A Brand New Week...Happy Easter Too!

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Sometimes your week runs away from you & it's you have too many "One of those days". I apologize for not finishing out blogging last week with my promised tutorials, but it was a tough week for me & I'm still trying to process things. I was blindsided by something that I will discuss tomorrow when I make my final decisions on what to do with the mess I've found myself in. I don't know if I'm more upset at myself over it or the specific people it concerns. But with this mention out of the way...I actually had a great weekend & got to forget about things for a lil while. =)

My best friend Danielle came down from Albany for her birthday & we walked around Manhattan ranting about life, found my favorite Betsey Johnson bow earrings, ate some yummy food at a place called Local 92 a hummus bar, had chocolate pizza at Max Brenners, used my MAC cosmetic gift card, & got to actually go to an old speakeasy called Death & Co. The drinks were amazing. They measure everything out so the flavors are vibrant & precise. Delicious! I also got to meet my bosses' new lil German Shepard puppy that was so cute! 

After all the shenanigans though, I'm ready to start off this new week with a positive attitude & a great spirit to succeed! All last week I walked at lunch for at least 30 minutes a day & it felt amazing to write on twitter that I exercised today...So Amazing! I want to keep up that streak! I made it to the gym twice last week as well & this week I want to make it three times. I wrote a few pages of my (I swear not abandoned) zombie novel too! This maybe the ultimate of cheese, but you really do have your own power to push yourself harder & better, which can only make you feel better! =)

Ooo and I discovered Lush Cosmetics!!...I have the Charity Pot lotion on right now & it feels so soft on! Move over, Udder Cream...I may have a new favorite lotion! I can't wait to use the Strawberry Feels Forever massage bar I bought too!

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter today &/or Happy Passover last week! I have a chocolate bunny from Craig's cousin that has my name on it! Hello bunny...

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Living Togther + Comforting your Significant Other

 Girls Season 2..Adam & Hannah

For starters, we all have bad days. Days where you didn't realize your friend's wedding is going to cost you literally a $1,000 by the end that you don't have...days where your really considering the possibility that your band has fallen apart...days where you want to curl up under the covers and not come out for a while. One of the biggest tests of strength of a relationship I feel is how you comfort your significant other. Craig & I have had a fair share of good/bad that has happened in our relationship over the past 3 years & truthfully I really think "comforting" the other person is something we have to work on.

Now that we live together, this comfort battlefield is a whole new process. When bad things happen, Craig internalizes things, claims he's "Out of it", and then dives into a video game. Maybe I'll find out what's bothering him within the next day or two depending on what it is. Usually after a week I'll definitely know. For me...I can't hide things as well. If I even sigh because I burnt toast he asks, "What's the matter" thinking there's a problem. I'll spurt it all out to him why I'm upset & then he'll usually make a retort like, "Are you just venting or can I help?" Naturally that aggravates the hell out of me because I think he believes I'm venting so he then doesn't have to really listen.  Well...this makes us at two different ends of the spectrum for these bad days.

I want to hug Craig & have him open up to me about his bad day...but he gets grumpier every time I try. I've learned to let him come to me with it but it's a frustrating process to be in this waiting game. When I have a bad day, Craig tries to "understand" and make things about human nature & tries to give me a concrete solution even though he doesn't realize you can't just eliminate people from your life with a snap of your fingers. It becomes this game of cat & mouse where I can't explain every little thing in detail to the exact words used so i wind up getting more upset or aggravated because he can't understand where I'm coming from because he doesn't know all the "specifics" etc. I don't think he realizes that all I want is a shoulder to cry on or a big hug that doesn't end in 10 seconds.

I feel like I'm a strong woman who can bounce back fairly quickly from bad days but it can't be in 10 minutes or less. As I'm writing this I truly think it's a fact that Men are from Mars & Women are from Venus. There are things we won't agree on & there are things you have to accept as differences.

In a Good sense though...I've noticed Craig has been opening up more to me quicker about what's really going on with him & it's refreshing not to play the guessing game in my head. I have been trying to talk to more of my girl friends about my personal issues that I know Craig will just not understand to eliminate the thousand question game. If he asks what's wrong...I tell him oh it's a girl thing and he kinda shuts up. I also think I need to be more forward with him by not going on a word vomit rant and just saying "Hey, what I really need is a hug".

Rome wasn't built in a day & relationships do not come with manuals. It's an interesting process figuring out all the nooks & crannies...I wonder what the world is going throw at us next!

How do you & your Significant Other handle Each Other's Bad Days?

I'd love to hear...

Friends TV SHOW - Monica, Phoebe & Rachel

~ I've always wanted to do this!!! ~ 

 

 

52 Lists Week Twelve // List The Things That Feel Like Home

Source - Julie Ann Art Esty Anniversary Card

In Mooreaseal's 52 List Project, Week Twelve is all about Home. List the things that Feel like Home.  

In my life I've had three homes, not including college dorms & dorm apartments, & oddly every time I leave I feel like I've never lived there. My parent's condo which is right across the street from me was my home the longest and even though I know where every little thing is & I see the glue stains on my walls from my David Boreanaz & Backstreet Boy posters...I don't feel like I ever lived there. Everyone processes change differently, but moving into a new place has never been a problem for me. 

But it's not as odd as you would think...

Source - MOOREASEAL'S WEEK 12 LIST

I have never lived more than an hour away from each home I've lived. It wasn't a big change to move 15 minutes up the road to a new place. Even when I went to college. I was only an hour away. I could go "Home" whenever I wanted. For this, I never realized how lucky I was until I became a blogger. People have moved states away from their hometown. In a way I'm envious of the different experiences people have had from living in different parts of the country & world that are not their hometown, but this lack of travel is fueling my wanderlust to go far & beyond. However I still love the moments when I get off the plane or out of the car when I smell the air & I can just feel that sensation that I'm home. 

Here is my list...um...in mini paragraphs. 

~I guess my little town in South eastern New York, 20 minutes up from the George Washington Bridge just has everything I could ever need & I know where everything is. When I don't know where anything is in a new place I panic. I feel like I'm a wandering lost person. But when I know where the best bakery is to get fresh french macaroons. When the bagel shop owner that I've known since high school gives me an extra bagel or a extra bacon on my sandwich because it's me...I feel like I'm home. ~

~ My family actually lives all around me...all within a 2 hour drive. My Home is where my family is. ~

~Hearing Craig call out to me, "Hunny I'm home."  He doesn't know I want to cry from happiness every time he does it. I want to run into his arms and drown him in kisses because he really is all I ever wanted. He used to tell me that his new home was wherever I was. Yeah...that's where my home is too. ~ 

~ The newest feeling of home lately is when Craig & I curl up with our cat, Angel, at night. I feel like I'm home with my lil family I found all on my own by chance. It reminds me of "Ohana" from the Disney movie, "Lilo & Stitch".  ~

~When I go over my parents house and my Moms is sitting on the couch & even at 27 years old I curl up into a ball next to her, putting my head on her shoulder and she puts her arm around me like she did when I was little & still calls me her baby. My dad will hear my voice from the other room and come into to see me & sit on edge of the sofa to tell me the latest movie he wants to see in the theaters. Those precious moments are home. ~ 

What Makes You Feel Like Home? 

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"Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you’re not alone
Cause I’m going to make this place your home" 

~ Phillips Phillips, Home

Linking up at MOOREASEAL's 52 List Project =)

 

The Liebster Award...The Ultimate "About Me" Post

I have been so lucky to have nominated for the Liebster award by Three Amazing bloggers! I have been nominated by Eleanor of the blog, Mirror of My World; Lynn & Lou of the blog, Lynn + Lou; & Allison Leighann of the blog, Allison Leighann. 

So, here is how it works: 

1. When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself

2. You must answer 11 questions from the person who nominated you.

3. Pass the award onto 11 other blogs

4. Ask them 11 questions.

5. You are not allowed to nominate the blogger who nominated you!

11 Random Facts About Me:

1.) I graduated #20 out of a 151 students in my high school.

2.) I got my first real kiss at 18. 

3.) I have an irrational fear of accidentally leaving my house & not realizing my cat has gone into the closet & can't get out. 

4.) I actually got to meet my two great-grandmothers. They died when I was 8, but I remember them vividly.

5.) I have an abnormally sharp photographic memory. I can still remember the streets of Chicago even though I've been there once.

6.) I danced tap, jazz, pointe, & ballet for 8 years.

7.) When I was 9 I accidentally slit my wrist on a jagged piece of metal & have slight nerve damage in my thumb.

8.) I internalize people's problems & it spikes my anxiety because I have not one ounce of control over other people's decisions.  

9.) I'm a severe hypochondriac.

10.) I always try to take all my groceries into the house in one trip even if it's too heavy & there are like 8 bags. 

11.) Craig is my real boyfriend's name & my real name is actually Melanie.

 (I changed my name so I could write more freely about my life.)

An "About Me" Collage of some of my below answers...

 ~ Questions from Lynn + Lou ~

1. When did you start your blog and why?

I started my initial after seeing Julie & Julia in theaters. I also thought I was going crazy from a bad relationship & needed something to calm my nerves. That was 4 years ago. This blog is me...This is where I share everything that's floating around in my head. Welcome to my world.

2. Where is "home" to you?

Home is Pearl River, NY.

3. Do you collect anything? If so, what?

I collect old Victorian figurines & lil trinket boxes. I used to collect Beanie Baby bears. 

4. Where is your happy place?

Stepping foot on the beach & hearing the waves is my happy place.

5. What is your favorite go-to outfit?

Jeans, my converse, & a black overshoulder blouse I have that makes me feel like a million dollars

6. What/Who/Where inspires you the most?

My Mom inspires me the most. 

7. Solids or prints? What is more dominant in your closet?

Solids

8. Favorite childhood memory?

Picking strawberries in Conneticut w/ my grandparents & parents

9. Favorite fashion trend?

I'm the worst fashionista. I'm happy a black v-neck top never goes out of a style.

10. What is your favorite book, magazine, or author?

My favorite book is The Great Gatsby, fav magazine is The Simple Things, & author is Emily Dickinson & Kate Chopin

11.  Who is your go-to person for advice? 

My Mother, my friend Danielle, & all of you. 

~ Questions from Allison Leighann ~ 

1) what's your favorite tv show?

Right now it's American Horror Story, Big Bang Theory, & Bewitched reruns...

2) what inspired you to start your own blog?

See above...

3) what's something that has shaped you as a person? a person, a realization, anything.

I realized that I make my own future and I have the power to make choices. 

4) what's your favorite thing about blogging?

That I have found people that "get me" and are or have been in similar situations as me. Since day 1 blogging I have never again felt alone in my world. 

5) where do you want to be in ten years?

I want to be married, have 2 kids, a big house, a career & I want that picket fence. 

6) facebook or twitter?

Twitter

7) if you had one million dollars, tax free, what would you do with it?

Tour Europe & Asia, then wind up in Australia

8) are you a morning or a night person?

A night person

9) what is one principle that you hold to? one moral that you would be willing to die for?

No turning back...

10) what's something that you do every day?

Straighten my hair & drink coffee

11) tell me something that you like about yourself. :)

I love my eyes. They are reddish brown w/ a blue rim. 

~ Questions from Eleanor ~ 

1. If you could live in any country other than the one you are in where would you live?

Italy

2. Chocolate or marshmellow?

Chocolate

3. If you could buy clothes from only one shop for the rest of your life what would it be?

Forever 21

4. What is the coolest place you have travelled to?

It's a tie: Chicago & Quebec

5. If you had a pet what animal would it be and what would you name it?

I pet leopard & I would name it baby like in "Bringing up Baby"

6. Which celebrity would be your ideal lover?

Josepeh Gordon-Levitt

7. If you could be a 1950s film star who would you be and why?

I can't pick just one...Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Anne Margaret, or Kathryn Hepburn

8.  What is your favourite song and why?

The Pretenders - "I'll Stand By You"...It's such a powerful song & it's everything I want to tell my boyfriend. 

9.  What songs would make up the soundtrack to your life?

There is too many to list...Some No Doubt songs then some Alanis Morisette & there is really too many..

10. Can you speak a foreign language and if so which ones?

I can speak a little Japanese, Korean, Spanish, & French. However I stress the "Little"

11. If you could be a fruit, what would you be?

A mango

If you would like to take part in this award, please feel free to nominate some of your favorite blogs on your own blog. There are too many great blogs that have been nominated already so please take this award...you all deserve it. 

What's Something Random About You? 

I'd love to hear...

How Are You, Chloe Moon?

Top: Sock Monkey Cake Pops Made for a Friend's 1st Birthday Party

Bottom:  Chocolate Chip Cookie Favors for my friend's Bridal Shower

Firstly the Cinderella themed bridal shower went better than I could ever hoped for this Saturday! This may sound weird, but when you make someone cry while they're smiling because they are so happy...well that's the best feeling in the world. The "Prince Charming Chocolate Chip Cookie" Recipe in bell jars was an absolute hit! All my recipe cards were perfect. Later in the week I will do a Tutorial on how we did the jars. A bonus in last week's craziness was the Sock Monkey Cake Pops that my friend Erin needed help making for her son's 1st birthday. During this week I will also do a post on a tutorial for the Sock Monkey cake pops! Both worked out perfectly so I'm gladly putting my KitchenAid and my craft supplies away for just a lil while! =)

Well...after the craziness I finally got to sit down, chill out and take it all in. My world has been on auto-pilot for what seems too long and I have to take a step back and actually see what the fuck is going on with everything in my life. Excuse the bluntness, but it's the truth.  The Bridal Shower was the first event I've been to in a while where I would be seeing people I hadn't seen in the longest time, ergo those "LIFE" questions we all dread were asked by each & every guest. At first I know I said, "Oh I'm great! I'm doing well!"...you know to dodge further prying...but then you get to that guest who is a lil more than an acquaintance that needs more than a few short adjectives. Truthfully and honestly I  simply said I was happy with a genuine smile on my face, but that doesn't mean everything is perfect. 

Top: Bridal Shower Toilet Paper Bride Game & The Bride to Be & Me(I'm on the left)

Bottom: Angel Baby, Craig's Cat & My new Favorite TV Show

There are a few things that I need to think about and I need to find my voice to make things happen.  I just devoured Season Two of Girls and I hate to say it but it made me realize how GREAT of a place in my life I am. However there are decisions that need to be made that I feel like I are so make it or break it & it's scary. One of the guests asked me, "How long is your maternity leave at your job? That's something you should look into for the future..." It threw me for a loop but I realized shit I have to think about stuff like that. Do I stay at my company until I have a baby or find a better job if I don't plan on having kids in the next 3 years. Or someone asked "Oh you own your place? Oh well are you still paying interest or principal on your mortgage yet?" I stuttered and I think I made an excuse that I had to get more cake plates or something. Another asked, "Well you will be with Craig three years this June, so what's your limit of time you will stay with him if he doesn't propose to you?"  Well after that question I had a large glass of wine & handed my car keys to my mother. It's so much to take in...

Some of those questions I can't answer. I just can't muster up the words to configure an answer because I don't know the answers. But they are on my mind...more so than ever. I hope this week is full of warmer weather (*hoping*), kitty cuddling which is my new favorite thing with Angel & maybe a few steps closer to answers for those above questions and countless more... =)

Also I can't get "Feel this Moment" by Pitbull & Cristina Aguilera out of my head. It's driving me crazy that they used a sound clip from Aha's "Take On Me", but the song is pure addiction. Oh and I can't stop listening to "I don't care I love it" by Icona Pop. Girls Seaon 2 episode 3 was epic with that song!!!

How To Pick Just One Thing?? H&M HOME GOODS...

{Source} - H&M Home Inspiration Photo

In the past 24 hours, I've made sock monkey cake pops & traveled to an Adult Novelty Bingo Party. (Yes, there is such a thing as adult novelty bingo) I'm  exhausted. Oh yeah and finished all the making the labels and tags for my friend's Bridal Shower on Saturday. It is the nicest thing to just be sitting here on my couch relaxing and writing this quick post. =)

I'm not sure if I was under a rock, or I just missed the blog posts about the store H&M having Home Goods!! Currently I believe they are still only available in the UK but the rumor has it that soon they will be available in the U.S. as well. If your interested, here's the Apartment Therapy article about H&M Home goods coming to the U.S. Click HERE.

Well I have to say that they have some absolutely adorable things on the H&M Home UK site - HERE.     What I find really great on the website is that they show you a possible "Inspiration" picture of where to place the item or how to use it! When they come to the U.S. I will definitely be searching the stores for some of these cute things and maybe I'll be able to make up my mind on some things if they keep the prices low! =) 

Here is my Mini H&M Home Good Wishlist!

1. "A True Love Story Never Ends" Tea Towel

2. Two Pack Bow Hooks 

3. Racoon Cushion Cover

4. The Romantic Two Pack Guest Towels

I just love the raccoon cushion cover! So cute! =P

Source - H&M Home Good Bathroom Inspiration

I also want the Sunglasses Shower Curtain because it just look so much fun and so cute! =)

I am ever so happy it's Friday tomorrow!! Woohoo!! I'll be back then! =)

Linking Up with Imprintalish on Loves on a Thursday!

Living Together + Smothering...

Whitney, TV Show, 2012

When your in a long term relationship, how exactly do you prevent Smothering? No really...How? Especially when you live in a studio apartment with...hmmm how do I say this...Nowhere to go except the kitchen &/or the bathroom? Oh and this is after dating a little shy of three years, which means your lives are so intertwined that we can recite each other's schedules by heart? This is a big BIG issue that is coming around the corner soon.

But I think I have to take a step back and ask what is smothering exactly?? In my honest opinion, I think men and women have different perceptions of the word. Most definitely. For example, smothering to me is not giving me any space within a Queen sized bed. There is no reason to sprawled that far and about so you don'y give the other person room. Smothering to me is when I'm in the kitchen and someone is just watching me, making me nervous. Or asking immediately what's the matter when the event is still happening and I don't have a minute to even think. Smothering is needing an answer for a holiday that's two months away and being constantly reminded of it. 

To Craig...I'm actually really confused as to what he thinks smothering is. I don't hang all over him when we go out, I actually can't remember the last time we held hands, he has guys nights, I basically let him have the television for his games and some days I barely go near him at all. But I think it was last week he was hoping I'd go to the gym because he claimed it was "Stuffy" in here. I took the "Stuffy" as he needed some space. He took back the statement because he thought he was being a jerk, but he still said it. When he took it back it actually confused me more. 

I know we live in a small space and it's hard to cool down after a hard day at work, but I feel like this smothering thing that is just beginning and it frightens me. In a relationship where we communicate pretty often and well about our relationship I feel like we may be missing a key topic that needs to be addressed before it gets out of hand. We are definitely not on the same page and I'm hoping this comes up as naturally as possible. 

He has a guy's night this weekend and I have the Bridal Shower and all the preparations that we will actually have some "alone" time apart from each other. Perhaps this is nothing at all, just jitters on my part, or this busy time will make this all a little clearer on the what smothering really is to him and me. 

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SMOTHERING? 

HAVE YOU EVER DEALT WITH THIS IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP OR PAST ONES? 

I'd love to hear...

Whitney, TV Show, 2012

Crunch Time - A Cinderella Themed Bridal Shower...

A Few of the Items I've been working on tonight and Little Clear Slippers for the Tables

A few years ago I wondered when the "Wedding" Marathons will start. What's a wedding marathon you ask? That period of time during your late 20's or early 30's where every month you have either a Wedding, a Bridal Shower, or a Bachelorette Party. Last April was when the fun began... 

I had my cousin's wedding last April, my friends Brian & Vicki's wedding in November, and now I have my best friends wedding in a lil over a month's time. I was chosen as a Bridesmaid this time for my 2nd time and therefore had to take a hand in planning the Bridal Shower. As of I've mentioned before HERE, we choose a Cinderella theme.  Cinderella, Gus the adorable mouse, and of course Prince Charming is the bride's favorite movie ever! Why not throw her shower revolving around it? =)

An Example of the type of Bridal Shower Favors We Choose...

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The Bridal Shower is this Saturday and it's crunch time. We decided to make Ingredient Jars using mason jars for a Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. I called "Prince Charming Chocolate Chip Cookies." I just finished handwriting all 50 tags for the jars, and I need to finish making the recipe cards to fold around the jar, which will be covered in tulle. I can't wait to see the finished product.

The only thing that has me on edge about all of this is that we are ONLY meeting on Friday night to do all the favors. Ms. Worry that I am is hoping they like my tags & my recipe cards on the card stock I luckily got a 180 pieces for $2 and that we ENOUGH of everything. I tried to speak up to maybe try to do more than one night but times up. *KEEPING FINGERS CROSSED*

I just love the clear "glass" (plastic) slipper!! 

I hope to take tons of pictures of the shower and all the trimmings. I also bought little "Thank You" medallions, some Martha Stewart gold string, and tons and tons of Tulle!! 

For now I have to get back to finishing the recipe cards!! I will also take part in the 52 Lists Project later in the week! 

Cinderella, 1950

Oh and Craig & I just got our NEXT Wedding invitation last week for May 26th in Virginia. Hopefully that will be our last for a while!!

The 3pm Crash Headache Blowing My Diet Out the Window...

Bridesmaids, 2011

Healthy Breakfast...Check! Almonds at 11am...Check! Salad w/ breaded chicken, no mozzarella, roasted red peppers, celery etc...Check! Glasses & glasses water...Check! Getting up from desk at least once an hour...Check!  Walking for at least 30 minutes at lunch...Check! Then 3 o'clock the pain starts creeping up my hairline and then by 4pm...full blown headache comes crashing down on me...

This is the usual occurrence of my days when I try to eat within a certain amount of calories, exercise, ignore the weird grumbling of my stomach right AFTER I eat which I can't understand because wouldn't it happen before? and try to keep my mind off food. I've given up the lunch soda for Lent but it's more than that now. I don't even miss it. I gave up my sugar fix after lunch and replacing it with usually a greek yogurt of some flavor, but I've been trying to nix dairy all together. I walk to Shakira's "She Wolf" and Madonna at lunch because they have a great consistent beat to walk steady to and then I've actually been making it to the gym at nights! But at 3pm I have to eat something...some days eating keeps this headache at bay, but other days if I don't pop an aspirin I'm toast...It's driving me a lil more insane everyday. Then from there I feel like I'm feeding the headache to stop it...*shaking my head in frustration*

The scale is not budging for me, even though I've definitely made some lifestyle changes, but nothing except a few small victories here or there of shirts fitting better, a tuck I didn't notice before appears, but then this headache comes crashing down on me. At first I thought it was because I was eating too many hard whole foods for my body to digest...I don't have a gall bladder, so it was just filling me up with gas embarrassingly but no...I don't think that's it. I'm not pregnant either, trust me. So what could this headache be?

I didn't even stop drinking coffee or increase my amount of coffee either...

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A thought that ran through my head was that my body got used to a certain amount of food a day and when I decreased it & changed it, well basically my body went into withdrawal mode. It could be that the soda everyday too was so much sugar that my body really depended on it & it is signs of withdrawal from an addiction I didn't realize I had. Or I could be eating too little for my body??

Another thought ran through my head that the headache could really be happening because I'm stressed. The fact that I'm trying to diet appropriately could just be a coincidence...This could be true?!?

Or perhaps I really am just NOT doing enough. There I said it. With the winter still in full bloom, New York is getting pelted with snow right now as I type this so my Monday gym night is being skipped this week, my walks at lunch are once if any a week also do the horrible frigid cold. The fruits and veggies are over $3 for everything at least...and I'm letting the gym intimidate me. I got upset because the two girls who were probably still in high school were sprinting on either side of me at 7mph...meanwhile I felt like a jackass only doing 3.8 mph and walking. I would fall on my face at 7mph and even 50 pounds lighter I would still fall on my face, but still it's was intimidating...

I think I am going to just try to keep putting my best foot forward and make wise choices. I have to follow the amazing advice I've been lucky enough to be given and be focused. I've also never wanted Spring more...I want peaches at less than a dollar a pound...I want stop having a headache every other day. I want to have results....It's going to happen!!

I want to be her again...I can do this!!!

What Were They Thinking...The Fake Austrilian Accent...

How to lose a guy in 10 days, 2003

This past weekend was St. Patrick's day and thankfully a much needed drama-free fun and shenanigans took place. I had so much fun that I literally went to bed last night at 9pm...Thank Goodness I DVR'ed The Walking Dead!! But anywho, I wanted to bring up today about a certain guy I met and his "Game" to try to get a girl's number yesterday that baffled my mind...I mean really, what was he thinking!!!!

I remember three years ago when I met my boyfriend in a local bar and he bluntly asked me out. After flirting for two nights, 1 week apart, he looked me in the eye and said, "I want to take you out for dinner. When can we make this happen?" I was smitten...He had asked me questions, he did a magic trick, told some jokes, and frankly I thought he was adorable and of course said yes to the proposition. I think that was a normal way to ask a girl out....

 Well yesterday I was introduced to this guy as a fellow co-worker of a few buddies of Craig's. Craig said to him, "This is my girlfriend, Chloe". The guy sounded like he was from the New York/New Jersey area, and said, "Hi I'm Josh, nice to meet you". I smiled and continued on in my merriment. The party all talked and this guy mentioned how he had moved from Westchester, NY to our area so I heard him speak several times over a span of time. Later on...I purchased five beers at the bar we were at, and wound up getting six because it was Buy 5, get one free etc...So I decided to go over to this Josh guy to give him the extra beer. But, I noticed he was entertaining a lady when I got near so I was going to give it to someone else, but I heard the strangest things were coming out of his mouth....

 Crocodile Dundee, 1986

This Josh guy suddenly was speaking with a thick Australian accent!!!! He was talking about a "barbie", which I think is a barbecue grill, and talking about how he moved to the states recently and honestly I almost dropped the two beers I was holding. What the hell was he thinking!!!!!! We are at a St. Patrick's day celebration, with tons of drunken people and he's trying to pass off as an Australian guy in a New York tiny town. I walked away to tell Craig and eventually Josh did not get the girl's number & came up to me, back in the NY/NJ accent asks, "So what do girls want? I've been trying to pass off as an Australian guy, but it doesn't work either!!" 

Befuddled, I just stared at him for a moment and then said, "So the Australian accent is fake right?" He nodded confidently, Yes. "So what were you going to do if she said yes to a date, huh?? What would you do if you actually had to continue this charade for a few dates? Suddenly you'd come out say 'Hey sorry the accent was fake so you'd talk to me'? Do you realize how stupid that is?? Why not be yourself because that is definitely NOT going to work!"  

Long story short, this guy wound up telling me, "Oh you don't understand" in so many words & walking away but honestly...does he think that will actually work!!! What cockamamie person told him that was a great way to get girls! AHH! 

I'm no expert here, but really...What was he thinking??? 

What is the Worst Way Someone has Tried to Ask You Out? Or Funniest? Or What Have You Tried to Pull Off to Get a Date? 

I'd love to hear!!

A night at the Roxbury, SNL

"Real People" Saving...Budget Friendly Weekend Tips!

An Item I'm Currently saving up for: 

Source - A Breville Panini Press & Grill - Williams Sonoma

From time to time I will discuss budgeting, what I'm saving up for, and  how I'm making that extra push to save some real money. I see articles on top sites like Yahoo & Google where supposed "Real People" are happy to save $500 a year...Well that's not enough for my dreams, plain and simple. I need to add at least another 0 to that saved amount to even begin my dreams...especially when blogger wish lists are making me pine for more goodies too!

With the weekend upon us where most spending is done, I thought I would share some tips I've learned recently! For the past few weeks I've been asking several ladies and men that I work with &/or are friends with to see exactly how "Real People" are pinching some pennies...Some are old business where we keep telling ourselves we'll do this or that next time, but other people gave some interesting answers that I had to share today!

Here it goes:

1.) BYOB RESTAURANTS

 It fascinates me how a restaurant bill for a 2 for $20 Dinner Deal can turn into a $50 dollar bill + Tips. Oh I know, drinks. In Bergen County, NJ there are a lot of restuarants I'm just finding out about that allow you to bring your own alcohol into the premises. This could really bring your Date Night bill down! See if there are any in your town!

2.) MANICURES/PEDICURES

This one hurts a little to let go, but with all the great nail polishes out there it's okay to take a break from them for a while. A lady I work with, who now has a 1st time mortgage, is only getting a manicure once every two months to shape her nails and cuticles and the after the initial nail color fades, she is investing in a few core nail polish colors to last her through time instead of getting a new manicure every 2 weeks!

3.) GOSSIP MAGAZINES

Instead of buying those eye-candy magazines at the super market, a lot of ladies in my lunchroom commented how they just go visit the magazine websites and are foregoing buying the latest issues! Even Cosmopolitan has a website! All the pictures, headlines, and diet tips we love to read are ALL ON THE WEBSITES! Also, others have bought magazine subscriptions per year and that saves more money than the  over-the-counter purchasing as well! 

4.) GAS

This is what I feel people spend most of their money on these days so...if you can save on gas, DO IT! If your in a relationship, switch off who drives during the weekend so one person isn't always driving. If you notice there is a difference in price from where you work & where you live, Buy the cheaper gas!! On Tuesday I got Regular gas at an Exxon station in NJ for $3.57...Where I live in NY...at a Shell station, it was $4.09 for Regular. That's a 52 cent difference per gallon! 10 gallons added up to saving $5.20. That's a lunch right there saved. =)

5.) QUITTING SMOKING

I'm going to try not to preach with this one, but my boyfriend recently quit smoking cigarettes and is almost completely on the electronic cigarette. He used to smoke a 1 - 1 1/2 packs of cigarettes a day. Now he can't remember the last time he bought a pack. At anywhere from $8-$11 a pack a day he is really seeing the difference add up in his bank account! Last month he realized he saved around $150...WOW!

How are You Saving Money & Budgeting this Weekend? 

I'd love to hear & Have a great weekend!

Another item I'm saving up for!

Source - Legacy Leather Courtenay Hobo - Coach

*If you haven't already switched from "Google Reader" to Bloglovin Please do so!

Bloglovin...

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The news is out about "Google Reader" ending it's services & the slippery slope it may cause with GFC, so if you were  following my blog on "Google Reader", please feel free to follow me now at Bloglovin! Please click the following button:

I personally never used Google Reader and only used Bloglovin from the start of this lil blog. It's limited with seeing who follows you, but you can categorize your blogs that you follow VERY easily & that is what I find most important in being a blogger and avid blog reader.

I'm shocked like everyone else at the hysteria this caused! Oh well...I still can't get a handle on Google Plus though...it's a little weird and I'm not exactly sure how to make it not seem like a total mess with followers/friends/following?!?! I don't know. Twitter though is thankfully easier to maneuver! 

I'm also on Twitter:

Follow @ChloeMoon5

I usually will tweet when I have a new post too so this could be a possible option on how to follow my blog as well.

Today was just your average long Thursday where I dreamt of Friday.  Be back tomorrow everyone! Have a great night!

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Living Together + Battling Self-Consciousness...

{Source - The 23 Most Relatable Hannah Quotes from Girls}

The act of being self conscious for me has always been sheer panic mode. For example, there was an incident that I will not go into specific details about on Sunday night in the condo where a plunger would be needed...If I blushed I would have been crimson times the magnitude of the sun. Oh did I mention this happened at 11:45pm on Sunday night. So Craig and I piled into the car and I'm trying to hold in my "How could this happen, I'm so embarrassed, &/or can cold weather affect pipes and things".  I did the holding back poorly and when the CVS up the road did not have a plunger, I lost it. This lil embarrassing episode that happens to EVERYONE then became a story. We had to drive 15 minutes to the only 24 hour super market in the next town to buy just a plunger in our pajamas. How does this tie into be self-conscious? Well...I now have a fear of something going wrong every time I go into the bathroom...Not good.

Upon moving in together and living together, besides our quirks, Craig and I are encountering a lot of things we are self-conscious about as individuals. Accidentally leaving underwear on the floor, everyone farts but when your lying in bed there can be issues, washing your feet after you take off your work shoes because they smell, um not realizing that you smell, quietly realizing that you haven't washed your hair in 6 days and wondering if the other person noticed, and not walking around naked at all. 

My condo is basically one big room and then a kitchen off to the side in another room and of course a bathroom. It's small. There isn't much room for privacy for either one of us but such close quarters are multiplying the intensity of our self-consciousness. Perhaps it's because we are both only children where we haven't been jaded by always having someone else sharing a bathroom or changing near us or I don't know...maybe we are just not as comfortable with ourselves as we appear to be. 

Girls Season 1, 2012 - Hannah & Adam

When two people don't live together and date it's so easy to show the best of you. Craig is now seeing me try on 4-5 outfits before our date and I can't imagine how frustrating that can be for a man who just slapped on a T-shirt and called it a day. I feel self-conscious when I don't wear a bra because I have a voluptuous chest, from harmless comments I'm extra self-conscious about my weight these days, I've had a cold and every time I blow my nose I feel weird that he might find it obnoxious, when it's that time of the month is a whole different animal and yes, the plunger incident when I didn't know how to properly use it. But this is NOT one-sided. Craig washes his feet when he comes home from work and he secretly does it, he's told me he feels self-conscious around me when he breaks out with acne, and a lot of other things but I'll keep his privacy from here. All this self-consciousness is a scary feeling of vulnerability that makes me nervous. But it really shouldn't...should it? 

Craig and I have known each other for the past three years but sometimes it honestly feels like it's the first week or month. Having these moments of insecurities is making us see a more raw side of the other person and I hope it's for the best. There has been no fights about all of this, but I thought it was an important topic to share of something I'm going through in the living together process. I've been showing him the real me and when I'm curled up reading a book and he kisses my cheek just for the hell of it I know everything is okay. =)

Nothing is perfect and one day I knew I'd have to take the make-up off...

If your living with a significant other, how do you handle your self-consciousness & insecurities around them? 

I'd love to hear!

Lena Dunham as Hannah in Girls, Season 2

52 Lists: Week 10 - List the Ways You Can Cleanse for Spring

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This week's list couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. The whole upper Northern Hemisphere is gearing up to dust off their tank tops, skirts, shorts, and summery dresses and what better way to prepare but do a good Spring Cleaning...Body, Mind, and Soul.

MOOREASEAL'S 52 LIST PROJECT: WEEK 10 

~ List the Ways You Can Cleanse ~ 

My Week 10 List

This list was shorter for me and honestly I'm glad because I feel smaller lists are more do-able when it's this specific of a topic. Spring Cleaning is something I'm desperately in need of doing and it's going to feel so good when it's completed. I can't wait to take that afternoon walk at lunch and feel just a little bit more free because I'm at a better more cleaner frame of mind. It's a great goal to work for. 

Here is my Week 10 List:

1.) Remove ALL my winter dark clothes from my closet

2.) Finally cut all those coupons to de-clutter my desk

3.) Do a Liver Cleanse 

(They scare me a bit, but I don't have a gall bladder so it's an important thing to do)

4.) Drink more water, smoothies, and healthy juices

5.) Open my mind to new adventures

6.) Take a walk outside as many times as I can

7.) DO NOT BACK-PEDAL in PAST DECISIONS I'VE MADE...

8.) FORGIVE & FORGET

9.) Organize my photos & images on my computer

10.) Eat Cleaner & Less Processed Food

11.) Put my guard down and mentally tear down my walls. 

12.) Buy more Organizational Furniture

13.) USE EVERY SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER BEFORE I BUY ANYTHING NEW!

14.) Go through every box of trinkets and mementos.

15.) Eat More Fiber

16.) Learn how to throw things away...

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My Challenge for the week will be actually starting at Ikea for some organizational furniture first! Also I can grab some fat free frozen yogurt on my way out! hehe. =) 

What would be on Your List? What Ways are You Going to Cleanse for Spring?

I'd love to hear! 

Once again, Linking up at MOOREASEAL'S 52 List Project!