Weekend recap: The 4th of July, Wisconsin-style

Hello and happy belated 4th of July!

I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing weekend. I took a few days off after my little vlog adventure to relax and chill in Wisconsin, where is it so quiet, it creeps me out sometimes.

I find that now, whenever I go home, I miss the Chicago urban hum. What? No drunk person stumbling around or horns honking at night? I should record the Chicago "hum" and bring it with me to soothe me to sleep. Or get a nice little mobile for above my bed. Sad.

Anyhow, outside of getting a much needed/deserved mani/pedi at home, the big activity of the weekend was my hometown parade, which I chronicled here last year and was dying to photograph again.

Wisconsin loves the 4th and it loves our country. I see this displayed in several ways at home, from interesting outfit combinations to pride in our parade.

In fact, our local parade is so big and popular that the city had to pass an ordinance a few years ago to keep people from putting out their parade materials too early, thus monopolizing the good places. Clever. And I can guarantee you that people woke up early and waited outside until it was officially 6 a.m. to start roping off space. We're that hard core.

You don't f*ck with America and you don't f*ck with our parade spots. I even started stretching before the parade so I could be more limber to get candy instead of kids. Yes, that's what I do, please don't pretend you're surprised.

So here are some highlights from our parade, from sh*t to camels to kazoo bands to enjoying the parade with bistro tables, wine and a feathered mullet. It's better than what people used to do which is drink openly and ignore their children at the parade. Guess that was cracked down on too with the new ordinance. I cannot wait until next year!

Saw this on the hood of a car en route to the parade - yes, I'm immature

Celebrating the Civil War heroes

My favorite picture of the day. Bistro tables, feathered mullet and wine (forgive the grainy image, I had to zoom almost all the way to capture it)

Yay, a camel...in a southeastern Wisconsin parade...yay, a camel!

Kazoo band drummer. Yes, he's pointing RIGHT AT ME *faints*

Parade outfit - Wisconsin loves America and keeping its legs warm on a cool July day

Cleaning up sh*t from a horse-drawn carriage. We're givers

I was also home this weekend because tomorrow is my dad's 61st birthday. I mentioned here last year that I risked increasing my chance of skin cancer to help him ring in #60 and this year, he's keeping the celebration much more low key and unfortunately I can't be with him on the big day.

I know he doesn't read this blog (thank god, although I think he's hunting for it), but I want to say in closing, happy birthday dad. I know I'm not always the easiest person to love, but you do, and I love you back a lot.

How was everyone else's fourth of July? Is there anything you do every year or that your family/city is really hard-core about?

Note: Thank you everyone for the sweet comments about my vlog last week. I was so nervous in recording it and making it public. Your comments definitely made my day and made me smile. I'm so lucky to have you guys :) Oh and yes, big things are coming up! I can't wait.

Caption needed: Party pants

This is a perfect example of why I always keep a camera in my purse. 

It's so good that you have to photograph it.

While I was at home last weekend, we stopped by a "high end" Goodwill store, that sells brand new or designer clothing donations. I think it's a great idea so my stepmom (who is the shopping devil) and I went in to peek around.

And while I was digging through pants, I happen to come across this beauty. I immediately took out my camera and fluffed the legs so the detail could be caught perfectly. I didn't want you all to miss a thing because it's such good blog fodder!

After the photo session, I told my dad and stepmom I wanted to try them on (kiddingly). Dad got the joke and my stepmom didn't. I think she looked actually horrified.

So rather than rack my brain for something clever to say, I thought I'd open it up to everyone!

Leave a comment with your wittiest caption or most appropriate place to wear this fine piece of fashion. I'll even put together a little something to send the person with the best answer. If that's not tempting, I don't know what is!

Go!

Oh and does anyone want to go to a pants party? (name that movie!!)

Weekend recap: food, shopping and manual labor

Oh Memorial Day, the "unofficial" kick off for summer. And to celebrate this long weekend, I was back in Wisconsin, where it was a balmy 50 degrees by the lake and I was left with one coat, one pair of closed-toed shoes and a plethora of short sleeved tops. FAIL. It was like my packing fail for last year's BlogHer in San Francisco.

Despite the not-very-warm weather, I dialed the "relaxation" up to 11, stopped wearing make up and did a whole lotta nothing but bonding with my parents.

In fact, we bonded over four things: food, manual labor, shopping and television.

So let's recap the bonding that occurred this magical weekend.

Television/Movies

Due to my power outage last week, I missed Fox's Glee pilot, but thanks to iTunes, I downloaded it for free and enjoyed it this weekend. And OMG I'm obsessed with this show. I cannot WAIT for it to start up in fall.

First, Jane Lynch is one of the funniest people on TV right now. Woman steals every scene she's in. And along with my serious crush on Finn, here is my favorite part of the show:

I love Journey and I love the glee club version of Journey even more. It makes me want to rock out. If you haven't see this show yet, go download it right now from iTunes and enjoy. 

I also started watching The Fashion Show on Bravo. It's my short-term Project Runway-knock off fix. Kelly Rowland is tragic, Isaac Mizrahi works but I'm really shocked by the lack of talent from most of the contestants. Half of them can't sew? WTF? But I like that they focus on sell-ability, which PR doesn't do. 

Oh we also rented Taken with Liam Neeson. Damn that movie was intense. It make me want to kick someone's a** much like Liam did. Watch the unrated version, it's heavy but good. 

Shopping

My stepmom is the DEVIL to shop with because she is the biggest enabler I know. I learn from her! 

So we went to the outlet malls on Saturday and I got a little too close to sales of at least 40 percent off and a JCrew outlet store. It wasn't pretty. But here is a picture of my favorite new item, a gold scarf, which looks awesome with my new blue shirt and of course, the Coach sunglasses.

Manual labor

Nothing says "I love you," like manual labor. And that's what I got roped into doing this weekend. After we shopped and watched TV, it was time to work! The hardest job was bringing inside this new cabinet from the car. The thing is massive and weighs as much as I do. Fortunately I don't have to bring it upstairs. That will SUCK.

Food

In our house, Memorial Day = lots of cooking out. And because I don't have a grill in Chicago, I was ready for some grilled goodness.

Join me on my Memorial Day culinary journey.....

Friday: Swiss and mushroom cheeseburger (mushroom and cheese is stuffed inside the patty) with a pretzel bun, ketchup and mustard. 

Kettle corn from the outlet mall shops. I know, sounds crazy, but it was really good. Sea salt and sugar on kettle popped popcorn. Healthier than movie theater popcorn and just as good

Sunday: Sirloin steak on the grill with cooked mushroom and au jus sauce plus Yukon Gold potatoes with light butter, salt and sour cream. Truly amazing. Num.

Dessert: Brownie mix with Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips and nuts. I must stay away from this pan.

And after all that eating and activity, I basically laid around like a beached whale on a chaise lounge, couch, bed, chair, really any surface that allowed me to spread out. Heaven.

How was everyone else's Memorial Day weekend? Do anything or fun or grill out? Or did you go see any good movies?

Randomness: fashion, movies, pop culture and food

I cannot believe it's Memorial Day. Seriously. Time is literally flying by. Eeeek!

I'm back in Wisconsin right now, indulging on a gluttonous mushroom Swiss cheeseburger on pretzel roll, washed down with beer. It's like heaven, but not.

So in honor of a much needed long weekend, I'm keeping it kind of light tonight with lots of bullets, links and pictures!

• I found a blog dedicated to Michelle Obama's fashion and I'm completely obsessed with it. I check it daily and follow it on Twitter too. I am totally in love with her fashion sense, well most of them (the below is not an example of that exception)

• Now that my office has moved to a "tastefully casual" dress code, I'm in need of new summer shoes. I went to Nordstrom Rack last weekend and bought these shoes, what do you think? Bedazzled gladiator sandals, somewhat
  
  
• I watched the 60 Minutes interview with Vogue editor Anna Wintour last weekend. She's rumored to have a $200,000 yearly clothing allowance. What would I do with that? Chanel for everyone! After some damage at JCrew

• Last week I also went to a sneak preview tour of the new Whole Foods in Lincoln Park. And it is MASSIVE. My mind was totally spinning while I walked around on my tour. It's such a great representation of Chicago's various neighborhoods. I cannot wait to go visit and eat my way around. Oh and it has a cheese/wine bar inside! Anyone in Chicago interested in joining me for a wine/cheese flight?

• The New Moon poster for Twilight saga is out. Personally, I liked New Moon and Eclipse a lot so I'm all for more Jacob, especially without that dead animal of a wig on his head. Oh and Rob said in Cannes that they will be making a movie out of Breaking Dawn. I cannot wait to see how they do that. Yeah if you've read it, you know what I mean
  
  
• I bought a necklace from the Gap (it just started carrying jewelry) and the tag made it clear it's not for kids. So I guess that means I shouldn't try to eat it and I should probably keep it away from me while intoxicated too

• I fully plan on grilling out with my dad this weekend. Fish, beef, chicken, you name it and we'll grill it. Everything tastes better on the grill!

• When I went shopping for my bedazzled gladiator sandals I caught this fashion fail at Nordstrom Rack. It's Rock & Republic, with an "e" at the front. Ouch.

Finally, I'm thinking of "sexing up" my little blog and moving from Blogger to Wordpress, but I'm a little scared. But that may mean my reader's need to update their feeds. It's not settled just yet, but if the feeds were to change, would you guys follow me? Bueller? Lie to me?

Well, I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend! Anyone have big plans or is anyone traveling? Safe travels to everyone!!

Oh and if any readers happen to live in the Southeastern Wisconsin area and will be around this weekend, let me know because I would LOVE to hang out with someone other than my parents for a little bit. Dad doesn't keep up with pop culture or fashion like me :)

My Midwest accent and the pop/soda debate

Hello. My name is Jess, I'm from Wisconsin and I allegedly "talk funny."

Why? Because I have a Midwest accent. Or so I'm told.

According to my friends who tease me about this,  I say weird things like "soda" versus "pop," "bubbler" versus "water fountain" and "Tyme machine" instead of "ATM." Personally, I don't think those words are out of the ordinary.

Or maybe my accent is just more subtle than others. I do know that my friends love to point out my exaggerated pronunciation of the letter "a" thus making the word "bag" come out as a multi-syllable word.  I'm now self-conscious about it.

But the most common terminology people correct me on is the whole "pop" versus "soda" debate, because that can be a dead ringer about what part of the country you're from.

When I lived in Minnesota, it was "pop" and people immediately pegged me as a Wisconsin-er because I said "soda." Sadly, after two years in Minnie, I did start saying "pop," but I broke that habit quickly.

A few weeks ago, co-workers and I even started debating and teasing each other about our preferred terminology for this heavenly, carbonated beverage.

I even saw a map on Google to help explain what different parts of the country call it.

So what do you say, pop or soda? And do you get teased for an "accent" as well?

Reader note: Thank you everyone for your hilarious comments on the key learnings. I'm glad everyone agrees that the phrase "fanny packs" are a dirty word (even if it's $445 by Prada) and that there are other X-Men/Wolverine fans. Who doesn't love a hot man with his shirt off...or more.

The best summer job

When I was in high school and college, I had a lot of menial summer jobs. And I viewed almost all of them the same why, as a short-term stop on my way to partying with my friends and goofing around.

Accountability and responsibility? No thank you sir or madam.

Oh those were the good old days.

My menial jobs ranged from retail to warehouse work, but the best summer job I ever had was working as a "barista" at Gloria Jeans, a coffee store chain, at the local mall. Spend all day making drinks and insulting customers behind their back? Yes please!

It was such a fun job, full of entertaining co-workers, all the coffee/smoothies I could drink, fresh bakery and trips to the storage area, which I coupled with a smoke break or quiet time resting my feet on boxes. Who could ask for anything more?

Yes, I am a much better employee now, but back then, being a "reliable worker" was good enough. And, most of my menial jobs took me back as an employee because I didn't a) steal from them and/or b) skip work because I was drunk (too often). Both important qualities in a trustworthy worker.

I didn't have to take these jobs seriously because I was going to college where I would meet the man of my dreams and get a degree, leading to getting a good job (only two of those three things actually happened for me).

And while I rocked the jean shirt, khakis and apron at Gloria Jeans, I relished in the fact that the biggest decision I had to make was there was what the daily coffee selection would be and ensuring I used skim rather than 2% when making someone's latte. 

You know, managing the tough decisions. 

The job also indulged my anal retentiveness by giving me the chance to grind beans, making sure every bean was crushed and cleaning the space up with a brush. Seriously, it doesn't take much to entertain me.

I bring this up today because I was fondly thinking of these memories, when you weren't expected to work hard or do more than your manager asked for because, well it wasn't ultimately your responsibility what happened to that store. You worried about getting paid on time, making sure you had enough shifts to save for school and go out.

My how things change when you join the full-time workforce. But now you get more perks, like paid vacation time and 401k. Yes, it's the small things that count. And should I hit the jackpot in the lottery, my resume is ready to go back to Gloria Jeans, where I can kick back and relax.

The question for tonight: what was your favorite or least favorite summer job?

Key Learnings, Easter and candy coma

Happy Easter everyone! I don't know about you all but right now I am in a near Thanksgiving-like coma from all the food today. Seriously, I need to take out my contacts stat in case I just fall asleep. 

So before that happens, let's hit the key learnings.

Key Learnings:

• I may lose my mind if it doesn't get warm in the Midwest soon. I have such cute stuff to wear!

• Getting an Easter basket as an adult is still a nice treat

• Amy Adams is good in just about any movie she is in. Give her an Oscar, please!

• Your dad is a keeper when he holds your purse in public while you take pictures

• It's okay to play tourist in your hometown

• Cupcakes make an acceptable dinner

• If struggling with a clip on a hanger, don't force it to move because it will snap at any moment and cut your finger open (guilty!)

• It's okay to skip wearing a belt to Easter brunch so there is more room for the food indulgence

• Don't walk around your parent's house half-dressed unless you know they're not home or coming upstairs any time soon

• In order to bond with your parents, you do things you normally wouldn't do, like watch hours of the Master's golf tournament or Fox News

• At Easter brunch, don't guzzle down a Bloody Mary on an empty stomach or you will be intoxicated before the meal (again)

On the Easter theme, I woke up this morning (after being rudely woken up at 6 a.m. initially) and found that the Easter bunny visited me!! YAY! I saw basket grass in our house and hoped it was for me, and it was!

Here is a picture of my Easter basket, full of Burt's Bees and chocolate goodies. Now I have more Ghirardelli squares to smuggle into the movies and my favorite lip balm and Burt's products. Thank you bunny!

After the basket reveal, we went to my stepmom's sister's house for brunch, where I binged on homemade cinnamon rolls (amazing!) and found out were were celebrating a family member's birthday, complete with...a Twilight cake! And while indulging, a 12 year old and I talked about Twilight as if we were...kids. 

Finally, I went crazy taking pictures this weekend around home. I loaded all of them on my Flickr page if you want to check them out. I went a little nuts taking photos at an indoor farmer's market and around the city. Here are some of my favorites:

Cheese in Wisconsin-familiar shapes

Rose in full bloom (yes I did take this picture)

Art Museum

So how was everyone else's Easter weekend? Did anyone else get an Easter basket or eat way too much candy? What is your favorite Easter candy?

Also, has anyone seen the Peeps contest? The Washington Post does it every year but I found pictures of the finalists on the Tribune site too. Some of them are so clever!

Reader note: Thank you everyone for the great comments on the movie quote post on Thursday. I was laughing the entire day at quotes you all left. And hello to all the new commenters too! I cannot believe I forgot Clueless or Legally Blonde or even Seinfeld. All of those have great quotes too. It was so much fun to read your comments, it made my day!

Key learnings and holiday recap

Woo! I'm back from a few days off! I hope everyone had a great holiday and that Santa was extra good to each of you. 

I'll get to the holiday recap shortly, but let's bask in some key learnings!

Key Learnings:

• Baked Cheetos are insanely addictive. Bags on them can disappear easily

• It's okay to eat a plateful of fudge for breakfast, lunch and part of dinner

• Hiding in your bedroom at home is totally acceptable to get some alone time

• Parents need to share the television because I can only handle so much Fox News and CNBC

• Even though you have a designated room at home, you have absolutely zero privacy. Parents will still come in your room, with or without permission

• Reading the same book at Border's over the course of two days is fun, and cost-effective

• Homemade cinnamon buns are a-m-a-z-i-n-g, way better than store-bought

• Hiding disappointment at Christmas gifts is tougher to do as you get older

• Text messages from friends on Christmas can totally make your day

• After a tough day at home, nothing says "tomorrow will be better" like beer...or scotch

• At Wisconsin weddings, Packer gear, scrunchies, bad faux fur and open-toed shoes with nylons are common sights

• Despite multiple outfit/accessory options, it's okay to stop showering daily and wearing full make up while home for the holidays, no one judges

Holiday recap and gift FAIL

Overall, my holidays were good, although the crazy weather did throw a wrench into a few things. But everyone got along, there was no crying (at least on Christmas Day) and everyone was in good spirits. Even when we're strung out on stress and no sleep, all of my Christmas celebrations had laughs, which makes everything all good.

And, I don't want to sound bitchy, but Santa came to visit me this year and honestly, it was a partial FAIL. I love buying gifts for people and picking out perfect items for everyone on my list. I take great pride in this, but I know not everyone does that. For example, dad and I went to Crate & Barrel to pick out wine glasses and champagne flutes for my apartment and Christmas morning, I eagerly anticipated opening up my gifts to find them. 

Turns out, I didn't get the glasses I picked out because he thought I would like other ones better...that look nothing like the ones I picked out. I didn't like the new glasses and now have to go through the hassle of returns, while my dad takes this personally. It's not personal, I tell him, but he doesn't seem to feel that way. Sometimes, maintaining the element of surprise as an adult is very tough.

Now I have a total of four gifts to go back, with replacement items (from my list) already purchased. It's just so much work and frustration. But it's okay.

Despite a few bad apples, I did get my new kitchen knife set and back-up hard drive for Lulu, so it wasn't all bad :) And dad did surprise me with a Longchamp Le Pliage nylon tote. I have one in blue and use it all the time in summer. It's a perfect size and is perfect for the rain because it dries easily. Yay!

And based on the other gifts I got, including a nifty decanter and bar set from friends, it appears as though I need to drink more. Ironically, I also received three bottles of champagne, so, I guess I can start working at meeting this goal. 

What about everyone else? Was Santa good to you too? What was your favorite gift this year?

Snow!

When I left Chicago, we had several inches of snow, but it wasn't too awful. However, Wisconsin was NAILED with snow, at least 10 inches, and it basically shut the city down. This meant I lived in my wellies for the first few days home because we had so much snow every day. The snow even caused my mom to reschedule our Christmas Eve activities until Christmas Day. Roads were awful and it was ungodly slippery, but I was spared from shoveling duty so I can't complain too much. 

Here are some snow pictures from outside our house pre-Christmas. Overnight Friday, we lost five inches of snow from the mild temps. Crazy global warming.

Key Learnings, holiday countdown and cupcakes

Woo! It's the week of Christmas. I literally cannot believe it. And now that I'm back in Wisconsin for the holidays, it's time for quality family togetherness, with a healthy amount of "Jess-only field trips."

So let's bask in some key learnings, join me!

Key Learnings:

• When you're with family, always say "yes" when asked if you want another drink (unless you're driving)

• When you're around the most obnoxious woman you've ever met, it's okay to fantasize about punching her in the face to shut her up

• A woman who is missing her front six teeth should not stick her tongue out at your adorable Coach wellies (they are adorable)

• It's okay to tell an elderly woman that you can't walk her across the street because you're trying to hail a cab

• Snow is beautiful, unless you have to drive in it or shovel/snowblow it from your house

• Christmas shopping is fun, unless you go out in -40 degree wind chills, then you're just praying it will be over with soon

• Scrunchies are still popular in parts of the Midwest, *cough* my hometown *cough*

• Even as an adult, parents can still make you do sweat shop-style labor

• It's perfectly acceptable to change into pajamas at 6 p.m.

• Cheetos and Pepsi are not an nutritional lunch, but it is tasty (even if they are Baked Cheetos)

• Waiting two hours for an hour-and-a-half train ride s-u-c-k-s, but it's okay to find comfort in food, specifically a taco salad, and devour the entire thing like an animal

• JCrew argyle socks are awesome, especially when its marked down from $9.50 to $3.99

So I am currently back in Wisconsin for the holidays, residing as co-queen of the castle in my parent's house. And I hate to jinx it, but so far things have been going pretty well. I survived my early Christmas with one side of the family, but not without some family drama first. Apparently women in my family are magnets for a) trouble and b) drama.

Today, I also finished 99.9 percent of my Christmas shopping, although it was done in sub-zero wind chill temperatures. Tears actually froze to my face when I went in to buy my stepmom's gift. But the shopping is done, so I feel like I can now focus my energy on creatively wrapping everything...sometime. 

I even rewarded myself for going out in the cold temperatures by going to the local Public Market to get a cupcake, but not just any cupcake, a chocolate temptation cupcake that was ranked by our local magazine as the best in the city. I cannot wait to top off my Cheetos and Pepsi lunch with this as part of a healthier dinner. NUM.

Forgive the presentation, the cupcake had an accident in the container en route home

Also, thank you to everyone for their kind blog birthday wishes. I greatly appreciate it and they made my snowy Friday!

How was everyone else's weekend? Am I one of the few still working on buying Christmas gifts now that we're in the final stretch?

Bad holiday behavior

I love the holidays, but I've been known to misbehave on them. I've mentioned before that I don't like to share, but another one of my bad traits is that I'm a jealous person. I don't like it when things that are mine are taken away or when competition comes in.

So I can painfully admit that most of my bad Christmas behavior stems from jealousy and my misguided ways to act out on it. I'm not someone who will bad mouth you to your face, I'm more the passive aggressive type, who will hide your car keys or do a backhanded compliment. I hate to say that I've even hissed at someone I don't like when they got too close to me. Apparently I was channeling a cat that night.

I thought I would share with you one bad Christmas behavior story that stands out, and that a few friends bring up on occasion.

Every Christmas Day evening, we host my stepmom's family at my parent's house. And every year that we've hosted, I end up horribly drunk and passed out in the basement or in my room because I overserve myself. Being a stepchild, I often feel like I don't fit in with my dad and stepmom, especially with her family. I'm sort of caught in the middle.

These feelings of insecurity, coupled with jealousy of her family and my stepbrother's girlfriend, who my stepmom and her family love, leads me to lash out, usually with champagne.

Two years ago, dressed in a very nicely coordinated outfit, I drank two bottles of champagne (before dinner) and stumbled out into the living room with the guests, practically laying on the couch over my nemesis, the girlfriend. I tried to be polite to her, while poking at her face, thinking that was cute.

When my dad excused me and pulled me off the couch, to "calm down," I ended up finishing off another partial bottle of wine and getting a case of the munchies. That fateful munchie craving lead me to eat, with my bare hands, raw tenderloin, which was going to be cooked for the guests. And that is what dad caught me doing when he came to check on the me and the meat. He caught me eating the raw meat bare handed like an animal.

I can still hear him saying, "Jess! What the hell are you doing?"

And me saying back, "Eating...and now bedtime!"

And then I stumbled upstairs, popped out my contacts and passed out on my bed in my clothes...again.

Fingers crossed I can keep it two years in a row of actually behaving. Oh and I also cannot serve myself liquor at home anymore. Apparently my parents picked up on the pattern of how I got so easily intoxicated.

Reader notes: Thank you everyone for the great comments on yesterday's "moving on" post. I'm glad several of you brought up the media perpetuating the Brad/Jen/Angie "triangle" too because I did forget to add a note like that in the post. I'm definitely Team Aniston, but I think it's time we just let the whole issue drop.

Also, in response to Sunday's post, CWI are "cold weather indicators," basically nipping out, which I was doing at the gym when I waved at Jamie Foxx, who was playing basketball. HOT! And for the make out story, I didn't end up making out with anyone after the holiday party, because when Is said I wanted to make out, the only people around me were female co-workers. And that is not who I was hoping to make out with. Maybe next time I'll say that in a sea of hot men :)

My Christmas ornament obsession

My parents and I take the holidays very seriously, especially when it comes to our Christmas ornaments. I collect new ones each year and am generally obsessed with them.

I consider mine to be as valuable as my photo albums or even my paper mache rabbit/cat Bubbles. I don't mess around.

As kids, my brother and I would receive a new ornament each Thanksgiving that was "themed" for each year. So when I played the clarinet and violin, I got a glass musical note ornament and when I was into cheerleading (bad idea), they gave me a cheerleader ornament to hang on the tree. My brother and I are very possessive about our ornaments and fought over tree space for our items. I could easily fill one giant tree just with my own ornaments.

Looking back now at all the ornaments I've collected, they tell a story of me as a kid, starting with "Baby's First Christmas" to my braces (yes I turned them into an ornament) to my childhood obsession with unicorns. I seriously have five unicorn ornaments. What can I say? They're magical.

Unfortunately, we don't do the Thanksgiving tradition anymore, but I always end up picking up a few new ornament each year to add to my little Chicago tree, which is now getting full. Time for another plastic bin.

Here are some pictures of my favorite Chicago-tree ornaments. They're not the really valuable ones, but they sure make the tree look pretty!

Top: Marshall Fields clock
Bottom: Special-edition Cinderella Christmas ornament

What are some of your own holiday traditions or obsessions? Do you have one thing around the holidays that you obsess over too?

Well tonight is our company Christmas party and this weekend I have a ton of pre-holiday "ladyscaping" appointments so I look good when I head home next weekend. Anyone else have big weekend plans?

Key learnings, food comas and holiday shopping

I still am full from Thanksgiving. Is that even possible? Although, I did eat more in 24 hours than I normally do in a week, so that's probably why I feel like a beached whale. But it's the holidays, so it's time to get the elastic waist pants on and relax.

And here are some of the key learnings I experienced this holiday weekend. I do love going home to enjoy the non-city way of life :)

Key Learnings:

• In Wisconsin, Packer gear and Virginia Slims are frequently seen accessories

• It's okay to nap between Thanksgiving dinners when you have more than one in a single day

• Pushing shoppers to get to the last Gap thermal long sleeve shirt in your size is okay

• When starving while shopping, it's acceptable to hit the free Ghiradelli samples more than once (saves money)

• Booze is a requirement at Thanksgiving. No booze means people are less uninhibited and conversation can be more forced

• Driving is a lot of fun, especially when you don't have a car in the city

• Squirrels are evil

• My neighborhood is like an episode of Animal Planet. Possums walking down the street and fat squirrels, oh my!

• Putting cooked food outside overnight is equivalent to putting it in the refrigerator, except animals can move around it

• Staying with your parents is not like living alone in a bigger apartment. Close the bathroom door when it's in use and cover yourself up more

• Whenever I go home, I will never get to relax right away. Within 10 minutes of arriving at home, I always hear "Jess time to do chores, put your shoes on"

Overall, my four-day weekend was a mix of productivity and relaxation. As I mentioned earlier, I have two Thanksgivings in one day. I go visit my grandparents around noon and then have dinner with my dad and stepmom in the evening. Thanks to some pre-holiday overeating and stomach stretching, the second meal wasn't too bad, but two big meals in one day, is a lot for me to handle. It's so good but doesn't feel so good when your stomach is totally overfed.

Fortunately, grandma did not insult me this year. Rather, she said I'm very pretty, which is sweet. Things at my evening Thanksgiving got a little ugly, with the traditional family fighting, which lead to me hiding out upstairs watching a movie with my piece of pie. Some things never change.

The rest of my four-day relaxing weekend was focused on getting my Christmas list all ready for dad (including links to specific items and style numbers, if appropriate) and getting ideas for people on my list this year. I have gift ideas for just about half the people on my list, but I have not found a gift for everyone just yet. 

Of course, my shopping bug from Friday hasn't deteriorated and with deals like, "buy one, get one 50 percent off," I'm more than supporting the economy. But I'm ready to stop focusing on me and getting gifts checked off my list. I think once the list is filled in, I need a day off to knock everything out. Once I get started, I hate to stop midstream.

Here's a picture of the new berry-colored Coach gloves that I bought on Friday. They are super soft and I really love the color. I will be breaking them out this week!

So how was everyone else's long weekend? I hope everyone travels safe, especially in the Midwest, where we're supposed to get six inches of snow tonight. Ick.

Making Black Friday my b*tch

One of the reasons I love shopping is the thrill of the hunt. Using your wits to find what you want and the gratification of having it for yourself (or to give to someone else for Christmas)

And Black Friday is the best example of "the hunt" for me. Thanksgiving weekend is when I list out who I'm buying for, how much I'm spending and gift ideas for everyone on my list. But despite this list, I reserve Black Friday to shop for me before all of my money goes toward others. Of course, if I see a gift for someone at an incredible deal, I will get it, but it's still about me :)

Every Black Friday, my dad, stepmom and I head to the Kenosha outlet mall, but beforehand, dad and I plan out our shopping attack, like we're playing a game of Risk. Circulars are tabbed and organized in the order we will visit the stores. 

Because of the economy, we're scaling back a bit this year, but I surveyed our loot from today and I think we did a pretty good job. I normally don't have a lot of luck with sale items, but this year, I did okay.

Here are a few highlights from my shopping trip:

• Best deal: JCrew Factory Store charcoal gray corduroy pants - final price: $13.97 (no alterations needed - amazing)

• Unexpected find: Puma women's Roma suede shoes (I have been wanting another pair of these shoes and could not find them anywhere until today)

• Potential buyers remorse purchase: JCrew argyle socks 

• Unnecessary indulgence: Coach Factory Store berry lambskin gloves with cashmere lining

• Most practical purchase: Restoration Hardware Factory Store dish brush and anti-bacterial soap for the bathroom

So after an early morning and plenty of fresh air at the outlet mall, I'm ready for an afternoon laydown before dad and I decide if we're going to see the new James Bond movie tonight or tomorrow. 

Oh and here is a picture of my parent's loot. My shopping bags are not represented in this pile but imagine about 3-5 more bags in the front of the stack.

Did anyone else brave the stores this morning? Any big deals to share? 

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? My recap is coming with this weekend's key learnings, but I am still full from two major meals in one day.

Reader note: Sorry if yesterday's early tweet, when I reposted about things I'm grateful for, confused everyone. I should have clarified the repost in my tweet. I just wanted to put it out there because I'm still thankful and grateful for everything on that list so it seemed appropriate. My bad!

My overpacking problem

If anyone hears me say out loud that "I pack light" when traveling, slap me across the face. Why? Because it's a big, fat lie. LIE!

I used to pack only the bare essentials, but then I got more "girly" and into make-up, fun clothes and accessories and suddenly the amount of stuff I bring along for a weekend at home has multiplied by like 100 percent.

Case in point: this weekend when I went home, I brought my "carry on" suitcase, which looked like it was going to explode at any given second. It was stuffed with laundry, shoes and make-up within an inch of the zipper's life. I nearly had to lay myself on it so that it would close. And with trips coming up for Thanksgiving and Christmas (when I'll be home for over a week), I absolutely must upgrade to the bigger suitcase.

Why? Options. I overpack because a girl has to have options.

Now, I try not to bring my entire apartment with me (anymore) when I travel, but somehow I end up bringing the following (keep in mind, I'm home for 48 hours):

• Three pairs of shoes
• Five necklaces and assorted bracelets
• Two jackets
• Two to three purses
• Almost my entire bathroom
• Two belts
• Four to five outfit choices (or at least two outfits per day)
  

I'm a horribly indecisive person on clothing so I overpack because I never know what mood I'll be in when it's time to get dressed each day. And, mentally I know if I take items out of the suitcase, I will want them when I go home and they won't be available.

So in prep for Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday, dad and I had a heart-to-heart and I begged him to pick up a few things for me to store at the house - like toothbrush, contact solution and toothpaste - to make my packing simpler....and so I can fit another purse or sweater in the suitcase to replace what is staying here.

I'm sick, someone help me. Does this happen to anyone else?

Weekend key learnings and matchmaker fail

This weekend I went back to Wisconsin and it was exactly what I needed. I got to drive and enjoy some Wisconsin Badger football...in the freezing cold and snow. I love college football, but I have to admit, the November games are tough, especially when you're sandwiched in the stadium. But I wouldn't give up going.

Anyhow, on to the learnings!

Key Learnings:

• Even with four layers of clothes on, it's amazing how you fast you can get a chill

• Hearing a kid scream "we're all gonna die!" on the train home, is not comforting

• Try to be subtle when holding your breath in a cab that smells like onions

• A Bloody Mary and soft pretzel are great ways to start your Saturday

• Think before saying out loud, "I'm tired of taking my clothes off." People won't know that you mean you're tired of taking your clothes off to try on other clothes at the store

• If Goodwill breaks your donation while dropping it off, it's totally fine to jump in the car and speed off before they return to deny it

• Chanel and Louis Vuitton are not appropriate gameday accessories. My rule: don't wear anything you don't mind spilling beer on

• When your parents ask what liquor you want for the cooler, don't say just juice. They won't understand. Just say beer, even if you only want juice

• You know it's been a while since you've seen someone when they comment "wow your hair is brown now" and it's actually been brown for almost two years

• It's okay to break out into spontaneous dance to warm up your legs and body. But you might look silly

• Be an adult and own up to the fact that you look  like a d-bag in a mock turtleneck. They're not made for everyone

At the football game, my stepmom and her friend tried to play matchmaker for me, ending in a big FAIL. Both of my stepbrothers are in long-term relationships and with my brother married, that means it leaves little spinster me the last one solo. 

Before the game, my stepmom and her friend, who has stadium seats near us, were talking about kids, and her friend asked if I was single. When I said yes, she smiled and told me I had to meet her 38-year-old son, who is also single and has never been married. I laughed and said okay (I mean, why not?) and my stepmom was just beyond excited at the prospect of a love connection.

But the woman sharing a pre-game table with us interrupted this nice moment by saying, "oh my god he's 38 and unmarried? What's wrong with him? Why is he still single?" My stepmom threw this rude person her patented death rays, but the mood was killed. I agreed to go through with the "introduction" at half-time and sure enough, when this poor guy came over to the seats to see his mom, she pushed me forward and said, "Craig, meet Jessica, isn't she adorable?"

As if my cheeks weren't red enough already from the cold, my embarrassment was added on top of this. Fortunately, the matchmaking appeared to be nothing new to this guy, who rolled his eyes, shook my hand and then turned around and left. My stepmom and this woman were crushed and my dad told my stepmom in a pointed tone, "Jess is fine, don't force something on her. She's perfect on her own."

Thanks dad, I think you're right :) Back to the drawing board.

Looking forward to fall

I know summer isn't officially over until the end of September but the weather in Chicago is cooling so I'm starting to look ahead to fall and why I'm excited about the changing seasons. 

What I'm looking forward to:

• Jackets! Well not like winter jackets, more like my cute, cotton/corduroy ones that look awesome with pants and a scarf. I bought one a gorgeous navy one at J.Crew and I can't wait to wear it


• College football - this has technically gotten started but I've been a late-season adapter. Go Badgers!

• Michigan Avenue tree lighting - happens in November and I will have to be dead in order to keep me away from it. I LOVE the lighting of Michigan Avenue. I am a serious attendee


• Leaves changing color - I don't see this a lot in Chicago but when I go home, I love to drive along the tree-lined streets and look at the leaves


• Wisconsin vs. Minnesota football game - I just said I love football but this game is penned in on my calendar every year. They are huge rivals and play for the Paul Bunyon axe. Trust me, when that games end and the teams run for it, it's very exciting

• The "changing of the bags" - yes it's time to retire the summer bags (see you in spring Longchamp!) and bring out the fall/winter ones (hello Kenneth Cole!)


• TV is back!! This is just around the corner and I cannot wait. My DVR has had it too easy for too long, time to get her fired up and back on schedule

• Ugg boots - I cannot wait to bring the ladies out to meet Speedy and my winter bags again. It's funny but I actually have a "theme song" that I play when they come down. I usually pick between "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" or "Big Pimpin.'" I don't know why I chose the latter


• Cool chill in the air - I love walking when the air is cool and crisp. You can actually smell fall coming. For real. Plus it's great sleeping weather, turn the heated mattress pad on and I'm out!

What I'm not looking forward to:

• Never seeing the sun - seriously, I wake up, it's dark and I leave work and it's dark, sad


• Raking - somehow I get roped into this when I go home and I hate it. Stupid leaves and wind


• Snow - it's inevitable and in the city it sucks


• Colds - I always get one and last year's cold kept me sick for over a month and home from work for over three days. No thanks

Fortunately the positives of fall outweigh the negative ones so bring on the change of seasons!

Also - by popular demand, here is a picture of my adorable Bubbles. Look at that face, precious. And posing like a sassy little b*tch. Love her.

Quirky meme - More random things about me

My BlogHer buddy Miss Grace tagged me for a "quirky" meme so without further ado, I will share with you more random and possibly uninteresting things about...me!

Rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged

There are the rules, so away we go!

• One of my most prized possessions is my paper mache rabbit...that looks like a cat. Her name is Bubbles and she is white with yellow stripes and pipecleaner whiskers. I made her when I was in the first grade and I love her to pieces. She used to sit on a chair in my living room (so she could watch TV) but someone from my knitting group teased me about her so now she resides in the bedroom. She's worn, fading and fragile but she is VERY important to me.

• I really hate cleaning floors and bathrooms. When I was a kid, my cleaning jobs were more vaccuuming and dusting, floors and bathrooms were my brother's job. Now I try to get out of doing them whenever I can. But I did clean the floors for my birthday party - that I will gladly vouch for.

• I've never mowed the lawn. Again, my outdoor chores were more regulated to punishment in my stepmom's garden where I would pretend to dead-head flowers and sneak a magazine in with them so I could read rather than work on my "green thumb."

• When I was in second grade, I nearly died from pneumonia. I was in the hospital for a month and about 24 hours after I was admitted, the doctor brought my parents in so they could "say goodbye" in case I didn't make it through the night.

• As a kid, the Great Muppet movie used to scare the crap out of me. When Animal got really big, I would always run and hide behind a large brown recliner that was in our living room. No matter how many times I would watch that movie - it always scared me. Even now, I can't watch scary movies without hiding behind my hands like a kid.

• When I read books, owned, borrowed or browsing, I always read the last page of the book first. That's what makes me decide if I want to go back and read the book from the beginning. One friend who used to lend me books would tear out the last page to keep me from doing it.

That wasn't too painful now was it? Now it's time to tag six lucky people.

G&D, Rachel, Dan Mega, Rebekah, Mandy and Arielle, you're it!

Random Monday and a wedding shower!

My apartment is a mess and I have a ton of paper to shred, like Enron-style, so I'm keeping this one short tonight with a nice list of random bullets and bloggy "house cleaning."

• I'm making guest appearances again: I'm guest blogging over at I'm a Mom in Real Life today and making a partial guest appearance over at Random Ramblings About My Crazy Life. Seriously, my stomach almost needed to be pumped from the amount of yogurt I consumed for that latter post. Check me out!

• Reunion follow up: My outfit choice that everyone weighed in on got a really good response. People commented multiple times about the color and how cute it looked altogether. And of course I told them that my blosse has great taste :) For the first time in a while, I didn't take pictures and honestly in that setting, it would have been too weird. Sorry :(

• Wedding shower gift: Thanks to everyone who weighed in on this - I'm not always the best gift giver, especially under a time crunch. Fortunately, my stepmom saved me and we went in on a gift together from the registry. The couple is now the recipient of a lovely coffee maker from the registry!!

Wedding shower recap:

The wedding shower I went to this weekend was actually a lot of fun and very efficient! My two favorite things.

My stepmom did the most amazing flower arrangements, which went first in the "shower games," which consisted of guests telling stories about marriage or about the happy couple. I didn't really have stories to contribute under either topic so fortunately I wasn't picked.

Mimosa's were served but I opted for straight champagne instead. Why dress it up sometimes? So I was the "alcoholic" at the table, taking pictures for my aunt and talking progressively louder as time went on. But I wasn't driving so I just tuned those naysayers out.

The best story that was shared at the shower came from a friend of my aunt, who had her 4-5 year old daughter with her. In summary, the woman's now-husband was going to propose with her grandmother's antique engagement ring. Once he decided to propose, he had to take the ring to be sized and the wife eventually noticed it was gone and figured out it was because of the forthcoming proposal. When the husband found out she knew he had the ring, he came home one night from work, changed clothes and followed her into their bedroom where he threw the ring, still in the box at her saying, "well you already know this is coming so just put it on."

AND SHE DID. And that is the "romantic" story she shared about how she was proposed to. To close the story she said, "and he still surprises me every day," to which I responded, "what else does he throw at her?"

That was by far the best story. The other ones dealt somehow with the bride, groom or members of the wedding party getting wasted before the wedding. But that I expected to hear :)

I survived my high school reunion

And yes, I feel very secure in my life choices :)

To be honest, my head is kind of jumbled about the entire experience so you'll have to forgive if this post is a little all over the place.

So last night I arrived fashionably late to my high school reunion, which was held at a "Chinese-American sports bar" near the ballpark and a cemetery. What makes a sports bar "Chinese-American?" Apparently it's if the bar serves Chinese food, along with traditional bar food. We had a fine feast of cheese, veggies and crackers, along with egg rolls, mozzarella marinara and meatballs. Random much?

When I arrived at the reunion, I must have looked nervous because the greeter girls from my 1998 class were very fake-sweet to me and the first thought running through my head as they looked me up and down was, "damn you guys got fat." Awful I know. 

This may be a surprise to some, but I get very shy in social situations like this. Normally I'm very assured and talkative, but last night I felt like it was the first day of school...again. 

Since high school, about 90 percent of my class moved back to my hometown so they all see each other on occasion and those of us who moved out of state kind of fit in where we can. I moved past a lot of my old high school drama and issues but being around these people again brought all of the insecurities back up. I was awkward and uncomfortable and somewhat hesitant to talk to some of my classmates because after 10 years, what was there to really say?

I was fortunate to catch up with a few friends, and one of them now lives in Chicago, so if nothing else, I realized last night who I should make a bigger effort to keep in touch with now that I've seen them in person.

Sadly, I did not get as many "Jess you look amazing" comments I kind of hoped for, but a few people said that so something is better than nothing :)

And another guy told me I was "brave" for living in Chicago. Apparently he wouldn't let his woman go off and live in the big city, so despite his hotness, we will not be dating.

Here are some other notable things about the evening:

• Most of the "popular, pretty" women are still popular (with each other) and pretty, bummer
• All of the women who had big careers plans, such as medicine, law or business are now all stay-at-home-moms and the women who just wanted to be married and moms are now in great jobs and are unmarried (me included)
• Just about everyone in my class smokes now, which made me smell like an ashtray by the time I left
• The obnoxious women from high school are still a pain and tried to hold on to their "high school glory," which just makes them look like an ass 10 years later. Last night there was a lot of "wooing" and one woman tried to put the mascot uniform on while her catty friends hovered around with cameras. That was cue to start gathering up my stuff

Finally, I wanted to share the best quote I heard all night, courtesy of a girl I was pretty good friends with in high school. With her husband standing next to her, she comments, "yeah I think about divorcing him [her husband] all the time, but why should I settle for part of the paycheck when I can get the whole thing?"

I had zero idea what to say in response, especially when she proceeded to tell me how much of his current wages she would garnish in child support. That's when I excused myself for another drink. But around midnight, people who had to engage in on-the-surface small talk were growing tired of straining for conversation topics (myself included) so I called it a night.

So as I walked back to my car about midnight with a belly full of MGD and a serious desire to go to sleep, I'm still glad I went and got to see a lot of the people I went to high school with. It's an experience I highly recommend to anyone, even if it's just to say you went once.

In the end, I wasn't sure what to expect in going and my thought that I would have some kind of epiphany or revelation while there didn't happen either. I'm still happier and better off than I was in high school, so if nothing else, I got to show them that and find that many of the "misguided" choices I thought I made in the last 10 years, put me in a better place than some others who made them as well.

Trust me, when you've been the butt of teasing and bullying, there is nothing more satisfying than being asked by your torturer what you do and seeing the look of defeat on their face when you tell them and they nicely say back, "wow that's great, good for you." And they mean it because they know they peaked at 18.

Woo hoo, class of 1998!!

The winner of my reunion outfit poll

Before we get to the winner, I want to thank everyone for voting. I was seriously blown away by the number of responses I got. No joke. It was beyond my wildest dreams.

Also, I want to let each of my outfit choices know that you are all winners and my selection was not personal. And just because you weren't selected for the reunion, I have big plans for each of you.

So the outfit that I'll be wearing Saturday night at my 10-year high school reunion is.....

Outfit #2!!!!!! Woo!!!!! Congratulations!!

You will be paired with a cute pair of dark jeans and adorable silver flats!

Thank you again everyone for voting, it was a difficult decision in the end, but all of your feedback did lead me to make specific plans for the other outfits, so they don't feel left out.

Outfit #1 will be worn on Saturday to the wedding shower I'm going to, with a nice flirty white skirt.

Outfit #3 is super sexy and flattering so I plan to wear that for my birthday next weekend. It's perfect for that event. Guys you better pay attention.

I'm back on Monday with a full recap of the reunion (with pictures!) so have a great weekend everyone. Anyone else have been weekend plans to share?