Grey with Envy

Water Water Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink :(

I am on a shoe fast...well really a fast on all things that cost money. I am not sure how long it wll last but at the moment it seems indefinite.

Since I am loving all things grey at the moment, we can add these pretty little ladies from Christian Louboutin to my list. It is starting to get depressing.

I also need a grey purse:

My friend just got this Botkier bag as a birthday gift and I am grey with envy! I get ideas in my head and don't rest until I am satisfied...sadly killer grey pumps and a grey bag are the prize I have my eyes on. This "fast" is really putting a damper on my fall style :(

Donations?

Neiman Marcus Sale Extended

The NM sale has been extended 1 day and here is a code for free shipping in September:

NMSEPT

Happy Shopping :)

Chanel Price Increase

It is just sad....

Beginning on 11/1, it has been reported that Chanel is increasing their prices an astounding 22-23%!! This means you may end up paying an additional $1,000.00 for some bags.

On Nov. 1st I will probably be wearing black because it will be the official day that my hopes and dreams of ever owning a Chanel GST will die.

So IF you roll like that...GO. BUY. Before it's too late.

On a positive note - I understand their desire to remain exclusive so on that point, I applaud them I guess...

Book Review: My Sister's Keeper

OK I am interjecting a book review. Which I would normally deem too boring, but trust me - I wouldn't write this up if I didn't LOVE this book!

I read a LOT. If I am really into it, a book a week....if it just okay, a book every other week. Sometimes I have more than one book going at once which I try not to do - but it happens often because the mood will strike me and if my book isn't there I just buy another one and go to town.

I really like chick lit that doesn't mean very much or add to my substance in any way. To balance this out, I sort of try to read one semi-intelligent book per 2 chick lit books. Normally that consists of biographies of Henry VIII's wives, or Marie Antoinette (not sure why this stuff facsinates me, but it does), but this time I read My Sister's Keeper by Jody Picoult.

Here is a short synopsis from Jody Picoult's website:

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?

It is really a thought provoking and emotional book. I was in tears througout the novel and it really left me feeling unsettled in a good book sort of way. I have heard many people talk about this book in the past (at my hairdresser's most often) but it wasn't until I was up north this weekend at Brian's grandparent's house and Grandma just got done with this book that I finally went for it. I typically try to steer clear of books that I know will make me sad since I like to be happy. But I don't regret reading it and can't wait to read more from Jody Picoult. I can't recommend it enough!

ENJOY!

For the Record...

The trial I was attending is finally over! Since I am not an attorney you wouldn't think that my last two weeks was very tough, but it is! My input is really utilized and put to use. When the attorney is giving his opening statement, it is his voice, but they are MY words. Everything is time sensitive. If you don't object in time you are out of luck. If you remember something after you close your proofs, you are out of luck. I never realized that the seemingly simple task of being alert was so tiresome until my first civil trial. This is my third since we are lucky enough to not have to go to trial often and every time we go, I learn more about the system and figure out more and better ways to be prepared. So it was a busy and stressful two weeks.

Most judges' motto is to "hurry up and wait." Meaning they want you there at 9 a.m., and they want you back from lunch at 1 p.m., knowing that they have other matters to take up and you will have to sit there for a good 45+ minutes. So a good portion of my day is listening to arraignments and sentencings. It is depressing and I am happy that I don't work for a criminal attorney. But while I was watching other matters being handled I began to think that while I don't always agree with the legal system...there are 2 things in the legal/court world that would benefit us in real life: "discovery" and the wonderful "record."

When you file a lawsuit the court gives a set amount of time for discovery. It is a time for you to....come on, work with me.....discover what the other party's stance is on certain topics and then decide if you want to get into that topic on the record when you are in court. Most of the time this is in the form of written interrogatories or even better, depositions.

Think of how helpful discovery would be in your life. For instance - IF I had the liberty of discovery I could find out how ticked off my husband would be if I opted NOT to go to his mother's birthday party tonight. If I discovered that this would not make him happy, I simply wouldn't bring it up on the record. Even better is when the answer on the record in court is different than what is discovered during a deposition. If this happens, you can then use the discovery deposition to impeach the other person making them look like a liar. Think of how many arguments this would prevent!! People would never surprise you with their answers in an effort to not be impeached.

Which brings me to "the record." All day long in court we are "back on the record" or "off the record." Oh how I wish I had a record of my day to day conversations. My own little court reporter typing away a million words a minute. That way when my husband was surprised (read: angry) that I got a shipment from Nordies the other day, and when I reminded him that I already told him I purchased something and he conveniently didn't remember just so he could stay mad....I could say, "Well, honey let's consult the record. Ah, here it is....On 09-10-07, at 1:13 p.m. I told you that 'I am ordering a dress for Ashley's wedding from Nordstroms today' and you said 'oh really? that's nice.'" I would remind him that there were no objections made on the record at that time so I proceeded with the dress purchasing.

My husband forgets a lot of the things I say - which means he just doesn't listen, doesn't care, or doesn't want to retain the info so he can argue it at a later date when he officially forms his opinion. My opinion is that it is the latter. He often claims to never have specific conversations with me and it drives me MAD! Because I can't prove the conversation took place even though I know full well that it did. If it was all on the record, this would never happen and I think life would have a few less bumps in the road because of this. Makes sense right?

Oh and by the way, the dress does NOT hold in my bust, so the Nordies dress is going back. It is a shame, because if not for that, the dress is super cute (for those of you who remember it - it came in lime green also and would look really cute on someone for the wedding, just not me - BUY it!) but I looked and there is no way to alter it any differently. The search continues and I shall soldier on!

Yoo Hoo!!

Well hello! I think this has been the longest I have gone without blogging since I started this blog. I have been a busy bee! Here is my bulleted list of what I have been up to:

• I have been in Trial for my job for 2 weeks, which leaves me away from my beloved computer and therefore, friends. Being turned "on" for that many hours in a day really exhausts me and so the computer has not been on my list of things to do and sleeping in my bed HAS.
  
• Due to being in the germy courthouse, I have gotten a nasty cold which hasn't helped things.
  
• I had a Kappa Delta Alumnae meeting where we went to see The Nanny Diaries. It was super cute.
  
• I went out of town this past weekend up north to my husband's grandparent's house. We had a relaxing time and the dogs of course had a ball in the lake.
  
• The Noles won against Colorado and we actually had that game televised which is a double bonus!
  
• My parents are coming to visit NEXT weekend, so I have a TON of cleaning and preparing to do! They have never been to my house up in Michigan before so this is huge for me!
  

So moving on, this is a little segment I like to call "Stacy learned a brand new trick." Yes, my tricks are tired and old and everyone on earth apparently knows how to do it but me, but I just got a hold of it in Photoshop and so here are my fun photos in ALL of their glory! Roll with me on this one!

As you know, I bought a bad ass new camera recently and going out of town this past weekend was the first opportunity I had to really play with it. I didn't really get the concept down and there are far too many photos of apples, but you have to crawl before you walk right?

[Disclaimer: I do NOT pretend to be a photographer...I would like to one day be good enough to call it a hobby though. I also have very limited knowledge of photoshop and so taking pictures helps me learn a bit more and more.]

Here are some more of my favorites from the weekend:

Oh yes, I did! Horrible I know....

So anyway, that is that. We had a good weekend - as you can see there were a lot of "nature walks" and apple picking which is SO not me, but since I had the pups along and my camera, I didn't mind much. Also at the end of the day there was a nice apple pie involved :) It is nice to be alone out there in the woods as long as there is a dirt path to keep me clean. Even Daisy got to come in her pink T-shirt. She looked just a little bit out of place.

Hopefully I will start to have some more interesting stuff for you soon. I have been a boring girl lately - haven't even been shopping to show off any new purchases :(

I hope everyone has been good and I can't wait to get back to my desk.

A "W" for the Noles!

So one of the huge downfalls to living in Michigan when you went to college in Florida is missing some of the games which aren't televised in the north. Last year my husband sprung for the "sports package" with our cable company so I wouldn't miss out on any of the games, but that was a big old waste of $$ because there still were quite a few games missing.

So since I missed this week's game against UAB, I can proudly inform you that the Noles won this week! They beat UAB 34-24.

Since I can't report on the details, if you are interested, click HERE to read about them.

Antone Smith got knocked out during the third quarter - hang in there buddy! We need you back!

Sorry about the dull subject matter today people! But honestly, what is going to top the Britney debate below (you know, the one where people are purposely avoiding addressing the GREAT argument I made on BLS's behalf just so they can be uber jeally and Brit-Bash? Yep, that one.)?

Britney: 2007 VMAs, The Theory

OK let's talk about it people. If you know anything at all about me, it is that I am one heck of a Britney fan.

It all started back in 2000 when my best friend, Kelli, and I came out of the closet with our Brit Brit loving. We were first in line on any release day of her albums. And we didn't buy one copy and burn it either...we each wanted our very own copy complete with pictures and shout outs.

In 2002, Kelli and I traveled from Tallahassee to Miami for Britney's concert. We paid a whopping $350.00 EACH to sit in the 3 rd row. The single best concert we have EVER been to! Seriously! People can whine and complain about how Britney can't sing. But in all fairness, I am not sure she ever claimed she could? She is a performer! And a damn good one too!

I submit to you that this is not the end of Britney Spears! No! She will have her comeback, last night was just simply not it. In all her years of performing this is the one and only single time I have not seen her "kill it." So I will give her a pass. A lot of you are probably thinking 'no' but I bet you are taking her personal life into account here....don't do that, that is not our problem or our business...just look at her performances and videos. She has ALWAYS delivered! (Hit Me Baby One More Time, Oops I Did it Again, Slave, Boys, Toxic, Me Against the Music....I could be here all day people!)

So, let's get into the meat of today's discussion. How badly Britney bombed at the VMAs.....

Let's first outline the complaints:

1. She looked fat.
2. She lipsynched.
3. She didn't lipsynch.
4. She almost tripped.
5. She looked like she didn't know what she was doing.
6. She didn't look like she wanted to be there.
7. She didn't know the routine or really have much of a routine.

Now let's talk about a few of them.

1. She looked fat.

Seriously? Do you look better in a bra and panties? Did you just have 2 kids? Was your last one under a year ago? If your answers are yes and yes, then I applaud you, but I will be the judge of that! I bet a lot of people who claim yes - are not so much. I have yet to have A child, let alone 2 and I will kill to look like her!

I will admit that I feel there were certain times where it almost looked like she was pushing her tummy out causing unflattering angles (similar to the photo below), but I think those could easily be fixed by just improving her posture. I further admit that while she is NOT fat, there is a more flattering outfit out there for her somewhere and she should have opted to wear something different.

But please people....do NOT call her fat! It is an absurd statement and I just won't tolerate that at all!

2. She lipsynched.

I won't tolerate this business either. MOST people lipsynch. Especially if you are a performer who incorporates dancing. It is virtually impossible to dance at the (usual) level that Britney does without becoming winded and unable to sing. So either you get a non-dancer who sings, or a dancer who gives you the whole package. What does it matter? It is still her voice. So while you can argue that she is not a good lipsyncher, you need to throw out the complaint that she participates in the act.

4. She almost tripped.

Is this the best you got? Get over it! People trip - do we remember Miss USA? Carrie Bradshaw on the runway anyone? I find this argument weak also. Also, there is supposed evidence that the heel to her shoe was breaking, but we will wait to hear more on that one.

Now you will notice I skipped some numbers....they come into play in a moment.

There are 2 stories circulating. I am a subscriber to one theory and I plan to keep my ears open for more information confirming this theory.

Theory #1: Britney knew that Sarah Silverman was planning on making fun of her children and so she sort of copped out.

I do not believe this as a viable excuse for the pop star's poor performance.

Theory #2: Due to the secrecy Britney and Chriss Angel were trying to maintain about the details of the opening, the VMAs were unaware of the routine. The VMAs demanded to be made aware of what the songstress had planned and upon hearing the details, told her due to insurance/liability reasons, they could not allow it. This left Britney without the bulk of her planned routine.

This report was brought to us from Kelli from Atlanta, who heard it on her local radio station and quite frankly, I am buying what she is selling!

Let's look at the clues:

- We knew that Chriss Angel had been working with Britney for WEEKS and yet, we saw zero magic performed in the opening.

- Britney didn't know her routine and looked like she didn't know what she was doing. Maybe, just maybe that is because she had to come up with a new one a few mere hours before she was due to go on. In light of this, I commend Britney for going through with it. She could have pulled diva behaviour and backed out, but she soldiered on!

- She looked like she didn't want to be there - well no crap! If the VMAs put a monkey wrench in what was being called my "come back" then I would be pissy too!

- If you look back, you will notice that Britney, almost humbly, mouthed 'thank you' to the crowd after the routine was over. I think this thank you was more of an "I'm sorry" as speculated by Perez Hilton. While I agree with Perez that she was saying sorry and that she knew she sucked, I disagree with Perez about the reasoning behind it. I don't think it was because she was out all week partying. Brit had to have known that too much was riding on this performance. I think she was saying, "I'm sorry, this was the best I could do under these circumstances...I just got screwed over by the VMAs and now I am going to suffer for it." Go back to the TiVo and watch the "thank you" with that thought in mind and it will make absolute sense!

So that is my story and I am sticking to it!

Also I would like to point out that Britney has never:

A. Been arrested unlike many a young celebs; or

B. Released a sex video.

I would also like to point out that everyone is super hard on her! A few weeks ago, Brit was photographed with her children on a yacht and the children did not have life preservers on. People made their judgmental comments (biotches). Later that week, Courtney Cox and David Arquette had their daughter Coco on a friggin kayak without a life preserver and they got praised for having such a close knit family. That annoyed me!

Despite all that I have said, I will not forgive Brit for opting just not to lipsynch the majority of the song. It's HER song, she should know it. So on that point, I will agree :)

I believe she needs to hire a stylist, a personal assistant and a better publicist (I am available for any or ALL of those jobs Brit!!), but I also believe she has a come back in her. I have the utmost confidence in our girl Brit.

And yes, I am aware that I had to carve out time in my evening to do this post, and that may potentially mean that I am a loser, but I am tired of people giving her a hard time! Remember, every time you point a finger there are 3 pointing back at YOU! (try it)

So let's sign off remembering all the OTHER VMA performances that she did a great job at:

FSU v Clemson

Last night was The Bowden Bowl. Where father/son coaches Bobby and Tommy Bowden face off for the first game of the season!! It is one of the most exciting games of the year for me and I was so very much excited!

This weekend while everyone else was BBQing and relaxing, Brian and I were installing new flooring in our bedroom (pictures are to come). We ripped up our carpet and began the tedious task of nailing down hardwood floors. We are so tired and so sore we can barely walk! BUT this whole project was centered around being done by 8:00 p.m., Monday evening to watch Bowden Bowl 2007. We collapsed onto the couch from sheer exhaustion and watched with hopeful hearts...

So.....we lost. Clemson 24, FSU, 18. It was pretty painful, I am not going to lie. FSU always seems to get into gear in the second half. I have seen it time and time again - but at that point it is too little, too late. I really felt like the winds were changing for the Seminoles this year. But the wind went directly out of my sails when I saw Drew Weatherford starting again. I think he is the worst QB I have seen at FSU in my lifetime. I am no expert by any means, but he is a wimp and half the time I am wondering what he was thinking or what imaginary Seminole did he see on that section of the football field? I also believe that we were slighted on the last call of the game. Should they have called it a catch, we would have had 2 more seconds to put the ball into the end zone and we would have been victorious!!

My husband and I watched the entire game and cheered whole-heartedly. Let's just put it out there, I believe in the power of the chop.

I even did the Double Chop (2 handed) and convinced my husband to participate in a new version of the chop I like to call the Matrimonial Chop. I figured if God joined us as husband and wife, surely us holding hands and then chopping together would bring the 'Noles better luck!

Alas, our efforts did not travel through the television airways and into Death Valley (what a silly name for a Stadium in North Carolina?). We have been defeated again....and if we are being honest, this is the 4th Bowden Bowl we have lost in a row. It was a sad day in Tallahassee and for FSU alumnae everywhere.

Stay tuned for next week when we play University of Alabama....I have the faith that the Tallahassee swagger will return once we are on our home turf!

Darcy has a home!

I know a lot of you were interested in hearing some follow up on Darcy the stray dog. She finally has a home!

After a lot of tears over what to do with her to ensure that she didn't end without a home or worse, euthanized, the couple that watches our dogs when we go out of town for the weekends decided to keep her. They watched her for us the weekend that I went to Orlando and obviously fell in love with her.

I guess I am okay with this decision. There was a girl that I really was hoping would get her, but since this couple watched her - we felt they should have first choice. Since they watch our dogs, I obviously know that they are nice people and dog lovers.

I am a *little* sad that she isn't staying with us because she was more well behaved than my own dogs, but my husband is 100% right that we cannot have 5 dogs! So all in all I am relieved that she is settled and will hopefully have a happy life!! So please everyone send 'happy new family vibes' to Darcy - Bye Darcy!!

Shopping for the Fall

So, when you see me all stressed out over what to wear in the fall - you should really be seeing a frantic Floridian freaking out about the impending winter. I have lived in the tundra for three years now and should be well prepared for all of this, but my blood hasn't changed and the heated seats go on in my car at 60 degrees. Therefore when I feel the brisk autumn air start to come into town, I immediately start running around like a squirrel getting ready to hibernate. I NEED supplies!! I need sweaters and thick socks, a new scarf - maybe this is the year I will be a hat girl....every department store website begins to get 100 hits a day from my IP address. It is madness!!

I really just need to shut up and calm down, but I get really hyped up and upset. I really do like the fall because you feel "cozy" all the time and you can build fires. But when I think about the bitter cold months to follow, I just want to crawl into bed and wake up in May (yes I said MAY because it can still snow here in April which is absurd!!).

So last weekend when I was in Florida I was thrilled when one of my best friends, Kerry, drove over to Orlando from Tampa to take me out shopping. As you know, there are NO good stores where I live which is why most of my purchases are of the online variety. So I was super excited to go to Neimans, Saks, Nordies, Anthropologie, all my favs!!

Here is a picture of Kerry and I just for fun:

Anyway, we went out and about and I found NOTHING. I did not make a single purchase and I was really in the mood for a present! I wanted a fall handbag only to learn that the one I was lusting after online is too big and ugly in person. I wanted to purchase my first real pair of boots only to find that I am simply NOT a boot girl. I really tried, but I just think they are all ugly. I am not trendy enough to wear tall boots and a dress because I think it looks ridiculous. So no boots and no fall handbag :(

Also in rare supply were cute sweaters. I really need sweaters. Typically I wear normal clothes throughout the winter and just wear a scarf and jacket (both Burberry in case you were wondering) and just SCURRY as fast as I can from the car to whatever building and back again. But I really want to be prepared this winter. So I wanted to invest in NICE sweaters that would last me more than one season and look good on me. I always feel sweaters look so bulky and I decided it is because they are cheap....but the expensive or moderately priced sweaters are fug also. On top of everything, you would like to remain stylish but the bottom line is that it is 20 below outside and a girl needs to survive!

So my Orlando shopping spree was a bust :( But at least I got some great QT with Kerry. I loved that I haven't seen her since May and she just swung by the hotel and picked me up. We went to the mall just like we had seen each other yesterday and then she dropped me back off and we said goodbye like we would see each other in a week. It was very refreshing!

So when I got back to my crappy home town, I hit the internet and searched every site imaginable!! Macy's, Dillards, Neimans, Nordies, Saks, Banana, Ann Taylor, Anthropologie....am I missing anything?? And found NOTHING that I liked. There is 1 sweater that I am luke warm about and will probably purchase next week, but it has short sleeves!

Only I just looked and they no longer have it in my size. I cannot friggin win here! If any of you see any Vince cashmere sweaters on sale or anything with an ounce of style and that is actually tailored to flatter a person's body, PLEASE give me a shout!

So, my final thought for the day is: I am less than thrilled with 2007's fall fashion lineup.

Signing off as: About to freeze my buns off in Michigan.