how much is that doggie in the window?

I have wanted a dog for basically as long as I can remember. Growing up, we never had dogs. Sure, I had fish, but eventually my dad flushed them down the toilet. (not even kidding!) But lately, my longing for a dog has only gotten worse. My friends are all getting married, and well, I am getting a dog. 

up in the gym just working on my fitness

Like a great majority of Americans, I resolved to be more healthy and work out more often in 2013. So far, I’ve done a pretty good job (I even earned the “Gym Rat” badge on Foursquare for hittin’ the gym 10 times in 30 days!). Exercise is good for your body, mind and soul … and once you get into a routine of working out, it get a lot easier.

In this day and age, there are a lot of ways to get your fitness on — whether it’s a trip to an actual gym, fitness DVDs in your living room or streaming workouts on your computer. Here are some things that I’ve tried lately:

put a little love in your february

We’re now less than a month away from Valentine’s Day. Ah, yes … the lovely holiday that many people say was created by Hallmark in order to sell more cards. But isn’t that true for most of the holidays out there? Anyways … whether in a relationship or not, I have always loved Valentine’s Day. It’s the one day where you can go out and show someone — anyone, really — how much you care about them. Or, if you prefer, it’s a great day to sit on the couch, by yourself, with a bottle of wine and some delicious desserts!

Nevertheless, here are five fun, lovey-dovey (not really) things I’m planning to try on or around February 14.

don’t look no farther, baby we’re back yeah…

a little baby bash and akon to get this post started off right!

between new jobs for both of us, the holidays, holiday parties for those new jobs, spending time with family and the start of a new competitive skating season for me, things have been a little crazy. we took a brief break from blogging, but now we’re back and ready for 2013!

a dish to pass

Only two days until Thanksgiving, the time known for getting together with family around a table full of treats. Some people gather at other homes, some host the feast themselves. Luckily for me, I will be traveling to meet up with family. (I couldn’t cook a Thanksgiving dinner if you paid me!) Where I’m going, each guest has been asked to bring a dish to share. In years past, I would have probably thrown together a simple dessert or my favorite lil’ smokies recipe. But this year, I want to try something different.

recap: university school of milwaukee holiday shops

I mentioned this in my last post, but this past weekend was the annual Holiday Shops boutique hosted by University School of Milwaukee. Going to the Holiday Shops has been a tradition with my mom for several years now. 

it’s the most wonderful time of the year!

[note from s: I wrote this last night during It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!]

I can’t believe that it’s November 1st already. Where has this year gone?

Today marks the beginning of the best 8 weeks of the year: HOLIDAY SEASON! 

slow cooker sustenance

This past weekend was pretty uneventful, as R and I decided to lay low and save our Halloween celebrating until later this week. Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to browse my favorite website (Pinterest) to find some new recipes to try.

a do-it-yourself halloween

It’s that time of year — when people go out and buy elaborate costumes to wear around town in celebration of Halloween. Boutique stores pop up in malls and otherwise empty buildings, and become overrun with people of all ages looking for the perfect ghostly garb.

If you’re like me, you don’t really see the point in spending almost $100 (or more!) on a fancy costume that will most likely be used once, only to sit in the back of your closet for the rest of eternity (or at least until enough time has passed to wear it again without anyone noticing). So this year, I’ve decided that I’m going to save money and put together my own costume — made out of clothing that can be used in outfits for every other day of the year!

professing my love for trader joe’s

Over the weekend, I went to one of my favorite places ever: Trader Joe’s.

I actually used to live basically less than a block away from our local TJ’s and would do a ton of my shopping there. Now that I have to deal with mall parking and whatnot, it’s sort of a hassle to go. But it was raining and the mall had just opened, so I figured traffic wouldn’t be too bad. Plus, my mom had just gotten a new issue of their Fearless Flyer and everything looked amazing.