Thrifty Thursday

I've decided to dedicate my Thursday posts to thrifty things that I've discovered.  Sounds thrilling, doesn't it? Feel free to quit reading now...  Okay, so for this week's thrifty post, my first matter of discussion is going to be coffee.  I am 100% addicted to caffeine and therefor Starbucks.  I recently added up how much money I spend monthly on my morning coffee, and it's enough to buy a new pair of Tory Burch's every other month.  It's absolutely insane to spend that much money on coffee, or in my case nonfat venti iced lattes.  It's really ridiculous, especially since we have an espresso machine at work and a Keurig at work.  My main problem, like most people's, is that taking the time to make a latte every morning takes too much time when I'm already running late (which if you know me at all, is pretty much every day).  So, what I've decided to do is to forego my morning latte and have a morning iced coffee instead.  I can put on a pot of my favorite coffee the night before and let it sit until morning.  Then it only takes me a couple seconds to add some Truvia and ice, and out the door I go!

Next problem, Keurig cups.  Those little suckers are convenient, but expensive!!!  I've found two ways to combat that expense.  The first way is to try and find the K-cups on sale at Homegoods, T.J. Maxx or Tuesday Morning.  This is, of course, hit or miss.  I did manage to find some K-cups at Homegoods the other day that are made specifically for iced coffee.  Score!  But when you can't find those, there is a fabulous little invention out there that makes it possible for you to make your own K-cups.  This is perfect for my iced coffee conundrum as well as my picky taste in coffee.  All you do is buy this little contraption (we got ours free from a coworker that didn't use hers), add your coffee and proceed as instructed!  It does take more time and you have to clean out the filter after every use, but it's worth it in the end to save a few bucks.

So there you go.  More Thrifty Thursday tips to follow next week!  Until then, go buy yourself something on sale!

Of speeding tickets and karma

So, I'm a big believer in karma.  I don't consider myself a religious person, but I believe in the Golden Rule and all that goes along with that.  Lately, I've felt like my karma has been a bit out of whack.  Yesterday I got a speeding ticket, my first one in two years.  For those of you who know me well, that's a pretty long time.  Especially considering my tendency to drive at least 15 miles per hour over the speed limit.  I guess it was due time.  Or was it?  I think it was karma's way of telling me that I need to do a little better.

I go to Starbucks at least twice a week on my way to work.  It is a well known fact among friends that I am not a morning person and that when forced to be up before noon, I better have some coffee.  So this morning, being in a particularly good mood (at least for me in the morning), I decided to do something to increase my good karma.  Let me preface this by saying that what I did was completely selfish, but it benefited someone else, so...  This morning while paying for my Starbucks, I decided to pay for the person in the car behind me's coffee as well.  Someone did this for me a few years ago and I was so blown away, I didn't think to pay it forward and get the person behind me's drink.  I drove away from that Starbucks completely floored by the generosity of a stranger and mad at myself that I didn't automatically think to do the same.  When I thought about it this morning, I decided it was a way past due gesture that needed to be done.

I'm not going to lie, doing something good for others can be selfish.  It makes me feel great.  I'm always reminded of the episode of Friends where Phoebe tries to find a completely selfless good deed and can't.  But I try to look past the selfishness of it and take it as a step towards a better humanity.  So that's what I did for my karma this morning.  It put me in a great mood, and I'm hoping that it sets the tone for the weekend.

In other news, I'll be leaving work early today to head back to my alma mater, UK, for my orientation as a returning student!  I'm starting classes in August in order to complete a second undergraduate degree, this time in accounting.  It's something I've wanted to do for a long time and I'm excited to be a student again.  Someone please remind me of that when I'm studying over the weekend and not out playing because I'm sure I'm going to complain.  I'm excited for what this new chapter of my life might lead to and I'm excited to obtain a piece of paper stating that I have the qualifications that go along with my job title.  So here's to a great weekend and no more speeding tickets!

Thank god for caffeine...I wouldn't be human without it.  That's a direct quote from an ex boyfriend that complained about how grumpy I am in the mornings.  I told him that he had been warned.

We want (to get rid of) the funk...gotta (not) have the funk.

So the past few days, I've been in a funk.  I think it had something to with the headache I had since Monday morning.  By headache, I mean borderline migraine that lasted from when I woke up to when I went to bed.  Thank god it finally went away last night.  I think it had something to do with the champagne!  Anyway, to pull myself out of my funk, I decided to do and post a few things and items that make me happy.  Monday on my lunch, I drove around the Capitol grounds to snap some shots of the historic buildings and landscapes.  Pretty flowers and architecture always cheer me up!

The famous floral clock behind the Capitol.

The backside of the Capitol.

The Governor's Mansion

These are the decorations I made for the upcoming wedding shower Courtney, Rachel and I are throwing for our friend Mary.  I've gotten really into crafting and really going all out for decorations for parties lately.  I blame Pinterest and all the super cute blogs I read.  The picture frames have chalkboard paper in the middle so we can write names of some of the things we're going to serve.  The bunting will be hung to read "Mary's Getting Married!"  I hope it turns out as cute as I think it looks in my head.  Keep checking back for pictures of the final display when we throw the party in a few weeks!

One of the hot colors for this year is mint.  I found this napkin and place mat set at Tuesday Morning the other day and it inspired me to throw a dinner party with a table top based on these colors.  I picked up a few more things at Homegoods last night to complete the decor.  Now I just need to find a day to have the dinner!  I've got the menu planned already (thanks again, Pinterest!), so all I need now are my girls to show up and eat!  The glass and silver drink coasters I picked up at a neighborhood yard sale that benefited the relief fund for Haiti.  We had coasters like this in my childhood home and I always thought they were so mid-century modern looking.  I actually bought them to use at my Mad Men theme party, but they look great with this set up, too.  More on the Mad Men party another day.  Last, but not least, is my new favorite toy, a Diana F+ vintage camera reproduction.  It uses this great 120 mm film that I have to send off to be developed.  I haven't gotten around to sending any of the rolls I've finished yet, but I'm dying to see how they turn out.  If you're interested in purchasing a camera like this, I got mine at Lomography's website.

This camera bag rocks my socks off, just like the two people that gave it to me.  I did some pro bono photography for an organization that my friends Ben and Beth work for.  Why anyone would want to have me take professional photos is beyond me, but I had a blast doing it!  As a thank you they gave me this awesome camera bag from Cheeky Lime that I am in love with.  It is so me and so much cuter than the goobberish bag I was using.  If you look closely, you can see the super cute camera charm that came with it!

My new skin care regiment from philosophy.  I have uber sensitive skin and am prone to a few breakouts here and there.  I bought the purity one step facial cleanser, keep the peace moisturizer and a sample of the miracle worker all over brightener and dark spot and fine line reducer.  I've been using them for about 3 weeks and can tell a huge difference in how my skin feels.  The jury is still out on whether the miracle worker will get rid of some of my acne scars, but I think that after a couple of months I'll see some results.

Nothing makes me feel more girly and extravagant than a champagne cocktail.  To celebrate the summer solstice yesterday, Courtney and I made a couple glasses of champagne with either elder flower liqueur or raspberry puree.  They were very refreshing on such a hot night.

Last but not least, my favorite thing of all time, my dog Riley.  He's such a spaz, he sheds tons of hair, and he barks at anything that moves.  Regardless, he is my best bud.  He always cheers me up when I'm sad.  Some how he knows and will just rest his little head on my lap with a sweet look in his puppy eyes.  Thanks, buddy.  You're my fave!

Squirrel watch 2012.

He loves his Aunt Courtney!

I'm lucky enough to have such wonderful people, animals and means to entertain myself even on the blah-est of days.  Thanks to the people that make my life wonderful!  On that note, so long for now!

Girls Day Out

This weekend, Courtney and I took some time to do some shopping, lunching and general site seeing.  We had a great time and it was awesome to just fly by the seat of our pants and go wherever we felt like.  We started the day by heading over to one of my favorite shops, Monkee's, on Clay Avenue for the huge sale they were having.  Neither of us bought anything, but we did run into a friend from high school, so that was nice.

From Clay Avenue, we headed to Midway to have lunch at Wallace Station.  They have the most amazing sandwiches served on homemade bread.  I had the Paige's Veggie Cheese and Courtney had the Inside Out Hot Brown.  Both were delicious and huge, so we had to get doggie bags.

After lunch, we decided to head to Historic Midway to do some antiquing and general poking around.  Midway has some really cute shops set on either side of a train track that still operates.  We spent a couple hours there just browsing around and I scored a vintage lighter in one of the antique shops.  It's very Betty Draper, my new fashion role model!  We were lucky enough to see a train come through town as we were shopping and I managed to snap a few shots of it flying through.  It was really something straight out of another era!

After Midway, we headed back to Lexington to hit Adele on Ashland Avenue and then L.V. Harkness before stopping at Shakespeare and Co. for some afternoon refreshments.  Shakespeare and Co. is downtown Lexington's newest restaurant and bar.  It has a very unique decor and atmosphere as well as a huge menu.  We spent a few hours there relaxing on the patio and having a glass or two of wine.

Later that night we spent a few hours on my deck waiting for our friend Mary to grace us with her presence before heading out for a night on the town.  What was supposed to be a crazy night out turned into a glass of prosecco and a piece of Goodfellas pizza.  I was exhausted after a long day outside and ended up calling it an early night somewhere around 11:30 or 12:00.  Even though I ended up being a party pooper, we still had a great girls day and evening.  Can't wait to do it again!

Until next time, have a great day!

Girl Time

The past couple of days have been fairly uneventful.  Tuesday Courtney, John and I brought dinner to Rachel and Richie.  We also got to visit with Baby Tripp for as little bit.  He is so tiny and cute!  His expressions are funny, too.  They are so lucky to have such a sweet, healthy baby boy!  Afterwards, the three of us went to Charlie Brown's to have a couple beers celebrating our freedom to still have an evening beverage!  Good times. 

Last night, Courtney, Mary and I went down to Thursday Night Live.  Thursday Night Live is an outdoor street party with live music that is held in downtown Lexington after work until about 9:00 pm.  It's been a huge success and it seems like you run into everyone that you know.  We were lucky enough to find a table and got to enjoy a few hours of people watching.  I love people watching, especially in Lexington.  You see all types of folks wearing all types of attire.  Being the clothes horse I am, I love seeing all the different clothes and attempting to guess where they came from so I can go pick up one of my own!

Mary and Courts at our awesome spot near Bluegrass Tavern.  Tables and seating are hard to come by, so it was a real treat that we lucked into a table.  It was as crowded as I've ever seen it down there, so we really must have had some good karma coming our way.

Me and Mary enjoying the girl's night out.  Her fiancee is in Vegas for his bachelor party, so this weekend she's a free woman!  I love quality girl time!

Apparently this door found on Market St. in Gratz Park is quite popular for engagement photos.  Seeing that Mary and Courts are so cute and photogenic, I made them stop and strike a pose.  It was dusk by this point, so the lighting kind of stunk.  I hate using a flash, but alas, I didn't drag my tripod with me, so there couldn't be any long shutter speeds.  C'est la vie!  One of these days, I'll quit messing around with my camera and take advantage of it's potential and learn to use it properly.  I've pretty much forgotten most of what I learned in my photography class in college (probably because it was ten years ago!), so when I go back to school this fall, I might retake the class.  Oh yeah, did I mention that I'm getting a second undergraduate degree?  I've decided that I want to get a degree in accounting and then pass my CPA.  I'm a dork, I love numbers and the way that everything balances out in accounting.  That sort of order puts my OCD head at ease!  I know, I'm a nerd, but I'm okay with it.  Well, that's all I have thus far.  Check back for my post weekend post on Sunday.  There will be more quality girl time to be had this weekend!  I'm so excited!  Everyone have a great weekend!

Last night was fairly uneventful, but I did do something productive (other than watching four episodes of Mad Men).  I planted my first tomato plant ever and put together a lasagna for my friends Rachel and Richie that just had a precious baby boy!

First the tomato plant...  I've never had much success growing anything other than poison ivy and milkweeds (thanks to my neighbor, who lets them grow all over his yard and spread into mine).  This endeavor into vegetable gardening should be interesting.  I stink at watering plants and weeding, so my yard has been a mess since I moved in almost four years ago.  A few months ago my mom and aunt came down and put a nice bed in the front of my house, so at least I'm not that horrible neighbor bringing down property values anymore.  I need to weed it, and then maybe I'll put up some pictures to show off their hard work!  But I digress....  So when I got to work yesterday morning, an employee had brought in his extra tomato seedlings for anyone to take home.  Since I had a new set of cute gardening tools (a free gift for spending entirely too much money at the Lilly Pullitzer store) and an empty pot sitting on my back deck, I decided why not!

I might have only succeeded in making a mess on my back deck, but hopefully I'll see some tomatoes sometime soon!

After my attempting at gardening, I set out to make one of my favorite dishes, a five cheese vegetarian lasagna. It's super easy, just a little time consuming.

Five Cheese Lasagna Recipe:

16 oz. shredded Mozzarella
8 oz. Fontina cheese, grated
12 slices Provolone cheese
20 oz. Ricotta cheese
Parmesan cheese
1 egg
12 Lasagna noodles
2 jars store bought pasta sauce (don't judge me, I've never mastered a homemade spaghetti sauce.  I like Barilla's Tomato Basil Sauce.)

To make the cheese filling, combine  8 oz. of the the Mozzarella, all of the Fontina and Ricotta, about a handful of Parmesan and egg.  Mix together well.  Boil noodles till al dente in a large pot with salt and olive oil added to the water.   Th olive oil helps keep the noodles from sticking together.  Once finished cooking, let cool before layering lasagna.  I start with a layer of sauce, then four noodles (side by side, obviously), followed by the cheese mixture and then six slices of Provolone and finally sprinkled with Parmesan.

I do two layers like this followed by one more layer of noodles and sauce only.  To top it off, sprinkle the other 8 oz. of Mozzarella and as much as Parmesan as desired.  Bake at 375 degrees until bubbly and browned around the edges, usually 45-60 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest for at least ten minutes before cutting and serving.

Hopefully this will fill the bellies of two new and, most likely, sleep deprived parents for a few days!  I can't wait to see that sweet baby again, too!

That was pretty much the end of me doing anything useful for the rest of evening.  On that note, I leave you with a picture of my baby excitedly cleaning the floor of fallen cheese.  Have a great Tuesday!

Kate's Big 30th Birthday Weekend

This weekend marked the very important day of Kate's 30th birthday.  I threw her a throwback college party in honor of the big event on Saturday.  But that's not all that went on this weekend!  Friday night, my best friend Beth and her husband JD came in from Louisville for an impromptu visit and to see a band they like at my favorite local bar.  When Beth called and let me know they were coming in, the hostess in me went into autopilot.  I raced home from work and made some home made benedictine, one of Beth's favorite treats, and a pitcher of mint juleps to celebrate the upcoming Belmont Stakes.

Beth and I ate most of these before I could take a picture.  There is nothing more Kentucky than homemade Benedictine spread.  It's sooo addictive!

JD and Beth relaxing on my deck.  The weather was perfect on Friday, warm but not too hot!

That's Kaia, not posing for the camera.

Later that night we went to Pazzo's, the campus pizza and beer pub, for dinner.  JD was sold on going there for dinner once I told him about the extensive draught and bottle selection.  We spent a solid couple hours there enjoying the patio and pizza, and of course some good catching up!

After dinner, we had some time to kill before the show at Cosmic Charlie's.  We went to another great beer bar, The Beer Trappe, located just down the street from my house.  It's so convienent living in Chevy Chase, everything you need is all within a few blocks!  We had a beer there and were joined by our friend Courtney before heading to see Two Man Gentleman Band.  They are a sort of vaudevillian act that was a ton of fun and kept us entertained for a few hours!  I would definitely recommend seeing them if they are ever in your area!  Before too long, it was time to go home and call it a night.  Beth and JD had to be in Bloomington fairly early and I had a party to get ready for!

Kate's party was a college theme.  We had beer pong, kegs and grilled out.  Kate wouldn't let me cook any fancy food, so we had burgers, chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, pasta salad and chips.  Everyone loved the keg of Fat Tire that Kate's boyfriend Adam arranged to be brought from Tennessee.  It's such a shame that we can't get Fat Tire in Kentucky because it's such great beer!  To top of the college experience, Kate made a few trays of Jello shots!  It was a blast!

Robbie and the birthday girl, wearing the tiara I got her!

Kate and her boyfriend Adam.

Justin getting a much deserved punch in the face from wife, Andrea.

Brooke laughing at one of her own jokes.  Dork.

Beer pong with Mike, Kate and Annie.  Mike and I did not win that round...

Joe, straight up gansta!

DeBraun's first keg stand!  Such a novice!

All in all, it was a great weekend!  I'm exhausted and my kitchen is a war zone, but it's totally worth it!  Hope everyone has a great week!  See you soon!