Picks and Pans

Hey everyone! I really do plan on coming back to the tumbler world some time soon. I have been taking a break due to LOVING my new job, but I miss writing on here! I can’t possibly fit in what I have been up to over the past 2 months so instead I am going to list some of my Picks and Pans from what I’ve been doing!

Picks:

Nailpolish - 

Essie STEEL-ing the Scene- It’s a really cool steely grey/green color 

Essie Lapis of Luxury - light bluish grey

Movies:

The Town- Ben Afflick is HOT and it’s based on a true story

Easy A - Saw it in the theater and loved it so much that I bought it on DVD!

Country Strong - I definitely will be downloading the soundtrack

Restaurants:

Zig Zag Kitchen - Amazing eclectic menu, try the tri-colored tortellini, it is delish!

Paula & Monica’s Pizza - located on Chicago and amazing little local pizza shop

Lula’s - Try this Logan Square rest. for brunch, the use local produce so they have a constantly changing menu

Shopping:

Pump - I am obsessed with this shoe store on Division Street in Wicker Park. They have the BEST selection of boots I have ever seen! And sometimes they have really great sales going on

Baking:

I found the ULTIMATE cupcake recipe! But you really need to include each specific ingredient to make them correctly.

1. Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix. This is no ordinary cake mix, this flavor blows all other chocolate flavors out of the water. I think they add a little bit of love and a little bit of crack into each box. It is to die for!

2. Add Giradelli (sp?) milk chocolate chips to the batter before baking. They sink to the bottom but stay soft and create an amazing cupcake crust

3. Duncan Hines cream cheese frosting, mixed with a little bit of cool whip.

Follow these steps and get ready to enjoy HEAVEN in cupcake form.

Pans:

I only have 1 bad review for you, and that is the movie Dinner For Schmucks. I had high hopes for this movie bc of the usually hilarious cast, but I can sum up this film in 3 works, Don’t rent it.

The best of 2010

Hellooo all! I’ve dropped by for the second time in months to list my 2010 highlights, here is the best of the best that has kept me smiling all year!

#1 - NEW JOB! I hoped, I prayed, I cried and begged the universe to send me a new job, and it happened this past year! I was able to get away from environment that was extremely bad for me and negative and ended up working for one of the best companies in the world (in my opinion!). It really could not have happened any better, either. I was laid off of Doom Island on Sept 30th, got a little mini vacation, and started my first day of work on Nov 30th. I even had a little extra severance pay as a bonus, it was amazing!!!

#2 - I moved in with Kevin. This was a choice that brought me a lot of internal conflict over the summer. I was excited, but worried - I had never lived with someone I was in a relationship with before, not to mention a boy. I didn’t even grow up with a brother in my house so my Dad was it and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I also didn’t know how it would affect our relationship, but it has been amazing. I am so happy I did it and so grateful for our relationship.

#3 - My sister moved to Chicago! We hadn’t lived in the same city since I was 17 (10 years ago, yikes) and I couldn’t be happier to have her back, living less than a block from me nonetheless.

#4 - This was my second year tutoring with Casa Central, the longer I work with the kids there the more attached I am to them. Working with Casa is a huge point of pride for me. I am proud of myself for taking the step to sign up two years ago, and for sticking with it every Wednesday since then, and most of all I am proud to be a part of such an amazing organization. It has been one of the best experiences I have been a part in Chicago.

What amazing things happened to you over the past year?

holy snowballs…I have been gone forever

HI Tumblr!! Remember me? I am that girl who used to write things on here then disappeared about a month ago…

But I will at least say on my behalf that I disappeared for good reason, as some of you with an excellent memory may recall I was laid off from what I referred to as “Doom Island”.

It was the second best thing that ever happened to me in my life, trumped only by being born. Do you think I’m kidding? Cause I’m not.

I tried my best to keep a positive attitude during my lay-off (which wasn’t too hard seeing as I hated, hated, hated my old job) and OH MY GOSH did my positivity pay off. I found a job with what I believe more and more everyday to be theverybestcompanyinthewholewideworld to work for.

I worked on Doom for over 4 years and it was my first job out of college. It was a negative environment that made me believe a whole bunch of bad things including 1. I hated working 2. I was not good at work 3. My life was being squandered away in a cubicle and 4. It had me doubting my self worth.

I cannot believe what the difference of a good job can do to your spirit. I used to read on here about people who loved their jobs and think, they just love working, I will never be that person, no matter how much someone pays me or what I am doing I’ll always hate to work. I was so, so wrong.

I can honestly say now that I love my job. I love it SO much. I feel good about what I do, I work much longer hours than I have to and I love doing it (I am going to work a little more after this), and when I am not working, I don’t worry about it because I know I am going to get back 10 fold of what I put in.

People at my job encourage happiness and laughter, the whole place thrives on it and a sense of humor is the backbone of the company. The term “work hard play hard” was thrown around on Doom but it is actually put into action here. People respect each other and trust people to be adults and get their work done - you will not find corporate micromanagement and yelling bosses here.

So I hope that extra long overly wordy mess of gushing about my new job has not left anyone feeling depressed about where they are working (as it would have left me if I read this on Doom) I truly hope you all love your jobs the way I do now, but if you don’t…come work with me!

Busy doing nothing

I haven’t been on Tumblr in a while, there is a great reason for it though… I got a job!

I haven’t started yet but ever since I got the great news I have been making the most of my time off by reading books, watching daytime TV, taking naps, running errands, doing all those wonderful things that I have gotten to spend my days doing over the past 6 weeks off of work.

As nice as it was having free time, it is doubly, perhaps triply nice, to be excited about going back to work.

I accepted a job offer from a company that I am so excited about, a place I am proud to work, and can’t stop telling people that I work there now!!

I will be on Tumblr much more once I am back to a normal routine, until then…back to the good life!

Oh Friday….I love you.

I had an uber frustrating morning today, I won’t bore you with details but it was enough to send me into a fit of tears. So instead of wallowing in it, here is my “things can only get better this Friday” plan:

1. Bubble Bath! Something I haven’t done in ages. I am reading a great book that I haven’t been able to put down the past two days called Half The Sky ( I will post about it when finished, but every woman alive needs to read this), and I plan on soaking in the tub with my book and new US Weekly that came today.

2. Trip to Starbucks to enjoy a latte and job hunt. I love getting out of the house and visiting all the local coffee shops during the day to work.

3. Make a delicious pre-race dinner, whole wheat spaghetti and chicken meatballs.

4. Enjoy some couch time with my love, and rent a good movie.

5. Going to bed early so I will be ready for my big race tomorrow! I am not sure if a 5k is considered a “big race” by normal standards but to me it is, so I am making sure I have the energy to run at 7:40am in 30 degree weather!

I hope everyone out there is having the most fabulous Friday ever.