Socialite Saturday

I have officially been accepted into The Preppy Mafia and crowned a Socialite by Beth at Social Climbers and Jeannie at que sera sera. Thanks so much, ladies! In reality, I’m far from a Socialite, but appreciate the honor.

The rules:
1. Click on the above button and paste onto your blog/website
2. Answer the below questions
3. Pass onto 10 bloggers that you Love, go to their blog and let them know they've been tagged

1. Who is your style icon? From the past, I would say Audrey Hepburn. Her signature updo, pearls and big sunglasses are timeless. From the present, I would say Reese Witherspoon. She is always classy and current. From cute dresses to cardigans and denim, she always looks fantastic.


Elegant Audrey. I love that even back then the LV Speedy was popular

Reese looks great no matter what

2. What is your favorite socialite lit book? Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes

3. Favorite party theme? 80’s themes are always fun.

4. Go to Halloween costume? Cheerleader

5. Extravagance you cannot live without? Regular manicures and pedicures, good handbags.

6. Living person you admire? My mother

7. Greatest fear? Snakes

8. Trait you deplore in yourself? I can be too talkative sometimes

9. Which talent would you most like to have? To sing well and be able to play an instrument or two.

10. Greatest achievement? Buying our first home together.

I am going to pass this along to the following 10 bloggers:
1. Confessions of a Control Freak
2. Vynuss Vision
3. Join The Gossip
4. Just a Happy Housewife
5. Peeptoe Pumps and Pearls
6. Reasonably Swanky
7. Nautical by Nature
8. The Company She Keeps
9. The Pink Tutu
10. Powderpuffs N Pearls

Cheese & Chocolate

Two of my favorite things! Last night I had the pleasure of dining with a great group of ladies at The Melting Pot. This is one of my favorite restaurants and definitely an indulgence (it’s a good thing that morning was weight in day and I have another week to work it off). We dined on cheese and chocolate fondue, a well-balanced meal in my opinion (just kidding).


Delicious dippers for dessert!

It was great to meet some new friends and chat about everything from men, careers, favorite book of all time and life in general. Conversation was easy and a good time was had by all. I don’t think it’s ever too late to make new friends and I’m really glad I joined this group.


Kim, Allyson, me, Sue


Keren and Siobhan

Tasty Tuesday – Cola Chicken

This is a Weight Watchers recipe and so delicious. I got it a long time ago from a co-worker. It’s quick and very easy.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 cup ketchup
1 can diet soda (I used Diet Dr. Pepper)

Directions:
1. Put chicken in non-stick skillet
2. Pour ketchup and diet cola over the top
3. Bring to boil
4. Cover, reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes
5. Uncover, turn up the heat and continue to cook until the sauce becomes thick and adheres to the chicken

It turns into the most incredible BBQ sauce and it's only 4 points per serving.



I served this with broccoli in cheese sauce (Green Giant) and polenta.

Enjoy!

Weekend recap

Whew…what a weekend! Friday was really relaxing. Geof and I went to the gym and then came home to catch up on some trashy reality TV. You have to cherish those lazy nights when you can!

Saturday, I had an appointment to get my makeup done at MAC. This is something I’ve always wanted to do, because I’ve seen some of my friends get it done and always looked nice. I love the smoky eye and nude lip look and asked them do this for me. My artist, Sarah, did a great job. It was a lot more dramatic than I’m used to, but something that I would definitely try to recreate for a night out. Luckily, Geof and I had plans to go see SafetySuit, so I was ready to go.


All done up from MAC!

SafetySuit was back in PA, about 40 minutes from us and it was great to see them again. After meeting the guys at their other shows, they recognized us right off the bat. We were talking to Dave (the guitarist) and then Doug (lead singer) came up behind me and grabbed me by the shoulders. We were chit chatting with the two of them for awhile and then we went to talk to Jeremy (the bassist) and Tate (the drummer). We let them know we were going on the cruise and everyone is really excited for it. Jeremy mentioned again how awesome it was of Geof to write the review that he did of the band. Tate and Geof got to talking about fishing and it was just nice to get a chance to chat with them in a more laid back environment. They were driving back to Nashville that same night, so we didn’t try to take up too much of their time. I give them a lot of credit for being away days and weeks at a time. It must feel good to get back to your loved ones after being out of the road. The show itself was awesome and the guys sounded great.

This pic cracks me up. Tate put on a choir dress and came back out and played like it was nothing

Geof and me at the concert

Dave and me

Doug and me

Jeremy and Geof

Sunday, I met with a new group of girls for brunch at Terrain at Styer’s. This place is so cool. The owner of Anthropologie took over what used to be a regular nursery and turned it into a more outdoorsy Anthro-type spot and put in a café. The café is in a greenhouse and it’s just a really nice space to hangout and enjoy a meal. The group of girls I met up with were awesome and I thought they were all really sweet and welcoming. I cannot wait to see everyone again.

Pretty stained glass doors in the greenhouse

Me, Kim and Siobhan

Louise, Ganelle, Yvette and Jingbo

Pretty candles and cloches in the shop

When I got home, I finally got the chance to talk to Gwen. We were chatting the evening away until I realized it was time for dinner. She kept talking about making beer bread and it was making me hungry ;) I cannot wait to meet someday in person. Talking to her is like talking to an old friend that you’ve known forever. It’s unbelievable the real and honest friendships that can be made through blogging.

I’m on a boat

Or rather, I’m going to be on a boat! Geof and I booked a cruise and we leave in a few weeks. I cannot wait to get away and this will be something different for us as a couple, since we’ve never been on one together.


Carnival Inspiration

We’re going to the Cayman Islands and I absolutely love it there. The island is beautiful and there are so many things to do. The bonus is that it’s the VH1 Best Cruise Ever and there are going to be a ton of concerts on the ship. Lifehouse, 3 Doors Down, Shinedown, SafetySuit and Carolina Liar (just to name a few) will be rocking the boat!

They’re also going to have 2 theme nights, one 80’s and one formal. It will be fun to put some ridiculous 80’s outfit together.

I went on a cruise to the Cayman’s a long time ago with a bunch of friends and did a tour to Stingray City where they take you out to this sandbar and you get to play and interact with the ray’s. I remember the boat pulling up and looking at this water that was as clear as a pool and then seeing these dark shadows swimming about. I was completely freaked out at first, but it was such an amazing experience. I hope to do it again, explore George Town, visit “Hell”, 7 Mile Beach and maybe even get over to the Turtle Farm. There is so much to do and I really hope to squeeze as much in as possible that day that we’re in port.


Stingray City


Hell - it was fun last time to send postcards to my friends back home postmarked from Hell. It's basically a tourist trap, but still fun.

7 Mile Beach

Good night

I have a cold that I’ve been fighting since the weekend and so far the cold is winning. On the bright side, there is nothing like a mid-week ladies night to lift your spirits! Colleen came down tonight for pizza and pedicures. We went to our favorite spot, Alfredo’s for dinner and then went to the nail salon for pedicures (I got a mani too). There was a bridal party at the nail place and they were so cute. They brought in lots of food and wine and we’re playing party music in the salon. I felt like I was in the club, but we had a nice time. It was so relaxing and just what I needed (my favorite part is the massage and hot towels). I love catching up on girl time with Coll we always have a blast. I love that girl!



In other news and as of this morning, I am down 14.8 pounds over the past 10 weeks. I don’t talk about it much on here, because I don’t want to make a big deal of it. I thought I would post it to keep myself accountable and stay on track. I still have a long way to go, but I’m proud of what I’ve done so far. Maybe I’ll post another update at 20 weeks…

Weekend recap

Friday, I worked most of the night and was able to get out for a little bit to go to the gym and then came home and started working again. We had a ton of errands to run but because of how crazy busy work is right now, they had to be pushed aside.

Saturday, we had a spring clean-up day in our town home community and the neighborhood came together to plant flowers and spruce things up a bit. I worked in between the clean-up off and on throughout the day and into the night. It was nice to be outside when I could help out because the weather was absolutely gorgeous. It also didn’t hurt that I got to hold my neighbor’s 2-month old baby girl on and off all day. She is such a cutie! Saturday night I watched bits and pieces of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Dirty Dancing and Romeo & Juliet. I’ve come to realize that Dirty Dancing will never get old.

Sunday, Geof and I went to the city to meet up with our friends Colleen & Donald for dinner at Chima. The four of us love it there. It is a Brazilian Steakhouse and the meats and salad bar are so delicious. It’s overwhelming at first when the Rodizio servers keep coming with 8 different kinds and cuts of beef, poultry and fish. We were all so full when we left. It was great to catch up with our friends and the four of us always have a nice time when we go out together.


Me & Coll


The Donald & Geof


Double date!