The One About A Boiled Peanut

I have a charm bracelet, which I absolutely love. It's all James Avery - which happened after spending some quality time in Texas, and as if on cue...they built a store right here at The Summit when I graduated. I've gotten charms for Christmas, and birthdays, and graduation. Plus - there are a couple of charms by James Avery I have my eye on for this year.

Well today, in my Garden and Gun newsletter (they always bring me the most interesting things) I saw an advertisement for Dixie Patches. This is the cutest little store! And they have charms. Precious, southern charms.

WOAH.

Wait. That boiled peanut charm costs how much??

I mean, I know there are those adorable little pearls inside mimicking peanuts...but SERIOUSLY.

Well, if anyone has an extra $180 lying around be sure to wrap up this little pretty and stick it under my Christmas tree.

I would also appreciate that pretty mint julep cup, and the signature bow. Don't worry - you can steer clear of that palmetto bug, the call-me-a-ride keg and the shotgun shell. I'm pretty sure I don't need the quintessential beer holder of all colleges world-wide dangling in beautiful sterling silver from my wrist (or the ammo for the shotgun my brother uses to kill deer - although that one is less expensive).

And I guess so begins the Christmas season...with the first blatant addition to my wish list.

The One About Ten Things

I was tagged by Dawson at Wake Forest Mama, so here's my little list.

Also, check out Liz's list who has graced the blog-world with her presence one more time...maybe she's back for a short stint on Little Interruptions?

1. obvious: my family, and our very rare meals together. Last night all five of us went out to dinner - we're a pretty fun bunch.

2. my amazing, fabulous, wonderful, incredible, could-not-live-without-you friends. we've been through more than is really fair - but we're still together. i love y'all. (and Wednesday night take-out + horribly funny television)

3. Texas, and all the sweet people that are far away from me. I'm so looking forward to Miami, Phoenix, Pasadena? A girl can dream.... (and on a related note - TCU football makes me really happy, especially when Georgia football is making me so sad)

4. Caramel Apple Cider at Starbucks (doesn't everyone have a warm drink that makes them happy, and toasty-warm inside?)

5. Dresses. Specifically of the cocktail variety. I LOVE new dresses. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

6. Books. Books I've read, books I haven't read. Old books, new books. Book shelves filled with books. Bookmarks. Stacks of books on my bedside table. My future Kindle with all of it's future e-books. You get the point.

7. This blanket from Restoration Hardware. We have one in my apartment, and one at my parent's house - it's amazing. The absolute best thing to cuddle up in when you're cold, or tired, or sick, or all of the above.

8. Mexico Lindo Zona Rosa, and the fact that we've been eating there (at least) once a week since I was a little kid. It makes me really happy that everyone who works there knows my whole family, and their queso cheese dip is really yummy. It also kind of ties into another one of my favorite things - margaritas (specifically from Yucatan Taco Stand in Fort Worth).

9. Winter clothes. Sweaters and scarves and coats and mittens and boots and earmuffs (if I had anywhere to wear them).

10. Pictures. Some by really fabulous professionals...but mostly my own. Some of the funniest things show up on my camera!

The One About Shorts

This whole thing about wearing shorts in the winter...I like it a lot. It takes forever to get cold in Alabama - and then once it's legitimately winter, it is never so cold that tight-covered legs won't work as long as you remember a coat. Granted - these are the most expensive tights to ever grace this planet, but it's nice to dream of having so much money that tights costing more that $35 (my go-to reversible Spanx) are even an option. I think this outfit would be perfect for a first date, or dinner out with friends. I kind of want it - and I don't think it would be hard to pull together for a few less hundred dollar bills.

On another note. Did you hear about this? So sad.

The One About Work

I'm exhausted.

Work is killing me. Long story short - our client moved the deadline for our proposal up from April to December 9th. HUH? I literally feel like a work-a-holic. Am I a work-a-holic?

But other than that...

So You Think You Can Dance is the bomb this year, and I love Cat Deeley.

My little sister is turning 21 on Saturday, and then my best friend turns 23 on Tuesday - and I'm old.

I'm still trying to find the time to take down our Halloween decorations (say goodbye to the glitter skulls) and go shopping for winter. I'm into sequins lately, so I'm pretty sure we're going to go with a silver and white theme. Sparkles, sparkles and more sparkles.

We've started planning our first ever grown-up Christmas party.

My Christmas list is growning, and when you're living on your own for the first time and trying not to be broke at all times the list is a little depressing. So far the things I've come up with are a set of sheets so that I don't have to wash/dry and remake my bed all in the same day, and to have my parents pay to have my hair colored. DEPRESSING.

Anyway, that's about it for life right now.

It's finally starting to get cold around here - it was in the 70s this weekend, so I might actually have to break out my winter coat soon. That's good!

The One About Voting

I hope everyone's weekend was wonderful. Mine was...

Image from here. By Matt Coffelt

image from here. By Jim Hipple.

But enough about football...

I just spent more time than I care to admit voting for the People's Choice Awards. I don't know why...I guess it's interesting. I'm less concerned about the actual awards and more hopeful that the shows/actors that I like will win. Does it feel like more shows end up cancelled than actually stick around? Maybe it's just a lot of shows that I personally watched, but I feel like I have pretty good taste in television. It's not like I was pinning all of my hopes and dreams on The Ex List.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Privileged
Dirty Sexy Money
The Black Donnellys
Pushing Daisies
October Road
Samantha Who?
K-ville
The Starter Wife

And if we really want to get into then we should probably talk about Everwood and way back in the day, Gilmore Girls.

Anyway, back to the point...y'all should all go vote for The People's Choice Awards. I figure if my shows win, then the big bad money-making machines can't cancel them.

My personal favorites? So You Think You Can Dance (obviously), Big Bang Theory (all-time funniest show ever, both the show and Sheldon are up for awards), Mariska Hargitay for Favorite Actress in a Drama, and The Good Wife, Accidentally On Purpose, Glee and Modern Family (you'll have to vote a lot because those last three are in the same category).

So - go vote. I'm sure if you're reading this blog you're running out of things to do on the internet anyway.

The One About Fake World

This weekend we all went down to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama v. LSU game. Tuscaloosa is the absolute best place to pretend to be in college again. We stayed out late and then woke up early to tailgate and then (along with a lot of other people) watched the game from Gallette's. There were yellow hammers, and lots of red, and a couple of would-be bar fights. I actually said Roll Tide a few times, which I know my dad would have something to say about...oops. I'll try to make up for it with plenty of Go Dawgs! in Athens this weekend.

I got to hang out with a few of my very best friends - some of whom drove in from far away places just for the occasion. Tuscaloosa really is one of the absolute best ways to spend a weekend away from home. The only disappointment of the entire weekend was that I never once ate Pita Pit.

In some ways I'm excited for football season to be over (just the fact that I could really use a weekend home to pick up my apartment) but in most ways, it's going to be completely depressing. Alabama is doing well this year, which makes all of my friends happy and TCU is rockin' out all over the place, which makes me happy. The only downside to this entire season is that Georgia looks like a high school football team. Oh, and that Florida is winning. Which is not good.

This weekend my family is headed to Athens for the Georgia-Auburn game. My brother (who actually attends Auburn) isn't coming because of pledgeship but my little sister is throwing a party for her upcoming 21st birthday...upcoming, as in she's 20. Oh well. Technicalities.

Either way, I'm excited about one more weekend of football. And I'm excited about Athens.

I'm pretty sure I would be more excited if I was headed to Fort Worth, but three plane flights in a semester is an awful lot. Last time TCU was playing in the ESPN Game Day game - this happened. Hopefully we'll all still be happy campers come Sunday.

click for link

The One Where PJs Go Public

On of my all-time favorite things to do is lay around in a giant, worn in t-shirt and a pair of leggings on the weekends. If I could run around town in this outfit I would - but there are a few too many holes in the shirts, and a few too many people out in the world who might think a little bit less of me in my pajamas. When I came across this dress on Polyvore I figured it would be as comfortable as going out in my pjs (minus the heels I would have to endure to be tall). By the way - Polyvore is my new favorite place to shop, it's like all the wonderful things I wish I could afford to buy piled into one big store of links.

Right now I'm obsessing over anything sparkly. Sequins are exploding out of clothing lines right and left and I want everything. I absolutely LOVE this blazer, and it's by one of my all-time favorite designers (she's from St. Simons) and I love this top as well. This skirt and this dress and this dress would be absolutely perfect for holiday parties this season too!

This whole shopping online thing is KILLING me. I want to shop in real life.

Anyway - here is this outfit. Which I definitely love and wish I could wear to Tuscaloosa tonight (because I'm going down there this afternoon), although I'd have to watch out for all of the nastiness that comes with this particular college town.

P.S. Do you notice the repeat of this particular bag? I'm convinced if I talk about it enough somehow it will arrive - wrapped up with a pretty bow.

The One About Halloween Costumes

Fort Worth was so incredibly fun. I have the greatest friends - but I've never been so exhausted in my life and I'm JUST NOW starting to recover. It's a little bit amazing how much I miss Texas. I loved college, but I never in my life thought I would want to go back. This weekend the thought was definitely creeping into the back of my mind (if by "back of my mind" I really meant I definitely wanted to move back the entire time).

Maybe one day.

Don't freak out Mom.

Don't you love my Max costume? He's adorable right? It worked out perfectly (except for the part about it being 1,000 degrees above the temperature of the sun). There were also construction workers, hippies, Lady Gaga, and a giant elephant running around. Halloween is just generally amazing.

We went to Chimy's and then the brand new Pour House on Friday night. Saturday we tailgated and then changed into Halloween costumes for The Aardvark. Back in the dark ages (my freshman year) a band called Taylor and Young used to play all the time but since they're a couple of years older than me, they graduated and left town. Boo. But - in a blaze of "I'm a Freshman" glory they were back Saturday night - at The Aardvark no less.

Generally the weekend was amazing, and made me think I was a. 18-years-old and b. ancient all at the same time. It's definitely an incredibly weird feeling.