES! I am in desperate need of shoes!

Please tell me I am not the only one who goes through these phases?

sookie stackhouse

2009-03-16T15:46:00.003-05:00

On Friday I mentioned that I planned on spending the evening finishing the 3rd book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Well as of this morning I am almost finished with the 6th book. Can you tell what I did this weekend while Mr. Mojito was away on travel?

Have any of you read this series? What did you think of it? Does anyone watch “TrueBlood” on HBO? Is it similar to the book?

Personally I really love the books and each one keeps getting better.

a homebody weekend

2009-03-13T10:50:00.002-05:00

Typically Friday is date night with Mr. Mojito where we enjoy yummy food, a few cocktails, laughs, and a movie, but sadly tonight I will be relaxing at home….alone. I did have plans with the Texas Trio, but Princess Tartini decided to cancel so we had to reschedule our night out. So tonight’s plan now includes soup for dinner (again), possibly finishing the 3rd book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, a trip to the local bookstore and Red Box, and going to bed early. Yes, I realize I am officially LAME and BORING!

Mr. Mojito has been on business travel since last Monday and he does not return home until next Friday. Needless to say being home alone with a mouth full of stitches has not exactly been fun. BUT at least the plus side of having dental surgery is I have only 1 pound to go until I hit my Weight Watchers goal weight. Granted, as soon as I start eating solid food again I am sure I will gain some of the weight right back, but I can be giddy for at least a little while.

Happy Friday everyone! Someone please have a few mojitos and some cheese for me because we all know I would if I could.

facebook in real life

2009-03-11T22:23:00.006-05:00

Hilarious. Trust me.

...this video confirms Facebook is completely out of control.

class with the countess

2009-03-11T08:15:00.002-05:00

Last night on the RHNYC, Bethany asked COUNTESS (do not forget her title or she will very rudely remind you of her royal status) LuAnn deLesseps why she wanted to write a book about etiquette and class.

Her response? "I think people really want to know how an American Indian living in Connecticut became a Countess....People want to know my story."

LuAnn, I promise you we DO NOT want to know your story.

P.S. LuAnn, when you write a book about etiquette and class, you might first want to know something about these topics. From what I have seen on the RHNYC there have been SEVERAL instances when you did things that were very DIS-COUNTESS like (as Bethany has so kindly pointed out)...tisk tisk.

P.P.S. Your husband does look slightly older (as much as I hate agreeing with Ramona).

friends with benefits

2009-03-10T15:02:00.002-05:00

…how do you feel about them? (I am not talking about one time hook-ups)

A friend of mine (let us call her T) is in a “relationship” (i.e. in all social situations they are simply friends, but when they are alone they tend to hook up…often) with a guy she knew in college. She says that she likes that there are no strings attached…but are there? She says that she is very physically attracted to him, but she feels he is mentally and emotionally lacking in the boyfriend department so she has no problem hooking up with him on a fairly regular basis.

AND her “friend” has made it clear that eventually their hooking up must come to an end if he finds someone that he wants to seriously pursue in the dating department. She understands this, intellectually anyway…but does she?

I have always thought when sex becomes involved, no matter how good our intentions, most people are just not able to separate the emotional from the physical. She disagrees with me…

It is like in the movie “When Harry Met Sally,” men and women cannot just be friends if they are actively having a sexual relationship with no intention of it going further than anything physical.

So, do you think two people who are good friends can simply be friends with benefits? Thoughts?

monday musings

2009-03-09T12:36:00.002-05:00

Thanks for the well wishes and fairy dust about my dental surgery! Everything went great. I spent the entire weekend sleeping and relaxing which really helped with the recovery! I am still very swollen and it is difficult for me to open my mouth, but the intense pain I was feeling this past weekend is now gone and has been replaced by a more dull throbbing pain. I am still on a liquid food diet for the next few weeks which is going to be TOUGH because you all know how much I love food. On the plus side of this situation is that I hope to lose those last few pounds that have been hanging around my butt for the past few months!

In other news, did anyone go see The Watchmen this weekend? Is it worth a trip to the movies or should I wait for it to come to my local Red Box?

AND did you hear that Melissa from the The Bachelor is joining Dancing with the Stars? Thoughts?

dental surgery

2009-03-05T16:48:00.004-06:00

The dreaded dental surgery is tomorrow so if you all could send some fairy dust my way from 7-10 AM that would be greatly appreciated!

For the next few days, please blame the Vicodin for any posts where I may sound highly intoxicated or loopy.

You better believe that I will be going on a HUGE binge eating spree when I can finally eat solid foods again!! My mouth is salivating just thinking about all of things I will not be allowed to eat or drink. Ugh…

I have also been given a few blog awards this week. Thank you both so much for thinking of me!

Sammy from Kiwi In The States gave me the "Gold Star Blog" Award.

AND C'est La Vie gave me the "You Make My Day" Award.

I would like to pass both of these awards to:
Kate at elefantitas alegres
Erin at Blue-Eyed Bride
Maggie at Eat, Drink, Marry
SLynnRo
Candice at brand new sidewalk
Ally at The Shabby Princess

Lyndsey at All things Fluffy...Fashionable...& Famous!

fail blog

2009-03-04T20:59:00.003-06:00

Has anyone else seen Fail Blog? Simply AMAZING. Where else can you see so many examples of outright failure in one place?

I never knew Ping Pong required such excessive celebration when a point was scored. This guy has got some pretty sweet dance moves BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA (make sure you turn the sound up for this one because it is totally worth it).

Best part of the video: At the end, check out the score he is celebrating about.

weight watchers wednesday

2009-03-04T12:26:00.004-06:00

Man it has been a LONG time since I last did a Weight Watchers Wednesday post! I promise that I have not fallen off the fit train. Honestly I do not have anything exciting to report. My weight fluctuates any where from 2-4 pounds away from my goal each week. I think my body has finally hit its happy place and is refusing to move. I think after I have fully healed from my dental surgery I am going to start training again for the half marathon I had planned on doing this upcoming April.

It is finally starting to feel like spring outside which means there are only a few short months until “Oh crap! I have to be seen half naked in a swim suit” season. I LOVE spending Saturdays during the summer relaxing at the pool while drinking some sangria or an iced tea and getting a nice tan, and it would be fantastic if this summer I could actually feel sexy and confident while prancing around the pool deck in my J. Crew pink polka dot bikini.

How has everyone else been doing?

AND I am in love with Jennifer Aniston's dress in this picture...has anyone seen it or something like it anywhere?

high school best friends

2009-03-03T22:22:00.010-06:00

Does anyone else think Alex and Simon on the Real Housewives of New York City are an incredibly creepy couple?

AND someone really should tell Simon (and Alex) that he is gay!! Now, I have nothing against gay people (in fact, I find them rather fun), but he is just plain lying to himself. Straight men do not enjoy massages, clothes shopping with their wives, speedos at the beach, and girls' nights as much as he does.

Simon and Alex are literally joined at the hip...not that there is anything wrong with being close with your spouse, but these two act like they are high school BFFs. Alex even brings Simon to a designated girls night?

Please tell me I am not the only one who feels this way? Please?

Oh and do not even get me started on LuAnn (i.e. "The Countess") and Ramona...I will save that for another post.

do not try this at home

2009-03-03T11:49:00.007-06:00

There are a hundred reasons why most people should get their eyebrows waxed professionally as opposed to waxing at home or using tweezers. Often times waxing or tweezing brows yourself can lead to asymmetrical brows, too little or no eyebrow hair, too much or unshaped eyebrow hair, or taking off the end of one of your eyebrows completely when you attempted to trim your eyebrows yourself…

Not like I would know or anything. Trust me. Professional is ALWAYS better.

Do not judge…the person who usually does my eyebrows decided to get herself fired from the salon she worked at so I had to resort to drastic measures until my next brow appointment at a new salon later this month.

Also, I have been asked to be a guest blogger on She Just Got Married. THANK YOU!! You can find me at Married Life and Mojitos.

To check out the amazing blogs on She Just Got Married simply click on this icon on my sidebar!

AND I just found out that Scope Tech featured my blog in his feature 6° of Scop-aration. Thank you!!

only in dallas...

2009-02-28T22:03:00.005-06:00

...will you see a $1.5 million car waiting at a stop light outside Pottery Barn.

Seriously $1.5 million for a Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir? I wonder what the insurance costs?? I know we are in University Park where people have $$$$, but a million dollar car is absolutely ridiculous.

BUT it does go from 0-60 in 2.46 seconds (or even more impressive is that the car can go from 0 -100- 0 in 8.6 seconds) and is considered one of the fastest, expensive, and most desirable supercars on the planet. It is not every day that you see a car that is one of only 300 ever made and is worth more than my life.

man boobs

2009-02-26T14:35:00.008-06:00

Can we all agree that man boobs are not exactly sexy? AND why do some men insist on showing off their man boobs by wearing tight clothing?

Take Booby Flay for example. Now you all know how I love me some Food Network, but Bobby Flay really needs to learn that he has man boobs and should dress accordingly.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

Most of the time when I watch Throw Down with Bobby Flay I end up cringing at the screen because he always wears tight shirts that show off his man boobs (including last night's episodes). I cannot concentrate on anything else he is saying or cooking because I have man boobs staring me in the face.

Bobby Flay, please remedy this situation immediately.

Perfect Solution:

Or...

with loooooove

2009-02-25T23:18:00.008-06:00

I have been on Team Carla since the Top Chef Restaurant Wars episode when Carla sent out her less than stellar dessert “With LOOOOOOVE.” What was even more classic was when Head Judge, Tom Colicchio, gave Carla his signature eye roll when she made the comment that even though her ice cream dessert was basically soup when it got to the table, everything was perfect in the world because she was spreading the love around.

Any time Carla wants to hit up Dallas and spread some love around she is more than welcome at my house!

Sadly, Team Carla did not prevail. Hosea ended up as Top Chef which is also excellent being that he resides in my native state of Colorado. At least Stefan did not win…I simply cannot stand his cockiness.

The Top Chef finale was the perfect ending to a freaking craptastic day!!

P.S. What in the heck is up with the new version of Blogger's "followers" gadget on my sidebar???? Thoughts??

edible arrangements

2009-02-24T16:32:00.004-06:00

Ok kids, we need to have a talk about Edible Arrangements. In theory these are a great idea and a good alternative to flowers (although I still would want a Cookie Bouquet any day over one of these). HOWEVER, do you realize that these arrangements are filled with some very inexpensive fruit (think cantaloupe, honeydew melon, strawberries, grapes, and pineapple) and yet some of them cost over $200?? That is ridiculous.

I guess I am confused as to why someone would buy one of these arrangements. Instead, why would you not go to your local grocery store and pick up a fruit tray (which has the EXACT SAME fruit as one of the arrangements), buy some wood sticks, put the fruit on the wood sticks, and place them in a basket? You would be saving yourself $190. Granted I know your own at-home masterpiece may not have the fun shapes as these arrangements have (and heaven forbid chocolate covered strawberries which anyone can do at home), but for a $190 savings I think people can deal with it.

And have any of you seen the commercial? My favorite line, “I sent one to Julie. We’re best friends” is simply priceless. HAHAHAHAHAH

Now I know some people really love these, but for me I just do not see the appeal. Is it the fruit shapes? The basket the fruit comes in? The fact that it looks like flowers? Seriously, can someone explain it to me?

song title tag

2009-02-23T12:47:00.006-06:00

Happy Monday everyone! I had a fantastic week with my dad. We made fools of ourselves bowling and playing Putt-Putt, but we had so much fun in the process. I was so sad to see him go yesterday.

I got tagged by Pink is my Signature Color to do this fun song title tag. This was actually harder than I thought it would be.

Rules: You must pick one singer/artist and use only one song title to answer each question!

Pick a band/artist: Rascal Flatts

1. Are you a male or female: She Goes All the Way (yeah it was the only song I found with ‘she’ in the title)

2. Describe yourself: Like I Am

3. How do you feel about yourself: Better Now

4. Describe your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend: I’m Movin’ On

5. Describe your current boy/girl situation: Long Slow Beautiful Dance

6. Describe your current location: Feels Like Today

7. Describe where you want to be: Fast Cars and Freedom

8. Your best friend is: Pieces

9. Your favorite color is: Cool Thing (I know I am stretching here but blue and the word ‘cool’ could maybe work together? Maybe?)

10. You know that: Bless the Broken Road

11. What’s the weather like: I Melt

12. If your life was a television show what would it be called: Me and My Gang

13. What is life to you: Life is a Highway

14. What is the best advice you have to give: Shine On

15. If you could change your name what would you change it to: Fallin’ Upside Down

AND Abbie at A Glimpse of the Girl Next Door gave me the “Lemonade Award”. THANK YOU!

w.o.w.

2009-02-20T21:41:00.006-06:00

A photo of Rihanna showing severe bruises and cuts covering her forehead, lips and cheeks that were allegedly sustained in an assault by Chris Brown have been leaked by TMZ. All I have to say is W.O.W.

Chris Brown...you disgust me! TMZ...you should know better than to exploit Rihanna!

bachelor spoliers!!

2009-02-18T08:05:00.006-06:00

WARNING: Reality Steve has posted a Bachelor SPOLIER...do not click on the link and stop reading now if you do not want to know what happens...

My heart breaks for Melissa. I know this is "Reality TV" and almost everything is scripted, but I am still so disappointed in Jason and the ABC Producers! Why would he continue to see Molly behind Melissa's back and then break-up with her on NATIONAL TELEVISION?? Seriously, was public humiliation really necessary?

Thoughts?

the other man in my life

2009-02-17T17:30:00.006-06:00

I am so excited! My dad is coming in town from Colorado tonight! He recently retired, and I know he is looking forward to a much needed week of rest and relaxation (read: great restaurants, bowling, putt-putt golf, movies, and working on the USA Today crossword puzzle...yes, I realize we are nerds).

I will try and post when I can, but if not, I will see you all on Monday!

balcony of agony

2009-02-16T21:45:00.003-06:00

I guess we will have to wait until next week to see Jason break down on the Balcony of Agony...

There are so many insane rumors flying around (which is why there are 2 After the Final Ring episodes), including:

Melissa and Molly get into a screaming match because the show has been scripted from the beginning for Melissa to be the final one and Molly calls the producers out on it. Molly feels like she has been used.

Jason proposes to Melissa, they break up, and then later decides that he is actually in love with Jillian.

Personally I LOVED Jillian and I was sad to see her go. I have no idea what is actually true and what is rumor. What are your thoughts?

fearless

2009-02-15T11:35:00.004-06:00

I am in LOVE with Taylor Swift’s new album Fearless, especially the songs “Fifteen”, “White Horse”, and “Breathe”. There are certain albums that just speak to me and this is one of them.

Even better, I love how she puts a hidden message in the lyrics for each song on the liner notes…

“Fearless”: I loved you before I met you

“Fifteen”: I cried while recording this

“Love Story”: Someday I’ll find this

“Hey Stephen”: Love and theft

“White Horse”: All I ever wanted was the truth

“You Belong With Me”: Love is blind so you couldn’t see me

“Breathe”: I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry

“Tell Me Why”: Guess I was fooled by your smile

“You’re Not Sorry”: She can have you

“The Way I Loved You”: We can’t go back

“Forever and Always”: If you play these games we’re both going to lose

“Best Day”: God bless Andrea Swift

“Change”: You made things change for me

Seriously, if you do not own this CD, go and buy it! You will love it! I hope everyone had an awesome Love Day!

friday the 13th

2009-02-13T09:52:00.007-06:00

Being that it is Friday the 13th, you can bet this is what I will be doing tonight...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Kidding...or am I?

Update: I am not really going to see this tonight. I just thought the premise of the movie was hilarious as well as the tag line. For those of you who do see it please let me know what you think of it.

And it is in 3D!!!!!! Does it get any better than that? I think not.

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!!

countdown to valentine's day!

2009-02-12T12:36:00.004-06:00

It is almost Valentine’s Day….you know what that means…LOVE, FOOD and CHOCOLATE!! Basically Valentine's Day is an excuse for me to eat!

I am talking about delicious, mouth-watering, lick your plate, good food!!!

Thank goodness for Stephan Pyles!! I have seriously become obsessed with this restaurant!

Also, I have gotten an outpouring of emails these past few days asking how I made Mr. Mojito’s Valentine’s Day Beer Basket.

I simply did some online research using Google about the history of each beer, the brewing process, and fun facts. Then I used a template from Adobe Illustrator and added all the information I had found. Each of the 14 beers got its own page. I then took the files to Kinkos and had them printed and bound. I went to Central Market and bought each beer individually and then placed them in a basket with some red, pink, and white paper shred.

UPDATE: I did not make this beer basket for Mr. Mojito this year. I made it for him for Valentine's Day 2006. Sorry if I was misleading before.

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

P.S. For those that asked about the cankles from yesterday’s post, I got too much sun and salt water exposure on our honeymoon in Kauai so they ballooned up for 5 days. I could barely even walk so I was thankful that I could even fit my feet in those heels! Every time I see that picture I cannot help but laugh!

letter game

2009-02-11T14:33:00.011-06:00

UPDATE: For those that wanted to know...I picked crushed ice.

If you want to play, leave a comment on this post letting me know, and I will assign you a letter. You post ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on. I got the letter F from my friend Lynds from All things Fluffy...Fashionable...& Famous!

1. Food (and Food Network)!!

2. Furniture (RH specifically)

3. Family and Friends

4. Friday night dates

5. Furry puppies

{image courtsey of Fine Art Dog Photographer Erin Vey}

6. Funny moments

Mr. Mojito, remember when I got cankles? HAHA

7. FANTASTIC mojitos

8. Fruit Roll-Ups

9. Fancy jewelry

10. Falling in love

Also, the beautiful Vanity’s Fair gave me this wonderful award. THANK YOU!

The award states: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

AND Bama Belle In The Big City... is hosting a GIVEAWAY of Bliss beauty products!! Head on over and enter!

office space + me = bff

2009-02-10T09:43:00.009-06:00

You know that you work at a THRILLING place of employment (and one of HUGE importance) when you receive the following email:

You have been asked to take part in the [Anonymous Company Name] Ice Machine Survey.

Survey Description: We will be getting a new Ice Machine on the first floor.

To access the survey, please click on the link below (or copy the address and paste it into your web browser).

Thank you for your participation.

When I clicked on the link for the Ice Machine Survey it consisted of ONE question:
How do you prefer your ice? (Please select one)
a. Crushed
b. Cubes
Granted I know this ONE question is INCREDIBLY important and could determine my overall satisfaction at said place of employment, but seriously?

I work at a place with cross-dressers (no I am not kidding...and no I do not think there is anything wrong with it...it is just strange to see at an engineering company), people with mullets, a creepy cube neighbor who eats his toenails (who also has a mullet), and apparently an ice machine that will only dispense cubes or crushed ice. Awesome.

review: wolfgang puck’s five sixty

2009-02-09T15:00:00.002-06:00

For those that asked for a review of Wolfgang Puck’s Five Sixty I would give it an overall rating of a ‘B+’. I think it should also be known that we were there during the restaurant’s “soft opening”. The restaurant’s grand opening is actually today so the menu and drink selections may change from the soft opening.

The atmosphere, view of Downtown Dallas, and service were AMAZING. Another great feature was that the restaurant rotated so that you were able to get an entire 360 degree view of the city which was breathtaking! I would give this aspect an ‘A’.

The food was also delicious, but it was not “blow your socks off” divine that you would expect from Wolfgang Puck. For those of you that live in the Dallas area I would say Kent Rathbun’s Abacus is a close comparison to the type of cuisine served at Five Sixty.

Five Sixty focuses on Wolfgang Puck’s signature Asian-fusion inspired cuisine (think Spago-type of food). The menu consisted of 3 parts: sushi/raw bar, small plates, and large plates. Some of the small plates are large enough for two people to share as an appetizer, but we ordered 2 different small plates to get a tasting. We each ordered a large plate and split a dessert.

Prices range from $12-$18 for the small plates, $26-$36 for the large plates, $10 for desserts, and specialty cocktails were $12.

I would definitely go back to Five Sixty again, but my favorite Dallas restaurants are still Stephan Pyles, Craft, and Fearings.

valentine’s day winner!!

2009-02-09T12:27:00.002-06:00

WOW. I am totally speechless. Thank you so much to everyone who entered my Valentine’s Day Giveaway! AND thank you even more to those who chose to become a follower of my blog and even created a post about my giveaway! Your support means so much to me.

I had over 250 individual comments on my giveaway post and it took a long time to go through each comment, check to see if you follow my blog, and see if you wrote a blog post about my giveaway, but it was well worth it!! I bet you can guess what I was doing last night…

Just a reminder, if you:
1. Left a comment on my giveaway post you were entered once.
2. Became a follower (or were already a follower) on my blog AND left a comment on my giveaway post you were entered 3 times.
3. Created a blog post about my giveaway, linked back to my post, and left me a comment letting me know you created a post you were entered 5 times.

I put each person’s name in our biggest mixing bowl and had Mr. Mojito draw the winner.

So the lucky winner of a 24 Baby Witch Gift Box which includes an assorted selection of 12 Fat Witch Babies, 6 Blonde Babies, and 6 Walnut Babies (you can also choose all Fat Witch Babies) is:

brown eyed girl!!

Congrats!! Please email me at mojitomaven {at} gmail {dot} com with your contact information. Also, please let me know if you would like the assorted selection or all Fat Witch Babies!

Thanks again for everyone who participated!

final day for my giveaway!!

2009-02-08T09:01:00.005-06:00

My Valentine's Day Giveaway ends today at midnight so make sure to enter!!

wolfgang puck's five sixty

2009-02-06T14:56:00.002-06:00

I am so thrilled it is almost the weekend!! I have spent the past week putting out a major fire for one of the classes I teach and I was feeling completely overwhelmed! So glad that the situation has been fixed!

Tonight Mr. Mojito and I are going to Wolfgang Puck’s new Dallas restaurant, Five Sixty, at the top of the newly remodeled Reunion Tower in downtown. I have been DYING for Wolfgang Puck’s new restaurant to open and to visit Reunion Tower so tonight should be a fun treat for us. I am thinking it might be time to bust of a fun dress!! YAYAYAY for date nights!

Tomorrow is going to be a day of rest and relaxation and of course going to see He’s Just Not That Into You!!

What are your plans for the weekend?

I also had a FANTASTIC coffee date with Mrs. Preppy last night (not to mention we both got to laugh at the weird guy at Starbucks who was hitting on her).

AND today I got to have lunch with The Shabby Princess when I was finished teaching my classes! P.S. She has the most beautiful hair and really does look like Isla Fisher!

ewwwwwwwwwww

2009-02-05T11:34:00.002-06:00

Scene:

10-11 AM: I sat at my desk and listened to someone make a rather annoying clicking sound.

11:05 AM: The clicking sound stopped and then I hear a chomping sound.

11:15 AM: I walk past the person’s cube that is making the chomping sound and see him EATING HIS RECENTLY CLIPPED TOENAILS! Yes, I said TOENAILS!! How do I know he was eating his toenails? Because he still had a sock off! ICK!

11:17 AM: Need to rush to the ladies room to prevent myself from gagging.

Seriously? Toe nails? At work?

I hope those were not his lunch.

Sick.

sad day in mojito land

2009-02-04T14:04:00.002-06:00

UPDATE: After several back and forth emails the issue has been resolved and MY HEADER IS STAYING THE SAME!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAY. Thank you for all of the support, suggestions, and comments!!

I have a problem.

For reasons that I do not want to discuss right now (because I am still upset about it) I may need to change my blog header…a blog header which I love and that completely represents me!

Do any of you incredibly talented and creative bloggers have any suggestions as to how I could redesign my blog header while still keeping with the mojito theme?

HELP! Please?

giveaway central

2009-02-04T09:57:00.003-06:00

Do not forget to enter my Valentine’s Day GIVEAWAY!!

My dear friend Erin at Blue-Eyed Bride is also hosting an awesome giveaway!! For Valentine's Day, she is giving away a Hanky Panky gift set from Nordstrom. It is two pairs of Hanky Panky panties in a cute little leopard gift box!

Also, the beautiful Dancia from the Chic Runner is giving away the book Eat This, Not That. I have heard so many amazing things about this book so I REALLY hope I win (hint, hint).

AND, has everyone had a chance to check out Nina’s AMAZING new site, According to Nina? As part of launching her new site she is hosting a week full of giveaways. Make sure you stop by and show her some love!!

role model?

2009-02-03T12:34:00.007-06:00

As a former swimmer, Olympic hopeful, and All-American, this REALLY disappoints me…respect yourself and respect the sport!

SAY NO TO DRUGS!!!

Oh, and Michael, next time you decide to do something stupid maybe you should make sure people are not taking pictures of you!!

nominate a sweet sensation!!!

2009-02-02T09:45:00.008-06:00

In addition to entering my Valentine’s Day GIVEAWAY, please head on over to The Reality of Happily Ever After and NOMINATE your favorite blogger to win her Sweet Sensation Giveaway!!

The purpose of this GIVEAWAY is to nominate and recognize a fellow blogger that you believe is a "Sweet Sensation" of our blog world. What is a "Sweet Sensation" you ask?

This blogger exudes kindness, support of other bloggers and spreads their sweetness like wildfire. While appealing to their audience, they are honest, sincere and stays true to their authentic self. Their blog not only entertains, it also offers resources to help people excel in their lives such as using their blog to promote charities, spread the word about bloggers who want to become more well known and doing surprisingly kind things for no reason other than to 'pay it forward' -- This blogger is without a doubt an all around Sweet Sensation.

LyndsAU, Mrs. Newlywed from Misadventures of a Newlywed, and I will be the panel of judges who will pick the lucky winner! To be as fair as possible, our blogs are not eligible to be nominated for this giveaway and we will not be nominating other bloggers (although we would LOVE to!!).

Since we are entering the month of LOVE, go nominate someone and show them some BLOG LOVE!!!

valentine’s day giveaway!!!

2009-02-01T20:33:00.008-06:00

In light of one of my favorite holidays, VALENTINE’S DAY, I thought it only fitting to have a GIVEAWAY (woo hoo) to celebrate this day of love.

Being a MAJOR chocoholic, February 14th is a GREAT day for me. For Valentine’s Day last year Mr. Mojito surprised me with a gift box from Fat Witch Bakery in New York City.

Fat Witch Bakery has been noted to have some of, if not the best, brownies and blondies in America. Fat Witch Bakery has been featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things, Throwdown with Bobby Flay on Food Network, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and New York’s Favorite Food Shops, to name a few. I can tell you from first hand experience that these brownies live up to the hype.

To share the love I am going to GIVEAWAY some yummy Fat Witch babies to one lucky reader.

The winner will receive a 24 Baby Witch Gift Box which includes an assorted selection of 12 Fat Witch Babies, 6 Blonde Babies, and 6 Walnut Babies. You can also choose all Fat Witch Babies.

Now I know these are not exactly Weight Watchers friendly, but I promise you that they are worth every point…trust me!! Last year I happily polished off the entire gift box within a few days! DELICIOUS!

So how do you fill your sweet tooth and win some awesome Fat Witch Blondies and Brownies?

You can win one of 3 ways:

1. Leave a comment on this post and you will be entered once!

2. Become a follower (or if you are already a follower) on my blog AND leave a comment on this post and you will be entered 3 times!

3. Create a blog post about this GIVEAWAY, link back to this post, and leave me a comment letting me know you created a post and you will be entered 5 times!!

Contest ends February 8th at midnight!!!!

Everyone cheer for CHOCOLATE!!!!

picture tag!

2009-02-01T15:04:00.009-06:00

Bumpkin on a Swing tagged me to do this fun picture tag. Thank you!!

The rules are:

1. Go to the 4th folder where you keep your pictures on your computer.

2. Post the 4th picture in the folder

3. Explain the photo.

4. Tag 4 fellow bloggers to join in the fun!

Did you know that swimming is a contact sport?

During a typical Friday swim practice one of my fellow teammates accidentally kicked me in the face while doing a flip turn. She kicked me right in the center of my nose which caused my goggles to push into my eye sockets. The result was a cut on the bridge of my nose where she kicked me and two black eyes from where the goggles were pushed in.

This picture was actually taken a week after the accident because the black eyes and cut on my nose were finally starting to heal. I would not let my mom take a picture of me before because my face was so swollen and I was too embarrassed.

I think the worst part about this story was that I had to take the SAT the next day, and I could not even see to read the test (not to mention I had a massive migraine) which resulted in a less than stellar score. Although it was not fun having to re-take the SAT a month later at least my score went up by several hundred points.

I tag anyone who wants to play!

tag i am it!

2009-01-31T18:13:00.003-06:00

Megs from Perfectly Imperfect..... tagged me to do this fun little survey! Thank you!!

Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own. Step 2: tag—eight other un-tagged people.

1. What were you doing and who were you with at 9:59 PM on Friday night? Drinking a delicious glass of white wine with Mr. Mojito at Dali Wine Bar in the Arts District of downtown Dallas.

2. What is the last thing you read/are currently reading? The 7th book in the Harry Potter series. Mr. Mojito and I are actually reading it together.

3. Do you nap a lot? Sophomore year of college I took a nap every single day. Since then I have yet to nap during the day. I miss it. A LOT!

4. Who was the last person you hugged? Mr. Mojito. We were actually just caught doing a tiny bit of PDA in Pottery Barn.

5. What is your current obsession/addiction? Home decorating. It will be a GREAT day when I can finally say that our house is fully furnished.

6. What was the last thing you said out loud? “Make sure you sweep out all of those dead crickets in the garage because they are completely freaking me out.”

7. What websites do you always visit when you go online? Gmail, Blogger, Facebook, The Hollywood Gossip, The Superficial, SMU’s homepage, and CNN.

8. What was the last item you bought? A hand towel at Restoration Hardware for the half bath.

9. What is your most challenging goal? To complete another half marathon.

10. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished- anywhere in the world, where would it be? Santa Barbara, CA.

11. Favorite Vacation spot? St. John!!!

12. Say something to the person who tagged you: Friday’s post touched my heart!

13. Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you: MOJITOS and chocolate.

14. What is your favorite item of clothing? Sweatpants!!!! AND my “Snow Happens” sweatshirt (that was for you honey).

15. What would your American Gladiator name be and why? That’s easy…DIAMOND because I like bling and I am strong like a diamond.

16. Name one thing you can not live with out: Besides Mr. Mojito I would have to say my computer…sad, but true.

17. Has a celebrity's haircut ever influenced you on your own hairstyle? I love Lauren Conrad’s hair and wish I could get my hair to do those soft, loose curls!

18. If you could pick one ingredient in a mojito that best represents you what would it be and why? Sugar because I am sweet, obviously haha.

I tag…

All things Fluffy...Fashionable...& Famous!
Off The Beaten Path......
The Dirty Martini Diaries
Misadventures of a Newlywed
Simple Yet Classic
Blue-Eyed Bride
Bama Belle In The Big City...
elefantitas alegres
Nina Knows Best

look inside the box

2009-01-30T11:15:00.005-06:00

You know what takes me back to my childhood? Toys inside cereal. BEST. IDEA. EVER.

Case in point: The hilarious looking Goofy doll we found inside our box of Frosted Mini-Wheats. Although Goofy is certainly wonderful, I must admit that I am green with envy because a dear friend recently informed me that she received a Remy doll from Ratatouille inside her box of Mini-Wheats. Ratatouille is my favorite Pixar movie of all time! Want to switch?

AND it is FRIDAY FUNDAY!!

Tonight is our weekly date night!!! We still have not decided where we are going to eat yet, but you can be sure that mojitos and fun will be had. After dinner we plan on seeing the movie Taken.

Tomorrow we have lunch with Mr. Mojito’s family to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday. Tomorrow night is double date night with my dear friend Princess Tartini and her beau. I think we are going to hit up Ra Sushi and then maybe head down to Uptown and check out some bars!

Sunday is our usual clean the house and run errands day. We are finally going to install the new mirror for our half bath and watch the SUPERBOWL woo hoo!!!

answers, round 4

2009-01-29T14:08:00.007-06:00

Here is the last of the "Ask me anything" post...

morewineplease said: How about some book suggestions... fun stuff…what's your favorite?

I love Emily Giffin’s books (Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, and Love the One You’re With). I also love Jen Lancaster (Bitter is the New Black is AMAZING). I pretty much love any beach read. Do you have any you think I should read?

I've really watched your blog grow over the last several months... has it surprised you? Do you ever feel pressure to blog, or to satisfy readers?

I am beyond flattered, shocked, and humbled by how much my blog has grown. It has completely surprised me. I honestly did not ever think that anyone would be interested in reading about my silly life. I am SO THANKFUL to the MANY amazing blog friends that I have made through this experience. I am truly so blessed!

I never feel pressure to blog because blogging is my form of fun and escape during my work day. I actually look forward to blogging if you can believe it. When I first started I used to feel pressure to satisfy readers but then that took the fun out of blogging so now I blog about whatever pops into my head and hope people like it.

The Shabby Princess said: What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own?

My engagement ring and the Tahitian pearl ring that Mr. Mojito gave me on our honeymoon.

Jessica Lynn said: Does he smother you ever?

Of course!! I am a VERY independent person so I need my space (plus I think it is only natural to need ‘me’ time). When I feel like I am being smothered I usually tell him I want to be alone for a little bit which makes me feel better. Sometimes I watch a movie, read a book, or go out with some girl friends.

Do you need a break?

Never a permanent break (as in breakup), but sometimes I do need a break especially if I get really upset. This usually results in me being in one room and him in another until I have had a chance to calm down.

Is that natural for someone you want to be with for the rest of your life?

I think so. Everyone has good days and bad days…days where you need to be alone and others where you need to be with a crowd of people. You just have to find that happy medium of spending quality time together and not suffocating the other person.

Tara Gibson said: Where is your fav place to shop!

Well, I LOVE Restoration Hardware and Williams Sonoma…wait, are you talking about clothes haha? I would have to say J. Crew, Nordstrom, and Banana Republic. Want to come over and help me look for some fun new spring dresses?

KrissyBo. Said: Do you think you'll ever move back to Colorado?

Probably someday but not in the next few years. We are really happy with our life in Dallas so it is hard to pick up and move.

Where did you go to college? Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.

Mary Michal said: What do you do for a living?

I am a dorky systems engineer (don’t worry, I have no idea what that means either) for a defense contractor.

And if you could do anything, what would your dream job be?

Wedding planner or professional photographer…I seriously day dream about it ALL THE TIME!

New Girl on Post said: What is your happiest moment?

The day Mr. Mojito asked me to marry him!!! It was so special and romantic!!

How about your maddest?

Tough question. When we first started dating Mr. Mojito lied to me about something and I was pretty darn mad about it (to the point where I was ready to break up with him), but we worked through it. I’m glad I did not let that affect us!

What was it about Mr. Mojito that you knew he was the one?

This is going to sound strange, but it was his eyes. I truly think that he has the kindest eyes. It is hard to explain, but when I look at them I instantly feel at peace with the world.

What's your favorite Giada (Everyday Italian) recipe?

I love ALL of her risotto recipes and make them frequently!! Whether it is her butternut squash and vanilla risotto, mushroom and pea risotto, or champagne risotto I LOVE them all.

Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

4 cups vegetable broth
1 large vanilla bean
3 cups cubed butternut squash cut in 1-inch squares, about 12 ounces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cups finely chopped onion (from 1 onion)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

In a medium saucepan, warm the broth over medium-high heat. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and add them and the bean to the broth. When the broth comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to low. Add the butternut squash to the simmering broth and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked squash to a side dish. Turn the heat on the broth down to very low and cover to keep warm.Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total. Discard the vanilla bean. Turn off the heat under the risotto (and the remaining broth, if any). Gently stir in the butternut squash, Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and salt. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.

it is almost game day!

2009-01-29T13:08:00.001-06:00

SUNDAY IS THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAY

What is everyone doing for the big game? Party at your house? Watching the game at a sports bar? I cannot wait to see all of the awesome commercials!! I think I may need to put Weight Watchers on hold that day so I can indulge in some game day food!

AND last night I had a wonderful dinner at La Duni with the beautiful Kate from elefantitas alegres. I think this will need to become a weekly habit, right Kate?

Also, thank you for all of the responses about yesterday’s post. We still have not decided what we are going to do with the money yet, but I will be sure to let you all know. For those of you who asked where you can purchase the bed I will give you three guesses but I can guarantee you will only need one…Restoration Hardware (where else do I buy furniture haha?).

what to do...

2009-01-28T13:31:00.007-06:00

Let us just say for conversation sake that I will be getting some extra money due to a tax refund and performance sharing at work, would you:

a. Do the sensible thing because our economy is in the tank and place the money in savings?

b. Buy the new bedroom furniture you have been eying for over a year now so that your house will finally be almost furnished?

c. Buy the Canon Rebel and accessories kit because the camera you currently own is a sorry excuse for a contraption that is supposed to take pictures?

d. Buy yourself a completely frivolous, luxury item known as diamond earrings that you know you do not need but have wanted for a long time?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm…

i heart strawberry martinis

2009-01-27T20:19:00.010-06:00

There has been a chance of freezing rain all day today so I was able to take a half day and work from home. Well working from home lead me to wanting to go out to eat (do not ask me how because it makes no sense) which lead me to wanting a yummy cocktail. We ended up at the Cheesecake Factory and needless to say I had several strawberry martinis. Weight Watchers and I were not friends tonight! Because I do not drink during the week I am feeling rather happy right now (not to mention I cannot stop giggling)! TEE HEE!!!!!!

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

answers, round 3

2009-01-27T11:00:00.005-06:00

jlc said: If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

I would love to live in New York City for a year. There is so much history, food, art, and culture in NYC that I think would be really cool to experience. However, I do not think I could handle living there for more than a year, so after that I would honestly choose to live in a city like Dallas.

Any vacations coming up in the near future?

Nina and I are heading to Columbia, SC in April to visit Erin at Blue-Eyed Bride. We are going to have so much fun!!!! Mr. Mojito and I are also planning a trip to visit my brother in San Francisco during the summer (possibly for our one year anniversary trip?).

Kate said: How did you end up in Dallas?

I originally intended on swimming in college and Texas has A LOT of great swimming schools. SMU was never on my radar because I wanted to go to college on an academic scholarship (as opposed to an athletic one in case I ever decided to stop swimming) and SMU had not offered me a scholarship yet. The day after I put down my deposit at TCU and spoke with TCU’s swim coach I got a letter in the mail from SMU saying I was being considered for the President’s Scholarship (full tuition and room and board). I did not receive the President’s Scholarship, but I did end up receiving the Dean’s Scholarship and an engineering scholarship which meant my tuition at SMU would be paid for and I would not have to take out student loans. I immediately called TCU and let them know that I was going to attend SMU instead and I have not looked back since.

Do you plan on staying forever (or for the foreseeable future)?

Foreseeable future? Yes. Forever? I have no idea. My family really wants us to move to Colorado, but part of me wants to move somewhere crazy like Chicago, Florida, California, or Boston. BUT if that does not work out I really love Dallas and would be happy to live here permanently.

Sarah said: Where is your favorite place to drink a mojito?

I LOVE going out to a great restaurant that has fabulous cocktails. My favorite restaurant in Dallas for a mojito is La Duni (especially the Berry Mojito). Craft Dallas also has a great one.

Sassy Pants said: If the rainbow could taste like ANYTHING you wanted it to, what would it taste like? And you can't say Skittles because that's an advertisement scheme *why was I going to spell that as "skeem"?*

It would taste like fruit rollups. The ones you would eat when you were a kid where you had to peel the plastic wrapper off and cut out the fun shapes.

Bama Belle... said: Why did you move to Dallas? Please see above :)

Where/how did you and Mr. Mojito meet? Please see this post.

If you couldn't drink mojitos or strawberry martinis anymore, what would you drink?

Sangria!! I love a good glass (err pitcher) of red or white sangria! Clealry I like sweet drinks haha.

these photos MUST be fake

2009-01-26T10:12:00.013-06:00

UPDATE: Apparently these photos have just become Us Weekly's Top Story. Also, sources are now saying that fans in the crowd of her Florida concert were commenting about her weight and her outfit. Ouch!

Ok, these photos of Jessica Simpson on The Superficial MUST be fake because she looks like a totally different person (not to mention those jeans do nothing for her figure).

Thoughts?

answers, round 2

2009-01-25T13:13:00.005-06:00

Pink Bliss said: My question (more of a request) is what advice would you give new bloggers in making their blogs successful?

Great question. I think the best way to make your blog successful is to be yourself. Blogging should not be a popularity contest. Write from your heart and readers will come. Of course, commenting on other people’s blogs and “following” them is also a great way to gain readers.

However, keep in mind that blogging should be fun. When I first started blogging I would comment on every blog I followed, but before long I was following 200 blogs and subscribing to a hundred more and I just got burnt out. I admit that I no longer comment on every person’s blog who left me a comment, but I do try to comment when I can.

Mrs. Cup said: What is your favorite gift you've ever given?

I am just going to put it out there…Mr. Mojito loves beer (the good stuff). So, for Valentine’s Day one year I made him a book titled “14 Beers for February 14th” that had the history, brewing process, and fun random facts about 14 different beers that he loves. Then I made a cooler that had each of the beers in it so he could sample each beer as he was reading about it.

What is your favorite memory with Mr. Mojito?

I truly love nothing better than our date nights. It does not matter if we go somewhere completely casual or a 5-Star restaurant, I love enjoying a good meal where we can talk, laugh, and just be ourselves...when we are doing this all is right in the world...even if it is just for a moment.

What is your favorite city in the world? St. John! I know it is not a city, but this island is my favorite place on the entire planet.

KDLOST said: Favorite celebrity/actor(s)? Male: Edward Norton, Harrison Ford, and Matt Damon. Female: Kate Winslet.

blueviolet said: Tell us about your bad habits, your sneaky behind closed doors bad habits (any door but the bedroom door) :)

I refuse to change the toilet paper roll or put my clothes away (instead they hang from the end of the bed). I am also a “picker”. If I see any imperfection on my skin I will pick at it…sometimes I even pick at Mr. Mojito and this drives him crazy!

Jenn said: I'd like to know...what are the first 3 websites you look at every morning when you get to your computer? :) The Hollywood Gossip, Facebook, and Blogger.

Emily said: How long did you and Mr. Mojito date before marriage? Two and a half years.

When did you know he was the one?

About 5 months into our relationship. It was right before our undergraduate graduation. We were out to dinner celebrating our upcoming graduation, and while we were sharing dessert he looked at me and said, “I love you so much, honey”…and that was when I knew we would be together forever.

What is your favorite kind of food? Risotto, Macaroni and Cheese, and anything chocolate.

Where would your dream vacation be to? Greece or Capri.

Do you guys want to have kids in the future? If so, how many?? Only fur babies for us (please see this post).

Where did you go on your honeymoon? Kaua’i!! It was amazing!

Anonymous said: How did you and Mr. Mojito meet?

We met in a math class our senior year. This was the final math class needed for our math major. This class was ridiculously hard so I approached Mr. Mojito and asked if we could study together because he looked really smart. After 4 months of studying/flirting he finally asked me out on a date.

Were you friends before you dated? No. We lived in the same dorm and had several engineering classes together, but we never spoke until we sat next to each other in our final math class.

What is your favorite wedding memory? Saying our personalized vows in front of our friends and family! It was such a beautiful and special moment for me!

What is your biggest strength and weakness?

Strength: I have a photographic memory, meaning I can remember almost any event like it happened yesterday, including very specific details…it is actually slightly creepy.

Weakness: I am very type A which means that I like things to be in order and perfect…not always a good thing!!

And because I have always wanted to know...how do you get your hair to curl like that (it's beautiful)? What's your beauty secret?

HAHAHAHA…sorry this made me laugh out loud. Thank you so much for the compliment, but I am the LAST person you should be asking for beauty secrets because I have ZERO fashion sense. To get my hair to curl like that I use hot rollers. I leave them in for about 10 minutes and then shake them out and go. My hair is very straight and will not hold curling iron curls so I have to use hot rollers if I want any volume.

waiting for spring

2009-01-23T12:21:00.005-06:00

I cannot wait for J. Crew’s spring line to fully hit stores so I can go treat myself to some new clothes for reaching my goal weight. I really want to invest in some fun, vibrant dresses (both dressy and casual) because I am usually too intimidated to wear them and I need to get over myself and start showing off some leg….which means I need some HOT new shoes to wear with the dresses!

Cotton cady Erica dress

Cotton cady Sydney dress

AND I almost forgot! With all of my question and answer posts, I never did a Weight Watchers Wednesday post. I am happy to report that as of this morning I have lost another pound which means I am only 2.5 pounds away from my goal weight!!! I am so close it makes me all giddy inside!!

Tonight we are going to the Shops at Legacy to see The Reader at the Angelika Film Center and then dinner at Jasper’s. I am craving Jasper’s Shrimp and Grits, BBQ Ribs, Bourbon Creamed Corn, and French Toast Dessert. You really have no idea how much I look forward to my splurge meal every week! AND Jasper’s would be the perfect place to wear one of my hot new outfits from J. Crew if the spring line would ever show up!

The rest of the weekend should prove to be uneventful. Mr. Mojito has some GMAT stuff on Saturday morning and after we will probably be running some errands and maybe catch another movie. Sunday we are finally going to finish organizing the garage!

What are your weekend plans?

Happy Friday everyone!

what? no babies?

2009-01-22T10:55:00.007-06:00

I had no idea yesterday’s blog post would spark so many questions…What? No children? Explain please.

First, I want it to be known that I LOVE children. It is something that is hard for me to explain, but I have never had that “feeling” to be a mother. I love to be around kids and watch them learn and grow (heck I was a children’s swim coach for 6 years and a nanny since I was 11), but I just cannot ever see myself being a mother. When I tell people this I usually get a mixture of the following responses:

“You are so young. You will change your mind.”
“It is different with your own kids.”
“I never thought I wanted to have children either, but now I cannot imagine my life without them.”
“You are going to miss out on one of God’s greatest gifts.”
“Don’t you think that is a very selfish decision?”

While all of these statements/questions may be true, it still does not change how I feel. People often forget that having children is a choice and is not expected.

I am sure many of you are wondering about how Mr. Mojito feels about not having kids. He is 100% in agreement with me. The conversation about when and if we would have children occurred early in our relationship because I wanted to be upfront and honest with him. If he wanted kids I wanted him to get out of the relationship early instead of being together for 5 years and then we have to break up because kids are a deal/relationship breaker for most couples. Mr. Mojito has two younger brothers so I hope one day I can be the fun and cool aunt and spoil their kids like they were my own (plus I have several friends that are pregnant right now or will be soon and I cannot wait to spoil their little ones too).

While I know that many of you probably do not understand this or agree with it I hope you can respect my point of view. Some people may view us as being selfish and materialistic, but we actually feel that it would be worse to have a child because everyone thinks we should and not because we want to.

…on to a less controversial topic haha…

Last night I had a fantastic coffee date with the beautiful Lulu from The Dirty Martini Diaries!!! It was so much fun! Before we even knew it we had been sitting at Starbucks for two hours just chatting away like old friends! I cannot wait for her to come back and visit for her final dress fitting YAYAYAYAY!!!

AND two of my favorite bloggers, elefantitas alegres (excited about Wednesday!) and Pink Pearls and Muddy Sneakers, gave me the Lovely Award!!!! Thank you so much!!

The award states: "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to three bloggers who must choose three more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

answers, round 1

2009-01-21T12:38:00.006-06:00

I am going to answer a group of questions each week because there were A LOT of questions for one post. Here is round 1…

Anonymous: How many times have you been in love? 3

Did you know that your husband was the person you were going to marry when you met him?

No. In fact I was not even sure I wanted to date him! I was just coming out of a very serious long-term relationship and I was not looking for anyone. When he asked me out for our first date I was literally shocked. I had a great time but I still was not looking for anything serious (hey, what do I know? Clearly I am an idiot). Next thing I know I am dating him and falling madly in love. I knew I was going to marry him right before our undergraduate graduation in May 2006.

What has been the biggest struggle(s) that you and your husband have had to face?

At the beginning of our relationship the biggest issue we had to face was the lack of support from certain friends and allowing that negativity to impact our relationship (please do not misunderstand; most of our friends were really excited and happy for us). After we realized that we were in this together, for better or worse, that was when we stopped letting other people influence our relationship. Learning to be a team and standing by each other was an INVALUABLE lesson we learned early that would truly help us when we were engaged.

After we got engaged our biggest struggle BY FAR was family and the opinions and expectations that come with getting married. That is all I can really say on this issue. If you are curious you can always email me and I will elaborate. After we got married all of that drama went away and life is now peaceful (well it will be peaceful until our families figure out that we are not having kids).

Allison: What was the hardest adjustment you had to make when you got married?

Changing my last name. I know this may seem silly, but I went through a mini identity crisis/ mental breakdown. I really love my maiden name. It has been (and still is!) my nickname for years! I felt like I was losing a major piece of myself and I did not like it. Mr. Mojito told me that he was perfectly fine if I kept my maiden name but I ended up changing it anyway! When people introduce me with my first and last name I still have to do a double take because I forget that they are talking about me!

austintx623: Did you and your husband live together before marriage? Why or why not? Do you recommend living t/g before marriage? Why/why not?

Yes we did live together before we got married. We were married in May 2008. Prior to getting married we lived in our custom built townhouse for 6 months and an apartment for 6 months before moving into our house. I honestly cannot say either way if I recommend living together or not before marriage. I think it depends on the relationship. For us, living together made great financial sense which was the number one reason we decided to live together before marriage.

They say marriage is about compromise. What are some examples of compromise you have had to make?

Watching sports and family dynamics!! Sometimes it is easy to forget that you not only marry your spouse but his family as well!

What area of Dallas do you live in? You don't have to be specific.

We live in a suburb of North Dallas and we love it because it is still so close to downtown.

*One Step at a Time*: What is the one food you miss eating the most since being on Weight Watchers?

MACARONI AND CHEESE and chocolate ice cream!!!!!

Also, how close are you to goal and have you thought at all about how you are going to celebrate once you reach it?

I have 3.5 pounds to go until I reach my goal weight (120 pounds…right now I am 123.5), but I would like to lose a total of 6 pounds for lifetime on WW. I definitely plan on hitting up Nordstrom for some skinny jeans, sexy underwear, and cute new shoes to show off my body!!!!!

Kebi Cedawna: Will you share your favorite Mojito recipe?

Honeydew Mojito
Ingredients:
½ cup cubed honeydew, plus some for garnish
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
½ ounce simple syrup
4-5 mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
Crushed Ice
2 ounces white rum
1 ounce club soda

Directions:1. Place honeydew in the food processor and blend until smooth (about 1 minute). 2. Put the lime juice (or squeeze in a couple of lime wedges and add them into the glass),simple syrup, and mint leaves in a glass. 3. Using a muddler, crush the lime, mint, and simple syrup into the side of the glass. 4. Fill the glass with the crushed ice. 5. Add the blended honeydew and rum to the glass. 6. Put all ingredients into a beverage shaker. Shake well and serve over ice in a high ball glass. 7. Top off the glass with a splash of club soda. 8. Garnish with sprig of mint and remaining honeydew cubes. Savor and enjoy!

~Mrs. Guru~: Are the weekends the hardest for you on WW? They are for me and I need a solution. Please give me some advice! Thanks!

Yes and no. As I have mentioned before I use one night a weekend as my splurge night. So I am not tempted to eat poorly during the day I usually eat breakfast and lunch at home (otherwise we go to Jason’s Deli or Celebrity Bakery) and then use all of my flex points and the remainer of my daily points at dinner. Honestly, during my splurge meal I do not really count my points, but when I wake up the next day I am right back on the fit train.

Blue-Eyed Bride: When will this puppy be making its way into your lives?

We have found a wonderful Cavalier breeder here in the Dallas and we are on the list to receive a puppy from her next litter which should be this spring!

Can I name the puppy?

Of course! I am always up for suggestions, especially since Mr. Mojito’s current pick is Jelly Bean.

We know you like the Food Network and reality TV. What is your favorite scripted TV show?

CSI, Friends, 902 dime (old school), and Sex and the City.

Ashley: What is your most embarrassing moment?

Long story short, I accidently flashed my high school swim coach at the Colorado State Swimming 5A Championships. Yep, that is correct; my swim coach (male might I add) saw my boobs. Needless to say I was mortified.

Thank you for all of the awesome questions!!! I will post round 2 next week!

overwhelmed

2009-01-20T13:44:00.004-06:00

On yesterday’s post Hannah commented, “You always seem so positive and upbeat in your blog posts (which is a great thing!), but what are some things you are really struggling with right now? You have a blog for the purpose to talk openly about your life, yet I feel like you leave some of the negative issues off of your blog...how come?”

I thought this was a really thought provoking question. I honestly do try to have a positive and upbeat outlook on life. I feel like each day we have a choice to wake up happy and energetic and that is what I choose to do.

However, that does not mean that my life is perfect…far from it actually. I have situations, decisions, and issues that I struggle with every day. I choose not to share most of my struggles on my blog (unless it is REALLY weighing heavily on my heart, in which case I try and be as generic and vague as possible) because I tend to internalize issues and keep them private.

But I said you could ask me anything and I would answer truthfully. So, what are some things I am really struggling with right now?

Friendship. I miss my best friend.

Feeling overwhelmed. My mother was recently laid off from her job and I am terrified for what that means for our family’s future.

Sickness and surgery. I have been battling injury and sickness these past few months and it is really running me down. I am also nervous about my upcoming dental surgery.

Job security. I thank God everyday that I have a job in this economy and pray that it stays that way.

Body image. This has gotten MUCH better because of Weight Watchers, but I am sick and tired of feeling not good enough. I also need to get better about accepting compliments from Mr. Mojito.

My future. I feel completely lost. I have been praying about this for a while now and I still do not feel like I have any clear answers.

Thanks Hannah for your question. I will try to get better about posting things that I am struggling with on my blog.

I hope everyone is having a Happy Tuesday!

ask me!

2009-01-19T13:04:00.006-06:00

Since I am sure you are DYING to know more about me I am once again going to allow ~~beg~~ you to ask me anything! Please?

Actually, I need to be honest with all of you...I have a serious case of writer's block so I am ~~going to shamelessly copy other fabulous bloggers~~ taking the easy way out instead. Forgive me please.

So ask away! No subject is off limits! Later this week I will post the answers!

Happy Monday! I am sitting in an ice cold cubicle while most of America has the day off celebrating MLK! Pity me. I do.

honest scrap, part deux

2009-01-16T16:16:00.006-06:00

A Pretty Peony and Sassy Stilettos tagged me to do the “Honest Scrap” Award! THANK YOU!

When I first received this award Mr. Mojito wanted to do the honors and tell everyone 10 honest things about me.

This time I am going to limit it to 5 honest tidbits, but they will be from my perspective. And, in keeping with the integrity of the award, I will try not to hold anything back.

1. Sometimes I forget to shave my legs for days (errr...weeks?) at a time. Hear me out. When I was a competitive swimmer I was not allowed to shave my legs from the start of the season to Senior Nationals (about 5 months out of the year). Yes, I am sure you are all saying, “Sick! That is totally disgusting! I would never do that. How could you handle that?” Well, to answer these questions…I wore pants A LOT. Not shaving your legs was a small price to pay when you were trying to become an Olympian (FYI: The hair on your legs creates drag in the water so when you finally shave it off before the big meet you swim faster!!). As a result of doing this for most of my life I honestly just forget. And the worst part? I simply do not care.

2. I am NOT a morning person (which is surprising considering the 4:30 AM swimming practices I had to endure 5 days a week growing up). As a result, I do not get fully ready in the morning. Translation: I take a shower, leave my hair wet, skip the make-up, grab breakfast, and I am out the door. Luckily I have hair that dries straight, I work with dorky engineers that consider sweatpants the new business suit, and I sit in a cube where no one sees me or else I would be a perfect candidate on any make-over show.

3. I brush my teeth in the shower. There I said it. Stop laughing…or gagging.

4. I have been having an affair on my other love, THE MOJITO…GASP!!! I have recently discovered the Strawberry Martini and I LOVE them!!

5. I refuse to check my voicemail on my cell phone. It would be better if you just sent me a text message if you ever want to get a response from me…or call back until I answer.

things that make you go, "hmmmm…"

2009-01-16T09:11:00.002-06:00

Walking into work today I noticed that there was a new sign in the grass out front. It read, “Please do not walk on the grass. Thank you, Facilities.”

This is one of those things that make me go, “Hmmmmm…” If we are not allowed to walk on the grass then how did the "Do not walk on the grass" sign get there?

You will have to excuse me. It is very cold and too early on this Friday morning!

thursday musings

2009-01-15T11:00:00.015-06:00

1. My teeth are falling out. Well at least that it was my dentist keeps telling me. Apparently I have a severe case of a receding gum line on my upper right teeth. The cure? Dental surgery on March 6th! Awesome.

2. I am so happy to see so many people still riding the FIT TRAIN!! I am happy to report that I lost another .5 pounds, which means I am 3.5 pounds away from my goal weight! These last 5 pounds are by far the hardest to lose, but slow and steady wins the race!

3. Friday evening I am going to Skit Preview to watch my sorority’s new skit for recruitment!!! They are doing a take on Alice in Wonderland which should be adorable. When I was a collegiate, we did a skit based on “Sex and the City” and it was AWESOME! Ahhhh those were the days! PleDGe DG!!!!!!!

4. Saturday night Mr. Mojito and I are going to the Melting Pot for some yummy fondue! Did I mention that I LOVE cheese and chocolate fondue so this will be heaven for me? Thank goodness for my 35 flex points plus my 18 daily points!

5. It is official. I have decided to join the Junior League of Dallas and I am really excited. My best friend and two of her good friends who go to SMU Law with her are also joining. AND the beautiful Hopsy at Monograms and Manicures is joining in on the fun too! YAYAYAY

Let's hope my experience is nothing like the one described in this book, especially since this book was based on the very league I am about to join haha.

oh dearest gretchen...

2009-01-14T08:29:00.004-06:00

Seriously it was like watching a train wreck waiting to happen. Half of the episode I spent covering my eyes while the other half I kept having to pick my jaw up off the floor. Only on the Real Housewives of Orange County...

Did anyone else see it???

Thoughts?

maxi dress

2009-01-13T11:28:00.006-06:00

...I really want to own a Maxi dress in a beautiful floral pattern like the one Carrie Underwood is wearing. I have seen some at Nordstrom but none that I really love. Does anyone know where I can find one that will make me look HOT haha?

bride wars!

2009-01-12T12:33:00.006-06:00

I LOVED it. Poor Mr. Mojito was one of the only men in the audience! He MUST love me if he was willing to sit through this movie with me (thanks honey)!!

And did you all see the size of Kate Hudson’s engagement ring? Holy Majoly!!! I read that it is a 5-carat cushion set in a Tiffany and Co. Novo setting!! The estimated cost is $388K!!!

Did anyone else see it? What did you think?

be still my heart

2009-01-11T12:15:00.012-06:00

You may remember this post about how we put up ZERO Christmas decorations because we would be spending the majority of the holiday season in Denver with my family. Well, when I was home I was telling my mother about our lack of Christmas décor and she said that we should have at least put up stockings on our mantle. I quickly reminded her that I have never been able to find stockings that I love that could rival my childhood stocking. You see my mom made me, my half brother, and my half sister each a Bucilla felt stocking when we were born. These stockings are by far my favorite Christmas decorations. I can live without a Christmas tree, lights on the outside of the house, and presents, but Christmas is not complete without these stockings.

My stocking (excuse the pictures...they are all from eBay because I do not have any pictures of the actual stockings at my parent's house).

This used to be my brother’s stocking, but Mr. Mojito has now claimed it (how could he not? It’s SNOOPY!!!!).

My mom told me that if I found some Bucilla felt stocking kits that I loved I could send them to her and she would make them for us to hang on our mantle for next Christmas!!! YAYAYAY

So, I scoured the Bucilla catalog and nothing struck my fancy. I finally ended up on eBay and found these AMAZING stockings. Most of them are vintage, dating back to the early 80s and we just received them in the mail this weekend!!!!

Keeping with the Snoopy theme, Mr. Mojito and I each get a Snoopy stocking. Our future puppies are getting the Snowmen playing in the snow and Santa and his reindeer. We are also making a jumbo one for our family. Thank you mom!!! YAYAYAYAYAY

Mr. Mojito's stocking.

My stocking :)

Our future puppy's stocking.

Our other future puppy's stocking!

Our family stocking

Maybe someday if I get ambitious enough I will attempt to make a Christmas tree skirt!

friday funday!

2009-01-09T10:01:00.007-06:00

It is FRIDAY FUNDAY!!!!!! I am so ready for the weekend!!!

Dali Wine Bar in the Arts District tonight!
My first EVER baby shower and Bride Wars tomorrow!
My mother-in-law’s birthday celebration dinner at Javier’s on Sunday!!

What are your weekend plans?

AND...

Size 27 Citizen jeans.

On my body.

Right now!

This is monumental.

Oh happy day!

Happy Friday everyone!!!

www food answers

2009-01-08T12:41:00.007-06:00

You ask and you shall receive...

Q2: What does a typical day look like for you in terms of food? Can you provide a schedule and point values?

Like my dear friend Lyndsey at All things Fluffy...Fashionable...& Famous!, I am also not a huge meat eater (mostly because of food allergies) or veggie lover. If I could, however, eat fruit, pasta, bread, avocadoes, and seafood for the rest of my life I would be a happy camper. So, based on that knowledge, here are some typical foods I eat on a daily basis. Note: This is not a complete list, but it gives you an idea. Also, I am allowed 18 WW Points per day and I use my 35 WW Flex Points on one “blow it” meal per week.

Breakfast:
1. Yoplait Fat-Free Yogurt (2 WW Points)

2. Fruit (see snacks, most are 1-2 WW Points)

3. Deep Chocolate VitaMuffins (1 WW Points)

4. Oatmeal (4WW Points)
Old Fashioned Oats (1/2 cup dry)
Non-Fat Milk (1 cup or 8 oz.)
Cinnamon (1/2 Tbsp.)
Splenda (6-8 packets…yes I like my oatmeal SWEET)

Put the oats and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Add cinnamon and Splenda and stir together. The oatmeal will continue to thicken as you stir and let it cool.

Note: Oatmeal has A LOT of fiber so when I have this for breakfast I do not usually have a mid-morning snack because I am still so full from breakfast.

5. Scrambled Egg Whites (1 WW Points)
3 Egg Whites
Dried Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, etc (1 tsp.)

Mid-Morning Snacks:
1. Banana (2 WW Points)
2. Apple (1 WW Point)
3. Pineapple (1/4 fruit is 1 WW Point)
4. Grapes (1 cup, 2 WW Points)

Lunch:
1. Ham Sammy (3 WW Points) and Fruit (1 WW Point)
Extra Lean Ham (3% fat) (2 oz. (2 slices))
Dijon Mustard (1 Tbsp.)
Whole Wheat 45-Calorie Bread (2 slices)
Baby Spinach (3 oz.)

2. Peanut Butter and Jelly (7 WW Points…I typically eat this if I will be having a smaller dinner or if I skipped breakfast)
Whole Wheat 45-Calorie Bread (2 slices)
Peanut Butter, Reduced Fat (2 Tbsp.)
Stonewall Kitchen Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam (2 Tbsp.)

3. Lean Cuisine or SmartOnes (I try to keep these to 4-5 WW Points)

Afternoon Snacks:
1. Smart Pop Kettle Corn (1 WW Point)
2. Jell-O Sugar Free Pudding (1 WW Point…I like the chocolate kind because it fulfills my chocolate craving)
3. Jell-O Sugar Free Jell-O (0 WW Points)
4. Triscuit Reduced Fat Crackers (7 crackers, 2 WW Points)
5. Reduced Fat Wheat Thins (16 crackers, 3 WW Points)
6. Cucumber slices (0 WW Points)

Dinner:
For dinner I either have a LeanCusine, SmartOnes, a seafood dish with veggies or fruit, or make a recipe from one of these two blogs:

The Foodie Fashionista
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Some other recipes I like are:

Chunky WS Butternut Squash Soup (3.5 WW Points per serving, serves 6)
Williams Sonoma Butternut Squash Puree (1 jar)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 Tbsp.)
Yellow Onion (1 onion)
Garlic Cloves (4 cloves)
Fresh Thyme (1 tsp.)
Vegetable Broth (organic) (3 cups)
Carrots (4 large)
Celery (4 large)
Yukon Gold Potatoes (2 potatoes)
Salt and Pepper

In a deep pot, add olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and potatoes, salt and pepper. Cook until soft. Add fresh thyme. Add butternut squash puree and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Tuna Salad with Triscuits (6 WW Points)
Triscuit Reduced Fat Crackers (7 crackers)
Chunk White Tuna (1 can)
Sweet Pickle Relish (1 Tbsp.)
Dijon Mustard (1 Tbsp.)
Lite Mayo (1 Tbsp.)

Chili (4-5 WW Points per serving, serves 6-8)
98-99% Lean Ground Beef (2 pounds)
Yellow Onion
Carroll Shelby's Chili Mix (1 package…I omit the flour because I find it add unnecessary calories and not flavor)
Rotel (2-10oz cans)
Tomato Sauce (1-10oz. can)
Olive Oil (1 Tbsp.)

Brown onion in olive oil in a dutch oven or deep pot. Add ground beef and brown. Add contents of chili mix (omit flour and some salt). Stir beef, onions, and spices. Add Rotel and tomato sauce. Stir and bring to a simmer.

Citrus Salad with Shrimp (Citrus Salad: 2 WW Points per serving, Shrimp: 2 WW Points per serving)
2 Fennel Bulbs
1 Blood Orange
1 Red Grapefruit
4-6 Shrimp per person (I either boil, sauté in non-fat cooking spray, or roast with non-fat cooking spray)

Q3: What about alcohol?

I am glad someone asked this question. As you all know by now I have a deep love for cocktails (especially mojitos) so figuring out how to incorporate my favorite drink into my diet was important. Honestly, I cut out all alcohol during the week. I have 1-2 cocktails as part of my “blow it” night once a week. Now, if I were going to drink during the week I would have wine because wine has far fewer points than mojitos. HOWEVER, if you like your glass of vino every night, there is nothing wrong with that at all. All you have to do is make sure that when you plan out your food for the day you account for the wine in your points. For example, if you are allowed 18 points a day, then you would eat 14 points worth of food and the daily glass of wine would account for the last 4 points. With Weight Watchers it really is all up to you with how you want to use your points each day. If you like wine, have wine, but if you are having a mojito, make sure you call me!!!!

Q4: Are you still running and working out?

Most definitely! I have been really bad with entering my workouts in my Running Ahead log. I will try and be better about that! I try and go to the gym 5 times per week (but no less than 4 times per week). I spend no more than an hour and 15 minutes at the gym (1 hour of working out and 15 minutes of stretching). I alternate cardio and weight lifting each day. For cardio I either run on the treadmill for 45 minutes or do the elliptical for 45 minutes and then cool down. On the days where I lift weights, I stretch and then do basic weight lifting for about 50-60 minutes. I do not have time to be one of those people who spend hours in the gym so this really works for me.

weight watchers wednesday

2009-01-07T10:29:00.006-06:00

NOTE: If you are not interested in topics like weight loss and Weight Watchers I would recommend skipping this post because it might be a long one.

Now that the holidays are over I think it is time to get back into the swing of WWW. How has everyone been doing?? I have seen several blog posts about people joining WW, and I think that is fantastic!!

For those of you that are new to my blog and wanted to know where I have come from in my weight loss journey I suggest reading this post and this post.

On my own personal weight loss I am happy to report that as of this morning I lost another pound which means I am 4 lbs away of reaching my goal weight!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAY

Also, I have received an outpouring of emails in the last few weeks about WW, and I wanted to say THANK YOU!! I wanted to address some of the questions here because I thought some of them were really good and thought provoking. I am going to keep the questions anonymous so people do not feel like I am calling them out specifically.

Q1: I have done Weight Watchers off and on for the last 6 years. I will lose weight and then 6 months later gain it right back. My weight, and the power it has over me, makes me feel weak and insecure. How do you do it? How do you fight temptation and cravings?

I truly think that getting your mind in the right place should be everyone’s NUMBER ONE priority before any weight is lost (and trust me I am still working on this)!

Every day we wake up with the ability to make choices….good choices, life changing choices, bad choices, etc. For example, you wake up 30 minutes after your alarm was supposed to go off. You finally get ready and get in your car. Now you have several choices here. You can speed to work, run every red light, and potentially kill someone. Or you can drive the speed limit and obey all traffic signs. Most of us would choose the latter. We would not purposely put other people in harm’s way. So why is our body any different? Why should we not make the right choices in terms of our body and our health? Why are we constantly putting our own body in harm’s way with the constant dieting?

Since I started WW I view every morning as a day to make the right choices…for me, my body, and my health. EVERY DAY!!! Think about it…most of us have a love-hate relationship with our weight and food. It is a source of constant struggle. I know I do. This is something that will probably never go away. It is something that I will have to deal with, nurture, and manage my entire life. Once you lose the weight, it is still a journey to keep it off….a never-ending journey. So, we all have to make a choice, everyday, to put our minds in the right place and overcome our struggles.

In terms of fighting temptation and cravings, the first thing I do is rid my house of ANY food that is a temptation…macaroni and cheese, chocolate ice cream, pizza, etc. I keep my pantry and fridge stocked with WW friendly foods. If tempting foods are not in my house then I physically cannot eat them. Now that I have been doing WW for a while I do not get tempted that often…most of the time I find myself craving an apple or Smart Pop Popcorn.

I have mentioned before that I save my extra 35 flex points for one “blow-it” meal a week (typically a Friday or Saturday evening). I LOVE to eat out so I do not want to deprive myself of that. Typically there is one night a week where Mr. Mojito and I will go out to eat and I will use all of my flex points plus my daily allocated points on that one meal. HOWEVER, that still does not mean that I do not go out to eat. If it is not my “blow it” meal, I will simply have a salad or a fish dish instead of the big bowl of pasta I would normally order. When I joined WW, I wanted to lose weight while still maintaining my lifestyle. I find that this schedule really works for me. What might work for me might not necessarily work for you…you just have to judge your body and what it needs.

In terms of cravings, did you know that a craving typically lasts 5-8 minutes? My advice would be before you eat that piece of cake you are craving, drink a glass of water and wait 10 minutes. Chances are by the end of the 10 minutes your craving for the cake will have passed. BUT when I do have a craving, I simply write that craving down on a piece of paper so when my “blow it” night comes, I look at that paper and decide which one of the cravings I had during the week I want to fulfill. Often I find myself no longer wanting 90% of the items on my list because it was just a craving and NOT what my body actually needed.

Ok that one answer was MUCH longer than I had anticipated. If you made it this far I commend you. The other question I had planned on answering was, “What does a typical day look like for you in terms of food? Can you provide a schedule and point values?” I will try and post this answer tomorrow unless you all do not find this helpful…thoughts?

If you have any other questions for me please leave me a comment or shoot me an email.

Happy Wednesday!!

new year's spirit award!

2009-01-06T12:20:00.003-06:00

The beautiful Bama Belle at Bama Belle In The Big City... gave me “The 2009 New Year's Spirit” Award. THANK YOU!! I agree that we would definitely be friends if you lived in Dallas!

Here are the Rules:

1. You must be a true lover of the New Year to receive this award. The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with the New Year.

2. List 5 things that you love about the New Year. If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space.

3. Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 50. It's up to you! But keep the New Year cheer going.

4. Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving a comment on their site. Also, link back to the person who gave you the award.

So, without further ado, five things that I love about the 2009 New Year:

1. Growing together. Mr. Mojito and I will celebrate our ONE YEAR Anniversary in 2009! Every day I thank God for bringing him into my life. Things have not always been easy, but it has ALWAYS been worth it!!

2. Time spent with family and friends. All of 2008 was jam packed with moving into our new house, business travel, and all things wedding so I am really looking forward to spending 2009 with family, new friends, and old friends!!

3. Puppies. I am so excited to be getting a little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel this year!!!

4. Student debt free! I am happy to report that by the end of January I will have less than $9,000 to pay off my student loans from graduate school (seriously WHY is graduate school SO EXPENSIVE???). I know $9,000 is still a big chunk of change but when you started off at over $50,000 in student loans this is a HUGE accomplishment. I plan to pay off the remaining $9,000 by the end of 2009!!! WOO HOO!!

5. Maintaining my healthy lifestyle! In 2008, I climbed myself back onto the Fit Train and I plan on staying on it!!

I know I am supposed to tag people but that gets really tedious so I am tagging whomever wants to play!!

man crush

2009-01-06T10:14:00.006-06:00

Whether or not I want to admit it, Mr. Mojito has a man crush on Guy Fieri. Yes, the Food Network Star, host of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Ultimate Recipe Showdown, and Guy’s Big Bite.

While most people DVR shows like Gossip Girl, 902 dime, LOST, and Grey’s Anatomy, we at the Mojito household tape Food Network shows like Tyler’s Ultimate, Giada at Home, Barefoot Contessa, and ANYTHING Guy!!

After we get home from working out what is the first thing that Mr. Mojito says? “Can we watch Guy now?” If I did not know any better I would swear he actually plans his day around watching his shows.

I have never seen him laugh so much at a TV show (well maybe with the exception of The Soup). I swear when he hears some of Guy’s famous sayings such as, “I could eat 12 or 76 of these”, “That’s on point”, “That's off the hook”, and “That’s money”, I think his heart skips a beat. You may think I am exaggerating, but I assure you I am not…Mr. Mojito really is that ridiculous.

I KNOW he spends his time daydreaming about having Guy’s job (and spiky bleached blonde hair and sunglasses) and being his best friend. Seriously, how did this happen? Since when do I play second fiddle to a Food Network personality?

Well, that is OK. Payback will come when he realizes I have run away with Giada!

Please tell me I am not the only person whose spouse has a man crush!

back to the grind

2009-01-05T11:48:00.005-06:00

So after a 3 week vacation I am back to work…that should give you some indication as to how I am feeling right now.

I do not have much to report. The rest of our weekend was low key. We saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on New Year’s Day and Valkyrie on Friday evening. We also organized our garage because we sold the last remaining old apartment furniture on Craigslist!!!! Woo Hoo!!

I have received several emails about Weight Watchers and my life in general so I plan on creating a blog post later this week so stay tuned! I have tried to answer most of your emails, but if I have not responded to yours yet I promise I will this week! Also, my friend Simple Yet Classic has started a new blog dedicated to Weight Watchers. Make sure and check it out!

In the mean time, feel free to continue to send me any emails or leave me a comment with any questions you have!!

Also, Kirby from Good Gals Inc gave me the “You Are Truly Beautiful” Award! THANK YOU!!

It reads: You Are Truly Beautiful. Beautiful means so much more than just a pretty face! It also means that you are unique, and oh so full of grace! The things in you that go on much deeper than the softness of your skin are the things that make you beautiful, both outside and within!

Rules:
Find the beautiful ladies that you follow.
Give them this award.
Hopefully it'll truly mean something to each and every one of you.
Don't be shy to give it to the same person!
Don't forget to tell them!

I am going to give this award to:

Nina Knows Best
Blue-Eyed Bride
The Shabby Princess
HOUSE OF ROSE
elefantitas alegres
More Wine Please
The Dirty Martini Diaries
All things Fluffy...Fashionable...& Famous!
Mrs. Preppy

my dirty little secret!

2009-01-03T21:51:00.005-06:00

Yes I am currently reading it.

With no shame.

Regularly in public.

AND I actually like it!

happy new year

2009-01-01T11:22:00.007-06:00

Last night was so much fun!!! Dinner at Stephan Pyles was AMAZING!!! This was the second year we have gone to this restaurant for NYE and it did not disappoint. I think we are going to make it a tradition for us!! The food was unbelievable, the service was impeccable, and the cocktails were delicious!!

Unfortunately Mr. Mojito and I did not get any photos of us at the restaurant BUT we did get photos at the NYE party we attended after dinner.

Note: You will have to excuse my hair…I promise that it looked much better at the beginning of the evening AND [this is HUGE by the way] I wore a dress on NYE!! Now you may be wondering why wearing a dress is a big deal. Well, it is a HUGE deal because this was the first time in months where I could fit into a dress that I bought a year ago! I am only 6 pounds away from my goal weight and I am SO EXCITED!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

Yeah, I was being ridiculous!

My favorite hostess (Sweet 'n Lo)!!! Love you!

Our friends also had a white elephant gift exchange and lucky for us we were gifted a HOT Santa hat and boxers with fake snow. Woo Hoo!!!

How was your NYE? Did you go all out or have a relaxed evening at home?

I hope 2009 brings you much joy, happiness, love, and peace!!!!

hanky panky

2008-12-31T11:06:00.004-06:00

Seriously best underware EVER!! Why oh why must they cost $18/pair?????

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

resolutions

2008-12-30T16:20:00.005-06:00

I am only making one resolution for 2009…to LAUGH, LIVE, and LOVE MORE!!!!!!!

Typically I would say something about losing weight, working out, and eating better as my 2009 resolutions, but thanks to Weight Watchers I do not have to do ANY of these things because I am making a lifestyle change!!! If you are constantly a roller coaster when it comes to your weight and you want to change that habit for the better, I HIGHLY suggest giving Weight Watchers a chance. It really does work if you commit to the lifestyle change and do not look at it as a diet. I am so close to my goal weight I can taste it!!! WOO HOO!!!

What are your resolutions this year?

It is almost New Years Eve and I cannot wait!!! Like I mentioned before, we are going to dinner at Stephan Pyles and then to a few NYE parties with friends. I hope everyone has a SAFE, FUN, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Also, Meghan from Believe In Me gave me the Lemonade Award!!! THANK YOU!! I have never received this award and am so flattered to receive it!!!!

are diamonds forever?

2008-12-28T15:18:00.005-06:00

I have had this conversation with several people and wanted to know your thoughts. I find that people are VERY divided on this topic...

Would you upgrade/change your engagement ring (either in size, shape, clarity, or all of the above) assuming you could pay for the upgrade with cash (i.e. no credit cards or debt) and both parties were O.K. with the decision?

Ponder and discuss.

UPDATE: I wanted to clarify that I am not thinking of upgrading my engagement ring. I was just curious as to what others thought on the topic :)

sunday = big football day!

2008-12-28T13:13:00.012-06:00

GO COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the love of everything PLEASE WIN!!!!!!!

UPDATE: The cowboys are BREAKING MY HEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ugh...

as seen on t.v.

2008-12-26T12:55:00.011-06:00

I hope everyone had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS filled with family, love, good food, and merriment! We had a WONDERFUL Christmas this year. We loved Marley and Me [and of course I cried like a baby].

My grandmother is known as the “As Seen on T.V.” queen. Every year for Christmas she sends us one of the latest and greatest T.V. inventions.

Buxton Bag? We got one this year. It is the “biggest little bag ever.” AND, we were lucky enough to receive the Compact Voice Recorder with built-in flashlight because my grandmother ordered within 20 minutes. All she had to pay was just $6.95 shipping and handling. WOO HOO!!!!

It has become a running joke in my family to see what will come in the mail each year. Last year we got a glow in the dark, light up snowman. It is seriously the weirdest looking snowman ever! I have never met someone who is so easily influenced by Billy Mays yelling at them than my grandmother.

Besides our amazing collection of “As Seen on T.V.” products, we received some great gifts!

Mr. Mojito got me a Louis Vuitton wallet I have been eyeing. I have been using the same wallet since 8th grade [seriously] so I was in need of a new one. Thanks honey!!!

My parents got us:

Bissell ProHeat 2X® Select Pet so we can clean up after our future puppy!! I have wanted a carpet cleaner [I know...It is a completely random gift, but I am all about practicality] since we moved into our house.

LOTS of DVDs, an entire new running and exercise wardrobe [my mom works in the legal department of the Sports Authority so she gets an AMAZING discount on everything], and cookbooks.

Hand painted pottery [I am going to use them as serving dishes] from Williams Sonoma!

Because Mr. Mojito NEVER buys himself clothes I use special occasions to spoil him in that department. For his birthday back in November I bought him new shirts and pants so he would not have to wear the same clothes every day. For Christmas I got him 2 new pairs of shoes: a pair of casual brown shoes for work and a pair of dress shoes that he can wear when we go out on the weekends.

How was your Christmas? What did you do?

Happy Friday!!

smile charlie brown, it is christmas...

2008-12-23T14:31:00.007-06:00

…Or should I say Chrismukkah at the Mojito household. Yesterday marked the first day of Hanukkah, and being that Mr. Mojito is Jewish, I thought it only fitting to give him a shout out!!!!

Tomorrow is typically the day we really celebrate Christmas. My parents, Mr. Mojito, and I will go to church in the afternoon. After church, my step-sister and brother-in-law will be coming over to my parent’s house where my mom makes a seriously delicious meal [I, on the other hand, will be eating salad because I am still on board the FIT TRAIN and I no longer crave unhealthy food…weird right?]. After dinner we open gifts, watch Christmas Vacation, and play games.

Christmas morning my mom prepares a brunch with the entire family (10 people in total) and then we go see a movie. This year we are going to see Marley and Me and then a low key dinner at home.

Friday after Christmas Mr. Mojito and I will celebrate Christmas with my daddy, brother, and sister!! I cannot wait!! I love the holidays!

I hope everyone has a VERY MERRY HAPPY HOLIDAY no matter what you celebrate!!

Also, the beautiful NINA from Nina Knows Best gave me this wonderful award!!! THANK YOU!! I cannot wait to see you in April!!! The three of us are going to have so much fun!!!!

The award states "This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.”

tacky sweater and jersey boys

2008-12-21T21:50:00.005-06:00

Happy Sunday everyone!!!

Last night Mr. Mojito and I went over to my best friend Ibby’s house for her annual Tacky Christmas Sweater Party!!!! Mr. Mojito and I scoured every major clothing store that we thought would sell tacky sweaters, but all we could find were these awful looking sweatshirts in the JC Penney women’s department. Clearly we failed at our task of finding good tacky sweaters because Ibby and Kevin appeared to have no problems. Seriously, how did Wal-Mart fail us???

It is tradition in my family that we either see the Nutcracker or a musical before Christmas. This is a tradition that started when I was born and I am so happy that Mr. Mojito can now join in on the fun. Today we went to see “Jersey Boys” and it was AMAZING!!!!! It has now become one of my favorite musicals. If you get the chance to see it make sure you do!!!

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend!!

honest scrap!

2008-12-19T19:14:00.004-06:00

Thank you to the beautiful Vanity Fair for bestowing upon me the “Honest Scrap” Award. I have never seen this award and am so excited to receive it!!!!!

The rules for the “Honest Scrap” Award are to list 10 honest things about myself and I am not to hold anything back (no shyness here).

Note: Mr. Mojito has decided that he would like to jump on this and he is going to tell you 10 truths about me so I am going to bow out for now.

1. Mrs. Mojito is a very good cook. The problem is that we are very indecisive with creating a “menu”, so she doesn’t get to show off her cooking skills as much as we both would like.

2. Mrs. Mojito has toe “issues”. Bare feet walking around the house? It’s just not going to happen.

3. Mrs. Mojito does not like to put her clothes away. Instead, they end up on the bed post until a large pile builds up and we are threatened to be buried in a clothes avalanche.

4. Mrs. Mojito is from Colorado, but she cannot stand the cold. She greatly prefers when it is warm until it is time for bed when it must be very cool with the ceiling fan on (even if it is 20 degrees outside).

5. Mrs. Mojito has a memory that scares me. She can remember any event, quote, face, anything. It’s really quite frightening (especially because it means I can never get away with something hoping she won’t remember).

6. Mrs. Mojito loves to go out to eat, which is something I love doing with her. Even though Weight Watchers can sometimes get in the way, we love nothing more than sitting down to a nice dinner at a romantic restaurant (possibly with a mojito thrown in the mix).

7. Mrs. Mojito has a way of seeing right through people that also frightens me. She can just look at me and instantly know exactly how I am feeling, what I am thinking, etc. Like I said before, very frightening.

8. Mrs. Mojito is really a sports fan deep down. She claims that she was very into hockey and football before we started dating. Before we were married, she would only watch the occasional sporting event just because she wanted to make me happy. Now, not only has she been converted to a Cowboys fan, but I think there are some weeks when she is more excited about watching the game than I am!

9. Mrs. Mojito has an extreme aversion towards the grocery store. Fortunately for both of us, I kind of enjoy grocery shopping (I know, weird right?) so we never have to argue about who is going to the store. The only problem is that I sometimes come home with food that she would have talked me out of buying had she been there with me.

10. Mrs. Mojito loves, loves, loves American Eagle tank-tops. You can pretty much bet that she will be wearing one under just about any outfit that you see her in. I guess it’s a good thing that I find them very cute.

Also, Kirby from Good Gals Inc. gave me the “Your Blog is Fabulous” Award! I am going to direct you to this post from when I won this award originally. Thanks for thinking of me!

fat tire

2008-12-18T22:24:00.014-06:00

Today my dad, Mr. Mojito, and I spent the day in Fort Collins at the New Belgium Brewery. I went as the designated driver because I am not a beer drinker (and it was a good thing I did haha). It was so much fun!! New Belgium makes several famous beers such as Fat Tire, 2 Below, Trippel, Sunshine, and 1554. Fat Tire is one of Mr. Mojito’s favorite beers so I knew I had to treat him to the tour.

Before the tour we were each allowed to sample 4 different beers. Being that I do not drink beer I let Mr. Mojito have my samples (plus on the actual tour you are given even more beer to sample). Needless to say Mr. Mojito was definitely tipsy by the end of the tour. All in all the brewery tour was a great way to spend a Thursday!!

Look at all that beer he drank!!!

www and jeans!

2008-12-17T16:48:00.007-06:00

It is time again for Weight Watchers Wednesday!! How did everyone do this week??

I was extremely concerned about coming home for the holidays because I was sure I would fail on my eating habits and exercise routine. My mother’s cooking also does not help the situation. She makes the most delicious food so not only is it ridiculously tempting for me, but my mom also gets offended if I turn it down. I warned my mother before I came home that I have started Weight Watchers so I will be preparing my own meals and I would appreciate her support. For the most part my mom has kept up her end of the bargain with only a few snide comments.

Why is it that people feel the need to judge you or offer rude comments when you are trying to be healthier or lose weight? I know several of you have mentioned that you have friends that are not as supportive as you would like. That drives me crazy!!!

Mr. Mojito and I have gone to the gym every day that we have been here, and I have even been able to stay well within my Weight Watchers points. I got on the scale at the gym this morning and it said I had lost another 1.5 pounds!!!! I have my official weigh in tomorrow so hopefully that 1.5 pounds was accurate!

I received several emails about how my jeans shopping went, and I am happy to report that I found a pair of jeans that I love!!!

And it is official…my theory about jeans sizes was confirmed!

I tried on A TON of jeans and all of them fit differently. Here is a breakdown:

Sevens: size 28 for most but a few were a size 29
Hudsons: size 28 and 29
Citizens: size 30
Joe’s Jeans: size 30

It was so annoying constantly having to try on three different sizes of the same jean just to figure out which one would fit! Ultimately I decided on a trouser jean by Seven for All Mankind.