When Times get Tough, the Tough........ Go Shopping!

I often update you on my 'current state' when I happen to have a cute little view of my laptop, Lilly planner, pens/highlighter, & functional notebooks (used for my many lists!) & typically, a cup of coffee close by. But right now, this is me:

Pure shopping BLiSS!
Ohhhh yeaaaaaa :)

Times have been way too tough & heavy lately! & Lucky for my little broke hiney, I got my tax returns just in the nick of time! I know it's a horrible habit, but when I'm feeling down & out I shop! Bad for my wallet & emotions, but great for the economy! Right? Trying to justify here!

Don't worry, as irresponsible as I am I didn't take my tax returns & run off into the sunset. I did pay bills first. & yes, I paid all of them. All our accounts are current! & while that cheered me up (& de-stressed me,) it wasn't quiiiite what my little heart needed ;)
& I may or may not have made a payment on my student loan that wasn't due until APRIL... ThankYouVeryMuch!

Behold.... The fruits of my shopping labors!

A couple 'electronics'! Please excuse me blogging about a car charger, but I've always wanted one & I snagged this little baby for $2.50 on Amazon! Can you say Steal!?!



3 words... Oooh La Laaa!
I love, love, LOVE the blush tone of this shoe. I can already tell, it's going to be a spring go-to. & whaddya-know?! It goes perfectly with this!

I've always wanted a white dress with little eyelet details (hard to see in this pic!) & I think it's going to be perrr-fect for Keeneland this spring!! Now I just have to get going on my tan so my skin doesn't match this dress! Anyone have suggestions for a good place to get a spray tan? I'm really trying to break my 'bed' habit because I'm starting to get a little nervous about laying under those harsh bulbs! I love Louis Vuitton (more than my heart can stand,) but I don't want to look like one of their bags when I'm 30!

I also purchased this precious top which you may remember from this post!



I made all of these purchases online so naturally, the anticipation is killing me! I can't wait until these arrive & I get to play! I'm feeling mildly anxious because, of course, I'm worried some things won't be as great as I want them to be once they arrive. But part of me loves shopping online because of that anticipation. It's so fun waiting for things to arrive & so exciting when you see that box waiting on your doorstep!
I know, I know... That's a sure sign I need to find a Shopper's Anonymous meeting.
"Hi, I'm Austin & I have a serious shopping habit which I lean on in difficult & happy times."
Hiiiii Austin.

I'm sorry, but I've battened down my financial hatches in a serious way & once my tax returns came, I decided to have a little fun! Like I said, I paid bills & I even saved some of it! So frankly, I deserve the above purchases :)

XOXO!!

P.S. Thank you to those of you who commented/tweeted/etc about my previous post. It was incredibly difficult to write but the encouragement I got from you all made it so worthwhile... Just knowing people read it & appreciated it! Your thoughts, prayers, & offerings of support are so precious to me! I love you sweet girls! Kiss Kiss, Hug Hug!!
Seriously..... THANK YOU!! :)))

Listing & Lusting!

With Spring on it's way (yes, I am staying positive & doing every no-snow dance I know!) yours truly has been shopping for fun things to make spring even better! Because I'm a massive nerd I tend to make lists. My number one list happens to be a To-Do List, but the 'Things I Must Have' List is a close second & happens to be never ending. Here are a couple of my recent items :)

How sweet are these?! I'm obsessed!!

Let me just say, I LOVE shoes. I quite possibly am a shoe hoarder. What a tacky nick-nack is to a hoarder, a shoe is to me. I can't help it, I see a pair (or two or three!) fall in love, & have to have them. There have been times I blatantly chose a pair of shoes over other obligations... Like bills, gas for the car, food, etc. Irresponsible as it is, I can't help myself. I have a problem!
& let me just be completely honest here... Shoes always fit. No matter what size I am everywhere else, my shoe size stays predictably the same... I. Love. It. Subsequently, there is a massive overflow of shoes in my closet. Well, most of them still fit in there! I think I own more shoes than anything else, actually.

I went to Vegas this past summer & this was my 'Definitely Going to Vegas' pile.
[There are 13 pairs in this pic... For 4 days & 4 nights, just so we're all on the same page.]
(Sorry for poor pic quality.. That was before the iPhone entered my life!)

Problem? Some think so, but I just cannot help myself! I sent the pic to my boo, who was living & waiting for me in Vegas at the time, & he helped me narrow the selection!

Alright, back to my List!

I'm thinking these would be kind of perfect for Keeneland's Spring Meet!!

I also just looooove this!

Personally, I think this is seriously PRESH! If done the right way, it could also be perfect for Keeneland! This top just looks so fresh & lively to me. The exact opposite of ho hum winter-wear!

& as always
THIS sweet baby will always be on my List! Until I have one in my possession of course! I think that just about everyday I send a little style prayer in hopes that the price will drop momentarily so I can buy one! Or that one will just fall into my lap! ;)

& thanks to this stylish chica I've also been looking here for a few spring-y Keeneland options!

Oh Spring, how I love you & wish you would make an appearance in all our lives very soon!

Meanwhile, this is my current state:


:)
Being productive & I love it! Responding to e-mails that are in response to resumes I've sent out! Eee!
Also-- Please note the pink UK coffee cup I am sippin' from! Gotta` support my boys in blue!! They've got a big game tonight & I KNOW we can win it! Unfortunately we all have to look at Bruce Pearl the biggest tool of life in that hideously tacky TN orange blazer. Ick.

Have a great evening my loves! GO CATS!! XOXO <3!!>

Planning = Success!

I noticed the date of my last post was October 21st, so as far as I'm concerned, under a month is me getting better! Kudos!

Alright, let's get serious. It's nearing the end of the year & for most that means the Holidays with their families, friends, loved ones, etc., Christmas shopping, Holiday parties, & looking forward to the New Year. While this holds true for me as well, there is one other thing just looming when the end of the year approaches... Time to get a new planner. This can be a very stressful thing for me because the planner for 2010 allows me a month of the New Year to find a new planner, but after that month, I'm cut off from planning in an organized manner. Thus ensues my end-of-year, must-find-a-planner full blown anxiety. Scratch that, 'anxiety' is putting it pretty mildly. Let's call a spade a spade here... I completely panic. Finding a planner should really not be such a daunting & intense task, & for most, it's not. Find one, at a good price, & move on, (I would say check it off the to-do list, but these people probably don't even use to-do lists. Ugh.) But for me it's a whoooole other story. I am incredibly picky about a few things in my life, & my planner is one of them. It holds my life within it's covers! It holds my life together.

I guess I should mention the other things I'm a little picky about:
* My hair. It has to be cut & colored to my liking or there will be hell to pay. Trust me.
* My jeans. Yes, denim jeans cause me much stress & most do not fit my criteria. I'm not even going to explain how I have to have them because it would exhaust you. But basically, they have to be comfortable, not flared but not skinny leg, no fading on the thighs, (some exceptions can be made, but the fading must make it through a second round of picky-ness.) holes are acceptable, but again, there is a second round of criteria holes must pass, & they have to make my booty look good. I don't have a whole lot back there, so that takes a very special pair of jeans. This is the much abridged version of the jean-selection process.
* & my purses. Don't worry, I'm not as anal about purses as I am about jeans, but I'm still pretty picky. I can't explain it but it has to be just right. Functional, not too big & not too small, black, brown, beige or gray ONLY. That's about it. & while we're at it, I might as well show you my idea of heaven in purse form. See below, & prepare yourself for fabulous.

Le Speedy 35 & my life-long Love


Also acceptable for spring/summer is The Damier Azur Speedy 35... Mmmm, yummy!

See my point? I'm really being good this year so maybe Santa will bring me a special treat under the tree! ;) I could lust over those bags all day long if someone would let me. Along with my love for Louis Vuitton. Let's just say obsessed & leave it at that.

So! Back to the task at hand; the 2011 planner. I've narrowed it down to two options, both of which have some major pros. Which is making it so hard to decide! So I'm just going to lay it out, pics & all, & maybe it will help me come to some decision.

My first option:



Presh on the outside (see pink w/ polka dots,) functional on the inside (it's hard to see with this picture, but each day has an accompanying box for a to-do list, if needed... Love that!) & the full calendar view, which I also love because it let's me see how the entire month is laid out in one glance.

My second option:

Let me quote the website on this one;
"These useful and unique daily agendas are full of frisky fun! The colored tabs make for happy planning. ['Happy Planning'! Eeee! My heart leaps with joy!]
17 month agenda (August 2010 thru 2011) complete with weekly and monthly calendar pages, dates to remember, contacts, and notes. Stickers included."

I couldn't get all the pics of this one to save, so that's why I included the description.. Doesn't it sound great?! I love Lilly Pulitzer, I think their stuff is SO cute & girly, but I'm still stuck on that first one having a box for each day to write the applicable to-do list. But knowing me, & I have to be honest, I would probably still write it on a sticky note & stick it on that week. Ok so I think I just made my decision?! How easy was that? Well, now I'm really excited about this year! Knowing I can plan it in style :)

That's all for tonight, & I guess was pretty boring & lame. But hopefully I'll outdo myself & leave even less time between posts. I have so many amazing people & things happening right now in my life, I can't possibly wait too long! As a matter of fact, I'm going to start a list of topics to tackle. I know I did that in the post before last, but there are more now! & not all of them need to be written about for therapeutic reasons, but for celebratory reasons! That's a great thing!

Stay tuned ;) Xx0