New Year's Resolutions

I’ve always been against making New Year’s resolutions. That seems like a fairly innocuous to have a negative stance on, but it’s true. My philosophy on New Year’s resolutions has kind of been, why should I need a number on a calendar to inspire me to make decisions for bettering myself? Shouldn’t it be something with more depth, like my family or my husband or my own well-being that inspires self-improvement? I always felt like New Year’s resolutions were made to be broken and if you just made “life resolutions” instead, with real motivation behind them, you were more likely to keep them.

Well, this year, I realized I was kind of wrong. (I’m a lawyer, that’s the closest you’ll get to me admitting I’m incorrect about something.) The holidays hit, which was wonderful, I took time off of work, got out of the city, even left the internet behind for the most part. I obviously still checked facebook and people.com, let’s not get crazy here, but mostly, I gave myself a much-needed break from being constantly overstimulated. I spent some serious quality time with family, the hubs and old friends. I had no-holds-barred, uncomplicated fun. I recharged my batteries. Most of all, I had time to think, not worry or stress, but think.

It was exactly what I needed and guess what? It happened right at the New Year. It makes sense to me now that the time that people make resolutions for themselves is right after the time that they get to take a break from all the crazy of daily life. Also, being with those most important to you does a great job of putting things in perspective. It also makes sense that the most common of New Year’s resolutions, to lose weight, comes on the heels of the holidays. I had a similar realization during all this self-reflection and time off. Not to lose weight so much as to be healthier. After having a ready supply of candy and baked goods at hand for a few weeks, not to mention many a happy hour and rich meal, I felt like I needed to cleanse myself. Since drinking nothing but water, lemon juice and cayenne pepper has never been my style, I decided to do it a little bit more realistically. Eating more vegetables, looking for new and interesting ways to cook them so life didn’t feel like a salad, cutting out as much sugar and rich dairy as possible and trying to exercise almost every day has made me feel great, look better and ultimately, it’s actually been somewhat enjoyable too. I’ve always loved to cook and be creative in the kitchen and it’s led me to the discovery of some new favorite meals that include some great healthy ingredients. I’ll share one with you all right now. My new favorite dessert is a Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Banana Milkshake, but healthy. Yes, I’m serious. I put a teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa, a heaping teaspoon of reduced fat peanut butter, a cut up banana and about a cup of almond milk in a blender and I kid you not, it tastes ah-mazing. I’m not a “healthfood” person in that I don’t usually fall for healthy substitutes for delicious things, but no joke, this is a treat that’s delicious all on its own. I highly recommend it.

My other resolution, which seems weird for someone with a blog, is to spend less time on the internet. Of course, I will still blog, especially because it’s wonderful to write like this and I'll still occasionally tumbl and I can’t keep myself from checking facebook, but especially when I’m at home, I don’t want to be spending my relaxation time looking at a screen. It’s much better for me to have some no screen time occasionally. To put away the many electronic devices for a bit, turn off the TV, put on some music or even enjoy some silence and read or write in a notebook. I’m learning the value of quiet, which is such a turn around for me because I’m not a quiet person and I’ve been known to have music playing, while the TV’s on, while doing something on the computer. But now, I just need some quiet time in my day.

So I guess I’m a convert to New Year’s resolutions. I had time to focus on what’s important and I hope that making a few small changes will help me with that even more. I hope you all had wonderful holidays, that you all had time to reflect and get excited for the coming year and I am looking forward to getting back on the blog!

Crate and Barrel: Survivor Woman

I love Crate and Barrel. We're talking serious love. Like meet the parents, put a ring on its finger at the top of the Empire State Building, small but intimate destination wedding, have 2 kids together kind of love. Every time I'm in there I could spend thousands of dollars which is saying a lot because it's so reasonably priced! I'm also convinced that I could live in Crate and Barrel as though it were my home.

One of my favorite books as a kid was From the Mixed-up Files of Ms. Basil E. Frankweiler, because seriously, how cool would it be to live in a museum? But as I've grown up, my fantasies have also become much more adult, and by that I of course mean I want to live in a Crate and Barrel instead of a museum.

Think about it, there is no better place to live. I mean, my local C&B even has a Starbucks inside, could it get any better? My routine would be as follows: get a good night's sleep in one of their immaculately made beds, taking turns on each of them of course so I could eventually decide which is my favorite. Then I would spend my morning wake up time leisurely sipping a latte from the onsite Starbucks or made with one of the various espresso machines in the appliance section. While enjoying my caffeinated beverage, I would curl up on one of their sofas or armchairs and peruse this season's catalogue or read one of the books they have as props for their pretty bookcases. Then I would wander the china section, adding pieces to my fake wedding registry. After that, you would find me in the gourmet food section, making one of their scrumptious soup mixes and perhaps sampling a little bruschetta or chips and salsa on the side, washing it all down with one of their custom drink mixes, perhaps the jalapeño lemonade!

Stuffed from my tasty lunch, it would probably be time to stretch out and take a nap on this chaise lounge:

Ahhhh, bliss.

Now it's cookbook time. I could spend hours scanning cookbooks, reading recipes, drooling over beautiful pictures of expertly prepared meals, and my new home allows me to do just that. First I'd grab Giada's latest, then pick up the new Barefoot Contessa, and finish off with the latest dessert book, be it cupcakes, cake pops or whoopie pies. After all this cookbook reading, I'd surely be hungry, so once again I'd hit the gourmet food section, maybe make use of on of the electric griddles or frypans and whip up a nice risotto mix, maybe throw in some dried salami or something. After some light nighttime reading of this season's catalogue, I'd curl up in another gorgeous bed and fall asleep, dreaming of linens and silverware.

Ok, so I could probably only do this for a day or two, but you give me an iPad and a few trips to the grocery store and I could milk this for weeks. The various sleeping and lounging options in this store are what make this scenario so tempting I think. I could while away hours playing games and reading and listening to music curled up on one of their loveseats, just you watch me. Les Stroud may be the Survivor Man of the wild outdoors, but I, I would be the Survivor Woman of the untamed interior of a moderately priced home store.

Holiday To-Do List

Hi friends! I've been MIA from the blogworld lately and it's mostly because I've been buuuuusy. My husband and I went to his family's home for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful and it was so good to spend some quality time with my in-laws. I'm sure that makes a lot of you want to vom, but I'm going to brag, I have great in-laws. Then I got back and work was cray cray. Now that all those real-life responsibilities have been dealt with, I am back to the fantasy land that is my blog.

The holiday season is upon us, and since I love lists, I've made a to-do list that I'll share with all of you. This is a list of things that I feel I must accomplish to fully experience the holiday season.

Holiday To-Do List
1) Buy my husband the BEST $30 gift EVER. I’m thinking a collection of Pez Dispensers.

This Christmas we've challenged each other to buy the best cheap gift for each other that we can. So far I'm stuck on Pez Dispensers. I'm not thrilled with that idea, please help.

Ok, they do look pretty awesome. Also, Pez is delicious.

2) Watch the following movies:
Home Alone
Little Women
The Family Stone

Muppet Christmas Carol (could prove problematic because I only have it on VHS and do not own a VCR)

The Office’s Christmas episodes from Seasons 2-4

The OC’s Christmakah episode

Nothing says Christmas like tricking bad guys.

3) Bake cookies (this year I’m thinking eggnog cookies and mint chocolate chip)
4) Buy Candycanes which will inevitably continue to be eaten through April

5) Awkwardly hang Christmas lights because we live in an apartment that has no decent place to hang Christmas lights, therefore I just kind of pin them up in random places.
6) Make my cat wear his Snuggie

Look how much he loves it!

7) Purchase the MOST obnoxious holiday gift wrap I can find
8) Indulge in an Eggnog Latte or a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks
9) Listen to N’Sync’s “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” approximately 12,098 times

10) Buy some type of sparkly outfit piece, jewelry or headband to punch up my festive factor for holiday get-togethers. (Even if it’s not needed b/c I already own sooooo many sparkly things!)

I'm just like a magpie. Attracted to anything that glitters.

If I accomplish all ten of these items of holiday merriment, I'll be so much in the Christmas spirit that I'll be just like this:

Happy Holiday Season everyone!!

My Apologies Gilmore Fans

I have been SO remiss. Thank god I'm an avid reader of Hello Giggles and I came upon this lovely piece: A Note on Melissa Mccarthy by Sarah Heyward (who, by the way, writes hilarious and wonderful things on Hello Giggles, so you should probably read all of her stuff.). What Ms. Heyward's article reminded me is that in my recent All Time Favorites: Gilmore Girls post I COMPLETELY neglected one of my favorite parts of the show: Sookie St. James, played by the amazing Melissa McCarthy, who is oh-so-hot right now.

She always wore the cutest little kerchiefs!

This was partly because I was focused more on my lessons from Gilmore Girls and in my description of the show, more focused on the most central plot points, but I was still a total loserface for not including her at all, because she is a gem. She is a wonderful friend to Lorelai, another great role model for Rory and she provides such awesome comic relief that she will make you laugh every episode, even the more drama-heavy ones. She honestly has great chemistry with everyone on the show. Also, the love story between her and Jackson Belleville, the local produce farmer, was honestly such a sweet and amusing story. You get to watch this great couple go through all the traditional relationship stages from first date to children in often non-traditional and uproariously funny ways.

Look at these two lovebirds, making goo goo eyes at each other over produce. Totes presh.

So anyway, I'm sorry Gilmore fans and Melissa McCarthy lovers. I totally blew it. Read Sarah Heyward's piece in Hello Giggles for even more, and likely more cleverly put, reasons to love Sookie St. James, one of TV's best BFFs ever.

More from The Cloud

So lately I've been a little too all over the place to think full post-length thoughts, but I have had some briefer musings that I wanted to share.

The Heatley Cliff, a semi-imaginary place where ladies can go and just be ladies.

Podcasts: My husband loves them, and I never really got it until I recently found my own that I am really enjoying. It's The Heatley Cliff and it's these two awesome ladies who have many interests similar to mine including Jane Austen, addictive television shows and pretty things. They've also already turned me onto a few things I'd like to try including book and music suggestions and inspiration to try knitting again. I've linked to their website under "Sweet Escapes," so enjoy both their website and their podcasts if you find yourself liking many of the things I post about on this blog.

Thank Netflix Instant for my latest TV addiction.

Netflix Instant: Thanks to our new iPad, my husband and I no longer have to suffer through each other's television choices that we don't enjoy ourselves. It's football season, which means a lot of looooong games that I just can't sit through, even if I want to veg and watch TV. Thanks to Netflix and the iPad, problem solved. I take the iPad and settle in for another episode of Parenthood, which I'm ashamed I didn't watch before. It has LAUREN GRAHAM in it for goodness sakes! Such a great show and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Young Adult Fiction: I admit it, I read books written for teenagers with vigor quite honestly. Thanks to The Hunger Games, I now also find myself entranced by this whole dystopian forbidden love angle and the Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie is no exception. The second book in the trilogy just came out and I've abandoned the book that I was reading to read this, mostly because I know I'll finish it by the weekend and then it's back to Howard's End I go. (I don't feel too bad only because Howard's End, although great, is a little slow. I'm sorry Mr. Forster, but Jane Austen has you beat for captivating classic English prose.) Anyway, yes, I like YA fiction. Yes, I am a sucker for dystopian tyrannical governments trying to separate young lovers. Yes, I will pre-order the third book in this trilogy as soon as I am able.

You're totally putting rice krispies, butter and marshmallows on your grocery list aren't you? I know, me too.

Cravings: Lately I have been DYING for some rice krispies treats. At first, I thought I could cure it with the packaged factory-made ones, so I bought one of those hoping for fulfillment. Sadly, although delicious, all that the pre-made treat did was make me realize how much I really wanted one that was homemade and fresh. This craving won't go away, and looking at the picture above makes it even more real for me. I'm making rice krispies treats this weekend, it just has to happen.

Red Nails: So I've always been a pretty simple nail girl. For the past decade it's been pretty much light pinks only, but in the past few months I have expanded my nail color horizons. I've rocked neon pink, sparkly black, navy blue and most recently, cherry red, a la Ms. Mendes above. Let me tell you, I am LOVING them, especially with short nails. They are cute and sassy and a lovely pop of color against even the most boring work outfits. I'm channeling my inner Eva and it feels fab.

So those are the non-stressful things floating around my head. It's nice to be able to focus on little things like these sometimes when life gets hectic in adult land.

All-Time Favorites: Gilmore Girls

Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, an unfairly pretty mother-daughter combo, am I right?

I don't know if any TV show has had the effect on me that Gilmore Girls has had. I'm not saying there aren't other shows I've completely loved in my long career of television appreciation, but Gilmore Girls is the show that I think most affected me as a person.

For the GG-illiterate, Gilmore Girls is about a mother and a daughter, Lorelai and Rory (short for Lorelai also) Gilmore. Twist: Lorelai had Rory when she was 16, so when the show starts Lorelai is 32 and Rory is 16. Partly because of their closeness in age, they have an almost freakish bond that makes them best friends as well as mother and daughter. The bulk of the obstacles in their relationships are when they have trouble figuring out which side of the friends-or-family line they are on in certain situations, which is really interesting. They also talk incredibly fast in conversations so full of pop-culture references, you need Wikipedia open for quick searches during each episode. As a fast talker and pop-culture geek girl myself, I find myself envious of their conversational abilities, although some critics found it jarring when the show initially aired.

Grown-Up Lessons: Losing Touch

Throughout my years in this world, I've lost a lot of things: money, jewelry, coats/jackets, countless gloves and socks, occasionally my dignity and most unfortunately, friends.

As I've moved along my twisty life path, there are friends I've gained and lost along the way and some that will be there forever, no matter where I go. I don't want to sound callous about this because it still makes me incredibly sad, but the reality of growing up is that life happens and along the way, you lose track of people and they lose track of you. This doesn't mean you stop caring about these people; it doesn't mean that there are any hard feelings; and it certainly doesn't mean that the door is permanently closed on that relationship. Long-distance friendships are hard and I'm thrilled and grateful that I can maintain the relationships that I do manage to hold on to, especially my 5 college roommates, who I'm pretty confident will forever be a part of my life.

I am one hundred percent a culprit of losing touch as much as anybody, but I have legitimate reasons for it, just as many others do. My husband and I were long distance for a large part of our relationship and unfortunately, some of the time I might have spent on friendships I spent keeping phone dates and traveling across the country for visits. That's probably the largest reason I've lost touch with some friends, but there were others. I lost touch with a few good friends during my senior year of college because we kind of starting hanging out with different groups. Although I had no ill will toward my friends,  I wasn't particularly fond of the people with whom they spent most of their time. Also, I had begun seriously dating my now-husband around the same time, so I was spending a lot more time with his friends and our friends from our abroad program. Again, it wasn't any inciting incident. There was no big falling out. We just grew apart. This was something that used to bother me a great deal, and I used to feel an incredible amount of guilt about my part in this separation. What I've realized, however, is that firstly, it takes two to grow apart in these situations and secondly, that it was actually a pretty natural progression because of the courses our lives took.